-
Sure, we know XIII is knocking our socks off, but how about all of those other spies? James Bond, Jason Bourne, Ethan Hunt—everyone one of them is on our "Do not hold this guy's girlfriend hostage" list. But which of these international men of mystery comes out on top? Help us determine the best spy movie by casting your vote.
Rate the Top 10 Spy Movies >>
Posted 05.08.13 by Shari -
"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 -
Gary Oldman recently admitted that he's "waited 30 years to play" a character like semi-retired British intelligence agent George Smiley in the upcoming thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, which may have come as a surprise to those that have enjoyed his other, more frenetic, roles. "It's a different animal to, say, Sirius Black [in the Harry Potter movies]," Oldman told The Playlist after his career tribute at the Gotham Awards. "Or even Drexl in True Romance, which was a kind of fairy tale. I hope I wasn't over-the-top as Lee Harvey Oswald [in JFK]! But it's been a long time since I've played someone like that, and Smiley's the one to do it with."
Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is already a success in Britain, where it opened at the top of the box office in the U.K. in September. Director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In) and screenwriter Peter Straughan have already revealed that a sequel to Tinker is possible, and would likely be based on le Carré's third book featuring the character of Smiley, titled Smiley's People. Oldman confirmed that the possible sequel would be based on the book and not The Honourable Schoolboy, the second novel in the Karla trilogy, where Smiley is in a more supporting role.
They're now saying they might do Smiley's People. It's a very different story, very different to Tinker Tailor. We don't want it to feel like a sequel, you know, because it stands on its own, but we've sort of established this world, and there's enough material to do more films.
oldman's commissioner gordon to "retire"? >> Posted 12.01.11 by Ryan -
The upcoming thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy has already been a memorable 1979 BBC mini-series and successful remake in the U.K., where it has already opened. The movie will finally reach the U.S. next month but not before Focus Features has released several new preview of the clips to help promote its U.S. release.
Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy stars Gary Oldman as semi-retired British intelligence agent George Smiley who is brought in to root out a Soviet spy who has infiltrated the upper echelons of British Intelligence. Oldman recently admitted that he has been "waiting 30 years" to play a part like Smiley, and could play the part again as a sequel is already in the works should Tinker find as much success in the States as it did in Britain, where it opened at the top of the box office in the U.K. in September.
watch the clips >> Posted 11.28.11 by Ryan -
Actor Gary Oldman has played a variety of memorable roles over his long career, varying from darker, conflicted characters like Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK and the titular vampire in Bram Stoker's Dracula, to more heroic characters like Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies and Commissioner Gordon in the recent Batman movies. It's Oldman's latest role, however — that of semi-retired British intelligence agent George Smiley in the upcoming thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy — that could be the actor's favorite.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Oldman revealed that he has been "waiting 30 years to play" Smiley, who comes out of retirement to uncover a Soviet mole that has infiltrated British intelligence. Oldman notes that what he liked most about the character was the contrast the part gave his career.
In the past I’ve been asked to play these characters who, you know, jump around a bit, they’re frenetic and they physicalize. [Smiley] doesn’t slouch. There’s a line in the book by Ann, the wife, and she describes – I’ll have to go back to it, dig one out to find the quote exactly – but she describes him as a swift. Like a creature that can regulate his body temperature to the room. He then sort of disappears, and you forget he’s there. The trick is, you’ve got to play a very smart man, but socially a little awkward, a little dull, he doesn’t dress very well. You’ve got to make, as far as that’s concerned, an uninteresting character interesting. You have to give a very plain man enough charisma.
a sequel already in the works? >> Posted 11.22.11 by Ryan -
The Oscars are still months away, but that doesn't mean we don't already have a surprisingly good idea what voters will be picking. A few of these pictures have already been released, but as usual most of the real front-runners have been kept for the final weeks of the year. The assumption is that voters usually choose whatever happened to be the last flick they saw in theaters (which, sadly, seems to be true in quite a few cases). The expanded Academy Awards Best Picture category once again means that up to 10 movies may be nominated.
We've made our predictions about which 10 movies will get Best Picture nominations, and ordered the list by likelihood of winning. We also pick five more that we think won't quite make the cut.
see our Best Picture Oscar predictions >>
Posted 11.10.11 by reelz -
The thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy recently debuted at the Venice Film Festival to excellent reviews, and will be released in the U.K. next week, so Focus Features can now concentrate on its domestic campaign, which has been kicked off with a brand new trailer, courtesy of Yahoo!.
Essentially pieced together from parts of three previous international trailers, the latest trailer introduces the story of semi-retired British intelligence agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) as he attempts to find the Soviet mole that has infiltrated the upper echelon of the British Secret Intelligence Service. The trailer includes some bits of new footage and some changes, removing the slang reference of "the Circus" when speaking of the British Intelligence.
watch the trailer >> Posted 09.11.11 by Ryan -
The thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy had its official premiere at the Venice Film Festival, last weekend, and its debut left critics impressed. The Playlist called the movie "incredibly rich and perfectly constructed, sitting with The Conversation and The Ipcress File in the very upper reaches of the genre," while Movieline praised the "uniformly terrific ensemble cast" for their work in a movie that is "notable less for its complex plot than for the emotional context of each of its nested backstories-within-backstories."
Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy follows Gary Oldman as George Smiley, a semi-retired British intelligence agent who is tasked with finding a Soviet spy who has infiltrated the upper echelon of the British Secret Intelligence Service, or MI6. Coinciding with its premiere, a new featurette for the thriller has been released, which, instead of discussing the popular, 1979 BBC mini-series of Tinker that had Alec Guinness in the Smiley role and that many will compare the movie to, the featurette is more concerned with comparing Smiley to Britain's other famous literary superspy: James Bond. Oldman, LeCarre, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Toby Jones and director Tomas Alfredson all discuss the "anti-Bond".
watch the featurette and clip >> Posted 09.08.11 by Ryan -
The countdown has begun for the opening of the upcoming Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, at least in the U.K., where the movie opens in less than a month. A third international trailer for the movie has now been released, just weeks after a second international trailer earlier this month. While the footage doesn't stray too far from the first two trailers, the latter half of the new trailer offers a few new look at the highly-anticipated thriller.
Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was turned into a popular BBC mini-series in 1979, with Alec Guinness in the role of George Smiley, a semi-retired British intelligence agent who is tasked with finding a Soviet spy who has infiltrated the upper echelon of the Secret Intelligence Service. Gary Oldman plays the role in the latest adaptation, which co-stars a "who's who" of popular British actors, including Tom Hardy (Inception, Warrior) and recent Academy Award–winner Colin Firth (The King's Speech).
watch the trailer >> Posted 08.25.11 by Ryan -
The first trailer for the upcoming espionage thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy debuted early last month, and a second international trailer has followed a month later, courtesy of the UK's MSN. While it may seem a bit early to release monthly trailers for a movie that won't reach U.S. shores until November, the movie opens in September overseas.
Based on the 1974 novel by John le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy offers Gary Oldman the role of a lifetime as George Smiley, a semi-retired intelligence agent who is asked to return to service to uncover the Soviet double agent that has inserted himself within the upper ranks of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS). The second trailer includes most of the first trailer as well as some added footage. While the new footage doesn't reveal the movie's mystery, it does an even more impressive job of making it appear that Oldman has landed in some serious trouble.
watch the trailer >> Posted 08.05.11 by Ryan