Paul Giamatti Page 3

Hold on to your dinner jackets, people, because Downton Abbey is almost back on PBS. The fourth season of the show premieres this coming Sunday, bringing with it some exciting changes for the ever-troubled Crawley family and the other inhabitants of Downton. Here are just a few of the cliffhangers that need resolving this season.

Paul Giamatti in Downton Abbey.

The sudden death of solicitor Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) in a car crash at the end of 2012 Christmas special shocked viewers to the point where series creator Julian Fellows reportedly received some very threatening letters.

Continue reading: Cast Changes And Cliff Hangers Abound As 'Downton Abbey' Kicks Off Season 4

Sony Pictures announced in Thursday, 12 December that they have big plans for the Amazing Spider-Man series, plans that involve various spin-offs and possibly even an ensemble release or two in the not-so-distant future. The announcement comes as Sony try to keep up with Disney and Warner Brothers, who have already gained a foot-hold in the superhero movie business, with Sony hoping to capitalised on the popularity of Spidey and his many cross-over villains and fellow heroes.

Spiderman isn't leaving Sony's rooster any time soon

On Thursday, Sony Pictures announced - via Electro Arrives - that they are working on two villain-centred spin-offs from the Spidey franchise: Venom and The Sinister Six. This will give the film company opportunity to develop two major aspects from the Spider-Man comic books without having to rely on the Amazing Spider-Man films alone. Sony announced that they have appointed a “franchise brain trust" to oversee their expansion of the Spider-Man film franchise, who will ensure the series can survive outside the confines of the Amazing Spider-Man.

Continue reading: Sony Announce 'Spider-Man' Spin Offs To Rival 'The Avengers' & 'Superman Vs. Batman'

Finally, after months of teasers and clips; on set photos and interviews, the first official Spider-Man 2 trailer is here, giving us an extended look at the action. Andrew Garfield will be taking on Jamie Foxx as Electro, Paul Giamatti as the Rhino and The Green Goblin in the highly anticipated sequel.

Here is is! Swinging about

"Every day I wake up knowing, that the more people I try to save, the more enemies I will make," says Garfield in the trailer. "And it's just a matter of time, before I face those with more power, than I can overcome," he adds.

Continue reading: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Trailer - Mammoth Picture Special [Trailer + Pictures]

Downton Abbey has unsurprisingly been renewed for a fifth series by ITV following its season four finale on Sunday evening (November 10, 2013).

Tom Branson, Played By Allen Leech.

"We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy" said Gareth Neame, director of Downton Abbey creators Carnival Films in a statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter. Julian Fellowes will return to write the new series, which ITV are likely to churn out next year.

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Behemoth Trudges On With Fifth Season Confirmation

12 Years A Slave is the film version of Solomon Northup's account of his kidnap and subsequent sale into slavery until his rescue twelve years later. The real-life account of the tragic fate of Northup and the appalling conditions he and millions of other slaves were forced to endure has been turned into a feature-length epic by British director Steve McQueen, who leads a largely British cast in the film that is being heralded by critics as a must-see film.

Chiwetel Ejiofor is spellbounding in 12 Years A Slave

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon, McQueen adapted the memoirs of the main character along with John Ridley to chronicle Solomon's harrowing twelve years, where he went from being a freeman living in New York, to a plantation slave in New Orleans between 1841 and 1853. Ejiofor has been roundly praised for his exceptonal acting talents, as have the rest of the cast, who include Brad Pitt, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alfre Woodard and Michael Fassbender, whose role as the heartless slave trader Edwin Epps has also been widely applauded for his unflinching brutality and realism.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Is A Harrowing Trip Back To A Darker Period In History: Review Round-Up

Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave has secured a place as ‘Oscars favorite’ following its triumph at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. The Steve McQueen-directed epic – based on the memoir of Solomon Northrup – remains the odds on choice for Best Picture at 13/4.

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave.

By winning the BlackBerry People's Choice award, 12 Years a Slave follows in the footsteps of previous Oscar winners, The Kings Speech and Slumdog Millionaire. What was once a the faint hum of Oscars buzz is now a powerful thud as McQueen’s latest effort leaves Mandela and Osage County in its wake.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' And Every Inch An Oscar Contender Following Toronto Win

The Toronto Film Festival has grown into one of the most important events in the movie calendar. Following the prestigious and glamorous Cannes and Venice festivals, it’s the sheer scale of Toronto’s slate that gives it its Oscars precursor status. As we wrote in our – admittedly early – Academy preview, this year’s competition is stronger than ever.

Benedict Cumberbatch's in The Fifth Estate

Of course, Toronto is famous for exposing a number of talents via their independent cinema; it doesn’t just cater for the mainstream. But when a film stuns at the Canadian fest, Oscars buzz is hot on its heels.

Continue reading: Which Film Will Get An Oscars Boost At The Toronto Film Festival 2013?

Okay, all right; you’ve heard everything there is to hear about Gravity, watched the trailer and read the mountain of glowing reviews for Alfonso Cuaron’s latest offering. It’s special. It’ll win… ninety Oscars and probably become… the 45th President of The United States.

George Clooney and Sandra Bullock have impressed in Gravity

But how about some other films?

Continue reading: Defying Gravity: What Are The OTHER Films To Look Out For At Venice Film Festival?

As we approach the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s fatal shooting, commemorative programming is inevitable. Parkland tells the story of Abraham Zapruder – the amateur photographer who inadvertently caught the day’s tragic events on film – and Zac Efron as Dr. Charles James – the rookie doctor who saw the president of the United States enter his theatre.

Check out the Parkland trailer here

"This is a movie about the ground truth from the ground level," Director Peter Landesman said about the film. "What surprised me was the power and poignancy of those who survived that day and the three that followed -- the heroism, the instincts and the pathos of those swept up in this tsunami. This is an event that happened to individuals."

Continue reading: Parkland Offers Fresh Perspective On JFK's Shooting - [Trailer + Poster]

ITV's hit period drama Downton Abbey will return to our screens later this year, and in the meantime we've been given plenty of tidbits about what we can expect from season four, and our latest news story from the set of the show is that we have two new, very young stars joining the cast. Cumbria-born twins Logan and Cole Weston have been picked to share the role of Baby George, the son of Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) and her late husband Matthew, who was written out of the show during last years' Christmas finale.

Dockery will have a son to look after on the next season of the show

The twins, who hail from Meathop, near Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria, will appear throughout the series as the youngest addition to the series, with filming for the new season coming to an end in the last few weeks. As reported by the BBC, the twins were given the all-star treatment on the set, and were treated with their own trailer and a limitless supply of sweets, milk and attention during the filming for the upcoming season. The twins make up just one of the many new stars due to join up with the Crawley family, including Hollywood star Paul Giamatti, James Fox and Gary Carr, who will star as the first black actor to appear on the show.

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Unveils Two New Stars: One-Year-Old Twins Logan & Cole Weston

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 will be released in cinemas in the spring of 2014, and up to now we've hardly seen any sneak peaks from behind the scenes of the movie, that's until now of course. Footage from the first trailer for the film has made it's way online, taken from a sneaky Comic-Con goer who managed to film the whole thing on his phone (and judging by the quality of the video, he was either sat all the way at the back of the convention room, or has a lousy camera).

Andrew Garfield takes a break from filming the new Spidey

Check out some behind the scenes pics from the film

Continue reading: New, Grainy Footage Of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Leaks Online [Video]

A chilling teaser clip has been released ahead of the release of Spider-Man 2 showing new villain Electro played by Jamie Foxx. Comic-Con fans got the first glimpse of the scary new baddie this weekend, in a clip that shows Electro AKA Max Dillon attached to the machine that bestows him with his unique electrical super powers. We see wires, we see pipes, we hear a menacingly rasping voice taking to an unknown off-screen character "I can feel it in the walls," he says. "I feel it in my veins. No matter what you do doc, you can't contain it. "You wanna know how powerful I am? Well I would love to. I'm Electro!" Not exactly original for any action movie bad guy but still, chills.

Jamie Foxx Making His Spider-Man Debut As Electro.

At a first - and very brief glance - Jamie Foxx's Electro does look like an electrocuted version The Da Vinci Code's self-flagellating sect member Silas and his portrayal of the originally green-suited, yellow-masked zappmeister is somewhat darker than Marvel Comics probably would have intended. However, the Django Unchained actor's version of Electro is one that fits more closely with Marvel's Ultimate Universe, where the character's powers are a product of bioengineering, rather than a freak accident.

Continue reading: 'Amazing Spider-Man 2' Teaser Launched: First Look At Jamie Foxx As Creepy Electro [Video]

Spiderman may be just under a year away – for those that care to do the maths, that’s ages – but that hasn’t stopped the buzz. And rarely is that buzz stronger (buzzier) than it is when a new bit of footage is released. Comic-Con 2013 provided us with just that.

On set at the Amazing Spider Man 2

“I can feel it in the walls. I feel it in my veins,” warns the latest Spider-Man villain in the latest piece of footage revealed. “No matter what you do doc, you can’t contain it. You want to know how powerful I am? Well I want to know too. I’m Electro,” he says.

Continue reading: Jamie Foxx Is Blue As Electro But He's Not Sad... He's Mad! New Spiderman Teaser

The long-awaited Walt Disney film, featuring Tom Hanks as the controversial man himself, is getting closer and closer, and we’ve got some stills of Hanks in action as well as his co-stars, Emma Thompson, B.J Novak and Jason Schwartzman.

Tom Hanks as the controversial Walt Disney

Saving Mr. Banks, which is to be showcased at Disney's annual D23 Expo, follows the story of Mary Poppins’ journey from page to screen as Author P.L. Travers travels from London to Hollywood to see her novel change in front of her eyes. She didn’t want Disney to do whey they did with her creation; wasn’t what she had planned.

Continue reading: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious - Tom Hanks In Saving Mr. Banks [Trailer + Pictures]

Like many animated family movies, Turbo’s premise is simple: a snail dreams of being the fastest mollusc in the world, and intends to prove it by winning the Indie 500. There was a time when Disney, Dreamworks and Pixar could do no wrong; Toy Story, Shrek, Finding Nemo and Ratatouille fooled people into thinking every animation film was, by virtue, amazing.

Reynolds provides the voice for our lead snail, Theo

Recently those times have changed, and we’re getting a little bored of what the studios have to offer. Wreck it Ralph provided some welcome relief, focussing upon the genre that essentially predicated animated cinema. So does Turbo have enough? We’ve already seen Despicable Me 2 and Monster’s University divide the critics this summer after all.

Continue reading: Turbo Reviews - Will Ryan Reynolds Race His Way Into Families' Hearts?

Solomon Northup was a regular New York resident who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. He was rescued 12 years later. 172 years on, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is an early Oscar contender for his turn as Northup in Steve McQueen’s 12 Days a Slave, which has a new trailer.

Chiwetel Ejiofor looks excellent as Solomon Northup in 12 Years a Slave

British actor Ejiofor is joined by an impressive cast, featuring Michael Fassbender, Paul Giamatti, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Michael K. Williams, Quvenzhane Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Scoot McNairy, Taran Killam and Brad Pitt, while John Ridley adapted the script from Northup’s biography.

Continue reading: Solomon Northup's Story Comes To Life In '12 Years A Slave' [Trailer + Pictures]

Films - or should we say writers and directors - that dare to tackle the issue of slavery come rarely, and when they due, they face an increased level of scrutiny due to the sensitive subject matter. They are necessary though; teaching the world of the horrors it has faced will ensure they never happen again, or so they say.

Chiwetel Ejiofor could be in for the biggest role of his life

Django Unchained came and went, as Quentin Tarantino’s ability to satirize and trivialize some of history’s most controversial times slowly turns into a trilogy of movies. Mixed reviews and a cavalier use of the ‘N’ word meant people saw it as less of a history lesson and more of a taboo comedy, which is exactly what it was.

Continue reading: 12 Years A Slave: The Slavery Movie We've All Been Waiting For

The trailer for Steve McQueen's hugely anticipated historical drama 12 Years A Slave, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as a free man tricked into slavery in the 1840s, has rolled out online.

Also featuring Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender and Paul Giamatti, the movie appears to be a far more hard-hitting than many were expecting with some writers suggesting it tells the real story of the pre-civil war period in the United States of America, as opposed to, say, Quentin Taratino's Django Unchained.

Ejiofor plays a free black New Yorker who is sold into slavery after being lured to Washington DC with the promise of a well-paid job playing fiddle in a circus.

Continue reading: Is '12 Years A Slave' The Movie Django Should Have Been? [Trailer]

We love the Tom Hanks Walt Disney picture, it’s not quite the transformation we expected – we can still see Hanks in it – but it has certainly whetted the appetite for Saving Mr Banks: the upcoming biographical drama about the production of the popular Walt Disney film Mary Poppins.

Hanks sports a 'tache at a portrait unveiling at Sardi's restaurant

Next to Hanks – who appears to be towing the company line, waving to fans – is a rather disgruntled Emma Thompson, who plays P.L. Travers in the film. Her struggle, which stems from Disney’s desire to adapt her novel, is a central plot point from the film. 'Saving Mr Banks' – also starring Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman and Colin Farrell - is due out on January 17.

Continue reading: Tom Hanks Walt Disney Picture - First Still From 'Saving Mr Banks'

Paul Giamatti who has starred in such films as Sideways,The Illusionist, Rock of Ages and The Hangover Part II will feature in British drama Downton Abbey. He will play Lady Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) visiting American brother, Harold.

Last series ended with yet more tragedy with Matthew (Dan Stevens) following in the wake of Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and 'going to a better place' i.e. the bright light at the end of the acting tunnel: Hollywood! Both died after having a child and both have left distraught spouses. Will Branson and Lady Mary overcome their differences and possibly get together? It's only a possibility but it does seem to be the sort of dog-legged plotline writer Julian Fellowes appreciates. 

Pail Giamatti is merely one of many American actors who will take up a part on ITV's hit show. We've already witnessed Shirley Maclaine appear as Cora's mother who according to Carnival Films' managing director Graham Naeme will return this season. This is one of the reasons the cast and crew are so excited about Giamatti's involvement in the drama, according to Naeme "We can't wait to see him work alongside Shirley Maclaine, who are both sure to upset the Grantham's apple cart in this year's Christmas Day episode".

Continue reading: Downton Abbey Will Play Host To Paul Giamatti - And Shirley Maclaine (Again!)

Andrew Garfield has committed himself to the Amazing Spider-Man movie franchise by agreeing to appear in a further two films with Sony Pictures. The production company announced the franchise's expansion into four movies in a statement release on Monday (June 17), although no other information was released about the film, so feel free to let your imagination run wild.

Garfield is going to go one further than Tobey Maguire did in his turn as Spiderman and the actor is already filming the finishing touches for the second Amazing Spider-Man film, which is due out in May next year. The studio also announced that the films will be released in relatively quick succession, just as the second film is swiftly wrapping up with filming. The studio announced that the third and fourth instalments of the film will be release on June 10, 2016, and May 4, 2018 respectively.

Before we can begin to think about the third and fourth films, let take the time to relish what we have in store when The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is released. Garfield's Spidey has all kinds of trouble to deal with this time round, with his personal problems going to heck when Peter Parker's other love interest, Mary Jane Watson (Shailene Woodley) shows up, much to the displeasure of Emma Stone's Gwen Stacy. If his personal life wasn't hectic enough, there's two baddies around this time for him to battle, with Paul Giamatti playing a gangster-fied version of Rhino and Jamie Foxx set to send sparks flying as Electro. The fittingly named Marc Webb will return to direct too.

Continue reading: 'The Amazing Spider-Man 3 & 4' Are On Their Way As Andrew Garfield Signs Up For Two More Spidey Films

Whilst filming for the sequel of 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man is still underway, the bosses at Sony Pictures have already decided that they will extend the film franchise for another two film, at the very least, after it was announced that a third and fourth follow-on to the superhero movie have already been place in pre-production.

In an announcement made by Sony Pictures bosses on Monday (June 17), current Spidey Andrew Garfield has agreed to stop on for the planned films and filming for the movies will beging almost as soon as Spidey 2 has been distributed. The studio announced that the third and fourth instalments of the film will be release on June 10, 2016, and May 4, 2018 respectively.

In slightly more current news, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is due in cinemas by May 2, 2014, and features a similar make-up to its predecessor in terms of personel worKing on the project. Like the 2012 movie, Garfield will return as the web-slinging hero and the fittingly named Marc Webb will return to direct. Emma Stone returns as Gwen Stacy, with Shailene Woodley joining the cast as Peter Parker's other love interest, Mary Jane Watson. Chris Cooper will appear as Norman Osborn and Dane DeHaan will play his son Harry, with Paul Giamatti and Jamie Foxx set to portray the two villainous roles as Rhino and Electro respectively.

Continue reading: 3rd & 4th Instalments Of 'The Amazing Spider-Man' Have Been Agreed By Sony