Posted on January 11, 2017 at 7:00 am
Coming tomorow on Google Play and March 7, 2017 on DVD: Bunyan & Babe, an animated film based on the folk tales about the giant lumberman and his blue ox, with the voices of John Goodman, Kelsey Grammer, Jeff Foxworthy, Johnny Orlando. We are delighted to share an exclusive clip.
Posted on January 10, 2017 at 4:01 pm
Eugene Lee has designed sets for “Saturday Night Live’ since the very beginning in 1975. He spoke to the UK’s Creative Review about creating the look of the sketches and how technology and expectations have changed in 41 years.
Lee says the SNL team has just four days to prepare the show and construct sets. Every Wednesday, he takes the train from Rhode Island (where he lives) to New York (where the show is broadcast) and spends the afternoon reading through scripts submitted by writers. Once the producers have decided which scripts they’d like to use, Lee and his team will work with the writers and actors to devise each set.
“We go and talk to the writers and actors and try to work out what they see in the set,” he explains. “If the script says there’s a restaurant, we’ll say, ‘what kind of restaurant? Is it high class? Is it elegant? Does it have red chequered tablecloths?’…. SNL is best when there’s great writing – if a sketch doesn’t have that, then it’s a fail – so we listen to the writers and they tell us what they think.
Posted on January 9, 2017 at 3:09 pm
The Scottish BAFTA winner for Best Picture, “Tommy’s Honour” is based on the true story
of the challenging relationship between “Old” Tom Morris (BAFTA winner Peter Mullan) and “Young” Tommy Morris (Jack Lowden), the dynamic father-son team who ushered in the modern game of golf.
As their fame grew exponentially, Tom and Tommy, Scotland’s Golf Royalty, were touched by drama and personal tragedy. At first matching his father’s success, Tommy’s talent and fame grew to outshine his father’s accomplishments as founder of the Open Championship in 1860, his stellar playing record, and his reputation as the local caddie master, greenskeeper and club & ball maker. In contrast to his public persona, Tommy’s inner turmoil ultimately led him to rebel against the aristocracy who gave him opportunity, led by The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews chief Alexander Boothby (Sam Neill), and the parents who shunned his passionate relationship with his girlfriend-then-wife Meg Drinnen (Ophelia Lovibond).
Coming to US theaters in April, 2017.
Posted on January 9, 2017 at 8:00 am
Lost & Found, available on DVD tomorrow, is the story of two boys searching for treasure. We are delighted to be able to present an exclusive clip.
Posted on January 8, 2017 at 11:16 pm
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s “Golden Globes” is always a lot of fun and this year’s jubilant opening number, inspired by “La La Land” kicked it off with brio. Host Jimmy Fallon got out of a limo stuck in traffic and launched into a big dance number to “Another Day of Sun,” a shrewd look ahead at a film that would break the record for the most Golden Globes, winning best song, score, writer, director, actor, actress, and film (in the Comedy/Musical category). It probably broke some records for the most wins under age 35 for its young filmmakers, songwriters, and cast. The musical number was a lot of fun, with a pointed joke about the contrast with #Oscarssowhite and a tribute to “Stranger Things” with a rap interlude and the return of Beth.
Another young newcomer with two big wins was Donald Glover, who is the creator and star of “Atlanta,” and who won for best television series and best actor in a series. Tracee Ellis Ross won her first Golden Globe for “Black-ish,” and gave one of the best speeches of the night: ” “This is for all of the women of color and colorful people whose stories, ideas and thoughts are not always considered worthy and valid and important. I want you to know that I see you and we see you.”
Dramatic films were more split, with Casey Affleck winning Best Actor for “Manchester by the Sea,” and, unusually, Isabelle Huppert winning Best Actor for her performance in the film that won the Foreign Language award, “Elle.” The top prize went to the critically acclaimed “Moonlight.”
Other acceptance speech highlights — Hugh Laurie and Meryl Streep noting that the organization behind the Globes was triply at risk as representing Hollywood, foreigners, and press, and Meryl Streep’s stirring reminder, as she accepted her lifetime achievement award, quoting the late Carrie Fisher: “Take your broken heart, make it into art.” Ryan Gosling’s tender tribute to Eva Mendes and to all women who make it possible for their loved ones to follow their dreams was a touching moment. And it was nice of the Globes, which usually does not do memorial tributes, to make time to say goodbye to Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds. Questlove was a great addition, providing astutely chosen musical punctuation.
Some glitches and disappointments — not sure why so many of the men on stage had beards that made them look like frontiersmen. Is there some sequel to “The Revenant” in the works? Fallon’s opening monologue began with a technical glitch, clumsily handled and then not worth waiting for. His subsequent appearances were superfluous. Kristen Wiig and Steve Carell presented the Best Animated Film award with a surreal introduction about their own (fabricated) tragic childhood memories of going to animated films. Goldie Hawn, appearing with Amy Schumer, attempted to replicate her “Laugh-In” bits — not being able to read the cue cards — but it went on too long. And Sofia Vergara, please do not let them make you make dumb jokes by making words sound dirty because of your accent.
She did look beautiful, though, with one of the best dresses of the night. Other beautiful gowns: Reese Witherspoon, Issa Rae, Naomie Harris, Viola Davis, and one woman in a beautiful tuxedo, Evan Rachel Wood, in what she said was a tribute to Marlene Dietrich. The worst dress had to be Carrie Underwood’s, which looked like it was made out of cake frosting.
The awards:
Movies
Best picture, drama: “Moonlight”
Best picture, comedy or musical: “La La Land”
Actress, drama: Isabelle Huppert, “Elle”
Actor, drama: Casey Affleck, “Manchester by the Sea”
Actress, comedy or musical: Emma Stone, “La La Land”
Actor, comedy or musical: Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”
Supporting actress: Viola Davis, “Fences”
Supporting actor: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Nocturnal Animals”
Director: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Screenplay: Damien Chazelle, “La La Land”
Animated film: “Zootopia”
Foreign language film: “Elle” (France)
Original score: Justin Hurwitz, “La La Land”
Original song: “City of Stars,” “La La Land”
Television
Best series, drama: “The Crown,” Netflix
Best series, comedy or musical: “Atlanta,” FX
Best television movie or mini-series: “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” FX
Actress, mini-series or television movie: Sarah Paulson, “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”
Actor, mini-series or television movie: Tom Hiddleston, “The Night Manager”
Actress, drama: Claire Foy, “The Crown”
Actor, drama: Billy Bob Thornton, “Goliath”
Actress, comedy or musical: Tracee Ellis Ross, “black-ish”
Actor, comedy or musical: Donald Glover, “Atlanta”
Supporting actress: Olivia Colman, “The Night Manager”
Supporting actor: Hugh Laurie, “The Night Manager”
