January 2008 News Archive (Page 12)

Daniel Craig recently spoke at length about the next James Bond movie with RottenTomatoes.com.

The actor confirmed that Bond 22 "carries on from where (Casino Royale) stopped... We set up in the last one that there's this organization that is destabilizing the world's economy because they want to take it over, and that's his job now, to go out and stop them."

As for all the actors that have come aboard the franchise, Craig is "over the moon" about the casting of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly's Mathieu Almaric as the film's main villain, Dominic Greene.

"I met him very briefly on Munich but I didn't do any scenes with him," Craig said. "Now I've got to know him on Bond and I saw (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly) and thought it was amazing."

Having already worn the moniker of 007 for one movie, and pleased longtime James Bond fans, Craig sounds far more relaxed for the 22nd film in the franchise.

"I'm no less nervous than I was, but I'm very happy with what we've put together for this one. The fact that Marc Forster's come in to direct it just makes my job a lot easier. He's taken care of a lot of stuff that I just don't have to think about and I'm just getting on with acting."

As we've reported, a pair of beauties have also been added to the cast: Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko.

Courtney Love wants Scarlett Johansson to portray her in the upcoming biopic Heavier Than Heaven.

Sounds like Love has a slightly distorted image of herself, doesn't it?

The widow of Kurt Cobain is reportedly also hoping Half Nelson star Ryan Gosling plays her late husband in the movie. The flick will be based on Charles Cross's biography of Cobain.

Can you picture Scarlett Johansson as Courtney Love?

A source said: "Kirsten Dunst was rumored to be in the frame, but Courtney really admires Scarlett and has already sent the contract out for her to sign. Courtney even copied Scarlett's sleek blonde movie look when she was in London for the Fashion Rocks party last year.

"She wants the best actors to portray them - she will be on set all the time giving Scarlett and Ryan advice on what it was like being one part of the most notorious couples since Sid and Nancy. It will be explosive."

The awarding of the Golden Globes may have been anticlimactic this year - the ongoing writers' strike caused the ceremony to be canceled, resulting in an awkward, boring press conference that announced the winners - but it's still worth noting the films and actors that were honored.

Leading the way and building their resumes for an Oscar? Atonement and Sweeney Todd. Here's the list of honorees:

Best Motion Picture â€" Drama
Atonement
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture â€" Drama
Julie Christie â€" Away From Her
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture â€" Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis â€" There Will Be Blood
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard â€" La Vie En Rose
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Johnny Depp â€" Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett â€" I'm Not There
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Javier Bardem â€" No Country For Old Men
Best Director - Motion Picture
Julian Schnabel â€" The Diving Bell And The Butterfly
Best Animated Feature Film
Ratatouille

We've heard a lot about The Joker, as portrayed by Heath Ledger, in The Dark Knight.

But Director Christopher Nolan claims that the movie actually belongs to District Attorney Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart, pictured).

In a conversation The Los Angeles Times, Nolan talked about Dent's role in the flick: "Harvey Dent is a tragic figure, and his story is the backbone of this film."

The smooth and politically ambitious Dent is destined to become the scarred supervillain Two-Face. Rumors state that Two-Face will be the main villain in the next Batman movie.

"The Joker, he sort of cuts through (The Dark Knight)," Nolan said. "He's got no story arc, he's just a force of nature tearing through. Heath has given an amazing performance in the role, it's really extraordinary."

As rumors of The Hobbit being made become closer and closer to reality, Lord of the Rings star Elijah Wood is excited about the possibility of going back to his roots.

The young actor recently spoke to MTV about the film and Peter Jackson.

"I haven't spoken to him directly about it [but] I've e-mailed him, and as far as I know the two films that they're doing, one will be The Hobbit and another will take place between the 60 years that happened between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings," the once and future Frodo said, possibly confirming rumors that the second planned film would not be a sequel, but instead a narrative bridge.

For his part, Wood, who next stars as a conscripted citizen in Day Zero, is psyched about the opportunity.

"If I'm asked to go back and revisit that character and it makes sense, I would love to. I would absolutely love to," he said.

Read the full interview with Wood now.

We have an update on Liev Schreiber's role in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

The actor will, indeed, appear in the film. But he will not be portraying a young Stryker, as had been previously believed. Instead, Schreiber will play Victor Creed (aka "Sabretooth") in the X-Men follow-up.

In other Wolverine movie casting news, Michael C. Hall is in talks for the role of Stryker, while Michelle Monaghan may portray Silver Fox.

This sequel - or prequel, we suppose - tells the story of Wolverine's violent and romantic past, his complex relationship with Victor Creed, and the ominous Weapon X program. Along the way, Wolverine encounters numerous mutants, including surprise appearances by several legends of the X-Men universe.

The movie opens on May 1, 2009.

James McAvoy and Keira Knightley grace the current covers of both Entertainment Weekly and W Magazine.

Here are snippets of the interview the Atonement stars gave the former publication:

Entertainment Weekly: Since so much of Atonement rides on the chemistry between the two of you, how nervous were you to shoot your big love scene?
Keira Knightley: You have to believe that they will wait for each other for five years based on that one moment. So it had to be erotic, and it had to be passionate enough. We talked about it a lot. Most directors just go, ''Oh, you know what to do. Just get on with it.'' Well, actually, I don't know what to do. This is a relative stranger, and I'm in front of a group of strangers and I don't know what to do.

Joe was incredibly precise. He had storyboarded the whole thing: My foot coming out of my shoe, biting my lip at the end, the way my head turns â€" that was all completely him. And during it, because it was so close and it was on a Steadicam, we didn't know what part of the body the shot was on. So Joe literally shouted [directions] out as we were doing it.

EW: Both of you say your favorite scene together is when you reunite over tea during the war.
James McAvoy: That was the scene that made me think, I can do this part. At one point it was dramatically altered.
Knightley: Oh, that was awful! Remember? We nearly died!

Read the full interview with the stars now.

Olga Kurylenko appears ready to tackle the role of Bond Girl.

The actress has experience with both nudity and adventure, having appeared in the 2006 movie Le Serpent. In it, Kurylenko portrays a model who gets caught up in a blackmail plot... that also involves full frontal nudity and bondage scenes.

At least she won't be shy about doing whatever Daniel Craig wants in Bond 22.

A scene from Le Serpent, starring new James Bond actress Olga Kurylenko.

We've added 25 new photos to our movie picture gallery over the last couple days.

Click on the thumbnails below to see larger versions of images from movies such as 27 Dresses, Mad Money and more...

Continue Reading...

Considering it's directed by Woody Allen, Cassandra's Dream has gone surprisingly under the radar during this movie season.

Does that mean the Colin Farrell/Ewan McGregor vehicle stinks? Not completely, according to various film critics...

- An exceedingly well acted and sporadically electrifying little thriller. -- Reel Film

- This is archly contrived nail-biter territory and an almost giddy strain on our nerves as Allen moves his hapless heroes from bad to far worse. -- Cinema Signals

- What the hell was Woody Allen thinking? -- New York Magazine

- Like a tragic overture played at the wrong tempo and slightly off-key, Woody Allen's London-set Cassandra's Dream sends out more mixed signals than an inebriated telegraphist. -- Variety