Posts Tagged Helena Bonham Carter

STEELE PICKS: Best Films of 2015

Posted by Amy Steele in Film on December 30, 2015

I’m not a film critic although when I worked at Harvard Business School I was the film critic for The Harbus and it was great fun going to screenings and interviewing actors such as Claire Danes, Rose Byrne, Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell and David Cronenberg.

I’m a music critic and a book critic. That’s my focus. I can’t do everything. Yes, I cover the occasional television program.

I love film. I love indie film. I try to see a new film in the theater each week and my Netflix account [both streaming and DVD] remains quite active. I saw about 200 films this year. I don’t always pick the award winners but I pick what truly moved me. 5/20 of these films directed by women. 9/20 written or co-written by women. Many strong, intriguing female protagonists in these films.

Far from the Madding Crowd
directed by: Thomas Vinterberg
screenplay by: David Nicholls
starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen

carey-mulligan-matt-far-from-the-madding-crowd

Brooklyn
directed by: John Crowley
screenplay by: Nick Hornby
starring: Saorsie Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson

Brooklyn_3

Carol
directed by: Todd Haynes
screenplay by: Phyllis Nagy
starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler

The Diary of a Teenage Girl
directed by: Marielle Heller
screenplay by: Marielle Heller
starring: Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, Alexander Skarsgaard

The Diary of a Teenage Girl_Key Still-0-2000-0-1125-crop

Spotlight
directed by: Tom McCarthy
screenplay by: Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
starring: Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery, Rachel McAdams, Michael Keaton

spotlight

Tangerine
directed by: Sean Baker
screenplay by: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch
starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian

Tangerine

Suffragette
directed by: Sarah Gavron
screenplay by: Abi Morgan
starring: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep

suffragetteweb-movie-carey-helena-w724

Room
directed by: Lenny Abrahamson
written by: Emma Donoghue
starring: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Sean Bridgers

While We’re Young
directed by: Noah Baumbach
screenplay by: Noah Baumbach
starring: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver

While-We’re-Young

Love and Mercy
directed by: Bill Pohlad
screenplay by: Oren Moverman, Michael A. Lerner
starring: Paul Dano, John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks

love and mercy

Grandma
directed by: Paul Weitz
screenplay by: Paul Weitz
starring: Lily Tomlin, Sam Shepard, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden

Sicario
directed by: Denis Villeneuve
screenplay by: Taylor Sheridan
starring: Emily Blunt, Benecio Del Toro, Josh Brolin

sicario film

Mistress America
directed by: Noah Baumbach
screenplay by: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach
starring: Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke

Steve Jobs
directed by: Danny Boyle
screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin
starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen

steve jobs film

Infinitely Polar Bear
directed by: Maya Forbes
written by: Maya Forbes
starring: Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky

McFarland, USA
directed by: Niki Caro
screenplay by: Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois, Grant Thompson
starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts , Johnny Ortiz

The Age of Adaline
directed by: Lee Toland Krieger
screenplay by: J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador Paskowitz
starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford

Advantageous
directed by: Jennifer Phang
screenplay by: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang
starring: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams

Digging for Fire
directed by: Joe Swanberg
written by: Jake Johnson, Joe Swanberg
starring: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Brie Larson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sam Rockwell, Orlando Bloom

I Smile Back
directed by: Adam Salky
written by: Paige Dylan
starring: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles

Chi-Raq
directed by: Spike Lee
written by: Spike Lee
starring: Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack

notable performances: Bryan Cranston in Trumbo; Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road; Will Smith in Concussion; Amy Schumer in Trainwreck

Advantageous, Amy Schumer, best films of 2015, best of 2015, Bill Hader, Blake Lively, Brie Larson, Brooklyn, Bryan Cranston, Carey Mulligan, Carol, Cate Blanchett, Charlize Theron Max Max Fury Road, Chi-Raq, Concussion, Digging for Fire, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Blunt, Far from the Madding Crowd, Grandma, Greta Gerwig, Helena Bonham Carter, I Smile Back, Infinitely Polar Bear, Jacqueline Kim, Jake Johnson, Jennifer Phang, Joe Swanberg, John Crowley, John Cusack, Kate Winslet, Kristen Wiig, Lily Tomlin, Love and Mercy, Mark Ruffalo, McFarland USA, Meryl Streep, Michael Fassbender, Mistress America, Nick Hornby, Niki Caro, Noah Baumbach, Paul Dano, Paul Weitz, ROOM, Rooney Mara, Rosemarie Dewitt, Saorsie Ronan, Sarah Gabron, Sarah Silverman, Sicario, Spike Lee, Spotlight, STEELE PICKS, Steve Jobs, Suffragette, Tangerine, The Age of Adeline, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Todd Haynes, Trainwreck, Trumbo, While We're Young, Will Smith, Zoe Saldana

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WOMEN IN FILM NEWS

Posted by Amy Steele in Film, Women/ feminism on December 26, 2013

–Helena Bonham Carter is in talks to join Carey Mulligan and Anne-Marie Duff in Suffragette — a film about the nineteenth and early twentieth century women’s right to vote movement. The period piece will be directed by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) and written by The Iron Lady scribe Abi Morgan.

–Jessica Lange has signed on to play Mark Wahlberg’s put-upon mother in The Gambler, a remake of the 1974 film.

–Rashida Jones and her writing and producing partner, Will McCormack, just sold a “midnight-dark workplace dramedy-noir about a nail salon in Florida and the strange, dangerous women who work there” to HBO. Claws is the third show the pair behind Celeste and Jesse Forever have sold this year.

Helena Bonham Carter, Jessica Lange, Rashida Jones

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The King’s Speech: new on DVD

Posted by Amy Steele in DVD on April 19, 2011

Prince Albert [Colin Firth], the Duke of York, has had a stammer as long as he can remember. It’s this stutter that frustrates and embarrasses him. He’s part of the British Royal family and that’s the face of England. It might not hold as much power as in the past but there are certainly charitable and stately responsibilities. Albert’s father King George has attempted to scare him into speaking correctly but nothing works. Colin Firth makes a member of the British Royal family both vulnerable and resilient. Honest and forthright. Insecure and proud. He’s devoted to his family and the crown. His independent-minded wife [Helena Bonham Carter], the Duchess of York, finds an unconventional speech therapist [Geoffrey Rush]. Despite his initial reluctance and haughty airs, he works to truly find his own place amidst Royal history. He understands that he needs to speak to his people during times of war and strife. As their king, his goal is to comfort them.

As The King’s Speech opens, the heir apparent is Albert’s older brother, Edward VIII [Guy Pearce]. After King George V’s death and Edward becomes king he soon abdicates the throne when he insists on marrying his American mistress Wallis Simpson. Prince Albert will become King George VI. The pressure is palpable.

Director Tom Hooper takes what could be a stuffy, buttoned-up story and infuses it with charm and excitement. Finely tuned performances by Firth, Bonham Carter and Rush catapult The King’s Speech into a delightful, exceptional film about persistence and the capacity of the human spirit to overcome diversity.

[this review ran on my site during the film’s theatrical release last year]

Starring: Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Jennifer Ehle
Director: Tom Hooper
Screenplay: David Seidler
Studio: The Weinstein Company and Anchor Bay Entertainment
Rating: R
Running time: 119 minutes
Release Date: April 19, 2011

purchase at Amazon: The King’s Speech