Ridley Scott
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Trailer Watch: Ridley Scott’s Napoleon
The first trailer has landed for director Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, an epic biopic about the French Emperor’s ascension to and fall from power. With a screenplay written by David Scarpa (who is also co-writing Scott’s forthcoming Gladiator sequel with Peter Craig), the film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte. Co-starring are Vanessa Kirby as his wife, Empress Joséphine, and Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, the main executive leader of the post-revolution Directory regime, who helped arrange their marriage and made Napoleon general in the battalion of Italians. An official synopsis reads: Napoleon is a spectacle-filled action epic that details the […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jul 10, 2023 -
Gandhi, Gladiator and Narrow Margin: Jim Hemphill’s Home Viewing Picks
To borrow a turn of phrase from Mark Twain, the rumors of physical media’s death have been greatly exaggerated, at least if the first half of 2020 is any indication – this year has been a bonanza for cinephiles who collect 4K and Blu-ray upgrades of important films. Independent labels like Indicator, Shout Factory, Kino Lorber and Criterion continue to release a steady stream of special editions, and recently the major studios == particularly Paramount and Warner Bros. — have become more aggressive than ever about capitalizing on their catalogs. The most impressive recent package that I’ve come across in […]
by Jim Hemphill on Jun 19, 2020 -
“I’m Envisaging a New Kind of Movie:” SFX Legend Douglas Trumbull on Kubrick, Malick and the Future of Film
Douglas Trumbull has been behind some of cinemas most spectacular special effects. His impressive C.V. includes working on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner and most recently Tree of Life. He also directed Silent Running in 1972 and Brainstorm in 1983, most remembered as the final film appearance of Natalie Wood. He has also been one of cinema’s great pioneers, always pushing technology to its limit, whether that be designing films for World Fairs, making rides for Universal and Luxor Hotels, or simply backing new technologies such as IMAX. Never standing still, the self-proclaimed […]
by Kaleem Aftab on Aug 28, 2013 -
DARK DAYS: SCI-FI DYSTOPIA IN FILM
During the writing of this article, Ray Bradbury, one of the great founding fathers of sci-fi dystopia, passed away. With his seminal book, Fahrenheit 451 (1953), Bradbury gained recognition as an important figure not only in the science fiction community but the literary world in general. Recently, The New Yorker published a touching essay by the author in which he shared the origin of his love for science fiction. It is a beautiful ode to childhood and the discovery of one’s true passion. The essay will prove to future generations that, even in his last days, Bradbury’s ability to move […]
by Byron Camacho on Jun 6, 2012 -
Prometheus Screenwriter Jon Spaihts
Telling the origin story of the creature that terrified us in Alien over three decades ago, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is one of this summer’s most hotly anticipated films. But somewhat surprisingly, the origins of the screenplay came as much from a screenwriter’s general meeting as the story material developed for that original movie. At a meeting in the offices of Scott’s production company, Scott Free, screenwriter Jon Spaihts was asked to riff on the possibilities of a film that would revisit the Alien universe. What resulted is Prometheus, with a script credited to Spaihts and Damon Lindelof. Below I ask […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jun 4, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: RIDLEY SCOTT’S “PROMETHEUS”
This is the Hollywood trailer of the moment. I particularly love the music fake-out — starting with the typically ostentatious “epic score” and, after a moment of silence, phasing into something more modern and frightening.
by Scott Macaulay on Mar 18, 2012 -
Ridley Scott Teases Prometheus with TED Talk from the Future
Now this is transmedia! Ridley Scott has created a TED Talk from the future for his forthcoming Prometheus. (Actually, here are the credits: “Conceived and designed by Ridley Scott and Damon Lindelof and directed by Luke Scott.”) The talk is by “Peter Heyland,” who looks quite a bit like Guy Pearce and is introduced on the TED page like this: Peter Weyland has been a magnet for controversy since he announced his intent to build the first convincingly humanoid robotic system by the end of the decade. Whether challenging the ethical boundaries of medicine with nanotechnology or going toe to […]
by Scott Macaulay on Feb 29, 2012 -
Lady Vengeance: Trailer Happy, February 2012
Trailers have the ability to psyche us up, freak us out, turn us off, and lead us very, very astray, but the heightened anticipation (they don’t call them teasers for nothing) is part of the fun, regardless of how accurate a representation of the film that cleverly constructed little bugger ends up being in the end. Here’s a little commentary on a selection of recent genre trailers; let’s both judge a book by its cover and appraise the cover itself. THE SNOWTOWN MURDERS (Justin Kurzel, in theaters March 2nd) I always feel wary of trailers that start off […]
by Farihah Zaman on Feb 17, 2012 -
HANS PETER MOLAND, “A SOMEWHAT GENTLE MAN”
In Hans Peter Moland’s glumly humorous, sneakily moving Norwegian dramedy A Somewhat Gentle Man, a graying, ponytailed ex-con named Ulrik, played with droll aplomb by the always reliable Stellan Skarsgard, fumbles his way back into civilian life after 12 years in prison for manslaughter. He finds a job as a mechanic for a body shop owner (Bjorn Sundquist), who insists he be on time and stay away from oddly alluring office secretary Merete (Jannike Kruse). After finding a room in the basement of an aging, horny matron (a terrific Jorun Kjellsby), the sister of Ulrik’s former boss and petty crime […]
by Brandon Harris on Jan 12, 2011 -
CANNES 2010 LINE-UP ANNOUNCED
The South of France will be filled with familiar faces for this year’s Cannes Film Festival as the line-up was announced overnight in Paris. As previously announced Ridley Scott‘s Robin Hood will open the festival. Notable names attending will include Woody Allen, Oliver Stone, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Jean Luc-Godard and Gregg Araki (full list of titles below). The one glaring omission is Terrence Malick‘s Tree of Life, though festival chief Thierry Fremaux says there more titles are expected to be announced as the festival approaches. The fest will take place May 12-23. IN COMPETITION: Tournee directed by Mathieu Almaric Des […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Apr 15, 2010
