In another step towards a concerted effort to bring its most popular game franchises to the big screen, Ubisoft has confirmed that Tom Hardy will star in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. Hardy, whose recent projects include The Dark Knight Rises and Lawless, will play the role of the game’s main character, Sam Fisher, a highly-trained special operative in a fictional black-ops operation called Echelon. He is currently filming Mad Max: Fury Road, which co-stars Charlize Theron.
Ladies and gentlemen, we come now to part 3 of the Sizing up series. This one is as close to an all-encompassing grouping of the hopefuls for Best Actor as possible (excluding some no shot contenders). I’m looking to categorize them by their assumed likelihood of a nomination come the big morning, but clearly there’s plenty of guesswork at play here as well. For my money, this is the most competitive category outside of Best Picture and possibly Best Director. There’s a bunch of top-tier contenders that all could win, let alone get nominated, so this is a bit of a top-heavy category.
Doug Liman (Bourne Identity) is in early talks with Tom Hardy to star in his next film, Everest, an adaptation of Jeffrey Archer’s Paths of Glory. Everest will be based on fictionalized accounts of true events surrounding 1920s mountaineer George Mallory, who three separate times attempted to be the first to climb Mount Everest. Liman is about to start filming All You Need is Kill starring Tom Cruise, while Hardy is filming George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
More and more we’ve seen actors taking an interest in the behind the scenes/production process of film making. According to The Hollywood Reporter,Tom Hardy, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio are the latest stars to make that move, teaming up to produce an anti-poaching drama . Hardy developed the idea for the film based on tales from his friends who are former Special Forces operatives and went on to become anti-poaching fighters. Word is they are looking to make this film in a style similar to Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic, moving from the ground war on poachers in the African savanna to seeing how animal material ends up in the fashion houses of Paris.
Buoyed by some fine performances and winning filmmaking, Lawless manages to overcome some script deficiencies on its way to being a solid movie and a great entry into the cannon of outlaw films. John Hillcoat’s bruising prohibition era drama takes place in the Appalachian Mountains and tells the tale of bootlegging Bondurant brothers, played by Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke. These brothers have achieved such a stature that basically run the town, inundating everyone, including the police officers and law makers with liquor, firmly earning the area the title of “the wettest county in the world.” But of course, this type of unsavory business cannot go on unchecked and when the U.S. government comes calling for a portion of the funds, the brothers and the community find themselves faced with the law’s special agent Charlie Rakes (Guy Pearce), a man who is just as “lawless” as them. ”Unstoppable force meets immovable object” certainly rings true as the tensions created by Rakes and the Bondurant brother builds to a gratifying, if gratuitous, climax and resolution. Read more on Lawless (***)…
Before I even begin diving into my review of the closing chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it should be made clear to everyone reading that I liked The Dark Knight Riseswell enough for a qualified endorsement. It’s a mostly fun, even rousing action spectacle that contains some truly breathtaking visuals (IMAX is really the only format to experience this in) and builds to a fairly satisfying conclusion; in other words, a good movie.
But it is most definitely not a great one, and I have to admit being astonished at the level of gushingenthusiasmfrommycolleagues. The film suffers from serious story structure and pacing problems, an honorably attempted but ultimately dull main villain, and tries to bring up a number of topical observations of contemporary events that end up being threadbare at best and disturbingly reactionary at worst.* None of these flaws outright sink the movie, but they do bring it down below the level of Batman Begins, far below the level of The Dark Knight and, perhaps most disappointingly, ends up with Nolan ultimately failing to live up to his promise of staking out a truly new form of superhero epic.
Completing his Batman trilogy in extraordinary fashion, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises concludes what is, without question, one of the finest trilogies ever created. Nolan pulls off a near impossible feat, one he created for himself of course, by providing an emotionally satisfying and triumphant finale; essentially raising the bar extremely high for all other superhero stories and reinventions going forward. Fans of Nolan’s films will be again amazed at his incredible skillset as a filmmaker and storyteller, while those who have embraced this particular Batman relaunch, from 2005’s Batman Begins to 2008’s The Dark Knight, will fall back in their chairs, spent and smiling, relieved that this Dark Knight does indeed rise and deliver.
Through each and every project, Christopher Nolan’s vision, scope, and limitless imagination makes each task he sets out to accomplish all the more daunting and impressive. Many of those waiting for Rises have been counting down the days since the credits starting rolling at the end of The Dark Knight and that pressure on Nolan had to have felt insurmountable at times. And yet, Nolan is unrelenting. Mixing aggressiveness with confidence, risk with bravery, Nolan adds more layers to his Batman mythology, before a stunning final act leaves you breathless. For those who have complained that Christopher Nolan cannot close out his films and/or screenplays, those critical voices best be silent for awhile. The Dark Knight Rises is, in many ways, an unforgettable experience.
Against almost impossible hype, anticipation, and expectations, Christopher Nolan has managed to deliver not just the best Batman film to date, but also the best superhero film of all time with ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (while also once again elevating the playing field for what the genre can be at its pinnacle). In fact, I’d go so far as to argue it’s the best 3rd film of any series, and solidifies this franchise as the best of all time, in terms of pure filmmaking and quality. Both epic and intimate in scale, Nolan is working on a level I’ve never seen from him before. Everything before this for him has been leading up to ‘The Dark Knight Rises’. The same goes for all the returning members of his cast, notably Christian Bale, who I feel gives us the definitive version of Bruce Wayne here, not to mention Batman. This is a brutal film about war, redemption, sacrifice, and a reflection of our current political climate, while still being a rousing and entertaining heroic adventure. It’s damn near perfect, and even more so than ‘The Dark Knight’, this is the film that the Academy should be nominating for Best Picture. Nolan deserves nods for his directing and screenplay duties (the way he uses the city of New York to stand in for Gotham City is stupendous, but I’ll get more into that triumphant decision in a bit) as well, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Quite simply, this is the best film of the year so far, and a surefire awards contender. Nominations obviously have more to do with just quality, but in that regard, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ has that in spades. I had tears in my eyes during the final minutes, and I never expected that. Bravo Mr. Nolan…
Those were my exact thoughts and tweet after the screening of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. A little over twelve hours have passed, allowing what was seen to officially settle in. The Dark Knight Rises, dare I say it, is better than its predecessor. With all my qualms and things that I found wrong in The Dark Knight (2008), Nolan goes back, corrects, and elevates everything in the superhero genre, frame by frame. If there were ever doubts about Christopher Nolan and his ability as a filmmaker, he puts all things to rest and declares himself one of the most innovative and visionary directors working today. He analyzes and interprets Batman in a way, I’ve never known possible. Nolan wants to make more than a “Batman” film or just another “superhero” movie. He reinvented the genre and quite possibly creates the best superhero film of all-time. Read more on The Dark Knight Rises (***½)…
The extraordinary burden placed on director Christopher Nolan to deliver a great film, a good one would disappoint, seems to have fuelled the gifted director to create something simply astounding. Though the film lacks the complex, nightmarish villain of The Dark Knight (2008), Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning turn as The Joker, The Dark Knight Rises is an epic and lifts the comic book film, as the previous picture did to an art form. It is without question the year’s finest film thus far and could land in the Best Picture race. Frankly, Nolan shows everyone associated with The Avengers (2012), a good film, how things are done, by making another masterpiece that finishes his trilogy about the Dark Knight. Nolan has accomplished what George Lucas could not with Return of the Jedi (1983), making a third film that matches the previous two, that takes us further into the characters and the story. Read more on The Dark Knight Rises (****)…
I’ll be seeing ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ tomorrow, but late last night (3AM here on the East Coast, though it was midnight over in Hollywood when the embargo came down) the first critical response to Christopher Nolan’s conclusion to the Batman trilogy came in, and they’re about as enthusiastic as you’d expect. There are some mentions of small flaws, but for the most part just about everyone is raving about this flick. I wasn’t sure the anticipation level could rise (no pun intended) any higher than it’s already been at for what feels like months now, but this first batch of reviews has seemingly done that. I’ll be chiming in on Wednesday with my take on the film, as will Clayton, but for now you can see what some of my fellow critics are saying after the jump, and yes, I’ve made sure not to include any spoilers, so fear not. Behold the initial reactions below and let the countdown continue…
Tom Hardy Born: September 15th, 1977 Place: Hammersmith, London, England, UK Major Awards and Citations: BAFTA Awards (2011): Won the Rising Star Award
British Independent Film Awards (2011): Nominated for Best Supporting Actor for ‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’
British Independent Film Awards (2009): Nominated for Best Actor for ‘Bronson’
Satellite Awards (2011): Nominated for Best Actor for ‘Warrior’
Believe it or not, the marketing push for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is at the tail end right about now. Warner Brothers has released countless Trailers, Posters, clips, and images, among other things, and just about all that’s left (besides our continuing 30 Days of Batman coverage, of course) is for the movie to just com out. Still, we have another Poster to show you today, and an IMAX one at that. It focuses on Bane, and you can see the whole thing after the jump. It’s pretty creepy, and I like it a lot. See if you agree with me below…
The end of the summer always marks the unofficial transition from blockbusters to more Oscar friendly fare, and this year the perfect marker is ‘Lawless’, which hits theaters on August 31st. Originally pegged as a big awards player, the early word is a bit weaker than that, but I’d hardly cross it off of any lists. Anyway, we have a new Trailer to share today, and it gets into the plot a bit more than last time. You can take a gander at it after the jump, and likely continue to be excited about it. I know I’m looking forward to it. Behold it below…
It’s the first of the month. Not only that, it’s the first day of the second half of the year. Anybody else feel like that was fast? Yet, here we are.
It’s time to start getting serious, Oscar-wise. Not many things have come out, and not many films are looking like Best Picture nominees from the first half. Some will argue The Avengers with a $600 million dollar bank is in talks. Some think the little indie-film Moonrise Kingdom from Wes Anderson could be our “Little Miss Sunshine” of the year. In limited release, Benh Zeitlin’s Beasts of the Southern Wild has opened and received one of the best word-of-mouth reviews of the year. Is that a contender for the big prize? I’d say it is.
I’m ready to start getting down and dirty with these predictions.
Even without having seen ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ at the time of writing this piece (another week or so for me), I can safely say that the upcoming version of Bane that filmmaker Christopher Nolan has in store for us will be far different from any we’ve seen before…and that’s likely a good thing in my eyes. You see, Bane isn’t exactly a part of the A list when it comes to Batman’s gallery of villains (though his back story isn’t terrible or anything), so Nolan has the opportunity to play with the character known to have broken the Bat’s back in any number of ways. My guess is that the changes he’s almost certainly made are all but exclusively for the better. In fact, when the movie comes out, I think we’ll see almost none of the upcoming history of the character shown in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, excluding a certain attachment that I’ll get into soon. Much like we dove into the history of the Caped Crusader in the last article for the 30 Days of Batman series, let us now dive into the man they call Bane. I’ll be looking at all the different versions of the character, but we don’t we start where it all began?
It’s amazing how Nolan has kept so much from us about The Dark Knight Rises and yet consistently delivers incredible trailers. The new trailer released today is no exception as we get perhaps our best (and final?) look at the final film in his Batman saga. There isn’t much happening in this trailer in terms of plot, but it more than makes up for it in explosions and mayhem brought on by Tom Hardy’s Bane. If this trailer has you ready to spend money already, you can head over to Fandango and purchase your tickets. Check out the explosive new trailer after the jump!
Earlier today we got a look at the newest poster for The Dark Knight Rises. Apparently you all wanted more, so Warner Brothers has delivered a new set of character posters for Batman (Christian Bale), Bane (Tom Hardy), and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway).
The Dark Knight Rises will bring the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy to its epic conclusion on July 20th.
The team for John Hillcoat’s “Lawless” released a bunch of posters, some rugged and brilliant, others are wimpy and uninspired. My favorite is the sexy Jessica Chastain sporting a big, bad handgun. Check them all out after the jump. Read more on Beautiful Character Posters for ‘Lawless’…
Even just going by a few clips, images, and trailers, there’s obviously a rather distinct difference between how Christopher Nolan is using the Bane character in ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ and how Joel Schumacher used him in ‘Batman and Robin’. One thing that’s been a source of curiosity in terms of Nolan’s version is how Bane’s mask/use of venom is going to be incorporated. I’ll admit that there’s potential for this come off silly, but between Nolan and Tom Hardy, I’m confident they can pull it off. Rolling Stone Magazine (via Colliderhere) has an image of Bane with his costume explained, including the mask, and you can see it after the jump. I’m sold personally, but you can decide for yourself below…
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Guy Pearce, Gary Oldman
Synopsis:Set in the Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a bootlegging gang is threatened by authorities who want a cut of their profits.
Awards Speculation:
More than any other modern director, John Hillcoat is a filmmaker who seems just about to taste greatness. It’s been six years since his debut Western The Proposition and three since his adaptation Cormac McCarthy’s extraordinary post-apocalyptic novel The Road, and very few modern movies could be accurately described as “on the verge of greatness” as those two. His debut showed off an impressive command of heavy, oppressive mood and one half of an excellent story of one couple’s worries and attempts to make a stand in an unjust world (excellently portrayed by Emily Watson and Ray Winstone) coupled with a tiresome and frankly distasteful story of Guy Pearce’s cavorting around with bandits. The Road had the unfortunate handicap of having to be in the shadow of an unimprovable book, but despite some visual and sound problems was poignant on its own terms. Read more on Awards Profile: Lawless…
July 20th, 2012, the day the last entry in Chrisopher Nolan’s Batman saga, The Dark Knight Rises, graces the screen. After the start of a viral marketing campaign that revealed frames of the trailer, they’ve released the full trailer.
After the jump, we get a good look at Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman (who’s afraid of Bane?), more Bane menace, Joseph Gordon Levitt actually saying a few lines, and the bleak world Batman find himself fighting in. Also, the voice issues with Bane seem to have been fixed.
After it’s selection by the Cannes Film Festival, it was only a matter of time before The Weinstein Co. released a trailer for Lawless, the adaptation of the novel “The Wettest Country in the World” about a bootlegging family in depression era in rural Virginia. Directed by John Hillcoat, the film stars Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman and Guy Pearce.
