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Producers Pull The Plug On Star Studded ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Arena Tour Just Days Before Debut Performance


Michelle Williams John Lydon

A star studded cast taking a much loved musical on tour, what could have gone wrong for ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’? Frankly, we don’t know but on Friday (May 29th) producers abruptly pulled the plug on the upcoming arena shows with no explanation given.

Jesus Christ SuperstarThe cast of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'

Michelle Williams, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), N Sync’s JC Chasez and Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd were all part of the tour which was due to commence in New Orleans on June 9th. The show’s website gave no details on why the tour was cancelled, but stated that purchased tickets would be refunded. It has been reported that elements of the production had already arrived in New Orleans before the announcement was made.

Continue reading: Producers Pull The Plug On Star Studded ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Arena Tour Just Days Before Debut Performance

A New Destiny's Child? Gary Barlow Reckons He's Found 'Em


Gary Barlow Destiny's Child Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland Michelle Williams

Gary Barlow is truly ambitious for the new series of UK singing talent contest, The X Factor. The Take That singer is a judge on the show that filters through the country's best singing talent to find a brand new popstar.

Gary Barlow
Has Barlow Struck Gold?

The judge has reportedly created a new girl group with a trio of promising singers and before they've even reached the live stages of the competition, Gary is thinking global. A source speaking to The Sun tabloid described Barlow's enthusiasm for the talented three: "Gary really believes this trio could be the new Destiny's Child if they work hard," they said, adding "They sound really good together, they can dance and they look great[...]If the group make it to the live shows, they'll be one to watch."

Continue reading: A New Destiny's Child? Gary Barlow Reckons He's Found 'Em

Kelly Rowland Will 'Talk A Good Game' When She Re-Releases Her Album


Kelly Rowland Beyonce Knowles Michelle Williams Destiny's Child

Kelly Rowland is re-releasing her fourth studio album Talk A Good Game. Lonny Bereal, the album's songwriter and producer, revealed the 32-year-old singer had been working in the studio on the album once again.

Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland at the 5th Annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Luncheon, at the Beverly Hills Hotel in L.A.

Rowland's album was released on June 14 2013 when it was relatively successful, but not a worldwide phenomenon. It gained fourth place in the US Billboard album chart and the US R&B chart. In the UK, the album obtained 7th place in the R&B chart but only 80th in the Albums chart. It also had limited release elsewhere. 

Continue reading: Kelly Rowland Will 'Talk A Good Game' When She Re-Releases Her Album

Beyonce Chops Off Her Hair & Becomes The Latest Star To Rock The 'Pixie Do' [Photos]


Beyonce Knowles Rihanna Emma Watson Audrey Hepburn Mia Farrow Michelle Williams Anne Hathaway Halle Berry

Beyonce is the latest star to try out the ever-popular 'pixie' look, as the singer has chopped off her once flowing locks in favour of a much easier to handle look. The star uploaded a trio of images showing off her new look to her Instagram page yesterday (8 August) and since then it has been awash with comments from fans and onlookers, with some praising the new look as a revelation, whilst other think it is a major fashion misstep.

Beyonce New Hair
Beyonce showed off her new look on Instagram this week

The 'Crazy In Love' pop diva debuted the look on her Instagram, posting three un-captioned images of herself, but what is it about this new look that means so much? Usually when a star chops off their locks, it is done in a bid to reinvent themselves and cast off a previous image - ala Rihanna and Emma Watson - so is this new look a nod in the direction of her alter ego Sasha Fierce, or is this a new persona emerging from Bey? Maybe it has nothing to do with a statement at all, and after her near miss with an electric fan during a recent Toronto show, perhaps Bey just fancied something different when se last visited her hairdresser.

Continue reading: Beyonce Chops Off Her Hair & Becomes The Latest Star To Rock The 'Pixie Do' [Photos]

Like It Or Not, Kerry Katona's Playing Marilyn Monroe. That's Happening.


Kerry Katona Marilyn Monroe Michelle Williams

Kerry Katona, the British sort-of-singer best known for, err, Loose Women, has signed on to play the world's most iconic and beautiful actress Marilyn Monroe.

Just like when the world's natural resources eventually run out, or when an asteroid hits the earth, nobody has really accounted for Kerry Katona playing Marilyn Monroe. Nobody knows what's going to happen. I guess we all just go down to the cellar and close our eyes, hugging each other. Telling each other it's all going to be alright.

Anyway, the Atomic Kitten star announced the earth-shattering news on Twitter, confirming she had indeed landed the lead role in a new production of Norma Jeane The Musical. 

Continue reading: Like It Or Not, Kerry Katona's Playing Marilyn Monroe. That's Happening.

Kelly Rowland Stranded At Sea Whilst Whale Watching


Kelly Rowland Beyonce Knowles Michelle Williams Destiny's Child

Kelly Rowland was almost lost at sea after the private vessel she'd rented to go whale watching at Cape Cod became disorientated and had to be escorted back to shore. It's the dream of many - to seek out the majesty and serenity of whales on your own private boat with a few of your friends, but for Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland, her day of leisure didn't exactly go to plan.

Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland Left Embarassed After She Boat She Rented Got Lost.

R&B star Rowland had hired a private vessel that was following a commercial whale watching boat to be led to a site to see Whales, off the coast of Massachusetts last weekend. However, for some reason, the captain of Rowland's boat lost sight of the vessel they were following and became hopelessly disorientated. The Coast Guard at Cape Cod were alerted and sent a commercial towboat to escort the red-faced star and her posse back to shore; presumably without having seen any whales.

Continue reading: Kelly Rowland Stranded At Sea Whilst Whale Watching

Oz The Great And Powerful Review


Good

Like Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, this film shows the overpowering strength of Disney and producer Joe Roth, as they once again bury a gifted filmmaker and cast in an effects extravaganza that's strong on visuals but short on story. There are glimpses of Raimi's genius here and there, most notably in his eye-catching use of 3D. And the actors manage to inject a bit of spark into their family-friendly characters. But the plot and the relentlessly simplistic tone will only please children or undemanding adults.

At least it looks amazing. And like the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz, the film opens in black and white with a Kansas-set prologue, where the womanising conman Oscar (Franco) performs as the flashy magician Oz. Chased into a hot-air balloon by an angry husband, he is engulfed by a tornado and drops into the colourful land of Oz, where people are looking for a messianic wizard named Oz to save them from the witch who murdered their king. But which witch is the wicked one? Oscar first meets the naive Theodora (Kunis), who hasn't yet decided if she'll be evil or not, then her big sister Evanora (Weisz), the steely interim ruler, and then the too-good Glinda (Williams). And even though he's not a real wizard, he might have some tricks up his sleeve that can help.

The film mixes ideas from L Frank Baum's stories with references to the iconic 1939 film, plus much more epic landscapes of Oz recreated with eye-popping digital trickery. On the other hand, the plot is formulaic and predictable, with characters who are only superficially complex and are far too obvious in the way they interact, badly underestimating the sophistication of even very young children in the audience. But the real problem is that the film is focussed on visual spectacle rather than endearing characters. The sidekicks this time are a slightly creepy-looking flying monkey (Braff) and a feisty china doll (King), both rendered with elaborate motion-capture effects that never quite seem to be there on the set with the actors.

Continue reading: Oz The Great And Powerful Review

The Distance Took Its Toll: Michelle Williams And Jason Segel Split


Michelle Williams Jason Segel

The actors Michelle Williams and Jason Segel have called time on their long-distance love affair. Williams, 32 and Segel, 33 quietly ended their relationship last month, Us Magazine revealed, after speaking to sources close to the celebrity couple. Despite the couple seeming happy together, it appears that the pressures of long distance travel, in order to see each other had put too much of a strain on their relationship.

Michelle and Jason were recently spotted holidaying in Cancun, with Busy Phillips (one of Michelle’s best mates) and they seemed happy enough but it seems that the distance has taken it’s toll on Michelle, who also has her 7 year-old daughter Matilda to consider (the kid she had with the late Heath Ledger). Michelle and Matilda live in New York City, whilst Jason has been based in Los Angeles, where his CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother is filmed. When the couple got together in March last year, they managed to keep their coupling under wraps for some time and it seems that they may have achieved the same with their split, until now.

These two aren’t the only Hollywood acting couple to have succumbed to the nightmare of long distance relationships though. Rachel McAdams and Michael Sheen also quit their long-distance relationship recently, too. 

Continue reading: The Distance Took Its Toll: Michelle Williams And Jason Segel Split

Keyshia Cole: Michelle Williams F*cked Up Beyonce's Super Bowl Show!


Keyshia Cole Michelle Williams Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland Destiny's Child

It seems Keyshia Cole was one of the few people who wasn't too impressed by Beyonce's Super Bowl half-time show on Sunday (February 3, 2013). The outspoken R&B singer, 31, shared her opinion on the performance with her 217,000 Twitter followers, though she directed most of her ire at Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams.

Beyonce, Michelle and Kelly Rowland performed Bootylicious, Independent Women Part 1 and Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) during the Mercedes-Benz halftime show and although the medley added a new dimension to the show, it was perhaps the least impressive part of the set. "F-ck that shit up then Beyonce! Bad bitch central," Cole said of the headliner, who got a frighteningly good reception in New Orleans, "I think I was frightened to blink for a sec. Then Michelle sung and woke my ass up from my daze! She always f-cking the groove up." The singer's Twitter account was immediately targeted by Destiny's Child fans with perhaps too much time on their hands, and Cole finally offered a half-apology, "And y'all girl is whack and always will be!" she said.

Williams herself seemed pleased enough with her performance, tweeting, "Had a great time with my sisters tonight! Tried to keep it a surprise!" Beyonce - who had a point to prove herself - told OMG, "It feels good to know the hard work paid off. It's a live television show. It's the biggest show in America."

Continue reading: Keyshia Cole: Michelle Williams F*cked Up Beyonce's Super Bowl Show!

New Beyonce Tour On The Way? Superbowl Half Time Show Announcement May Be Made


Beyonce Knowles Michelle Williams Kelly Rowland Destiny's Child

For anyone that has ever seen Beyonce perform live (this is not a dig at her inauguration performance) you'll know full well that it is a thing of exhilarating beauty, both to the eyes and the ears. She knows how to put on a show and if anyone saw that incredible a cappella performance at the Superbowl press conference, Lord knows she can sing. So, for her to hint at an announcement to be made at the show about an upcoming tour makes us even more excited for Sunday's performance.

When asked by a man at the conference, on behalf of his daughter, when she would next be touring, she said: "I would say, soon, and I may have an announcement after the performance and the fans should just stay tuned to see." Aside from using the opportunity to clear up the controversy about whether or not she lip-synced at President Obama's second inauguration, Beyonce remained rather tight lipped in regard to anything else. Particularly about whether her Destiny's Child comrades, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, would be joining her during half time. "I can't really give you any details," she said.

A Destiny's Child performance and a tour announcement made in one night? Well it would be just about a dream come true. Beyonce also spoke about how excited she is for Sunday. When she first arrived at the SuperDome she relished in the experience: "I took my shoes off and I planted my feet into the ground and I just ran." And as to whether she'll be singing live this time around? Most definitely yes. "This is what I was born to do," she said, "This is what I was born for."

The National Anthem At This Year's Superbowl Will Be Sung By Alicia Keys


Alicia Keys Beyonce Knowles Destiny's Child Christina Aguilera Kelly Rowland Michelle Williams

Well, it was about time. With a week left until the Super Bowl, the National Football League finally announced that this year, the national anthem at the game will be sung by none other than Alicia Keys.

The fourteen-time Grammy winner seems like a perfectly solid choice for the honorary job, although, with previous Super Bowl performances in mind, she probably doesn’t have that much to compete with (cough, Christina Aguilera’s botched performance in 2011).

Despite the Super Bowl being hosted in New Orleans this year, the entertainment will be dominated by New York ladies as it seems, with NY-native Keys singing the anthem and residents of the Big Apple Beyonce, along with fellow Destiny’s Child singers Kelly Rowland and Michele Williams (it is rumoured), performing in the half time show. So far, this is all the news anyone has about the entertainment at this year’s game, but even so, it looks like everyone, including non-football fans, will be catered for. If you don’t tune in for the game, it may be worth at least checking out the entertainment. And those shiny, shiny Super bowl ads. Despite rumoured changes to the tone of the advertising, we’re sure there will be no shortage of scantily clad women in the ad breaks, as per Super Bowl tradition. And with so much money being poured into the entertainment and advertising, surely, this will be one to watch. After all, the Super Bowl only comes along once a year.

Michelle Williams Reveals Battle With Depression, Ahead Of Possible Super Bowl Show


Destiny's Child Michelle Williams Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland

Michelle Williams reveals that she has been suffering with depression since being a teenager. The Destiny’s Child singer is about to release a solo album, as well as rehearsing for her new role in the touring musical Fela! which kicks off later this month. And, of course, the world roared with excitement recently when the new recording from Destiny's Child was released. In an interview with Associated Press, Michelle explains that although she made a conscious effort to fight for her happiness, things have not always been so easy.

“I had to choose to get out of bed and do whatever I needed to do to be happy,” Williams explains. “We're taught, 'Just go to church and pray about it. The Lord is going to heal you.' Well, in the meantime, I believe God-gifted people, physicians, doctors, therapists — that's your healing. Take advantage of it. Go see a professional so that they can assess you. It's OK if you're going through something. Depression is not OK, but it is OK to go get help.”

When it came to the big question of whether or not she and Kelly Rowland will be joining Beyonce at the half time Super Bowl show, she was not so open, though. “Who knows,” she said with a smile and then teased “We make sure not to go too long without doing something.” 

Continue reading: Michelle Williams Reveals Battle With Depression, Ahead Of Possible Super Bowl Show

Beyonce To Perform With The Rest Of Destiny's Child At Super Bowl Half-Time Show?


Destiny's Child Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland Michelle Williams

Destiny's Child came back into everyone's conscious this week, with a brand new song and album details galore to go with their triumphant return, and if rumours are to be believed, then we won't have too long to wait before we see them on stage together again.

Although nothing has been confirmed just yet, US Weekly have cited a number of sources revealing that the girls will be hooking up next month for a very special show indeed - the Super Bowl halftime show. Beyoncé is already signed on to star as the main attraction at this year's halftime show in New Orleans, and the word on the street is that she will be joined by former bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

The trio's first album in eight years, Love Songs, will be released on January 29th, four days before the Super Bowl show on February 3rd, which makes for perfect timing to get a bit of publicity for the album.

Continue reading: Beyonce To Perform With The Rest Of Destiny's Child At Super Bowl Half-Time Show?

Destiny's Child Reunion Continues With Brand New Song - Nuclear


Destiny's Child Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland Michelle Williams

Destiny’s Child will always hold a special place in the hearts of most 90s/early 00s kids, and it’s no wonder that the three former members – Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams – are reluctant to let the cash cow go as well.

Following the news that the trio will be reunited at the Superbowl halftime performance and that, even better, they are back in the studio making new music and yesterday (January 11), the powerhouse girl group dropped 'Nuclear.' Their newest track features their signature sultry sound with a (sort of) updated beat and, of course, some nice harmonies. The lead singer, as usual, is Beyonce, but her co-members also have significant enough parts on the song, instead of serving as glorified backup singers, as some critics predicted.

'Nuclear' is produced by The Neptunes' Pharell Williams, who is also collaborating with Beyonce on her upcoming solo album, and the track will be released for iTunes download on January 29, according to E!Online. It will be featured on Love Songs – Destiny’s Child’s compilation of their most iconic baby-making music. For fans of the trio, it will be well worth downloading, especially since the reunion is bound to be short-lived. If you’re still on the fence about the album however, why not give 'Nuclear' a listen below and decide for yourself?

Continue reading: Destiny's Child Reunion Continues With Brand New Song - Nuclear

Destiny's Child New Song Caps A Week Of Surprise Comebacks


Destiny's Child Beyonce Knowles Michelle Williams Kelly Rowland

Destiny's Child's new song Nuclear is the latest surprise comeback this week, with the legendary David Bowie and not-so legendary Suede both announcing their first new material in over 10 years. With Bowie's Where Are We Now? topping the download charts, we can't help but think Bernard Butler and Brett Anderson got their timing very, very wrong, though Beyonce, Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland have enough star power to confirm their reunion as a pretty big deal.

Perhaps we should make it clear to R&B fans that the Destiny's Child reunion isn't quite a full-blown comeback, yet. For now, it's limited to a new track on a Love Songs compilation set for release on January 29, 2013. It's been written and produced by Pharrell Williams with a little help from Michelle Williams and the cover art shows the three members who comprised the multi-million selling trio last time out. The group have been relatively silent since their last album Destiny Fulfilled in 2004, though Beyonce has established herself as one of the biggest artists in the world while Kelly has enjoyed moderate success as a solo artist and Michelle has performed in the West End. 

In their first spell together, the group became the world's biggest R&B group with hits such as Survivor, Bills, Bills Bills and Bootylicious. Though the trio's intentions are unclear, we probably shouldn't hold our breath for a full comeback. Yet.

Continue reading: Destiny's Child New Song Caps A Week Of Surprise Comebacks

Destiny's Child Reunion Confirmed! Beyonce Confirms New Material


Destiny's Child Beyonce Knowles Kelly Rowland Michelle Williams

Beyonce has announced the first new Destiny's Child material in eight years, revealing a new release Love Songs, out January 29, 2013, on her website.

As if we weren't already spinning from the news that David Bowie was back, Beyonce's recent tweet means that we'll be getting music from possibly the finest pop groups ever to stride the planet. The superstar broke the news on her site with a simple message: "I am so proud to announce the first original Destiny's Child music in eight years! - Beyoncé". Additionally there was a link to pre-order the new material from Amazon, with the price suggesting that this could be an entire album of new songs. The news means that both Knowles and her husband Jay Z could have new music out this month, with speculation mounting that a new Justin Timberlake track will be revealed today (January 10, 2013) featuring Hova.

This is perhaps more exciting though; as Destiny's Child, Beyonce - alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams - were one of the most successful pop acts going in the first half of the last decade. Selling more than 50 million records worldwide, the trio were known for tracks like 'Say My Name', 'Independent Woman' and 'Bootylicious'. Though Knowles and Rowland in particular have gone on to solo success, it's been new Destiny's Child material that fans have always been hankering for. The group's last album was Destiny Fulfilled, a number two US- charting release which came out in 2004.   

Continue reading: Destiny's Child Reunion Confirmed! Beyonce Confirms New Material

Oz: The Great And Powerful Trailer


Oscar Diggs is a magician in a circus in Kansas who has about as much moral fibre as he has accomplishments to his name; that being none whatsoever. However, all that changes when he is magically transported to the land of Oz after his hot air balloon gets caught in a ferocious storm. He is about to have his ethics and his trickery put to the test after initially seeing the colourful and sparkling new world as a way of gaining the fortune he so longs for. Things change when he meets three beautiful witches Theodora, Evanora and Glinda who doubt his so-called magical powers are genuine but do believe he could still be great and powerful like the rest of Oz believe him to be if he saved the land from the wicked witch and became the righteous man he truly ought to be.

This vibrant Disney adventure has been adapted by director Sam Raimi ('The Evil Dead', the 'Spider-Man' trilogy) and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner ('Romeo Must Die', 'The Whole Ten Yards') and David Lindsay-Abaire ('Robots', 'Inkheart', 'Rise of the Guardians'). It has been based on the 1900 novel 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' by L. Frank Baum and serves as the prequel to the 1939 movie 'The Wizard of Oz'. Due for release on March 8th 2013. 

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Continue: Oz: The Great And Powerful Trailer

Jason Segal And Michelle Williams Shack Up In New York


Jason Segel Michelle Williams Heath Ledger

Who are our favourite Hollywood couple right now? That's right, the adorable and unassuming talent power-house couple that is Jason Segal (How I Met Your Mother, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Muppets) and Michelle Williams (Dawson's Creek, Brokeback Mountain). The couple, who have now been dating for 7 months, have bought a loft together in Brooklyn, NY. 

Williams and Segal have been living together for a few months, but were staving off moving into their own joint property. Williams was married to Heath Ledger, but were divorced 5 months before his tragic death. She and her daughter, Matilda, have lived in the home she and Ledge bought together ever since his death. However, with Segal entering Michelle and Matilda's lives, and providing an excellent father figure for young Matilda, it seems time for Michelle to properly move on.

Their new home is a converted loft, which has stunning views of the Manhattan skyline, according to WetPaint.com. The news of them moving in seems to confirm the idea that Segal feels he has met 'the one'. Last March he told Parade "I don't want to have a girlfriend for the sake of having a girlfriend. I have no desire to pick a random girl. I want the right girl. There are plenty of opportunities, but I would rather have the right one." He now has the right one.

Continue reading: Jason Segal And Michelle Williams Shack Up In New York

Take This Waltz Review


Excellent
After the remarkable Away From Her, actress-turned-filmmaker Polley is back with another bracingly observant drama, this time exploring the point where relationships cease to be something new. The film is a bit indulgent and downbeat, but it speaks so eloquently that we can't help but be moved.

In Toronto, Margot (Williams) is happily married to Lou (Rogen), but she feels that their relationship is only expressed through humour and that work interests divide them. So it's not surprising that, after a chance encounter with neighbour Daniel (Kirby), Margot starts to consider straying from her marriage. She holds Daniel at arm's length, but is intrigued by everything that's new about him, including his more adult way of talking about sex and relationships. Is taking this leap scarier than waiting around for her marriage to come back to life?

Continue reading: Take This Waltz Review

My Week With Marilyn Review


Very Good
Based on Colin Clark's memoirs, this film sometimes feels a bit too warm and nostalgic for its own good. But the performances are strong, and it's packed with terrific moments.

At age 23, Colin (Redmayne) is struggling to break into the movie business, camping out at the production offices of Laurence Olivier (Branagh), who is just about to start filming the 1957 comedy The Prince and the Showgirl with Marilyn Monroe (Williams). While Marilyn's diva behaviour and strict acting coach (Wanamaker) enrage Laurence, he can't deny that when she gets it right, she's magic. Meanwhile, Colin is assigned to help Marilyn make it through the shoot. And of course he can't help falling for her.

Continue reading: My Week With Marilyn Review

My Week With Marilyn Trailer


Colin Clark is an aspiring film maker and his first job upon leaving university is the role of assistant on a new film, called The Prince and The Showgirl. It stars a young Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe, the blonde bombshell who shocks with her implications that she sleeps in the nude.

Continue: My Week With Marilyn Trailer

Video - Eddie Redmayne And Michelle Williams Have Fun On The Red Carpet - My Week With Marilyn Arrivals


British film 'My Week With Marilyn' had its premiere at the New York Film Festival over the weekend, with the stars of the film turning up on the red carpet. Eddie Redmayne and Michelle Williams posed for photographs, separately as well as together.

My Week With Marilyn also stars Emma Watson; Dominic Cooper and Kenneth Branagh. It shows a week in Colin Clark's life as he introduces Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe to British culture, while she is filming 'The Prince and the Showgirl'

Mammoth Review


Very Good
Darkly honest and emotionally involving, this ensemble drama cleverly examines the impact of modern life on children through several distinctly different characters. It's not particularly original, but it's still gripping.

In New York, gaming expert Leo (Garcia Bernal) is happily married to surgeon Ellen (Williams). While they work, their young daughter Jackie (Nyweide) is tended to by their Filipina nanny Gloria (Necesito), who's working to raise money to help her two young sons (Nicdao and Delos Santos) back home. Leo's latest business trip takes him to Thailand, where he has some time to kill waiting for his business partner (McCarthy) to make a deal, so he heads to a remote beach, where be befriends a lively young hooker (Srinikornchot).

Continue reading: Mammoth Review

Shutter Island Review


Excellent
Essentially a B-movie thriller with an A-list cast and production values (and an epic's running time), this film is almost ludicrously well-made. Scorsese is clearly having fun rattling our nerves, and he does it very well.

In 1954 Boston, Ted (DiCaprio) is a US Marshal heading with his new partner Chuck (Ruffalo) to the Shutter Island hospital for the criminally insane. A patient (Mortimer) has mysteriously disappeared, and the head doctor (Kingsley) is acting suspicious. So is everyone else for that matter. As Ted delves deeper into the mystery, which hints at a big conspiracy, he struggles with the implications these events have for his own life, including the death of his wife (Williams) and his experiences liberating Dachau at the end of the war.

Continue reading: Shutter Island Review

Incendiary Review


OK
To watch Incendiary is to be disappointed by the failure of its huge ambitions. Here is a well-made film featuring good actors and which tells an intimate story, but which tries to do too much and collapses under the weight of its own aspirations. I do not object to the story itself; the problem is that the filmmakers take the story down three different directions when it should have only gone down one.

The film tries to simultaneously be a quiet personal story of guilt and grief and a muted cautionary thriller of government selfishness and compromise. But the mystery and intrigue only serve to distract from the central story and blunt its emotional impact. There is a way to convincingly and engagingly tell both sides of this story: by putting them in different movies with different styles and objectives.

Continue reading: Incendiary Review

Deception (2008) Review


Weak
According to web reports, this Hugh Jackman/Ewan McGregor thriller was originally titled The Tourist and The List before the filmmakers and/or studio finally settled on Deception. The alternates are not exactly the most eye-catching or original titles, but both would be just as appropriate for this particular film. I can't imagine what the impetus was to find something even more generic -- or if it's even possible to come up with a more bland thriller title. Betrayal, perhaps? Dark Secrets?

This is a film that starts off with some agreeable, professional trashiness before settling into routine. This is not to say that the opening, with meek, lonely accountant Jonathan (McGregor) striking up a friendship with the slick Wyatt (Jackman), is entirely smooth going. Almost immediately, the movie suffers from casting the sly, handsome McGregor as a fumbling nebbish. The guy has both acting chops and charisma; naturally, several of his Hollywood roles ask him to trade both for an American accent. Hopefully he meets up with Colin Farrell and James McAvoy to commiserate -- or maybe he swapped stories on-set with Jackman, another good-looking overseas bloke who has alternated terrific performances with bouts of blandness.

Continue reading: Deception (2008) Review

Naomi Watts Joins Heath Ledger's Family At Memorial Service


Heath Ledger Brokeback Mountain Michelle Williams Naomi Watts

Family and friends of the late Heath Ledger, including his ex-girlfriend Naomi Watts, have gathered at a memorial service for the actor.

Watts and Ledger's ex-fiancee Michelle Williams were among the mourners at the private service at the Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles after the Brokeback Mountain star's body was flown from New York City.

The 28-year-old was found dead in his downtown Manhattan apartment last Tuesday with an autopsy proving inconclusive as to the cause of death.

Though it was reported that prescription drugs were found in the SoHo bedroom, it has since been reported that the actor's death may have been a result of natural causes.

According to celebrity web site TMZ.com, sources "intimately connected with the investigation" have said Ledger may have died from a heart attack.

"It's now appearing that the level of toxicity (from medication) in Ledger's system was low enough that it may not have caused his death. These sources say Heath's heart stopped," the website reported.

Some 1,000 guests at the G'Day USA Australia Day Ball at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City held a minute's silence in honour of the Perth-born actor on Saturday night.

According to Melbourne newspaper The Age, the Australian consul-general also read a letter written by the late actor's father Kim.

"Heath did not become an actor for the fame or fortune," he wrote. "He loved his craft and he loved helping his friends. He loved chess and skateboarding too."

The letter added: "My image of Heath in New York is him with his skateboard, a canvas bag and his beanie.

"That was Heath to me... Heath is and always will be an Australian."

Continue reading: Naomi Watts Joins Heath Ledger's Family At Memorial Service

I'm Not There Review


Essential
We first meet the real Bob Dylan, lit by a spotlight and blowing into a harmonica with his eyes turned ever-downward, at the very end of Todd Haynes' I'm Not There. (The footage comes from a concert filmed in the 1960's.) Though there are six evocations of our hero's persona and dozens of references to his words and images, his actual visage is kept under lock and key until the solemn credits. To Haynes, the mystery of who the man is behind closed doors should stay that way: Behind closed doors tends to be pretty tedious if not downright boring. It's more fun to extrapolate: In the open valleys of cultural myth, a celebrity can become any number of things.

At first, he's a young, train-hopping wanderer who has taken the name Woody (Marcus Carl Franklin), from his hero Woody Guthrie. He also plays a guitar with "This Machine Kills Fascism" painted on it. Later, the man appears as an aged Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) who can't understand why the locals are being bullied out of their land by a decrepit Pat Garrett (Bruce Greenwood). Fitfully, the sequences are shot in the dusty browns of Peckinpah and the hippie westerns of the late 1960s and 1970s. Both stories, along with the others, are consistently interrupted by a press conference with poet Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw), who speaks in a particularly American sarcasm while scrutinizing everyone who questions him, half-mumbling with cigarette in hand.

Continue reading: I'm Not There Review

A Hole In One Review


OK
Quirky to the point of irritation, Richard Ledes' A Hole in One trades in inventive oddities at the expense of dealing with human emotion. A surrealistic period piece about humanity's hunger for quick-fix solutions to its complex problems, this romantic fable about insanity and brain incisions knows a thing or two about mood. From its title sequence of disembodied skulls, penetrating lances, and scraggly tree silhouettes to its non-linear narrative and ethereal dream imagery, Ledes creates an atmosphere of contemplative, quixotic fantasy. The problem, however, is one of forced weirdness. Its deliberate artificiality a cold and remote pose, and its characters archetypal cardboard cut-outs rather than fully fleshed-out people, the film is a strained attempt at eccentricity that ultimately reveals itself to be a dramatic non-starter.

Anna (Michelle Williams) is the vacuous, borderline-underage girlfriend of mobster Billy (Meat Loaf), and the deleterious effect of watching her criminal lover murder a restaurateur (Louis Zorich) - coupled with the recent death of her G.I. brother Dan (Wendell Pierce), who perished after post-WWII electro-shock treatments administered at the request of their nasty parents - has left the girl a psychological mess. Fortunately, frightening Dr. Harold Ashton (Bill Raymond) has just arrived in town promoting a newfangled cure-all that strikes Anna's easily swayed fancy: the transorbital lobotomy, which the neurologist claims will eradicate everything from anxiety and insomnia to alcoholism. The "ice-pick lobotomy" - a popular procedure apparently based on historical fact, and so nicknamed because of the primary instrument used - is immediately appealing to Anna, who sees it as the easiest method of coping with her traumatic life. Will she go through with the dangerous operation, thus choosing to forget, rather than confront, her painful memories? Will the town's new resident Tom (Tim Guinee), an honest Korean War vet being blackmailed by Billy, succeed in convincing Anna that lobotomies are a less-than-reasonable therapeutic solution to one's problems? Will Ledes create something coherent out of his symbolism-saturated story?

Continue reading: A Hole In One Review

The United States Of Leland Review


OK
In The United States of Leland, vaunted young actor Ryan Gosling ostensibly plays the mysterious title character, Leland P. Fitzgerald, a teenager facing a prison sentence for the murder of the mentally challenged younger brother of his ex-girlfriend Becky, but for the most part he's doing a passable Jake Gyllenhaal impression.

Maybe I've seen too many Gyllenhaal movies, but Leland's slightly hunched posture and quizzical facial expression, indicative of a familiar detached dreaminess, recalls indie prince Jake constantly, right down to the casting of go-to indie girlfriend Jena Malone as Becky (who acted alongside Gyllenhaal in Donnie Darko). To be fair, I wasn't thinking of Gyllenhaal for every second Gosling was on screen. Sometimes I was musing over his unfortunate resemblance to Screech from TV's Saved by the Bell.

Continue reading: The United States Of Leland Review

Michelle Williams

Michelle Williams Quick Links

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Michelle Williams

Date of birth

9th September, 1980

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Female

Height

1.63


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Michelle Williams Movies

All The Money In The World Trailer

All The Money In The World Trailer

Jean Paul Getty (Kevin Spacey) may have been the richest man of his time, but...

The Greatest Showman Trailer

The Greatest Showman Trailer

When P. T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman) loses his business when the company goes bankrupt, he's...

Certain Women Movie Review

Certain Women Movie Review

In films like Wendy and Lucy and Meek's Cutoff, writer-director Kelly Reichardt has told sharply...

Manchester by the Sea Movie Review

Manchester by the Sea Movie Review

This may not be the cheeriest movie of the season, but it's so skilfully written,...

Manchester By The Sea Trailer

Manchester By The Sea Trailer

Lee Chandler lives a life of self-imposed exile but that's not how he's always been....

Suite Francaise Movie Review

Suite Francaise Movie Review

Even though it's made in a style that feels familiar, this World War II romantic...

Suite Francaise Trailer

Suite Francaise Trailer

During the Second World War, France was quickly and violently taken over by the German...

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Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Review

Oz the Great and Powerful Movie Review

Like Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, this film shows the overpowering strength of Disney and...

Oz: The Great And Powerful Trailer

Oz: The Great And Powerful Trailer

Oscar Diggs is a magician in a circus in Kansas who has about as much...

Take This Waltz Movie Review

Take This Waltz Movie Review

After the remarkable Away From Her, actress-turned-filmmaker Polley is back with another bracingly observant drama,...

Oz The Great and Powerful Trailer

Oz The Great and Powerful Trailer

Oscar Diggs is an ethically-challenged circus magician who seeks fortune and recognition for his tricks...

Take This Waltz Trailer

Take This Waltz Trailer

When Margot and Daniel meet on a plane, they have an immediate connection; their chemistry...

My Week With Marilyn Movie Review

My Week With Marilyn Movie Review

Based on Colin Clark's memoirs, this film sometimes feels a bit too warm and nostalgic...

My Week With Marilyn Trailer

My Week With Marilyn Trailer

Colin Clark is an aspiring film maker and his first job upon leaving university is...

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