Kevin Macdonald

Acquisition News: Sony Pictures Classics Gets SMASHED; Magnolia to Distribute Kevin Macdonald’s Bob Marley Documentary, MARLEY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 6th, 2012 at 11:18 am

The alcoholism drama Smashed and the Bob Marley documentary Marley have now found a way to you.  According to The Wrap, Sony Pictures Classics will distribute Smashed, which features a powerful performance from Mary Elizabeth Winstead as an alcoholic who’s struggling to get sober.  I caught the film at Sundance and was blown away by Winstead as well as her co-star Aaron Paul.  As for Marley, the film was directed by Kevin Macdonald (Life in a Day) and will tell the legendary musician’s life story with unprecedented support from Marley’s family.  The film will make its US premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March.

Hit the jump for the press release for Marley.

HANNA Star Saoirse Ronan to Star in World War II Drama HOW I LIVE NOW

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 13th, 2011 at 6:38 pm

Young actress Saoirse Ronan is set to star in an adaptation of Meg Rosoff’s novel How I Live Now. Variety reports that The Last King of Scotland helmer Kevin Macdonald is onboard to direct, from a script by Jeremy Brock (The Last King of Scotland) and Tony Grisoni (best name ever). The period drama tells the story of Daisy, a teenage girl from New York City who travels to England in order to spend the summer with family. World War II breaks out and Daisy and another young girl find themselves attempting to survive alone in the woods as they search for safety.

Ronan was fantastic in this year’s Hanna, and this role sounds like it’s right in her wheelhouse. The actress has been busy as of late, as she’s currently filming Neil Jordan’s Byzantium. Ronan is also set to star in Andrew Niccol’s adaptation of the Stephanie Meyer sci-fi novel The Host. Hit the jump to read a synopsis for How I Live Now.

Screenwriter Manish Pandey Exclusive Interview SENNA

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 13th, 2011 at 6:16 pm

The new documentary Senna chronicles the brief but incredible life of Brazilian Formula One racing driver Ayrton Senna.  Through him we see not only the sport of European Formula One racing (far more dangerous than the Indy 500) during the 1980s and early 90s, but we see it through the eyes of one of its most celebrated and revered figures. Senna is notable not only for its subject matter, but because it dispenses with ordinary documentary conventions of talking head interviews and keeps narration to a minimum.  All of the footage is archival and the racing scenes in particular demand to be viewed in a theater.

I interviewed screenwriter Manish Pandey about the decision to use only archival footage, what fascinated him about Senna, the lasting impact of Senna in his home country of Brazil, and much more.  Hit the jump to check out the interview.  Senna opens this weekend.

THE EAGLE DVD Review

by Scott Wampler    Posted: August 2nd, 2011 at 10:06 am

When one hears the name “Channing Tatum”, many things come to mind:  rippling abs, an affected homeboy-like cadence, a backwards ballcap, those oft-murmured rumors about Tatum’s former life as a male stripper (not a joke).  Something one doesn’t tend to think upon hearing the name “Channing Tatum” is:  brilliant actor.  Kevin MacDonald’s The Eagle– starring Tatum, in addition to Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland– is the latest attempt from Camp Tatum to change the way we think of the former Step Up 2: Tha Streets star.  Many of you avoided The Eagle when it hit theaters in February, but now that it’s on DVD, we’re free to discover what– if anything– we missed.  What’d we think?  Find out after the jump, folks…

Jamie Bell Exclusive Video Interview THE EAGLE; Plus Updates on TINTIN, JANE EYRE and MAN ON A LEDGE

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 13th, 2011 at 3:51 pm

About a week ago I sat down with Jamie Bell for an extended video interview as he was in Los Angeles promoting director Kevin Macdonald’s The Eagle (synopsis and clips here).  During our fifteen minute conversation, he discussed how he got involved in the project, what kind of research he did and does research really matter, filming on location, and training for the role.  In addition, Bell also gave me updates on what it was like to make The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn for Peter Jackson and Steve Spielberg, the challenges of motion capture, what it was like to work with Andy Serkis (he says Serkis “is the Gandalf of motion capture.”), when does he think they might film Tintin 2, and he also discusses his work in Jane Eyre, Man on a Ledge.  Hit the jump to watch what he said:

THE EAGLE Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: February 11th, 2011 at 6:31 am

My high school European History teacher joked that the Holy Roman Empire wasn’t holy, Roman, or an Empire.  Similarly, Kevin Macdonald’s The Eagle is a dramatic Roman action flick than isn’t particularly dramatic, Roman, or action-packed.  Everywhere The Eagle could make its mark, it comes up short.  The relationship between the main characters is underdeveloped, there’s very little sense of consistency or setting, and the action is poorly-shot and awkwardly-bloodless.  Despite the presence of actor Jamie Bell and the usually reliable Macdonald at the helm, The Eagle never manages to take flight.

Director Kevin Macdonald Exclusive Video Interview THE EAGLE; Plus an Update on His Bob Marley Documentary

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 8th, 2011 at 8:24 pm

Opening this weekend is director Kevin Macdonald’s (Last King of Scotland, State of Play) The Eagle. The films based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth and it stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, and Donald Sutherland.  Here’s part of the synopsis:

In 2^nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism.

The other day I sat down with Macdonald for an extended video interview.  During our conversation, we talked about his very famous grandfather Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes), how The Eagle came together, and we also discussed his upcoming Bob Marley documentary.  Hit the jump to watch:

4 Movie Clips from THE EAGLE

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: February 5th, 2011 at 1:44 pm

Opening February 11 is director Kevin Macdonald’s (Last King of Scotland, State of Play) The Eagle which is based on Rosemary Sutcliff’s novel The Eagle of the Ninth and it stars Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland and Tahar Rahim.  Here’s part of the synopsis:

In 2^nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism.

While most of you have already watched the trailer, Focus has provided us with four clips and you can check them out after the jump – along with a more detailed synopsis.  Look for interviews with the cast and director Macdonald very soon.

Kevin Macdonald to Direct Bob Marley Documentary

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: February 2nd, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Director Kevin Macdonald has been tapped to take on the upcoming Bob Marley documentary Marley. Macdonald won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature with his 2000 film One Day in September, and he was also behind 2009’s State of Play and 2006’s The Last King of Scotland. Per the press release, Marley will be “the ultimate, authorized documentary film on the life, legacy and global impact of a true legend, one of the most influential singers, songwriters, musicians and activists in history.” Macdonald had this to say regarding taking the reins of the film:

“I was already intrigued by the Marley story but the way in which this film is developing, as we delve through the archive materials and interview key characters in his life, has surpassed my expectations.  What made Bob tick is probably unanswerable but viewers will certainly feel that they know him a little better after seeing our documentary.  I am grateful to the Marley family for entrusting me with their heritage.”

Hit the jump to read the full press release. Marley is set to be released sometime this fall to mark the 30^th anniversary of the singer’s passing.

New Featurette for THE EAGLE

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 13th, 2011 at 8:02 pm

Focus Features has released a new featurette titled “Romans and Celts” for the sword-and-sandal adventure The Eagle.  The phrase is pulled from a quote by producer Duncan Kenworthy (“This world of Romans and Celts two thousand years ago was very, very alien.”) as he describes the attention to detail to the production design.  There’s impressive footage to support his claims, but the cultural setting of The Eagle is only mentioned in passing.

Much more time is spent on director Kevin MacDonald (State of Play) and stars Channing Tatum (Dear John) and Jamie Bell (Jumper) making a case for the strength of character and story.  MacDonald puts it best: “There aren’t many great stories in the world which just take hold of your throat and lead you the entire way.  I think this is one of those great stories.”  Watch the featurette after the break.

User-Generated Documentary LIFE IN A DAY Will Stream Live on YouTube January 27th

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: January 5th, 2011 at 9:07 pm

With Life in a Day, director Kevin Macdonald (State of Play) wanted to create the world’s largest user-generated film.  The feature was compiled from 4,500 hours of footage sent in from 192 countries.  Each selected contributor is credited as a co-director, and 26 have been invited to attend the world premiere of Life in a Day on January 2th as part of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

But don’t feel left out: the premiere will be streamed live on youtube.com/lifeinaday.  Even if you’re geographically unable to tune in at 6:00PM MT, the film will be re-broadcast on January 28th at 7:00PM in your local time zone, subtitled in 25 different languages.  This sounds like a pretty cool idea, and the natural way to unveil a film culled from YouTube footage.

Hit the jump for the official announcement.

SUNDANCE 2011: First Images from THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE Starring Dominic Cooper and LIFE IN A DAY, the World’s Largest User-Generated Feature-Film

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: December 27th, 2010 at 9:37 am

Continuing our coverage of films that will be featured at the Sundance film festival in January, today we bring you two films that will premiere in the out-of-competition category at the prestigious festival: The Devil’s Double and Life in a Day. The Devil’s Double stars Dominic Cooper, Ludivine Sagnier, Mimoun Oaissa, Raad Rawi, and Phillip Quast. The film provides a chilling vision of the House of Saddam, told through the eyes of the man who knew too much.

Director Kevin MacDonald’s Life in a Day is a historical worldwide experiment to create the world’s largest user generated film. The flick was created by numerous user-generated YouTube videos that professional and amateur filmmakers made to capture a glimpse of their life in a single day. Hit the jump to check out images and a brief synopsis for both films, which will be playing out-of-competition.  The 2011 Sundance Film Festival runs from January 20 -30th.

Trailer and Poster for THE EAGLE Starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 10th, 2010 at 11:10 am

Focus Features has released the first trailer and poster for The Eagle.  While I love me a good sword-and-sandals flick, I’m slightly worried about The Eagle due to Focus repeatedly kicking the movie down the schedule.  Also, the bloody mayhem of Centurion, which also involves the mysterious disappearance of Rome’s 9th Legion (The Eagle was originally titled “The Eagle of the Ninth“), won’t likely be repeated in Kevin Macdonald’s PG-13 flick.  But I’ve liked Macdonald’s previous work (State of Play, The Last King of Scotland) and Jamie Bell is a great actor.  I wish the same could be said of his costar Channing Tatum, but perhaps The Eagle will turn me around the guy.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the poster.  The Eagle opens February 25, 2011.

Promo Poster and Synopsis for Kevin Macdonald’s LIFE IN A DAY

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 8th, 2010 at 2:41 pm

Back in July, we reported on the fascinating documentary project Life in a Day.  Produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Kevin Macdonald (State of Play), the documentary was compiled from users submitting footage they took on July 24, 2010 to YouTube.  Designed as a time capsule and as an experiment in social filmmaking, the film is scheduled to make its worldwide debut at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

While Steve was at AFM (American Film Market), he grabbed an image of the promo poster and synopsis.  Hit the jump to check them out.

Ridley Scott, Kevin Macdonald, and YouTube Join Forces for LIFE IN A DAY, “The First User-Generated Documentary”

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 6th, 2010 at 10:38 pm

If you’re not busy on July 24th, you may want to get your camera and your YouTube account ready for an ambitious filmmaking project.  THR reports that producer Ridley Scott, director Kevin Macdonald (State of Play), and YouTube are teaming up for Life in a Day, “the first user-generated feature-length documentary.”  The idea is that footage shot on July 24th and submitted to YouTube for the project will be compiled a feature documentary that will debut at next year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Hit the jump for more details on this fascinating project.

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