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War Horse Rising Star Jeremy Irvine Has His Friends' Help Staying Grounded

Allie Merriam — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:04:00 PST

Jeremy Irvine and Emily Watson play a mother and son in Steven Spielberg's War Horse, which opens Dec. 25. It was actually Jeremy's first-ever film role, and he learned that he nabbed the part in a situation only Spielberg could have masterminded. Now Jeremy's being hailed as a star to watch, with films like Now Is Good, opposite Dakota Fanning, and Colin Firth's The Railway Man on his resumé. Nonetheless, Jeremy's friends are there to assist in keeping his feet on the ground, helpfully reminding him, "Yeah, but you're not a paramedic." Find out more about Jeremy and Emily's work with Steven below!

Steven Spielberg's War Horse Premiere Brings Out Hot British Stars - and an Olsen!

Allie Merriam — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 10:15:00 PST

Steven Spielberg gathered the stars of his War Horse outside NYC's Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for their premiere yesterday. The cast was fresh off a weekend-long junket to promote the movie, which was based on a play adapted from author Michael Morpurgo's 1982 book. We had a chance to speak with the picture's star, newcomer Jeremy Irvine on Saturday. Jeremy said that Steven surprised him with the role in a unique way - at a follow-up audition, Jeremy read a piece of sample dialogue that said he'd gotten the part! We also caught up with some of the movie's dashing British male stars like Tom Hiddleston, Toby Kebbell, and Patrick Kennedy, so stay tuned for those interviews close to the movie's Dec. 25 release date. Elizabeth Olsen and Ed Westwick, while not in Steven's latest offering, still came out to show their support. She headed inside the theater for the screening, and threw an arm around in-demand Avengers star Tom Hiddleston for a photo op.

Synecdoche, New York: Frustrating, Unsettling, and Worth It

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:15:16 PST

Synecdoche, New York, is a haunting film. In the weeks since I saw it, I'm not sure a day has gone by that I haven't thought about it. It's also a humongous, confusing mess. But I'm willing to forgive Charlie Kaufman that; the high points are too high not to.

As the writer of such films as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Kaufman has become known for his surreal - and, yet, ultimately, very real - explorations of humanity. Synecdoche, New York, his directorial debut, is maybe his most precise work on that theme, tracing his main character through years of middle age, declining health, and the potent desire to do something while there's still time. Kaufman may be suffering from a bit of that desire himself, as he tosses all kinds of twists into his story, some of which lead it astray. But that doesn't keep it from being a moving mood piece of a film.

Synecdoche, New York actually has a mostly logical main story: Philip Seymour Hoffman plays Caden Cotard, a local theater director producing a lowish-rent production of Death of a Salesman and struggling to maintain his marriage with his more-famous wife, Adele (Catherine Keener). When she takes off for Germany with their daughter and Caden receives a MacArthur grant, he decides to stage a giant-scale theater piece about life (yes, just that: life), setting it inside a towering replica of New York. Everything else spins off from there, so just

Beyond that general outline, trying to make sense of Synecdoche, New York is largely a losing battle. It's best to just take the developments as they come - oh, of course Caden is seeing himself as a TV cartoon; naturally, that's his daughter all grown up and covered in tattoos. The plot is not necessarily the point; it's more about what the plot evokes. And what it evokes (other than some powerful, sweeping images) is a deeply unsettling feeling about what it means to grow up and grow old. Illness is a major presence, as Caden stumbles into affliction after affliction - some from unfortunate coincidence, some from unknown cause. Time is practically a character of its own, with Kaufman occasionally fixing the story at a given point and then drifting from it, letting his audience wonder if it's been weeks, months, or (in one case) 17 years since a particular event.

Not everything works: The subplots involving Caden's family life and sexuality feel particularly flimsy and occasionally even uncomfortable. But in the world of Caden's theater piece, things start to click. Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, and Emily Watson deserve a chunk of the credit for that, as they deftly play the three women drifting in and out of Caden's life. Each of their performances is subtle and yet memorable, a particularly notable feat considering that before the film is over, they've each played a version of the same character. And to say too much about Tom Noonan's role would spoil it, but suffice to say it speaks directly to the movie's central theme of identity.

Watching Synecdoche, New York can be a frustrating experience. There's so much that doesn't make sense, that doesn't fit that just doesn't seem possible. And yet at the end, as I watched the credits roll over a gorgeous, haunting tune (Jon Brion's "Little Person"), I felt like I'd just had a cathartic cry or some really intense therapy. Synecdoche, New York has its stumbles, faults, and flaws, but in the end, the experience is worth the trouble.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Preview: Fireflies in the Garden

BuzzSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:30:46 PDT

I feel compelled to give a warning before showing this trailer: Proceed only if you're feeling emotionally strong. Fireflies in the Garden boasts an impressive cast (Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Emily Watson, Ryan Reynolds, Hayden Panettiere) and it looks to be well-made - though I'm not sure I saw it very clearly through my tears. This film looks gut-wrenching.

The plot description is basic ("The semi-autobiographical story centers on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced by an unexpected tragedy"), but you get a pretty clear sense of what the movie's all about from the international trailer, which you can see after the jump. The family drama screened at the Berlin Film Festival, but it's unclear when it will arrive in American theaters. To see the international trailer,

There are also some clips from the movie online: here, here and - if you've thoroughly steeled yourself - here.

Source

Book-to-Movie News of the Day: Die a Little and The Memory Keeper's Daughter

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 15:20:18 PDT

Another day, another couple film projects based on books. First, there's Die a Little, a crime thriller based on Megan Abbott's novel. The movie will star Jessica Biel and "explores how the lives of a schoolteacher and her LAPD detective brother are turned upside down by a mysterious woman." The story is set in 1954 but the movie will take place in present day.

I haven't read that one, but I have read The Memory Keeper's Daughter, a weepy dramatic book by Kim Edwards. This project, which will star Emily Watson and Dermot Mulroney, won't make it to the big screen, but will be a TV movie made for Lifetime. In the telepic, "Mulroney plays a doctor who delivers his own twin babies - one with Down's syndrome. In order to spare his wife heartache, he tells her the child with Down's died at birth. The doctor tells his nurse, played by Watson, to put the girl in an institution, but instead she raises the baby as her own."

Reading The Memory Keeper's Daughter, I could easily envision it turning into a film and figured it was just a matter of time. Now that they have Emily Watson on board, too, I'm intrigued to see this heartstrings-yanker brought to life.

Biel photo source
Watson photo source

Anna to Help Models Gain Weight?

PopSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:01:01 PST

Anna Wintour joined Renee and Ewan for the NY premiere of Miss Potter over the weekend. Renee is looking fabulous lately while promoting her new film. She seems to have traded in her stick thin figure for a more healthier one. Maybe the underfed look is on its way out. LL is no longer too thin, and even Nicole is working on gaining her weight back (of course, they both have their share of other problems to deal with). And Anna herself is even joining the cause. She's already called a meeting with the leaders of the fashion industry to discuss how to deal with the issue. Here's more:

Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour is spearheading the effort to get the session together. "Anna held a symposium on the issue, and she's planning another meeting this week," said one model agency chief. "We would much rather come up with a way of self-policing ourselves than have regulations rammed down our throats."

The head of another modeling agency said, "Everyone should take a look at it, and if there's a problem, let's fix it."

Italy's government and its fashion chiefs said last week they're working on a plan to crack down on ultra-thin models who appear to be suffering from eating disorders.

The move came three months after Spain passed a law requiring that every model have a body-mass index of at least 18 (a measure of body fat). Last month, Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died at age 21 from anorexia.

Hopefully this is just another step in getting the fashion industry and those who follow it out of this dangerous trend. For more pics of the premiere just

View 16 Photos ›

Source

All the Tribeca Film Festival Pictures - So Far!

Allie Merriam — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:25:00 PDT

The Tribeca Film Festival kicked off in NYC last Wednesday with the big premiere of The Five-Year Engagement, where star and writer Jason Segel got cozy with his lady friend Michelle Williams. Jason's costar in the comedy, Emily Blunt, was back on the red carpet to show off Your Sister's Sister, and there have been plenty of other events going down in the Big Apple, too. We've rounded up all the pictures of the celebs right here in one place. Naomi Watts, Olivia Wilde, and Malin Akerman are among the stars making the scene - check out who else is having fun at Tribeca this year!

Check Out the Top Contenders For Best Cookbook of the Year

Susannah Chen — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:30:54 PST

Thousands of cookbooks were published in the last year, but which ones are really worth buying? The International Association of Culinary Professionals, or IACP, tackled the question as it announced its cookbook award finalists for 2012 today.

Among them: plenty of cookbooks from top restaurant chefs, like Jean-Georges Vongerichten, John Besh, and Andrew Carmellini, as well as new books from reputed publications such as Fine Cooking and Cook's Illustrated.

Cookbook winners will be announced on April 2 in an award ceremony hosted by Mo Rocca, where the honor of best cookbook of 2012 will also be announced. To see the entire list of award winners, keep reading.

Kate Winslet Wins the Golden Globe For Best Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made For Television

Becky Kirsch — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:26:11 PST

Kate Winslet is taking home the Golden Globe for best actress in a miniseries or motion picture made for TV for Mildred Pierce. After winning the Emmy for the same role a few months ago, she beat out Diane Lane, Elizabeth McGovern, Emily Watson, and Romola Garai. Do you agree with this win?

Check Out the 2012 People's Choice Nominations Before the Show Airs Tonight!

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 08:02:20 PST

The People's Choice Awards are tonight, so now's your chance to get a good look at who's up for the trophies. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is dominating the movie categories, especially since there was no Twilight film eligible for this year's awards (though Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson still earned nods because they appeared in other movies). Vampires are still big at the PCAs, at least for the TV categories - The Vampire Diaries and its stars are all over this list. On the subject of the small screen, the awards have brought in another distinction for television: network shows and cable series are now separated (and fan favorite Game of Thrones pops up for its first season).

You'll be able to watch the results when the show airs tonight, and remember: we are LIVE from the red carpet and backstage throughout the show! The live show starts at 5 p.m. PST/ 8 p.m. EST, and you can watch us here.

To get the full list of nominations, just keep reading.