New Trailer for 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel' is Open for Business

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is back open for business! Alert your grandmother! The first film was a surprise hit a couple of years ago, proving there's a market out there for movies that skew older if Hollywood bothers to make them. But did it really demand a sequel? $130M at the box office is enough reason for the answer to be "yes", and so the love lives of senior citizens are back on display in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The awkwardly-named comedy brings back Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie, and of course Dev Patel as the manager of the titular hotel for the "Elderly and Beautiful". As the business expands, the lives of the tenants gets complicated by the arrival of a handsome newcomer played by Richard Gere. There was a certain charm and cheekiness to the first movie that appealed to more than just the target demo, and the sequel should do just as well.

Directed by John Madden, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens March 6th.

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First Trailer and Photos for 'The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel'

When The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel scored a surprising $135M a couple of years ago it showed there is a substantial audience out there for older-skewing comedies, especially if they're British. And we've seen that play out pretty consistently ever since, but few would have expected that particular film to spawn a franchise, yet that's exactly what has happened with The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

The first trailer for the Brit-com has been released and it brings back much of the original cast while adding new faces in Richard Gere and David Strathairn. Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, and Ronald Pickup are back for an uplifting story centered on the hotel's manager (Dev Patel) and his impending marriage. John Madden also returns to direct and he tells USA Today that he doesn't consider the film a true sequel...

Madden: "I've always insisted on 'companion piece.' I think 'sequel' smacks of, 'Hey, we made a good one, it worked, let's do another one.' It certainly isn't the same movie again. We were very aware of wanting the experience to be completely fresh. If somebody simply walked into this film knowing nothing about the first, they would be just fine."

Same cast, same location, and it even has "second" in the title. Yep, smells like a sequel to me.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opens its doors on March 6th 2015.


The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Official Trailer (2015) Judi Dench HD. by Newest Trailer

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Daniel Dae Kim Joins 'Insurgent'; Judi Dench Has 'Tulip Fever'; Zac Efron Spins DJ Project

* Lost alum and current Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim has come aboard Insurgent, the Divergent sequel starring Shailene Woodley and Theo James. Kim will play Jack Kang, leader of the Candor faction. He joins other newcomers to the franchise Octavia Spencer, Naomi Watts, Jonny Weston, and Suki Waterhouse. Insurgent opens March 20th 2015.

* Two things every period drama should have and sadly not enough do: a script by Tom Stoppard and a role for Dame Judi Dench. Fortunately, Tulip Fever now has both with the cherished actress coming aboard to join Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Christoph Waltz, Zack Galifianakis, Holliday Grainger, Jack O'Connell, and other new addition, Glee star Matthew Morrison. Justin Chadwick is directing the adaptation which centers on a married woman in 17th century Amsterdam who has an affair with the man painting her portrait, all during a time in which the tulip craze is at an all-time high. Dench will play the Abbess of St. Ursula while Morrison is Mattheus, a Bohemian artist with a drinking problem. [Variety]

* Zac Efron, still riding high on Neighbors' success, will hop on the wheels of steel for an untitled DJ film by Max Joseph. Joseph was a producer on the movie Catfish and host's the TV series version for MTV. The film, which is currently looking for "hot young actors and actresses" for other lead roles" (really?), will have Efron as a DJ trying to come up with his first hit track. It's being described as a coming-of-age story, penned by Joseph and Meaghan Oppenheimer. Filming begins next month and all I can ask for is that Efron doesn't make turntablists look bad. [TheWrap]

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Could Judi Dench Be Mon Mothma in 'Star Wars: Episode VII'?

Read that headline again. Does it seem plausible to you? Chances are it doesn't, but when dealing with a film as big as Star Wars: Episode VII one expects such far-out scuttlebutt to emerge. With JJ Abrams recently revealing that the script is finally completed, we can expect to hear some concrete casting news soon, but will Dame Judi Dench be a part of those announcements?

According to the guys at Big Shiny Robot, Dench may be up for the role of Mon Mothma, a somewhat popular character in the Star Wars universe even though she didn't have many scenes. She did help lead the attack on the Death Star in Return of the Jedi, so there's that working in her favor. The site only mentions "reliable sources" in their report, which could mean anything or nothing. While my gut tells me it's the latter, Latino Review has been hinting around about something which sounds remarkably similar....



It could have been Chiwetel Ejiofor but he's been rumored in the past so that hardly qualifies as "new". Given that Dench just left the James Bond franchise, maybe she's looking for a new one to take its place? Nobody would complain about Dench doing anything, and if it gets her closer to wielding a lightsaber then I'm all in. It's not as if she's unfamiliar with sci-fi franchises, either. Remember her in The Chronicles of Riddick? No? Don't blame you.

This still seems sketchy, but we'll see how it all turns out. Star Wars: Episode VII opens December 18th 2015.

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Review: 'Philomena' Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan

The true life premise behind Steve Coogan and Stephen Frears' Philomena sounds like it was tailor made to be a cinematic tearjerker. The incomparable Judi Dench plays an elderly, extremely devout Irishwoman searching for the child who was taken away from her decades earlier. To be sure, the film tap dances on all the right emotional buttons that will have audiences diving for the Kleenex, but it'll also make you laugh, and when at its absolute best will also fill you with justifiable outrage.

Coogan, who co-wrote the script with Jeff Pope, gravitated to the role of journalist Martin Sixsmith after reading an article by him, then diving into his powerful novel, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee. The book chronicles Sixsmith's epic, revealing journey alongside Philomena, a woman he couldn't be any more different from. Whereas the novel is heavy stuff all around and hardly what one would call a crowd-pleaser (it's quite sad, really), the story is rejiggered into a mismatched buddy comedy that recalls Coogan's The Trip.

At least, the first half of the film is mostly about laughs. Recently sacked from his government spin doctor gig over a trumped up scandal, Sixsmith is wallowing in self-misery and finding little inspiration in new novel. He takes little interest when Philomena's daughter approaches him for what sounds like a human interest story, involving her mother who became pregnant as a teen and was sent to one of those awful Magdalene Laundries (check out The Magdalene Sisters to see how terrible they were) where her child was given away to prospective parents. Decades later, Philomena still feels horrible about what happened, and needs Sixsmith's help to find her son.

As a man who left his Catholic faith behind years earlier, Sixsmith is drawn to Philomena's story because of the guilt she carries over her one act of sexual indiscretion. Or as the nuns accused her, "carnal incontinence", and felt the need to deny her and thousands of other troubled young woman basic human decency as they toiled for years like slaves. For this kind-hearted woman to hold no malice towards the Catholic Church for what they did, drives the Oxford-educated Sixsmith to challenge her faith repeatedly, as if belittling her with his superior intellect will force her to have some grand epiphany. More often than not these confrontations are done with a playful touch, and the film finds a lot of humor in highlighting the odd couple's differences. Their investigation taking them to America, she's immediately enamored by buffet food, bad movies (Big Momma's House is the culprit) and trashy romance novels, which she fills Sixsmith's head with stories about, much to his chagrin.

And then things start to get tough as the clues to her son's whereabouts lead to some extremely dark places, and the lies told by the Church begin to pile up. Along the way, Philomena's dogged determination and ability to forgive drive Sixsmith's angry crusade, and the answers they find only seem to lead to bigger questions. While the mystery at the heart of the film is never less than intriguing, it takes a while for the investigative aspect to hit its stride. Frears, who has been in a bit of a directorial slump lately, struggles to blend the severe shifts in tone. Fortunately he gets a ton of help by Coogan and Dench, who make a wonderful team and are a joy to watch. Dench is terrific as the working class, grandmotherly Philomena, a woman whose capacity for kindness seems limitless. It's impossible not to love Dench, and by extension Philomena, which only makes it tougher for Coogan to make Sixsmith a guy worthy of just being liked. And yet he does it by showing the softer side of Sixsmith underneath the snide remarks and righteous indignation. There's a deeply caring soul who only wants to see Philomena lighten the burden of guilt she's been carrying for decades.

Frears and Coogan balance the weightier aspects with enough levity to keep the mood light, even when launching what is a scathing attack on the Catholic Church's misdeeds. What’s most impressive is that there's enough room allowed for differing viewpoints without condescension. As Sixsmith begins to warm to the old woman, he doesn't drop to his knees in prayer and start seeing things her way. Nor does she give in to Sixsmith's cynicism, even when it would be easier to do so.
While the film edges on sentimentality just a little, it never preaches and is always rooted in being an entertaining experience. Regardless of your religion or lack thereof, Philomena is a funny and hopeful tale of redemption that audiences (and possibly Oscar voters) will love.

Trav's Trip: For more on Philomena, check out my interview with Steve Coogan here!

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Trailer for Festival Favorite 'Philomena' Starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan

Could Philomena be a dark horse Best Picture contender this Oscar season? It definitely looks like Stephen Frears has bounced back from a series of underwhelming efforts with the crowd-pleaser after it took runner-up to 12 Years A Slave for the TIFF People's Choice Award. And after a number of well-received showings elsewhere and some extremely high praise for stars Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, a new trailer for the film has been released.

Co-written by Coogan and adapting the memoir by disgraced civil servant/journalist Martin Sixsmith, the story follows his attempts to help Philomena Lee reconnect with the child who was forcibly taken from her by Irish nuns in the 1950s.  The trailer seems to give away a lot of the story, but it also does a good job of presenting the heartwarming premise, not to mention the funny and touching bond formed between Coogan and Dench which is sure to be the biggest draw.

Philomena opens in select cities on Christmas Day, then nationally January 10th.

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Review: 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel', starring Judi Dench and Tom Wilkinson

This may sound like sacrilege to some, but the combination of Brit thespians Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy doesn't always produce excellence. They remain as great and in touch emotionally as ever, yet in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a film about people expanding their horizons during their twilight years, they are ironically hamstrung by a story that is all too safe and contrived to be memorable.

A group of older Brits venture, for a myriad of different reasons, to a rundown therapeutic resort in India, each full of their own hopes and expectations for the journey. Graham(Tom Wilkinson), fell in love with India as a youngster, but ran away to America in shame, spending the next 40 years of his life regretting the decision. There's Muriel(Maggie Smith), a cranky old racist who hates everything about the "brown people" and doesn't even trust their doctors to perform the hip replacement she sorely needs. Some flee for the hotel out of economic desperation, such as distant married couple, Douglas(Bill Nighy) and Jean(Penelope Wilton). Having lost all of their money in a failed business venture, he sees India as a chance to start again and experience new things, while she envisions it as a prison. She then proceeds to make her experience as confining and miserable as ever. There are other, poorly crafted characters best left forgotten, like the older vixen looking for a rich husband and the old horndog who just wants to feel young. Don't bother counting the minutes until the first Viagra joke. It'll come, just you wait. So do the softball jokes about the spicy food and hot weather. The sitcom nature of the humor has its charms, if only because it's being delivered by such high class actors, but it wears thin extremely fast.

There are some high points, and they mainly revolve around Judi Dench's affecting performance as Evelyn, a woman who was married to the same man for 40 years and now finds herself alone. She relishes the opportunity to reinvent herself, to find some meaning for her life, and Dench portrays her sense of wonder exquisitely. With notions of Rudyard Kipling-like adventures in her head, Evelyn doesn't let the dilapidated state of the Marigold Hotel slow her down for a moment, finding a job for herself and keeping a close eye on the fast talking, ambitious hotel manager, Sonny(Dev Patel). Dench and Nighy share some of the film's strongest moments as their characters evolve and adapt to their surroundings, which causes a rift in his failing marriage. Wilkinson's performance is utterly heartbreaking, with Graham's story featuring one of the few unexpected twists. Just as the film seems to be hitting a stride, you'll be snapped back by another telegraphed subplot, such as all the hotel residents banding together like the geriatric Avengers to save the hotel from being sold.

Directed by John Madden, who took Judi Dench to a Best Supporting Actress win for Shakespeare in Love, the film is well-shot and maintains a mostly cheery tone, and for some it'll be enough to see these seasoned actors, usually seen as British royalty or the upper class cream of the crop, in such unfamiliar surroundings. We learn very little about the Indian culture, however, and neither do any of the characters. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel could have been something special, but it aims to only be a comfortable, easygoing crowd pleaser, and in that it just barely hits the mark.

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My Week with Marilyn, starring Michelle Williams and Eddie Redmayne

To act as if anyone on the planet is going to be able to look just like Marilyn Monroe is to invite disappointment. In My Week with Marilyn, Michelle Williams has the daunting task of portraying the sultry celebrity and sexual icon, a role that has been attempted by many others with mixed success. For Williams, it's a change of pace from the serious, heavy roles she's had lately. There's scarcely a laugh in movies like Wendy and Lucy or Blue Valentine, but the women of those movies had something in common with Monroe. They had emotional scars that ran deep, and the courage to try to fight through them in any way they knew how. The glamour of Monroe is just the glossy packaging we see on the outside, but it's what Williams discovers about who she is on the inside that will make you stand up and recognize how truly great her performance is.

To their credit, screenwriter Adrian Hodges and TV vet Simon Curtis don't waste any time introducing us to Williams' take on Monroe, with her racy rendition of Heat Wave. Monroe was such a cipher to so many people, the only thing recognizable by all was the sexuality she projected. Williams slinks and curves through the song with ease, so much so that you barely recognize that she doesn't look so much like Monroe. She has the moves and confidence down pat, which is all that really matters. It's impossible to look away from her. Like Monroe herself, Williams will have men transfixed.

Such as Colin Clark(Eddie Redmayne), whose two memoirs serve as the basis for this story. Clark, born to a well-to-do family, has a desire to be involved with the movies. Through a combination of pestering and luck, he lands a gig as 3rd assistant director on The Prince and the Showgirl, a 1957 comedy so light a gust of wind could blow it into orbit. However it was a pivotal production to some of the particulars, including director Laurence Olivier(Kenneth Branagh), who just wants to see it go off without a hitch. If he can capitalize on Monroe's popularity, and maybe even get her into his bed a few times, so much the better. Unfortunately for him, Monroe arrives on set with more than just a few issues, she has an entire subscription. She regularly shows up to work late; refuses to listen to anybody but her enabling acting coach; and causes a paparazzi firestorm that slows production to a crawl.

Fortunately she has a friend in Colin, who instantly is enraptured by her "come hither" glances and flirty giggles. So much so that he rejects the cute costume girl(a wasted Emma Watson) he's been dating. She can't possibly compete with someone like Monroe, especially when she's so good at making Colin feel like he's the only one who can pull her out of a constant state of crisis.

How much of that act was real, though? And how much of it was an act she put on to get what she wants? That's one of the few questions the film actually asks about her. For the most part, My Week with Marilyn is an extremely airy story. The on-set squabbles aren't particularly insightful, and are played mostly for laughs as Olivier breaks down over what's happening to his career. The script doesn't seem to have any concrete answers about Monroe, either, except to figure that she was a rash of contradictions. On the one hand, she's desperate to be considered a real actress, so much so she's almost ashamed to be in the presence of veteran Dame Sybil Thorndike(Judi Dench), while at the same time she's more than willing to fall back on her power over men to make life easier. Colin proves to be Monroe's confidante as her marriage to Arthur Miller(Dougray Scott) publicly falls apart.

Just as how Monroe proved to be the shining jewel of The Prince and the Showgirl, it's Williams' remarkable, multi-faceted performance that dwarfs everything else about My Week with Marilyn. The trick to playing Monroe isn't just about looking hot in a tight dress. Being seductive isn't all that hard. It was Monroe's combination of sexiness and innocence that drove men wild, and Williams has nailed that perfectly. In one scene she shares with Redmayne as their characters skinny dip in a nearby lake, she gives him a gentle kiss and reveals it was the first time she ever locked lips with a younger man. That might be true, but really it doesn't matter. It's in that moment that we get a pure glimpse at the mystery of what was Marilyn Monroe. Manipulative on the one hand, but genuinely wanting to make others happy and feel special on the other. Perhaps she behaved in such a way because nobody was ever truly able to make her feel like the most important person in the world, and the cheering fans and snapping cameras were a substitute.

If only there had been more of an effort to stake an opinion on who Marilyn Monroe truly was. The screenplay drops a lot of hints, but never lands on a clear answer. Fortunately, Williams is so good that the rest of the film being so thin is barely a concern. After watching her humanize so many troubled women over the years to tremendous effect, Williams has taken on her most difficult role yet, and somehow found a way to outshine herself.

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Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench to star in Italian Shoes, directed by Kenneth Branagh

It's been a busy year for Kenneth Branagh, but also one that's seen his career veer off in unexpected directions. For one, he was the oddball choice to direct Thor, Marvel's superhero film centered on the god of Thunder and his earthbound misadventures. Branagh's theatrical, Shakespearean background proved to be a perfect fit, and the film was a certifiable hit. While Branagh won't be coming back for the sequel, it put him in a place he's never really been before, which is on the radar of comic book geeks everywhere. Branagh followed that up by starring as Laurence Olivier in My Week With Marilyn, which has a ton of Oscar heat for it's star, Michelle Williams.

But now Branagh is moving back behind the camera, and he's calling on two of the stars of both those movies to join him, as Variety reports Anthony Hopkins and Judi Dench are in talks to star in Italian Shoes. Branagh, who is directing based on a script by Richard Cottan(Margaret), said he's banking on his long established history with them to get them aboard. Hopkins played Thor's father, Odin, in the superhero film over the summer. Judi Dench was Dame Sybil Thorndike in the Marilyn Monroe biopic. She's also worked with him on numerous other occasions, like in Henry V and Hamlet. Branagh developed the film with only these two actors in mind, which is a pretty good place to start if you ask me.

Based on the 2006 novel by Swedish author Henning Mankell, the story centers on a surgeon, forced into retirement and now living in isolation on a remote island in Sweden. When a figure from his past suddenly returns, he's forced to confront old secrets and the event that led to the loss of his career.

Depending on scheduling, filming could begin at the end of 2012 or early 2013.

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New images from the DC shoot of Clint Eastwood's J. Edgar Hoover biopic!

Clint Eastwood's Hoover biopic, J. Edgar, is shooting right around the corner from me here in DC. Have I been over there yet? No. Will I be there today? Yessir! The film features an all-star cast, with Leonardo Dicaprio as the former FBI Director; Armie Hammer as his best friend/rumored lover Clyde Tolson; Naomi Watts as Hoover's paper shredding assistant, Helen Gandy. Judy Dench, Damon Herriman, Josh Lucas, Stephen Root, Ed Westwick, and more also feature.

Fortunately somebody else was able to snag a few pics from the shoot, taking place...where else, over by the Hoover Building. There's a pretty good one featuring Eastwood himself, and a couple of the classic cars from the time period. Sadly, no Leo. You can check out those shots below, and bet that I'll be lurking around today hoping to score a one-on-one with Naomi Watts. Or maybe ask Dame Judi Dench if she'd like something from Potbelly. Thanks to Networked Blogs for these shots!

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Clint Eastwood "definitely" adds Judi Dench, maybe Charlize Theron to cast of 'J. Edgar'

The best thing about Clint Eastwood? His answers are almost always straight forward and to the point, so there's not too much need for speculating. While speaking with SandwichJohnFilms(don't ask me about the name) on the red carpet for his California Hall of Fame induction, the director revealed that he's already reeled in a very big name to join the cast of J. Edgar, his biopic on the former FBI Director...

Eastwood: "We think [Charlize Theron] will be in the film. And Judi Dench is definitely in the film and there we are."

Neat and clean. Dench's role has yet to be verified, but Theron would be up for the role of Helen Gandy, Hoover's personal secretary and the woman responsible for destroying his personal files after his death. If she signs on, there's a good chance she'll have to turn down Snow White and the Huntsman, which she's been attached to for weeks.

 They'll be joining an already impressive cast including Leonardo DiCaprio as Hoover; Armie Hammer(The Social Network) as Clyde Tolson, Hoover's rumored lover; and Damon Herriman(Redbelt) as Bruno Hauptmann, the man convicted of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby.

I'm loving the way this film is shaping up! Eastwood could use a comeback after the snoozefest that was Hereafter.

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