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Check Out The New Images From Searchlight Pictures’ SEE HOW THEY RUN Starring Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, Adrien Brody, Ruth Wilson And David Oyelowo

Saoirse Ronan in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Check out the brand new photos for Searchlight Pictures upcoming movie SEE HOW THEY RUN, hitting theaters this September.

In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered. When world-weary Inspector Stoppard (Sam Rockwell) and eager rookie Constable Stalker (Saoirse Ronan) take on the case, the two find themselves thrown into a puzzling whodunit within the glamorously sordid theater underground, investigating the mysterious homicide at their own peril.

The film, from director Tom George with a screenplay by Mark Chappell, stars Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell, Adrien Brody, David Oyelowo, Ruth Wilson, Reece Shearsmith, Sian Clifford, Shirley Henderson, Charlie Cooper, Jacob Fortune-Lloyd, Paul Chahidi, Pearl Chanda, Harris Dickinson, Pippa Bennett-Warner.

(From L-R): Ruth WIlson, Reece Shearsmith, Harris Dickinson, Sian Clifford, Pearl Chanda, Jacob Fortune Lloyd, David Oyelowo and Ania Marson in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Sam Rockwell in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Adrien Brody and David Oyelowo in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Pearl Chanda and Adrien Brody in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

(From L-R): Reece Shearsmith, Ruth WIlson and David Oyelowo in the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

(From L-R): Pearl Chanda, Sam Rockwell, Harris Dickinson, and Saoirse Ronan the film SEE HOW THEY RUN. Photo by Parisa Taghizadeh. Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved

THE LITTLE STRANGER – Review

*Domhnall Gleeson stars as “Dr. Faraday” in director Lenny Abrahamson’s THE LITTLE*
*STRANGER, a Focus Features release. Photo credit: Nicola Dove / Focus Features ©*

The title of the historical drama THE LITTLE STRANGER is the same as an old-fashioned way to reference a baby, as in “awaiting the arrival of a little stranger.” But there are no babies or ones on the way in this dark moody film, although there are some spooky goings-on about children in the dim, misty past, particularly the childhood remembrances of a visitor now returned as a doctor to care for the members of the aristocratic Ayers family in their dark crumbling mansion.

Abrahamson’s previous film was ROOM, an acclaimed drama that was a scary, taut thriller and a deep psychological drive into the experience of a woman and child held captive for years by an abuser. That drama was so riveting, it is no surprise expectations were high for this one.

However, anyone expecting either another ROOM, or even THE OTHERS or JANE EYRE, will be disappointed with director Lenny Abrahamson’s THE LITTLE STRANGER. A moody, brooding historic drama set in 1930s England, the film is filled with foreboding but leaves the viewer in suspense.

Doctor Faraday (Domhnall Gleeson) is called to Hundreds Hall, the once-grand mansion of the aristocratic Ayres family mansion in rural England to tend to an illness. When the doctor arrives at the home of the old aristocratic family, he is shocked by the state of the house. He is greeted at the door by Caroline Ayres (Ruth Wilson), who scoffs at the doctor’s surprise that it is not one of the servants opening the door. The only servant the once-wealthy family now employs is a young girl, who works as maid and cook, and who, it turns out, is the patient. Having dealt kindly with the servant girl, who was suffering from nervousness and home-sick more than anything, the doctor offers to treat the family heir, Roderick Ayres (Will Poulter), a World War I veteran badly burned and disfigured, and still battling a painful leg injury. The family is reluctant at first to accept Dr. Faraday’s offer but finally agrees when the doctor tells them there would be no charge as it would help with some research he is doing on a particular treatment.

How the mighty have fallen and the shifting fate of the British upper class between the wars is a theme in this drama but not the only one. That change in social structure has been touched on in GOSFORD PARK and the BBS series “Downton Abbey” but this is a much darker version. But a major focus is not on the fall of the house of Ayres, a proud family still regarded warmly by the locals, but on the psychological goings-on with the doctor. His mother had been a servant in the grand house in its heyday, and a childhood visit to the house for a grand garden party instilled in him a fascination with the Ayres and a longing for the house. As Dr. Faraday becomes a part of the Ayres family’s lives, strange tensions arrives and strange occurrences begin to unfold.

THE LITTLE STRANGER certainly has the goods as far as cast, with Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Charlotte Rampling, and Will Poulter in the lead roles. There are disturbing things and creepy occurrences. If only the film had a more focused script and director Abrahamson had a better sense of what he wanted his film to be. As it is, it wavers between ghost story, Gothic thriller, moody historic commentary on the fall of the British class system. Because it keeps hinting it is one or the others of these genres, it fails to gel around anything and leaves the audience feeling unsatisfied and somehow cheated of a promised emotional payoff. It is tense, moody, edgy throughout until it ends with no real resolution or even a big scare.

What’s more, the gripping trailer suggests an eerie ghost story or tale of buried secrets in a family of British aristocrats sinking into decay and financial ruin in the 1930s. The arrival of a local doctor into this closed, musty world hinted at scary, disturbing things. The film is based on the novel by Sarah Waters, adapted for the screen by Lucinda Coxon, who wrote THE DANISH GIRL. Why all this talent didn’t produce a more successful suspense film is the real mystery.

Cinematographer Ole Bratt Birkeland also delivers the goods, as does the excellent cast. Domhnall Gleeson is chilling and intriguing as the restrained yet charming doctor. Charlotte Rampling gives a fine performance as the chilly aristocrat, still vividly aware of the class difference between her family and the doctor, but unfailingly polite as she drops comments to remind him of his “place,” no matter how kind he has been to them. Ruth Wilson’s Caroline, on the other hand, comprehends how the world and their circumstances have changed, in a way neither her mother nor her brother do. Will Poulter is all pent-up frustration as her brother Roderick, the lord of the manor by inheritance, struggling to live up to family obligations while battling physical and mental pain from his war injuries, PTSD, and a growing madness.

The film has all the authentic period detail and perfect locations one could wish. Events unfold in a decaying manor house that was clearly once grand, grandeur we see in periodic flashbacks as Dr. Faraday returns time and again to memories of his childhood visit to the mansion where his mother worked as a servant, a visit none of the family recalls.

Through atmospheric photography, fine acting and taut pacing, THE LITTLE STRANGER successfully builds suspense to a fever pitch yet never pulls the trigger on all that build-up. It raises questions throughout yet never answers them, leaving at most hints about possible answers. The film feels like it wants to be Shirley Jackson’s “The Haunting of Hill House” but can’t figure out how to get there, leaving the audience lost as well.

So many things are right about this eerie film, including the outstanding cast, that it is doubly frustrating when the film appears to just end without real resolution. As a fan of both historical dramas and Gothic ghost stories, I should be the right audience for this film. Yet, the film felt disappointing by its end. After building up a nail-biting suspense and hinting a hidden horrors, psychological or supernatural, it fails to commit to either of those paths, wavering between them until it merely rolls to an unsatisfying conclusion. There is death but no catharsis. Secrets remain hidden and no questions are answered.

THE LITTLE STRANGER opens Friday, August 31 at the Tivoli Theater.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

THE LITTLE STRANGER Domhnall Gleeson Reads Passage From Novel And New Clip Of Charlotte Rampling

Focus Features has released a new clip from the upcoming thriller based on Sarah Waters’ novel THE LITTLE STRANGER starring Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, and Charlotte Rampling.

Listen as Gleeson reads a passage from the first chapter of the novel and watch an eerie clip of Rampling from the film.

Directed by Lenny Abrahamson (“Room”), don’t miss this disturbing tale when it haunts into theaters on Friday August 31st.

In case you missed the trailer, check it out below.

THE LITTLE STRANGER tells the story of Dr. Faraday, the son of a housemaid, who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. During the long hot summer of 1948, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall, where his mother once worked. The Hall has been home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries. But it is now in decline and its inhabitants – mother, son and daughter – are haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life. When he takes on his new patient, Faraday has no idea how closely, and how disturbingly, the family’s story is about to become entwined with his own.

Visit the official site: http://www.focusfeatures.com/the-little-stranger

Win Tickets To The Advance Screening Of LOCKE In St. Louis

Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job that he loves and the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one absolutely riveting car ride, LOCKE is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Steven Knight (EASTERN PROMISES, DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) and driven by an unforgettable performance by Tom Hardy, LOCKE is a thrillingly unique cinematic experience of a man fighting to salvage all that is important to him.

“HARDY IS MESMERIZING, WITH THE GRAVITAS OF AN OLD-FASHIONED DRAMATIC ACTOR AND THE NATURALISM OF A MODERN STAR.”
– INDIEWIRE

The film also features Ruth Wilson, Olivia Colman, Andrew Scott, Tom Holland, and Bill Milner.

LOCKE opens in St. Louis on Friday, May 16th.

The LOCKE screening will be on Thursday, May 15th at 7PM in the St. Louis area. Each pass is good for 2 tickets. We will contact you via email if you are a winner.

Answer the following:

What is Hardy’s first film?

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. ENTER YOUR NAME, E-MAIL AND ANSWER IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

3. YOU MUST SUBMIT THE CORRECT ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION ABOVE TO WIN. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.

Rated R for “language throughout.”

http://www.lockethemovie.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LockeTheMovie

SAVING MR. BANKS – The Review

Emma Thompson and Tom Hanks shine in Disney’s new feature film SAVING MR. BANKS, a heartwarming tale about the making of the Mary Poppins film.

When Walt Disney and his daughters discovered the book “Mary Poppins” by P. L. Travers, they fell in love. Disney then made a promise to them, that took him 20 years to keep. He would bring Mary Poppins to life. What he didn’t expect was a stubborn writer with no intention of handing over her beloved nanny. When finally convinced to discuss the film, Disney and his team pull out all the stops to impress Travers enough to sign off on the film. What they didn’t bargain for was uncovering some of her ghosts from the past, or where the story of Mary Poppins actually came from.

SAVING MR. BANKS is a magical tale filled with heart. Thompson and Hanks are simply delightful as P.L. Travers and Walt Disney, and they play off of each other incredibly well. Thompson is marvelous as a cold, stern Travers. She does a great job of adding a softer side to her character, which is best displayed in the scenes with her driver Ralph, played by Paul Giamatti. The addition of Ralph to the story (which is admitted to be the only fictitious character in the film) allows the audience a glimpse of an adult Travers as she interacts with someone outside of the Disney madness. It gives her a sense of humanity, and gives the audience a reason to feel a bit more compassion for her, rather than only showing her as an uptight stick in the mud.

As for Hanks, he had the cheerful, wide-eyed characteristics of Disney down pat. His character is not the main focus of this film, so they didn’t dig deep into who Disney really was. Instead, they kept his character development rather shallow, allowing more time for the character of Travers to unfold.

Rounding out the film as Disney’s creative team were animator and co-screenwriter (Bradley Whitford), and songwriters Richard and Robert Sherman (Jason Schwartzman, and B.J. Novak), who aided in the agitation of Travers throughout their brainstorming sessions. These sessions added plenty of comedic relief to the film, and showcased a few unforgettable songs from the Poppins film.

The film looks absolutely stunning, and showcases some of the more beautiful parts of LA, including the palm trees, breathtaking views, and the Beverly Hills Hotel, which oozes old school elegance and class. We also get a glimpse of the Disney Studio grounds, which still look very similar to what they did back then. What really impressed me were the flashback scenes, showing a young Travers and the relationship with her father (played by Colin Farrell). These scenes were beautifully shot, and added a much-needed explanation to the behaviors of P.L. Travers in her adult life.

Overall, the film is heartwarming and enjoyable. Its mission is to entertain audiences with an interesting tale about the making of a Disney classic. That is exactly what they do. This is a fun story about one of the most beloved movies (and books) in history. Having said all of that, director John Lee Hancock, and writers Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith certainly added a “spoonful of sugar” to make the tale more enjoyable, and a little less truthful. Everything that I have read about the real life Travers has blatantly stated that she was not happy with the film version of her beloved nanny. She felt that they ignored the hard sides of Poppins, she despised the animation in the film, and was not too fond of the music. Overall, she was not pleased.

While I enjoyed the film of SAVING MR. BANKS as a whole, audiences should know that it’s only loosely based on actual events. Go into this film looking for a good time at the movies. If you pick it apart based on the factual way the making of this film really went down, you won’t enjoy it.

OVERALL RATING: 3.75 out of 5 stars

Like SAVING MR. BANKS on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SavingMrBanks

SAVING MR. BANKS opens in theaters limited on December 13th and opens wide on December 20th

Emma Thompson And Tom Hanks Talk SAVING MR. BANKS In New Featurette

When Disney’s SAVING MR. BANKS opens in theaters in December, audiences will delight in a movie that gives them not only a rare glimpse of the behind-the-scenes tug-of-war that ultimately brought “Mary Poppins” to the screen but also a glimpse of the creative geniuses it took to envision the classic film – everyone from a cantankerous, difficult author to an ever-optimistic, visionary entrepreneur.

John Lee Hancock’s film will have it’s North American Premiere at the Opening Night Gala of the 2013 AFI Fest on Thursday, November 7.

Actors Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson discuss the backstory of what would ultimately set the wheels of the beloved film in motion.

Prior to it’s screening at the AFI Fest 2013, the Oscar-winning actress will be honored with a handprint-footprint ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

In preparation to take on the persona of P.L. Travers, Thompson listened to tapes of the sessions in Los Angeles between the songwriting team of Richard and Robert Sherman, Walt Disney and Travers, all of which had been saved in the Disney Archives.

“The tapes remind me of the myth of Sisyphus because it’s like listening to people push something very, very heavy up a hill and then get to the top and just watch the whole thing roll back down again. It’s really hard work listening to those tapes because P.L. is so awful and so irritating. Just listening to them makes you want to throw something heavy at her.”

And Tom Hanks himself seems to also embody Walt Disney. Says director John Lee Hancock, “This film portrays a side of Disney we haven’t seen before,” Hancock reveals. “It’s not the Walt we know from ‘The Wonderful World of Disney,’ which was fun to explore.

“I don’t look or sound anything like Walt Disney,” Hanks affirms in responding to Hancock’s comments. “In addition to growing a mustache and parting my hair, the job at hand was to somehow capture all that whimsy that is in his eyes as well as all of the acumen that goes along with that. You can’t do an imitation of Walt Disney.

On dressing the cast, Veteran costume designer Daniel Orlandi was offered great insights from Richard Sherman. “Richard Sherman was a great help,” affirms Orlandi. “He had a lot of insight into Walt and what the Sherman brothers and Don DaGradi wore to work every day. In the film, we have Jason Schwartzman as Richard Sherman wearing a bright red vest that Pamela points out specifically because the legend is that she did not want the color red in the movie ‘Mary Poppins.’”

Hancock confirms the anecdote about Travers’ demands to remove the color red by saying, “The craziest demand is that she declared that she was simply off the color. In our film, Walt confronts her in front of the Shermans and Don DaGradi and capitulates. And they’re aghast. They’ve never seen Walt give in to anything like that.”

“I don’t think it had anything to do with the color red,” Hancock surmises. “It was just a demand that she was making and if he couldn’t give in on something as simple as no red in the picture, then they would have many more fights. Then she should just go back to London. So he gives in, at least momentarily, on the color red which was a silly and crazy demand.”

Although P.L. Travers made many demands in the film, Emma Thompson counts the “no red” one as her personal favorite. “She just turned up one day and said, ‘I’ve gone off the color red and you can’t have any red in the film.’ Disney replied, ‘But it’s set in London. There are pillar boxes and there are postboxes and buses and a British flag.’ This was witnessed by the Sherman brothers with Walt Disney finally going, ‘Okay, okay. No red, no red.’ Of course it all changed and there was plenty of red in the movie. But she really tested those guys.”

For Hancock’s film, “There’s no red in Emma’s wardrobe,” Orlandi confirms. “Of course, when you see the movie ‘Mary Poppins,’ Mr. Banks is in a bright red velvet smoking jacket in his first scene,” points out Orlandi about who actually won the final argument.

A sequence in the upcoming film portraying Travers’ demand to eliminate the color red took place in the last stage set in which Hancock filmed – the rehearsal studio where the Shermans and DaGradi staged their storyboard displays and musical numbers to win the author over and get her to sign a contract with their boss.

When Walt Disney’s daughters begged him to make a movie of their favorite book, P.L. Travers’ “Mary Poppins,” he made them a promise—one that he didn’t realize would take 20 years to keep. In his quest to obtain the rights, Walt comes up against a curmudgeonly, uncompromising writer who has absolutely no intention of letting her beloved magical nanny get mauled by the Hollywood machine. But, as the books stop selling and money grows short, Travers reluctantly agrees to go to Los Angeles to hear Disney’s plans for the adaptation.

For those two short weeks in 1961, Walt Disney pulls out all the stops. Armed with imaginative storyboards and chirpy songs from the talented Sherman brothers, Walt launches an all-out onslaught on P.L. Travers, but the prickly author doesn’t budge. He soon begins to watch helplessly as Travers becomes increasingly immovable and the rights begin to move further away from his grasp.

It is only when he reaches into his own childhood that Walt discovers the truth about the ghosts that haunt her, and together they set Mary Poppins free to ultimately make one of the most endearing films in cinematic history.

Colin Farrell (“Minority Report,” “Total Recall”) co-stars as Travers’ doting dad, Travers Goff, along with British actress Ruth Wilson (Disney’s “The Lone Ranger,” “Anna Karenina”) as his wife, Margaret; Oscar and Emmy nominee Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under,” “Hilary and Jackie,” “The Rookie”) as Margaret’s sister, Aunt Ellie (who inspired the title character of Travers’ novel); and a screen newcomer—11-year-old Aussie native Annie Rose Buckley as the young, blossoming writer, nicknamed Ginty, in the flashback sequences.

The cast also includes Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Paul Giamatti (“Sideways,” “Cinderella Man,” HBO’s “John Adams”) as Ralph, the kindly limousine driver who escorts Travers during her two-week stay in Hollywood; Jason Schwartzman (“Rushmore,” “Moonrise Kingdom”) and B.J. Novak (“NBC’s “The Office,” “Inglourious Basterds”) as the songwriting Sherman Brothers (Richard and Robert, respectively); Emmy winner Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing,” “The Cabin in the Woods”) as screenwriter Don DaGradi; and multi-Emmy winner Kathy Baker (“Picket Fences,” “Edward Scissorhands”) as Tommie, one of Disney’s trusted studio confidantes.

The film will release in U.S. theaters on December 13, 2013, limited, and open wide on December 20, 2013.

Website and Mobile site: www.disney.com/savingmrbanks
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New Trailer For THE LONE RANGER

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ THE LONE RANGER, a thrilling adventure infused with action and humour, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Break out the cowboy boots as you watch the brand new trailer.

“Justice is what I seek, Kemosabe.” Horses, trains, and explosions – let’s do this! Perfect movie for the 4th of July weekend next summer.

Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) and man of the law John Reid (Armie Hammer) are opposites brought together by fate and must join forces to battle greed and corruption.

A Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films presentation, THE LONE RANGER is directed by Gore Verbinski and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Gore Verbinski, with a screenplay by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio and Eric Aronson and Justin Haythe. THE LONE RANGER releases in U.S. theaters on July 3, 2013.

THE LONE RANGER also stars Tom Wilkinson, William Fichtner, Barry Pepper, James Badge Dale, Ruth Wilson and Helena Bonham Carter.

Official site: putonthemask.com

“Like” The Lone Ranger on Facebook: Facebook.com/theloneranger

“Follow” The Lone Ranger on Twitter: @loneranger

First Look At THE LONE RANGER

The newly released first look for THE LONE RANGER is now available, and WAMG has it just for you!!!

From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski comes Disney/Bruckheimer Films’ THE LONE RANGER. Tonto (Johnny Depp), a spirit warrior on a personal quest, joins forces in a fight for justice with John Reid (Armie Hammer), a lawman who has become a masked avenger.

“The Lone Ranger” is a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American spirit warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice—taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

Depp plays spirit warrior Tonto in “The Lone Ranger,” with Armie Hammer (“The Social Network,” “J. Edgar”) starring in the title role. Depp and Hammer are joined by a prestigious international cast which includes Tom Wilkinson, two-time Academy Award nominee (“Michael Clayton,” “In the Bedroom”) and Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner (“John Adams”); William Fichtner (Jerry Bruckheimer’s productions of “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Black Hawk Down”); Emmy Award-winner Barry Pepper (TV’s “The Kennedys,” “True Grit,” “Saving Private Ryan”); James Badge Dale (“The Grey,” TV’s “The Pacific” and “Rubicon”); Ruth Wilson (television’s “Jane Eyre” and “Luther”); and two-time Academy Award nominee and six-time Golden Globe nominee Helena Bonham Carter (“The King’s Speech,” “Alice in Wonderland”).

THE LONE RANGER will be released in May 2013.

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OVERALL RATING: 3.75 out of 5 stars

SAVING MR. BANKS opens in theaters limited on December 13th and opens wide on December 20th

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