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Hugh Jackman Gets Musical Again In First Pics From The Greatest Showman

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Big budget original musicals are a rare thing in Hollywood (yes, we had La La Land, but that cost a relatively small – by Hollywood standards – $30 million), which makes The Greatest Showman something a little bit special. The first pictures from the movie, which stars High Jackman, Zac Efron, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya and Michelle Williams, have now arrived, and you can take a look at them below.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘“The Greatest Showman” is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P.T. Barnum, “The Greatest Showman” tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. It’s is directed by exciting new filmmaker, Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award winners Benji Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”) and starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson.’

The fact Pasek and Paul are on board is certainly a good thing, as their tunes were so vita to the success of La La Land. Take a loot at the first pics of The Greatest Showman below. The movie will be in UK cinemas January 2018. [Read more…]

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Manchester By The Sea (Blu-ray Review)

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Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan
Directed By: Kenneth Lonergan
Running Time: 137 mins
BBFC Certificate: 15
UK Release Date: May 15th 2017

Our Score

Despite allegations of past sexual assault swirling around Casey Affleck, he picked up the Best Actor Oscar for Manchester By The Sea, with Kenneth Lonergan also winning an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Judging purely from what’s on the screen, you can see why they won, as Affleck puts in an extremely good performance, working from a nicely nuanced script which prizes emotion but tries to avoid cliché.

Affleck is Lee Chandler, who’s working as a janitor in Boston. He drinks too much, barely socialises and gets in trouble for being rude to tenants. He gets a call to say that his brother has died and so he heads to his hometown of Manchester, Massachusetts. Lee also knows he’ll have to help look after his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges) but isn’t prepared for that fact his brother has named him as Patrick’s guardian, something he doesn’t feel vaguely able to handle. [Read more…]

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Chris Pine & Michelle Williams Teaming For All the Old Knives

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It’s spy thriller time for Chris Pine and Michelle Williams, who are currently in negotiations to star in All the Old Knives. Variety also reports that Theory of Everything director James Marsh is in talks to helm.

The film is, ‘ set in the idyllic town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, where ex-lovers Henry and Celia – one a CIA spy and one an ex-CIA spy – meet for dinner and to reminisce. They relive their memories of the disastrous hijacking of Royal Jordanian Flight 127, which ended in the death of all on board, a failure that haunts the CIA’s Vienna station to this day. The question is whether Henry has come to dinner to rekindle the romance or to get to the bottom of a conspiracy. It also becomes clear that one of the ex-lovers may not survive the meal.’

The movie has been in the works for some time, with Neil Burger previously set to direct. However, it’s only now that it’s coming together with The Mark Gordon Company backing the movie and eOne handling distribution.

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Manchester By The Sea (Cinema Review)

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UK Release date: January 13th 2017
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
Certificate: 15
Running time: 137 mins

Our Score

It’s always a sure sign of a fine movie when a character says exactly the same line twice, but with completely different meaning. That’s what happens in the fine, downbeat drama when young Patrick (Lucas Hedges), who has just lost his dad (Kyle Chandler) to a heart attack, asks his uncle Lee (Casey Affleck) to give him a lift to band practice. The first time it’s gentle, playful, a sweet, lonely boy asking his uncle, struggling to cope himself, for a simple favour. The second time it is harsh, angry, the boy is fed up with being passed around like an unwanted toy.

The remarkable thing about this film is the number of times it sets itself up for a clichéd resolution, and never follows it. Affleck’s Lee is a man struggling through life, an underpaid janitor with no friends and a crappy one-room apartment. When he discovers that his brother has died and he is the named person to care for his nephew Patrick, he does it, but reluctantly. [Read more…]

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Rebecca Ferguson Up For Hugh Jackman’s Musical The Greatest Showman

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rebecca-fergusonWhen it was announced that Michelle Williams was joining the PT Barnum musical biopic The Greatest Showman, many assumed she would be playing Swedish opera star Jenny Lind. However, that role is actually going to Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation’s Rebecca Ferguson, according the Variety.

As well as Ferguson and Williams, the cast also include Zendaya, Zac Efron and Hugh Jackman, as Barnum. The film will focus life of Barnum, who was known for his elaborate hoaxes before creating the three-ring circus. He also spent a lot of time pining for Swedish opera singer Jenny Lind, and it’s believed this relationship will be the central spine of the movie.

Michael Gracey is attached to direct. The project has been in the works for over five years, but apparently Fox has now made it a priority, partly because they know what a passion project it is for Jackman. It should start filming this autumn.

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Certain Women Trailer – Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart & Laura Dern explore gender & sexuality

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certain-womenThis is one of those quiet trailers that may not tell you a lot of plot, but still suggests the movie itself might be truly excellent. If nothing else, it has an incredible cast, including Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, newcomer Lily Gladstone, Rene Auberjonois, Jared Harris and James Le Gros. And with Kelly Reichardt directing, it got a huge amount of promise.

Here’s the synopsis: ‘One of America’s foremost filmmakers, Kelly Reichardt (Wendy and Lucy, Meek’s Cutoff) directs a remarkable ensemble cast led by Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, and Laura Dern in this stirring look at three women striving to forge their own paths amidst the wide-open plains of the American Northwest: a lawyer (Dern) who finds herself contending with both office sexism and a hostage situation; a wife and mother (Williams) whose determination to build her dream home puts her at odds with the men in her life; and a young law student (Stewart) who forms an ambiguous bond with a lonely ranch hand (radiant newcomer Lily Gladstone). As their stories intersect in subtle but powerful ways, a portrait emerges of flawed, but strong-willed individuals in the process of defining themselves.’

The film will be in US cinemas in October. [Read more…]

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