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1-20 of 46 articles from 2008   « Prev | Next »

23 July 2008 12:05 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Movie musical Mamma Mia! has seen off competition from Wall-E to top the U.K. box office charts for the second consecutive week.

The animated Pixar film, about a trash compacting robot, took in $8.6 million (GBP4.3 million) in its opening weekend - but it wasn't enough to topple the Meryl Streep-starring Abba musical, which netted $9.2 million ($4.6 million).

Will Smith's superhero film Hancock, previously at number two, fell to third place with earnings of $4 million (GBP2 million), while Eddie Murphy's comedy Meet Dave debuted at number six.

Kung Fu Panda, which came in fourth place with $3 million (GBP1.5 million), and Brendan Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which brought in $1.1 million (GBP581,488), took fifth.

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22 July 2008 1:27 PM, PDT | From screeninglog.com | See recent screeninglog news

Seen on: July 19, 2008

The players: Director: Phyllida Lloyd, Writers: Catherine Johnson, Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Colin Firth, Christine Baranski, Julie Walter, Stellan Skarsgard

Facts of interest: Based on the hit musical "Mamma Mia!"

The plot: A bride-to-be (Seyfried) tries to uncover the identity of her real father by inviting the three possible candidates to her wedding.

Our quick thoughts: Phyllida Lloyd debuts onscreen after directing "Mamma Mia!" on stage. This however didn’t certify a marvelous representation of the musical on the big screen. As a first-time director, Lloyd was lucky enough to be able to work with top-notch actors, who in some scenes deliver fantastic performances and in others simply ridicule themselves.

Jesus Gil

21 July 2008 9:03 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Actor Colin Firth is convinced his famous co-stars are a bunch of "drag queens" because they're secretly only interested in playing dress-up.

The Mamma Mia! star joins Hollywood legends Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan as the trio sing and dance on film for the summer Abba-inspired movie musical.

And Firth says the experience has left him certain that his fellow actors' best inspiration came from their mother's closets.

He muses, "Actors are basically drag queens. People will tell you they act because they want to heal mankind or, you know, explore the nature of the human psyche. Yes, maybe. But basically we just want to put on a frock and dance."

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21 July 2008 5:35 AM, PDT | From PEOPLE.com | See recent PEOPLE.com news

In case you haven't heard – or witnessed at any cineplex this weekend – The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's dark sequel about the Caped Crusader, took in $158.3 million since Friday. Speaking on Britain's GMTV Monday morning, the star of the picture, Christian Bale of the impressive box-office take: "It's Monopoly money to me – I can't even comprehend it." Along with a hearty $27.6 million opening take for Mamma Mia – the best ever for a musical, topping last year's Hairspray opening – this turned out to be the best three-day weekend in Hollywood history. Previously, a $218.4 million weekend in July 2007 held that distinction, largely

Michael Y. Park

20 July 2008 11:52 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Pierce Brosnan has seen off competition from fellow actors Bruce Willis and Richard Gere to land the title of most popular gay icon over 50 years old.

The former James Bond actor took 33 per cent of the vote, compared with Willis and Gere, who took 25 and 14 per cent respectively, while Indiana Jones actor Harrison Ford and Lethal Weapon star Mel Gibson scooped fourth and fifth places respectively.

The Queen actress Helen Mirren topped the most popular lesbian icon list with 32 per cent of the poll. Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep claimed second and third places with 28 and 25 per cent respectively, whilst the top five was rounded out by Goldie Hawn and Dolly Parton.

The poll was compiled by online dating agency gay-parship.co.uk.

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20 July 2008 6:15 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

New Batman movie The Dark Knight has stormed the U.S. box office chart, bringing in $155.34 million (GBP77.67 million) in its opening weekend.

The Dark Knight was set for a record-breaking weekend, raking in a massive $66.4 million (GBP33.2 million) when it opened in U.S. theatres on Friday.

And the franchise film, starring Christian Bale as its winged superhero and late actor Heath Ledger as movie villain The Joker, smashed the all-time opening weekend record of $151.1 million (GBP75.55 million), formerly held by 2007's Spider-Man 3.

Other U.S. box office top spots were held by Meryl Streep's movie-musical Mamma Mia!, which took the second spot this weekend, earning $27.6 million (GBP13.8 million), and Will Smith's superhero blockbuster Hancock.

Smith's film slipped to number three this weekend, but managed to add $14 million (GBP7 million) to its three-week total of $191.5 million (GBP95.75 million).

Rounding out the top five are Brendan Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth, which took in $11.9 million (GBP5.95 million) in fourth place, and Hellboy II: The Golden Army, which slipped from the top spot but earned an additional $10 million (GBP5 million).

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18 July 2008 2:17 PM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

You can't help but wonder if Mamma Mia! will be the breakthrough role for Amanda Seyfried. True, audiences have seen her in Mean Girls and Big Love, but she's in a much bigger spotlight here, singing and acting alongside Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth.

"Before I got the role, I used to sing, but not professionally," she tells The Daily Mail, "and as soon as I heard about Mamma Mia! I knew I had to do it. I was nervous singing for [Abba members] Benny and Björn and I just did the best I could."

Adds Seyfried, "But nothing in the film was really that challenging as I was basically playing myself. Sophie’s a young girl excited about life, so it just felt right."

That's not the only thing that felt right, apparently. Though you rarely hear such talk when these things fizzle, the 22-year-old actress is remarkably candid

Colin Boyd

18 July 2008 10:25 AM, PDT | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

For moviegoers who might not regard dark as a favorite shade, this weekend offers an abundance of light at theaters, too. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern compares his reaction to Mamma Mia! with his reaction to The Dark Knight. "During the early stretches of The Dark Knight," he writes, "eager anticipation gave way to resistance. During the first few minutes of Mamma Mia! I resisted the bombardment of good cheer, then surrendered almost unconditionally. Yes, of course this is fairly old-fashioned entertainment, but it's really, really entertaining." A.O. Scott in the New York Times found himself similarly torn. "You can have a perfectly nice time watching this spirited adaptation of the popular stage musical and, once the hangover wears off, acknowledge just how bad it is. ... If you insist on folding your arms, looking at your watch and defending yourself against this mindless, hedonistic assault on coherence, you are unlikely to survive until the end credits (which may, by themselves, kill you all over again). Surrender, on the other hand, is easy and painless. It's Greece! It's bellybuttons! It's Meryl Streep! It's Abba!" Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times remarks that he saw the original stage version and didn't think much of it then, even though it went on to become one of the biggest musical hits of the decade. "So here's the fact of the matter. This movie wasn't made for me. It was made for the people who will love it, of which there may be a multitude. The stage musical has sold 30 million tickets, and I feel like the grouch at the party." He has company. Michael Phillips, the Chicago Tribune critic, says that he's seen the stage version of Mamma Mia! three times. "It's disappointing, then, to see the film version of the stage hit turn out this way -- not lousy, but pushy." Lisa Kennedy in the Denver Post comments that the movie "too often feels like a souvenir program: something to revive the feelings you had watching the stage performance." And Michael Sragow in the Baltimore Sun comments that the movie "is like a party where everyone is so desperate to have a good time that it makes you miserable."

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17 July 2008 11:55 PM, PDT | From GetTheBigPicture.net | See recent Get The Big Picture news

Mamma Mia!

Starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, and Colin Firth

Directed by Phyllida Lloyd

Rated PG-13

I have decided to not stop writing my review of Mamma Mia! until I run out of bad things to say about it. Pack a lunch; you're going to be here a while.

First, I should be a champ and tell you what I liked about it. Ok, fair enough: Greece looks absolutely beautiful whenever this film was shot; though she hasn't needed to be impressive in her past few roles, Meryl Streep clearly still has that thing that only she has, especially when she belts out the only truly worthwhile musical number in the movie, "The Winner Takes it All;" and Amanda Seyfried (Big Love) is incredibly exuberant and happy to be here.

And now that that's out of the way...

You've been to a party or on a night out

Colin Boyd

17 July 2008 1:12 PM, PDT | From avclub.com | See recent The AV Club news

There's light and fizzy, and then there's the Broadway musical Mamma Mia!, a confection with enough sugar to dissolve teeth like an Alka-Seltzer tablet. Constructing a play—and now a clumsily staged film—around Abba songs is the definition of a frivolous enterprise, and little has been done to temper the ecstatic mood with other shadings of human emotion. On the contrary, Mamma Mia! is a relentless happy-making machine calibrated to beat viewers into submission, and there are times when seems silly to try to fight it. After all, the setting is an idyllic Greek island, there are wedding bells in the air, and there's plenty of wacky upstairs/downstairs comedy, plus the distinct probability of platform boots, boas, and an isle-wide sing-along to "Dancing Queen." Everyone on the screen is really, really, really excited, so why shouldn't you be, too? Always a pleasure in lighter roles, Meryl Streep brings her usual.

Scott Tobias

17 July 2008 5:18 AM, PDT | From Rope Of Silicon | See recent Rope Of Silicon news

Meryl Streep plays Donna in Mamma Mia!

Photo: Universal Pictures I am sure fans of the Abba musical "Mamma Mia!" are already frothing at the mouth to see the film adaptation bringing the 1999 stage musical to the big screen. The screening I attended was about three-quarters full and filled with theater-type ready to see the "magic" of the Swedish pop band's music glittering on the silver screen, but while they cheered I was left to writhe in my seat as this film is one sour note after another. The film is designed around a story beginning with bride-to-be, Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), sending out three letters inviting three strangers to her wedding in hopes that one of them may be her long lost father. Sophie learns of the men after secretly scouring through her mother's (Meryl Streep) diary and sifting through the exploits of the one-time carefree hippie. The story is simple,

Brad Brevet

15 July 2008 4:57 PM, PDT | From ifc.com | See recent IFC news

By Neil Pedley

This week sees the opening of "The Dark Knight." Advance marketing and coverage might have you believe that that, apparently, is all, but there are other films coming out this week well worth your time. (Besides, "The Dark Knight" is totally going to be sold out.)

"A Very British Gangster"

With Britain in the midst of a youth crime epidemic, Irish investigative reporter Donald McIntyre takes an unflinching look at Dominic Noonan, a granddad of the English gangland who's spent over half his life behind bars. Having legally changed his name to Lattlay Fottfoy (an acronym of the Noonan motto . "Look After Those That Look After You; Fuck Off Those That Fuck Off You"), the openly gay head of Manchester's most notorious crime family shows off his gentler side as a man who uses his reputation to position himself as a "problem solver" more concerned with the

Neil Pedley

15 July 2008 12:03 PM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Abba musical Mamma Mia! has landed the UK box office number one. The Meryl Streep romantic comedy knocked Will Smith's superhero vehicle Hancock into second place. Elsewhere, Brendan Fraser's adventure romp Journey To The Centre Of The Earth debuted at number five, while Jet Li's The Forbidden Kingdom entered at six. The top ten in full: 1. (-) Mamma Mia! - £6,594,058

2. (1) Hancock - £3,666,398

3. (more)

By Alex Fletcher

15 July 2008 9:00 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Meryl Streep was once forced to sleep rough in a London park because she couldn't afford anywhere to stay.

The Hollywood star came to the U.K. when she was a struggling actress in her twenties and earned her keep by busking for loose change.

Streep admits that some days she would not earn enough to pay for a hotel - and once had to spend the night in London's Green Park.

She tells British magazine Closer, "On my very, very first trip to London, when I was 20, I went around busking to afford food and overnight accommodation. One night when I hadn't earned enough, I actually slept in the open in Green Park, under a tree.

"The view was of the Ritz hotel and I vowed to myself that night that I was going to stay there one day - and I have!"

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15 July 2008 3:05 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Meryl Streep has denied claims that she once launched a furious attack on Madonna in the press. A 1991 newspaper report suggested that Streep had threatened to "rip Madonna's throat out" after learning that the star had landed the lead role in Evita. Meryl had previously auditioned for the same part in the musical. The actress admitted that she is amazed by the longevity (more)

By Daniel Kilkelly

14 July 2008 6:59 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Meryl Streep has ended an almost two-decade-long myth suggesting she angrily attacked Madonna after missing out on the lead in movie musical Evita, insisting she never said what was reported.

In a 1991 New York Times article, the Oscar winner allegedly savaged Madonna, stating she could "rip her throat out," after the pop star landed Evita.

But Streep insists she would never have said such a thing.

She says, "That's one of those things you can never erase from whatever it is, the Internet. Why would I say that?

"I was out of the running by the time they got the musical together."

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8 July 2008 3:21 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Pierce Brosnan was tricked by Julie Walters and Meryl Streep on the set of their new movie Mamma Mia!. The former Bond actor was apprehensive about learning dance routines for the musical, providing Walters and Streep with the perfect opportunity to have some fun. "Pierce was really nervous when he came in and he was the last to join us for dance rehearsals," Walters explained. "So we played a joke on him. We'd already had quite a bit of rehearsal (more)

By Daniel Kilkelly

8 July 2008 3:04 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Meryl Streep has criticised male stars who go under the knife in a bid to retain their looks. The actress, 59, said actors should give up the struggle to appear young and "embrace" the aging process instead. She said: "You'd be amazed how many men in the industry have gone down that road. I don't get it. I think you have to embrace getting older and celebrate life." She added that she lands more varied roles now that she is not considered (more)

By Beth Hilton

8 July 2008 12:21 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Mamma Mia! stars Julie Walters and Meryl Streep had fun onset - at the expense of their co-star Pierce Brosnan.

The actresses would team up to pull pranks on the former Bond star, because they knew he was not confident about his dance scenes.

Walters says, "Pierce was really nervous when he came in and he was the last to join us for dance rehearsals.

"So we played a joke on him. We'd already had quite a bit of rehearsal for one of the routines - Voulez Vous - and it was quite complicated.

"When he arrived we said to him 'Oh no! We haven't rehearsed at all' - but of course we all knew the routine perfectly.

"So he tried it - and thought he was a total klutz compared to the rest of us. We did let on eventually though."

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8 July 2008 12:21 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

British actress Julie Walters carried out a tough dance regime in new movie Mamma Mia! - despite injuring her ankle.

The 58-year-old was filming a scene with co-star Meryl Streep when she slipped and sprained her ankle.

But she was determined the show would go on.

She recalls, "We were dancing gaily through these olive groves and I go over and sprain my ankle really badly and it started swelling.

"Meryl was really great. She was shouting for ice for me.

"At the end we were all supposed to be dancing on the pier, but they had to shoot me from the waist up.

"I was doing all the movements with my hands - but I actually had my knees up on a chair."

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1-20 of 46 articles from 2008   « Prev | Next »