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Jessica Chastain Helped Octavia Spencer Get A Huge Pay Hike


Octavia Spencer Jessica Chastain

Octavia Spencer has revealed how her friend and colleague Jessica Chastain helped her secure a pay hike five times bigger than her initial salary for a film they are both working on.

The Hollywood gender pay gap has been a recurring theme in the film industry over the past couple of years, and was the subject of conversation during a panel titled ‘Women Breaking Barriers’ at the Sundance Film Festival this week – in which Spencer took part.

On Wednesday (January 24th), former Oscar-winner Spencer said that Chastain insisted that her friend – with whom she starred in The Help back in 2011 – get paid the same as her during negotiations for a new holiday comedy. Not only did she achieve that, but she got a raise for both of them that was substantially higher than what had first been put on offer.

Continue reading: Jessica Chastain Helped Octavia Spencer Get A Huge Pay Hike

The Shape Of The Water Trailer


It's 1963 and Elisa (Sally Hawkins) has spent her life trying to be as normal as possible, despite the fact that people rarely see her that way. She is a mute, which means there are few career opportunities for her at that time. But she does manage to land a job at a top secret government laboratory as a janitor, her brief being to get in, clean up and get out. Her life of silent solitude has left her curious to what's going on at her workplace, however, and she soon discovers that her bosses are hiding something deeply disturbing.

In a large tank of water she discovers a humanoid alien of sorts (Doug Jones), scaly and amphibious, and something about him makes her feel sympathy for him. She decides to visit him everyday, teach him about the world and how to communicate in the only way she knows how. She feels a bond with him; both of them are essentially trapped in the same lab, and both are thought of by society as outcasts in one way or another. But Elisa is in no danger of being dissected for science. 

Her boss, Strickland (Michael Shannon), has no empathy for this incredible Amazonian creature. He is only interested in what he can gain from his prisoner. Elisa has no choice but to plan an rescue mission, though if she succeeds she'll surely be caught and arrested. But this isn't about being brave, it's about being human.

Continue: The Shape Of The Water Trailer

Gifted Review

Excellent

This is one of those films that dances right up to the edge of soapy sentimentality, making us a little nervous about where it might go. But director Marc Webb (500 Days of Summer) holds his nerve, letting the emotions build without ever tipping over into melodrama. What emerges is a striking exploration of the tricky connections between parents and children and the importance of makeshift families. And it's so sharply played that it can't help but move us.

It's set in rural Florida, where the quietly intelligent Frank (Chris Evans) is hiding out from his academically minded mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan), trying to give his 6-year-old niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) the free-spirited childhood his late sister wanted for her. Their life includes sassy neighbour Roberta (Octavia Spencer) and a one-eyed cat named Fred. But Mary is a mathematical prodigy, and her teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate) is worried that the public school can't keep up with her. This alerts Evelyn to Mary's gifts and, after taking no interest before, she sweeps in with a legal challenge to Frank's custody. Like her daughter and granddaughter, Evelyn is also a maths genius, and believes that Mary's abilities need to be exploited in a higher-class educational environment.

While the argument about what's better for this little girl is fairly simple, Tom Flynn's script never lapses into the usual trite courtroom drama. And while there are a lot of formulae scribbled on white boards, the focus is always on the people rather than the numbers. Thankfully, these characters also never turn into heroes or villains; each is just trying to do what they think is best. This means that the actors can invest unusual depth into the roles, adding surprisingly sharp edges while revealing their softer sides as well. Evans has rarely had a chance to flex like this as an actor, and he's terrific, creating some powerful chemistry with the, yes, gifted Grace.

Continue reading: Gifted Review

Octavia Spencer at the 'Hidden Figures' Washington, D.C. Premiere held at the Museum of African American History and Culture - Wednesday 14th December 2016

Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer arrives at the 2016 American Music Awards held at the Microsoft Theatre, Los Angeles, California, United States - Sunday 20th November 2016

Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer

The Great Gilly Hopkins Trailer


Gilly Hopkins is a little girl who's full of gumption and an attitude to boot. Her life - up until now - hasn't exactly been easy; she's been in and out of foster homes and doesn't let people into see the real Gilly. Having been given multiple warnings, Gilly can't find a place that she fits in and is sent to a new home with the warning that if she doesn't make this foster home work, she'll be put into a teen centre by social services. However much attitude Gilly has, she knows that a teen facility is the last place she should be.

Gilly is welcomed by an older lady named Mrs Trotter who lets her into her home. Though Mrs Trotter is friendly and has dealt with many kids in the past, Gilly takes an instant dislike to the woman and her other foster child, William, who is far younger than Gilly.

Though Gilly is cold and distant towards her new 'family', she soon learns to follow Mrs Trotter's rules and finds that her nightly meals with Trotter, William and their neighbour Mr. Randolph are periods of time she learns to enjoy.

Continue: The Great Gilly Hopkins Trailer

Zootopia [aka Zootropolis] Review

Very Good

The filmmakers behind Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph join forces for this entertaining animated action comedy, which has clearly been planned as a franchise-launcher. Energetic and funny, the movie is packed with wonderfully engaging characters and animated with clever visual inventiveness. But even though it's a lot of fun, it's difficult to escape the feeling that Disney is trying to sell us a whole new range of products.

The setting is a world populated only by animals, where predators and prey have learned to get along. The story centres on feisty rabbit Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), who grew up under pressure to work in the family carrot-farming business. But she wants to be a cop, even though no bunny has ever made the force. Top of her class at police academy, she's assigned to the Zootropolis Police Department, where Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) makes her a meter maid. But she's too ambitious to write parking tickets all day, and teams up with con-artist fox Nick (Jason Bateman) to look into the strange case of a missing otter, which might be linked to a series of unexplained events in which predators suddenly became aggressive and dangerous.

The writers and directors have a great time with the premise, peppering scenes with knowing references mainly to other movies but also to resonant aspects of society, such as the genius casting of sloths as government workers. And there are also much bigger themes rattling around the edges, from how other peoples' expectations constrain us to how politicians use fear to control the public. There's also a cleverly pointed undercurrent about prejudice and diversity. And at the centre, Goodwin and Bateman give solid vocal performances as natural enemies who find a way to trust each other. Of the supporting cast, Elba is the standout as a buffalo who is all bluster.

Continue reading: Zootopia [aka Zootropolis] Review

Insurgent Review


Very Good

A sharp improvement on the original, this second entry in The Divergent Series has a much stronger sense of its premise and characters, which makes it much more exciting to watch. Where Divergent felt gimmicky and a bit shallow, this chapter pushes the characters much deeper, giving the actors a chance to bring them more engagingly to life, which makes the odd set-up more involving as well.

It picks up immediately where the first film ended, with Tris (Shailene Woodley) escaping from post-apocalyptic, segmented-society Chicago with her boyfriend Four (Theo James), her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort) and their shifty cohort Peter (Miles Teller). Hiding out in the Amity agricultural community, they know that Erudite leader Janine (Kate Winslet) has sent her goons (Jai Courtney and Mekhi Phifer) to find them. Actually, she needs a divergent to open an artefact from the pre-war days so she can rid Chicago of pesky divergents forever. When their location is discovered, Tris and pals head back into the city, teaming up with factionless leader Joanna (Naomi Watts) and getting help from the head of Candor (Daniel Dae Kim) before going to Erudite to face Janine.

The story has a strong push to it, driving these rebels ever closer to a confrontation with their nasty nemesis, and their journey is fraught with surprise wrinkles, vicious battles and some mind-bending imagery. In fact, there are so many dreams, flashbacks and computer simulations that it's not always clear if what's on screen is actually happening or not. But it all looks so cool that we hang on to discover where it'll go next, so the two hours passes briskly, and sometimes breathlessly. The film looks terrific, as director Robert Schwentke keeps the focus on the characters while creating some amazing effects around them, especially in the simulation sequences.

Continue reading: Insurgent Review

The Oscars Suffer From Worst Ratings In Six Years


Neil Patrick Harris Octavia Spencer Ellen Degeneres

This year’s Academy Awards was the least watched in six years, according to preliminary viewing figures. USA Today reported that initial Nielsen estimates put the 87th Awards stats at 36.6 million viewers, the lowest since 2009.

Sunday’s ceremony, hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris and dominated by Birdman, was a pretty steep 16% drop on last year’s awards when 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture. Ellen Degeneres hosted that one and, powered by a memorable selfie which was then re-tweeted around the world, it had 43.7 million viewers.

David Burtka Neil Patrick Harris
2015 Oscars host Neil Patrick Harris (R)

Continue reading: The Oscars Suffer From Worst Ratings In Six Years

Black Or White Trailer


When a young girl's mother dies in childbirth, she is sent to live with her grandparents. After her grandmother dies in a car accident, Elliot Anderson (Kevin Costner) takes on the responsibility of raising her by himself. When his granddaughter's African American grandmother Rowena (Octavia Spencer) arrives to tell him that they should share custody, Elliot is reluctant to the point of hostility. Despite his granddaughter having more family living in the South - including her drug-addicted father - Elliot furiously battles for sole custody, stating that his fight is not born of racial hatred, but due to the loss of both his wife and daughter making his granddaughter the only thing he has left in the world. 

Continue: Black Or White Trailer

The Divergent Series: Insurgent Trailer


Following on from the events of 'Divergent', the mysterious government has discovered a magical maguffin which had the power to create the idyllic future they have always hoped to fulfil. The only catch, is that it requires a Divergent in order to activate it. As the government begins testing any and all Divergents they can find, Tris (Shailene Woodley) is already on the run, and meets up with an army of secret, hidden Divergents. When it is revealed that she may be the only one to truly activate the maguffin, the Divergents rise up as an Insurgency, and take the fight to the government that has oppressed them for too long.

Continue: The Divergent Series: Insurgent Trailer

Fox Pulls 'Red Band Society' Mid-Season


Octavia Spencer

In news which will exacerbate what has been a pretty disastrous fall for new TV shows across all networks, Fox has announced that it will halt production on its freshman comedy-drama ‘Red Band Society’.

Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer stars in comedy-drama 'Red Band Society', which has been pulled by Fox today

The network will stop producing the episodes after its initial order of thirteen episodes wraps up, but it’s not yet officially been cancelled. It is however in a critical condition (if you’ll excuse the pun).

Continue reading: Fox Pulls 'Red Band Society' Mid-Season

Octavia Spencer - 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival - "Fruitvale Station" Premiere at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live - Los Angeles, California, United States - Monday 17th June 2013

Octavia Spencer
Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer Quick Links

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Octavia Spencer

Date of birth

25th May, 1970

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Female

Height

1.57




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Octavia Spencer Movies

The Shape Of The Water Trailer

The Shape Of The Water Trailer

It's 1963 and Elisa (Sally Hawkins) has spent her life trying to be as normal...

Gifted Movie Review

Gifted Movie Review

This is one of those films that dances right up to the edge of soapy...

The Shack Trailer

The Shack Trailer

Mackenzie Phillips set out for the family vacation of a lifetime with three of his...

Bad Santa 2 Movie Review

Bad Santa 2 Movie Review

The 2003 comedy Bad Santa is a holiday classic that skilfully mixes gross-out humour with...

Gifted Trailer

Gifted Trailer

Mary is a bright and happy little girl who lives with her uncle, Frank; he...

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The Great Gilly Hopkins Trailer

The Great Gilly Hopkins Trailer

Gilly Hopkins is a little girl who's full of gumption and an attitude to boot....

Bad Santa 2 Trailer

Bad Santa 2 Trailer

Since we last met Willie T. Stokes, his life has had plenty of ups and...

Hidden Figures Trailer

Hidden Figures Trailer

Even from a young age, Katherine Johnson's family and teachers knew she was made for...

Zootopia [aka Zootropolis] Movie Review

Zootopia [aka Zootropolis] Movie Review

The filmmakers behind Tangled and Wreck-it Ralph join forces for this entertaining animated action comedy,...

The Divergent Series: Allegiant Movie Review

The Divergent Series: Allegiant Movie Review

After the more thrilling Insurgent, this saga reverts to the talky style of the original...

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Insurgent Movie Review

Insurgent Movie Review

A sharp improvement on the original, this second entry in The Divergent Series has a...

Black Or White Trailer

Black Or White Trailer

When a young girl's mother dies in childbirth, she is sent to live with her...

The Divergent Series: Insurgent Trailer

The Divergent Series: Insurgent Trailer

Following on from the events of 'Divergent', the mysterious government has discovered a magical maguffin...

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