Clive Owen is Ernest Hemingway and Nicole Kidman is Martha Gelhorn, his lover and then the 2^nd of his wives, in HBO’s Hemingway and Gelhorn. I have to admit as an avowed fan of Clive Owen, I was in for this from the moment that I heard that Owen had been cast.  

The story that director Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, Henry and June) and writers Jerry Stahl (Permanent Midnight) and Barbara Turner (Pollack) are telling is centered on the passionate and tempestuous romance between Ernest Hemingway and WWII correspondent Martha Gellhorn, Hemingway's inspiration for For Whom the Bell Tolls and the only woman who ever asked for a divorce from the writer.

We have a trailer for the made-for-cable movie (remember it’s not tv, it’s HBO) that at nearly 5 minutes long amounts to much more than your standard preview. If I was looking forward to it before viewing, I’m certainly excited now.

That HBO continues to attract top talent to its projects is no secret. Elite actors sign on to HBO projects because the production values are as high as a theatrical film but the turn around time is a lot shorter, both in terms of filming and promotion, as well as the reputation the cable company has built over the last thirty years. This year alone, Dustin Hoffman and Nick Nolte have committed to series television in Luck and Julianne Moore and Ed Harris will star in Game Change. The supporting cast of this movie includes Robert Duvall, Molly Parker, David Strathairn, Rodrigo Santoro, Tony Shaloub, Brooke Adams, Joan Chen, Jeffrey Jones, Parker Posey, Peter Coyote, Diane Baker and Lars Ulrich. (Yes, that Lars Ulrich. The Metallica drummer has appeared in other films, like Get Him to the Greek, but this is essentially his acting debut.)

Hemingway and Gelhorn will debut in May. 

Stay connected with us! Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook, grab our RSS feed, or subscribe to us via a News Reader. We would love to hear from you.

There’s a new UK poster for Bel Ami, the latest adaptation of the Guy de Maupassant short story about a young man’s rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's most influential and wealthy women.

A great deal of the film's success will hinge on Pattinson's sex appeal, of course.  I like the fact that there is a comparison on the poster to Dangerous Liaisons. Pattinson’s fans, most of them, may be too young to get the reference, but those who do remember that film (as well as the very stylish version known as Valmont, with Colin Firth) will be interested in Bel Ami.  (A costume drama set in fin de sicle Europe will need all of the help it can get).

The cast also includes Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman (the latter, two beautiful actresses who just happen to be over 40. I’m delighted they’re both being treated as ‘sexual beings’),  Christina Ricci who looks as light and fragile as a porcelain doll, Holliday Grainger (Lucrezia Borge in The Borges), Philip Glennister and Colm Meaney. Bel Ami finally has release dates of March 2 in the US and 9^th March in the UK.

I’m not sure how I feel about the new poster for James McTeigue’s The Raven. (I know I wasn’t happy that the film got pushed back to April.) The psychedelic raven’s wings look like they’ve sprouted from John Cusack’s back and turned him into an angel from hell.  I suppose I just need to go with it, as much as a slight alcoholic consumptive is being played by John Cusack. It is stunning though, as have been the two previous.

The cast of the fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories, also includes Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson and Oliver Jackson-Cohen. It opens 9^th March in the UK and April 27 in the US.

Millennium Entertainment has issued a new one-sheet for Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s fright-fest, The Intruders, which blanks out Clive Owen’s lovely face. Although I’m sure that’s meant to be a clue to the plot, I don’t have to like it.

Millennium’s press release:

"From visionary filmmaker JUAN CARLOS FRESNADILLO (28 Weeks Later, the upcoming Highlander reboot), INTRUDERS is the chilling story of two children living in different countries, each visited nightly by a faceless being who wants to take possession of them.
INTRUDERS stars CLIVE OWEN (Children of Men), CARICE VAN HOUTEN (Repo Men), PILAR LÓPEZ DE AYALA (Juana la Loca),DANIEL BRÜHL (Inglorious Bastards), KERRY FOX (Shallow Grave) and HÉCTOR ALTERIO (Son of the Bride)."

The Intruders finally comes out March 30^th.

Red Lights from director Rodrigo Cortes (Buried) was also snapped up for release by Millennium Entertainment, just after its Sundance premiere. Elizabeth Olsen stars alongside Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy.

The plot follows De Niro as a famous blind telekinetic who becomes the number one target of a “university- backed team of paranormal skeptics.”

Red Lights hits Fresnadillo’s native Spain in March. No US dates confirmed yet, but we’ll keep you posted.

Stay connected with us! Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook or subscribe to our RSS feed. We would love to hear from you.

Here’s a first poster and some new images from James Marsh’s Shadow Dancer. Set in 1990s Belfast, a woman (Andrea Riseborough) is forced to betray all she believes in for the sake of her son.

When a widowed mother (and active member of the IRA) is arrested in an aborted bomb plot, she falls into the hands of a British intelligence officer (Owen). After the MI5 agent offers her an ultimatum, she must make hard choices to protect her son in this heart-wrenching thriller.

The hotly anticipated film will screen at Sundance on Tuesday. (Of the reviewers currently in Park City, this film consistently comes up on their “must see” lists.)  It will also screen out of competition at the Berlinale next month. It stars along with Owen and Riseborough, Aidan Gillen (The Wire, Game of Thrones), Domhnall Gleeson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 and part 2 and son of Brendan) and Gillian Anderson.

We’ll keep you posted, but I’ll eat my keyboard if Shadow Dancer doesn’t get a US theatrical release of some kind.

Numbers are limited but there are a couple of heavy hitters in the lineup this week. (A couple of baseball metaphors, get it?) The biggest among them is of course, Bennett Miller’s Moneyball starring Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman. While I wasn’t as blown away by this story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players as the critics have been, it is very entertaining. I'm a huge baseball fan and it's great fun to get a peak at the inner workings of the sport and what appear to an outsider as arbitrary decisions, especially since I remember some of the incidents portrayed in the film.  Moneyball has been nominated for 3 Golden Globes and it’s being billed as one of Brad Pitt’s greatest performances. I suppose that’s true and I will say that it is one of the few times I was able to forget I was watching Brad Pitt, world's sexiest DILF, and get into the character. I also have to say that I liked Jonah Hill’s performance because it was understated and unexpected. This is a very different Jonah Hill than you’re probably used to seeing.

I am, an unabashed Philip Seymour Hoffman fan. One of the reasons Hoffman is always so interesting to watch is that he always seems a powder keg just one spark away from blowing. One never knows whether to take his character at face value or not.

Here Hoffman is directed by his Capote director who guided him to a Best Actor Oscar. The words are by Steve Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Both pluses.

If sports films aren’t your thing, then don’t worry because the action thriller The Killer Elite (Jason Statham, Clive Owen, and Robert DeNiro) which we told you about last week, will also be available.

I suppose I should also let you know that the romantic comedy What’s Your Number? with Anna Faris, Chris Evans, and Ed Begly, Jr. is also out today. What you do with this information is up to you.

There are some direct to video titles out this week as well. Again, watch at your own peril. I can’t be held responsible for anything. Actually, I’m exaggerating. There are a couple of titles that may not have gotten a lot of attention, but are worth your time. You decide.

 -Scorpion King: Battle for Redemption (Billy Zane, Victor Webster, and Ron Perlman) Since his rise to power, Mathayus' kingdom has fallen. Now an assassin for hire, he must defend a kingdom from an evil tyrant and his ghost warriors for the chance to regain the power and glory he once knew.

-Higher Ground (Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, and Dagmara Dominczyk ) Actually, this one I do recommend. It played a number of festivals to great acclaim and had an extremely limited run back in August. Not unusual for a small art-house film. Farmiga made her directorial debut with this story of the landscape of a tight-knit spiritual community thrown off-kilter when one of their own begins to question her faith. Inspired by screenwriter Carolyn S. Briggs' memoir “This Dark World”, the film tells the story of a thoughtful woman's struggles with belief, love, and trust – in human relationships as well as in God.

-There Be Dragons (Wes Bentley, Dougray Scott, and Charlie Cox) We told you about this one last summer after it played the Cannes Film Festival and I fully expected to see this story, billed as an epic portrayal of faith, forgiveness and redemption, in theaters. The synopsis: Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.

It’s got a great pedigree. Along with Bentley, Scott and Cox, the film stars Olga Kurylenko, Rodrigo Santoro and Geraldine Chaplin. It was written, directed and produced by Roland Joffe (The Killing Fields, The Mission).

-An Idiot Abroad (Ricky Gervais, Karl Pilkington, and Stephen Merchant) A boxed set of the UK television series.

-Saints and Sinners (Sean Patrick Flannery and Tom Berenger) In the gritty New Orleans underbelly, beleaguered Detective Sean Riley (Johnny Strong – Black Hawk Down, The Fast and the Furious) is trying to cope with the death of his young son and his failed marriage. Facing a probable suspension from the department, Riley is teamed with a young homicide Detective, Will Ganz (Flannery), to help solve a series of brutal murders that have plunged the city into a major gang war. The two quickly realize there is something much bigger and far more sinister going on than either could have ever imagined.

There, now you have something to do over the weekend. (A long one for most of us here in the States.)

I talked up this tasty hyper testosterone buffet called Killer Elite a great deal last fall prior to its September 23rd release into US theaters. Critics didn’t much care for it, although audiences did seem to dig it enough to make it a modest hit. I am not ashamed to say I enjoyed it immensely. I didn’t exactly have to check my brain at the door, but it didn’t ask much from me and I didn’t ask much from it. I wanted to see Jason Statham and Clive Owen being all Jason Statham and Clive Owen with a side of Robert De Niro thrown in and I was not disappointed. I actually thought it was one of the smarter action-adventure yarns of the past few years.

Killer Elite, director Guy McKendry's macho-man extravaganza is the story of Danny Bryce (Jason Statham) ,a retired member of Britain's Elite Special Air Service, who is forced into action when his mentor (Robert De Niro) is taken captive. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader (Clive Owen). (Ahhh…one last chance to use that phrase. Happy New Year!)

The clip, which is actually in the movie, not part of the dvd special features, is called “The Team Chases a Witness”. That’s Dominic Purcell with the 70’s mop of hair and the porn ‘tache that rivals Clive Owen’s.

Killer Elite will be available on Blue-Ray Combo Pack with UltraViolet, DVD, On Demand and Digital Download beginning January 10.

Blu-Ray and DVD Bonus Features:

-Deleted/Extended Scenes

Blu-Ray Exclusive Bonus Features:

-UltraViolet: The revolutionary new way for consumers to collect movies and TV shows, put them in the cloud and stream instantly to computers, tablets and smart phones, currently available in the United States only.

-BD-Live: Access the BD-Live Center through your Internet-connected player to watch the latest trailers and more!

-Pocket Blu App: The groundbreaking pocket Blu app uses iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, Android, PC and Mac to work seamlessly with a network-connected Blu-ray player. Plus iPad and Android tablet owners can enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket Blu made especially to take advantage of the tablets' larger screen and high resolution display. Consumers will be able to browse through a library of Blu-ray content and watch entertaining extras on-the-go in a way that's bigger and better than ever before. pocket Blu offers advanced features such as:

-Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-ray player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Live functions with ease.

-Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.

-Mobile To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-ray discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

-Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket Blu-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-ray Hi-Def. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

Killer Elite stars Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Dominic Purcell,  Yvonne Strahovski, Ben Mendelsohn and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.

I threw in a few pics of The Stath at a special screening of Killer Elite at Edwards AFB. I'm a giver.

Stay connected with us! Follow us on Twitter, fan us on Facebook or subscribe to our RSS feed. We would love to hear from you.

source MovieWeb

The unutterably delicious Clive Owen is this month’s cover boy for Vogue Spain.  The mag put him together with model Toni Garn (who we last saw paired with Adrien Brody for that Carl Zeiss AG shoot), for what is obviously supposed to be a love affair or at least a tryst, set in Paris. (Why Paris? Why not Barcelona or Madrid, eh Vogue SPAIN?)

Last week we told you that Owen was reportedly in talks to reteam with his Inside Man director, Spike Lee, for Lee’s remake of Korean thriller, Old Boy. While it’s still all over the interwebz, including the news that a role has also supposedly been offered to Mia Wasikowska, there has still been nothing confirmed by Lee’s reps or any of the production companies involved.

In other Clive Owen news, Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s (28 Weeks Later) Intruders has gotten a release date. Millennium Films will give the scarefest a limited release on March 30. We showed you the poster for the Italian release. You can see it again below.

And to tide you over until March, you can get your CO-fix with the dvd/blu-ray release of Killer Elite, which comes with a side of Jason Statham and Robert DeNiro, on January 10. (More on that later.)   Enjoy the pics of Clive in Paris!

source SocialiteLife