|
|
Posts Tagged ‘Anthony Hopkins’
Thursday, July 29th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
The big and exciting news of the day is that the THOR trailer that was shown at the San Diego Comic-Con has leaked online. No one’s really sure where it came from, but the quality is too good to be a bootleg, so I’m speculating Marvel may have released this themselves in an effort to drum up some positive publicity. But I would watch it as soon as possible, just in case they make me take it down. They would be out of their minds to remove this from the internet because prior to seeing this trailer, I was doubting the film. The first two pictures looked horrible and cheesy and I was losing faith. But this trailer looks fantastic. I mean, it looks really, really great. Consider me officially excited for it.
The Kenneth Branagh film stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Rene Russo, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Colm Feore, Clark Gregg and Kat Dennings. Watch the trailer here.
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, movie news, rene russo, tom hiddleston
Posted in News |
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Posted by: Nathan Swank
Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios have released posters of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER and THOR for the upcoming Comic-Con in San Diego. I can’t get very excited for an illustrated teaser poster of a film but lets hope the movies look as good as the illustrations. So what do you think?
Directed by Joe Johnston, CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will star Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones, Stanley Tucci and Neal McDonough
Directed by Kenneth Branagh, THOR will star Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Kat Dennings, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Ray Stevenson, Stellan Skarsgard, Idris Elba and Rene Russo.
Source: Yahoo! Movies
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Chris Evans, chris hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, movie news, natalie portman, samuel l. jackson
Posted in News |
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
I’m not much of a Woody Allen fan, so I can’t say I’m too excited about his new film YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER. I guess the best thing I can say about the trailer is that it seems Woody Allen isn’t acting in the film. I will admit that his films have gotten slightly more tolerable since he’s cut back on his acting. But this one revolves around a dysfunctional family (aren’t all families dysfunctional?) and the various relationships the family members get into. The film stars Josh Brolin, Freida Pinto, Naomi Watts, Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Lucy Punch, Gemma Jones and Anna Friel.
Of course, Woody Allen wrote the screenplay and is directing. It seems Josh Brolin is filling in as the token Woody Allen character this time around. Watch the trailer here.
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Freida Pinto, Josh Brolin, movie news, Naomi Watts, woody allen
Posted in News |
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
I’m not sure why we’re getting so many new images from next summer’s THOR, but they seem to be rolling out pretty quickly. I’m curious as to whether there’s trouble on the set and Marvel is trying to gauge fan’s reactions to the images. If so, then I’m even more curious as to what kind of feedback they’re getting. For me, I thought the first, initial image of Thor was great. But every subsequent photo has been a huge letdown for me. The sets look like Ancient Rome, but covered in plastic and the other costumes look like something from a 70’s b-movie. Now, all we’ve seen so far are images, so maybe this will work better on film. For that, we’ll have to wait for a trailer. But so far, I’ve been a little disappointed.
The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston, Rene Russo, Natalie Portman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jaimie Alexander, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Colm Feore, Clark Gregg and Kat Dennings.
Source: LA Times
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, movie news, rene russo, tom hiddleston
Posted in News |
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
I’ve been pretty excited about Kenneth Brannagh’s upcoming THOR, but I now have a little bit of an uneasy feeling after seeing this picture. I know it’s only one image, but it looks a little cartoony to me. Given this is only the second official image we’ve gotten from the film, I’m puzzled as to why they’d release a picture like this. It just doesn’t seem to paint the movie in a great light with the shiny costumes and the drapery-like background. From left to right, we see Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
In the same article, they also reveal that both THOR and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER will be shown in 3D even though neither were actually filmed with 3D cameras. But they make a good case and try to assure us we won’t see another poor 3D outing like CLASH OF THE TITANS.
Source: LA Times
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, movie news, natalie portman, tom hiddleston
Posted in News |
Thursday, July 8th, 2010
What would you do if you were stranded with someone you didn’t trust in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness? Why is Anthony Hopkins always getting into a brawl with a bear? These pivotal questions and many more are answered in Mark Steven Johnson’s THE EDGE.
At its core, THE EDGE is more than just a tale of survival. Wonderfully written by well-known playwright David Mamet, the story centers on two men- one a billionaire named Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) and the other a cocky fashion photographer named Robert “Bob” Green (Alec Baldwin). The men come together for a fashion shoot for Charles’ much younger wife Mickey (Elle MacPherson). During the shoot, Charles is looking on at his wife while Bob gets ready to take the photographs. Before he starts, he noticeably kisses Mickey on the cheek. Mickey immediately glances at Bob and gives him a wink. This sets something off in Charles, and not even a small birthday celebration can take his mind off it. This is hardly the beginning of their troubles…
The next day Bob is looking to scout a new model. Charles lends his plane and their friend Stephen (Harold Perrineau) joins the ride. While in the air, Bob tried to push Charles’ buttons. Bob humors Charles by questioning him on the comfort in his riches, saying that it must be hard to trust anyone. Charles is intrigued by his questioning and asks him why he even likes him. Bob simply answers, “Your style, your wife…” Then moments later, the plane collides with a flock of geese that destroy the planes propellers. The plane goes down into the wilderness at terrifying speeds. When they hit the ground, they find the pilot was killed, but everyone else is still breathing.
The rest of the film is the struggle between Charles and Bob. Bob spends most of his time taking shots at Charles. Bob’s jealousy is obvious from the first couple of scenes, and yet he is bound and determined to make Charles break. A very calm, collected, confident man, Bob does not spend the time they have in the wild worried over trivial things. Although Bob is just picking at Charles to anger him, Charles takes the words and turns them into an experience. The progression of the movie is basically watching Charles come into himself, while Bob’s feeling perpetuate.
While the movie didn’t immediately pick up for me until the crash, it was still a great piece of filmmaking. Hopkins and Baldwin play tremendously well off of each other. This film also made me think about Baldwin and his overall acting skills. Oddly this was never anything I really thought about before. Baldwin is a solid comedy actor in my opinion, but I don’t usually feel him as much when it comes down to a dramatic role. I always feel like he’s taking his character much farther than he has to. But here, he nails it. It almost seems like Bob fits that Baldwin persona. So in turn it’s so easy to buy into. Another thing I immediately noticed was that someone who had a strong background in playwriting wrote this story. All the elements are there for the set up—a slow beginning, plenty of dialogue between two central characters, and an ending that is fulfilling in a bittersweet sort of way. I’d say that this one is a can’t miss. Besides, you want to make sure you catch Hopkins vs. the bear.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: I was really surprised at the transfer on this one. Great quality for a film that was made 13 years ago. No grainy patches, color is great, and overall very smooth. (2.35:1 Widescreen).
Audio: Crystal clear sound on this one. Again, the transfer is great. If the video/audio weren’t so great I would have given the blu-ray a much lower score, especially since there were no special features. (5.1 DTS-HD).
Tags: Alec Baldwin, Anthony Hopkins, Blu-ray, Harold Perrineau, mark steven johnson, movie reviews
Posted in Blu-Ray Reviews, Reviews |
Monday, May 17th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Anthony Hopkins and Dustin Hoffman have joined Vadim Perelman’s (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG) THE SONG OF NAMES. The two legendary actors are the first to join the film that’s based off the book of the same name by Norman Lebrecht. Jeffrey Caine will be writing and James Horner will be handling the score. The film is about a musical prodigy that falls in love, only to have his love leave him. He doesn’t discover what happened to him until 40 years later, when the mystery starts to unfold.
Dustin Hoffman also signed on to star in NIGHTWORK, based off Irwin Shaw’s book. This film is about a young man that goes on the run in Europe after coming across a large amount of money. You have to go back pretty far to watch a film that will prove Hoffman is an incredible actor, but he’s shown some flashes of that brilliance in recent films. It looks like he’s lined up a couple more projects that could shoot him to the forefront of older actors.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, movie news, Norman Lebrecht, Vadim Perelman
Posted in News |
Monday, May 10th, 2010
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Anthony Hopkins is in the final stage of negotiations to play the villain Pharotu in the epic ARABIAN NIGHTS. The story focuses on a commander (played by Liam Hemsworth) who joins up with Sinbad, Ali Baba and the Genie from the lamp to rescue the queen, Scheherazade. Pharotu is an evil sorcerer who is trying to gain more power and magic for himself. ARABIAN NIGHTS is written by Russell and Barry P. Ambrose and will be directed by Chuck Russell. Anthony Hopkins can also be seen in next year’s blockbuster THOR, where he will play Odin, father of Thor, as well as the drama/thriller THE RITE.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Chuck Russell, Liam Hemsworth, movie news, thor
Posted in News |
Friday, April 30th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
Marvel Studios just owns fanboys. They’re the masters at building hype for their films and with the dedicated following they have before they even start shooting, they can captivate an audience with little or no effort. Today we get some exciting news as they’ve released the first picture from the highly anticipated big screen adaptation of THOR. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Kat Dennings and Adriana Barraza.
So what do you think about the “look”? I think he looks pretty cool in his armor and of all the upcoming Marvel films, I’m most interested to see this one. Tackling the supernatural is a tough gig, but I think Branagh and this great cast is going to hit a home run.
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, kat dennings, movie news, natalie portman, rene russo
Posted in News |
Tuesday, March 30th, 2010
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
THE WOLFMAN, the remake of the classic film, will be released on Blu-ray on June 1, 2010. The film stars the grungy looking Benicio Del Toro alongside Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt. The Blu-ray looks to be packed with loads of special features, an extended version of the movie as well as the theatrical release. Included in with the Blu-ray is the original 1941 film THE WOLF MAN which will be presented via Universal’s BD-Live, UniversalHiDef.com and pocket BLU(TM). It’s nice to see so many special features on a release like this, I hope we get more of these loaded up Blu-rays in the very near future.
Special features include:
- Werewolf Legacy, Lore and Legend: This documentary gives viewers a visual tour through more than seventy years of Universal’s Wolf Man films and thousands of years of werewolf mythology.
- Featurettes:
- Return of The Wolfman: This featurette will look at how the cast and crew behind this new retelling have tapped into the tragic roots of legend and cinematic lore to unleash a new terror for today’s audience.
- Transformation Secrets: Whether transforming werewolves, producing hallucinogenic nightmares or recreating the fog-covered streets of Victorian London, this featurette will look at how the visual effects team has created a haunting world of moonlit monsters and unsettling thrills.
- The Wolfman Unleashed: The team behind the stunt and action units share the physical challenges of bringing the Wolfman to life and creating a series of intense and action-oriented set pieces.
- The Beast Maker: A detailed look at how make-up wizard Rick Baker transformed a classic monster into a modern nightmare!
- Two alternate endings not seen in theaters
- Deleted and extended scenes
- Take Control: Special Makeup Artist Rick Baker, Visual Effects Producer Karen Murphy-Mundell and Director of Photography Shelly Johnson ASC take control of the viewing experience in this unique feature, offering a personal visual commentary by engaging with select scenes of the film to reveal details of the filmmaking process.
- U-Control
- BD-Live™, pocket BLU™ app and UniversalHiDef.com: The first ever online streaming of the original 1941 classic The Wolf Man
- pocket BLU™ app: USHE’s groundbreaking pocket BLU™ app uses iPhone(TM), iPod® touch, Blackberry®, Android(TM), PC and Macintosh to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray(TM) player and offers advanced features such as:
- Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray(TM) player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live(TM) functions with ease.
- Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the movie.
- Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray(TM) discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there’s a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy exclusive content on the go, anytime, anywhere.
- Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLU(TM) app-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray(TM) Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.
- Keyboard: Enter data into a Blu-ray(TM) player with your device’s easy and intuitive keyboard that will facilitate such Blu-ray(TM) features as chatting with friends and sending messages.
- social BLU™: Connect with friends on your favorite social networks to share information about your favorite movies, enjoy Blu-ray(TM) community features and more!
Artwork Coming Soon
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Blu-ray, Emily Blunt, movie news
Posted in Blu-Ray News, News |
Thursday, February 18th, 2010
Wolfman has been done so many times as have all the classic monster movies. So when doing one of these monster movies again you need to make sure your film stands out and provides something different that hasn’t been seen before. Unfortunately, THE WOLFMAN provided none of that and was a rehash of the same old stuff we’ve seen before.
Set in the 1880’s in the Victorian-era Great Britain, Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) has returned home to investigate the mystery behind his brother’s disappearance and death. He learns of an ancient curse of a monster empowered by animal rage during a full moon, which seems to match the evidence of the missing victims in town. After being bitten by the creature, he is nursed back to health by his father (Anthony Hopkins) and his brother’s fiancé (Emily Blunt). While attempting to unlock the mystery behind the monster, he must battle the monsters of his past and within himself.
The film contained a few nice camera shots of chases within the trees and the fog lit by the moonlight but overall was too unclear. The color pallet seemed set far too dark, making it difficult at times to even appreciate some of the Victorian style clothing and structures. As for scariness, it did provide a few jump moments but as whole I never felt the intensity and exhilaration of a possible scare. The impending doom never felt front and center, as a story about Wolfman should. There is a particularly creepy dream sequence, which contains most of the real scares.
The special effects and makeup were really cool and the transformations from man to Werewolf were my favorite moments. However, the transformation from man to wolf in the 1980 film AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON were done just as good if not better than the current WOLFMAN. The film feels dated and slow as if it was released in an earlier time. If it had been, like before all the other countless wolfman movies or in place of the original, I’m sure it would be considered great, but that is not the case and it’s 2010.
I’m a fan of Benicio who seems bred for this role. I guess that’s why he got cast as Duke the Dog-Faced Boy in BIG TOP PEE-WEE. It was nice to see Anthony Hopkins in a role again who is definitely a veteran to this type of film (see: BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA). Emily Blunt is consistently beautiful. The actor I really enjoyed though was Hugo Weaving as an inspector who is investigating the deaths. He brought an interesting energy that I wished could have had more screen time.
THE WOLFMAN was apparently plagued with production problems that I am not fully aware of. It has been delayed several times over with an original release date set all the way back in 2007, which I’m sure did not help it’s cause much. Well it’s three years later and not much to show for it. The film isn’t horrible with a couple of ok scenes; it’s just that it didn’t provide anything really worth seeing and begs the question, why do it?
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Benicio Del Toro, Emily Blunt, Joe Johnson, movie reviews
Posted in Reviews |
Monday, January 11th, 2010
Posted by: Brad Sturdivant
“Creative differences” is to the split between director and actor what “irreconcilable differences” is to the split between man and wife. It’s a general term used to describe two people parting ways that covers just about everything. We’ll probably never really know why Stuart Townsend left THOR, but the official reason is “creative differences”. Some of you may remember that Townsend was originally cast as Aragorn in THE LORD OF THE RINGS, but dropped out late under the same excuse. After leaving two big projects like this, I don’t know if I trust Townsend’s creative thinking.
Townsend will be replaced in Thor by Joshua Dallas. The only movie you may have seen him in is THE DESCENT 2, but after Thor, I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him. Thor stars Natalie Portman, Chis Hemsworth, Rene Russo, Anthony Hopkins and will be directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Source: The Associated Press
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Chis Hemsworth, Joshua Dallas, movie news, natalie portman, rene russo
Posted in News |
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Rene Russo has signed on to play Frigga, wife of Odin and stepmother to Thor in the upcoming film THOR. She joins Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins in the film directed by Kenneth Branagh. The film is set to be released on May 20, 2011 and will start shooting next month.
There has been a lot of casting and news for THOR over the past few months, hopefully the film will live up to the hype.
Source: Variety
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, movie news, natalie portman, rene russo
Posted in News |
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Kat Dennings has signed on to play Darcy, a co-worker of Jane Foster, in the Marvel Studios film THOR. She joins a stellar cast that includes: Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston. The film is set for release on May 11, 2011.
There have been a lot of rumors surrounding the cast of THOR, including one with Robert DeNiro and Jude Law, but it looks as though director Kenneth Branagh has made some tough decisions and hammered out the details (get it, cause Thor uses a hammer!). I for one am excited about this take on the Norse myth.
Source: Variety
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, kat dennings, kenneth bran, Kenneth Branagh, movie news, natalie portman
Posted in News |
Wednesday, November 4th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy Sturdivant
Anthony Hopkins and Annette Bening will star in the upcoming film HEMINGWAY AND FUENTES. They will share the screen with director and producer Andy Garcia. The script follows Ernest Hemingway and his best friend George Fuentes during the twenty years they spent in Cuba. The film has been a personal project for Garcia for many years and he co-wrote the script with Hilary Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway’s granddaughter.
It’ll be interesting to see how Mr. Garcia handles directing a film with stars like Hopkins and Bening since his previous directorial efforts have mostly been on television. Look for Anthony Hopkins in next year’s film THE WOLFMAN.
Source: Variety
Tags: andy garcia, annette bening, Anthony Hopkins, ernest hemingway, hilary hemingway, movie news
Posted in News |
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Posted by: Sturdy
There have been a lot of casting rumors regarding the upcoming Kenneth Branagh directed THOR, but we officially have confirmation that Anthony Hopkins has signed on to star as Thor’s father, Odin. Hopkins joins the already impressive cast that includes Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
It was rumored that Robert DeNiro and Jude Law were also joining the cast, but it has yet to be confirmed.
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, chris hemsworth, Kenneth Branagh, movie news, natalie portman, tom hiddleston
Posted in News |
Monday, October 26th, 2009
Posted by: Kristy
Woody Allen’s new movie entitled YOU WILL MEET A TALL DARK STRANGER will star Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins and Naomi Watts. In typical Woody Allen fashion, not much is known about the story other than it focuses on a family as they work out various problems.
It’s been awhile since Woody Allen has made a good film. VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA received mixed reviews so Woody Allen could use another hit. Maybe he should get back to making movies in New York.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
Tags: Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, movie news, Naomi Watts, woody allen
Posted in News |
|
