Russell Crowe Page 10

Hollywood superstar Russell Crowe has hit back at radio presenter Howard Stern after the latter gentleman reportedly criticised the Gladiator actor over his weight. It seems Crowe was alerted to comments made over his physique by a fan and decided he wanted to respond.

Russell Crowe hit back at body shaming comments

Presenter Stern, who hosts his own radio talk show in the US, spoke about the lead of A Beautiful Mind on a recent episode of his programme.

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Hits Back At Radio Shock Jock Over Comments About His Weight

Azealia Banks has filed a police report against Russell Crowe after their spat in Los Angeles over the weekend, which saw the 'Noah' star throw the 'Big Big Beat' singer out of his hotel room in Beverly Hills as tempers flared. She was the plus one of RZA, who was invited to Russell's party after he cast the latter in 'The Man with the Iron Fists' 4 years ago. 

Azealia Banks files report against Russell Crowe

The discord between Azealia and Russell has extended beyond social media, because now the rapper has gone to the Beverly Hills Police Department with her allegations when she didn't receive an apology from the actor. While her behaviour at Russell's hotel suite party on Sunday (October 16th 2016) was described as 'erratic' by a great many of the guests, in Azealia's version of events her ejection was rather more unceremonious.

Continue reading: Azealia Banks Goes To Police After Russell Crowe Hotel Spat

A dispute has flared up between Azealia Banks and Russell Crowe, with an incident occurring at the weekend in which Banks was physically ejected from the actor’s hotel suite in Beverly Hills on Saturday night (October 15th).

The oft-controversial 25 year old rapper took to Facebook on Sunday evening, in a post she’s subsequently deleted, to accuse the New Zealand-born actor of assaulting her at a low-key dinner party he was hosting.

Azealia Banks performing in 2015

Continue reading: Azealia Banks Accuses Russell Crowe Of Assault After Reported Hotel Altercation

Australian actor Russell Crowe has lashed out on social media at airline Virgin Australia after his children were told that they could not bring their hoverboards on a flight, as they have been deemed to be a fire risk.

The self-balancing motorised hoverboards have been the most in-demand toy this Christmas, despite a mass of safety warnings that many on the market were defective and could cause fires through overheating of the lithium ion batteries while charging. Warnings that appear to have passed the 51 year old by.

Russell Crowe with his youngest son Tennyson in 2015

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Hits Out In Twitter Rant Against Virgin Australia Over Kids' Hoverboard Ban

A-list celebrities turned out in Hollywood for the starry Critics' Choice Movie Awards last weekend, including Julianne Moore, Angelina Jolie, Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne, Keira Knightley, Ethan Hawke, Rosamund Pike, Michael Keaton, Reese Witherspoon, Marion Cotillard, David Oyelowo, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Aniston, Amy Adams and Chris Hemsworth. Jared Leto even matched his outfit to the blue carpet.

Photos - 20th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards held at the Hollywood Palladium - Part 1

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Celebrities Turn Out To Collect Awards In Los Angeles And London, Mortdecai Has Three Premieres And New Trailers For Hopkins And Hawke

Nice Work, 'Noah': Darren Aronofsky's latest epic, Noah, was released last weekend and managed to triumph at its debut box office with $44 million, despite all the negative publicity regarding religious condemnation and middling reviews. Starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson, Noah is based on the well-known Genesis tale but is given a pump of testosterone with the Black Swan director's dramatic CGI marvel. Check out the trailer.

Empire Film Awards: Emma Thompson and James McAvoy were the big winners at this year's Empire Film Awards, taking home trophies in their respective acting categories for Saving Mr. Banks and Filth. Space thriller Gravity and the fantasy sequel The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug were the evening's most-awarded movies with Simon Pegg, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sally Hawkins, Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Steve Coogan and Margot Robbie also honoured for a smashing year in film. Find the full list of winners here.

Continue reading: A Week In News: 'Noah' Conjures A Box Office Miracle, Glastonbury Line-Up Revealed, And 'How I Met Your Mother' Bids Farewell

Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hugh Jackman and Emma Thompson were all on hand for Sunday night's Empire Awards in London, a lively and colourful event with most winners chosen by the magazine's readers. Cruise was named The Legend of Our Lifetime, while Schwarzenegger was crowned The Action Hero of Our Lifetime and Jackman picked up the Empire Icon Award.

There was also a flurry of high-profile premieres in London this past week. Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Ray Winstone walked a watery-style carpet for Noah; Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton were on hand for The Other Woman; and Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet and Theo James dazzled the fans for Divergent.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: Hollywood Legends Hit London, As Do A Trio Of Big Premieres, While New Trailers Promise Tears, Laughs, Thrills And Chills

It was another glitzy night in London’s Leicester Square last night as the area, so accustomed to Hollywood A-listers, hosted another U.K premiere. It was the stars of 'Noah' waltzing down the red carpet and talking to the press this time ahead of this Friday’s release of Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic.

Russell Crowe stars in 'Noah'

The film stars Russell Crowe as the titular Noah, with Emma Watson playing his adopted daughter Elah. Despite staunch opposition from many religious groups and numerous re-edits from the film’s studio, Aronofsky managed to put out the film he intended, and the critics have been kind, filing reviews to the tune of 75% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Continue reading: 'Noah' Set To Storm The UK Box Office As Emma Watson And Co Attend London Premiere

With all the hype surrounding Darren Aronofsky’s biblical epic Noah – religious groups denouncing it; widespread bans in the Middle East; numerous re-cuts and studio interference – just getting it into cinemas sounded like a big enough challenge. But the Black Swan director, who put his foot down and released the film he intended, is reaping the rewards with some glowing report cards. 

Russell Crowe as the titular Noah

The film sees Russell Crowe play Noah, who sets about building a huge arc to survive the biblical flood coming to offer up punishment to a disobedient and spiteful Man. But the film doesn’t restrict itself to the text; delving into spirituality and action film tropes in equal measure – something the critics have picked up on and praised Aronofsky for. 

Continue reading: Darren Aronofsky Gets It Right: The Critics Don't Sink 'Noah's' Arc

Darren Aronofsky's retelling of the story of Noah was never going to be a straight biblical tale. We knew that after Lionsgate executives began sweating, pushing for a more religious slant and suggesting a Christian rock song for the final moments. Aronofsky - the man behind Black Swan, Pi and The Fountain - has described Noah as the least biblical, biblical story, ever and he's probably right.

Russell Crowe Stars As 'Noah'

The film fails to mention God once and paints Noah - played here by Russell Crowe - as more of an environmentalist. Critics aren't completely blown away, but there's no doubt that Noah is one of the more ambitious and visually spectacular movies in recent years.

Continue reading: Aronofsky's 'Noah' Is One Of The Most Ridiculous, Magnificent Movies, Ever

Just to annoy the religious critics of his movie some more, filmmaker and self-professed Darren Aronofsky has called his retelling of the story of Noah, "the least biblical biblical film ever made."

Russell Crowe Plays 'Noah'

Somehow, Aronofksy has made a secular movie about the Biblical figure, painting Noah - played here by Russell Crowe - as an environmentalist in a movie that doesn't mention God once. Not once.  

Continue reading: Darren Aronofsky Wants You To Know That 'Noah' Isn't Religious, At All

Pope Francis’ near-spotless public image lives on, as it has now come out that the Catholic leader did not cancel a planned meeting with Hollywood actor Russell Crowe. Paramount Pictures, the company behind Crowe’s Bible-inspired epic Noah, denied claims that the studio had scheduled a meeting behind him and the Pope.

Crowe was never going to have a private meeting with the Pope, because it would "cause a disruption."

“A meeting was never scheduled,” said a Paramount spokesperson, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This was in response to a Variety story on Monday, which ran the headline "Pope Cancels Tentative 'Noah' Meeting With Russell Crowe." The word “tentative” was not in the original headline and was only featured after the studio made the clarification.

Continue reading: Meeting Between Russell Crowe And Pope Francis Was Never On The Agenda

Russell Crowe’s upcoming flick Noah has been banned in the UAE because of “scenes that contradict Islam and the Bible”, according to Juma Al-Leem, the director of media content at the National Media Center in the United Arab Emirates. Al-Leem added, “It is important to respect these religions and not show the film.”

Noah has been banned in the United Arab Emirates

Noah isn’t the first movie to be banned on religious grounds, but is it as subversive as some of these other movies that didn’t make the religious cut?

Continue reading: 'Offensive' 'Noah' Banned - Other Movies Banned By Religious Groups

Darren Aronofsky’s Noah was never going to fly under the radar. The film, based on the intrepid Noah from Genesis, essentially flies in the face of religion, which was a sticky issue for Paramount, who cut the film up into so many iterations it’s doubtful anyone knows which version made it to cinemas.

Noah has garnered a mixed response in Mexico

But, whichever version made it to Mexican cinemas, it wasn’t exactly perfect. Before the film, Aronoksky told the audience: "It's a very, very different movie," he said. "Anything you're expecting, you're f---ing wrong." Well, perhaps swearing didn’t set the right tone as some critics felt it dragged on, while others just simply didn’t like it. Others planned on positive reviews. Like we said, mixed signals.

Continue reading: 'Noah': Mixed Signals In Mexico, Strong Start Predicted, Christian Rock Cut Revealed

Noah has received its world premiere in Mexico City where director Darren Aronofsky presented his biblical retelling at the Pepsi Centre with several members of the epic's cast. Official first reviews have been embargoed until the film's late March release date but early viewers took to Twitter to express their 140 character verdicts on the eagerly-anticipated movie.

The Epic, Russell Crowe-Starring 'Noah' Has Premiered In Mexico City.

The Black Swan director appeared at the premiere alongside Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth and Jennifer Connelly and, in a speech before the screening, warned the audience to expect the unexpected. "It's a very, very different movie," he said. "Anything you're expecting, you're f***ing wrong." Lead cast members Russell Crowe and Emma Watson were notable in their absence from the event.

Continue reading: 'Noah' Movie Makes First Waves In Mexico Despite Religious Controversy [Trailer]

Now that the Academy Awards are over and done with for another year we can look forward to the new movies that are coming out in 2014! There’s a bunch of great films on the horizon, but here’s our top five that are coming out over the next couple of months.

Noah

Russell Crowe stars as Noah in a biblical epic about the building of the Ark and the flood. Noah looks like it will be packed full of some serious special effects, and Russell’s definitely got his serious acting hat on for the role. The star-studded cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Jennifer Connelly and is set to be released on March 28th.

Continue reading: Forget The Oscars: Here's Our Top Five Movies For 2014

If having to shoot her scenes between 4am and 7am in the morning wasn't bad enough, Emma Watson has revealed how she fell ill on the set of Noah after director Darren Aronofsky banned bottled water.

Russell Crowe Stars in Darren Aronofsky's 'Noah'

Watson, who plays Noah's adopted daughter Ila in the big-budget movie, told Wonderland magazine that the movie's pro-environmental message meant the crew were not allowed to bring bottled water on set.

Continue reading: Emma Watson Drank Stagnant Water After Aronofsky's 'Noah' Bottle Ban

Darren Aronofksy’s Noah is a film of epic proportions, telling the long tale of Noah’s fight against an almighty flood that threatens to end all of humanity and life on earth. But there was an almighty battle to be fought off screen, too. Paramount were keen to appease religious audiences on which the film was tested, attempting to gain control of the final cut.

We'll be seeing Noah as its director intended

All in all, repots suggest the film was actually cut a dozen times before Aronofsky finally got his way. "They tried what they wanted to try, and eventually they came back," he said. "My version of the film hasn't been tested ... It's what we wrote and what was greenlighted." He admitted "there was a rough patch" with the studio.

Continue reading: How Darren Aronofsky Won The Biblical Battle For Control With Noah

Winter’s Tale (not to be confused with the Shakespeare play) starring Colin Farrell, premieres today to high expectations. For writer/director Akiva Goldsman, it’s been a labor of love, but a long and complicated one. Goldsman spoke to The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week, explaining some of the trouble he ran into with Winter’s Tale, as well as his personal life during pre-production.

Colin Farrell, horse - what more could you want in a romance flick, really?

"This movie is kind of an exercise in faith," he told THR. "I was trying to write it, and my wife passed away while I was writing the screenplay, and I didn't think I'd do much of anything after that. This became kind of a Hail Mary to the idea that there's a peacefulness behind random acts of love."

Continue reading: For All Its Candor, "Winter's Tale" Falls Flat With Critics

Darren Aronofsky came to loggerheads with Paramount over his biblical epic, Noah, starring Russell Crowe. The problem lay with the final cut, and the perennial battle between auteur and Hollywood studio reared its ugly head once more. But in an unlikely tale, akin to the subject matter in the film - in semblance rather than historical accuracy, at least – the director won.

The final cut is the director's, but will it be any good?

Paramount execs had previously demanded a re-cut, and made their own versions of the film due to an unsavoury reaction from U.S screeners. The religious content in the film led to unrest amongst Christian communities. Paramount wanted to please everybody. But Aronofsky, who wowed audiences with his efforts in The Wrestler and Black Swan, asserts that the cut we’ll see in cinemas is the one he intended; it’s not become anodyne or inhibited.

Continue reading: Darren Aronofsky, One, Paramount, Nil, - Director Gets The 'Noah' Cut He Wanted

If you’ve got a film out after the Superbowl, then you generally try and get a trailer out for a match day broadcast. Not independent, black & white films made on a small budget, but high profile blockbusters, like Noah starring Russell Crowe.

Noah (Crowe) looks out upon doom and dispair, but he's got a stick.

It’s only 30-seconds long, but the spot features Russell Crowe as Noah, boarding his biblical vessel and facing the almighty wrath of God in flood-form. We should all be thankful he did that, because if he didn’t, we wouldn’t be able to look at cat gifs while we’re supposed to be writing stories and answering emails.

Continue reading: 'Noah' Gets New Trail, But Is The Boat The Wrong Shape!?

The 2014 biblical epic 'Noah', starring Russell Crowe as the title character, along with Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins and Emma Watson, to name a few, will air a new trailer at the Super Bowl.

The Darren-Aronofsky-directed upcoming movie is alost as highly anticipated as the game, along with the ensemble cast, it has a budget of $130 million to spend on visual spectacles and monumental cinematic moments.

This film's trailer fits the bill for the huge sporting event, watched by millions of people around the world, and as there are predictions of blizzards and flooding at the MetLife Stadium, it really is a perfect fit.

Continue reading: Russell Crowe's 'Noah' To Release New Trailer During 2014 Super Bowl

Everyone knows the story of Noah, whether religious or not, virtually everyone is familiar with the man who received a warning from God that a flood was coming and built a giant ark to save two of every species and his family. Director Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic has been rumoured for some time but now we have visual proof that Noah will be released next year.

Russell Crowe Gets A (Bigger) Beard For His New Role.

The trailer gives a flavour of the digital artistry and astounding visual effects we should prepare ourselves for ahead of the movie's March 2014 release.

Continue reading: Darren Aronofsky's 'Noah' Brings The Bible Tale To Epic Life With Russell Crowe [Trailer]

George Clooney, Russell Crowe and Leonardo Dicaprio are not best mates. They’re just not. But Clooney and Brad Pitt are solid bros. They’re solid bros. The Monuments Men actor/director/writer/producer was talking in an atypically candid interview with Esquire magazine.

George Clooney has been rather outspoken in his latest interview

Proving irrevocably that he’s a weird man, Crowe sent Clooney a book of his own poetry with a view to "apologise for insulting the shit out of me, which he did". According to Clooney, Crowe "picked a fight with me. He started it for no reason at all. He put out this thing saying, 'George Clooney, Harrison Ford, and Robert De Niro are sellouts.'"

Continue reading: George Clooney: "Crowe Tried To Fight Me, DiCaprio Needs Guidance, But Pitt's Alright"

We’ve all been waiting for Despicable Me 2 for a while now, especially considering just how good the first one was. So when these excellent clips arrived, the excitement was palpable. Those lucky critics have seen the whole thing and they’ve fallen in love with it too.

Click for this Despicable Me 2 Clip

Grossing more than $540 million and becoming the 10th-biggest animated motion picture in U.S. history, the first Despicable Me movie – starring Steve Carell as the hilarious Gru – was a hit with the critics, garnering an overall review score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. This picture isn’t fairing too badly either, even if the current 100% rating is sure to drop to something we used to; a solid 80% perhaps?

Continue reading: Watch Extended Clips Of Despicable Me 2 – Critics Fall In Love With Animation Sequel

The Man of Steel is quite possibly one of the most eagerly anticipated summer blockbusters to be released in 2013, with critics and audiences alike readying themselves for the long-awaited return of Superman on the cinema screen. With an all-star cast and some of Hollywood's best comic book adaptors working behind the scenes, the film should be one of the hits of the year, but incase you don't feel as though the film will live up to expectations here's a quick list of why you shoudl give it a try.

Watch the trailer for Man of Steel

Continue reading: Superman Is Back! - 5 Reasons To Go See Man Of Steel This Summer

This week's big world premiere was in London for the zombie apocalypse thriller where Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made their first public appearance since news of Jolie's pre-cancer surgery. They were joined on the red carpet by director Marc Forster and other cast members. The film opens in two weeks.

This weekend British moviegoers get a chance to see Michael Douglas and Matt Damon on the big screen in the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra. The film was broadcast last week on HBO in America, which means it isn't eligible for Oscars, but look for it to mop up Emmys and Golden Globes. And with glowing reviews from UK critics, Bafta nominations are also expected.

Continue reading: A Week In Movies: World War Z Arrives, Britain Braces For Liberace, Superman Speaks

Russell Crowe stars as Jor-El, Superman's Kryptonian father in the new comic book adaptation Man of Steel. With only a few days until the movie comes out, Contact managed to get a sit down with the acting great from Down Under to discuss his role in the film, in which he discussed how being a father affected his acting method in the movie as well as discuss a chance meeting he had with the film's titular star, Henry Cavill, more than a decade ago.

Watch the interview with Russell Crowe

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Links Real-Life Fatherhood With Man Of Steel Role And Recalls Chance Henry Cavill Meeting In New Interview [Video Interview]

Chrissy Amphlett – best known for her time in the Australian band, The Divinyls, has died. Her husband, Charley Drayton, who played alongside his wife in the band, confirmed the news. She died after battling breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.

"Chrissy's light burns so very brightly," said Drayton. "Hers was a life of passion and creativity; she always lived it to the fullest". The statement on the Australian Recording Industry Association's (ARIA) website added: "With her force of character and vocal strength she paved the way for strong, sexy, outspoken women." Russell Crowe starred alongside Amphlett in a 1988 production of Blood Brothers in which she played his mother. “Dear Chrissie, The last time I saw you was in the Botanic Gardens, loving life and reciting verse. That's how I'll remember you, your boy, R,” Crowe tweeted. The Divinyls were founded in 1980 in Sydney. They went on to record five studio albums between 1982 and 1996. "Unfortunately the last 18 months have been a real challenge for me, having breast cancer and MS and all the new places that will take you,” wrote Amphlett in a Facebook post back in March. “My illnesses have really exhausted this little body of mine that I have thrown from one end of a stage to another and performed thousands of shows."

The Divinyls had a number one hit with I Touch Myself, which featured in the 1997 Austin Powers movie International Man of Mystery. "Chrissy expressed hope that her worldwide hit I Touch Myself would be utilized to remind all women to perform annual breast examinations," said Drayton.

Continue reading: Australian Singer Chrissy Amphlett Dies Aged 53

A TV spot for the new Man Of Steel movie has been made available by the film’s makers Warner Bros. and it gives us our first taste of General Zod as he threatens earth if they do not return one of his people to him. Zod was a pretty formidable fella back in Superman II in 1980, but it sounds like his 21^st century version might be even more of a menace, if you’re to go by the menacing tone of his voice anyway. Check it below.

Meanwhile Warner have also revealed a longer trailer for the film, which is coming out on June 14^th 2013, and it shows Russell Crowe mithering about as Superman’s dad, at one point possibly sounding like he’s performing a spoken word rendition of Razorlight’s ‘Stumble & Fall’ (if any of you remember that,) and generally bigging up ahead of his imminent arrival to planet Earth. He’s going to be a saviour to us apparently, to help us do wonderful things.

Continue reading: Superman 'Man Of Steel' TV Spot Is All About General Zod [Video]

Russell Crowe used to drink a lot but even at his worst he’d never go around predicting things like UFOs and so forth. That’s why it’s so strange that in 2013 and an all sorted out Crowe has taken footage from his Sydney office that he claims is proof of a UFO flying past his window.

“UFO? Time Lapse Photos Outside RC's Woolloomooloo Office (THESE ARE REAL!)” the star wrote on his Twitter, linking to the YouTube video below, which shows the tiniest spot in the sky that, we presume, is what Crowe means when he says he can see some sort of space ship. The tweet received plenty of replies, though disappointingly for Crowe, more of his followers seemed more interesting in discussing the fact that he worked out of an office in a place called Woolloomooloo than analysing whether Australia was about to be invaded by aliens.

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Claims UFO Sighting Near His Sydney Office

It looks as though Aussie actor Russell Crowe is dating his Les Miserables co-star Samantha Barks. Crowe, 48 and Barks, 22, have been openly Tweeting each other and Crowe’s a big fan of letting his 820,000 Twitter followers about the exercise regime that he often shares with the young actress. According to New Idea magazine, though, this isn’t simply a convenient fitness pairing friendship but is developing into something a little more serious.

One recent Tweet from Crowe read “Work out with @samanthaBarks 4km walk, 30 mins elliptical, 4 min prone hold, shoulder routine, leta, bench, turkish stand” and an onlooker at the Governors’ Ball, after the Oscars, revealed to the magazine that the pair were looking very cosy indeed. “She was continually touching his sleeve, giggling and sitting in awe of his every word, and he was lapping up every moment,” said the source. Russell separated from his wife Danielle Spencer last year; they had been married since 2003 after starting an on-again-off-again relationship back in 1989. They have two children together, Charles and Tennyson.

Crowe has also been using his Twitter page to defend allegations that he and fellow Aussie Natalie Imbruglia are dating. “I am not having an affair with nor am I dating Natalie Imbruglia. She has been a friend for years. No flirting, no whispers, total BULLSHIT,” read the 28 Feb tweet. 

Continue reading: Just Fitness Pals? Or Is Russell Crowe Dating Samantha Barks?

With Jessica Chastain nominated for an Oscar for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. Her presence in Mama, alone, should be enough to generate interest in Guillermo Del Toro’s latest supernatural thriller. Anyone expecting a Zero Dark Thirty-style action drama, though, will be sorely disappointed. And possibly a little scared.

Chastain plays the role of Annabel, a woman who welcomes her partner’s abandoned nieces into her home. They are traumatised and clearly disturbed. Annabel seems unsure whether or not she’s ready to look after them. Little does she know, however, that she’s opened the doors of her home to more than just the two young girls, who disappeared the day that their mother was murdered by their father. More of a psychological horror than a guts-n-gore kind of movie, del Toro knows exactly how to get inside the viewer’s mind and linger there, with his superb use of special effects and the kind of suspense tactics that will require the surgical removal of your fingers from the cinema seat by the time the movie’s over.

“Mama succeeds in scaring the wits out of us and leaving some lingering, deeply creepy images ...” Richard Roeper – Chicago Sun-Times 

Continue reading: Hot Tickets! US Movie Releases: Jessica Chastain Stars In Creepy Thriller 'Mama,' Arnie Makes A Comeback In 'The Last Stand,' Mark Wahlberg's 'Broken City' Is A Doozy

Broken City, Mark Wahlberg's latest crime-drama hits cinemas this weekend on the back of dismal reviews. The movie, boasting a solid cast including Russell Crowe, sees Wahlberg play a police officer turned private investigator who is hired by the mayor of New York City to look into the personal life of his wife.

It all reads as pretty standard stuff and it's difficult to understand why actors of Wahlberg and Crowe's calibre are accepting these roles. The script is written by debutant Brian Tucker, while director Allen Hughes hardly has a glittery track-record, with or without his brother Albert. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine said of Broken City, "Another January dud. Broken City drops hot-shot actors in a quicksand of clichés and watches them sink," while Scott Foundas of the Village Voice suggested, "The actors look generally unhappy to be here, most of all Crowe, who seems even more miserable than he did in Les Misérables." It's likely Crowe was unhappy to be there, trying to figure out why he signed on to yet another bog-standard crime drama. Wahlberg was probably having a whale of a time, though he lost his way years ago. The defence that he's made the foray into directing and producing is irrelevant, given that he still keeps making bad movies. In 2006 - just 6 years ago - Mark Wahlberg gave the finest performance of his career in Martin Scorsese's all-conquering The Department. A near-perfect movie held together by Wahlberg's Dignam, an instantly dislikeable and immoral character though one that scored the 41-year-old an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He lost out to Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine). Though a solid turn as legendary boxer Mickey Ward in The Fighter won Wahlberg some acclaim, he failed to capitalize on the fanfare for The Department and instead fell back into the same good-guy with guns roles.

The future looks bleak. Wahlberg recently starred opposite Dwayne Johnson in gym-drama Pain & Gain and will line up alongside Denzel Washington in another crime-drama, 2 Guns. After that, it's the comedy Good Time Gang, before beginning work on another totally unnecessary Transformers movie.

Continue reading: Broken City, Broken Career? Where Did It All Go Wrong For Mark Wahlberg?

With a cast boasting some of the greats of the past couple of decades, from Mark Wahlberg to Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones, it would be more than acceptable to be a little excited about Broken City, despite the plot about corrupt politics and general scandal having been done before, and done to death. However, with just an 18% fresh rating on review aggregate RottenTomatoes, clearly it's very, very rotten. 

Set in New York City, Wahlberg plays an ex-cop who is tasked with following the Mayor's Wife (Zeta-Jones, Crowe is the mayor) only to uncover a scandal in the process. THR note that it "Would have made for a fine film noir 60 years ago but feels rather contrived and unbelievable in the setting of contemporary New York." Crowe's portrayal of the mayor is dated, not to the fault of the actor, per se, but because the script calls for him to offer visitors a scotch on arrival. "Who was the last mayor of New York City to automatically offer a Scotch to every visitor to enter his office?" The review asks, "You'd probably have to go [a long way] back."

The NY Times agrees with the noir assertion, explaining that director Allen Hughes (Book of Eli) "has painted NYC a darker shade of noir." The Times it impressed with neither the screenplay nor the cinematography saying that the script is "weak" and describes the cameras as "restless and prowling". Village Voice also agrees with them all, considering the production and direction poor, "The actors look generally unhappy to be here, most of all Crowe, who seems even more miserable than he did in Les Misérables." Overall it seems, the general consensus is to simply not bother watching it. 

Here’s one time we wouldn’t have minded Russell Crowe losing his head. After American Idol alumni and general berk Adam Lambert launched a scathing critique of Crowe’s latest film Les Miserables on Twitter, journalists were rubbing their hands with glee at what the temperamental Antipodean might have to stay in retort.

However, perhaps proving that he is a changed man these days, Crowe didn’t take the bait. Lambert had written (over several Tweets): “Les Mis: Visually impressive w great Emotional performances. But the score suffered massively with great actors PRETENDING to be singers. It's an opera. Hollywoods movie musicals treat the singing as the last priority. (Dreamgirls was good). I felt like I should ignore the vocals and focus on the emotional subtext- but the singing was so distracting at times it pulled me out. The industry will say "these actors were so brave to attempt singing this score live" but why not cast actors who could actually sound good?”

Crowe however responded that rough and raw was how director Tom Hooper wanted it, writing “I don't disagree with Adam, sure it could have been sweetened, Hooper wanted it raw and real, that's how it is” and thus stubbing out any faint hope of beef between the pair. Shame.

Russell Crowe has hit back at Adam Lambert, who has previously aired his issues with Les Miserables on twitter, criticising the singing in the remake via twitter. That's right: 'twittercising'.

Lambert initially tweeted: "Les Mis: Visually impressive w great Emotional performances. But the score suffered massively with great actors PRETENDING to be singers," adding "It's an opera. Hollywoods movie musicals treat the singing as the last priority. (Dreamgirls was good)." He also added, that "The industry will say 'these actors were so brave to attempt singing this score live' but why not cast actors who could actually sound good?" while adding that director Tom Hooper "should have studio recorded and sweetened the vocals" 

Crowe - star of the film and a fellow Twitter user - decided to use the same medium to defend his film. "I don't disagree with Adam, sure it could have been sweetened," Crowe tweeted, "[Director Tom] Hooper wanted it raw and real, that's how it is."

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Defends Les Miserables Singing Amidst Adam Lambert Twittercism

Russell Crowe has had one heck of a year in front of the camera, with no less than five films being released within the next year featuring him. However, his next task may be harder than all of these combined as he looks to mend the rift in his family once his filming obligations are over.

Crowe, who is reportedly estranged from wife Danielle Spencer, told fans this week that he wants to make things right with his family once he has finished his final piece of filming, making them his top priority. The Man With The Iron Fists star Tweeted: "As soon as I finish this job & can get home, my priority is to try to bring my family back together."

Whilst many of us are still struggling to come to terms with the fact that one of cinema's leading hard men has a Twitter account, Crowe is busy counting down the days to when he can finally be reunited with his estranged family again. Yesterday he wrote, I have 3 shooting days to go, then the journey home begins," clearly yearning for reunification.

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Vying To Return Home And Mend Family Rift

The film adaptation of the musical theatre adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables could have been an enormous disaster. A lot was riding on it- loved by millions of book readers and theatre goers, scrutiny was bound to be intense. But the combination incredible director (Thomas Hooper), production team and cast, the grand French narrative, according to reviewers so far, has vindicated it and has proven to be a real triumph. 

The Mirror gave it four stars, out of five, and praised the stars that appear in it individually. "Russell Crowe is a solid, uniformed presence as brooding baddie Javert while opposite hunk number Hugh Jackman is conflicted and formal (but not stuffy) as he smoulders as the heroic Jean Valjean - even after we are introduced to him in a prison camp."

"Anne Hathaway looked striking too - but her performance had even more impact. She is stunningly good as the tragic Fantine." They said, giving particular praise for the vocal performances of Hathway and Amanda Siegfried, "Her shaven-headed rendition of 'I Dreamed a Dream' is a real highlight... Elsewhere, Amanda Seyfried's gloriously piercing voice shines as much as her beautifully lucid skin."

Continue reading: Les Miserables: Initial Reviews, Not So Miserable.

The entire cast of Les Miserables in Leicester Square, London

Given that all it needed was for the bulk of the cast to turn up to make it a truly star-studded premiere, it was no surprise that the London opening of the Tom Hooper directed Les Miserables had a turn out that could be match by almost no other. With the likes of Gillian Anderson, Ellie Goulding, Steven Fry and Idris Elba looking on, the center stage was undoubtedly taken by stars of the movie Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Helena Bonham Carter.

Continue reading: Pictures: Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman And Les Miserables Stars Turn Out In Force For London Premiere

Adam Hathaway has been using her publicity tour for Les Miserables to promote the virtues of her husband Adam Shulman, whom the actress referred to as her "other half". Hathaway - tipped to win an Oscar for Tom Hooper's new musical-drama - tied the knot with fellow actor Shulman, 31, in September.

Speaking to the January issue of Glamour magazine, she explained, "He's a good man. He's beyond intelligent. He loves fearlessly. His beliefs are beautiful. He's my best friend. I love him. I just feel that I have the greatest husband in the world for me." The actress has been married once before, though the relationship ended in acrimony after her real estate scam artist husband Raffaello Follieri was sentenced to over 4 years in prison and has since been deported for cheating investors and falsely claiming he had connections to the Vatican. Unsurprisingly, Hathaway is much happier with West Wing star Shulman, gushing, "I would never have gotten married if it weren't for him.You have to want to be married to someone. You have to feel that reciprocated. Marriage for marriage's sake doesn't make any sense to me, and I found someone with whom I could put my money where my mouth is, I guess."

Oscar tipped Les Miserables hits cinemas in the U.S. on December 25, 2012. It also stars Russell Crowe, Hugh Jackman and Amanda Seyfried.

Continue reading: Anne Hathaway On Husband Adam: He's A Good Man, Beyond Intelligent

'Superman in shackles!?' You cry. Yes: it's Superman wearing cuffs surrounded by soldiers. All you comic book aficionados will be screaming out, saying the unless those cuffs are made of Kryptonite (and they're clearly not, as SM isn't writhing about in pain) then there's no chance he's in chains. 

Well perhaps the man of steel is perpetrating a ruse? Allowing himself to be captured only to release himself in a moment of glory. Now this is the power of a movie poster, it's got us guessing in anticipation of the latest addition to a growing list of excellent superhero films. And like many of the recent superhero flicks, the leads have enjoyed a deeper characterization than those of the 70's and 80's. "It's a more serious version of Superman," explained director Zack Snyder. "We took the mythology seriously. We take him as a character seriously. I believe the movie would appeal to anyone. I think that you're going to see a Superman you've never seen before. We approached it as though no other films had been made."

Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, Russell Crowe and Amy Adams is out in the summer of 2013, on June 14th in both the America and the United Kingdom. Building on the success of The Dark Knight triology, Superman's latest cinematic outing could herald the comic book watchword for the next few years, should this one be a hit. 

David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook - a stunning dark comedy starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper - appears to have hijacked the Oscars race. Russell was tipped for a golden statuette with The Fighter, though missed out on the directing prize to Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech). His latest movie has certainly thrown a spanner into the works for the greatest film prize of them all, so we've compiled an Oscars cheat sheet for Best Picture in 2013. So read on, before cleverly dropping the information into conversations with your friends.

Who's the frontrunner?

There's still a handful of likely Oscar contenders to be released, though the eight or ten movies most strongly tipped to get nominated for Best Picture are now in place. The list is headed by two movies: Ben Affleck's thriller Argo and Steven Spielberg's historical drama Lincoln. The bookmakers cannot choose between the two, but most give the former's movie the edge as recent history suggests this type of film is likely to please the younger looking Academy. The Hurt Locker famously usurped Avatar in 2009, and Affleck's slick movie has much in common with Kathryn Bigelow's classic Iraq War film. As mentioned, both films are pretty much neck-and-neck in the betting, though Argo is generally available at 3/1 while Spielberg's epic is around 4/1.

Continue reading: Silver Linings Playbook? Argo? Lincoln? Your Oscars Cheat Sheet For Best Picture!

RZA has made his directorial debut with The Man With The Iron Fists, an epic story of warriors, assassins and a lone hero in nineteenth century China. You didn't expect the Wu-Tang Clan man was going to make this movie now did you?

The movie stars Russell Crowe and Lucy Liu and hits theaters this weekend on the back of quiet praise. It's difficult to predict how the film will fare at the box-office, though most critics were fairly complimentary of RZA's foray into the movie business. Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times seemed pretty dumfounded by the whole thing, though suggested that TMWTIF "may just be one of the best bad movies ever." Manohla Dargis of the New York Times attempted to elaborate, writing, "As erratically enjoyable as it is consistently ridiculous, the martial arts pastiche The Man With the Iron Fists is the latest evidence that the vogue for neo-exploitation cinema shows no sign of flagging." Scott Bowles of USA Today wasn't taken in by the whole rapper-turned-director thing, writing, quite damningly, "Goes a long way in demonstrating that a bad movie with big names is still a bad movie. Just prettier." Kyle Smith of the New York Post provided this week's obligatory facetious review, offering, "At 96 minutes it is exactly 93 1/2 minutes too long.

So, probably enough there to tempt cinemagoers into seeing The Man With The Iron Fists this weekend. Let us know what you thought of the movie.

Continue reading: Is RZA's 'The Man With The Iron Fists' The Best, Worst, Movie Ever?

Russell Crowe's Noah; a film depicting the tragic story of a colossal storm sent by God, is facing a huge delay in production due to a huge storm, although we can't confirm if it was sent by any kind of deity. 

Hurricane Sandy, or Frankenstorm as it's colloquially been dubbed, has sent many aspects of New York life into standstill, including myriad TV and film productions, but perhaps one of the more ironic stoppage sees Noah forced into a lengthy pit stop, The Los Angeles Times reports. Emma Watson, who co-stars in the film opposite Crowe, sent out a Twitter message Sunday night saying, "I take it that the irony of a massive storm holding up the production" of the film was not lost on her director or Crowe. Now a delay in production due to one of the biggest storms in history is manageable; it has to be as it's unavoidable anyway, but perhaps a more pressing concern for the team behind the film is the ship floating in Oyster Bay, N.Y.: a certain point of contact for the storm. Seeing a huge wooden ship floating around in the aftermath of colossal rain is just ridiculous, isn't it?

Elsewhere, Jimmy Fallon and David Letterman went on to tape their talk shows without a studio audience, in perhaps one of the most foolhardy interpretations of the Hollywood slogan: 'the show must go on'.

Continue reading: Biblical Hurricane Sandy Shut Down Noah Production

Megan Fox has welcomed a baby boy into the world and she’s called him Noah.

As far as we know, she didn’t choose the name because she’s excited about the release of Russell Crowe’s new biblical epic, but she’s yet to reveal the reasoning behind choosing the name. Megan actually gave birth to Noah a few weeks ago and somehow managed to keep it quiet. On her Facebook page today though, she announced “We have been very lucky to have had a peaceful few weeks at home, but I would like to release this myself before others do. I gave birth to our son Noah Shannon Green on September 27th. He is healthy, happy, and perfect.”

The 26 year-old Transformers star was already a stepmother, to her husband Brian Austin Green’s 10 year-old son Kassius but now she has a little bundle of joy, all of her own. We’re pretty impressed that Fox kept the news of the birth under wraps for so long; many celebrities have barely cut the umbilical cord before their posting on their Twitter profile but Megan managed to quietly give birth (well, we don’t know that she was actually quiet whilst she gave birth – we imagine she was screaming quite a lot… unless she was too posh to push…) and sneak the little one home for a few weeks before unleashing the news on the world.

Continue reading: Secret For Three Weeks! Megan Fox Announces Birth Of Baby Boy

Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe was so committed to the authenticity of his latest film, that he hired a top violin player to teach him the basics for a scene where he plays the instrument. Crowe portrays Captain Jack Aubrey in 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', based on a series of novels by Patrick O'Brian. Captain Aubrey is characterised as a proficient violin player throughout the Napoleonic adventure series, and Crowe decided that he didn't want to have the scene unless he could successfully play the instrument. In order to keep the scene in the film, Crowe enlisted the help of Richard Tognetti - one of the highest regarded Australian violinists. 

Related: 'Noah' And Five Other Movies That Sparked Religious Controversy

Crowe explained the thought process behind his decision, saying: "I said to myself, 'You're not allowed to pretend that you're a violinist. Richard is the director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra and we've become friends, so I asked him to be my violin teacher. It was a very long process and very strange things happened. I used to put my violin down after 45 minutes of rehearsing and I'd feel very lightheaded and euphoric and I thought that's amazing that it makes you feel like this."

Continue reading: Russell Crowe Masters Command Of The Violin