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"I take no pleasure in taking a life if it's from a person who doesn't care about it."
Though we may never get to see Gary Oldman play Commissioner Gordon again now that Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy has ended — that is, unless the recent rumor that Warner Bros. is planning to use the Justice League movie as "a vehicle for Christian Bale to reprise his role as Batman" is true, in which case a cameo by Gotham’s top cop wouldn’t be out of the question — we will get to see him play a former police commissioner in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Add his stint as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies and his recently completed work as Norton in MGM's Robocop remake and that makes four major tentpole franchises for Oldman.
Long before Oldman became a staple of summer popcorn movies, he had already developed a strong cult following for playing deliciously dark (Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula), terrifyingly sadistic (Warden Glenn in Murder in the First) and mesmerizingly maniacal (Norman Stansfield in Léon: The Professional) villains. The man once dubbed "psycho deluxe" for his over-the-top bad guy roles plays the hero more often than not these days, but when he funnels the same energy and intensity into quieter performances they simmer, as in his Oscar-winning role as disgraced spy George Smiley in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Punk rocker, vampire, drug dealer, corrupt cop, good cop, shapeshifting wizard, spy — Oldman masterfully played each character with zeal, but which roles were his best?
Rate the Top 10 Best Gary Oldman Movies >>
Posted 03.12.13 by BrentJS -
This weekend sees the opening of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is great news for Lord of the Rings who will get to see plenty returning characters such as the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) aids a young Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and an assembly of dwarves in their quest to unseat the dragon Smaug from the treasure he's guarding. It's only the first of a three-part adaptation, which means there will be plenty more Gandalf to go around for the next few years, even if he will still be one appearance behind another literary-turned-cinematic wizard, Harry Potter's Dumbledore.
Speaking of Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (first played by the late Richard Harris and then by Michael Gambon), this week's arrival of Gandalf got us thinking about our two favorite, long-bearded wizards and which of the two would survive the cybernetic cage that is our Character Cage Match! No doubt, fans of either J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling may already have their minds made up, but we make a case for both and only you can decide which wizard will leave victorious!
check out the characters' strengths and weaknesses before voting >> Posted 12.14.12 by Ryan -
There are fans, and then there are fans. One extremely industrious Harry Potter fanatic put together a supercut of every spell in the franchise, starting from kids learning the basics in Sorcerer's Stone to young adults engaging in full on battle in The Deathly Hallows: Part 2. It includes successful spells, failed spells and one of the most tragic spells of all: the Avada Kedavra that killed Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson).
At nearly 18 minutes, it's a longer than most of the videos of this type, but there sure is a lot covered in that time. Harry (Daniel Radcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson), and Ron (Rupert Grint) grow up before our very eyes, friendships are forged, loved ones are lost, and a tyrannical despot comes to power and is overthrown. This video also helps to make the point that what is really magical about the Harry Potter series has nothing to do with wand waving and has everything to do with really great story telling.
settle in and watch the supercut >> Posted 06.05.12 by Mandy -
It’s the one awards show where Twilight can always be counted on to be an annual contender. Of course, we’re talking about the MTV Movie Awards, and in true fashion the show was as predictable as Charlie Sheen in Las Vegas, with the top awards going to Twilight and the newest teen franchise, The Hunger Games.
Going into the award show, Twi-hard fans were upset that newcomer The Hunger Games received more nominations than Breaking Dawn: Part 1. But the vampire franchise got its due, taking home the golden popcorn for Best Kiss (Kristen Stewart had to accept the award without partner-in-crime Robert Pattinson) and for Movie of the Year. But Katniss and Co. didn’t go home empty handed. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson both took home individual awards and the movie also won Best Fight. Check after the jump for a full list of winners and highlights from the MTV Movie Awards.
Read the full list of winners >> Posted 06.04.12 by Chris -
Many thanks to Tor.com, which brought the most amazing thing to hit the interwebs in days to our attention. "Epic Tea-Time with Alan Rickman" is probably the perfect blend of the artistic, the absurd, and the needlessly overwrought.
The original video is simply several seconds of footage of Rickman preparing tea and then getting rather upset in high definition at 3000 frames per second; the footage is then slowed down to fill eight and a half minutes. The video was part of a project that artist David Michalek produced last summer called Portraits in Dramatic Time. For "Epic Tea-Time," the video was edited slightly, but what really makes it truly epic is the addition of part of the Inception score. It's probably the best example of intense music paired with mundane action since the Dramatic Chipmunk, himself.
What makes this video even more delightful is that we're pretty sure that this is how our favorite potions instructor, Professor Snape, would react if he were to catch someone spying on him as he was making some tea. (Or, as one of our delightful readers pointed out, perhaps the problem is that he was brought tea with lemon and not a drop of milk.)
watch the truly epic version of "Epic Team Time" >> Posted 05.16.12 by Mandy -
All seven of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter titles have been available for purchase as an e-book for a little more than a month, and they will soon be available to borrow in an e-format as well.
Starting June 19, Amazon exclusively will be adding Sorcerer's Stone, Deathly Hallows, and all of the books in between to their Kindle Owners' Lending Library. Unlike a public library, there is no limit on the number of copies of an eBook that would be available to Amazon Prime subscribers, so there's never a waiting list for any particular title. Of course, also unlike a public library, there is a monthly subscription fee to have access to the library, as well as the purchase price of the Kindle itself. One thing is for sure, though: if you're wanting to take something along to read on a summer vacation, it's much easier to throw an e-reader in a bag than it is to schlep a 650-page copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince along on your travels.
And where better to go on vacation than a Harry Potter theme park? It turns out that there's another one on the way.
More Harry Potter News Posted 05.10.12 by Mandy -
For more than a decade, Harry Potterphiles visiting England have made their way to many of the real-life places that inspired the books' and movies' locales. Now they can add the Leavesden studio to their pilgrimage checklist. The Making of Harry Potter opened last weekend, taking fans behind-the-scenes and showcasing a huge array of the sets, costumes, and props. We'll have TV coverage of the Warner Bros. studio tour on an upcoming Hollywood Dailies. In the meantime, enjoy this photo sneak peek at J.K. Rowling's imagination brought to life.
Photo Tour of The Making of Harry Potter >>
Posted 04.05.12 by reelz -
In The Hunger Games, teenage Tributes battle each for sport but this weekend the highly anticipate movie is seeking to do battle with some of Hollywood's biggest franchises for box office records.
Going into this weekend, we already knew The Hunger Games was going to be big but the question was how big. Well, if midnight numbers are any indication — very big.
The movie, based on the young adult novels by Suzanne Collins, grossed $19.4M at midnight screenings. Now, that's not Twilight numbers but it's a very impressive figure. Hunger Games broke the non-sequel midnight record and is 7th on the list of the top 10 midnight openings (behind three Harry Potter movies and three Twilight installments). Guess who's number eight on the list? The Dark Knight, which only grossed $18.5M at midnight screenings but went on to gross $158M in its first weekend in 2008, then a record.
Hunger Games earns special recognition because in fact it's not a sequel (the other nine in the top 10 midnight grosses are sequels) and the fact that it opened in March, a month not necessary considered a busy time at the box office — especially compared to summer or the holiday season.
How big can Hunger Games open? >> Posted 03.23.12 by Chris -
Hey Potterphiles, do you have $350 burning a hole in your pocket? If so, then Warner Bros. have a deal for you! A new box set is available for pre-order on Amazon that includes a 31-disc set of movies and special features, collectible memorabilia, a map of Hogwarts, and one very cool box. There's no date given for when the Blu-ray/DVD/Ultraviolet Digital set will be available, but it is promised to be released before the end of 2012.
Some may be wondering how eight movies get spread out across a 31-disc collection. Apparently the Harry Potter Wizards Collection contains 18 movie discs, including both the theatrical releases and the extended cuts of Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, and both 3D and 2D versions of Parts 1 and 2 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We're betting that the 40 Harry Potter fans that actually own a 3D TV are stoked about that! The other 13 discs contain special features, though only 5 hours of the special features are of the "never before seen" variety.
This is the first new box set to be announced since Warners decided last year that none of the previously released DVDs, Blu-rays or box sets would be shipped out to stores after Dec. 29, 2011. If the plan is to release box sets such as the Wizards Collection, it seems like it might be a good time to grab one of those $80 sets that haven't yet sold out.
Posted 03.02.12 by Mandy -
The 2012 Oscar nominations are out and with no surprise, The Artist continues its awards streak, picking up nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director (along with six other noms). Hugo actually leads with 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Directing for Martin Scorsese.
Despite being the highest-grossing movie of the year (and highly praised by critics), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 got shut out of the main nominations and was nominated for again only technical awards, including Best Visual Effects. Interesting note — the Harry Potter franchise has yet to win a single Oscar. This year, only 9 movies were nominated for Best Picture instead of 10. It's possible Harry Potter could have snagged that 10th nomination.
Jennifer Lawrence announced the nominees along with Academy President Tom Sherak at the headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 84th Annual Oscars will be televised on ABC on Sunday, Feb. 26, with Billy Crystal hosting.
Tune in to Hollywood Dailies for full coverage of the upcoming awards show, as well as the full red carpet season.
see the full list of Oscar nominations >> Posted 01.24.12 by reelz