Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: What is the best performance in an otherwise bad movie?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
There’s a Cult of Val (Kilmer, obviously) that I proudly belong to. Mainly it revolves around movies like “Real Genius,” “Top Secret!” and “Heat,” all excellent movies that don’t fit the parameters of this question. But you really don’t know Val until you’ve made your peace with Oliver Stone’s beyond-awful “The Doors.” The apocryphal anecdotes around Kilmer’s deep dive into Jim Morrison are insane: insisting that no one look him in the eye on set, wearing the same leather pants for months,...
This week’s question: What is the best performance in an otherwise bad movie?
Joshua Rothkopf (@joshrothkopf), Time Out New York
There’s a Cult of Val (Kilmer, obviously) that I proudly belong to. Mainly it revolves around movies like “Real Genius,” “Top Secret!” and “Heat,” all excellent movies that don’t fit the parameters of this question. But you really don’t know Val until you’ve made your peace with Oliver Stone’s beyond-awful “The Doors.” The apocryphal anecdotes around Kilmer’s deep dive into Jim Morrison are insane: insisting that no one look him in the eye on set, wearing the same leather pants for months,...
- 9/25/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Simon Beaufoy and Tony Garnett among team behind spy series ripped from the headlines.
Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy is among the writing team on a new TV drama series about the real-life UK police spies who infiltrated British activist groups and the women with whom they had long-term relationships.
Currently in development, Undercovers (4 x 1hr) is being written by Beaufoy, McLibel and The Age of Stupid director Franny Armstrong and activist-turned-writer Alice Nutter (The Street).
Armstrong’s London-based doc specialist Spanner Films produces and is raising money for the series through crowdfunding.
Tony Garnett, acclaimed veteran producer of film and TV dramas including Kes and Cathy Come Home, will come out of retirement to act as executive producer alongside Passion Pictures’ John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man, One Day in September).
Storylines on Undercovers include that of activist Helen Steel who discovered, after a two-decade-long search, that her missing partner was in fact a police spy who...
Slumdog Millionaire writer Simon Beaufoy is among the writing team on a new TV drama series about the real-life UK police spies who infiltrated British activist groups and the women with whom they had long-term relationships.
Currently in development, Undercovers (4 x 1hr) is being written by Beaufoy, McLibel and The Age of Stupid director Franny Armstrong and activist-turned-writer Alice Nutter (The Street).
Armstrong’s London-based doc specialist Spanner Films produces and is raising money for the series through crowdfunding.
Tony Garnett, acclaimed veteran producer of film and TV dramas including Kes and Cathy Come Home, will come out of retirement to act as executive producer alongside Passion Pictures’ John Battsek (Searching for Sugar Man, One Day in September).
Storylines on Undercovers include that of activist Helen Steel who discovered, after a two-decade-long search, that her missing partner was in fact a police spy who...
- 3/11/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Greetings from the apocalypse, and welcome to the new weekly feature where our lone warrior gives you the play-by-play for how your filmgoing weekend can unfold, Friday-to-Sunday, morning-to-night.
Our second weekend riding through the desolation of the new year is no less doom and gloom than the last one, with a couple new theatrical releases that make the doldrums look like a fun place to be. Luckily there's some alternative viewing destinations available to those who have true grit, so as we nosedive into oblivion remember that in the event of a water landing your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.
Friday, January 11
Riding the art house pony into theaters is "Quartet," the directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman. If I said he was a "graduate" of the acting field would you kick me in the balls? Wrinkled thesps Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins and the ever-irreverent...
Our second weekend riding through the desolation of the new year is no less doom and gloom than the last one, with a couple new theatrical releases that make the doldrums look like a fun place to be. Luckily there's some alternative viewing destinations available to those who have true grit, so as we nosedive into oblivion remember that in the event of a water landing your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device.
Friday, January 11
Riding the art house pony into theaters is "Quartet," the directorial debut of Dustin Hoffman. If I said he was a "graduate" of the acting field would you kick me in the balls? Wrinkled thesps Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Pauline Collins and the ever-irreverent...
- 1/11/2013
- by Max Evry
- NextMovie
This Friday, December 21st, is at the center of apocalyptian theories, Mayan prophecies, and the like. Indiewire's latest curation of Hulu's Documentaries page takes a look at doomsday scenarios large and small, their potential causes from political, economic, and environmental abuses, as well as more hopeful alternatives. Watch these docs now for free… before it's too late! Fanny Armstrong's "The Age of Stupid" provides an appropriate place to start. Her hybrid doc posits a future devastated by climate change, and a lone archivist - Peter Postlethwaite - who looks back to our present for its causes. The mix of real stories against a nightmarish but all-too-possible future scenario forces audiences to confront the ticking clock before permanent damage is done for generations to come. One such cautionary tale is revealed in Chris Perkel and Georgie Roland’s "The Town That Was." Centralia, Pa was once an active...
- 12/19/2012
- by Basil Tsiokos
- Indiewire
We want to make a film about inequality with the impact of An Inconvenient Truth. You can help make it happen
I've long been passionate about the role that film can play in creating social change, and in the last few years it is starting to look as though this potential is being realised.
In 2006, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth was credited with raising global public awareness of climate change. Gore had been making presentations on the issue around the world for some time, but it was the film which took the message to millions. Why was it so effective? Film has the power to engage people on a number of levels: it can bring data to life, showing stories, themes and arguments in ways that words on a page cannot. And Gore's film also showed what could be done about the problem.
Films can also show the human side of statistics,...
I've long been passionate about the role that film can play in creating social change, and in the last few years it is starting to look as though this potential is being realised.
In 2006, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth was credited with raising global public awareness of climate change. Gore had been making presentations on the issue around the world for some time, but it was the film which took the message to millions. Why was it so effective? Film has the power to engage people on a number of levels: it can bring data to life, showing stories, themes and arguments in ways that words on a page cannot. And Gore's film also showed what could be done about the problem.
Films can also show the human side of statistics,...
- 6/30/2012
- by Katharine Round
- The Guardian - Film News
In the age of the internet, marketing a documentary is all about targeting influencial bloggers and cultivating online communities
Most films find an audience through a few well-chosen ads in newspapers and a handful of reviews. Not Bill Cunningham New York, Richard Press's Oscar-nominated documentary about the 84-year-old New York Times fashion photographer. UK distributor Dogwoof made a conscious decision to target fashion bloggers, creating buzz about the film. About 50 of these so-called fashion "influencers" blogged about the film, creating what Dogwoof's chief executive, Andy Whittaker, calls "the perfect social storm". Welcome to marketing documentaries in the age of the internet.
"One of the key tricks is identifying influencers and tapping into them and co-ordinating that into the campaign," says Whittaker. "The first people we wanted to reach were those who understood the importance of Bill Cunningham."
Whittaker, who founded the independent distribution label eight years ago, used to be an executive at eBay,...
Most films find an audience through a few well-chosen ads in newspapers and a handful of reviews. Not Bill Cunningham New York, Richard Press's Oscar-nominated documentary about the 84-year-old New York Times fashion photographer. UK distributor Dogwoof made a conscious decision to target fashion bloggers, creating buzz about the film. About 50 of these so-called fashion "influencers" blogged about the film, creating what Dogwoof's chief executive, Andy Whittaker, calls "the perfect social storm". Welcome to marketing documentaries in the age of the internet.
"One of the key tricks is identifying influencers and tapping into them and co-ordinating that into the campaign," says Whittaker. "The first people we wanted to reach were those who understood the importance of Bill Cunningham."
Whittaker, who founded the independent distribution label eight years ago, used to be an executive at eBay,...
- 6/10/2012
- The Guardian - Film News
The Creative Impact award aims to honour those film-makers whose documentaries bring burning issues to our attention. But just how effective are they?
Movie people are forever telling the rest of us that movies can change the world – but they would say that, wouldn't they? It justifies the outrageous salaries, the decadent lifestyles and the grandiose awards acceptance speeches. Certainly, if James Cameron could point to figures detailing a fall in ocean-liner/iceberg collisions following Titanic's release, his "I'm the king of the world!" Oscar proclamation might have been more forgivable. But beyond the bluster of Hollywood and the joy of escapism, what kind of real-world impact can cinema really have?
The creators of the Puma Creative Impact award believe it can be massive. Its stated aim? "To honour the documentary film creating the most significant impact in the world." As the documentarist Morgan Spurlock, a juror for the award,...
Movie people are forever telling the rest of us that movies can change the world – but they would say that, wouldn't they? It justifies the outrageous salaries, the decadent lifestyles and the grandiose awards acceptance speeches. Certainly, if James Cameron could point to figures detailing a fall in ocean-liner/iceberg collisions following Titanic's release, his "I'm the king of the world!" Oscar proclamation might have been more forgivable. But beyond the bluster of Hollywood and the joy of escapism, what kind of real-world impact can cinema really have?
The creators of the Puma Creative Impact award believe it can be massive. Its stated aim? "To honour the documentary film creating the most significant impact in the world." As the documentarist Morgan Spurlock, a juror for the award,...
- 10/6/2011
- by Morgan Spurlock, Ellen E Jones
- The Guardian - Film News
Whether it's films on fridges or Cannes in a van, site-specific screenings are proving a summer hit. Here, the mavericks behind the magic tell us how to get in on the show
Pop-up cinema is having a moment. This month we've seen classic sports flicks projected on a mountain of discarded fridges, as well as fossil fuel-free film, (try saying that with a mouth full of popcorn), a picture house squeezed into a canal boat, another wedged inside a transit van, and not one but two cinemas sprouting from the disused space under motorways. Pop-up cinema is becoming as Augusty as Parisians bogging off for a month in the sun. So why not have a go yourself? This handy 10-step guide, comprised of top tips from the people driving the movement, will show you how.
Step 1. Create your I-wish-i'd-thought-of-that concept
"Context is really important," say Lindsey Scannapieco and Mat Triebner of Scout Limited.
Pop-up cinema is having a moment. This month we've seen classic sports flicks projected on a mountain of discarded fridges, as well as fossil fuel-free film, (try saying that with a mouth full of popcorn), a picture house squeezed into a canal boat, another wedged inside a transit van, and not one but two cinemas sprouting from the disused space under motorways. Pop-up cinema is becoming as Augusty as Parisians bogging off for a month in the sun. So why not have a go yourself? This handy 10-step guide, comprised of top tips from the people driving the movement, will show you how.
Step 1. Create your I-wish-i'd-thought-of-that concept
"Context is really important," say Lindsey Scannapieco and Mat Triebner of Scout Limited.
- 8/23/2011
- by Ruth Jamieson
- The Guardian - Film News
UK's largest independent home entertainment distributor hit by major stock loss after Enfield warehouse torched in London riots
• Music news story: Independent record labels fear ruinous stock loss in London riots fire
Britain's small and independent film distributors are today facing serious financial problems in the wake of last night's fire at the Pias/Sony distribution centre in Enfield. A large portion of the DVD stock belonging to UK film distributors has been destroyed, including films released by the BFI, Artificial Eye and Dogwoof.
The three-storey, 20,000 square metre warehouse, owned by Pias - the UK's largest independent home entertainment distributor - was burned to the ground last night amid the rioting that has spread across London over the last three days.
The BFI, the leading body for film in the UK, which also has a retail arm selling classic films on DVD, says it has lost all stock held at the warehouse,...
• Music news story: Independent record labels fear ruinous stock loss in London riots fire
Britain's small and independent film distributors are today facing serious financial problems in the wake of last night's fire at the Pias/Sony distribution centre in Enfield. A large portion of the DVD stock belonging to UK film distributors has been destroyed, including films released by the BFI, Artificial Eye and Dogwoof.
The three-storey, 20,000 square metre warehouse, owned by Pias - the UK's largest independent home entertainment distributor - was burned to the ground last night amid the rioting that has spread across London over the last three days.
The BFI, the leading body for film in the UK, which also has a retail arm selling classic films on DVD, says it has lost all stock held at the warehouse,...
- 8/9/2011
- by Henry Barnes, Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
One of Pete Postlethwaite's final films has been nominated for a best documentary award.
The late Oscar-nominated actor starred in futuristic movie The Age of Stupid, which focuses on a man looking back at footage of the world in 2008 and asking why more wasn't done to stop climate change.
The film, which was directed by Franny Armstrong, was shortlisted for the Impact Award, which honours films for their influence on society.
The Age of Stupid is in the running for the $72,000 (£44,000) cash prize, and is up against Burma VJ, The End of the Line, The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court, and Trouble the Water.
Crash star Thandie Newton and documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock will help pick the winner, who will be announced at a London ceremony in October.
Postlethwaite died from pancreatic cancer in January.
The late Oscar-nominated actor starred in futuristic movie The Age of Stupid, which focuses on a man looking back at footage of the world in 2008 and asking why more wasn't done to stop climate change.
The film, which was directed by Franny Armstrong, was shortlisted for the Impact Award, which honours films for their influence on society.
The Age of Stupid is in the running for the $72,000 (£44,000) cash prize, and is up against Burma VJ, The End of the Line, The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court, and Trouble the Water.
Crash star Thandie Newton and documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock will help pick the winner, who will be announced at a London ceremony in October.
Postlethwaite died from pancreatic cancer in January.
- 7/26/2011
- WENN
Bobby Fischer was not only one of the greatest chess players of all time, he was possibly also one of the most enigmatic figures of the 20th century.
After his 1972 World Championship victory in Iceland against the Ussr's Boris Spassky (pictured right), Fischer - who was born in Chicago and raised in New York - vanished off the radar but resurfaced for a 1992 rematch held in Yugoslavia.
However, Yugoslavia was under a Un embargo at the time, so Fischer's American passport was revoked. When he travelled to Japan on the invalid documentation, he was detained there for nine months (see picture below), before being granted citizenship by Iceland where he lived until his death in 2008, aged 64.
Now his story is being brought to life by the award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus.
Released in UK cinemas by distributors Dogwoof on July 15, Bobby Fischer Against the World traces the Grandmaster from...
After his 1972 World Championship victory in Iceland against the Ussr's Boris Spassky (pictured right), Fischer - who was born in Chicago and raised in New York - vanished off the radar but resurfaced for a 1992 rematch held in Yugoslavia.
However, Yugoslavia was under a Un embargo at the time, so Fischer's American passport was revoked. When he travelled to Japan on the invalid documentation, he was detained there for nine months (see picture below), before being granted citizenship by Iceland where he lived until his death in 2008, aged 64.
Now his story is being brought to life by the award-winning, Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Liz Garbus.
Released in UK cinemas by distributors Dogwoof on July 15, Bobby Fischer Against the World traces the Grandmaster from...
- 6/29/2011
- by David Bentley
- The Geek Files
Filmmaker behind The Age of Stupid, environmental activist and founder of the 10:10 campaign
Environmental activist Franny Armstrong's brainwave came as she was walking to a debate with the then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband. She had read a report saying that the developed world must cut its carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010 to avoid passing the tipping point. Armstrong, 39, dropped her idea to start a campaign into the debate. 10:10 was born. It was the obvious next step for the woman whose apocalyptic film The Age of Stupid had already galvanised support for climate activism.
The simple idea for immediate practical action took off, with thousands of businesses and institutions and more than 100,000 people pledging to cut their carbon emissions by 10%. Days after the coalition government was formed, David Cameron announced central government would do the same. The campaign is now active in more than 40 countries.
Environmental activist Franny Armstrong's brainwave came as she was walking to a debate with the then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Miliband. She had read a report saying that the developed world must cut its carbon emissions by 10% by the end of 2010 to avoid passing the tipping point. Armstrong, 39, dropped her idea to start a campaign into the debate. 10:10 was born. It was the obvious next step for the woman whose apocalyptic film The Age of Stupid had already galvanised support for climate activism.
The simple idea for immediate practical action took off, with thousands of businesses and institutions and more than 100,000 people pledging to cut their carbon emissions by 10%. Days after the coalition government was formed, David Cameron announced central government would do the same. The campaign is now active in more than 40 countries.
- 3/8/2011
- by Emine Saner
- The Guardian - Film News
The first week of the new year kicked off with all the usual features: restrospectives, awards buzz – and one very sad and unexpected piece of news
Pete Postlethwaite: 1946 - 2011
The news came through early on Monday that the actor Pete Postlethwaite had died at the age of 64. It was a real shock, that quickly gave way to genuine, lasting sadness. Remembering the full range and breadth of his performances through the years prompted emotional responses from many readers; there were also touching tributes from John Prescott, fellow actors including his former girlfriend Julie Walters and Franny Armstrong, who collaborated with him on The Age of Stupid. Peter Bradshaw perhaps summed it up best when he wrote: "[he] was the national treasure we didn't know we had, until we didn't have him any more."
Awards buzz this week
• Oscars race: The Social Network fears late box office run by True Grit...
Pete Postlethwaite: 1946 - 2011
The news came through early on Monday that the actor Pete Postlethwaite had died at the age of 64. It was a real shock, that quickly gave way to genuine, lasting sadness. Remembering the full range and breadth of his performances through the years prompted emotional responses from many readers; there were also touching tributes from John Prescott, fellow actors including his former girlfriend Julie Walters and Franny Armstrong, who collaborated with him on The Age of Stupid. Peter Bradshaw perhaps summed it up best when he wrote: "[he] was the national treasure we didn't know we had, until we didn't have him any more."
Awards buzz this week
• Oscars race: The Social Network fears late box office run by True Grit...
- 1/6/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Pete Postlethwaite, who died on Sunday, was one of our finest actors. Peter Bradshaw recalls the rugged features that made him so famous – and the unwitting role he played in the Northern Ireland peace process
In the movies, an actor's face is his fortune. It isn't simply a matter of being good-looking enough to play the romantic hero or rugged enough to carry an action picture. It's about having an instantly available, readable screen personality; it's also about attitude, a continuous professional battle-readiness: Hollywood talks about someone having their "game-face on" or having "the chops" for a certain job. And perhaps no actor's career or industry presence has been defined by his face more than Pete Postlethwaite: the British character actor whose rugged features made him every casting director's go-to guy for raw, lived-in truth.
The stark planes and bulges of his face created a veritable Easter Island statue of authenticity and plainness.
In the movies, an actor's face is his fortune. It isn't simply a matter of being good-looking enough to play the romantic hero or rugged enough to carry an action picture. It's about having an instantly available, readable screen personality; it's also about attitude, a continuous professional battle-readiness: Hollywood talks about someone having their "game-face on" or having "the chops" for a certain job. And perhaps no actor's career or industry presence has been defined by his face more than Pete Postlethwaite: the British character actor whose rugged features made him every casting director's go-to guy for raw, lived-in truth.
The stark planes and bulges of his face created a veritable Easter Island statue of authenticity and plainness.
- 1/4/2011
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Julie Walters calls Pete Postlethwaite, who has died, 'quite simply the most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation'
Tributes poured in today to Pete Postlethwaite, a true star of stage and screen despite a face like a clenched fist, once described by director Steven Spielberg as "probably the best actor in the world". He has died aged 64 after months of treatment for cancer.
He was called "quite simply the most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation" by Julie Walters, a former girlfriend who first met him at the Everyman theatre in Liverpool, where both perfected their art. "He invented 'edgy'. He was an exhilarating person and actor."
His Oscar nomination came in 1993 for In The Name of the Father, for his moving portrayal of Giuseppe Conlon, the father of one of the Guildford Four, who died in prison, wrongfully convicted of Ira bombings.
He spent time with the family to prepare for the role,...
Tributes poured in today to Pete Postlethwaite, a true star of stage and screen despite a face like a clenched fist, once described by director Steven Spielberg as "probably the best actor in the world". He has died aged 64 after months of treatment for cancer.
He was called "quite simply the most exciting, exhilarating actor of his generation" by Julie Walters, a former girlfriend who first met him at the Everyman theatre in Liverpool, where both perfected their art. "He invented 'edgy'. He was an exhilarating person and actor."
His Oscar nomination came in 1993 for In The Name of the Father, for his moving portrayal of Giuseppe Conlon, the father of one of the Guildford Four, who died in prison, wrongfully convicted of Ira bombings.
He spent time with the family to prepare for the role,...
- 1/4/2011
- by Maev Kennedy
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-nominated British actor with a vast range who could move between comedy and tragedy with ease
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
- 1/4/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Pete was the best actor of his generation because of his integrity
Three years ago I googled the words "Pete Postlethwaite" and "climate change" in search of any titbit that might help persuade my favourite actor to appear in our low-budget documentary, The Age of Stupid. The first article that popped up was from Pete's local paper, the Shropshire Star, saying he was seeking planning permission to install a wind turbine at his home.
One embarrassing misunderstanding later - he couldn't understand why I was asking for a costume fitting for a voiceover "er, no, sorry, we meant on-screen narrator, not off-screen voiceover artist..." - and Pete came straight from a BBC drama to our hastily built set in a carpet warehouse in Willesden, north-west London. Channel 4 news sent a news crew. Surely "some people are making a film" isn't news? Oh, it does if it's Pete.
In the...
Three years ago I googled the words "Pete Postlethwaite" and "climate change" in search of any titbit that might help persuade my favourite actor to appear in our low-budget documentary, The Age of Stupid. The first article that popped up was from Pete's local paper, the Shropshire Star, saying he was seeking planning permission to install a wind turbine at his home.
One embarrassing misunderstanding later - he couldn't understand why I was asking for a costume fitting for a voiceover "er, no, sorry, we meant on-screen narrator, not off-screen voiceover artist..." - and Pete came straight from a BBC drama to our hastily built set in a carpet warehouse in Willesden, north-west London. Channel 4 news sent a news crew. Surely "some people are making a film" isn't news? Oh, it does if it's Pete.
In the...
- 1/3/2011
- by Franny Armstrong
- The Guardian - Film News
The actor Pete Postlethwaite died yesterday at the age of 64. We look back over his career in clips
It's difficult to know which is the more telling statement about Pete Postlethwaite, who died yesterday. That Steven Spielberg called him "the best actor in the world", after working with him on Jurassic Park sequel The Lost World. Or that Postlethwaite reacted to the praise with such dry deprecation: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'The thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'"
A man with a face just made for immortalising on Mount Rushmore, Postlethwaite was an ensemble actor to his core; transparently decent and generous, hardly a limelight hogger. The role that first brought him to the attention of most people was Giuseppe Conlon, inmate dad to Daniel Day-Lewis's falsely imprisoned Guildford Four suspect Gerry in 1993's In the Name of the Father.
It's difficult to know which is the more telling statement about Pete Postlethwaite, who died yesterday. That Steven Spielberg called him "the best actor in the world", after working with him on Jurassic Park sequel The Lost World. Or that Postlethwaite reacted to the praise with such dry deprecation: "I'm sure what Spielberg actually said was, 'The thing about Pete is that he thinks he's the best actor in the world.'"
A man with a face just made for immortalising on Mount Rushmore, Postlethwaite was an ensemble actor to his core; transparently decent and generous, hardly a limelight hogger. The role that first brought him to the attention of most people was Giuseppe Conlon, inmate dad to Daniel Day-Lewis's falsely imprisoned Guildford Four suspect Gerry in 1993's In the Name of the Father.
- 1/3/2011
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Brilliant English character actor, Pete Postlethwaite, died yesterday at the age of 64 after a long battle with cancer. He had, in fact, been working ever after his diagnosis. Postlethwaite was 64 years old.
Postlethwaite began his career in the theater along with colleagues Bill Nighy and Jonathan Pryce. He had his first break-out role in 1993's In the Name of the Father, in which he was nominated for an Oscar opposite Daniel Day Lewis, although he may be best known for his role as Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects. He could be seen most recently with small but pivotal roles in Inception and The Town, in addition to an odd little drama-documentary-animation hybrid, The Age of Stupid, about the effects of climate change on the world.
Dude could seriously act, too. Steven Spielberg once noted that Postlethwaite was "the best actor in the world," and this clip -- a promo for...
Postlethwaite began his career in the theater along with colleagues Bill Nighy and Jonathan Pryce. He had his first break-out role in 1993's In the Name of the Father, in which he was nominated for an Oscar opposite Daniel Day Lewis, although he may be best known for his role as Kobayashi in The Usual Suspects. He could be seen most recently with small but pivotal roles in Inception and The Town, in addition to an odd little drama-documentary-animation hybrid, The Age of Stupid, about the effects of climate change on the world.
Dude could seriously act, too. Steven Spielberg once noted that Postlethwaite was "the best actor in the world," and this clip -- a promo for...
- 1/3/2011
- by Dustin Rowles
Oscar nominee dies peacefully in hospital at age of 64 after long struggle with cancer
• A life in clips
• John Prescott on Pete Postlethwaite
The actor Pete Postlethwaite has died at the age of 64. Friends said he passed away peacefully in hospital in Shropshire yesterday having suffered from cancer for some time.
Postlethwaite was once described by the film director Steven Spielberg as "probably the best actor in the world today".
He worked with Spielberg on two films in 1997 – the fantasy adventure film The Lost World: Jurrassic Park, and Amistad, about a slave mutiny on a ship.
The craggy-featured actor received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Guiseppe Conlon in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father, about the wrongful convictions of the Guildford Four.
His notable films included the 1996 film Brassed Off, in which he played the leader of colliery band in a Yorkshire community devastated by mine closures.
• A life in clips
• John Prescott on Pete Postlethwaite
The actor Pete Postlethwaite has died at the age of 64. Friends said he passed away peacefully in hospital in Shropshire yesterday having suffered from cancer for some time.
Postlethwaite was once described by the film director Steven Spielberg as "probably the best actor in the world today".
He worked with Spielberg on two films in 1997 – the fantasy adventure film The Lost World: Jurrassic Park, and Amistad, about a slave mutiny on a ship.
The craggy-featured actor received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Guiseppe Conlon in the 1993 film In The Name Of The Father, about the wrongful convictions of the Guildford Four.
His notable films included the 1996 film Brassed Off, in which he played the leader of colliery band in a Yorkshire community devastated by mine closures.
- 1/3/2011
- by Matthew Weaver
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-nominated British character actor Pete Postlethwaite has passed away at the age of 64 from cancer. You may have seen him last year in "Clash of the Titans," "Inception" and/or "The Town," but he was also in a very interesting work that SnagFilms showcased in their 2010 SummerFest: "The Age of Stupid." Postlethwaite seemed to be dabbling in documentary in recent years, narrating the afterlife portrait of Brian Clough, simply titled "Clough," and appearing in "Tattoos: A Scarred History, in which he displays his own body art. He does something a little different for "The Age of Stupid," though, functioning…...
- 1/3/2011
- Spout
Pete Postlethwaite died in a Shropshire, England, hospital Sunday after a lengthy fight with cancer. The actor was 64. An Oscar nominee for his role as the father of Daniel Day-Lewis's character in the 1993 In the Name of the Father, the distinctive-looking Postlethwaite also played the menacing owner of a flower shop in last year's The Town, directed by and starring Ben Affleck. In Inception, he was the rich, dying patriarch (his son was played by Cillian Murphy). Steven Spielberg, who directed Postlewaite in The Lost World: Jurassic Park and Amistad, once called him "the best actor in the world.
- 1/3/2011
- by Stephen M. Silverman
- PEOPLE.com
When questioned about the local market, visiting ‘gurus’ are often vague in their response. Why? Most of them haven’t done their homework; they’re here to talk about themselves and their places of origin, but should they do a Google search before boarding their Lax-Sydney flight?
Peter Broderick is a familiar face at Spaa Fringe, where he has spoken for – at least – the last three years.
While he always has something interesting to say, it is unclear whether Broderick does his homework by studying the Australian market and what’s been done here. The numerous case studies he covers in his presentations tend to be Us or European-based.
For example, last Saturday he spoke about the crowd-funded sci-fi parody Star Wreck, created by Finnish director Samuli Torsonnen, and his current film about Moon Nazis, Iron Sky – yet he failed to mention that Australia’s New Holland Pictures has joined...
Peter Broderick is a familiar face at Spaa Fringe, where he has spoken for – at least – the last three years.
While he always has something interesting to say, it is unclear whether Broderick does his homework by studying the Australian market and what’s been done here. The numerous case studies he covers in his presentations tend to be Us or European-based.
For example, last Saturday he spoke about the crowd-funded sci-fi parody Star Wreck, created by Finnish director Samuli Torsonnen, and his current film about Moon Nazis, Iron Sky – yet he failed to mention that Australia’s New Holland Pictures has joined...
- 10/26/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The important message imparted by Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth came up against two major obstacles (contradicting viewpoints aside): the PowerPoint lecture format which couldn’t keep many viewers’ attention and a perceived partisan slant that came with the speech being delivered by a former vice president from the Democratic Party. No matter where your political loyalties lain when the film was released, it took a more mature and invested viewer to make it through the slower-paced documentary; which is why a film like The Age of Stupid is the perfect response or follow-up. Instead of a series of slides with Gore’s monotone narration, we have legitimate documentary footage, news clips, and the post-apocalyptic summation of events offered by a pleading Pete Postlethwaite.
His presentation broadcasts from an archive he constructed to help future generations avoid the mistakes of humanity’s past; mistakes that he correctly concludes...
His presentation broadcasts from an archive he constructed to help future generations avoid the mistakes of humanity’s past; mistakes that he correctly concludes...
- 9/12/2010
- by Lex Walker
- JustPressPlay.net
A grassroots movement, where audiences get to participate and experience films communally in unique locations, is the perfect antidote to the passivity of the modern multiplex
On the floor of the cavernous main hall inside Alexandra Palace – a glass-roofed exhibition centre in north London – three and a half thousand people dressed as Bedouins are sitting on cushions, watching Lawrence of Arabia riding a camel. A real camel, emitting real camel dung. And a real Lawrence, descending regally from his mount to announce the liberation of the city of Aqaba. "The Arabian peoples are victorious!" Lawrence proclaims. A cheer goes up from the crowd.
Welcome to the weird world of Secret Cinema, a bimonthly site-specific event that combines screenings of classic films – from Blade Runner to Bugsy Malone – in different venues around the UK, with unnervingly participatory theatrical happenings. It's by far the biggest (around 15,000 people attended last weekend's Lawrence of Arabia...
On the floor of the cavernous main hall inside Alexandra Palace – a glass-roofed exhibition centre in north London – three and a half thousand people dressed as Bedouins are sitting on cushions, watching Lawrence of Arabia riding a camel. A real camel, emitting real camel dung. And a real Lawrence, descending regally from his mount to announce the liberation of the city of Aqaba. "The Arabian peoples are victorious!" Lawrence proclaims. A cheer goes up from the crowd.
Welcome to the weird world of Secret Cinema, a bimonthly site-specific event that combines screenings of classic films – from Blade Runner to Bugsy Malone – in different venues around the UK, with unnervingly participatory theatrical happenings. It's by far the biggest (around 15,000 people attended last weekend's Lawrence of Arabia...
- 9/9/2010
- by Laura Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
Looks like another uneventful Tuesday as far as DVD releases go. By far the biggest thing hitting stores this week is the final season of Lost and the Complete Collection box set, but other borderline noteworthy discs include The Back Up Plan starring Jennifer Lopez, the Australian thriller The Square starring Joel Edgerton, Dorian Gray starring Ben Barnes, and George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead. As for TV on DVD, there is also Season 13 of The Simpsons, season 2 of Pawn Stars, Flight of the Conchords: The Complete Collection, and the made-for-tv animated feature Turtles Forever (which is worth checking out if you're a Tmnt fan). All this plus The Asylum's magnificent unofficial sequel to James Cameron's Titanic! Will you be buying or renting anything this week? The Back Up Plan [1] (+ Blu-ray [2]) The Square [3] (+ Blu-ray [4]) Survival of the Dead [5] (+ Blu-ray [6]) City Island [7] (+ Blu-ray [8]) Dorian Gray [9] (+ Blu-ray [10]) $5 a...
- 8/24/2010
- by Sean
- FilmJunk
A look at what's new on DVD today:
"$5 a Day" (2008)
Directed by Nigel Cole
Released by Image Entertainment
A refugee of the bankrupt Capitol Films, this dramedy starring Christopher Walken as a raconteur who claims he's able to live a full life on the titular Lincoln bill is finally seeing the light of day after premiering at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Alessandro Nivola co-stars as his son who drives him to New Mexico when he falls ill. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet are along for the ride.
"2:22" (2008)
Directed by Phillip Guzman
Released by Inception Media Group
A quartet of thieves scheme to rob a boutique hotel on New Year's Eve, but find out that what's waiting for them on the inside is even colder than the snow-caked streets outside. Just as he did for his 2006 crime thriller "Played," star/co-writer Rossi called upon famous pals Gabriel Byrne and Val Kilmer...
"$5 a Day" (2008)
Directed by Nigel Cole
Released by Image Entertainment
A refugee of the bankrupt Capitol Films, this dramedy starring Christopher Walken as a raconteur who claims he's able to live a full life on the titular Lincoln bill is finally seeing the light of day after premiering at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival. Alessandro Nivola co-stars as his son who drives him to New Mexico when he falls ill. Sharon Stone and Amanda Peet are along for the ride.
"2:22" (2008)
Directed by Phillip Guzman
Released by Inception Media Group
A quartet of thieves scheme to rob a boutique hotel on New Year's Eve, but find out that what's waiting for them on the inside is even colder than the snow-caked streets outside. Just as he did for his 2006 crime thriller "Played," star/co-writer Rossi called upon famous pals Gabriel Byrne and Val Kilmer...
- 8/24/2010
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
I feel like a glutton for punishment, but I also can't just avoid the documentaries that depress me. That would leave me with a very limited amount of films to focus on in this column. And it's not my fault the non-fiction film world is so concentrated on doomsday subject matter lately. Maybe I shouldn't have seen Countdown to Zero in a theater on West 42nd Street, but how was I to know a movie about nuclear bombs would continually show satellite images of New York City in order to show the scope of destruction from such a weapon detonated in Times Square?
Would I have been better off watching a screener of Lucy Walker's acclaimed doc from my apartment, located in a part of Brooklyn just barely outside the blast circumference? No, I'm sure I would still have teared up when I did. Watching a montage of real...
Would I have been better off watching a screener of Lucy Walker's acclaimed doc from my apartment, located in a part of Brooklyn just barely outside the blast circumference? No, I'm sure I would still have teared up when I did. Watching a montage of real...
- 7/30/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
Starting today is the second annual SnagFilms SummerFest, an online film program that premieres new documentaries prior to their theatrical or television release, one per week through Labor Day, which you can watch streaming on the web for free via SnagFilms, AOL, Hulu and FanCast. First up is Franny Armstrong's The Age of Stupid, a sci-fi drama-animation-doc hybrid starring Pete Postlethwaite (who you can also see this weekend in Inception and the new trailer for The Town) as an old man looking back on history from the year 2055, reflecting on how the world was ruined by climate change and man's failure to stop it. I'm especially excited for this since it sounds a lot like Into Eternity, the doc I reviewed at Tribeca and won't shut up about.
That film will be available for the next two weeks, and five other docs will be made available in similar fashion on a weekly basis.
That film will be available for the next two weeks, and five other docs will be made available in similar fashion on a weekly basis.
- 7/16/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
Following up on its inaugural edition last year, SnagFilms is launching the 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, beginning with Franny Armstrong's acclaimed film, "The Age of Stupid." Unique for a documentary, "The Age of Stupid" incorporates a narrative thread, starring Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as an archivist in the year 2055, when the Earth has been completely devastated by climate change. ...
- 7/15/2010
- indieWIRE - People
Following up on its inaugural edition last year, SnagFilms is launching the 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, beginning with Franny Armstrong's acclaimed film, "The Age of Stupid." Unique for a documentary, "The Age of Stupid" incorporates a narrative thread, starring Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as an archivist in the year 2055, when the Earth has been completely devastated by climate change. ...
- 7/15/2010
- indieWIRE - People
Following up on its inaugural edition last year, SnagFilms is launching the 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, beginning with Franny Armstrong's acclaimed film, "The Age of Stupid." [Editor's Note: SnagFilms is the parent company of indieWIRE.] Unique for a documentary, "The Age of Stupid" incorporates a narrative thread, starring Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as an archivist in the year 2055, when ...
- 7/15/2010
- indieWIRE - People
Following up on its inaugural edition last year, SnagFilms is launching the 2nd annual SummerFest, a free online festival showcasing exclusive, limited-duration runs of popular new documentaries, beginning with Franny Armstrong's acclaimed film, "The Age of Stupid." [Editor's Note: SnagFilms is the parent company of indieWIRE.] Unique for a documentary, "The Age of Stupid" incorporates a narrative thread, starring Oscar-nominated actor Pete Postlethwaite as an archivist in the year 2055, when ...
- 7/15/2010
- Indiewire
The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. - The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. Red, white and green helmer Daniele Luchetti returns to the French festival for the umpteenth time with La Nostra Vita (see pic above) and Takeshi Kitano will break decibel levels with Outrage --- the film's trailer says it all. Celluloid Dreams' is also repping something for doc enthusiasts and tourists who love Paris: Fred Wiseman's Crazy Horse. If I Want To Whistle I Whistle by Florin Serban - Completed La Nostra Vita...
- 5/13/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The French sales/production company is supplying this year's Cannes fest with a trio of titles, but you might find me doing cartwheels more for a project that hasn't even began lensing in Marjane Satrapi's Waiting for Azrael. Red, white and green helmer Daniele Luchetti returns to the French festival for the umpteenth time with La Nostra Vita (see pic above) and Takeshi Kitano will break decibel levels with Outrage --- the film's trailer says it all. Celluloid Dreams' is also repping something for doc enthusiasts and tourists who love Paris: Fred Wiseman's Crazy Horse. If I Want To Whistle I Whistle by Florin Serban - Completed La Nostra Vita by Daniele Luchetti - Completed Outrage by Takeshi Kitano - Completed REVOLUCIÓN by Carlos Reygadas - Completed We Are The Night by Dennis Gansel - Post-Production A Prophet (Un Prophete) by Jacques Audiard - Completed Apart Together (Tuan Yuan...
- 5/12/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
European Union Film Festival is being organized in Mumbai by Spanish Consulate in collaboration with Federation of Film Societies of India.
The festival will run from 9th May 2010 to 19th May 2010 at Fun Republic, Andheri (W) and Metro big Cinemas, Dhobi Talao. The admissions to the shows are free and on first come first serve basis.
Schedule For Metro Big Cinemas
Monday 10.05.2010
6.00 p.m.Roosters Breakfast (Slovenia/2007/124minutesDir – Marko Nabersnik)
8.00 p.m.Grave Decisions (Germany/2006/104 min/M Rosemuller)
Tuesday 11.05.2010
6.00 p.m. Luxemburg (Luxemburg/2007/90min/C Wagner)
8.00 p.m. Magdalene (Malta/2009/25 min/Dir – Rebecca Cremona)Christopher Columbus (Portugal/2007/75 min/M De Oliveira)
Wednesday 12.05.2010
6.00 p.m. -The Beheaded Rooster (Romania/2007/90 min/R Gabera)
8.00 p.m. -One Hundred Nails (Italy/2007/92 min/E Olmi)
Thursday13.05.2010
6.00 p.m. -The World is Big Salvation Lurks Around the Corner( Bulgaria/2008/105 min/Stephen Komandrev)
8.00 p.m. -The Age Stupid ( UK/2009/92 min/F Armstrong)
Friday14.5.2010
11.00 a.m. - ATale...
The festival will run from 9th May 2010 to 19th May 2010 at Fun Republic, Andheri (W) and Metro big Cinemas, Dhobi Talao. The admissions to the shows are free and on first come first serve basis.
Schedule For Metro Big Cinemas
Monday 10.05.2010
6.00 p.m.Roosters Breakfast (Slovenia/2007/124minutesDir – Marko Nabersnik)
8.00 p.m.Grave Decisions (Germany/2006/104 min/M Rosemuller)
Tuesday 11.05.2010
6.00 p.m. Luxemburg (Luxemburg/2007/90min/C Wagner)
8.00 p.m. Magdalene (Malta/2009/25 min/Dir – Rebecca Cremona)Christopher Columbus (Portugal/2007/75 min/M De Oliveira)
Wednesday 12.05.2010
6.00 p.m. -The Beheaded Rooster (Romania/2007/90 min/R Gabera)
8.00 p.m. -One Hundred Nails (Italy/2007/92 min/E Olmi)
Thursday13.05.2010
6.00 p.m. -The World is Big Salvation Lurks Around the Corner( Bulgaria/2008/105 min/Stephen Komandrev)
8.00 p.m. -The Age Stupid ( UK/2009/92 min/F Armstrong)
Friday14.5.2010
11.00 a.m. - ATale...
- 5/7/2010
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Indie filmmakers take note. Taking the Diy model to max, Franny Armstrong, the intrepid director of the super-smart UK eco-doc The Age of Stupid (which airs on the Discovery Channel April 17) knocked out a bit of software called Indie Screenings, which allowed anyone anywhere to organize their own screening of her doc. 1402 screenings were organized in six months, earning more than 110,000 pounds for their crowd-funders and more again for the screening organizers, writes Armstrong in one of her emails. Armstrong hooked up with the folks at Britdoc to make the software available to other filmmakers via the Good Screenings website, which went up Thursday and now features eight change-the-world films (recent SXSW hit Erasing David is among them), with more to come, she ...
- 3/26/2010
- Thompson on Hollywood
New distribution channel, backed by Age of Stupid director Franny Armstrong, will use screenings to raise awareness and funds
Bideford Sustainability Group in Devon was formed last week following a screening at the local Baptist church of the climate change film, The Age of Stupid. The organisers of Good Screenings, a new distribution channel for social action films, launched today, hope it will lead to more public screenings of low-budget social justice films and a growth of campaigning groups on the back of the issues raised.
"Schools, churches, voluntary groups and associations will all be able to use the screenings as a vehicle to raise both awareness and funds," says Franny Armstrong, director of The Age of Stupid and the driving force behind Good Screenings.
Visitors to the Good Screenings website will be able to calculate the licence fee to pay for screening a film in public, according to the...
Bideford Sustainability Group in Devon was formed last week following a screening at the local Baptist church of the climate change film, The Age of Stupid. The organisers of Good Screenings, a new distribution channel for social action films, launched today, hope it will lead to more public screenings of low-budget social justice films and a growth of campaigning groups on the back of the issues raised.
"Schools, churches, voluntary groups and associations will all be able to use the screenings as a vehicle to raise both awareness and funds," says Franny Armstrong, director of The Age of Stupid and the driving force behind Good Screenings.
Visitors to the Good Screenings website will be able to calculate the licence fee to pay for screening a film in public, according to the...
- 3/24/2010
- by Alison Benjamin
- The Guardian - Film News
A great movie poster can, clearly, really help sell a movie. But there's still a list of things that should never, ever find their way to the final version...
The art of the movie poster is a delicate one. Get the right poster, and you bring in the casual moviegoer, catch the eye and even get people wanting to buy it and put it on their walls. Get it wrong, and it can cost you hard cash at the box office.
For, whether you like it or not, the poster is the key deciding factor for many cinemagoers when choosing what to see at their local multiplex. And it got us thinking: what are the things that people put on their posters that serve no logical purpose whatsoever? What are, frankly, the most redundant things your poster can say?
Here are our top 10 choices..
The Little Box Around Someone's Name In The Credits
This is,...
The art of the movie poster is a delicate one. Get the right poster, and you bring in the casual moviegoer, catch the eye and even get people wanting to buy it and put it on their walls. Get it wrong, and it can cost you hard cash at the box office.
For, whether you like it or not, the poster is the key deciding factor for many cinemagoers when choosing what to see at their local multiplex. And it got us thinking: what are the things that people put on their posters that serve no logical purpose whatsoever? What are, frankly, the most redundant things your poster can say?
Here are our top 10 choices..
The Little Box Around Someone's Name In The Credits
This is,...
- 3/24/2010
- Den of Geek
As the credits roll and we fall stricken and tear-stained out onto the dark streets of Soho, it seems fitting that I am accompanied by the director of the second bleakest film ever made – Franny Armstrong, creator of the The Age of Stupid. The bleakest film ever made we have just endured together, over two relentless, harrowing hours, and are now so emotionally raw that we know not where we are going, nor do we much care. It doesn't seem to matter. "Oh my God," moans Franny, repeatedly, head in hands.
- 12/16/2009
- The Independent - Film
Part 2: From Andrew Sachs to Harry Potter
Andrew Sachs Sent the Beeb into cautious compliance meltdown
If Manuel had bothered to pick up his phone, Ross and Brand wouldn't have been tempted to leave their naughty messages, the Daily Mail wouldn't have been able to work itself up into a hypocritical moralistic lather, thousands of people who'd never heard the original show wouldn't have rung in to complain, Russell Brand would still have his Radio 2 show instead of Alan bleedin' Carr, and the BBC wouldn't get all jumpy every time Frankie Boyle made jokes about the Queen's fanny. See Also The Satanic Slut
Steve Jobs Killed the album with his zero-attention-span 'apps'
It was supposed to be so easy. Get your CDs, rip them in to iTunes, put them on your iPod. Then, whenever a latent desire to listen to Reo Speedwagon arose you could sate it right away.
Andrew Sachs Sent the Beeb into cautious compliance meltdown
If Manuel had bothered to pick up his phone, Ross and Brand wouldn't have been tempted to leave their naughty messages, the Daily Mail wouldn't have been able to work itself up into a hypocritical moralistic lather, thousands of people who'd never heard the original show wouldn't have rung in to complain, Russell Brand would still have his Radio 2 show instead of Alan bleedin' Carr, and the BBC wouldn't get all jumpy every time Frankie Boyle made jokes about the Queen's fanny. See Also The Satanic Slut
Steve Jobs Killed the album with his zero-attention-span 'apps'
It was supposed to be so easy. Get your CDs, rip them in to iTunes, put them on your iPod. Then, whenever a latent desire to listen to Reo Speedwagon arose you could sate it right away.
- 12/12/2009
- The Guardian - Film News
2009 British Independent Film Awards 2009 British Independent Film Award nominations: Oct. 26, 2009 2009 British Independent Film Award winners: The Brewery in London on Dec. 6, 2009 ("*" denotes the winner in each category) Sam Rockwell in Moon Best British Independent Film An Education Fish Tank In the Loop * Moon Nowhere Boy Best Foreign Film Il Divo The Hurt Locker * Let The Right One In Sin Nombre The Wrestler Best Documentary The Age of Stupid The End of The Line * Mugabe and The White African Sons of Cuba Sounds Like Teen Spirit Best Director * Andrea Arnold – Fish Tank Armando Iannucci – In the Loop Duncan Jones – Moon [...]...
- 12/6/2009
- by Anna Robinson
- Alt Film Guide
Dame Helen Mirren and environmental activist Franny Armstrong among winners at Women in Film and Television Awards
Women in Film and Television Awards: full list of winners
Dame Helen Mirren and environmental activist Franny Armstrong are among the winners at today's Women in Film and Television Awards.
Mirren, best known for playing Elizabeth II in the film The Queen and for her role as Dci Jane Tennison in ITV's Prime Suspect, will receive the Working Title Films lifetime achievement award at the lunchtime event.
Armstrong, the director of The Age of Stupid and founder of the 10:10 campaign to reduce emissions, will pick up the ITV achievement of the year award.
Other winners include Katie Jarvis, the star of acclaimed Essex-set film Fish Tank, who has won the Pinewood Studios best performance award; and Paula Milne, who will be presented with the UK Film Council writing award for work including...
Women in Film and Television Awards: full list of winners
Dame Helen Mirren and environmental activist Franny Armstrong are among the winners at today's Women in Film and Television Awards.
Mirren, best known for playing Elizabeth II in the film The Queen and for her role as Dci Jane Tennison in ITV's Prime Suspect, will receive the Working Title Films lifetime achievement award at the lunchtime event.
Armstrong, the director of The Age of Stupid and founder of the 10:10 campaign to reduce emissions, will pick up the ITV achievement of the year award.
Other winners include Katie Jarvis, the star of acclaimed Essex-set film Fish Tank, who has won the Pinewood Studios best performance award; and Paula Milne, who will be presented with the UK Film Council writing award for work including...
- 12/4/2009
- by Chris Tryhorn
- The Guardian - Film News
www.UltramarinesTheMovie.com has announced the director and writer for the Games Workshop feature length CGI film.
The director is Martyn Pick, a relative unknown who has not directed a feature length film so far in his career. He does however have a strong background in animation, adverts, and promotional films, and has apparently landed the job because of his strong ability to fuse live-action with animation. Anybody interested in viewing Pick’s work should check out Franny Armstrong’s documentary The Age of Stupid, as Pick directed all of the animation in the film.
The writer for Ultramarines has been announced as none other than Dan Abnett, the best-selling author who has written dozens of Warhammer 40,000 novels and graphic novels which have sold over a million copies worldwide. He was an obvious choice due to his background with Games Workshop, his extensive knowledge of Warhammer 40K, and his writing ability.
The director is Martyn Pick, a relative unknown who has not directed a feature length film so far in his career. He does however have a strong background in animation, adverts, and promotional films, and has apparently landed the job because of his strong ability to fuse live-action with animation. Anybody interested in viewing Pick’s work should check out Franny Armstrong’s documentary The Age of Stupid, as Pick directed all of the animation in the film.
The writer for Ultramarines has been announced as none other than Dan Abnett, the best-selling author who has written dozens of Warhammer 40,000 novels and graphic novels which have sold over a million copies worldwide. He was an obvious choice due to his background with Games Workshop, his extensive knowledge of Warhammer 40K, and his writing ability.
- 11/22/2009
- by Andrew Peters
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
If you’re a fan of the fantasy film genre and namby pamby hobbits and elves aren’t you’re thing, then I think we’ve got the perfect solution for you. How about a movie based on one of the biggest role playing games in history – Warhammer?
Based on Warhammer 40,000’s tabletop game along with many accompanying books and stories, Warhammer Ultramarines is written by long time Warhammer contributor Dan Abnett and the film has now landed itself a director – newcomer Martyn Pick. New hits the net courtesy of Quiet Earth:
Rumblings of a movie based on Warhammer 40,000’s tabletop role playing games has been around for a while, but now that the first production, Ultramarines, has finally named a director for the film it looks as though it’s actually happening and it won’t be long before we’ll see some badass, hard-combat scifi.
The man to...
Based on Warhammer 40,000’s tabletop game along with many accompanying books and stories, Warhammer Ultramarines is written by long time Warhammer contributor Dan Abnett and the film has now landed itself a director – newcomer Martyn Pick. New hits the net courtesy of Quiet Earth:
Rumblings of a movie based on Warhammer 40,000’s tabletop role playing games has been around for a while, but now that the first production, Ultramarines, has finally named a director for the film it looks as though it’s actually happening and it won’t be long before we’ll see some badass, hard-combat scifi.
The man to...
- 11/19/2009
- by Craig Sharp
- FilmShaft.com
Rumblings of a movie based on Warhammer 40,000's tabletop role playing games has been around for a while, but now that the first production, Ultramarines, has finally named a director for the film it looks as though it's actually happening and it won't be long before we'll see some badass, hard-combat scifi.
The man to take the reigns on the project is Martyn Pick, a relative newcomer whose past credits include mostly animation work on documentaries like The Age of Stupid and Chicago 10. Apparently Pick was chosen for his "renowned and highly distinctive ability to fuse live action and animation."
The man behind the script, however, should be no stranger to Warhammer fans. Dan Abnett, writer of more than 25 books for Games Workshop’s Black Library (with total sales in excess of 1.2 million copies) has written the final draft. Abnett also works regularly for 2000 Ad, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics...
The man to take the reigns on the project is Martyn Pick, a relative newcomer whose past credits include mostly animation work on documentaries like The Age of Stupid and Chicago 10. Apparently Pick was chosen for his "renowned and highly distinctive ability to fuse live action and animation."
The man behind the script, however, should be no stranger to Warhammer fans. Dan Abnett, writer of more than 25 books for Games Workshop’s Black Library (with total sales in excess of 1.2 million copies) has written the final draft. Abnett also works regularly for 2000 Ad, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics...
- 11/18/2009
- QuietEarth.us
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has rescued director Franny Armstrong from three attackers, reports The Guardian. Armstrong, who helmed recent climate change documentary The Age Of Stupid, said that Johnson chased off a group of hooded youths on his bike after they threatened her with a crowbar in Camden, North London. "I was texting on my phone so didn't notice the girls until they pushed me against the car, quite hard," said Armstrong. "At first it was quite funny, because they were only about 12. Then I saw that one of them had an iron bar in her hand. It was more than a metre long. It was as big as her. "Then along came a cyclist. And I thought, 'Good, he's a big bloke,' and shouted, 'Can you (more)...
- 11/4/2009
- by By Simon Reynolds
- Digital Spy
The 12th annual British Independent Film Awards announced their nominations for the 2009 awards this morning and Duncan Jones’ Moon and Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank lead the way with 7 and 8 nominations respectively.
Looking down the list, which you can find after the jump, the variety of talent being honoured here is truly astounding and shows the British Film Industry is very good health. Armando Iannucci’s In The Loop has a number of nominations for its cast and crew, Peter Capaldi and director Iannucci as well as a nomination for its exceptional script in Best Screenplay catergory.
One of my favourite films of the year, Lone Scherfig’s An Education, has a host of nominations for its script, actors and Scherfig herself as Best Director. The ceremony takes place on the 6th of December and HeyUGuys hope to on hand to help celebrate what has been as outstanding year for British film.
Looking down the list, which you can find after the jump, the variety of talent being honoured here is truly astounding and shows the British Film Industry is very good health. Armando Iannucci’s In The Loop has a number of nominations for its cast and crew, Peter Capaldi and director Iannucci as well as a nomination for its exceptional script in Best Screenplay catergory.
One of my favourite films of the year, Lone Scherfig’s An Education, has a host of nominations for its script, actors and Scherfig herself as Best Director. The ceremony takes place on the 6th of December and HeyUGuys hope to on hand to help celebrate what has been as outstanding year for British film.
- 10/27/2009
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Which movies are vying for the 12th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have been unraveled on Monday, October 26 at Soho House in London with the announcement of 2009 nominees. Receiving the most nods was "Fish Tank", an Andrea Arnold's drama that won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.
The movie revolving around the turbulent relationship a 15-year-old girl has with her mother and her new boyfriend has collected 8 nominations in total. Vying for the major categories including best British film, best director and best screenplay, it also placed its leading actress Katie Jarvis in competition for best actress and most promising newcomers.
Following behind "Fish Tank" with seven noms was Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller "Moon". "An Education", "In the Loop" and "Nowhere Boy", in the meantime, gathered six counts each. Other movies with multiple nominations were "Bright Star" with four, "Katalin Varga" with three, and...
The movie revolving around the turbulent relationship a 15-year-old girl has with her mother and her new boyfriend has collected 8 nominations in total. Vying for the major categories including best British film, best director and best screenplay, it also placed its leading actress Katie Jarvis in competition for best actress and most promising newcomers.
Following behind "Fish Tank" with seven noms was Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller "Moon". "An Education", "In the Loop" and "Nowhere Boy", in the meantime, gathered six counts each. Other movies with multiple nominations were "Bright Star" with four, "Katalin Varga" with three, and...
- 10/27/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Thom Yorke has been booked to perform at the global premiere of drama-documentary-animation hybrid The Age Of Stupid. Special guests at the screening in New York on September 21 will include Kofi Annan, Gillian Anderson and the film's star Pete Postlethwaite. Yorke will reportedly give an acoustic performance of the movie's theme song at the end of the event. The premiere will be held (more)...
- 9/4/2009
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
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