Another day, another Netflix content slate in Europe.
Following content showcases in Germany and London last week, the streamer has unveiled its slate in the Nordics. Among the key TV announcements are a Norwegian series based on author Joe Nesbø’s police detective Harry Hole and Netflix’s first Nordic period drama.
A number of films were also unveiled at a Next on Netflix event today in Stockholm, Sweden, and you can read about them here.
On the TV front, Harry Hole (working title) comes from Exit and So Long, Marianne creator Oystein Karlsen, and is based on Nesbø’s novel The Devil’s Star, about the titular detective. Working Title is producing ahead of a 2026 debut and Nesbø is writing the script.
Synopsis reads: “A heat wave hits a holiday-quiet Oslo. In an apartment by the cemetery, small black lumps begin to drip through the floor. At the same time,...
Following content showcases in Germany and London last week, the streamer has unveiled its slate in the Nordics. Among the key TV announcements are a Norwegian series based on author Joe Nesbø’s police detective Harry Hole and Netflix’s first Nordic period drama.
A number of films were also unveiled at a Next on Netflix event today in Stockholm, Sweden, and you can read about them here.
On the TV front, Harry Hole (working title) comes from Exit and So Long, Marianne creator Oystein Karlsen, and is based on Nesbø’s novel The Devil’s Star, about the titular detective. Working Title is producing ahead of a 2026 debut and Nesbø is writing the script.
Synopsis reads: “A heat wave hits a holiday-quiet Oslo. In an apartment by the cemetery, small black lumps begin to drip through the floor. At the same time,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Christian Bale has left viewers in complete awe with his extraordinary acting talent and versatility. He has an impressive portfolio consisting of numerous projects that are a testament to his dedication to his craft. However, his 2002 movie, Reign of Fire with another Hollywood gem, Matthew McConaughey initially left him concerned.
Christian Bale in American Psycho (2000)
As the actor had never worked on a project that used special effects before this one, he was afraid that the movie might end up becoming an embarrassment if the tone was not appropriate.
Why Was Christian Bale Hesitant on Working in Reign of Fire?
Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, and Izabella Scorupco in Reign of Fire (2002)
In an interview with MoviePub, the American Psycho actor revealed that he was hesitant about taking this project, Reign of Fire due to its special effects. When asked why he was reluctant to get involved in the project at first,...
Christian Bale in American Psycho (2000)
As the actor had never worked on a project that used special effects before this one, he was afraid that the movie might end up becoming an embarrassment if the tone was not appropriate.
Why Was Christian Bale Hesitant on Working in Reign of Fire?
Matthew McConaughey, Christian Bale, and Izabella Scorupco in Reign of Fire (2002)
In an interview with MoviePub, the American Psycho actor revealed that he was hesitant about taking this project, Reign of Fire due to its special effects. When asked why he was reluctant to get involved in the project at first,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Priya Sharma
- FandomWire
Will There Be Season 2 Of Barracuda Queens? Well, Created by Camilla Ahlgren, known for her work on the series ‘Quicksand,’ ‘Barracuda Queens’ is a captivating Swedish crime drama on Netflix. The story centers around a group of women, hailing from affluent backgrounds, who embark on a series of burglaries targeting their annoying neighbors in Stockholm’s most opulent residential areas.
The main characters include Louise “Lollo” Millkvist portrayed by Alva Bratt, Klara Rapp played by Tindra Monsen, Mia Thorstensson portrayed by Tea Stjärne, and Klara’s sister Frida portrayed by Sandra Strandberg Zubovic. When faced with considerable debt after a night of revelry, the girls opt for an unconventional solution by burglarizing the home of their neighbor, Amina Khalil, played by Sarah Gustafsson.
Surprisingly, Amina chooses not to involve the police and instead joins forces with the group. As they continue to target individuals who have wronged them, the series...
The main characters include Louise “Lollo” Millkvist portrayed by Alva Bratt, Klara Rapp played by Tindra Monsen, Mia Thorstensson portrayed by Tea Stjärne, and Klara’s sister Frida portrayed by Sandra Strandberg Zubovic. When faced with considerable debt after a night of revelry, the girls opt for an unconventional solution by burglarizing the home of their neighbor, Amina Khalil, played by Sarah Gustafsson.
Surprisingly, Amina chooses not to involve the police and instead joins forces with the group. As they continue to target individuals who have wronged them, the series...
- 7/10/2023
- by Om Prakash Kaushal
- https://dailyresearchplot.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/new-sam
William Friedkin's "The Exorcist" is one of the best horror movies ever made, which makes it by extension one of the best movies ever made at all. But it's not just a powerful dramatic exploration of faith in an increasingly secular society, and it's not just a terrifically scary motion picture that stunned audiences; it was also a gigantic mega-blockbuster by any reasonable measure. If you adjust for inflation to determine how much "The Exorcist" would have made theatrically at today's ticket prices, you'll find it would have made over a billion dollars domestically, ranking it the ninth-highest-grossing movie in the history of the American box office. That's more than "Avengers: Endgame" or "Avatar."
So regardless of how excellent the original film was, "The Exorcist" was still a huge financial success, and we all know what happens to huge financial successes -- they get sequels. And "The Exorcist" had some very strange sequels.
So regardless of how excellent the original film was, "The Exorcist" was still a huge financial success, and we all know what happens to huge financial successes -- they get sequels. And "The Exorcist" had some very strange sequels.
- 4/14/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
The two "Exorcist" prequels, "Exorcist: The Beginning" and "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist," offer something that may be unique in the whole of cinema; a strange case of one actor playing the same character in two different versions of the same film shot back-to-back. Oh, and the first version was only released after the second proved a total dog. It's a story of epic studio interference that makes the tacked-on ending William Peter Blatty was forced to shoot for "The Exorcist III" seem like a minor tweak. Morgan Creek studio head James G. Robinson was the person responsible for that change, and he one-upped himself when it came to the prequel.
After two directors parted company with the project, he hired Paul Schrader. That might seem like a shrewd choice given the subject matter of doubting priests and matters of the soul, something that Schrader has wrestled with in his...
After two directors parted company with the project, he hired Paul Schrader. That might seem like a shrewd choice given the subject matter of doubting priests and matters of the soul, something that Schrader has wrestled with in his...
- 2/2/2023
- by Lee Adams
- Slash Film
When the news dropped about Warner Bros. deciding to shelve "Batgirl," "Scoob!: Holiday Haunt," and potentially other projects being produced for HBO Max, it struck a lot of us as a fairly unprecedented move. For "Batgirl" in particular, the size of the budget (a reported 90 million) and its connection to a popular franchise make it an even more startling that this decision has happened. The implications of using productions that artists spend years working on as mere tax loophole fodder sets a fairly depressing precedent for how studios can operate in the future.
However, this is not the first time a nearly completed film has been shelved by a studio. It's not even the first one shelved by Warner Bros. since the turn of the 21st Century. In fact, one shelved production also happened to connect to a very well-known franchise, and next year, we will see a new entry...
However, this is not the first time a nearly completed film has been shelved by a studio. It's not even the first one shelved by Warner Bros. since the turn of the 21st Century. In fact, one shelved production also happened to connect to a very well-known franchise, and next year, we will see a new entry...
- 8/31/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Banijay Nordic label Meter TV is set to produce “The Journey – 15 Days in Nepal,” a new adventure reality series showcasing Scandinavian celebrities, for Viaplay Group. It’s one of the latest examples of streamers investing in premium unscripted shows.
The format, which is based on the concept created by another Banijay label, Mastiff TV Denmark, follows six celebrities who embark on an adventure through the Nepalese jungle, trekking alongside elephants, tigers, and rhinos, to reach the Himalayan mountains. Along the way, they will embrace the wilderness, learn about the rich culture from those they meet, and discover how to fend for themselves in the mysterious and unfamiliar terrain.
Set to air on Viaplay and TV3, the Swedish adaptation of the show will bring together Peter Stormare (“Fargo”) and Izabella Scorupco (“Hidden”), comedian Alfred Svensson and World Champion swimmer Therese Alshammar, among others.
“We are looking forward to taking Viaplay’s...
The format, which is based on the concept created by another Banijay label, Mastiff TV Denmark, follows six celebrities who embark on an adventure through the Nepalese jungle, trekking alongside elephants, tigers, and rhinos, to reach the Himalayan mountains. Along the way, they will embrace the wilderness, learn about the rich culture from those they meet, and discover how to fend for themselves in the mysterious and unfamiliar terrain.
Set to air on Viaplay and TV3, the Swedish adaptation of the show will bring together Peter Stormare (“Fargo”) and Izabella Scorupco (“Hidden”), comedian Alfred Svensson and World Champion swimmer Therese Alshammar, among others.
“We are looking forward to taking Viaplay’s...
- 8/12/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Banijay and its Scandinavian outfit Yellow Bird (“Millennium”) have unveiled the promo of the anticipated fantasy thriller series “Hidden,” which stars Izabella Scorupco (“GoldenEye”) and August Wittgenstein (“The Crown”).
Commissioned by Mtg Studios, “Hidden” is based on Filip Alexanderson’s novel “Förstfödd” and takes place in modern-day Stockholm, where people living on the margins discover they have supernatural forces.
Now in post-production, the eight-part series, which blends the paranormal with hard-hitting realism and psychological drama, was introduced to buyers at Mipcom in October. Scorupco told Variety that the 1970s-set series was a highly personal project and described her character in the show as “the most beautiful and compassionate” she’s ever played.
The series is rooted in Scandinavia’s mythology, and follows a subspecies of humans who have enhanced abilities. Although it’s a fantasy series, Scorupco said the show raised issues affecting today’s Scandinavia. “We have this amazingly well-off society,...
Commissioned by Mtg Studios, “Hidden” is based on Filip Alexanderson’s novel “Förstfödd” and takes place in modern-day Stockholm, where people living on the margins discover they have supernatural forces.
Now in post-production, the eight-part series, which blends the paranormal with hard-hitting realism and psychological drama, was introduced to buyers at Mipcom in October. Scorupco told Variety that the 1970s-set series was a highly personal project and described her character in the show as “the most beautiful and compassionate” she’s ever played.
The series is rooted in Scandinavia’s mythology, and follows a subspecies of humans who have enhanced abilities. Although it’s a fantasy series, Scorupco said the show raised issues affecting today’s Scandinavia. “We have this amazingly well-off society,...
- 12/10/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Izabella Scorupco -- the main Bond chick in "GoldenEye" -- got way more than she bargained for when she bought a multi-million dollar crib ... a freakin' trespasser. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Izabella recently bought a sick 5-bedroom, 8-bathroom pad in the L.A. area for a whopping $6.478 million. It includes picturesque views of downtown L.A.'s skyline, the Hollywood sign, as well as an incredible pool deck. Oh, and apparently a trespasser. Sources...
- 5/17/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
"What if you woke up in another world." Yeah, what if?! MarVista Entertainment has revealed an official trailer for an indie thriller titled Sleepwalker, described as a "Twilight Zone-esque" story about a woman troubled by bouts of sleepwalking and disturbing nightmares. Ahna O'Reilly stars as Sarah, a graduate student, who wakes up in a slightly different version of her world every time she sleepwalks. With the help of sleep researcher Scott White, she tries to work her way back to the reality she started in. The cast includes Richard Armitage (from The Hobbit!), Haley Joel Osment (from A.I.!), Izabella Scorupco, Kevin Zegers, and Rachel Melvin. This doesn't look that great, especially with that Flatliners remake this year. Here's the official trailer (+ two posters) for Elliott Lester's Sleepwalker, direct from YouTube: Troubled by bouts of sleepwalking and disturbing nightmares, graduate student Sarah Foster (Ahna O'Reilly) goes to her university sleep research center for help.
- 10/4/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Goldeneye
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
- 11/5/2015
- by Gregory Ashman
- SoundOnSight
MGM
The James Bond movies have a formula – gadgets, guns, car chases, fight scenes, and, most importantly, beautiful women whom Bond (improbably, it has to be said) seduces at every turn. It’s this very formula that has helped turn Ian Fleming’s super spy into a household name and global brand.
The ‘honour’ of being a Bond girl is bestowed upon few, and while they become part of a legacy, it can be hard for the actresses who portray the ‘girls’ to maintain a level of mainstream success. It’s all too common, sadly, to see women of a fine acting calibre unable to find new material, or to break out of the objectified roles altogether – actresses such as Britt Ekland, Lois Chiles, Barbara Bach, and Izabella Scorupco for example, failed to maintain the global success and exposure that a Bond film gifts.
However, fortunately, more and more Bond...
The James Bond movies have a formula – gadgets, guns, car chases, fight scenes, and, most importantly, beautiful women whom Bond (improbably, it has to be said) seduces at every turn. It’s this very formula that has helped turn Ian Fleming’s super spy into a household name and global brand.
The ‘honour’ of being a Bond girl is bestowed upon few, and while they become part of a legacy, it can be hard for the actresses who portray the ‘girls’ to maintain a level of mainstream success. It’s all too common, sadly, to see women of a fine acting calibre unable to find new material, or to break out of the objectified roles altogether – actresses such as Britt Ekland, Lois Chiles, Barbara Bach, and Izabella Scorupco for example, failed to maintain the global success and exposure that a Bond film gifts.
However, fortunately, more and more Bond...
- 1/27/2015
- by Chris Haigh
- Obsessed with Film
Watch the Digital Spy team discuss their favourite Christmas movies above, then see the best films showing on TV today to prepare your festive entertainment.
Back to the Future - 10.55am, ITV
Marty McFly is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown. To save his own existence, Marty must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to get back to the future.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 3.25pm, Channel 5
In this classic family film, an eccentric professor invents a flying car to the surprise of himself and everyone around him. When a dictator from a foreign government finds out, he resorts to all means necessary to get his hands on it.
Jurassic Park - 3.35pm, ITV2
In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown during a preview tour, allowing its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
Back to the Future - 10.55am, ITV
Marty McFly is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown. To save his own existence, Marty must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to get back to the future.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 3.25pm, Channel 5
In this classic family film, an eccentric professor invents a flying car to the surprise of himself and everyone around him. When a dictator from a foreign government finds out, he resorts to all means necessary to get his hands on it.
Jurassic Park - 3.35pm, ITV2
In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown during a preview tour, allowing its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
- 12/25/2014
- Digital Spy
Watch the Digital Spy team discuss their favourite Christmas movies above, then see the best films showing on TV today to prepare your festive entertainment.
Back to the Future - 10.55am, ITV
Marty McFly is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown. To save his own existence, Marty must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to get back to the future.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 3.25pm, Channel 5
In this classic family film, an eccentric professor invents a flying car to the surprise of himself and everyone around him. When a dictator from a foreign government finds out, he resorts to all means necessary to get his hands on it.
Jurassic Park - 3.35pm, ITV2
In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown during a preview tour, allowing its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
Back to the Future - 10.55am, ITV
Marty McFly is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown. To save his own existence, Marty must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to get back to the future.
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - 3.25pm, Channel 5
In this classic family film, an eccentric professor invents a flying car to the surprise of himself and everyone around him. When a dictator from a foreign government finds out, he resorts to all means necessary to get his hands on it.
Jurassic Park - 3.35pm, ITV2
In Steven Spielberg's blockbuster, a theme park suffers a major power breakdown during a preview tour, allowing its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.
- 12/25/2014
- Digital Spy
Goldeneye
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
- 11/22/2012
- by Gregory Ashman
- SoundOnSight
Goldeneye
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
Directed by Martin Campbell
Written by Jeffrey Caine and Bruce Feirsein
UK / USA
The Essence of Bond has been shaped and re-shaped constantly over its 50-year run and that has been due to its mostly successful ability to plug into popular zeitgeist and meld that aesthetic with what makes Bond, well, Bond: Q gadgets, adventure tourist locales, voluptuous ladies (assuming the role of both friend and foe) and a version of suave and sexist male masculinity first cultivated by Sean Connery in Bond’s first outing, Dr. No in 1962. In the the early nineties it was time again to re-invent Bond, or rather his universe as not only was Timothy Dalton moving on from the Bond Franchise but the politics on the international stage had changed drastically. It was time for Bond to integrate into a post-Cold War world and director Martin Campbell was brought on board, along with...
- 11/22/2012
- by Gregory Ashman
- SoundOnSight
Deborah Lipp, the Ultimate James Bond Fan, is listing 007 of her favorite things as we count down to Skyfall
I spent a couple of years compiling lists made by James Bond fans; primarily favorite movies, least-favorites, and ranked lists of the whole series. The fun thing to discover is, when it comes to James Bond, everyone's an outlier. Every single movie appeared on someone's favorites and someone's least-favorites. Plus, everyone's list had a unique feature, an eyebrow-raiser. I bet if we did a poll here -- should we do a poll here? -- the same thing would happen.
So, eyebrow-raiser and all, here's my top 007 Bond films...
001 From Russia With Love (1963)
To me, the second Bond movie is the greatest of them all. It's the perfect blend of Bond ingredients: Action, adventure, exotic locations, sex, mystery, espionage, music, humor, visual impact, and an outstanding cast. Beyond Sean Connery and the...
I spent a couple of years compiling lists made by James Bond fans; primarily favorite movies, least-favorites, and ranked lists of the whole series. The fun thing to discover is, when it comes to James Bond, everyone's an outlier. Every single movie appeared on someone's favorites and someone's least-favorites. Plus, everyone's list had a unique feature, an eyebrow-raiser. I bet if we did a poll here -- should we do a poll here? -- the same thing would happen.
So, eyebrow-raiser and all, here's my top 007 Bond films...
001 From Russia With Love (1963)
To me, the second Bond movie is the greatest of them all. It's the perfect blend of Bond ingredients: Action, adventure, exotic locations, sex, mystery, espionage, music, humor, visual impact, and an outstanding cast. Beyond Sean Connery and the...
- 10/12/2012
- by Deborah Lipp
- FilmExperience
MTV Movies Blog is earning its license to kill with a feature we call the Bond-a-Thond. Every Wednesday we're taking a look back at a single (official) Bond film, giving you the vitals and seeing how it holds up, right up until the release of "Skyfall" on November 9. Feel free to watch along with us and share your thoughts or just kick back and enjoy the Bond.
GoldenEye (1995)
Plot: A high-tech Epm-based weapon goes missing, and it's up to Bond to find it.
Title Meaning: GoldenEye is both the name of the weapon's satellite at the center of the story and author Ian Fleming's estate in Jamaica.
Song: "GoldenEye," written by Bono and The Edge and performed by Tina Turner
center>
Bond: Pierce Brosnan in his first appearance
Villains: Alec Trevelyan, a weapons dealer and former MI6 agent, played by Sean Bean, and Xenia Onatopp, a former Kgb pilot,...
GoldenEye (1995)
Plot: A high-tech Epm-based weapon goes missing, and it's up to Bond to find it.
Title Meaning: GoldenEye is both the name of the weapon's satellite at the center of the story and author Ian Fleming's estate in Jamaica.
Song: "GoldenEye," written by Bono and The Edge and performed by Tina Turner
center>
Bond: Pierce Brosnan in his first appearance
Villains: Alec Trevelyan, a weapons dealer and former MI6 agent, played by Sean Bean, and Xenia Onatopp, a former Kgb pilot,...
- 10/3/2012
- by Kevin P. Sullivan
- MTV Movies Blog
The lavishness of the villain's execution is enough to give this 1995 Pierce Brosnan outing the gilded edge over its 007 rivals
It's difficult for people of my generation to separate GoldenEye the film from GoldenEye the computer game. The 1997 Nintendo shoot-em-up was so aggressively brilliant it had its own pandemic addiction dream: everything pixelated and seen beyond the jutting snout of an Ak-47 assault rifle. I suffered from it, on and off, for months; I know others did too. But for a moment let's pretend GoldenEye the game never existed – take yourself, gamers of the late 90s, to that dark place. GoldenEye the film was a smasher, and for me a franchise peak.
It introduced us to a new James Bond, the fifth, first met wearing a baggy black playsuit and running along the top of a dam. Where were we? Hundreds of feet above a Soviet munitions factory. A swan dive,...
It's difficult for people of my generation to separate GoldenEye the film from GoldenEye the computer game. The 1997 Nintendo shoot-em-up was so aggressively brilliant it had its own pandemic addiction dream: everything pixelated and seen beyond the jutting snout of an Ak-47 assault rifle. I suffered from it, on and off, for months; I know others did too. But for a moment let's pretend GoldenEye the game never existed – take yourself, gamers of the late 90s, to that dark place. GoldenEye the film was a smasher, and for me a franchise peak.
It introduced us to a new James Bond, the fifth, first met wearing a baggy black playsuit and running along the top of a dam. Where were we? Hundreds of feet above a Soviet munitions factory. A swan dive,...
- 9/26/2012
- by Tom Lamont
- The Guardian - Film News
Actress Also Discusses Being Part Of Martin McDonagh's 'Seven Psychopaths' Maintaining a career after breaking through as a Bond girl is not the easiest thing in the world. Just ask Izabella Scorupco or Denise Richards. If you can find them. But the current batch seem to be doing alright so far. Rosamund Pike has gone from strength to strength since "Die Another Day," and both Eva Green and Gemma Arterton have worked steadily in interesting films since rolling in the hay with 007. But arguably the one with the most intriguing slate of projects ahead of her is Olga Kurylenko, who played female lead Camille Montes in last Bond entry "Quantum of Solace." The actress has cropped up from time to time since that film, most notably as the villain in Neil Marshall's "Centurion," but she's got no less than five films slated for 2012, varying from 3D...
- 12/6/2011
- The Playlist
TV and film make-up artist with a gift for applying prosthetics
The television and film make-up artist Jane Royle, who has died aged 78, was admired by fellow professionals for her all-round ability to bring a look to the screen that was as important as that contributed by the director of photography or production designer. She could go from ensuring Izabella Scorupco looked stunningly beautiful as a Bond girl in GoldenEye (1995) to making actors appear hideous, old, scarred, bruised, bearded or bald. Royle particularly enjoyed applying prosthetics – to which she referred as "the stickies".
For the 1979 Sherlock Holmes film Murder By Decree, she simulated the wrenched-out innards of prostitutes killed by Jack the Ripper. One of her most memorable transformations was the complete prosthetic makeover – wrinkled face, bulbous nose, pointy ears and flowing hair and whiskers – she gave Billy Barty for his cowardly dwarf character, Screwball, in the fantasy film Legend (1985).
Later,...
The television and film make-up artist Jane Royle, who has died aged 78, was admired by fellow professionals for her all-round ability to bring a look to the screen that was as important as that contributed by the director of photography or production designer. She could go from ensuring Izabella Scorupco looked stunningly beautiful as a Bond girl in GoldenEye (1995) to making actors appear hideous, old, scarred, bruised, bearded or bald. Royle particularly enjoyed applying prosthetics – to which she referred as "the stickies".
For the 1979 Sherlock Holmes film Murder By Decree, she simulated the wrenched-out innards of prostitutes killed by Jack the Ripper. One of her most memorable transformations was the complete prosthetic makeover – wrinkled face, bulbous nose, pointy ears and flowing hair and whiskers – she gave Billy Barty for his cowardly dwarf character, Screwball, in the fantasy film Legend (1985).
Later,...
- 3/8/2011
- by Anthony Hayward
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: It's not easy maintaining a career after you've been a Bond girl: just ask Maud Adams, Izabella Scorupco or Denise Richards. If you can find them, that is. Even the likes of Halle Berry and Eva Green haven't found their career paths the easiest since they teamed up with 007. One actress who's firmly bucked the trend is Rosamund Pike, who, following her role as ice maiden Miranda Frost in "Die Another Day," went on to a key role in Joe Wright's "Pride & Prejudice." It's only in the last few years that she's really come into her own,…...
- 1/7/2011
- The Playlist
Our most recent Top Five List here at The Big Picture was a countdown of the best Bond Girl names. That made sense with Quantum of Solace in theaters. There's an art to making a good name, because most of them are tongue-in-cheek sex jokes that also have to avail themselves to witty repartee courtesy of 007.
Christmas Jones is not a good name, in part because it's not sexual until Bond makes a terrible joke at the end The World is Not Enough. It doesn't help that Denise Richards is playing a character with an advanced degree.
And there is plenty of debate about Bond Girls, as there is about so many things in Ian Fleming's spy world: What's the best theme song, who's the best Bond, who's the best villain, and so on. Moviefone conducted a poll to determine who was the sexiest Bond Girl, and I think...
Christmas Jones is not a good name, in part because it's not sexual until Bond makes a terrible joke at the end The World is Not Enough. It doesn't help that Denise Richards is playing a character with an advanced degree.
And there is plenty of debate about Bond Girls, as there is about so many things in Ian Fleming's spy world: What's the best theme song, who's the best Bond, who's the best villain, and so on. Moviefone conducted a poll to determine who was the sexiest Bond Girl, and I think...
- 11/16/2008
- by Colin Boyd
- GetTheBigPicture.net
Original Bond girl Ursula Andress has beat out competition from Halle Berry and Kim Basinger to be named 007s sexiest siren, according to a new online poll.
The Swiss actress entranced audiences as Honey Ryder in James Bond's 1962 debut, Dr. No, opposite Sean Connery.
She also played Vesper Lynd in 1967 Bond spoof Casino Royale, a role later taken on by Eva Green in the 2006 spy movie.
The superspy franchise, which boasts 22 completed films, has seen close to 100 fiesty females take on the coveted part.
Sexy star Halle Berry tailed the actress in the second spot, after she played Jinx in 2002's Die Another Day opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Basinger got the third spot for her role as Domino Petachi in 1983's Never Say Never Again, in the Moviefone.com survey.
The complete Top Ten is as follows:
1: Ursula Andress
2: Halle Berry
3: Kim Basinger
4: Barbara Bach
5: Denise Richards
6: Eva Green
7: Isabella Scorupco
8: Jane Seymour
9: Britt Ekland
10: Jill St. John
11: Famke Janssen
12: Carole Bouquet
13: Maud Adams
14: Barbara Carrera
15: Honor Blackman
16: Michelle Yeoh...
The Swiss actress entranced audiences as Honey Ryder in James Bond's 1962 debut, Dr. No, opposite Sean Connery.
She also played Vesper Lynd in 1967 Bond spoof Casino Royale, a role later taken on by Eva Green in the 2006 spy movie.
The superspy franchise, which boasts 22 completed films, has seen close to 100 fiesty females take on the coveted part.
Sexy star Halle Berry tailed the actress in the second spot, after she played Jinx in 2002's Die Another Day opposite Pierce Brosnan.
Basinger got the third spot for her role as Domino Petachi in 1983's Never Say Never Again, in the Moviefone.com survey.
The complete Top Ten is as follows:
1: Ursula Andress
2: Halle Berry
3: Kim Basinger
4: Barbara Bach
5: Denise Richards
6: Eva Green
7: Isabella Scorupco
8: Jane Seymour
9: Britt Ekland
10: Jill St. John
11: Famke Janssen
12: Carole Bouquet
13: Maud Adams
14: Barbara Carrera
15: Honor Blackman
16: Michelle Yeoh...
- 11/15/2008
- WENN
The Exorcist movie series is not so much a franchise as a perpetual going-out-of-business sale. There are now four official Exorcist films and many more imitations. The Exorcist (1973), written by William Peter Blatty and directed by William Friedkin, was truly one of the scariest movies ever made, for it portrayed a confrontation by humans with true evil rather than the monsters, mummies, ghosts and living dead that populate most horror films. Since then, however, audiences have been treated to the usual off-the-rack horror nonsense with the Exorcist label misleadingly attached to the titles. Exorcist: The Beginning continues the practice of false advertising.
Yes, the Exorcist imprint will draw enough young males for a solid opening week. Once word gets out that this movie makes Alien vs. Predator look like a classic, boxoffice could drop 50% or more.
The scariest thing about this film is how desperate the makers are to earn a scream. Clearly lacking confidence in a prosaic premise, director Renny Harlin and writers Alexi Hawley, William Wisher Jr. and Caleb Carr try out just about every gag they can think of: From a meaningless opening sequence featuring severed limbs and upside-down crucifixes on a battlefield, the movie indulges in facial boils, blood-sucking leeches, maggots on a stillborn baby, squirting blood, buzzing flies, two suicides, a bird plucking out a human eye and mad hyenas tearing apart of small boy. And when all else fails, they throw in a shower scene and sandstorm.
This was the film that found Morgan Creek making two versions. Paul Schrader shot and finished an edit of his The Beginning in May 2003. When Morgan Creek topper James Robinson rejected this film, Schrader departed and Harlin was brought aboard. Reportedly, little if anything from Schrader's version appears in Harlin's film.
Like the lamentable John Boorman film Exorcist II: The Heretic, this film too rolls back the clock to investigate the first confrontation between Father Merrin, the aging exorcist in the original film, and the devil in British colonial Africa, an incident alluded to in Friedkin's film and Blatty's best-selling novel. Stellan Skarsgard, who, remarkably, stars in both Schrader and Harlin's movies, plays Merrin as a disillusioned ex-priest, drifting through Cairo in 1949 in an alcoholic haze. A mysterious antiquities collector (Ben Cross) approaches him about joining an archaeological dig in a remote region in Kenya, where British authorities have discovered a buried Christian Byzantine church in a place where no church from that era should exist.
Merrin arrives at the site to learn people are disappearing, wild hyenas circle the compound and villagers believe an evil force lurks within the church. He is accompanied by a young and eager priest (James D'Arcy) whose belief in God is so mighty you know he is doomed. Merrin finds more in common with Dr. Sarah Novack (Izabella Scorupco), one of those selfless souls who can do good deeds without ever mussing her makeup or perfectly coifed hair.
Father Merrin -- oops, make that Mr. Merrin -- and Dr. Sarah Share a Holocaust background. She is a concentration camp survivor, while he left the church after witnessing Nazi atrocities in his native Holland.
The remainder of the movie is taken up with bad nightmares, living nightmares of strange doings in the devil's playground and hideous deaths experienced by several characters. The soundtrack is more alarming than the hyenas as every sound is amplified and ominous choral music pounds away. From time to time, Merrin feels the urge to search -- alone -- inside the church or go digging in the nearby graveyard. He always does so in the dead of night. Guess he doesn't want to wake anybody up.
Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro makes the whole look much better than it deserves, while designer Stefano Maria Ortolani does an amazing job of creating an African desert, old Cairo and wintry Holland on the backlots of Rome's famed Cinecitta Studios.
This is the kind of film that mysteriously vanishes from most participants' resumes. In this instance, they can always fall back on Flip Wilson's old line and claim that "the devil made me do it."
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
Warner Bros. Pictures
Morgan Creek
Credits:
Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: Alexi Hawley
Story by: William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr
Producer: James G. Robinson
Executive producers: Guy McElwaine, David C. Robinson
Director of photography: Vittorio Storaro
Production designer: Stefano Maria Ortolani
Music: Trevor Rabin
Costume designer: Luke Reichle
Editors: Mark Goldblatt, Todd E. Miller
Cast:
Father Merrin: Stellan Skarsgard
Father Francis: James D'Arcy
Dr. Sarah Novack: Izabella Scorupco
Joseph: Remy Sweeney
Major Granville: Julian Wadham
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 112 minutes...
Yes, the Exorcist imprint will draw enough young males for a solid opening week. Once word gets out that this movie makes Alien vs. Predator look like a classic, boxoffice could drop 50% or more.
The scariest thing about this film is how desperate the makers are to earn a scream. Clearly lacking confidence in a prosaic premise, director Renny Harlin and writers Alexi Hawley, William Wisher Jr. and Caleb Carr try out just about every gag they can think of: From a meaningless opening sequence featuring severed limbs and upside-down crucifixes on a battlefield, the movie indulges in facial boils, blood-sucking leeches, maggots on a stillborn baby, squirting blood, buzzing flies, two suicides, a bird plucking out a human eye and mad hyenas tearing apart of small boy. And when all else fails, they throw in a shower scene and sandstorm.
This was the film that found Morgan Creek making two versions. Paul Schrader shot and finished an edit of his The Beginning in May 2003. When Morgan Creek topper James Robinson rejected this film, Schrader departed and Harlin was brought aboard. Reportedly, little if anything from Schrader's version appears in Harlin's film.
Like the lamentable John Boorman film Exorcist II: The Heretic, this film too rolls back the clock to investigate the first confrontation between Father Merrin, the aging exorcist in the original film, and the devil in British colonial Africa, an incident alluded to in Friedkin's film and Blatty's best-selling novel. Stellan Skarsgard, who, remarkably, stars in both Schrader and Harlin's movies, plays Merrin as a disillusioned ex-priest, drifting through Cairo in 1949 in an alcoholic haze. A mysterious antiquities collector (Ben Cross) approaches him about joining an archaeological dig in a remote region in Kenya, where British authorities have discovered a buried Christian Byzantine church in a place where no church from that era should exist.
Merrin arrives at the site to learn people are disappearing, wild hyenas circle the compound and villagers believe an evil force lurks within the church. He is accompanied by a young and eager priest (James D'Arcy) whose belief in God is so mighty you know he is doomed. Merrin finds more in common with Dr. Sarah Novack (Izabella Scorupco), one of those selfless souls who can do good deeds without ever mussing her makeup or perfectly coifed hair.
Father Merrin -- oops, make that Mr. Merrin -- and Dr. Sarah Share a Holocaust background. She is a concentration camp survivor, while he left the church after witnessing Nazi atrocities in his native Holland.
The remainder of the movie is taken up with bad nightmares, living nightmares of strange doings in the devil's playground and hideous deaths experienced by several characters. The soundtrack is more alarming than the hyenas as every sound is amplified and ominous choral music pounds away. From time to time, Merrin feels the urge to search -- alone -- inside the church or go digging in the nearby graveyard. He always does so in the dead of night. Guess he doesn't want to wake anybody up.
Cinematographer Vittorio Storaro makes the whole look much better than it deserves, while designer Stefano Maria Ortolani does an amazing job of creating an African desert, old Cairo and wintry Holland on the backlots of Rome's famed Cinecitta Studios.
This is the kind of film that mysteriously vanishes from most participants' resumes. In this instance, they can always fall back on Flip Wilson's old line and claim that "the devil made me do it."
EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING
Warner Bros. Pictures
Morgan Creek
Credits:
Director: Renny Harlin
Screenwriter: Alexi Hawley
Story by: William Wisher Jr., Caleb Carr
Producer: James G. Robinson
Executive producers: Guy McElwaine, David C. Robinson
Director of photography: Vittorio Storaro
Production designer: Stefano Maria Ortolani
Music: Trevor Rabin
Costume designer: Luke Reichle
Editors: Mark Goldblatt, Todd E. Miller
Cast:
Father Merrin: Stellan Skarsgard
Father Francis: James D'Arcy
Dr. Sarah Novack: Izabella Scorupco
Joseph: Remy Sweeney
Major Granville: Julian Wadham
MPAA rating: R
Running time -- 112 minutes...
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