Kristin Scott Thomas

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Tell No One’ Deserves Positive Word-of-Mouth Buzz

BrianTT — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 18:49:03 -0600

Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Guillaume Canet’s excellent “Tell No One” is perhaps the only 2008 thriller to truly deserve the often overused term, “Hitchockian”. The master would have enjoyed this twisting and turning ride that ironically had enough people talking to make it the most successful foreign language film in the United States last year with $6 million in domestic receipts (yes, I’m sad too that such a low total can claim that title).

The lines on the front of the Blu-Ray case for “Tell No One” sum up the basic plot pretty well and only a heartless critic would give away much more - “Eight years ago, Alex’s wife was murdered. Today she emailed him.”

Tell No One will be released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: MPI

“Tell No One” is one of those fantastic thrillers that does what Hitchcock did so well - it stays just a step ahead of the audience at every turn as its excellent director leads you down the cinematic path through every twist of a screenplay based on the book by mega-popular mystery writer Harlan Coben (“One False Move,” “Hold Tight,” “Long Lost”).

Tell No One will be released on Blu-Ray on March 31st, 2009.
Photo credit: MPI

In a very underrated performance, Francois Cluzet plays pediatrician Alexandre Beck, a man who goes off the beaten path with his wife (the great Marie Josee Croze of “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) to return to a family property when the young lovers were ambushed. She ended up murdered. Or so he thinks until he receives an email supposedly from his deceased wife. And the video he sees shortly thereafter makes his jaw drop.

Like “The Man Who Knew Too Much” or “Rear Window,” “Tell No One” is about an average man caught in an increasingly confusing and deadly situation. Alex not only has to figure out what happened to his wife but gets framed for murder himself, putting him on the run. “Tell No One” is a wonderful thrill ride, a nearly flawless mystery that flies by in the blink of an eye.

Music Box Films handled the release of “Tell No One” in theaters and the Blu-Ray has been handled by MPI. For a smaller company, they do an excellent job with the video and audio, also providing the film with a reasonably entertaining collection of special features. The lack of a commentary track on a film that could have clearly been enhanced by one loses the final product a ratings point, but it’s the only complaint for a title that everyone should rent and serious mystery or French film fans should simply buy.

“Tell No One” is presented in 1080p High Definition with a 16x9 aspect ration and average bitrate of 36 MBPS. It looks great. And the audio matches the video with a Dolby Digital original French track @640Kbps. You can also listen to a dubbed track in two channels, but, please, don’t. Special features include deleted scenes, outtakes, and “Tell No One: The B-Side” (a Blu-Ray exclusive “making of” featurette).

The adult mystery thriller has gone downhill in the last few years with Hollywood consistently getting it wrong by thinking that the twist is more important than anything else (think train wrecks like Halle Berry’s “Perfect Stranger”). “Tell No One” is a character-driven mystery. Hitch himself would have loved it.

‘Tell No One’ is released by MPI and stars Francois Cluzet, Marie Josee Croze, Andre Dussolier, Francois Berleand, Nathalie Baye, Jean Rochefort, Guillaume Canet, and Kristin Scott Thomas. It was written by Canet and Phillippe Lefebvre and and directed by Canet. It will be released on March 31st, 2009. It is not rated.

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: 19-Image Gallery For ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic’ With Isla Fisher

BrianTT — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 13:10:49 -0700

CHICAGO – This 19-image slideshow contains the official press images for “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” which was directed by P.J. Hogan and features Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen, Julie Hagerty, Krysten Ritter, Robert Stanton, Christine Ebersole, Clea Lewis, and Wendie Malick. The Touchstone Pictures release opens on Friday, February 13th, 2009.

Synopsis: “In the glamorous world of New York City, Rebecca Bloomwood is a fun-loving girl who is really good at shopping - a little too good, perhaps. She dreams of working for her favorite fashion magazine, but can’t quite get her foot in the door - until ironically, she snags a job as a columnist for a financial magazine published by the same company. As her dreams are finally coming true, she goes to ever more hilarious and extreme efforts to keep her past from ruining her future.

Isla Fisher stars in the film from blockbuster producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director P.J. Hogan. The screenplay by Tracey Jackson and Tim Firth and Kayla Alpert is based on the books “Confessions of a Shopaholic” and “Shopaholic Takes Manhattan” by Sophie Kinsella.

Hugh Dancy stars as Rebecca’s editor and object of her growing affections. Joan Cusack and John Goodman portray the fashionista’s thrifty middle-class parents. The film also features a powerhouse supporting cast, including four-time Golden Globe® winner John Lithgow, Oscar® nominee Kristin Scott Thomas, Leslie Bibb, Fred Armisen, Julie Hagerty, Krysten Ritter, Robert Stanton, Christine Ebersole, Clea Lewis and Wendie Malick.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Robert Zuckerman and © Touchstone Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Shopaholic_01: (L-R) Tim Ware, Hugh Dancy, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_02: (L-R center) Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy
Shopaholic_03: (L-R) Hugh Dancy, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_04: (L-R) Hugh Dancy, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_05: (L-R) Krysten Ritter, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_06: (L-R) Joan Cusack, John Goodman, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_07: (L-R) Leslie Bibb, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_08: (L-R) Kristin Scott Thomas, Isla Fisher, Leslie Bibb
Shopaholic_09: (L-R center) Wendie Malick, Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_10: Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_11: Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_12: Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_13: BTS: (L-R) Isla Fisher, Jerry Bruckheimer
Shopaholic_14: BTS: (L-R) TBD, Mike Stenson, Madeline Wickham, P.J. Hogan, Jerry Bruckheimer
Shopaholic_15: BTS: (L-R) Kristi Zea, Patricia Field, P.J. Hogan
Shopaholic_16: BTS: (L-R) P.J. Hogan, Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic_17: BTS: Sophie Kinsella
Shopaholic_18: (Center) Isla Fisher
Shopaholic_19: (Pictured) Isla Fisher

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

Anne Hathaway ‘Randomly,’ Inadvertently Awarded Early Golden Globe For ‘Rachel Getting Married’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:10:11 -0700

CHICAGO – At least one “Web site technician” for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) revealed a secret crush on Anne Hathaway’s lead role in “Rachel Getting Married” when the worker “randomly” awarded the actress an early Golden Globe two days before the official NBC telecast.

For a very short period of time, a star was noticed indicating Hathaway as the winner on the official Web site of the Golden Globes for her against-type role as a recovering junkie in “Rachel Getting Married”.

If the star stands, she’d best a powerhouse of other actresses in the lead-actress category including Angelina Jolie for “Changeling,” Meryl Streep for “Doubt,” Kristin Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long” and Kate Winslet for “Revolutionary Road”.

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married”.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Quickly after the snafu went public, the HFPA posted the following whoopsie notice on Jan. 9, 2008 on its Web site:

In the process of preparing for Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards, a technician working on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Web site made a mistake and a name of a nominee was randomly marked as a winner. The mistake was immediately corrected.

The ballots are tabulated by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP. Only four executives of the accounting firm know the identity of the winners before the envelopes are opened and recipients are announced during the live telecast.

No one else – including the members of the HFPA – knows who the winners are prior to the live announcement.

The 66th-annual Golden Globes will air on NBC at 8 p.m. EST on Jan. 11, 2009. The full official list of Golden Globe nominees can be found below.

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
“Frost/Nixon”
“The Reader”
“Revolutionary Road”
“Slumdog Millionaire”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married”
Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Meryl Streep, “Doubt”
Kristin Scott Thomas, “I’ve Loved You So Long”
Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, “Revolutionary Road”
Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon”
Sean Penn, “Milk
Brad Pitt, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler”

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Burn After Reading”
“Happy-Go-Lucky”
“In Bruges”
“Mamma Mia!”
“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Frances McDormand, “Burn After Reading”
Meryl Streep, “Mamma Mia!”
Emma Thompson, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Javier Bardem, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Colin Farrell, “In Bruges”
James Franco, “Pineapple Express”
Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”
Dustin Hoffman, “Last Chance Harvey”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams, “Doubt”
Penélope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Viola Davis, “Doubt”
Marisa Tomei, “The Wrestler”
Kate Winslet, “The Reader”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Tom Cruise, “Tropic Thunder”
Robert Downey Jr., “Tropic Thunder”
Ralph Fiennes, “The Duchess”
Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight”

Best Animated Feature Film
“Bolt”
“Kung Fu Panda”
“Wall-E”

Best Foreign Language Film
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” (Germany)
“Everlasting Moments” (Sweden, Denmark)
“Gomorrah” (Italy)
“I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)
“Waltz With Bashir” (Israel)

Best Director, Motion Picture
Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Stephen Daldry, “The Reader”
David Fincher, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Ron Howard, “Frost/Nixon”
Sam Mendes, “Revolutionary Road”

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (written by Eric Roth)
“Doubt” (written by John Patrick Shanley)
“Frost/Nixon” (written by Peter Morgan)
“The Reader” (written by David Hare)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (written by Simon Beaufoy)

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (composed by Alexandre Desplat)
“Changeling” (composed by Clint Eastwood)
“Defiance” (composed by James Newton Howard)
“Slumdog Millionaire” (composed by A. R. Rahman)
“Frost/Nixon” (composed by Hans Zimmer)

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Down to Earth,” “WALL-E” (lyrics by Peter Gabriel)
“Gran Torino,” “Gran Torino” (lyrics by Jamie Cullum)
“I Thought I Lost You,” “Bolt” (music/lyrics by Miley Cyrus and Jeffrey Steele)
“Once in a Lifetime,” “Cadillac Records” (music/lyrics by Beyoncé Knowles, etc.)
“The Wrestler,” “The Wrestler” (music/lyrics by Bruce Springsteen)

Best Television Series, Drama
“Dexter” (Showtime)
“House” (FOX)
“In Treatment” (HBO)
“Mad Men” (AMC)
“True Blood” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Sally Field, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order”
January Jones, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Anna Paquin, “True Blood” (HBO)
Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer” (TNT)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Michael C. Hall, “Dexter” (Showtime)
Jon Hamm, “Mad Men” (AMC)
Hugh Laurie, “House” (FOX)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, “The Tudors” (Showtime)

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
“30 Rock” (NBC)
“Californication” (Showtime)
“Entourage” (HBO)
“The Office” (NBC)
“Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Christina Applegate, “Samantha Who?” (ABC)
America Ferrera, “Ugly Betty” (ABC)
Tina Fey, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Debra Messing, “The Starter Wife” (USA)
Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds” (Showtime)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy
Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock” (NBC)
Steve Carell, “The Office” (NBC)
Kevin Connolly, “Entourage” (HBO)
David Duchovny, “Californication” (Showtime)
Tony Shalhoub, “Monk” (USA)

Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“A Raisin in the Sun” (ABC)
“Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
“Cranford” (PBS)
“John Adams” (HBO)
“Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Judi Dench, “Cranford” (PBS)
Catherine Keener, “An American Crime”
Laura Linney, “John Adams” (HBO)
Shirley MacLaine, “Coco Chanel”
Susan Sarandon, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Ralph Fiennes, “Bernard and Doris” (HBO)
Paul Giamatti, “John Adams” (HBO)
Kevin Spacey, “Recount” (HBO)
Kiefer Sutherland, “24” (FOX)
Tom Wilkinson, “Recount” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Eileen Atkins, “Cranford” (PBS)
Laura Dern, “Recount” (HBO)
Melissa George, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Rachel Griffiths, “Brothers & Sisters” (ABC)
Dianne Wiest, “In Treatment” (HBO)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
Denis Leary, “Recount” (HBO)
Jeremy Piven, “Entourage” (HBO)
Blair Underwood, “In Treatment” (HBO)
Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams” (HBO)

Read the official results of the 66th-annual Golden Globes.
Read more HollywoodChicago.com articles on the Golden Globes.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

French Film ‘Tell No One’ a Journey of Mystery Down Road of Twists, Turns

HollywoodChicago.com — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:55:57 -0600

CHICAGO – The most perfect description for the new French suspense film “Tell No One” comes from the most unlikely source: a 1957 American film called “Sweet Smell of Success”.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Describing one of the characters in that film, one line observes that he has “more twists than a barrel of pretzels”. Take that barrel and put it through the zigzag of a taffy-pulling machine and those results might be able to straighten out the labyrinth of circumstances in “Tell No One”.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “Meet Dave” in our reviews section.

View our full, high-resolution “Tell No One” image gallery.

François Cluzet portrays Alex Beck: a physician whose wife, Margot, is murdered when they are celebrating an anniversary at a remote lake. Though injured in the attack, Beck emerges from a coma having to clear his name as a suspect and mournfully bury his beloved partner.

Eight years later and before gathering traditionally with Margot’s family to mark the day of the tragedy, Beck receives an e-mail message.

The message instructs him to link to a special address that seems to be a current video image of his dead wife. At the same time, three bodies are recovered from the attack site. This focuses attention back toward the widowed doctor as a possible suspect in his wife’s murder.

“Tell No One,” which features François Cluzet, Marie-Josée Croze, Kristin Scott Thomas, André Dussollier, Nathalie Baye and Marina Hands, opened in Chicago on July 11, 2008 at the Music Box Theatre.

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full “Tell No One” review.

François Cluzet (right) and Marie-Josée Croze as Margot in “Tell No One”.
Photo credit: Music Box Films

François Cluzet (right) and Kristin Scott Thomas in “Tell No One”.
Photo credit: Music Box Films

Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full “Tell No One” review.

‘The Golden Compass’ to Release National Sneak One Week Early on Dec. 1

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:32:17 -0700

I just learned that “The Golden Compass,” which opens nationwide on Dec. 8, will have a national sneak in approximatley 800 theaters across the U.S. on Dec. 1.

Nicole Kidman in “The Golden Compass”.
Photo credit: IMDb
The high-profile film stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kathy Bates. To check if “The Golden Compass” is showing on Dec. 1 in a theater near you, click this link.