Rebecca Hall Page 2

After premiering at Sundance in January, the film has made the round of global festivals, and was screening at the London Film Festival just as it opened in US cinemas. This is the true story of Christine Chubbuck, a 29-year-old journalist at a TV station in Florida who in 1974 shot herself in the head during a live newscast. Since then, it's been revealed that she suffered from a variety of mental health issues.

Rebecca Hall stars as Christine Chubbuck in the new film Christine

Hall says that despite the controversy, she was drawn to writer Craig Shilowich and director Antonio Campos' sensitive take on the story. "I'd not heard of Christine Chubbuck," Hall says. "When I read the synopsis, I was like, 'Why? Why do this?' I got kind of angry about it. And then I realised actually that if a film doesn't grapple with this in a way that is compassionate and universal, then the thing she did is left to become reductive horror. Because that's how she appears on the internet, on every top ten most shocking list."

Continue reading: Rebecca Hall Was Initially Taken Aback By The Christine Script

Iron Man 3 director Shane Black has shed new light on the sexism in the movie industry, by describing how the villain in the 2013 Marvel film had to be changed from female to male, to help toy sales. Speaking to Uproxx, Black said that after the draft of the film’s script was finished, he received a memo saying the villain’s gender had to be changed to male, because a female toy wouldn't sell as well.

Shane Black has revealed how Iron Man 3’s villain was changed from male to female.

“All I’ll say is this, on the record: There was an early draft of Iron Man 3 where we had an inkling of a problem,” Black began. “Which is that we had a female character who was the villain in the draft.” The character is thought to be Rebecca Hall’s Maya Hansen, who ended up having a much smaller part.

Continue reading: 'Iron Man 3' Director Says Film's Villain Was Changed From Female To Male Because Of Toy Sales

‘Transcendence’ is a stern Springtime test for Johnny Depp; the 50-year-old actor mooted an end to his film career following the very public failure that was ‘The Lone Ranger’, and a crowded box office, including the hotly anticipated ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ will see his star power put to the sword like never before, especially without the Disney machine behind him. 

Cheer up Johnny

In that context, the reviews for his new sci-fi thriller, ‘Transcendence’ – from director Wally Pfister (Christopher Nolan’s long-time d.p.) – make for painful reading. The entire extent of the damage can’t be confirmed yet, but two things are for sure: this won’t ease the ‘Lone Ranger’ pain, and Johnny Depp’s reputation still hangs in the balance. 

Continue reading: 'Transcendence': Negative Reviews For Johnny Depp's 'Lone Ranger' Comeback

Johnny Depp has begun his promotional tour for his new science fiction thriller Transcendance, which opens on April 18. However, journalists appear to be more concerned with another of the actor's upcoming projects, Black Mass - in which he plays convicted mobster Whitey Bulger.

Johnny Depp Plays An Artificial Intelligence Researcher in 'Transcendence'

"I don't think of him as Whitey - it's James 'Whitey' Bulger," Depp said at the Four Seasons Hotel during a press day for Transcendence. 

Continue reading: Johnny Depp Promotes 'Transcendence', But Attention Turns To 'Black Mass'

Closed Circuit, the new crime-thriller from Is Anybody There? director John Crowley, has failed to impress the critics ahead of its highly anticipated release this week. The international suspense thriller features a glittering cast including Eric Bana, the superb Rebecca Hall and Jim Broadbent, though was criticized for its pacing and urgency.

The movie focuses on a high-profile terrorism case that unexpectantly binds together two ex-lovers on the defense team. One morning, a busy London market is hit by an bombing, though only one member of the accused survives and is arrested and jailed.

Preparations begin for one of the trials of the century, though here's the hitch: the government will use classified information to prosecute the man - evidence so secret that neither he nor his lawyers can see it. When the accused's lawyer dies expectantly, a feisty young replacement (Bana) steps up to the plate and begins to untangle a web of conspiracy, which all sounds great, but the critics can take or leave it.

Continue reading: With Bana And Hall, How Did 'Closed Circuit' Fail To Please?

You'd be forgiven for assuming Gore Verbinski's The Lone Ranger was still weeks away from its cinematic release, with animations Despicable Me 2 and Monster's University dominating the movie talk ahead of the weekend's box-office. Hell, people are still talking about World War Z and The Heat more than Johnny Depp's new movie.

Johnny Depp [L] and Armie Hammer [R] Star In 'The Lone Ranger'

The Hollywood actor plays the Native American spirit warrior Tonto in Verbinski's re-telling of the classic story, with The Social Network's Armie Hammer the underwhelming choice as John Reid, aka, the Ranger. It's difficult to figure out why Disney's big-budget new movie has flown under the radar, though a flurry of tragic reviews and grumblings over the representation of Native Americans has severely dented public anticipation.

Continue reading: The Lone Ranger: When Was The Last Time Johnny Depp Got So Little Attention?

Rebecca Hall has been announced as joining Johnny Depp for the film Transcendence, which will be the directorial debut of Christopher Nolan’s cinematographer Wally Pfister.

Though not as celebrated an actor as Depp – few are – English actress Hall has certainly had her moments during her career to-date. She was nominated in the Empire Awards for best newcomer in The Prestige in 2006, as well as being part of the cast that won the Screen Actor’s Guild award for outstanding performance by a cast in Frost/Nixon in 2008. She’s also had critically acclaimed roles in Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Please Give and The Town, among others. She’s set to star in Iron Man 3.

As The Hollywood Reporter have pointed out, plot details have been closely guarded, but it’s believed that the film is in a similar vein to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Inception. What we do know about Depp’s character, is that he stars as a man who creates a computer program that develops an awareness. Sounds like real Terminator stuff to us. Maybe they could just make another Terminator, although to be fair after the more recent ones, maybe not.

Continue reading: Rebecca Hall Joins Johnny Depp On The 'Transcendence' Cast

Benedict Cumberbatch’s new period drama Parade’s End depicts life in World War I England and the co-production between HBO and the BBC has so far impressed TV critics, with the first of five episodes, due to air on HBO tonight (February 26, 2013). Tom Stoppard worked on the adaptation of Ford Madox Ford’s work of fiction and Benedict Cumberbatch (playing jilted husband Christopher Tietjens) and Rebecca Hall (Tietjens’ straying wife, Sylvia) are the undoubted stars of the show.

Both Cumberbatch and Hall have stellar reputations in the UK, though Hall is better established over the pond, having starred in Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Once the inevitable comparisons to that other popular period drama Downton Abbey are out of the way, New York Times praise Cumberbatch for his delivery of lines such as ‘I shan’t have a house again, anything beyond a flat looks like impudence in a man who can’t keep his wife,’ writing that “It is to Mr. Cumberbatch’s credit that he delivers such lines without a smile or a smirk, as befits his unusual character.” They add that Cumberbatch is “almost unrecognizable in this role,” a sure sign that he’s not conforming to type – good news for any serious actor looking for challenging roles.

Elsewhere on Popmatters, Hall is described as a “firebrand” and argues that Sylvia “emerges as the most fascinating character in Parade’s End by several degrees.” 

Continue reading: Better Than Downton? Benedict Cumberbatch Drama 'Parade’s End' Is A Critical Hit