Chiwetel Ejiofor Page 4

Both keen film aficionados and casual purveyors of cinema won’t have missed the Oscar nominations being released today. The usual suspects are in line, and there were some pretty high profile snubs, too. But at least we can get on with the most exciting part of awards season: arguing over which film will grab Best Picture.

It’s a strong category. 12 Years a Slave is the bookies favorite, with Steve McQueen’s deeply emotive slavery epic receiving 8 other nominations, including a Best Actor nod for the film’s lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor. But a surge in betting has seen American Hustle emerge as an interesting outsider, despite having cleaned up so far with various acting awards being doled out to the all star cast – none more so than current Hollywood darling, Jennifer Lawrence.

Continue reading: Which Film Will Win The Oscar For Best Picture? Vote Now!

A late surge in betting on American Hustle has rocked 12 Years a Slave’s dominance atop the odds charts, but as we approach the announcement of this year’s Oscar nominations - Chris Hemsworth and Cheryl Boone Isaacs will tell us what’s what later on today – it’s pretty easy to name the films in line for the big prize.

Cumberbatch's Ford hands Northrup a violin in one of 12 Years' more touching moments

Nods for Steve McQueen’s emotive adaptation of Solomon Northrup’s book and David O Russell’s 70s period comedy drama are all but guaranteed, as are hat-tips towards Dallas Buyers Club, Gravity and Nebraska.

Continue reading: Have The Oscars Ever Been More Predictable? '12 Years A Slave' Leads The Pack

Idris Elba loses out on a Golden Globe gong for Best Actor in 'Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom' as Matthew Mcconaughey takes home the award.

No Globe for Idris this year

'The Wire' star impressed critics with his performance as late humanitarian Nelson Mandela, with our own critic Rich Cline describing him as having 'enormous presence. with the right physicality and charisma', but it seems that it just hasn't been enough at this year's Globes. The movie was nominated for a remarkable four awards and did manage to land Best Original Song - Motion Picture; an award which went to U2 for 'Ordinary Love'.

Continue reading: Idris Loses Golden Globe Hopes For 'Mandela' And 'Luther'

Who’s excited for the Golden Globes? Given that the award show will be hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler again this year, the obvious answer should be “everyone”. With just hours to go until the show, we’re taking a look at some of the other acts and big moments that the night will hold.

Friendship is magic, especially when we're talking about Fey and Poehler.

1. Extra long speeches. At least that’s what Fey and Poehler have promised in their recent interview with E!News – lots and lots of nice, long, sleep-inducing speeches. "We're going to encourage people to go real long on their speeches," Poehler joked, while Fey added, "I'm going to tell people to find it. Don't stop talking until you 'find it.'"

Continue reading: It's Golden Globes Night - Top 5 Predictions For The "Biggest Party In Hollywood"

The big news this week is the further escalation of awards-season fever. Steve McQueen's drama 12 Years a Slave continues to lead the field as the British Academy Film Awards announced its Bafta nominations this week - just as the movie opens in the UK. Chiwetel Ejiofor is now the odds-on favourite for both Bafta and Oscar best actor awards. Read our 12 Years a Slave Movie Review here or find out more about the film's star Chiwetel Ejiofor.

Meanwhile, Johnny Depp's new film Mortdecai finished shooting in London and moved to Los Angeles, where he was snapped on set surrounded by actresses in bikinis. The action comedy follows Depp's title character on a quest for stolen art and Nazi gold. Costars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor and Paul Bettany, have been joined in California by Aubrey Plaza, Oliver Platt and Jeff Goldblum. Take a look at our 'behind the scenes' photos of Johnny Depp filming Mortdecai.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: 12 Years A Slave Leads The Pack, Depp Is On Set In L.A., Plus Peeks At Godzilla, Romances, Comedies And Lemurs

After dominating the critics awards and top 10 listings at the end of the year, 12 Years a Slave is the film to beat. And things got much more serious with this week's Bafta nominations, while the Golden Globes come this weekend and then Oscar nominations are out next Wednesday.

Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave

So by this time next week everyone should be able to pronounce Chiwetel Ejiofor's name properly. To impress your friends: it's CHEW-it-ell EDGY-oh-for.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave': Chiwetel Ejiofor Becomes A Global Star

If '12 Years a Slave' doesn’t win a single award from now until the Oscars, it will still go down in history as one of the 21st century’s most important, affecting films. The story of Solomon Northrup’s enslavement and the subsequent hell he faced is as brutal as any ever told, and to truly extract even a modicum of sincerity, the entire cast had to be both honest and befittingly talented.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

But when you’re speaking of a cast that comprises Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt, Pual Giamatti, Quvenzhané Wallis and Michael K. Williams, honesty and talent is never in question.

Continue reading: Meet The Cast Of 12 Years A Slave [Video]

Award season has been grumbling away like Smaug inside Erebor for the last few months; but dragon is slowly awakening. Since the Gotham awards last year, the perennial question of ‘who’ll win what?’ has echoed around the Internet, and the recently announced BAFTA nominations promise to shed some light on the eventual academy recipients.

Gravity is leading the way with 11 Bafta nominations

With that in mind, and with some tightly contested categories to work through, it’s time to start predicting who’ll take home the golden masks, before we start predicting who’ll take home the golden statuettes, you see.

Continue reading: The Baftas 2014: Predicting Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director And Best Supporting Categories

The Bafta nominations didn’t really throw up any surprises, with many of the year’s top actors, directors and films being recognised. The constant metronome of: ‘Gravity,’ ’12 Years a Slave’ and ‘American Hustle’ still chimes away; the Oscar favourites are set to do battle.

Gravity is leading the way with 11 Bafta nominations

So 'Gravity' leads the way with 11 nominations; it’ll go up against '12 Years a Slave' in the Best Film Category as well as 'American Hustle', 'Captain Phillips' and 'Philomena', a film the Alfonso Cuaron space thriller must also beat to win Outstanding British Film gong. 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom', 'Rush', 'Saving Mr. Banks' and 'The Selfish Giant' make up that category.

Continue reading: Baftas 2014: 'Gravity' Pulls In The Nominations While Chiwetel Ejiofor Stands A Great Chance

Steve McQueen was the subject of some pretty ugly heckling at last night; New York Film Critics Circle Awards where a critic shouted insults at the director. As a critic, whether you like someone's work or not should be confined to your review but one man decided to step out of line and make things personal.

Steve McQueen Was The Victim Of Some Petty Heckling At An Awards Show Last Night.

However, Armond White, a New York critic, hated McQueen's latest movie, 12 Years A Slave, so much that he couldn't resist spewing a little hatred as the director took to the stage to collect his 'Best Director' award. "You're an embarrassing doorman and garbage man. F*** you. Kiss my ass," yelled White, according to Variety.

Continue reading: Steve McQueen Harassed By Rude Critic At New York Film Critics Circle Awards [Trailer]

Inside Llewyn Davis took home the top honour at the National Society of Film Critics Awards last night, winning the majority of votes from the panel made up of some of America's top film critics from the nation's best-known publishers. Having already found success at the Gotham Awards last month, the latest win for ...Llewyn Davis might further outline the credentials of the latest Coen Brothers film as a potential Oscar contender, having largely been overlooked by most commentators.

The film's star Oscar Isaac was also honoured with the Best Actor award

The film was crowned Best Picture ahead of American Hustle, which came second in the overall voting, and 12 Years a Slave, which placed third. Despite winning yet another award, the Coen Brother's 'a week in the life' tale of a musician traveling through the Greenwich folk scene in 60's New York is still largely considered an outsider for major awards success, however if these gongs keep on piling up for the Coens then the Academy may be persuaded to change their mind somewhat when the votes are cast.

Continue reading: 'Inside Llewyn Davis' Wins Big At US Critics Society Awards

Balloting has finally begun today to determine the winners of the 2014 Academy Awards. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are invited to cast secret ballots until January 8th 2014 for their favorite film categories from the past year.

Tom Hanks Stars In The Tense Pirate Thriller 'Captain Phillips.'

For the second year, the academy is offering electronic voting in which a small percentage of the 289 feature films eligible for best-picture consideration will be identified by members and announced on the 16th January.

Continue reading: Oscar Balloting Begins: Which Films Are In With A Chance At Best Picture?

10. Behind The Candelabra - Sadly consigned to TV in America, this Liberace biopic's lavish production design deserves to be projected on the biggest screen possible. As do great performances from Michael Douglas, Matt Damon and a hilarious Rob Lowe.
Read our 'Behind The Candelabra' Review
Watch 'Behind The Candelabra' Trailer

Continue reading: 10 Best Films Of 2013

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will be hosting the 2014 Golden Globes, making it the second time the two best friends and comedy stars will be hosting the awards show in successive years. Following the release of the nominees for the awards earlier this week, a series of promotional videos starring the pair have been released online and as you'd expect, they're pretty hilarious.

Fey and Poehler will host the awards for the second time

In the trio of videos, the pals and lovers of song and dance tell jokes and continue to run with their awkwardly funny routine used so well last year. Describing it as the biggest Hollywood party of the year, the comics joke their way through the three promos in what is a promising display before the big night actually arrives. You can check out one of the videos below, and the others here and here.

Continue reading: Tina Fey & Amy Poehler Launch Hilarious Series Of Golden Globes Promos [Video]

The Golden Globes won’t be handed out until January 12th, but with the nominees freshly announced, a set of odds have already been priced up by Paddy Power, meaning you can start speculating with a few to accumulating post haste. But what are you going to place your hard-earned cash on?

Chiwetel Ejiofor as Soloman Northrup in 12 Years a Slave

Kicking off with the big one, Best Drama, and it looks as though 12 Years a Slave will pick up the Grammy as a precursor to an awesome Oscars performance. The Steve McQueen directed, Chiwetel Ejiofor-starring slavery epic has stunned the critics, and odds of 4/11 make it the favourite.

Continue reading: Golden Globes Odds - The Nominees Have Been Priced Up, So Who's Favourite?

12 Years a Slave hasn't even been released in most countries yet but has already been heaped with accolades with more awards bound to blossom from the scores of nominations Steve McQueen's movie has garnered. The Screen Actors Guild awards nominations are out and yet again the slavery drama starring Chiwetel Ejiofor has emerged on top with four major nominations.

Steve McQueen's '12 Years A Slave' Leads The SAG Nominations.

The critically lauded movie is up for best ensemble, best male actor (Chewitel Ejiofor), best supporting male actor (Michael Fassbender) and best supporting female actor (Lupita Nyong'o). 12 Years will come up against American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club, Lee Daniels' The Butler and August: Osage County in the coveted Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture category, according to the LA Times.

Continue reading: SAG Awards Noms & Snubs: '12 Years A Slave' Leads The Way [Trailer]

We're into the realms of awards season now and Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave seems set to continue its miraculous habit of picking up awards, like a giant snowball gathering more prizes as it rolls along.

Chiwetel Ejiofor's '12 Years A Slave' Set To Sweep The Board.

Ahead of the 2014 Independent Spirit Awards, widely considered to be a landmark ceremony of the season, the Chiwetel Ejiofor-starring film about 19th century slavery in America has been nominated in seven categories, including best feature, director, screenplay, male lead for Chiwetel Ejiofor, supporting lead for Lupita Nyong'o, supporting male for Michael Fassbender and cinematography.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Leads Independent Spirit Awards Nominations In Seven Categories

Saoirse Ronan may be one of Hollywood’s most promising young stars, but she won’t be yielding lightsabers or galaxy-hopping when the Star Wars franchise is rebooting with Episode VII. The New York-born actor announced that she would be auditioning for the role.

Saoirse Ronan missed out on a 'Star Wars' role

"I don't have 'Star Wars.' I don't have the role," Ronan said told Indie Wire's The Playlist, who noted that she sounded “defeated when she told them the news. "I just shouldn't have said anything. I just auditioned for it, like everyone else did."

Continue reading: A Dejected Saoirse Ronan Looks Back As Star Wars Moves Forward With Casting

Idris Elba has been admitted to a unspecified UK hospital after suffering an asthma attack whilst on his way to the premiere of new film Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. The Brit-actor suffered the attack whilst on board the plane, but was able to be removed from the aircraft whilst it was still in the UK and taken to a near-by hospital to recover.

Long Walk to Freedom has been given mixed reviews

Elba, who stars alongside fellow Brit Naomie Harris (who plays his wife Winnie Mandela) in the film, was forced to miss a press conference due to take place upon his arrival earlier today (2 Nov.), however producers have said that they remain confident that the star will be able to fly out and attend the premiere of the film on Sunday, 3 November, according to Sky News.

Continue reading: Idris Elba Hospitalised After Suffering Asthma Attack On Way To South Africa

Get ready to be underwhelmed: when we say 12 Years A Slave’s box office was solid on opening, we’re talking about a limited release. $960,000 from 19 theaters over the weekend is pretty good going, though.

 Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in 12 Years a Slave as Solomon Northup.

Steve McQueen’s powerful slave drama, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Paul Giamatti, Sarah Paulson, Alfre Woodward, and Brad Pitt – an all-star ensemble indeed – has been a hit with the critics, and its relative success on a limited release suggests the film has the fiscal legs to see it through a competitive season.

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Makes Solid Box Office Debut, High Yield Expected For Wider Release

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

12 Years a Slave tells of Solomon Northup, a black man living free from the shackles of slavery in upstate New York, until he is abducted and sold into slavery. Northup, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men), is taken to New Orleans where he is forced to work on a plantation. The film, based on the memoirs of Northup, has been praised for its brutal and unflinching portrayal of the horrors inflicted to slaves during the 1800s in the USA.

 Chiwetel Ejiofor stars in 12 Years a Slave as Solomon Northup.

The film is due to be released in the US today (Friday 18th October) and early reviews suggest this may be one of the best - and most important- films of the year. The critics love 12 Years a Slave; and with a stellar cast and crew in addition to a moving, brutal and accurate portrayal of slavery, it's likely to be an Oscar contender. 

Continue reading: '12 Years A Slave' Receives Rave Reviews Ahead Of US Release

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?

Ever fancied yourself behind the controls to the TARDIS? This could be your chance: the audition script used by the BBC on the hunt for a new timelord has been published in Doctor Who magazine, giving us a glimpse of life after Matt Smith.

The BBC Are On The Hunt For A Matt Smith Successor.

It could be safe to say that producers aren't on the lookout for a female Doctor Who. Although no indication is given whether the regenerated doctor's gender is the same or not, Jenna Lee Coleman's Clara's lines aren't half as surprised as they would have been had producers planned for the Doc to reappear with boobs and the Doctor doesn't react to a more feminine sounding voice. Sorry Olivia Colman and Helen Mirren; it's probably not going to be you.

Continue reading: Calling All Timelords! Doctor Who Audition Script Released By Steven Moffat

The Fifth Estate, the Benedict Cumberbatch-starring biopic of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, will be the opening film at at this years annual Toronto International Film Festival. The film festival will also feature advanced screenings of fellow Oscar teasers 12 Years A Slave and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, with Daniel Schecter's Life of Crime - which stars John Hawkes, Mos Def and Jennifer Aniston - closing the first night. The festival starts on September 5.

Watch the trailer for The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate follows the end of the turbulent relationship between Assange and Daniel Domscheit-Berg at the height of WikiLeaks' infamy and mass exposure. Based on the books Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World's Most Dangerous Website by Domscheit-Berg himself and WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy by Luke Harding and David Leigh, the movie adaptation has been without Assange's consent. The film was directed by the Oscar winning Bill Condon (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Dreamgirls) and adapted for the screen by Josh Singer (The West Wing, Fringe). The film is due to arrive in time for Oscar season in January 2014.

Continue reading: Toronto Film Festival To Open With WikiLeaks Movie 'The Fifth Estate' [Trailer]

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]

Ben Daniels is the latest name to become the favourite to inherit the role of Doctor Who in the long-running BBC series. Very soon there'll be very few British male actors who haven't been rumoured to be taking over the controls to the TARDIS as the Merlin actor now has the most favourable odds at 6/1. With previous odds of 16/1, Chiwetel Ejiofor (Salt, American Gangster) now closely follows Daniels at 7/1.

Could Ben Daniels Take Over From Matt Smith As The New Doctor?

However, chances are the new Who may not be a male actor at all; there have been calls for the new Doctor to be female, which would mark a first for the series which has run since 1963.

Continue reading: Ben Daniels Is New Favourite For 'Doctor Who' Job: Could He Be The One?