Some creators just say they’d like to work on something entirely different from what they’ve done before. But Neil Labute really walks that talk.
The playwright and filmmaker first broke out with the 1997 indie hit “In the Company of Men,” followed by more adult drama work like “The Shape of Things” and “Possession.” He’s also dabbled in other genres and mediums, including television — but his first official gig as a showrunner isn’t at all what you might expect.
“Van Helsing” drops us into the middle of an apocalyptic Earth overrun by vampires. Our only savior might be the mysterious Vanessa, whose supernatural abilities include being able to change vampires back into humans with her own blood.
It’s a Syfy vampire action show shot in Canada, but don’t let its genre trappings fool you — it’s a surprisingly complex and intimate take. Check out an...
The playwright and filmmaker first broke out with the 1997 indie hit “In the Company of Men,” followed by more adult drama work like “The Shape of Things” and “Possession.” He’s also dabbled in other genres and mediums, including television — but his first official gig as a showrunner isn’t at all what you might expect.
“Van Helsing” drops us into the middle of an apocalyptic Earth overrun by vampires. Our only savior might be the mysterious Vanessa, whose supernatural abilities include being able to change vampires back into humans with her own blood.
It’s a Syfy vampire action show shot in Canada, but don’t let its genre trappings fool you — it’s a surprisingly complex and intimate take. Check out an...
- 10/7/2016
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
Laura Jones.
Laura Jones will receive the inaugural Australian Writers. Guild Lifetime Achievement Award at this year.s National Screenwriters. Conference.
A joint initiative of the Awg and Foxtel, the Lifetime Achievement Award is decided by a unanimous vote of the Awg National Executive Committee, and recognises significant contribution to the Australian screen industry. .
Jones' screenwriting credits include Angela.s Ashes, Possession, A Thousand Acres, Oscar and Lucinda, The Portrait of a Lady, An Angel at My Table, Hightide and Brick Lane. .
.Laura.s characters and stories resonate powerfully with audiences and bring a uniquely Australian perspective to the world,. said Foxtel.s Group Director of Corporate Affairs Bruce Meagher..
.She has achieved a sustained critical and commercial success throughout an entire career which is a brilliant feat for an Australian feature film writer. We are delighted that Laura is the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award..
Australian Writers. Guild President,...
Laura Jones will receive the inaugural Australian Writers. Guild Lifetime Achievement Award at this year.s National Screenwriters. Conference.
A joint initiative of the Awg and Foxtel, the Lifetime Achievement Award is decided by a unanimous vote of the Awg National Executive Committee, and recognises significant contribution to the Australian screen industry. .
Jones' screenwriting credits include Angela.s Ashes, Possession, A Thousand Acres, Oscar and Lucinda, The Portrait of a Lady, An Angel at My Table, Hightide and Brick Lane. .
.Laura.s characters and stories resonate powerfully with audiences and bring a uniquely Australian perspective to the world,. said Foxtel.s Group Director of Corporate Affairs Bruce Meagher..
.She has achieved a sustained critical and commercial success throughout an entire career which is a brilliant feat for an Australian feature film writer. We are delighted that Laura is the inaugural recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award..
Australian Writers. Guild President,...
- 2/22/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
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Syfy has put a Van Helsing TV series into development, focusing on female protagonist Vanessa Helsing…
Presumably hoping to shake off any lingering memories of the Hugh Jackman-starring movie, Syfy is putting its own Van Helsing TV series together.
Following in the footsteps of Ghostbusters and – as of yesterday – Ocean’s Eleven, Syfy’s protagonist here will be Vanessa Helsing, a female version of the iconic Vampire hunter.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vanessa Helsing will be ‘the next in a lineage of warriors who must lead mankind against a world controlled by vampires.’ She will be ‘resurrected five years in the future’ and find that she is ‘essentially humanity’s last hope to lead an offensive to take back what has been lost.’
The word ‘lineage’ there makes us think that this new take might use Professor Abraham van Hesling – the original version of the character,...
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Syfy has put a Van Helsing TV series into development, focusing on female protagonist Vanessa Helsing…
Presumably hoping to shake off any lingering memories of the Hugh Jackman-starring movie, Syfy is putting its own Van Helsing TV series together.
Following in the footsteps of Ghostbusters and – as of yesterday – Ocean’s Eleven, Syfy’s protagonist here will be Vanessa Helsing, a female version of the iconic Vampire hunter.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Vanessa Helsing will be ‘the next in a lineage of warriors who must lead mankind against a world controlled by vampires.’ She will be ‘resurrected five years in the future’ and find that she is ‘essentially humanity’s last hope to lead an offensive to take back what has been lost.’
The word ‘lineage’ there makes us think that this new take might use Professor Abraham van Hesling – the original version of the character,...
- 11/3/2015
- by rleane
- Den of Geek
In "300: Rise of an Empire," Lena Headey returns as Queen Gorgo, the strong-willed and battle-ready Spartan wife of Leonidas (Gerard Butler), who hesitates to team with Greek hero Themistocles and avenge her slain husband in battle against the mighty Persian army.
After catching the eye of a casting director at the age of 17, the Bermuda-born (and England-raised) Headey launched her movie career in 1992. The actress has worked consistently ever since, appearing in films such as, "The Remains of the Day," "Possession," and "The Brothers Grimm." However, it wasn't until Zack Snyder's international hit "300" (2006) that Headey finally broke out in America. Today, the actress may be best known to audiences for playing Cersei Lannister in the current hit HBO series "Game of Thrones."
The show has launched Headey into a new level of stardom, and I'll admit I was a little intimidated. It's not simply because "Game of Thrones...
After catching the eye of a casting director at the age of 17, the Bermuda-born (and England-raised) Headey launched her movie career in 1992. The actress has worked consistently ever since, appearing in films such as, "The Remains of the Day," "Possession," and "The Brothers Grimm." However, it wasn't until Zack Snyder's international hit "300" (2006) that Headey finally broke out in America. Today, the actress may be best known to audiences for playing Cersei Lannister in the current hit HBO series "Game of Thrones."
The show has launched Headey into a new level of stardom, and I'll admit I was a little intimidated. It's not simply because "Game of Thrones...
- 3/6/2014
- by Jonny Black
- Moviefone
Zero Dark Thirty star to play Anastasia Steele's mother in big-screen adaptation of erotic literary blockbuster
• News: Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson sign up for 50 Shades
• News: Fans protest 50 Shades casting
Jennifer Ehle has joined the cast of Sam Taylor-Johnson's forthcoming big screen adaptation of erotic literary blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey, reports Variety.
Ehle, known for turns in Zero Dark Thirty, Contagion, Possession and the 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice, will play the mother of blushing virgin Anastasia Steele. The character, Carla May Wilks, is described as a flighty and self-centred woman who enjoys turning her hobbies into ill-fated business schemes.
Fifty Shades centres on kinky billionaire Christian Grey's recruitment of Anastasia to be his well-remunerated sexual submissive. Author El James, whose steamy novel has sold more than 70m copies worldwide, revealed last month that Charlie Hunnam will play Grey and Dakota Johnson will portray Anastasia Steele in the big-screen adaptation.
• News: Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson sign up for 50 Shades
• News: Fans protest 50 Shades casting
Jennifer Ehle has joined the cast of Sam Taylor-Johnson's forthcoming big screen adaptation of erotic literary blockbuster Fifty Shades of Grey, reports Variety.
Ehle, known for turns in Zero Dark Thirty, Contagion, Possession and the 1995 TV version of Pride and Prejudice, will play the mother of blushing virgin Anastasia Steele. The character, Carla May Wilks, is described as a flighty and self-centred woman who enjoys turning her hobbies into ill-fated business schemes.
Fifty Shades centres on kinky billionaire Christian Grey's recruitment of Anastasia to be his well-remunerated sexual submissive. Author El James, whose steamy novel has sold more than 70m copies worldwide, revealed last month that Charlie Hunnam will play Grey and Dakota Johnson will portray Anastasia Steele in the big-screen adaptation.
- 10/8/2013
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
Cinema is a kind of uber-art form that’s made up of a multitude of other forms of art including writing, directing, acting, drawing, design, photography and fashion. As such, film is, as all cinema aficionados know, a highly collaborative venture.
One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.
This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.
There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...
One of the most consistently fascinating collaborations in cinema is that of the director and actor.
This article will examine some of the great director & actor teams. It’s important to note that this piece is not intended as a film history survey detailing all the generally revered collaborations.
There is a wealth of information and study available on such duos as John Ford & John Wayne, Howard Hawks & John Wayne, Elia Kazan & Marlon Brando, Akira Kurosawa & Toshiro Mifune, Alfred Hitchcock & James Stewart, Ingmar Bergman & Max Von Sydow, Federico Fellini & Giulietta Masina/Marcello Mastroianni, Billy Wilder & Jack Lemmon, Francis Ford Coppola & Al Pacino, Woody Allen & Diane Keaton, Martin Scorsese & Robert DeNiro...
- 7/11/2013
- by Terek Puckett
- SoundOnSight
For the sake of argument, let’s agree that the Neil Labute narrative unfolds like this: the provocative playwright turned filmmaker stormed the indie world in 1997 with his disturbing, brusque and scathing critique of the male psyche “In The Company of Men.” Labute's controversial, piquant, sometimes pungent plays and films continued along a purposefully challenging and similar path -- often about the battle of the sexes with a deeply cynical mind -- until the mid aughts when he attempted to go in a new direction: 2006 brought his gonzo and much-reviled remake of "The Wicker Man," 2008 saw a racially charged thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson ("Lakeview Terrace") and 2010 saw an African-American-centered remake of the British comedy "Death at a Funeral." While Labute had already experimented with directing material he had not written (“Nurse Betty,” “Possession”), this latter period lacked focus and arguably dissolved away at the auteurial stamp making for anonymous works.
- 6/28/2013
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Ever since the ink dried on Anthony Burgess' novel version of a A Clockwork Orange, Hollywood filmmakers have mined over and over a two pronged theme about the near future. First, the veneer that separates the mundane world from absolute anarchy is thinner than tissue paper. Second, in the future, everyone will be a mad-dog killer for fifteen minutes.
It's these concepts that are explored in James DeMonaco's (screenwriter for Assault on Precinct 13 and Crash) new sf thriller, The Purge. Starring Ethan Hawke (Sinister, Brooklyn's Finest) and Lena Headey (Possession, The Brothers Grimm), the film's premise gives us a surprisingly strong springboard for this well worn topic: By 2023, the wise New Founding Fathers of America will institute a once-a-year 12 hour period where all street crimes are legal and all police and fire services are suspended.
Read more...
It's these concepts that are explored in James DeMonaco's (screenwriter for Assault on Precinct 13 and Crash) new sf thriller, The Purge. Starring Ethan Hawke (Sinister, Brooklyn's Finest) and Lena Headey (Possession, The Brothers Grimm), the film's premise gives us a surprisingly strong springboard for this well worn topic: By 2023, the wise New Founding Fathers of America will institute a once-a-year 12 hour period where all street crimes are legal and all police and fire services are suspended.
Read more...
- 6/8/2013
- by Jason Stewart
- JustPressPlay.net
• Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) is reportedly in talks to join Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight Rises) time-travel epic, Interstellar. She’d be joining a cast that currently includes Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey. Since she’s started getting more significant roles, Chastain has never really ventured into pure science fiction territory (we’re not counting Take Shelter). She famously dropped out of Oblivion when offered the Zero Dark Thirty role, so we’re excited for her to take on a new kind of film. The two-time Oscar nominee (The Help, Zero Dark Thirty) is currently filming Liv Ullmann...
- 5/3/2013
- by Lindsey Bahr
- EW - Inside Movies
And another one bites the dust. TMZ reports that "Game of Thrones" actress Lena Headey has filed for divorce from her musician husband Peter Loughran. Though details are brief, the 38-year-old British actress reportedly cited "irreconcilable differences" when she filed the divorce documents last week at the L.A. County Superior Court.
Heady and Loughran have been married for five years, since May 2007. The couple have one son, two-year-old Wylie Elliot. Aside from her hit HBO series, which recently scored 11 Emmy nominations, Heady has starred in films such as "The Brothers Grimm," "Possession" and "300."...
Heady and Loughran have been married for five years, since May 2007. The couple have one son, two-year-old Wylie Elliot. Aside from her hit HBO series, which recently scored 11 Emmy nominations, Heady has starred in films such as "The Brothers Grimm," "Possession" and "300."...
- 7/26/2012
- by Youyoung Lee
- Huffington Post
Didn't get an invite to this year's Oscars? Neither did Xan Brooks, but he stoically blogged the red carpet and then the ceremony anyway
10.57pm: And so it begins ....
11.25pm: Roll carpet, roll cameras: it's the 84th annual Academy Awards, live and lurid from Hollywood. The Guardian film team will be covering the event throughout the night, weeping with the winners and wailing with the losers as this season's awards circus clatters exhaustedly towards the finish line. This is where it ends, inside the Hollywood and Highland Centre (reputedly the winner of the 2007 "Ugliest Building in La" award). Inside, the victors shall be encased in gold, the vanquished shown the door and all manner of movies laid tenderly to rest.
But wait, kick back, and keep the war horses tethered: the actual ceremony does not officially commence until 5pm (Pacific time). Time enough to cast an eye back over some late-breaking Oscar news.
10.57pm: And so it begins ....
11.25pm: Roll carpet, roll cameras: it's the 84th annual Academy Awards, live and lurid from Hollywood. The Guardian film team will be covering the event throughout the night, weeping with the winners and wailing with the losers as this season's awards circus clatters exhaustedly towards the finish line. This is where it ends, inside the Hollywood and Highland Centre (reputedly the winner of the 2007 "Ugliest Building in La" award). Inside, the victors shall be encased in gold, the vanquished shown the door and all manner of movies laid tenderly to rest.
But wait, kick back, and keep the war horses tethered: the actual ceremony does not officially commence until 5pm (Pacific time). Time enough to cast an eye back over some late-breaking Oscar news.
- 2/27/2012
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Filming is now complete on the 2011 Doctor Who Christmas Special in which the Doctor (Matt Smith) finds himself in war-torn England embarking on a magical and mysterious adventure with a young widow and her two children.
A stellar guest cast including Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Bill Bailey (Black Books), Arabella Weir (The Fast Show) and Alexander Armstrong (Armstrong & Miller), join Matt Smith in the emotional festive special, packed full of Christmas thrills and chills.
Two lucky young actors join the cast for the Christmas Special:
Holly Earl (represented by A&J Management) plays 15 year old Lily Armstrong. 19 year old Holly has been working since the age of 4, including roles in Neil Labute's Possession, "Touching Evil" and the popular BBC Christmas movie The Greatest Store In the World, alongside her sister Elizabeth.
Maurice Cole (represented by Hamilton Hodell) plays her 11 year old brother, Cyril Armstrong. Maurice starred as Eli in the...
A stellar guest cast including Claire Skinner (Outnumbered), Bill Bailey (Black Books), Arabella Weir (The Fast Show) and Alexander Armstrong (Armstrong & Miller), join Matt Smith in the emotional festive special, packed full of Christmas thrills and chills.
Two lucky young actors join the cast for the Christmas Special:
Holly Earl (represented by A&J Management) plays 15 year old Lily Armstrong. 19 year old Holly has been working since the age of 4, including roles in Neil Labute's Possession, "Touching Evil" and the popular BBC Christmas movie The Greatest Store In the World, alongside her sister Elizabeth.
Maurice Cole (represented by Hamilton Hodell) plays her 11 year old brother, Cyril Armstrong. Maurice starred as Eli in the...
- 10/21/2011
- by noreply@blogger.com (ScreenTerrier)
- ScreenTerrier
Trust will be tested and lives placed at risk as psychological spy drama Page Eight comes to DVD from 5th September, 2011 courtesy of Universal Playback. We have three copies of the DVD to give away.
The feature-length drama, penned by Oscar nominee David Hare (The Hours), stars Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Boat that Rocked) as long-serving MI5 officer Johnny Worricker and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, The Lovely Bones) as political activist Nancy Pierpan, as they work together to uncover devastating revelations about political manoeuvres within the British Intelligence services. Also starring in this fast paced secret revolution is Judy Davis (The Starter Wife, The Break Up), Michael Gambon (The Kings Speech, Harry Potter) and Ralph Fiennes (Clash of the Titans, The Reader).
The story follows Johnny Worricker as he investigates his boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Gambon) who dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file,...
The feature-length drama, penned by Oscar nominee David Hare (The Hours), stars Bill Nighy (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Boat that Rocked) as long-serving MI5 officer Johnny Worricker and Rachel Weisz (The Mummy, The Lovely Bones) as political activist Nancy Pierpan, as they work together to uncover devastating revelations about political manoeuvres within the British Intelligence services. Also starring in this fast paced secret revolution is Judy Davis (The Starter Wife, The Break Up), Michael Gambon (The Kings Speech, Harry Potter) and Ralph Fiennes (Clash of the Titans, The Reader).
The story follows Johnny Worricker as he investigates his boss and best friend Benedict Baron (Gambon) who dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file,...
- 8/30/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Warner Bros.' Contagion will be infecting theatres on Friday, September 9th, and we are giving away all of the essentials to make sure that you are alive and well once it gets here.
Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) directs the global thriller Contagion, bringing together a stellar international ensemble cast led by Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, Inception); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne films); Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (What’s Love Got to Do With It, The Matrix); Academy Award® nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Sherlock Holmes); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Iron Man); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic).
Stay in the know! Sign up for WB Insider Rewards!
Check out the official Contagion website and the official Contagion Facebook page for more.
Below you'll get your first look at the prize package,...
Academy Award® winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic) directs the global thriller Contagion, bringing together a stellar international ensemble cast led by Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, Inception); Academy Award® winner Matt Damon (Good Will Hunting, the Bourne films); Academy Award® nominee Laurence Fishburne (What’s Love Got to Do With It, The Matrix); Academy Award® nominee Jude Law (Cold Mountain, Sherlock Holmes); Academy Award® winner Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Iron Man); and Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic).
Stay in the know! Sign up for WB Insider Rewards!
Check out the official Contagion website and the official Contagion Facebook page for more.
Below you'll get your first look at the prize package,...
- 8/29/2011
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Award-winning actor with a fastidious intelligence and a hint of inner steel
Anna Massey, who has died of cancer aged 73, made her name on the stage as a teenager in French-window froth. She then graduated, with effortless and extraordinary ease, to the classics and to the work of Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and David Hare. In later years, she became best known for her award-winning work in television and film. What constantly impressed was her fastidious intelligence and capacity for stillness: always the mark of a first-rate actor.
Born in Thakeham, West Sussex, she was bred into show business although, in personal terms, that proved something of a mixed blessing. Her father was Raymond Massey, a Canadian actor who achieved success in Hollywood; her mother was Adrianne Allen who had appeared in the original production of Noël Coward's Private Lives. Anna's godfather was the film director John Ford.
Since...
Anna Massey, who has died of cancer aged 73, made her name on the stage as a teenager in French-window froth. She then graduated, with effortless and extraordinary ease, to the classics and to the work of Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter and David Hare. In later years, she became best known for her award-winning work in television and film. What constantly impressed was her fastidious intelligence and capacity for stillness: always the mark of a first-rate actor.
Born in Thakeham, West Sussex, she was bred into show business although, in personal terms, that proved something of a mixed blessing. Her father was Raymond Massey, a Canadian actor who achieved success in Hollywood; her mother was Adrianne Allen who had appeared in the original production of Noël Coward's Private Lives. Anna's godfather was the film director John Ford.
Since...
- 7/6/2011
- by Michael Billington, Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Anna Massey, a Tony nominee who played supporting roles in more than 40 movies, died of cancer on Sunday, July 3, in London. Massey was 73. The daughter of Academy Award nominee Raymond Massey (Abe Lincoln in Illinois) and sister of another Oscar nominee, Daniel Massey (Star!), Anna Massey began her acting career in the late '50s. She was nominated for a Tony for her performance in The Reluctant Debutante (1958), which was made into a movie that same year. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, the movie version starred Sandra Dee as an Americanized version of the role Massey had originated in the West End and on Broadway. Massey's first film appearance also took place in 1958, in John Ford's crime drama Gideon's Day, starring Jack Hawkins. Other notable film roles, invariably supporting bigger names, include those in Michael Powell's controversial Peeping Tom (photo, 1960), with Karl Böhm as a fetishistic serial killer; Otto Preminger...
- 7/4/2011
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
British actress Anna Massey has died at the age of 73.
She passed away on Sunday after a battle with cancer.
Her agent says in a statement, "She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed."
Massey was born into a showbusiness family - her father was famed Canadian-born actor Raymond Massey and her mother was British actress Adrianne Allen, while legendary director John Ford was her godfather.
She began her career on the stage and her big break came when she landed a role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 movie Frenzy.
Massey went on to star opposite her actor brother Daniel in 1973's The Vault of Horror, in which they played siblings, while her other major roles included her BAFTA-winning portrayal of a lonely spinster in a 1986 TV adaptation of Hotel du Lac.
She also starred in the 2002 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest with Reese Witherspoon, and landed a role opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in 2002's Possession, as well as appearances in British TV shows Poirot and Midsomer Murders.
Massey was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Cbe) for services to acting in 2004 and is survived by her second husband, Russian scientist Uri Andres, and her son, writer David Huggins, from her first marriage to actor Jeremy Brett.
She passed away on Sunday after a battle with cancer.
Her agent says in a statement, "She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed."
Massey was born into a showbusiness family - her father was famed Canadian-born actor Raymond Massey and her mother was British actress Adrianne Allen, while legendary director John Ford was her godfather.
She began her career on the stage and her big break came when she landed a role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 movie Frenzy.
Massey went on to star opposite her actor brother Daniel in 1973's The Vault of Horror, in which they played siblings, while her other major roles included her BAFTA-winning portrayal of a lonely spinster in a 1986 TV adaptation of Hotel du Lac.
She also starred in the 2002 adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest with Reese Witherspoon, and landed a role opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in 2002's Possession, as well as appearances in British TV shows Poirot and Midsomer Murders.
Massey was awarded a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (Cbe) for services to acting in 2004 and is survived by her second husband, Russian scientist Uri Andres, and her son, writer David Huggins, from her first marriage to actor Jeremy Brett.
- 7/4/2011
- WENN
The award-winning actor of stage and screen, who became the mainstay of the British costume drama, has died after suffering from cancer
Anna Massey, the award-winning British actor who played innocent victim for both Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell, has died from cancer at the age of 73. The news was confirmed in a brief statement from her agent: "Anna Massey Cbe passed away peacefully on Sunday 3rd July, with her husband and son by her side."
The daughter of the Hollywood actor Raymond Massey, Anna Massey began her career on stage, picking up a Tony nomination for her turn in The Reluctant Debutante at the age of 18. She made her screen debut in the 1958 crime drama Gideon's Day, directed by her godfather John Ford, and co-starred with Laurence Olivier on the cult 60s thriller Bunny Lake is Missing.
Yet Massey looks set to be best remembered for her roles in two of the most controversial pictures of post-war British cinema. In 1960 she played Helen, the sweet-natured friend of a serial killer in Michael Powell's notorious Peeping Tom. In 1972, she was cast as sacrificial barmaid Babs Milligan in Hitchcock's grubby, London-set thriller Frenzy. Peeping Tom found itself reviled by contemporary critics as "perverted" and "beastly", while Frenzy remains the only Hitchcock film to receive a prohibitive X-certificate in the UK. Today, both films are widely regarded as classics.
Anna Massey, the award-winning British actor who played innocent victim for both Alfred Hitchcock and Michael Powell, has died from cancer at the age of 73. The news was confirmed in a brief statement from her agent: "Anna Massey Cbe passed away peacefully on Sunday 3rd July, with her husband and son by her side."
The daughter of the Hollywood actor Raymond Massey, Anna Massey began her career on stage, picking up a Tony nomination for her turn in The Reluctant Debutante at the age of 18. She made her screen debut in the 1958 crime drama Gideon's Day, directed by her godfather John Ford, and co-starred with Laurence Olivier on the cult 60s thriller Bunny Lake is Missing.
Yet Massey looks set to be best remembered for her roles in two of the most controversial pictures of post-war British cinema. In 1960 she played Helen, the sweet-natured friend of a serial killer in Michael Powell's notorious Peeping Tom. In 1972, she was cast as sacrificial barmaid Babs Milligan in Hitchcock's grubby, London-set thriller Frenzy. Peeping Tom found itself reviled by contemporary critics as "perverted" and "beastly", while Frenzy remains the only Hitchcock film to receive a prohibitive X-certificate in the UK. Today, both films are widely regarded as classics.
- 7/4/2011
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
Anna Massey has died at the age of 73. The actress's agent confirmed the news of her passing today. Her agent said: "She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed." Massey featured in a number of TV and film roles, including Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film Frenzy, a 1986 TV adaptation of Hotel du Lac and Possession with Gwyneth Paltrow. She also appeared in Michael Powell's (more)...
- 7/4/2011
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Actor who won a string of awards – including a Bafta – for her stage and TV work died on Sunday after suffering from cancer
The veteran actor Anna Massey has died at the age of 73, her agent said.
Massey won a string of awards for her stage and TV roles, including a Bafta for her performance as a lonely spinster in the 1986 TV adaptation of Hotel du Lac.
Her agent said in a statement: "Actress Anna Massey Cbe passed away peacefully on Sunday 3rd July, with her husband and son by her side.
"She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed."
Massey had been suffering from cancer, her agent said.
Her film work included roles in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, Possession with Gwyneth Paltrow and an adaptation of The Importance Of Being Earnest.
The veteran actor Anna Massey has died at the age of 73, her agent said.
Massey won a string of awards for her stage and TV roles, including a Bafta for her performance as a lonely spinster in the 1986 TV adaptation of Hotel du Lac.
Her agent said in a statement: "Actress Anna Massey Cbe passed away peacefully on Sunday 3rd July, with her husband and son by her side.
"She will be remembered as a loving wife and mother, a cherished grandmother, a generous colleague and, always, a consummate professional. She will be greatly missed."
Massey had been suffering from cancer, her agent said.
Her film work included roles in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy, Possession with Gwyneth Paltrow and an adaptation of The Importance Of Being Earnest.
- 7/4/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
American director promises 'a good romp and a cracking yarn' in film version of The Crooked House
Neil Labute has carved a career from seriously disturbing plays and films – In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things – that plunge deep into the American male psyche and find it to be damaged, selfish and brutal.
But now the writer and director is turning to a gentler, politer and certainly more English material: Agatha Christie. And, he says, he promises "a good romp and a cracking yarn".
Labute is to direct a film of Christie's novel The Crooked House, with a screenplay adapted by Julian Fellowes, of Gosford Park and Downton Abbey fame. Though Labute has ventured into period drama once before – Possession, the As Byatt novel whose adaptation he directed, flips between the 19th and 20th centuries – he is certainly more associated with dystopian urban fables than the tinkling tea-cups...
Neil Labute has carved a career from seriously disturbing plays and films – In the Company of Men, The Shape of Things – that plunge deep into the American male psyche and find it to be damaged, selfish and brutal.
But now the writer and director is turning to a gentler, politer and certainly more English material: Agatha Christie. And, he says, he promises "a good romp and a cracking yarn".
Labute is to direct a film of Christie's novel The Crooked House, with a screenplay adapted by Julian Fellowes, of Gosford Park and Downton Abbey fame. Though Labute has ventured into period drama once before – Possession, the As Byatt novel whose adaptation he directed, flips between the 19th and 20th centuries – he is certainly more associated with dystopian urban fables than the tinkling tea-cups...
- 5/15/2011
- by Charlotte Higgins
- The Guardian - Film News
Filed under: Movie News
Director Neil Labute and actor Aaron Eckhart ('The Dark Knight') both came to national attention with 'In the Company of Men,' Labute's searing drama about a misogynist (Eckhart) who, along with a fellow business executive, seeks revenge on all women by ruining the life of an innocent.
The director and actor have worked together several times since, including the 1998 couples drama 'Your Friends & Neighbors' and 2002's 'Possession,' about two scholars investigating the affair of two Victorian poets. Now, Labute will again direct Eckhart in the drama 'The Geography of Hope,' according to the L.A. Times.
Set in the 1970s, 'Hope' is about two thieves (Eckhart and Ed Harris) who flee to Baja, Mexico, after a robbery goes wrong. In Baja, they meet several women and are torn between their romantic feelings for them and their natural instinct to grift them.
Director Neil Labute and actor Aaron Eckhart ('The Dark Knight') both came to national attention with 'In the Company of Men,' Labute's searing drama about a misogynist (Eckhart) who, along with a fellow business executive, seeks revenge on all women by ruining the life of an innocent.
The director and actor have worked together several times since, including the 1998 couples drama 'Your Friends & Neighbors' and 2002's 'Possession,' about two scholars investigating the affair of two Victorian poets. Now, Labute will again direct Eckhart in the drama 'The Geography of Hope,' according to the L.A. Times.
Set in the 1970s, 'Hope' is about two thieves (Eckhart and Ed Harris) who flee to Baja, Mexico, after a robbery goes wrong. In Baja, they meet several women and are torn between their romantic feelings for them and their natural instinct to grift them.
- 5/9/2011
- by John Mitchell
- Moviefone
Aaron Eckhart will reunite with regular collaborator Neil Labute in a new drama called The Geography of Hope. The film will mark the first time Eckhart has worked with director Labute since the 2002 mystery romance Possession, although the duo are both best known for 1997's controversial In the Company of Men. According to the Los Angeles Times, Eckhart has been cast as the film's lead opposite Apollo 13 star Ed Harris. The script, written by Labute himself, is set in the '70s and follows a pair of robbers who flee to Mexico after botching a job, meet a group of American (more)...
- 5/8/2011
- by By Tom Ayres
- Digital Spy
Aaron Eckhart broke out 14 years ago with a memorably slimy role in Neil Labute’s sinisterly fun classic In The Company of Men, and although their follow-up collaborations Your Friends & Neighbors and Possession never did recapture that early magic, it’s still exciting to hear that the former Brigham Young University pals are getting ready to team up together again.
The Indie movie in question is The Hope of Geography and 24 Frames say Labute & Eckhart will reunite with Ed Harris also attached to star. Based on a dusty old screenplay Labute has dusted off from his bottom drawer, The Hope of Geography is a 70′s period piece following two thieves who scarper to Mexico after a robbery in a San Diego convenience store goes tits up and their subsequent encounters with American woman who they can’t help but act like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels too.
The idea is to shoot...
The Indie movie in question is The Hope of Geography and 24 Frames say Labute & Eckhart will reunite with Ed Harris also attached to star. Based on a dusty old screenplay Labute has dusted off from his bottom drawer, The Hope of Geography is a 70′s period piece following two thieves who scarper to Mexico after a robbery in a San Diego convenience store goes tits up and their subsequent encounters with American woman who they can’t help but act like Dirty Rotten Scoundrels too.
The idea is to shoot...
- 5/8/2011
- by Matt Holmes
- Obsessed with Film
Back in 1997 both filmmaker Neil Labute and actor Aaron Eckhart made a splash onto the big screen with In the Company of Men, a film that was a festival hit at the time. Since then the two have worked together on films such as Tumble, Nurse Betty, Possession and The Wicker Man, but now the duo (who actually went to school together at Brigham Young University) are looking to work together yet again. 24 Frames reports Labute and Eckhart will reunite for an indie called The Geography of Hope, and Ed Harris will also be along for the ride as well. Labute also write the script himself as he's done often before. The story, set in the 70's, will follow two crooks (Eckhart and Harris) who flee to Baja, Mexico, after a robbery in a San Diego convenience store goes bad. There they encounter several ...
- 5/6/2011
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
It seems that Julian Fellowes’ career is in no danger whatsoever of slowing down at the moment. After all but single-handedly bringing millions of viewers back to ITV1 with last year’s Downton Abbey, The Independent now have it that he will be penning the script for a feature film version of Agatha Christie’s Crooked House to be released next year.
The novel is,
“based in London in the autumn of 1947. The narrator, Charles Hayward, is told by his fiancée Sophia that she cannot marry him until the killer of her grandfather, who has been poisoned, is found.”
Christie, whose work has been popular for more than half a century with the fame of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, described Crooked House as one of her two favourite works she had written, and Fellowes is a big fan of her work, having discovered her in his teenage years.
It...
The novel is,
“based in London in the autumn of 1947. The narrator, Charles Hayward, is told by his fiancée Sophia that she cannot marry him until the killer of her grandfather, who has been poisoned, is found.”
Christie, whose work has been popular for more than half a century with the fame of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, described Crooked House as one of her two favourite works she had written, and Fellowes is a big fan of her work, having discovered her in his teenage years.
It...
- 3/22/2011
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Aaron Eckhart felt awful pretending to be a sad dad at a grief counselling session as he prepared for new film Rabbit Hole - because other parents there had just lost a child.
Eckhart and Nicole Kidman play the parents of a dead girl in the harrowing film and while the Aussie actress took heed of advice not to attend a real session, the Possession star felt it would be good for his character.
He quickly realised such sessions were not for actors.
Eckhart tells WENN, "It was raw. People had just lost a child the day before. There's a lot of emotion there. I gave my story in the group as my character, which was interesting.
"I only went once and I didn't feel I needed to go back. I thought it was a little unethical and somehow duplicitous."...
Eckhart and Nicole Kidman play the parents of a dead girl in the harrowing film and while the Aussie actress took heed of advice not to attend a real session, the Possession star felt it would be good for his character.
He quickly realised such sessions were not for actors.
Eckhart tells WENN, "It was raw. People had just lost a child the day before. There's a lot of emotion there. I gave my story in the group as my character, which was interesting.
"I only went once and I didn't feel I needed to go back. I thought it was a little unethical and somehow duplicitous."...
- 12/7/2010
- WENN
Become part of the fantastic and epic magical world of Harry Potter with these awesome new giveaways presented by FusedFilm.com. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part I hits theaters November 19, 2010 but to get ready take a look at some of these awesome prizes. For all you aspiring wizards out there, we have some cool prizes you’ll want to cast a spell on someone to nab for you. These prizes include an official movie poster, EA’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Xbox 360 Video Game, IMAX movie tickets, a hoodie, a Horcrux necklace, and much, much more. To see a full list of prizes, and to find out how to enter, check out the information below:
We’re giving away the following prizes: Harry Potter Messenger Bag Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Movie Poster EA’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Xbox 360 Video...
We’re giving away the following prizes: Harry Potter Messenger Bag Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Movie Poster EA’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 Xbox 360 Video...
- 11/13/2010
- by Kevin Coll
- FusedFilm
As if the already announced cast wasn't big enough, several more stars have signed on to be a part of Steven Soderbergh's upcoming thriller, Contagion.
According to the Playlist Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock), Jennifer Ehle (Sunshine, Possession), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven trilogy) have all joined the previously announced Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, John Hawkes, Chin Han and Josie Ho.
Soderbergh (pictured right) will be directing Contagion from the white-hot script by Scott Z. Burns. While details aren't in abundance, we do know that the story centers on an outbreak of a deadly disease and that the film will have many different plot strings just like Soderbergh's award-winning effort Traffic.
Look for it in theaters October 21, 2011 from Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Stay sick in the comments section below!
According to the Playlist Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock), Jennifer Ehle (Sunshine, Possession), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven trilogy) have all joined the previously announced Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, John Hawkes, Chin Han and Josie Ho.
Soderbergh (pictured right) will be directing Contagion from the white-hot script by Scott Z. Burns. While details aren't in abundance, we do know that the story centers on an outbreak of a deadly disease and that the film will have many different plot strings just like Soderbergh's award-winning effort Traffic.
Look for it in theaters October 21, 2011 from Warner Bros. Pictures.
- Uncle Creepy
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Stay sick in the comments section below!
- 9/17/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock), Jennifer Ehle (Sunshine, Possession ), Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") and Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven trilogy) have joined the massive cast for Steven Soderbergh's Contagion, which already boasts Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Marion Cotillard, Laurence Fishburne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, John Hawkes, Chin Han and Josie Ho, reports The Playlist. The film will be shot on the Red. Gag. In theaters October 21, 2011 from Warner Bros. Pictures, as a deadly virus spreads throughout the world, doctors battle to find a cure. But the fear and disinformation that spreads along with the disease proves to be an equally formidable problem.
- 9/17/2010
- bloody-disgusting.com
Just read, via a Tweet from Production Weekly magazine, that Darnell Martin is attached to direct an adaptation of James Michael Pratt’s novel, The Last Valentine, with Betty White starring, and filming to begin next month.
The last feature film Martin directed was 2008’s Cadillac Records; since then, it’s been mostly TV work for her, directing episodes of Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, amongst others.
Production Weekly says The Last Valentine will be made for CBS, so I’m guessing it’ll be a made-for-tv movie. So it goes…
What’s the book about? Via Amazon/Publisher’s Weekly: “On February 14, 1944, their first anniversary, Navy Lt. Neil Thomas bids his wife, Caroline, farewell at Union Station, Los Angeles. They never meet again. Before he can set eyes on the son born in his absence, Neil’s fighter plane goes down in the Pacific. He is declared missing in action,...
The last feature film Martin directed was 2008’s Cadillac Records; since then, it’s been mostly TV work for her, directing episodes of Law & Order, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, amongst others.
Production Weekly says The Last Valentine will be made for CBS, so I’m guessing it’ll be a made-for-tv movie. So it goes…
What’s the book about? Via Amazon/Publisher’s Weekly: “On February 14, 1944, their first anniversary, Navy Lt. Neil Thomas bids his wife, Caroline, farewell at Union Station, Los Angeles. They never meet again. Before he can set eyes on the son born in his absence, Neil’s fighter plane goes down in the Pacific. He is declared missing in action,...
- 8/12/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
Director Neil Labute has always been somewhat of an enigma and an anomaly in the film business. Coming from his background as a respected playwright, Labute began by bringing some of his plays to the screen, then moved onto other's material, like adapting the novel Possession and doing a remake of the '70s horror movie The Wicker Man . After having a significant hit with the 2008 thriller Lakeview Terrace , Labute decided to do a complete about face and direct a comedy (and his second remake) with Death at a Funeral . Based on the 2007 British comedy of the same name, the idea to remake it so soon raised a lot of interesting questions, including what it might be like for Labute to play ringmaster to such a wildly diverse ensemble cast, beginning with the comedy triumvirate of...
- 4/16/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Perhaps! When reports surfaced that Madonna was planning to direct W.E., from a twisty script co-written by the pop icon herself and Truth or Dare director Alek Keshishian, the first thing that sprang to mind -- besides "whuck?" -- was the structural similarities to Julie & Julia (though probably with more sex and less butter). After all, the film jumps between parallel narratives: one involving Edward the VIII (Ewan McGregor) and his abdication of the throne to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson (Vera Farmiga), and the other centering on a modern-day woman (Abbie Cornish) who is obsessed with all things Simpson. (Romance geeks or Neil Labute superfans will also note quite a bit of similarities with the 2002 film, Possession.) But now comes word that Madge is also cribbing a device from Sofia Coppola...
- 4/5/2010
- Movieline
So, the rumor on The Internets is that Jennifer Aniston will guest star as yet another lesbian on her former Friends co-star Courteney Cox’s new show, Cougar Town. Now, this rumor sounds kind of just like that — a rumor. But on the off chance that it, in fact, turns out to be true, then I would like to introduce Ms. Aniston to the Lesbian Rule of Threes.
What is the Lesbian Rule of Threes, you ask? Well, it’s definitely not something I just made up. Instead it’s a theory proven by research, reconnaissance and the repeated use of the rewind button. Let me elaborate: The Lesbian Rule of Threes states that any actress who plays a lesbian or bisexual and/or kisses another woman three times on screen in three different projects is officially an Honorary Lesbian.
Need proof? Well, there’s Angelina Jolie. Her three: with Elizabeth Mitchell in Gia,...
What is the Lesbian Rule of Threes, you ask? Well, it’s definitely not something I just made up. Instead it’s a theory proven by research, reconnaissance and the repeated use of the rewind button. Let me elaborate: The Lesbian Rule of Threes states that any actress who plays a lesbian or bisexual and/or kisses another woman three times on screen in three different projects is officially an Honorary Lesbian.
Need proof? Well, there’s Angelina Jolie. Her three: with Elizabeth Mitchell in Gia,...
- 3/23/2010
- by dorothy snarker
- AfterEllen.com
HBO has given the green light to a pilot and nine episodes of George R.R. Martin's epic 'Game of Thrones'. The shoot of what is expected to be the biggest television series ever filmed in Europe will commence in June in Northern Ireland and will see the return of stars Sean Bean, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Mark Addy, Kit Harrington, Jennifer Ehle, Jack Gleeson, Peter Dinklage and Harry Lloyd. Hundreds of local cast and crew will be employed by 'Game of Thrones' which tells the larger-than-life tale of the constant struggle for power over a vast and violent fantasy kingdom. The series, directed by Tom Mccarthy (The Visitor), will star Sean Bean (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) as Eddard Stark, Jennifer Ehle (Possession) as Catelyn Stark, Lena Headey (300) as Cersei Lannister, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Black Hawk Down) as Jamie Lannister, Mark Addy...
- 3/4/2010
- IFTN
Los Angeles, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced that writer/directors Neil Labute (The Shape of Things, Possession), John August (The Nines, writer Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), as well as New York Times Media Correspondent Michael Cieply will be moderators at the tenth annual Directors Close-Up, taking place February 3 - March 3, 2010 at The Landmark - West Los Angeles. Series panelists this year include directors Cherien Dabis, Ruben Fleischer, James Gray, Michael Hoffman, Jason Reitman, Marc Webb, editor Dana Glauberman, and cinematographer Eric Steelberg, with additional names to be announced.
- 1/8/2010
My experience with Merchant/Ivory Productions is limited to say the least as Howards End now marks the second film of theirs I have seen, with A Room With a View being the other. While elegantly made, A Room With a View didn't move me that much, but I can say Howards End did a lot to squelch my fears it too would bore me more than engage me. Criterion brings Howards End to Blu-ray following their previous two-disc DVD release back in 2005, and while the only new feature is a video appreciation of the late producer Ismail Merchant by director James Ivory, this is a film ripe for high definition.
Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Howards End takes a look at class divisions in Edwardian England and the inheritance of England by the working/lower class. The film centers on the well-to-do Wilcox family and the relationship...
Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, Howards End takes a look at class divisions in Edwardian England and the inheritance of England by the working/lower class. The film centers on the well-to-do Wilcox family and the relationship...
- 11/3/2009
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
If you thought you felt a slight shift in the Earth’s axis last night, it wasn’t just the wine talking. That was the planet righting itself from the inequity that had weighed it down since May when Lena Headey left our televisions screens. But now, all is right with the world because the actress has landed a starring role in the new HBO series Game of Thrones.
Lena has been cast in the pilot as Cersei Lannister in the adaptation of the first book in the fantasy series by novelist George R.R. Martin.
The acclaimed, epic A Song of Ice and Fire series is set in a magical kingdom filled with kings, queens, knights, rogues, mercenaries and more in a struggle for love, power and everything in between. Martin has been called “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine.
Lena’s character Cersei is described as “a woman of...
Lena has been cast in the pilot as Cersei Lannister in the adaptation of the first book in the fantasy series by novelist George R.R. Martin.
The acclaimed, epic A Song of Ice and Fire series is set in a magical kingdom filled with kings, queens, knights, rogues, mercenaries and more in a struggle for love, power and everything in between. Martin has been called “the American Tolkien” by Time magazine.
Lena’s character Cersei is described as “a woman of...
- 9/2/2009
- by dorothy snarker
- AfterEllen.com
- Indie producer William Horberg is going full circle. Commencing his career as a producer with Alec Baldwin pic called Miami Blues, which I never saw, but distinctly remember the cover box because of Alec Baldin's chest hair, Horberg is returning to American author Charles Willeford source material for his next producing gig. Variety reports that Horberg is re-teaming with his Death at a Funeral director Neil Labute on a book you could probably find in the 99 cent bins at your local used bookstore. Horberg produced the distinctly Brit version (Frank Oz) and the upcoming African American comedy due out next year. The Burnt Orange Heresy is set in Palm Beach and centers on a corrupt art critic's attempts to finagle an interview with a legendary but reclusive French painter. I know that some folks in my circle of friends have given up hope the director who once gave us
- 8/19/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
Welcome to your Tuesday morning television briefing. Grant Show, set to star on CBS comedy Accidentally on Purpose this fall, has said that he's open to appearing on the CW's revival of Melrose Place. "We've been talking, but nothing solid," Show says. "I'm not opposed to it... They haven't come up with the writing for me yet. I'm not sure they're even going to need me this year — maybe next year." Should Show close a deal to return to the series, he'll join original stars Josie Bissett, Thomas Calabro, Laura Leighton, and Daphne Zuniga as those who have turned up on Melrose 2.0. (TVGuide.com) Jennifer Ehle (Possession) has joined the cast for the HBO fantasy drama pilot Game of Thrones, where she will play Catelyn Stark, the wife of Sean Bean's Ned Stark. Ehle's character was originally promised to Ned's older brother who was killed before they could marry...
- 8/4/2009
- by Jace
- Televisionary
An American remake of Death at a Funeral might be a new low. Consider: this would be a remake of an English-language film, two years after it received a considerable Stateside release. (I mean, I saw it in my local suburban multiplex at the time.) At least Nine Queens (which quickly became Criminal) and Funny Games were in a foreign language and barely saw the light of day here.
At least the remake of the quintessentially British farce may not turn out to be the anodyne Hollywood studio comedy you might otherwise expect. It'll be directed by Neil Labute, who, with the bizarre exception of the Gwyneth Paltrow snoozer Possession, at least consistently makes interesting films. (And yes, I'll defend his Wicker Man redo if called upon.) On the other hand, I have no idea what to make of the fact that the remake is going to star Chris Rock.
At least the remake of the quintessentially British farce may not turn out to be the anodyne Hollywood studio comedy you might otherwise expect. It'll be directed by Neil Labute, who, with the bizarre exception of the Gwyneth Paltrow snoozer Possession, at least consistently makes interesting films. (And yes, I'll defend his Wicker Man redo if called upon.) On the other hand, I have no idea what to make of the fact that the remake is going to star Chris Rock.
- 1/27/2009
- by Eugene Novikov
- Cinematical
At one end of his career, Neil LaBute was an up-and-coming talent to be reckoned with. He earned a reputation as intelligent Mamet-like artist of uncompromising vision with movies like In the Company of Men and Your Friends & Neighbors, harsh, cynical films that looked under the rock of humanity and found icky, squirmy things. At the other end, there's The Wicker Man, a genuine, "what was he thinking?" movie, and the curious dud The Shape of Things, which couldn't quite reconcile LaBute's stage hat with his cinema hat. In the middle we have Nurse Betty and Possession, two exceptional Hollywood entertainments with gleaming surfaces and dark souls. As with David Gordon Green and his delightful, mainstream comedy Pineapple Express, this type of "compromise" may represent LaBute's real calling.
With his seventh feature Lakeview Terrace, LaBute has once again managed to take a surface thriller and use it to work through...
With his seventh feature Lakeview Terrace, LaBute has once again managed to take a surface thriller and use it to work through...
- 9/19/2008
- by Jeffrey M. Anderson
- Cinematical
Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington star in Screen Gems' "Lakeview Terrace," a provocative drama produced by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment co. Acclaimed Michigan born filmmaker Neil Labute, known for "Nurse Betty," "Possession" and the more recent "Wicker Man" revamp starring Nic Cage, helms from the writing by David Lougherty and Howard Korder based on Lougherty's story. It all comes down to your preferences; are you in for a tense time (as if we really don't have enough of that these days). There is a reasonably broad range of genres on offer this weekend from westerns, ghosts, duchesses, sneaky friends and more.
- 9/15/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington star in Screen Gems' "Lakeview Terrace," a provocative drama produced by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment co. Acclaimed Michigan born filmmaker Neil Labute, known for "Nurse Betty," "Possession" and the more recent "Wicker Man" revamp starring Nic Cage, helms from the writing by David Lougherty and Howard Korder based on Lougherty's story. It all comes down to your preferences; are you in for a tense time (as if we really don't have enough of that these days). There is a reasonably broad range of genres on offer this weekend from westerns, ghosts, duchesses, sneaky friends and more.
- 9/15/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington star in Screen Gems' "Lakeview Terrace," a provocative drama produced by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment co. Acclaimed Michigan born filmmaker Neil Labute, known for "Nurse Betty," "Possession" and the more recent "Wicker Man" revamp starring Nic Cage, helms from the writing by David Lougherty and Howard Korder based on Lougherty's story. It all comes down to your preferences; are you in for a tense time (as if we really don't have enough of that these days). There is a reasonably broad range of genres on offer this weekend from westerns, ghosts, duchesses, sneaky friends and more. Clips: "This Is Where I Live" View "Roll the Window Down" View "Back Off" View "Is That the Prius?" View So what's "Lakeview Terrace" about? In Lakeview Terrace, a young couple (Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington) has just moved into their California dream home...
- 9/15/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington star in Screen Gems' "Lakeview Terrace," a provocative drama produced by Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment co. Acclaimed Michigan born filmmaker Neil Labute, known for "Nurse Betty," "Possession" and the more recent "Wicker Man" revamp starring Nic Cage, helms from the writing by David Lougherty and Howard Korder based on Lougherty's story. It all comes down to your preferences; are you in for a tense time (as if we really don't have enough of that these days). There is a reasonably broad range of genres on offer this weekend from westerns, ghosts, duchesses, sneaky friends and more.
- 9/15/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Filed under: Drama, Independent, Casting, Deals, Celebrities and Controversy, Scripts, Newsstand, Religious
Acting couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly must have decided that life would be too calm after November 2008 -- so they have signed to play Charles and Emma Darwin in Creation. Yes, the Darwins. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be directed by Jon Amiel, from a script penned by John Collee, and based on Randal Keynes' book Annie's Box. (Keynes is Darwin's great-great grandson.) The film will portray Charles Darwin as a man torn between his love for his deeply religious wife, and his growing belief in a world where God has no place.
I hope that they explore Darwin's personal struggles and belief more deeply than the plot description suggests. To sell him as an athiest smacks of wanting to stir up controversy -- Darwin always called himself an agonostic, and his rejection of...
Acting couple Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly must have decided that life would be too calm after November 2008 -- so they have signed to play Charles and Emma Darwin in Creation. Yes, the Darwins. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be directed by Jon Amiel, from a script penned by John Collee, and based on Randal Keynes' book Annie's Box. (Keynes is Darwin's great-great grandson.) The film will portray Charles Darwin as a man torn between his love for his deeply religious wife, and his growing belief in a world where God has no place.
I hope that they explore Darwin's personal struggles and belief more deeply than the plot description suggests. To sell him as an athiest smacks of wanting to stir up controversy -- Darwin always called himself an agonostic, and his rejection of...
- 9/5/2008
- by Elisabeth Rappe
- Cinematical
Feature film writer-director Neil LaBute has signed with ICM. LaBute's writing and directing credits include such films as In the Company of Men, Possession, The Shape of Things and most recently The Wicker Man. Among LaBute's honors, his Company won the Sundance Film Festival filmmakers trophy for best dramatic feature in 1997 and the Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay in 1998. He also directed the film Nurse Betty, which screened In Competition at the 2000 Festival de Cannes. LaBute is managed by Brad Gross. He was repped by WMA.
- 10/31/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Aaron Eckhart faced a regular barrage of questions from his mother while he was making new movie Paycheck - because she wanted to know all the gossip about co-star Ben Affleck. The Possession star's mum was fascinated by the speculation about Affleck's on-again-off-again marriage to Jennifer Lopez, and begged her son to give her the latest. He says, "I had my mom asking me, 'What's going on with Ben and Jen?' or, 'Where are they getting married. I wanna know what she's wearing.' It was all so that my mom can say to other people's moms before anybody knows. I'm like, 'Dude, what's going on?' and he would like tell me the whole scoop, but I wasn't telling."...
- 12/31/2003
- WENN
Jean-Yves Escoffier, a French cinematographer who shot the original Three Men and a Cradle for Coline Serreau, has died of a heart seizure in Los Angeles. He was 52. A memorial service will be held at 5 p.m. Friday at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. He died April 1. A graduate of the Ecole Louis Lumiere in Paris, Escoffier was known in Europe for his collaboration with director Leos Carax, with whom he made three films: Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (The Lovers on the Bridge), for which he won a European Academy Felix Award; Mauvais sang (Bad Blood); and Boy Meets Girl. He received a Cesar Award for his work on Trois Hommes et un couffin, as the Cradle film was titled in French. Escoffier came to the United States during the early 1990s and shot 14 features, including The Crow: City of Angels, Gummo, Good Will Hunting, Nurse Betty, Possession and Cradle Will Rock. His last completed feature, The Human Stain for director Robert Benton, will be released in the fall by Miramax and Lakeshore. Before his death, Escoffier was working on director Wong Kar-wai's futuristic drama 2046. Escoffier also made many award-winning short dramatic films and documentaries. He shot the claymation project Le Chateau de sable (The Sand Castle), which won the 1978 Oscar for best animated short. He was director of photography for commercials and music videos, collaborating with Luc Besson, Jean Pierre Jeunet, David Lynch, Jean Baptiste Mondino, Phil Morrison and Mark Romanek.
- 4/16/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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