Ben Kingsley

Super Bowl TV Spot for THE DICTATOR Starring Sacha Baron Cohen

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 1st, 2012 at 10:52 am

The advertising for the ads during the Super Bowl are almost getting more marketing than the actual game itself. We’ve already seen previews from a bevy of the commercials set to debut during the big game, and today you can add The Dictator to that pile. The Super Bowl spot for the film doesn’t contain any new footage besides the intro (with a nice nod to NBC), but this will most likely be the first time many people hear about the new pic from Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen reunites with Borat director Larry Charles for The Dictator, and the film looks to be sufficiently ridiculous. He’s assembled an impressive cast here and I’m excited to see what else Cohen has in store besides gun-infused track races and sex with Megan Fox.

Hit the jump to check out the Super Bowl spot. The film also stars Ben Kingsley, John C. Reilly, and Anna Faris . The Dictator opens May 11th.

First Trailer for THE DICTATOR Starring Sacha Baron Cohen [Updated with Poster]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 14th, 2011 at 6:52 am

Paramount has released the first trailer for the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator.  Cohen stars as a despot who “risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.”  The trailer has a lot of great jokes.  Cohen is like Mike Myers if Myers was still funny, relevant, had smarter comedy, and–most importantly–was willing to offend the shit out of people.  This trailer doesn’t pull any punches and I love that it’s a green band that will play to families across America this holiday season.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film also stars Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, J.B. Smoove, and John C. Reilly.  The Dictator opens May 11, 2012. [We've updated the story with the teaser poster, which you can also check out after the jump.]

Ben Kingsley in Talks to Join HUGO Co-Star Asa Buttefield in ENDER’S GAME

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 8th, 2011 at 7:23 pm

Casting on director Gavin Hood’s (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) adaptation of Orson Scott Card’s novel Ender’s Game continues to heat up, as Ben Kingsley is the latest to join the cast. Heat Vision reports that Kingsley is in talks to star in the sci-fi pic as “a legendary war hero presumed to be long dead.” The story centers on a young man who develops military strategies through war games in an attempt to prepare for an intergalactic battle. Kingsley’s Hugo co-star Asa Butterfield is set as the title character, with Hailee Steinfeld attached as the female lead. Harrison Ford is being courted to play Colonel Hyrum Graff, though no official dealmaking with the actor has taken place.

I’m not familiar with the book, but I’m told that Heat Vision’s description of Kingsley’s character sounds like Mazer Rackham, a soldier whose major previous victory is used as propaganda. While I’m still not sold on Hood, the cast being assembled continues to impress me. Production is set to get underway in February, so expect more casting announcements very soon. Hit the jump to read a synopsis of the novel. Ender’s Game opens March 15th, 2013.

TOP 5: THE MUPPETS, HUGO, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, PROMETHEUS, Gary Oldman and Colin Firth Discuss AKIRA and OLDBOY Rumors

by Jason Barr    Posted: November 26th, 2011 at 1:15 pm

I did it, folks. I came, saw, and survived yet another Black Friday. This year’s destination of choice was my local Best Buy and I sat outside in moderately chilly temperatures for around six hours for one lonely purpose: to buy things for cheaper than what they were the day before. That’s right, I rocked Best Buy to the tune of two seasons of television on DVD for a combined $15. Now, I know some of you reading this may be thinking, “Wait, Jason waited outside for six hours so that he could buy two seasons of TV on DVD?”. My answer: a resounding “Yes!”. It’s the small things, people. The small things.

But enough of my Black Friday exploits. In this week’s “Top 5″ installment you’ll find interviews for this weekend’s openers The Muppets and Hugo, new images and plot details from The Dark Knight Rises, new images from Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, and Gary Oldman and Colin Firth addressing Akira and Oldboy remake rumors. Hit the jump for a brief recap and link to each.

Sir Ben Kingsley Talks HUGO; Reveals He Plays ‘The Chief of Security and the Procurer of Women’ in Sacha Baron Cohen’s THE DICTATOR

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 5:21 pm

Opening tomorrow is Martin Scorsese‘s first 3D film, Hugo.  Based on Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film stars Asa Butterfield as a young boy secretly living in a train station in 1931 Paris.  As he attempts to piece together a puzzle that he’d been working on with his father, the results transform not only Hugo, but everyone he comes in contact with.  The impressive cast also includes Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, and Michael Stuhlbarg. You can watch a trailer here.

During my interview with Sir Ben Kingsley (who plays George Melies), he talked about how he got involved in the project and the kind of research he did.  In addition, with Kingsley working on Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator, he talked about how he approaches comedy differently than drama and revealed that he plays “the chief of security and the procurer of women.”  Hit the jump to watch.

HUGO Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 2:32 pm

The most talented directors find a way to use their cinematic influences in order to build a new story, and then let the audience seek out those influences.  It’s a rewarding experience because we can see how well the director used the earlier work of other filmmakers, and then we seek out that work for ourselves, which in turn expands our knowledge and understanding of cinema.  Martin Scorsese is one of the most talented directors of all-time and has always proved a master of layering in his inspirations without ever overtly referencing them.  He leaves that direct reference for interviews where his infectious energy and enthusiasm shows that if he wasn’t a legendary filmmaker, he’d be a legendary film professor.  However, that energy and enthusiasm doesn’t translate to his new 3D movie Hugo where he moves his love of movies from subtext to text, and turns a child’s adventure story into a lecture on the importance of cinema pioneer Georges Méliès.

Ben Kingsley and Jena Malone to Star in A DOLL’S HOUSE

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 1st, 2011 at 2:30 pm

The cast has been set for the feature film adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s classic play A Doll’s House. Ben Kingsley, Jena Malone, Julian Sands (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), and Michele Martin (Assisting Venus) are set as the leads in the adaptation. Charles Huddleston (Assisting Venus) is directing the pic which will be a modern day version of Ibsen’s play. The film centers on “a young woman’s escape from an overbearing husband set during today’s recession.” Variety reports that Martin will play Nora Helmer, the young wife of a banking executive. Malone will take on the role of Nora’s friend Christine, who must choose between her loyalty to her friend or her own future, with Kingsley playing the Helmers’ friend Dr. Rank and Sands set as Nathan, “a professional in the seedy world of lending desperate people money.”

Ibsen’s Norwegian play was first published in 1879, and centers on a debt crisis. Kingsley just wrapped a role in the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator. Malone was recently seen in Sucker Punch and is poised to play author Carson McCullers in Lonely Hunter.

New Trailer for Martin Scorsese’s HUGO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 10:48 am

Paramount has released a new trailer for Martin Scorsese’s Hugo.  A work-in-progress cut played to audiences at the New York Film Festival to mostly positive reviews.  The latest trailer plays up the dramatic aspects of the story (unfortunately through Mr. Movie Voice) but it’s the visuals that take center stage.  Hugo is Scorsese’s first 3D film but it looks like he’s handled the new technology like an old pro.  This will be one of the rare times I’ll be upset if I don’t get to see a movie in 3D.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The film stars Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grace Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, and Michael Stuhlbarg.  Hugo opens November 23rd.

New Featurette for Martin Scorsese’s HUGO

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 10th, 2011 at 12:28 pm

Earlier today, we reported that an unfinished cut of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo would be playing tonight at the New York Film Festival.  Now a new featurette has gone online and it makes me more excited to see the film than the trailer.  The visuals on display are fantastic and while I’m a little surprised that we’re getting two movies where a boy tries to unlock a mystery left by his deceased father, I’m betting Scorsese’s film will be the better one.  In the featurette, the legendary director is genuinely excited (as always) for his first 3D movie and I’m hoping there will be some positive buzz coming out of tonight’s screening.

Hit the jump to check out the featurette.  Hugo opens November 23rd and stars Chloe Moretz, Asa Butterfield, Jude Law, Ben Kingsley, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, and Sacha Baron Cohen.

New Images from SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS and CARNAGE; First Look at Ben Kingsley in THE DICTATOR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 12th, 2011 at 8:19 am

New images from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Carnage have gone online along with some new set photos from Sacha Baron Cohen’s The Dictator.  The Holmes images provide us with our first good look at Jared Harris as Moriarty (unless you count a tiny, blurry version of him in the background of this poster as a “good look”).  The new image from Roman Polanski’s Carnage hints at the tension between two sets of parents (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster are the parents of a child who has a schoolyard altercation with the child of Christoph Waltz and Kate Winslet’s characters).  Finally, there are some amusing new set photos from The Dictator where we see Cohen’s character protesting the dictator version of himself.  One of the images also shows a glimpse of Ben Kingsley who looks like he’s in league with the Dictator character.

Hit the jump to check out all the images.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opens December 16th.  No release date has been announced for Carnage.  The Dictator is due out May 11, 2012.

Ben Kingsley to Join Sacha Baron Cohen in THE DICTATOR

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: April 28th, 2011 at 3:38 pm

Just yesterday it was reported that a number of actresses were under consideration for a leading female role in the next Sacha Baron Cohen film The Dictator, including Kristen Wiig, Gillian Jacobs and Anna Faris. Now, it looks like Hugo Cabret costar Ben Kingsley will be reteaming with Cohen in the Borat-esque flick. Variety reports that Kingsley will play one of two Middle Eastern characters in the film, with Jason Mantzoukas (The League) in talks to play the other.

Directed by Larry Charles, The Dictator tells the “heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed,” with Cohen playing dual roles as the dictator and a goat herder. Filming is set to begin in May, which explains why casting seems to be heating up at the moment. Expect more announcements sooner rather than later for the comedy. The Dictator is slated for a May 11^th, 2012 release

Jude Law to Join THE LAST VOYAGE OF THE DEMETER?

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 15th, 2011 at 8:14 am

Jude Law may be setting sail with a vampire.  Bleeding Cool reports that the actor is in talks to play the lead role in David Slade’s The Last Voyage of the Demeter.  The story is a kind of spin-off from Dracula and focuses solely on the events of the vampire’s travel on the doomed cargo ship, The Demeter.  If Law signs on, he would join Ben Kingsley and Noomi Rapace (who starred in the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy).

Hit the jump for a synopsis of The Last Voyage of the Demeter and a refresher on Law’s other projects.

First Look at Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley in Martin Scorsese’s HUGO CABRET

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 8th, 2010 at 12:03 pm

Back in August, we got our first look at Chloe Moretz (Let Me In) and Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) in Martin Scorsese’s 3D family film Hugo Cabret.  Now the Facebook page for the site has provided us with a first look at costars Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley.  As we previously reported, Cohen is playing a train station inspector while Kingsley plays famous silent film director and cinematic pioneer Georges Méliès.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Hugo Cabret also stars Jude Law, Ray Winstone, and Christopher Lee.  It’s set to open on December 9, 2011.

Noomi Rapace and Ben Kingsley Board THE LAST VOYAGE OF DEMETER

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: October 13th, 2010 at 9:22 pm

And she’s off!  Swedish actress Noomi Rapace paved the buzz surrounding her performance in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo into a direct route to Hollywood: she’ll make her English-language debut in Sherlock Holmes 2, and she’s in talks for such fellow franchise tentpoles as Mission: Impossible reboot, the Alien prequels.  Rapace is ready to sign on for her next project, The Last Voyage of Demeter, which will connect her to two iconic figures in film history: Dracula and Ben Kingsley.

Hit the jump for more information on Demeter and the role set aside for Rapace.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: September 14th, 2010 at 6:11 am

Every summer studios produce weekends full of “A” titles, summer blockbusters that are meant to wow us and make piles upon piles of money. These are the prestige titles of the day, and though they may be stupid, no expense is sparred in the making of them. Of course this doesn’t mean the people behind or in front of the camera are the best in the business, but they have the potential to deliver an audience by their star appeal, and their knowledge of what works. Hopefully.

On Paper, Disney’s Prince of Persia sounds like it could be something. It’s produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal – who hasn’t set the box office on fire, but is a respected actor – with Bond Girl turned it girl Gemma Arterton. The director is Mike Newell who directed one of the best of the Harry Potter franchise, and the film is based on a successful video game, one that serves only as a basis for an action adventure story. But all those details add up to one terrible movie, and Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is a pretty terrible film. My review of Prince of Persia on Blu-ray after the jump.

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