Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard and Jeremy Irvine joined director Jonathan Teplitzky in Edinburgh yesterday to announce the start of filming in the Scottish capital for The Railway Man.

Based on a true story, the film follows British officer Eric Lomax (Firth) who was captured and tortured by the Japanese in WW2. Years later, Lomax, under the persuasion of his wife (Kidman), seeks out and confronts one of his captors. Skarsgård is Lomax’s best friend who goes back to the scene of the torture with him. Hiroyuki Sanada (47 Ronin) plays the Japanese officer.

This sounds very promising indeed! With a screenplay by Frank Cottrell Boyce (Tristram Shandy, Millions) and producer Andy Paterson, filming (which had been set for February) begins Monday April 30 and will later move to Queensland Australia and Thailand. Lionsgate UK has the foreign rights but expect to see this on the block at TIFF if all goes well.  (Teplitzky had a film at the fest last year with Burning Man.)  More as we get it.

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Photo credit: WENN

Well, it’s all over but the shouting.  (You think I'm kidding, the crowds were insane!) The winners have been declared for the Orange British Academy Film Awards for 2012 held tonight February 12 at the Royal Opera House in London.  Miss Piggy was a lovely and gracious hostess  and a welcome addition to the regular red-carpet personalities like Edith Bowman and  Fearne Cotton. Jon Hamm showed up just to class up the joint, as did presenter Penelope Cruz.

Sir Tom Jones kicked things off with a musical homage to 50 years of James Bond. It was a little difficult to discern the words, but he's still got the voice. Host Stephen Fry, was, as always witty, charming and erudite.

You’ll find the complete list below, but in case you haven’t heard yet, The Artist swept almost every category for which it was nominated. That’s not really all that surprising and it does pretty much seal the deal for the Oscars in two weeks time. If Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy and its star Gary Oldman were going to pull any upsets, this would have been the place for that very British film to do it.  TTSS did win Best Adapted Screenplay (which was deserved. I thought it would. The writers are British, of course, but one of the cowriters, Peter Straughan’s wife Bridget O’Connor, died before seeing it produced) as well as Best British Film. 

So, needless to say, Oldman and Michael Fassbender were denied and Jean Dujardin is going home with the golden mask. (Although I would have liked to have seen Fassy get it, I thought surely the British Academy would see fit to reward Oldman. I do think, however, that Dujardin’s win puts the nail in Clooney’s Oscar coffin.)  George did show up of course, just in case. As did Brad Pitt. George was flying solo and Brad was sans Ange. He must have left her in Berlin. Love the pic of George and Colin Firth sharing a bro-hug. And only the beautiful Livia Firth could get away with that manly tux on the red carpet.

Ralph Fiennes (Coriolanus) was denied in favor of another first-time actor turned director Paddy Considine who was awarded the Best Debut by a British Director, Writer or Prducer prize for Tyrannosaur.  Ralph looked fantastic though and we all know that’s more important.

Meryl Streep glammed it up and put on the ritz as if she expected to win. Everyone predicted it was in the bag for her in Blighty and they were right.  (There were ads for The Iron Lady during the BBCAmerica telecast of the BAFTAs that emphasize the fact that it's been 29 years since she won an Oscar. Heavy-handed in my opinion.) Viola Davis lost out, but her costar Octavia Spencer continued her run and won Best Supporting Actress for The Help. (Who were those guys Spencer had with her? They look like bodyguards.) Poor Michelle Williams who seemed a front-runner at one point, has all but been forgotten. She looked good though. 

Kenneth Branagh lost out to Christopher Plummer, but I’m just glad he showed up (Plummer didn't). I can’t get enough of him. He’s still as adorable as he was in Henry V. (And can I just say that I freakin’ LOVE that his wife isn’t some waifish trophy?)  Although, I do have to say Gary Oldman always looks like someone just handed him the keys to the kingdom whenever you see him with his arm around wife no. 4, Alexandra Edenborough.

One category that was a surprise: the Orange Rising Star Award. Last year it was won by Tom Hardy, and in the five years before that it was won by the likes of Kristen Stewart, Noel Clarke, Shia Labeouf, Eva Green and James McAvoy. This year the nominees were Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers, Snow White and the Huntsman) who showed up with his gorgeous pregnant bride, Elsa Pataky, Eddie Redmayne, (My Week with Marilyn, Pillars of the Earth, Les Miserables), Tom Hiddleston (Thor, The Avengers, Deep Blue Sea, War Horse, Midnight in Paris), Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids for which he won an IFTA the night before, The Boat That Rocked, Friends with Kids) and Adam Deacon (Kidulthood, Adulthood). Guess who won? That’s right, the actor you’ve never heard of. I guess the other four don’t need a leg up, at least according to UK cinema-goers, who vote for the award. Deacon couldn't believe it either, calling it "surreal" before saying "Fank you".  Actually Adam Deacon appeared in a movie ten years ago with Gerard Butler. Deacon was in Shooters when he was just 16. I guess that’s a reason to watch it again. *coughlikeIneedonecough*

Martin Scorsese was given the British Academy Fellowship Award,sort of a 'lifetime achievement' award, presented to him by Max von Sydow. It was an oddly introduced tribute with only two taped testimonials, one by Robert De Niro and another by Christopher Lee (who appeared in Hugo this year). I guess  they couldn't given him this one and Best Director, so that went to Michel Hazanavicius for The Artist. (By the way, how does a movie with no dialogue win Best Original Screenplay?)

Some exciting news was leaked on the red carpet as well. Bond girls Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe, who both looked stunning, were in attendance and Harris revealed that Skyfall would include “a lot” of Daniel Craig nakedness. You read that right. She said “nakedness”.  Now, while I don’t expect Craig to go all ‘Fassbender’, another slow climb out of the sea, dripping wet in those tight blue trunks would be appreciated. Just sayin’.

The biggest surprise of the night, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe showed up to hand out the BAFTA for Best Picture…The Artist. (Since it was a suprise they didn't walk the red carpet. It would have exploded from the hotness.)

So here’s your complete list of winners as well as a lot of pretty pics of the pretty people.  Meet you back here in two weeks for the Oscars!

Outstanding British Contribution To Film

John Hurt

Best Original Screenplay

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Kristin Wiig, Annie Mumolo – Bridesmaids
John Michael McDonagh – The Guard
Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
Woody Allen – Midnight In Paris

Best Supporting Actress

Carey Mulligan – Drive
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Judi Dench – My Week With Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer – The Help

Outstanding British Film

My Week With Marilyn
Senna
Shame
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – My Week With Marilyn
Jim Broadbent – The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Philip Seymour Hoffman – The Ides of March
Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Best Production Design

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Debut by a British Director, Writer or Producer

Richard Ayoade – Submarine
Paddy Considine, Diarmid Scrimshaw – Tyrannosaur
Joe Cornish – Attack the Block
Ralph Fiennes – Coriolanus
Will Sharpe, Tom Kingsley, Sarah Brocklehurst – Black Pond

Best Film Not in the English Language

Incendies
Pina
Potiche
A Separation
The Skin I Live In

Best Costume Design

The Artist
Hugo
Jane Eyre
My Week With Marilyn
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Makeup & Hair

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
The Iron Lady
My Week With Marilyn

Best Cinematography

The Artist
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Film Editing

The Artist
Drive
Senna
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Sound

The Artist
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
War Horse

Best Original Music

Ludovic Bource – The Artist
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Howard Shore – Hugo
Alberto Iglesias – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
John Williams – War Horse

Best Visual Effects

The Adventures of Tintin
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
War Horse

Best Animated Short

Abuelas
Bobby Yeah
A Morning Stroll

Best Short Film

Chalk
Mwansa The Great
Only Sound Remains
Pitch Black Heist
Two And Two

Best Film

The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Director

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn – Drive
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Tomas Alfredson – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Lynne Ramsay – We Need To Talk About Kevin

Best Actor

George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Michael Fassbender – Shame
Brad Pitt – Moneyball
Gary Oldman – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Actress

Berenice Bejo – The Artist
Viola Davis – The Help
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton – We Need To Talk About Kevin
Michelle Williams – My Week With Marilyn

Best Adapted Screenplay

Jim Rash, Nat Faxon, Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Tate Taylor – The Help
George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon – The Ides of March
Steve Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin - Moneyball
Bridget O'Connor, Peter Straughan – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

Best Animated Film

The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Rango

Best Documentary

George Harrison: Living In A Material World
Project Nim
Senna

Rising Star Award

Adam Deacon
Chris Hemsworth
Tom Hiddleston
Chris O'Dowd
Eddie Redmayne

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the UK today. Luckily it’s still in theaters here in the US or I’d be upset, but then again they did get it nearly three months before we did here in the states.

I’ve seen it twice and I may see it again before it leaves theaters. The movie has not only the British cast that’s been culled together in quite some time, but best cast period, including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt, Toby Jones, David Dencik, Ciaran Hinds, Stephen Graham, Kathy Burke and Svetlana Khodchenkova. I honestly cannot fathom how this was overlooked by the Screen Actors Guild.  So much is made about the fact that the guild’s awards are “actors honoring actors”, and yet they ignored this bunch completely? Frankly, it calls into question every other nomination they made this year.

Thanks to our friends at  HeyUGuys, we have this featurette which is on the UK blu-ray, I can only assume it will be on the Region 1 disc when it comes out. The clip centers on George Smiley (Gary Oldman), the anti-Bond without “any Astin Martins”, which is funny because as soon as Oldman says that they cut to a shot featuring a much cooler 70’s era Citroen. Listen to Smiley and then listen to Oldman and you get an idea of how good he is as an actor. Their voices are completely different.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is based on the book by John le Carré and directed by Tomas Alfredson. It’s in theaters in the US now, on dvd & blu-ray in the UK. (The dvd will be released on March 20 in the US)

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Continuing to improve their craft, the artisans at Madame Tussauds museum in London have unveiled their latest addition, Colin Firth. I have to admit it’s a pretty good likeness. They seem to have either hired some new blood or practice makes perfect. While it can still be very scary when they get it wrong, they’ve gotten quite a few right in recent years, like Russell Brand’s seen below. In some cases, they’ve even improved upon the original. Kate Moss has never looked so clear eyed.  And then there are the cases where not only does it not matter which one is which, but both are about as equally animated. (See Kim Kardashian below. Is it live or is it Memorex?)

Kate Winslet’s figure was revealed about a month and a half ago to almost universal acclaim. As far as these things go, hers was just about perfect. Firth’s is a close second, in my humble opinion. The £150,000 statue ($234,000) stands between fellow Oscar winner Winslet and David and Victoria Beckham. Woo hoo!

Since I’m still not happy that Focus Features failed to open Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy in Boston this weekend*, I’m consoling myself with this cache of new pics that I’ve come across. We haven’t posted any of them before so regardless of how long they’ve been kicking around the internet, they’re new to us!

*I think the “select cities” decision was a last minute one. Fandango sent me a notice telling me tickets were available for Friday December 9. December 9 rolled around and suddenly it’s only playing in NY and LA. I think they wanted to build some momentum here in the US. While there are those of us who have been following the film’s progress and eagerly awaiting its release, it’s easy to forget we’re in the minority and that this is a ‘talkie’ little spy thriller.

Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and director Tomas Alfredson have been stumping for the film for over a week on both coasts. Interview after interview has been posted to movie blogs, uploaded to Youtube, gone over the airwaves to radio and television outlets as well as traditionally printed. It never ceases to amaze me how patient filmmakers are when they are continually asked the same questions, as long as it’s a product that they believe in. Some are definitely better at it than others, obviously.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy finally FINALLY opens in Boston, San Francisco and DC on Friday December 16 and continues to roll-out for the rest of the month across the country. Enjoy the pics!

Tuesday night December 6 across town from the goings on in Westwood, the cast of Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy had a glam red carpet premiere at the Arclight Cinerama Dome in LA. Although I’m more than a little disappointed that Tom Hardy couldn’t make it due to reshoots on This Means War up in Vancouver, the tasty trio of Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong will do. Oh yes. They’ll do nicely. (I'll actually be sad when the TTSS world tour is over. It's been going on since Venice and I'll miss this little triumverate. Say! Moscow will need a premiere, right? Maybe Japan? Maybe then Tom Hardy will be able to join them!)

From what I can gather, it was a pretty low-key affair, befitting a spy ring I guess, with mostly industry wheeler dealer types in attendance. Frankly Scarlett, since the above mentioned eye-candy was there, I don’t give a damn…

The after party was held at that famous den of Hollywood inequity, the Chateau Marmont. (Okay, the very name of that place makes me yearn for wilder days when at least one party animal near and dear to my heart would have made the schlep out from Malibu where I know he’s finishing a film, if only to say hello to his old pal Mark Strong. His initials are Gerard Butler. There I said it.)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy FINALLY opens in the US on Friday December 9. *demented poodle dance* “I’ve got a golden tiiiicket…”

With its all star cast including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch and Toby Jones, not to mention the well respected source material, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy has been one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, everywhere. Reviews have been overwhelmingly positive and there is Oscar talk for Oldman and even rumblings about the film.  The UK has been enjoying it for months and it’s finally set to open here in less than two weeks. To that end, we have three new clips to share.

Remember the clip we showed you the other day with Gary Oldman as George Smiley coming in to his house to find Colin Firth’s Bill Hayden? Well apparently there was more to it and this part is really creepy!

We have no real idea why Benedict Cumberbatch’s Peter Guillam hauls off and punches Tom Hardy’s Ricki Tarr in the face, but we can definitely see that he’s pissed. Apparently Guillam doesn’t believe whatever Hardy’s been telling the others about his recent activities.

The last one is called “Break In” and it’s the most confusing of the three. Taken out of context it’s hard to tell what Guillam is up to or exactly who’s in on it. Even without that knowledge though, it’s another example of Alfredson’s ability to set the mood and ratchet up the suspense.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy opens in the US and Canada on December 9. I expect that means we have more little tidbits to look forward to in the next week or so.

Have I mentioned how fond I am of alliteration? Anyway, another sign of the big movie season is all of the filmmakers out making the rounds on press junkets, promoting their wares. In New York, in just the past two days, we had Gary Oldman and Colin Firth, as well as director Tomas Alfredson, from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley and Asa Butterfield from Hugo and Mark Wahlburg from Contraband, all sitting for the press conferences and having their pictures taken. Yay for us!

I’m a little disappointed Mark Strong didn’t make it to New York for the press conference, but he is expected to participate in the Variety Screening Q & A for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on December 7. I am thankful (on this the appropriate day for such things) that Colin Firth made the trip. I don’t need an excuse to look at pics of Mr. Firth. Is it my imagination or is Gary Oldman, the older he gets, losing the creepy and becoming oddly sexy?

I saw Hugo today and am completely in love with it, so I’m happy to have the opportunity to post pics of its three stars as well as director Martin Scorsese and mention it again. It’s a pure delight. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Marky Mark is already working hard to promote his new crime drama, Contraband. We’ve shown you a couple of trailers and some pics from thefilm which stars Wahlburg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi and Ben Foster. The film opens in January.  Enjoy the pics!