ScreenCrave.com » Bill Nighy

Sam Worthington Leads Wrath of the Titans Trailer

Damon Houx — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:47:49 +0000

What happens when a film makes money but nobody likes it? You get a sequel anyway. Sam Worthington, star of Avatar - and still a charisma question mark – returns as Perseus to fight more monsters and romance Rosamund Pike, while scores of great English actors (Ralph Fiennes, Bill Nighy, Lian Neesson) play other gods. It couldn’t be as sloppily post converted as the last one, right? We’ll know for sure March 30, 2012, when the film opens. Until then, check out the trailer…

Besides the bad music choice (is this a gothic fantasy or a kick out the jams action spectacle?) It’s hard to say if this is an improvement over the first film, which borrowed some of the plot points from the 1981 film, but mostly just the villains and set up. There will be no unleashing of the Kraken in this film. For better or ill.

Basically, it’s all about how director Jonathan Liebesman (who recently helmed the well panned Battle Los Angeles) works with the effects and stages the action. This looks to be CGI-heavy spectacle, but there might be something fun to all this if it’s done with the right humor and the stunts and action are good. And it’s not as if the first film could have set the bar any lower, so there’s that.

Would you rather watch this or The Immortals?

Arthur Christmas: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:00:38 +0000

Making films about Santa Claus is difficult business. Besides the fact that he mostly plays to those under ten, the very act of Santa Claus-ing is hard to make cinematic. But the wizards at Aardman animation figured out a way to crack that nut: it’s about Arthur Christmas (voiced by James McAvoy) the younger and goofier son of the current Claus (Jim Broadbent), who loves Christmas more than his diligent but mechanically driven brother Steve (Hugh Laurie). in what feels like a snuck out release, Christmas has real charm and should become a seasonal perennial.

The Players:

Director: Sarah Smith
Writers :Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham
Starring: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen
Original Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams
Cinematography by: Jericca Cleland

The Plot:

The Clauses have a flow of work. The elves do most of the building and organizing, while son Arthur (McAvoy) responds to letters and Steve (Laurie) deals with the tactical operations. Steve’s work is so smooth that Santa (Broadbent) has very little to do, except act as a figurehead. But on the completion of this Christmas Santa upsets the order by not retiring and passing the reigns over to Steve. Arthur then finds out that one gift hasn’t been delivered, and with the prodding of Grandsanta (Nighy), the two dust off the reindeer and go to deliver that one forgotten package. As they do, all heck breaks lose back at the North Pole

The Good:

It’s about Family and Pride: The film is mostly about pride, as Steve feels he’s been snubbed by his father, who doesn’t understand all the work he’s done, nor that he’s become a figurehead of little relevance to the work itself. But through his bureacratic ways, he’s also become innured to the joys of Christmas. Santa is so impressed with himself that he’s no longer aware of all the work that goes into making him look good, while Grandsanta just wants to prove that he’s still got it. These relationships are very much tied to Christmas and how people deal with what should be good holiday cheer. Only Arthur understands what Christmas really means, and even if you don’t believe, it’s still an affecting story because it’s about innocence and how that is the real meaning of Christmas.
Flights of Fancy: Many of the Reindeer get sidelined during their adventures, which leads the world to think there’s UFO’s come to earth, and Arthur and his grandfather end up in the Sahara dessert at one point, having to escape lions, and spray pixie dust over the native population. These sequences take the film into giddy heights of fantasy, and it enlivens an already solid piece of work.
Great Casting: All of the voice actors are perfect in their work and give smart nuanced performances. Part of that is the story, but Imelda Staunton’s performance as Mrs. Claus berings great life to a smaller role that could have been nothing.
Clever Scripting: There must be a drive for making Christmas oriented family films, but the people at Aardman, and director Sarah Smith crack the story and made it something special. I went into the film wary of a film that celebrates Santa Claus, but by the end was cheering along the story. As a minor Grinch, that’s a great success.

The Bad:

Not Much: Really, this is a smart film about Christmas, which may make it minor, but it’s still perfectly engaging.

Overall:

As someone who has a strong distaste for much of the pagentry of Christmastime, it takes something special to rise above the numerous pointless terrible attempts at dressing up the holiday for cheap sentiment. Arthur Christmas does.

Rating: 8.0/10

Arthur Christmas opens November 23.

Stills:

Kate Beckinsale And Jessica Biel Join ‘Total Recall’ Remake

traviswoods — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:45:09 +0000

Well, fans of remakes of really, really odd 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger films, along with fans of really, really pretty people, have something to celebrate this morning–/Film reports that, in addition to Colin Farrell playing hero Douglas Quaid and Bryan Cranston playing the bad guy, Kate Beckinsale and Jessica Biel have both just been announced as recent add-ons to the cast of the Total Recall remake. In addition, Bill Nighy will round out the cast as resistance leader Quatto.

Beckinsale will play the role of Quaid’s life in the “real” world (really, none of this will make sense if you haven’t seen the original), originally portrayed by Sharon Stone, and Jessica Biel will star as the woman Quaid encounters in his “spy life.”

And while that may inspire some confidence in viewers approaching the remake, the fact that it doesn’t take place on Mars (which is sorta kinda a crucial plot point—imagine a 2001: A Space Odyssey that takes place in, say, north Jersey rather than in deep space), and the film is being directed by Underworld director Len “I like to cast my wife in things” Wiseman isn’t exactly bolstering. Seeing as how his directing credits are comprised of the Underworld trilogy, the Hawaii Five-O pilot, and the fourth Die Hard film (aka, Bruce Willis vs. Green Screen and Plausibility), it may be safe to not hold out for the Total Recall being something of a cinematic/ action masterwork.

But hey, it’s a Hollywood remake directed by an inauspicious director, starring beautiful people, and seems to have ditched some of the major plot points that made the original such an odd, original work—and that’s always worked well in the past, right?

What do you think of Total Recall’s casting news?

Rango: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 00:00:51 +0000

This week Johnny Depp and Gore Verbinski team up again for another wild ride — only this time they’re tackling an animated world with their latest creation Rango. This is one of those films that takes a number of wild risks along the way but succeeds in almost all of them. It’s safe to say that their was no lack of imagination or attention to detail that went into this film, despite its few problems…

The Players:

Director: Gore Verbinski
Screenplay: John Logan
Story: John Logan, Gore Verbinski, James Ward Byrkit
Actors: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, Alfred Molina, Bill Nighy
Animation Director: Hal T. Hickel
Original Music by: Hans Zimmer

The Plot:

A very Johnny Depp like chameleon finds himself trapped in the desert and before he knows it he is playing the role of the unexpected hero of a nearby town giving him a new sense of purpose in live — the only problem is can he keep up the act long enough to save his fellow critters from bandits, corrupt politicians and more? Is playing the part enough? Or will he have to become it?

The Good:

The Beginning: The film starts off with a band as ww are immediately thrown into Rango’s unique world. We’ve got ourselves some action, plenty of comedy, even some self-deprecation from the filmmakers, and then a metaphorical conundrum to get us pondering — success! After the first 20 minutes of this film I was sold, I’d seen enough to leave me satisfied, or so I thought… More on that later. Let’s concentrate on the good.
The Look: It so nice to see an animation that’s like no other. Much in the way that Tim Burton broke boundaries with Nightmare Before Christmas, this film takes an equally large step but in a very different way. This film is dry, dirty, sometimes almost color-less, our lead character has tiny eyes instead of big round ones — honestly I’ve never seen an animation quite like this and it was so much fun to sit there and take it all in. It gives new life to this genre and shows us that not being perfect is sometimes the best thing you can do! Which conveniently goes quite well with the moral of the story.
The References: Much in the way Quentin Tarantino references a number of movies he loves within his own, Gore squeezes in as many references as he can from Chinatown to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (turns out it wasn’t bats Depp was swatting it was his future lizard self!). The thing about Tarantino is that he’s one of the only directors that can reference a movie and yet still have it be his own thing — this film was very much pointing out other films, not quite incorporating them the way that Tarantino does BUT I have to say I love that those kind of references are being made in an animation that kids will see.
The Little Moments: From the amazing Mariachi band to the way Rango’s eyes dart around and his broken neck, there are a number of small details in this film that make it worth seeing. There was so much time and effort put into all of these characters it’s hard not to love them.

The Bad:

The Length: The biggest problem of this film is its length. I’m not sure if Gore just LIKES lengthy films, but the runtime much like in his last Pirates film — the length just begins to weigh down everything you see in front of you and it begins to feel like you’re just moving from one set piece to another for now real reason…
Too Much: At the end of the second act you realize that the mission that they’re on doesn’t actually push the story forward and it begins to feel like they’re just throwing everything into the fire. I guess it’s nice to have a big action sequence at that stage of the film, but when it doesn’t really the story forward and in fact, gives us a whole new obstacle to over-come, the story ends up taking away from the charm that made the film so great in the beginning.

Overall:

Less is more in a film like this. The small moments, the intricate style choices, the texture of the clothing, the colors of the scenes, the well thought out one-liners, the characters development and the abstract metaphorical ideas are what make this an amazing film despite the fact that they story runs away with itself and doesn’t do justice to all the work put into this film.

This film begins by taking a huge risk and widely succeeds, but then regresses and becomes another action, adventure tale. If they just could have tightened up the story and been able to stick with the original concept, this film would have been one of the greatest films I’ve ever seen. Instead, it was good. Maybe this is because they felt it needed to “appeal to broader audiences” or maybe it’s what they meant to make.

But! I’ll take a film that touches on greatness over one that never tries to do so any day. So my recommendation — go for it.

Rating: 7/10

Rango hits theaters on March 4, 2011.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Stanley Tucci and Bill Nighy Cast in Jack the Giant Killer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 22:18:50 +0000

Three new faces have joined the cast of Bryan Singer’s upcoming feature, Jack the Giant Killer. Say hello to Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, and John Kassir as the supporting actors of the film. According to Coming Soon, the trio will each play an important part in the fantasy adaptation that has yet to cast a leading man.

The most recent draft of the Jack the Giant Killer script centers on the kidnapping of a princess that threatens a long-standing peace between men and giants. A young farmer is given an opportunity to lead a dangerous expedition to the giants’ kingdom in hopes of rescuing her. The screenplay was written by frequent Singer collaborator Christopher McQuarrie.

The last time we checked, Aaron Johnson and Nicholas Hoult were in the running to play the title character, but no one has been confirmed. As for the other roles, Tucci “will play a ruthless advisor to the king and Nighy and Kassir two halves of a two-headed giant.” Nobody does slippery, and slimy like Tucci. We can’t wait to see his take on his character.

What do you think of Tucci, Nighy, and Kassir joining the cast of Jack the Giant Killer?

Edgar Ramirez, Toby Kebbell Join Wrath of The Titans, Bill Nighy, Hayley Atwell in Talks

Krystal Clark — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 18:01:53 +0000

Besides the usual suspects of Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Gemma Arterton, and Ralph Fiennes returning for the Clash of the Titans sequel Wrath of the Titans, a few more actors have been cast. According to The Wrap, Edgar Ramirez and Toby Kebbell have both been cast in the film, while Hayley Atwell and Bill Nighy are being considered for two very important roles.

Ramirez, who was recently nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Carlos, is said to play Ares, the god of war. Kebbell, who we last saw as a Criss Angel type of magician in The Sorcerers Apprentice, is in talks to star as Agenor.

Atwell, is a young actress who’ll probably earn a lot of attention after she appears in this summer’s Captain America. She’s said to be on the shortlist to star as Andromeda, which was played by Alexa Davalos in the previous film. We wonder what happened to her?

On another note, veteran British actor Bill Nighy is being courted to play the Greek god Hephaestus, but nothing is official at this point.

Wrath of the Titans is set to open in theaters on March 30, 2012 and it will be in 3D.

What do you think of the new talent being infused for Wrath of the Titans?

Trailer: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader

Krystal Clark — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:03:55 +0000

The first trailer for the 20th Century Fox adaptation of The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has been released. After the lackluster debut of Prince Caspian a few years ago, and Disney’s decision to drop the property, we weren’t sure if this installment would ever see the big screen. But lucky for us, Fox came in and saved the day and set it up as a 2010 holiday release. Check out the trailer…

Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace Scrubb are once again pulled into the world of Narnia and this time its through a painting. They go on a mysterious mission with Prince Caspian that takes them to the Lone Islands where they encounter Dufflepuds, sinister slave traders, roaring dragons and enchanted merfolk all while aboard the Dawn Treader.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader: 3D is scheduled to hit theaters on December 10, 2010. The film is directed by Michael Apted and stars Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter, Ben Barnes, Bill Nighy, and Ian McKellen.

What do you think of the first trailer for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader? Does it look better or worse than the last film?

First Look at Rango – Best When Intoxicated

Mali Elfman — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 19:09:27 +0000

This is a rather interesting first look at Rango. We don’t know too much about the film other than it’s a “story of a chameleon with an identity crisis.” Vague, but lets run with it! The ad is definitely intriguing and probably even more so if you’re in anyway intoxicated. It’s extremely simple and quite effective and makes you NEED to know more.

What we also know about the film is that it’s directed by The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 director Gore Verbinski. The teaser below is reminiscent be of that crazy crab scene in the second Pirates movie, only this time, that insanity seems to be the main premise for the film or at least this clip….

Verbinski has teamed up once again with Johnny Depp as well as the impressive cast of Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Bill Nighy, Stephen Root, Ray Winstone, Beth Grant, Ned Beatty, Harry Dean Stanton and Alfred Molina – none of which you’ll hear in the clip..

AICN took a photo of the interesting artwork on the first poster earlier this month at a licensing show in Vegas, which is also rather intriguing. It appears as if they’re really come up with some interesting material for the film.

We can expect Rango in theaters in March of 2011. Until then, let the mystery continue! Go fishy!

What do you think of the first teaser? Are you intrigued or confused?

Pirate Radio: Movie Review

Andrew Payne — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:00:21 +0000

Rock ‘N’ Roll hits the high seas this week as Pirate Radio debuts in theaters from Love Actually and Four Weddings & A Funeral creator Richard Curtis. His latest film will storm the airwaves and movie screens with its unique blend of comedy, history, and some of the best music ever made. This could have been one the most entertaining musical/radio infused films produced, if it wasn’t for its muddled delivery. Find out what went right and what went wrong when we boarded Pirate Radio.

Check out our review…

The Players:

Director: Richard Curtis
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellnar, Hilary Bevan Jones, and Richard Curtis
Written By: Richard Curtis
Starring: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost and Kenneth Branagh

The Plot:

In 1966, the BBC banned the playing of rock and pop music on the radio. In order to combat this, several stations began broadcasting on ship-to-shore radio bands from boats anchored several miles off the coast. This film details the impetuous goings-on aboard one such ship and the officials in the government who seek to bring them down.

The Good:

The Music: Obviously the main character in any such rock film is always the soundtrack, which does not disappoint here. From the opening riffs of The Kinks‘ “All Day and All of the Night” to the haunting organ of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale”, the soundtrack never misses a note. Literally.
The Look: Curtis captures the sixties in all of its technicolor glory with fashions that seem ready to hang from a mid-century film’s wardrobe closet and the camera style to match. Combined with the music, Curtis transports the viewer directly into the best time of Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Kenneth Branagh: There’s a lot of acting firepower adrift on the high seas in this film, but the show is stolen by one its few landlubbers. Branagh crafts the character of Pirate Radio-loathing Minister Dormandy with an uptight precision that leads to the film’s funniest moments. He is a perfect comedic villain, instantly loathsome, completely powerful, yet totally vulnerable at the same time.

The Bad:

The Story, or Lack Thereof: The main problem with this film lies within the central plot. Rather than telling a story about a Pirate Radio ship, Curtis attempts to tell a series of loosely related tales, causing the focus to move from one character to the next with no apparent reason or goal. Instead of concentrating on a central story, the movie tries to tell three (plus dozens of additional sub-plots) and doesn’t tell either of them very well.
Too Many Characters: With so many good actors in this film, you don’t need a lot of dead weight hogging the screen. New characters flow in and out without an apparent purpose, often serving as nothing more than a MacGuffin to either reveal something about another character or simply set up a joke. The constant interruption disrupts the already tenuous main story and can often make the movie seem like it’s simply adrift.

Overall:

Pirate Radio is indeed a lot of fun. There’s plenty of good humor, memorable characters and excellent tunes that allow the movie to overcome its many structural failings. While it would have been nice to see a tighter story, the one it has never becomes anything approaching dull. Go for the music, go for the yucks, go for the style, but don’t go expecting to see a rattling good tale, because you will be disappointed.

Rating: 6.5/10

Pirate Radio opens in wide release on November 13, 2009

Further Reading:

Photo Gallery

Trailer:

Bill Nighy Says Pirates 4 Uncertain

Krystal Clark — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:05:01 +0000

What’s with the constant tug of war between the producers and the actors of the pending Pirates of the Caribbean sequel, On Stranger Tides? Over the past month or so there have been rumors regarding whether or not the film will still happen due to star Johnny Depp‘s recent change of heart about the Disney franchise. For the most part, the studio refuted the rumors and said everything would continue as planned, yet co-star Bill Nighy seems to think the film is on shaky ground.

British actor Bill Nighy who’s featured as Davey Jones in the Pirates series isn’t so sure that production on the film will begin as quickly as everyone would like to think. He recently spoke to SciFiWire about the film, and from the sounds of it the prognosis isn’t good.

“I understand that there was an announcement that there was going to be a fourth, and now I’ve been told since that that was not a reliable announcement.”

He went on to say that the film’s producer Jerry Bruckheimer doesn’t have the movie at the top of his list of projects for the coming year, so he’s not sure when it will actually get made.

“Jerry at one point said we have to wait until the world is pirate-hungry again,” Nighy said. “I think I’m getting a taste in my mouth.”

Even though the pieces aren’t adding up, the actor did say that he’d love to return for a fourth film, and another movie would only be natural due to the success of the prior three.

At this point Disney needs to let all the actors involved know what’s really going on because there have been too many misconceptions about the future of this franchise. First Johnny said he was unsure, then Geoffrey Rush said it was a go, now Bill has a bad feeling. I hate studio politics!

Further Reading:

With all this drama surrounding the film, do you think they should even make a Pirates 4?

Bill Nighy and Amanda Palmer Are Silent in Statuesque

Laura Aguirre — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 22:05:09 +0000

Award winning British actor Bill Nighy is taking a leap into the silent era of filmmaking. According to /Film, He will star in Neil Gaiman‘s upcoming short Statuesque, which will also feature the director’s girlfriend Amanda Palmer. Palmer is best known for her work as the lead vocalist of the punk band The Dresden Dolls.

This eight minute film is part of a special series commissioned by Rupert Murdoch‘s UK based Sky TV. Each short will mark one of the twelve days of Christmas, during the upcoming holiday season.

Statuesque is described as a love triangle between two living statues and an admirer who observes his object of affection every day among the Christmas shoppers, unaware that he too is being watched.”

Silent film? Statues? There couldn’t be a more perfect place for Palmer and her Dresden Doll tendencies. The musician even has a song entitled “Perfect Fit,” based on her past experiences as a statue in Boston. Perhaps she is the inspiration behind the entire film? Nighy’s early days in the theater and his comedic background will also add a lot of personality to this silent feature.

If you want to stop by and check out the filming of Statuesque, Gaiman was nice enough to post the location on his official blog.

We’ll be at Charter Place in Watford High Street (WD17 2BJ for the curious) and will be shooting on Sunday the 6th from around 11 until 6.00pm.

Can any of you make it?

What do you think of Gaiman’s shot at the past?

Bill Nighy Confirmed for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

Krystal Clark — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:30:29 +0000

More Harry Potter news coming your way people. Unlike some other youth oriented film franchises Potter movies have a quality to them that attract actors of a higher caliber. According to Collider, British actor Bill Nighy has been confirmed for a role in the final installment of the film series entitled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. People were already buzzing about the actor’s possible addition to the cast, but now we know it’s true and we’ve got the specifics on who he’ll play.

Find out more about Nighy’s role after the jump.

Nighy will star as the Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in the final chapter of the Harry Potter franchise. Apparently this news was confirmed recently at the international press day for Harry Potter and the Half -Blood Prince. There was some speculation that the actor would possibly star as Xenophilius Lovegood, the father of Luna Lovegood but that’s not the case. The Deathly Hallows: Part I debuts in theaters on November 19, 2010 while Part II hits on July 15, 2011.

Warner Brothers sure does know how to hold on to a good thing. I think they’re really pulling out all the stops for this Harry Potter finale. Bill Nighy is a top notch actor who can be seen in some sub-par features (Underworld), but he somehow manages to keep my respect. He’s that damn good! I’m sure he’ll knock this role out of the park.

What do you think of Bill Nighy starring as Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?

ScreenCrave.com » Bill Nighy

Sam Worthington Leads Wrath of the Titans Trailer

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Arthur Christmas: Movie Review

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Rating: 8.0/10

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Rango: Movie Review

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Rating: 7/10

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Trailer:

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Rating: 6.5/10

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