Downton Abbey Christmas Special

2 hour episode will air Christmas Day on ITV

From newly released Press Pack:
Hugh Bonneville got to dance with Phyllis Logan at the Servant’s Ball and recounts with much hilarity the dance lessons, “Myself and Phyllis took to it like a duck to water, and in fact we had an off screen dancing competition and it was clear from the outset we would win Strictly Come Downton.” But did he tread on any toes? “Well I think toes are overrated and indeed Phyllis is now out of intensive care and is looking forward to a fully fit 2012.” But the couple he did enjoy watching were Rob James-Collier and Maggie Smith. “They were a sight to behold, it was a joy - poetry in motion.”

Disappointing news for some fans, Lady Sybil and Branson will not be seen in the Christmas special as Jessica Brown Findlay and Allen Leech are not listed in the cast list.

More photos posted here

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Trailer

Upcoming film with a stellar cast that includes:
Judi Dench,
Maggie Smith,
Tom Wilkinson,
Bill Nighy,
Penelope Wilton,
Celia Imrie
& Dev Patel

and directed by John Madden!

More information here

"The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" follows a group of British retirees who decide to "outsource" their retirement to less expensive and seemingly exotic India. Enticed by advertisements for the newly restored Marigold Hotel and bolstered with visions of a life of leisure, they arrive to find the palace a shell of its former self. Though the new environment is less luxurious than imagined, they are forever transformed by their shared experiences, discovering that life and love can begin again when you let go of the past.

Release: March 2012

The Awakening - trailer

Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton star in this haunted thriller set post - World War I.

Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe to star in LES MISÉRABLES!

Enfin!!

Tom Hooper, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe

Announcement from official site:
"Working Title's live-action film adaptation of Cameron Mackintosh's hit stage musical LES MISERABLES by Boublil and Schonberg will directed by Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and written by William Nicholson. Universal Pictures are releasing the film worldwide.

The stage version of LES MISERABLES holds the record as the longest running musical in the world. To date is has been seen by nearly 60 million people in 42 countries and 21 languages. Last year, it celebrated it’s 25th anniversary.

Cameron Mackintosh commented, “Even though I have dreamt about making the film of LES MISERABLES for over 25 years, I could never have imagined that we would end up with the dream director Tom Hooper and the dream cast of Hugh Jackman [Jean Valjean] and Russell Crowe [Inspector Javert]. Not only were they born to play these roles vocally but they thrillingly inhabit this great score. Producing this film with Eric Fellner, Working Title and Universal Pictures is indeed a dream come true and I can’t want to hear the people sing at my local cineplex.”

Unofficial reports for casting possibilities:
Geoffrey Rush (Thernadier)
Helena Bonham Carter (Mme. Thenardier)
Anne Hathaway (Fantine)
Hayden Panettiere, Miranda Cosgrove, Lucy Hale, and Emma Watson for the roles of Eponine and Cosette

US release date is set for December 7, 2012.

Thanks to chocolaticing for the update!
As much as I'm not typically a fan of Russell Crowe, I was rooting for him to get this role once I heard that Alfie Boe was no longer being considered. I'm excited to have Tom Hooper behind the wheel and eager to see how Hugh Jackman inhabits Valjean! Finally, this musical is on its way!

Previous updates on film

New 'Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy' Trailer

via Rope of Silicon

More information on TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

Downton Abbey - new press & photos

Jessica Fellowes, the author of The World of Downton Abbey, has written some articles behind the scenes of the show. There's also an articled in The New Times and others listed below.

NY Times: Behind the Scenes with the creator of Downton Abbey

The cast and crew reveal the secrets of filming Downton

Is there anything more thrilling than a new frock? The magnificent outfits that are the show's other big stars

The upper and lower classes had very different love lives - but passion their knew no boundaries

Look who's coming to dinner! As the horror of war descends, new faces – and fresh scandal – shake the foundations of Downton to their core...

While the men are away at war, the women left behind - both above and below stairs - find independence and new opportunities

'It's great to have you back!' - Jan Moir on the return of ITV’s blockbuster costume drama

Photos: NY Times, London Evening Standard, Daily Mail

See: more photos of Season 2

More information on season 2 of Downton Abbey

Video: Behind the scenes of 'The Three Musketeers"

A peek at the making of THE THREE MUSKETEERS starring Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans, Logan Lerman, Orlando Bloom, Christoph Waltz, Mads Mikkelsen, Juno Temple, Freddie Fox, James Cordon, Gabriella Wilde and Milla Jovovich

More info

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy: video of Gary Oldman

Featurette for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy takes a look at the film with emphasis on the character George Smiley, played by Gary Oldman.

Article: "The secret of my Smiley? Gary Oldman reveals how he took on a legendary role"

Moviefone: Oldman wants to direct Colin Firth in his next film: "I can't say what it is, but it's a remake," Oldman told Esquire magazine, "and when I worked with Colin I thought: here's the guy to do it with."

Poster: Rope of Silicon
Video: Trailer Addict

More information on TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY

Downton Abbey: More video previews of Season 2!

For those of us outside the UK, here are some of the preview videos that were posted on ITV's website. The anticipation continues to build for the second season of Downton Abbey!
(Sept 18 in UK, Jan. 8 in North America)

Official Downton Abbey S2E1 Preview (ITV 2011)

Downton Abbey S2 Extras: The Sisters Crawley (ITV 2011)

Downton Abbey S2 Extras: The Nasties (ITV 2011)

See additional videos...
Video: The Impact of War
Video: All Change at Downton
(thanks to misfolly for posting!)

More information on Season 2

New trailers for Season 2 of Downton Abbey!

Here's a look at Downton Abbey's television ad that appeared today on ITV

giving us a sneak peek at what's ahead for the upcoming season!



Song: Scala and Kolacny Brothers - With or Without You

Thanks to everyone for uploading the videos!



More information on season 2

Downton Abbey - images from 1st episode of new season

Countdown to the second season of Downton Abbey on ITV is only 2 weeks away! (Sept. 18)

Thanks to Evangeline of Edwardian Promenade who found these images at Spoiler TV and a detailed description of the first episode. Spoiler beware!



SHORT SYNOPSIS of Episode 1 (the non-spoilerish one)

The Great War unsettles life at Downton and Isobel's surprising news about Matthew rocks the family further. New maid, Ethel ruffles O'Brien's feathers and Bates returns with life changing news for Anna.

More information on Season 2 of Downton Abbey

(which is an ITV production although many assume it's put out by the BBC)

Photos: Nick Briggs

Titanic: Blood and Steel (2012)

Get ready for plenty of dramas and specials regarding The Titanic next year with the 100th anniversary of its sinking. James Cameron is re-releasing The Titanic in 3D, Julian Fellowes is writing the screenplay for Titanic, a new miniseries for ITV and the BBC [*see below] has joined in with their own series, Titanic: Blood and Steel which focuses on the building of the ship. I'm certain we will see other specials regarding this famous vessel pop up as well.
[*Update: BBC, which is not the producer, have said they will not be broadcasting the series]

Actors Chris Noth, Neve Campbell, and Derek Jacobi have joined the cast of the 12-part mini-series which includes Ophelia Lovibond, Billy Carter, Massimo Ghini, Branwell Donaghey, Martin McCann, Kevin Zegers, Joely Richardson and Liam Cunningham.

The sprawling mini-series centers on the design of the ship, how it was built, and the financial compromises which ultimately lead to its untimely demise. Chris Noth will portray financier J.P. Morgan, with Neve Campbell portraying a journalist covering the ship's first voyage to New York City. Derek Jacobi will play Lord William Pirrie, chairman of the Harland and Wolff company which built the Titanic.

Ciaran Donnelly is directing Titanic: Blood and Steel from a screenplay by Matthew Faulk, Mark Skeet, and Stefano Voltaggio, based on an idea by creator Fabrizio del Noce.

Source: Movieweb

From Variety:
LONDON -- Thanks to the popularity of glossy big-budget period fare, Ireland's Howth Castle, a short drive from downtown Dublin, will finally find its place in film -- alongside the Titanic.

The last time the imposing castle was used in a film set was back in 1977; its mock gothic architecture looked perfect for a vampire movie, but the picture went over-budget and was never completed.

This time around, there's no danger of the film's coin running out -- despite the grim European economy, and the fact that the driving force behind the show is an Italian producer-distributor; "Titanic: Blood and Steel," a 12-part miniseries timed to coincide with the centenary of the ship's disastrous maiden voyage next April, is backed by more than $30 million of co-production finance, tax credits and presales, and is the biggest production seen this side of the Irish Sea since HBO's "Game of Thrones."

TV projects of this scale and ambition, especially one devoted to what is an Anglo-American story involving the most widely known civilian nautical disaster of the 20th century, are usually driven by either U.S. or U.K. money, or a mix of both. On "Titanic," however, it is continental Europeans who have invested in the skein.

The idea is to parlay what appears to be a healthy appetite in the global market for high-end period sagas, especially those set in the 20th century, be they "Downton Abbey," "Boardwalk Empire" or even "Pan-Am" -- which may not be flying high in the U.S., but is solidly business-class overseas.

"The chief investors are Italy, Germany and Spain," explains De Angelis Group managing director Andrea Zoso, the Rome-based company that developed "Titanic" and is lead producer and rights holder.

Approximately three-quarters of the financing was provided by Italian pubcaster RAI, Germany's Tandem Communication and broadcaster Antena 3 in Spain, with presales and tax credits making up the rest.

Other partners include Los Angeles-based 3 Arts, Blighty's Artists Studio, Gaul's Marathon Group, Ireland's Epos Films and the Irish Film Board. Distribution is being handled by Tandem Communications and 3 Arts in the U.S., with Zodiak handling the rest of the world excluding Italy, Germany and Spain.

"We are not exactly re-inventing the wheel in terms of how we financed the series," Zoso says, "but it is an unusual business model for an international TV production."

Insofar as no licensing deals have been signed in either the U.S. or the U.K., the risks might be higher, but the rewards are potentially greater.

Continental European co-producers appear more willing to allow Des Angelis to take the bulk of the back end, as well as to have creative control, than a U.S. or a British partner would be, according to Zoso.

Zoso says there was a determination that no more than three main protagonists would be involved in order to avoid too much horse-trading among the multiple production partners over matters like casting. He says the Germans were entirely relaxed over such matters, but that RAI insisted on an Italian female lead, while a cameo featuring a Spanish journalist was written in to keep Antenna 3 happy.

"This is not a pan-European show, but an international co-production aimed at English-speaking markets," emphasizes Nicola De Angelis, co-executive producer of the project.

Inasmuch as the mini's story is set before the Titanic's launch, De Angelis says the project has more or less no overlap with James Cameron's 1997 Oscar winner.

"It is a fascinating narrative, because at the center of the story is the American Dream, and the idea of people leaving Europe, including Italians who had emigrated to Ireland, to start a new life in America," De Angelis adds, calling the show an action-based period drama. "There is political and business intrigue, sectarian problems between Catholics and Protestants, labor unrest and the beginning of women's emancipation."

De Angelis says that period drama sells better internationally than do contemporary stories, because modern-day fare is too culturally specific.

With an Irish director ("The Tudors'?" Ciaran Donnelly), English writers (Matthew Faulk and Mark Skeet) and a multinational cast (Americans Chris Noth and "Gossip Girl's" Kevin Zegers, Brit Derek Jacobi, Canadian Neve Campbell and Italian Alessandra Mastronardi), the film is certainly aiming for wide appeal.

Another international touch: A 90% replica of the Titanic was created in an abandoned arms factory in Serbia, scouted by production designer Tom Conroy ("The Tudors," "Camelot"). And standing in for the boardroom at Harland and Wolff, the Belfast-based builder of the ocean liner -- none other than one of the Howth Castle's grand salons.

Conroy sees the story as being more universal than that of "Downton Abbey." "I hope people will get a sense of the life of the time," he says.

The mini ends as the passengers embark on that fateful day in the spring of 1912, but De Angelis hopes that isn't the finish for the company's association with the Titanic theme; already in development is another 12-parter, taking up the story of the inquiries into why the ship sank so easily and what fate had in store for some of the survivors.

That miniseries would face stiff competition from a retelling of the Titanic voyage made by U.K. web ITV and prebought by ABC in the U.S. Its creator? Julian Fellowes, on a roll thanks to "Downton Abbey."

New preview scene from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, based on novel by Le Carré, stars Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Roger Lloyd-Pack, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, John Hurt and Ciaran Hinds

New preview scene courtesy of Rope of Silicon

More information

Love Begins (2011) - trailer

Love Begins, a prequel to the Love Comes Softly series,

will air on the Hallmark Channel on September 17, 2011.

Synopsis: "Clark Davis’ (Wes Brown) adventurous dreams of seeing the world are put into jeopardy after he and a friend start a fight which damages a local cafe. Through a plea deal with the Sheriff (Jere Burns) and café owner Millie (Nancy McKeon), Clark works off his sentence as a farmhand for the Barlow sisters, Ellen (Julie Mond) and Cassie (Abigail Mavity).



Older sister Ellen doesn’t understand Cassie’s friendly nature with Clark; she agreed to the Sheriff’s offer only because the farm has become too much to maintain alone. Clark is slowing winning Ellen over, but suddenly suffers a traumatic head injury in a fall. After Ellen nurses him back to health, her former fiancé returns to win her back. Will Clark travel on or stay behind where love begins?"

View trailer

More information on Hallmark's website

Seven Days in Utopia

Released in selected theatres today...

(I thoroughly enjoyed Get Low which featured both Robert Duvall and Lucas Black and now they're both featured in this inspirational film.)

Film description:

"When Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black) has a catastrophic meltdown at a mini tour golf tournament, he is left broken and bitter. He is at the end of his rope. Embarrassed, he drives off from the tournament down the back roads of Texas and begins to analyze the destruction he is so desperate to leave behind. It is apparent that this is a defining moment in Luke’s life. His golf game is in turmoil and as a result, his relationship with his caddy/father is seemingly strained beyond repair. It seems as if Luke’s life is spinning out of control and he doesn’t know how to stop it.



Just when he thought it couldn’t get any worse, Luke soon wrecks his car at a fork in the road and finds himself stuck in a small town called Utopia, Texas….far from home.



Dazed and despaired, it is here in Utopia that Luke meets a man who will change his golf game and his life forever…Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall). Johnny asks Luke to stay for seven days and embark on a journey that he will not soon forget.



Over the next week while he is stranded in Utopia, Luke learns more about golf, life and faith than he ever bargained for.



(Shown on right: Lucas Black, Robert Duvall, Deborah Ann Woll, Melissa Leo)



Utopia is indeed a place of mythical proportion. But make no mistake about it….Utopia, Texas is real and its teachings are profound and everlasting. Join Luke on his journey in Utopia as he discovers his purpose through actions such as fly fishing, painting and flying planes. Follow him as he explores relationship with the likes of Sarah Hawkins (Deborah Ann Woll), Lily (Melissa Leo), Jake (Brian Geraghty) and Mabel (Kathy Baker). The lessons of Johnny Crawford and the values of Utopia, Texas effect Luke in a way he never thought possible.



Only in Utopia can you enter one day with the weight of the world on your shoulders and leave a week later ready to conquer life. Only in Utopia can you find love and your sense of purpose all over again. Johnny is no ordinary teacher and this is no ordinary town."



Official Site

Buck (2011)

~ There's no wisdom worth having that isn't hard won ~

"Your horse is a mirror to your soul, and sometimes you may not like what you see. Sometimes, you will.” So says Buck Brannaman, a true American cowboy and sage on horseback who travels the country for nine grueling months a year helping horses with people problems.



BUCK, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment.



Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, BUCK is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds."

Awards

Winner - Audience Award, Sundance Film Festival 2011

Winner - Audience Award, Full Frame Film Festival 2011

Winner - Best Documentary, Crossroads Film Festival 2011

Source: Buck the Film on Facebook

Official Site

Release dates: check official site for theatres

Little Boy (2012)

English actors Emily Watson and Ben Chaplin will star in the movie “Little Boy,” to be produced by Eduardo Verástegui (shown on right) at Baja Film Studios, where “Titanic” was filmed.



Budgeted at $24 million, Little Boy is a family drama set in small-town America in the early days of WWII. The film revolves around an 8-year-old with developmental problems. His only friend is his father, and with his departure to war, the troubled boy is forced to confront the cruelty of schoolmates and others. Jakob Salvati plays the lead child role.



Production will begin in Baja California at the end of August and will open in theaters sometime in 2012. The film will also shoot in Rosarito beach, Ensenada, Tijuana and Tecate.



“Things will happen in this adventure that will make you reflect and laugh, and whose powerful ending will touch your heart,” said the producer. “It’s a story for grownups told from a boy’s perspective.”



Tom Wilkinson is also reported to be in talks to join the cast.



Source

Cristiado - trailer

Cristiada is "a chronicle of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), which was touched off by a rebellion against the Mexican government's attempt to secularize the country. The film follows the stories of ordinary people from across the country who choose to stand up for their freedom. Caught up in a full-fledged civil war, they all must decide how far they are willing to go and what they're willing to risk."



Starring: Andy Garcia, Eva Longeria, Peter O'Toole, Oscar Isaac, Santiago Cabrera, Ruben Blades, Catalina Sandino, Eduardo Verastegui, and Nestor Carbonell

More details on Cristiada

Official site

The Lady (2011) - teaser trailer

The Lady, a biopic of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Starring Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis. More details posted earlier.

Synopsis: The Lady is the extraordinary story of Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris. It is also the story of the peaceful quest of the woman who is at the core of Burma's democracy movement. Despite distance, long separations, and a dangerously hostile regime, their love endures until the very end. It's a story of devotion and human understanding set against a backdrop of political turmoil that continues today. The Lady was written over a period of three years by Rebecca Frayn. Interviews with key figures in Aung San Suu Kyi's entourage enabled her to reconstruct for the first time the true story of Burma‟s national heroine.

Watch video: Director Luc Besson's discusses film

Dimensions: A Line, A Loop, A Tangle of Threads (2011)

Dimensions, a period drama/time travel film will debut at the Cambridge Film Festival in September. It features Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Camilla Rutherford among others.



It is the directorial debut of husband and wife directing duo, Ant Neely & Sloane U.Ren, who describe the film as "a cross between H.G. Wells. Time Machine and A Beautiful Mind".



Description from film's blog:

‘It’s dark in here. Pitch black. Silent. This is where it all began and where it all ends. Perhaps, though, it isn’t as simple as that. We see our lives, the moments from our birth to our death, as a straight line - never bending, never curving. Those are old ideas though and now it is time for you to discard them and imagine more. It’s time to open your eyes to the possibility that time isn’t a simple ruler, ticking off the moments between the beginning and the end. Time is a line, a loop, a tangle of threads, a sculpture of dazzling complexity.’



Stephen is a brilliant young boy who lives in England, in what appears to be the 1920s - but nothing in Stephen’s life is quite as it seems. His world is turned upside down upon meeting a charismatic and inspirational professor at a garden party, who demonstrates to Stephen and his friends what life would be like if they themselves were merely one, or two, dimensional beings. He then proceeds to explain that by manipulating other dimensions, time travel may actually be possible.



As Stephen’s life unfolds, events lead him to dedicate himself to turning the Professor’s theories of time travel into reality. Jealousy, love, obsession, temptation and greed surround him, influencing his fragile mind and the direction of his work.

View images of cast



Photos: copyright of film producers

Visit dimensionsthemovie.com



IMDb