ScreenCrave.com » Tom Wilkinson

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol Teases a Trailer

Damon Houx — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 22:12:57 +0000

What difference four years and a new director makes. Tom Cruise returns to his franchise role of Ethan Hunt in the new Mission: Impossible film Ghost Protocol, but the real star of the trailer is director Brad Bird. Known for his work on Pixar films like The Incredibles and Ratatoulie, Ghost Protocol is his first live action film, and he’s got it. Joining Cruise are faces like ---">Jeremy Renner and Tom Wilkinson, while returning is – at least – Simon Pegg. Check out the trailer….

When Jeremy Renner joined the franchise, there was talk he was there to replace Cruise – who will be 49 on July 3 – partly because Cruise’s star was on the wane after the two years of nonsense that came from marrying Katie Holmes, and talking at greater length about his religious beliefs. But though the third film was considered disappointing domestically, globally the film made money. This trailer suggests there may be another mole in the operations – which has been a running plot in these movies – but little is actually known of the plot.

What is known is the action in this trailer, and it looks impressive. As with the still above, there is a scope and coolness to this trailer that seemed missing from the last film. The franchise itself has been hit and miss. The first film is more enjoyable for director Brian De Palma doing a more mainstream take on his interests as a filmmaker, the second tamed John Woo, and the third film launched (awkwardly at that) J.J. Abrams as a film director. But Brad Bird seems the absolute right choice for this material, and there’s a number of great money shots here. And the best way to revive stardom is to make a good movie.

Does this excite you?

The Conspirator: Movie Review

Damon Houx — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 03:57:42 +0000

James McAvoy and Robin Wright lead the cast of Robert Redford’s The Conspirator. It’s Redford’s attempt to address his concerns with our current legal issues regarding fair trials for terrorists in the light of the death of Abraham Lincoln. Based on a true story,the film is a courtroom drama where the odds are stacked against a client who’s guilt is more circumstantial than actual. Find out more below…

The Players

Director: Robert Redford
Writers: James Solomon (screenplay, story) Gregory Bernstein (story)
Stars: Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Klein, Danny Huston

The Story

John Wilkes Booth (Toby Kebbell) killed the president, but he was not alone in his actions, and so Secretary of War Edwin Stanton (Klein) is put in charge of collecting everyone involved. Mary Surrat (Wright) was the mother of one of the conspirators, and her home was used to plot the assassination, though she also rented her home out to borders. Fredrick Aiken (McAvoy) is given the job of being her defense attorney, and though he resents and openly rejects the assignment, he finds that the law is so in favor of executing her, that the scales have been tipped unfairly against her.

The Good

The Question of Law Versus Values: Though the film is steeped in the more modern political ramifications about Guantanamo Bay, this delves into the idea of the need to kill an innocent person to stem the tide of dissent versus the nature of law. The idea that laws are in place to keep people from exercising their worst impulses is one of the things that makes having the rule of law important, and the film argues for that strongly, even in the face of politicians suggesting that the expedient solution is the best. The idea of honoring laws in the face of whatever imagined terribleness, the idea that humans can manage to either turn the other cheek or wait for rational thought before acting is a very powerful notion, and Redford’s film is paean to that.
Ringers: When you’re a talent like Robert Redford, you can get some of the best, and Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, Kevin Klein and James Mcavoy are perfect period actors, who bring gravitas and history to their performances. Likewise, Robin Wright is fine as the woman who must suffer her indignities, and there’s also smaller performances from the likes of Stephen Root and Colm Meany.

The Bad:

Inevitability: When the film reveals it’s cards, that it’s Redford’s attempt to address what he sees as what’s wrong with the country, there’s really only so many places the film can go. There’s a stacked deck, and even though it’s based on the accounts of the time, you know where it’s going.
Episodic: The film wrestles with the themes that often plauge law shows and “Star Trek.” Even if the film is one of the better examples of such things, it definitely feels like there’s nothing that cinematic about it, other than the sure hand of its director.
Out of Time: The films The Conspirator most resembles are the films of Stanley Kramer, in that it’s very much of the “good for you” sort of cinema that he trafficked in. It also feels like the sort of film that would have come out at least a couple decades ago in hopes of winning Oscars. Instead it’s a limited release that will be all but forgotten at the end of the year.
Love Interest: McAvoy’s character has a girlfriend (Alexis Biedel) and a best friend who are not fond of what’s he up to. It’s a hackneyed plot device in films like this, and the performers seem just as out of place.

Overall:

A film that will surely play just as well at home as it does in theater, and does have the elements of something made for a history class, man’s ability t do the right thing has always been one of the great struggles of the civilized era. And though the film has some evident faults, if you can engage with those ideas, and find them compelling enough through Redford’s portrait of the America he both loves and is frustrated with, then there’s meat on the bones. Others will get bored.

Rating: 7.5/10

The Debt Trailer Promises the Film Will Come Out

Damon Houx — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 21:16:59 +0000

When you have a film with Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, Jessica Chastain and Martin Csokas you expect it to hit theaters. When it’s directed by Shakespeare in Love‘s John Madden, and written by Mathew Vaughn and Jane Goldman it seems like something of a powehouse. And yet The Debt has sat around for at least a year. Festival screenings can kill anything. Though this may had to do with Miramax (the film’s home) being scuttled by Walt Disney studios. Take a look at the trailer…

The first trailer for this film premiered last summer, and this is a subtle variation on that. The film played some festival screenings, and didn’t great notices. Perhaps the film isn’t as good as the 2007 Israeli film it’s based on.

Originally Miramax had it up for an end of year/Academy launch, but that was likely scuttled when it didn’t get traction. Focus is putting it out August 31, which is in fall enough to be considered an award launch, but also tends to suggest no confidence. Focus launched The American around that time and was able to turn that in to an off-season win. Perhaps that’s possible here.

Do you remember seeing the trailer for this last year?

Trailer for Robert Redford’s The Conspirator

Krystal Clark — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 00:15:16 +0000

While Robert Redford’s annual Sundance Film Festival is still underway, the first trailer for his latest feature The Conspirator has been released. The trailer debuted on Yahoo Movies, and it centers on the conspiracy surrounding the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. It stars James McAvoy, Robin Wright, and Tom Wilkinson. Take a look…

The Conspirator also stars Kevin Kline, Stephen Root, Justin Long, Danny Huston, and Johnny Simmons. The film centers on Mary Surratt (Penn), the only female charged in the conspiracy to kill the president (Lincoln), and McAvoy plays Frederick Aiken, the war hero assigned to defend her. Wilkinson stars as Reverdy Johnson, the former attorney general who as U.S. Senator is the mentor to the young lawyer, and sympathetic to Surratt. Kline plays Lincoln’s War Secretary Edwin Stanton, and Bledel plays Aiken’s wife, Catherine Morgan.

Any movie that bring Kevin Kline back to the forefront, we’re in! The cast for this film is extremely impressive and it’s great to see Simmons in something that’s not so “teen-centric.” We loved him in Scott Pilgrim vs The World and he was the only enjoyable thing about Jennifer’s Body, but it’s great to see him get serious!

The Conspirator is scheduled to hit theaters in April 2011.

What do you think of the first trailer for The Conspirator?

The Green Hornet: Movie Review

Krystal Clark — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 04:45:09 +0000

The Green Hornet is opening in a theater near you and he’s accompanied by his trusted partner Kato. Seth Rogen co-wrote and stars in this big screen adaptation of the popular TV series and radio show that centers on a millionaire who tries to clean up the crime-filled streets. The film is directed by Michel Gondry, and features a few of his visual signatures but nothing overwhelming. For more on the film, check out the review…

The Players:

Director: Michel Gondry
Screenwriters: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg
The Cast: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Christoph Waltz, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Edward James Olmos, David Harbour
Cinematography By: John Schwartzman
Original Music By: James Newton Howard

The Plot:

The Green Hornet centers on a Britt Reid (Rogen), a party boy and heir to a publishing empire. After the sudden death of his father, he along with his new companion Kato bond over a desire to rebel and end up becoming vigilante heroes. With the help of the newspaper and Reid’s secretary Lenore (Diaz) they work their way up the crime ladder until they reach the top dog, Chudnofsky (Waltz).

The Good:

The Homages: There were several homages to The Green Hornet TV series in this film. I won’t tell you what or where they are because their impact would be ruined. Just take comfort in knowing that there’s more than one wink to the source material, and fans of the original will notice.

The So-So:

The 3D: This 3D film was post-converted, but the process took a lot longer than most. You would assume that with that extra time, the effect would be near perfect right? Wrong. The beginning scenes start off strong and clear, but after 30 minutes in, you can notice excessive blurriness in the background and the depth of field isn’t as sharp.
The Action: It’s no secret that Kato dominates all the fight scenes but the choreography used was nothing to write home about. It was standard. He doesn’t do anything that blows you away. There’s a lot of build up but never a huge pay off.

The Bad:

James Reid: Is he supposed to be loved or hated? James is Britt’s father and to be frank, he comes across as an a-hole. They even refer to him as a “dick” and a “douche” multiple times. Who is this guy?
Britt/Lenore/Kato Triangle: The relationship between Kato and Britt goes from 0-60 in a matter of 10 minutes. If that’s not strange enough, they throw in Diaz’s character Lenore who’s sort of a love interest but not really. Their dynamic is strange, forced, and unnatural.
The Casting: Everyone is wrong! Besides the obviousness of Rogen, Diaz was an odd choice to play the female sidekick, Olmos sulks the entire time he’s on screen, Wilkinson is wasted, and Waltz is completely unrecognizable as the Oscar winner he is. A lot of talent is underused.

Overall:

The Green Hornet is a standard action comedy that has a buddy cop feel to it. At the end of the day, this adaptation wasn’t needed. It does nothing to improve upon the original. It’s just here.

Rating: 6/10

The Green Hornet opens in theaters January 14.

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Will you be seeing The Green Hornet this weekend?

UK Burke and Hare Trailer With Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis

Krystal Clark — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:08:29 +0000

A UK trailer has been released for John Landis’ big screen comeback Burke & Hare. The director hasn’t helmed a theatrical film in years, and he’s finally decided to make a come back with this horror comedy starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis. Check it out…

In the film, Pegg stars as William Burke and Serkis as William Hare, two criminals known for dipping into the world of murder to make a quick buck. The story centers on a pair of Irish immigrant murderers in early 19th century Edinburgh who sell the corpses of their victims to the local medical college. It’s based on actual events, and the duo are said to have killed at least 17 people from 1827 to 1828.

The movie also stars Isla Fisher, as a young actress and Pegg’s girlfriend who’s looking for a patron, while Tom Wilkinson plays Dr. Robert Knox, an anatomy lecturer in need of fresh corpses.

It’s been a long time since An American Werewolf in London, and it’s time to see if 1980s John Landis can hang with the directors of the new millennium.

What do you think of the first trailer for Burke & Hare? Are you interested in seeing the film?

Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren in The Debt Trailer

Krystal Clark — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 15:14:28 +0000

Are you tired of seeing Sam Worthington in big action flicks that require him to yield a sword, a gun, or a metal pipe? Well, his latest film isn’t an exact departure from that but it’s definitely in a league of its own. It’s called The Debt and it’s directed by Oscar nominee John Madden, and stars Worthington alongside Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson. The first trailer for the film has been released and you can check it out below…

Official Synopsis:

In 1965, three young Israeli Mossad agents on a secret mission capture and kill a notorious Nazi war criminal. Now, thirty years later, a man claiming to be the Nazi has surfaced in the Ukraine and one of the former agents must go back undercover to seek out the truth.

There’s an obvious time shift that takes place throughout this movie. Worthington, Martin Csokas, and Jessica Chastin play younger version of Wilkinson, Ciaran Hinds, and Mirren. I’m going to let it slide that they’ve put Hinds in the same age group as the other “older” actors considering he’s about a good 8 to 10 years younger. Other than that The Debt looks pretty solid. Also, the screenplay was written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn who did Kick-Ass, so it could be interesting.

What do you think of the first trailer for The Debt?

Edinburgh Film Fest 2010: Jackboots On Whitehall Film Review

Ben McCarthy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:03:57 +0000

It’s been 5 years since we’ve had a puppet based action film, Team America: World Police. So now its Blighty’s turn to taken on the Yanks with Jackboots On Whitehall, a film having its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival this week.

Jackboots On Whitehall is the first film to use animatronics puppets; will this be a giant-step forward to puppet technology? Can the entire film be rested on plastic shoulders and faces? Can the film not resort to crass Nazi impersonation jokes? But most importantly, can this film be a stupid, fun ride? Lets find out…

The Players:

Writers/Directors: Edward & Rory McHenry
Producers: Kyle Richards, Patrick Scoffin
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Rosemund Pike, Richard E Grant, Timothy Spall, Tom Wilkinson and Alan Cumming.

The Plot:

Set in alternative universe of WWII, the Nazis have seized London, so England must band to form a resistance at Hadrian’s Wall if they are to prevent a full-on German invasion.

The Good:

The Sets: The landscape of the film is constructed with a certain amount of detail and panache that gives it an epic look. When the time comes, the pyrotechnics take over and they convincingly destroy all the beautiful scenery – Michael Bay would be proud.
Richard E Grant: He’s brilliant as the abusive vicar and supplied us with the only source of much needed laughter during the entire film.

The Bad:

The Rest Of The Voice Cast: They are universally dreadful, it sounds they aren’t even trying to make the best of the mediocre material. They’re just phoning in performances and should all be ashamed for being associated with this film.
The Puppets: The reason why Team America’s puppets worked was because their puppets had animated faces, their eyes and mouths moved, they showed emotion. But here, the puppets have absolutely no facial movement what so ever and it’s like looking a brick wall of emotion, with no facial expression at all. It’s distracting from the film and keeps you from ever feeling involved with any of the characters. It’s made even worse, because of the extended close ups on the puppets; it constantly breaks your suspension of disbelief. The puppets in Robot Chicken are more convincing than anything shown in this film.
Horrible/Unfunny Jokes: Jackboots On Whitehall tries to be relevant by making jokes about Mel Gibson, Braveheart and Lethal Weapon but they fall. The jokes lack any sort of punch or imagination and we’re degraded to the low end of the humour spectrum. The results leave you feeling depressed every time they try to make you laugh. As a Briton, you’re going to be embarrassed by what’s shown here; the “Carry-On” style comedy is cringe inducing.
The Portrayals of the Nazis: Apparently, they’re all gay and like to wear women’s clothing… Once again the gag feels old, clichéd, and shows no form of sophistication. The pop-culture references are really weird; a Darth Vadar reference in a WWII film is the most misjudged pop culture references I have ever seen. It feels they ran out of ideas and so they stole old, used up ones.
Lazy Narration: The filmmakers clearly didn’t think or even care about the narrative of the film. It’s on auto-pilot for the full 90 minutes which makes it the most un-interesting film of 2010.

Overall:

This is the worst film of the festival so far. The pain hurts even more because the film has a great premise; but with juvenile jokes, lazy narration and rubbish puppets makes this a grisly cinematic experience.

Verdict: 1/10

It’s Team Britain! – Jackboots On Whitehall Trailer

Ben McCarthy — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 23:14:53 +0000

It’s been 6 years since we were introduced to Team America: World Police; it was a savage political satire from the creators of “South Park,” that covered terrorism and proved that Pearl Harbor was a really bad movie. Even though the film lives on through the immortal line of “America, fuck yeah!” it seems that good ol’ Blighty plans to beat the Yanks at their own game with Jackboots on Whitehall. Watch the trailer below…

The film is set during an alternative version of WWII, with the Nazis seizing London and the British retreating to Hadrian’s Wall to form a resistance. Jackboots on Whitehall is directed by Edward and Rory McHenry and is the first film to use animatronic puppets. Take that Team America! One would say that this could be a companion piece to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, with its disregard for historical accuracy but despite that, it still looks hilarious.

The film has a high profile voice cast, with Ewan McGregor, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Stephen Merchant, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Alan Cumming and Richard Griffiths. Whitehall will have its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival in June, where many of the actors will appear on the big night.

From the looks of it, this could have the wit and cutting-edge satire to be a memorable addition to the festival, or a cringe-inducing “Carry-On” style comedy.

What do you think? Will Hitler get his head blown off for the second time? Will it be Team Britain?

Tom Wilkinson and Isla Fisher Join Burke and Hare

Krystal Clark — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:41:02 +0000

If you’re still spinning over the casting news that David Tennant will no longer star in the upcoming dark comedy Burke & Hare, there’s more where that came from. No one will be replaced, but several other well known actors have signed on to the film. According to THR, Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis will be joined by Tom Wilkinson and Isla Fisher in the John Landis production.

Burke & Hare centers on a pair of Irish immigrant murderers in early 19th century Edinburgh who sell the corpses of their victims to the local medical college. The film is based on a true story about the U.K.’s earliest serial killers, whose names were William Burke and William Hare. With names like that, it sounds like they were destined to be partners in crime.

Fisher joins the cast as a young actress and Pegg’s girlfriend who’s looking for a patron, she also may or may not be an accomplice to the duo’s heinous murders. Wilkinson will star as “Dr. Robert Knox, an anatomy lecturer looking for fresh corpses.” He sounds like a regular customer or perhaps someone who could be used to catch the killers in the act.

Burke & Hare also features Dan Aykroyd and Bill Nighy, and will begin production on January 31 in Edinburgh and London. This will be the first feature that Landis has directed in years, so it will be interesting to see if he still has what it takes to pull off a horror comedy.

What do you think of Wilkinson and Fisher joining the cast of Burke & Hare?

TRAILER: Duplicity – The Comedic Version of Michael Clayton

Mali Elfman — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:06:40 +0000

Watch the trailer for Duplicity…

Spies. Sex. Cool…

Director/Writer: Tony Gilroy
Cast: Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Tom Wilkinson
Release: March 20, 2009

New Valkyrie Trailer

Mali Elfman — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 21:40:00 +0000

The New Valkyrie trailer has just been released and the BEST part about it is…. EDDIE IZZARD! That’s right. He made it into the trailer… two times! As does Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Kenneth Branagh. But all those were expected. We get to watch Izzard scream into Tom Cruise’s face. HOW EXCITING! From Executive Transvestite to German officer! I just got even more excited about this film.

I mean honestly. Having Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, and Kenneth Branagh as your supporting cast is amazing. Then you have Cruise to lay down the stunts. And you top it off with Eddie Izzard! I’m there! And the story doesn’t look half bad either. German’s trying to kill Hitler during WWII (I think we know how it ends), what a great story to tell!

Check out the new trailer below and let us know what you think!

Synopsis: At the height of WW2, a group of high-ranking German officers hatched a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, and seize power of the military command in order to end the war. The operation was codenamed “Valkyrie”, for the emergency plan that was meant to be used in case of a revolt against the Nazi government. This plan had been modified by the conspirators to ensure their success, but for various reasons the plot failed when finally carried out on 20 July 1944. The conspirators of the inner circle were shot after a kangaroo trial or sentenced to death soon after.

In theaters December 26th 2008.

ScreenCrave.com » Tom Wilkinson

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol Teases a Trailer

Related Posts

The Conspirator: Movie Review

The Players

The Story

The Good

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 7.5/10

Related Posts

The Debt Trailer Promises the Film Will Come Out

Related Posts

Trailer for Robert Redford’s The Conspirator

Related Posts

The Green Hornet: Movie Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The So-So:

The Bad:

Overall:

Rating: 6/10

Photo Gallery:

Trailer:

Related Posts

UK Burke and Hare Trailer With Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis

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Sam Worthington, Helen Mirren in The Debt Trailer

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Edinburgh Film Fest 2010: Jackboots On Whitehall Film Review

The Players:

The Plot:

The Good:

The Bad:

Overall:

Verdict: 1/10

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It’s Team Britain! – Jackboots On Whitehall Trailer

Related Posts

Tom Wilkinson and Isla Fisher Join Burke and Hare

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TRAILER: Duplicity – The Comedic Version of Michael Clayton

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New Valkyrie Trailer

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