Category Archives: Actors

Actors, Coming Soon, Drama, Film Festival, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Narrative

2012 Hamptons International Film Festival: A Personal Account

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For the past two years, I’ve been a member of the Hamptons International Film Festival’s (HIFF) screening committee. I watch dozens of submitted films and write brief reviews for and rate each, helping the programmers to decide which films to accept into this prestigious festival. This year, HIFF turns 20 and I made sure to attend for the first time.

My friend Erin and I took the train from the western tip of Long Island to the eastern side, a three-hour ride. (There’s a reason it’s called “Long Island.”) This was my first trip to the Hamptons, home of New York’s well-to-do and known for some of the most pristine beaches on the East Coast.

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Actors, Awards, Coming Soon, Drama, Film Festival, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Narrative, Oscars, Preview, Review

New York Film Festival Preview: Amour

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(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekjfj8sLFqs]

Screening: Saturday, October 6, 3pm

Venue: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC

Series: NYFF50: Main Slate

Winner of this year’s prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, legendary filmmaker Michael Haneke’s Amour tells the story of an octogenarian couple living in France. After Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) suffers multiple strokes, her devoted husband Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) loyally stays by her side, caring for her throughout the duration of her deteriorating health. Amour tells a simple, truthful, emotional, tragic, haunting, and beautiful story—one that is likely to remain with the viewer long after the end credits roll. Both veteran French actors Riva and Trintignant offer exceptionally brave performances, only achieved by baring every bit of themselves to each other and on screen. Though the film’s pacing is slow, it reflects a feeling of quiet sadness that hangs heavily over the couple’s Parisian apartment. Amour is Austria’s official 2012 Oscar entry for Best Foreign Language Film and is considered an easy favorite for a nomination.

Limité Rating: 4/5

Director: Michael Haneke

Genres: Narrative, Drama

Country: Austria

Language: French with English subtitles

Runtime: 127 min.

The 50th New York Film Festival runs from September 28 – October 14, 2012.

Actors, Drama, Film Festival, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Preview, Review

New York Film Festival Preview: The Paperboy

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(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2GMwWaDSr0]

Screening: Wednesday, October 3, 8:30pm (opens in limited release on Friday, October 5)

Venue: Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC

Series: NYFF50: Main Slate

Set in 1960s racially charged southern Florida, two journalists (Matthew McConaughey and David Oyelowo) attempt to exonerate a convicted man (John Cusack) for the murder of a despicable sheriff. Meanwhile, the younger brother (Zac Efron) of one of the journalists falls for the woman (Nicole Kidman) who is romantically linked to the accused man.

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Actors, Awards, Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Oscars, Preview

Live Singing in LES MISÉRABLES

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In Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper’s upcoming Les Misérables, starring Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Anne Hathaway, the filmmaker made the choice to have the actors sing live on set, rather than the customary approach of having them record an album earlier and lip sync to the pre-recorded songs during filming. It’s a risky move, but appears to be one that gave the actors a certain freedom and the ability to express their characters in a very real and raw way. Check out this brief featurette for a behind-the-scenes look.

Les Misérables opens in theatres this Christmas and is primed for a major Oscar push. (Check out my previous post on “5 Reasons Why Anne Hathaway Will be Oscar Nominated for Les Misérables.”)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVxfyBumtm4]
Actors, Awards, Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Oscars, Preview

5 Reasons Why Anne Hathaway Will be Oscar Nominated for LES MISÉRABLES

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Sure, it’s probably a bit early to be making such claims, particularly since Les Misérables hasn’t even hit theatres yet. (It opens on December 14th.) However, I’m an Oscar buff and I can’t help but be thinking year-round about which films and performances will be honored come February. And so I’m going on record to state that I believe Anne Hathaway will receive an Oscar nomination next year for her supporting role as Fantine in the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. (Whether Hathaway’s part is considered a lead or supporting role will depend on the adaptation. Those familiar with the stage version know that despite Fantine’s importance to the plot, she has limited stage time. So like Catherine Zeta-Jones’s role in Chicago [2002] and Kate Winslet’s role in The Reader [2008], Hathaway’s role in Les Mis could put her in either the lead or supporting races, depending on voters’ whims.)

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Actors, Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Oscars, Poster, War

New Poster Released for LINCOLN

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Is there any side profile more famous than Lincoln’s? The penny has nothing on this newly released poster for Steven Spielberg’s new release starring Daniel Day-Lewis. The actor seems ready to snatch his third Oscar for this one. The formula is there: fall release, true story, a historic and tragic figure, period piece, directed by Steven Spielberg.

The film also stars an amazing cast of veterans, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, James Spader, Jackie Earle Haley, John Hawkes, Walton Goggins, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Sally Field as Mary Todd Lincoln.

Lincoln opens November 16.

Actors, Filmmakers, News

3rd-Annual Limité Honors – Celebrating Careers in Film, Television, Music, and Lifestyle

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(Re-posted from LimitéMagazine.com)

July 12, 2012

If you know anything about Limité, you know that we don’t follow the norm, nor do we care what the “others” glorify. Awards and recognition are usually given out to those who’ve sold a certain amount of music albums or for their performance in a big budget movie in the last fiscal year, but what about celebrating someone’s entire career and being recognized? That’s what we’ve done in our 3rd Annual Limité Honors. The individuals below have entertained us on more than one occasion and we deem it necessary to give respect when respect is due. Enjoy!

Jessica Chastain

by Daniel Quitério

Don’t tell Jessica Chastain that Rome wasn’t built in a day, because you’d be speaking to the one person who proved that all wrong in 2011. Chastain’s list of film credits and honors that one year surpasses most actors’ entire careers.

Born Jessica Howard, the would-be actress grew up in Northern California. She began as a dancer in her early teens before acting in local Shakespeare productions. The entertainer eventually enrolled at the prestigious Juilliard School in New York as a drama major, where during her last year, she was offered a holding deal by TV producer John Wells (ER, The West Wing) and worked on three of his shows.

Film was a logical next step. Chastain went on to debut as the title character in Jolene (2008). A few years later, moviegoers were watching the blossoming-yet-seasoned actress in an astonishing seven films in 2011, including The Debt, Take Shelter, and The Tree of Life. She went on to receive multiple breakthrough artist awards and an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for The Help, in which she played a sympathetic and domestically challenged housewife. Thanks to her meteoric rise, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

This year, Chastain’s credits threaten to nearly trump her 2011 filmography. She’s set to star in six more films, including a second collaboration with Malick (To the Wonder) and a film about Navy SEAL Team 6—the soldiers that killed Osama bin Laden—entitled Zero Dark Thirty, directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker).

Chastain may very well be the most prolific actress in the movies today, but let’s not forget that film is just one of the media in which she has proven herself. With a background in theatre and television, Chastain’s versatility makes her an actor among actors.

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Actors, Drama, Narrative, On My DVR, Preview

On My DVR: Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)

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Synopsis (courtesy of IMDb):
A drama centered on the romance between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway’s inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls and the only woman who ever asked for a divorce from the writer.

Premiering at this year’s Cannes Film Festival out of competition, Hemingway & Gellhorn began its run on HBO this past May. Following Rabbit Hole (2010), this appears to be another film in the newest string of good Nicole Kidman movies. Since her series of great movies and performances in the early 2000s (culminating in an Oscar win for her performance in The Hours, 2002), I’ve long held that Kidman is one of the best actresses around today. Unfortunately, a slew of bad movies took her out of favor with some people, but she seems to be back and stronger than ever.

Director: Philip Kaufman
Screenwriters: Jerry Stahl, Barbara Turner
Cast: Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen, Parker Posey, Tony Shalhoub, David Strathairn
Genres: Drama, Romance
Distributor: HBO
Runtime: 155 min.

Actors, Coming Soon, Horror, Narrative, Preview

Images from ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER

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Coming June 22 is Timur Bekmambetov’s latest offering, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. The horror film follows the sixteenth President as he sets out to eliminate the vampires who are planning to take over the United States. Benjamin Walker stars as the title character. His previous credits include Flags of Our Fathers (2006) and Kinsey (2004). Rounding out the cast are Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln, Dominic Cooper as Henry Sturgess, Alan Tudyk as Stephen A. Douglas, as well as Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie, and Erin Wasson. Here are some images of what to expect:

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Actors, Awards, Drama, Film Festival, Filmmakers, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Narrative, News

Michael Haneke’s AMOUR Claims Coveted Palme d’Or Prize at Cannes Film Festival

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(Re-posted from AceShowbiz.com)

May 28, 2012

The 65th edition of the annual world-class movie festival also names Mads Mikkelsen as the Best Actor, and Cristina Flutur as well as Cosmina Stratan as the Best Actresses.
The 65th annual Cannes Film Festival has revealed which movie deserved to claim its top prize of Palme d’Or. On Sunday night, May 27, it was announced that Michael Haneke’s highly praised drama Amour has won the prestigious award.
Upon receiving the prize with lead actors Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva, the 70-year-old director said, “I thank my wife, who has been putting up with me for years.” He added, “Thanks to my wonderful actors. They are the essence of it.”
This was the second time the Munich-born moviemaker won the coveted Palme d’Or gong at Cannes. Back in 2009, the Austrian filmmaker took home the same award through his acclaimed work in The White Ribbon.