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Before the sharp sentiments of “Schindler’s List,” the adventurous appeal of the “Star Wars” prequels, and the edge-of-the-seat thrill of “Taken,” Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson began his acting journey in theatre in Belfast. He moved to cinema in the 1970s with his debut performance in Ken Anderson’s “Pilgrim’s Progress.” Rapidly developing his filmography, Neeson left behind the innocent charm of his debut for more complex dramatic roles in films like “The Mission” and arguably his most well-known work, “Schindler’s List.” The latter earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor while solidifying his status as an A-list actor in Hollywood.

In his later career, Neeson moved away from the dialogue-driven dramas and towards the action thriller genre. His role as an ex-CIA father in “Taken” was the first of many action heroes the actor would go on to play. Though much of this period became tiring for his fans,...

Brian McCardie, the Scottish actor who portrayed the younger brother of Liam Neeson’s titular hero in Michael Caton-Jones’ historical drama Rob Roy, has died. He was 59.

McCardie died “suddenly at home” on Sunday, his sister Sarah announced on X. “A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and touched many lives, and is gone much too soon,” she wrote.

(1) It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many. Brian passed away suddenly at home on Sunday 28th April. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work and pic.twitter.com/1xSLsETNob

— Sarah McCardie (@SarahMcCardie) April 30, 2024

Born on Jan. 22, 1965, and raised near Glasgow, McCardie appeared on the BBC soap opera EastEnders in one of his earlier roles.

He went on to play gang lord turned...

It’s a fairly big month on Prime Video in March, at least compared to the other streaming service offerings! There are are two major films arriving on Amazon’s streamer. The first is a remake of the Patrick Swayze action classic Road House. Stepping into the late Swayze’s shoes? A crazy-jacked Jake Gyllenhaal, who really seemed to want to go the extra mile for this project.

The other big film coming to Prime Video is Ricky Stanicky, and the plot sounds really fun! It follows three friends who have always blamed their mistakes on an imaginary guy called Ricky Stanicky. When they have to finally introduce people to Stanicky, they decide to hire a washed-up actor (John Cena) to impersonate him. Hilarity ensues, maybe? But if neither of those make your watchlist, there’s also the return of the animated hit series Invincible.

Here’s everything coming to...

Bold Films has tapped studio executive-turned-producer, screenwriter and showrunner Jeff Kleeman as its new chief executive officer.

Kleeman, who has served has the president of Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production since 2012, replaces Gary Michael Walters, who is exiting to launch his own venture after nearly 20 years with the company.

In his new role, Kleeman will oversee Bold’s current operations and expansion plans. Some of his areas of focus will be building strategic partnerships, with a particular focus on international, and leveraging Bold’s existing IP as well as new IP to generate multiple revenue streams. He will report to Bold Films chairman David Litvak.

“It’s an honor to join David and his team to further expand the company’s diverse library with elevated films, scripted and non-scripted television, animation, and franchises that deliver unforgettable emotional experiences to audiences worldwide,” Kleeman said in a statement.

Also Read:

Regal Cinemas...

Jeff Kleeman has stepped in as CEO for Bold Films, taking over for Gary Michael Walters, whose March departure from the company after nearly 20 years was just announced.

The studio executive-turned-producer, screenwriter and showrunner comes to the company from Ellen DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production, where he’s served as President since 2012, overseeing work on 26 series, specials and movies amounting to over 1,615 hours of live-action and animated content.

Kleeman will report to Bold Chairman David Litvak, overseeing the company’s current operations, as well as its plans for expansion. He’ll now focus on building strategic partnerships, with a particular eye on international, while looking to leverage both existing Bold IP and new IP to generate multiple revenue streams.

Kleeman’s appointment comes at a time when Bold Films is looking to take on a more global footprint in development and production, as it continues to develop feature-length projects for both theatrical and streaming,...

“Succession” star Brian Cox gushed about wife Nicole Ansari-Cox at Series Mania, after she expressed solidarity with women of Iran at the fest’s opening, demonstrating the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” to the photographers.

“My wife is half Iranian and she was one of the first people to cut her hair as part of the protest. We are living in such a difficult, dangerous time, particularly for women. In Afghanistan, in Iran. It’s unacceptable. I am very proud of my wife: She is a very strong woman with very strong opinions, and she taught me so much,” Cox told Variety during a roundtable interview.

“For me, the patriarchy has failed. Miserably. It’s time for the matriarchy and I really mean it. It’s time for men to step down and get the f**k out of the way. It has become ridiculous, with what we are seeing in Ukraine,...

Tim Roth was on his way to the Cannes Film Festival a couple of years ago when a script came through from his agent. It was for a movie called Resurrection.

“I had taken my boy with me, my youngest,” Roth tells Den of Geek. “And I sat down and I read it, and I was kind of shellshocked afterwards. So my son was like, ‘What is that?’ And I said, ‘Well, I don’t know how you would describe it. It’s a psychological horror movie, but it’s a new thing to me.’ So he said, ‘Give it to me.’ He read it and he went, ‘Okay, you’re doing it.’”

In Resurrection, written and directed by Andrew Semans, Rebecca Hall plays Margaret, a successful career woman and single mother who is getting ready to send her daughter Abbie (Grace Kaufman) to college.

Margaret tightly controls every aspect...

This article is presented by Netflix

When it comes to action, Vikings: Valhalla has some big tunics to fill. Its predecessor, Vikings, delivered many thrilling sword and axe skirmishes worthy of these legendary warriors. The new series reassembles the same stunt team and prop makers in hopes of capturing even more honor and glory for the noble Norsemen. Fighting through gore and muck is the Viking way, and this crew strives to engage us viscerally with the ferocious spectacle of medieval war. And Vikings: Valhalla doesn’t pull any punches. In just the fourth episode, the stunt team delivers an epic siege on London Bridge, the magnitude of which is on the level of the finale battle in most other sword-swinging series.

“Mud and blood is definitely a strong theme with us,” admits Richard Ryan, Stunt Coordinator for Vikings and Vikings: Valhalla. The franchise has a reputation for gritty brutal...

Things were going well for Scottish filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones at the start of 2020. The director of Scandal (1989), This Boy’s Life (1993) and Rob Roy (1995), among many others, Caton-Jones was preparing for the theatrical release of Our Ladies, a passion project he’d been trying to get made for over 20 years. It had received its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2019, where it “played out of this world”, in his words, to an audience of roughly 800 attendees in its first public screening. Flying relatively under the radar in a stacked program largely […]

The post “I Feel Completely Vindicated Now the Film’s Been Made”: Michael Caton-Jones on Our Ladies’s 20+-Year Journey to the Screen first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Things were going well for Scottish filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones at the start of 2020. The director of Scandal (1989), This Boy’s Life (1993) and Rob Roy (1995), among many others, Caton-Jones was preparing for the theatrical release of Our Ladies, a passion project he’d been trying to get made for over 20 years. It had received its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2019, where it “played out of this world”, in his words, to an audience of roughly 800 attendees in its first public screening. Flying relatively under the radar in a stacked program largely […]

The post “I Feel Completely Vindicated Now the Film’s Been Made”: Michael Caton-Jones on Our Ladies’s 20+-Year Journey to the Screen first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Kirsten Howard Oct 10, 2018

There's no proof (yet) but you never know...

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

Huge news broke this week that the lovable Liam Neeson, star of such films as Taken, Taken 2, and Taken 3, has become convinced that a horse that pulled his wagon during production on Netflix's upcoming Coen brothers movie, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, remembered him from another film.

The internet meme machine quickly got to work on the revelation after the actor appeared at this year's New York Film Festival, stating to the gathered audience "This horse knew me. He actually remembered me from another western we made a while back … He whinnied when he saw me. And pawed the ground. I love animals. When we worked together before I took special care of him. I fed him treats. Gave him apples.”

That's brilliant, because horses love apples. They do.

Liam Neeson’s recent film release “The Commuter” opened this month to a somewhat strong box office but has not fared as well with reactions, receiving only a 58% approval rating from critics and a 49% approval rating from audiences. While this latest film will probably not be remembered as one of Neeson’s best, the actor has an esteemed film resume that he has cultivated in his nearly 40-year career.

Born in Northern Ireland, the actor started in the Irish theater before embarking on a film career. He had a small role in the stylish 1981 King Arthur film called “Excalibur” which quickly provided him roles in other films and on television. Neeson struggled a bit in his early days to find substantial roles and was often cast based on his good looks and imposing physical appearance. Gradually he began to establish himself as a serious actor worthy of deeper roles.

SEESteven...

Blu-ray fans are now well aware that many great movies unavailable in the U.S., can be easily found in Europe. One of the best westerns of the ’70s is this jarringly realistic cavalry vs. Apaches drama from Robert Aldrich and Burt Lancaster, which used the ‘R’ rating to show savage details that Hollywood had once avoided. In this case it works — the genuinely scary movie is also a serious meditation on violent America.

Ulzana’s Raid

(Keine Gnade für Ulzana)

All-region Blu-ray + Pal DVD

Explosive Media

1972 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date November 9, 2017 / available through the Amazon Germany website / Eur 17,99

Starring: Burt Lancaster, Richard Jaeckel, Bruce Davison, Jorge Luke, Joaquín Martínez, Lloyd Bochner, Karl Swenson, Douglass Watson, Dran Hamilton, Gladys Holland, Aimee Eccles, Tony Epper, Nick Cravat, Richard Farnsworth, Dean Smith.

Cinematography: Joseph Biroc

Film Editor: Michael Luciano

Original Music: Frank De Vol

Written by Alan Sharp

Produced by...

The scope of this slice of wartime history is so small, it’s almost the movie equivalent of a one-man show. There are perhaps only a dozen speaking roles. Brian Cox is impressive as The Man Who Saved England in its Darkest Hour, but the drama reduces both the man and the historical crisis to trivial status, as little more than a personal emotional crisis: “Winston, the Haunted Imperialist.”

Churchill

Blu-ray

Cohen Media Group

2017 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date October 3, 2017 / 30.99

Starring: Brian Cox, Miranda Richardson, John Slattery, Ella Purnell, Julian Wadham, Richard Durden, James Purefoy.

Cinematography: David Higgs

Film Editor: Chris Gill

Original Music: Lorne Balfe

Written by Alex von Tunzelmann

Produced by Claudia Bluemhuber, Nick Taussig, Piers Tempest, Paul Van Carter

Directed by Jonathan Teplitzky

No, it isn’t Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill … that’s another movie, Darkest Hour. This is the Brian Cox Churchill movie.

Any...

Skinheads, hit men, cops, criminals, cops-posing-as-criminals, princes, junkies, executioners, politicians, supervillains, an 18th-century fop, a 19th-century impressionist painter and a 21st-century psychotic chimp – you name it, and there's an extremely good chance that Tim Roth has played it. The 56-year-old British actor has the sort of varied, overstuffed resumé that suggests a reserved spot in the steadily-working-character-actor canon, and has not one but two projects hitting TV screens at the moment: Tin Star, an Amazon thriller that about an expat cop living in Canada that starts as a quirky fish-out-of-water...

Sony Classical announces the release of Goodbye Christopher Robin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with an original score by Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell.

The soundtrack will be released digitally on October 13 and on CD on October 27, 2017. The film will be released in the Us on October 13, 2017.

Pre-order here.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is directed by Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn, Woman in Gold) and will be released in Us theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures on October 13, 2017.

Carter Burwell said about the score:

“One of the riskier decisions Simon Curtis and I made with the score was to withhold the main theme until the middle of the film, when A. A. Milne begins to write and his friend Ernest Shepard begins to illustrate “Winnie The Pooh”. We did this to make that moment especially noteworthy, to make it the turning point of the story. Before that point, the music plays...

Arthur Penn’s detective movie is one of the best ever in the genre, one that rewards repeat viewings particularly well. Gumshoe Harry Moseby compartmentalizes his marriage, his job, his past and the greedy Hollywood has-beens he meets, not realizing that everything is interconnected, and fully capable of assembling a world-class conspiracy. Gene Hackman tops a sterling cast in the film that introduced most of us to Melanie Griffith.

Night Moves

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 100 min. / Street Date August 15, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Gene Hackman, Jennifer Warren, Melanie Griffith, Susan Clark, Edward Binns, Harris Yulin, Kenneth Mars, Janet Ward, James Woods, Anthony Costello.

Cinematography: Bruce Surtees

Production Designer: George Jenkins

Film Editor: Dede Allen

Original Music: Michael Small

Written by Alan Sharp

Produced by Robert M. Sherman

Directed by Arthur Penn

Night Moves is a superb detective thriller that plays with profound ideas without getting its fingers burned.

Exclusive: Ron Perlman, Famke Janssen, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Facinelli, Jacqueline Bisset, Richard Schiff, Guy Burnet and Nadine Velazquez are starring in Asher. Michael Caton-Jones (Rob Roy, This Boys Life) is attached to direct for Perlman's Wing and a Prayer Pictures. In the Jay Zaretsky-scripted drama, Perlman plays the title character. A Mossad member-turned-gun for hire, Asher lives an austere life in an ever-changing Brooklyn. Coming to the end of his career and…...

Update: Tributes hit social media Friday night and Saturday morning European time for John Hurt, the prolific two-time Oscar nominee who played so many memorable characters in so many memorable films. Along with Academy Awards noms for The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, he appeared in Best Picture winner A Man for All Seasons, the first and last two Harry Potter films and such popular pics as Alien, V for Vendetta, Rob Roy, 1984, The Osterman Weekend and Mel Brooks’ Hi…...

Update: Tributes hit social media Friday night and Saturday morning European time for John Hurt, the prolific two-time Oscar nominee who played so many memorable characters in so many memorable films. Along with Academy Awards noms for The Elephant Man and Midnight Express, he appeared in Best Picture winner A Man for All Seasons, the first and last two Harry Potter films and such popular pics as Alien, V for Vendetta, Rob Roy, 1984, The Osterman Weekend and Mel Brooks’ Hi…...

Take home one of this year’s most riveting dramas when Chronic, starring Academy Award nominee Tim Roth, arrives on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand February 28 from Lionsgate Home Entertainment!

Embrace the moving story of one of this year’s most riveting dramas when Chronic arrives on DVD, Digital HD and On Demand February 28 from Lionsgate. Nominated for Best Feature and Best Actor at the 2017 Independent Spirt Awards, Academy Award® Nominee Tim Roth (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Rob Roy, 1995) shines as a compassionate home-care nurse who emotionally bonds with his terminally ill patients. Praised as “a somber, intelligent, finely composed study of one man’s emotional endgame” by The Guardian, Chronic won Best Screenplay at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The Chronic DVD includes the featurette “Behind the Scenes of Chronic,” and will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.

Tim Roth gives an astonishing...

Carter Burwell is up for his first Academy Award this year, for Carol. Should the composer pick up an Oscar - and he's up against some stiff competition, from legends like Ennio Morricone and John Williams - it'll be his first in a 25-year-career. Here's a look back at some of the highlights: Burwell's longest collaboration has been with the Coen Brothers, for whom he's scored 15 films. After working on Blood Simple, Miller's Crossing and Barton Fink for the pair, Burwell did some more mainstream fare, including work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the 1995 historical epic Rob Roy, which...

The Hateful Eight is coming home on Digital HD and Blu-ray!

Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight arrives on Digital HD March 15 and Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand March 29 from Anchor Bay. The eighth film, written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, stars Kurt Russell, Samuel L. Jackson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tim Roth and Walton Goggins in a western that Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times called “one of the best movies of the year.”

Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company are proud to present the home entertainment release of the eighth film by two-time Academy Award® winner Quentin Tarantino (Django Unchained, Pulp Fiction). Shot entirely on 70mm and featuring a Golden Globe® and BAFTA® award-winning score by Oscar® winner Ennio Morricone (Bugsy, The Mission) The Hateful Eight “absolutely delivers on the sheer moment-to-moment pleasures fans have come to expect -- from dynamite dialogue to powder-keg confrontations,...

Can a Song Save Your Life?: Caton-Jones’ Modest Return to Filmmaking

Scottish film director Michael Caton-Jones had a very prolific filmography in the 1990s thanks to films like Memphis Belle (1990), Rob Roy (1995), and The Jackal (1997). It’s been nearly a decade since he’s tackled a feature film, following the dismally received Basic Instinct 2 in 2006. He’s returned to the UK for Urban Hymn, a modest character study set against the 2011 North London riots. Emotionally effective and featuring a trio of genuinely unfussy performances, the familiar trajectory too often settles for superficial examinations of its characters, hobbling them of the necessary interiority to make them more than one-dimensional archetypes. Despite this, those appreciative of feel-good narratives should take note considering the effortless dynamic of its leading actors.

Jamie (Laetitia Wright) and Leanne (Isabelle Laughland) are two disenfranchised young women in their late teens, orphans with violent histories...

Rob Roy director Michael Caton-Jones is poised to return to the big screen once again, this time telling a story set against the 2011 England riots.

Titled Urban Hymn, the film marks the first feature from Caton-Jones since 2006’s Basic Instinct 2. The film, which has now released a festival trailer, sees Caton-Jones direct from a screenplay by St. Trinian’s co-writer Nick Moorcroft, with a cast that includes Shirley Henderson, Letitia Wright, and Isabella Laughland.

The film’s synopsis is as follows:

The North London riots of 2011 serve as the backdrop for director Michael Caton-Jones’ gritty and moving portrait of a pair of disenfranchised teenage girls struggling to survive.

The film marks Shirley Henderson’s third feature this year, following appearances in The Caravan and Mateo Garrone’s Tale of Tales. The trailer itself veers away from the riots, instead focusing on the central relationship between the main characters.

The...

Hailed as “extraordinary” (David Denby, The New Yorker), “deeply moving” (Claudia Puig, USA Today) and “a triumph” (A.O. Scott, New York Times), director Ava DuVernay’s powerful drama Selma debuts on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 5, 2015 from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

The film arrives two weeks early on Digital HD April 21, 2015.

Embraced by critics and audiences alike, Selma was named one of the best films of the year by New York Times,New York Post, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Variety, Hollywood Reporter and many more. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture and won the Oscar for Best Original Song for John Legend and Common’s compelling tribute “Glory.”

Director Ava DuVernay delivers the “definitive depiction of the 1960s American civil rights movement” (Lou Lumenick, New York Post) with the incredible story of how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Sony Pictures

Tom Rothman, head of TriStar and the former longtime co-leader of 20th Century Fox, is officially set to take over Amy Pascal's position as Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group. At the same time, Sony Pictures Entertainment Chairman and CEO Michael Lynton has scored an extension of his position thanks to Sony’s Japanese owners. [Source: Deadline]

Sicario

Lionsgate have announced a September 18th limited release ahead of a September 25th wide release for "Prisoners" director Denis Villeneuve's drug cartel thriller "Sicario". Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Jon Bernthal and Daniel Kaluuya star.

Blunt plays idealistic FBI agent (Blunt) who is enlisted by a government task force to take out a Mexican drug cartel leader in the lawless border area between the U.S. and Mexico. Taylor Sheridan wrote the script. [Source: THR]

Giant Under the Snow

Filmmaker Michael Caton-Jones ("Rob Roy," "Memphis Belle") is...

Variety has learned that Scandal and Rob Roy director Michael Caton-Jones has been tapped to helm a big screen adaptation of the John Gordon fantasy children's novel The Giant Under the Snow. The planned movie will reportedly be live-action with some CGI, and it will be filmed on location in the United Kingdom, as well as at Pinewood and Shepperton studios. Caton-Jones is developing the screenplay with Chalet Girl scribe Tom Williams, and the plan is to start production this...

Director of The Jackel and Memphis Belle joins $30m fantasy epic.

Michael Caton-Jones has been confirmed to direct $30.9m (£20m) children’s fantasy film The Giant Under The Snow.

The film will be an adaptation of a 1968 adventure novel by John Gordon, which centres on three school friends who discover an ancient treasure and become embroiled in the final act of an epic battle of good against evil.

The live-action feature is intended to act as the first in a trilogy, with shooting planned at Pinewood and Shepperton Studios as well as on location in the UK from October 2015. Theatrical release is planned for Christmas 2016.

VFX will be handled by London-based CineSite, which worked on the Harry Potter franchise and more recently handled Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow.

Caton-Jones is developing the screenplay with Tom Williams (Chalet Girl, Kajaki).

Ralph Kamp, former Icon Productions CEO, will likely be global sales and distribution agent through his outfit...

The name Richard Bonehill may not immediately evoke mental imagery of the Star Wars franchise. However, rest assured, it has been greatly associated with it in the form of several characters quite visibly present in the Original Trilogy. It has been learned that Bonehill, the actor and stuntman probably best known as Lando Calrissian.s diminutive Millennium Falcon alien co-pilot, Nien Numb, has sadly passed away on February 4 at the age of 67. Certainly, Bonehill.s contributions to Star Wars has been one of the more untold stories in the mainstream, but they have been vast. With Bonehill.s passing having been confirmed by England.s Truro Fencing Club, which he headed, the actor leaves behind an eclectic legacy of film and television appearances in films like Flash Gordon, Top Secret!, Doctor Who, Rob Roy and the first Highlander film. However, his work in Star Wars sequels in 1980.s The Empire...

Star Wars actor Richard Bonehill has died, aged 67.

Bonehill played several character extras in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, including Stormtroopers and alien Nien Nunb.

Rip Star Wars actor Richard Bonehill, who played Nien Nunb in Return of the Jedi http://t.co/QlXJilS2KS pic.twitter.com/V9KoUUlKew

— Digital Spy Film (@digitalspyfilm) February 6, 2015

The actor wore the full body suit of Nien Nunb, while Mike Quinn operated the Sullustan's face.

He was also an expert swordsman and horseman, leading him to serve as a head coach for 12 years at the Truro Fencing Club, before becoming president in 2007.

We are sad to announce the sudden passing of our President & former Head Coach Richard Bonehill. A great leader & an inspiration

— Truro Fencing Club (@trurofencing) February 4, 2015

The club was first to announce news of Bonehill's death on Twitter, saying: "We are sad to announce the sudden passing...

Sneak Peek footage from director Jaume Collet-Serra's upcoming action film "Run All Night" starring Liam Neeson ("Rob Roy"), Joel Kinnaman ("RoboCop") and Vincent D'Onofrio ("The Player"), opening March 13, 2915:

"...an aging criminal is forced to take on his brutal former boss to protect his estranged son and his family..."

Cast also includes Joel Kinnaman, Génesis Rodríguez, Boyd Holbrook, Holt McCallany and Malcolm Goodwin.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Run All Night"...

First hearing about October Gale last year, with the announcement of casting, hopes were high. With writer-director Ruba Nadda (Cairo Time) at the helm, steering performances from Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson (Pieces Of April), Academy Award nominee Tim Roth (Rob Roy), and Genie Award nominee Scott Speedman (Adoration) – it had all the hallmarks of a taut thriller, with perhaps something of a twist on the tired home invasion schtick that persists in cinema. At the very least, it promised a dark drama, made by a woman, and led by a woman.

For those unfamiliar with the project, Patricia Clarkson plays Helen – a qualified doctor who is mourning her dead husband. She opts to spend some time alone at their isolated waterside cottage during a huge storm, but is disturbed when a man (Scott Speedman) washes ashore with a gunshot wound. Soon enough, his would-be assassins follow – led by Tim Roth.

The Englishman’s long but sporadic career included an Oscar and BAFTA nomination for his art direction and set decoration on 1981’s The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Assheton Gorton’s daughter told local paper the Shropshire Star that he died in his sleep September 14 at his home near the England-Wales border. He was 84. Gorton also worked on such well-known films as Michelangelo Antonioni‘s Blow-Up (1966) — scoring his first BAFTA nom — Ridley Scott’s Tom Cruise starrer Legend (1985) and Disney’s live-action 101 Dalmatians (1996) and sequel 102 Dalmatians (2000), both starring Glenn Close as Cruella de Vil. Gorton worked on fewer than 20 films during his four-decade career, including The Magic Christian (1969), Get Carter (1971), For the Boys (1991), Rob Roy (1995) and Shadow of the Vampire (2000). He also worked on a handful of television programs including ITV’s Armchair Theatre and 1980 NBC miniseries The Martian Chronicles.

Exclusive: Shirley Henderson, Letitia Wright, Isabella Laughland star; Metro International to sell.

Shoot is underway in London on Michael Caton-Jones drama Urban Hymn, Nick Moorcroft’s (St. Trinian’s) script about the relationship between a young female offender and a determined social worker during the 2011 UK summer riots.

Shirley Henderson (Southcliffe) will star opposite Screen Star of Tomorrow Letitia Wright (Top Boy, My Brother The Devil) and Isabella Laughland (Now Is Good).

Additional cast includes Ian Hart, Steven Mackintosh and musician and activist Billy Bragg.

The coming of age story set in south-west London follows a wayward teen with a talent for singing who becomes torn between her loyalties towards an inspiring, unconventional care worker and her possessive and volatile best friend.

Caton-Jones commented: “I’m tremendously excited with the potential of Urban Hymn. Nick Moorcroft’s heartbreakingly beautiful screenplay perfectly captures a tale of hope and humanity and examines the transcendental nature of music in a cold...

"Excalibur" was a formative theatrical experience for me. It was one of the first R-rated films I specifically decided I wanted to see in a theater. I'd seen other R-rated films before that, but always at random and because someone else decided I was going to see it. With "Excalibur," I was crazy to see it, and the film landed on me like a ton of bricks. Surreal, violent, beautiful, explicit, and for a mythology nut, seeing how the film dealt with each of the characters, each of the Arthurian archetypes, I was in love. One of the guys who made an impression in the film was a young Liam Neeson, and for the rest of the '80s, he racked up a number of performances where, good film or bad, he made an impression. How could he not? No one else looked like him. Slightly over eight feet tall,...

Warning; this post is long... if you watch all the links, you'll have an hour of entertainment.

When I was 10, my school screened a 16 mm print of the The Mark of Zorro - 1940 version, starring the dashing Tyrone Power. The clash of steel, the dynamic yet graceful athleticism of the hero as he righted wrongs, attracted me, as it did many boys of my age... I wanna do that. Luckily my next school offered fencing lessons from an instructor at the nearby Sandhurst Military Academy, and my inner Basil Rathbone was set free to ultimately Captain the school team. I saw every sword fighting movie I could and still do. Yet the only duel I have ever filmed had to be shot in 3 hours... The history of the genre could fill many volumes, but here is a short introduction to Sword Cinema.

La physician reverts to childhood - La filmmaker never left…...

Michael Caton-Jones ("Rob Roy," "The Jackal") has come onboard the coming-of-age drama "Urban Hymn" for Dashishah Universal Film Production, Eclipse Films and Powderkeg Pictures.

Set in Bristol against the backdrop of the 2011 British summer youth riots, the script by Nick Moorcroft ("Burke and Hare") follows a neglected and wayward teen who possesses an amazing singing voice and is torn between her loyalties towards her inspiring, unconventional care worker and her possessive and volatile best friend.

Filming aims to begin in September with casting for the lead roles currently underway.

Source: THR...

London – Rob Roy, The Jackal and This Boy's Life director Michael Caton-Jones is taking on Urban Hymn, a coming-of-age drama set against the backdrop of the 2011 British summer youth riots. He recently directed World Without End, the follow-up to 2010 miniseries The Pillars of the Earth. The eight-part series is based on a bestseller by Ken Follett. Photos Chris Hemsworth Portraits Producers Dashishah Universal Film Production and Eclipse Films, in association with Powderkeg Pictures, on Wednesday announced that Caton-Jones would direct the film from a script written by Nick Moorcroft who previously wrote

read more...

Today’s film is the 2011 short 23 Degrees 5 Minutes. The film is directed by Darragh O’Connell, who co-wrote the screenplay with Austin Kenny, and features the voice-overs of Stuart Townsend and John Hurt. Hurt’s career has spanned over 50 years, and has made him a respected figure among film fans. His filmography includes A Man for All Seasons, Alien, The Elephant Man, Rob Roy, Hellboy, and V for Vendetta. His newest feature, titled Snowpiercer, opened in limited release in American theatres this weekend.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ’23 Degrees 5 Minutes’, featuring the voice work of John Hurt appeared first on Sound On Sight.

Today’s film is the 1991 short Revolver. The film is written and directed by Chester Dent, and stars Elaine Proctor and Liam Neeson. Over the course of an acting career spanning over 35 years, Neeson has made a name for himself in a variety of roles in movies such as Husbands and Wives, Schindler’s List, Rob Roy, Love Actually, Batman Begins, and Taken. His newest feature, titled Third Person, opened in limited release in American theatres this weekend. He can also be seen in theatres in the film A Million Ways To Die In the West.

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The post Sunday Shorts: ‘Revolver’, starring Liam Neeson appeared first on Sound On Sight.

A TV series based on Scottish icon Rob Roy is in the works.

Stv Productions and Fremantle Media are jointly developing an action-adventure drama series centred on the Scottish folk hero and outlaw of the early 18th century.

The humorous drama will be a retelling of Scottish history, and will have the "feel of a comic book".

Set in Scotland with mythical creatures, the series will feature the repressive reign of English King George.

It will focus on Robert Roy MacGregor's life story, giving it a contemporary update. Rob Roy and his group will set out on a journey to find the true King of Scotland.

X Factor producers Fremantle will distribute the series internationally. It has yet to be announced which channels or networks it may be broadcast on.

Alan Clements, director of content at Stv Productions, said: "Rob Roy is one of the most iconic characters in...

"Grace of Monaco" was tipped to be a strong Oscar contender in 2013 but the Weinstein Company delayed its release till this spring. Watch the first trailer for the film below. The biopic stars Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly, who left Hollywood behind in 1956 at the height of her career to marry Prince Rainier of Monaco. The film follows the pair during a crisis in their marriage in the early 1960s when the prince (played by Oscar nominee Tim Roth, "Rob Roy") could lose his land to France. This certainly looks like the perfect vehicle for Kidman to nab her second Best Actress trophy -- it’s a biopic that combines Old Hollywood lore with European royalty. -Break- She would be the second person in history to win for portraying a real-life Oscar winner; Cate Blanchett prevailed in the supporting race in 2004 for playing four-time Best Actress champ Katharine Hepburn in “The Aviator.

Ka-li (noun): 1) One of the manifestations and cult titles of the wife of Shiva and mother goddess Devi, especially in her malevolent role as a goddess of death and destruction, depicted as black, red-eyed, blood-stained, and wearing a necklace of skulls...

2) Eskrima, Arnis and Kali are umbrella terms for the traditional martial arts of the Philippines ("Filipino Martial Arts," or Fma) that emphasize weapon-based fighting with sticks, knives and other bladed weapons, and various improvised weapons.

It also includes hand-to-hand combat, joint locks, grappling and weapon disarming techniques.

More and more, martial arts action sequences are becoming integral to genre filmmaking. From the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" series (1997) and Blade (1998) to The Hulk (2003) and Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), we’re seeing more and more cinematic heroes who are kickin’ ass. One commonality in all of the aforementioned films are the action choreographers/stunt people: Ron Balicki and Diana Lee Inosanto.

Quentin Tarantino ‘The Hateful Eight’ screenplay leak Quentin Tarantino will no longer be making the Western The Hateful Eight. Why not? Well, Tarantino claims he sent out the film’s screenplay to a group of six people, one of whom allegedly showed it to his agent, who then showed it to other agents, who then began calling Tarantino’s agent Mike Simpson, asking him to cast their clients in the film. (Photo: The Hateful Eight screenwriter Quentin Tarantino.) “I’m very, very depressed,” Tarantino was quoted as saying at Deadline.com, which first broke The Hateful Eight Screenplay Leak story on Tuesday, January 21, 2014. “I finished a script, a first draft, and I didn’t mean to shoot it until next winter, a year from now. I gave it to six people, and apparently it’s gotten out today.” Now, before they begin flailing and wailing, Quentin Tarantino fans should be...

Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 24 Oct 2013 - 06:46

Another 25 unsung greats come under the spotlight, as we provide our pick of the underappreciated films of 1995...

The year covered in this week's underrated movie rundown was significant for a number of reasons. It was the year that saw the release of Toy Story - the groundbreaking movie that would cement Pixar's reputation as an animation studio, and set the tempo for CG family movies for the next 18 years and counting. It was the year that saw James Bond (played by Pierce Brosnan for the first time) emerge for GoldenEye after a six-year break. It was also the year of Michael Mann's Heat, Dogme 95, and the moment where Terry Gilliam scored a much-deserved hit with 12 Monkeys.

As ever, we're focusing on a few of the lesser-known films from this particular year, and we've had to think carefully about what's made the cut and what hasn't.

Villains have always been and will always be some of the most fascinating and memorable characters in the world of genre film. Here we will take a look at the greatest villains of cinema from the 1990’s.

The criteria for this article is the same as in my previous articles Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1970’s and Cinema’s Greatest Villains: The 1980’s: the villains must be from live-action films-no animated features-and must pose some type of direct of indirect lethal threat. The villains can either be individuals or small groups that act as one unit.

The villains must be human or human in appearance. Also, individuals that are the central protagonists/antiheroes of their respective films were excluded.

Brad Dourif as The Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III (William Peter Blatty, 1990): Veteran actor Dourif is intense and unforgettable as an executed murderer inhabiting someone else’s body in...

Elisabeth Shue had my vote among the Oscar nominees

With the time left -- you can have more money, you can drink all you want -- just stay. That's what I want. I want you to talk. Or listen. Just stay."

Alicia Silverstone, Clueless (MTV Winner, Globe Nominee)

Angela Bassett, Waiting to Exhale (Image Award Winner)

Annette Bening, The American President (Globe Nominee)

Gong Li, Shanghai Triad (None)

Joan Allen, Nixon (SAG Lead Nominee but Oscar Supporting Nominee)

Jennifer Jason Leigh, Georgia (Nyfcc Winner, Spirit Nominee)

Jessica Lange, Rob Roy (None)

Julianne Moore, [safe] (Spirit Nominee)

Julie Delpy, Before Sunrise (None)

Kathy Bates, Delores Claiborne (Saturn Nominee)

Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Minds (MTV Nominee, #1 Female Led Box Office Hit)

Nicole Kidman, To Die For (Globe Winner)

Sandra Bullock, While You Were Sleeping (Globe Nominee, #2 Female Led Box Office Hit)

Toni Collette, Muriel's Wedding (AFI Winner, Globe Nominee)

...and the Oscar nominees

Elisabeth Shue,...

Idris Elba continues to build upon his behind-the-camera resume, as a producer (and director as well). The multi-hyphenate has signed up to produce a new UK feature titled One Square Mile, which will be directed by Michael Caton-Jones (The Jackal, Rob Roy). Scheduled to shoot in London later this year, based on a script penned by Leon F. Butler, One Square Mile tells a story about four people with four extraordinary stories, who live within one square mile of each other. Elba's past producer credits include Demons Never Die, a horror film directed by Arjun Rose, and the web series Milk & Honey. He's also a producer on the hit drama series he stars in - Luther,...

Idris Elba [pictured] will be one of the producers of new UK feature One Square Mile.

Michael Caton-Jones (Shooting Dogs, The Jackal, Rob Roy) will direct the film, which will shoot in London at the end of the year.

The other producesr are Ros Hubbard (The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman), Laurie Borg (Made In Dagenham) and Leon F. Butler.

Butler has also written the original drama script, about four people with four extraordinary storise who live within one square mile of each other.

Elba, star of TV hits Luther and The Wire, also stars in hotly anticipated biopic feature Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.