Tuesday, December 18, 2012

News: Dec 18, 2012


New Trailer for BROKEN CITY Starring Mark Wahlberg and Russell Crowe
20th Century Fox has released a new trailer for director Allen Hughes’ (The Book of Eli) political thriller Broken City.  The film stars Mark Wahlberg as a private detective who is hired to identify the lover of a powerful politician’s wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones), with Russell Crowe playing the shady politician.  This trailer focuses quite a bit more on the film’s plot, teasing an enticing power play between Wahlberg and Crowe’s characters.  We also see a bit more of Zeta-Jones’ character, though her intentions aren’t entirely made clear.  The real draw, though, seems to the face-off between Wahlberg and Crowe, and I’m eager to see the two go toe-to-toe when the full film hits theaters. (Collider.com)

 


A New 'Les Miserables' Featurette Focuses on Hugh Jackman



Universal Pictures has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for director Tom Hooper's Les Misérables, opening in theaters on Christmas Day. Check out the video, focusing on Hugh Jackman's performance, in the player below. (ComingSoon.net)

The Illusion:  'Songs From Their Souls'
As they entered discussions for the film version of "Les Misérables," director Tom Hooper and producer Cameron Mackintosh agreed that there is something about movie musicals that is essentially false: It isn't that actors break into song—a convention the audience accepts—but that, with the music recorded well in advance of the filming, actors are challenged to make relevant in the moment a song they performed long ago. (The Wall Street Journal)

Russell Crowe 'had tough Les Mis audition'
Russell Crowe reportedly felt like he was being judged by “ten Simon Cowells” when he auditioned for Les Misérables.
The actor portrays policeman Javert in Tom Hooper’s musical movie adaptation of Victor Hugo’s novel.
Russell was desperate to win the part as soon as he heard the film was in the pipeline and was reportedly willing to do anything to secure it. He had to show off his vocal skills in front of many of those involved with the production, which was daunting. It’s been claimed Russell felt like he was trying out for a singing competition in front of famed acid-tongued reality show judge Simon. (Film-News.co.uk)

Al Clark to Receive Australian Academy's Lifetime Raymond Longford Award
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert producer Al Clark will receive the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts' highest honor, the Raymond Longford Award, in Sydney in January.
Since 1983, Clark has produced or executive produced 19 films, including Russell Crowe's debut feature The Crossing, Chopper, which introduced director Andrew Dominik and actor Eric Bana to international audiences, and the British films 1984, starring Richard Burton, and Absolute Beginners, costarring David Bowie. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Director Tom Hooper to be Honored with Sonny Bono Visionary Award at Palm Spring
Today, Dec. 18, the 24th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced that it will present Academy Award-winning director Tom Hooper ("Les Miserables") with the Sonny Bono Visionary Award. Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Palm Springs Convention Center. (Examiner)

Eddie Redmayne, 'Les Miserables' Star, On Sets That Smell Like Dead Fish & Singing Till You Bleed
In "Les Miserables," Redmayne stars as Marius, the romantic lead of the film's second half, an upstanding youngster who falls head over heels in love with Cosette (Amanda Seyfried). It's a role Michael Ball made famous in the original London production of "Les Miserables," and it provides Redmayne with a stand-out moment: a heartbreaking rendition of "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."
Redmayne spoke to HuffPost Entertainment about landing the "Les Miserables" role, why this might be his last musical, and how the set smelled when Hathaway sang "I Dreamed A Dream." (Hint: Bad.)  (Huffington Post)

Monday, December 17, 2012

News: Dec 17, 2012


'Broken City' Second Trailer:  Russell Crowe and Mark Wahlberg Clash
The premise for the film is familiar in that it’s a genre picture. Wahlberg plays a cop hired by the mayor (Crowe) to see if the mayor’s wife (Zeta-Jones) is having an affair, but that’s just where things get interesting. Fighting against corruption, Wahlberg must become the lone wolf who finds redemption and the truth in his pursuit to get out from under Crowe’s thumb. This comes from director Allen Hughes, who knows his way around genre. (ScreenCrave)

SAG Awards (FILM): Film Ensemble
Representing the cast of "Les Miserables" are individual nominees Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, along with a diverse cast that also includes Russell Crowe, Helena Bonham Carter, Eddie Redmayne, and Samantha Barks. (Gold Derby)

Anne Hathaway 'specific' about movie shoes
Paco (Delgado, costume designer) explained it wasn't just the women who were challenging to find shoes for. Hugh Jackman had a strange costume request for "wooden clogs" that he insisted he wore on set.
"Hugh Jackman [playing Jean Valjean] had a combat leather boot look and very rough espadrilles. He also wanted to wear wooden clogs," Paco finished. "It was very difficult to walk in them, but he figured out how to do it. And for Russell Crowe [in the role of Javert] it was all boots." (Belfast Telegraph)

Movies That Everyone Should See:  "L.A. Confidential"
(Bud)White is burly and brutish. He’s ill-tempered, especially around those that are abusive to women. His Captain personally selects him for the goon squad, using him to beat on mobsters who are trying to encroach on the territory. When he falls for a prostitute who makes her living as a movie star lookalike, she softens him up, and he reveals his own motivations. But he also has to confront the anger within himself… is he as dangerous as the men he despises so much? (Fogs' Movie Reviews)

Saturday, December 15, 2012

News: Dec 15, 2012


Allen Hughes‘ first solo effort as a director stars Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Wahlberg plays an ex-cop and Russell Crowe is the mayor who double-crosses him. Zeta-Jones plays the mayor’s wife. Financed by Emmett/Furla Films, Broken City opens via Fox on January 18th. (Deadline.com)


Brian Tucker wrote the script for the whole thing, and as we previously reported, the movie centers on Wahlberg’s character, an ex-cop Billy Taggart who is hired by Mayor Nicholas Hostetler to follow his wife.
Crowe plays the mayor of New York City, while Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as his wife. The rest of the story goes like this: After the detective confirms the mayor’s fears that his wife is cheating on him, the wife’s paramour turns up dead and a larger scandal begins to surface. (FilmoFilia)


To win your free “Les Misérables” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our unique Hookup technology below. That’s it! This screening is on Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning!  (HollywoodChicago.com)

The cast of Tom Hooper’s “Les Miserables” doesn’t need much encouragement to sing for their supper. In New York this week they did it at lunch; the video is in our player at the bottom of the home page. But last night (Friday) they declined to do so at a Spago dinner celebrating the film after a screening. Our LEAH SYDNEY (who reviews the film below) reports that Hugh Jackman said he was “brokenhearted” about the terrible tragedy in Connecticut and that Anne Hathaway felt the same way. (Showbiz411)

With its Oscar campaign gaining inevitable momentum, this latest adaptation of Victor Hugo's colossal 1862 novel wears its awards ambitions on its sleeve. Short of guns blazing and trumpets blaring, director Tom Hooper - who wooed the Academy last year with his impeccable breakout hit, The King's Speech - knows which buttons to push to get the attention of Oscar voters. (WAtoday.com.au)




Friday, December 14, 2012

News: Dec 14, 2012


50 High Resolution Screengrabs From The New MAN OF STEEL Trailer

This week, Warner Bros. Pictures have released the second theatrical trailer for the Zack Snyder-directed Superman reboot, Man of Steel. The footage showed a lot of great scenes, so here are fifty high resolution screengrabs from the preview... (Comic Book Movie)

Hugh Jackman gets his star on Hollywood Walk of Fame  

Hugh Jackman got his star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on Thursday, introduced by Jay Leno and supported by his "Les Miserables" costars Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried.

"I believe this is the 2,487th star on the Walk of Fame," Jackman told the crowd, "however, apart from Lassie, I'm the only one who's gotten it for playing the same character in 15 movies." (Los Angeles Times)

Cameron Mackintosh's 25-year project--bringing Les Miserables to film
“Anne Hathaway’s ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ is utterly amazing and it could have only happened like that on the screen. Russell Crowe (who plays Javert) wanted the inevitability that he would kill himself to be the key to his part. You can act all that behind the eyes on film. Try it on stage and it would look like Howard Keel was back again,” laughs Mackintosh, evoking one of the most macho and blustery of all musical leading men. (Toronto Star)

Exclusive Interview:  Les Miserables Director Tom Hooper
Few directors have risen so quickly in the last few years within the ranks of filmmakers as Tom Hooper. Having made a name for himself directing award-winning movies for television, Hooper ably got over the dreaded sophomore slump curse by making The King's Speech as his second feature. That went on to win multiple Oscars two years ago, not only for Best Picture but also for Hooper himself, which must have contributed to his decision to drive himself to take on the even bigger challenge of directing a film adaptation of the stage musical Les Misérables, written by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublilstage based on Victor Hugo's novel set in 19th Century France (ComingSoon.net)


 


Russell Looking Good In New York