Send your movie questions to FlickChick See Maitland McDonagh and Ken Fox review this weeks new flicks in Movie Talk Helen Mirren richly deserved the Oscar she received for starring in this weeks DVD Tuesday pick The Queen but I was disappointed that her costar Michael Sheen wasnt even nominated For my money the only thing better than Peter Morgans subtle witty screenplay which earned him an Oscar nomination Morgan also scripted The Last King of Scotland which earned Forest Whitaker his Oscar was the sheer virtuosity with which Mirren and Sheen brought it to life The Queen is a four-hander and theyre both brilliantJust in case you managed to sequester yourself in a mountain cave during awards season the queen in question is HRH Elizabeth II and the film is set in 1997 Specifically Stephen Frears restrained comedy of manners unfolds in the days following the death of Peoples Princess Diana Spencer and carefully dissects the pas de deux between the queen wread more
The latest pilot updates, from our friends at the Hollywood Reporter and Variety: Kirstie Alley has collared the title role in The Minister of Divine, Fox's take on the Britcom The Vicar of Dibley. Martin Henderson (The Ring) will play Brad to Jordana Brewster's Angelina in ABC's Mr. & Mrs. Smith. (If you are dating either of the leads, please think very carefully before splurging on the Valentine's gift.) Brian White (Stomp the Yard) is Kyle in ABC's Football Wives. Lee Pace (The Good Shepherd) has landed the lead, as a man who can bring the dead back to life with but a touch, in ABC's Pushing Daisies. Mark-Paul Gosselaar will star opposite Janeane Garofalo in CBS' public-defenders comedy. Cole Hauser will star in K-Ville, Fox's New Orleans-cops drama. Colm Feore is the police-department captain in ABC's Judy's Got a Gun. That '70s Show's Kurtwood Smith is a justice in Supreme Courtships, Fox's look at a half dozen clerks and judg...read more
The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has picked Clint Eastwood's second WWII-themed release, Letters from Iwo Jima (in theaters Dec. 20), as the best movie of the year, while The Queen took five honors, including best actress for Helen Mirren and best director for Stephen Frears. Also on Sunday, the American Film Institute unveiled its 10 Best list. On it were, natch, Letters, Dreamgirls, United 93 and Borat. (What? No Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny?) Their best-actor prize was shared by Sacha Baron Cohen and Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland).read more