Here’s a first look at Focus Features’ upcoming movie LAST NIGHT IN SOHO.
Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller about a young girl, passionate in fashion design, who is mysteriously able to enter the 1960s where she encounters her idol, a dazzling wannabe singer. But 1960s London is not what it appears, and time seems to fall apart with shady consequences…
Focus Features will release LAST NIGHT IN SOHO in theaters on October 22, 2021.
LAST NIGHT IN SOHO stars Anya Taylor-Joy (Emma), Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie (Jo Jo Rabbit), Matt Smith (The Crown), Michael Ajao, Synnøve Karlsen, Diana Rigg, Terence Stamp, and Rita Tushingham.
The score is from Oscar-winner Steven Price (GRAVITY). He and Wright previously collaborated on BABY DRIVER, THE WORLD’S END (interview).
Edgar Wright and Penny Dreadful scribe Krysty Wilson-Cairns co-wrote the screenplay, produced by Nira Park, Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, and Wright. Focus Features and Film4 co-financed the film.
Director Edgar Wright and actor Anya Taylor-Joy on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus FeaturesDirector Edgar Wright on the set of his film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release. Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features4139_D036_00251_R
Director Edgar Wright and Cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung on the set of their film LAST NIGHT IN SOHO, a Focus Features release.
Credit: Parisa Taghizadeh / Focus Features
Based on true historical events during Stalin’s 1930s campaign against Soviet Ukraine, Bitter Harvestis the powerful story of love, war, and survival, arriving on DVD, On Demand, and Digital HD June 13th from Lionsgate. This action-filled epic follows a young artist as he battles famine, imprisonment, and torture to save his childhood love and free his country. Starring Max Irons, Samantha Barks, Barry Pepper, and Academy Award® nominee Terence Stamp (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Billy Budd, 1962). Written and directed by George Mendeluk (TV’s “Highlander: The Raven,” “Night Heat”), the Bitter Harvest DVD will be available for the suggested retail price of $19.98.
Set during one of the most overlooked and tragic periods of the 20th century, Bitter Harvest is a powerful story of love, honor, rebellion and survival as seen through the eyes of two young lovers caught in the ravages of Joseph Stalin’s policies of intolerance against Ukraine in the 1930s. As Stalin advances the ambitions of the burgeoning Soviet Union, a young artist named Yuri (Max Irons) overcomes famine, imprisonment, and torture to save his childhood love, Natalka (Samantha Barks), from the “Holodomor.” Against this explosive backdrop, Yuri escapes from a Soviet prison and joins the anti-Bolshevik resistance movement as he battles to reunite with Natalka and continue the fight for a free Ukraine. Filmed on location in Ukraine, this epic love story brings to light one of the most unknown chapters of modern Europe. The stellar cast also includes Barry Pepper, Tamer Hassan, and Terence Stamp.
DVD/DIGITAL HD SPECIAL FEATURES
“A Look At Bitter Harvest” Photo Gallery
CAST
Max Irons Woman in Gold, Red Riding Hood
Samantha Barks Les Misérables, The Christmas Candle
Barry Pepper Saving Private Ryan, True Grit
and Terence Stamp Wanted, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
Tim Burton’s MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is the director’s freshest and most original film in years, while still being entirely within the director’s wheelhouse of quirky, colorful, and mysterious movies. In this new creative direction, Burton offers a more mature, even serious tone, and less of his signature over-the-top silly quirk, in this tale of a teenage boy and his beloved grandfather, who raised him on tales of a mysterious, hidden home for “peculiar” children – that is, children with special powers such as levitation or invisibility, and run by kindly but strict Miss Peregrine.
The film is a departure for Burton, and fans expecting the usual mix of oddball darkness and humor may feel let down by this more mature film. In one way, it is a return to his early work, EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, with an emphasis on family and fitting-in, but in a more creatively mature manner. Some fans will be disappointed that the director’s frequent collaborator Johnny Depp is absent from this film but the cast does include some fine actors, including Sammy L. Jackson, Judi Dench, Alison Janney and Terence Stamp. Based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Ransom Rigg, the story borrows elements from fairy tales, time-traveling science fiction, the X-Men and other fantasy sources, but it feels completely like its own appealingly Gothic world. At the same time, this film maintains a foothold in the real world to a surprising degree for a Tim Burton film, hearkening back a bit to his more real-world family tale BIG FISH.
Unlike the typical eerie Gothic mystery tale, this story begins in sunny, suburban Florida, where lonely, socially-awkward teenager Jake Portman (Asa Butterworth) lives with his parents (Kim Dickens and Chris O’Dowd). Jake feels ignored by his parents, particularly his hyper-critical dad Frank, but he is particularly close to his British-born grandfather Abe (Terence Stamp), who raised him on fantastic tales about the unusual children’s home where he grew up, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, all of whom had special magical abilities. Jake’s father Frank (Chris O’Dowd) dismisses his father’s tales as invention and lies, and the mysterious photos Abe shows Jake as fakes, but even as a teen Jake holds his grandfather’s stories close to his heart. When grandpa Abe dies suddenly and mysteriously, Jake is devastated and his parents take him to a psychotherapist, Dr. Golan (Alison Janney), who suggests a trip to visit the old home in Wales. Jake and his father make the trip to try to find the old children’s home and maybe Miss Peregrine.
Once there, Jake’s distant, self-absorbed father seems more interested in bird-watching than in Jake’s emotional state or the search from the house, so he pays a couple of local teens to show Jake the now-abandoned old home. The village lads are glad to take the American boy on the worst possible route, having a joke at his expense, while also showing off their questionable skills as rappers (in one of the film’s few comic bits). Jake is disappointed to find the house is a deserted ruin. Later, when he is walking the beach, Jake encounters a beautiful girl in 1940s dress, Emma (Ella Purnell), who leads him through a cave to the time-loop where the home still exists. There he meets Miss Peregrine (Eva Green) and the magical children she cares for – fire-generating Olive (Lauren McCrostie), invisible boy Millard (Cameron King), inhumanly strong little Bronwyn (Pixie Davies) and more. But their quiet, hidden world is under threat, from group of other human-like beings with special powers, the Wights, led by the evil Mr. Barron (Jackson). Jake thinks he is an ordinary boy but he discovers he has a special ability that can help Miss Peregrine and the children.
On one level, this is a coming-of-age story and it represents a kind of creative coming-of-age for the director as well. Burton deserves credit, even kudos, for trying something this new, after so many years making financially-successful films in the same vein. Whether all his fans will embrace this change remains to be seen. Some may consider it a shortcoming that this film does not feature big name stars in the lead roles (apart from Jackson as the villain) and particularly Depp, while others will embrace the fresh direction.
Not that this new film does not have its flaws. Despite it’s many admirable qualities, this film suffers from too slow a pace in the action parts, and it spends too little time immersing us in its magical alternate world before launching into its action-adventure mode. Once the adventure begins, the film sometimes struggles to maintain sufficient tension and excitement. The sense of mystery and magic sometimes sags despite the fantastical surroundings.
On the other hand, the film is visually wonderful, as one expects from Tim Burton. Although the story is set in 1943, the costumes are more Victorian-inspired, with Burton’s signature colorful and extravagant embellishments. The characters are filled with quirky charm, particularly Eva Green’s Miss Peregrine, although one wishes the story had allowed a little more time for the audience to get to know them. Where the story does well with character development is with Jake and his relationship with his selfish, toxic father, played well by Chris O’Dowd, an actor better known for his comic roles, and with grandpa Abe, played with warmth by Terence Stamp. Those more realistic human relationships are the central thing that elevates this film. Jake’s budding relationship with Emma adds a little romance without dominating the tale. Samuel L. Jackson provides a wildly eye-rolling performance as the sinister Mr. Barron, bouncing between comedy and menace, a performance which viewers may love or hate.
All in all, MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN is a refreshing, invigorating change for director Tim Burton, a bold step away from his usual quirky, humor-laced and colorful Gothic fantasy and into a new creative direction. The result is the director’s most original film in years, one that shows a more mature tone while still providing plenty of his signature fantasy tale.
4 out of 5 stars
MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN hits theaters everywhere September 30, 2016.
20th Century Fox has released a BRAND NEW trailer for MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN
From visionary director Tim Burton, and based upon the best-selling novel, comes an unforgettable motion picture experience. When Jake discovers clues to a mystery that spans alternate realities and times, he uncovers a secret refuge known as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As he learns about the residents and their unusual abilities, Jake realizes that safety is an illusion, and danger lurks in the form of powerful, hidden enemies. Jake must figure out who is real, who can be trusted, and who he really is.
MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN hits theaters everywhere September 30, 2016.
When Jim Batts reviewed LAMBERT & STAMP here at We Are Movie Geeks, he wrote: “This film is a terrific overview of the career of a remarkable duo and the band they helped turn into superstars, but more importantly, it’s a trippy time machine back to a seemingly simpler time…..” – read all of Jim’s review HERE
Jim is not the only one who liked LAMBERT & STAMP!
Rob Nelson at Variety declared:
“James D. Cooper’s impeccably directed debut is a definitive screen bio of The Who and its rock operatic rise.”
Katie Van Syckle at Rolling Stone wrote:
“The film feels like a night hanging out with the legendary managers.”
LAMBERT & STAMP is the remarkable story of the unlikely partnership between aspiring filmmakers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, who managed and developed the band we now know as The Who. Directed by James D. Cooper, the film follows the directors as they compare notes on film, music and frustrated ambitions, forging a friendship and collaboration along the way.
LAMBERT & STAMP will be debuting on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital HD Tuesday, August 18
Check out this clip from the film:
And here’s LAMBERT & STAMP director James D. Cooper talking about the making of his film:
The LAMBERT & STAMP Blu-ray is loaded with extras:
Never-Before-Seen Archival Footage of The Who (Blu-ray Exclusive)
And now for yet another documentary feature set in the world of art. Nope, we’re not following another globe-trotting photo-journalist. This is in the world of music, rock n’ roll, to be precise. We’re heading back over fifty years, when the Beatles ruled the pop charts. Seems that another quartet were becoming pop icons beside the “fab four”. As the years have passed, both groups have been whittled down to duos. I’m referring to The Who, but this film’s title doesn’t profile anybody at the footlights, smashing up their instruments. No, it’s about the unlikely pair behind the pandemonium. They might sound like an old vaudeville team to rival Bud and Lou, but those rock standards might never have become a part of our lives without LAMBERT & STAMP.
In swinging mod, mad London of the early 1960’s, two fledging film makers had a unique plan to break into the cinema scene. Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp decided to find and develop a music group with the idea of eventually making a film about them (kind of like Richard Lester with A HARD DAY’S NIGHT). The partners seemed a most unlikely team. Kit was the Oxford-educated son of celebrated classical music composer Constant Lambert. He was also a closeted gay man at a time when it could get you thrown in jail. Chris was the hard-drinkin’, skirt-chasing son of a tug boat captain. After seeing the band, the High Numbers, at the hottest club in town, the men became their managers and agents. Slowly they began molding an image for the foursome, exploiting current fashion trends, and eventually changing the band’s name. In order to keep the fellows signed, Kit and Chris guaranteed them a salary. Often the two would work on the crews of Hollywood films based in Europe, then send their wages back to the band. For the next ten years, the group is celebrated throughout the world as their managers begin their own label, Track Records, that would sign Jimi Hendrix and Arthur Brown. But when the Who’s Pete Townsend completes the first rock opera “Tommy”. Kit and Chris are pushed aside when the movie adaptation is produced. The duo eventually pursue other projects, while battling personal demons, as the Who continues on, despite disputes and devastating deaths.
Happily director James D Cooper was able to make use of extensive interviews with Stamp, recorded before his 2012 passing. He seemed a man who was most comfortable with his place in pop culture history, full of self-deprecating humor and recollections of those wild days and nights. Plus we get to talk with his much more famous elder sibling, film star Terence (yeah, General Zod himself!). Lambert, having passed on decades ago, is a bit more mysterious since his story is mostly told though Chris and other friends and colleagues. Fortunately Kit became the face and voice of the duo, so there’s plenty of vintage TV news footage of the man. Like many of his contemporaries, he seems to be a victim of the period’s over-indulgences as the film chronicles his 70’s descent into the disco scene.
And, of course, there’s the band itself. In one of the film’s funniest moments, Chris recalls one girlfriend’s reaction to his signing the then “High Numbers” calling them, in less polite terms, unattractive. They probably didn’t adorn the walls of many teen bedrooms then (Daltry did go on to heavy metal heart-throb status eventually) but their incredible talents and charisma made them an enduring musical force. Like Kit, drummer Keith Moon left us long ago, so we can hear retellings of his legendary antics along with lots of performance and home movie footage which reminds us that he was likely the inspiration for the Muppets’ “Animal”. Aside from the film of his stage work, founding member John Entwistle is often a hovering enigma as we unfortunately don’t really get to know him. Thankfully there’s enthralling interviews with the still-rockin’ survivors. Roger Daltry reflects modestly about his time as front man. There’s more time spent with The Who’s creative force Townsend who pulls no punches about slights and conflicts, never letting the glow of nostalgia erase the tough times.
But, oh that “go go” mod sixties footage (we almost expect Austin Powers to pop up), sweeping us up in that swinging, free-wheeling time. This film is a terrific overview of the career of a remarkable duo and the band they helped turn into superstars, but more importantly, it’s a trippy time machine back to a seemingly simpler time. Hey nice goin’, LAMBERT & STAMP! Ga-rooovey!
4 Out of 5
LAMBERT & STAMP opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre
Anchor Bay Entertainment and The Weinstein Company are releasing director Tim Burton’s BIG EYES on DVD, Blu-ray™, and On Demand on April 14, 2015.
The critically acclaimed film is also available for digital download now.
Featuring an all-star cast including 2015 Golden Globe® winner for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy for her stunning and powerful portrayal of Margaret Keane, Amy Adams, Academy Award® winner Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman and Terence Stamp.
Watch this exclusive clip featuring Amy Adams, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman speaking about their favorite day on set working with Tim Burton.
From director Tim Burton, BIG EYES tells the outrageous true story of one of the most epic frauds in history. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, painter Walter Keane (Waltz) had reached success beyond belief, revolutionizing the commercialization of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes.
The bizarre and shocking truth would eventually be discovered though: Walter’s works were actually not created by him at all, but by his wife Margaret (Adams). BIG EYES centers on Margaret’s awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work.
BIG EYES was up for two additional Golden Globe® nominations including Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song. The film has garnered numerous accolades including an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay and BAFTA nominations for Best Leading Actress and Best Production Design.
BIG EYES has a running time of 105 minutes and is rated PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language. DVD and Blu-ray™ special feature includes “The Making of Big Eyes.” Exclusive Blu-ray™ feature includes Q&A Highlights.
BIG EYES BLU-RAY™ + Digital HD
Street date: April 14, 2015
Pre-book: March 11, 2015
Catalog #: BD61781
UPC: 01313261781780
Run time: 105 minutes
Rating: PG-13
SRP: $34.99
Format: Blu-ray
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen Presentation 1.78: 1
Audio: DTSHD-MA 5.1
BIG EYES DVD
Street date: April 14, 2015
Pre-book: March 11, 2015
Catalog #: WC61780
UPC: 01313261780080
Run time: 105 minutes
Rating: PG-13
SRP: $29.98
Format: DVD
Aspect Ratio: Anamorphic Widescreen Presentation 1.78:1
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1
Here’s your first look at THE DEVIL’S HARVEST starring Max Irons, Samantha Barks, Barry Pepper and Terence Stamp.
Principal photography wrapped on director George Mendeluk’s epic romance in Kiev on January 30th.
Shot on location in Ukraine and London, THE DEVIL’S HARVEST is an action-packed, dramatic tale of love and the importance of family, set against the backdrop of political upheaval in 1930s Ukraine. Yuri (Max Irons) is an artistic soul born into a family of Cossack warriors, who struggles to win the approval of his grandfather Ivan (Terence Stamp), father Yaroslav (Barry Pepper) and the heart of Natalka (Samantha Barks.) Yuri finds his life changed forever with the invasion of the Red Army and the subsequent persecution of his family and fellow countrymen as Stalin’s regime of terror extends across Eastern Europe.
THE DEVIL’S HARVEST also features Tamer Hassan (Dracula), Aneurin Barnard (The White Queen) and Tom Austen (Ironclad).
In addition to directing, George Mendeluk co-wrote the screenplay alongside Richard Bachynsky Hoover, from Hoover’s original story. Mendeluk produces with Jaye Gazeley and Chad Barager. Camilla Storey co-produces. Ian Ihnatowycz is the executive producer, while Richard Bachynsky executive produced in Ukraine. Douglas Milsome (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Shining) is the cinematographer and Daniel Hubbard (Captain Phillips, The Bourne Ultimatum) handled the casting.
Mendeluk commented “I grew up with my mother describing how she and her family survived the terror of the Holodymor – the engineered famine/ genocide wrought by Stalin in Ukraine — where 7 million perished at a time when the world looked the other way. As you see in today’s media, his long shadow stills affects Ukraine today, but our story is essentially one of love triumphing over all that life throws at it”.
Actor Will Receive Honor at Film Society Awards Night at Bimbo’s 365 Club
and Onstage Tribute at Castro Theatre
San Francisco, CA — The San Francisco Film Society has announced that Terence Stamp will be the recipient of the Peter J. Owens Award at the 54th San Francisco International Film Festival (April 21 – May 5). The Owens Award, named for the longtime San Francisco benefactor of arts and charitable organizations and Film Society board member, honors an actor whose work exemplifies brilliance, independence and integrity. The award will be presented to Stamp at Film Society Awards Night, Thursday, April 28 at Bimbo’s 365 Club.
The Film Society’s highly regarded Youth Education program will be the beneficiary of the glamorous fundraiser honoring Stamp. Oliver Stone, recipient of the Founder’s Directing Award and Frank Pierson, recipient of the Kanbar Award for excellence in screenwriting will also be honored at the star-studded event. Melanie and Lawrence Blum are chairs of this year’s Film Society Awards Night, and Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein are the honorary chairs.
“I am exceptionally happy that we are able to honor Terence Stamp at this year’s Festival,” said Graham Leggat, the San Francisco Film Society’s executive director. “From his Oscar-nominated debut in Billy Budd (1962) through countless wonderful roles since, he has created truly memorable onscreen characters with a remarkable blend of élan, intensity and charisma.”
Stamp will also be honored at An Evening with Terence Stamp at the Castro Theatre at 7:30 pm, Friday, April 29. A screening of a film featuring one of his iconic performances will follow an onstage interview and a selection of clips from his impressive career.
Terence Stamp’s motion picture debut in the title role in Peter Ustinov’s 1962 film adaptation of Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, brought him not only an Academy Award nomination but also international attention. He went on to collaborate with some of cinema’s most revered filmmakers including William Wyler (The Collector 1965), Joseph Losey (Modesty Blaise 1966), John Schlesinger (Far from the Madding Crowd 1967), Ken Loach (Poor Cow 1967), Federico Fellini (Toby Dammit segment of Spirits of the Dead 1968), Pier Palo Pasolini (Teorema 1968), Peter Brook (Meetings with Remarkable Men 1979), Richard Lester (Superman II 1980), Stephen Frears (The Hit 1984) and Oliver Stone (Wall Street 1987).
Stamp began his fourth decade as an actor in Stefan Elliot’s comedy The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and attended the picture’s world premiere at the San Francisco International Film Festival. For his lead role in Steven Soderbergh’s The Limey (1999), which debuted to widespread critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, he received nominations for Best Male Lead at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards and for Best British Actor at the London Film Critic Circle Awards.
Currently he can be seen opposite Matt Damon and Emily Blunt in The Adjustment Bureau.
Previous recipients of the Film Society’s Peter J. Owens Award are Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Maria Bello, Robin Williams, Ed Harris, Joan Allen, Chris Cooper, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Spacey, Stockard Channing, Winona Ryder, Sean Penn, Nicolas Cage, Annette Bening and Harvey Keitel. The Peter J. Owens Award is made possible through a grant from the Peter J. Owens Trust at the San Francisco Foundation.
For tickets and information for Film Society Awards Night only call 415-561-5049. Admission to the tribute to Terence Stamp at the Castro Theatre on Friday, April 29 is $20 for San Francisco Film Society members and $25 for the general public. For tickets and information visit sffs.org/tickets.
Universal Pictures has released three new clips for the upcoming thriller THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU. Take my word for it, the film is an exhilarating, sci-fi trip which poses the question – Is your life determined by Fate or Free Will?
Synopsis:
Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick (“Total Recall,” “Minority Report” and “Blade Runner”), THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU is a new thriller where a man glimpses the future Fate has planned for him and realizes he wants something else. To get it, he must pursue the only woman he’s ever loved across, under and through the streets of modern-day New York.
From Universal Pictures, THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU will be in theaters on March 4, 2011. Visit the film’s official site HERE and on Facebook HERE. Your fate will be adjusted.
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