Judi Dench Page 4

Philomena has been released in UK cinemas and is proving to be one of the British film events of the year as critics flock to praise Steve Coogan and Judi Dench's performances in this touching, funny, Stephen Frears-directed drama about a woman on a quest to find her long lost son. Read our 'Philomena' review.

'Philomena' Has Been Festooned With Praise, With The BIFAs The Crowning Moment.

Coogan and Dench are up for best actor and actress categories for their roles at this year's Moet British Independent Film Awards, according to BBC News. The actors will go up against Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan for their roles in Le Week-end.

Continue reading: 'Philomena' Actors Shortlisted For British Independent Film Awards

The National Theatre in London celebrated five decades of quality productions yesterday with the aid of some of the brightest and most experienced stars of UK theatre. Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Helen Mirren, Derek Jacobi, Michael Gambon, Simon Russell Beale and plenty of others gave their best performances to represent the distinguished institution.

Last year, the National celebrated the London Olympics with a fire garden of lit candles.

The guest list was also sufficiently star-studded, with attendees like playwrights Tom Stoppard, Peter Shaffer and David Hare alongside directors Richard Eyre and Peter Hall and actresses Prunella Scales and Juliet Stevenson. The guest of honor was Joan Plowright, the widow of the late first director of the National’s first director and distinguished actor in his own right Lawrence Olivier.

Continue reading: National Theatre In London Celebrates 50 Years With A Shining Cast And Star-Studded Guest List

Not only has The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel retained its all-star cast for the sequel, but another behemoth of the big screen has joined ranks. Richard Gere will star alongside Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton when the comedy returns, though it is currently unknown which new character Gere will play.

There isn’t much info, but the Radio Times report that the same production team will be on board, with the second film once again being written by Ol Parker. Another returnee is Penelope Wilton, who played Jean in the original film.

"We had a wonderful time shooting this film the first time and I am thrilled we will be going back in January to do another one. As far as I know everybdy will be returning," she said.

Continue reading: Richard Gere Joining Veteran Cast For 'Marigold Hotel' Sequel

Best known for his seminal comedy creation, Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan’s dramatic work sometimes slips under the radar.But with Philomena, the British actor’s emotional attachment, combined with the technique and skill from both he and Judi Dench, his new film is a touchingly funny drama.

Steve Coogan, Sophie Kennedy Clark and Dame Judy Dench at the premiere for Philomena

“I was very emotionally involved in it. I read the article in the newspaper, and I responded to that because it made me angry, and it made me cry. It didn’t make me laugh much, I have to say, but I brought that to it a bit later on,” said Coogan of the project.

Continue reading: Steve Coogan On 'Philomena': It's Not Simply "An Angry Attack On The Church"

A piece of 007 memorabilia has gone on sale at auction soon; James Bond’s iconic hybrid car – equally comfortable in the water as it is on dry land – was expected to sell for something between £650k-£950k, but only managed to fetch £525k.

Judi Dench and Daniel Craig as 'M' and Bond in wax form

Max Girardo, managing director of RM Auctions Europe, said: "We have a great track record in selling incredible and iconic movie cars, and this particular Lotus is certainly up there amongst the most famous cars of all time.

Continue reading: Iconic James Bond Submarine Car Sells At Auction For £525k

Gravity opened the 70th Venice Film Festival yesterday (28th August). The film's two actors, George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, were there on the red carpet to see their efforts at the prestigious festival.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney at the Venice Film Festival photocall for Gravity.

Sandra Bullock plays a medical engineer sent into space with astronaut veteran George Clooney. With little experience in space, the engineer, Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock), is reliant on Matt Kowalsky (Clooney). From the trailer and IMDB description, Bullock is reliant on Clooney when they are caught in debris and forced to survive in space. Amazingly the drama unfolds with just two actors supported by the occasional NASA voice. 

Continue reading: 'Gravity', Starring George Clooney & Sandra Bullock, Premieres At Venice Film Festival

Irish director Dearbhla Walsh, who won an Emmy for Little Dorritt, is to direct a new BB adaptation of the Roald Dahl novel Esio Trot, starring Hollywood actor Dustin Hoffman and Judi Dench

Walsh, who will direct a script written by Richard Curtis, has worked on children's programming and soap opera Eastenders for 21 years. Her other credits include Funland, The Tudors, and Talk To Me. 

The announcement was made by BBC One controller Charlotte Moore at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Thursday (August 22, 2013).

Continue reading: Dearbhla Walsh To Direct Dustin Hoffman In Roald Dahl's 'Esio Trot'

Dustin Hoffman has secretly been battling cancer for an unspecified amount of time. He has kept the life-threatening news a secret from the public until a recent announcement from one of his PR team, which alerted us not only of his illness, but that he has undergone treatment and is responding well to the medical intervention. His rep, Jodi Gottlieb, exclusively spoke to People Magazine to reveal the mixed bag of good and bad news this Tuesday (6 August).

Hoffman has responded well to his recent cancer treatment

"It was detected early and he has been surgically cured," she told the magazine, failing to disclose how long exactly it had been since Dustin was told that he was suffering from cancer. She reassuringly added, "Dustin is feeling great and is in good health."

Continue reading: Dustin Hoffman Secretly Battling Cancer, But Responding Well To Treatment

Dustin Hoffman has undergone successful cancer treatment, his representative announced on Tuesday 6th August.

Dustin Hoffman at the AFI Festival's screening of Quartet, held at Grauman's Chinese Theater, L.A.

His representative, Jodi Gottlieb, announced Hoffman's cancer "was detected early and he has been successfully cured." However, reports suggest the 75-year-old will continue with preventative treatments in the next few years, as recommended by his doctor. Further details on the procedure have, as yet, not been disclosed to the press.

Continue reading: Dustin Hoffman "Feeling Great" After Cancer Treatment

Stephen Frears' new film Philomena stars Dame Judi Dench and Steve Coogan. The first picture of the film was released yesterday (Monday 16th July) and shows the two British actors in an evidently emotional scene. Coogan looks at Dench with a concerned expression as she holds a photograph.

The film, directed by Frears, follows one woman's journey to discover a son she was forced to give up fifty years before. Young Philomena Lee (played by Sophie Kennedy Clark), according to the BBC's synopsis, fell pregnant in Ireland in 1952: she was then taken to a convent as a 'fallen woman'. As a consequence of her strict surroundings, Philomena was encouraged to offer her baby for adoption. 

Continue reading: First Look At Judi Dench And Steve Coogan In 'Philomena' [Picture]

This year's Golden Globes ceremony takes place tonight (Jan 13), and its categories - much like the categories in most of this years awards - look wide open.

At the Golden Globes in particular, it looks as though this year could see the bulk of the prizes going to British recipients, with the ladies in particular providing hope that a few gongs will be getting sent across the Atlantic. Dames Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith and Judi Dench are all vying for awards, with Dame Smith up for two acting gongs - for The Quartet and Downton Abbey. Meanwhile Aussie-Brit Naomi Watts, Emily Blunt and Rachel Weisz are up for awards, whilst Daniel Day-Lewis is looking like the man to beat in the Best Actor category.

Still, Day-Lewis could be beat, meaning he will have to wait til his next film to take his tally of awards up a notch (he always gets nominated at the very least). Joaquin Phoenix and Denzel Washington are probably his biggest threats, but really the award is pretty much Lewis' already. If he doesn't win though, there's a pretty good chance that Damien Lewis could bring the gold home for the UK, being nominated in the television category for Best Actor for his role on Homeland.

Continue reading: A Year Of Surprises? Golden Globes Have No Clear Winner

When the Oscar nominations were released the whole of Britain sighed, not with relief but with disappointment, due to the absence of Skyfall nominations. It's rare to hear or see an actor's impressions as soon as they find out, but speaking on BBC Radio 4, Judi Dench was unaware of the Oscar results and was told on air. Her reaction was clearly one of great disappointment, not on her own behalf, but on behalf of everyone else involved in the movie, particularly Javier Bardem and Sam Mendes. 

She had only heard that Adele had a nomination from hearing a snippet on the radio before speaking to Radio 4 later, and told them that she "had a lot of things to do this morning". However, when the presenter told her that Adele's nomination had been the only one for Skyfall, she was clearly very disappointed. "That's a great, great pity," she said. "It was a terrific film, I'm very, very sorry... I thought it was very, very exciting." 

She spoke great praise of her colleagues in the film, saying that it was "wonderfully directed, and filmed, and lit, and shot." Plus adding that "Javier [Bardem] hit the Bond villain right on the head... he was terrific." 

Continue reading: Judi Dench Discovers Skyfall Oscar Snub Live On Radio, It's A 'Great Pity'

Academy Snub For Bigelow, Django Scores Five Oscar And 5 Bafta Nominations And Robot & Frank Trailer Delights

The big movie news this week, of course, was the announcement of this year's Oscar nominations, to which people reacted with the usual levels of surprise and anger. The biggest snub seems to be for previous winner Kathryn Bigelow, who was overlooked for a directing nomination even though her film Zero Dark Thirty earned five other nods, including Best Picture. 

Continue reading: A Week In Movies Feat: Academy Snub For Bigelow, Django Scores Five Oscar And 5 Bafta Nominations And Robot & Frank Trailer Delights

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler host the Golden Globes on Sunday (January 13, 2013) and will no doubt bring a touch of Saturday Night Live to one of Hollywood's glitziest evenings. The close friends decided to host the event because - according to Fey - it's "a very kind of sloppy, loud party, and that seemed like our kind of thing." Indeed, it's going to be so sloppy that the hosts have devised their very own drinking game for Sunday drinkers to enjoy.

The Globes is traditionally more raucous than the Oscars. Basically, the organizers want to invite the most famous people available, stick them into a room together and ply them with champagne. Things happen. Mickey Rourke usually gives something his middle finger, Ricky Gervais makes an inappropriate joke as Johnny Depp looks on disapprovingly, despite being in on the joke. Anyway, Fey and Poehler are of the opinion that if they can have a party, then so can we! The pair explained the rules of their drinking game while in conversation with the Hollywood Reporter. So here goes:

-Drink any time an actress cries in a speech

Continue reading: Tina Fey And Amy Poehler's Golden Globes Drinking Game 2013!

Several British stars scored Golden Globe nominations on Friday morning (December 14, 2012), with Tom Hooper's Les Miserables looking the UK's best hope of scoring a statuette. The musical is in the running for Best Picture (Comedy of Musical), as well as a string of acting awards.

Though the Globes is considered a solid barometer for the Oscars, it has been criticised for shaping its nominations to attract as many big name stars as possible. In 2011, Johnny Depp was nominated for his role in the critically panned The Tourist, leading host Ricky Gervais to joke, "It seems like everything this year was three-dimensional.except the characters in The Tourist." Nevertheless, several lesser known movies from the past year received nominations, including Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt's Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Judi Dench received a nod for Best Exotic Marigold Hotel while Helen Mirren and Rachel Weisz will compete for the Best Actress (Drama) award for their roles in Hitchcock and The Deep Blue Sea respectively. "It's the first major red carpet occasion of awards season," said Nick James, editor of the film magazine Sight & Sound, "so the HFPA need the maximum number of dresses on that carpet, and the widest range of hot talent on their list. They probably have a small eye on that, but I don't think it's too bent in that direction."

Though British stars were listed in today's nominations, it is likely to be Ben Affleck, Steven Spielberg, Kathryn Bigelow, Daniel Day Lewis, Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathway who contest the major prizes. 

Continue reading: The Brits Are Coming! Ewan McGregor And Emily Blunt Score Golden Globe Nominations

Following on from the success it achieved over its opening weekend last week, the latest James Bond film, Skyfall, has broken yet another record by becoming the highest grossing film over its opening week in the UK.

The new Bond film, Daniel Craig’s third as 007, has so far taken in £32.7 million since it opened last week, overtaking the previous holder of the record Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Around £30 million of the takings came in the opening weekend, but the gradual increase of taking – over a Halloween weekend that saw few attend the cinemas – has cemented it’s place in the history books already.

In regards to the achievement, Gary Barber, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at MGM said: "The continued record-breaking success of this film is a true testament to all involved and the global power of this 50 year old franchise." 

Continue reading: Skyfall Shoots Down Harry Potter To Become Top Grossing UK Movie

James Bond in Skyfall must break many of the commandments, what with his serial womanising and killing of others, but The Vatican have issued a full endorsement of the new Bond movie, saying it's the best ever.

The Vatican newspaper published a rave review of Skyfall, saying Bond's character moved away from cliche, and was "more human, capable of being moved and of crying: in a word, more real," according to The Daily Mail. The review went to explain how the movie boasts all of the classic James Bond ingredients: "The title credits song, adrenalin pumping action, amazing hyper-realistic chases, exotic locations, extremely beautiful Bond girls, the usual super villain and the essential vodka martini," before it lauded over Dame Judy Dench's portrayal of M, saying she show 'the fragility of a woman who hides behind the cold mask of the boss of the powerful MI6, rendering her less distant and more appealing'.

The paper actually included 5 pieces on Bond, showing how much it has progressed over the past few years in terms of wider coverage. Included in those, was a published interview with Craig, an article explaining why author Ian Fleming chose the name James Bond for his hero, and a fifth piece analysing the various soundtracks of the 23 films.

Continue reading: James Bond Skyfall Proves A Hit With The Vatican

Bond, "Isn't he just very British?", said Dame Judi Dench on the red carpet at the première for the newest James Bond movie 'Skyfall', reported Sky. True to form, it's not just Bond that's very British, Craig also exposed that typically British self-effacing, social shyness that we're famed for, in a scene with self named 'Bond Beast' Sévérine, played by Berenice Marlohe.

Marlohe is of French/Cambodian descent with a bod to die (another day) for and thus knows nothing of polite modesty, timidity nor embarrassment. However, in an interview with Metro she revealed that Craig was quite the opposite "He tried to keep his underpants on for the shower scenes but I said, 'No, come on, don't be shy. I will do anything to make you feel comfortable.'" She continued, "He was very shy and when he saw me entering the shower he was like, 'Oh my God.'" Well, duh! Who wouldn't be? 

Her confidence in Craig is rooted in something a little deeper than mere professionalism, she explained 'I was not nervous because since the very beginning we just had a great human connection with Daniel... [He's] a beautiful person with a great sense of humour so we managed to just make it easy and I was just having fun and singing under the shower and he was coming and suddenly slipping on the ground.' Does Berenice have a little soft spot for Craig? Describing kissing him as "Ay caramba!" we suspect so, maybe just a little. 

Continue reading: Berenice Marlohe Shower Scene With Daniel Craig In Skyfall

'Skyfall', the new James Bond movie directed by Sam Mendes, hits cinemas on November 9 and already attention is turning to whether or not the picture could snag a surprise Oscar nomination.

'Oscar bait' is a term often used to describe a movie awash with all the key themes that the Academy so readily rewards. For example, they're suckers for epic dramas (Titanic, Gladiator), romance (Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient) and movies packed full of previous Oscar winners (Traffic, The Kings Speech). Oscar bait movies usually hit cinemas at the same time each year- in November or December, wafting themselves under the noses of the Academy just weeks before nominations are announced.

This year, Sony seems to have thrown 'Skyfall' into the fray as Oscar bait, so does the film have a realistic chance of a nomination? Well, as HitFix.com rightly points out, the movie has attached an Oscar winning director in Mendes, an Oscar winning and three time nominated actor in Javier Bardem and an Oscar winning actress and six-time nominee in Judi Dench. Its screenwriter is a three-time nominee while cinematographer Roger Deakins is a nine-time nominee who is almost certain to scoop the prize come February if industry insiders are to be believed. Deakins - best known for his work on just about every Coen Brothers movie - is revered in the movie business and often considered the finest cinematographer of all time. On top of all this, Skyfall's production designer, art director and second unit director have all been handed nominations in the past: i.e - the movie has all the bases covered.

Continue reading: Why ‘Skyfall’ Could Land James Bond An Oscar Nomination

Adele’s ‘Bond’ theme will see the London songstress follow in the footsteps of singing greats Shirley Bassey and Nancy Sinatra, both of whom are responsible for recording some of the most recognizable 007 tunes in the secret agent’s 50 years in film.

The multiple Grammy award winner had long been rumoured to be handed the prestigious role for Sam Mendes’ forthcoming ‘Skyfall’ – again starring Daniel Craig – and Total Film.com confirmed the speculation this week. Adele’s single, named after the new movie, will be the first release from the star since ‘Turning Tables’ from her much-feted ‘21’ album. Given her phenomenally successful couple of years, Adele will certainly be a popular choice for the job and she boasts the kind of heavyweight soulful voice synonymous with the theme tune. One thing’s for sure: it’s almost certain to be an improvement on the poorly received tune ‘Another Way to Die’ by Jack White and Alicia Keys from 2008’s ‘Quantum of Solace’.

‘Skyfall’ – set to open in the UK on October 26 – stars Daniel Craig, alongside Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris and Ben Whishaw.