Keira Knightley

First Trailer for SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 9th, 2012 at 5:31 pm

The first trailer for the apocalyptic dramedy Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has landed. The film stars Steve Carell as a man who sets out with a woman (Keira Knightley) to search for his high-school sweetheart during Earth’s final days. It’s a premise you’d expect from a big budget sci-fi pic or a zany road trip comedy, but the tone on display in this trailer is nothing short of fantastic. Director Lorene Scafaria has populated the flick with a brilliant ensemble, as we see Patton Oswalt, Rob Heubel, Connie Britton, Gillian Jacobs, Rob Corddry, and more pop up in this short trailer alone. There are genuinely funny moments, but an underlying sadness permeates throughout that hints at some strong character work as well. I love the way the apocalypse is tackled here and can’t wait to see more.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Adam Brody, Derek Luke, Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, and Melinda Dillon. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World opens June 22nd.

A DANGEROUS METHOD Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 22nd, 2011 at 6:33 am

[This is a reprint of my review from the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival.  A Dangerous Method opens tomorrow in limited release.]

Psychoanalysis is a funny profession. Its doctors aren’t like cardiologists or gastroenterologists. Your heart is your heart, your intestines are your intestines, and so forth. Psychoanalysis, on the other hand, attempt to impose rationality on the irrationality of emotions. It works from a vague definition of “normal” and then tries to determine why a behavior deviates from that unspecified norm. Sigmund Freud believed it was not the place of psychoanalysts to simply point out the abnormality, while his protégé Carl Jung thought that the practice was worthless if it couldn’t be advanced to help those in need. These two figures illustrate the clash of the ego, id, and super-ego in David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method, a film which brilliantly explores Freudian concepts and how we wish to indulge our base emotions but instead build a wall of reason and science to imprison our desires. However, in attempting to convey this blockade, A Dangerous Method inadvertently cuts off its emotional connection to the audience.

Casting Call: Rufus Sewell Joins PARADISE LOST; Keira Knightley in Talks to Star as Effie Gray in UNTOUCHED

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 7th, 2011 at 1:29 pm

We’ve got a couple of casting stories to report this afternoon. First up, Rufus Sewell (The Tourist) has joined the cast of Alex Proyas’s big-budget adaptation of John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Legendary Pictures announced that Sewell will take on the role of Sammael opposite Bradley Cooper as Lucifer and Benjamin Walker as Michael. This isn’t Sewell’s first film for Proyas, as he previously starred in the director’s 1998 sci-fi film Dark City. For those unfamiliar, Paradise Lost centers on the battle between the two archangels when the banished Lucifer takes on the forces of Heaven. The 3D pic will feature epic action that includes “aerial warfare”. The cast for the film also includes Casey Affleck as the angel Gabriel and Dijmon Hounsou as the Angel of Death, Camilla Belle as Eve, Sam Reid as Raphael, Callan McAuliffe as Uriel, and Dominic Purcell as Moloch. Paradise Lost is being eyed for a 2013 release.

Hit the jump for the casting news of Keira Knightley in the competing Effie Gray film Untouched.

Three New Clips from A DANGEROUS METHOD Starring Michael Fassbender and Viggo Mortensen

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 7th, 2011 at 8:32 am

Three new clips from David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method have gone online. The movie focuses on the real-life relationship between doctors Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and the complicated patient between them (Keira Knightley).  These clips show the growing relationships between the characters, but they also demonstrate the sterile conversations between the characters.  All emotions are house in clinical terms, which is the point, but I found it created too much distance between the audience and the characters.

Hit the jump to check out the clips.  A Dangerous Method opens in limited release on November 23rd.

22 New Images from David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: October 24th, 2011 at 8:54 am

Sony Pictures Classics has released 22 new images from David Cronenberg‘s A Dangerous Method.  Here’s the brief synopsis:

Seduced by the challenge of an impossible case, the driven Dr. Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) takes the unbalanced yet beautiful Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley) as his patient in A Dangerous Method. Jung’s weapon is the method of his master, the renowned Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). Both men fall under Sabina’s spell.

I liked the film when I saw it at TIFF but found it a bit too sterile.  However, it’s Cronenberg which means it’s at least worth your time.  Hit the jump to check out the images.  A Dangerous Method also stars Vincent Cassel, and opens in limited release on November 23rd.

TIFF 2011: A DANGEROUS METHOD Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: September 9th, 2011 at 8:08 pm

Psychoanalysis is a funny profession.  Its doctors aren’t like cardiologists or gastroenterologists.  Your heart is your heart, your intestines are your intestines, and so forth.  Psychoanalysis, on the other hand, attempt to impose rationality on the irrationality of emotions.  It works from a vague definition of “normal” and then tries to determine why a behavior deviates from that unspecified norm.  Sigmund Freud believed it was not the place of psychoanalysts to simply point out the abnormality, while his protégé Carl Jung thought that the practice was worthless if it couldn’t be advanced to help those in need.  These two figures illustrate the clash of the ego, id, and super-ego in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, a film which brilliantly explores Freudian concepts and how we wish to indulge our base emotions but instead build a wall of reason and science to imprison our desires.  However, in attempting to convey this blockade, A Dangerous Method inadvertently cuts off its emotional connection to the audience.

Casting Call: Breslin to Star in THE CLASS PROJECT; Knightley and Collins Eyed for Lead in ROMEO & JULIET Re-Imagining, ROSALINE

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 17th, 2011 at 1:15 pm

We have a couple quick casting stories for you this afternoon.  First up, Abigail Breslin has signed on to star in the dark indie drama The Class Project.  Per Variety, “Story follows two sisters who, tired of their mother’s alcoholism and her abusive boyfriends, take matters into their own hands and plot to kill her.”  I want to make fun of that logline, but it actually sounds like an intriguing premise and a nice development for the Little Miss Sunshine star.  Stan Brooks will direct from a script by Fabrizio Filippo and Adam Till.  Shooting begins later this month.

Breslin recently did some voice acting for Gore Verbinski’s Rango and she’ll next be seen in Gerry Marshall’s massive romantic comedy New Year’s Eve.  Hit the jump for casting news on the Romeo & Juliet spinoff/re-imagining, Rosaline.

Trailer for David Cronenberg’s A DANGEROUS METHOD

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 21st, 2011 at 11:04 am

The first trailer for director David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method has been released, and it’s fantastic. Based on Christopher Hampton’s 2002 play The Talking Cure, the film centers on the relationship between Carl Jung (played by Michael Fassbender), his mentor Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen), and Sabina Spielrein (Keira Knightley), the woman who came between them. The trailer is intense, showcasing what are sure to be some powerhouse performances, as well as a score by Howard Shore. Oh, and there’s sex. Lots of sex. This is Cronenberg after all. Sony Pictures Classics is set to release the film, hopefully sometime this year. Hit the jump to watch the trailer for yourself.

Britton, Oswalt, Huebel, Lynskey, and More Join Steve Carell and Keira Knightley in SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD [UPDATED]

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 18th, 2011 at 2:08 pm

The cast for the pre-apocalyptic rom-com Seeking a Friend for the End of the World has just kind of exploded.  The film was already set to star Steve Carell as a man who is joined by a woman (Keira Knightley) to find his old high-school sweeheart before the world is destroyed by an asteroid.  Yesterday, we learned that the talented Gillian Jacobs had joined the film and now we’ve received a press release announcing that a truckload of other great actors have signed on as well.  Check out this line-up: Connie Britton, Patton Oswalt, Rob Huebel (who yesterday signed on to another apocalypse-based comedy, Rapturepalooza), Melanie Lynskey, T.J. Miller, Melinda Dillon as well as Aaron Brown (The District), Tonita Castro (The Sarah Silverman Program), Mark Moses (Desperate Housewives), and Bob Stephenson (Jericho).  And this is all in addition to the previously announced cast-members William Petersen, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry (also in Rapturepalooza), Derek Luke, and Lindsay Sloane.  How can the movie squeeze in this kind of ensemble?  It’s a road-trip picture, which means most of these folks will probably only have a scene or two, but it’s better than nothing.

Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) is making her directorial debut from her own script.  Production on the film begins this week. Hit the jump to check out the press release.

[Update: We've updated the article with a couple of set photos featuring Carell and Knightley. Check them out after the jump]

Confirmed: Mila Kunis Joins James Franco in OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL as Theodora

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 25th, 2011 at 3:00 pm

Last month, it was reported that Mila Kunis was set to join James Franco in director Sam Raimi’s Oz, the Great and Powerful. Today, Variety confirmed Kunis’ casting, announcing that the actress will take on the role of Theodora (aka The Wicked Witch of the West). In this prequel to The Wizard of Oz, Franco will portray a traveling salesman and illusionist who is whisked away to Oz in a hot air balloon, landing in the middle of a battle between three sisters for control of the land. His character eventually becomes the Wizard we know from the 1939 film.

Theodora is initially a good witch, alongside sister Glinda, but is convinced by bad witch Evanora to switch sides after being jilted by Franco’s character. Theodora and Evanora then set out on a quest to rule Oz themselves.  David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit-Hole) recently performed a rewrite on the script for Disney. The studio is now searching for actresses to play the other two witches in the film, with Olivia Wilde, Amy Adams, Kate Beckinsale, Keira Knightley and Rebecca Hall all under consideration.

Aaron Johnson Offered Lead in Oliver Stone’s SAVAGES; Johnson and Jude Law in Talks for Joe Wright’s ANNA KARENINA

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: March 17th, 2011 at 6:29 pm

Quickly becoming one of the most sought-after young actors at the moment, Aaron Johnson (Kick-Ass) has been offered the lead role in two high-profile projects. First up, Deadline reports that Johnson is mulling over one of the two lead roles in director Oliver Stone’s adaptation of the Don Winslow novel Savages. The flick tells the story of two pot-growers whose shared girlfriend gets kidnapped by a Mexican drug cartel. Jennifer Lawrence was in talks to take on the role of the girlfriend, but her attachment to The Hunger Games throws her involvement into jeopardy given that both flicks will be shooting this summer.

Variety reports that Johnson and Jude Law are in talks to star in director Joe Wright’s (Atonement) adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s classic tragic love story Anna Karenina. Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) wrote the screenplay and Keira Knightley is set to star. Anna Karenina will shoot this fall, so Johnson could feasibly do both films. Hit the jump for a synopsis of both novels.

Director Joe Wright Talks ANNA KARENINA; Tom Stoppard Writing the Script; Hints Keira Knightley Will Star

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: March 9th, 2011 at 7:48 am

Director Joe Wright is currently doing press for his upcoming film Hanna, an action-thriller which looks like a big departure from his breakthrough film, 2005′s Pride & Prejudice.  However, Wright isn’t leaving the world of classic literature adaptations behind as he tells About.com that he hopes to shoot Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina in the fall.  But how does he hope to translate the 864-page tome into a feature film?  Wright says it’s no problem when you’ve got Oscar-winning screenwriter Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love) working on the script:

“He’s done an amazing script which involves Levin’s story as well as Anna’s story. Yeah, Tom Stoppard is just..also, he’s so immersed in Russian history and culture and identity or lack of it.”

Hit the jump for Wright’s explanation of how he plans to make 19th-century Russian family accessible to today’s audiences and who he sees as Anna.

NEVER LET ME GO Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: February 23rd, 2011 at 6:45 am

Mark Romanek’s Never Let Me Go was the best film of 2010, but it didn’t make much of an impression at the box office. Critics were divided on the film, and were also reluctant to talk about the spoilers that are inherent to the story. Carey Mulligan stars as Kathy, who is in love with Tommy (Andrew Garfield), but her best friend Ruth (Keira Knightley) swoops in and starts dating him while they’re in high school. Cathy is too nice to do anything about it, so she’s forced to watch their relationship. Tommy and Cathy seem star-crossed lovers, and the film has a twist to make their separation all the more painful. Raised as children at a private school, their existence is based around a secret that has science fiction complications – a secret some felt shouldn’t be disclosed. Since the film bombed, the review will reveal some of those secrets, and the review of Never Let Me Go on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Keira Knightley May Replace Marion Cotillard in David Cronenberg’s COSMOPOLIS

by Jason Barr    Posted: January 19th, 2011 at 2:14 pm

It looks as if David Cronenberg’s film adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel Cosmopolis is becoming somewhat of a revolving door.  A few weeks ago we reported that Robert Pattinson had signed on to star in the film, bringing to an untimely end Cosmopolis’ Colin Farrell-era.  Fast-forward to today and we’re hearing reports that Keira Knightley may be taking on the film’s female lead, replacing Marion Cotillard in the process.

Kudos to The Playlist for connecting the dots provided by the Cosmopolis fansite which points out that the film’s production company (Alfama Films) now lists Knightley as starring in the project.  Knightley recently worked with Cronenberg on A Dangerous Method so perhaps the two developed a rapport that would make this potential move a little less “from left-field.”  Of course, we’ll bring you confirmation on the matter as soon as we have it.  Cosmopolis is currently scheduled to begin shooting in Toronto around mid-May.  For more, hit the jump to check out a synopsis of DeLillo’s novel.

Exclusive Interview with Writer/Director William Monahan for LONDON BOULEVARD

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 17th, 2010 at 10:41 pm

March, 2009. That’s the first time I started talking with William Monahan about doing an interview for his directorial debut London Boulevard.  At the time, he was in prep in London, and we talked about why he wanted to adapt Ken Bruen’s novel and what the experience was like for him.  But for many reasons, the interview fell apart, and we decided to continue talking at a later point.  Of course later became a few months, and then we started and stopped a few more times.  Until last week.  That’s because about a week ago, at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, I finally sat down with the Academy Award-winning screenwriter of The Departed to talk about his directorial debut, which stars Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Anna Friel, Jamie Bower, David Thewlis, Ray Winstone, Stephen Graham, Eddie Marsan, and Ben Chaplin. The film is about a man just released from prison (Farrell) who falls in love with a reclusive young movie star (Knightley) and finds himself in a duel with a vicious gangster (Winstone).

During our extended interview, which lasted close to an hour, we covered everything from the genesis of the project to what it was like in the editing room.  Of course we also covered things like his writing process, why it is coming out in the UK before America (it gets released November 26 in the UK), the test screening process, why the British gangster genre is so popular, his other projects like The Gamblers, Becket, what’s up with Tripoli, what got him involved in Joseph Kosinski’s Oblivion, and so much more.

While I hate to compare interviews against one another, I can honestly say this is one of the best conversations I’ve ever had with any filmmaker.  Hit the jump to check it out:

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