Heads up, cinephiles: Saturday marked the start of the Palm Springs Film festival and with it, an entire seasons of festivals, award shows and other industry-related goodness. The first event of the season was attended by the likes of Brad Pitt and Robert Downey Jr., both of whom presented awards, but did not receive any. Strange, we know. Although they did add a lot of humour to the stuffy event, according to Variety’s report.

David Oyelowo was this year's Breakthrough Actor.

Continue reading: Palm Springs Film Festival Winners List Spells Success For "Selma", "Gone Girl"

Contactmusic.com's 10 Worst Films Of 2014

By Rich Cline in Movies / TV / Theatre on 23 December 2014

Melissa McCarthy Cam Gigandet Simon Pegg Toni Collette Rosamund Pike Christopher Plummer Arnold Schwarzenegger Olivia Williams

Rich Cline looks back over 2014 and shares some of the biggest let downs of the year.

Most of these movies feature actors, actresses and filmmakers who really should know better... Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber To

10) Dumb And Dumber To - After 20 years we had finally forgotten the resolutely unfunny first movie. And now they're back. Sadly, they haven't learned anything about comedy in the interim. Watch the trailer for Dumb and Dumber To here.

Earth To Echo

Continue reading: Contactmusic.com's 10 Worst Films Of 2014

'Gone Girl' Wins Top Honour & 'The Imitation Game' Gains 4 Awards At 18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards [Pictures]

By Elinor Cosgrave in Movies / TV / Theatre on 15 November 2014

Benedict Cumberbatch Rosamund Pike Keira Knightley Ben Affleck Angelina Jolie Jack O'Connell Eddie Redmayne Queen Latifah Michael Keaton Julianne Moore Shailene Woodley Chris Rock Hollywood Film Awards

'Gone Girl' was awarded the top honour at the Hollywood Film Awards on Friday (14th November) and 'The Imitation Game' gained four awards including prizes for actor, supporting actress and director.

The results are in from the 18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards which were held at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Friday (14th November). Check out the winners list and pictures from the ceremony!

Benedict Cumberbatch won the award for Hollywood Actor.

See More Pictures From 18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards.

Continue reading: 'Gone Girl' Wins Top Honour & 'The Imitation Game' Gains 4 Awards At 18th Annual Hollywood Film Awards [Pictures]

David Fincher's Gone Girl Holds The Box Office

By Rich Cline in Movies / TV / Theatre on 17 October 2014

David Fincher Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike

David Fincher's adaptation of Gillian Flynn's bestselling novel Gone Girl has won the box office for the third week in a row in both America and Britain, a remarkable achievement for a two-and-a-half hour long mystery that loses its surprise value on first viewing. So audiences must be responding to its complex exploration of relationship issues, mainly how difficult it is to know what's going on in a partner's head.

Ben Affleck in Gone Girl

This week in America, Gone Girl saw off competition from both Dracula Untold (which landed in second place) and Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day (at No 3). In Britain, newcomers The Maze Runner and Annabelle were held off at 2 and 3. And the film shows no signs of slowing down, at $162 million worldwide and climbing. Competition this week in America comes from Brad Pitt's Fury, while in the UK the top titles are Palo Alto and The Judge. In both markets, romantic drama The Best of Me is also expected to make its mark.

Continue reading: David Fincher's Gone Girl Holds The Box Office

"Gone Girl" Scores Easy Box Office Victory Over "Dracula Untold"

By Victoria Pavlova in Movies / TV / Theatre on 13 October 2014

David Fincher Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike Jennifer Garner

After a not-so-close race, Gone Girl came out on top for the second weekend in a row.

Well, it’s official – David Fincher’s Gone Girl is the winner in another weekend box office race. It wasn’t even a close one this time. On its second weekend, the mystery thriller saw a 29% drop, but still made it to $78 million.

Gone Girl, Ben Affleck
Gone Girl is Fincher's top grossing film to date.

With $26,8 million, Gone Girl narrowly beat our the critically panned Dracula Untold. The gory, vaguely historical flick came in second with $23,5 million, meaning that, despite abysmal reviews, Drac still has a shot at next week’s throne. Recently, director Gary Shore even let slip that he’s thinking about a possible sequel. Even though nothing’s been greenlit just yet, it looks like we won’t be rid of the Romanian prince for a while. Sigh.

Continue reading: "Gone Girl" Scores Easy Box Office Victory Over "Dracula Untold"

Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike, "Separation Is Key To A Relationship"

By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 08 October 2014

Rosamund Pike David Fincher

'Gone Girl' star Rosamund Pike says couples put too much strain on each other.

Rosamund Pike, the British actress who turns in a career-best, possibly award winning performance in David Fincher's Gone Girl, says there is too much demand on our spouses nowadays and that separation is the key to any healthy relationship. Pike, 35, plays Amy Dunne in Fincher's twisting, turning Rubik's cube of a movie that has set alight the box-office on both sides of the Atlantic.

Rosamund Pike [L] delivers a barnstorming performance in 'Gone Girl'

"People have ridiculous expectations of a mate," she told Spectrum magazine, "In my grandmother's day, you wouldn't expect your husband to fulfil the same need in you as your sister, or girlfriends, or colleagues at work. You'd have different needs met by different people."

Continue reading: Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike, "Separation Is Key To A Relationship"

'Gone Girl' Hits Big, But Did Nick Dunne Kill His Wife?

By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 06 October 2014

David Fincher Rosamund Pike Ben Affleck

'Gone Girl' has stormed the UK box office, too.

David Fincher’s dark, brooding thriller Gone Girl landed in the UK over the weekend, to critical acclaim from audiences and a sense that this is how to do an adaptation. This is how you do it. Based on Gillian Flynn’s explosive bestseller, Gone Girl follows the marriage trials and tribulations of Nick Dunne and his beautiful wife Amy.

Ben Affleck in David Fincher's superb 'Gone Girl'

When Amy goes missing, Nick comes under the scrutiny of the national media, and the police have their suspicions too. His strange behaviour and deceitful lies do nothing for his public persona – Did Nick Dunne kill his wife is the question on everybody’s lips.

Continue reading: 'Gone Girl' Hits Big, But Did Nick Dunne Kill His Wife?

"Annabelle" And "Gone Girl" Race Toward The Finish After Successful Box Office Weekend

By Victoria Pavlova in Movies / TV / Theatre on 05 October 2014

Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike

Here's your weekend box office report - a little ahead of schedule, "Annabelle" and "Gone Girl" rule the game.

Before The Conjuring, there was Annabelle. The creepy little doll is on course to top the box office this weekend, checking in at $15,5 million on Friday. In contrast, David Fincher’s Gone Girl made just $13,2 million on its first day of release – a surprisingly high performance for a horror flick, especially with its release over the Yom Kippur. Things evened out over Saturday, however, and the two films entered the home stretch neck and neck, with numbers in the $37-38 margin.

Annabelle surpassed expectations, coming in second over the slow holiday weekend.

Both have exceeded expectations for the holiday period, since both movies cater to specific tastes. Horror flicks like Annabelle tend to have a reliable, but limited reach of just genre fans. Gone Girl, on the other hand, has received a lot of critical praise and like a lot of Fincher’s flicks, has very wide appeal. The suspenseful thriller dives deep into the psychology of a failed relationship and examines the connection between public pressure, violence and troubled relationships.

Continue reading: "Annabelle" And "Gone Girl" Race Toward The Finish After Successful Box Office Weekend

'Annabelle' Shocks, In More Ways Than One, Surpasses 'Gone Girl' At Friday's Box Office

By Elinor Cosgrave in Movies / TV / Theatre on 05 October 2014

Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike Neil Patrick Harris Annabelle Wallis

The horror 'Annabelle' has made $2 million more than 'Gone Girl' at the Box Office on their opening days (Friday 3rd October).

Annabelle has pipped Gone Girl to the top of the Friday Box Office. Both films opened on Friday (3rd October) but it's come as a surprise for commentators that the horror surpassed the acclaimed thriller.

Ben Affleck stars in Gone Girl.

Watch: The Movie Trailer For Annabelle.

Continue reading: 'Annabelle' Shocks, In More Ways Than One, Surpasses 'Gone Girl' At Friday's Box Office

'Gone Girl' Faces Adaptation Challenge

By Rich Cline in Movies / TV / Theatre on 03 October 2014

Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike David Fincher

It's never easy to adapt a well-loved novel for the screen, but perhaps if you are the person who wrote the book, you stand a better chance than many.

Adapting a mega-selling novel is always tricky, as screenwriters must figure out a way to keep the book's fans happy while transforming the material into a shape that works on the big screen for both newcomers and fans alike. In this sense, the most difficult genre to adapt has to be the mystery-thriller, which is probably why filmmaker David Fincher turned to novelist Gillian Flynn to write the screenplay from her own book 'Gone Girl'.

Ben Affleck in Gone Girl
Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne in the movie adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel.

The challenge is much greater than those who adapt sagas like 'Harry Potter', 'The Hunger Games', 'Twilight' or 'The Lord of the Rings', where the principle joy is in seeing beloved characters and events depicted on-screen with no surprises at all. But with a mystery, the movie must also grip the viewer.

Continue reading: 'Gone Girl' Faces Adaptation Challenge

Gone Girl Review

By Rich Cline

Extraordinary

Those who have read the blockbuster novel may be disappointed to know that author Gillian Flynn hasn't changed anything in adapting it to the big screen, so there aren't any surprises along the way. But they'll be glad to see the story so faithfully and skilfully adapted, with snaky direction from David Fincher and actors who add layers of new meaning to the characters. And non-readers are in for a thrillingly twisty experience as a mysterious conundrum shifts into a full-on thriller and then something much more intensely personal.

When Nick (Ben Affleck) discovers that his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) is missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, he has no idea what has happened. As recounted in Amy's journal, their marriage has been a whirlwind of sexy highs and dark lows, as both writers lost their jobs in New York and moved to rural Missouri to take care of Nick's terminally ill mother. As a result, their marriage ran aground, and Nick increasingly turned to his twin sister Margot (Carrie Coon) for support. As two police officers (Kim Dickens and Patrick Fugit) investigate Amy's disappearance, the media circus begins to paint Nick as a villain, led by rabid tabloid-TV host Ellen Abbott (Missi Pyle). So while he suspects Amy's stalker-like ex (Neil Patrick Harris), Nick has little choice but hire a high-powered lawyer (Tyler Perry) to defend himself.

Even at nearly two and a half hours, this film races along breathlessly as events and revelations continually shift the perspective. It's clear from the start that neither Nick nor Amy (in diary-entry flashbacks) are particularly reliable narrators. Both are a bundle of secrets, although Nick remains far more sympathetic. Affleck gives one of his most textured performances in years as a nice guy who struggles to look "nice" for the cameras. His isolation and confusion are hugely involving, which contrasts strongly to Amy's far too confident point of view. Pike manages to bring out the peeling onion of Amy's personality beautifully, offering telling glimpses of the real woman beneath the characters she seems to always be playing. And the supporting cast add details that twist their roles as well. Dickens and Fugit are a terrific double act, while Coon and Harris constantly offer surprising hints about their characters beneath the bravado and concern.

Continue reading: Gone Girl Review

Is Rosamund Pike In Line For An Oscar Thanks To ‘Gone Girl’?

By Stephanie Chase in Movies / TV / Theatre on 02 October 2014

Rosamund Pike Ben Affleck Neil Patrick Harris

The British actress is earning rave reviews for her role as Amy in David Fincher’s thriller.

Rosamund Pike could be a serious contender at next year’s Oscars, thanks to her star making turn opposite Ben Affleck in Gone Girl. In the film, which hits cinemas on Friday (October 3rd), Pike plays Amy Dunne, the wife of Affleck who mysteriously goes missing on the couple’s fifth wedding anniversary.

Rosamund Pike attends the Gone Girl world premiere

While David Fincher’s adaptation of Gillian Flynn’s novel has generally been impressing the critics, it’s the performance of the 35 year old British actress which has really stood out. The former Bond girl has captivated the critics with her portrayal of Amy, while putting her name firmly in the running for an Academy Award nomination.

Continue reading: Is Rosamund Pike In Line For An Oscar Thanks To ‘Gone Girl’?

What We Did On Our Holiday Review

By Rich Cline

Excellent

Although its story easily could have spun right off the rails, this British comedy uses earthy honesty to win the audience over. The filmmakers also refuse to shy away from things that are usually taboo in family movies, like marital problems, sexuality and mortality. And by never indulging in wacky slapstick or trite moralising, the movie makes the point that sometimes the worst thing we can do to our kids is try to protect them from what's really happening.

The story starts in London, as Abi and Doug (Rosamund Pike and David Tennant) set off to drive north to the Scotland Highlands for the 75th birthday of David's father Gordy (Billy Connolly). They've told their three hilariously overactive kids Lottie, Mickey and Jess (Emilia Jones, Bobby Smalldridge and Harriet Turnbull) not to say anything to anyone about their crumbling marriage. And when they arrive it's clear that everyone has something they don't want to talk about. Gordy is avoiding conversations about his terminal cancer, while David's brother Gavin (Ben Miller) and his wife Margaret (Amelia Bullmore) are also covering up facts from their recent past. Then on a day trip to the beach, the holiday takes a startling turn.

Where the film goes from here hinges on the actions of three children under 10 years old, and all three actors are terrific, creating believable characters who are bursting with individualistic personalities. Watching them try to decode the adult world around them is thoroughly engaging, with the humour lightly balanced by some darker truths. Meanwhile, the grown-up cast get to play the more obviously comical moments, including a few rather too-broad gags. But each of them keeps their character in focus, never letting them tip over into cartoonish silliness. Pike, Tennant and Connolly are all terrific, with pointed support from Miller and Bullmore, plus Imrie as a rather too-knowing social worker.

Continue reading: What We Did On Our Holiday Review

Rosamund Pike Talks "Inappropriate" Sex Scenes With Neil Patrick Harris In 'Gone Girl'

By Nick Hill in Movies / TV / Theatre on 10 September 2014

Rosamund Pike

The British actress talks about starring in the intense drama alongside veteran actors Ben Affleck and Neil Patrick Harris.

British actress Rosamund Pike, a former 'Bond' girl, stars alongside Ben Affleck and Neil Patrick Harris in the upcoming thriller film 'Gone Girl,' and it is unsurprising to learn that shooting a twisted romantic tale was quite the challenge.

Rosamund Pike
Pike said the sex scenes with co-star Neil Patrick Harris were "inappropriate"

Pike portrays the female lead, Amy Dunne, in the adaptation of Gillian Flynn's 2012 novel of the same name, and while being interviewed by the author for the October issue of Glamour magazine, the 35 year-old actress recalled starring alongside two veteran actors, and their awkward sex scenes.

Continue reading: Rosamund Pike Talks "Inappropriate" Sex Scenes With Neil Patrick Harris In 'Gone Girl'

Hector And The Search For Happiness Review

By Rich Cline

Weak

With an approach so saccharine that it makes Eat Pray Love look like an edgy thriller, this heartwarming meaning-of-life odyssey is so relentlessly schmalzy that it quickly annoys anyone with even a tiny spark of cynicism inside them. And the annoying thing is that the filmmakers might have got away with it if there was any depth to the constant flow of uplifting sloganeering.

It starts in London, where the psychiatrist Hector (Simon Pegg) has a perfect life with his cheeky girlfriend Clara (Rosamund Pike). But the misery of his patients is rubbing off on him, so he decides to go in search of the true meaning of happiness. He starts by heading to Shanghai, where he meets a stinking-rich businessman (Stellan Skarsgard) and a sexy young woman (Zhao Ming). But is happiness found in money or sex? Silly question. Moving on, he checks out knowledge and wisdom in Tibet with a monk (Togo Igawa), then charity and power in Africa with an old pal (Barry Atsma), a drug kingpin (Jean Reno) and a gang of heavily armed rebels. Finally, he heads to Los Angeles to explore nostalgia with his old flame Agnes (Toni Collette), who helps him track down an award-winning self-help author (Christopher Plummer) who's known as "the Einstein of happiness".

Based on the book by Francois Lelord, the film is assembled along an outline of Hector's discoveries along the road, so what he discovers is actually written across the screen. But none of it is remotely enlightening, so why is he travelling to China, Tibet and Africa to discover these cheesy aphorisms, which appear on trite motivational posters in every office in the Western world? In addition to the on-screen captions, there are animated segments from Hector's travel diary, which are clearly drawn by a professional artist, not this hapless goofball who can't even remember where his pen is.

Continue reading: Hector And The Search For Happiness Review

'What We Did On Our Holiday' Trailer Hints At Refreshing British Rom-Com [Trailer]

By Michael West in Movies / TV / Theatre on 07 August 2014

David Tennant Rosamund Pike

'What We Did On Our Holiday' is sort of 'Outnumbered' meets 'Little Miss Sunshine'.

The latest trailer for the British romantic-comedy What We Did On Our Holiday, starring a frankly all-star cast of David Tennant, Rosamund Pike, Billy Connolly, Celia Imrie and Ben Miller, has rolled out online, hinting at a sort of Outnumbered-cum-Little-Miss-Sunshine quirky comedy that would have to really screw up its marketing to fail.

David Tennant Rosamund Pike David Tennant [L] and Rosamund Pike [L] in 'What We Did On Our Holiday'

Tennant and Pike play a couple and their young kids who head for the Scottish Highlands to celebrate their grandfathers birthday, all while trying to keep a pretty important secret from the rest of the family. However we soon learn that it's the children - played in steal-stealing form by Amelia Jones and Bobby Smalldridge - who are most likely to let the cat out of the bag.

Continue reading: 'What We Did On Our Holiday' Trailer Hints At Refreshing British Rom-Com [Trailer]

What We Did On Our Holiday - Extended Trailer

When Doug (David Tennant) and his family travel to the Scottish Highlands for his father's (Billy Connolly) birthday party, hilarity ensues as they embark on what will no doubt be a holiday to remember. Along the way there will be plenty of time spent allowing the children to drive and verbally battle with their grandfather. That, and debate with their Uncle Gavin (Ben Miller) whether he is rich or not and how he is able to live in such a big house.

Continue: What We Did On Our Holiday - Extended Trailer

David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' To Open New York Film Festival

By Jack de Aguilar in Movies / TV / Theatre on 17 July 2014

Ben Affleck David Fincher Rosamund Pike

Fincher's thriller kicks of the N.Y.C film fest

The hotly anticipated thriller from David Fincher, Gone Girl, has been selected to open the New York film festival. This isn’t the first time Fincher has opened the festival, kicking proceedings off in 2010 with The Social Network. The Life of Pi followed in 2012 while Captain Phillips was selected for last year’s event. The film will open the festival on Sept. 26 at Alice Tully Hall, and is set for general release on Oct. 3.

Ben Affleck stars in 'Gone Girl'

Based on the bestselling book by Gillian Flynn, ‘Gone Girl’ tells the story of Amy Dunne’s mysterious disappearance on the fifth anniversary of her tempestuous marriage to Mr. Affleck’s Nick Dunne, who becomes the prime suspect and a media scapegoat while he is trying to find out what happened to his missing wife.

Continue reading: David Fincher's 'Gone Girl' To Open New York Film Festival

Gone Girl Trailer

Nick Dunne finds himself at the fore of a police investigation when his wife Amy mysteriously goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary. He has mixed emotions about the whole thing as he enlists volunteers to help find her; their marriage has been on the rocks after he lost his job and dragged Amy away from New York to open a new business. Their relationship was often volatile, further implicating his involvement in her disappearance. A part of him is not so worried about her; he knows how manipulative and deceitful she can be, but unfortunately his lack of visible devastation on TV goes solidly against him for those who are sure he's killed her. As it turns out, he's not so honest either and things come to a head when it turns out that every person in this story has a secret.

Continue: Gone Girl Trailer

Hector And The Search For Happiness Trailer

Hector (Simon Pegg) is a top psychiatrist who may appear to have everything one needs in life; a comfortable salary, his beautiful girlfriend Clara (Rosamund Pike) and plenty of friends; but after spending day after day listening to people complain about being so unhappy, he's starting to lose faith in his own advice. Bored of his own routine life, he takes a break from counselling and decides to embark on a round the world trip to uncover the true meaning of happiness. Visiting foreign lands far and wide shows him just how different people's lives really are and far from learning whether or not happiness exists, he begins to discover a new way of thinking. His desperate partner is feeling less than joyful about his long absence, but will his return bring them a fresh dose of contentment? Or will he decide that happiness can't be found within his London home?

Continue: Hector And The Search For Happiness Trailer

Nick Frost, Rosamund Pike and Simon Pegg - World premiere of The World's End held at the Odeon Leicester Square - London, United Kingdom - Wednesday 10th July 2013

Rosamund Pike Wednesday 15th August 2012 Samsung celebrate the launch of the Galaxy Note 10.1 held at One Mayfair

Gillian Anderson, Rosamund Pike and Rowan Atkinson - (l-r) Gillian Anderson, Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike Sydney, Australia - The world premiere of 'Johnny English Reborn' held at Hoyts Cinema Sunday 4th September 2011