To celebrate the release of Mark Cousins’ new documentary The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, a portrait of the Oscar-winning producer responsible for bringing to life films by David Cronenberg, Jonathan Glazer, Jim Jarmusch, Bernardo Bertolucci, Nagisa Ôshima, Jerzy Skolimowski, and many more, NYC’s Quad Cinema is fittingly paying tribute to his career with a fantastic retrospective.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
“Jeremy Thomas Presents” kicks off today and runs through September 28 at Quad Cinema, with The Storms of Jeremy Thomas opening this Friday, September 22. As the retrospective commences, we’re pleased to exclusively share the trailer along with comments directly from Thomas looking back at the making of these iconic films.
Sexy Beast
I was sent a script with a Jonathan Glazer attached, called “Sexy Beast”. It was on a Friday night, and I read it over the weekend. The screenplay was brilliant, and on the Monday I bought it before anyone else could.
- 9/18/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
If you like Euro-crime and haven’t seen this one you’re in for a real treat. English killers are on the road in Spain, executing a hit on a ‘Supergrass’ who’s spent ten years in protective custody. The brilliant cast — Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth and Laura Del Sol give the criminal twists extra credibility. The suspenseful show is one of Stephen Frears’ best, and it builds to a highly satisfying conclusion. It’s also the feature debut of Tim Roth, and as such shouldn’t be missed.
The Hit
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 469
1984 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 98 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 20, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Laura Del Sol, Fernando Rey, Bill Hunter, Jim Broadbent.
Cinematography: Mike Molloy
Film Editor: Mick Audsley
Original Music: Paco de Lucía
Written by Peter Prince
Produced by Jeremy Thomas
Directed by Stephan Frears
Class-act...
The Hit
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 469
1984 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 98 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date October 20, 2020 / 39.95
Starring: Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim Roth, Laura Del Sol, Fernando Rey, Bill Hunter, Jim Broadbent.
Cinematography: Mike Molloy
Film Editor: Mick Audsley
Original Music: Paco de Lucía
Written by Peter Prince
Produced by Jeremy Thomas
Directed by Stephan Frears
Class-act...
- 10/24/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
One person was killed and seven others were wounded during a shooting at a church in Antioch, Tennessee, on Sunday morning.
Metro Nashville Police announced on Twitter that a shooter opened fire at Church of Christ Burnette Chapel. They said that one woman died and an additional six people were shot, with another person wounded by being pistol whipped.
The Nashville Fire Department said “all of the wounded except for one is over the age of 60.”
“This is a mass casualty situation. All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals,” the department said. “The majority are older adults.
Metro Nashville Police announced on Twitter that a shooter opened fire at Church of Christ Burnette Chapel. They said that one woman died and an additional six people were shot, with another person wounded by being pistol whipped.
The Nashville Fire Department said “all of the wounded except for one is over the age of 60.”
“This is a mass casualty situation. All of the wounded have been transported to area hospitals,” the department said. “The majority are older adults.
- 9/24/2017
- by Stephanie Petit
- PEOPLE.com
Starring Aboriginal activist Gary Foley opposite Bill Hunter, director Phillip Noyce’s exploration into race relations is one ending short of being a classic
Of the many influential film-makers to have emerged from Australia in the 1970s, Phillip Noyce is one of the most political. Most of Noyce’s body of work consists of political dramas and thrillers, often with a side of geopolitical intrigue – titles such as Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Saint, Catch a Fire, Salt and The Quiet American.
In the early 2000s the director made a rare voyage back to Australian shores for the hard-hitting stolen generations drama Rabbit-Proof Fence, a personal but polemical film advertised in America with an incendiary poster tagline: “What if the government kidnapped your daughter?”
Continue reading...
Of the many influential film-makers to have emerged from Australia in the 1970s, Phillip Noyce is one of the most political. Most of Noyce’s body of work consists of political dramas and thrillers, often with a side of geopolitical intrigue – titles such as Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Saint, Catch a Fire, Salt and The Quiet American.
In the early 2000s the director made a rare voyage back to Australian shores for the hard-hitting stolen generations drama Rabbit-Proof Fence, a personal but polemical film advertised in America with an incendiary poster tagline: “What if the government kidnapped your daughter?”
Continue reading...
- 9/26/2015
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
Long considered to be one of British auteur Tony Richardson’s greatest miscalculations is his 1970 film Ned Kelly, certainly the most notable but arguably the definitive version as concerns one of Australia’s most infamous outlaws. Arriving on Blu-ray for the first time, the title remains a curious novelty, one of a handful of on-screen appearances featuring The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger in a high-profile role. As many of these once-reviled titles go, the history behind the making of the film tends to overshadow the compromised product, and Richardson’s failed period piece is no exception.
In the late 1800s Outback, horse thief and aspiring bank robber Ned Kelly (Jagger) is released after serving a three year prison sentence. Harassed by the law and his angry neighbors, the ornery bushranger is forced into action when his mother (Clarissa Kaye) is unjustly accused of murder and sentenced to prison. His resulting...
In the late 1800s Outback, horse thief and aspiring bank robber Ned Kelly (Jagger) is released after serving a three year prison sentence. Harassed by the law and his angry neighbors, the ornery bushranger is forced into action when his mother (Clarissa Kaye) is unjustly accused of murder and sentenced to prison. His resulting...
- 7/21/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Actor-director-writer David Field plans to pen a biography of his great mate Bill Hunter.
Field revealed his plans on Facebook, prompting numerous offers of help from colleagues and friends of the much-loved actor who died in 2011, aged 71.
Close buddies for more than 25 years, Hunter and Field often discussed co-writing a book but never got around to it.
.We were having too much fun,. Field tells If. He may use the title suggested by Hunter, which trades on one of the actor's favourite expressions, .Stand Where and Say What?.
Field first met Hunter, whose credits include Newsfront, Gallipoli, Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Road to Nhill, Crackerjack, The Pacific and The Cup, at the Belvoir Theatre.
They worked together twice, in Laurie McInnes. 1993 black-and-white drama Broken Highway and in Alkinos Tsilimidos.s 2004 film Tom White, which starred Colin Friels as an architect whose life unravels after a nervous breakdown.
Field revealed his plans on Facebook, prompting numerous offers of help from colleagues and friends of the much-loved actor who died in 2011, aged 71.
Close buddies for more than 25 years, Hunter and Field often discussed co-writing a book but never got around to it.
.We were having too much fun,. Field tells If. He may use the title suggested by Hunter, which trades on one of the actor's favourite expressions, .Stand Where and Say What?.
Field first met Hunter, whose credits include Newsfront, Gallipoli, Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, Road to Nhill, Crackerjack, The Pacific and The Cup, at the Belvoir Theatre.
They worked together twice, in Laurie McInnes. 1993 black-and-white drama Broken Highway and in Alkinos Tsilimidos.s 2004 film Tom White, which starred Colin Friels as an architect whose life unravels after a nervous breakdown.
- 7/15/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Chris Thomson, one of the founding directors of the burgeoning New Zealand film and television industry in the 1960s, died in Sydney after a sudden stroke on July 1. He was 70.
Born in Wellington, Thomson directed the first ever drama to air on New Zealand television, A Game for 5 Players, followed by the series The Alpha Plan.
After relocating to the UK in the early 1970s, he worked as a director with the BBC before returning to Australia to direct acclaimed miniseries 1915, Waterfront and The Last Bastion and the feature films The Empty Beach, The Perfectionist and The Delinquents.
He also directed the first ever episode of A Country Practice in 1981. During his long career he worked closely with some of Australia.s finest performers and crew including Jack Thompson, Jacki Weaver, Bryan Brown, Greta Scacchi, Bill Hunter, Sigrid Thornton, Kylie Minogue, Ray Barrett, Andrew McFarlane, Bill Kerr, Lorraine Bayly, Noni Hazlehurst,...
Born in Wellington, Thomson directed the first ever drama to air on New Zealand television, A Game for 5 Players, followed by the series The Alpha Plan.
After relocating to the UK in the early 1970s, he worked as a director with the BBC before returning to Australia to direct acclaimed miniseries 1915, Waterfront and The Last Bastion and the feature films The Empty Beach, The Perfectionist and The Delinquents.
He also directed the first ever episode of A Country Practice in 1981. During his long career he worked closely with some of Australia.s finest performers and crew including Jack Thompson, Jacki Weaver, Bryan Brown, Greta Scacchi, Bill Hunter, Sigrid Thornton, Kylie Minogue, Ray Barrett, Andrew McFarlane, Bill Kerr, Lorraine Bayly, Noni Hazlehurst,...
- 7/2/2015
- by Matt Day
- IF.com.au
Craig Lahiff, director/writer and producer and one of the pillars of the South Australian screen industry, died in Adelaide on Sunday after a short illness. He was 66.
His final film, Swerve, a thriller about an honest guy who stumbles upon a suitcase of money and a decapitated body on a desert highway, starring David Lyons, Jason Clarke and Emma Booth, was released in Australian cinemas in 2012 and was sold to the Us and the UK.
Helen Leake produced three films with Lahiff: Heaven.s Burning, Black and White and Swerve. .Renowned for his calmness and quiet persuasion in all aspects of his work Craig brought to all of his films a very clear vision that he imparted to all his collaborators,. she said. .Long-time friend Louis Nowra recalls Craig.s .grace under pressure. as a director, and all his colleagues found his craft skills and technical understanding of all...
His final film, Swerve, a thriller about an honest guy who stumbles upon a suitcase of money and a decapitated body on a desert highway, starring David Lyons, Jason Clarke and Emma Booth, was released in Australian cinemas in 2012 and was sold to the Us and the UK.
Helen Leake produced three films with Lahiff: Heaven.s Burning, Black and White and Swerve. .Renowned for his calmness and quiet persuasion in all aspects of his work Craig brought to all of his films a very clear vision that he imparted to all his collaborators,. she said. .Long-time friend Louis Nowra recalls Craig.s .grace under pressure. as a director, and all his colleagues found his craft skills and technical understanding of all...
- 2/3/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Hollywood’s own family fare could probably learn a little from this sweet-natured and surprisingly affecting Aussie hit. Sure, Red Dog is bogged down with the very same clichés and road blocks which define too many animal-centric films, but it is also shot through with more respect for its audience, pandering less to lazy sentimentality and focusing more on the unique bond between man and canine. In the heart stakes, it has plenty to spare, and that goes a long way.
As the film opens, the titular Red Dog appears near death, poorly and about to be put down by several distraught, fully-grown men. Through flashbacks, we learn of how he made it to this point, befriending a group of miners who collectively cared for him, such that he was a communal pet and in fact never had an actual owner. That is, at least, until...
Hollywood’s own family fare could probably learn a little from this sweet-natured and surprisingly affecting Aussie hit. Sure, Red Dog is bogged down with the very same clichés and road blocks which define too many animal-centric films, but it is also shot through with more respect for its audience, pandering less to lazy sentimentality and focusing more on the unique bond between man and canine. In the heart stakes, it has plenty to spare, and that goes a long way.
As the film opens, the titular Red Dog appears near death, poorly and about to be put down by several distraught, fully-grown men. Through flashbacks, we learn of how he made it to this point, befriending a group of miners who collectively cared for him, such that he was a communal pet and in fact never had an actual owner. That is, at least, until...
- 2/24/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
One of the most creative and celebrated periods in international cinema is, without a doubt, the Australian New Wave in the early 70s. With film production in the country stalled for years due to lack of funding, the Australian film industry experienced a revival in 1971 with the creation of the Australian Film Development Corporation. This period of creativity and artistic freedom brought budding auteurs such as Peter Weir, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, and George Miller to the attention of international audiences. Their films introduced stars such Mel Gibson, Bryan Brown, Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver, and Bill Hunter whose careers were launched during this renaissance. So head uptown to the Film Society of Lincoln Center and brave the cold to see or re-see these exceptional films and to enjoy the special guests - directors Michael Thornhill and Phillip Noyce to name two - who will be at at least half of...
- 1/24/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
One of the most creative and celebrated periods in international cinema is, without a doubt, the Australian New Wave in the early 70s. With film production in the country stalled for years due to lack of funding, the Australian film industry experienced a revival in 1971 with the creation of the Australian Film Development Corporation. This period of creativity and artistic freedom brought budding auteurs such as Peter Weir, Gillian Armstrong, Bruce Beresford, and George Miller to the attention of international audiences. Their films introduced stars such Mel Gibson, Bryan Brown, Judy Davis, Jacki Weaver, and Bill Hunter whose careers were launched during this renaissance. So head uptown to the Film Society of Lincoln Center and brave the cold to see or re-see these exceptional films and to enjoy the special guests - directors Michael Thornhill and Phillip Noyce to name two - who will be at at least half of...
- 1/24/2012
- TribecaFilm.com
According to reports director Stephen Frears ("Prick Up Your Ears") , screenwriter Peter Prince and producer Jeremy Thomas will reunite to remake their 1984 crime feature "The Hit", with a considerably bigger budget than the original.
Although the original film was located primarily in a remote Spanish village, Frears intends to shoot his remake in Mexico and the Us.
Premise follows ruthless London gangster 'Willie Parker' (Terrence Stamp) who gives evidence against his criminal compatriots in return for a very generous offer from police.
Ten years later, Parker lives in comfortable retirement in Spain until four Spanish youths kidnap him and deliver him to two hitmen hired by the kingpin that Parker helped put away.
'Braddock' (John Hurt) is a world weary veteran, while 'Myron' (Tim Roth) is his hot-tempered apprentice. Parker quickly adopts a carefree demeanor, claiming that he's had ten years to accept death as a simple part of life.
Although the original film was located primarily in a remote Spanish village, Frears intends to shoot his remake in Mexico and the Us.
Premise follows ruthless London gangster 'Willie Parker' (Terrence Stamp) who gives evidence against his criminal compatriots in return for a very generous offer from police.
Ten years later, Parker lives in comfortable retirement in Spain until four Spanish youths kidnap him and deliver him to two hitmen hired by the kingpin that Parker helped put away.
'Braddock' (John Hurt) is a world weary veteran, while 'Myron' (Tim Roth) is his hot-tempered apprentice. Parker quickly adopts a carefree demeanor, claiming that he's had ten years to accept death as a simple part of life.
- 12/14/2011
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
A Phillip Noyce retrospective and other Australian and Nz films have been selected to screen at the 42nd International Film Festival of India.
The retrospective of Noyce’s work includes Clear and Present Danger, Catch a Fire, The Quiet American, and Australian films Newsfront and Backroads.
Of the acknowledgement, Noyce said: “I‘m delighted that the International Film Festival of India will share with audiences films spanning my whole career. The screening of Backroads and Newsfront will give Indian audiences a taste of Australian acting icon, Bill Hunter, in two of the roles that first revealed his remarkable talent.”
Noyce will attend the festival and present a day-long master class on the process of translating ideas from concept, through script development, to the finished product.
The film festival, in its Australasian program will also screen local films Oranges and Sunshine, Matching Jack with director Nadia Tass in attendance, and New...
The retrospective of Noyce’s work includes Clear and Present Danger, Catch a Fire, The Quiet American, and Australian films Newsfront and Backroads.
Of the acknowledgement, Noyce said: “I‘m delighted that the International Film Festival of India will share with audiences films spanning my whole career. The screening of Backroads and Newsfront will give Indian audiences a taste of Australian acting icon, Bill Hunter, in two of the roles that first revealed his remarkable talent.”
Noyce will attend the festival and present a day-long master class on the process of translating ideas from concept, through script development, to the finished product.
The film festival, in its Australasian program will also screen local films Oranges and Sunshine, Matching Jack with director Nadia Tass in attendance, and New...
- 11/15/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
The Australian International Movie Convention has awarded filmmakers Emile Sherman and Yoram Gross, as well as actors Lincoln Lewis, Sophie Lowe and Maeve Dermody, at its closing night gala ceremony. The closing ceremony was hosted by Todd McKenney at Jupiter.s Hotel & Casino, bringing the week-long event to a close. This year's event for exhibitors and distributors attracted 960 registered delegates, with more than 650 attending for the entire week. Check out photos from the event here. The full list of award winners are: News Limited Australian Star of the Year Award Maeve Dermody (Griff the Invisible). Previous Star of the Year Award recipients include Russell Crowe (1993), Bill Hunter (1994), Geoffrey Rush (1997), Hugh Jackman (1999), Eric Bana (2000), Abbie...
- 8/26/2011
- by Staff reporter
- IF.com.au
Welcome to the 291st Edition of my series. This week I pay tribute to the late Australian actor Bill Hunter who recently left us. This evening I am ring announcing for Action Packed Wrestling at the Ross Center in Muncie. Doors open 6 pm and show starts at 7 pm. Tickets are $12 so come see the great wrestling action action. Thanks to people like Ashley, J.D, and Jason who helped me have a...
- 6/18/2011
- by Shaun Berk
Hundreds of people have paid their respects to Bill Hunter. The 71-year-old Australian actor, who was best known for his roles in movies such as Strictly Ballroom, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding, passed away last Saturday after a battle with cancer. According to Aap, many friends, family and former co-stars attended his memorial service at Melbourne's Princess Theatre yesterday, with various actors playing tribute to their friend on stage. As the red curtain lifted to reveal Hunter's casket covered with native flowers, Paul Kelly performed 'Nukkanya (See Ya)'. Rod Mullinar then said: "Bill was a sweet, kind and generous man. People loved Billy - what you saw is what you got. A genuine Australian bloke." Country Practice actor Brian Wenzel added: "I don't think there's (more)...
- 5/27/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Smothered in sunshine, dripping with glitz and jingling with cash, the Cannes festival is the place for film folk to be unseen
The big story
The secret to success at a film festival? Well, first of all, don't make films, or, if you must, do so only sparingly. Then forget about all that red carpet nonsense; in fact forget about publicising your work completely – the artist doesn't have to be a salesman. And lastly, when the festival offers you its top prize, don't, whatever you do, go along to pick it up. The event will lap up any photo non-opportunities you can throw its way. If you can follow these basic rules you are well on the road to glory, as Terrence Malick proved at Cannes at the weekend.
The enigmatic American auteur scooped the Palme d'Or in the south of France this week with his fifth film in 38 years,...
The big story
The secret to success at a film festival? Well, first of all, don't make films, or, if you must, do so only sparingly. Then forget about all that red carpet nonsense; in fact forget about publicising your work completely – the artist doesn't have to be a salesman. And lastly, when the festival offers you its top prize, don't, whatever you do, go along to pick it up. The event will lap up any photo non-opportunities you can throw its way. If you can follow these basic rules you are well on the road to glory, as Terrence Malick proved at Cannes at the weekend.
The enigmatic American auteur scooped the Palme d'Or in the south of France this week with his fifth film in 38 years,...
- 5/26/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Australian acting legend Bill Hunter was remembered during a star-studded memorial service in Melbourne on Thursday.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on Saturday at the age of 71 following a battle with cancer.
Tributes have poured in for Hunter, and on Thursday, his family, friends and a number of famous faces turned out for a service celebrating the actor's life.
With Hunter's casket taking centre stage at Melbourne's Princess Theatre, singer Paul Kelly opened the memorial with an emotional performance of Nukkin Ya, which is derived from the Aboriginal term for 'see you later'. Oliver Jao Smith and The Maza Sisters also performed during the service.
Screen stars including David Field and Mick Molloy shared their memories of Hunter, while actor Rod Mullinar, who helped nurse the actor through illness during his final months, read out a poem in his honour.
Mullinar also delivered a moving speech about his "sweet, kind and generous" friend, telling the mourners, "He had a great curiosity about people - what they did, how they lived their lives, and most of all, what their stories were.
"People loved Billy because what you saw was what you got. I'll miss you Billy. We'll have a drink for you."
Family members paid tribute to Hunter, with his former wife Rhoda Roberts telling the guests, "He had wisdom and experience that he wanted to pass on. He was such a mentor to so many in this room, and that's how I would like to remember him."
Hunter's niece Kate Sheffield added, "It was an amazing life, and he lived it his way. His generosity of spirit was extraordinary. So long Billo. I'm so proud to have known you. You added colour and passion to all of our lives."
His brother John Hunter said, "Safe journey dearest friend, brother, you will never be forgotten in our hearts."
Paul Kelly closed the service by performing his classic track Leaps and Bounds.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on Saturday at the age of 71 following a battle with cancer.
Tributes have poured in for Hunter, and on Thursday, his family, friends and a number of famous faces turned out for a service celebrating the actor's life.
With Hunter's casket taking centre stage at Melbourne's Princess Theatre, singer Paul Kelly opened the memorial with an emotional performance of Nukkin Ya, which is derived from the Aboriginal term for 'see you later'. Oliver Jao Smith and The Maza Sisters also performed during the service.
Screen stars including David Field and Mick Molloy shared their memories of Hunter, while actor Rod Mullinar, who helped nurse the actor through illness during his final months, read out a poem in his honour.
Mullinar also delivered a moving speech about his "sweet, kind and generous" friend, telling the mourners, "He had a great curiosity about people - what they did, how they lived their lives, and most of all, what their stories were.
"People loved Billy because what you saw was what you got. I'll miss you Billy. We'll have a drink for you."
Family members paid tribute to Hunter, with his former wife Rhoda Roberts telling the guests, "He had wisdom and experience that he wanted to pass on. He was such a mentor to so many in this room, and that's how I would like to remember him."
Hunter's niece Kate Sheffield added, "It was an amazing life, and he lived it his way. His generosity of spirit was extraordinary. So long Billo. I'm so proud to have known you. You added colour and passion to all of our lives."
His brother John Hunter said, "Safe journey dearest friend, brother, you will never be forgotten in our hearts."
Paul Kelly closed the service by performing his classic track Leaps and Bounds.
- 5/26/2011
- WENN
Friends of Bill Hunter have said that the most appropriate way to bid him farewell is to raise a glass. The 71-year-old Australian actor, who was best known for his roles in Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, passed away last weekend after a battle with cancer. His manager Mark Morrissey has urged all Australian fans to have a drink in memory of the late star this afternoon when his public memorial takes place at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne. Comedian Mick Molloy revealed that the celebrations of Hunter's life will start in (more)...
- 5/26/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Various stars will take to the stage to celebrate the life of Bill Hunter tomorrow. The 71-year-old Australian actor, who was best known for his roles in Muriel's Wedding, Strictly Ballroom and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, passed away last weekend after a battle with cancer. Singer Paul Kelly will reportedly open and close the memorial service at Melbourne's Princess Theatre at 2pm tomorrow. Actors Rod Mullinar, Gary Foley, David Field and Mick Molloy are believed to be speaking about their former friend and co-star. Field recently said of Hunter: "Extraordinary instinct and intelligence, a very (more)...
- 5/25/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Various Australian stars have paid their respects to Bill Hunter. The 71-year-old actor, who was best known for his roles in movies such as Muriel's Wedding, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Crackerjack, passed away on Saturday after a battle with cancer. Russell Crowe wrote on his Twitter page: "Very sad to hear about Bill Hunter. Unique talent... Thanks for the entertainment mate, Rip." TV star Mick Molloy, who worked with Hunter on Crackerjack, told The Daily Telegraph: "I learned so much from him. Not just acting, but about how to behave as a person. How to engage the world. And I've been very close with him lately. "We first noticed something was up with Bill about a month ago (more)...
- 5/24/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
A stage version of Strictly Ballroom will premiere in Sydney. The Australian city defeated competition from London and New York to win the rights to turn the 1992 dance movie, which starred Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice and Bill Hunter, into a theatre show. Baz Luhrmann, who directed the original film and chose the location for the stage premiere, told Aap: "Of all my shows, Strictly Ballroom is the most personal." New South Wales Premier Barry O'Farrell added: "Producers in London and New York have been pursuing the rights for Strictly Ballroom for many years. It is a major theatrical coup that Sydney has secured the premiere ahead (more)...
- 5/24/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Australian actor known for his roles in Strictly Ballroom and Muriel's Wedding
For many Australians, the screen persona of the character actor Bill Hunter, who has died of cancer aged 71, was the archetypal "ocker", an uncultivated Australian working man who enjoys beer, "barbies", Aussie rules football and V8 supercars. According to Phillip Noyce, who directed the oft-bearded actor in three movies and a TV miniseries: "Bill was the absolute essence of the Anglo-Irish Australian male of the 20th century. Seemingly gruff and impenetrable, he could convey the tenderness beneath the exterior."
He was seen and appreciated by millions in three of Australia's biggest hit films – Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom (1992), Pj Hogan's Muriel's Wedding (1994) and Stephan Elliott's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) – all revealing Hunter at the peak of his powers.
He was born in Melbourne, but was brought up in rural Victoria, in Australia's south-east.
For many Australians, the screen persona of the character actor Bill Hunter, who has died of cancer aged 71, was the archetypal "ocker", an uncultivated Australian working man who enjoys beer, "barbies", Aussie rules football and V8 supercars. According to Phillip Noyce, who directed the oft-bearded actor in three movies and a TV miniseries: "Bill was the absolute essence of the Anglo-Irish Australian male of the 20th century. Seemingly gruff and impenetrable, he could convey the tenderness beneath the exterior."
He was seen and appreciated by millions in three of Australia's biggest hit films – Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom (1992), Pj Hogan's Muriel's Wedding (1994) and Stephan Elliott's The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) – all revealing Hunter at the peak of his powers.
He was born in Melbourne, but was brought up in rural Victoria, in Australia's south-east.
- 5/23/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
Updated through 5/23.
"Bill Hunter, the archetypal working class Australian of a multitude of movies including the quirky trio Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom has died of cancer," reports the AP. He was 71. "The prolific star of Australian movie and television screens with a distinctively broad and gravelly accent and an authoritative no-nonsense style remained an actor in demand until the end. He recently narrated a two-part television documentary about the floods and cyclone that became Australia's most expensive natural disasters early this year…. Director Baz Luhrmann described Hunter in a statement last week as 'the go-to iconic actor to synthesize quintessential Australian-ness.'"
"Of all his work, Hunter's portrayal of Major Barton in Peter Weir's classic 1981 war epic Gallipoli is widely regarded as his finest," write Jim Schembri and Karl Quinn for the Sydney Morning Herald. "Charged with playing a...
"Bill Hunter, the archetypal working class Australian of a multitude of movies including the quirky trio Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom has died of cancer," reports the AP. He was 71. "The prolific star of Australian movie and television screens with a distinctively broad and gravelly accent and an authoritative no-nonsense style remained an actor in demand until the end. He recently narrated a two-part television documentary about the floods and cyclone that became Australia's most expensive natural disasters early this year…. Director Baz Luhrmann described Hunter in a statement last week as 'the go-to iconic actor to synthesize quintessential Australian-ness.'"
"Of all his work, Hunter's portrayal of Major Barton in Peter Weir's classic 1981 war epic Gallipoli is widely regarded as his finest," write Jim Schembri and Karl Quinn for the Sydney Morning Herald. "Charged with playing a...
- 5/23/2011
- MUBI
Australian director Phillip Noyce is leading the tributes to his Newsfront star Bill Hunter, who died on Saturday following a battle with cancer.
Directors and actors from the Australian film community have expressed their sorrow after the Muriel's Wedding star passed away at a Melbourne hospice.
Noyce - who cast Hunter in four of his films, including his 1978 hit Newsfront - branded the acting legend "extraordinary".
He says, "He was the epitome, the absolute essence of the Anglo-Irish Australian male of the 20th century. Hunter was us and that's why we liked him and that's why us directors kept using him and why Australian audiences kept responding to him. He defined us. Hunter was extraordinary."
Meanwhile, Hunter's friend and fellow actor David Field says, "(He had) extraordinary instinct and intelligence, a very profound human being. The everyman on the street was the man he loved - from hobo upwards he didn't mind. He always had time for everyone, for all his kind of roaring bluff, he was a very sensitive and very gentle man."
Filmmaker Simon Wincer, who directed Hunter in The Cup, insists his death leaves a void in the entertainment industry Down Under, adding, "He was associated really with the renaissance of the Australian film industry from the '70s right up until the last few months."
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has also paid her respects: "Mr. Hunter played a key role as an acclaimed actor in helping to define Australian culture over five decades on screen and on stage. He told us Australian stories in an Australian voice at a time when we were debating and developing our sense of national identity."
A memorial service for Hunter will be held at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on Thursday.
Directors and actors from the Australian film community have expressed their sorrow after the Muriel's Wedding star passed away at a Melbourne hospice.
Noyce - who cast Hunter in four of his films, including his 1978 hit Newsfront - branded the acting legend "extraordinary".
He says, "He was the epitome, the absolute essence of the Anglo-Irish Australian male of the 20th century. Hunter was us and that's why we liked him and that's why us directors kept using him and why Australian audiences kept responding to him. He defined us. Hunter was extraordinary."
Meanwhile, Hunter's friend and fellow actor David Field says, "(He had) extraordinary instinct and intelligence, a very profound human being. The everyman on the street was the man he loved - from hobo upwards he didn't mind. He always had time for everyone, for all his kind of roaring bluff, he was a very sensitive and very gentle man."
Filmmaker Simon Wincer, who directed Hunter in The Cup, insists his death leaves a void in the entertainment industry Down Under, adding, "He was associated really with the renaissance of the Australian film industry from the '70s right up until the last few months."
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has also paid her respects: "Mr. Hunter played a key role as an acclaimed actor in helping to define Australian culture over five decades on screen and on stage. He told us Australian stories in an Australian voice at a time when we were debating and developing our sense of national identity."
A memorial service for Hunter will be held at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne on Thursday.
- 5/23/2011
- WENN
Bill Hunter's memorial has been organised. The 71-year-old Australian actor, who passed away in a Melbourne hospice on Saturday night after a battle with cancer, will be honoured at Melbourne's Princess Theatre this coming Thursday. Simon Wincer, who directed Hunter in recent film The Cup, told The ABC: "He was associated really with the renaissance of the Australian film industry from the '70s right up until the last few months." His friend and fellow actor David Field added: "[Bill had] extraordinary instinct and intelligence [and was] a very profound human being. The (more)...
- 5/23/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
There will be a public memorial service at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre on Thursday 26 May, at 2pm, for Bill Hunter’s passing.
For those in Sydney, there will be an informal get together at Bondi Icebergs’ downstairs bistro, also at 2pm.
Alternatively for those around the country, in the words of Hunter’s management, Mark Morrissey & Associates, “We invite you – whether you be in your favourite pub, a theatre, at home, in country towns, on the land, with friends – anywhere throughout Australia – on Thursday 26 – to ‘Raise your glass to Bill Hunter’ as a salute and a final farewell to a great man.”
Bill Hunter passed away on Saturday 21 May, approximately 8pm, from cancer, surrounded by friends and family.
Hunter had battled the disease and refused to enter hospital but was admitted to a Melbourne hospice earlier in the week, reports ABC News.
Encore contributor and Newsfront screenwriter Bob Ellis remembers...
For those in Sydney, there will be an informal get together at Bondi Icebergs’ downstairs bistro, also at 2pm.
Alternatively for those around the country, in the words of Hunter’s management, Mark Morrissey & Associates, “We invite you – whether you be in your favourite pub, a theatre, at home, in country towns, on the land, with friends – anywhere throughout Australia – on Thursday 26 – to ‘Raise your glass to Bill Hunter’ as a salute and a final farewell to a great man.”
Bill Hunter passed away on Saturday 21 May, approximately 8pm, from cancer, surrounded by friends and family.
Hunter had battled the disease and refused to enter hospital but was admitted to a Melbourne hospice earlier in the week, reports ABC News.
Encore contributor and Newsfront screenwriter Bob Ellis remembers...
- 5/23/2011
- by Colin Delaney
- Encore Magazine
Australian actor Bill Hunter has died at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer. Earlier this week the actor's manager confirmed that Hunter was 'gravely ill'' with inoperable cancer, and that he had been admitted to a hospice in Melbourne. It has now been confirmed that the Muriel's Wedding star died late on Friday night surrounded by his family. "Mr Hunter played a key role as an acclaimed actor in helping to define Australian culture over five decades on screen and stage," Australian Prime Minister (more)...
- 5/22/2011
- by By Tom Ayres
- Digital Spy
Australian acting legend Bill Hunter has died at the age of 71.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on on Saturday surrounded by his family at a Melbourne hospice following a battle with cancer, according to his manager Mark Morrissey.
Hunter was admitted to the hospice on 16 May and his loved ones flocked to his bedside after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His career began on Australian television in the 1960s and by the 1970s, he had become one of the country's most popular actors with roles in films including Gallipoli, alongside Mel Gibson, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.
In 1978, he was honoured with the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront and he scooped the Best Supporting Actor AFI Award for Gallipoli in 1981.
Hunter, who became known for playing stereotypically gruff Australian men with big hearts, was also awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to acting in 2001. He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
News of his cancer emerged on 18 May, sending shock waves through the film industry Down Under, with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom and the 2008 epic Australia, offering his support to the ill star.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on on Saturday surrounded by his family at a Melbourne hospice following a battle with cancer, according to his manager Mark Morrissey.
Hunter was admitted to the hospice on 16 May and his loved ones flocked to his bedside after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His career began on Australian television in the 1960s and by the 1970s, he had become one of the country's most popular actors with roles in films including Gallipoli, alongside Mel Gibson, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.
In 1978, he was honoured with the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront and he scooped the Best Supporting Actor AFI Award for Gallipoli in 1981.
Hunter, who became known for playing stereotypically gruff Australian men with big hearts, was also awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to acting in 2001. He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
News of his cancer emerged on 18 May, sending shock waves through the film industry Down Under, with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom and the 2008 epic Australia, offering his support to the ill star.
- 5/22/2011
- WENN
Australian acting legend Bill Hunter has died at the age of 71.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on on Saturday surrounded by his family at a Melbourne hospice following a battle with cancer, according to his manager Mark Morrissey.
Hunter was admitted to the hospice on 16 May and his loved ones flocked to his bedside after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His career began on Australian television in the 1960s and by the 1970s, he had become one of the country's most popular actors with roles in films including Gallipoli, alongside Mel Gibson, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.
In 1978, he was honoured with the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront and he scooped the Best Supporting Actor AFI Award for Gallipoli in 1981.
Hunter, who became known for playing stereotypically gruff Australian men with big hearts, was also awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to acting in 2001. He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
News of his cancer emerged on 18 May, sending shock waves through the film industry Down Under, with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom and the 2008 epic Australia, offering his support to the ill star.
The Muriel's Wedding star passed away on on Saturday surrounded by his family at a Melbourne hospice following a battle with cancer, according to his manager Mark Morrissey.
Hunter was admitted to the hospice on 16 May and his loved ones flocked to his bedside after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His career began on Australian television in the 1960s and by the 1970s, he had become one of the country's most popular actors with roles in films including Gallipoli, alongside Mel Gibson, and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert.
In 1978, he was honoured with the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Newsfront and he scooped the Best Supporting Actor AFI Award for Gallipoli in 1981.
Hunter, who became known for playing stereotypically gruff Australian men with big hearts, was also awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to acting in 2001. He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
News of his cancer emerged on 18 May, sending shock waves through the film industry Down Under, with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom and the 2008 epic Australia, offering his support to the ill star.
- 5/22/2011
- WENN
Australia's film and television industry is in mourning following the death of legendary actor Bill Hunter. He was 71. The veteran actor was admitted to a Melbourne hospice earlier this week, suffering from inoperable cancer, and was surrounded by family and friends in his last few days before passing away late Saturday. The Centenary Medal winner, born in Ballarat, Victoria, was most well-known for his roles in Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom, in a career that spanned more than four decades. He appears in the upcoming films The Cup, where he plays legendary horse icon Bart Cummings, and.Wa film Red Dog. Recently he also lent his voice to the animated Zack Snyder flick Legend of the Guardians: The Owls...
- 5/22/2011
- by Sam Dallas
- IF.com.au
Baz Luhrmann has revealed that he is "pulling for" Bill Hunter. The Australian movie director, who worked with Hunter on 1992 film Strictly Ballroom, said that his thoughts are with the 71-year-old actor as he battles cancer in a Melbourne hospice. Luhrmann told Aap: "Whether portraying Australians fighting on the foreign shores in Gallipoli, or the hard-nut, famous-to-this-day journos seeking stories in Newsfront, to his effortless switch to high comedy in the films where we tried to capture contemporary suburban culture, in Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding and Priscilla, (more)...
- 5/19/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Australian director Baz Luhrmann has offered his support to Bill Hunter as he battles inoperable cancer in a hospice.
The filmmaker, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom, is "pulling for" the 71-year-old acting legend, who was admitted to a Melbourne facility on Monday after refusing to go to hospital.
And Luhrmann, who also cast Hunter in his 2008 epic Australia, insists the star has been an asset to the film industry Down Under.
He says, "Whether portraying Australians fighting on the foreign shores in Gallipoli, or the hard-nut, famous-to-this-day journos seeking stories in Newsfront, to his effortless switch to high comedy in the films where we tried to capture contemporary suburban culture, in Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding, and Priscilla, Bill was the go-to iconic actor to synthesise quintessential Australian-ness.
"We are all pulling for Bill in this difficult time, but we can take comfort that we will always see Bill again through the remarkable body of work that he has left on the screen."
Hunter's manager Mark Morrissey has confirmed the gravely ill star has been resting with family at his bedside.
The filmmaker, who worked with Hunter in the 1992 hit Strictly Ballroom, is "pulling for" the 71-year-old acting legend, who was admitted to a Melbourne facility on Monday after refusing to go to hospital.
And Luhrmann, who also cast Hunter in his 2008 epic Australia, insists the star has been an asset to the film industry Down Under.
He says, "Whether portraying Australians fighting on the foreign shores in Gallipoli, or the hard-nut, famous-to-this-day journos seeking stories in Newsfront, to his effortless switch to high comedy in the films where we tried to capture contemporary suburban culture, in Strictly Ballroom, Muriel's Wedding, and Priscilla, Bill was the go-to iconic actor to synthesise quintessential Australian-ness.
"We are all pulling for Bill in this difficult time, but we can take comfort that we will always see Bill again through the remarkable body of work that he has left on the screen."
Hunter's manager Mark Morrissey has confirmed the gravely ill star has been resting with family at his bedside.
- 5/19/2011
- WENN
There are grave fears for the health of Australian actor Bill Hunter.
The 71-year-old, known for his roles in hit Australian films Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom, was admitted to a Melbourne hospice on Monday.
His manager Mark Morrissey said he is "gravely ill" and has inoperable cancer.
Morrissey told Aap that Hunter's family are visiting him at the... More >>...
The 71-year-old, known for his roles in hit Australian films Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom, was admitted to a Melbourne hospice on Monday.
His manager Mark Morrissey said he is "gravely ill" and has inoperable cancer.
Morrissey told Aap that Hunter's family are visiting him at the... More >>...
- 5/19/2011
- by AAP
- TV.com
Australian acting legend Bill Hunter is gravely ill in a hospice with inoperable cancer.
The 71-year-old Muriel's Wedding star was admitted to a facility in Melbourne on Monday and his loved ones have flocked to his side after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His manager, Mark Morrissey, announced the news on Australia's Today Show on Wednesday morning, saying, "Sadly, he has cancer, and it's inoperable. He was admitted to a hospice a couple of days ago."
Hunter worked with Mel Gibson in Gallipoli and also appeared in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. He played Toni Collette's father in Muriel's Wedding and starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia.
He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
The 71-year-old Muriel's Wedding star was admitted to a facility in Melbourne on Monday and his loved ones have flocked to his side after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His manager, Mark Morrissey, announced the news on Australia's Today Show on Wednesday morning, saying, "Sadly, he has cancer, and it's inoperable. He was admitted to a hospice a couple of days ago."
Hunter worked with Mel Gibson in Gallipoli and also appeared in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. He played Toni Collette's father in Muriel's Wedding and starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia.
He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
- 5/18/2011
- WENN
Australian acting legend Bill Hunter is gravely ill in a hospice with inoperable cancer.
The 71-year-old Muriel's Wedding star was admitted to a facility in Melbourne on Monday and his loved ones have flocked to his side after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His manager, Mark Morrissey, announced the news on Australia's Today Show on Wednesday morning, saying, "Sadly, he has cancer, and it's inoperable. He was admitted to a hospice a couple of days ago."
Hunter worked with Mel Gibson in Gallipoli and also appeared in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. He played Toni Collette's father in Muriel's Wedding and starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia.
He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
The 71-year-old Muriel's Wedding star was admitted to a facility in Melbourne on Monday and his loved ones have flocked to his side after doctors informed him they would not be able to operate.
His manager, Mark Morrissey, announced the news on Australia's Today Show on Wednesday morning, saying, "Sadly, he has cancer, and it's inoperable. He was admitted to a hospice a couple of days ago."
Hunter worked with Mel Gibson in Gallipoli and also appeared in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. He played Toni Collette's father in Muriel's Wedding and starred opposite Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in Australia.
He has also voiced parts in Finding Nemo and last year's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.
- 5/18/2011
- WENN
Bill Hunter is seriously ill, his manager has revealed. The 71-year-old award-winning Australian actor, who is best known for playing Toni Collette's overbearing father in Muriel's Wedding, has been admitted to a Melbourne hospice as he continues his battle against cancer. Mark Morrissey told the Today show this morning: "Sadly, he has cancer and it's inoperable. He was admitted to a hospice a couple of days ago." Hunter is also known for his roles in Newsfront, Strictly Ballroom, The Adventures (more)...
- 5/18/2011
- by By Rebecca Davies
- Digital Spy
Australian screen veteran Bill Hunter is gravely ill in a Melbourne hospice with inoperable cancer. The actor, who has appeared in some of Australia's most iconic films including Muriel's Wedding, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Strictly Ballroom checked into Kew hospice two days ago. Hunter's film and television career has spanned more than 40 years. Since one of his earliest appearances as an uncredited Guardian in Doctor Who in 1966, the actor has featured in everything from Skippy and Prisoner to Gallipoli and The Square. He is most notable for having worked with many of Australia's great filmmakers and actors including Peter Weir, Mel Gibson, Guy Pearce, Hugo Weaving, Baz Luhrmann and P.J Hogan. A favourite of the AFI awards, Hunter...
- 5/18/2011
- by Amanda Diaz
- IF.com.au
Legend Of The Guardians:the Owls Of Ga' Hoole – (3D Blu-ray)Warner Home Entertainment2010/Rated PG/Running Time 97 minsList Price $44.98 – Now AvailableWhat would possess Zack Snyder to make a kiddie film about owls? I remember asking myself this question many months back when I first caught the trailer for the 300 director's latest, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole. Had Snyder licked one too many Tootsie Roll pops or was he trying to show Warner Bros., the studio which had produced his last two films, that he could be a versatile director? Perhaps making a sure fire hit children's film was the only way the studio would back a radical idea like his bizarre looking epic Sucker Punch? Whatever the reason, I don't really care, because Lotg not only marks Snyder's best film, but proves he can handle stories of substance over style. Not that any of Snyder's familiar style is missing from Lotg,...
- 12/30/2010
- LRMonline.com
Catch .44
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
- 12/23/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Catch .44
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
Opens: 2011
Cast: Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis, Malin Akerman, Nikki Reed, Deborah Ann Woll
Director: Aaron Harvey
Summary: The story focuses on three women being thrust into an extraordinary situation involving a psychopathic hitman, a grizzled trucker and a delusional line cook.
Analysis: Oddly little is known about this indie crime comedy aside from the three lead female roles have gone through more than a couple of rounds of casting musical chairs. The likes of Maggie Grace, Kate Mara, Laura Ramsey, Sarah Roemer, Lizzy Caplan and Lauren German were all attached at one point or another before the final trio of Malin Akerman ("Watchmen"), Nikki Reed ("Twilight") and Deborah Ann Woll ("True Blood") were settled on.
Bruce Willis, Forest Whitaker, Michael Rosenbaum and Brad Dourif also star with Willis as a crime boss behind everything that happens and Whitaker as a dangerously unstable assassin. Aaron Harvey, who last directed...
- 12/23/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Chicago – A few weeks ago, we acclaimed the beauty of the Blu-ray releases of Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet.” Oh what a difference a studio can make. While Fox treated those Luhrmann films with HD respect, Disney has decided to release his first film, the great “Strictly Ballroom” in a lackluster standard DVD special edition that would have been great in 2006 but times have changed.
DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0
The most terrifying thing about the “Strictly Ballroom: Special Edition” may not be that it’s lackluster in comparison to the great Blu-rays of “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet” but that it appears to not be a tie-in to those releases but something far more terrifying. The back of the DVD case says “The Film That Started the Dancing With the Stars Phenomenon!” Really?!?! A 1992 Australian film that made $12 million inspired “Dancing With the Stars”?!?! What’s next? A...
DVD Rating: 3.0/5.0
The most terrifying thing about the “Strictly Ballroom: Special Edition” may not be that it’s lackluster in comparison to the great Blu-rays of “Moulin Rouge!” and “Romeo + Juliet” but that it appears to not be a tie-in to those releases but something far more terrifying. The back of the DVD case says “The Film That Started the Dancing With the Stars Phenomenon!” Really?!?! A 1992 Australian film that made $12 million inspired “Dancing With the Stars”?!?! What’s next? A...
- 12/1/2010
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
A noir from down under channels other films, but proves that if something can go wrong, it will go wrong. and sometimes that snowballs into a quagmire. Ray (David Smith) and Carla (Claire van der Boom) are lovers. The problem is that they.re both married to other people, Ray whose marriage to Martha (Mary Bell) has gone stale and Carla to the shady Greg (Anthony Hayes). Ray is working on a construction site for the company owned by Gil Hubbard (Bill Hunter) and has arranged some kickbacks with Barney.s (Kieran Darcy-Smith) cement company so that he and Carla will have enough money to run off together. Carla is having similar thoughts and one day Greg returns...
- 8/31/2010
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
With the world premiere of Australian romantic farce The Wedding Party fast approaching -- in a prestigious slot as the opening night film at the Melbourne International Film Festival -- the filmmakers have released a teaser for the film onto the interwebs!
The cast for this film looks to be one of those pitch perfect ensembles, and the teaser does a good job of showcasing all of the major roles -- Josh Lawson ($quid: The Movie) and Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2, The Waiting City) in the leads -- plus Steve Bisley (Mad Max, Red Hill), Essie Davis (South Solitary), Heather Mitchell (Three Blind Mice), Bill Hunter (The Square, Muriel's Wedding) and a host of other comedy performers.
Here's the lowdown....
First time feature director Amanda Jane takes her camera into the heart of Melbourne and creates a fun-filled farce about family, love and the choices we make. From the sacred turf...
The cast for this film looks to be one of those pitch perfect ensembles, and the teaser does a good job of showcasing all of the major roles -- Josh Lawson ($quid: The Movie) and Isabel Lucas (Transformers 2, The Waiting City) in the leads -- plus Steve Bisley (Mad Max, Red Hill), Essie Davis (South Solitary), Heather Mitchell (Three Blind Mice), Bill Hunter (The Square, Muriel's Wedding) and a host of other comedy performers.
Here's the lowdown....
First time feature director Amanda Jane takes her camera into the heart of Melbourne and creates a fun-filled farce about family, love and the choices we make. From the sacred turf...
- 7/1/2010
- Screen Anarchy
In Ernest Hemmingway's short story "The Killers," the reader is presented with a character, Ole Anderson, who knows he is to be killed by two hit men yet goes gently into that good night. The story, which was directly adapted into two American film noirs, once by Robert Siodmak (1946) and once by Don Siegel (1964), unnerves because of its existential nature: The protagonist acknowledges that it is meaningless to flee, as he will ultimately die at one time or another. How can you escape the inevitable? Why not cut to the chase and meet it head on? Siodmak's adaptation follows an insurance investigator who essentially wants to discover the reason why Ole was killed. Siegel's adaptation follows the hit men (Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager), one of whom is startled by and becomes obsessed with his target's resignation towards life. Essentially, Siodmak's adaptation takes the form of a mystery while Siegel's...
- 6/24/2010
- by Drew Morton
Bob Ellis looks back at this year’s Sydney Film Festival.
We are forbidden urination after a three-hour film and herded bursting out into the rain and pushed in front of speeding traffic by big Tongan guardians of the Red Carpet while inside, in the ever-gorgeous art-deco foyer, barmen and pie vendors gazed on its lovely emptiness planning their bankruptcies and other careers and cursing, like all of us, the Clare Stewart Effect on world cinema.
Audiences entering successive sessions without hellish incident these last 113 years have not educated this woman; clamour, ticketless offices, caffeine deprivation, pissed trousers and lack of a chance to chat between sessions (or even sit on the marble steps) have characterised her Cromwellian rule for years now and several deaths, I calculate, from the pelting rain and it is wrong for her to preen her ghastly dress sense in golden spotlight just because certain films...
We are forbidden urination after a three-hour film and herded bursting out into the rain and pushed in front of speeding traffic by big Tongan guardians of the Red Carpet while inside, in the ever-gorgeous art-deco foyer, barmen and pie vendors gazed on its lovely emptiness planning their bankruptcies and other careers and cursing, like all of us, the Clare Stewart Effect on world cinema.
Audiences entering successive sessions without hellish incident these last 113 years have not educated this woman; clamour, ticketless offices, caffeine deprivation, pissed trousers and lack of a chance to chat between sessions (or even sit on the marble steps) have characterised her Cromwellian rule for years now and several deaths, I calculate, from the pelting rain and it is wrong for her to preen her ghastly dress sense in golden spotlight just because certain films...
- 6/23/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Nash Edgerton's thriller The Square is set to open in North American cinemas in mid-April, and to push the film to audiences its distributor Apparition has cut a trailer that shows just how the tension ratchets up until the film punches you in the guts.
Penned by brother Joel Edgerton (with Matthew Dabner) The Square tells the downward-spiralling story of a construction supervisor (David Roberts) who becomes embroiled in a fast-growing web of lies and crime when he plots with his mistress to steal a bag of cash from her boyfriend.
Joel Edgerton also stars, as does Clare van der Boom, Anthony "King of Western Grit" Hayes, Damon Herriman, Bill Hunter, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Julian Morrow and Peter Phelps.
Penned by brother Joel Edgerton (with Matthew Dabner) The Square tells the downward-spiralling story of a construction supervisor (David Roberts) who becomes embroiled in a fast-growing web of lies and crime when he plots with his mistress to steal a bag of cash from her boyfriend.
Joel Edgerton also stars, as does Clare van der Boom, Anthony "King of Western Grit" Hayes, Damon Herriman, Bill Hunter, Hanna Mangan Lawrence, Julian Morrow and Peter Phelps.
- 3/27/2010
- Screen Anarchy
Actor Tim Roth
Tim Roth Is Telling No Lies
By
Alex Simon
Editor's Note: This article appears in the March issue of Venice Magazine.
One of the film world’s great chameleons, Tim Roth was born in London May 14, 1961, the son of a journalist and a school teacher. After dropping out of art school, Roth was discovered by maverick British director Alan Clarke, and cast in his incendiary 1982 study of the skinhead movement in the UK, Made in Britain. Tim Roth hasn’t stopped working since, with over 70 feature and TV roles to his credit including such iconic titles as The Hit, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Vincent and Theo, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You, and most recently, the lead in Francis Coppola’s first feature in ten years, Youth Without Youth.
Roth stepped behind the...
Tim Roth Is Telling No Lies
By
Alex Simon
Editor's Note: This article appears in the March issue of Venice Magazine.
One of the film world’s great chameleons, Tim Roth was born in London May 14, 1961, the son of a journalist and a school teacher. After dropping out of art school, Roth was discovered by maverick British director Alan Clarke, and cast in his incendiary 1982 study of the skinhead movement in the UK, Made in Britain. Tim Roth hasn’t stopped working since, with over 70 feature and TV roles to his credit including such iconic titles as The Hit, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover, Vincent and Theo, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, Woody Allen’s Everyone Says I Love You, and most recently, the lead in Francis Coppola’s first feature in ten years, Youth Without Youth.
Roth stepped behind the...
- 3/6/2009
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
SXSW is one of my favorite festivals of the year as it showcases some of the best and most innovative real independent films, and with this host of world premiers, it's also playing alot of Sundance material as well as genre fare from all over the world, many of which we've covered heavily in these pages.
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
From the Sundance lineup, we have films like Moon, The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle, You Won't Miss Me, Grace, and Humpday, among others.
For the world genre material we've covered, there's Lake Mungo, The Square, Zift, and Awaydays.
I think you get the point that lots of great looking film will be playing. I'll leave a bit of the exploration to you..
Lineup after the break.
Narrative Features Competition
Artois the Goat
Director: Kyle Bogart. Writer: Cliff and Kyle Bogart
Lab technician Virgil Gurdies embarks on an epic quest to craft the greatest...
- 2/2/2009
- QuietEarth.us
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