Source: Variety Aussie actor David Wenham ("The Lord of the Rings"), rising thesp Dominic West ("The Forgotten", "Mona Lisa Smile"), Brazillian hunk Rodrigo Santoro ("Love Actually", "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle"), and "Brothers Grimm" actress Lena Headey have all...
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Headey takes ‘300’ throne
Thesp joining Butler in graphic novel adaptation Lena Headey has been cast as the queen opposite Gerard Butler in helmer Zach Snyder's "300," which Hollywood Gang Prods. and Atmosphere Pictures are producing for Warner Bros. Pictures. Production begins Oct. 17 in...
One Week in Another Town: Whackadoodle history, evolving myth and the abiding banality of evil
The richness and variety of artistic endeavor displayed in the Toronto International Film Festival's splendid lineup can't help but renew your faith that smart, caring folk are still wrestling with the world's pressing problems. And in such heady environs, it's easy...
ZACK SNYDER TALKS “300”
[color=darkred][b]GB.Net Note: This is an excerpt from an article that was published online on November 2, 2004, but which included some idea of the thoughts behind director Zack Snyder's plans for the film.[/b[/color]] UGO: What's going on with 300? ZACK: I'm really...
A lesson in survival
You think reading Beowulf is tough, try making the movie PREVIEW BEOWULF AND GRENDEL STARRING Gerard Butler, Sarah Polley and Stellan Skarsgård. DIRECTED BY Sturla Gunnarsson Sunday, October 2 Jack Singer Concert Hall (Epcor Centre) A lot can go wrong when you’re...
Another Casting Call for 300
A second casting call for a new character in Warner Bros. Pictures' 300 has gone out. The war epic, to be directed by Zach Snyder, is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Gerard Butler stars in the movie, which starts filming on October 17 in...
Casting Call for Snyder’s 300 Adaptation
A casting call for characters in Warner Bros. Pictures' 300 has gone out. The war epic, to be directed by Zach Snyder, is based on Frank Miller's graphic novel of the same name. Gerard Butler stars in the movie, which starts filming on October 17 in Montreal. The film...
Circus maximus
As the Toronto film festival went star-crazy, the Oscar buzz began It's over. The circus has left town. For 10 days, the stars converged on Toronto for film's annual September rite. Sidewalks were cordoned off with velvet ropes and red carpets. Hotel entrances were...
Films and books on Burns ‘distort his legacy’
Academic blasts Burns industry's 'false mythology' The film A Red Rose, about the life of Robert Burns, has been criticised as 'melodrama' by Dr Gerard Carruthers CONTEMPORARY books and films depicting the life and works of Robert Burns have created a "false...
TIFF Report: Beowulf & Grendal Review
http://www.twitchfilm.net/archives/003569.html I'm sure if I had told either of the Wonder Twins I had an opportunity to see a film pertaining to the poem 'Beowulf' and did not go they would have strung me up and found interesting ways to make amends for my...
A literary monster movie
Even though it's been around for centuries, there are remarkably few film adaptations of the epic Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf. Committed to sheepskin 1,000 years ago after generations of campfire recountings, Beowulf tells the story of a great Norse warrior who slays the...
Beowulf and Grendel
[Canada/UK/Iceland; Sturla Gunnarsson] How could I resist? With all the noise around The Lord of the Rings, this classic story was ripe for the telling. In fact, it's being told twice; here and in a film scripted by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avery. To be honest, I really...
Gerard Butler: From Viking god to loincloth
Sensitive enough to play Phantom, Robbie Burns But manly enough for Beowulf and Greek warrior I didn't study the epic 9th century Anglo Saxon poem Beowulf in university. So before I screened the film Beowulf & Grendel, co-starring Gerard Butler and Sarah Polley, I...
On with the shows: Film Fest lineup has global feel
Break out the popcorn -- Calgary's annual celebration of movies is upon us. And this year, you might want to break out a little something extra with that popcorn -- try dahl, some hangikjot, and a side of ginger beef, all topped off with a layer of maple syrup. That's...
Hot list
Buyers to take a close look at these pix in Toronto A rundown of the films buyers say they'll be taking a close look at in Toronto: [b] BEOWULF & GRENDEL: A U.K./Canadian/Icelandic adaptation, helmed by Sturla Gunnarsson. Icelandic heavy cast includes Gerard...
Calgary film fest fever heats up
CALGARY - The Calgary International Film Festival is growing by leaps and bounds and no one is happier than David Marrelli, the festival's director. In its first year, the festival hosted 60 films evenly split between full-length features and short films. There were...
Water to make a big splash at film festival
Deepa Mehta's Water will kick off the 24th Vancouver International Film Festival, which unveils its 300-film program today. The 16-day festival begins Sept. 29 with the opening night gala Water, by the Indian-born, Toronto-based director Mehta. Completing her...
At Play in the Fields of Odin: Shooting Beowulf
This article is in PDF format, click the link below to access: [b]http://www.dgc.ca/page.php?id=501.[/b] Then click on "Sturla Gunnarsson and Beowulf" The scene is set at the top of an Icelandic mountain. This isn’t fog. You’re inside cloud, and the rain is blowing...
Three Icelandic films in Toronto
Baltasar Kormakur’s first English language film A Little Trip to Heaven and Sturla Gunnarsson’s epic film Beowulf and Grendel have been invited to screen at Toronto International Film Festival ’s Special Presentations this year among 41 films from 17 countries, while...
Beowulf & Grendel
Toronto International Film Festival 2005 Director: Sturla Gunnarsson Writer: Andrew Rai Berzins Producers: Paul Stephens, Eric Jordan, Sturla Gunnarsson (Canada); Michael Cowan, Jason Piette (U.K.); Anna Maria Karlsdottir, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson (Iceland) Cast:...
Hollywood hopes to rake it in
Redford-Lopez drama opens a season that includes international intrigue with Nicolas Cage, airline thrills with Jodie Foster and more Tim Burton weirdness After an unseasonably chilly summer -- bottom line: attendance down more than 11 percent -- Hollywood's optimists...
Hollywood North back in action
The last 18 months have been hard on local crews, with few big U.S. film shoots here. That's about to change. At least one blockbuster is coming, with another one likely After a disastrous 18-month period with little in the way of foreign filming in town, folks in...
Snyder’s ‘300’ Adaptation becomes official
Gerard Butler has signed on to star in 300, the adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel that Zack Snyder is directing for Warner Bros. Pictures, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The film will tell the true story of 300 elite Spartan warriors led by their...
Butler spearheads sword-and-sandal war epic for Warner
Gerard Butler (pictured) will star in Warner Bros’ adaptation of 300, a graphic novel by Frank Miller (Sin City) that recounts one of ancient Greece’s best-known military battles. Warner, returning to the sword-and-sandal action-adventure genre that yielded...
Interview At Ischia
Speaker: Summer, a time for new things but also, an ideal time to review and to analyse one production among the most beautiful productions of the year. The one I’m referring to is The Phantom of the Opera, the most expensive independent production of all times. A...