SATC – Carrie and the girls are back and as stylish as ever!

As the release date of Sex and the City: The Movie draws closer, photograph stills from set and filming are growing in numbers and confirming hopes that the film will be as beautifully fashioned and sexually alluring as the series it is based on. 

It has been a long time coming, but finally, four years after the airing of the final episode of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe award winning series, Sex and the City, Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte are back. Sex and the City: The Movie, written and directed by Michael Patrick King, will continue to follow the characters as they live their lives in Manhattan four years on. The series was renowned for its frank portayal of sex and it appears that the film version is not going to disappoint. The photographic stills released thus far imply that the film will contain scandalous sexual encounters and fabulous outfits to match those of the series.

Stars, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis are all on board to reprise their roles. Chris North, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler and Jason Lewis are also due to return as the sassy ladies’ love interests. Additionally, a new character has been added to the script; Carrie Bradshaw’s assistant. The part will be played by none other than Academy-Award-winning actress, Jennifer Hudson (Dreamgirls). The film was set to incorporate further celebrities with Victoria Beckham being offered a cameo role. Unfortunately, she had to turn it down due to the Spice Girls comeback tour. Perhaps she could have fitted it in after all now that the ‘World’ tour has been cut short!?

The success of the film has already been predicted with the producers already making plans for a sequel to Sex and the City: The Movie.

Until May, here are some of the pictures released thus far for your enjoyment. Is that a wedding dress Miss Bradshaw is sporting?…

Sarah Butt©

Photographs courtesy of

www.imdb.com

www.iesb.net 

A bump in teenage life – ‘Juno’ Film Review

I’m not usually one for simple teen comedy, in fact I make a point to avoid them. So, you can imagine my surprise when after being persuaded to watch Juno, a comedy with romantic implications, I was in absolute awe.

Juno, directed by Jason Reitman, is about a 16 year old girl named, you guessed it, Juno (Ellen Page), who finds herself in a spot of bother. After loosing her virginity she subsequently becomes pregnant and knowing that she is not ready to be a mum she decides to give the baby up for adoption. This film follows her life for the nine months when she is carrying the child.

Every aspect of this film is marvellous, from the choice of music, which fits the mood of the film completely, to the sarcastic and outspoken comedy that promises to have any viewer in fits of laughter. Juno certainly disproves the claim that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit and at the same time cleverly addresses serious issues. The whole story is optimistic and gives a new spin on the discourse surrounding teenage mothers. Juno’s life is not ruined by her pregnancy but instead, her mistake works to improve the life of Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), who has fertility problems.

Such a film would not have achieved such an impact without the impeccable timing of Ellen Page who has become adept at playing frank and fearless characters as can be seen by her moving performance in David Slade’s film, Hard Candy. This young star plays the part of Juno in such a realistic manner and wholeheartedly deserves her Oscar nomination. The casting in general in this delightful film is excellent. The relationships between each of the characters works amazingly well. The connection between Juno and her father is completely believable and a pleasure to watch. Whilst the opposing characteristics of Juno and her ‘boyfriend’ Paulie, played by Michael Cera, is humorous through its irony and works successfully.

Yes, it is true, this is not the sort of film to blow you away. There are no impressive Hollywood stunts or special effects. Yet, aided by the vision of Reitman and the outstanding talent of the Oscar winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, Juno is absolutely charming, hilariously funny and leaves the viewer feeling elated. It is definitely worth a look even if like me, teen style comedy is not usually your thing.

Sarah rating 7/10

Sarah Butt ©

Photographs courtesy of:

www.filmschoolrejects.com

www.hollywoodchicago.com

www.nypress.com

And the Oscar goes to …

Last night the stars of the silver screen graced our TV screens for the hottest movie event on the calender. Those of us Brits that stayed up to join in the celebration are surely about to take a nap, but boy was it worth it. Jon Stewart was funny and relaxed as the host and although the amount of pre-recorded footage used was a little tedious, we can only speculate that the lacking scripts were a result of the writers’ strike. However, such issues did not dent the night which was ablaze with beautiful dresses and Armani tuxes. There were no real surprise wins, and as predicted, the Coen brothers stole the show. Anyway, enough babble, here are the results:

Best picture: “No Country for Old Men”

Best actress: Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose

Best actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best supporting actress: Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best supporting actor: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Best director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Best foreign film: The Counterfeiters, Austria

Adapted screenplay: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men

Original screenplay: Diablo Cody, Juno

Animated feature film: Ratatouille

Art direction: Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street  

Cinematography: There Will Be Blood

Sound mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Sound editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Original score: Atonement, Dario Marianelli

Original song: ‘Falling Slowly’ from Once

Costume: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Documentary feature: Taxi to the Dark Side

Documentary short: Freeheld

Film editing: The Bourne Ultimatum

Makeup: La Vie en Rose

Animated short film: Peter & the Wolf

Live action short film: Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)  

Visual effects: The Golden Compass

And thats that for another year!!

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

www.oscar.com

photograph courtesy of www.imdb.com

Three top movie stars to complete Ledger’s work!

After months of speculation it appears that a decision has been made. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law will all play Heath Ledger’s character in Terry Gilliam’s, The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus.

After Heath Ledger’s unexpected death earlier this month whilst in the middle of filming The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, there have been varying rumours about how Gilliam would choose to finish the film. Some believed that CGI would be used to reconstruct Ledger others said another actor would be hired to fill in. However, according to Now Ain’t It Cool, it appears that not just one, but three actors, Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law have been roped in to play Ledger’s character. Such a bizarre concept will be easily incorporated through the fantastical nature of the film.

Dr. Parnassus is the story of the owner of a travelling show who makes a deal with the Devil. He agrees to give him his first child on her 16^th birthday in return for eternal youth. In the film, Ledger plays the owner trying to save his daughter from the clutches of the Devil.

Click this link to see the first pictures released thus far of Ledger in Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus http://justjared.buzznet.com/gallery/photos.php?yr=2008&mon=o1&evt=heath-imaginarium&pic=heath-ledger-imaginarium-01.jpg

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

Empire Magazine

Photographs courtesy www.imdb.com

Coen brothers expected to make clean get away with best picture Oscar

Hollywood Boulevard is predicting that No Country For Old Men will out do its competitors and win the Oscar for ‘best picture’ at this week’s Academy Awards.

No Country for Old Men has been nominated for best picture along with Juno, Atonement, Michael Clayton and There Will be Blood. All films appear worthy of their nominations, however, Hollywood columnist, Jeanne Wolf, Hollywood says “The smart money is on No Country For Old Men”. This is an opinion shared by others in the movie field with Los Angeles Times film critic, Tom O’Neil, suggesting that the best picture result is a “no brainer”. He explains that “Oscar voters tend to vote for best film based on who the director is and there is a strong feeling in Hollywood that this is the year of the Coen brothers”.

Joel and Ethan Coen’s dark thriller, No Country for Old Men, is full to the brim with violence, mayhem and dead bodies and has already won numerous awards, including top prizes from the Critics’ Choice Awards and is nominated for an astounding for 8 Oscars and the approaching ceremony. Is this film unstoppable?

“Of course there is always space for jaw-droppers” O’Neil exclaims, and this year it would, please many to see the loveable, quirky film Juno win the award. Although realistically, however heart warming the content may be, this appears unlikely. Jeffery Wells, of website Hollywood commented, “You have to look at the guilds, and it’s been No Country all the way”.

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

BBC News

Photgraphs courtesy of www.imdb.com

Oscar Nominees

Only 11 days to go until the biggest spectacle of the film calendar is upon us. Below is a compiled list of all the nominees for each category so you can start bidding on your favourites!

Actor in a leading role

George Clooney – Michael Clayton

Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tommy Lee Jones – In the Valley of Elah

Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises

Actor in a supporting role

Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jessie James by the Coward Robert Ford

Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men

Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War

Hal Holbrook – Into the Wind

Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton

Actress in a leading role

Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Julie Christie – Away From Her

Marion Cotillard – La Vie en Rose

Laura Linney – The Savages

Ellen Page – Juno

Actress in a supporting role

Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There

Ruby Dee – American Gangster

Saoirse Ronan – Atonement

Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone

Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton

Animated feature film

Persepolis

Ratatouille

Surf’s up

Art direction

American Gangster

Atonement

The Golden Compass

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

There Will Be Blood

Costume design

Across the Universe

Atonement

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

La Vie En Rose

Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Directing

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Documentary Feature

No End In Sight

Operation Homecoming: Writing The Wartime Experience

Sicko

Taxi To The Dark Side

War/Dance

Documentary short

Freeheld

La Corona (The Crown)

Salim Baba

Sari’s Mother

Film Editing

The Bourne Ultimatum

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

Into The Wild

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Foreign language film

Beaufort

The Counterfeiters

Katyn

Mongol

12

Makeup

La Vie En Rose

Norbit

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

Music (score)

Atonment

The Kite Runner

Michael Clayton

Ratatouille

3:10 To Yuma

Music (song)

One

Enchanted

August Rush

Enchanted

Enchanted

Best Picture

Atonement

Juno

Michael Clayton

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Short film (animated)

I Met The Walrus

Madame Tutli-Putli

Meme Les Pigeons Vont Au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)

My Love (Moya Lyubov)

Peter & The Wolf

Short film (live action)

At Night

Il Supplente (The Substitute)

Le Mozart Des Pickpockets (The Mozart Of Pickpockets)

Tanghi Argentini

The Tonto Woman

Sound editing

The Bourne Ultimatum

No Country For Old Men

Ratatouille

There Will Be Blood

Transformers

Sound mixing

The Bourne Ultimatum

No Country For Old Men

Ratatouille

3:10 To Yuma

Transformers

Visual effects

The Golden Compass

Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End

Transformers

Writing (adapted screenplay)

Atonement

Away From Her

The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Writing (original screenplay)

Juno

Lars And The Real Girl

Michael Clayton

Ratatouille

The Savages

The Oscars are to be hosted by John Stewart, the presenter and executive producer of the award winning show The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, for the second time in his career. With such a character at the forefront of the event, the 80th Academy Awards ceremoney promises to be highly entertaining.

The awards will take place on 24^thFebruary at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Centre®, and will be televised by the ABC Television Network. In the UK, the Academy awards can be seen on SKY ONE and The premium pay channel, BSKYB.

BAFTAS 2008 Winner List

Best Film – Atonement

Best British Film – This Is England

Best Actor – Daniel Day-Lewis (There Will Be Blood)

Best Actress – Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose)

Best Supporting Actor – Javier Bardem (No Country For Old Men)

Best Supporting Actress – Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton)

David Lean Award for Achievement in Direction – Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country For Old Men)

Best Original Screenplay – Juno (Diablo Cody)

Best Adapted Screenplay – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)

Film Not in the English Language – The Lives of Others

Best Animated Film – Ratatouille

The Carl Foreman Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Matt Greenhalgh (writer of Control)  

Orange Rising Star Award – Shia LaBeouf

Music – La Vie En Rose

Cinematography – No Country For Old Men

Editing – The Bourne Ultimatum

Production Design – Atonement

Costume Design – La Vie En Rose

Sound – The Bourne Ultimatum

Special Visual Effects – The Golden Compass

Make Up & Hair – La Vie En Rose

Short Animation - The Pearce Sisters

Short Film – Dog Altogether

Scorsese To Create Bob Marley Documentary

Oscar-winning director Martin Scorsese to add Bob Marley film to his catalogue of captivating documentaries.

Following the success of his Bob Dylan documentary ‘No Direction Home’ and the completion of his new Rolling Stones film ‘Shine a Light’, Scorsese is now turning his attentions to creating a film documenting the life of the reggae legend Bob Marley. What with Marley’s extensive music repertoire, his campaigning, his religious beliefs and his premature and tragic death, it appears there will be no shortage of material available for such a film.

The film has been authorised by Marley’s family with son Ziggy Marley saying: “I am thrilled that the Marley family will finally have the opportunity to document our father’s legacy and are truly honored to have Mr. Scorsese guide the journey”. According to Variety, the musically themed documentary is due to be released on 6th February 2010 to coincide with what would have been Marley’s 65th birthday. No title has yet been given to the production.

Sarah Butt © 

Sources

www.variety.com  

Photograph courtesy of www.idolator.com

Brokeback Mountain Star’s Death Was Accidental!

The long awaited results of an autopsy done on Heath Ledger’s body has revealed that the actor’s sudden death was caused by an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

Earlier today, New York’s chief medical officer, Charles Hirsch, confirmed Ledger’s death was the result of an accidental abuse of prescription medications. He explained that “Mr Ledger died as the result of acute intoxication by the combined effects of oxycodone, hydrocodone, diazepam, temazepam, alprazolam, and doxylamine”. Ledger’s body failed due to the concoction of medication he had taken; no one drug was taken in excess. In response, Ledger’s father, Kim, released a statement earlier today through his son’s publicist saying: “Heath’s accidental death serves as a caution to the hidden dangers of combining prescription medication, even at low dosage.”

The 28-year-old Australian was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on 22nd January with prescription sleeping pills, painkillers and anti-anxiety medicine nearby. Since then, there has been conflicting speculation over what caused his death, further fuelled by the inconclusive results of the initial autopsy. There have been claims of illegal drug abuse, that he was suffering from pneumonia and suicide. However, Ledger’s family have always insisted that he would not have taken his own life and this toxicology report will hopefully put an end to such rumours.

After attending memorial services in the USA which attracted an array of Hollywood superstars including Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Sienna Miller, Ledger’s family have returned to his home town of Perth, Australia. It is expected that there will be a private funeral service later this week where the young actor will be laid to rest in a family plot. The details of the funeral have not been made public.

Heath Ledger’s last starring role as the Joker in the Batman Film, The Dark Night, is set for release later this year. However, production of Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnarssus, which Ledger was half way through filming when he died, has been postponed.

Sarah Butt ©

Sources

www.keyetv.com 

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk 

Photograph courtesy of www.eonline.com 

The Show May Go On!

With less than three weeks to go before the biggest film spectacle of the year is due to take place, a deal may finally have been reached that will put an end to the Hollywood writers strike and save the Academy Awards from the possibility of boycott. Talk about cutting it fine.

After three months of striking that is estimated to have cost the Film industry more than $500m, it has been claimed that talks involving many of Hollywood’s most powerful executives have made a significant breakthrough. Over the weekend, power-brokers, including Bob Iger, the head of Disney and Peter Chernin, Rupert Murdoch’s right hand man, apparently sketched the outlines of an agreement stating how much writers will be paid for Internet broadcasting and allowing web-based programmes to be unionised. If agreed upon, the Oscars should go ahead as planned.

The dispute has been centred on the royalties given to programmes shown for free through digital downloads on the Internet, mobile phones and other mobile devices such as iPods. Many writers claim that this way of broadcasting could be a big revenue source in the future. However, the studios have been reluctant to increase payment for the writers of such programmes, arguing that it is too early to predict how the medium will develop.

So why come to an agreement now? The Writers Guild of America has been under increasing pressure to come to an agreement from both its own members and from those who have been affected by the strike such as the lighting technicians, make-up artists and set-builders. Since the writers strike began on 5^th November, such employees have suffered a dramatic drop in the amount of available work. But the possibility that the biggest film event of the year would have to be cancelled in the same manner as the Golden Globes were in January, has surely helped to focus minds.

The American television watching public will be particularly relieved by this apparent revelation as it will mean the end to the copious amounts of reality programming and reruns they have been subjected to since the strike began. Some of America’s most beloved shows have been affected with delays occurring in the airing of the new seasons of hit series’ Lost and 24 and award winning shows, such as 30 Rock, having to be taken off air. It was not just on the small screen that the effects of the strike can be seen. Numerous high-profile films have been suspended or cancelled as writers’ were banned by their union to give any input into scripts. Amongst the films affected was the adaptation of Shantaram, staring Johnny Depp and the Da Vinci Code sequel.

The deal is likely to be agreed on by the end of the week and the strike should be called off leaving the red carpet clear of pickets and open for the array of designer dresses and Armani suites that will hopefully be gracing our television screens on 24^th February.

Sarah Butt ©

Photograph courtesy of www.onlyellen.com