Archive for the 'rachel mcadams' Category

Filed under: Drama, Casting

You hear that a new movie is coming down the pike that will tell the story of three soldiers from Iraq called The Return (not SMG’s latest). Chances are, you think of a number of people including Mark Whalberg, Christian Bale or any of the other actors who can pull off the buzz-cut tough guy thing. Hell, you might even think of Michael Peña, who was recently in World Trade Center and Babel. Peña is one, and he will be joined by none other than Rachel McAdams and Tim Robbins. The film is about three soldiers returning from the Iraq war, each trying to find their own way back into civilian life and deal with the trauma of their experiences.

The story, which was penned by Neil Burger and Dirk Wittenborn will follow the three as they return to the states and take an unexpected road trip together across the country. Burger, who just wrote and directed The Illusionist, will also direct the feature this May, with a possible release in December. I can only hope that he’s got some more subtlety for this film, as his previous effort had the least climactic, and most obvious revelation that I’ve ever seen. But the bigger challenge might be getting the audience to buy McAdams as a soldier. She’s done some decent work and has successfully come up against a killer, but that’s not the same as going through boot camp and Iraq. Thoughts?

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: RumorMonger, Newsstand, Cinematical’s SmartGossip!

While the past week may have been a little slow for celebrity news and gossip, it was a fabulous week for bizarre photos. This should be good news for those who follow the world of crazy celebrity fashion and expected a lull between the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards. Admittedly, the SAG awards definitely helped. Jeffrey Sebelia provided us with a rundown of the SAG fashion trends, but mere words cannot do justice to some of these outfits.

The following roundup of last week’s movie-celebrity gossip items includes some truly hair-raising photos … and at least one that you don’t want to view from the office, so be careful.

Continue reading Cinematical’s SmartGossip: Another Scary Photo Week

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Action & Adventure, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, DIY/Filmmaking, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

Hey, it’s not officially a day in the life of Cinematical if we don’t have any Dark Knight rumors to share with you, especially now that Katie Holmes has dropped out, leaving folks scrambling to find a replacement. As most of you know by now, the first name to pop out of the post-Holmes hat was Rachel McAdams … which, honestly, was completely fine by me. I dig McAdams, for real. However, the internets are never happy with only one name, and so two more ladies have slid into contention by way of a few super top secret tipsters alerting sites like Latino Review and Cinema Blend.

The latest names rumored to be up for the part of Rachel Dawes — are you ready — Emily Blunt and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Not only that, but apparently Aaron Eckhart has come out of nowhere and is now the front-runner to play Harvey Dent. Wow. Okay, let’s analyze: Personally, I’d rather stare at a black spot on my wall than watch Emily Blunt in anything, let alone a Batman flick. So, in my book, she’s out. Now, Gyllenhaal would be interesting. She’s got cute, cool and confident all wrapped up in one big adorable package.

And, if it were between her and McAdams, I think I’d have to go with Gyllenhaal … if only because she has this ability to melt my heart within the first five minutes of appearing on screen. Secret big-screen crushes aside, what do you think about Aaron Eckhart playing Harvey Dent (a.k.a. Two Face)? He certainly has the acting chops, but is he capable of going the nutty route?

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Action & Adventure, Casting, RumorMonger, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels

Reactions to Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins might have been varied, but on one point most seemed to agree — there was nothing all that thrilling about the performance of Katie Holmes. To be honest, although I was ambivalent about her in the movie, “the girl” role in Batman movies has never been all that interesting to me to begin with. In the end, they are always just somebody to rescue.

On Thursday, tipsters inside Warner Brothers told LatinoReview.com that Katie Holmes would not be returning in the role of Bruce Wayne’s childhood love Rachel Dawes for the sequel, The Dark Knight. Then, Variety confirmed that Holmes had officially dropped out to join Mad Money with Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah. Now, the rumor mill is at full tilt about Rachel McAdams being the front-runner to replace Holmes as ‘the girl’ in the film. It’s all completely unsubstantiated at this date, but another rumor — that McAdams has been asked to make an appearance in the film as Selena Kyle — seems somehow more credible. Also, Nolan is still looking for his Harvey Dent, so it may be a while before this cast begins to fall into place.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Filed under: Awards, Casting

If you had to choose the better year for Cillian Murphy, would you pick 2005 or 2006? In the earlier year, millions of viewers saw him in Batman Begins and Red Eye. In the later year, a few people saw him in Breakfast on Pluto (which was also seen by some in 2005) and the Cannes winner The Wind That Shakes the Barley. Okay, so I’m going by American audiences — both were seen by a lot of people overseas. Still, 2005 was the year he seemed to shoot into stardom with higher profile roles. And he had already been widely seen a few years earlier in 28 Days Later.

Speaking of 28 Days Later, that film also featured Naomie Harris, who now co-stars with Murphy in the list of nominees for BAFTA’s Orange Rising Star Award. The award debuted at last year’s BAFTA Awards in order to recognize an actor or actress with great promise for the future in terms of acting talent and connection with audiences. The first winner was James McAvoy, who beat out breakthrough actors Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams (who was also in Red Eye), Michelle Williams and Gael García Bernal.

Continue reading BAFTA Announces Rising Star Finalists

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments