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'Mr. Turner' Draws More Complaints Than Any Other Movie Of 2014


Timothy Spall Mike Leigh Marion Bailey

Mr. Turner has been surrounded by some confusing news stories ever since its release (like, why wasn’t it nominated for any of the major prizes at the BAFTAs and Oscars?) but none quite as inexplicable as this one. The British Board of Film Classification named the Mike Leigh-directed biopic as the most complained-about movie of 2014, because of a scene in which lead actor Timothy Spall “vigorously” clenches his buttocks, according to the Guardian.

The BBFC, which awards age certification for movies released in Britain, said that the scene featuring the artist JMW Turner and his housekeeper, played by Marion Bailey, in which Spall’s “clothed buttocks are seen clenching vigorously, before the scene cuts to a close-up of his face and his thrusting head and shoulders”, caused 19 people to complain about its sexual nature in a film deemed to be of 12A suitability.

Timothy Spall Mr TurnerTimothy Spall in Mr. Turner, bizarrely the most complained-about film in 2014

Continue reading: 'Mr. Turner' Draws More Complaints Than Any Other Movie Of 2014

Mike Leigh - Various stars of film and television were photographed on the red carpet as they arrived for the the EE British Academy of Film and Television Awards which were held at The Opera House in London, United Kingdom - Sunday 8th February 2015

"Dick Poop" Gaffe Wins The Internet After Oscar Nominations


Mike Leigh

The moment Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs walked out onto the stage to announce the Oscar nominations - things began to go downhill. Isaacs frequently struggled with pronunciation - both with exotic names like Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and regular sounding names like Dick Pope.

Mr TurnerDick Pope is Oscar nominated for his turn in Mr Turner

Now, Pope is a veteran cinematographer from Kent, England, and has worked on the likes of The Illusionist, Happy-Go-Lucky and Vera Drake - striking up a close connection with Mike Leigh, whose latest movie Mr Turner was nominated in this morning's announcement.

Continue reading: "Dick Poop" Gaffe Wins The Internet After Oscar Nominations

Mike Leigh's 'Mr Turner' Snubbed Completely In BAFTA Nominations


Mike Leigh

Wes Anderson's madcap adventure The Grand Budapest Hotel leads this year's BAFTA nominations, with 11. The star-studded farce is nominated for best director, best film, best original screenplay and best actor for British star Ralph Fiennes.

The Grand Budapest HotelWes Anderson's comedy caper The Grand Budapest Hotel leads the BAFTA nominations

Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything landed 10 nods, with Eddie Redmayne installed as the favourite to win Best Actor. He will face competition in that category from Michael Keaton, whose movie Birdman also received 10 nominations at the announcement on Friday morning (January 9, 2014). Benedict Cumberbatch and Jake Gyllenhaal round out that category, though David Oyelowo - the British star who plays Martin Luther King in Selma - was not nominated. In fact, the critically acclaimed movie failed to pick up a single nod.

Continue reading: Mike Leigh's 'Mr Turner' Snubbed Completely In BAFTA Nominations

Mr Turner Gives Timothy Spall The Role He Deserves In Artist Biopic


Timothy Spall Mike Leigh

Timothy Spall is one of those actors who works regularly and is constantly acclaimed by the critics, but he's never been the leading man type. Much of his acclaim has been for roles in ensemble films ('Secrets & Lies', 'Topsy Turvy', 'All or Nothing') or as part of a larger award-winning cast (winning the SAG best cast award for 'The King's Speech').

Timothy Spall in 'Mr Turner'
Timothy Spall admits he learnt to paint for 'Mr Turner' role

Then his usual collaborator Mike Leigh asked him to play the iconic 19th century painter J.M.W. Turner in the biopic 'Mr. Turner', and Spall went home with the Best Actor award from this year's Cannes Film Festival. 

Continue reading: Mr Turner Gives Timothy Spall The Role He Deserves In Artist Biopic

Mr. Turner Review


Excellent

It's no surprise that Mike Leigh would take a distinctly original approach to the celebrity biopic, and this film about 19th century painter J.M.W. Turner is refreshingly unstructured and abrasive. By avoiding the usual formula, Leigh also reinvents the period drama as something almost startlingly realistic, packing the screen with sardonic humour and honest emotions that are extremely complex. And since it's about a painter, the film looks absolutely gorgeous, as Leigh and his ace cinematographer Dick Pope recreate the look of Turner's paintings on-screen.

The film is set in the 1820s, when Turner (Timothy Spall) is a celebrity on the art scene, courting controversy with his visceral landscapes. People either love or hate his work, but his financial success means he can do whatever he wants. Living with his father (Paul Jesson) and loyal housekeeper Hannah (Dorothy Atkinson), Turner openly challenges his critics. But his private life is just as tempestuous. He ignores the two daughters he fathered with Mrs Danby (Ruth Sheen) and has a second incognito life with the widow Sophie Booth (Marion Bailey), calling himself "Mr Mallard". Meanwhile, he continues to push boundaries in his work, challenging the status quo to such an extent that he becomes a joke in social circles.

Spall won the Best Actor award at Cannes for his astonishing performance as the fiercely independent Turner, a man who went to extreme ends to maintain his anarchic lifestyle and produce his distinctive paintings. In one key scene, he straps himself to a ship's mast during a storm so he can better capture the extreme weather in his work. Yes, Turner was a hurricane of a man, brushing off anyone who disparaged his art, including Queen Victoria. And it's no surprise that so few people liked him: Spall plays him believably as monosyllabic grump who growls more than he speaks.

Continue reading: Mr. Turner Review

'Mr Turner' Is Mike Leigh's True Masterpiece


Timothy Spall Mike Leigh

It feels as though Mr Turner has been around forever. It premiered in competition for the Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival with Timothy Spall winning best actor for his portrayal of eccentric British painter J.M.W Turner. Now, the movie receives a full UK cinematic release and, quite rightly, it's been talked up in Oscars circles.

Timothy Spall Mr TurnerTimothy Spall plays J.M.W Turner in Mike Leigh's masterpiece

The movie, directed by the acclaimed Mike Leigh, explores the last 25 years of Turner's life and how his wellbeing was profoundly affected by the death of his father. Turner formed a close relationship with a seaside landlady with whom he eventually leaves with in Chelsea, the place of his death. However, throughout those latter years, Turner travelled, painted, visited brothels and became an anarchic member of the Royal Academy of Arts. 

Continue reading: 'Mr Turner' Is Mike Leigh's True Masterpiece

Cannes Film Festival 2014: Our Top Five Palme D'Or Winner Predictions


Timothy Spall Mark Ruffalo Channing Tatum Mike Leigh Bennett Miller Michel Hazanavicius

So, we’ve got to admit we’re sort of gunning for Mike Leigh’s film Mr. Turner to win the Palme d’Or 2014, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other films in the running for the prestigious award. Among the 18 films competing to win the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, the winner of which which will be announced on May 25, these are the films we think are most likely to scoop the award.

Palme d'Or Cannes 2014 Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo star together in Foxcatcher

Foxcatcher, directed by Bennett Miller

Continue reading: Cannes Film Festival 2014: Our Top Five Palme D'Or Winner Predictions

Will Mike Leigh's "Masterpiece" 'Mr Turner' Land Timothy Spall His First Oscar?


Timothy Spall Mike Leigh

Acclaimed writer and director Mike Leigh’s latest film, Mr Turner, is being hailed as a “masterpiece” by critics at the Cannes Film Festival. Mr Turner has been as praised as Nicole Kidman’s Grace of Monaco has been slated, so basically, that's a whole lot.

Timothy Spall Mr Turner Will Mr Turner be the role that finally scores Timothy Spall his much-deserved Oscar?

Exploring the last 25 years of the British landscape artist, J.M.W. Turner’s life, Mr Turner delves into the psyche of one of the greatest painters to ever live. Mr Turner doesn’t sugarcoat, it doesn’t skim or gloss over, it is a character study delving into the essence of what is inside a person with the ability to create such spectacular work. Leigh explained, “[He] was eccentric, anarchic, vulnerable, imperfect, erratic and come times uncouth…He could be selfish and disingenuous, mean yet generous, and he was capable of great passion and poetry.”  From what we've gathered, the films paints (hehe) Turner as the rebel bad boy of the classical art scene.  We're glad to see that Leigh's spiced it up, hopefully there will be a revival of interest in the arts once it's been released to the public.

Continue reading: Will Mike Leigh's "Masterpiece" 'Mr Turner' Land Timothy Spall His First Oscar?

A Week In Movies: Double Premieres For Godzilla And X-Men, Cannes Kicks Off, Bradley Cooper Films In L.A., And New Trailers For Robert Pattinson, Chris Evans And Sam Claflin


Bryan Cranston Aaron Johnson Nicole Kidman Mike Leigh Timothy Spall Bradley Cooper Robert Pattinson Sam Claflin Lily James

Godzilla

The stars of both Godzilla and X-men: Days of Future Past turned out for a pair of big premieres over the past week. Godzilla, starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston, had its world premiere in Los Angeles, while X-men: Days of Future Past, starring Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, bowed in New York. Then both casts travelled to London for European premieres a few days later. Check out our 'Godzilla' Premiere at Dolby Theatre - Arrivals photos, watch the video of Hugh Jackman sporting a bandaged nose At 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past' World Premiere or watch the video of James Mcavoy and Patrick Stewart re-uniting at the 'X-men: Days Of Future Past' World Premiere.

But there was an even bigger film event this week in France, as the Cannes Film Festival kicked off with Nicole Kidman's new movie Grace of Monaco. The film received savage reviews from the critics, but Kidman brought real glamour to opening night. And the critics had far more praise for Mike Leigh's new film Mr. Turner, which stars Timothy Spall. Browse photos from the 67th Cannes Film Festival - Grace de Monaco - Photocall the 'Mr Turner' - Photocall or watch the trailer for Mike Leigh's Mr Turner.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Double Premieres For Godzilla And X-Men, Cannes Kicks Off, Bradley Cooper Films In L.A., And New Trailers For Robert Pattinson, Chris Evans And Sam Claflin

Mike Leigh's 'Mr. Turner' Gets 5-Star Reviews At Cannes 2014 [Trailer]


Timothy Spall Mike Leigh Paul Jesson

‘Mr. Turner’ has enjoyed an emphatic opening at Cannes 2014, where many critics were moved to award Mike Leigh’s biopic of the British artist, J.M.W Turner. It could be early Cannes excitement from the press, but Timothy Spall’s performance as the titular artist is already attracting Oscar gossip, as ridiculous as that is.

Mr. TurnerTimothy Spall as Mr. Turner

“Every scene in this film is expertly managed; every comic line and funny moment adroitly presented and every performance given with intelligence and love. It is another triumph for Mike Leigh and for Timothy Spall,” wrote Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, slapping 5 stars on the film.  

Continue reading: Mike Leigh's 'Mr. Turner' Gets 5-Star Reviews At Cannes 2014 [Trailer]

Mike Leigh

Mike Leigh Quick Links

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Mike Leigh

Date of birth

20th February, 1943

Occupation

Filmmaker

Sex

Male

Height

1.70


Mike Leigh Movies

Mr. Turner Movie Review

Mr. Turner Movie Review

It's no surprise that Mike Leigh would take a distinctly original approach to the celebrity...

Mr Turner Trailer

Mr Turner Trailer

Director Mike Leigh has made a new biopic about one of Britains finest landscape artists,...

Another Year Trailer

Another Year Trailer

Meet Tom and Gerri, a happily married couple who're closer to the end of their...

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