Liam Neeson Page 8

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Footage Press Comments Quotes RSS

Sandwich Shop Offers Free Food To Liam Neeson - Who Of Course Turns Up To Collect


Liam Neeson

Workers at a Canadian sandwich shop have pulled off a marketing masterstroke by bagging a visit from acting superstar Liam Neeson, simply by offering him free food!

Staff at the Big Star Sandwich Co. in the city of Vancouver discovered that the 64 year old Northern Irish actor was working on his new film Hard Powder in the nearby area, and decided to chance their arm by offering a free feed for the star on Tuesday (May 2nd).

They put out a chalkboard sign on the pavement outside the shop that read: “Liam Neeson eats here for free”. The other side read, “Come in and get Taken by our sandwiches”, referring to the popular franchise of films in which Neeson punches a lot of people who threaten his family.

Continue reading: Sandwich Shop Offers Free Food To Liam Neeson - Who Of Course Turns Up To Collect

Celebrating 10 Of Ireland's Finest Stars


Michael Fassbender Colin Farrell Bono Liam Neeson

To celebrate St. Patrick's Day, we pay tribute to some of the most significant Irish men and women in Hollywood and beyond, because for such a small country, so many legends have been created there. Here's a look at some of the singers, actors and presenters that make Ireland proud.

10 of Ireland's greatest superstars:

Michael FassbenderMichael Fassbender is half-Irish, half-German

Continue reading: Celebrating 10 Of Ireland's Finest Stars

'Love Actually' Mini-Sequel Will Not Include A Tribute To Alan Rickman


Alan Rickman Emma Thompson Richard Curtis Liam Neeson Love Actually

Love Actually director Richard Curtis has confirmed that the upcoming mini-sequel for Red Nose Day will not feature a tribute to the late Alan Rickman.

Rickman died aged 69 in January of last year, after a short, private battle with pancreatic cancer.

In the original 2003 film Rickman starred as a married man, tempted by his young, attractive co-worker, who he eventually buys an expensive necklace for as a Christmas present.

Continue reading: 'Love Actually' Mini-Sequel Will Not Include A Tribute To Alan Rickman

Silence Review

Excellent

Faith is a topic Martin Scorsese can't quite shake, courting controversy with complex films like The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Kindun (1997). And now he has adapted the Shusaku Endo novel into this profound exploration of religion. As seen through the eyes of a 17th century Jesuit priest in Japan, it's a dark, contemplative film that sometimes feels a bit too murky for its own good. But it also has bracing insight into our need to believe.

At the centre of the story is the disappearance of Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson) as Japan cracks down on foreign religions in 1640, brutally persecuting local converts. Back in Portugal, two of Ferreira's proteges, Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garrpe (Adam Driver), volunteer to go in search of him. But the journey is dangerous, requiring them to trust exiled Japanese drunk Kichijiro (Yosuke Kubozuka) to sneak them into a rural village near Nagasaki. There they find an underground group of devout Catholics who are hiding from the cruel Inquisitor Inoue (Issei Ogata). After they split up to search for Ferreira, Rodrigues is captured by Inoue and interrogated by his interpreter (Tadanobu Asano), who is determined to show him that Christianity can never take root in Japan.

The film has an eerie resonance in today's divisive global climate, where everyone seems determined to protect their own culture from any outside influence, especially a religion that seems to run counter to long-held traditions. But the film's deeper themes explore the idea that we all have a yearning to understand the world and our existence in a way that makes sense to us. So debating the relative benefits of Christianity and Buddhism is actually beside the point. When the movie lets these ideas simmer under the surface, it has real power, especially in Rodrigues' experiences, which are gruelling both physically and emotionally.

Continue reading: Silence Review

Liam Neeson: Andrew Garfield Is An 'Extraordinary' Actor


Liam Neeson Andrew Garfield

Liam Neeson has opened up about working alongside Andrew Garfield on their new film 'Silence' - the latter's second movie based on religion this year. 64-year-old Neeson might be an Oscar nominated acting veteran, but that doesn't mean he can't be struck by youthful talent.

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson praises Andrew Garfield

'He's an extraordinary young actor', Liam Neeson mused. 'His commitment to this part, to the film and to Martin was quite extraordinary.' He went on to add that he was deeply impressed by another film that Garfield was a part of this year. 'I recently saw 'Hacksaw Ridge' too. Oh my God!' He exclaimed. 'Two films about faith, my gosh. He's very very special.'

Continue reading: Liam Neeson: Andrew Garfield Is An 'Extraordinary' Actor

Silence Trailer


Father Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garrpe (Adam Driver) are Portuguese Jesuit priests who set out on a dangerous mission to Japan in a bid to find their mentor Father Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson) who has been missing for sometime. It's the seventeenth century, and despite what the Bible might say about the importance of spreading the Christian word of God throughout the world, there are just some places on this Earth that brutally forbid it. Needless to say, Ferreira has been ousted from the church to which he belongs after publicly denouncing his faith to save his own life. Rodgrigues and Garrpe are about to discover just how violent the world can be towards everything that they've ever worked for when they arrive in Japan. Surely there is no test of faith that can match the journey that lies ahead for them.  

Continue: Silence Trailer

Liam Neeson Confirms He’s Not Dating An 'Incredibly Famous' Mystery Woman


Liam Neeson

After Liam Neeson got us all playing Sherlock and trying to work out who his famous mystery girlfriend could be, reps for the 63-year-old have now confirmed he was just ‘joking’ about his new love. While the actor is currently dating, the woman is said to be not ‘incredibly famous’ and actually not even in the spotlight at all.

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson is not dating an ‘incredibly famous’ woman after all.

Speaking to the Irish Independent earlier this week, Neeson revealed he was currently romantically involved with someone, saying: “Yes, but I'd embarrass her if I said her name, she's incredibly famous. I'll have to do my best for her.”

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Confirms He’s Not Dating An 'Incredibly Famous' Mystery Woman

Liam Neeson's Mystery Woman Is NOT Kristen Stewart


Liam Neeson Kristen Stewart Susan Sarandon

Liam Neeson’s revelation a few weeks ago that he’s been dating an “incredibly famous” mystery woman has had the internet blazing with speculation, including one piece which claimed that it might be Twilight actress Kristen Stewart.

However, the North Irish actor’s representatives have moved to dismiss that rumour, telling Gossip Cop on Thursday (February 11th) that even though the original Jezebel article admitted that it was based on “almost nothing” except that they were in the same New York restaurant one night, it was indeed “meaningless speculation”.

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson is NOT dating Kristen Stewart

Continue reading: Liam Neeson's Mystery Woman Is NOT Kristen Stewart

Liam Neeson Reveals He’s Dating An 'Incredibly Famous' Mystery Woman


Liam Neeson

Actor Liam Neeson has revealed he’s dating an ‘incredibly famous woman’, but he won’t give away who. The Irish actor was married to Natasha Richardson until her tragic death in 2009 and admits that talking about his late wife is "still a touchy subject” seven years on.

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson is dating a mystery woman who’s ‘incredibly famous’.

Speaking to The Irish Independent about his Valentines Day plans, Neeson said: "I'll send out a few bunches of flowers to various people and I usually just say 'from an Irish admirer’".

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Reveals He’s Dating An 'Incredibly Famous' Mystery Woman

Johnny Depp Tops List Of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors For 2015


Johnny Depp Denzel Washington Will Ferrell Liam Neeson Will Smith Adam Sandler

Johnny Depp has received the unfortunate honour of topping Forbes' annual list of Hollywood’s most overpaid actors. Last year Depp was ranked number two on the list, but thanks to recent films Mortdecai and Transcendence he’s managed to dethrone Adam Sandler who has previously topped the list two years in a row.

Johnny DeppJohnny Depp has been crowned Hollywood’s most overpaid actor.

According to Forbes, Depp’s Mortdecai grossed just $47 million at the box office, on a $60 million budget. While Transcendence barely made back its $100 million production costs, meaning Depp returned a mere $1.20 for every $1 he was paid.

Continue reading: Johnny Depp Tops List Of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors For 2015

'The Gunman' Turns Sean Penn Into The New Liam Neeson


Sean Penn Liam Neeson

After Liam Neeson launched himself as an action star at age 56 with 'Taken' (2008), middle-aged actors are showing up in cinemas to prove that they can take it too. Now with 'The Gunman' (directed by Taken's Pierre Morel), it's Sean Penn's turn. This seems like an unlikely role for the double Oscar winner, but he says he never thinks about his career when he takes on a job.

Sean Penn in 'The Gunman'
Sean Penn in 'The Gunman'

"I'm more of a movie by movie person," he said. "I take each one as its own animal. Harrison Ford made a whole career out of this stuff. So it's not a new trend - it's what I call 'geri-action'! Many of these are 'wink at the audience' kinds of movies, but 'The Gunman' was more a straight line. There were consequences to the violence - that appealed to me more."

Continue reading: 'The Gunman' Turns Sean Penn Into The New Liam Neeson

After Bombing In Reviews, "Taken 3" Rules First 2015 Weekend Box Office


Liam Neeson

So Taken 3 dominated the box office this weekend... what happened there? Ok, the weekend isn’t over yet, but things are looking up for the Liam Neeson thriller. Kicking off the weekend strong with $1,5 million on Thursday, Taken 3 was at $14,7 million by Friday. That’s quite a lot more than $9.4m that the first Taken earned on its first Friday over Super Bowl weekend in 2009 and comes pretty close to the $18.358m earned by Taken 2 on its debut Friday in October 2012. 

Liam Neeson, Taken 3
Taken 3: Here we go again.

The movie is also near the top for overall January earnings, behind Cloverfield ($17.6m in 2008) and The Devil Inside ($16.8m in 2012). So either moviegoers had a collective lapse of judgement due to seasonal affective disorder, or Liam Neeson’s name alone is enough to reel people into a terribly reviewed three-quel.

Continue reading: After Bombing In Reviews, "Taken 3" Rules First 2015 Weekend Box Office

Liam Neeson's Prank Call To Maggie Grace's Ex Proves He Is The Best Movie Dad A Girl Could Ask For


Liam Neeson

In three movies spanning a nine year period, Liam Neeson has played Maggie Grace’s on-screen dad in the Taken series. But when the cameras stop rolling it seems Neeson is just as protective of his young co-star. Appearing on TBS’s ‘Conan’ on Thursday night Grace revealed how Neeson once helped her get over a bad break up, with a hilarious prank call.

Liam Neeson and Maggie Grace Liam Neeson and Taken co-star Maggie Grace

Grace told Conan that when a break up left her feeling “kind of a hot mess”, her on-screen dad took matters in to his own hands saying he needed to “set this kid straight”. What then followed was a unforgettable prank call with Neeson in character as Taken tough guy Brian Mills.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson's Prank Call To Maggie Grace's Ex Proves He Is The Best Movie Dad A Girl Could Ask For

Liam Neeson Claims 'Taken 3' To Be The End Of The Story


Liam Neeson

Every time a 'Taken' movie is released, Liam Neeson laughs about his new status as a leading action movie star and says there won't be a sequel. But the 2008 original was such a surprise box office smash that it of course sparked a follow-up, and in 2012 'Taken 2' did roaring business as well. 

Liam Neeson in Taken 3
Liam Neeson will not make any more 'Taken' films. Apparently. 

Apparently, Neeson put his foot down, saying that no one from this beleaguered movie family could be kidnapped for a third film, so producer Luc Besson and his cowriter Robert Mark Kamen came up with a plot that's more of a pursuit movie with lots of kidnappings along the way.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Claims 'Taken 3' To Be The End Of The Story

Run All Night Trailer


Jimmy Conlon is a former hit man for the mob whose life of crime have left many mental scars. His best friend is the mob boss Shawn Maguire, but things get complicated for their relationship when Conlon's son Mike finds himself being hunted down by Maguire's own boy Danny. In a bid to defend his son, Jimmy arrives on the scene and shoots Danny dead. Jimmy knows the drill and after a meeting with Shawn realises he must do everything within his power to keep Mike from being killed by the rest of the gang, as he and his family are targeted once again. Jimmy is forced to kill old friends as he takes on the most dangerous task of his life, in taking care of the family he has led to death. Meanwhile, he's on the run from a police officer desperate to put him behind bars for his past crimes.

Continue: Run All Night Trailer

Liam Neeson Admits Bryan Mills Has Finally Met His Match In 'Taken 3'


Liam Neeson Famke Janssen Maggie Grace Forest Whitaker

Liam Neeson is set to return yet again for another spell of breakneck action and a seemingly impossible manhunt in 'Taken 3'; a movie which he claims will be the biggest of the franchise yet as the tables turn on Bryan Mills.

Liam Neeson in 'Taken 3'
Liam Neeson returns in 'Taken 3'

We thought the Mills family had finally got their happy ending, with Bryan re-united with Lenore (Famke Janssen) and their daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) apparently over her sex-trafficking trauma of the first movie, moving on with her new boyfriend and heading to college. We thought wrong. Unfortunately for Bryan, he didn't kill enough people and now more overseas criminals are out to eradicate his loved ones, and frame him for murder along the way. On the run from the LAPD, the FBI and the CIA while attempting to hunt down the real killer, Mills is facing a bigger challenge than ever.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Admits Bryan Mills Has Finally Met His Match In 'Taken 3'

Liam Neeson Says 'Taken' Is To Blame For Fear Of Flying


Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson, currently on the promotional trail for Taken 3, says the thriller franchise could be to blame for Americans' fear of international travel. The Irish actor said he received a letter from a school teacher in Texas saying the parents of children in her class withdrew them from a trip to Europe after watching Taken 2. 

Liam NeesonLian Neeson is back as good old Miles in Taken 3

"Just the other day I got a letter from a school teacher in Texas who had tried to take 60 students to Europe and the families of 40 of them got the kids out of it because they had seen Taken 2," he told The Graham Norton Show.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Says 'Taken' Is To Blame For Fear Of Flying

A Week In Movies: Stars Turn Out In New York, Cruise Shoots In London And Trailers For Interstellar, Inherent Vice, Taken 3 And Blackhat


Ben Affleck Rosamund Pike Julianne Moore David Cronenberg Tom Cruise Christopher Nolan Joaquin Phoenix Josh Brolin Liam Neeson

Gone Girl

A week before it arrived in cinemas, the anxiously awaited thriller Gone Girl had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, where Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Neil Patrick Harris, Tyler Perry and more turned up to walk the red carpet.

Video - Neil Patrick Harris Photographed On The Red Carpet During 'Gone Girl' Premiere - Part 1

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Stars Turn Out In New York, Cruise Shoots In London And Trailers For Interstellar, Inherent Vice, Taken 3 And Blackhat

Liam Neeson Joins Ted 2


Liam Neeson Seth Macfarlane Morgan Freeman

Things are about to get serious for a certain trash-talking stuffed bear: Liam Neeson has signed on to join the cast of Ted 2

Liam Neeson
Ted better watch out as Neeson has a 'particular set of skills'

The star of films including Schindler's List and Taken is more known for his roles in big action thrillers, but did show his softer side earlier this year when he appeared in The Lego Movie as the literally two-faced Good Cop/Bad Cop. Seth MacFarlane revealed the news from his official Twitter, also confirming the casting of Hollywood legend Morgan Freeman that was rumoured earlier this week. There's no word yet on who either of the stars will play.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Joins Ted 2

Can 'The Boxtrolls' Remain No.1 At The Box-Office This Weekend?


Liam Neeson

The Boxtrolls continued its good run at the top of the UK box office, seeing off Liam Neeson's Walk Among The Tombstones to score the top spot. It took £1.31 million on its debut and should be at the business end of things after the coming weekend.

The BoxtrollsThe Boxtrolls has topped the UK box-office

Last weekend, The Boxtrolls finished above Neeson's movie, the stage adaptation of The Riot Club and the Nick Cave movie 20,000 Days on Earth. The critically acclaimed movie Pride took £578,000 to finish third, while Luc Besson's Lucy is still hanging around in the top five.

Continue reading: Can 'The Boxtrolls' Remain No.1 At The Box-Office This Weekend?

Are Celebrities Queuing Up To Be On Downton?


Kim Kardashian Liam Neeson

She may be the queen of reality television, but Kim Kardashian has revealed her more high brow aspirations; she'd love to star on ITV's hit period drama 'Downton Abbey'. 

Kim Kardashian
Fans of the ITV show might find it hard to imagine Kim gracing the halls of Downton

MTV UK reports that Kim is a massive fan of the show, and has been asking one of the stars, Laura Carmichael, for advice on how to land a part. "I'm a big fan. I'd love to be on it if they asked. I love things like that,' Kim was quoted as saying. Kim isn't the only high profile celebrity to confess a love for the drama, with A-Lister George Clooney lined up to guest star in the upcoming season as an American pal of the Crawley clan.

Continue reading: Are Celebrities Queuing Up To Be On Downton?

'Third Person': Check Out The Trailer For Paul Haggis' "Russian Doll" Drama


Liam Neeson Mila Kunis James Franco Adrien Brody Olivia Wilde Moran Atias Paul Haggis Maria Bello Kim Basinger

The release of Paul Haggis' unique new drama, Third Person, is looming and fans can finally check out the trailer for the movie that had critics' heads spinning at the Toronto International Film Festival last year. Starring James Franco, Mila Kunis, Liam Neeson, Adrien Brody, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde and Kim Basinger, Third Person incorporates three interwoven love stories in Rome, Paris and New York.

Third Person Mila Kunis
Mila Kunis Takes On A Dark New Role In The Compelling 'Third Person.'

In Paris, Neeson plays Michael; a writer who leaves his wife and begins and on/off relationship with his lover Anna, played by Olivia Wilde. However Anna is unable to commit to Michael because she has a troubling secret that affects her life.

Continue reading: 'Third Person': Check Out The Trailer For Paul Haggis' "Russian Doll" Drama

Road Trailer


Robert and Joey Dunlop were two brothers from a country village in Northern Ireland who shared a deep passion for motorcycle racing. They were champions in their field of road racing; riding at a top speed of up to 200mph on ordinary country lanes where roadside objects like lamp posts and walls became unpredictable and deadly obstacles. It is one of the most dangerous sporting fields in the world and continues to be responsible for the tragic deaths of racers all around the globe. Robert and Joey were two of the unlucky ones, who both died within eight years of each other after severe crashes. Now their sons William and Michael have inherited that desire for adrenaline and become top racers, determined to carry on the family tradition even in spite of their fathers' untimely deaths.

Continue: Road Trailer

Liam Neeson Recalls Weird Woody Allen Tale (Also Turned Down Lincoln Lead)


Liam Neeson Woody Allen

Liam Neeson says he was filming a se scene for Woody Allen at the very moment that the director received a call that his long-term Mia Farrow had discovered naked photos that he had taken of her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn.

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson At The Non-Stop Premiere

"There was one incident - people think I've made this up, but no," Neeson reveals in GQ's April issue. "There's a scene where I'm [performing a sex act] on Judy Davis, right. Judy and I are in bed - obviously covered up .?.?. the crew are all ready, and we're waiting for Woody. No-show. It's starting to get a bit uncomfortable."

Continue reading: Liam Neeson Recalls Weird Woody Allen Tale (Also Turned Down Lincoln Lead)

Can 'Non-Stop' Maintain Box Office Altitude For A Second Week? [Trailer + Pictures]


Liam Neeson Julianne Moore Lupita Nyong'o Michelle Dockery

New Liam Neeson thriller Non-Stop landed in cinemas last Friday and took its first weekend box office by storm, soaring to number one. The movie had the tricky task of taking on all the Oscar-nominated movies that are still out in theatres but rose to the challenge masterfully, earning $30 million ahead of Son of God's $26.5 million. The tense who-dunnit also managed the impressive task of taking out the previous number one film, The Lego Movie, which was forced to settle for third this week.

Non-Stop Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson Races Against Time To Save Passengers & Himself In 'Non-Stop.'

Neeson's lead role is the movie's main draw, and fans of the Taken actor have a seemingly insatiable thirst for the Irish star's serious, determined and urgent acting style. However, if Neeson's star power was all that was drawing moviegoers in Non-Stop's first weekend, what is it that could see the movie retain its coveted ranking?

Continue reading: Can 'Non-Stop' Maintain Box Office Altitude For A Second Week? [Trailer + Pictures]

Box Office Predictions: "Non-Stop", "Son Of God" Look Set To Topple "The Lego Movie"


Liam Neeson

The critics’ consensus on Non-Stop was essentially “it’s not good, but it’s great”. Box office numbers at the end of the weekend seem to match that sentiment. The new Liam Neeson starrer tells the story of a mild-mannered air marshal, who is forced to go all Jack Bower on his fellow passengers, when the plane he’s on gets hijacked by an unknown attacker.

Watch the Non-Stop trailer below.

 

Continue reading: Box Office Predictions: "Non-Stop", "Son Of God" Look Set To Topple "The Lego Movie"

'Non Stop' Is A Harmless Thriller, But Where's The Liam Neeson Of Old?


Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson is obviously enjoying his second career as an action star. After the surprise success of the boneheaded thriller Taken in 2008, he went on to kick butt in The A-Team movie, Unknown, The Grey, Battleship, two Clash of the Titans movies and of course Taken 2.

Liam Neeson Non-StopLiam Neeson in 'Non-Stop'

After all of this, we can only faintly remember those days when he was an award-winning actor, earning an Oscar nomination for his performance in Schindler's List (1994) and across-the-board acclaim for his work in Michael Collins (1996) and Kinsey (2004). So even if he's now more likely to take home a Razzie (he's been nominated twice), his box office clout is stronger than ever.

Continue reading: 'Non Stop' Is A Harmless Thriller, But Where's The Liam Neeson Of Old?

'Non-Stop': Now, Liam Neeson Is Fighting Crime At 40,000 Feet


Liam Neeson Julianne Moore Michelle Dockery Lupita Nyong'o

Liam Neeson, who has been repackaged as a global action star since Taken, stars in the new suspense thriller Non-Stop from director Jaume Collet-Serra and producer Joel Silver. Out this weekend, the movie also stars Julianne Moore - but is it worth the admission price?

Liam NeesonLiam Neeson Doing His Thing In 'Non-Stop'

Neeson stars as U.S. Air Marshal Bill Marks, who receives a series of cryptic text messages demanding that he instruct the government to transfer $150 million into an off-shore account, with a passenger on his flight being killed every 20 minutes in the meantime.

Continue reading: 'Non-Stop': Now, Liam Neeson Is Fighting Crime At 40,000 Feet

After "Non-Stop", Michelle Dockery Might Do More Action Flicks, For The Fun Of It


Michelle Dockery Liam Neeson Julianne Moore

Fans mostly know Michele Dockery as Lady Mary on the stuffy Downton Abbey. For the Downton actress herself, however, with a successful TV series and multiple film offers, the world is her oyster. Case in point: the brand new action flick Non-Stop, co-starring Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore, which had its LA Premiere just yesterday, February 25.

Michelle Dockery, Non-Stop Film Premiere
Dockery attends the premiere of Non-Stop.

See more pictures from the premiere in our gallery.

Continue reading: After "Non-Stop", Michelle Dockery Might Do More Action Flicks, For The Fun Of It

The Nut Job - Teaser Trailer


Surly is an aptly named, grumpy and uncompassionate squirrel who's desperate to go to any lengths to store enough food for the coming winter. As he struggles to forage for nourishment in the city, he meets the rest of the neighbourhood's fauna including an excitable street rat, a fat mole and some simple-minded gophers - all of whom agree to accompany him on a major heist; the robbery of Maury's Nut Store which is guarded by a highly slobbery bulldog. The store is haven of all the kinds of nuts Surly could ever wish for and offers him an extended period of food stability. Along the way, though, he must learn what it is to work as a team and know the importance of the people around him before his temper pushes his friends away for good.

Continue: The Nut Job - Teaser Trailer

A Nobel Laureate Remembered: The Extraordinary Career Of The Late Seamus Heaney


Seamus Heaney Liam Neeson Mia Farrow

Seamus Heaney, the Nobel Prize in Literature award-winning poet, has died aged 74 after a short illness. "The death has taken place of Seamus Heaney. The poet and Nobel Laureate died in hospital in Dublin this morning after a short illness. The family has requested privacy at this time." a statement on behalf of the family said, via Sky News.

Seamus Heaney
The Brilliant Heaney Will Be Greatly Missed.

The Co. Derry-born poet's distinctive writing style with quiet exaltations of the everyday and potent visual imagery employed through the descriptive passages of his verse helped foster a league of fans, as well as a Nobel Prize for literature, especially in his poignant reflection of Ireland's troubles. For generations of younger Britons, Nobel Laureate Heaney will have been one of the poets encountered through the GCSE English anthology who brought the themes in poems such as 'The Death of a Naturalist' to the attention of classroom discussions.

Continue reading: A Nobel Laureate Remembered: The Extraordinary Career Of The Late Seamus Heaney

Meet Robert Downey Jr, Forbes' Highest Paid Actor In The World


Robert Downey Jr Channing Tatum Steven Soderbergh Hugh Jackman Mark Wahlberg Adam Sandler Denzel Washington Tom Cruise Leonardo Dicaprio Liam Neeson Jon Favreau

Robert Downey Jr, the star of The Avengers and Iron Man 3 - two of the biggest grossing movies in history, has been named Forbes' highest paid actor on the planet with annual estimated earnings of $75 million.

The 48-year-old - who's enjoyed somewhat of a career resurgence over the past decade thanks to Marvel's big-budget blockbusters - pulled in more than $1 billion at the box-office.

Though Downey Jr is the predictable No.1, perhaps most surprising is the entry of Channing Tatum in second place on this year's list. The new father who both financed and starred in Steven Soderbergh's Magic Mike, made around $60 million.

Continue reading: Meet Robert Downey Jr, Forbes' Highest Paid Actor In The World

A Week In Movies: Neeson Is Taken Again, Statham Goes Dramatic, Depp Cuts His Hair


Liam Neeson Jeff Goldblum Bill Pullman Seth Rogen Johnny Depp Tom Cruise Ryan Gosling Paul Rudd Emile Hirsch Michael Fassbender

Taken Poster

The big news this week is that a reported $20 million paycheque has lured Liam Neeson back for a third Taken movie. There's no word yet on the plot, but does it really matter? Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman will be back for Roland Emmerich's long-awaited sequel to his 1996 blockbuster Independence Day, although apparently Will Smith's character isn't in the script.

This week's top cinema releases include the animated sequel Despicable Me 2 and Jason Statham's dramatic thriller Hummingbird. which has been re-titled Redemption for its American release. Meanwhile, British audiences are catching up with Seth Rogen's A-list apocalyptic comedy This Is the End, while Americans have a chance to check out Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan as rogue mother-daughter vampires in Byzantium.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Neeson Is Taken Again, Statham Goes Dramatic, Depp Cuts His Hair

Liam Neeson's $20 Million Paycheck Means That Taken 3 Is Definitely Getting Made


Liam Neeson

We watched the first one through gritted teeth, suffered through the second one and now it appears that Liam Neeson’s $20 million paycheck has enticed him to continue into unnecessary sequel territory. If you haven’t guessed, we’re talking about Taken 3 and the fact that not Neeson will return as the admirable-yet-terrifying former CIA agent Bryan Mills.

Liam Neeson, A Walk Among The Tombstones Set
Liam Neeson will be back with a vengeance, literally.

According to a report by Deadline, not only is Neeson returning, but the script is once again in the hands of Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, which means that it could go either way –while their first effort was a tense psychological action/thriller with some torture scenes, Taken 2 was just pure torture. So for the third one, let’s hope the team have learned from past mistakes. According to the report, the studio – Europa Corp. - is planning to reunite the old team. Now that Neeson has been secured with the 33% increase on his paycheck for the second one, actresses Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen are the studio’s next targets. Grace and Janssen played Mills’ daughter and ex-wife, respectively.

Continue reading: Liam Neeson's $20 Million Paycheck Means That Taken 3 Is Definitely Getting Made

I Will Find You, And I Will Give You $20 Million: Liam Neeson Will Get Massive Pay Cheque For Taken 3


Liam Neeson Maggie Grace Luc Besson

Many people must have left the cinema having seen the first Taken and thought; "that was great, I can't see any sequels coming out of it though." Well how wrong you were because not only did they manage to milk a sequel out of it but they've also managed to turn the kidnap thriller into a whole trilogy, and one time renowned thespian Liam Neeson will be around for the full trio of films.

Deadline reported on Monday (June 24) that the Irishman was closing in on a whopping $20 million deal to reprise his role as retired CIA man Bryan Mills for a third time, with production on the film expected to begin in February next year. Neeson was initially reluctant to take on the role of Mills for a second time, but a massive $15 million offer proved too good to turn down and now to entice him for another film EuropaCorp - the production team behind the first team - are looking to bump up his pay cheque once again.

Once Neeson is on board, the film company will look to strike up deals with co-stars Maggie Grace, who played his kidnapped daughter in the first film and his rescuer in the second, and Famke Janssen, who played his ex-wife. Neeson is the top priority for the filmmakers though, because no Liam Neeson equals no Taken. No word on who will direct yet, although Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen, who wrote the first two films together, are currently working on the script. Taken 2 director Olivier Megaton looks the most likely appointment to direct.

Continue reading: I Will Find You, And I Will Give You $20 Million: Liam Neeson Will Get Massive Pay Cheque For Taken 3

Lego - Teaser Trailer


Emmet is just a regular little Lego guy with an average and uneventful life. However, that's all about to change when wizened mystic Vitruvius mistakes him for the amazing Master Builder and enlists him on a mission to save the plastic building block world from being glued together by an evil adversary. He has no choice but to accompany Vitruvius, Batman and an attractive by feisty female mini-figure as they track their nemesis down before havoc can be wreaked upon the world, despite being dangerously unprepared and certainly unskilled in anything surrounding life and death matters. Will Emmett surprise himself and live up to the overwhelming expectation? Or is Legoland doomed to be enveloped in adhesive?

Based on the popular toy that has absorbed both children and adults for 64 years, 'Lego' is hilarious animated movie directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ('21 Jump Street', 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'), and Chris McKay ('Robot Chicken'). Lord and Miller also co-wrote the screenplay alongside brothers Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman ('Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu', 'Hotel Transylvania'). With a star-studded ensemble cast playing a variety of well-known Lego mini-figures, the film is definitely set to be a hit all round when it comes to screen on February 14th 2014.

Click Here To READ - The Lego Movie Movie Review

Ron Burgundy Is Back And 'Burgundy-er' Then Ever In 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' [Trailer]


Will Ferrell Steve Carell Paul Rudd Liam Neeson Harrison Ford

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' trailer was released today and has been met with widespread excitement by comedy fans. Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues follows the story of 70's newsreader Ron Burgundy and his group of hideous (yet hilarious) co-anchors. Ferrell stars as Ron, whilst Paul Rudd (Friends), Steve Carell (The Office) and David Koechner (The Office) play the rest of the team, Brian, Brick and Champ. The group first graced our screens in 2004. Christina Applegate (Up All Night) will feature as Ron's love interest Veronica. 

In this instalment the group of badly dressed misfits have encountered the 80's. Ron has disappeared into obscurity only to be picked to host a new 24 hour news station. A series of farcical and not at all P.C. events occur. 

Appearing in cameo roles are actors Liam Neeson (Taken) and Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones). Comedy friends of the four main actors who also play a part include Tina Fey, Sacha Baron Cohen and Jim Carey. 

Continue reading: Ron Burgundy Is Back And 'Burgundy-er' Then Ever In 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues' [Trailer]

Anchorman 2 Trailer


Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland and Champ Kind have now hit the eighties and things are a little different. The legendary San Diego news anchors are now embarking on a different project, as part of a 24 hour news channel, but now they have fresh competition in the form of a young, handsome and well-dressed fellow anchor. Ron continues to put himself in sticky situations, this time involving some awkward racism with his new girlfriend's family during a social occasion among many other things. Will their antics extend beyond their previous capers involving angry bears and mean bikers?  Or will the eighties bring with it a more streetwise news bunch? We doubt the latter.

The sequel to 2004's 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' is set to hit our screens soon entitled 'Anchorman: The Legend Continues'. We'll likely be seeing yet more hijinks from one of Hollywood's favourite comedy casts as they return following at massive $85 million gross from the original movie. Produced again by Judd Apatow ('The 40 Year Old Virgin', 'Knocked Up', 'Forgetting Sarah Marshall'), Adam McKay ('Step Brothers', 'The Other Guys', 'Talladega Nights') also makes a return as director and co-writer alongside Will Ferrell. It is scheduled for release in the UK on December 20th 2013.

So Yeah, There's A LEGO Movie. And Here's The Trailer.


Chris Pratt Will Ferrell Elizabeth Banks Liam Neeson Will Arnett Morgan Freeman Nick Offerman

Warner Brothers have released the first trailer for The LEGO Movie, set to hit theaters on February 7, 2014. The original 3D computer animated story follows the story of Emmet, a clean-cut LEGO mini-figure who is mistakenly identified as being the key to saving the world. Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) is drafted into a fellowship of strangers to stop an evil tyrant President Business (Will Ferrell) and his henchman Bad Cop (Liam Neeson) from achieving world domination. Does this have anti-capitalist undertones!?

Of course, Emmet is hilariously underprepared for such an adventure and calls upon his fellow travellers Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman), an old mystic (Elizabeth Banks) Batman (Will Arnett), and a swaggering pirate (Nick Offerman) for help. 

It all looks pretty good fun and kids and families should have a whale of a time with this one. Warner executives are probably seeing dollars signs, and plenty of them.

Continue reading: So Yeah, There's A LEGO Movie. And Here's The Trailer.

'Gifted' Neil Patrick Harris Returns To Host 65th Emmy Awards


Neil Patrick Harris Emmy Awards Seth Macfarlane Liam Neeson Charlize Theron

Neil Patrick Harris has landed the top awards hosting job in television for the second time. Such is the natural ability of the man, that organizers of the Primetime Emmy Awards have invited him back to helm the show at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles on September 22, 2013.

"Four years ago, Neil was an amazing Emmy host and we are excited to have him back," Bruce Rosenblum, the Television Academy chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "Neil is an extremely gifted and inventive performer, and we look forward to seeing what he has in store this year." A hugely popular awards show host, Harris said he "couldn't be more honored and excited" to host the Emmys - the biggest date on the television industry's calendar. The 'How I Met Your Mother' actor is also hosting the Tony Awards for the fourth time this year, which honors the best shows and performances on Broadway. This year's ceremony comes from the Radio City Music Hall in New York next month.

A three-time Emmy Award winner himself, Neil Patrick Harris is currently shooting Seth Macfarlane's new comedy A Million Ways To Die In The West, about a cowardly farmer who seeks the help of a gunslinger's wife to help him win back the woman who left him. It also stars Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson and Charlize Theron and hits theaters on May 30, 2014.

Continue reading: 'Gifted' Neil Patrick Harris Returns To Host 65th Emmy Awards

Anchorman 2 Trailer


Ron Burgundy, Brian Fantana, Brick Tamland and Champ Kind return in this hilarious sequel to 2004's 'Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy' which saw Ron land himself a hot girlfriend, get attacked by a bear and have his dog thrown over a bridge by an angry biker. The legendary San Diego news anchors are doubtlessly set to entertain us with more news casting exploits which, according to the latest teaser trailer, will involve 'submachine guns and boobies' and getting 'stinky'. One thing's for sure, it's going to be funnier, weirder and much ruder.

Continue: Anchorman 2 Trailer

Seth MacFarlane Reunites With Universal For His Second Directorial Effort For The Big Screen


Seth Macfarlane Charlize Theron Liam Neeson Amanda Seyfried Sarah Silverman

As the anticipation for his sophomore film effort builds, Seth McFarlane reunites with Universal to co-write, direct, produce and star in A Million Ways to Die in the West. The studio has just recently come aboard to finance and distribute the western, but it isn’t exactly a risky bid for them, after McFarlane’s big screen debut Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg opposite an animated potty-mouthed teddy bear, became an international smash success and grossed $549 million worldwide. Obviously Hollywood is impressed with McFarlane’s work on Ted, as well as the animated series Family Guy and American Dad! because the writer managed to score some extremely coveted actors to fill the cast of Ways to Die. The list includes Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Sarah Silverman and Giovanni Ribisi.

According to Reuters, via Yahoo News, the film will tell the story of a sheep farmer named Albert. And no, the exact premise isn’t known yet, but we mostly have faith in McFarlane’s ability to make this vastly unappealing premise somehow interesting. Plus, a lot of the creators of Ted – notably, producers Scott Stuber and Jason Clark and co-writers Wellesley Wild and Alec Sulkin – have been drafted in to work on this, so, barring some inevitable for this team crude jokes and cheap laughs, A Million Ways To Die In The West sounds like a pretty promising production. The film is due to be released on May 30, 2014 across American theatres. And for those of you eagerly awaiting Ted 2, do not fret – that’s almost inevitable in the future too, as Universal has bought the rights to both films.

Seth McFarlane, HBO Golden Globes Party
McFarlane is gearing up to prove that his first big screen success wasn't just a fluke. 

Continue reading: Seth MacFarlane Reunites With Universal For His Second Directorial Effort For The Big Screen

Good Genes Or Good Ops: Which Male Celebrities Don't Show Their Age?


Anthony Kiedis David Beckham Tom Cruise Jim Carrey George Clooney Eddie Murphy Wayne Coyne Colin Firth Antonio Banderas Bono Kevin Spacey Prince Donny Osmond Tom Hanks Christoph Waltz Anthony Bourdain Bruce Willis Jeff Daniels Rowan Atkinson Chris Noth Denzel Washington Liam Neeson Jeff Goldblum Bruce Springsteen Lionel Richie Jeff Bridges Samuel L Jackson Jeremy Irons David Letterman Ted Danson Harrison Ford Amitabh Bachchan Morgan Freeman Dustin Hoffman Dick Van Dyke Roger Moore Rolling Stones

We've all had that moment; looking at photos of our favourite celebs and then jumping out of our seats screaming, 'He's HOW old?!' Well, we've been doing a lot of that here at ContactMusic. Some stars seem to have crept up the age ladder pretty sneakily, the odd wrinkle and grey hair barely registering on our radar, while others don't seem to have aged at all! English football player David Beckham was in his twenties when he rose to global popularity and, looking at his recent H&M underwear advert, it seems that his iconic hairstyles and tattoos are our only way of working out the old from the newer pictures of him. However, he is only 37 and has plenty of time to catch up yet. It's the over-50s that have really had our mouths agape in recent times as we've been scouring the net for the most youthful looking middle to old aged stars. 

Anthony Kiedis, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey

(Anthony Kiedis, Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey)

Continue reading: Good Genes Or Good Ops: Which Male Celebrities Don't Show Their Age?

Forget The Globes, Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis Are Engaged!


Olivia Wilde Jason Sudeikis James Franco Liam Neeson Mila Kunis

Well, they kept this one quiet. Or maybe Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis chose to announce their engagement just before the Golden Globes to keep things on the down low? The Change-Up actress confirmed the news over the weekend, tweeting on Sunday, "Thanks for all the sweet congratulatory love, friends! And may I compliment your savvy use of that nifty engagement ring emoticon."

A source told US Weekly magazine that funny-man Sudeikis, 37, popped the questions shortly after the festive holidays. "He finally found the one that made him want to commit.They've both been through it before and this has just felt right from the get go. Everyone is happy for them." It will be the second wedding for both stars:  Jason was previously married to the Pitch Perfect screenwriter Kay Cannon for six years, while Olivia was married to documentarian Tao Ruspoli for eight years before splitting in 2011. During a Glamour magazine event in October, Wilde opened up about the end of her marriage, saying, "I felt like my vagina died. Turned off. Lights out . . . you can lie to your relatives at Christmas dinner and tell them everything on the home front is just peachy. But you cannot lie to your vagina." She later boasted that she and Sudeikis "have sex like Kenyan marathon runners."

The actress is currently shooting Paul Haggis' romantic-drama The Third Person, about three interlocking love stories involving three couples in Rome, Paris and New York. The movie also stars James Franco, Liam Neeson and Mila Kunis.

Continue reading: Forget The Globes, Olivia Wilde And Jason Sudeikis Are Engaged!

US Box Office Roundup: Wreck It Ralph Is This Weekend's Hero


John C Reilly Denzel Washington Ben Affleck Liam Neeson Halle Berry

A turbulent week for U.S cinemas, for the East coast anyway, ended with the reopening of many theatres. What better way to dry off those Hurricane Sandy soaked souls than a trip to the movies? Here's our U.S Box Office roundup.

Shooting, collecting coins and levelling up to the top of the charts is Wreck It Ralph - Disney's videogame animation, which tells the tale of a villain with designs on a different role in life. With a hugely impressive $49m on its opening weekend, Wreck It Ralph has proved to be a tremendous success. And you can expect those figures to rise, as industry expects that return to swell to almost $200m before its run is out. With just over half that amount, Denzel Washington's latest project, Flight lands in with $25,01m. The critics have been kind this aviation flick, and don't be fooled by Wreck It Ralph's impressive haul; $25m is a healthy return for an opening weekend. Still going strong in its 4th week is Ben Affleck's Argo; the true story of a CIA extraction mission grabs the #3 spot with $10,245,000. Rapper turn director RZA breaks the top 5 with his debut behind-the-camera effort, The Man With The Iron Fists, which comes in at #4 with $8,219,200. The critically panned Taken 2 is at #5 with $6m - an impressive feat for a film in its 6th week, Liam Neesons thriller has amassed $125.7m so far. 

Cloud Atlas continues its disappointing commercial performance by pulling in $5,250,000, making it #6, while Hotel Transylvania's Halloween appeal wears off at #7 with $4.5m. Paranormal Activity 4, Here Comes The Boom and Silent Hill: Revelation 3D round off the top 10, with $4.3m, $3.6m and $3.3m respectively. Figures compiled from Yahoo Movies. 

Continue reading: US Box Office Roundup: Wreck It Ralph Is This Weekend's Hero

Video - Liam Neeson And Olivia Wilde Take A Break In Filming On Set Of 'The Third Person'


'Taken' star Liam Neeson and 'House' actress Olivia Wilde take a break in filming on the set of the new romantic drama movie 'The Third Person' which is partly being filmed on the streets of Via Veneto in Rome.

Continue: Video - Liam Neeson And Olivia Wilde Take A Break In Filming On Set Of 'The Third Person'

Video - Liam Neeson Shoots A Scene In Rome For Upcoming Romance Drama Movie


'Taken' star Liam Neeson films a scene for his upcoming new film 'The Third Person' which is partly filmed in Rome for Neeson's character Michael. Apparently in the scene, he has to stroll at a leisurely pace down a sidewalk looking deep in thought. For whatever reason, it seems to take several takes.

Continue: Video - Liam Neeson Shoots A Scene In Rome For Upcoming Romance Drama Movie

Box Office Round Up: Taken 2 Has Taken Lots More In Week 2


Ben Affleck Liam Neeson Tim Burton Adam Sandler

This week's top Box Office successes come as something of a surprise; While Ben Affleck's newest directorial offering, Argo, was a massive critical success, it still failed to beat Taken 2, which clings onto the number one spot despite utterly awful critical responses. Here is our box-office roundup for the week:

The extraordinary success of the Liam Neeson thriller, Taken 2, has continued, with the film now grossing a domestic taking of $86.1m over two weeks. Argo, in contrast, which has already been dubbed “one of the best movies of the year” by Rolling Stone, took just over $19m in its first week: over $2m less than Taken 2's second week. Adam Sandler's Hotel Transylvania is still fairing well, coming in at #4 in its third week with takings of $17.2m, which is excellent for a kids film. Tim Burton's Frankenweenie on the other hand has slipped right down to 7th place in its second week, taking just $7m which will no doubt come as a surprise and disappointment for the Halloween film veteran.

The rest of the top ten looks a little something like this; in at #3 is week one of horror movie Sinister which took $18m, Here Comes the Boom opens at #5 with $11m, #6 is Pitch Perfect with $9.2m, Looper slips to #8th in its third week with £6.2m. British comedy Seven Psychopaths is at #9 taking almost $4.2 and finally, Perks of Being a Wallflower stays in the top ten for a fourth week with $2.1m.


Taken 2 Tops Argo In Box Office Chart: Do Movie Reviews Really Matter?


Ben Affleck Liam Neeson Ethan Hawke

Taken 2 has beaten Argo in the battle of the box office takings.

Somewhat surprisingly, given the praise that has been heaped on the Ben Affleck thriller Argo, and the sense of malaise that appears to have accompanied Taken 2, Liam Neeson's own dramatic thriller took $22.5 million (£14.03 million) this week, whilst Argo took $20.1 million (£12.53 million). In third place was Ethan Hawke’s supernatural horror, Sinister, which received mixed reviews but weighed in with a respectable $18.3 million (£11.4 million).

This week’s box office results must have the critics scratching their heads in bemusement, wondering just what their ‘raison d’etre’ is, exactly. After all, Taken 2 was largely stamped with ‘steer clear’ with many critics slamming it for being all too similar to the original Taken movie and questioning just what the point of a sequel was in the first place. Argo, on the other hand, already has an Oscars-buzz forming around it. Critical opinion has not translated into box office rankings, though: “It kind of proves that reviews do not matter,” says Paul Dergarabedian of Hollywood.com, whilst movie critics the world over cling desperately to their jobs.

Continue reading: Taken 2 Tops Argo In Box Office Chart: Do Movie Reviews Really Matter?

Taken 2 Wins Box Office Weekend, As Frankenweenie Slips.


Liam Neeson Tim Burton Adam Sandler Paul Thomas Anderson

Action-thriller Taken 2 performed remarkably well at this weekend’s Box Office, gleaning $50m in one of the most successful October debuts. The Liam Neeson thriller beat out Frankenweenie – last week’s chart-topper - with ease. Here’s our Box Office roundup.

Hurtling into the #1 spot, Taken 2 used some of the good grace from its predecessor to take the weekend by storm. Whist Taken was considered a commercial and critical success, the sequel can only really claim the former, as the critics have all but panned the revenge thriller. Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie endured a slow start with a paltry return of $11.5 million. The Disney release about a boy who brings his dead dog back to life was expected to do better, so will face increased scrutiny in the weeks to come. Another ‘comedy-horror’, Hotel Transylvania dropped to second-place with $26.3m. So far, Adam Sandler's animated hit film has earned $76m domestically and $105.3m worldwide, in an impressive first week. Pitch Perfect climbed three to #3 with $14.7m, while time-travel thriller Looper fell to #4 with $12.2m.

The rest of the top 10 looks something like this: End of Watch at #6 with $4 million. Trouble with the Curve comes in at #7 with $3.9 million. Horror film, House at the End of the Street drops to #8 with $3.7 million. At #9 is Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master with $1.8 million, and the 3D re-release of the aquatic fun-time tale Finding Nemo is at #10 with $1.6 million.


Taken 2 Review


Weak

There wasn't really anywhere for the story to go after 2008's surprise hit Taken, and this movie quickly proves that. Not only does it have that same appalling moral vacuum at the centre (it doesn't matter how many irrelevant people you torture and kill to rescue your loved one), but the plot becomes increasingly absurd as it progresses. So the only genuine response is weary laughter.

The action picks up shortly after Bryan (Neeson) has recovered from his ordeal in Paris. His daughter Kim (Grace) seems to have forgotten it completely, and soon she and her mother Lenore (Janssen), Bryan's ex, jet off to Istanbul to join him after he finishes a business meeting. But they don't know that the family of the Albanian thugs Bryan killed in France have followed him to Turkey intent on vengeance. They soon grab Bryan and Lenore, so Bryan calls Kim on a secret mobile device and coaches her on how to rescue them. Of course, it gets increasingly messy as the hours tick by.

Perfectly named director Megaton (Colombiana) never bothers to make any sense out of the story, merely charging into each scene with guns blazing and grenades exploding, while suggesting that only unshaven Albanian-looking men get killed in the process. Well, all of them, to be exact. He also delights in presenting shameless stereotypes of Muslims who take their run-down lifestyle with them wherever they go. Meanwhile, the Yanks are efficient and unruffled, speaking in cliched slogans. Neeson sleepwalks through the film, shifting into action mode or hitting the dramatic notes where necessary. Jansson is actually asleep (or unconscious) most of the time. While Grace has the most fun in a series of insane action set-pieces.

Continue reading: Taken 2 Review

Box Office No.1 Expected To Be ‘Taken’ By Action Sequel


Liam Neeson Famke Janssen Luc Besson Tim Burton Adam Sandler

Taken 2 is expected to shove aside all it's competitors at the Box Office when the kidnapping sequel hits cinemas over the weekend, with pre-release audience surveys suggesting that the action flick could take up to $45-50 million.

Liam Neeson returns to his role as a former CIA operative with a knack for kicking ass and taking names, only this time round it is Neeson's Bryan Mill character and his on-screen wife (played by Famke Janssen) who are taken hostage. The sequel was co-financed by Fox and writer/director/producer Luc Besson's Europa Corp for about $45 million, a sizeable increase compared to the last instalment. Still, if these estimates are anything to go by then the investment will be more than worth it.


The only major competition for Taken 2 comes in the form of two animated films, the Tim Burton's remake of Frankenweenie (a live-action short that Burton made in the early 80's) and the Adam Sandler starring Hotel Transylvania. Whilst Taken 2 will presumably take care of the adult audiences, it is up to the two spooky animations to do battle for the attention of the younger audiences, with Frankenweenie predicted to just edge past it's rival.


Were The Critics Taken With Liam Neeson’s Taken 2?


Liam Neeson Luc Besson

Liam Neeson returns as CIA agent Brian Mills in Taken 2. He’s already confirmed to MTV that there won’t be a Taken 3, as he “couldn't envisage a storyline that would warrant a sequel” but was there really a need for Taken 2? The first movie, which he describes as “a wonderful little compact European thriller,” told the tale of Mills attempting to rescue his daughter, who had been kidnapped.

Obviously, repeating that storyline would have been a little tiresome, so the writer / producer Luc Besson turned the tale on its head and this time around, it’s Mills himself who gets kidnapped. According to Neeson’s interview with The Guardian, Besson “propositioned a couple of ideas and came back with this scenario and I remember thinking ‘yeah, this could maybe work. It’s rooted in something real, you know?” Describing the premise of the Taken movies, Neeson explains “it’s a guy trying to be a father, albeit an overprotective one… 100% of his energy goes into that; suddenly he’s taken into the field.”

Unfortunately for Neeson and Besson, movie critics have not agreed with the need for another Taken movie. Time Out’s Tom Huddleston said “A cynical, contemptuous film whose sole reason for existing appears to be to squeeze the pockets of anyone who enjoyed the first movie. Don't give it the satisfaction.” Empire magazine agreed, saying “The first one offered the novel sight of Oskar Schindler going Commando. Unfortunately, this half-hearted sequel is low on novelty and lower on fun.”


Liam Neeson Gets His Kit Off For Breast Cancer Awareness Month


Liam Neeson Ellen Degeneres

Liam Neeson proved himself a good sport by appearing on the Ellen Degeneres Show and stripping down to almost nothing for charity, according to the New York Daily News. Whilst the thought of that would've likely got many in a fluster 20 years ago, it wasn't quite the same eyes-on-stalks moment in 2012. It's worth noting too that Neeson wasn't just cavorting around in his underwear; no, he was sitting precariously on a seat that, if the target next to it was hit by an audience member, would see a large bucket of water placed above him fall on his head.

Neeson got his kit off as part of America's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and as he started undressing the actor quipped "If I take this off, does the $10,000 become $20,000?" The ever sharp DeGeneres retorted with a witty "We get fined if you take those off" as she pointed to his underwear.

It was no surprise that Neeson was promptly soaked shortly after when excited audience member hit the dunk tank target, releasing the tub of water over the actor's head. Commenting on the good-natured event later on Twitter, DeGeneres posted a picture of the actor and wrote "Liam Neeson raised $20,042 wearing this outfit . $20,000 from Shutterfly, and $43 in singles stuck in his speedo." Marvelous stuff all round.


‘Hotel Transylvania’ Checks In With Record Breaking $43 Million


Adam Sandler Selena Gomez Joseph Gordon-Levitt Genndy Tartakovsky Liam Neeson

Hotel Transylvania, the new animated comedy featuring the voices of Adam Sandler and Selena Gomez has topped the U.S. box office with $43 million – the highest September total ever. It’s also the biggest haul of any movie since the all-conquering ‘The Dark Knight Rises’.

It’s superb news for Sony, who couldn’t have expected that the quirky comedy would pull in so much cash. The good news didn’t end there for the studio either, with Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Looper’ taking second spot with $21.2 million. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the performance of both movies ensured that Sony took over Warner Bros as the studio with the current biggest market share ($1.285 billion). Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, ‘Hotel Transylvania’ is a family movie that’s success was fuelled almost solely by word-of-mouth. Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of distribution, said, “More than anything, this film has been such a collaboration of talent, and it paid off in such a huge way. Everyone in our company just loved this film. And to perform at this level in September shows that Hotel Transylvania has something for everyone.” The movie received lukewarm praise from critics, with the New York Times writing, “The movie loses its originality as it rolls toward its predictable conclusion, but it's still lovely to look at.”

It would be a huge result should ‘Hotel Transylvania’ hold onto the No.1 for a second successive week. Tim Burton releases his latest animated tale ‘Frankenweenie’, while Liam Neeson returns in ‘Taken 2.’


The Dark Knight Rises Review


Extraordinary
When the credits roll at the end of this overlong action epic, it feels like we've just turned the final page of an immersive novel. It takes about an hour to find its stride, but Nolan's final Batman movie is also thunderously complex and entertaining.

It's eight years later, and Commissioner Gordon (Oldman) has allowed the press to create a myth that Batman was a villain. Badly injured, Bruce Wayne (Bale) has become a recluse, tended to by his butler Alfred (Caine). Then a new baddie arrives: Bane (Hardy) is part of the League of Shadows, trained by Bruce's old nemesis Ra's al Ghul (Neeson) to purge the world of human decadence. So Bruce turns to Wayne company boss Lucius (Freeman) to get back in fighting shape, deciding to trust a slippery cat burglar (Hathaway) and a rookie cop (Gordon-Levitt).

Continue reading: The Dark Knight Rises Review

Taken 2 Trailer


Ex CIA agent Bryan Mills mercilessly slaughtered the majority of perpetrators of a European sex trafficking ring in order to retrieve his teenage daughter after they kidnapped her and her friend whilst they were on a trip to Paris in 'Taken'. In 'Taken 2', the relatives of the deceased, headed by Murad the father of one of them, initiate a brutal plot of revenge against Mills as he, his daughter Kim and ex-wife Lenore are on vacation in Istanbul, Turkey. Mills must use his dangerous skills to protect his family once again, but can he defeat the likes of Murad who is determined to sell Kim and Lenore as prostitutes

Continue: Taken 2 Trailer

Dark Knight Rises Trailer


Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham after eight years in The Dark Knight Rises, his alias Batman nursing a sore reputation after the last film, The Dark Knight, where he assumed responsibility for the attorney Harvey Dent's crimes in order to protect Dent's name after he loses his life during The Joker's assault on the city. This time he intends to defend Gotham City from a new villain: the virtually indestructible Bane who, as discovered by Commissioner Gordon, is plotting the obliteration of the entire city from the inside.

Continue: Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Battleship Review


Very Good
You'd have to go back to 1998's Armageddon to find another film that so adeptly combines whopping apocalyptic action and corny save-the-planet heroics. Even if this feels like low-rent Michael Bay, it's a definitive popcorn blockbuster: a dumb movie that keeps us blissfully entertained.

Alex (Kitsch) is a smart guy who has wasted his life so, after getting in trouble while impressing a hot girl (Decker), his Naval-officer brother (Skarsgard) drafts him into service. Later on a Pacific Rim war-game exercise, Alex ends up in charge of the only ship nearby after aliens invade earth and put a force-field around Hawaii. Working with his plucky crew (including Rihanna, Asano, Tui and Plemons), Alex must figure out how to out-wit these Transformer-like killers. By the way, the hot girl turns out to be the daughter of the admiral (Neeson).

Continue reading: Battleship Review

Wrath Of The Titans Review


Good

While this sequel is just as loud and chaotic as 2010's Clash of the Titans remake, it's also considerably more fun due to some exhilarating action and a refreshing sense of humour. It also looks amazing in 3D on an Imax screen.

Years later, the now-widowed hero Perseus (Worthington) is trying to live as an anonymous fisherman with his pre-teen son Helius (Bell). Then he hears about stirrings of a coming calamity. Indeed, his father Zeus (Neeson) has been kidnapped by Hades (Fiennes) and Ares (Ramirez) as pat of a plan to release Zeus and Hades' evil father Kronos from the underworld. So Perseus teams up with Queen Andromeda (Pike) and rogue demigod Agenor (Kebbell), son of Poseidon (Huston), to rescue his father and stop his brother, uncle and grandfather.

Yes, this is one seriously dysfunctional family, as four generations of men set out to either destroy the world or save it. To be honest, it's never clear why Hades and Ares are so hellbent, as it were, on cataclysmic destruction, but at least this also allows for changing alliances as the story progresses. Not that there's much story, really, as the plot essentially just links a series of action set-pieces.

Fortunately, most of these sequences are entertaining enough to keep us gripped. Highlights include a rather fabulous dragon attack and a desperate, full-on fight with cyclops-giants in a forest. Less convincing are a convoluted underworld rescue-battle and the climactic assault on the volcano-sized Kronos, who rains down fire and destruction rather selectively. (There's also the problem of how the filmmakers can top Kronos in the probable sequel.)

Along the way, there are some refreshing moments of deranged humour, mainly in Kebbell's snarky dialog, Pike's sharp glances and a particularly colourful turn by Nighy (as super-spear smelter Hephaestus). But as the story progresses, there's more than a whiff of Lord of the Rings (the fires of Mount Doom, plus some pointless two-torsoed Orc-a-likes), Harry Potter (the three-pronged Deathly Hallows) and even Star Wars (all that father-son angst). But filmmaker Liebesman keeps things moving briskly, wowing us with so much eye-candy that we just sit back and enjoy the rickety ride for what it is.

The Grey Review


Good
The story (by cowriter Jeffers) this film is based on was clearly inspired by Jack London's famously bleak short story To Build a Fire, pitting a man against the elements in the harsh, snowy Arctic wilderness. It's a very well-made film, but not very easy to engage with.

Ottway (Neeson) works as a wolf-sniper for a petrol company in the far reaches of Alaska, but is struggling with thoughts of suicide because he misses his wife (Openshaw) so much. Then on a flight to Anchorage, the plane is hit by a severe storm and goes down in the middle of nowhere. There are a handful of survivors, and Ottway soon becomes the leader when they are menaced by howling, growling wolves. Knowing they'd be safer in the treeline, he leads five other men from one peril to another.

Continue reading: The Grey Review

Video - Liam Neeson Prepared For Alaska By Taking Cold Showers


Northern Irish actor Liam Neeson (Batman Begins; Schindler's List; Taken) and writer Joe Carnahan (The A-Team; Smokin' Aces and Narc) take part in a press junket in New York to promote their new movie "The Grey". To prepare for the harsh conditions seen in the film, Liam reveals an unlikely source that helped him: a documentary about a Brit who swam in Antarctica, who worked his way up to the stunt by taking cold showers.

The Grey is about an oil drilling team who are stranded in Alaska after their plane crashes. They are targeted by a pack of hungry wolves and are forced to brave the cold in order to survive

Battleship Trailer


The ocean is vast. Many parts of it are unexplored by man; those parts make perfect hiding places for an armada of unknown origins.

Continue: Battleship Trailer

The Grey Trailer


Ottway is an oil driller. One day, his team is dispatched to Alaska for a few days. He says goodbye to his partner and makes his way to the airport. Just before they are due to land, though, the plane crashes and the oil drilling team end up stranded in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of a snow storm.

Continue: The Grey Trailer

Wrath Of The Titans Trailer


It's been ten years since Perseus triumphantly defeated the gargantuan Kraken that roamed the shores of a fishing village. Now, though, he is content to scrape a living as a fisherman, while raising his ten year old son, Helius, alone.

Continue: Wrath Of The Titans Trailer

Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer


It has been eight years since Harvey Dent was killed, during the Joker's killing spree. Billionaire Bruce Wayne accepted responsibility for Dent's death and left Gotham. The city has now recovered from the shocking events and is living in peace.

Continue: Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

The Dark Knight Rises Trailer


The teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises shows an injured James Gordon, one of the few police officers in Gotham who is not corrupt, lying in a hospital bed, asking for Batman's help.

Continue: The Dark Knight Rises Trailer

Unknown Trailer


When Dr. Martin Harris awakes in a hospital in Berlin after an almost fatal car crash which put him in a coma for four days; he finds himself alone, his wife was also in the car with him but she's nowhere to be found. Worried for her safety Harris sets out to find her but when he eventually does, she does not recognise him and a stranger has assumed his identity.

Continue: Unknown Trailer

The Next Three Days Trailer


The Brennan family are suddenly thrown into dismay when wife and mother Lara Brennan is arrested for the murder of her boss. Throughout her incarceration and trail, Lara has always pleaded innocent to the claims but she was still found guilty leaving her husband John at home looking after their young son who is growing increasingly distant to his mother.

Continue: The Next Three Days Trailer

Clash Of The Titans Review


Good
The studio clearly couldn't resist the chance to digitally revisit the creatures so memorably animated by Ray Harryhausen in the 1981 original. The result is an unnecessary remake that's loud, chaotic and mildly entertaining.

Perseus (Worthington) is a demigod who has been raised by humans and now finds himself at the centre of a war between man and the gods Zeus (Neeson), Hades (Fiennes) and Poseidon (a blink-and-you'll-miss-him Danny Huston). Accompanied by a handful of plucky warriors from Argos (including Mikkelsen, Cunningham, Hoult and Matheson) and his spirit-guide Io (Arterton), he heads off to find the secret to defeat Hades' feared Kraken so he can save Princess Andromeda (Davalos).

Continue reading: Clash Of The Titans Review

Chloe Trailer


Watch the trailer for Chloe

Continue: Chloe Trailer

Janice Dickinson Claims Liam Neeson Has "The Biggest Penis Of Any Man Alive"


Janice Dickinson Liam Neeson Mick Jagger Jack Nicholson Warren Beatty

The self-proclaimed 'first Supermodel', Janice Dickinson, has related stories of her sexual encounters with various celebrities; her favourite being Liam Neeson. Dickinson praised her former Irish actor lover, stating that the 'Batman Begins' actor has "the biggest penis of any man alive". Dickinson, the 'America's Next Top Model' judge, has also enjoyed relationships with Sir Mick Jagger, as well as 'The Shining' actor Jack Nicholson and 'Bonnie and Clyde' star Warren Beatty

Related: Janice Dickinson Planning Lavish Wedding With Dr Robert Gerner

She explained her relationships by saying: "Sir Mick was good. He was pretty hot. I'd have him again in a heartbeat. Jack Nicholson? Let's just say 'The Joker' was wild!" Dickinson then went on to describe Neeson, pilling on praise by saying "He unzipped his pants and an Evian bottle fell out. It was insane! Wouldn't you just go gaga? He was amazing!"

Continue reading: Janice Dickinson Claims Liam Neeson Has "The Biggest Penis Of Any Man Alive"

K-19: The Widowmaker Review


Very Good
K-19: The Widowmaker is based on a true story about a Russian submarine sent to test a nuclear missile at the height of the Cold War. The boat is ill-equipped for its task, and Capitan Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson) loses his command by insisting that the sub won't be ready in time for its scheduled launch. Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) is given control of the ship, and his stern demeanor and commitment to military efficiency soon make him enemies onboard.

He runs the crew through relentless drills, offers little encouragement, and seems to take unnecessary chances. We soon learn that Polenin -- who remains aboard the sub -- is a father figure to the sailors, while Vostrikov aims to inspire fear. These opposing command styles lead to power clashes throughout the movie, a la Crimson Tide.

Continue reading: K-19: The Widowmaker Review

Love Actually Review


Very Good
I can only presume that the British calendar is so uniquely screwy that it allows for a Christmas movie to open a week after Halloween. Or maybe Love Actually is just in a universe of its own... one in which the prime minister is inaugurated in November and where an adverb can be used to modify a noun.

But a little oddness is forgivable: Directing a movie is a strange place for Richard Curtis, who's written umpteen Brit-friendly movies and TV shows over the years but hasn't directed one, until now.

Continue reading: Love Actually Review

The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition Review


Very Good
Based on the book by Caroline Alexander, George Butler's documentary The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition assembles a story of the polar expedition led by Sir Ernest Shackleton, a family man who perhaps was more of an adventurer than he was a scientist. His attempt to cross the South Pole from sea to sea became famous not for its scientific discovery -- the South Pole had already been discovered -- but for the above-human stoicism of the crew and Shackleton's incredible leadership abilities.

When Shackleton placed an ad in the paper to recruit 27 men for his crew, he straightforwardly listed what was to be expected from the voyage: bitter cold, constant danger, and no guarantee of return. 5,000 men, from all possible backgrounds and upbringings, responded, hungry for adventure and glory -- an example of how people can be so fatally attracted to the unknown. The preparations were completed by the start of World War I, when Winston Churchill, ambivalent about the use of another trip to the Antarctica, nevertheless declined Shackleton's offer to donate his ship Endurance to the Admiralty, sending the crew on their way.

Continue reading: The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition Review

The Dead Pool Review


OK
The fifth and last of the Dirty Harry movies, The Dead Pool may not be the best in the series, but it's probably the funniest. Thanks to Evan Kim's reluctant "Chinese-American partner," Patricia Clarkson's tough reporter, and Liam Neeson's egomaniacal Brit movie director, The Dead Pool is at least populated with memorable supporting characters. The story -- involving a betting pool involving which San Francisco celebrities are going to die (who then start getting murdered) -- is a bit trite, but at 91 minutes, it doesn't get in the way of lots of old-fashioned shootin'.

Darkman Review


Good
One of the lamer superheroes in comic book and movie history, Darkman is formed from massive burns over 40 percent of his body, his home-made synthetic skin which degrades after exposure to light, and an inability to feel pain. After girlfriend Frances McDormand nearly gets our scientist friend (Liam Neeson) killed, he goes all vigilante on the bad bad drug dealers in town. While Darkman has become something of a cult classic, it's also something of a dud. "Darkman" himself isn't very interesting as a hero, as a person, or as a movie. Director Sam Raimi is obviously just getting ready for his superior work in Spider-Man here.

Kingdom Of Heaven Review


Weak

For almost five years now, Hollywood studios have beentrying to duplicate the success of "Gladiator"by making the same big-budget historical battle epic over ("TheLast Samurai") and over ("Troy")and over ("KingArthur") and over ("Alexander").

Each movie has re-imagined history from a modern, let's-keep-an-open-mindperspective and hewed to a shopworn formula in which the hero rallies hismen against great odds and for a greater good. He invariably leads theminto the same blood-and-mud war scenes, which are always shot in the samestaccato slow-motion that characterizes the chaos of combat but forgetsthe audience needs to be kept abreast of who is winning. The hero alsoalways finds time to romance a beautiful woman from another culture.

Aside from having different casts, the only significantvariations between these films seem to be 1) whether the hero was of noblebirth or came up from nothing to become a great leader, and 2) whetherthe battlefields are green and forested or brown and sandy. One thing mostof them definitely have in common is that they've bombed at the box office.

Continue reading: Kingdom Of Heaven Review

Kinsey Review


Good

Writer-director Bill Condon has a talent for hitting just the right tone in his work. Whether he's paying stylistic homage to "Bride of Frankenstein" creator James Whale in "Gods and Monsters" or writing a screenplay for "Chicago" that re-envisioned the Broadway musical as a wannabe showgirl's uniquely cinematic daydream, Condon always finds a way to seamlessly marry the crux of his story to the strengths of his medium.

In "Kinsey," he legitimizes and revitalizes a rather tiresome narrative gimmick -- on-camera interviews with the characters. For a biopic about legendary sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, there could be no more apropos structure for the story. Kinsey himself interviewed thousands of Americans about their bedroom predilections in the 1940s and '50s to compile his groundbreaking, rather comprehensive and certainly controversial studies on the subject. So Condon opens the film in kind -- with a simple, head-on, black-and-white image of the bluntly matter-of-fact and obliviously awkward Professor Kinsey (Liam Neeson) being quizzed about his own background and sexual experience.

Composing the film around Kinsey's answers, Condon cues flashbacks of an upbringing under the fire-and-brimstone hand of a preacher father (John Lithgow), introduces the equally clinical-yet-passionate student who becomes his wife (Laura Linney), touches on the man's own pseudo-scientific dalliances and their promiscuous effect on his marriage, and sets the stage for the studies that helped launch the sexual revolution.

Continue reading: Kinsey Review

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Review


OK
With all the spirit of its predecessors but none of the magic, "Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace" can ultimately be summed up with two expressions: "cool!" and "feh."

What's cool?

Continue reading: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Review

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Footage Press Comments Quotes RSS

Liam Neeson

Date of birth

7th July, 1951

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.93


Advertisement
Advertisement

Liam Neeson Movies

The Commuter Trailer

The Commuter Trailer

Every working day for the last ten years, insurance salesman Michael MacCauley has gotten the...

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House Trailer

Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down The White House Trailer

The Watergate scandal is one of the biggest political incidents of the 20th century, which...

Silence Movie Review

Silence Movie Review

Faith is a topic Martin Scorsese can't quite shake, courting controversy with complex films like...

A Monster Calls Movie Review

A Monster Calls Movie Review

A difficult movie to market, this isn't actually the BFG-style fantasy adventure it looks like....

Silence Trailer

Silence Trailer

Father Sebastião Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Francisco Garrpe (Adam Driver) are Portuguese Jesuit priests...

A Monster Calls Trailer

A Monster Calls Trailer

Conor's life has never been easy, his mother is loving but any other family members...

Advertisement
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Trailer

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Trailer

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. A trade dispute on the...

Star Wars: The Digital Collection Trailer

Star Wars: The Digital Collection Trailer

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. The majestic order of honourable,...

Run All Night Movie Review

Run All Night Movie Review

With a script by Brad Ingelsby (Out of the Furnace), this thriller has more substance...

Ted 2 - Super Bowl TV Spot Trailer

Ted 2 - Super Bowl TV Spot Trailer

With the marriage between Ted (Seth MacFarlane) and Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth) having gone off and...

Ted 2 - Teaser Trailer

Ted 2 - Teaser Trailer

Ted (Seth MacFarlane) is getting married. The next thing the couple have on their to-do...

Run All Night Trailer

Run All Night Trailer

Jimmy Conlon is a former hit man for the mob whose life of crime have...

Taken 3 Movie Review

Taken 3 Movie Review

As with the first two films in this dumb but bombastically watchable franchise, writers Luc...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews