Sean Penn gets Hunted in New Trailer for 'The Gunman'

Is Sean Penn on the verge of a Liam Neeson-style renaissance as an action star? It could happen if audiences turn out to watch him beat up bad guys in The Gunman, a genre flick directed by Pierre Morel, the guy behind the first Taken. Coincidence?

A new international trailer for The Gunman suggests it could be a bit more high-minded than the Taken movies are, although it still gives Penn plenty of butts to kick. Based on the popular book series, the film centers on ex-Special Forces soldier Martin Terrier (Penn) now working as a military contractor who suddenly comes under attack from his own people. What follows is an international game of cat and mouse that will see Penn squaring off with co-stars Idris Elba, Javier Bardem, and Ray Winstone. Given the success of American Sniper it's not surprising the trailer begins with Penn's character, who suffers from PTSD, taking out a foe from long range.

The Gunman takes aim at theaters on March 20th 2015.

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Idris Elba tweets Funny Response to James Bond Rumors

So let me get this straight: we've had people complaining about Idris Elba playing a Norse comic book character in Thor; people complaining about John Boyega wearing a stormtrooper outfit in Star Wars: The Force Awakens; people complaining about Michael B. Jordan playing a member of the Fantastic Four; people complaining about a black Captain America. I'm sorry, what year are we living in? And recently, that fat racist blowhard Rush Limbaugh caused another stir by arguing that Elba shouldn't be allowed to play James Bond because he's black. Here's what that tub of lard had to say, and at least he seems to recognize his own racist tendencies...

. “James Bond is a total concept put together by Ian Fleming. He was white and Scottish. Period. That is who James Bond is, was. But now [they are] suggesting that the next James Bond should be Idris Elba, a black Briton, rather than a white from Scotland. But that’s not who James Bond is and I know it’s racist to probably point this out.”

Well yes it is racist, Limbaugh, so why don't you go and dope yourself deaf again, please? Anyway, this all springs from leaked Sony emails that suggested (but did not confirm or anything close to it) Elba would make for a pretty great 007 when Daniel Craig was finished. Obviously he would. These rumors have been going around for years and fans have been enthusiastic about the idea. So Elba decided to have some fun with it by tweeting the below image with the caption "Isn't 007 supposed to handsome? Glad you think I've got a show. Happy New year people."

Pretty cool way to have some fun with all the douchebags out there. [MediaMatters]

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It's Sean Penn vs. Javier Bardem in First 'The Gunman' Trailer

Shady government organizations, lots of guns and even more hitmen. If it sounds like the makings of Taken 4 or something, then you're only partially right. Taken director Pierre Morel is at the helm of The Gunman, which despite its barebones and familiar plot has rounded up a starry cast led by Sean Penn, Javier Bardem, and Idris Elba.

The first trailer has arrived and it's a bit more restrained than Morel's work tends to be, at least initially, so maybe he's working up to the talents of his cast? Penn plays a renowned hitman who wants out of the killing game so he can be with the love of his life, but of course things are never so simple. Bardem seems to have taken on yet another colorful role as Penn's best friend-turned-nemesis, and this trailer is just pumping machismo all over the place.

Also starring Ray Winstone, Jasmine Trinca, and Mark Rylance, The Gunman opens March 20th.

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Idris Elba Out, Jude Law In for Guy Ritchie's 'Knights of the Round Table'

Warner Bros. has been trying to get a Camelot-based film off the ground for years, once entertaining the thought of a pair of them. One would have been led by David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers) but that was cancelled in favor of Guy Ritchie's Knights of the Round Table, a planned 6-film epic with Charlie Hunnam already on board to play King Arthur. Now Ritchie is looking to bring on his Sherlock Holmes star Jude Law for a major role, while another actor previously attached has dropped out.

According to Variety, Law is set to take on a villain role in the film, but that's all we know about it at this point because the plot is being kept under lock and key. There has been a change at the top,though, as Idris Elba is no longer part of the cast. He was meant to play Arthur's mentor, a character we assume would have been Merlin. The only other talent on board is Astrid Berges-Frisbey (I Origins) as Guinevere.

Knights of the Round Table already has a release date set for July 22nd 2016.

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Idris Elba says Heimdall and Loki Appear in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

Now that we've seen the trailer for Avengers: Age of Ultron and have more of a sense how it leads to the Marvel Universe's future, chances are you don't need any other reasons to see the film. Well, here's another one just in case. Idris Ebla has revealed to The Telegraph that he will make an appearance in the superhero movie as Heimdall, the guardian of Asgard's "Rainbow Bridge". Not only that, but his scene involves both Chris Hemsworth's Thor and Tom Hiddleston's Loki.

“Ironically, yesterday I had to…” Elba chuckles. He’s not meant to talk about this, but he clearly enjoys doing things he’s not meant to do. “I’m in Avengers,” he reveals ... "And I’m doing a scene with Chris Hemsworth [who plays Thor] and Tom Hiddleston [Loki], and they’re like, [whispers] – ‘Aren’t you [meant to be] in Ibiza?’ ” That bassy chuckle again, followed by a frown. Elba came straight to Ibiza party-time from a mythical Norse god/Marvel universe that has made billions at the global box office. His head is all over the place. “That’s why I was pissed about my set yesterday. I really just wasn’t there. I was annoyed.”

He went on to talk about how shooting Marvel movies can be "torture", especially wearing that terrible Heimdall helmet.

The easy explanation for Heimdall and Loki's appearance is that it relates to Ragnarok, the third and likely final film in the Thor franchise. Ragnarok is basically the Norse end times, and it's likely to keep the thunder god away from Earth for awhile, possible through the upcoming Civil War. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron opens May 1st 2015.  

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Albert Brooks Join Concussion Drama, Idris Elba and Dominic West Voice 'Finding Dory'

 A rising star and a screen veteran are coming aboard Will Smith's drama centered on concussions in the NFL. Gugu Mbatha-Raw, who turned heads earlier this year in Belle, and Albert Brooks have joined Smith in the untitled film to be directed by Peter Landesman (Parkland) and produced by Ridley Scott. Based on a GQ article, the films follows  "Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith), the forensic neuropathologist who single-handedly made the first discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a professional football player and brought awareness to the public." [Variety/Deadline]

The Wire reunion!!!!!! Well, sorta. Idris Elba and Dominic West of the legendary (no b.s. there) HBO series have come on to voice characters in Finding Dory, Pixar's sequel to Finding Nemo. No word on who they'll be voicing but who cares about that when you've got West telling Shortlist that he keeps in regular contact with much of The Wire's cast. Dude. So why aren't you all doing more movies together? Why aren't you beating down HBO's door for The Wire to be a movie? Anyway, Finding Dory opens June 17th 2016 and  stars Ellen Degeneres, Diane Keaton, Albert Brooks (there's that name again), and Willem Dafoe.

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Idris Elba may Train 'King Arthur'; Michael Caine Joins 'The Last Witch Hunter'; Jeff Bridges Heads to 'Antwerp'

Idris Elba may be reuniting with his Rocknrolla director Guy Ritchie for King Arthur, taking on a Merlin-esque role in the film. Variety reports Elba is in talks to be the first official cast member, while testing for the role of Arthur is to officially begin next week. King Arthur has already been set to hit theaters on July 22nd 2016.

A movie starring Vin Diesel and titled The Last Witch Hunter probably doesn't seem like the type to court Oscar winners, but it has one anyway with the addition of Michael Caine. He joins Diesel and Rose Leslie in the film directed by Breck Eisner and centering on an immortal witch hunter who teams up with a female witch to stop an evil coven from destroying humanity. 

And finally, Jeff Bridges is said to be in negotiations to star in Antwerp, a heist movie J.J. Abrams has been developing for years since optioning the rights to Joshua Davis' Wired article, “The Untold Story of the World’s Biggest Diamond Heist." Doug Jung (Confidence, a film I like but apparently nobody else did) has written the latest script which tells the story of a 2003 burglary in Antwerp, Belgium that was dubbed the "heist of the century". [The Tracking Board]

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First Look at Idris Elba in Cary Fukunaga's 'Beasts of No Nation'

Idris Elba is someone that most expect to one day have the label "Oscar winner" attached to his career, and while things didn't quite work out with Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, an even better opportunity may be on the way. Coming off the massive success of HBO's True Detective, director Cary Fukunaga has jumped back into features with the African drama, Beasts of No Nation, and we've now got the first image of Elba looking mighty intimidating in the lead role.

Based on the novel by Uzodinma Iweala, the story follows Agu, a young boy in an unnamed West African village dealing with the death of his father at the hands of violent militants. Left vulnerable to a commanding and paternal influence, he is recruited by the leader of a militant army to become a child soldier as war engulfs the country. 

Fukunaga's previous films Sin Nombre and Jane Eyre were both very impressive and there's every reason to think Beast of No Nation will be, as well. Filming is currently underway in Ghana and there's a chance it won't be finished in time for this year's Oscars, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye on for the next. 

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Dylan Baker Joins 'Selma'; Gemma Arterton Goes 'One Square Mile'; Ken Jeong Causes 'International Incident'

* Character actor Dylan Baker (remember he was The Lizard in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies?) will play J. Edgar Hoover in Ava Duvernay's MLK biopic, Selma. Hoover, who was last portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio a couple of years back, used the power of the FBI to keep tabs on King (David Oyelowo) and his followers in an effort to undermine the civil rights movement. [Deadline]

* Gemma Arteron has joined Idris Elba in the gritty, South West London drama One Square Mile, written by Leon Butler and directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Elba will also produce the multi-tiered story previously described as centering on "four people, four extraordinary stories, all lived out within one square mile." Arterton adds to that saying “it’s about ‘love, action and gangsters in London.’”. [DailyMail]

* Ken Jeong is set to star in the Steve Carell-produced comedy, International Incident, from The Daily Show writer David Javerbaum. Jeong will play one of five United Nations delegated who go on a road trip to find their former loves. Carell and Javerbaum know one another from the actor's time as a correspondent on The Daily Show. After a string of supporting roles and voice acting gigs this will be Jeong's first time leading a major studio project. [THR]

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Idris Elba Terrorizes Taraji P. Henson in Trailer for 'No Good Deed'

Idris Elba is such an actor that even his crappy movies seem like good ideas. This is after all the guy who starred in the wildly terrible "white girl stalking" flick Obsessed, and did his best even though Beyonce (upstaged by Ali Larter, by the way) gave him nothing to work with. So when a trailer for a trashy flick like No Good Deed arrives and Elba's name is headlining it, best to just give him the benefit of the doubt.

Elba stars alongside Taraji P. Henson, playing a handsome ex-con who charms his way into a single mother's home and proceeds to terrorize her and the kids. This looks pretty awful and like the kind of film both Elba and Henson took to fill an unexpected gap in their schedule, not because they thought the script was killer. On the plus side Will Packer (Ride Along, Think Like a Man) is producing and everything he touches makes money nowadays. Well, everything with Kevin Hart anyway. And Elba did enlist his Luther director Sam Miller so there's a working relationship that could be beneficial. Yeah, this still looks bad.

No Good Deed opens September 12th.

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Check Out Idris Elba's World Cup-Themed Directorial Debut, 'Unstoppable'

Is there anything that Idris Elba simply can't do? Seriously, Elba has proven  up to the task at just about everything he puts a mind to, obviously as an actor first and foremost, but he's also a musician, singer, and DJ under the name Big Driis. And now you can add film director to his growing list of credentials.

Elba has released the short film, Unstoppable, part of Pepsi MAX's 'Beats of the Beautiful Game', a series of World Cup themed songs and films. And frankly, it's pretty awesome and exactly the brand of cool we would expect out of the former Stringer Bell. Shot with '70s-style panache, the story follows a typical high school nerd as he gets a moment in the sun in front of the school princess and the bullies constantly harassing him. With a soulful soundtrack courtesy of R3HAB and Eva Simons this shows a ton of potential for Elba to do something even bigger. Now excuse me while I down this Pepsi™.

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Omar Sy Books a Trip to 'Jurassic World'

After winning over the hearts of millions, and earning a Cesar Award, for his performance in the French comedy The Intouchables, Omar Sy has made a smooth transition into Hollywood blockbusters. He'll appear as Bishop in X-men: Days of Future Past this summer, and now he's just booked himself a trip to Jurassic World.

Sy has joined Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Johnson, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Vincent D'onofrio, and the returning BD Wong in the dino sequel/reboot. Some sites are also confirming the previously-rumored Idris Elba as part of the story but there's no mention of him in THR's report. Elba has denied the rumors in the past and we'll update this post if that has changed. As for Sy, his role is unclear but he seems enthusiastic about the gig...

Fan of this saga from the beginning, I’m very proud to be part of the cast for JURASSIC WORLD #jurassicworld @UniversalPics @colintrevorrow
— Omar SY (@OmarSy) March 21, 2014

Jurassic World is directed by Colin Trevorrow and opens June 15th 2015.

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Idris Elba is Voice of Shere Khan in 'The Jungle Book'

There are two live-action adaptations of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book on the way, and most of the attention has been focused on Warner Bros.' project with Ron Howard recently coming aboard to direct. But Disney has Jon Favreau at the helm of their version, and it just gained a heavy dose of star power with Idris Elba coming aboard to lend his regal voice.

Elba will take on the voice role of Shere Khan, the evil Bengal tiger and one of Disney's most memorable villains. It's Khan who seeks to kill the human orphan Mowgli while the rest of the jungle animals tries to protect him. It's a smart move for Disney as Elba has a distinct, powerful voice that commands respect, and should be perfect for Khan.

Oscar-winner Rob Legato is overseeing the special effects, which will be a combination of live-action and CG. The Jungle Book opens October 9th 2015. [Deadline]

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Idris Elba and Sam Worthington Join Noomi Rapace in 'Alive Alone'

Filming should have already begun on Alive Alone, a thriller we learned would star Noomi Rapace and Matthias Schoenearts. But personal reasons have caused Schoenaerts, best known for starring opposite Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone, to drop out of the production. Fortunately, first-time director Khurram Longi has found a couple of worthy replacements in Idris Elba and Sam Worthington.

According to Deadline, Elba and Worthington have come aboard the NYC-set film which is now targeting a March start. Longi penned the Black List-approved script which has Elba as an ex-Guantanamo Bay detainee now working as a taxi driver, who finds salvation in a prostitute (Rapace) on the run from a feared crime boss played by Worthington.

Rapace and Elba starred in Prometheus together but it sounds as if they'll be getting a lot closer now. Be jealous, ladies. Worthington will be seen next in Sabotage alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, while Elba has a pair of crime thrillers in No Good Deed and The Gunman.

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Review: 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Starring Idris Elba and Naomie Harris

NOTE: This is a reprint of my review from the Middleburg Film Festival.

There are many reasons to admire what director Justin Chadwick and screenwriter William Nicholson have attempted with Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. They've chosen to depict more than fifty years in the momentous life of South African activist and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, a life that could fill two or three movies with room left over for more. While many biopics, such as the recent Mandela rugby movie Invictus, prefer to focus on the events surrounding a major event, this film bucks the trend and goes for it all, and that ambition far exceeds its grasp.

Much of the early buzz surrounding the film has centered on the performance by Idris Elba as Mandela, but there's a reason why much of that talk has quieted. Simply, he's not given an awful lot to work with here, thanks to a script curiously devoid of signature moments. There's never a scene that encapsulates who Mandela was and why he was the driving engine in apartheid's ultimate collapse. Beginning with a handful of quotes establishing the Bible basis for whites' perceived superiority over native blacks, we're then flashed back to Mandela's tribal upbringing and his passage into manhood. From there it jumps straight into his beginning as a lawyer, where the beginnings of his fight against oppression took root.

Centering the action on his early career before he was considered such a virtuous figure might have been the wisest course of action as it shows the flawed human sides of Mandela most are unaccustomed. The film doesn't skirt over his womanizing past, and his first marriage which failed largely due to his inattentiveness and adulterous ways. As he begins building a coalition to stand against the current regime, he quickly becomes enraptured by Winnie Mandela (Naomie Harris), who would become his wife, confidante, and later an ideological rival.  Rejecting his non-violent stance, Mandela's aggressive tactics make him public enemy #1, but when captured he slyly maneuvers his way into a living martyr role by avoiding a death sentence.

Based on Mandela's memoir, the bulk of the story takes place during his 27-year imprisonment where he continues to fight the good fight against brutal, racist guards. Meanwhile, the world is changing outside of the prison walls. An uprising has begun against the white government, and Winnie has become one of its central components. Whereas Mandela's plight is mostly glossed over, like so much of his story unfortunately is, Winnie's turmoil is the most revealing of all. Naomie Harris steals the spotlight away from Elba effortlessly in her charismatic, fiery portrayal as we see Winnie forged into a determined soldier for retribution against the establishment. It stands in stark contrast to Mandela, who went into his sentence a man or rage but emerged a mannered, reasonable man more interested in peace than exacting vengeance.

Elba shines in the early portions of the film, capturing Mandela's youthful energy and easy charm that helped win him so many supporters. But as the film glosses over so much in order to get us from one point in his life to the next as easily as possible, we also lose sight of who Mandela is. In particular we never learn the reasons for the transformations he would undergo, from violent revolutionary to reflective champion for equality. It doesn't help that Elba's waxy old age make-up is a laughable distraction.  Chadwick has done solid work as a director but, much like his heartwarming Kenyan film The First Grader, he's trying too hard to give us an easily digestible feel-good film rather than delving into his subject with any real depth. The suffering Mandela experienced in the service of his cause does provide for a few stirring moments, but Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom sheds little light and is at best a primer to his story.

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'12 Years A Slave' and 'American Hustle' Lead Globen Globes Nominations

The Hollywood Foreign Press announced their nominees for the 71st annual Golden Globes this morning, adding to the stream of awards announcements over the last couple of weeks. Following up on yesterday's SAG nominations and the success of Steve McQueen's 12 Years A Slave, the big question was whether or not it would be able to keep up the momentum and further solidify itself as the clear Oscar favorite. The answer is a resounding yes, as the slavery was tied for the lead with seven nominations.

12 Years A Slave was mentioned in all the categories one would expect: Best Picture Drama, Best Director, and all the key acting categories.  Performing just as well was David O. Russell's American Hustle, earning an equal number of noms including one for Best Picture Comedy. So no showdown there between those two. Paul Greengrass' Captain Phillips was a surprise with four nominations, tied with Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity.

As far as surprises go, Jason Reitman's Labor Day popped up for the first time with a Best Actress Drama nomination for Kate Winslet, while Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom earned some love with three, including one for Idris Elba. He's mostly been shut out of any awards talk, after seeming like a no-brainer for much of the year, and frankly he's probably only nominated because of the way the Golden Globes is structured. The real fun comes in the comedy categories, where Leonardo DiCaprio, Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Joaquin Phoenix, Bruce Dern, will compete for Best Actor. Even better is Best Actress Comedy where Julie Delpy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Greta Gerwig, and Amy Adams will (hopefully) try to give Meryl Streep more than she can handle.

The full list of nominees is below. The Golden Globes winners will be announced January 13th.

Best Motion Picture - Drama
"12 Years A Slave"
"Captain Phillips"
"Gravity"
"Philomena"
"Rush"

Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical
"American Hustle"
"Her"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Nebraska"
"The Wolf Of Wall Street"

Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron - "Gravity"
Paul Greengrass - "Captain Phillips"
Steve McQueen - "12 Years A Slave"
Alexander Payne - "Nebraska" 
David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Actress - Drama
Cate Blanchett - "Blue Jasmine"
Sandra Bullock - "Gravity
Judi Dench - "Philomena"
Emma Thompson - "Saving Mr Banks"
Kate Winslet - "Labor Day"

Best Actor - Drama
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"
Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Tom Hanks - "Captain Phillips"
Matthew McConaughey - "Dallas Buyers Club"
Robert Redford - "All Is Lost"

Best Actress - Comedy
Amy Adams - "American Hustle"
Julie Delpy - "Before Midnight"
Greta Gerwig - "Frances Ha"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Enough Said"
Meryl Streep - "August: Osage County"

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Christian Bale - "American Hustle"
Bruce Dern - "Nebraska"
Leonardo DiCaprio - "The Wolf Of Wall Street"
Oscar Isaac - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
Joaquin Phoenix - "Her"

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins - "Blue Jasmine"
Jennifer Lawrence - "American Hustle"
Lupita N'yongo - "12 Years A Slave"
Julia Roberts - "August: Osage County"
June Squibb - "Nebraska"

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi - "Captain Phillips"
Daniel Bruhl - "Rush"
Bradley Cooper - "American Hustle"
Michael Fassbender - "12 Years A Slave"
Jared Leto - "Dallas Buyers Club"

Best Screenplay
Spike Jonze - "Her"
Bob Nelson - "Nebraska"
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan - "Philomena"
John Ridley - "12 Years A Slave"
Eric Warren Singer & David O Russell - "American Hustle"

Best Foreign Film
"Blue Is The Warmest Color"
"The Great Beauty"
"The Hunt"
"The Past"
"The Wind Rises"

Best Animated Feature
"The Croods"
"Despicable Me 2"
"Frozen"

Best Original Score - Motion Picture
Alex Ebert - "All Is Lost
Alex Heffes - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
Steven Price - "Gravity"
John Williams - "The Book Thief"
Hans Zimmer - "12 Years A Slave"

Best Original Song - Motion Picture
"Atlas" - Coldplay - "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
"Let It Go - Idina Menzel - "Frozen"
"Ordinary Love" - U2 - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"
"Please Mr. Kennedy" - Justin Timberlake & co - "Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Sweeter Than Fiction" - Taylor Swift - "One Chance"

Best TV Series - Comedy/Musical
"Big Bang Theory"
"Brooklyn Nine Nine"
"Girls"
"Modern Family"
"Parks & Recreation"

Best Miniseries Or Motion Picture Made For Television
"American Horror Story: Coven"
"Behind The Candelabra"
"Dancing On The Edge
"Top Of The Lake"
"The White Queen"

Best TV Drama
Breaking Bad
"Downton Abbey"
"The Good Wife"
"House Of Cards"
"Masters Of Sex"

Best Actress - Drama TV Series
Julianna Marguiles - "The Good Wife"
Tatiana Maslany - "Orphan Black"
Taylor Schilling - "Orange Is The New Black"
Kerry Washington - "Scandal"
Robin Wright - "House Of Cards"

Best Actor - TV Drama
Bryan Cranston - "Breaking Bad"
Liev Schreiber - "Ray Donovan"
Michael Sheen - "Masters Of Sex"
Kevin Spacey - "House Of Cards"
James Spader - "The Blacklist"

Best Actress - MIniseries
Helena Bonham-Carter - "Burton & Taylor"
Rebecca Ferguson - "The White Queen"
Jessica Lange - "American Horror Story: Coven"
Helen Mirren - "Phil Spector"
Elisabeth Moss - "Top Of The Lake"

Best Actor - Miniseries
Matt Damon - "Behind The Candelabra"
Michael Douglas - "Behind The Candelabra"
Chiwetel Ejiofor - "Dancing On The Edge"
Idris Elba - "Luther"
Al Pacino - "Phil Spector"

Best Actress - Comedy TV Series
Zooey Deschanel - "New Girl"
Lena Dunham - "Girls"
Edie Falco - "Nurse Jackie"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - "Veep"
Amy Poehler - "Parks & Recreation"

Best Actor - Comedy TV Series
Jason Bateman - "Arrested Development"
Don Cheadle - "House Of Lies"
Michael J Fox - "The Michael J Fox Show"
Jim Parsons - "The Big Bang Theory"
Andy Samberg - "Brooklyn Nine Nine"

Best Supporting Actor - TV
Josh Charles - "The Good Wife"
Rob Lowe - "Behind The Candelabra"
Aaron Paul - "Breaking Bad"
Corey Stoll - "House Of Cards"
Jon Voight - "Ray Donovan"

Best Supporting Actress - TV
Jacqueline Bisset - "Dancing On The Edge"
Janet McTeer - "The White Queen"
Hayden Panetierre - "Nashville"
Monica Potter - "Parenthood"
Sofia Vergara - "Modern Family"

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Idris Elba Fights for Freedom in New 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Trailer

Such is the nature of the Oscar beast that a few months ago it looked like we could legitimately talk about five African-American Best Actor contenders, and now...well, maybe we'll get two. Maybe. Forest Whitaker and Chiwetel Ejiofor probably have the best shot, with the latter all but a certainty, while early contenders Michael B. Jordan, Chadwick Boseman, and most notably Idris Elba have fallen off the map. Elba may still have a shot for playing South African leader Nelson Mandela in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, but have you noticed a lack of buzz for the film lately?

A new trailer has been released to try and rectify that even though there have been numerous spots released already. So what's different about this one? Not much, as it still gives the appearance of a very straight-forward, unexciting take on Mandela's life. It's not all Elba's fault as director Justin Chadwick shoulders much of the blame for a film that never gets at Nelson Mandela the man. "There's never a scene that encapsulates who Mandela was and why he was the driving engine in apartheid's ultimate collapse" quoting from my review from the Middleburg Film Festival, and you know what? I continue to agree with myself on that.

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom opens November 29th, and maybe Elba will turn enough heads to slip back into the Oscar race.

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Idris Elba Confirms He Talked with Marvel About Playing Luke Cage

Idris Elba would be a pretty awesome Luke Cage. He'd be a pretty awesome anything, really (James Bond!!!!), but as half of Marvel's Power Man & Iron Fist duo he would have kicked some serious ass. A film based on the unlikely combo had been talked about for years with nothing happening, and we know now that they'll each get their own solo TV series on Netflix. But back when those movie rumors were still circulating, Marvel thought Elba would have been great for Cage, too.

While talking to HuffPo, Elba was asked about superheroes he would like to play and revealed that he had talks with Marvel about playing Luke Cage....

Elba: "Yeah, man, I wouldn't mind giving that a go. But, no, other than that, I don't really have any superhero that I like. There was talk about Luke Cage at one time -- I thought Luke Cage was a pretty interesting character. They were going to do it, but I don't know what happened..."

So what's to stop Marvel from asking him back for the TV series? He's obviously no stranger to the episodic format with shows like The Wire and Luther on his resume. The likely reason is his continued role as Heimdall in the Thor movies, which despite his character having a slightly expanded role in the sequel, it still feels like he's being misused. It would be unfortunate if such a small part is what keeps Elba from playing bigger Marvel heroes.

As for who might really play Luke Cage in the Netflix series? There's always Terry Crews, right? And thanks to CC Scorsese over at DeviantArt for that sweet image of Elba.

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Review: 'Thor: The Dark World' Starring Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Natalie Portman

At one point in Marvel's superhero sequel Thor: The Dark World, the devious Loki (Tom Hiddleston) exclaims confidently "If it was easy, everybody would do it!" That sentiment could describe Marvel's genius construction of their cinematic universe, a perennial cash cow that only seems to be getting more lucrative by the film, especially in the wake of the $1.5B-grossing The Avengers. While an assemblage of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was always a shoe-in to be a hit, the solo films have been more of a challenge, and none more so than Thor. And while that first movie did well despite its many problems, the sequel surpasses Iron Man 3 in terms of scope and focus to be one of the most entertaining superhero movies yet.

The mandate is pretty clear for this one from the beginning: Do everything bigger!! The sheer spectacle of Thor: The Dark World stands on par with The Avengers, and while nobody is going to say the film is better, it's impressive the number of elements director Alan Taylor is able to juggle successfully. A Lord of the Rings-style flashback, complete with dark elves that look like orcs battling Asgardians with swords and axes, introduces us to the villain Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). There's a bit of mumbo jumbo about the alignment of the Nine Realms and Malekith's desire to plunge the universe into eternal darkness using a powerful destructive force known as the Aether. Defeated, Malekith is forced into slumber and the Aether hidden away where it can never be found, until of course it is found years later quite accidentally by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) while searching for Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who has been missing for months.

So where exactly does one hide a blond chiseled slab of godly beefcake, anyway? Well, you don't, and in the wake of the attack on New York City in The Avengers, Thor is seen delivering Loki to an Asgardian prison where he'll sit for the rest of eternity. But even when behind mystical prison walls Loki is good at getting under one's skin and that includes his mother Frigga (Rene Russo), who gets a greatly expanded role this time as the mediator between her two sons. As Thor gets on with the business of protecting Asgard and the Nine Realms, while also catching the eye of his warrior colleague Sif (Jaime Alexander), he's still torn by his love for Jane. Returning to Earth to find her, he's greeted by a couple of nice slaps to the mug, but after discovering she's been bonded to the Aether it's off to Asgard they go. Before she can finish awkwardly meeting Thor's parents, Malekith is awoken and stages a devastating attack that leaves Thor, Loki, and the almighty Odin (Anthony Hopkins) struck to their core.

And what a battle it is. Really, Malekith's attack on Asgard is the film's biggest set piece, and it looks absolutely incredible. It benefits by the impressive direction by Taylor, the Game of Thrones vet giving Asgard a more grounded, recognizable look than the fake, comic book look favored by previous director, Kenneth Branagh. This Asgard actually looks like a place people could inhabit, which fits with Marvel's clear mandate to make Thor fit into a realistic world. Since the bulk of the action takes place away from Earth this time, it also affords the chance to really dig into the Shakespearean drama that is Thor's family line. Bad blood continues to boil between Thor and Loki, with Hemsworth and Hiddleston both playing their parts extremely well. Let's face it, Hiddleston has been the rock star of the entire Marvel Universe up to this point, and every time he's on screen the film has a dangerous vibe that is undeniably fun. We're presented different shades to Loki's scorned child selfishness that were missing in the first film, and mark him as more than someone out for vengeance. Hemsworth too has really grown into a solid actor, as we saw recently in Ron Howard's Rush, and this version of Thor is one who is feeling the weight of responsibility and family obligation wear him down. The family dynamics of the Thor movies are unlike anything else Marvel's movies can offer and they are consistently fascinating.

Less interesting is pretty much everything that has to do with Jane Foster and her irritating pal, Darcy (Kat Dennings), who had been a scene-stealer the last time around. Less is more with a snarky character like Darcy, and she's around so much that eventually one starts to wish Malekith would pay her a personal visit. For what it's worth, Portman gives her all imbuing Jane Foster with a measure of strength, but she's still basically a damsel in distress waiting to happen. She gets a few moments to flash her intellect alongside the returning Dr. Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgard), but any explanation of the overly-complicated plot just sounds like gobbledygook ripped from an episode of Doctor Who. Idris Elba gets a little more to work with as the fierce protector Heimdall, including a brief but thrilling action sequence that was probably designed just for his fans. One problem that continues to trouble Marvel films are their lackluster villains, and Malekith is another in a long line of them that don't feel all that important.

Effortlessly combining sci-fi, supernatural, and fantasy elements, anything can and often does happen in Thor: The Dark World, and that unpredictability is a big part of why Marvel has struck gold (or is it lightning?) one more time.

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Middleburg Review: 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' Starring Idris Elba

There are many reasons to admire what director Justin Chadwick and screenwriter William Nicholson have attempted with Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. They've chosen to depict more than fifty years in the momentous life of South African activist and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, a life that could fill two or three movies with room left over for more. While many biopics, such as the recent Mandela rugby movie Invictus, prefer to focus on the events surrounding a major event, this film bucks the trend and goes for it all, and that ambition far exceeds its grasp.

Much of the early buzz surrounding the film has centered on the performance by Idris Elba as Mandela, but there's a reason why much of that talk has quieted. Simply, he's not given an awful lot to work with here, thanks to a script curiously devoid of signature moments. There's never a scene that encapsulates who Mandela was and why he was the driving engine in apartheid's ultimate collapse. Beginning with a handful of quotes establishing the Bible basis for whites' perceived superiority over native blacks, we're then flashed back to Mandela's tribal upbringing and his passage into manhood. From there it jumps straight into his beginning as a lawyer, where the beginnings of his fight against oppression took root.

Centering the action on his early career before he was considered such a virtuous figure might have been the wisest course of action as it shows the flawed human sides of Mandela most are unaccustomed. The film doesn't skirt over his womanizing past, and his first marriage which failed largely due to his inattentiveness and adulterous ways. As he begins building a coalition to stand against the current regime, he quickly becomes enraptured by Winnie Mandela (Naomie Harris), who would become his wife, confidante, and later an ideological rival.  Rejecting his non-violent stance, Mandela's aggressive tactics make him public enemy #1, but when captured he slyly maneuvers his way into a living martyr role by avoiding a death sentence.

Based on Mandela's memoir, the bulk of the story takes place during his 27-year imprisonment where he continues to fight the good fight against brutal, racist guards. Meanwhile, the world is changing outside of the prison walls. An uprising has begun against the white government, and Winnie has become one of its central components. Whereas Mandela's plight is mostly glossed over, like so much of his story unfortunately is, Winnie's turmoil is the most revealing of all. Naomie Harris steals the spotlight away from Elba effortlessly in her charismatic, fiery portrayal as we see Winnie forged into a determined soldier for retribution against the establishment. It stands in stark contrast to Mandela, who went into his sentence a man or rage but emerged a mannered, reasonable man more interested in peace than exacting vengeance.

Elba shines in the early portions of the film, capturing Mandela's youthful energy and easy charm that helped win him so many supporters. But as the film glosses over so much in order to get us from one point in his life to the next as easily as possible, we also lose sight of who Mandela is. In particular we never learn the reasons for the transformations he would undergo, from violent revolutionary to reflective champion for equality. It doesn't help that Elba's waxy old age make-up is a laughable distraction.  Chadwick has done solid work as a director but, much like his heartwarming Kenyan film The First Grader, he's trying too hard to give us an easily digestible feel-good film rather than delving into his subject with any real depth. The suffering Mandela experienced in the service of his cause does provide for a few stirring moments, but Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom sheds little light and is at best a primer to his story.

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