If the ongoing whirlwind of scandals that surround his private and business life aren’t enough to sink the career of once lauded French filmmaker Luv Besson for good, the laughable, shoddy ineptitude and pervasive creepiness of his latest directorial effort, Anna, should seal the deal.
Harmless, lavishly mounted, blandly forgettable and hastily assembled, the holiday trifle The Nutcracker and the Four Realms likely won’t be referred to by anyone as their favourite Christmas movie or adaptation of the titular well trod tale.
We were honoured to sit down with Helen Mirren last fall while she promoted The Leisure Seeker at the Toronto International Film Festival to talk about her experiences with road trips, starring in the English language debut of Italian writer-director Paolo Virzì, and how films about senior citizens have become unnecessarily condescending.
The period piece thriller Winchester (which opened this past Friday without the benefit of screenings for the press, despite being the only major release last week) has a rousing and fascinating real life hook. It’s just a shame that no one seems quite sure what they want to do with it.
Opening across Canada at a theatre near you: a teenage girl takes on the CIA in the modern action fairy tale, Hanna; Russell Brand plays a lovable man-child in Arthur; medieval times get a bit dopey in the comedy Your Highness; and a girl gets back on her surf board after a shark attack in Soul Surfer.
New this week on DVD and Blu-ray: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren kick butt in the action-comedy, Red; Diane Lane stars in the horse-racing drama, Secretariat; plus a look at Saw: The Final Chapter, and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest.
Opening this weekend in theatres: Matt Damon stars in Clint Eastwood’s emotional drama, Hereafter; Bruce Willis plays an aging CIA agent on the run for his life in the action-comedy, Red; plus a look at the drama Conviction, and Johnny Knoxville’s Jackass 3D.
It’s that time of year again. The 2010 Toronto International Film Festival, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, has revealed the full list of actors, stars, celebrities, and filmmakers expected at this year’s event, and once again it includes some of the biggest names in the world.
