It appears the world’s appetite for anything related to Princess Diana has not abated. Plans are afoot to make a film about her affair with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

Naomi Watts is tipped to play the title role.

From the BBC:

British-born actress Naomi Watts is to portray Princess Diana in a new film believed to explore her relationship with the heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.

The pair had a discreet romantic affair that began in 1995 and ended a few months before her death in August 1997.

Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, Caught in Flight is described as “a compelling portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales during the last two years of her life”.

Watts, 43, said it was “such an honour to be able to play this iconic role”.

“Princess Diana was loved across the world, and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen,” she continued.

Produced by Ecosse Films, whose previous features include John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, the movie will begin shooting in the UK later this year.

Source.

Could be interesting! What do you think?

Naomi Watts to Play Princess Diana in Upcoming Biopic is a post from: Anglotopia.net

By Larry Jaffee, Editor & Publisher, Walford Gazette (www.wgazette.com)

Recently watching Georgy Girl for the first time since I was a wee lad in the late 1960s, it occurred to me that the time has come for a remake of this Swingin’ London drama, on the heels of Alfie and The Italian Job getting made over for the big screen in recent years.

Okay, I’m going to stick out my neck here and nominate former EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy (EE’s Sonia Jackson) for the title role, for which Lynn Redgrave earned an Oscar nomination in the 1966 original. Separated at birth by an even 40 years, their physical resemblance is uncanny.

Both publicly struggled with their weight: Redgrave was a spokeswoman for Weight Watchers, while Cassidy starred in a workout video, only to have the tabloids report on every-pound she has gained since then.

True, Redgrave, who died in 2010, was born into an aristocratic acting dynasty, while Cassidy overcame her working-class trappings as a child actor plucked out of obscurity by EastEnders talent scouts at Anna Scher’s influential drama school in North Islington for the less advantaged at the mere age of 10.

In 1966 Georgy Girl was among the biggest-grossing British import films in the U.S., no doubt helped along by a No. 1 pop hit single in the title song by The Seekers during the opening credits. Hell, I can already hear Adele’s inevitable cover version for the soundtrack.

In Georgy Girl, Redgrave plays a recent college graduate daughter of a working-class butler; she makes ends meet by teaching music to underprivileged children. In one of Sonia’s earliest EastEnders scenes that made an impression she was seen tooting on a trumpet, busking outside the Walford East Tube stop.

A second epiphany of ‘Cassidy as Redgrave’ hit me this past week while watching an EastEnders episode on US public TV – 7-1/2 years behind the U.K. – when the former’s alter ego, Sonia Jackson, became engaged to Martin Fowler. What a ride they’ve had! He knocked her up when she was still a teenager; Sonia didn’t even know she was preggers, reluctantly giving up Chloe for adoption.

A few years later, the ugly ducking (not unlike Georgy) finally finds love with a cute boy seemingly way out of her league, Jamie Mitchell, only for her fiancé to meet the carwheels of the reckless DWI Martin. A few years later, Sonia and Martin are drawn together. It sort of made sense considering the roller coaster they had shared.

Cassidy’s final scenes as Sonia as a regular EastEnders character were screened in February 2007, although she’s made two appearances since then, the latest being about a year ago to attend Ricky and Bianca’s second wedding.

If Alfie (1967) told Swingin’ London from Michael Caine’s male perspective, Georgy Girl tells it from a female, borne out by Redgrave’s pathos as a lonely 20-something looking for true love.

Redgrave went onto a solid acting career, albeit overshadowed by her more controversial sister Vanessa. Lynn followed Georgy Girl, which won her an Oscar nomination, with Smashing Time (1967), which presented fun Swingin’ London, in contrast to Georgy Girl’s relatively dark themes of unwanted pregnancy and adultery.

Jos, played by young and handsome Alan Bates, is chauvinistic and aimless but knows how to have a good time with or without protection. Tired of waiting for Georgy’s glamorous roommate Meredith (played by then-‘It Girl’ Charlotte Rampling) back at the flat, her boyfriend Jos finds he has more in common with Georgy than Meredith. What emerges is an uneasy threesome, sans any further sex.

Meanwhile, nearly 30 years her elder, James Mason plays married lawyer James Leamington, who makes Georgy an indecent proposal, in a legal contract, for her to become his mistress. Georgy’s father is unfazed way that his employer is looking to soil his only daughter, who from his perspective, looks ahead to spinsterhood.

Obviously my 10-year-old self missed all the heady subtext when I caught the movie on television after school one afternoon in 1968 on Channel 9’s ‘Million Dollar Movie’.

Mason’s lech recalls his role in Lolita. Georgy reluctantly marries Leamington after his wife unexpectedly dies, and she falls in love not with him but with Meredith’s baby, in a plot development that could have easily ended up on EastEnders with Sonia as the protagonist.

About 10 years ago Cassidy and I briefly met at EastEnders’ Elstree studio, and we discussed among other things our mutual love of Frank Sinatra’s music. The Walford Gazette’s Tim Wilson interviewed her the previous year.

Come on, Pinewood, Hollywood, anyone? Save this fine actress from another round of Celebrity Big Brother!

A few weeks ago, Larry Jaffee hosted with the New York British Film & Telly Meet-Up Group a Georgy Girl screening as a promotion for his forthcoming magazine, UK:Cue.

Guest Post: How About a Georgy Girl Remake Starring Natalie Cassidy? is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Like it or not the Harry Potter movies are over, and actor Daniel Radcliffe – despite having  enough in the bank to walk away forever – is trying to move onto the next stage of his career. He’s already performed on stage to some acclaim, but his next movie project was always going to be highly-anticipated, and doubtless the knives were out when it was announced he’d be donning sideburns for a Victorian horror story.

Radcliffe plays Arthur Kipps, a widow and single father following the death of his wife in childbirth.  But money still has to be made, and his law firm boss sends him off on a last-chance assignment to sort out the will of Alice Drablow, the last resident of Eel Marsh House. As soon as he arrives in the small village nearby, things seem wrong. The locals don’t want him to stay, children are hurried indoors when he passes by, and only local landlord Daily (Hinds) offers the hand of friendship.

Eel Marsh House is on at island at the end of a causeway that gets cut off by the tide twice a day, and en route Arthur sees a cross in the boggy marshland. On arrival at the spooky, dusty house he gets to work exploring and working – but then he begins to hear noises upstairs, and then sees a mysterious Woman in Black in the grounds.

Soon Arthur learns that all the locals have lost children in unexplained accidents, and though Daily dismisses it all as superstition (despite his wife (McTeer) and her obsession with their own dead child), Arthur realizes that his own son’s imminent arrival could be a journey to death.

Establishing a frightening tone immediately (three small girls calmly jump from a building together), this is classic, haunted house, jump-out-of-your-seat stuff. There’s minimal dialogue and almost no music, with the sounds of creaking wood, footsteps and unexplained noises doing all the work instead of lots of blood, over-the-top CGI and an obvious soundtrack.

That may explain its short running time – it’s really only the last 10 minutes or so before there’s any real pace to the story – and as ever with horror movies it’s always hard to understand why people ignore warning signs and go into the cellar or out into the dark.

Adapted from the book by Susan Hill (and with a stage version that’s been running in London since 1989 – the second longest-running play ever next to Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” – this movie is from raised-from-the-dead British studio Hammer and, despite Radcliffe’s struggle to convey fear or surprise very well, solid performances, stunning scenery and tight direction make for a surprisingly good shocker. Hopefully “Harry” fans will give it a try!

THE WOMAN IN BLACK

Director: James Watkins  

Duration: 95 mins

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer

Score: 4 out of 5

Review by JAMES BARTLETT

Brit Movie Reviews: The Woman in Black Review – Daniel Radcliffe post-Harry Potter is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Many Doctor Who and David Tennant fans have been waiting for The Decoy Bride for some time. It’s had a strange release schedule (being released in Italy months ago for some reason). But it’s finally opened in the USA on the IFC On Demand service. It will open in US theaters in march.

This is David Tennant’s first turn at becoming the next Hugh Grant – i.e. star of British romantic comedies. The question is – does he succeed? We’ll get to that.

The movie starts with a hoax as movie star Lara tries to throw off the paparazzi to keep her wedding to David Tennant’s character secret. It doesn’t work.

David plays a famous, unassuming author named James Arber, who’s engaged to marry the American mega-celebrity. In spirit it could be a sequal to something like Notting Hill. David expertly dons his English accent which is a nice change as he’s mostly used his native Scottish accent in his recent roles.

The main setting is a charming little Scottish Isle called Hegg (it’s not a real place, it was filmed on the Isle of Man). It’s portrayed as the most remote place in the UK – which makes it the perfect place to stage a celebrity wedding. Until the media finds out their grand plan.

Kelly McDonald stars as a romantically inept islander returning home with her tail between her legs. It’s really nice to see Kelly McDonald is a non-serious role and taking a turn at comedy. She’s mostly known in America for her dower and dramatic role in Boardwalk Empire but here she signs as the awkward islander who gets swept up in the celebrity wedding as the decoy bride to throw off the paparazzi.

The movie is charming in the way that only an independent movie about some far off place in Britain can be. The American characters are probably the worst part of the movie and it really could have done without them. They’re so unnecessary that their plot thread is not even resolved at the end of the movie.

There’s a lot in the movie that doesn’t make much sense but that doesn’t make it not fun and charming. I guess just don’t think about the plot too deeply. It has kind of a strange ending but it works. David Tennant could certainly continue playing romantic roles – he gets the comedy timing right and he’s of course charming as always.

Overall it’s a fun little movie and we recommend it.

You can rent it now on IFC On Demand for $9.99 or you can wait until it’s released in theaters in a few weeks time.

If you’re curious – here’s the trailer:

Brit Movie Reviews: The Decoy Bride Review Starring David Tennant and Kelly MacDonald is a post from: Anglotopia.net

There’s a fun website called How it Should Have Ended that takes gaping plot holes from popular movies and re-imagines their endings based on fixing them.

In this video they present how Harry Potter should have ended and it really makes a lot of sense!

Source.

Hilarious Video: How Harry Potter Should Have Ended is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe was on the red carpet for the first movie in which he plays an adult role as The Woman in Black held its world premiere at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

Daniel Radcliffe sheds Harry Potter image in new film The Woman in Black is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Making a biopic about Margaret Thatcher is not an easy thing to do. She’s not a sparkling conversationalist, she’s not overly witty, and she’s not electric in personality. However she is one of the most significant women of the last century and remains England’s first and only female Prime Minister. She is a woman who, while in office,  caused as much controversy as she gained accolades.

Thatcher is the subject of a new biopic, ‘The Iron Lady.’ In the film Meryl Streep plays Thatcher in her older years with Alexandra Roach portraying her in her formative years. Jim Broadbent co-stars as Denis Thatcher. Richard E. Grant and Anthony Head also appear in the film.

Encapsulating the entire life of someone as significant as Ms. Thatcher is no easy task. She is a daunting figure who even today casts a shadow over the office of Prime Minister. Nonetheless this is what ‘The Iron Lady’ sets out to do. Using flashbacks the movie establishes early on that Ms.Thatcher was a potent political leader who came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to stand side by side with other leaders in a male dominated world.

History shows us that Margaret Thatcher was a woman who, when she set out to do something, got it done. Her Achilles heel however that was she often didn’t play well with others. As she rose to power in the Conservative Party she stepped on a lot of egos and spewed a lot of venom at some of the most respected people in Britain. Streep brings this out in her performance with rich detail, upending tranquil scenes with sudden bursts of rage and anger. She also does a magnificent job of bringing the inner turmoil that Maggie suffered all her political life; being a woman in a man’s game.

In fact it is this that haunts Thatcher and makes he lust for power so intense. As Thatcher, Streep perfectly mimics her voice, mannerisms and vocal pitch. It is a striking proposition to play her and Streep undertakes this fearlessly.

Alexandra Roach has it somewhat easier. Her younger Thatcher, although fighting early on for a political seat, is far more endearing and naive. The film’s few tender moments come when she and a younger Denis (Harry Lloyd) meet, court and fall in love.  Roach sets the groundwork for what is to come and allows Streep to roam free in the role later on. Thatcher’s early years in politics were not easy and Roach’s performance reflects her ambition, drive and determination to be seen as more than a grocer’s daughter. She too has taken a dauntless role and made it her own.

Broadbent is superb. He gives the film a breath of air when things get intense. He also holds his own with Streep onscreen as she hustles and bustles boisterously from crisis to crisis. Broadbent, although appearing mostly as an illusion of Thatcher’s dementia throughout most of the film, gives Denis a life, albeit one that is subservient to his wife’s insatiable desire for adoration and power.

Olivia Colman plays Carol Thatcher, Maggie’s daughter who watches helplessly as her mother moves from the worlds of the past and present without any differentiation. It’s not easy being the daughter of one of the most controversial figures in the world and Colman brings this out in the role. She brings a sense of angst as a daughter caring for a mother who is in mourning and suffering from dementia.

The film is set over three days in Thatcher’s life following the death of her husband. Over this period Lady Thatcher, suffering from dementia, recalls her life. It is not obvious at first, but her dementia is profound. She struggles to control herself and oftentimes finds herself speaking to her dead husband. Flashbacks and archival footage tell the story of her ascension and decline from power as well as her life out of office. These flashbacks chronicle her rise from obscurity to her rise through the House of Commons and eventual leadership of The Conservative Party. This is where Streep really takes the reigns of the role and runs with it. As Thatcher becomes PM and leads Britain into the Falklands War she intensifies her performance. She perfectly nails Thatcher’s cold ambivalence to labor strikes, youth protests and the antiwar movement.

Streep skillfully recreates the cold and calculating Thatcher that got things done her way and balances that with a woman, who late in life, struggles with getting a grip on reality and being an ordinary citizen. This careful balancing act enables her to bring a sense of tragic melancholy to the elderly Thatcher who clearly remains bitter, angry and lost after leaving office.

During Thatcher’s rule she faced several crisis situations. The UK’s youth culture and union workers protested and criticized her ever move. The riots they caused were profoundly demonstrative in illustrating how divided she often made her nation’s citizens over her policies. As Prime Minister she was not always popular. She was one of the most controversial leaders of the 1980s who oversaw a period of economic malaise, went toe to toe with the IRA, and went to war over the Falklands. She also  staunchly supported American interests in the Cold War by allying Britain closely with Ronald Reagen’s United States, another move that enraged her colleagues and most vocal opponents.

When Meryl Streep takes a part she inhabits every fiber of that character. Here she completely transforms herself into Ms. Thatcher. The tone, inflections and mannerisms are pitch perfect and thus the audience completely forgets they are watching an actress.  Thatcher is not an easy person to like and Streep gets it right by not trying to make more out of her then she is. She doesn’t shy away from the fact that Thatcher is often very cold and domineering . Yet her version of the PM is tinged with a sense of loss over the death of her husband and frustration over how she left office.

Although The Iron Lady is one of Streep’s triumphs as an actress, the film itself  misses its mark. The pacing is off and the audience is left to wonder somewhat as they attempt to discern what Maggie perceives as real or imaginary. The  ensemble is terrific but suffers from a script that drags a bit in places as it struggles to make Thatcher interesting and compelling. The fact is that  it is hard to make one of the world’s most unlikable political figures interesting to a wide audience.

Director Phyllida Lloyd
 adeptly chronicles her life and political rise by, at times, presenting the film like a stage production with closed in sets, tight dialogue and powerful acting. By staging the film in this way she manages to make this daughter of a shop owner watchable. It also creates a natural spatial tension that enhances the scenes where Thatcher is at combat with her rivals. Lloyd also takes advantage of some great locales for filming. Being able to film inside some of the most powerful places in the British government lends a lot to the production. It is a cinematic treat. The costumes and sets are also great.

She also knows enough to let Streep go out on her own and inhibit the character without interference. With Roach she lets a young actress find her way with the part, resulting in a breakthrough performance.

‘The Iron Lady’ is a film held together by Meryl Streep. The supporting cast is also quite good, however there is something flat about the film that makes it difficult to connect with. It could be that even on screen Thatcher is not easy to warm up to. Another problem is that this movie is over ambitious in trying to deliver a complete picture of someone as complex as Margaret Thatcher. The film is unapologetic of her flaws and characteristics and doesn’t try to rewrite history. Nonetheless it somehow misses  capturing her many complexities which is probably impossible to do in a feature film.

This evasive, all pervading problem of Thatcher’s unlikability is what makes ‘The Iron Lady’ a good film but not a great one. It is a very good film that has so much more potential to be a great one. Maybe the film suffered from Thatcher’s problem of not knowing when to hold back and ease up. Still, despite this, it is worth seeing.

‘The Iron Lady’ is a must see for fans of British politics, popular culture and history. Sadly many people today know little of the discord she brought to her nation’s youth culture or just how close she came to plunging England deeper into the murky depths of The Cold War. She was controversial, powerful. resourceful and resolute. She moved Britain from austerity into a new era of nationalism while restoring it as a world power. ‘The Iron Lady’ affords Anglophiles the opportunity to familiarize themselves with one of Britain’s most polarizing personalities while watching an amazing actress, Meryl Streep, make the part completely her own.

Brit Movies: The Iron Lady Review from an American Perspective is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Fiennes – most recently seen on screen as Lord Voldemeort in the tumultuous final two movies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – goes all Shakespearean for his directorial debut, taking on one of the bard’s lesser-performed works.

Screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator, The Last Samurai) adapted Shakespeare’s base-on-truth early 17^th century story for the big screen, and Fiennes seems to have gained the same acclaim and plaudits for his performance on film as he did on stage, when he played the lead role in 2000 in London and New York.

The story begins in wartime; the Romans – led by battle-scarred veteran Gaius Marcius (Fiennes) and fighting off the challenge from the Volumnia city rebels led by Tullus Aufidius (Butler). The two are vicious enemies from way back, and when they meet early on they fight it out with knives, though an explosion ends the fight.

Returning home a hero, Marcius is elected Consul by the grateful Senators and christened “Coriolanus”. But outside the gates, the Roman people are hungry and sick of war, and when their new leader can barely hide his lack of empathy, he quickly falls from grace and, despite the best efforts of peacemaker Melenius (Cox), ends up being banished from the city.

Hell-bent on bloody revenge, Coriolanus walks the roads alone until, bearded and bedraggled, he arrives at Volumnia and offers his service to Aufidius and the rebels – or demands immediate death. Aufidius welcomes him with open arms, but soon he’s playing second fiddle to Coriolanus, who refuses to negotiate with a desperate Melenius and won’t even speak when his ambitious mother (Redgrave), wife (Chastian) and young son are sent to beg for his mercy. Can anything stop Coriolanus now?

Even without the prose it’s often proved difficult to adapt Shakespeare for modern audiences, and here, despite good performances – from Redgrave and Cox especially, and Fiennes too – the problem is that Coriolanus is such an unsympathetic character. He’s a rich, war-mongering man who cares only for his pride and honor and nothing for his people, so there’s nothing about him to like at all.

He’s the villain of the story too as a result, and even though it’s meant to be a tragedy, when it becomes clear that the much-anticipated (and highlighted) Fiennes/Butler dynamic is only a tiny part of the movie and is played out and resolved briefly and highly unsatisfyingly, you end up with a crushingly over-long story.

If perhaps Coriolanus had gone over the rebels half way through and audiences had seen how he and Aufidius wrestled with the fog of war, the thrill of victory and the division of power/rivalry, then it might have been more engaging and powerful.

But the decision was made otherwise, and since it also lacks any real wit or humor as well as a lead whom you quickly feel deserves whatever nasty end he may get, then it becomes a wearisome couple of hours, even despite some good action sequences and the (rather obvious) use of modern metaphors and technology.

Movie Info:

CORIOLANUS

Director:  Ralph Fiennes

Duration: 122 mins

Cast: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Chastain

Score: 2 out of 5

Brit Movies Reviews – Coriolanus – Ralph Fiennes stars and directs Shakespeare’s tragedy is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Ralph Fiennes talks to Channel 4 News about his new film Coriolanus, based on the Shakespeare play – and why it is still relevant today.

Ralph Fiennes talks Coriolanus – Coriolanus on the silver screen is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Richard Curtis – famous for writing movies such as Notting Hill, Love Actually and War Horse – is going to write and direct a low-budget time travel movie.

From the HR:

Richard Curtis, the scribe whose Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill and Love, Actually have generated millions of box-office bucks, is gearing up to get back in the director’s chair this summer.

Curtis is to direct About Time, billed by backers as a low-budget time-travel picture from his own script. The project is in preproduction with Working Title Films, the Universal-owned production banner led by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.

Bevan told The Hollywood Reporter that casting is under way for the project and hopes it will go before the cameras “sometime this summer.”

He is expected to direct the time-travel dramady ahead of other projects he is working on which include a fresh collaboration with fellow writer Ben Elton, with whom he created the cult comedy BlackAdder, and Trash, a script he is writing for the Oscar-nominated Stephen Daldry to direct.

Source.

Sounds like an interesting project. We’ll have more details when they become available in due course.

Brit Movies: Richard Curtis – Writer/Director of Love Actually – To Write and Direct Time Travel Adventure is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Landmark Theaters has partnered with FunJet Vacations to sponsor a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy themed trip to London. You get to spend 5 days and 4 nights exploring the clandestine side of London.

The prize includes:

Grand Prize: There is one (1) Grand Prize available.  The Grand Prize consists of a trip for the Grand Prize winner and one (1) guest to London, England, which consists of (i) round-trip coach airfare, provided by Funjet Vacations, for the Grand Prize winner and his or her guest between the major U.S. airport that is nearest to the Grand Prize winner’s residence and an airport near London, England; and (ii) four (4) nights’/ five (5) days hotel accommodations for the Grand Prize winner and his or her guest (one [1] standard room, double occupancy) at a hotel to be selected by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  The approximate retail value (“ARV”) of the Grand Prize is $4,000.

The sweepstakes is open to US resident of all 50 US states (including DC) who are 21 years or older.

You have until January 26th to enter – so enter quickly!

Anglotopia Contest Disclaimer – PLEASE READ – before you email us and complain about the contest please understand that we are NOT running this contest NOR are we affiliated with it in anyway. We are merely providing the information that this contest exists. This contest is on Facebook and we can’t do anything about this.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO ENTER!

Anglophile Alert: Win a Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Themed Trip to London! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

A new image of Martin Freeman in character as Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit has been released.

Check it out below!

Click the image for a larger version!

New Image of Martin Freeman in The Hobbit is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Former Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe hosted Saturday Night Live last night and one of the funniest bits was when he spoofed Harry Potter where he portrays Harry ten years after the books as the loser that still hangs around the school. It’s pretty funny.

Check out a clip below - unfortunately it’s USA only.

Watch the whole episode on HULU here.

Daniel Radcliffe Hosts Saturday Night Live – Spoofs Harry Potter – Video Inside is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Editor’s Note: This if the first review for Anglotopia’s new staff Brit movie reviewer – James Bartlett – a British Expat living in LA.

Period dramas and classic novel adaptations aside, in many ways this is perhaps the most British movie released for many years, as it is a biopic of Margaret Thatcher, the British Prime Minister from 1979-1990 and a figure who not only became world famous as a no-nonsense politician and leader, but as a woman broke countless glass ceilings on her determined rise to the top.

Now frail and well into her late 80s, Thatcher herself is rarely seen in public these days and her reign is not looked back on with much fondness. It could be that history will be a fairer judge, and this movie attempts to look at Thatcher the person, as well as Thatcher the public figure.

The story begins as an elderly Thatcher (Meryl Streep) has breakfast with her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent), though it’s quickly clear that he is a figment of her imagination, and that she’s now seemingly disappearing into dementia, with long-dead Denis as a regular companion as she recalls moments from her past.

These include her young days as a grocer’s daughter with a father who was strong Conservative values; hard work, protecting business and minimal Government assistance – it’s no surprise that she and Reagan shared such a bond later. As a young Margaret Roberts though (played by Alexandra Roach), she entered a world of sexism and smoky rooms – yet Denis was one of the few who admired her spirit and respected her degree from Oxford.

Switching continually between the hazy present and the rose-colored past, we see Thatcher become head of her political party and then, in a ground-breaking historical moment, the first female Prime Minster. Over the following years she battles against the Unions and strikes, refuses to deal with terrorists, is bombed by the IRA, makes huge public cuts and introduces unpopular taxes – but also wins a war in the Falkland Islands and ushers in years of prosperity.

All things must come to an end though, and a leadership challenge sees her resignation and obscurity, regarded as a heartless relic in this modern age. Her flighty daughter Carol (Olivia Coleman) struggles to help, but is always second to Mark, the Thatcher’s son who always makes excuses to come and visit. It’s only Denis – a lost fantasy – who keeps her from losing her fast intelligence and strong opinions, and she knows even he will have to leave.

As awards season has proved, Streep – as ever – is marvelous as Thatcher in middle/late age, while Broadbent shows that Denis was always quick with a joke and an encouraging word. Streep captures Thatcher well, though – as someone who grew up in that era in England – never quite makes it; perhaps that would have been too much of an impression.

Part of that is due to the script, which barely rises above simplistic, movie-of-the-week stuff that lacks any real depth or bit; thank goodness it was Streep playing the part. American audiences are unlikely to be able to understand what is happening with regards to the historical elements either (Reagan gets a second of footage), and though perhaps that’s why they’re represented with vague archive footage, director Law – so successful directing Streep in “Mamma Mia” – adds little but safe clichés.

A movie like this about such a controversial and famous person needs to be packed full of drama and conflict, and here it’s too focused on an elderly Thatcher hallucinating her ghost Denis. It’s a tactic that allows Streep to show all her talents, but veers too closely to a character study of an old person remembering her past – and like it or not, Thatcher was more than any person, though you would hardly know it from this movie.

Movie Info:

THE IRON LADY
Rated: PG-13
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Duration: 105 mins
Cast: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Alexandra Roach, Olivia Colman
Score: 2½ stars out of 5

Brit Movies Reviews: The Iron Lady – Meryl Streep Shines by The Film Glosses Over History is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Hitchhiker’s fans rejoice! Arthur Dent is headed for the stage with the original BBC cast.

According to the BBC:

Original cast members of the TV and radio versions of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy are reuniting for a new stage production.

The show will star Simon Jones, who played lead character Arthur Dent in the TV and radio versions of Douglas Adams’s sci-fi comedy.

It will be staged as a radio recording, which will be made available for download after the tour.

The show’s first performance will be at Glasgow’s Theatre Royal on 8 June.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show – Live! will play at a host of other venues throughout June and July, ending at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 21 July.

The production has been adapted and written by its director Dirk Maggs, who was behind Hitchhiker’s 2003 revival on radio.

Source.

So the question is – how many fans will show up in their dressing gowns with a towel slung over their shoulder?

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy set for stage return is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Film star Luke Evans shows off his native Wales with a stunning video of castles, culture and magnificent scenery.

Video: Luke Evans’ guide to Wales is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Will and Kate – the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – attended the star studded premiere of War Horse in London on Sunday January 8th.

Here’s a video:

Prince William and his wife, Kate, walked the red carpet at the UK premiere of Steven Spielberg’s latest movie, War Horse. Report by Sam Homewood.

Here’s a picture gallery of the Royal Couple – they look fabulous! Click the image to view a full sized version.

Royal Couple: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Attend War Horse Premiere is a post from: Anglotopia.net

The Decoy Bride, what was once tipped as David Tennant’s first turn at the whole British romantic comedy thing has had a strange journey. It’s opened in a bunch of strange markets before opening in the UK. They don’t seem to be in a hurry to release it anywhere else.

One can only assume from this that the movie isn’t very good. We have no idea – there isn’t even a publicly available trailer.

That said – IFC Films is going to distribute the film in the US – it will be released first on On Demand services on February 3rd and then wide into theaters on March 9th 2012.

We’ll review it if we ever get a chance to see it.

Here’s the plot details from IFC Films:

When the wedding of internationally famous film star Lara Tyler (ALICE EVE) to tweedy English author James Arber (DAVID TENNANT) is sabotaged by a paparazzo, they decide to relocate the event to the one place where the world’s press won’t find them: the sleepy Island of Hegg, as featured in James’ bestselling novel The Ornithologists Wife. But to the shock of Lara’s P.A Steve Korbitz (MICHAEL URIE), the reality of the island is different from the romanticised picture James has created (without ever visiting), and he has to transform this fantasy world before the superstar arrives.

However, dilapidated buildings and greedy islanders are the least of the problems that the wedding party and their Hollywood entourage have to deal with, as Marco (FEDERICO CASTELLUCCIO) the ingenious paparazzo tracks them down in his mission to photograph the celebrity wedding of the year.

Steve and his assistant Emma (SALLY PHILLIPS) must find a decoy bride and think that local girl Katie (KELLY MACDONALD) will be an ideal replacement. But when Katie meets James, sparks fly, dresses get ruined and love gets complicated.

Will Katie be able to fool the awaiting media and live up to being a stand-in for the world’s most famous movie star? Can an ordinary girl fill the most famous Manolos on the planet? And whatever will happen to her pledge never, under any circumstances, to fall in love again?

More details here.

David Tennant: The Decoy Bride to Open on IFC in Feb, Theaters in March is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This is a very strange concept for a movie but it does sound interesting and has a cracking cast (Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt among them).

Here’s the official synopsis:

A visionary sheik has a big dream — to bring salmon fishing to the desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn his dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain’s leading fisheries expert who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary latches on for its potential as a ‘good will’ story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen will be released in the USA in March 2012.

Brit Movies: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Trailer Released Starring Ewan McGregor is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Two new British actors will be joining fellow Brit Simon Pegg in the cast for Star Trek 2 – the sequel to the hit Star Trek reboot from a few years ago.

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch is joining the cast – it’s rumored he’s going to play the villain – which would be awesome.

Also, Noel Clarke, who’s best known for playing Mickey on Doctor Who has also been cast – his whole is unknown as well.

Great news!

Benedict Cumberbatch and Noel Clarke Join the Cast of Star Trek 2 is a post from: Anglotopia.net

We came across some funny iterations of movie posters for recent British movies that imagines what they’ve be titled if their titles reflected what they were really about.

Check them out below.

From TheShiznit.co.uk

Brit Movies: If Their Posters Said What They Were Really About is a post from: Anglotopia.net

London is one of the most exciting cities to visit, and The Muppets are some of the funniest characters in entertainment. Put them together and you get a whole lot of fun! This Muppets’ guide to London shows you where the puppets hung out in The Great Muppet Caper.

Trafalgar Square

In The Great Muppet Caper, Kermit, Fozzie Bear and Gonzo visit London to investigate Lady Holiday’s jewels theft. Their adventures take them all over the capital, with shots of famous landmarks such as Trafalgar Square.

This historic square is one of London’s most lively open spaces and is very popular with tourists. Here you’ll find Nelson’s Column and the four plinths. The impressive National Gallery overlooks the square.

The Happiness Hotel

After arriving in London, Kermit and co. settle in at ramshackle The Happiness Hotel. Kermit first comes across receptionist Miss Piggy at this hotel whilst searching for Lady Holiday. The pink madam instantly falls in love with our little green friend and pretends to be the Lady.

You can see The Happiness Hotel for yourself if you head to Walt Disney World. In London itself, you will probably prefer a trip to a fancy hotel rather than a dilapidated one! There are plenty of famous London hotels to see, including the Ritz and the Savoy.

The River Thames

Along with Trafalgar Square, the world famous River Thames is another real location used in the Muppet film. You can see the great river in all its glory with a Thames cruise. You could also take a stroll along the river banks and check out landmarks like Tower Bridge, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.

The Dubonnet Club

The Dubonnet Club is a trendy London supper club, and is the scene of Miss Piggy and Kermit’s date. The club is the film’s equivalent of today’s upmarket London clubs.

There are plenty of stylish restaurants, clubs and bars in London like The Dubonnet Club that are ideal for a romantic evening. You should probably leave Gonzo and Fozzie Bear at the hotel though, unlike Kermit!

No. 17 Highbrow Street

Miss Piggy gets a recommendation to visit The Dubonnet Club for her evening out with Kermit while at the impressive No. 17 Highbrow Street. London is full of stunning townhouses like this one. When you’re strolling through the capital pay close attention to buildings adorned with blue plaques. These plaques mark homes and places of interest linked to famous people and events in history.

Mallory Gallery

In The Great Muppet Caper, the Mallory Gallery is the scene for the final showdown between Kermit, his friends and the jewel thieves led by Nicky Holiday. Art lovers adore London as it is home to so many great galleries. These include the Tate Modern, National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain.

So now you’ve got a good idea of what the Muppets got up to in London. When you visit the capital, you could enjoy your own great caper by dressing up in Muppet costumes. You could wear a Kermit mask, Gonzo nose or even a full Miss Piggy set.

Guest Post: The Muppets’ guide to London in the Great Muppet Caper is a post from: Anglotopia.net

We are collaborating on a contest to give away this awesome prize to one lucky winner to celebrate the opening of the film. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This awesome prize pack includes:

One (1) winner will receive:

·         T-Shirt

·         Voice Recorder Pen

·         Post-it Note Cube

·         Movie Tie-in Book

·         Soundtrack

·         Luxury Chess Set

Prizing values: $85.00

Giveaway provided by Focus Features

The film opens nation wide on January 6th. The film is based on the bestselling novel by John le Carré. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy stars, Gary Oldman, Benedict Cumberbatch, David Dencik, Colin Firth, Stephen Graham, Tom Hardy, Ciarán Hinds, John Hurt, Toby Jones, Mark Strong. The film is sure to be a hit. If you would like to learn more about the film or see where it is playing near you, check out their website. You can also follow the film on Facebook.

If you would like to enter the contest please leave a comment telling us what your favorite spy film is and you will automatically be entered to win this cool prize pack.

Anglophile Contest: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Giveaway! is a post from: Anglotopia.net

This is a bit of an unusual contest – but as it’s related to Britain and you can use the prize to get to Britain, we thought it was worth a mention.

Movietickets.com is running a War Horse Themed contest to giveaway a $4000 gift certificate to fly on American Airlines, which you can use to fly wherever you like (they say fly ‘home’).

Here are the prize details:

One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive:

One (1) $4,000 American Airlines gift card to purchase airfare home to see friends and family.

One (1) Second Place Winner will receive a War Horse prize pack:

One (1) War Horse soundtrack
One (1) War Horse novel
One (1) War Horse Making of coffee table book

The contest is open to legal residents of the continental U.S. (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, Guam, Puerto Rico, and all other U.S. territories and possessions) and 18 years of age or older as of December 19, 2011. You have until January 8th to enter the contest so enter quickly!

Anglotopia Contest Disclaimer – PLEASE READ – before you email us and complain about the contest please understand that we are NOT running this contest NOR are we affiliated with it in anyway. We are merely providing the information that this contest exists.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO ENTER THE CONTEST!

Anglophile Alert: Win a War Horse Themed Gift Certificate on American Airlines is a post from: Anglotopia.net

Herein lies a special review: Taylor’s immediate reaction to her first viewing of the new Sherlock.

I am thoroughly prepared to eat my words upon second viewing but this reflects my initial thoughts.

~Warning. Spoilers abound and post is sorely unedited or proofread~

I feel like there are two reviews I want to write regarding the newest Sherlock episode ‘A Scandal in Belgravia’. The first is a glowing review of the superb cast, lovely direction, and interesting story line. The other is a bit of a canon related lament, which I honestly feel guilty about given the treatment of Irene Adler characterwise.

Perhaps I went into things with my expectations too high, but I honestly was not all that impressed.

However, I wouldn’t want the more casual viewer to get the wrong impression. The episode was quite a joy, the character development that was brought in felt like a special treat. I was particularly happy with new glimpses we get at the relationship between the Holmes brothers. The combination of fine acting and subtle writing perfectly struck a balance between the lack of emotion shown by the brothers and the level of care and concern they each feel for each other.

Other stand out moments certainly included:

• Sherlock’s concern for Mrs. Hudson and the particular brand of payback he dishes out to her attacker
• John’s ugly jumpers, the real reason I watch anyway
• The list of cases at the beginning of the episode and the way the harken back to the canon stories, particularly fond of the The Speckled Blonde
• Sherlock’s stealing of an ash tray from Buckingham Palace
• In fact, all of the scenes at Buckingham Palace. The playful banter between Sherlock and John is simply shining
• Sherlock’s shamming at being a priest who has been attacked
• Sherlock sincerely apologizing to Molly

I’m sure I’ll think of much more but I’ll leave it at that for now, as this review is intended to be an immediate reaction, and I should like to move on without thinking about it way too much.

Now, for the bad. Actually, I don’t think bad is the correct word. Disappointing might be better. I am so very happy that Irene Adler was not treated as a love interested and was shown as an equal to Sherlock. However, the show once again fell into two traps I’m not particularly fond of:. 1. Irene, while she does get the best of Holmes momentarily, does not come out of it completely victorious. It seems as if for the sake of storyline and fan we once again have a case of, Sherlock can’t be defeated fully. and 2. Despite proving her self a strong and intelligent character, Irene is not only working for Moriarty, but vulnerable to many different agencies of higher up bad guys.

Again, this does not detract from the episode itself, but for me, as a person who has been nothing but thrilled with the canon plausibility of the the series as a whole, I had really hoped that we would see an Irene who was working for herself, not involved in a larger plot, and ultimately victorious over Sherlock completely.

I would most certainly suggest that everyone watch it however. Even if you’re a die hard Sherlockiana, the departures from canon do little to impact the magnificence of the shows writing, acting, and directing. Feel free to send us your comments on twitter @BakerStBabes and maybe we’ll have time to address them in one of our Sherlock reaction episodes in the coming weeks.

Sherlock: Series 2 Episode 1 – A Baker Street BabeTalks BBC’s Sherlock – A Scandal in Belgravia is a post from: Anglotopia.net