Helen Mirren

THE DEBT Blu-ray Review

by Rob Wieland    Posted: January 3rd, 2012 at 7:00 am

Tis the season for dead drops and tricked out gadgets. 2011 is ending with a bang thanks to a few big name spy movies coming out at the end of the year Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is a perfect fit for the action junkies.  Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy appeals to those looking for more double crosses and trust issues.  Another spy film just hit DVD and Blu-Ray from earlier in the year. The Debt comes packed with big-name English actors, an Academy Award winning director and a story that spans three decades. Is it worth accepting this mission? Check out our review after the jump.

Helen Mirren Circling ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO Starring Anthony Hopkins

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 7th, 2011 at 1:32 pm

Just yesterday we reported that BBC2 was planning a film based on legendary director Alfred Hitchcock’s obsession with his The Birds star Tippi Hedren, and today we’ve got casting news on another Hitchcock movie currently in the works. Helen Mirren is apparently eyeing the role of Hitchcock’s wife in the drama Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho. The project has been in development for years with Anthony Hopkins attached the played the famed filmmaker, and now it looks like a production start date is finally looming. Hit the jump for more.

THE DEBT Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 31st, 2011 at 7:00 am

This has been Jessica Chastain’s year as far as ubiquity goes.  She’s co-starred in The Tree of Life, The Help, Take Shelter, and she’s still got Texas Killing Fields and Coriolanus on the way.  However, of the films I’ve seen her in so far, she’s never been front and center.  She was overshadowed by Brad Pitt in Tree of Life, everything was overshadowed by Michael Shannon in Take Shelter, and she did a fine job in The Help hinting that she was the real deal.  But her latest film, The Debt, gives her the lead and she’s never able to hold the screen with any intensity or subtlety.  She’s once again overshadowed by her fellow actors and this time around she must struggle with a movie that tries to be an intense spy-thriller and ignores its strengths as a claustrophobic pressure-cooker and thoughtful moral drama.

6 Clips from THE DEBT Starring Sam Worthington and Helen Mirren

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: August 18th, 2011 at 10:28 am

With director John Madden’s (Shakespeare in Love) The Debt finally getting released August 31, Focus Features has provided us with six clips from the film.  The reason I say finally, is that Focus acquired the flick from Miramax, so it’s release date was pushed back from last year.  Starring Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds as older versions of the characters played by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Marton Csokas, The Debt is about three retired Mossad secret agents and what happened to them in the past.  From what I understand, the film cuts back and forth between 1966 and 1997, which is the reason you have two actors playing the same character.  Hit the jump to watch the clips.

ARTHUR Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: July 4th, 2011 at 5:59 am

With the remake business, you’re already (at least usually) against a brick wall. What’s remade aren’t usually flawed films, but movies that are regarded well enough to be liked, but aren’t classics (those films are ripped off wholesale). And so there’s a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore film Arthur thirty years later starring Russell Brand.  Why now? Probably because Brand seems like he could be a movie star, and Get Him to the Greek did good enough business. The remake (which also stars Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig and Jennifer Garner) is about a spoiled rich kid/drunk who finds true love, but is supposed to marry someone else. It works, but almost in spite of its narrative. My review of the Blu-ray of 2011’s Arthur follows after the jump.

New Poster for THE DEBT Starring Helen Mirren and Sam Worthington

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 4:03 pm

A new poster has been released for The Debt. The film was originally scheduled to come out last year, but the Miramax hubbub put the picture in limbo. Recently, Focus Features acquired the flick and will now release it on August 31^st.

Directed by John Madden (Shakespeare in Love), The Debt stars Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds as older versions of the characters played by Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington, and Marton Csokas. Hit the jump to check out the poster, as well as Focus’ cut of the trailer.

ARTHUR Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: April 8th, 2011 at 8:32 am

Just as surely as rain makes things wet, Arthur will make you laugh. Yet the film never justifies its existence—remake or not. Hollywood is determined to make Russell Brand a comedic lead, but simply placing his acquired comedic sensibilities in the star role doesn’t equal success. Throw in a bloated run time and a cute, but unromantic chemistry between Brand and Greta Gerwig, and we have the makings of a generic romantic comedy that is further burdened by being a remake. The real shame is that on paper, the film has enough comedic ingredients to make something worthwhile instead of simply unoffensive. Hit the jump for my full review.

Helen Mirren Talks ARTHUR, Karaoke, Improvising With Russell Brand, and First Time Directors

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: April 7th, 2011 at 2:34 pm

With director Jason Winer’s (Modern Family) Arthur opening this weekend, I was able to interview the cast as a reporter for our partners at Omelete.  As most of you know, the film is a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy and stars Russell Brand as a wealthy playboy who risks losing his inheritance when he falls for a woman (Greta Gerwig) that his family does not approve of.  The movie also stars Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Luis Guzman and Nick Nolte.  For more on the film, click here for seven clips and the full synopsis.

During my interview with Mirren, we talked about filming on the street of New York City, the different genres she’s worked in over the past year, was she nervous to work with a first time feature director, what it’s like to work with Brand when he’s improvising, and I nervously asked what’s her karaoke song (which no one believed I would ask). Hit the jump to watch.

Director Jason Winer Exclusive Interview ARTHUR

by Christina Radish    Posted: April 4th, 2011 at 8:32 pm

In the new modern version of Arthur, Russell Brand reinvents the role of loveable billionaire Arthur Bach, a perpetual child who relies on his charm and limitless fortune to get by in life. His lifelong nanny and only true friend, Hobson (Helen Mirren), keeps him out of trouble while his icy cold mother (Geraldine James) wishes he would grow up and be more responsible, as sole heir to the family business, Bach Worldwide. When it becomes clear that Arthur has no plans to ever change, he is given an ultimatum to marry the beautiful but unlovable Susan Johnson (Jennifer Garner), an ambitious corporate exec who wants the family name, in order to run the company, which must be headed by a Bach. If he doesn’t stay in line, he will have to say goodbye to the billion-dollar inheritance that feeds his way of life. But then, he meets and falls for New York City tour guide Naomi (Greta Gerwig), who not only makes him want to take charge of his own life, but become the man that even he didn’t think he could ever be.

At the film’s press day, director Jason Winer (Modern Family) did this exclusive interview with Collider where he talked about making the transition from TV director to feature director, finding the women to fill Arthur’s world, getting over the initial nervousness of working with someone as accomplished as Helen Mirren, how he prefers to let scene takes play out from beginning to end instead of doing line pick-ups, and developing his comedic sensibilities on the ABC TV comedy Modern Family. He also talked about currently directing the ABC pilot Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23 (which will assuredly will have a title change prior to airing), starring Krysten Ritter, Dreama Walker and James Van Der Beek, as a version of himself. Check out what he had to say after the jump:

7 Clips from ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 25th, 2011 at 3:13 pm

Warner Bros. has released seven clips from the upcoming comedy Arthur.  The film is a remake of the 1981 Dudley Moore comedy and stars Russell Brand as a wealthy playboy who risks losing his inheritance when he falls for a woman that his family does not approve of.  The movie also stars Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner, Luis Guzman, Greta Gerwig, and Nick Nolte.  Arthur was directed by Jason Winer (he directed a lot of Modern Family‘s first season).

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  Arthur opens April 8th.

Helen Mirren and Elton John Set to Host SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE in April

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: March 22nd, 2011 at 10:48 am

The British are coming…to host Saturday Night Live during the first two weeks in April. NBC just revealed that Elton John will return to the late night sketch series for the first time since 1982. But while his last appearance only had him as a musical guest, this time the legendary musician and singer will pull double duty as host and musical guest on April 2nd with Leon Russell as a featured performer.

In addition, the lovely Helen Mirren (who will next be seen in Arthur) will host on April 9th with musical guest Foo Fighters. Such a classy lady who can be both dramatic and hilarious on camera. Sounds like a great line-up as the end of the season looms closer.

New Trailer for ARTHUR

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 3rd, 2011 at 7:20 am

Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for Arthur.  It’s not too different from the first trailer with the exception of a few new jokes and another reminder that Greta Gerwig is in the movie.  While I’m glad they’re not giving away all of the humor, the fact that so many of the jokes were in the first trailer has me worried that we’ve already seen the best the movie has to offer.  Hopefully that’s not the case.

Hit the jump to check out the new trailer.  Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, and Jennifer Garner.  It opens April 8th.

New Banner for ARTHUR Remembers that Greta Gerwig Is in the Film

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 22nd, 2011 at 11:30 am

The first poster for Arthur was (in addition to being bland) slightly odd in that it didn’t feature Greta Gerwig, who plays the love interest of Russell Brand’s eponymous character.  Warner Bros. has now sent us a new banner for the film brings Gerwig in on the standing-and-sitting action enjoyed by Brand and co-stars Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner.

Hit the jump to check out the banner.  Arthur opens April 8th.

Poster for ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand, Jennifer Garner, and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 15th, 2011 at 7:39 am

The poster for Arthur has gone online.  The trailer went online last week and I found it to be surprisingly humorous.  The poster is a bit dull, but posters for comedies usually are.  At least they’re not standing in front of a white background.

Hit the jump to check out the poster.  Arthur stars Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Greta Gerwig, Nick Nolte, Luis Guzmán, and Jennifer Garner.  It opens April 8th.

Trailer for ARTHUR Starring Russell Brand and Helen Mirren

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 10th, 2011 at 10:15 am

The trailer for Jason Winer’s (Modern Family) remake of Arthur has gone online.  The film centers on a drunken playboy (Russell Brand) who risks losing his inheritance when he falls in love with a woman (Greta Gerwig) his parents don’t like.  The movie looks like it could be fun and I hope someone makes an animated gif of Helen Mirren punching Brand in the face.  While the trailer relies too heavily on familiar tunes (“Rebel Rebel”,  “All Right Now”, and “Under Pressure”), that’s a trailer problem, not something that reflects negatively on the movie.  The jokes they feature got a laugh out of me and I hope they’re not just showing the best of the bunch.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  Arthur also stars Jennifer Garner, Nick Nolte, and Luis Guzman.  It opens April 8th.  Click here to check out Steve’s interview with Brand where he talks about the film.

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