Exclusive: London-based financier Head Gear Films, which recently backed John Michael McDonagh’s upcoming The Forgiven and Halle Berry’s Bruised, is setting up a $25M credit facility to fund productions shooting in Serbia.
The facility will be operated in partnership with Belgrade-based production outfit Balkanic Media, which has been founded by Ironclad filmmaker Jonathan English with Los Angeles-based producer James Gibb.
More from DeadlineSXSW Debut Nixed, Rod Lurie-Directed Afghan War Thriller 'The Outpost' Lands Screen Media DealFilms Directed By Frank Oz And Rod Lurie Soldier On After World Premiere Cancellations At SXSWIliza Shlesinger, More Join 'Pieces Of A Woman'; Pooch Hall Cast In 'Cherry'; Halle Berry's 'Bruised' Adds Sheila Atim - Update
The fund will cashflow the government rebate in Serbia, which stands at 25% for qualifying film and TV productions (rising to 30% for qualified Serbian spend on features with...
The facility will be operated in partnership with Belgrade-based production outfit Balkanic Media, which has been founded by Ironclad filmmaker Jonathan English with Los Angeles-based producer James Gibb.
More from DeadlineSXSW Debut Nixed, Rod Lurie-Directed Afghan War Thriller 'The Outpost' Lands Screen Media DealFilms Directed By Frank Oz And Rod Lurie Soldier On After World Premiere Cancellations At SXSWIliza Shlesinger, More Join 'Pieces Of A Woman'; Pooch Hall Cast In 'Cherry'; Halle Berry's 'Bruised' Adds Sheila Atim - Update
The fund will cashflow the government rebate in Serbia, which stands at 25% for qualifying film and TV productions (rising to 30% for qualified Serbian spend on features with...
- 4/24/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Following summer 2019, Australian actor Damon Herriman is always going to be known as Charles Manson. The “Justified” veteran appears as the infamous serial killer in two major works: Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and the second season of Netflix’s David Fincher-produced serial killer drama “Mindhunter.” What was it like playing the same character for two cinematic masters? It’s one of several questions Herriman answers during an interview on Film Comment’s “Back to One” podcast.
Herriman shot his Manson scenes for Tarantino’s “Hollywood” after wrapping production on “Mindhunter.” Both projects feature the serial killer in a limited supporting role but differ greatly because of the time period settings. “Hollywood” takes place in 1969 and features Manson at his prime, while “Mindhunter” Season 2 covers the Atlanta Child Murders in the early 1980s and features an older, imprisoned Manson. Herriman alluded to the fact the...
Herriman shot his Manson scenes for Tarantino’s “Hollywood” after wrapping production on “Mindhunter.” Both projects feature the serial killer in a limited supporting role but differ greatly because of the time period settings. “Hollywood” takes place in 1969 and features Manson at his prime, while “Mindhunter” Season 2 covers the Atlanta Child Murders in the early 1980s and features an older, imprisoned Manson. Herriman alluded to the fact the...
- 7/31/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Peter Morgan (“The Queen”) has long divided his time between playwriting, screenwriting, and television. But having just wrapped the second 10-episode season for Netflix’s “The Crown” (December 8), the executive producer and showrunner is now wholly devoted to a new genre that he calls “cinematic television.”
It’s not a difficult transition. “The Crown” has the scale of a big-budget production (Netflix paid in advance for two seasons, as well as bonuses to buy out all future royalties), as well as serious awards gravitas: The first season scored a Golden Globe win for Claire Foy and now has 13 Emmy nominations, and could win the fierce contest for Best Dramatic Series.
Read More:‘The Crown’: 7 Reasons Why the Netflix Series Should Dominate the Drama Emmys
While Netflix doesn’t confirm budgets, Morgan wants to set the record straight: the show did not cost $100 million per 10-episode season (that’s the level of “Rome,...
It’s not a difficult transition. “The Crown” has the scale of a big-budget production (Netflix paid in advance for two seasons, as well as bonuses to buy out all future royalties), as well as serious awards gravitas: The first season scored a Golden Globe win for Claire Foy and now has 13 Emmy nominations, and could win the fierce contest for Best Dramatic Series.
Read More:‘The Crown’: 7 Reasons Why the Netflix Series Should Dominate the Drama Emmys
While Netflix doesn’t confirm budgets, Morgan wants to set the record straight: the show did not cost $100 million per 10-episode season (that’s the level of “Rome,...
- 8/21/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Peter Morgan (“The Queen”) has long divided his time between playwriting, screenwriting, and television. But having just wrapped the second 10-episode season for Netflix’s “The Crown” (December 8), the executive producer and showrunner is now wholly devoted to a new genre that he calls “cinematic television.”
It’s not a difficult transition. “The Crown” has the scale of a big-budget production (Netflix paid in advance for two seasons, as well as bonuses to buy out all future royalties), as well as serious awards gravitas: The first season scored a Golden Globe win for Claire Foy and now has 13 Emmy nominations, and could win the fierce contest for Best Dramatic Series.
Read More:‘The Crown’: 7 Reasons Why the Netflix Series Should Dominate the Drama Emmys
While Netflix doesn’t confirm budgets, Morgan wants to set the record straight: the show did not cost $100 million per 10-episode season (that’s the level of “Rome,...
It’s not a difficult transition. “The Crown” has the scale of a big-budget production (Netflix paid in advance for two seasons, as well as bonuses to buy out all future royalties), as well as serious awards gravitas: The first season scored a Golden Globe win for Claire Foy and now has 13 Emmy nominations, and could win the fierce contest for Best Dramatic Series.
Read More:‘The Crown’: 7 Reasons Why the Netflix Series Should Dominate the Drama Emmys
While Netflix doesn’t confirm budgets, Morgan wants to set the record straight: the show did not cost $100 million per 10-episode season (that’s the level of “Rome,...
- 8/21/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Alastair Stewart Nov 17, 2016
Netflix's pricy royal family drama The Crown has stand-out performances from John Lithgow and Matt Smith, but lacks story...
Warning: contains spoilers.
The great cliche about the British is that we’re a stoic lot; emotionally reserved and only ever prone to bouts of ‘hayfever’ when Bambi’s mum dies.
Netflix’s £100m production of The Crown tries to buck this trope with a ten-part series dramatising the personal and political events surrounding the first decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign from 1952.
One part Downton Abbey, one part House Of Cards (the original of course), The Crown never quite decides if it wants to commit itself to a political drama or total supposition about the inner workings of the Court of St James's.
Written by Peter Morgan, the identity struggle at the heart of the series is not hard to explain. Morgan made his name as...
Netflix's pricy royal family drama The Crown has stand-out performances from John Lithgow and Matt Smith, but lacks story...
Warning: contains spoilers.
The great cliche about the British is that we’re a stoic lot; emotionally reserved and only ever prone to bouts of ‘hayfever’ when Bambi’s mum dies.
Netflix’s £100m production of The Crown tries to buck this trope with a ten-part series dramatising the personal and political events surrounding the first decade of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign from 1952.
One part Downton Abbey, one part House Of Cards (the original of course), The Crown never quite decides if it wants to commit itself to a political drama or total supposition about the inner workings of the Court of St James's.
Written by Peter Morgan, the identity struggle at the heart of the series is not hard to explain. Morgan made his name as...
- 11/14/2016
- Den of Geek
British director’s latest film, Florence Foster Jenkins, to screen at the festival’s open air theatre.
Stephen Frears, the British director of The Queen and Philomena, is to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug 12-20).
Frears, who was previously the subject of the festival’s tribute programme in 2002, will have his latest film - Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant - screened as part of Sarajevo’s Open Air programme.
Previous recipients of the honorary award have included Angelina Jolie, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mike Leigh and last year Benicio del Toro.
Frears breakthrough as a feature film director came with the low budget hit My Beautiful Laundrette in 1985 and made his Hollywood debut with Dangerous Liaisons in 1989, which received six Oscar nominations.
His first Oscar nomination as best director can in 1991 for The Grifters, produced by Martin Scorsese, while his 1998 western...
Stephen Frears, the British director of The Queen and Philomena, is to receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 22nd Sarajevo Film Festival (Aug 12-20).
Frears, who was previously the subject of the festival’s tribute programme in 2002, will have his latest film - Florence Foster Jenkins starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant - screened as part of Sarajevo’s Open Air programme.
Previous recipients of the honorary award have included Angelina Jolie, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mike Leigh and last year Benicio del Toro.
Frears breakthrough as a feature film director came with the low budget hit My Beautiful Laundrette in 1985 and made his Hollywood debut with Dangerous Liaisons in 1989, which received six Oscar nominations.
His first Oscar nomination as best director can in 1991 for The Grifters, produced by Martin Scorsese, while his 1998 western...
- 7/29/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Philomena producer is to join Steve Coogan’s Baby Cow Productions.
Christine Langan is set to step down as head of BBC Films and replace Henry Normal as CEO of Baby Cow Productions.
A spokesperson for BBC Films told Screen the organisation “could not comment on speculation” but Screen sources have subsequently confirmed the departure, which was first revealed by Screen’s sister publication Broadcast.
Langan’s contract and a timetable for the exit are currently being ironed out but Screen sources have indicated that a late October departure is possible.
Langan, producer of Oscar winners The Queen and Philomena, will work closely with Baby Cow co-founder and actor Steve Coogan to shepherd the company through its next phase of growth.
Baby Cow co-produced Philomena, in which Coogan starred and co-wrote, as well as other Coogan vehicles including Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, 24 Hour Party People and A Cock And Bull Story.
At the company...
Christine Langan is set to step down as head of BBC Films and replace Henry Normal as CEO of Baby Cow Productions.
A spokesperson for BBC Films told Screen the organisation “could not comment on speculation” but Screen sources have subsequently confirmed the departure, which was first revealed by Screen’s sister publication Broadcast.
Langan’s contract and a timetable for the exit are currently being ironed out but Screen sources have indicated that a late October departure is possible.
Langan, producer of Oscar winners The Queen and Philomena, will work closely with Baby Cow co-founder and actor Steve Coogan to shepherd the company through its next phase of growth.
Baby Cow co-produced Philomena, in which Coogan starred and co-wrote, as well as other Coogan vehicles including Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, 24 Hour Party People and A Cock And Bull Story.
At the company...
- 7/19/2016
- ScreenDaily
Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation by Cecil Beaton
This week marks the 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. (Trooping of the Colours)
She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regent in world history.
Looking to celebrate her Majesty’s birthday? First, everyone rise for the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen!
For more on the Queen’s schedule, visit the official site: www.
This week marks the 90th birthday of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in 1926. The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on the 21st of April and her official birthday on the second Saturday in June. (Trooping of the Colours)
She is the world’s oldest reigning monarch as well as Britain’s longest-lived. In 2015, she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, to become the longest-reigning British monarch and the longest-reigning queen regent in world history.
Looking to celebrate her Majesty’s birthday? First, everyone rise for the national anthem of the United Kingdom.
God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us:
God save the Queen!
For more on the Queen’s schedule, visit the official site: www.
- 4/18/2016
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Sheen has delved into the effort he goes to when portraying real-life people in biopics.
Speaking at a BAFTA Cymru event in London last night (March 11), the actor revealed that he struggles to let go of those he plays, such as in BBC Four's Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!.
"I think to immerse yourself in anyone's life, it becomes fascinating as soon as you start to really get into everything," he explained.
"With Kenneth Williams, because he'd written diaries, that became like the rabbit hole that I went down and so anything he wrote in his diaries - or [if] he said, 'I watched this film' or, 'I read this book' or, 'I listened to this music' - I could do and I did."
The actor - who has also played Tony Blair in The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and Brian Clough...
Speaking at a BAFTA Cymru event in London last night (March 11), the actor revealed that he struggles to let go of those he plays, such as in BBC Four's Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa!.
"I think to immerse yourself in anyone's life, it becomes fascinating as soon as you start to really get into everything," he explained.
"With Kenneth Williams, because he'd written diaries, that became like the rabbit hole that I went down and so anything he wrote in his diaries - or [if] he said, 'I watched this film' or, 'I read this book' or, 'I listened to this music' - I could do and I did."
The actor - who has also played Tony Blair in The Deal, The Queen and The Special Relationship, David Frost in Frost/Nixon, and Brian Clough...
- 3/12/2015
- Digital Spy
Head of BBC Films Christine Langan explains why the end of the awards season is a good thing, and how she 'nurtures' winners like The Queen and Philomena
The Oscars inspire various emotions in film producers: suspense, elation, deflation … and relief. Whatever the outcome, award season is finally over. "They are very exciting, but it's got to the point where they take up a big chunk of the year," observes Christine Langan, head of BBC Films. "You're barely through the summer when the pundits are coming up with a programme of what to watch."
Still, she grants, for those outside the major studios, gongs can be a film's best friend. "Working in the independent sector, you're in the lunatic gang anyway, hoping for some magic – a really unusual story or a really knockout performance – so of course awards are important. They can prolong the life of your film, get it noticed,...
The Oscars inspire various emotions in film producers: suspense, elation, deflation … and relief. Whatever the outcome, award season is finally over. "They are very exciting, but it's got to the point where they take up a big chunk of the year," observes Christine Langan, head of BBC Films. "You're barely through the summer when the pundits are coming up with a programme of what to watch."
Still, she grants, for those outside the major studios, gongs can be a film's best friend. "Working in the independent sector, you're in the lunatic gang anyway, hoping for some magic – a really unusual story or a really knockout performance – so of course awards are important. They can prolong the life of your film, get it noticed,...
- 2/28/2014
- by Ben Walters
- The Guardian - Film News
A cry-till-you-laugh-dramedy about seeking lost family and finding new purpose; Judi Dench and Steve Coogan are fantastic. Seriously, though: bring Kleenex. I’m “biast” (pro): love Coogan and Dench
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Oh, this is an angry-making film. This is one small true story within the inhuman real-life horror of the so-called Magdalene laundries run by the Catholic Church in Ireland, which imprisoned and enslaved teenaged girls and young women for the “crimes” of having sex, for being sexually abused or raped, or sometimes even for merely being too pretty. (Asylums for “fallen women” weren’t unique to Ireland, but Ireland turned them into brutal prisons in which women served long terms, and didn’t close the last one until 1996.) There’s little awareness of this other Church abuse scandal...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Oh, this is an angry-making film. This is one small true story within the inhuman real-life horror of the so-called Magdalene laundries run by the Catholic Church in Ireland, which imprisoned and enslaved teenaged girls and young women for the “crimes” of having sex, for being sexually abused or raped, or sometimes even for merely being too pretty. (Asylums for “fallen women” weren’t unique to Ireland, but Ireland turned them into brutal prisons in which women served long terms, and didn’t close the last one until 1996.) There’s little awareness of this other Church abuse scandal...
- 11/20/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Next in line to inherit the throne of Royal films is Diana. The film takes audiences into the private realm of one of the world’s most iconic and inescapably public women – the Princess of Wales, Diana (two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts) — in the last two years of her meteoric life.
On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel (the Oscar-nominated Downfall) explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews, “Lost,” The English Patient), the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light. Diana is in select theaters now.
As long as filmmakers have been bringing the lives of England’s Kings and Queens to the silver screen have moviegoers been going to the cinemas to be schooled in British Monarchy.
So Arise, Sirs and Ladies,...
On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of her sudden death, acclaimed director Oliver Hirschbiegel (the Oscar-nominated Downfall) explores Diana’s final rite of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Khan (Naveen Andrews, “Lost,” The English Patient), the human complications of which reveal the Princess’s climactic days in a compelling new light. Diana is in select theaters now.
As long as filmmakers have been bringing the lives of England’s Kings and Queens to the silver screen have moviegoers been going to the cinemas to be schooled in British Monarchy.
So Arise, Sirs and Ladies,...
- 11/12/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With Ron Howard's true-life drama Rush hitting the big screen this month, all eyes are on Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl to see how they bring legendary Formula 1 rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda to life.
In fact, Rush screenwriter Peter Morgan is a dab hand when it comes to conjuring up memorable movie mano-a-manos - Frost/Nixon had David Frost and Richard Nixon, The Damned United Brian Clough and Don Revie, and The Deal Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
There are, of course, a host of other iconic screen rivalries, because what would movies be without dramatic conflict? A recent LoveFilm poll even pegged Star Wars's battling father-son pair Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as the greatest rivals.
Digital Spy picks out 20 of the greatest big screen rivalries - from Lauda and Hunt to Batman and The Joker - in the gallery above.
Rush opens in UK...
In fact, Rush screenwriter Peter Morgan is a dab hand when it comes to conjuring up memorable movie mano-a-manos - Frost/Nixon had David Frost and Richard Nixon, The Damned United Brian Clough and Don Revie, and The Deal Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
There are, of course, a host of other iconic screen rivalries, because what would movies be without dramatic conflict? A recent LoveFilm poll even pegged Star Wars's battling father-son pair Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker as the greatest rivals.
Digital Spy picks out 20 of the greatest big screen rivalries - from Lauda and Hunt to Batman and The Joker - in the gallery above.
Rush opens in UK...
- 9/7/2013
- Digital Spy
After receiving punch after punch of critical praise for the Oscar (cinema’s version of the water bottle and towel) winning Life of Pi, Ang Lee will turn to the world of boxing for his next cinematic adventure. He, together with producing partner James Schamus (the Mickey to Ang Lee’s Rocky, and CEO of Focus Features) will collaborate on an as-yet-untitled film that aims to bring the glitz and class of 1960s and 70s boxing to the silver screen by giving us the low-down on the era’s biggest characters and fights, including Muhammad Ali and Joe Fraser, whose fight was so popular and anticipated they named it the Thrilla in Manilla. Do you know how many boxing matches get special rhyming nicknames? Not many.
The film will be put out by Universal, and is scripted by Peter Morgan. He wrote the upcoming Ron Howard movie Rush and he also penned The Deal,...
The film will be put out by Universal, and is scripted by Peter Morgan. He wrote the upcoming Ron Howard movie Rush and he also penned The Deal,...
- 8/8/2013
- by Rob Batchelor
- We Got This Covered
Gielgud, London
Well, I didn't believe in it but I was seduced by it. At least for a while. The Audience – the first surefire, unstoppable hit of the year – has been created to disarm all comers. Helen Mirren sparklingly reprises her passive-faced but steely-eyed performance as a Queen who is both stalwart and wistful. Stephen Daldry, the man who once said he would not mind being mayor of London, and who would do a spectacular job, brings to the production the giant flair that he brought to Billy Elliot and An Inspector Calls. Peter Morgan's script nods at those not enamoured of all things monarchical, suggesting that underneath the perm there is something of a lefty brain. Real live corgis are unleashed.
Still, zinging moments are not finally enough to disguise the fact that Morgan's very entertaining play is a skinny thing, a string of sketches dependent on high-grade mimicry.
Well, I didn't believe in it but I was seduced by it. At least for a while. The Audience – the first surefire, unstoppable hit of the year – has been created to disarm all comers. Helen Mirren sparklingly reprises her passive-faced but steely-eyed performance as a Queen who is both stalwart and wistful. Stephen Daldry, the man who once said he would not mind being mayor of London, and who would do a spectacular job, brings to the production the giant flair that he brought to Billy Elliot and An Inspector Calls. Peter Morgan's script nods at those not enamoured of all things monarchical, suggesting that underneath the perm there is something of a lefty brain. Real live corgis are unleashed.
Still, zinging moments are not finally enough to disguise the fact that Morgan's very entertaining play is a skinny thing, a string of sketches dependent on high-grade mimicry.
- 3/10/2013
- by Susannah Clapp
- The Guardian - Film News
Despite film hits such as Billy Elliot and The Reader, theatre is 'home' to Stephen Daldry and now he's back in the West End, directing a regal Helen Mirren. Here he talks about communal living, depicting Hm on stage – and those Olympic ceremonies
It's been a long day at the end of a long week and Stephen Daldry needs a drink. But before that a cigarette. "I'm on a pack-and-a-half a day at the moment," he says, as he ducks out of an airless, windowless rehearsal room that smells, in the opinion of the Observer's photographer, "of actor". He continues: "I blame it entirely on Peter Morgan."
Daldry, the director, and Morgan, the writer, have been stuck in here for weeks working on a new play called The Audience, which opens at the Gielgud on Friday. The premise is enticing: since the second world war, the British sovereign has met...
It's been a long day at the end of a long week and Stephen Daldry needs a drink. But before that a cigarette. "I'm on a pack-and-a-half a day at the moment," he says, as he ducks out of an airless, windowless rehearsal room that smells, in the opinion of the Observer's photographer, "of actor". He continues: "I blame it entirely on Peter Morgan."
Daldry, the director, and Morgan, the writer, have been stuck in here for weeks working on a new play called The Audience, which opens at the Gielgud on Friday. The premise is enticing: since the second world war, the British sovereign has met...
- 2/10/2013
- by Tim Lewis
- The Guardian - Film News
New York — "Brother against brother," says The Governor fiercely. "Winner goes free. Fight to the death."
Is this any way to run a town?
AMC's zombie drama "The Walking Dead" ended the first half of this season with a wrenching faceoff: roughneck brothers Merle and Daryl were pitted in a bloody test of loyalty to The Governor as he rallied his flock – the residents of Woodbury, Ga. – to goad them on.
That was last December.
Things haven't settled down as the hit horror serial returns for another eight episodes Sunday at 9 p.m. Est. The death match continues. The Governor, played by David Morrissey, is increasingly oppressive, even deranged.
"With Woodbury, he has built a sanctuary, a place of safety where humanity can start again," says Morrissey. "But the negative side of power is like a wobbly tooth for him. He just can't stop sticking his tongue in there. There's something gloriously painful about it,...
Is this any way to run a town?
AMC's zombie drama "The Walking Dead" ended the first half of this season with a wrenching faceoff: roughneck brothers Merle and Daryl were pitted in a bloody test of loyalty to The Governor as he rallied his flock – the residents of Woodbury, Ga. – to goad them on.
That was last December.
Things haven't settled down as the hit horror serial returns for another eight episodes Sunday at 9 p.m. Est. The death match continues. The Governor, played by David Morrissey, is increasingly oppressive, even deranged.
"With Woodbury, he has built a sanctuary, a place of safety where humanity can start again," says Morrissey. "But the negative side of power is like a wobbly tooth for him. He just can't stop sticking his tongue in there. There's something gloriously painful about it,...
- 2/7/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
After Gordon Brown and Tony Blair in The Deal, David Frost and Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon and the Queen in, er The Queen, writer Peter Morgan is turning his attention to Hugh Hefner for his latest project, reports the i. Morgan met with the Playboy founder, now 86, who confirmed on Twitter – naturally – that the pair had a good meeting. Let the casting speculation begin.
Hugh HefnerMagazinesiMonkey
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Hugh HefnerMagazinesiMonkey
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 7/19/2012
- by Monkey
- The Guardian - Film News
The Queen screenwriter Peter Morgan is in talks to make a film about Playboy founder Hugh Hefner.
Morgan, who penned a TV drama about Gordon Brown and Tony Blair's complex relationship in The Deal, is also the man behind Frost/Nixon.
He wrote the original play about David Frost's interviews with the disgraced Us president and the eventual film version which starred Michael Sheen as the English journalist and presenter.
Hefner launched his adult magazine, famous for its centre-fold models, in 1953.
The 86-year-old, who is famous for his colourful private life, tweeted: "I had a good meeting today with screen writer Peter Morgan discussing a film about my life."
Morgan's film The Queen won its star Dame Helen Mirren a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of the monarch in 2006 while the movie was nominated for best film.
Stars who posed for Playboy:...
Morgan, who penned a TV drama about Gordon Brown and Tony Blair's complex relationship in The Deal, is also the man behind Frost/Nixon.
He wrote the original play about David Frost's interviews with the disgraced Us president and the eventual film version which starred Michael Sheen as the English journalist and presenter.
Hefner launched his adult magazine, famous for its centre-fold models, in 1953.
The 86-year-old, who is famous for his colourful private life, tweeted: "I had a good meeting today with screen writer Peter Morgan discussing a film about my life."
Morgan's film The Queen won its star Dame Helen Mirren a best actress Oscar for her portrayal of the monarch in 2006 while the movie was nominated for best film.
Stars who posed for Playboy:...
- 7/18/2012
- by PA
- Huffington Post
Versatile Liverpool-born actor David Morrissey has taken roles ranging from prime minister-to-be Gordon Brown in Stephen Frears' "The Deal" to the Duke of Norfolk in "The Other Boleyn Girl" to the object/victim of Sharon Stone's affections in "Basic Instinct 2." But it's policemen for which he seems to have a particular affinity, playing cops good, bad and guilt-ridden in multiple British television series and the "Red Riding" film trilogy. The character of Tom Thorne, whom he plays in a pair of three-part miniseries, "Thorne: Sleepyhead" June 12 and "Thorne: Scaredy Cat" June 13 (both Encore, starting at 9 pm), is something unique, a detective who often seems in danger of getting pulled into his cases. Investigating first a sadistic criminal whose aim is to leave his victims with locked-in syndrome (like Jean-Dominique Bauby, protagonist of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly")...
- 6/12/2012
- by Alison Willmore
- Indiewire
New 'Governor' villain arriving on the scene in this new "Walking Dead" season 3 spoiler. Recently, Collider revealed that the highly anticipated "Governor" villain will be arriving on the scene in the upcoming "Walking Dead" season 3,and he'll be played by British actor David Morrissey. His acting credits include: State of Play, Meadowlands, and The Deal. In the comic books, the Governor runs a settlement in Woodbury with a stern hand and serves as a very dastardly villain. Also, AMC has given Walking Dead season 3 a whopping 16 episodes instead of just 13,so that's very good news. In related news, AMC is going to reveal new season 3 spoiler clips on the weekend of July 7th and 8th, during a season 1 and 2 marathon,so be sure to mark your calenders for that. Season 3 debuts sometime in October.
Walking Dead Season 3 Spoiler: New ‘Governor’ Villain Arriving On The Scene is a post from: ontheflix.
Walking Dead Season 3 Spoiler: New ‘Governor’ Villain Arriving On The Scene is a post from: ontheflix.
- 6/8/2012
- by Derek
- OnTheFlix
The first official photo of David Morrisey as The Governor from season three of AMC's "The Walking Dead" is now online, courtesy of TV Guide . Check it out below! The character made his debut in issue 27 of the original Image comic book series. The Governor is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors. He becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. The Governor will appear in the upcoming third season, set for a 16-episode order from AMC, currently filming in Atlanta. A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including "State of Play," "Meadowlands," "The Deal" and "Blackpool." Along with his work in television, Morrissey is also known for his...
- 6/7/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Last month, it was officially announced that David Morrissey had been cast as The Governor in The Walking Dead Season 3. Fans of Doctor Who and those that watch British television regularly should instantly recognize Morrissey, but for those who are unfamiliar with him, we have a recent video spot where he talks about joining the cast and knowing Andrew Lincoln.
“…David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, ‘The Walking Dead.’ The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in ‘The Walking Dead’ season three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including ‘State of Play,...
“…David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, ‘The Walking Dead.’ The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in ‘The Walking Dead’ season three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including ‘State of Play,...
- 3/31/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
If you thought that the Walkers were evil, think again. AMC will be bringing The Governor to life in Season 3 of The Walking Dead. THR reports that David Morrissey has been cast to play the role in the show based on Robert Kirkman's comics. In the comics "Rick and his group encounter the character when they encounter a new settlement of survivors in Woodbury. While Rick is a kind and fair leader, the Governor is anything but."
Here is a description of the character for those of you not familiar:
The casting of the legendary character -- also known as Phillip -- is a long awaited one for fans of the comics, which will release its 94th issue next week. The character's sadistic methods of leadership are counter-balanced with a personal struggle involving his daughter.
There was speculation that Daryl's (Norman Reedus) missing brother, Merle (Michael Rooker), would become the character.
Here is a description of the character for those of you not familiar:
The casting of the legendary character -- also known as Phillip -- is a long awaited one for fans of the comics, which will release its 94th issue next week. The character's sadistic methods of leadership are counter-balanced with a personal struggle involving his daughter.
There was speculation that Daryl's (Norman Reedus) missing brother, Merle (Michael Rooker), would become the character.
- 2/25/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
The executive producers of AMC’s The Walking Dead have always been a bit cagey about if and when they would be including the comic series character known as “The Governor.” Today, however, AMC announced that The Governor will be a part of season 3, and the person to play him will be brilliant British actor David Morrissey, best known to Doctor Who fans as the guest star of the Christmas special “The Next Doctor.” Here are the details:
AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, “The Walking Dead.” The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman‘s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in “The Walking Dead” season three, a 16-episode order from AMC,...
AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, “The Walking Dead.” The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman‘s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in “The Walking Dead” season three, a 16-episode order from AMC,...
- 2/25/2012
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
At long last and after months of rumors and speculation, the iconic character known as ‘The Governor’ has been cast. Since AMC first began an adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s zombie series The Walking Dead in 2010, fans have been anxious to see not only when the character will appear but who will be portraying the vicious leader who rules a group of civilians with an iron fist (and later an eye patch). AMC has now announced that David Morrissey will play the upcoming villain in Season 3 of the hit show.
I come from the standpoint of being a reader of the comics and a fan of the show. Without giving away much about the character, I will say that ‘The Governor’ is an interesting character for a lot of reasons. Yes, he’s cruel, violent, dangerous, and badass – all of the attributes of a great villain. However he also represents...
I come from the standpoint of being a reader of the comics and a fan of the show. Without giving away much about the character, I will say that ‘The Governor’ is an interesting character for a lot of reasons. Yes, he’s cruel, violent, dangerous, and badass – all of the attributes of a great villain. However he also represents...
- 2/25/2012
- by Michael Haffner
- Destroy the Brain
One of my fave Brit actors, David Morrissey, is joining the cast of AMC's "The Walking Dead." In Season Three, he will take the role of The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel, who leads the settlement of Woodbury and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. The 16-episode Season Three order from AMC begins production this spring in Atlanta. The star of "State of Play," "The Deal," and "Blackpool" recently wrapped "Welcome to the Punch" opposite James McAvoy and Mark Strong. Check out Toh's reviews of "The Walking Dead" Season Two, which run right after the show airs each Sunday at 9pm on AMC.
- 2/24/2012
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Finally, the press release we've been waiting months for has arrived: An actor has been chosen to play "The Governor" in AMC's "The Walking Dead", and while it's not someone instantly to familiar to us, considering how well casting for the show has gone thus far, we have faith he will fit the part just fine.
From the Press Release:
AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the network's critically acclaimed hit series "The Walking Dead." The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in "The Walking Dead" Season Three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed...
From the Press Release:
AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the network's critically acclaimed hit series "The Walking Dead." The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman's graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in "The Walking Dead" Season Three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed...
- 2/24/2012
- by The Woman In Black
- DreadCentral.com
AMC has announced that British actor David Morrissey is to play the role of the The Governor in the third season of The Walking Dead. Morrissey is best known for his starring role in the original U.K. TV version of State of Play. His many other credits include the Red Riding trilogy, Centurion, Doctor Who, and The Deal, in which he played future British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The Governor is the most famous villain to have appeared in the Walking Dead comic and fans have long speculated who might play the role. Rumored possible candidates included Eastbound & Down...
The Governor is the most famous villain to have appeared in the Walking Dead comic and fans have long speculated who might play the role. Rumored possible candidates included Eastbound & Down...
- 2/24/2012
- by Clark Collis
- EW - Inside TV
After plenty of casting rumors and speculation, we now know who’s playing The Governor on The Walking Dead TV series.
“AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, “The Walking Dead.” The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in “The Walking Dead” season three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including “State of Play,” “Meadowlands,” “The Deal” and “Blackpool.” Along with his celebrated work in television, Morrissey is also known for his leading roles in feature films such as The Reaping, The Other Boleyn Girl, Centurion, The Water Horse,...
“AMC announced today that David Morrissey has been cast in the role of The Governor in the networks’ critically acclaimed hit series, “The Walking Dead.” The Governor, a character from Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel, is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors, and becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group.
The Governor will appear in “The Walking Dead” season three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta.
A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including “State of Play,” “Meadowlands,” “The Deal” and “Blackpool.” Along with his celebrated work in television, Morrissey is also known for his leading roles in feature films such as The Reaping, The Other Boleyn Girl, Centurion, The Water Horse,...
- 2/24/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
David Morrisey has landed a key role in the upcoming third season of AMC's "The Walking Dead", AMC has announced. He'll play The Governor, a character who made his debut in issue 27 of the original Image comic book series. His real name Brian Blake, The Governor is the leader of Woodbury, a small settlement of survivors. He becomes the chief antagonist for Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his group. The Governor will appear in "The Walking Dead" season three, a 16-episode order from AMC, which begins production this spring in Atlanta. A BAFTA Award nominee, Morrissey has appeared in many acclaimed British series including "State of Play," "Meadowlands," "The Deal" and "Blackpool." Along with his work in television,...
- 2/24/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Famous for playing Tony Blair in three different films, as well as David Frost and Brian Clough, he is about to play Hamlet at the Young Vic. Yet the Welsh actor still remains practically anonymous
It is a source of unending amazement to me that so many celebrities regard an interview as an opportunity to boast about their brilliance, in the belief that this will convince readers they are brilliant. This is not a mistake Michael Sheen is in any danger of making.
The scruffy figure draws no stares or sideways glances when he arrives in the bar of the Young Vic theatre in central London. He looks smiley and unguarded, and so unlike a star that, for a split second, I panic that maybe I have greeted the wrong man. Sheen is famous for playing Tony Blair in three separate films, as well as David Frost in Frost/Nixon,...
It is a source of unending amazement to me that so many celebrities regard an interview as an opportunity to boast about their brilliance, in the belief that this will convince readers they are brilliant. This is not a mistake Michael Sheen is in any danger of making.
The scruffy figure draws no stares or sideways glances when he arrives in the bar of the Young Vic theatre in central London. He looks smiley and unguarded, and so unlike a star that, for a split second, I panic that maybe I have greeted the wrong man. Sheen is famous for playing Tony Blair in three separate films, as well as David Frost in Frost/Nixon,...
- 10/24/2011
- by Decca Aitkenhead
- The Guardian - Film News
Peter Morgan has an impressive CV as a writer. The Deal, The Queen, Frost/Nixon, Hereafter, The Other Boleyn Girl, Longford, The Last King of Scotland, very strong work all round.
It turns out he put in some of the ground work on the next Bond film, having worked on a treatment which, due to the shenanigans at MGM, has ended up being taken on and developed by John Logan, among others. In his own words:-
“I wrote a treatment for it and I believe, I haven’t read the final script, but I believe the core idea of the final script is that. But what then happened was the whole MGM bankruptcy thing happened. And by [the time it was sorted], I was completely snowed under with other stuff, and Sam had a good relationship with John Logan, and I said ‘Look, I can’t do anything with it.’ It’s sad, but what can you do?...
It turns out he put in some of the ground work on the next Bond film, having worked on a treatment which, due to the shenanigans at MGM, has ended up being taken on and developed by John Logan, among others. In his own words:-
“I wrote a treatment for it and I believe, I haven’t read the final script, but I believe the core idea of the final script is that. But what then happened was the whole MGM bankruptcy thing happened. And by [the time it was sorted], I was completely snowed under with other stuff, and Sam had a good relationship with John Logan, and I said ‘Look, I can’t do anything with it.’ It’s sad, but what can you do?...
- 10/15/2011
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Meryl Streep's Thatcher film – like so much new cinema – reduces politics to a personal journey. Plus: top 10 political films
'One simply has to maximise your appeal, bring out all your qualities." So Margaret Thatcher, circa 1978, is advised in the teaser, released last week, for the forthcoming film The Iron Lady. Maximising a politician's appeal and bringing out all their qualities aren't always complementary enterprises – the fuller the characterisation, the less appealing they might become – but both reflect the resolute focus on the individual that has become de rigueur in political culture. But has such individualism also taken hold of political cinema? Built around a performance by Meryl Streep, giving what looks to be a very plausible, fingernails-down-a-blackboard turn, The Iron Lady may turn out to be hagiography, hatchet job or, more likely, something in-between. But in putting an iconic figure centre-stage and making their personal struggle its focus, the...
'One simply has to maximise your appeal, bring out all your qualities." So Margaret Thatcher, circa 1978, is advised in the teaser, released last week, for the forthcoming film The Iron Lady. Maximising a politician's appeal and bringing out all their qualities aren't always complementary enterprises – the fuller the characterisation, the less appealing they might become – but both reflect the resolute focus on the individual that has become de rigueur in political culture. But has such individualism also taken hold of political cinema? Built around a performance by Meryl Streep, giving what looks to be a very plausible, fingernails-down-a-blackboard turn, The Iron Lady may turn out to be hagiography, hatchet job or, more likely, something in-between. But in putting an iconic figure centre-stage and making their personal struggle its focus, the...
- 7/11/2011
- by Ben Walters
- The Guardian - Film News
Updated through 5/19.
Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which opened the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, already has its own entry, of course (and it's still being updated, too), but it's here that I'll collect all that's notably linkable related to the films in the Official Selection yet screening Out of Competition (excluding Special Screenings, which'll have their own upcoming roundup). We already have plenty on Jodie Foster's The Beaver here; and I'm sure Christophe Honoré's Beloved will warrant an entry of its own when it closes the Festival on May 22.
"Bursting with light and color, and a torrent of martial arts action both swift and savage (arguably the best that lead actor Donnie Yen has choreographed for years), Wu Xia is coherently developed and stylishly directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan to provide unashamedly pleasurable popular entertainment," writes Maggie Lee in the Hollywood Reporter, where Karen Chu interviews Chan.
Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, which opened the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, already has its own entry, of course (and it's still being updated, too), but it's here that I'll collect all that's notably linkable related to the films in the Official Selection yet screening Out of Competition (excluding Special Screenings, which'll have their own upcoming roundup). We already have plenty on Jodie Foster's The Beaver here; and I'm sure Christophe Honoré's Beloved will warrant an entry of its own when it closes the Festival on May 22.
"Bursting with light and color, and a torrent of martial arts action both swift and savage (arguably the best that lead actor Donnie Yen has choreographed for years), Wu Xia is coherently developed and stylishly directed by Peter Ho-Sun Chan to provide unashamedly pleasurable popular entertainment," writes Maggie Lee in the Hollywood Reporter, where Karen Chu interviews Chan.
- 5/19/2011
- MUBI
Justin Chadwick, the director of The Other Boleyn Girl, has only worked in television before and, sadly, you can tell. The movie has things that work better than others, but ultimately it falls down because it cannot find a cinematic way of telling its story. By ‘cinematic’ here I do not mean visual, as actually the movie is rather nicely shot, albeit on digital. But it needed to find a way to sustain its drama on an emotional level for two hours and it doesn’t figure it out; it’s too episodic, skimming through the historical facts it is (loosely) based on without finding a dramatic thread to hold it together.
Four years after it’s theatrical release, The Other Boleyn Girl was released on Blu-ray this week.
This may, for all I know, be a problem with Philippa Gregory’s popular novel on which it is based, which I have not read.
Four years after it’s theatrical release, The Other Boleyn Girl was released on Blu-ray this week.
This may, for all I know, be a problem with Philippa Gregory’s popular novel on which it is based, which I have not read.
- 3/24/2011
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
This week on DVD and Blu-ray Stephen Frears turns in one of his sexy romps, a crop of the some of the finest working actresses band together and an Italian classic comes back to life. This Week's Top Pick: The Frothy, Biting "Tamara Drewe" The Deal: Based on the popular graphic novel of the same name by Posy Simmonds, "Tamara Drewe" finds veteran British director Stephen Frears' ("The Queen," "Dangerous ...
- 2/8/2011
- Indiewire
From Oscar favourite The King's Speech to ex-Booker winner Wolf Hall, art that retells events is now the mainstay of films and books. But the concentration on reality stops writers using the imagination for storytelling
Throughout their history, movies have been talked about in terms of dreaming: studios are "dream factories"; Hollywood is "the land of dreams". But scanning the list of contenders for this year's Oscars, such descriptions feels misplaced. The most striking thing about the leading films of the last 12 months is how many draw their inspiration from fact.
The leading Oscar contenders, The King's Speech and The Social Network, both offer fictionalised portraits of familiar but enigmatic public figures – a monarch and a monumentally successful entrepreneur. But it's also true of other hotly tipped releases such as The Fighter (about boxer Micky Ward) and 127 Hours (about rock climber Aron Ralston), as well as films still to hit...
Throughout their history, movies have been talked about in terms of dreaming: studios are "dream factories"; Hollywood is "the land of dreams". But scanning the list of contenders for this year's Oscars, such descriptions feels misplaced. The most striking thing about the leading films of the last 12 months is how many draw their inspiration from fact.
The leading Oscar contenders, The King's Speech and The Social Network, both offer fictionalised portraits of familiar but enigmatic public figures – a monarch and a monumentally successful entrepreneur. But it's also true of other hotly tipped releases such as The Fighter (about boxer Micky Ward) and 127 Hours (about rock climber Aron Ralston), as well as films still to hit...
- 1/24/2011
- by William Skidelsky
- The Guardian - Film News
Welcome to Back Stage's exclusive guide to this year's Screen Actors Guild Award nominees in television. Here, you will find a write-up of every nominee for SAG Awards in 2011. Be sure to look for continued coverage of the awards race at our awards blog, "Behind the Scenes." The 17th annual SAG Awards will be broadcast live Sunday, January 30, on TNT Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Television Movie Or Miniseriesjohn Goodman"You Don't Know Jack""You Don't Know Jack" begins with Dr. Jack Kevorkian's fellow physician and longtime friend Neil Nicol moving into Kevorkian's garage after having been thrown out by his wife. In a very short appearance, Mrs. Nicol drives up, throws a garbage bag of forgotten personal effects at her husband, aggressively tells him off about it, and leaves after saying "Hello, Jack." It's all an attempt to make what is basically the leading...
- 1/13/2011
- backstage.com
DVD Playhouse December 2010
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
By
Allen Gardner
America Lost And Found: The Bbs Story (Criterion) Perhaps the best DVD box set released this year, this ultimate cinefile stocking stuffer offered up by Criterion, the Rolls-Royce of home video labels, features seven seminal works from the late ‘60s-early ‘70s that were brought to life by cutting edge producers Bert Schneider, Steve Blauner and director/producer Bob Rafelson, the principals of Bbs Productions. In chronological order: Head (1968) star the Monkees, the manufactured (by Rafelson, et al), American answer to the Beatles who, like it or not, did make an impact on popular culture, particularly in this utterly surreal piece of cinematic anarchy (co-written by Jack Nicholson, who has a cameo), which was largely dismissed upon its initial release, but is now regarded as a counterculture classic. Easy Rider (1969) is arguably regarded as the seminal ‘60s picture, about two hippie drug dealers (director Dennis Hopper...
- 12/20/2010
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
Mark Kermode, the Observer's DVD critic, picks the releases that deserved greater attention, from Restrepo to the re-released Peeping Tom
Two intriguing titles slipped under this column's radar because their DVD releases coincided with their terrestrial TV premieres. Arguably the finest documentary of the year, Restrepo (2010, Dogwoof, E) provides an intimate account of life on the front-line in Afghanistan, where the battle for "hearts and minds" clashes with the harsh reality of chaotic violence, military and insurgent. Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger embed themselves among Us soldiers stationed in the Korangal valley in 2008 and watch them endure boredom, terror, adrenaline rushes, loss, confusion and exhilaration in roughly equal measure. Over a year, the film-makers earned the trust of their astonishingly youthful subjects, whose responses to their life-and-death situations are as honest as they are humbling. Intercutting raw outpost footage with more melancholic post-battle interviews that reveal still unhealed wounds, Restrepo...
Two intriguing titles slipped under this column's radar because their DVD releases coincided with their terrestrial TV premieres. Arguably the finest documentary of the year, Restrepo (2010, Dogwoof, E) provides an intimate account of life on the front-line in Afghanistan, where the battle for "hearts and minds" clashes with the harsh reality of chaotic violence, military and insurgent. Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger embed themselves among Us soldiers stationed in the Korangal valley in 2008 and watch them endure boredom, terror, adrenaline rushes, loss, confusion and exhilaration in roughly equal measure. Over a year, the film-makers earned the trust of their astonishingly youthful subjects, whose responses to their life-and-death situations are as honest as they are humbling. Intercutting raw outpost footage with more melancholic post-battle interviews that reveal still unhealed wounds, Restrepo...
- 12/19/2010
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Peter Morgan owes his writing career to an attack of stage fright. He was appearing in a University of Leeds production of "Love's Labour's Lost" when he suddenly realized he couldn't go on and give his speech as the king. "I sat backstage and said, 'I never want to do this again,'" Morgan recalls. Instead he turned to writing; his first play was called "Gross." "It's 'Gross' not in terms of amounts of money, but as in 'Ew,' " he clarifies. It won him an award and an agent—"a friend of a friend of a friend who came to see it," he says—and he's been a writer ever since.But not just any writer. Morgan is known as an actor's writer, penning scripts that have won performers all kinds of awards, sometimes more than one in a year, as in 2006, when Helen Mirren (for "The Queen") and...
- 10/27/2010
- backstage.com
There may be no screenwriter living who is more of an expert on British politics over the past 15 years than Peter Morgan. The two-time Oscar-nominated writer is best known for his Tony Blair trilogy of "The Deal," "The Queen" and "The Special Relationship," but he's also told the true stories that make up "Frost/Nixon," "The Damned United," "The Last King of Scotland," "Longford" and, to a lesser extent, "The Other Boleyn Girl." Now, Morgan is in the middle of the biggest departures of his career. First to screen is this month's Clint Eastwood directed supernatural drama "Hereafter" and, at the...
- 10/11/2010
- Hitfix
I first saw Michael Sheen on screen playing Tony Blair in the first of Peter Morgan’s Blairology, The Deal, opposite David Morrisey’s morose Gordon Brown and loved the sparky mouse-like chirp he used to embody the then Prime Minister of Britain, and I was hooked.
After making The Deal and stopping on the way to see The Queen with Sheen’s pitch perfect Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa, the man who would be Blair has honed his uncanny ability to take the larger than life personalities and make them more than caricatures. With his return to the screen as Blair in The Special Relationship appearing on DVD today have Morgan and Sheen more to discover about the man?
What makes Morgan’s films about Tony Blair special is the moment when the 24 hour news cycle was pushed out and the conversations continued, and in these dramas we are given...
After making The Deal and stopping on the way to see The Queen with Sheen’s pitch perfect Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa, the man who would be Blair has honed his uncanny ability to take the larger than life personalities and make them more than caricatures. With his return to the screen as Blair in The Special Relationship appearing on DVD today have Morgan and Sheen more to discover about the man?
What makes Morgan’s films about Tony Blair special is the moment when the 24 hour news cycle was pushed out and the conversations continued, and in these dramas we are given...
- 9/20/2010
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Michael Sheen and writer Peter Morgan re-unite for their third instalment of drama from the Blair years. But will The Special Relationship live up to the expectations raised by its predecessors The Queen and The Deal? Michael Sheen is something of a chameleon, possessing the uncanny ability to pick apart the mannerisms and inner workings of well-known public faces, absorb them, and then perfectly re-create those individuals on screen.
- 9/17/2010
- Sky TV
Baron Cohen has the ethnic elasticity to make this Freddie Mercury biopic work. And if you needed a further good omen, it's roped in the screenwriter of The Queen
E-lo-ley-ley. You suspect that the decision to make a film about the lead-up to Queen's career-defining set at Live Aid in 1985 came down solely to Sacha Baron Cohen's more-than-passing similarity to Freddie Mercury.
It's probably reason enough. Sure, Baron Cohen is from London and Jewish, but such is his racial elasticity that he's convinced everyone not in on the joke that he's everything from a mankini-flaunting Kazakh to a precious French racing driver to a black man from Staines. You figure that a rock'n'roll Parsi from Zanzibar won't be beyond him.
The as-yet-untitled project is to be written by Peter Morgan, whose biographical work – from Frost/Nixon to The Damned United and The Deal – tends to focus on brief,...
E-lo-ley-ley. You suspect that the decision to make a film about the lead-up to Queen's career-defining set at Live Aid in 1985 came down solely to Sacha Baron Cohen's more-than-passing similarity to Freddie Mercury.
It's probably reason enough. Sure, Baron Cohen is from London and Jewish, but such is his racial elasticity that he's convinced everyone not in on the joke that he's everything from a mankini-flaunting Kazakh to a precious French racing driver to a black man from Staines. You figure that a rock'n'roll Parsi from Zanzibar won't be beyond him.
The as-yet-untitled project is to be written by Peter Morgan, whose biographical work – from Frost/Nixon to The Damned United and The Deal – tends to focus on brief,...
- 9/17/2010
- by Will Dean
- The Guardian - Film News
Michael Sheen has suggested that he has become better at playing Tony Blair. The actor played the ex-prime minister in the 2003 TV-movie The Deal and 2006's theatrical follow-up The Queen. He reprises the role in The Special Relationship, which airs this Saturday at 9.30pm on BBC Two. Sheen told Metro: "I look back at The Deal and I want to cringe. It just feels so mannered. I want to go 'calm down dear', in the style of Michael Winner. "Since then I've met him and just being in the same room, seeing the way he moves, shifted things for me. I've got better because I'm not trying so hard." (more)...
- 9/16/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Writer says he feels the need to follow up The Special Relationship as he and Michael Sheen 'haven't nailed Blair yet'
The award-winning writer Peter Morgan has revealed he wants to make a fourth and final film about Tony Blair, admitting that he feels he still hasn't "nailed him".
Morgan, speaking at a preview of his third Blair drama, The Special Relationship, said he felt the need to write one more screenplay about how Blair fell from his peak of popularity before the 2003 Iraq war.
"We're just beginning to create the monster," he said on Wednesday evening after a British Film Institute screening of the The Special Relationship, the third in his trilogy about the former prime minister, following The Deal and the Oscar-nominated The Queen. "I keep feeling that we've left without the story being complete. There's still a way to go – we still haven't nailed him."
The Special Relationship,...
The award-winning writer Peter Morgan has revealed he wants to make a fourth and final film about Tony Blair, admitting that he feels he still hasn't "nailed him".
Morgan, speaking at a preview of his third Blair drama, The Special Relationship, said he felt the need to write one more screenplay about how Blair fell from his peak of popularity before the 2003 Iraq war.
"We're just beginning to create the monster," he said on Wednesday evening after a British Film Institute screening of the The Special Relationship, the third in his trilogy about the former prime minister, following The Deal and the Oscar-nominated The Queen. "I keep feeling that we've left without the story being complete. There's still a way to go – we still haven't nailed him."
The Special Relationship,...
- 9/10/2010
- by Ian Wylie
- The Guardian - Film News
Stephen Frears is an amused connoisseur. I can't dispute his estimate that the less money he's had at risk on a venture, the better it ends up
Inasmuch as he will be 70 next year, and is a national treasure, I suspect some honours list will notice Stephen Frears soon. Of course, it is possible in his humble, muttering self-effacement that he wouldn't hear of such a distinction (I think there's a republican in there). On the other hand, he did make The Queen (with writer Peter Morgan and pretender Helen Mirren), the most sophisticated public relations boost Hrh has had in 20 years, and all the more affectionate because it was wry and a bit of a tease.
By now, it is taken for granted that Frears – whom I count as a friend – gets away with nearly anything he cares to try, and as he grows older, he is less conventional and obvious.
Inasmuch as he will be 70 next year, and is a national treasure, I suspect some honours list will notice Stephen Frears soon. Of course, it is possible in his humble, muttering self-effacement that he wouldn't hear of such a distinction (I think there's a republican in there). On the other hand, he did make The Queen (with writer Peter Morgan and pretender Helen Mirren), the most sophisticated public relations boost Hrh has had in 20 years, and all the more affectionate because it was wry and a bit of a tease.
By now, it is taken for granted that Frears – whom I count as a friend – gets away with nearly anything he cares to try, and as he grows older, he is less conventional and obvious.
- 9/2/2010
- by David Thomson
- The Guardian - Film News
From My Beautiful Laundrette to The Queen and his latest, the much-praised Tamara Drewe, the director boasts a reputation for impatience as well as one of the most diverse outputs of any British film-maker. Famously interview-shy, he talks here of his dislike of agents, the glory days of the BBC, and why he is no auteur
Not liking to be interviewed probably starts with the reluctance to submit yourself to an alien, unpredictable critical gaze, but in Stephen Frears's case it has flowered into a bizarre art form. He'll answer questions in fits and starts, gnomically, in obscure one-liners or by means of silences punctuated by cigarette puffs or plaintive grunts. Always courteous and welcoming, he would just rather you didn't ask questions. "Have you got enough?" he asks at the end of a session, in the full knowledge that you haven't. So you arrange to meet him again...
Not liking to be interviewed probably starts with the reluctance to submit yourself to an alien, unpredictable critical gaze, but in Stephen Frears's case it has flowered into a bizarre art form. He'll answer questions in fits and starts, gnomically, in obscure one-liners or by means of silences punctuated by cigarette puffs or plaintive grunts. Always courteous and welcoming, he would just rather you didn't ask questions. "Have you got enough?" he asks at the end of a session, in the full knowledge that you haven't. So you arrange to meet him again...
- 8/14/2010
- by Nick Fraser
- The Guardian - Film News
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