Brothers - Trailer - Gyllenhaal, Portman and Maguire

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family. Brothers tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirtysomething Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. He slides easily into his role as family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam’s farewell dinner with their parents, Elsie (Mare Winningham) and Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), a retired Marine.

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Thor - Natalie Portman to play Jane Foster

It was back in March that we learnt Natalie Portman had been cast in Kenneth Branagh's adaption of Thor.

There was speculation as to who she would play - The warrior Sif, a female version of Loki or as the human, Jane Foster.

Loki has since been cast and will be played by Tom Hiddleston, Thor by Chris Hemsworth and Odin by Brian Blessed. All of which makes it sound like some kind of Asgardian range of aftershave.

Now OntheFlix have the news that Portman will be playing Jane Foster. This character is a nurse who had a bit of a thing with Thor's human alter-ego, Dr. Donald Blake.

Having Portman as the romantic lead with Blake (if they play up that side of the tale) may mean we will see more Earth bound action than previously thought.

The plot for the film has Thor as a powerful but arrogant warrior who reignites an ancient war with his reckless actions. Thor is then cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans.However,after he arrives, he learns how to be a hero when the most dangerous villain of his former world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Could this mean that Jessica Biel may be playing Sif? What are your thoughts on the Portster playing Jane Foster? Do you want to see lots of Thor on Earth or do you want the first film to be heavy on Asgard?

Thor is due out on 20th May 2011 so still quite a while to go.

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Jessica Biel may be in Thor. Clifton Collins Jr won't.

Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and Brian Blessed are cast as Thor, Loki and Odin, but who elso will be in Kenneth Branagh's adaption of the Marvel comic?

Clifton Collins Jr. isn't. He mentioned a while back that he was meeting with the Thor people, but he didn't mention for what role. He told The Dead Bolt this week that he's no longer a part of the project.

"That was a long time ago. I wasn't really getting into it, I was just preparing stuff. It's a fantastic director, a great piece, but I have absolutely nothing to do with it."

Meanwhile Jessica Biel is now being rumored to be playing a female character and love interest to the titular hero in the project according to Nuke the Fridge.

The site's source also says the role is likely to be that of Amora The Enchantress , however it could be theAsgardian warrior Sif. Still no word on what role Natalie Portman or Josh Hartnett may be playing.

Do you want to see Biel in Thor? What character do you think she will be playing?

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Gordon's Alive? Brian Blessed may play Odin in Thor

I am really looking forward to Kenneth Branagh's adaption of Marvel's Thor. Now this news has got me even more excited.

Rich Johnston over on Bleeding Cool had this to say:

I understand that British actor Brian Blessed has been cast in Kenneth Branagh’s THOR movie, based on the Marvel Comics title, as the character Odin.

Blessed is best known for his roles as Caesar Augustus in I CLAUDIUS and King Of The Hawk Men in FLASH GORDON as well as being a charity campaigner and mountaineer.

He has appeared in a number of Kenneth Branagh productions, including HAMLET and AS YOU LIKE IT, famed for his booming voice.

I still haven't found any official confirmation on this, however he apparantly confirmed it at a recent public appearance in York. I will keep looking for official confirmation on this, so at the moment count it as a rumour.
The fact that Branagh as previously worked makes even more sense as he has also worked with Tom Hiddleston who was recently cast as Loki. Chris Hemsworth is Thor. Now we just need to find out what characters Natalie Portman and Josh Hartnett are playing.

I personally think this is a brilliant piece of casting and hopefully it is true.

How would you feel with Brian Blessed as Odin?

Discuss in the forum or leave a comment below.

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Tom Hiddleston cast as Loki in Branagh's Thor

I almost had this right. On the 4th May I mentioned how Tom Hiddleston, the co-star in Kenneth Branagh's Wallander series, could possibly be Thor.

This turned out to be incorrect when it was announced yesterday that Chris Hemsworth (George Kirk in Star Trek) had been cast as Thor in Kenneth Branagh’s big screen adaptation of Marvel’s Thor and the Summer 2012 superhero team-up film The Avengers.

However, Nikki Finke are now saying that Tom will be playing the evil Loki, the God of Mischief.

I was half right. Hiddleston is in the film, but playing the big bad. As I mentioned when Hemsworth was announced, I like the fact they are not using big names for this film. To the mainstream audience, Marvel's Thor is a bit of an unknown quanitity and you want the characters to prove their worth rather than be overshadowed by the actor playing them.

Also Hiddleston does have a look of Loki about him in some photos.

Robert Downey Jr worked so well as Tony Stark in Iron Man because Stark is a huge larger than life playboy kind of character.

It does make me wonder whether Josh Hartnett will still be in the film as he had previously been rumoured to play Loki, as had Natalie Portman. Maybe Hartnett will be playing another Asgardian - one of the Warriors Three?

Discuss in the forum

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Could Thor be an acting buddy of Kenneth Branagh's?

Kenneth Branagh has been speaking to IGN about the Thor movie’s development. Filming will begin in January of next year.

The gap in time between now and January means that Branagh can work on his TV series “Wallander,” based on the Henning Mankell series of novels about an existentialist police inspector. Branagh plays the titular Wallander alongside Tom Hiddleston, an actor who may or may not be donning the winged helmet for Marvel’s “Thor.”

“Tom Hiddleston is a great actor and he, amongst a number of others, has been part of the group we’ve spoken to and all that’s still a work in progress,” Branagh said of his “Wallander” co-star’s chances of playing Thor.

Other contenders to play the Norse God of Thunder have been Alexander Skarsgård, Charlie Hunnam, Kevin McKidd and Josh Hartnett. However, Josh was mooted to be playing Loki (but that could possibly be being played by Natalie Portman).

I've not seen Wallender so not sure what Hiddleston is like and whether he would be good as Thor. He doesn't seem physically big enough to play him, but I could see him as Dr Blake, Thor's alter ego. Personally, I'd like to see McKidd play Thor as he just has the right look.

What do you feel about the possibility of Hiddleston playing Thor? If not him who would you want to see?

Leave a comment on this post below.

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UPDATED: Natalie Portman may be the female lead in Thor - Could she be Loki?

There has been quite a bit of movement recently on the Marvel Studios' Thor film. It is being directed by Kenneth Branagh but the recent news has been on who will play Thor. S

Nikki Finke has posted a few names who have tested for the part of Thor and / or Loki.Josh Hartnett was rumoured to play the big bad Loki, but what if he was also testing for Thor? I don't think he has got the charisma needed to carry off the part of the Thunder God, neither does he have the slyness needed for Loki. Although his turn on stage as Iago in Othello is meant to be the reason why Branagh spoke to him. If that is the case then Iago and Loki have pretty much the same relationship with the respective leads.

Nikki then goes on to list other, lesser known actors, who have tested for the lead role - Charlie Hunnam (the British co-star of the F/X series Sons Of Anarchy); Tom Hiddleston (award-winning British actor and RADA graduate who played Winston Churchill's son in HBO's The Gathering Storm), Alexandar Skarsgard (Stellan's son who has appeared in the HBO Iraq War miniseries Generation Kill and vampire drama True Blood, and who's definitely visually right for the role), Liam Hemsworth (offered a significant role in The Expendables after Sly Stallone saw his tape), and Joel Kinnaman (some Swedish-American dude).

That's all well and good about Thor, but there is a small part of the post that mentions Natalie Portman is in the lead for the female lead. In my mind this is a bit out of left field.

This Thor film is meant to follow the early years of Thor in Asgard so I assume Natalie, if she is cast, would be playing either Amora the Enchantress (who is one of Thor's rogues gallery) or Sif, Thor's wife (in the middle image above she certainly has Portman's look). The final option could possibly someone on Earth. Maybe Jane Foster, a nurse who helps Dr Donald Black (Thor's alter ego).

I personally think it will be the part of Sif (which could be a rebrand of Cif which was rebrand of Jif...damn you SyFy for confusing me), purely based on the fact the film will mainly be set in Asgard and Sif has dark hair. Not a precise reason but at least it is a reason.

Do you feel Natalie Portman will be good as the female lead in Thor? Out of the actors mentioned who would be the best Thor or is there someone not on the list who should play the part?

UPDATE: I totally forgot that in the recent Thor reboot, Loki had decided to take the form of a woman (in the picture on the left). Could Natalie Portman possibly be down to play the Trickster God?

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Ben Stiller does a Joaquin Phoenix with Natalie Portman at the 2009 Oscars

Remember when Joaquin Phoenix was on David Letterman in his bearded, rapstar, not with it, chewing gum, could be a skit, could be real interview? You can watch it here.

Well Ben Stiller did it when presenting the award. It was pretty funny, not as funny as the Pineapple Express or Steve Martin and Tina Fey thing (still can't find a full version of that), but funny nonetheless.

Discuss in the Forum

The Random

Bloody Disgusting have news that Natalie Portman will be starring in the remake of Dario Argenta's masterpiece, Suspira.

US government prosecutors have decided not to pursue a possible criminal case into how Batman star Heath Ledger obtained the powerful painkillers that contributed to his fatal overdose.

Morgan Freeman is doing well after his surgery. Msn reports...

The Telegraph reports that Britney Spears will play a killer lesbian stripper Varla in Tarantino’s remake of the 1965 cult film Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Star is reporting that Shia LaBeouf called Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen producers yesterday, to inform them that he may need to amputate one of his injured fingers.

Warner Bros has released a new Watchmen video journal on Yahoo. Director Zack Snyder takes us through the making of the Owlship.

More casting news for Inglorious Bastards. The Office (American version) star B.J. Novak is in talks to play PFC Utivich, a New York-born soldier of “slight build”.

MTV chats with James Franco and he confirms that they're working on a Pineapple Express / Superbad crossover.

Sam Bayer, a music video director making his directorial debut, will helm Heights, an "action thriller" set up at Michael Bay's production company, Platinum Dunes.

Discuss in the forum.

Star Wars: Episode 2 - Attack of the Clones, 2002 - DVD Review

Director: George "Wamprat" Lucas

Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Samuel L Jackson, Ian McDairmid, Christopher Lee & Frank Oz
Running Time: 142 Minutes

Score:6/10

Here's part two of Alan S's review of the Star Wars universe.

After yesterday’s attempt at committing, what felt like, suicide by saying that The Phantom Menace was actually not a bad film, from a certain point of view, I now seem to have a death wish that compelled me to watch the second episode in the prequel Star Wars trilogy; namely Attack of the Clones.

Here, we are now 10 years after the Battle of Naboo and young Anakin Skywalker is coming towards the end of his tutelage under Obi-Wan (or so he feels). Another failed attempt on the life of the now Senator Amidala throws their lives back together again.

The feel of the film is quite lush at the beginning. Full sweeping sets with velvet and leathers in cool creams and deep reds and purples really live up to the pomp and ceremony of Coruscant. Lucas also expands on the city/planet with a great speeder chase and even onto the never before seen planet surface with its gaudy neon lights and clubs (You wanna but some deathsticks?)

And it is at this point in the film that Lucas takes the film in a direction that has not been taken before. The film then gives a big nod to film noir with Obi-Wan going on a Sam Spade style investigation, complete with greasy spoon cafés (his meeting with Dex) and terse conversations with Jango Fett about his recent movements. You could almost imagine the dialogue was directly lifted from a 1940’s serial film starring Humphrey Bogart.

While Kenobi does his best to smoke Gauloises, keep whiskey in his filing cabinet and produce inner soliloquies, Anakin and Padmé embark on the ultimately disastrous love affair that spawns Luke and Leia. One thing for sure is his persistence. On no fewer that four occasions does he crash and burn after his post-teenage attempts at pick-up lines. Most mere mortals would have bailed after the first or second attempt.

What Lucas does, to not too bad a level, is have two parts of one story arc off in different directions to be brought back together again on the insect planet of Geonosis (Starship Troopers anyone?) However, it’s at this point that the two parts start to unravel.

The sudden arrival of all the clones in Storm Trooper outfits beggar’s belief. The god awful puns uttered by C-3PO when his head and body become detached are straight out of a child’s joke book. But what I want to focus on here is the crow-barred attempt to keep the fan-boys drooling.

At the finale, when Dooku (which means “poison” in Japanese, for those in the know) and Yoda face off, Dooku comments, without so much as a nod or a wink to camera, that thier knowledge of the Force can’t be separated, so let’s duel with Lightsabers….Oh. Dear. God! Don’t force it upon us! If you are going to let it happen, let it happen naturally!

But I digress. The fore-shadowing of events yet to come arrive thick and fast enough to keep the fans interested enough to chuckle at their own knowledge. Anakin starting on the slippery slope to the Dark side is all too apparent and is the clear nexus of the film.

And this is where I will make my final point. One of the best things that Lucas, in his infinite wisdom, did was to keep the story going throughout the Clone Wars with the animated series (which I shall watch tonight) as Episode II and Episode III are merely the same story split into two. The same feelings, emotions and all round feel to it suggest this.

So, my dear Live-for-Films colleagues, I am really just in hiatus on this review. I shall keep you posted on my continuing mission in a galaxy far, far away.

I’ll give this 6/10. A slightly disappointing addition, but wonderful to watch…bit like a train wreck.