Skyfall reunites Bond with Q Branch

Well production is well under way for the 23^rd James Bond adventure and a further casting addition has been made from director Sam Mendes. In a surprising turn of events, Brit actor Ben Whishaw has been cast as Q. He was rumoured for a role a few months back but his agent has now confirmed his role as Bond’s gadget manufacturer.

He is an actor who I have not come across previously but he has a respectable CV which predominately is based around character and period pieces more than anything else. He is due to play Richard II in a new BBC Shakespeare adaptation which is part of next year's cultural programming to coincide with the Olympics

This is quite a risky move from Mendes and long standing producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli as Whishaw is 12 years younger than Daniel Craig. Not only that, he will be attempting to fill the quite large shoes of the former Q actor Desmond Llewelyn who sadly passed away back in 1999. John Cleese had a brief stint in the role for The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day, but to me that was a gimmick that wore off very quickly. My initial reaction was filled with scepticism as a die hard Bond nut, as I would have wanted an actor with slightly more experience. However Whishaw does appear to be carving out a respectable career for himself, appearing in films such as I’m Not There and Bright Star.

I do however admire the American Beauty director for the freshness that he will be bringing to Skyfall. I expect the Perfume actor to bring a certain youthness and vibrancy to the role of equipping Bond with the usual array of inventive gadgets that Bond will utilise. I had previous strong feelings of wanting to bring back certain traditional ingredients that made the James Bond film what they were. That included bringing back Q branch which I am delighted about. I believe Sam Mendes will do Bond fans proud and celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of 007 in some style by unveiling a strong follow up to the rather disappointing Quantum of Solace that was released back in 2008.

Mendes has now equipped himself with an impressive British cast that includes Naomie Harris and Albert Finney. Skyfall will see Daniel Craig pit himself against Javier Bardem’s yet undisclosed villain. The full plot is still not been confirmed but I expect more juicy details to be filtered through in the weeks to come. During the unveiling of the cast in the press conference back at the beginning of November, the initial storyline was described as focusing on an attack on M and MI6 and Bond’s pursuit against the threat. Ralph Fiennes is the other actor I am hotly waiting on for a confirmation of who he will actually play. Here’s hoping for a secondary baddie to Javier Bardem’s central role.

So expect a lot of ingenuity and class to the role of Q. Also keep an eye out for a bit of bant between Bond and Q as previously witnessed between the two characters. Just don’t look out for the invisible Aston Martin obviously!

Eddie Murphy Out, Billy Crystal In for Oscars 2012

This week has certainly proven to me that the lovely people at Oscarland certainly do not dwell on such unforeseen misfortunes. After the swift departures of co-producer Brett Ratner (in the wake of his offensive homosexual remarks) and host Eddie Murphy, like a well-oiled machine with a few kinks, production is back on with veteran filmmaker Brian Grazer stepping into Ratner’s shoes. Furthermore in a not so surprising move, Oscar veteran and all-round funny man Billy Crystal will now play host at the Kodak Theatre come February 2012.

This will be the ninth occasion that the comedian will be on hosting duties and I think the Academy have done a noble job and played it safe. Not only is Crystal a proven entertainer, but on the back of this year’s abysmal hosts in Anne Hathaway and James Franco, expectations will no doubt be sky high for a night of laughs, the usual gags at how many Oscar nominations Meryl Streep has to her name and the countless shots of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein rubbing his hands together vigorously. It was Billy Crystal’s cameo appearance at this year’s Academy Awards that was the highlight of the show. With the greatest respect to him, that wasn’t a hard challenge given James Franco’s god awful interest and manner in which he displayed himself in front of the world that night. If you compare the two, Franco wouldn’t even be in a position to tie Crystal’s own shoelaces!

On the morning of the comedian’s announcement via his Twitter account, I had a right chuckle to myself in the manner in which he revealed the news, “Am doing the Oscars so the young woman in the pharmacy will stop asking my name when I pick up my prescriptions. Looking forward to the show.” Who says he's not hip to what the kids like today, with their iFads and their digital down-lows?”

In what could well be a disappointing turn of events, earlier on in the week there was a vicious rumour that the Muppets could well step on the Oscar stage for the role of hosts. However I think the Academy President Tom Sherak has made the right move and I’m sure will pay off massively. He declared this week, “I’m thrilled to welcome Billy back to the Oscar stage. He’s a comic legend and Oscar icon, and it feels good to have him back where he belongs.”

I must admit I was all for Eddie Murphy donning the tux and doing his thing on the Oscar stage. Needless to say, after comical yet often dubious turns in the likes of The Nutty Professor and Norbit, he would have been a rival for Anne Hathaway in the costume department for sure. It is a shame he followed his co-producer and friend Brett Ratner straight out the exit door on the back of Ratner’s rash and let’s face it stupid comments on the rehearsal procedures, “Rehearsal? What’s that? Rehearsal’s for fags. Rehearsal. Not much.” This caused outrage amongst Hollywood and despite a heartfelt apology from the Rush Hour director, it’s those types of comments in today’s society which cannot be forgiven and which ultimately forced him to depart. Shame, I was eager to see if you could redeem himself after X-Men: The Last Stand…!

Anyway like I said previously after Billy Crystal’s flawless four-minute cameo in this year’s Oscars, the money is on him to put in another top class performance for the whole five and a half odd hours at next year’s 85^th Annual Academy Awards. If you want a smooth and consistent production, Mike Wazowski is your man!

Quentin Tarantino crafting his long-awaited love letter to Spaghetti Westerns in Django Unchained

If filmmaking was a sport, it would mould itself into the intense, enduring and fitness demanding world of athletics. In the unconventional yet creative mind of Quentin Tarantino, marathon running is his specialist form of the sport. On face value that is not the case (well we’re not getting any younger are we?) but take his new and 8^th feature film as Director (if you include Kill Bill as two “volumes”), Django Unchained, as full-blown proof, that the acclaimed filmmaker is a committed individual who is hell bent on bringing his beloved Spaghetti Western epic to the big screen.

For years now, the Pulp Fiction director has been speaking out about his baby, and one day bringing it to audiences. His background certainly backs up his passion for the genre – such as the use of background music in 2009’s Inglourious Basterds and was even quoted as saying, “Going into a videostore and going through the videos, looking at every title they have, trying to find some old spaghetti western, that's gone.”

His desire for Django to be a fully-fledged feature film appears to be in full swing with pre-production already in place and an outstanding, eclectic bunch of actors to fill the boots. Although it hasn’t been an easy ride-along so far with casting rumours, replacements and even injuries to one of the stars, Christoph Waltz dislocating a bone in his pelvis after falling off a horse during training. Not to forget that awkward moment when the world of World Wide Web bloggers stumbled across in amazement at the actual, genuine script with many bloggers reprinting the front page for everyone’s viewing pleasure. Some argued an individual within the Weinstein Company may have nipped off to the copy machine to earn an extra few shillings.

Anyway back to the legitimate and legal end of business, joining Waltz for what is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated films of 2012 is Leonardo DiCaprio (more on that shortly), QT regular Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Foxx as the slave-turned bounty-hunter and Kurt Russell – a recent addition replacing Kevin Costner who had to bow out due to scheduling issues. The plot focuses of Foxx’s Django, a slave turned hunter, who is aided by his mentor Dr King Schultz, to rescue his wife from the evil Mississippi plantation owner, Calvin Candie played by Leo DiCaprio – only Tarantino could pluck these unusual names from his mind. Jackson, who will mark his fifth collaboration with Tarantino plays head slave, Stephen to DiCaprio’s foe and Kurt Russell, who reunites also with his Death Proof filmmaker playing Ace Woody, a sadistic plantation manager who thrives on punishing slaves.

Something tells me Tarantino is moving to the dark side this time around and with the inclusion of one of the most consistent actors working today in Leonardo DiCaprio as the head villain, Django Unchained is something very much to be desired for. Of course I do expect and many other Tarantino fans to anticipate the usual explosion of ultra-violence and bizarre black humour. It is believed that the Oscar nominated director wanted the Shutter Island actor for the role Christoph Waltz embedded quite brilliantly in his WWII epic Inglorious Basterds. But focusing on the here and now, the image of two of my favourites combining their talents has me sold every day of the week. DiCaprio is racking up quite a hefty list of directors he has worked with, from James Cameron, the mighty Christopher Nolan, to his regular collaborator and mentor Martin Scorsese and of course Mr Clint Eastwood in the upcoming biopic J.Edgar. To add QT to the already sterling CV is partly the reason for his pure versatility in the roles he absorbs today. The little golden man is crying out to the actor and will no doubt be meeting up very soon.

Dare I say it; this could level up with The Dark Knight Rises in terms of eagerness for 2012. Filming is due to begin in November for a release at the end of the year. Surely another gold medal for Quentin to add to his already impressive and shiny collection – wouldn’t you say?!

Written by Michael Cunneen

In Nolan We Trust. The Batwing and Catwoman unleashed on the LA set of The Dark Knight Rises

Chris Nolan does like to spoil his fans rotten. His family album of treasured memories from the set of next year’s The Dark Knight Rises is bulging by the day, like Scarlett Johansson’s infamous self-Kodak shots. The pace of the shoot certainly looks to be escalating with filming in locations from Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, India, London and even Nottingham – doubling for Wayne Manor. The budget is at an estimated $250million, a slight increase of an around $60million to the 2008 Bat sequel, The Dark Knight. Looks as if Nolan is certainly aiming for some aggressive expansion this time around for his third and final Caped Crusader epic.

The Inception maestro and his army of crew have been tugging and pulling the strings of late and have released a number of shots on the LA set of TDKR. The Bat’s ride of choice looks to have had an upgrade since his last outing against the villainous Joker. The Batwing has been introduced to fans delight. It appears Batman is taking no chances this time around with his new mode of transport to come face to face with Tom Hardy’s muscular menace, Bane. I can already picture cinema screens erupting with an unlimited amount of excitement when we first get our proper glimpse of the Bat in his new toy.

Also along for the ride, Anne Hathaway’s Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (is she up against or with Batman – either way, In Nolan We Trust!) gets to grips with the Batpod in fresh images. In terms of the look of Catwoman, it was fair to say there were grumblings with her appearance. But, without the whip, the whiskers and the overall camp look, Nolan appears to have nailed the look, and Hathaway, surprisingly fits the tall, sexy, slender look of the role previously played by Michelle Pfeiffer in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. I did initially could not help be sceptical initially when the whole Catwoman card was to be introduced, and thought this could potentially put a stinker on Chris Nolan’s final Batman piece but with these new set shots gracing our screens, I dare you, grumble now! Not only that further shots of the Batman himself, Christian Bale in full Bat suit with Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon in full moustache not being shy and getting in the thick of it have been revealed.

Even more revealing shots from the set were unveiled courtesy of Total Film earlier in the week and could it be the plan for the demise of Gotham? Could Bane be attempting to finish the job that Liam Neeson’s Ra’s Al Ghul ultimately failed to see through? The device appears to have a similar look to the microwave emitter used in Batman Begins. Either that or Hotpoint are going expansive with their latest model of washing machines. With Nolan and crew on hand observing and analysing the ambiguous piece of kit, the release date is still unfortunately more than a stone’s throw away. There has been a constant debate as to whether these shots that have been all over the net, are considered as spoilers but how else are Nolan and his team going to be going forward and market the damn film. Viral Marketing has been a common theme in the Brit director’s back catalogue of films and it has worked quite beautifully and The Dark Knight Rises comes across as no different in that respect.

The Dark Knight Rises, as every person on the planet knows or should know is released on the 20^th July 2012 and boasts an ensemble cast of pure quality that includes Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marian Cotillard.

Oh and below are a flutter of more exclusive shots as part of Chris Nolan's treasured memories collections which will no doubt be considered nostalgic material in years to come *sob sob*

Written By Michael Cunneen

The Expendables sequel bring in more muscle

If, like me, you were a fan of the testosterone-fuelled, muscle bound actioner that was The Expendables, you might have had one reservation (or two having said that) which would have been the all too briefest of appearances from one Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Fans were crying out, not only for a second outing for Stallone and Co. but larger roles for the Austrian Oak and the man who will always be known as John McClane. It appears the fans wishes have been rewarded with the news that both the iconic 80’s action heroes will have “substantial” roles in the upcoming sequel, originally titled The Expendables 2.

How “substantial” remains to be seen so long as they both get more than a few lines between them. Even the chance to see them both flex their actions pecks and bring along some good old-fashioned nostalgia would be a right treat but so far, it all seems to be on a “down low” basis, for now anyway. To see Arnie, Bruce and Sly sharing the same screen in the 2010 smash-hit that grossed over $275 million worldwide, was a treat to say the least, and certainly proves they are still a match for these young gun macho men you see these days a la Jason Bourne.

This time around, Stallone has stepped down from directing duties (he is getting on these days, cut the guy some slack) and is being replaced by a worthy filmmaker who has experience in this sort of gung-ho smash-n-grab action madness, Simon West. His credentials make John Woo look like a PG-friendly director – Con Air, The General’s Daughter, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The Mechanic have all been headed by the Brit director and is a solid choice to lock n’ load with the likes of Statham, Li, Rourke, Lundgren and Couture. There is still no green light as to whether the rumours are true of a certain Jean-Claude Van Damme adding to the muscles (and the age) of this already action mash-up sequel. He’s probably still too busy and cold up in those mountains as the new and fresh (!) face of Coors Light Beer. The same can be said also for Chuck “Straight to VHS” Norris who is rumoured to appear in the sequel. The most ridiculous line-up could get that little more ridiculous if the man, the legend were to star alongside some of the action greats in this already beefed-up sequel. Oh and almost forgot to mention, John Travolta is rumoured for an un-confirmed role … Hell might as well recruit another one to increase the average age of these guys.

Filming is due to explode on set next month with no official word of a plot but anticipate Sly and his gang of mercenaries to be tackling villainous foes once more, supposedly this time in the Far East, but yet another rumour yet to be cleared up but expect further ticks to the cast, location and plot boxes soon enough.

But absolutely brilliant news to have on board once more, Rocky, The Terminator and McClane sharing the same screen, any action movie junkie’s wet dream!

Written by Michael Cunneen

Leonardo DiCaprio moulds into J Edgar Hoover in Clint Eastwood biopic

A Sunday afternoon is generally regarded as a day of rest – A visit to the local church, a few ales in the local public house or even just lounging around the house after a long week at the grinder. So it was a welcome change of pace to come across the first official shots of Leonardo DiCaprio as J Edgar Hoover in the upcoming Oscar magnet, J. Edgar. A few pap shots have been filtering through the web over the last few weeks but courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, we get our first glimpse at the first G-Man and the founding figure of the FBI. My initial reaction was that DiCaprio appears to have nailed the bulldog-esque look of Hoover and aided by prosthetics, transformed himself into the prominent figure of the Bureau’s early days.

Directed by Clint Eastwood and written by Dustin Lance Black, who previously penned the 2008 Oscar Winner, Milk, this has all the appropriate boxes ticked for Oscar glory – True story {check}, Political figure winding into self-destruction {check}, potential homosexual angle {check}, an ensemble cast and iconic filmmaker at the helm {check, check}. Eyes will also be focused on the leading man in Leo DiCaprio as the lawman and there will be high hopes that after three previous Oscar nominations, the question begs; Is this Leo’s time for Oscar victory? The Inception star is, in my eyes, one of the most consistent actors working today and I have him down as potential Oscar winner come February 2012. After thus far, a staggering career of playing everyone from a cowboy gunslinger to a Boston cop, his moment isn’t far off. His previous track record does include him playing real-life figures such as Frank Abagnale Jr (Catch Me If You Can) and of course, arguably his best performance in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, playing the complex yet staggering Howard Hughes.

Eastwood, who does enjoy dabbling into the real world of moviemaking with his previous crowd-pleasing yet stuffy biopic, Invictus will bring to light the turbulent career of the troubled director of the FBI. The film will track from his early years when he was appointed the head of the Bureau in 1924, building the very first unified police force before slowly surrendering to psychological issues later in his life and rumoured as a cross dressing homosexual who developed a personal relationship with his associate director, Clyde Tolson (played by The Social Network's Armie Hammer).

I get the feeling that the Million Dollar Baby director will cram a large proportion of Hoover’s main events across his almost fifty year career of being the face of America’s law enforcement. But went from hero to villain in the eyes of many American’s who perceived him as a tyrant and that all is power in the end got to his head. It appears to have all the ingredients for something special and with an impressive supporting cast that includes Naomi Watts, Josh Lucas and Judi Dench, this has an Oscar stamp firmly across it.

One slight criticism though. Clint Eastwood has a brisk pace on set usually but it seems with J. Edgar he is taking time on this one. The images that were released today have been the sole feature to come from his biopic. No teaser trailers have yet to surface leaving people slightly in the dark. Clearly Warner Bros. have their own intentions and putting all their Oscar hopes behind J. Edgar to become one of the prominent films to feature in the 2012 Academy Awards. After the veteran filmmaker’s last poor turn Hereafter, he is in no rush to promote his next feature film in a hurry.

For all you lucky American’s, J. Edgar will open on US screens on 9^th November 2011. Us slightly more unlucky folk in the UK have yet to see a release date confirmed with it rumoured to be released early 2012.

Written by Michael Cunneen

British pedigree of A-listers line up for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

In a Summer rammed with superheroes, pirates, robots, aliens and a few pissheads with the mother of all hangovers, attention will soon turn to the films that will likely feature in the next awards season. It only feels like yesterday when Colin Firth and Co were triumphantly waving the British flag sky high and overpowering the yanks at the Oscars. Not attempting to be too clichéd but I will anyway, it seems that history may very well repeat itself and alarm bells could very well be ring-a-ding-dinging upon the Hollywood hills when September 16^th knocks on the door with the release of the John le Carré espionage adaptation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

To be totally honest, I am actually struggling on where to begin on this one as it has the potential to be one of the big winners of 2011 with critics and fans alike. The cast is simply overwhelming, brimming with talent, versatility and experience. Leading the all-star British cast is Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Graham, Ciarán Hinds and Toby Jones.  Try listing off all that talent in one breath.  Could this be the greatest cast ever assembled? Only time will tell. But I am certainly putting this at the forefront as a genuine contender for big awards next year. Set during the Cold War, retired MI6 agent George Smiley (Oldman) is pulled out of retirement to investigate a Russian mole that has infiltrated the M16 hierarchy and positioned himself at the “Top of the Circus.” His mission is to discover which of his former colleagues has chosen to betray him and more so his beloved country.

The first trailer was released at the end of June and a brand new, longer trailer hit the web this week stoking me up ten-fold. Let The Right One In director Tomas Alfredson is taking charge of this spy espionage and from the looks of the footage, he has certainly gone down the cloak and dagger route and not giving anything away with a solid sense of tension brewing amongst the ranks of the highly trained MI6. The trailer does give off a menacing yet poetic tone that makes it undeniably one of the hottest tickets for the Autumn months ahead.

The cast is just overpowering to glance at with some of my all-time favourite actors including of course Gary Oldman (which by the looks of his role as the centrepiece, is poised to be a big contender at next year’s Academy Awards. Let’s face it, it’s about time his title gets an upgrade from Bafta Award Winner to Academy Award Winner Gary Oldman). It seems Tom Hardy is a popular chap at the minute and so he bloody should be with some outstanding performances in his breakthrough film, Bronson which then led on to Chris Nolan’s, Inception and of course the small, insignificant matter of the lead villain role as pumped up brute Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The other big names that deserve mentioning are of course King Colin Firth and my mate John Hurt. The other cast members are in their own right class acts and key ingredients to what could potentially be one of the biggies.

Get your flag waving hand at the ready with your side of tea and scones set for 16th September when Tinker Tailor Solider Spy releases on UK cinemas.

Written by Michael Cunneen