Tag: Emma Thompson

4 New Stills From Disney/Pixar’s BRAVE

We are pleased to share the 4 newly released pieces of concept art from DISNEY·PIXAR’S BRAVE.

With a courageous and impetuous heroine leading the way, Disney·Pixar sets out on yet another extraordinary journey—this time across the rugged and mysterious Highlands of Scotland in BRAVE. The big-screen adventure–the 13th feature-length animated film from Pixar Animation Studios—is directed by Mark Andrews (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille,” “John Carter of Mars”) and Brenda Chapman (“The Lion King,” “Prince of Egypt”), and produced by Katherine Sarafian (“Lifted,” “The Incredibles”). “Brave” opens in U.S. theaters on June 22, 2012.

“BRAVE is an epic adventure chock-full of action, humor and heart,” says director Mark Andrews. “There’s no more perfect setting for this powerful tale than the dark and rugged Scottish Highlands. Imagine: magic, mystery and danger—all set within a haunting and beautiful landscape. It’s like nothing you’ve seen before from Pixar.”

The film features Kelly Macdonald as the voice of Merida, a skilled archer and the daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric old Wise Woman (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to discover the meaning of true bravery in order to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late.

“Brave” will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters on June 22, 2012. “Like” the film on Facebook HERE.

Review: NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

Here’s a movie intended for the youngest of audiences that’s full of many pleasant surprises. NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS is a sequel to 2005’s NANNY NCPHEE. I didn’t see the original, so I came in with a fresh set of eyes having only seen the trailers. These trailers seemed to just focus on various characters falling in the mud and poo(warning parents: you get to hear that word about 25 times in the first half hour) and shots of the adorable farm animals. Happily the film itself has much more to offer than slapstick.

The film opens in the English countryside during World War II ( although WWII is never spoken during the film, it’s just referred to as the war). Mrs. Green (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal as a woman in dire need of rest) is running a small farm with the help of her two sons and daughter and managing a general store with help(sometimes) from the dotty, daffy Mrs. Docherty (Maggie Smith) while Green’s  husband is serving in the war. On this morning the very frazzled Mrs. Green is expecting a visit from her sister’s son and daughter, who will spend the rest of the war at the Green farm. The city kids are rich, spoiled brats who immediately turn up their noses at living on the farm and battle the Green children. In reference to WWII rationing, the kids had been saving sugar stamps for a small jar of homemade jam for their father which the snobby cousin Cyril smashes on the floor. Mrs. Green is at her wits end when the general store’s shelves (which Mrs. Docherty had filled with syrup) open and close while repeating, ”Nanny McPhee is who you need”. Of course the magical caregiver appears. An imposing woman dressed in black, her face a collection of hairy warts and moles(complete with a large pug nose, unibrow, and single snaggle tooth), and armed with a large, curved wooden cane. This is not Mary Poppins!  Returning to the Green farm, she immediately uses her magic to get the children in line. Through the film she teaches the children how to get along and helps Mrs. Green fend off her brother-in-law Phil(Rhys Ifans) who wants her to sign away the farm to settle his gambling debts(he’s trying to keep ahead of the casino’s debt collectors: two very funny blonde sisters).

As I mentioned earlier there’s a good amount of slapstick scenes involving Phil and the children. Also Nanny uses her magic to utilize the farm animals to teach the kids. There’s some well done CGI effects on display especially with a baby elephant and six little piglets with a penchant for Esther Williams water ballets. The photography of the English landscape is gorgeous and the art direction and costuming are superb. A visit to wartime London (complete with dirigibles floating overhead) is impressive. Gyllenaal does a respectable British accent and the kids are cute without be cloying.  What surprised me the most were several scenes dealing with how a family copes while the father is at war and a heartbreaking sequence that deals with the effect of divorce on children. This may open up a few discussions on the way home. The film moves at a brisk pace and should hold the attention of  most pre-schoolers. More importantly any adults who escort them should find it a pleasant way to spent a trip to the movies It’s may not be Pixar-quality, but at least it’s not full of pop culture references, crotch hits, and bubble gum tunes. As I said earlier: a pleasant surprise.

Overall rating: 4 STARS OUT OF 5

Keira Knightley is MY FAIR LADY

hepburn_knightley

A while back, we posted a Fantasy Cast discussion piece regarding who should be cast in the role of Eliza Doolittle in the remake of MY FAIR LADY. Yeah, this was was more or less for the ladies, but news just hit that the decision has been made and the role goes to Keira Knightley, who apparently won out over her main competition being Scarlett Johansson. Scar-Jo is great, but with all due respect, would not have been right for the role. While I’m not the biggest fan on Knightley, she certainly does have the look and sensibility, but she’ll have a hard time coming anywhere near to being as right for the role as Audrey Hepburn was… a nearly impossible feat to achieve.

Knightley apparently had to fight for the role, but ultimately fit the bill. She’d already begun taking singing lessons last year around the time she auditioned. The script is being written by Emma Thompson and word is that Daniel Craig is being considered as a possible candidate for playing Professor Henry Higgins… yeah, that was my reaction as well. Nothing against Craig. He’s great in what he does, but not what I pictured for this role.

Source: Telegraph.Co.Uk

Review: ‘Last Chance Harvey’

Tom:

Finally, a movie I can recommend to my parents! LAST CHANCE HARVEY turns out not to be the sappy, cloying   romantic comedy I feared after seeing the trailer. It’s actually a mature, wise and simple tale of two lonely adults connecting and finding the opportunity for an unlikely romance.

Hoffman plays Harvey Shine, a sad-sack 60-something composer of music for TV commercials. LAST CHANCE HARVEY takes place over the course of one weekend as Harvey flies to London to attend his daughter Susan’s (Liane Balaban) wedding. Emma Thompson is single, fortyish Kate Walker whose job involves polling rude passengers at Heathrow Airport. Kate lives with her dotty mother (Eileen Atkins) and seems to have accepted her lonely fate. The first half of the film cross cuts between the two characters whose paths almost cross early on. Nothing goes right for Harvey as he clumsily interacts with the other wedding guests. Susan decides to ask her stepfather Brian (James Brolin) to give her away which causes the humiliated Harvey to sulk off before the reception and head out to an airport tavern to drink heavily. Kate is there reading and the two hit it off. Harvey takes Kate back to the reception where he is inspired by her to grow a spine and confront his family.

The best parts of the film, to me were the dynamics of the wedding itself. Like RACHEL GETTING MARRIED, the heart of the film is Harvey’s awkward arrival at an event where he knows he’s going to either make others uncomfortable or be invisible. Kathy Baker shines as Harvey’s ex-wife and some of the interaction between the former couple and their old friends is painful and real. The father-of-the-bride speech that Harvey finally gives is very moving and heartfelt.

LAST CHANCE HARVEY has some problems. Susan’s snub in asking Brian to walk her down the aisle is such a cruel insult and it doesn’t really ring true.   If the father-daughter relationship was that estranged, why did she bother to invite him in the first place (it seems that the seemingly decent Brian would step in and decline her heartless request)? But it’s a plot device that generates a whole lot of sympathy for Harvey and leads to him finally connecting with Kate. Then there’s that montage, set to music, (it’s in the trailer) of Kate trying on dresses to wear to the wedding where the film veers dangerously close to the preciousness it had so wisely avoided. Emma Thompson’s Kate is an underwritten role compared to the more fleshed-out Harvey. She seems to exist to prop up Harvey, which she does in record time. Also, the movie is promoted as a comedy, but aside from a running gag about Kate’s mother’s paranoia over her neighbor who she thinks is a killer, the movie never generates any real laughs. The film meanders a bit after the wedding scenes, but at 92 minutes, it passes by pleasantly enough.

Hoffman’s great here and looks younger than he has in a decade (I guess they had to put that dye in his hair to make his romance with Thompson, an actress 23 years his junior, not seem too creepy). There is no sex, violence or coarse language, so take your Mom to see LAST CHANCE HARVEY this weekend.

Melissa:

Ah, what better for a romance than an awkward older American and a bitter, desperate English woman. That is how we start off this tale.

Harvey Shine (Dustin Hoffman) is not having the best of luck. His job is pushing him out the door as he is leaving to fly to his daughters wedding in London. The rehearsal dinner is a disaster! His daughter has asked her step father, not Harvey to give her away, his ex-wife keeps excluding him and treating him like an embarrassment, and he officially loses his job. What’s a boy to do?

Kate Walker (Emma Thompson) is still single well into her 40’s. She is looking for love, and it seems her friends are more than eager to play matchmaker to no success. She is rather straight to the point and doesn’t really sugar coat anything.

While at the airport bar, the two find themselves the only two there and begin first attacking, and then chatting each other up. This movie is about second chances, love, and going after what you want.

The story really is heartwarming. I think they were trying to paint Harvey as more of a bad guy in the beginning but I really didn’t get that. I more felt sorry for him. You could tell how ostracized and embarrassed his family seemed to be of him. It was quite sad. Upon meeting Kate, he is pushed to be a better father, to not care what they think and instead be there for her. Hoffman and Thompson are very cute together. There is a very odd chemistry that I thought would be off putting, but instead meshes quite nicely.

I agree with Tom. This is a great movie to take your mom to. I can’t necessarily see box office gold, but it’s still a cute movie for a cold night.

[Overall: 3.5 stars out of 5]