'Bunraku' part of Dubai Film Festival lineup

Bunraku, featuring Kevin McKidd, will premiere at the 7th annual Dubai International Film Festival on December 16. The festival runs from December 12 to December 19. Tickets are available at the DIFF 2010 box offices in Mall of the Emirates, Souk Madinat Jumeirah and the CNN Building in Dubai Media City, or at the DIFF official website.

Kevin McKidd promotes 'Bunraku' at Fantastic Fest

Kevin, Josh Hartnett, and director Guy Moshe gave some red carpet interviews about working on Bunraku at Fantastic Fest 2010.

Did you do this movie during hiatus?

Kevin McKidd: "Funnily enough, I did this just after - this is how long ago we did this movie - I did this movie just after we wrapped Journeyman. This was two and a half years ago. It was pre-Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, I got the phone call about Grey’s Anatomy while we were in Bucharest and I asked Guy, 'What do you think?' I was asking all these guys whether I should do it or not. So that’s when it dates from."

How much time did you have to train?

Kevin McKidd: "I would say I started pre-training because I had to learn not only the martial arts side of it. A lot of my stuff is to do with manipulating the cane and the sword that my character uses. So I had to learn a lot of cane work and that kind of martial arts cane work, but also Guy had the idea of Killer #2 of being this kind of Fred Astaire, almost this dancer who can sort of tap dance his way through killing people. So I had to take dance class for a month before we even went to Bucharest, just to kind of make myself less flat footed than I actually am. Then once we got there, we probably had another two or three weeks and then during the filming, when we weren’t actually on the stages doing scenes, we had time off, the stunt crew would just grab us and strong-arm us into a rehearsal hall where we’d be drilling fights for the next sequence and the next. So it wasn’t like we had months and months to train. We had to actually do it as we were going."

It doesn’t sound like an indie movie.

Kevin McKidd: "It was like one of the highest end indie movies I’ve ever been a part of. I don't know what the budget was but, absolutely, it felt like a studio film with an independent sensibility, which is very cool."

How did it feel to wear the costume?

Kevin McKidd: "Me and Guy kind of sat down, we said we wanted this guy to be like Fred Astaire and that kind of stuff but we want him to be deconstructed instead of angular, so we came up with this weird waistcoat and stuff. It was good because we came to the vision of what he looked like together, little pink glasses with no stems and stuff. Actually, I decided that my character should have fully manicured nails at all times so I had to go to the nail salon once every two weeks to get new acrylic nails attached so I had these perfect acrylic nails that women have normally. I had to maintain that during the whole shooting because he wanted this feel of this guy who’s a perfectly coifed killing machine. It was actually tough to wear those nails, man." [Fred Topel via Kevin McKidd Online]

James McAvoy talks more about 'X-men'; discusses Xavier and Magneto

James McAvoy recently discussed taking over Patrick Stewart's role in X-Men: First Class with MTV, and now there's a little more of the interview.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

You can also check out more portrait photos of James from the Toronto International Film Festival over at James McAvoy Fan.

James McAvoy talks 'X-Men' with MTV

James McAvoy took some time off from promoting The Conspirator at the Toronto International Film Festival to talk about playing Charles Xavier with MTV News. X-Men: First Class is currently shooting in England and will open in 2011.

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

'Beginners' lands distribution deal + Ewan McGregor commemorates the Battle of Britain

Focus Features acquired Ewan McGregor's Beginners this Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, making it Focus' first buy at Toronto. The film is likely to open in the late spring or early summer of 2011 and Focus Features will use approximately $2 million for marketing.

Ewan McGregor and his brother Colin visited (via Best of Ewan) RAF Cranwell in April to film part of BBC1 documentary The Real Battle of Britain which aired on Sunday, September 19. Ewan talked about making the documentary with his brother:

“The Battle of Britain was a dramatic turning point in the history of the Second World War and a defining moment in world history. It was a privilege for Colin and I to make this documentary; not only to mark the 70th anniversary itself, but to be able to pay tribute to the courage and sacrifice of those who fought during the battle”.

Ewan's brother Colin also attended a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. Colin who is in the RAF read a prayer at the ceremony:

“Let us pray for those members of the Royal Air Force, who through their vigilance and determination make it possible for planes to fly and defend these shores.

“For all mechanics and ground crew, for radar operators and engineers, members of the logistics corps, that inspired by the example of their forbears, they might continue to fulfil this vital service with skill and pride.”

A clip from the documentary is below.

'The Conspirator' lands distribution deal + new TIFF portraits with James McAvoy

Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate have acquired The Conspirator for a Spring 2011 North American release. An official release date hasn't been confirmed yet.





A batch of TIFF portrait photos with James McAvoy have been released. The really cute photo of James and Conspirator co-star Justin Long comes courtesy of Life (via ONTD) and was taken by Jeff Vespa.

TIFF: Kevin McKidd interviews

Kevin McKidd made the rounds in Toronto this weekend to promote Bunraku.

Bunraku cast and crew interviews. Kevin's interview starts at 1:13.


Interview with Ron Perlman.


Another interview with Kevin and Ron.

Kevin McKidd attends the 'Bunraku' TIFF premiere

Kevin McKidd made an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday to promote Bunraku. You can watch some video of the Q&A at the screening here, here, and here. Kevin and his cast-mates, Josh Hartnett, Woody Harrelson, Gackt, and Ron Perlman attended the Bunraku cocktail party with director Guy Moshe and producer Nava Levin. You can check out photos from the cocktail party below.

New clips from 'Beginners' + Ewan McGregor's TIFF message

Making Of (via Best of Ewan) shares the very first clips from Ewan McGregor's new film, Beginners.





Beginners made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, but Ewan couldn't make it to the screening. His Beginners co-star Christopher Plummer read a message from him instead, which you can watch below.

James McAvoy at the Toronto International Film Festival

James McAvoy was at yesterday's gala presentation of The Conspirator at the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. You can watch a portion of the film's press conference at the film festival's official site. A portrait photo that was taken yesterday is posted above.

Some new film stills from The Conspirator are below.

'Jackboots on Whitehall' to open 18th Raindance Film Festival

Animated film Jackboots On Whitehall - which features the voices of Ewan McGregor and Alan Cumming - will open this year's Raindance Film Festival on September 29. The UK's largest independent film festival will be held at the Apollo Cinema in Piccadilly Circus in London. The festival runs through October 10 and you can get details on tickets at the festival's official site.

Ewan McGregor talks 'Beginners'

The LA Times has a fascinating write-up about indie drama Beginners, which debuts at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. The profile focuses more on writer-director Mike Mills and the semi-autobiographical nature of the film, but there are a few quotes from Ewan McGregor as well:

McGregor described Mills as "the director I've been looking for for a long time," no minor statement from an actor who has worked with, among others, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, George Lucas and Michael Bay. McGregor likened his working relationship with Mills to the one he had early in his career with Danny Boyle, when they made three films together.

"I tried to get a flavor of him, but he never really wanted me to play him," said McGregor from London of the challenge of taking on Mills' role in the filmmaker's own story. "And I did in the end do a kind of version of Mike, there's some physical things I suppose that come from him, but there's something more. What I tried to capture, which I hope I did, is his spirit. He's quite a sensitive, interesting man." [Mark Olsen]

James McAvoy to star in 'At the Mountains of Madness'? + TIFF appearance speculation

Guillermo del Toro's 3D adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness, is set to shoot in May of 2011. Universal reportedly wants James McAvoy in the lead role, while del Toro wants Tom Cruise instead. Both actors would presumably be free at the time, though at this point both actors aren't even officially attached to the project. A synopsis of Lovecraft's novella is below:

The story is written in first-person perspective by the geologist William Dyer, a professor from Miskatonic University. He writes to disclose hitherto unknown and closely kept secrets in the hope that he can deter a planned and much publicized scientific expedition to Antarctica. On a previous expedition there, a party of scholars from Miskatonic University, led by Dyer, discovered fantastic and horrific ruins and a dangerous secret beyond a range of mountains taller than the Himalayas. [Wikipedia via Collider]

The Conspirator will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival later this month, but there hasn't been official confirmation on whether or not James McAvoy would make an appearance in Toronto. According to an Exclusive Artists Management press release, James will be at the festival:

Exclusive Artists Management will be providing celebrity hair and makeup artists to participate at this year's Toronto International Film Festival for the seventh consecutive year.

...Some of the confirmed actors that our teams will be getting camera ready include Helen MIrren, Carey Mulligan, Evan Rachel Wood, James McAvoy, Rachel Weisz, Frieda Pinto, Minnie Driver, Vera Farmiga, Kristen Scott Thomas, Bryce Dallas Howard, Winona Ryder, Michael Sheen, Thomas Hayden Church, Chris Cooper, Josh Lucas, Amy Ryan, Sam Rockwell, Zach Galifianakis, Amber Tamblyn, Dominic Cooper, Kate Mara, Jim Broadbent and Melissa Leo

TIFF schedule: 'Beginners', 'Bunraku', and 'The Conspirator'

Screening schedules for the Toronto International Film Festival are now online.

Beginners, with Ewan McGregor:

Saturday September 11
9:00 PM
VISA SCREENING ROOM (ELGIN)

Sunday September 12
3:00 PM
RYERSON

Sunday September 19
9:30 PM
SCOTIABANK THEATRE 1

Bunraku, featuring Kevin McKidd:

Saturday September 11
11:59 PM
RYERSON

Tuesday September 14
10:15 PM
SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2

Friday September 17
5:00 PM
SCOTIABANK THEATRE 2

The Conspirator starring James McAvoy:

Saturday September 11
6:30 PM
ROY THOMSON HALL

Sunday September 12
12:00 PM
RYERSON

Sunday September 19
2:45 PM
VARSITY 8

More photos of Ewan McGregor in 'Beginners'

The first photo from Beginners was unveiled last week, and now two more photos have surfaced. The film's world premiere will be at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. An official description of Beginners is below:

Five years after Thumbsucker, director Mike Mills returns to the Festival with
another winning indie dramedy that balances humour, sorrow and romance with
aplomb.
Beginners deftly juggles two chronologies to tell the heartwarming
story of two major points in the life of Oliver (Ewan McGregor), a talented
illustrator.

One timeline follows the slow-burning deterioration of
Oliver’s father (Christopher Plummer), who is dying of cancer. But his impending
death is not the only news that has caught Oliver off guard; his divorced
father, at the age of seventy-five, has also come out of the closet. Just like
that, he gets a new wardrobe, a new boyfriend and an entirely new outlook on
life.

Following his father’s death, a bereaved Oliver becomes somewhat
of a shut-in. As Beginners takes us through his personal journey, the film
flashes forward, intercutting a budding relationship between Oliver and a young
French actress (Inglourious Basterd’s Mélanie Laurent) whom he meets at a
costume party that he attends under duress. The twin narratives gradually reveal
subtle associations about how Oliver reacts to both these unpredictable
relationships, and how his father and girlfriend motivate him to surpass his
self-prescribed limitations.

McGregor and Laurent have natural onscreen
chemistry, and Plummer is outstanding in his rich portrayal of a dying man who
is finally able to live honestly, breaking out of his shell so near the end of
his life. The ensemble cast lends the film a warm, understated aura that never
feels the least bit contrived.

Mills is at the top of his game in
crafting dynamic mood pieces that steer clear of the usual trappings found in
American independent cinema. The outcome is a thoroughly enjoyable character
study about people opening up and discovering themselves despite age,
preconceptions and illness. [Jane Schoettle]

'Bunraku' to screen at Toronto

Bunraku (which features an appearance by Kevin McKidd) will reportedly screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. The festival runs from September 9 to September 19.

I had been meaning to post this information a few days ago, but my vacation has distracted me a little. Sorry for the delay everyone.

First photo of Ewan McGregor in 'Beginners'

After word that Beginners would have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, a brand new photo with Ewan McGregor and co-star Christopher Plummer has been unveiled via the TIFF website.

'The Tempest' to screen at the New York Film Festival

The Tempest, which stars Alan Cumming, will be the Centerpiece selection at this year's New York Film Festival. After it closes the Venice Film Festival on September 11, it will then have its North American debut at the NYFF on Saturday, October 2, 2010.

Toronto 2010 line-up revealed; includes 'Beginners' and 'The Conspirator'

The Toronto International Film Festival announced (via Awards Daily) part of its 2010 line-up this morning. Robert Redford's The Conspirator (starring James McAvoy) will have its world premiere at the festival's gala program and Mike Mills' Beginners (starring Ewan McGregor) will have its world premiere at the special presentation program. The 35th annual film festival runs from September 9 and September 19. The festival will announce more titles in the coming weeks and you can head on over to indieWIRE for the complete list from today's announcement.

'The Tempest' to close the Venice Film Festival

The Venice International Film Festival announced earlier today that Julie Taymor's adaptation of The Tempest (which stars Alan Cumming) will close the the festival on September 11. The Tempest is scheduled to open in December and the festival runs from September 1 to September 11.