John Carter

From Academy Award®–winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes John Carter—a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). John Carter is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.

Opens in theaters Friday, March 9, 2012.

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Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Based on the classic novel of the same name, the international thriller is set at the height of the Cold War years of the mid-20th Century. George Smiley (Gary Oldman), a disgraced British spy, is rehired in secret by his government – which fears that the British Secret Intelligence Service, a.k.a. MI6, has been compromised by a double agent working for the Soviets.

Opens in select cities December 9, 2011.

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Mark Strong

You may think you don’t know Mark Strong but I guarantee you’ve seen him in half a dozen movies, at least. Remember Downey, Jr’s nemesis in Sherlock Holmes or the guy who put the squeeze on Gerard Butler in RocknRolla or the impeccably dressed sexy Syrian agent in Body of Lies? That’s right, those were all Mark. That’s how Strong has slowly become a favorite of mine, being the scene stealer and standout in these films and may more over the past few years. His strong screen presence and versatility make him one of the most enjoyable and outstanding character actors working today.

Mark was born Marco Giuseppe Salussolia in London, August 30, 1963 to an Italian father and an Austrian mother. Mark never knew his father. He walked out before Mark was born. Since, the two men have never had contact. When he younger, Mark’s mother changed his name to help him fit in better. At age six, Mark was sent to a school for difficult children. He has been quoted as saying that he was homesick at first, was seen as somewhat of an “oddity” at the school as he was bussed out to the campus everyday but genuinely doesn’t remember his experience at the school being a bad time. Mark feels in a lot of ways his background was an advantage because being an only child from a poor family, he was alone a lot and this allowed him to not only figure out what he thought was important but also what he wants from the people around him.

Because of his mother’s influence, Mark is fluent in German and spent a year in Munich studying Constitutional Law. Like fellow One2Watch4, Gerard Butler, Mark decided law wasn’t the direction he wanted to go in and decided, instead, to become an actor. He attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where he was an apprentice for eight years. He got his first break in 1990 at the National Theatre where he was cast in dual roles in Richard III with Ian McKellan as the troubled monarch. That was the beginning of an impressive stage resume, which included roles in Death of a Salesman, The Iceman Cometh, Speed the Plow and a nomination for an Olivier Award in 2003 for his performance in Twelfth Night. Equally impressive was Mark’s TV work. Appearances in two series of Prime Suspect, a turn as Mr. Knightley in the 1997 ITV production of Emma (with Kate Beckinsale as Emma) and even a 2004 Best Actor BAFTA TV nomination for his work in The Long Firm lined Mark up for stardom in films.

Pretty early in his career Mark knew he had no desire to be a star, to have the attention that is given to celebrities when they become famous. Rather he wanted to work with actors, directors and writers who interest him. And if that meant taking smaller parts or roles in movies that are not destined to make him tons of money, then that’s the course his career would take. And while exceptionally handsome, Mark at first was very self-conscious about losing his hair. He has since decided it makes him look more authentic for certain characters, especially villains. To that end Mark has done very well, working in exciting movies with great directors like Mathew Vaughn (Stardust and Kick Ass), Guy Ritchie (Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes), Danny Boyle (Sunshine) , Ridley Scott (Body of Lies and Robin Hood) and most recently Peter Weir (The Way Back).

2011 is shaping up to launch Mark into the collective conscious. Coming up he has The Guard (2011) with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle, The Eagle with Channing Tatum (now on DVD), Black Gold, with Antonio Banderas and Green Lantern, easily his most “commercial” film to date, with Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard. Add to that Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy with an all-cast cast and sci-fi extravaganza John Carter coming in 2012, it’s a safe bet that Mark’s days of people not knowing exactly who is are coming to an end.

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Green Lantern

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds). Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax…he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Opens Friday, June 17th.

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The Eagle

In 2nd-Century Britain, two men – master and slave – venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…The Roman epic adventure The Eagle is directed by Kevin Macdonald and produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Jeremy Brock has adapted the screenplay from Rosemary Sutcliff’s classic novel The Eagle of the Ninth.

In 140 AD, the Roman Empire extends all the way to Britain – though its grasp is incomplete, as the rebellious tribes of Caledonia (today’s Scotland) hold sway in the far North. Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) arrives in Britain, determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, Flavius Aquila. It was 20 years earlier that Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under the command of Flavius and carrying their golden emblem, the Eagle of the Ninth, marched north into Caledonia. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Angered, the Roman Emperor Hadrian ordered the building of a wall to seal off the territory; Hadrian’s Wall became the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire – the edge of the known world.

Driven to become a brilliant soldier and now given command of a small fort in the southwest, Marcus bravely leads his troops during a siege. Commended by Rome for his bravery, yet discharged from the army because of his severe wounds, Marcus convalesces, demoralized, in the villa of his Uncle Aquila (Donald Sutherland), a retired army man. When Marcus impulsively gets a young Briton’s life spared at a gladiatorial contest, Aquila buys the Briton, Esca (Jamie Bell), to be Marcus’ slave. Marcus is dismissive of Esca, who harbors a seething hatred of all things Roman. Yet Esca vows to serve the man who has saved his life.

Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Marcus is galvanized into action, and sets off with Esca across Hadrian’s Wall. But the highlands of Caledonia are a vast and savage wilderness, and Marcus must rely on his slave to navigate the region. When they encounter ex-Roman soldier Guern (Mark Strong), Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

A Focus Features presentation in association with Film4 of a Duncan Kenworthy production. Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell. The Eagle. Donald Sutherland, Mark Strong. Casting by Jina Jay. Music by Atli Örvarsson. Costumes by Michael O’Connor. Editor, Justine Wright. Production Designer, Michael Carlin. Director of Photography, Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF. Co-Producer, Caroline Hewitt. Executive Producers, Tessa Ross, Miles Ketley, Charles Moore. Based on the novel The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff. Screenplay by Jeremy Brock. Produced by Duncan Kenworthy. Directed by Kevin Macdonald. A Focus Features Release.

Opens February 11, 2011.

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The Way Back

Directed by six-time Academy Award nominee Peter Weir, THE WAY BACK is an epic story of survival, solidarity and indomitable human will.  Shot in Bulgaria, Morocco and India , the film stars Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris and Colin Farrell as prisoners of a Soviet Union labor camp, who, along with four others, flee their Siberian Gulag and begin a treacherous journey across thousands of miles of hostile terrain. Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan and Mark Stong co-star.

Written by Weir and Keith Clarke, the film is Peter’s first since 2003′s Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. It is inspired by the acclaimed book “The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom”, as well as first-person accounts and anecdotes as told to and researched by, Weir and executive producer Clarke.

Open now in the UK. Opens in limited release January 21, 2011.

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Robin Hood (2010)

Oscar® winner Russell Crowe stars as the legendary figure known by generations as “Robin Hood,” whose exploits have endured in popular mythology and ignited the imagination of those who share his spirit of adventure and righteousness. In 13th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power. And whether thief or hero, one man from humble beginnings will become an eternal symbol of freedom for his people.

Robin Hood chronicles the life of an expert archer, previously interested only in self-preservation, from his service in King Richard’s army against the French. Upon Richard’s death, Robin travels to Nottingham, a town suffering from the corruption of a despotic sheriff and crippling taxation, where he falls for the spirited widow Lady Marion (Oscar® winner Cate Blanchett), a woman skeptical of the identity and motivations of this crusader from the forest. Hoping to earn the hand of Maid Marion and salvage the village, Robin assembles a gang whose lethal mercenary skills are matched only by its appetite for life. Together, they begin preying on the indulgent upper class to correct injustices under the sheriff.

With their country weakened from decades of war, embattled from the ineffective rule of the new king and vulnerable to insurgencies from within and threats from afar, Robin and his men heed a call to ever greater adventure. This unlikeliest of heroes and his allies set off to protect their country from slipping into bloody civil war and return glory to England once more.

Open May 14th.

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Kick-Ass

“How come nobody’s ever tried to be a superhero?” When Dave Lizewski – ordinary New York teenager and rabid comic-book geek dons a green-and-yellow internet-bought wetsuit to become the no-nonsense vigilante, Kick-Ass, he soon finds an answer to his own question: because it hurts. But, overcoming all the odds, the eager yet inexperienced Dave quickly becomes a phenomenon, capturing the imagination of the public. However, he’s not the only superhero out there – the fearless and highly-trained father-daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy and Hit Girl have been slowly but surely taking down the criminal empire of local Mafioso, Frank D’Amico. And, as Kick-Ass gets drawn into their no-holds-barred world of bullets and bloodletting with Frank’s son, Chris, now reborn as Kick-Ass’s arch-nemesis, Red Mist – the stage is set for a final showdown between the forces of good and evil – in which the DIY hero will have to live up to his name. Or die trying…

Opens April 16th.

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Review in 100 Words – Sherlock Holmes

You’ve already detected with your superior intellect that this is not your father’s Sherlock Holmes. Director Guy Ritchie has brought the staid tweed wearing, pipe smoking crime solver into the 21st century with his trademark camera work and gritty set pieces. Robert Downey Jr.’s Holmes is neurotic, brilliant and a sociopath. The stalwart Watson (Jude Law) is a man of action, an ex-soldier with a heart. There is terrific chemistry between the two actors, which helps through the too-long middle act. The production design is top notch. Sherlock Holmes is a great holiday film.

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Young Victoria

From the official site: 1837, Victoria,17, (Emily Blunt) is the object of a royal power struggle. Her uncle, King William (Jim Broadbent), is dying and Victoria is in line for the throne. Everyone is vying to win her favor. However, Victoria is kept from court by her overbearing mother the Duchess of Kent (Miranda Richardson) , and her ambitious advisor Conroy (Mark Strong). Victoria hates them both. Her only friend is her doting governess, Lehzen (Jeanette Hain), but she is smothering and over-protective.

Victoria’s hansome cousin Albert (Rupert Friend) is invited to visit by her mother. He is also the nephew of her uncle King Leopold of Belguim (Thomas Kretschmann). It’s obvious that Albert has been coached to win her hand. At first she’s annoyed as she has no intention of being married. She never wants to be controlled again. However Albert is also tired of being manipulated by his relatives. Victoria and Albert talk opening and sincerely and become friends. When he returns home she grants him permission to write to her. King Leopold is delighted and pushes Albert to woo her. Albert refuses because he knows she’s not ready and he won’t return to London until she invites him. Leopold reluctantly waits.

Meanwhile King William dies and Victoria is crowned Queen of England. Victoria’s first decree is to banish her mother and Conroy to a remote palace apartment. She embraces Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany), the charming Prime Minister, as her sole advisor. They become inseperable and although his motives are slightly self-serving, he truly cares for her and wants her to succeed. Prince Albert returns to London to witness the coronation and the friendship between Victoria and Albert deepens. They spend happy hours together but it’s obvious Victoria is under Melbourne’s spell and he eventually returns to Germany.

The public loves their new Queen. She’s cheered as she rides through the streets but this honeymoon with the public comes to a sudden end. Melbourne’s party is defeated in the elections and his rival, Peel (Michael Maloney), demands that Victoria replace her ladies in waiting, who are all supporters of Lord Melbourne, with the wives of his own allies.  Victoria refuses. Peel resigns and the backlash is furious. The newspapers declare that Victoria is opposing the public’s will. They are outraged.

It is only now that Victoria understands how much she needs Albert’s support. Against Melbourne’s wishes, she summounds the young prince back to England.This time Albert is determined not to be kept waiting in the wings any longer. Seeing his new resolution and struck by how handsome and sincere he is, Victoria invites him to marry her.

Opens North America December 18th.

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