Vachik Mangassarian, a character actor with dozens of credits including Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Curb Your Enthusiasm and feature The Stoning of Soraya M., has died. He was 78.
His reps at McCaffrey Talent Management told Deadline that he died Saturday of Covid complications.
Born in Iran of Armenian descent in 1943, Mangassarian came to the U.S. in the mid-1960s, working in theater and occasionally returning to Iran, where he had roles in films including some by Iranian director Samuel Khachikian. He eventually landed his first Hollywood role in The South’s Shark (1978).
By the mid-’80s, he began scoring guest shots on such popular series as The Fall Guy, The A-Team, Sledge Hammer! and Murder, She Wrote. Mangassarian would work steadily through the 2010s, guesting on shows including Murphy Brown, Falcon Crest, Jake and the Fatman, NYPD Blue and Jag, along with some telefilms.
Mangassarian landed a key...
His reps at McCaffrey Talent Management told Deadline that he died Saturday of Covid complications.
Born in Iran of Armenian descent in 1943, Mangassarian came to the U.S. in the mid-1960s, working in theater and occasionally returning to Iran, where he had roles in films including some by Iranian director Samuel Khachikian. He eventually landed his first Hollywood role in The South’s Shark (1978).
By the mid-’80s, he began scoring guest shots on such popular series as The Fall Guy, The A-Team, Sledge Hammer! and Murder, She Wrote. Mangassarian would work steadily through the 2010s, guesting on shows including Murphy Brown, Falcon Crest, Jake and the Fatman, NYPD Blue and Jag, along with some telefilms.
Mangassarian landed a key...
- 1/25/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
This summer, visionary filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan unveils a chilling, mysterious new thriller about a family on a tropical holiday who discover that the secluded beach where they are relaxing for a few hours is somehow causing them to age rapidly … reducing their entire lives into a single day.
The film stars an impressive international cast including Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle series), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle series), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit), Abbey Lee (Lovecraft Country series), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Jupiter Ascending), Ken Leung (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Aaron Pierre (Krypton series), Embeth Davidtz (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Emun Elliott (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Gustaf Hammarsten (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Alexa Swinton (Billions series), Kathleen Chalfant (The Affair series), Francesca Eastwood (Heroes Reborn series...
The film stars an impressive international cast including Gael García Bernal (Mozart in the Jungle series), Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread), Rufus Sewell (The Man in the High Castle series), Alex Wolff (Hereditary), Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit), Abbey Lee (Lovecraft Country series), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Jupiter Ascending), Ken Leung (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Eliza Scanlen (Little Women), Aaron Pierre (Krypton series), Embeth Davidtz (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Emun Elliott (Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens), Gustaf Hammarsten (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Alexa Swinton (Billions series), Kathleen Chalfant (The Affair series), Francesca Eastwood (Heroes Reborn series...
- 7/12/2021
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Actor, producer and director Norman Lloyd, best known for his title role in Hitchcock’s “Saboteur” and as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on NBC’s “St. Elsewhere” and famously associated with Orson Welles’ Mercury Theater, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 106.
His friend, producer Dean Hargrove, confirmed his death and said “His third act was really the best time of his life,” referring to the many historical Hollywood retrospectives and events Lloyd had participated in over the past few decades. Lloyd often said his secret to his long and mostly illness-free life was “avoiding disagreeable people,” Hargrove recounted.
Lloyd was hand-picked by Alfred Hitchcock to play the title character and villain in 1942’s “Saboteur,” and it was his character who tumbled to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in the pic’s iconic conclusion.
But the hard-working multihyphenate gained his highest profile only...
His friend, producer Dean Hargrove, confirmed his death and said “His third act was really the best time of his life,” referring to the many historical Hollywood retrospectives and events Lloyd had participated in over the past few decades. Lloyd often said his secret to his long and mostly illness-free life was “avoiding disagreeable people,” Hargrove recounted.
Lloyd was hand-picked by Alfred Hitchcock to play the title character and villain in 1942’s “Saboteur,” and it was his character who tumbled to his death from the top of the Statue of Liberty in the pic’s iconic conclusion.
But the hard-working multihyphenate gained his highest profile only...
- 5/11/2021
- by Laura Haefner
- Variety Film + TV
No one knew quite what was in store for them when they tuned in for Servant’s first season, save for the fact that an eerie baby was involved. But the line, “From M. Night Shyamalan” was certainly a selling point, and the supernatural thriller was one of Apple TV+’s success stories in its inaugural month, a…...
- 1/13/2021
- by Cameron Scheetz on TV Club, shared by Cameron Scheetz to The A.V. Club
- avclub.com
Jonathan Ross has become the film critic for British Airways' in-flight magazine High Life.
The TV presenter and former host of the BBC Film programme has given his 10 top movie picks for the year ahead to mark the appointment.
Ross said: "I love flying and I love watching movies, so I look forward to a good long-haul journey more than most!
"Nothing beats spending a day on British Airways catching up on the latest films – and hopefully I can help steer my fellow film fans in the right direction the next time they fly too."
Editor of British Airways' High Life Kerry Smith added: "We're very excited that Jonathan Ross is joining the High Life team and our roster of fantastic contributors that includes John Simpson, Tracey Emin and Philip Pullman.
"Being both well-travelled and a film aficionado, he intuitively knows the best films to pick out for the millions...
The TV presenter and former host of the BBC Film programme has given his 10 top movie picks for the year ahead to mark the appointment.
Ross said: "I love flying and I love watching movies, so I look forward to a good long-haul journey more than most!
"Nothing beats spending a day on British Airways catching up on the latest films – and hopefully I can help steer my fellow film fans in the right direction the next time they fly too."
Editor of British Airways' High Life Kerry Smith added: "We're very excited that Jonathan Ross is joining the High Life team and our roster of fantastic contributors that includes John Simpson, Tracey Emin and Philip Pullman.
"Being both well-travelled and a film aficionado, he intuitively knows the best films to pick out for the millions...
- 12/22/2014
- Digital Spy
Ryan Corr, Craig Stott, Anthony Lapaglia, Guy Pearce and Kerry Fox head the cast in Holding the Man, Neil Armfield.s love story/drama based on Tommy Murphy.s acclaimed stage play.
Corr and Stott will portray Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, who met and fell in love while teenagers at their all-boys high school.
John was captain of the football team, Tim an aspiring actor playing a minor part in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years despite separations, discrimination, temptations, jealousies and losses. It ended with both men's deaths from AIDS-related complications.
Shooting starts in Melbourne next week, produced by Goalpost Pictures. Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires). Murphy adapted Tim.s book for the screen.
Lapaglia and Camilla Ah Kin are cast as John.s parents Bob and Lois and Guy Pearce and Kerry Fox are Tim.s parents Dick and Mary-Gert.
Corr recently worked in Russell Crowe...
Corr and Stott will portray Timothy Conigrave and John Caleo, who met and fell in love while teenagers at their all-boys high school.
John was captain of the football team, Tim an aspiring actor playing a minor part in Romeo and Juliet. Their romance endured for 15 years despite separations, discrimination, temptations, jealousies and losses. It ended with both men's deaths from AIDS-related complications.
Shooting starts in Melbourne next week, produced by Goalpost Pictures. Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires). Murphy adapted Tim.s book for the screen.
Lapaglia and Camilla Ah Kin are cast as John.s parents Bob and Lois and Guy Pearce and Kerry Fox are Tim.s parents Dick and Mary-Gert.
Corr recently worked in Russell Crowe...
- 9/4/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Elizabeth Debicki will play a doctor who is linked to the cases of two girls who mysteriously disappear in the wilds of Tasmania 15 years apart and fights to clear her name in The Kettering Incident.
Matt Le Nevez has been cast as a detective who becomes a manipulative and dangerous antagonist to her character. in the eight hour series which starts shooting in Tasmania next month.
Foxtel commissioned the drama, the first collaboration between writer/producer Vicki Madden.s Sweet Potato Films and Porchlight Films.
The directors are Rowan Woods and Tony Krawitz, with scripts by Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox. Andy Walker is the series producer.
Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania are investors in the $15 million production and BBC Worldwide has international sales rights.
Madden.s writing credits include Lynda La Plante's Trial and Retribution, The Bill, Blood Brothers, Sea Patrol, Water Rats, McLeod.s Daughters and The Flying Doctors.
Matt Le Nevez has been cast as a detective who becomes a manipulative and dangerous antagonist to her character. in the eight hour series which starts shooting in Tasmania next month.
Foxtel commissioned the drama, the first collaboration between writer/producer Vicki Madden.s Sweet Potato Films and Porchlight Films.
The directors are Rowan Woods and Tony Krawitz, with scripts by Madden, Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland and Louise Fox. Andy Walker is the series producer.
Screen Australia and Screen Tasmania are investors in the $15 million production and BBC Worldwide has international sales rights.
Madden.s writing credits include Lynda La Plante's Trial and Retribution, The Bill, Blood Brothers, Sea Patrol, Water Rats, McLeod.s Daughters and The Flying Doctors.
- 7/27/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A Royal Christening! Prince George has been christened at St James’s Palace today surrounded by close friends and family, and we got our second peak of the adorable 3-month old since his birth. Adorable is definitely the word. We know he’s a Prince and all but he’s still probably the cutest baby ever. The ceremony marked a break from tradition with the christening taking place at St. James's Palace rather than Buckingham Palace and with only one Royal included in the future King of England’s seven godparents. Instead the Prince and Princess of Cambridge went with close friends.
***
Sorry (not sorry) Kimye, your latest story has taken a significant second place to the happy event above: In case you haven't heard, Kim Kardashian is engaged… again. This time to baby daddy Kanye West. The “romantic” proposal took place on Kim’s 33rd birthday at San Francisco’s At&T Park.
***
Sorry (not sorry) Kimye, your latest story has taken a significant second place to the happy event above: In case you haven't heard, Kim Kardashian is engaged… again. This time to baby daddy Kanye West. The “romantic” proposal took place on Kim’s 33rd birthday at San Francisco’s At&T Park.
- 10/23/2013
- by Matilda Badham
- Reelzchannel.com
The Weinstein Company is nearing a deal to distribute a new version of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" that will star Michael Fassbender as the title character and Marion Cotillard (Inception) as Lady Macbeth. The new movie will be directed by Justin Kurzel (Snowtown) and will take place in 11th century as the original play. It will also use original dialogue. Many believe that the deal gives the studio a chance to do what it does best, which is to give its films Oscar buzz in order to achieve strong box office performances. And with Fassbender on board, Harvey Weinstein believes his job will be easier than usual. The story follows the devious Macbeth, a Scottish lord who will stop at nothing to become King. "Macbeth" has been adapted for the big screen several times. In 2006, Geoffrey Wright directed his version with Sam Worthington (Avatar) in the lead.
- 10/17/2013
- WorstPreviews.com
The proverbial Hamletian dilemma 'To be or not to be, that's the question,' has now gone into a new zone of interpretation. We can now rephrase the oft-quoted line to say, "To make or not to make, that's no longer the question.' Two auteur directors Onir and Tigmanshu Dhulia have decided to direct films based on Shakespeare's immortal tragic play Hamlet. And Onir is very upset with Tigmanshu's plans. The director of I Am feels he has been betrayed by a colleague. Connecting from Australia, Onir says he was shocked to hear of Tigmanshu's plans, "I had no idea about this since I've been traveling in Australia. I've been working on Vedaa which is my take on Hamlet for three years. It would be a pity if Tigmanshu or anyone else that I know of as a fellow-filmmaker decided to make the film on the same subject.
- 5/14/2013
- by Subhash K. Jha
- BollywoodHungama
• Things are about to get animated for Jon Hamm. The Mad Men actor will lend his voice to Minions, Universal’s spinoff of their Despicable Me movies that is capitalizing on the little yellow creatures that stole the show in the first film in 2010 (Despicable Me 2 comes out this summer). Hamm will voice the inventor Herb Overkill, husband of stylish super-villain Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). His previous voice acting work includes such TV shows as Robot Chicken and Archer. [Deadline]
• Another Girls star is headed to the big screen. Allison Williams, who plays Marnie on the HBO show, is in talks...
• Another Girls star is headed to the big screen. Allison Williams, who plays Marnie on the HBO show, is in talks...
- 5/1/2013
- by Emily Rome
- EW - Inside Movies
Back in 2006 the director of Romper Stomper, Geoffrey Wright, directed a rising Sam Worthington in a contemporary retelling of Macbeth set in the ganglands of Melbourne. It was an interesting if flawed adaptation, certainly made more compelling by a director who had already made his name with violent brush strokes on screen.Now it seems that the producers at See Saw, who were behind Oscar winner The King's Speech, Shame and Jane Campion's new miniseries Top of the Lake, have a similar idea. They have chosen Snowtown director Justin Kurzel to direct a new telling of the Shakespeare play, and attached old mate Michael Fassbender as the titular lead.According to Screen Daily, the script (penned by Todd Louiso and Jacob Koskoff) is understood to be...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 4/29/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney. Violet Town is directed by Mark Joffe and is an adaptation of Steven Carroll’s novel The Art Of The Engine Driver, a 1957-set tale about a couple who attend a neighbor’s New Year’s Eve party where buried secrets are revealed. Guy Pearce and Rosamund Pike will play the couple in the pic, which is due to begin shooting in third-quarter 2013. Bryan Brown is also attached to the Matt Cameron script, which is co-produced by Essential Media and Entertainment’s Ian Collie. The feature is the first from an Aussie film and TV production co-venture between Mushroom Pictures and Morrissey Molloy Entertainment. Formed in 2011, the partnership also is co-producing The Road To Freedom Peak, a feature-length documentary that follows former child soldier Jonathan Okwir and journalist Corrin Varady as they ride bicycles across three East African countries. Varady’s...
- 11/28/2012
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Today in 1982, Macbeth opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre, where it ran for 21 performances. Written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. The earliest account of a performance of what was probably Shakespeare's play is April 1611, when Simon Forman recorded seeing such a play at the Globe Theatre.
- 1/28/2012
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Chicago – Sam Worthington is instantly recognizable for his break out role in “Avatar,” playing the Marine turned blue citizen of Na’vi. His follow-up was as Perseus in “Clash of the Titans,” and he will repeat that role in the upcoming “Wrath of the Titans.” Opening this week, he is the title character in “Man on a Ledge.”
The busy action star was born in England, but his family moved to Australia when he was six months old. His acting training came mostly from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Arts, which he attended on scholarship. After schooling he worked on a number of Australian TV shows and movies, at the same time doing bit parts in American TV shows like “Jag” and films like “Hart’s War” (2002). His banner year was 2009, when he was cast in “Avatar” after a worldwide search for the right actor to play Jake Sully by director James Cameron,...
The busy action star was born in England, but his family moved to Australia when he was six months old. His acting training came mostly from Australia’s National Institute of Dramatic Arts, which he attended on scholarship. After schooling he worked on a number of Australian TV shows and movies, at the same time doing bit parts in American TV shows like “Jag” and films like “Hart’s War” (2002). His banner year was 2009, when he was cast in “Avatar” after a worldwide search for the right actor to play Jake Sully by director James Cameron,...
- 1/23/2012
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Ralph Fiennes is in scary dude mode in Coriolanus, spending the entire film in a bad mood. But you can't gainsay the Bard
A few months ago, I saw a trailer for a film called Coriolanus. It concerned a war hero who falls out of favour with the public, defects to the other side, and then threatens his native land with utter devastation. The trailer made the film look pretty intense. I was really looking forward to seeing the movie because I had studied Greek and Latin in college and was drawn to anything pertaining to ancient Rome and its murderous rivals, which in this case were the Volscians, best thought as bargain-basement Etruscans. Coriolanus, of course, is by William Shakespeare. It is a second-tier play by Shakespeare, but it is a play by Shakespeare all the same. I am not sure everybody seeing that trailer was aware of this.
A few months ago, I saw a trailer for a film called Coriolanus. It concerned a war hero who falls out of favour with the public, defects to the other side, and then threatens his native land with utter devastation. The trailer made the film look pretty intense. I was really looking forward to seeing the movie because I had studied Greek and Latin in college and was drawn to anything pertaining to ancient Rome and its murderous rivals, which in this case were the Volscians, best thought as bargain-basement Etruscans. Coriolanus, of course, is by William Shakespeare. It is a second-tier play by Shakespeare, but it is a play by Shakespeare all the same. I am not sure everybody seeing that trailer was aware of this.
- 1/19/2012
- by Joe Queenan
- The Guardian - Film News
More than a decade after the controversial film’s release, Bob Ellis considers whether Geoffrey Wright’s Romper Stomper, starring Russell Crowe, has stood the test of time.
It was nine years before Tampa, four years before Hanson, but there it was, ugly, prophetic, violent, Romper Stomper. ‘This is not your country’. A frankly Hitlerist gang of tattooed thugs going after Asians with baseball bats, bricks and knives in Footscray alleys, defending Australia’s racial and cultural purity. ‘Won’t let what happened to the Abos happen to us,’ says Hando, the headshaven pack leader, urging his eager swarm of war-painted dysfunctionals on, despising pasta as ‘wog food’ and smashing up Japanese cars, pushing back the yellow hordes with Howardite gravitas, we will decide who comes here, and tribal pride. He may lose this war against the unceasing invader, but he will give it his best shot. Russell Crowe in...
It was nine years before Tampa, four years before Hanson, but there it was, ugly, prophetic, violent, Romper Stomper. ‘This is not your country’. A frankly Hitlerist gang of tattooed thugs going after Asians with baseball bats, bricks and knives in Footscray alleys, defending Australia’s racial and cultural purity. ‘Won’t let what happened to the Abos happen to us,’ says Hando, the headshaven pack leader, urging his eager swarm of war-painted dysfunctionals on, despising pasta as ‘wog food’ and smashing up Japanese cars, pushing back the yellow hordes with Howardite gravitas, we will decide who comes here, and tribal pride. He may lose this war against the unceasing invader, but he will give it his best shot. Russell Crowe in...
- 11/30/2011
- by Brooke Hemphill
- Encore Magazine
Sam Worthington gets tired of ''running around with a gun while stuff's blowing up'' in films. The 35-year-old actor has taken action star roles in films including 'Terminator Salvation', 'Hart's War' and 'The Debt', but enjoys it when he gets to do other roles with a little more weight, such as his turn as the star of 'Macbeth'. He said: ''Sometimes it's refreshing to not have to run around with a gun while stuff's blowing up all the time. It reminded me of movies I did when I was in Australia a few years ago.
- 10/4/2011
- Virgin Media - Movies
In 2007, we learned that Peter Iliff ("Point Break" writer) was planning to write and direct a $20-$30 million sequel to "Point Break," the 1991 film that was directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Then came word in 2008 that filming was about to begin with "Speed" director Jan de Bont in the helmers chair. That didn't happen, but the film kept moving forward. The following year, Australian actor Damian Walshe-Howling (Ned Kelly, Macbeth) revealed that he was cast as the villain in "Point Break: Indo." A few months later, the project was dead. And now comes word that a follow-up is being discussed again, despite the fact that Swayze has passed away and Reeves is not interested in reprising his role. Twitch website claims that the studio has decided to develop a remake rather than a sequel. There is currently no director or actors on board,...
- 7/5/2011
- WorstPreviews.com
It’s no mistake that Olivia Wilde’s Quorra is featured prominently in promotion for “Tron: Legacy.” Amidst a sea of dazzling CGI images, her organic sexiness is a highlight.
But Wilde’s appearance as a beautiful program is more than just a nod to Cindy Morgan’s attractive turn as Yori in the original film, it’s also the latest instance of sexy femininity in sci-fi, a legacy that stretches back decades and encompasses everything from bikini-clad bounty hunters to pleasure robots.
Join us as we count down the 20 sexiest.
20. Natalie Portman, ‘Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)
When we first meet the mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker, she’s nothing more than a child, thrust into a difficult rule on her home planet of Naboo. But as the prequel trilogy progressed, Padme became so much more than just the vessel for a future generation of heroes,...
But Wilde’s appearance as a beautiful program is more than just a nod to Cindy Morgan’s attractive turn as Yori in the original film, it’s also the latest instance of sexy femininity in sci-fi, a legacy that stretches back decades and encompasses everything from bikini-clad bounty hunters to pleasure robots.
Join us as we count down the 20 sexiest.
20. Natalie Portman, ‘Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’ (2005)
When we first meet the mother of Luke and Leia Skywalker, she’s nothing more than a child, thrust into a difficult rule on her home planet of Naboo. But as the prequel trilogy progressed, Padme became so much more than just the vessel for a future generation of heroes,...
- 12/9/2010
- by Adam Swiderski
- NextMovie
Director: Louis Leterrier Writer: Travis Beacham and Phil Hay DVD and Blu-ray release date: July 26 2010 Studio: Warner Home Video No of discs: 1 Region: 2 Price: From £9.99-£15.93 Running Time: 102/106 mins (DVD/Blu-ray) Certificate: 12 Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Mads Mikkelsen, Pete Postlethwaite, Jason Flemyng, Izabella Miko, Nicholas Hoult Desmond Davis’ 1981 film, Clash of the Titans, is fondly remembered, mostly for Ray Harryhausen’s inventive use of detailed models to create cutting-edge special effects for its day. Sure, today it looks dated and is often drenched in affectionate nostalgia but despite this, it still manages to kick the butt of Louis Leterrier’s 3D remake. Contemporary Titans has little in common with its predecessor, aside from an all star cast, some plot similarities, a continuous string of action sequences and the brief token appearance of Bubo, the mechanical owl. In Leterrier’s reprise, it is “the era of man” – humans have become restless,...
- 7/29/2010
- by Uprising
- t5m.com
Moviehole reports that Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell ("Prison Break"), Yvonne Strahovski ("Chuck"), Aden Young ("The Starter Wife"), Ben Mendelsohn ( Animal Kingdom ), Lachy Hulme ("Macbeth") and Firass Dirani ("Underbelly: The Golden Mile") have joined Jason Statham and Clive Owen in The Killer Elite , to be directed by Gary McKendry. Statham will star in the action thriller based on Ranulph Fiennes' best-seller "The Feathermen." Based on real events, the story follows a group of former British special forces members who are being hunted by assassins. Statham will play a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to save his closest friend. The project is currently filming in Melbourne.
- 5/10/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Cinema veteran Robert De Niro is lending his considering skills to the cast of The Killer Elite, an action thriller based on Ranulph Fiennes' best-selling novel The Feathermen. Already present in the cast are action junkie Jason Statham and fellow Brit Clive Owen, while Dominic Purcell (Prison Break), Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck), Aden Young (The Starter Wife), Ben Mendelson (Animal Kingdom), Lachy Hulme (Macbeth) and Firass Dirani (Underbelly: The Golden Mile) have also signed on to the Gary McKendry-directed flick.
Based on real events and currently filming in Melbourne, The Killer Elite tells the story of a group of former British special forces members who are being hunted by assassins. Statham will play a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to save his closest friend.
Georgine Waller
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 10 May 2010...
Based on real events and currently filming in Melbourne, The Killer Elite tells the story of a group of former British special forces members who are being hunted by assassins. Statham will play a former Navy Seal who is forced out of retirement to save his closest friend.
Georgine Waller
>> Real the whole article | on Screenrush - Monday 10 May 2010...
- 5/10/2010
- Screenrush
If there is one person we haven't heard much from yet regarding Avatar, it's the star of the show himself, Sam Worthington. Since breaking onto the scene quite recently with Macbeth and Rogue, Worthington has been working non-stop with filmmakers like James Cameron, McG, and now Louis Leterrier. Not only is he a hard worker and a fantastic actor, he's smart as hell, too, and a very down to earth guy familiar with what's going on in the world around him. Collider talked with Worthington recently and asked him about his thoughts on the outcome of Avatar Day. You might be surprised to hear what he had to say in response. "Its got a hell of a lot of hype. I read all what was said yesterday about the trailer. I can see their point, but as I said, it's not meant to be built for an Apple Mac. It's...
- 8/25/2009
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
While he was shooting up Shakespeare in a contemporized MacBeth and being devoured by a killer croc in Rogue, Aussie actor Sam Worthington probably never imagined that in just a few short years he'd be taking the lead in a James Cameron movie, battling mythology in Clash Of The Titans, and having enough Hollywood juice to replace Tom Cruise. Worthington is taking advantage of Tom's vacillation and (justifiably) leaping at/on an opportunity to co-star with Charlize Theron in the spy thriller...
- 8/3/2009
- by Dave Davis
- JoBlo.com
Australian actor Damian Walshe-Howling (Ned Kelly, Macbeth) spoke with Moviehole, revealing that he has been cast in the "Point Break" sequel, entitled "Point Break Indo" and is directed by Jan de Bont (Speed, Twister). Plot: When Billy Dalton, military special ops and star surfer, is disqualified from the pro-surfing tour, he takes off for the coast of Bali looking for the perfect wave. While there he's recruited by a private security force who are trying to find a gang known as The Bush Administration, surfing outlaws and modern day pirates who work like "The Ex-Presidents," a bank robbing crew from Malibu twenty years ago. Walshe-Howling will play the bad guy, a sea-pirate named Dali. He and his team wear masks of The Bush Administration (George Bush, Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, etc) as they rob boats. Dali's sister, Teela, ends up falling in love with Dalton, an undercover Fed working in Dali's gang,...
- 3/5/2009
- WorstPreviews.com
'Macbeth' plays via Truly, Union
NEW YORK -- Wagner/Cuban Cos.' Truly Indie and Union Station Media will domestically distribute Geoffrey Wright's updated film adaptation of William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Set in the contemporary crime world of Melbourne, Australia, Macbeth features Sam Worthington, star of James Cameron's upcoming 3-D sci-fi film Avatar, as the title character. The film closely follows the original text, infusing it with modern-day sex scenes and violence.
The unrated feature will debut June 15 in Seattle, followed by openings throughout August in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Austin.
Macbeth won 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards for costume design and production design.
Aussie director Wright's credits include Romper Stomper, starring Russell Crowe, and Cherry Falls.
Truly Indie is a program for filmmakers seeking self-distribution at theaters nationwide. The distribution deal was negotiated by Union Station, Arclight, the film’s producer Martin Fabinyi and Truly Indie executive director Kelly Sanders.
Set in the contemporary crime world of Melbourne, Australia, Macbeth features Sam Worthington, star of James Cameron's upcoming 3-D sci-fi film Avatar, as the title character. The film closely follows the original text, infusing it with modern-day sex scenes and violence.
The unrated feature will debut June 15 in Seattle, followed by openings throughout August in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Austin.
Macbeth won 2006 Australian Film Institute Awards for costume design and production design.
Aussie director Wright's credits include Romper Stomper, starring Russell Crowe, and Cherry Falls.
Truly Indie is a program for filmmakers seeking self-distribution at theaters nationwide. The distribution deal was negotiated by Union Station, Arclight, the film’s producer Martin Fabinyi and Truly Indie executive director Kelly Sanders.
- 4/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Ten Canoes, the most critically acclaimed Australian film of the year, swept the Australian Film Institute awards last week. The film depicts the cautionary tale of lust and loyalty that an Aboriginal tribe recounts to a young member. Incredibly it is first feature from Australia made in a language indigenous. The film, directed by the experienced Rolf de Heer and newcomer Peter Djigirr, has been generating award buzz since it was selected, and won a Special Jury Prize, at Cannes earlier this year. On Thursday the film won, Best Direction, the much deserved Best Cinematography for Ian Jones, Best Editing, Best Sound and Best Original Screenplay. Unsurprisingly Ten Canoes also managed to secure the L’Oreal Paris AFI Award for Best Film. De Heer was further honoured with the Brian Kennedy Award, an award that is given in respect of a filmmaker’s relentless pursuit of excellence in filmmaking.
- 12/12/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
Macbeth
SYDNEY -- Baz Luhrmann set the bar high for maverick adaptations of Shakespeare, but fellow Aussie director Geoffrey Wright takes a game leap at it with his postmodern rendering of Macbeth. While this juiced-up, drugs 'n' guns reworking can't match the startling originality or sheer mad spectacle of Luhrmann's "Romeo + Juliet," the two share a sexy swagger aimed at young viewers who might otherwise balk at the 400-year-old language.
Absent Hollywood stars in the league of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Macbeth can't expect "Romeo + Juliet's" robust international boxoffice, but receipts should be healthy at home, and the heady mix of nudity, uber-violence and a swoonworthy leading man will stir curiosity abroad.
This is Shakespeare as action film -- furiously paced and unapologetically cinematic. If the baroque sets and costumes often overwhelm the acting, it's unlikely the hipsters will mind. Wright, who directed Russell Crowe in the bruising neo-Nazi film Romper Stomper, has matched the sound and fury of the Bard's most bloodthirsty play with depictions of carnage that border on sadistic.
The slaying of Lady Macduff and her son prompted walk-outs in test screenings. Macbeth's frenzied butchering of Duncan, a murder that occurs offstage in the play, is shown here in gruesome detail.
Throw in a casually naked, coke-snorting Lady Macbeth and an orgy with the three witches -- portrayed as bare-breasted teenagers who look like they wandered in from The O.C. -- and you have a Macbeth that would give Roman Polanski pause.
Shakespeare's immortal tragedy about a Scottish prince's murderous quest for power has been relocated to the underworld of Melbourne's present-day gang wars, where the concept of bloody vengeance mirrors that of feudal times.
Macbeth (a lusty performance from Somersault's Sam Worthington) is now henchman to crime boss Duncan (a strong Gary Sweet), and the play's lords and noblemen become rock-star-ready hoods packing heat. The film opens with a flashily edited massacre following a dead-of-night drug deal, and it is a good 10 minutes before the first word is spoken.
The Elizabethan English jars at first (and some heavy Strine accents add another layer of bizarre), but soon the medieval-chic sets, the sleek black SUVs and machine guns and the florid but conversationally spoken language all mesh into a gothic parallel universe that makes its own kind of sense.
It is a bit Reservoir Dogs with a set borrowed from The Crow.
It helps that the original text is magnificent and the plot so precise; Wright and his co-writer Victoria Hill (who also plays a glamorous Lady Macbeth) have produced a fairly faithful, if heavily edited, reading of this timeless tale.
Duncan rewards Macbeth for his service during the earlier battle but, while under the influence of celebratory drugs and alcohol at a derelict nightclub, our hero is visited by the trio of witches who prophesy a much greater prize -- delivering their "fair is foul" speech as a glitter ball spins overhead.
Spurred on by the poisonously ambitious Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan and seizes power. As the new crime lord's reign of terror continues and the body count grows, guilt plunges him into madness. With Worthington exhibiting less of the imperial hubris that defined previous Macbeths and more of a wild-eyed, Jack Black-style craziness that proves the film's weakest link.
Staggering drunkenly about his country mansion, dissolute and spooked while those around him plot revenge, the character discourages sympathy. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, acquires an uncommon vulnerability with the implication that she is grieving the loss of a child.
Production design is as wicked as the narrative, all blood-red furnishings and misty, brooding exteriors, with John Clifford White's clamorous soundtrack and cinematographer Will Gibson's skewed camera adding to the disquiet.
Some of the minor players stumble over the dialogue, but performances generally are strong, though style mavens may be too busy drooling over the voguish costumes and opulent interiors to notice.
MACBETH
Mushroom Pictures
Credits:
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Screenwriters: Geoffrey Wright, Victoria Hill
Adapted from the play by: William Shakespeare
Producer: Martin Fabinyi
Executive producers: Michael Gudinski, Gary Hamilton, Greg Sitch, Antonio Zeccola
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: David McKay
Music: John Clifford White
Co-producer: Jenni Tosi
Costume designer: Jane Johnston
Editor: Jane Usher
Cast:
Macbeth: Sam Worthington
Lady Macbeth: Victoria Hill
Macduff: Lachy Hulme
Banquo: Steve Bastoni
Duncan: Gary Sweet
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
Absent Hollywood stars in the league of Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, Macbeth can't expect "Romeo + Juliet's" robust international boxoffice, but receipts should be healthy at home, and the heady mix of nudity, uber-violence and a swoonworthy leading man will stir curiosity abroad.
This is Shakespeare as action film -- furiously paced and unapologetically cinematic. If the baroque sets and costumes often overwhelm the acting, it's unlikely the hipsters will mind. Wright, who directed Russell Crowe in the bruising neo-Nazi film Romper Stomper, has matched the sound and fury of the Bard's most bloodthirsty play with depictions of carnage that border on sadistic.
The slaying of Lady Macduff and her son prompted walk-outs in test screenings. Macbeth's frenzied butchering of Duncan, a murder that occurs offstage in the play, is shown here in gruesome detail.
Throw in a casually naked, coke-snorting Lady Macbeth and an orgy with the three witches -- portrayed as bare-breasted teenagers who look like they wandered in from The O.C. -- and you have a Macbeth that would give Roman Polanski pause.
Shakespeare's immortal tragedy about a Scottish prince's murderous quest for power has been relocated to the underworld of Melbourne's present-day gang wars, where the concept of bloody vengeance mirrors that of feudal times.
Macbeth (a lusty performance from Somersault's Sam Worthington) is now henchman to crime boss Duncan (a strong Gary Sweet), and the play's lords and noblemen become rock-star-ready hoods packing heat. The film opens with a flashily edited massacre following a dead-of-night drug deal, and it is a good 10 minutes before the first word is spoken.
The Elizabethan English jars at first (and some heavy Strine accents add another layer of bizarre), but soon the medieval-chic sets, the sleek black SUVs and machine guns and the florid but conversationally spoken language all mesh into a gothic parallel universe that makes its own kind of sense.
It is a bit Reservoir Dogs with a set borrowed from The Crow.
It helps that the original text is magnificent and the plot so precise; Wright and his co-writer Victoria Hill (who also plays a glamorous Lady Macbeth) have produced a fairly faithful, if heavily edited, reading of this timeless tale.
Duncan rewards Macbeth for his service during the earlier battle but, while under the influence of celebratory drugs and alcohol at a derelict nightclub, our hero is visited by the trio of witches who prophesy a much greater prize -- delivering their "fair is foul" speech as a glitter ball spins overhead.
Spurred on by the poisonously ambitious Lady Macbeth, Macbeth kills Duncan and seizes power. As the new crime lord's reign of terror continues and the body count grows, guilt plunges him into madness. With Worthington exhibiting less of the imperial hubris that defined previous Macbeths and more of a wild-eyed, Jack Black-style craziness that proves the film's weakest link.
Staggering drunkenly about his country mansion, dissolute and spooked while those around him plot revenge, the character discourages sympathy. Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, acquires an uncommon vulnerability with the implication that she is grieving the loss of a child.
Production design is as wicked as the narrative, all blood-red furnishings and misty, brooding exteriors, with John Clifford White's clamorous soundtrack and cinematographer Will Gibson's skewed camera adding to the disquiet.
Some of the minor players stumble over the dialogue, but performances generally are strong, though style mavens may be too busy drooling over the voguish costumes and opulent interiors to notice.
MACBETH
Mushroom Pictures
Credits:
Director: Geoffrey Wright
Screenwriters: Geoffrey Wright, Victoria Hill
Adapted from the play by: William Shakespeare
Producer: Martin Fabinyi
Executive producers: Michael Gudinski, Gary Hamilton, Greg Sitch, Antonio Zeccola
Director of photography: Will Gibson
Production designer: David McKay
Music: John Clifford White
Co-producer: Jenni Tosi
Costume designer: Jane Johnston
Editor: Jane Usher
Cast:
Macbeth: Sam Worthington
Lady Macbeth: Victoria Hill
Macduff: Lachy Hulme
Banquo: Steve Bastoni
Duncan: Gary Sweet
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 109 minutes...
- 9/11/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vanguard side joining Toronto fest
TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled a new sidebar, dubbed Vanguard, that aims to help the launch of indie movies that push sexual and cultural boundaries. The inaugural Vanguard program will include a world premiere for Australian filmmaker Geoffrey Wright's Macbeth, a contemporary take on the classic William Shakespeare play that features gangland warfare and a drug-addled Lady Macbeth. The sidebar also has booked world premieres for the erotically charged murder-mystery Chacun Sa Nuit, from French filmmakers Pascal Arnold and Jean-Marc Barr, and Jade Warrior, a martial arts epic traversing ancient China and modern-day Finland from Finnish director Antti-Jussi Annila.
- 8/1/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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