Acclaimed British actor, writer and director Samantha Morton who was awarded a Fellowship at the Ee BAFTA Awards on Sunday has called for more investment in British cinema.
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
Addressing a press conference after accepting her award, Morton said: “We need more investment in British cinema. I’ve been saying this for years because we can’t just be a service industry for the wonderful Americans. They are amazing and thank God they come here and make movies and put us in as well, thank you. Like in France, we need our own quotas and we need to be making those investments.” Inward investment in the U.K. film and high-end TV industry was $4.22 billion in 2023, with the bulk of it coming from the U.S.
The U.K....
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
Addressing a press conference after accepting her award, Morton said: “We need more investment in British cinema. I’ve been saying this for years because we can’t just be a service industry for the wonderful Americans. They are amazing and thank God they come here and make movies and put us in as well, thank you. Like in France, we need our own quotas and we need to be making those investments.” Inward investment in the U.K. film and high-end TV industry was $4.22 billion in 2023, with the bulk of it coming from the U.S.
The U.K....
- 2/18/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Samantha Morton, the British actor (She Said, The Whale, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Walking Dead), writer (I Am…Kirsty) and director (The Unloved), received the BAFTA Fellowship, the British Academy’s highest honor at the BAFTA Film Awards in London on Sunday. But the outspoken star used her moment on stage to share very emotional words about children who live in poverty or who can’t live safely at home.
“For me, this is really nothing short of a miracle,” Morton said about receiving the honor, recalling how she was “hungry” and “cold” as a kid growing up in poverty.
“Film changed my life, it transformed me,” she continued. “When I first saw Ken Loach’s Kes… I was forever changed” seeing “poverty, people like me, my life and my family on the screen,” she said. Her conclusion: “Representation matters.”
Like British director Loach, Morton has...
“For me, this is really nothing short of a miracle,” Morton said about receiving the honor, recalling how she was “hungry” and “cold” as a kid growing up in poverty.
“Film changed my life, it transformed me,” she continued. “When I first saw Ken Loach’s Kes… I was forever changed” seeing “poverty, people like me, my life and my family on the screen,” she said. Her conclusion: “Representation matters.”
Like British director Loach, Morton has...
- 2/18/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
British actor, writer, and director Samantha Morton will be awarded the BAFTA Fellowship at next week’s Ee BAFTA Film Awards.
Born in Nottingham in 1977, Morton garnered international attention in 1997 with her performance in Carine Adler’s Under the Skin, earning her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award first for Best Supporting Actress for Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and later for Best Actress for Jim Sheridan’s In America (2003).
Other notable film credits include work with directors such as Lynne Ramsay on Morvern Callar (2002), for which she won Best Performance, Toronto Film Critics Award and a BIFA for Best Actress; Steven Spielberg on Minority Report (2002); Michael Winterbottom on Code 46 (2003); Shekhar Kapur on The Golden Age (2007); Harmony Korine on Mister Lonely (2007); Anton Corbijn on Control, (2007), earning her a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Film Award nomination; Charlie Kaufman Synecdoche,...
Born in Nottingham in 1977, Morton garnered international attention in 1997 with her performance in Carine Adler’s Under the Skin, earning her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for Best Actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award first for Best Supporting Actress for Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown (1999), and later for Best Actress for Jim Sheridan’s In America (2003).
Other notable film credits include work with directors such as Lynne Ramsay on Morvern Callar (2002), for which she won Best Performance, Toronto Film Critics Award and a BIFA for Best Actress; Steven Spielberg on Minority Report (2002); Michael Winterbottom on Code 46 (2003); Shekhar Kapur on The Golden Age (2007); Harmony Korine on Mister Lonely (2007); Anton Corbijn on Control, (2007), earning her a Best Supporting Actress BAFTA Film Award nomination; Charlie Kaufman Synecdoche,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Acclaimed British actor, writer and director Samantha Morton will be awarded a Fellowship at the upcoming Ee BAFTA Film Awards.
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
After earning plaudits in theater and television, Morton’s breakthrough film role was Carine Adler’s “Under the Skin (1997) that earned her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for best actress. She has been Oscar nominated twice – for best supporting actress for Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999), and for best actress for Jim Sheridan’s “In America” (2003).
For her portrayal of child-murderer Myra Hindley in “Longford” (2006) Morton scored best actress nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and BAFTA Television Award, and won a Golden Globe. In 2009, she made her directorial debut with television film “The Unloved,” a semi-autobiographical film based in the British children’s care system,...
The award is the highest recognition given by BAFTA to an individual for their exceptional contribution to the film, games or television industry.
After earning plaudits in theater and television, Morton’s breakthrough film role was Carine Adler’s “Under the Skin (1997) that earned her a BIFA nomination and the Boston Film Critics Award for best actress. She has been Oscar nominated twice – for best supporting actress for Woody Allen’s “Sweet and Lowdown” (1999), and for best actress for Jim Sheridan’s “In America” (2003).
For her portrayal of child-murderer Myra Hindley in “Longford” (2006) Morton scored best actress nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and BAFTA Television Award, and won a Golden Globe. In 2009, she made her directorial debut with television film “The Unloved,” a semi-autobiographical film based in the British children’s care system,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Samantha Morton, the British actor (She Said, The Whale, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, The Walking Dead), writer (I Am…Kirsty) and director (The Unloved), will receive the BAFTA Fellowship, the British Academy’s highest honor.
She will be given the honor at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Inside Man), in London on Feb. 18.
“As a proud BAFTA member I am honored, profoundly humbled and grateful to BAFTA for giving me this award,” Morton said.
Anna Higgs, chair of BAFTA’s film committee, lauded her as “a mesmerizing storyteller with incredible range,” adding: “She has made an extraordinary impact on the British film industry – consistently shining a light on complex characters and championing underrepresented stories. On-and-off screen, she always works to break down societal barriers and change the make-up of the screen industries for the better – often against great odds.” She concluded:...
She will be given the honor at the BAFTA Film Awards ceremony, hosted by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Inside Man), in London on Feb. 18.
“As a proud BAFTA member I am honored, profoundly humbled and grateful to BAFTA for giving me this award,” Morton said.
Anna Higgs, chair of BAFTA’s film committee, lauded her as “a mesmerizing storyteller with incredible range,” adding: “She has made an extraordinary impact on the British film industry – consistently shining a light on complex characters and championing underrepresented stories. On-and-off screen, she always works to break down societal barriers and change the make-up of the screen industries for the better – often against great odds.” She concluded:...
- 2/7/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor, writer and director Samantha Morton will receive the Bafta Fellowship at next week’s Bafta Film Awards, on Sunday, February 18.
The British performer and filmmaker will receive the award during the ceremony as part of a special commemoration of her work to date.
Morton, who hails from Nottingham, broke through with her role in Carine Adler’s 1997 Under The Skin, for which she received a Bifa nomination.
Her subsequent credits include Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, for which she won the Bifa for best actress; Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report; Anton Corbijn’s Control, for which she was nominated...
The British performer and filmmaker will receive the award during the ceremony as part of a special commemoration of her work to date.
Morton, who hails from Nottingham, broke through with her role in Carine Adler’s 1997 Under The Skin, for which she received a Bifa nomination.
Her subsequent credits include Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, for which she won the Bifa for best actress; Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report; Anton Corbijn’s Control, for which she was nominated...
- 2/7/2024
- ScreenDaily
From a gorgeous puppet show venue to a minimal 20th-century church via some Brooklyn jazz, the actor and musician picks her current favourites
The actor Samantha Morton was born in Nottingham in 1977 and had a turbulent childhood, spending nine years in and out of foster care. At 13, she joined the Central Junior Television Workshop and in the late 90s broke through in the TV series Band of Gold and a searing performance in Under the Skin. She’s been nominated for an Oscar twice, for Sweet and Lowdown and In America, and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Myra Hindley in Longford. For her directorial debut, The Unloved (2009), she won a Bafta. Earlier this year she released her first music with producer Richard Russell. Morton lives with the film-maker Harry Holm in East Sussex and has three children. Her BBC Radio 6 Music festive takeover will be broadcast on...
The actor Samantha Morton was born in Nottingham in 1977 and had a turbulent childhood, spending nine years in and out of foster care. At 13, she joined the Central Junior Television Workshop and in the late 90s broke through in the TV series Band of Gold and a searing performance in Under the Skin. She’s been nominated for an Oscar twice, for Sweet and Lowdown and In America, and won a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Myra Hindley in Longford. For her directorial debut, The Unloved (2009), she won a Bafta. Earlier this year she released her first music with producer Richard Russell. Morton lives with the film-maker Harry Holm in East Sussex and has three children. Her BBC Radio 6 Music festive takeover will be broadcast on...
- 12/16/2023
- by Killian Fox
- The Guardian - Film News
First cast by Shane Meadows, in This is England, Socha is about to star in the director’s period drama The Gallows Pole. He describes how acting saved him from a life of violence – and why he loves a madcap scheme
In a photographer’s studio in Derby, Michael Socha is wondering what he should wear. He’s got a good jumper on, but he doesn’t like his jeans. He’s brought a couple of shirts from his mum’s, but they need a bit of an iron. No stylist for Socha; he has the busy air of a man who’s popped in between shifts, which he has, sort of. He lives close by, and is always on the go, “here, there and everywhere”. Aside from acting, and family, he practises muay thai and kickboxing. He’s doing his belts. “I’m on brown two for kickboxing at the moment,...
In a photographer’s studio in Derby, Michael Socha is wondering what he should wear. He’s got a good jumper on, but he doesn’t like his jeans. He’s brought a couple of shirts from his mum’s, but they need a bit of an iron. No stylist for Socha; he has the busy air of a man who’s popped in between shifts, which he has, sort of. He lives close by, and is always on the go, “here, there and everywhere”. Aside from acting, and family, he practises muay thai and kickboxing. He’s doing his belts. “I’m on brown two for kickboxing at the moment,...
- 5/21/2023
- by Miranda Sawyer
- The Guardian - Film News
I don’t believe I have any more power now than I did at 22,” says Samantha Morton. “And I didn’t have any power then.”
That’s a startling statement to process after watching the 45-year-old’s regal performance in The Serpent Queen, during which she wields power with terrifyingly casual control and cruel smirks, as heads roll on her command. She stars as Catherine de Medici, the Italian merchant’s daughter who became queen of France in 1547, gradually acquiring a reputation as one of the most brutal and calculating European rulers of the period.
The crisp and witty feminism of the new Starz series highlights the misogynistic myths that history has spun around the “Medici Bitch” (who wasn’t conventionally pretty or submissive and did not conceive a child in the first decade of her marriage). But it doesn’t patronise its heroine by attempting to reinvent her as a misunderstood goody.
That’s a startling statement to process after watching the 45-year-old’s regal performance in The Serpent Queen, during which she wields power with terrifyingly casual control and cruel smirks, as heads roll on her command. She stars as Catherine de Medici, the Italian merchant’s daughter who became queen of France in 1547, gradually acquiring a reputation as one of the most brutal and calculating European rulers of the period.
The crisp and witty feminism of the new Starz series highlights the misogynistic myths that history has spun around the “Medici Bitch” (who wasn’t conventionally pretty or submissive and did not conceive a child in the first decade of her marriage). But it doesn’t patronise its heroine by attempting to reinvent her as a misunderstood goody.
- 9/11/2022
- by Helen Brown
- The Independent - TV
Samantha Morton has been cast in the lead role of the Starz drama series “The Serpent Queen.”
Morton will star as Catherine de Medici. Based on the book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda, the eight-episode series is described as an account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown. Considered an immigrant, common and plain, Catherine de Medici is married into the 16th century French court as an orphaned teenager expected to bring a fortune in dowry and produce many heirs, only to discover that her husband is in love with an older woman, her dowry is unpaid and she’s unable to conceive. Yet, only with her intelligence and determination, she manages to keep her marriage alive and masters the bloodsport that is the monarchy better than anyone else, ruling France for 50 years.
Morton recently had a celebrated turn on...
Morton will star as Catherine de Medici. Based on the book “Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France” by Leonie Frieda, the eight-episode series is described as an account of one of the most influential women ever to wear a crown. Considered an immigrant, common and plain, Catherine de Medici is married into the 16th century French court as an orphaned teenager expected to bring a fortune in dowry and produce many heirs, only to discover that her husband is in love with an older woman, her dowry is unpaid and she’s unable to conceive. Yet, only with her intelligence and determination, she manages to keep her marriage alive and masters the bloodsport that is the monarchy better than anyone else, ruling France for 50 years.
Morton recently had a celebrated turn on...
- 4/7/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
A teenager encounters ghostly goings-on and sexual intrigue at an out-of-season caravan park in a stylish psychological drama
The out-of-season holiday resort, like the abandoned city or ruined temple, has something fascinating and even erotic in its emptiness. Writer-director Claire Oakley taps into this mood for her debut feature, a psychological drama-thriller set in a wintry caravan park in St Ives, Cornwall. She has taken the template of arthouse Brit realism and audaciously spiked it with some genre thrills, as if Ken Loach collaborated with Brian De Palma or Nicolas Roeg. With cinematographer Nick Cooke, Oakley finds the bracingly different aspects of the Cornish landscape: ominous in the darkness, wild in the sunshine and menacing in the cold, as distant sea spray mixes with the cloud cover.
Molly Windsor (whom I last saw 10 years ago as a child actor in Samantha Morton’s The Unloved) plays Ruth, a teenager who...
The out-of-season holiday resort, like the abandoned city or ruined temple, has something fascinating and even erotic in its emptiness. Writer-director Claire Oakley taps into this mood for her debut feature, a psychological drama-thriller set in a wintry caravan park in St Ives, Cornwall. She has taken the template of arthouse Brit realism and audaciously spiked it with some genre thrills, as if Ken Loach collaborated with Brian De Palma or Nicolas Roeg. With cinematographer Nick Cooke, Oakley finds the bracingly different aspects of the Cornish landscape: ominous in the darkness, wild in the sunshine and menacing in the cold, as distant sea spray mixes with the cloud cover.
Molly Windsor (whom I last saw 10 years ago as a child actor in Samantha Morton’s The Unloved) plays Ruth, a teenager who...
- 7/30/2020
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
AMC’s hit series “The Walking Dead” has one of the largest casts on television. Impressive considering how many characters are ripped apart by hungry walkers each season. However, no actor past or present has ever garnered an Emmy nomination for their work in this apocalyptic saga. That could change with the introduction of Samantha Morton to the Season 9 cast.
Anticipation for Morton’s debut has been high since the day she was announced. That’s because comic fans have salivated at the thought of the big bad Alpha being translated for the screen. Alpha is the leader of a devastating group known as The Whisperers. This clan lives in the wild among the dead, wearing walker skin masks to disguise themselves. This twist alone makes the group a terrifying threat, but it is the sadistic nature of their leader Alpha that sets The Whisperers apart.
See‘The Walking Dead...
Anticipation for Morton’s debut has been high since the day she was announced. That’s because comic fans have salivated at the thought of the big bad Alpha being translated for the screen. Alpha is the leader of a devastating group known as The Whisperers. This clan lives in the wild among the dead, wearing walker skin masks to disguise themselves. This twist alone makes the group a terrifying threat, but it is the sadistic nature of their leader Alpha that sets The Whisperers apart.
See‘The Walking Dead...
- 3/1/2019
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
If you haven't heard of "Southcliffe" yet, we understand. But any Playlist reader worth their salt should seek it out. Netflix snapped up this miniseries that first aired in the U.K., and played the festival circuit in 2013. It represents another feather in the cap for the streaming giant’s healthy stable of original content. This followup from director Sean Durkin, whose feature debut “Martha Marcy May Marlene” we championed, and writer Tony Grisoni (“The Unloved”), is yet another piece of visual storytelling that thrillingly blurs the line between TV and cinema. It stands proudly amongst such recent auteurist works as “Top of the Lake,” “True Detective,” “Carlos” and “The Red Riding Trilogy” (also from Grisoni). In fact, we'd comfortably call it one of the best films of 2014 so far. The series opens on the mundane, on a seemingly ordinary day like any other. A middle-aged woman tends to her garden.
- 9/26/2014
- by Erik McClanahan
- The Playlist
The Rotherham scandal has awakened painful memories for actor Samantha Morton. She talks for the first time about being sexually abused in care – and why she thinks the police took no action
Five years ago, I met the actor Samantha Morton to discuss a film she had made based on her life in a children's home. It was a spare, shocking depiction of a little girl beaten, physically and emotionally, into silence. The Unloved was, and remains, the only film she has directed. At the time, Morton said that if she had included everything that had happened in her childhood, no one would have believed her. I asked her what she meant. "Violence, sexual abuse, torture," she said, but refused to be drawn further.
Continue reading...
Five years ago, I met the actor Samantha Morton to discuss a film she had made based on her life in a children's home. It was a spare, shocking depiction of a little girl beaten, physically and emotionally, into silence. The Unloved was, and remains, the only film she has directed. At the time, Morton said that if she had included everything that had happened in her childhood, no one would have believed her. I asked her what she meant. "Violence, sexual abuse, torture," she said, but refused to be drawn further.
Continue reading...
- 9/12/2014
- by Simon Hattenstone
- The Guardian - Film News
Interview Louisa Mellor 2 Aug 2013 - 12:00
Southcliffe director Sean Durkin talks to us about the shooting spree drama, his influences, cast, Mad Men and more...
Four-part drama Southcliffe comes to Channel 4 this Sunday the 4th of August at 9pm. The story of a small town coping with the aftermath of a shooting spree, and from a script by Red Riding and The Unloved's Tony Grisoni, it promises to be a tough, but worthwhile ride.
We spoke to Us indie director Sean Durkin, whose Martha Marcy May Marlene won him well-deserved acclaim in 2011, about not making feel-good drama, not judging characters’ actions, and what drew him to work in English television…
First of all, belated congratulations on Martha Marcy May Marlene, it’s a tremendous piece of work, and one of the most empathetic films I’ve seen in a long while. Was that your aim?
It’s funny you say that.
Southcliffe director Sean Durkin talks to us about the shooting spree drama, his influences, cast, Mad Men and more...
Four-part drama Southcliffe comes to Channel 4 this Sunday the 4th of August at 9pm. The story of a small town coping with the aftermath of a shooting spree, and from a script by Red Riding and The Unloved's Tony Grisoni, it promises to be a tough, but worthwhile ride.
We spoke to Us indie director Sean Durkin, whose Martha Marcy May Marlene won him well-deserved acclaim in 2011, about not making feel-good drama, not judging characters’ actions, and what drew him to work in English television…
First of all, belated congratulations on Martha Marcy May Marlene, it’s a tremendous piece of work, and one of the most empathetic films I’ve seen in a long while. Was that your aim?
It’s funny you say that.
- 8/1/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Southcliffe is a stunning new drama coming to Channel 4 this weekend. Harrowing, bleak and unflinching, the four-part drama isn't easy going. However, those who stick with the dark tale of a fictional market town that is rocked by a spate of shootings will be rewarded. It's one of the best TV dramas of the year so far.
Digital Spy spoke to one of the show's leading actors, Joe Dempsie, about the dark subject matter and his most recent work on Game of Thrones.
What first attracted you to Southcliffe?
"There was an incredible pedigree behind it. The writer Tony Grisoni (Red Riding, The Unloved) has written some brilliant stuff in the past and Sean Durkin the director did Martha Marcy May Marlene, which I'm a massive admirer of, so sometimes you know something is going to be good before you've even opened the script. But even then, it exceeded my expectations.
Digital Spy spoke to one of the show's leading actors, Joe Dempsie, about the dark subject matter and his most recent work on Game of Thrones.
What first attracted you to Southcliffe?
"There was an incredible pedigree behind it. The writer Tony Grisoni (Red Riding, The Unloved) has written some brilliant stuff in the past and Sean Durkin the director did Martha Marcy May Marlene, which I'm a massive admirer of, so sometimes you know something is going to be good before you've even opened the script. But even then, it exceeded my expectations.
- 7/30/2013
- Digital Spy
Trailer Louisa Mellor 17 Jul 2013 - 14:00
A four-part drama written by Red Riding's Tony Grisoni and directed by Sean Durkin, Southcliffe promises bleak realism...
A drama that focuses on the loss sustained by a community after a spree-killing, Southcliffe is coming to Channel 4 this summer. The four-part story comes written by Red Riding and The Unloved's Tony Grisoni, and directed by Us indie talent, Sean Durkin, who received well-deserved acclaim for 2011 feature debut Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Southcliffe's premise sees a fictional English market town (stood in for by Faversham and Seasalter in Kent) devestated by a single day of shootings. The Channel 4 bumpf tells us the drama, "explores tragedy, grief, responsibility and redemption seen through the eyes of a journalist returning to the small town of his childhood". So, it's another feel-bad drama, yes, but one with a provenance that promises neither to exploit nor to...
A four-part drama written by Red Riding's Tony Grisoni and directed by Sean Durkin, Southcliffe promises bleak realism...
A drama that focuses on the loss sustained by a community after a spree-killing, Southcliffe is coming to Channel 4 this summer. The four-part story comes written by Red Riding and The Unloved's Tony Grisoni, and directed by Us indie talent, Sean Durkin, who received well-deserved acclaim for 2011 feature debut Martha Marcy May Marlene.
Southcliffe's premise sees a fictional English market town (stood in for by Faversham and Seasalter in Kent) devestated by a single day of shootings. The Channel 4 bumpf tells us the drama, "explores tragedy, grief, responsibility and redemption seen through the eyes of a journalist returning to the small town of his childhood". So, it's another feel-bad drama, yes, but one with a provenance that promises neither to exploit nor to...
- 7/17/2013
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
Samantha Morton reveals two sequels to The Unloved, while Alice Lowe pitches a film cross between Madame Bovary and Trainspotting
Morton on the move
How good to be back after a long summer gathering nuggets. Venice was interesting – Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is a mighty piece and Susanne Bier's romcom Love Is All You Need a surprise charmer that, handled right, could be a big hit. But the lack of a British film presence was lamentable - all the Brits have gone to Toronto hoping for distribution deals and Oscar buzz. I'd have thought Joe Wright's Anna Karenina would have been well received there, just as Atonement was in 2007.
Between you and me, I hear the British industry has decreed Venice too expensive now, although I think Shame and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy did pretty well out of it last year. It was left to the...
Morton on the move
How good to be back after a long summer gathering nuggets. Venice was interesting – Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master is a mighty piece and Susanne Bier's romcom Love Is All You Need a surprise charmer that, handled right, could be a big hit. But the lack of a British film presence was lamentable - all the Brits have gone to Toronto hoping for distribution deals and Oscar buzz. I'd have thought Joe Wright's Anna Karenina would have been well received there, just as Atonement was in 2007.
Between you and me, I hear the British industry has decreed Venice too expensive now, although I think Shame and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy did pretty well out of it last year. It was left to the...
- 9/15/2012
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
James Marsh garnered a lot of attention back at the 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival when he came here with his Man On Wire, which turned out to be one of that year’s highlights. That was a documentary about a unique, quixotic and fascinating (if not entirely likeable) tightrope walker. He followed it with another documentary, Project Nim, which was one of the best films I saw at last year’s (admittedly lacklustre) festival. Both documentaries are powerful and cinematic, and Marsh has an uncanny ability to keep the films visually exciting (at times “Man On Wire” is like watching a heist movie).
Marsh is back this year with Shadow Dancer, a political thriller concerning a young Ira member, Collette (Andrea Riseborough), who is caught by MI5 and convinced by Mac (Clive Owen) to become an informant. The living-a-lie tension – captured so well by Scorsese in “The Departed” – is bolstered by...
Marsh is back this year with Shadow Dancer, a political thriller concerning a young Ira member, Collette (Andrea Riseborough), who is caught by MI5 and convinced by Mac (Clive Owen) to become an informant. The living-a-lie tension – captured so well by Scorsese in “The Departed” – is bolstered by...
- 6/27/2012
- by Adam Whyte
- Obsessed with Film
Following our looks at actors, actresses, screenwriters and directors to watch in recent months, when the time came to put together a list of cinematographers (as we did two years ago), we went in with an open mind. But what was interesting is realizing, after the fact, that in an era where 35mm film is allegedly being phased out, that all five have done perhaps their most distinctive work on old-fashioned celluloid, rather than digital.
All have worked in digital of course, at least in the commercial world, and some have done hugely impressive work on new formats. But most of our five are fierce advocates for good 'ol 35mm, and it's another sign that the death knell shouldn't be rung for the old ways just yet. As long as there are talented DoPs like the ones below, and on the following pages, working closely with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson,...
All have worked in digital of course, at least in the commercial world, and some have done hugely impressive work on new formats. But most of our five are fierce advocates for good 'ol 35mm, and it's another sign that the death knell shouldn't be rung for the old ways just yet. As long as there are talented DoPs like the ones below, and on the following pages, working closely with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson,...
- 6/26/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
'I hit a girl at school when I was 11. I'd like to say sorry to her'
Samantha Morton, 34, was born in Nottingham. At 13, she was picked to join the Central Television Workshop for young actors, and at 16 she moved to London and was cast in TV series such as Cracker and Band Of Gold. She went on to star in Minority Report with Tom Cruise and to be nominated for two Oscars, for Woody Allen's 1999 film Sweet And Lowdown and Jim Sheridan's In America three years later. Her directing debut, The Unloved, won a Bafta last year. John Carter, her latest film, is out on 9 March. She lives in the Peak District with the director Harry Holm and her two daughters.
What is your earliest memory?
My dad giving me a shoulder ride.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Harry apart, Michael Fassbender, because his...
Samantha Morton, 34, was born in Nottingham. At 13, she was picked to join the Central Television Workshop for young actors, and at 16 she moved to London and was cast in TV series such as Cracker and Band Of Gold. She went on to star in Minority Report with Tom Cruise and to be nominated for two Oscars, for Woody Allen's 1999 film Sweet And Lowdown and Jim Sheridan's In America three years later. Her directing debut, The Unloved, won a Bafta last year. John Carter, her latest film, is out on 9 March. She lives in the Peak District with the director Harry Holm and her two daughters.
What is your earliest memory?
My dad giving me a shoulder ride.
Which living person do you most admire, and why?
Harry apart, Michael Fassbender, because his...
- 3/3/2012
- by Rosanna Greenstreet
- The Guardian - Film News
Forget the niceties of period drama, the next generation of cinema starlets are rough and ready for the big time
A cut-glass accent and the ability to look good in a bonnet used to be a must for young British actresses looking to secure their careers. Nowadays, however, such skills are more of a hindrance. As the recent array of debut performances from tough-talking teenagers shows, directors and producers are increasingly looking for starlets who are more at home in a hoodie than a horse-drawn carriage.
One of the stars of last January's Sundance festival was 19-year-old Londoner Yasmin Paige, who plays an unconventional heroine in the dark comedy Submarine, director Richard Ayoade's film version of Joe Dunthorne's novel. Paige plays Jordana, a Welsh teenager with a penchant for setting fire to things.
"She is a bit of a pyromaniac and she is feisty and I think that...
A cut-glass accent and the ability to look good in a bonnet used to be a must for young British actresses looking to secure their careers. Nowadays, however, such skills are more of a hindrance. As the recent array of debut performances from tough-talking teenagers shows, directors and producers are increasingly looking for starlets who are more at home in a hoodie than a horse-drawn carriage.
One of the stars of last January's Sundance festival was 19-year-old Londoner Yasmin Paige, who plays an unconventional heroine in the dark comedy Submarine, director Richard Ayoade's film version of Joe Dunthorne's novel. Paige plays Jordana, a Welsh teenager with a penchant for setting fire to things.
"She is a bit of a pyromaniac and she is feisty and I think that...
- 4/4/2011
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscilloscope Laboratories will release the 2009 British television movie The Unloved, directed by actress Samantha Morton (The Messenger), on DVD on May 24.
Molly Windsor is on her own in The Unloved.
The feature-length drama about a young girl neglected by her parents was the centerpiece of England’s Channel 4 “Britain’s Forgotten Children” season about youngsters in care. The film has been described as “Ken Loach on downers.” Ooof….
Drawing on her traumatic childhood in care homes, director/co-writer Morton’s The Unloved focuses on 11-year-old Lucy (Molly Windsor) who is not cared for by her estranged mother (Susan Lynch, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and father (Robert Carlyle, TV’s Sgu Stargate Universe) and is subsequently placed in a children’s home. Through her eyes, we follow Lucy’s struggle to cope with the system. What keeps Lucy thriving is her self-belief and certainty that she is being watched over...
Molly Windsor is on her own in The Unloved.
The feature-length drama about a young girl neglected by her parents was the centerpiece of England’s Channel 4 “Britain’s Forgotten Children” season about youngsters in care. The film has been described as “Ken Loach on downers.” Ooof….
Drawing on her traumatic childhood in care homes, director/co-writer Morton’s The Unloved focuses on 11-year-old Lucy (Molly Windsor) who is not cared for by her estranged mother (Susan Lynch, Elizabeth: The Golden Age) and father (Robert Carlyle, TV’s Sgu Stargate Universe) and is subsequently placed in a children’s home. Through her eyes, we follow Lucy’s struggle to cope with the system. What keeps Lucy thriving is her self-belief and certainty that she is being watched over...
- 3/11/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced its full line-up, including new films from Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer), George A. Romero (Survival of the Dead), Francis Ford Coppola (Tetro) and Sylvain Chomet (The Illusionist). Here, Filmink takes a look at some of the films that will be shown at Miff this year. The Unloved (Samantha Morton, UK) The interesting, edgy British actor Samantha Morton (In America, Control) makes a strong directorial debut with The Unloved, a low-key, small-scale drama about the British care system. Well served by an intelligent screenplay by Morton and Red Riding's Tony Grisoni, The Unloved is an unsentimental, sympathetic rendering of the confusion and pain of primary school girl Lucy (Molly Windsor), who has been removed from her angry father (Robert Carlyle) and troubled mother (Susan Lynch).
- 7/9/2010
- FilmInk.com.au
The Melbourne International Film Festival has announced its full line-up, including new films from Roman Polanski (The Ghost Writer), George A. Romero (Survival of the Dead), Francis Ford Coppola (Tetro) and Sylvain Chomet (The Illusionist). Here, Filmink takes a look at some of the films that will be shown at Miff this year. The Unloved (Samantha Morton, UK) The interesting, edgy British actor Samantha Morton (In America, Control) makes a strong directorial debut with The Unloved, a low-key, small-scale drama about the British care system. Well served by an intelligent screenplay by Morton and Red Riding's Tony Grisoni, The Unloved is an unsentimental, sympathetic rendering of the confusion and pain of primary school girl Lucy (Molly Windsor), who has been removed from her angry father (Robert Carlyle) and troubled mother (Susan Lynch).
- 7/9/2010
- FilmInk.com.au
London, UK (X17online) Former American Idol judge Simon Cowell was a double winner at the BAFTA awards, taking home the statue for Best Entertainment Program and a special award for Outstanding Contribution for his work in the entertainment industry. In front of a packed house at the London Palladium, Cowell, 50, spoke out about receiving two British Academy of Film and Television Arts Awards. He said: "This is a genuine honour. To put this into perspective, on a personal level, one of my happiest memories as a kid was my dad coming back with a TV set and watching the one programme in colour. So standing here tonight getting this award for making TV shows is the happiest feeling of my life." In addition to launching the X-Factor later this year here in the Us, the former AI judge also appears on Britain's Got Talent and the UK's X-Factor. Below...
- 6/7/2010
- x17online.com
Amongst all the MTV Movie Awards hoopla on Sunday, June 6, did you know there was another awards show happening? The 63rd annual British Academy of Film and Television Awards.
"American Idol," "Britain's Got Talent" and "X Factor" judge Simon Cowell (pictured left being cheeky with fiance Mezhgan Hussainy) was honored with a special award recognizing his development of new talent. Check out his acceptance speech below. And apparently Simon Cowell is not finished with merely conquering the U.K. and U.S.
According to London paper the Sun, Cowell wants to start taking contestants from all the "Got Talent" franchises from around the world and pitting them against each other in a global competition. The Sun cites a source close to the mogul saying, "This has been Simon's dream. It will be the biggest reality show the world's seen."
This is a British paper, so take it with a grain of salt.
"American Idol," "Britain's Got Talent" and "X Factor" judge Simon Cowell (pictured left being cheeky with fiance Mezhgan Hussainy) was honored with a special award recognizing his development of new talent. Check out his acceptance speech below. And apparently Simon Cowell is not finished with merely conquering the U.K. and U.S.
According to London paper the Sun, Cowell wants to start taking contestants from all the "Got Talent" franchises from around the world and pitting them against each other in a global competition. The Sun cites a source close to the mogul saying, "This has been Simon's dream. It will be the biggest reality show the world's seen."
This is a British paper, so take it with a grain of salt.
- 6/7/2010
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
The full list of winners at the Phillips British Academy Television Awards 2010, held yesterday at the London Palladium, is as follows: Leading Actor
Kenneth Branagh - Wallander (BBC One) - Winner!
Brendan Gleeson - Into The Storm (BBC Two)
John Hurt - An Englishman in New York (ITV1)
David Oyelowo - Small Island (BBC One) Leading Actress
Helena Bonham Carter - Enid (BBC Four)
Sophie Okonedo - Mrs Mandela (BBC Four)
Julie Walters - A Short Stay in Switzerland (BBC One)
Julie Walters - Mo (Channel 4) - Winner! Supporting Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch - Small Island (BBC One)
Tom Hollander - Gracie! (BBC Four)
Gary Lewis - Mo (Channel 4)
Matthew Macfadyen - Criminal Justice (BBC One) - Winner! Supporting Actress
Rebecca Hall - Red Riding 1974 (Channel 4) - Winner!
Sophie Okonedo - Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Lauren Socha - The Unloved (more)...
Kenneth Branagh - Wallander (BBC One) - Winner!
Brendan Gleeson - Into The Storm (BBC Two)
John Hurt - An Englishman in New York (ITV1)
David Oyelowo - Small Island (BBC One) Leading Actress
Helena Bonham Carter - Enid (BBC Four)
Sophie Okonedo - Mrs Mandela (BBC Four)
Julie Walters - A Short Stay in Switzerland (BBC One)
Julie Walters - Mo (Channel 4) - Winner! Supporting Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch - Small Island (BBC One)
Tom Hollander - Gracie! (BBC Four)
Gary Lewis - Mo (Channel 4)
Matthew Macfadyen - Criminal Justice (BBC One) - Winner! Supporting Actress
Rebecca Hall - Red Riding 1974 (Channel 4) - Winner!
Sophie Okonedo - Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Lauren Socha - The Unloved (more)...
- 6/7/2010
- by By Catriona Wightman
- Digital Spy
"Harry Potter" stars Helena Bonham Carter and Julie Walters will battle it out at this year's British Academy (BAFTA) Television Awards after they both received nominations in the Best Actress category. Bonham Carter's turn as beloved author Enid Blyton in "Enid" earned her the honor, while Walters received a double nod in the category - she has been nominated for her role in "Mo", which saw her play British Labor Party politician Mo Mowlam, and drama "A Short Stay in Switzerland".
The actresses, who both appear in the Harry Potter movie franchise, will compete with "Hotel Rwanda" star Sophie Okonedo for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in "Mrs Mandela". The male acting category is also a battle of the "Harry Potter" stars - Kenneth Branagh ("Wallander"), John Hurt ("An Englishman in New York") and Brendan Gleeson ("Into the Storm") will go up against David Oyelowo ("Small Island") for the Best Actor trophy.
The actresses, who both appear in the Harry Potter movie franchise, will compete with "Hotel Rwanda" star Sophie Okonedo for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in "Mrs Mandela". The male acting category is also a battle of the "Harry Potter" stars - Kenneth Branagh ("Wallander"), John Hurt ("An Englishman in New York") and Brendan Gleeson ("Into the Storm") will go up against David Oyelowo ("Small Island") for the Best Actor trophy.
- 5/11/2010
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Harry Potter stars Helena Bonham Carter and Julie Walters will battle it out at this year's British Academy (BAFTA) Television Awards after they both received nominations in the Best Actress category.
Bonham Carter's turn as beloved author Enid Blyton in Enid earned her the honour, while Walters received a double nod in the category - she has been nominated for her role in Mo, which saw her play British Labour Party politician Mo Mowlam, and drama A Short Stay In Switzerland.
The actresses, who both appear in the Harry Potter movie franchise, will compete with Hotel Rwanda star Sophie Okonedo for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in Mrs Mandela.
The male acting category is also a battle of the Harry Potter stars - Kenneth Branagh (Wallander), John Hurt (An Englishman in New York) and Brendan Gleeson (Into The Storm) will go up against David Oyelowo (Small Island) for the Best Actor trophy.
Okonedo also received a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for drama Criminal Justice - she's up against Rebecca Hall (Red Riding 1974), Lauren Socha (The Unloved) and Imelda Staunton (Cranford).
Featured in the Best Supporting Actor category are Benedict Cumberbatch (Small Island), Tom Hollander (Gracie!), Gary Lewis (Mo) and Matthew Macfadyen (Criminal Justice).
Simon Cowell's hit TV contest Britain's Got Talent will compete with The Graham Norton Show, Harry Hill's TV Burp and Newswipe with Charlie Brooker for Best Entertainment Programme, while True Blood, Family Guy, Mad Men and Nurse Jackie are nominated for Best International Show.
The winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in London on 6 June.
Bonham Carter's turn as beloved author Enid Blyton in Enid earned her the honour, while Walters received a double nod in the category - she has been nominated for her role in Mo, which saw her play British Labour Party politician Mo Mowlam, and drama A Short Stay In Switzerland.
The actresses, who both appear in the Harry Potter movie franchise, will compete with Hotel Rwanda star Sophie Okonedo for her portrayal of Winnie Mandela in Mrs Mandela.
The male acting category is also a battle of the Harry Potter stars - Kenneth Branagh (Wallander), John Hurt (An Englishman in New York) and Brendan Gleeson (Into The Storm) will go up against David Oyelowo (Small Island) for the Best Actor trophy.
Okonedo also received a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for drama Criminal Justice - she's up against Rebecca Hall (Red Riding 1974), Lauren Socha (The Unloved) and Imelda Staunton (Cranford).
Featured in the Best Supporting Actor category are Benedict Cumberbatch (Small Island), Tom Hollander (Gracie!), Gary Lewis (Mo) and Matthew Macfadyen (Criminal Justice).
Simon Cowell's hit TV contest Britain's Got Talent will compete with The Graham Norton Show, Harry Hill's TV Burp and Newswipe with Charlie Brooker for Best Entertainment Programme, while True Blood, Family Guy, Mad Men and Nurse Jackie are nominated for Best International Show.
The winners will be announced at a star-studded ceremony in London on 6 June.
- 5/10/2010
- WENN
Digital Spy presents the full list of nominees for the 2010 Phillips British Academy Television Awards, to be held on June 6. Best Actor
Kenneth Branagh - Wallander (BBC One)
Brendon Gleeson - Into The Storm (BBC Two)
John Hurt - An Englishman in New York (ITV1)
David Oyelowo - Small Island (BBC One) Best Actress
Helena Bonham Carter - Enid (BBC One)
Sophie Okonedo - Mrs Mandela (BBC Four)
Julie Walters - A Short Stay In Switzerland (BBC One)
Julie Walters - Mo (Channel 4) Best Supporting Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch - Small Island (BBC One)
Tom Hollander - Gracie! (BBC Four)
Gary Lewis - Mo (Channel 4)
Matthew Macfadyen - Criminal Justice (BBC One) Best Supporting Actress
Rebecca Hall - Red Riding 1974 (Channel 4)
Sophie Okonedo - Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Lauren Socha - The Unloved (Channel 4)
Imelda Staunton - Cranford (more)...
Kenneth Branagh - Wallander (BBC One)
Brendon Gleeson - Into The Storm (BBC Two)
John Hurt - An Englishman in New York (ITV1)
David Oyelowo - Small Island (BBC One) Best Actress
Helena Bonham Carter - Enid (BBC One)
Sophie Okonedo - Mrs Mandela (BBC Four)
Julie Walters - A Short Stay In Switzerland (BBC One)
Julie Walters - Mo (Channel 4) Best Supporting Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch - Small Island (BBC One)
Tom Hollander - Gracie! (BBC Four)
Gary Lewis - Mo (Channel 4)
Matthew Macfadyen - Criminal Justice (BBC One) Best Supporting Actress
Rebecca Hall - Red Riding 1974 (Channel 4)
Sophie Okonedo - Criminal Justice (BBC One)
Lauren Socha - The Unloved (Channel 4)
Imelda Staunton - Cranford (more)...
- 5/10/2010
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
London -- John Hurt and Kenneth Branagh will go head to head for the coveted best actor award at this year's BAFTA TV awards, alongside Brendan Gleeson and newcomer David Oyelowo, organizers announced Monday.
The awards, Britain's top television nods, will be handed out June 6 at a star-studded showbiz gala to be held at the Palladium theater in London's West End and broadcast near-live on BBC1.
Branagh is nominated for his performance in the bleak Scandinavian detective series "Wallander," while Hurt is in contention for reprising his portrayal of the flamboyant-yet-vulnerable Englishman Quentin Crisp in ITV's "An Englishman in New York," some 34 years after he won the BAFTA actor award for playing Crisp in "The Naked Civil Servant."
Gleeson portrayed Winston Churchill in an intimate political and domestic portrait of the British wartime Prime Minister "Into the Storm" while Oyelowo was named for his performance in the BBC1 Jamaican immigrant drama "Small Island.
The awards, Britain's top television nods, will be handed out June 6 at a star-studded showbiz gala to be held at the Palladium theater in London's West End and broadcast near-live on BBC1.
Branagh is nominated for his performance in the bleak Scandinavian detective series "Wallander," while Hurt is in contention for reprising his portrayal of the flamboyant-yet-vulnerable Englishman Quentin Crisp in ITV's "An Englishman in New York," some 34 years after he won the BAFTA actor award for playing Crisp in "The Naked Civil Servant."
Gleeson portrayed Winston Churchill in an intimate political and domestic portrait of the British wartime Prime Minister "Into the Storm" while Oyelowo was named for his performance in the BBC1 Jamaican immigrant drama "Small Island.
- 5/10/2010
- by By Mimi Turner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Samantha Morton has revealed plans to make her critically-acclaimed directorial debut into a trilogy. The Oscar-nominated British actress insisted at last year's release of The Unloved that it represented a one-off move behind the camera. Morton told The Observer that she has since changed her mind and wants to develop the story, which drew on her own childhood experience of care homes and surviving on the streets of Nottingham. "I've had time to think and now I want to make it into a trilogy," she said. "I want (more)...
- 5/9/2010
- by By Sarah Rollo
- Digital Spy
With their florid use of the F-Word, Ray Winstone and his low-life cronies hit a high note
Can profanity be poetic? Does swearing make a screenplay soar? Can excessive use of the F-word push back the literary frontiers?
Singular screenwriters Louis Mellis and David Scinto (who penned Sexy Beast after disowning the equally edgy Gangster No 1) clearly think so and on the evidence of 44 Inch Chest they may have a point. I struggle to remember a movie which contains quite so much blistering Anglo-Saxon verbosity or which features a line to rival the full-frontal, four-letter phrase: "You fucked his fucking wife, you fucking wife fucker!" The swearing is so intense, so incessant, so insane, that at times you start to wonder whether the ghosts of Derek and Clive haven't entered the room to fulminate upon the subject of "the worst job I ever had…" And yet in the midst of...
Can profanity be poetic? Does swearing make a screenplay soar? Can excessive use of the F-word push back the literary frontiers?
Singular screenwriters Louis Mellis and David Scinto (who penned Sexy Beast after disowning the equally edgy Gangster No 1) clearly think so and on the evidence of 44 Inch Chest they may have a point. I struggle to remember a movie which contains quite so much blistering Anglo-Saxon verbosity or which features a line to rival the full-frontal, four-letter phrase: "You fucked his fucking wife, you fucking wife fucker!" The swearing is so intense, so incessant, so insane, that at times you start to wonder whether the ghosts of Derek and Clive haven't entered the room to fulminate upon the subject of "the worst job I ever had…" And yet in the midst of...
- 5/8/2010
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Since she first made a name for herself at 16, Samantha Morton has been renowned for the intensity and intelligence of her work. Her two latest projects – The Messenger, a drama about the Iraq war, and The Unloved, based on her own deprived childhood, and which she co-wrote and directed – were typically idiosyncratic. What next for this most independent of actresses?
I have arranged to meet Samantha Morton at one o'clock in an east London photographic studio, where, if all is going to plan, she should just be finishing an Observer photoshoot. I turn up to find that she has arrived just minutes before me. Everyone is in a flap, so I repair to the bar next door to wait for her. An hour or so later she breezes in.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she says, sounding sincerely sorry. It turns out she has had the builders in, and her house has...
I have arranged to meet Samantha Morton at one o'clock in an east London photographic studio, where, if all is going to plan, she should just be finishing an Observer photoshoot. I turn up to find that she has arrived just minutes before me. Everyone is in a flap, so I repair to the bar next door to wait for her. An hour or so later she breezes in.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry," she says, sounding sincerely sorry. It turns out she has had the builders in, and her house has...
- 5/8/2010
- by Sean O'Hagan
- The Guardian - Film News
“Yorkshire Noir. Dickens on bad acid.” -- Tony Grisoni on Red Riding. Tony Grisoni did it. Wrote the whole lot. All 278 minutes of the Red Riding Trilogy, which was adapted from David Peace’s noir epics. Dread Central recently sat down with him to get the scoop on the details, the process, Poe, and even Terry Gilliam.
What we present now are only the facts — under the grim light of day. They say it’s a nightmare town out there, filled with corruption and woe. I’d say beware of wolves and stick to the path.
Heather Buckley: What is the origin of the title Red Riding?
Tony Grisoni: For administrative purposes, the English county of Yorkshire is divided into three; one of these is known as West Riding. So the title Red Riding plays off these historic boundaries. But, of course, there’s also the allusion to the...
What we present now are only the facts — under the grim light of day. They say it’s a nightmare town out there, filled with corruption and woe. I’d say beware of wolves and stick to the path.
Heather Buckley: What is the origin of the title Red Riding?
Tony Grisoni: For administrative purposes, the English county of Yorkshire is divided into three; one of these is known as West Riding. So the title Red Riding plays off these historic boundaries. But, of course, there’s also the allusion to the...
- 3/4/2010
- by Heather Buckley
- DreadCentral.com
Crazy Heart (15)
(Scott Cooper, 2009, Us) Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall. 112 mins
Everyone loves Jeff Bridges, don't they? And everyone would like to see him win an Oscar this year, it seems, just like we did with Mickey Rourke last year. Ok, so that didn't work out, but here's this year's Wrestler: another tale of a weary, all-American icon in need of rehabilitation. Bridges's washed-up country singer is drowning his regrets with whisky and playing bowling alleys, until he finds the love of a good (young) woman and confronts his demons. It's not quite the same old story, if only because of Bridges. And the basic plot gives him plenty of room to stretch out and charm us all. How can the Academy resist?
The Lovely Bones (12A)
(Peter Jackson, 2009, Us/UK/Nz) Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz. 135 mins
Jackson looks to have spent too long chewing over his next masterpiece here,...
(Scott Cooper, 2009, Us) Jeff Bridges, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Robert Duvall. 112 mins
Everyone loves Jeff Bridges, don't they? And everyone would like to see him win an Oscar this year, it seems, just like we did with Mickey Rourke last year. Ok, so that didn't work out, but here's this year's Wrestler: another tale of a weary, all-American icon in need of rehabilitation. Bridges's washed-up country singer is drowning his regrets with whisky and playing bowling alleys, until he finds the love of a good (young) woman and confronts his demons. It's not quite the same old story, if only because of Bridges. And the basic plot gives him plenty of room to stretch out and charm us all. How can the Academy resist?
The Lovely Bones (12A)
(Peter Jackson, 2009, Us/UK/Nz) Mark Wahlberg, Saoirse Ronan, Rachel Weisz. 135 mins
Jackson looks to have spent too long chewing over his next masterpiece here,...
- 2/20/2010
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Samantha Morton's directorial debut is a brilliantly heartfelt study of a childhood in care, writes Xan Brooks
Samantha Morton mined her own past to direct this fierce, heartfelt account of an 11-year-old's clattering arrival at a Nottingham care home. The Unloved (which first screened on Channel 4) wears its social-realist, Loachian influence on its sleeve and showcases a mesmerising performance from Lauren Socha as the wan, still eye of the storm. Away in the wings, Robert Carlyle and Susan Lynch cope well in (deliberately?) underwritten roles as the wayward parents, while the film paints a convincing portrait of a chaotic care service in which harassed workers are powerless to prevent the antics of a lone bad apple. The climactic scene, in which Morton's heroine confronts her mum, is one of the most quietly gut-wrenching things I've seen in years.
Rating: 4/5
DramaRobert CarlyleXan Brooks
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media...
Samantha Morton mined her own past to direct this fierce, heartfelt account of an 11-year-old's clattering arrival at a Nottingham care home. The Unloved (which first screened on Channel 4) wears its social-realist, Loachian influence on its sleeve and showcases a mesmerising performance from Lauren Socha as the wan, still eye of the storm. Away in the wings, Robert Carlyle and Susan Lynch cope well in (deliberately?) underwritten roles as the wayward parents, while the film paints a convincing portrait of a chaotic care service in which harassed workers are powerless to prevent the antics of a lone bad apple. The climactic scene, in which Morton's heroine confronts her mum, is one of the most quietly gut-wrenching things I've seen in years.
Rating: 4/5
DramaRobert CarlyleXan Brooks
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media...
- 2/18/2010
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
This edition of Film Weekly talks to two brilliant British actors – Samantha Morton and David Morrissey – who have turned their hand to directing, and reviews Peter Jackson's adaptation of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones as well as Jeff Bridges's multi-award-winning performance in Crazy Heart.
First up is Samantha Morton, whose impressive acting CV includes such diverse films as The Sweet and Lowdown, Minority Report and Synecdoche. She discusses how her directorial debut The Unloved, a harsh tale of 11-year-old Lucy growing up in the care of the state, draws on her own experiences of care institutions as a child. She also talks about her recent role in The Messenger alongside Woody Harrelson and bouncing back from the stroke she suffered in 2006. The film is on limited release from tomorrow.
Next, Xan Brooks joins in to review the week's key releases – praise is poured on The Unloved as...
First up is Samantha Morton, whose impressive acting CV includes such diverse films as The Sweet and Lowdown, Minority Report and Synecdoche. She discusses how her directorial debut The Unloved, a harsh tale of 11-year-old Lucy growing up in the care of the state, draws on her own experiences of care institutions as a child. She also talks about her recent role in The Messenger alongside Woody Harrelson and bouncing back from the stroke she suffered in 2006. The film is on limited release from tomorrow.
Next, Xan Brooks joins in to review the week's key releases – praise is poured on The Unloved as...
- 2/18/2010
- by Jason Solomons, Xan Brooks, Jason Phipps, Observer
- The Guardian - Film News
No surprises here with the noms for the 12th British Independent Film Awards as the overwhelming favorite Fish Tank grabbed a total of eight nominations, while a sci-fi film that looks big budget but was closer to shoestring in Duncan Jones' Moon placed second best in the noms tally with a total of seven. - No surprises here with the noms for the 12th British Independent Film Awards as the overwhelming favorite Fish Tank grabbed a total of eight nominations, while a sci-fi film that looks big budget but was closer to shoestring in Duncan Jones' Moon placed second best in the noms tally with a total of seven. The major "snub" is that the committee of 70 were high on Lone Scherfig’s An Education, Armando Iannucci’s In The Loop and Sam Taylor Wood’s Nowhere Boy (they all received 6 nominations) but failed...
- 12/13/2009
- by Ioncinema.com Staff
- IONCINEMA.com
Trainspotting actor urges cinema chains to give 'a wee leg up' to the British film industry
Actor Robert Carlyle has called on cinema chains to "give a leg up" to the British film industry by reserving at least one screen in multiplexes to show UK productions.
Speaking at the Bafta Scotland awards in Glasgow on Sunday, the Trainspotting and Full Monty actor said, "I look at all these multiplex cinemas, 15 and 20 screens. They are basically wall-to-wall American product. You will be lucky if you find any British subject in there at all.
"I don't see why there's anything wrong in giving our industry a wee lift up, a wee leg up, and reserving one of these screens, just one of these screens for a British product.
"We make stuff and we bury it. You don't get to see it and what's the point in that? Reserve something so people will then vote with their feet.
Actor Robert Carlyle has called on cinema chains to "give a leg up" to the British film industry by reserving at least one screen in multiplexes to show UK productions.
Speaking at the Bafta Scotland awards in Glasgow on Sunday, the Trainspotting and Full Monty actor said, "I look at all these multiplex cinemas, 15 and 20 screens. They are basically wall-to-wall American product. You will be lucky if you find any British subject in there at all.
"I don't see why there's anything wrong in giving our industry a wee lift up, a wee leg up, and reserving one of these screens, just one of these screens for a British product.
"We make stuff and we bury it. You don't get to see it and what's the point in that? Reserve something so people will then vote with their feet.
- 11/10/2009
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
The 12th annual British Independent Film Awards announced their nominations for the 2009 awards this morning and Duncan Jones’ Moon and Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank lead the way with 7 and 8 nominations respectively.
Looking down the list, which you can find after the jump, the variety of talent being honoured here is truly astounding and shows the British Film Industry is very good health. Armando Iannucci’s In The Loop has a number of nominations for its cast and crew, Peter Capaldi and director Iannucci as well as a nomination for its exceptional script in Best Screenplay catergory.
One of my favourite films of the year, Lone Scherfig’s An Education, has a host of nominations for its script, actors and Scherfig herself as Best Director. The ceremony takes place on the 6th of December and HeyUGuys hope to on hand to help celebrate what has been as outstanding year for British film.
Looking down the list, which you can find after the jump, the variety of talent being honoured here is truly astounding and shows the British Film Industry is very good health. Armando Iannucci’s In The Loop has a number of nominations for its cast and crew, Peter Capaldi and director Iannucci as well as a nomination for its exceptional script in Best Screenplay catergory.
One of my favourite films of the year, Lone Scherfig’s An Education, has a host of nominations for its script, actors and Scherfig herself as Best Director. The ceremony takes place on the 6th of December and HeyUGuys hope to on hand to help celebrate what has been as outstanding year for British film.
- 10/27/2009
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Which movies are vying for the 12th annual British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs) have been unraveled on Monday, October 26 at Soho House in London with the announcement of 2009 nominees. Receiving the most nods was "Fish Tank", an Andrea Arnold's drama that won the Jury Prize at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.
The movie revolving around the turbulent relationship a 15-year-old girl has with her mother and her new boyfriend has collected 8 nominations in total. Vying for the major categories including best British film, best director and best screenplay, it also placed its leading actress Katie Jarvis in competition for best actress and most promising newcomers.
Following behind "Fish Tank" with seven noms was Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller "Moon". "An Education", "In the Loop" and "Nowhere Boy", in the meantime, gathered six counts each. Other movies with multiple nominations were "Bright Star" with four, "Katalin Varga" with three, and...
The movie revolving around the turbulent relationship a 15-year-old girl has with her mother and her new boyfriend has collected 8 nominations in total. Vying for the major categories including best British film, best director and best screenplay, it also placed its leading actress Katie Jarvis in competition for best actress and most promising newcomers.
Following behind "Fish Tank" with seven noms was Duncan Jones' sci-fi thriller "Moon". "An Education", "In the Loop" and "Nowhere Boy", in the meantime, gathered six counts each. Other movies with multiple nominations were "Bright Star" with four, "Katalin Varga" with three, and...
- 10/27/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
London -- BBC Films, the pubcaster's standalone filmmaking unit, could lay claim to backing, developing or co-producing titles that Monday laid claim to 26 -- or more than a third -- of the nominations for the upcoming British Independent Film Awards.
The broadcaster's filmmaking unit was involved in a slew of titles mentioned in dispatches including Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," "An Education," directed by Lone Sherfig, Armando Iannucci's "In The Loop" and Jane Campion's "Bright Star."
Also from the BBC Films roster came Tom Hooper's "The Damned United" and Scott Hicks' "The Boys Are Back".
Given the harsh economic times and a perceived lack of co-production opportunities for indie filmmakers, the involvement of broadcasters in movie development and production here in the U.K. is more apparent than ever.
With both the BBC and Channel 4 practically the only broadcasters in town backing big screen ambitions with...
The broadcaster's filmmaking unit was involved in a slew of titles mentioned in dispatches including Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank," "An Education," directed by Lone Sherfig, Armando Iannucci's "In The Loop" and Jane Campion's "Bright Star."
Also from the BBC Films roster came Tom Hooper's "The Damned United" and Scott Hicks' "The Boys Are Back".
Given the harsh economic times and a perceived lack of co-production opportunities for indie filmmakers, the involvement of broadcasters in movie development and production here in the U.K. is more apparent than ever.
With both the BBC and Channel 4 practically the only broadcasters in town backing big screen ambitions with...
- 10/26/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
London -- Andrea Arnold's "Fish Tank" leads the pool of nominations announced Monday for this year's British Independent Film Awards with eight spanning all major categories.
Arnold's film is nominated in the best British film category while the writer/director herself is nominated for best director and best screenplay nods. Her film's lead Katie Jarvis, an unknown discovered by the filmmaker on an Essex railway platform, is nominated in this year's best actress and most promising newcomer categories.
Duncan Jones's sci-fi psychological thriller debut "Moon" rises just behind Arnold's movie with seven nominations including best director and best film.
And Lone Scherfig's coming of age drama "An Education, Armando Iannucci's sweary political saga "In The Loop" and the John Lennon biopic "Nowhere Boy," directed by Sam Taylor Wood, each garner six nominations. Jane Campion's poetic tale of love "Bright Star" takes four slots across the nominations.
Arnold's film is nominated in the best British film category while the writer/director herself is nominated for best director and best screenplay nods. Her film's lead Katie Jarvis, an unknown discovered by the filmmaker on an Essex railway platform, is nominated in this year's best actress and most promising newcomer categories.
Duncan Jones's sci-fi psychological thriller debut "Moon" rises just behind Arnold's movie with seven nominations including best director and best film.
And Lone Scherfig's coming of age drama "An Education, Armando Iannucci's sweary political saga "In The Loop" and the John Lennon biopic "Nowhere Boy," directed by Sam Taylor Wood, each garner six nominations. Jane Campion's poetic tale of love "Bright Star" takes four slots across the nominations.
- 10/26/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 50th Thessaloniki International Film Festival has announced the 13 foreign titles that will screen in the fest’s International Competition section, which caters to first or second features by emerging filmmakers. The list includes Ahmad Abdalla’s “Heliopolis,” from Egypt, Samantha Morton’s “The Unloved,” from the UK, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani’s Israeli Oscar submission, “Ajami,” and a lone Us entry, David Lowery’s “St. Nick.” The complete list of titles is listed …...
- 10/15/2009
- Indiewire
London -- The aftershock of the writers' strike and the global recession continues to be felt in the film sector here with figures from screen agency EM Media posting a slump in inward investment.
The agency said Thursday the fall in the East Midlands area of the U.K. is in line with U.K.-wide figures published by the U.K. Film Council earlier this year showing a 23% fall from the record high of 2007/08.
Despite the slump, Em Media said film and digital content production brought £16 million ($25.5 million) inward investment into the region's local economy.
Em Media is one of the U.K.'s regional media funding bodies and is very active in movie support. The region accounts for 18% of local British shoots, a substantial portion outside of the capital, London, for a region that has no permanent physical studio facility.
Publishing its annual review for 2008/09, Em Media said...
The agency said Thursday the fall in the East Midlands area of the U.K. is in line with U.K.-wide figures published by the U.K. Film Council earlier this year showing a 23% fall from the record high of 2007/08.
Despite the slump, Em Media said film and digital content production brought £16 million ($25.5 million) inward investment into the region's local economy.
Em Media is one of the U.K.'s regional media funding bodies and is very active in movie support. The region accounts for 18% of local British shoots, a substantial portion outside of the capital, London, for a region that has no permanent physical studio facility.
Publishing its annual review for 2008/09, Em Media said...
- 10/1/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It seemed appropriate that "The Young Victoria" closed out Toronto this year, considering that the festival turned out to be a coronation for women in film, in addition to being a celebration its host metropolis (a series of pre-screening clips from Toronto-based films honored the city's 175th anniversary). Besides showcasing upcoming femme-centric fall releases as "Bright Star," "An Education," "Whip It!" and "Fish Tank," the festival ended up bestowing audience awards upon the coming-of-age drama "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" and the doc "The Topp Twins," which focuses on a pair of lesbian sisters and musicians who have been entertaining New Zealand for the past three decades. (A full list of winners can be found here.)
The best and the worst thing that can be said about "The Young Victoria" is that it left me wanting more. During a brisk 96 minutes, we witness the rise of Queen Victoria...
The best and the worst thing that can be said about "The Young Victoria" is that it left me wanting more. During a brisk 96 minutes, we witness the rise of Queen Victoria...
- 9/22/2009
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Actors directing first time features at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival tackled wildly different material, but each displayed an attempt to try something ambitious. Maybe hanging around in front of the camera engenders a desire to figure out its boundaries, or perhaps veterans of the set simply develop the need to control it. Either way, each of these projects—Drew Barrymore’s ensemble studio comedy “Whip It,” Tim Blake Nelson’s redneck satire …...
- 9/18/2009
- Indiewire
Actors directing features at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival tackled wildly different material, but each displayed an attempt to try something ambitious. Maybe hanging around in front of the camera engenders a desire to figure out its boundaries, or perhaps veterans of the set simply develop the need to control it. Either way, each of these projects—Drew Barrymore’s ensemble studio comedy “Whip It,” Tim Blake Nelson’s redneck satire “Leaves of …...
- 9/18/2009
- Indiewire
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