Anthony Hopkins Page 4

The Colony, Emma Watson’s latest film, took just £47 at the UK box office after it was released in three UK cinemas on Friday, according to The Guardian. The film is Watson’s first leading role since the Harry Potter franchise and is a thriller set in Pinochet-era Chile.

Emma Watson’s new film made just £47 at the UK box office.

Watson stars as a Western woman who attempts to infiltrate a cult in order to rescue her husband who was abducted and is being held in religious community, Colonia Dignidad. The film was directed by Oscar-winning German director Florian Gallenberger.

Continue reading: Emma Watson's New Film Makes Just £47 At UK Box Office

With 12 Oscar nominations between them, you would think that any film which boasts Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins among its cast would be a sure fire success. But sadly this wasn't the case for thriller Misconduct, which manage to take less than £100 during its opening weekend at the UK box office.

Al Pacino stars in Misconduct.

Alongside Pacino and Hopkins, the film also stars Josh Duhamel and Julia Stiles. It follows an ambitious lawyer (Duhamel) who finds himself caught between a corrupt pharmaceutical executive and his firm's senior partner (Hopkins and Pacino). As the case takes a deadly turn, lawyer Ben must search to uncover the truth before he loses everything.

Continue reading: How Did A Film Starring Al Pacino And Anthony Hopkins Manage Less Than £100 At The UK Box Office?

Jodie Foster has revealed that she was too scared of her co-star Anthony Hopkins to speak to him on the Silence Of The Lambs set. Appearing on ‘The Graham Norton Show’, Foster said that after seeing Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter during the first day read through, the actor had scared her so much that she didn't want to talk to him again.

Jodie Foster has revealed she was terrified of Silence of the Lambs co-star Anthony Hopkins.

“I never spoke to him because he was so scary,” Foster told Norton. “The first day we had a read through and by the end of it I never wanted to talk to him again – I was petrified.”

Continue reading: Jodie Foster Says Anthony Hopkins Was Too Scary To Speak To On 'Silence Of The Lambs' Set

Fame, fortune, talent and beauty are amongst the qualities those in the public eye enjoy. Unfortunately, they come with a heavy price of media attention, pressure and fan obsession. Whilst many celebrities are able to deal with the pressures of constant scrutiny, others find it considerably more difficult and turn to alcoholism and substance abuse as a means of coping. Amongst them is Daniel Radcliffe. 

Daniel Radcliffe admitted he had problems with alcohol.

We still think of Radcliffe as the eleven year old who first graced our screens as Harry Potter in 2001 but, at the age of 24, Radcliffe has admitted he has experienced problems with alcohol due to his long running fame. In an interview with Sky Arts, due to be broadcast later this year, he explained how the fame and attention from Harry Potter had taken its toll.

Continue reading: Daniel Radcliffe & 4 More Celebrities Who Battled Alcoholism

Noah has received its world premiere in Mexico City where director Darren Aronofsky presented his biblical retelling at the Pepsi Centre with several members of the epic's cast. Official first reviews have been embargoed until the film's late March release date but early viewers took to Twitter to express their 140 character verdicts on the eagerly-anticipated movie.

The Epic, Russell Crowe-Starring 'Noah' Has Premiered In Mexico City.

The Black Swan director appeared at the premiere alongside Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth and Jennifer Connelly and, in a speech before the screening, warned the audience to expect the unexpected. "It's a very, very different movie," he said. "Anything you're expecting, you're f***ing wrong." Lead cast members Russell Crowe and Emma Watson were notable in their absence from the event.

Continue reading: 'Noah' Movie Makes First Waves In Mexico Despite Religious Controversy [Trailer]

Everyone knows the story of Noah, whether religious or not, virtually everyone is familiar with the man who received a warning from God that a flood was coming and built a giant ark to save two of every species and his family. Director Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic has been rumoured for some time but now we have visual proof that Noah will be released next year.

Russell Crowe Gets A (Bigger) Beard For His New Role.

The trailer gives a flavour of the digital artistry and astounding visual effects we should prepare ourselves for ahead of the movie's March 2014 release.

Continue reading: Darren Aronofsky's 'Noah' Brings The Bible Tale To Epic Life With Russell Crowe [Trailer]

The big news this week was that Harrison Ford will join the Expendables for their third film adventure. Sylvester Stallone tweeted the announcement, then went on to mention that Bruce Willis won't be around this time, apparently because he asked for too much money. Stallone was also caught on camera poking fun at Arnold Schwarzenegger's "big ego". Before they re-team for the next Expendables movie, they're costarring in the prison-break thriller Escape Plan. Watch Sly talking about Arnie at Comic Con here.

The next big superhero blockbuster will be Thor: The Dark World, and we got a more detailed look at the film in a new trailer this week. Pretty much everyone is back, including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba and Stellan Skarsgard. The movie looks like a huge-scale action adventure with a sense of humour about it. It opens in October. Watch the trailer for Thor: The Dark World here.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Ford Joins The Expendables, Thor Strikes Back, And Get Ready For The Biopics

Tom Hiddleston was one of the marquee names at this year's Comic Con: San Diego and we caught up with him on the red-carpet to talk about the amazing reception he received during the Thor: The Dark World press conference, at which new footage was screening.

In one of the most innovate and exciting panels from this year's event, Hiddleston appeared in full regalia as his villainous Loki character to unveil the new promo. The Marvel panel was plunged into darkness before the British actor addressed the gathered crowd in Hall H.

Continue reading: Tom Hiddleston On 'Thor: The Dark World' Comic-Con 'Car Crash' [Video]

This week's big world premiere was for Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim, which was held in Mexico City on Monday with cast members Charlie Day, Ron Perlman and Rinko Kikuchi. They were joined by British costars Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and new True Blood hunk Robert Kasinsky for the European premiere in London on Thursday. Critics' reviews are embargoed, but Emma Watson and Kanye West both tweeted praise for the film, which opens next week.

The next big blockbuster this summer will be The Wolverine, a stand-alone X-men movie set in World War II Japan. Hugh Jackman returns as the iconic character, and this week appears in a short behind-the-scenes doc with director James Mangold. They reveal several enticing clips from the film, which opens later this month. Watch The Wolverine featurette here.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Pacific Rim Launches, The Wolverine Shows Himself And Gwyneth Deals With Sex-Addiction

We look at Oscar-nominated animated romp Wreck-it Ralph and Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren in Hitchcock

Awards season continues to crank up with Argo taking the lead in the homestretch. Ben Affleck's true 1970s thriller has won the top prizes at the actors, producers and directors guilds, which makes it the favourite to win Best Picture on Oscar night February 24th, even though Affleck isn't nominated as Best Director. On the other hand, he is up for director, as well as film and actor, in this Sunday's British Academy Film Awards, better known as the Baftas.

This weekend also sees the release of the season's final awards-contending titles in the UK, including Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren in Hitchcock and the Oscar-nominated animated romp Wreck-it Ralph. There are also two acclaimed foreign films: Pablo Larrain's inventive Oscar-nominated political black comedy No, and the gorgeous Japanese drama I Wish.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Wreck-It Ralph, No And Hitchcock Hit Cinemas While A Good Day To Die Hard, Fast & Furious 6 And Iron Man 3 Trailers Hit The Web

Read anything on Sacha Gervasi's new movie Hitchcock, starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as the legendary Hollywood director, and you'll probably come across the phrases "Oscars buzz" and "Oscar tipped." The movie has enjoyed decent reviews from critics, though the press seem to have it nailed on for a nomination. It may well not be that straight forward.

History suggests that Hitchcock is the type of the movie the Academy will reward and with Hopkins and Dame Helen Mirren in the lead roles, it certainly boasts an appealing cast. However, the concluding months of 2012 have thrown up several serious contenders for the golden statuettes and Hitchcock may well be the movie to make way. Hopkins - who won Best Actor for Silence of the Lambs - has already decided to stop playing "nauseating games" with the Academy in order to win an Oscar and told Entertainment Weekly that he was too busy making films to launch a serious awards' season campaign for Hitchcock. "People go out of their way to flatter the nominating body [the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences] and I think it's kind of disgusting. Having to be nice to people and to be charming and flirting with them. That's always been against my nature", he added.

So what do the bookmakers think of Hitchcock's chances?

Continue reading: Is Sacha Gervasi's 'Hitchcock' Really Generating Oscars Buzz?

Regardless of being dead for over thirty years, Alfred Hitchcock is still one of Hollywood's biggest names and with a host of biopics set to be released about the late director's life on both the silver and the small screen, then it is more than likely that his fame will only increase in the coming months.

Helen Mirren, who stars as Hitchcock's wife Alma Reville in the upcoming biopic Hitchcock, has spoken of her brief encounter with the Hollywood legend, and it sounds as though the meeting could have gone a little better.

One of the stars of the new movie, which follows the making of Hitchcock's most controversial film Psycho, Mirren detailed her experience in a recent interview with The Huffington Post. According to the Oscar-winner, who detailed her experience of auditioning for Hitchcock's film Frenzy in the early 1970s in the interview, revealed, "I don't think he would have auditioned me; I think he either thought you looked right or you didn't."

Continue reading: Helen Mirren Reveals Her Forgettable Meeting With Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock, one of cinema's greatest icons, has an enormous portfolio of incredible hits. He can claim North by Northwest, Hitchcock's Half Hour (which became something of an institution), The 39 Steps, The Man Who Knew Too Much, To Catch a Thief and, of course, Psycho. Every single one of them a cinematic powerhouse. However, the Gervasi Sachi biopic aptly titled Hitchcock about Hitchcock's life and work while making Psycho, is leaning dangerously close to 'miss'. 

The New York Times review is truly scalding of the movie. "Hitchcock... is rather like Norman Bates, that nervous pretty boy with mommy issues and a bobbing Adam's apple, in that it too takes extravagant liberties with the dead." And adding, with a scathing flourish, "It's fluff. But while its dim fantasies about Hitchcock and the association of genius with psychosis can be written off as silly, they also smack of spiteful jealousy." 

Likewise, the LA Times was not impressed. Their biggest problem with the movie is that "Its protagonists turn out to be not especially interesting and the audience is not presented any convincing reason to care about what happens in their lives." Adding, "Alfred Hitchcock would definitely not approve." 

Continue reading: Hitchcock: Hit Or Miss? Let's Take A Look At The Reviews

The big movie news this week was that Disney has signed Lawrence Kasdan to return to the franchise to write Star Wars Episode VIII. He cowrote both The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi some 30 years ago. Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) is writing Episode VII, and Simon Kinberg (X-men: First Class) is working on Episode XIX.

While rumour has it that Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill will all be back for the new Star Wars movies, it's unlikely that Ewan McGregor will appear in them. But he was on hand this week for the London premiere of The Impossible, a true drama about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona (The Orphanage). Bayona and McGregor were joined on the red carpet and a screening Q&A by costar Naomi Watts.

Two big British films open in the UK this weekend. The remake of the con-artist comedy Gambit sees Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz take on roles originally played by Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine in 1966. And David Tennant joins Marc Wootton for Nativity 2: Danger in the Manger, the sequel to 2009's hit comedy Nativity! Yes, it's just as stupid as the first film, but it's also a holiday guilty pleasure.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Featuring: Star Wars, Gambit, Hitchcock, Movie 43, Now You See Me And Much More!

The race to the Academy Awards is beginning to hot up with movie executives beginning to hobnob with various industry people and drum up support for their respective films. Sir Anthony Hopkins recently explained how he refused to travel to New York just for the sake of speaking to the right people about his movie Hitchcock, and we all know what Joaquin Phoenix thinks of the whole charade. 

Though some people really want to win an Oscar. The people behind Denzel Washington's Flight have released a special trailer targeted at Academy voters, and the people over at Team Cloud Atlas would probably kill to just spend five minutes with one of the statuettes, any of them. One actress who would love to get her hands on the Best Actress gong for a second time (though she'd never admit it) is Marion Cotillard, whose turn in Rust and Bone has been winning quiet praise in the lead up to awards' season. The movie focuses on a man's bond with a killer whale trainer, which grows deeper after she suffers a horrible accident. Sounds pretty grisly huh? But the critics loved it, and lauded Cotillard's performance in particular. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote, "As an orca trainer who loses her legs, Cotillard is astonishing, as is Schoenaerts as a boxer who helps restore her sexual identity. Audiard's hypnotic film means to shake you, and does." Tim Robey of The Telegraph said, "Cotillard, who's been waiting since La vie en rose for a role this substantial, is at her damaged, devastating best". 

For punters, Cotillard represents one of the best value for money bets of awards' season. She's currently available at 8/1 to win Best Actress at the Oscars - seen as a wide open race. Pretty much everyone knew Meryl Streep was going to win last year, though in 2013, Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook), Sally Field (Lincoln), Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables) Emannuelle Riva (Amour), Ouvenzhane Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild), Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty),  Helen Mirren (Hitchcock) or Cotillard could all scoop the prize.

Continue reading: Could Marion Cotillard Win An Oscar For Rust And Bone?

It’s slim pickings this week, in terms of big budget movies, as the industry winds down a little over the festive period (though prepare yourselves for the usual onslaught of Christmassy slush hitting the big screen in the coming weeks).

However, the new release that everybody’s chatting about right now is Hitchcock. Starring Antony Hopkins (as the legendary director Alfred Hitchcock) and Helen Mirren (as his wife, Alma Reville), there has already been discussion of the possibility of Oscar nominations coming the way of this biopic, which focuses on the era when Hitchcock was filming Psycho – widely considered to be the pinnacle of his career. The star of Psycho, Janet Leigh, is played by the ever-popular Scarlett Johansson.

Reviews for the movie have been mixed; it seems as though most reviewers are praising the performances, but not the film as a whole, which lacks clarity. The movie is only getting a limited release this week, so don’t expect it to be riding too high with box office takings but do expect some of its cast to be riding high when it comes to awards season.

Continue reading: Hot Tickets! This Weekend’s US Movie Releases

It was always going to be a tough order to pull off an homage to the great Alfred Hitchcock, but Sacha Gervasi has largely gained kudos from the reviewers for having a going at it, though his biopic Hitchcock has by no means found unanimous approval from the grizzled hacks of the critical world.

Director Gervasi certainly can’t be faulted for the cast he assembled for the film; Sir Anthony Hopkins plays Hitchcock himself, with other characters played by the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Dame Helen Mirren, Jessica Biel and Toni Collette. Certainly the reviewers found the cast to be their usual excellent selves. “Hopkins catches the essence of Hitchcock as artist and con man. And Mirren is stellar as his wife and secret weapon. The pleasure of their company adds sparkle to this unexpectedly poignant look at a career and a marriage” wrote Rolling Stone. The Chicago Sun Times was a little more guarded but wrote “Anthony Hopkins, superb actor although he is, would not seem to be an obvious choice to play Hitchcock, but I accepted him. His makeup job is transformative.”

However, as to the film itself – which is far more of an interpretation than a factual account of the film director’s life – it found a mixed response, with Variety frustrated by its deviation: “Hitchcock offers almost zero insight into the peculiar workings of creative genius, or into the rich, taboo-shattering legacy of the film whose making it documents” it wrote. That said, if we’re to believe the New York Observer it’s “one of the best movies of 2012”, suggesting that the jury still remains somewhat out on this one.

Over 50 years on since Psycho was unleashed upon the world, and the influence of the film can still be seen in thrillers and horrors across the planet, such was the impact that legendary movie maker Alfred Hitchcock had upon the world of film. 'Hitchcock' is a film that pays homage to the man himself, and his most iconic movie. 

Psycho defied a lot of expectations and traditions, it was entirely self funded and shot in black and white, despite colour film being in predominant use by 1960. Celebrating both the film and its maker, 'Hitchcock' follows the story of how Psycho was made and focuses itself on the relationship between Alfred and his wife, Alma.

"I saw [Psycho] in a movie theater in September 1960 on a dark Sunday afternoon in Manchester," Anthony Hopkins, who's starring as Hitchcock in the new movie, said to MTV. "The scene in the shower was the most frightening thing I've ever seen. And the whole audience was under the seat, myself included, because we didn't know what to expect... The shock was that he killed [the leading lady]. His leading actress. Great, brilliant idea that came from Alma." Clearly, Psycho would never have been a success without the influence of Hitchcock's wife. Helen Mirren, is playing Alma, and once met Hitchcock early in her career, but told the Huffington Post: "I didn't really like him, and I know he didn't like me very much." Luckily, she got over that to give a warm and authentic performance as his wife. 

Continue reading: 'Hitchcock' And His 'Psycho', The Film That Keeps On Giving

Bram Stoker, the Irish novelist who created Dracula, was born 165 years ago today (November 8, 2012). Google's latest doodle celebrates the author, who wrote 19 books in total though will always be best known for his vampire creation.

Dracula was actually Stoker's fifth book, published in 1897 after he'd spent several years studying mythological stories and folklore. He took most of his inspiration after staying in the North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby, where he was trying to establish if the location would be suitable for a family holiday. Though not an initial bestseller, Dracula has since become a key text in vampire literature and the horror fiction canon and has spawned numerous television series and movie adaptations. Overblown in the most positive sense of the word, Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula (1992) put the horror back into Dracula, after decades of camp interpretations. Starring Gary Oldman as the Count himself, the film boasted a stellar cast that also included Sir Anthony Hopkins, Winona Ryder, Richard E. Grant and Keanu Reeves. Writing for the New York Times, Vincent Canby said, "With Dracula it's apparent that Mr. Coppola's talent and exuberance survive," while Todd McCarthy of Variety wrote, "Overall, this Dracula could have been less heavy and more deliciously evil than it is, but it does offer a sumptuous engorgement of the senses."

The movie won a flurry of technical awards, including the Oscar for Best Costume Design, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Makeup. Coppola and Oldman also won the Saturn Awards for Best Director and Best Actor respectively.

Continue reading: Bram Stoker Turns 165: In Praise Of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula

HBO’s The Girl tells the tale of Alfred Hitchcock’s relationship with the screen star Tippi Hedren - played by Sienna Miller. The story itself seems to be the real winner here; the TV movie explores the theory that Hitchcock (played by Toby Jones) “behaved like a psychotic lout” towards Tippi Hedren during the two films that they made together (The Birds and Marnie).

When Hedren spurns Hitchcock’s sexual advances, he uses his directorial power to torture her. When filming The Birds, he insists that she films take after take of the scenes in which she is attacked by birds. He does his best to break her spirit but ultimately, she remains strong and ultimately retains the upper hand.

New York Daily News have praised the feature, saying that Miller and Jones’ performances “keep the story alive and moving,” though Jones’ Hitchcock has but one dimension: “an arrogant egomaniac who was unpleasant to everyone around him.” Imelda Staunton is landed with the role of his unenviable wife, portrayed here as an “enabler” of his torrid behavior. The power of this disturbing story, according to chron.com is so fierce that you will be left feeling like you need to take a shower afterwards. According to their report though, Toby Jones’ performance is caricatured and lacking in authenticity.

Continue reading: Alfred Hitchock And Tippi Hedren's Torturous Relationship Unveiled In HBO's 'The Girl'

Alfred Hitchcock biopic ‘Hitchcock’ is set to be in line for an Oscar this year as Fox Searchlight reveals the 2012 release date.

Fox Searchlight Pictures are known for producing and distributing independent, mainly British films many of which have been successful Oscar winners or nominees including ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, ‘Black Swan’, ‘The Full Monty’, ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ and ‘Juno’. ‘Hitchcock’ could be set to be their latest jewel as the previously expected 2013 release date has been moved to November 23rd 2012 making it a serious contender for an Academy Award this year.

Unlike the actual Alfred Hitchcock movies, which were largely suspense-driven thrillers, the film is comedy drama based on the making of Alfred Hitchcock’s hit 1960 blockbuster ‘Psycho’ and the relationship the director had with his wife Alma Reville. It focuses on the major controversy surrounding the film’s sexual and violent content and Hitchcock’s battle with financing and censorship. It has been adapted by screenwriter John McLaughlin (‘Black Swan’) from Stephen Rebello’s biography ‘Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho’ with Sacha Gervasi (‘Anvil: The Story of Anvil’) in his feature film directorial debut. If this wasn’t enough to make a big impression at The Oscars, then the flick’s all-star cast is bound to be a winner. With Academy Award sensations Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren playing Hitchcock and Alma, Scarlett Johansson and Jessica Biel playing ‘Psycho’ stars Janet Leigh and Vera Miles, the spectacular mix of both American and British actors is sure to appeal to most culturally singular film lovers.