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The Movie Fanatic
Movie news, reviews and features plus spotlight on top and up and coming actors.

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tMF Featured Trailer: REMEMBER ME- Robert Pattinson plays rebel, romances E
2009-11-20 04:58:00
While doing some finishing touches to my Twilight: New Moon review, I got the chance to watch the trailer for Robert Pattinson's upcoming modern drama entitled Remember Me. The first thing I noticed - not the acting - but the music. I love it! - - -- - - Director Allen Coulter appears to be trying to create a refreshing new take of the tired and old formula of 'bad boy loves good girl' theme, throwing in, what appears to be, a difficult relationship between father and son. I'm pretty sure Rob Pattinson can match Brosnan, who plays his Dad, in the acting department. They even look 'related', so it's good casting on the part of Coulter. But in the case of Chris Cooper, that maybe a different story. Cooper, playing Emilie de Ravin's Dad, is a cop and has all the reasons to hate Pattinson, whom he arrested during a brawl. So when his daughter enters into a relationship with the young rebel, everything becomes even more complicated. - - -'I don't want to be bailed ou...
More About: Trailer , Rebel , Plays , Romances , Featured

GLORIOUS 39 + Q & A with director Stephen Poliakoff and stars Bill Nigh
2009-11-18 19:37:00
London-based Momentum Pictures is drumming up interest for their latest release Glorious 39. The psychological thriller starring Romola Garai and Bill Nighy is one of tMF's most anticipated films of the year. - - -- - - The announcement for the showing and the subsequent interview follows: Come to an exclusive Q&A with Stephen Poliakoff, Romola Garai and Bill Nighy and see their new film Glorious 39, Friday November 20, Odeon West End Book tickets here Aside from Garai as its lead star, Glorious 39 has a superb supporting cast including David Tenant, Charlie Cox and Eddie Redmayne. - - -More about the movie: Set in London and Norfolk on the eve of World War II, a young actress, Anne Keyes, unearths a set of secret recordings in the family home that could prevent a war with Germany. The more Anne investigates the origin of the recordings the more dark secrets she begins to discover. Soon her friends begin to die in suspicious circumstances, and Anne finds hersel...
More About: Stars

tMF Featured Trailer: Mammoth with Gael Garcia Bernal & Michelle Willia
2009-11-18 08:56:00
I'm quite sure this is only the first time for Gael Garcia Bernal to work together with Michelle Williams on a film. "Mammoth," the new movie from Swedish director Lukas Moodysson is set in many locations and cast both Garcia Bernal and Williams as leads, with the famed Mexican actor playing Tom, a computer game tycoon while Michelle Williams is his wife, an overworked emergency room doctor. I'm big fan of both and I'm very excited about their team-up. - - -- - - Early reviews of Mammoth are not very encouraging. I believe it's the seriousness of the issues it tackled that is the culprit. But reviewers have nothing but praises when it comes to the leads - Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams.More about the movie and the trailer after the jump! - - - - - - About the Movie: Tom (Garcia Bernal), as successful New York businessman, leaves wife and daughter under the care of a Filipino nanny to go on a business trip to Thailand. As he submerges into a new cu...
More About: Trailer , Featured

Beautiful, Fabulous and EVIL: 10 Favorite Female Villains!
2009-11-17 12:22:00
This list was inspired by some of the most recent female villains portrayed on the big screen - in particular Mo'Nique, the lazy, vile and selfish mother to Gabby Sidibe's character in Precious and Cate Blanchett who played the brilliant and nasty Irina Spalko out to spoil the adventures of Indiana Jones in the latest sequel of the popular adventure series. - - -- - - While some of the most memorable female villains are portrayed as ugly, unfashionable monsters, there are a good number of characters who are evil but also beautiful and fabulous. Some would even rival the female leads in terms of beauty, fashion and style thus we have this list.Take a closer look right after the jump, I'm pretty sure, you'll agree with the names on the list... - - -# 10 - Akasha in The Queen of the Damned played by Aaliyah- Akasha is a fictional character from Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles. She is the queen of all vampires, and is the most powerful. She is very arrogant and a relen...
More About: Female , Beautiful , Evil

tMF Featured Trailer: Edward Norton's Leaves of Grass!
2009-11-16 16:32:00
The lives of two identical twins, one an Ivy League philosophy professor, the other a small-time and brilliant marijuana grower, intertwine when the professor is lured back to his Oklahoma hometown for a doomed scheme against a local drug lord.That's the story of Edward Norton's latest flick, Leaves of Grass . - - -- - - Says Cinematical way back when the news about the film was announced: This should be interesting, especially since Norton rocked at portraying inner personality conflict in Fight Club (or Primal Fear for that matter) -- this is just split personalities as two people. The actor says about the role: "The challenge of playing twins for an actor is very special, and I was very flattered that Tim sent Leaves of Grass to me. I liked it so much, and felt so strongly that it was a film Tim understood to his core, that I took it to my partners and suggested we produce it. This is exactly the kind of personal filmmaking that we set out to support.More of Edward Norton ...
More About: Trailer , Featured

2012 dominates the Box Office with $225 million so far...
2009-11-16 15:29:00
Twitter users rate it at 69%, while IMDb users have given the movie a weighted average vote of 6.7 / 10. Almost identical right? Rotten Tomatoes, on the other hand, shows a 39% rating, with the following concensus: Roland Emmerich's 2012 provides plenty of visual thrills, but lacks a strong enough script to support its massive scope and inflated length. - - -- - - However, the dismal ratings did not stop the movie from amassing a box office return of $65 million (domestically) and another $160 million worldwide. Total take, so far $225 million. - - -Says the Hollywood Reporter: "2012" opened roughly similar to Emmerich's personal best debut with "The Day After Tomorrow," which rung up $68.7 million over the first three days of 2004's four-day Memorial Day weekend en route to registering $186.7 million in total domestic boxoffice. The helmer's last pic -- 2008's "10,000 B.C." -- bowed with $35.9 million and grossed $94.8 million overall domestically. Opening audienc...
More About: Office

Like People in History (Part 1): An Assassinated Spanish Poet and An Ideali
2009-10-18 14:50:00
In this series of articles, tMF puts the spotlight on films which deals with certain important historical events or the portrayal of important historical figures. - - -- - - In Part 1, we're featuring 2 films - Goodbye, Lenin! and Little Ashes - and you might wonder why.... The complete details on the event or the historical figure and about the movies right after the jump! - - -The Berlin Wall, The Fall of Comunism and an Idealistic German YouthOn November 9, Europe will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. What better way to celebrate than to watch a movie with Berlin as the backdrop? During its existence from 1961 to 1989, the Berlin Wall stopped almost all such emigration and separated East Germany from West Germany for more than a quarter of a century. The Wall included guard towers lining large concrete walls circumscribing a wide area (later known as the "death strip") containing anti-vehicle trenches, "fakir beds" and other defenses. A...
More About: People , History , Spanish

tMF OSCARWATCH: Will James McAvoy finally get an Oscar nom?
2009-10-16 12:29:00
James McAvoy was quite exceptional in The Last King of Scotland and it was his character who actually provided the perspective for the story and the movie itself. However, no Oscar nomination - not even for Best Supporting Actor. As Robbie Turner in Atonement, McAvoy "shows a sheer emotional range that's completely new to his career." says Derek Elley @Variety, "And McAvoy is a dynamo, nailing every nuance in a complex role." adds Peter Travers @Rolling Stone, and yet, still no Oscar - not even a nomination. - - -- - - Even before McAvoy appeared in these movies, he was already an accomplished actor - Inside I'm Dancing, Starter for Ten, Bright Young Things. He was also the recipient of the first Orange Rising Star award, an addition to the established awards at the BAFTA.Fast forward to the 2010 Oscar race, when Sony Pictures Classics announced it has acquired The Last Station for its North and South American distribution, the awards buzz has began. Will this mark the fi...
More About: Finally

Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones chosen for the Royal Gala!
2009-10-15 22:44:00
Is this just for starters? The BBC has just reported that the highly-anticipated new Peter Jackson movie, The Lovely Bones , has been chosen by The Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF) for this year's Royal Film Performance. - - -- - - Jackson said he was 'honoured' by the selection of his latest feature, which he described its making as 'an extraordinary journey'. He also added: On behalf of everyone involved, we are thrilled that members of the Royal Family and the CTBF audience will be amongst the first people in the world to see it. The BBC also mentioned that it has not yet been announced which members of the Royal Family and cast will attend the premiere. Last year's Royal Film Performance had to be changed after the release date of Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince was postponed. It was also reported that: All money raised from the gala goes to The Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF), which helps families connected to the film...

tMF Featured Trailer: DEAR JOHN - Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried look s
2009-10-15 21:53:00
I find the on-screen chemistry between Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried in the upcoming tear-jerker, Dear John , to be almost perfect. They look so good together - Channing tatum, with his 'male model' looks, is definitely the best choice for the role of John, the angry young rebel and the elegant Amanda Seyfried is simply the perfect Savannah, the beautiful and unasuming lass who captured John's heart. - - -- - - More about the Movie: An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read.....
More About: Trailer , Featured

MAKING WAVES: Jim Sturgess promotes Heartless!
2009-10-15 15:28:00
After watching Fifty Dead Men Walking, I can definitely confirm what I knew all along - Jim Sturgess is one terrific actor. If you've noticed, even in movies that critics failed to appreciate, Jim's performance was never put into question. I thought the political-thriller will become Jim's acting highlight, apparently I made my conclusions too early. - - - - - - Philip Ridley's Heartless, his next feature film, seems to be gaining a lot of momentum and with that, raves for Jim's performance. Right now, it has already gained some extremely positive reviews from critics all over, plus the buzz it continues to generate at the Festival circuit. While we wait for the release of Heartless in theaters, this cool clip above is for all Jim Sturgess fans and for anyone looking for a terrific horror film.About the clip: Jim Sturgess & Director Philip Ridley travel to the 42nd Sitges Film Festival to screen their upcoming movie HEARTLESS. Released by Lions Gate UK Spri...

tMF Featured Trailer: PETIT INDI (Little Indi)
2009-10-15 14:17:00
I love the visuals of this coming-of-age film entitled Petit Indi or little Indi from Catalan filmmaker Marc Recha. While we've been covering the British, French and German movie scenes quite extensively, tMF failed to put the spotlight on Spanish, Catalan and related cinemas and its emerging talents. We hope to do something about that - and we'll start now. - - -- - - Film reviewers who are familiar with the work of filmmaker Marc Recha described his films as "an acquired taste; festival rather than audience favourites". Says Dan Fainaru @ScreenDaily: This is a coming-of-age fable - a cautionary tale which brings to mind Aesop and La Fontaine - about a teenage bird lover who lives in his own universe and is forced to confront the sleazy side of life. Art circuits may take Recha up on his deliberate pacing, but this will be a challenge for wider release. [ read more ] Watch the trailer and get more info about this movie after the jump! - - - - - - Abou...
More About: Trailer , Featured

Movie Review: Where The Wild Things Are
2009-10-15 09:49:00
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Steve Mouzakis, Mark Ruffalo, James Gandolfini, Paul DanoDirector: Spike JonzeRelease Date: October 16, 2009Running Time: 101 minMPAA Rating: PGDistributor: Warner Bros., Golden Village PicturesLeave it to imaginative director Spike Jonze to puncture the world of innocence created by Maurice Sednak in the classic children's short story about a boy fleeing from home to an island inhabited by a race of huge, fuzzy creatures. This alternate reality is presented in both delicate and frenzied respects, the latter which is working more distinguishable in Mr. Jonze's film adaptation. Save for a couple of magical scenes subtlety is tamed and encapsulated by the overwhelming power of Jonze's mind that twirls out of control, allowing conflictions of tone to hurl upon the live-action film and consume it for the worse. Tone isn't consistent throughout the film, a major setback for a short film (90 minutes). The connection between the first fiftee...
More About: Movie , Movie Review , Review , Wild , Things

10 Most Overrated Young Actors
2009-10-14 04:18:00
We've listed down our top 50 hottest young actors and would be coming up with the latest updates very soon. Yesterday, we discussed about actors we believed to be quite underrated. How about the young actors we consider overrated? That's what this article is for... - - -- - - Who qualifies as overrated? Guys who seem to be getting lots of buzz, but has no real talent at all, or perhaps just a small amount of it. I have no issue if an actor gets the cover of GQ or Details or L'Uomo Vogue every month. They can even strut their stuff on the catwalks of Milan and Paris and gain additional media mileage. But to be considered the hottest actor on the planet with nothing to show yet? That is something totally absurd. Anyway, here's our list of ten just after the jump! - - -Updates! To be consistent with the top 10 Most Underrated list, we've removed the rankings. Anyway, the order they are presented are quite random... Chace Crawford: Chace, together with Steven Strait, ...
More About: Actors , Young , Overrated

10 Most Underrated Young Actors
2009-10-13 04:54:00
Cinema is filled with multi-talented young actors who bring to life all types of characters. Sometimes, a role is given to the wrong guy - just because he has the looks (pin-up pretty, looks awesome wearing trunks) and the connection (a powerful talent agent at his side). But when the role is given to the right guy - moviegoers get to witness something unique, memorable and powerful, even magical. Anyway, even the 'right guy' needs an agent, of course... - - -- - - Underrated versus Overrated: If you've watched Jumper, then you'll notice the difference between Jamie Bell and Hayden Christensen - Bell has undeniable screen presence, I can't say the same with Hayden. It could have been different if Tom Sturridge was retained to play Hayden's part. Anyway, who am I to argue? Christensen has more box office appeal than the relatively unknown Sturridge, but acting-wise?So, who are some of today's most underrated young actors? Here's our list of ten. Lou Taylor-Pucci - ...
More About: Actors , Young

MAKING WAVES: Keira Knightley to conquer stage via The Misanthrope!
2009-10-13 04:03:00
I agree with Colin Boyd over @TheBigPicture about Keira Knightley , when he said: Sure, the Pirates movies built her stardom, but she's also picked up an Oscar nomination in the past six years (Pride and Prejudice), was quite good in Atonement, and has done a lot of left-of-center stuff when she could have played it safe and gone for romantic comedies. - - -- - - That's why Ms. Knightley remains one of today's most sought-after actresses, she is always looking for ways to hone her craft. Now, she's determined to enter theater - Knightley joins Damian Lewis and an outstanding ensemble with Tara Fitzgerald and Dominic Rowan in Martin Crimp's blistering version of Molière's greatest comedy, The Misanthrope. Transported from 17th century Paris to modern-day London, Alceste (Damian Lewis) is a famous British playwright disillusioned and angry with the hypocrisy, shallowness and vanity of the contemporary world. Vowing to reject society, Alceste's plans are derailed whe...

tMF TALKBACK: In response to Bartcop's rants- Top 10 Hot Young Actresses
2009-10-08 06:24:00
First of all, special thanks to the Bartcop website for the mention. Before I respond, here's the original post: - - - Subject: Top Ten Hot Young Actresses This is from http://themovie-fanatic.com which I'm not familiar with, but they must be based in some other country to have a Top Ten like this Or, maybe it's run by a gal or a gay guy, cause his Top Ten is crazy. 10. Isild Le Besco: She's hot on the heels of Romola Garai at #10. 9. Romola Garai: She played the lead in Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights 8. Evan Rachel Wood: Somebody I've heard of, but she wouldn't make it in my Top Forty. 7. Anne Hathaway: Somebody I've heard of, but she wouldn't make it in my Top One Hundred. 6. Ellen Page: I really like her as an actress, a lot, but not so much as a hottie. 5. Carey Mulligan: She was allegedly in Public Enemies (with Johnny Depp), but I didn't notice her - at all. 4. tie - Keira Knightley and Emily Blunt: Finally, a big-name hottie, tied for #4 with who? 3. Natalie Por...
More About: Rants

The City Loop joins tMF in updating the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list!
2009-10-07 22:59:00
The Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list is up for an update this month. In order to innovate the year-old hitlist, tMF has begun inviting a couple of bloggers and writers - who are very much into the movie scene - to help come up with the new and revised list. As part of a core group, tMF and our friends will discuss what makes an actor 'hot' in terms of acting performances, acting awards received, buzz from various media, popularity with fans and many others. - - -- - - Joining tMF is Tran @The City Loop. Tran maintains and operates the following sites (together with respective admins, bloggers, moderators): http://gaspardulliel.net/, http://tomsturridge.net/, http://jamie-bell.com/, http://mia-wasik owska.net/, http://benbarnesfan.com/ among others. See the rest of sites Tran has founded here.Says Tran: I would be more than happy to assist tMF in the Top 50 Hottest Young Actors list. I am glad you're focusing on pure talent as oppose to the actors' physical appearanc...
More About: List

tMF VIEWERS' SURVEY - Updates! Favorite Leading Man - Johnny Depp versus Le
2009-10-07 22:05:00
There is an apparent competition between Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio in our latest poll - Who is your all-time favorite leading man? Fans of both actors are trying to outdo each other and this 'rivalry of sorts' has began from the time we opened the poll. - - -- - - Other actors leading the poll were Brad Pitt, Robert Redford and George Clooney, but their votes are quite far behind.Please remember that this poll will run only until Saturday, so vote for your all-time favorite leading man now!
More About: Survey , Updates , Versus

UPDATES: Top 50 Hottest Young Actors- The Advent of Tom Sturridge
2009-10-07 17:25:00
Michael Martin's profile of Tom Sturridge is a perfect introduction to the young British actor: It's been a few years since Sturridge got his break playing the son of Annette Bening's character in 2004's Being Julia. But he didn't mind the hiatus. "I want to do good stuff, which basically means waiting a bit," he says. Of course it's all timing: "If we did this interview next week, I'd say, ‘Listen, motherfucker, I'm playing Batman tomorrow!' - - -- - - I've seen him in almost all his movies. While it took me about two sittings to totally absorb 'Like Minds', his portrayal of the mysterious Nigel Colbie, remained hyptonic and consistent throughout the movie. I find the casting of Tom and Eddie Redmayne to be just perfect. I was hoping to see Jamie Bell and Tom in Jumper, and anticipate another great team up, but it did not happen. I'm still convinced up to this day that Tom would have been a better David Rice than Hayden Christensen... [ read a related...
More About: Updates , Actors , Young

UPDATES: Top 50 Hottest Young Actors - Robert Pattinson: Keeping it Real
2009-10-06 20:26:00
Our last article featuring Robert Pattinson dealt with the media's apparent obsession with the young British actor. In partnership with RPO and their new website called F.L.A.N.S., which promoted the need for fans to respect the actor's privacy - tMF wrote an article detailing how fans can help. - - -- - - To the Extreme: Now it seems a lot of online publications are going to the extreme to get the fan's attention. Let's take a closer look, and list down some 'glaring' examples:- - - Highly and extremely Positive - Rob's brooding good looks and the film, about eternal love and teen angst, are strikingly similar to two monumental teen idols from previous generations - James Dean and Marlon Brando - who starred in similar movies. Both Dean and Brando became young sex symbols. Brando went on to star in a number of classics such as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire” and Terry Malloy in “On the Waterfront,” both powerhouse performances directed by Eli...
More About: Updates , Actors , Young , Real

More Vinegar than Wine? Bad Reviews continue to 'haunt' The Vintner's Luck!
2009-10-06 11:49:00
I find Jeremie Renier to be a competent, talented and dedicated actor - I have the same sentiment when it comes to French mega-star Gaspard Ulliel. But in Niki Caro's The Vintner's Luck, I can't help but feel that both actors' 'sentiments', hard work and dedication to their characters were irrelevant and therefore immaterial because the filmmaker failed to transfer the essense of Elizabeth Knox's story into the big screen. - - -- - - Says INDIEWire: Can you say, “Haaawwwwwwtt??” French actors Jeremie Renier and Gaspard Ulliel found themselves in a production of New Zealand director Niki Caro’s (“Wale Rider”) latest, “The Vintner’s Luck,” which is screening in the Special Presentations section of TIFF.- - -Ulliel plays an Angel who sort of "guides" Renier's character, a struggling wine grower in early 19th century rural France. Their relationship is complicated, and at one point their quasi-sexual (the one has wings being an Angel and all...) fly-aro...
More About: Reviews , Wine , Haunt

tMF SPOTLIGHT: Sam Worthington takes the lead + the buzz on Clash of the Ti
2009-10-06 10:52:00
I don't care that he was just a finalist to play James Bond. But I care to take note that it took more than 7 years for his first critically-acclaimed role, Somersault, to finish. I also care and is quite interested to take a closer look at his new projects: from "Avatar", "Terminator Salvation" and "Clash of the Titans" to "The Tourist" and "The Candidate". I also care and is quite interested in reading what he's up to:I also care that the public are getting their 12 dollars' worth when they go to a movie, and that they're not coming out not wanting to ever see a movie with me in it again. I don't care what people think of me as a person, but I do care what people think of my work, and whether I'm investing enough into it. That's Sam Worthington talking, of course.In perspective, is he the guy whose going to continue the tradition set by his fellow Aussie actors - including Mel Gibson, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Hugh Jackman and many others?If you're going to ask that que...
More About: Buzz , The Buzz , Spotlight

tMF VIEWERS' SURVEY: Who is your all-time favorite leading man?
2009-10-06 08:38:00
As mentioned in a previous article, tMF is coming up with 2 back-to-back special articles - the first one is posted already and the other one will 'encompass' the first, and would deal with a bit of history, a lot of film reviews and opinions and profiles too! - entitled 'Cinema's Most Unforgettable Leading Men: Through the Years'. A special article featuring cinema's leading men from Robert Redford, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Romain Duris, Moritz Bleibtreu, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Ethan Hawke to today's latest batch: Jim Sturgess, Robert Pattinson, Zac Efron, Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Dano and many more. - - -- - - In this article, tMF wants to ask our viewers: Who is your all-time favorite leading men? We're not going to limit the choices by age or by nationality or race either. It's really up to you to say your piece and explain why. - - -As an intro of sorts, we're quoting from Row Three, an awesome film review and news website, which recen...
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