Saturday, September 16, 2017 at 12:18AM TIFF wraps up Sunday and since we'd like the last few pieces to be positive let's get some negativity out of the way. Here are two films which yours truly did not respond well to. One is certain to be trashed by critics and the other, though trashy, is being widely praised. But they're both bad.
Friday, August 18, 2017 at 1:40PM by Murtada
Here’s our first peek at Saoirse Ronan as the title character in Mary, Queen Of Scots. The film just started shooting in the UK with theater director Josie Rourke making it her feature directorial debut. It has a mix of veteran and upcoming actors from the non-American English speaking world in its cast. Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden (Dunkirk), Joe Alwyn (Billy Lynn himself), Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Brendan Coyle (Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey) and Gemma Chan.
The film charts the turbulent short life of Mary Stuart and her rivalry for the throne with Elizabeth 1, played in this version by Robbie. One can think of it as a sort of sequel to Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth The Golden Age (2007). Produced by the same people, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The first draft of the script - hence rewritten by Beau Willimon of House of Cards fame who gets sole credit - was written by those films’ writer, Michael Hirst. It’s as if they’ve taken Samantha Morton’s Mary from the second film and given her center stage. Of course many actresses have played these two women over the years. Mostly in movies about Elizabeth although Vanessa Redgrave played Mary to Glenda Jackson’s Elizabeth in a movie with the same title back in 1971.
Ronan continues her busy post Brooklyn career. Lady Bird is coming out this fall. The adaptation of Ian McEwan’s On Chesil Beach will play TIFF. The Seagull adaptation that she made with Annette Bening almost two years ago must come out eventually. We wonder which one of these projects will get her invited back to Oscar? Maybe more than one. She seems like the sort who would become a regular.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017 at 10:00PM Chris here. Quentin Tarantino has begun to lineup his next film to shoot next year, and it could be even bloodier than his divisive Hateful Eight if the subject matter is any indication. Hold on to your stomachs, the provacateur will next be tackling the Manson murders.
While this seemingly won't appease anyone put off by Hateful's gruesome antics, the potential for something great is there and Tarantino reportedly does have a unique take on the material yet to be revealed. Per his previous comments, this looks to be his penultimate film, but I'm guessing that that's actually as likely as that "unique take" being a tamer vision regarding onscreen bloodshed. My first guess is that like Inglourious Basterds before it, Tarantino will be doing a bit of revisionist history with the details of Charles Manson's enacted violence.
Casting is already promising some major talent, with reportedly approached stars including Brad Pitt, Jennifer Lawrence, Samuel L. Jackson, and Margot Robbie. Details are sparse on what roles could be attached to each star, aside from Robbie possibly playing Sharon Tate. We'll see what Tarantino's take is on the story and what the ensemble might actually shape up like - but (should it come to be) doesn't Pitt as Manson already sound like a fascinating choice?
Thursday, June 15, 2017 at 10:13PM 
Chris here, just imagining a Beatles / Winnie the Pooh crossover. You say goodbye, because I say hello to the first Goodbye Christopher Robin trailer. (Which Beatle matches which Pooh character? Ringo is such a Tigger.)
The film is chasing after our literary nostalgic tears in the vein of Finding Neverland, following A.A. Milne (played by the ever dashing Domnhall Gleeson) as his son inspires him to create the adventures of Winnie the Pooh during WWI...
Friday, September 30, 2016 at 3:00PM The biopic genre never dies and one of its favorite subthreads is "famous author". Enter Domhnall Gleeson who will portray A.A. Milne in as yet untitled film about the man behind Winnie the Pooh and the Thousand Acre Woods, his wife (Margot Robbie) and their son Christopher Robin (Will Tilston) who would be immortalized in the Winnie the Pooh books. The film just began principal photographer in the UK.
Here's the first photo of the star in character.
More photos, a note from the press release, and comments after the jump...
