Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy are reunited again in new rom-com About Time. And how can that not be a good thing? Add to that the talented Domhnall Gleeson and I think we finally have another rom-com worth seeing. And the Independent and The Telegraph not slaughtering the film, I think we have something to look forward too.
Tag: Bill Nighy
Bill Nighy in Wild Target trailer
Just because it brings a smile to my face. All three of them (Rupert Grint, Emily Blunt and Bill Nighy) are great at comedy.
And this is a rather pleasant watch too! (Link em up! – How groovy is that man!)
But yeah – do that!
Perhaps it is quite a good ehrm idea
More than 50 charities are supporting a UK campaign to levy a Tobin tax on transactions between financial institutions, which can be used to help fight poverty, protect public services and tackle climate change.
I think it is a brilliant idea. And this man is also just very luvely.
More about Robin Hood Tax here.
(Short film written and directed by Richard Curtis)
Statuesque – the beauty of silence
If you missed Statuesque, the brilliant silent short film by Neil Gaiman with Bill Nighy in the lead, please press play now before it’s gone. (It is about 8 minutes in length)
Very Lawrence. Very lovely. Very heart breakingly sweet.
Glorious 39 premiere at the London Film Festival
Of course I booked a ticket when I saw that Glorious 39 was going to be screened at the London Film Festival. I love Stephen Poliakoff dramas (Gideon’s Daughter, The Lost Prince are great) and he always seems to be able to assemble a fantastic cast.
And Glorious 39 does have the most fantastic cast: Bill Nighy, Charley Cox, Eddie Redmayne, Juno Temple, David Tennant, Romola Garai, Julie Andrews, Christopher Lee, Hugh Bonneville just to name a few.
Trailer
Synopsis
In the gorgeous summer of 1939, Anne (Romola Garai) seems to live a gilded life – a budding young actress, she’s the adopted daughter of Tory grandee Alexander (Bill Nighy) and head-over-heels in love with Foreign Office official Lawrence (Charlie Cox). She discovers some innocent-seeming recordings of meetings – but as she begins to understand quite what her discoveries mean, a tangled web of dark secrets begins to unfurl. People who have come into contact with the recordings are threatened and even die. The innocent certainties on which her life has been based dramatically unravel and amidst a growing sense of menace and betrayal, she has to confront the bitter choice she will be forced to make.
I didn’t know this part of British history, and the whole appeasement process that has taken place. It is rather shocking to think what might have happened if things had gone differently in the UK.
The film starts out showing the happy family of Anne but soon turns into a thriller that will glue you to your seat. I felt like someone had punched me in the stomache at the end of the film, only the best films do that. I recommend you to see it (UK premiere around the 20th of November, Europe and US hopefully later) as it is a fantastic (but shocking) film. The cinematography is amazing (it is partly shot in Norfolk) and the acting outstanding.
It was also fantastic to see Bill Nighy take on a role like this (after having seen him fighting guinea pigs (G-Force) and doing the voice of a somewhat short professor with a huge nose (Astroboy) as this is what he does best. I have never seen him turn this nasty in a film before, a great and memorable performance.
As the icing on the cake, the (nearly complete) cast and director Stephen Poliakoff showed up both before and after the film to do a short round of Q&A. I had no idea this was planned but how cool to not only see Bill but also David Tennant answering questions about this film.
Did I tell you you should go and see this film? Oh I did.
A Groovylicious Sunday: Bill Nighy on set of Statuesque
While I am in the middle of getting very exited about my upcoming trip the the USA, yesterday made September even more magical. I knew BIll Nighy was going to star in Statuesque, a new short film which tells the story of a love triangle between two living statues and an admirer who observes his object of affection every day among the Christmas shoppers – but is unaware that he too is being watched.
It is a silent short film written and directed by Neil Gaiman, who wrote Coraline and Stardust. Statuesque will be broadcasted on Sky around Christmas.
Neil Gaiman twittered and wrote on his website that he was going to start shooting this movie in London, and actually wouldn’t mind people to come down and watch the process.
I didn’t need much encouraging to push my pack-my-suitcase duties aside for a while and get on the London overground to Watford yesterday. When I arrived, Bill was already dressed up and ready for his scenes.
He looked pretty marvelous in his 60’s style Chicago gangster suit, his dark sunglasses makes him a perfect Blues Brother, but in the scenes he replaces his dark shades with some normal ones which turns him into a quintessential British gentleman with umbrella and all.
It was fabulous to watch him “at work”. And special, I have only seen him perform “live” on stage in a play where everything is rehearsed and goes smoothly. But here he had to improvise a bit, do the same scenes a couple of times, and think about continuity and things like that. Absolutely Intrigueing to see him at work.
His scenes took a couple of hours after which they moved on with other cast members. I am sure that he will be shooting more scenes, but don’t currently know when these will be shot and where.
September has started off in a major way having the chance to watch this, and I think I will continue to smile throughout the rest of the month.
The Boat That Rocked – review
And finally finally it was the day where The Boat That Rocked entered the harbours of London. The anticipation was high, this was after all a Richard Curtis movie with Bill Nighy in it. A winning combination, right?
(Very right, as I have seen it three times now and it isn’t over yet)
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Two kisses …
You know how it goes with film premieres and me. I never really want to go but I always end up going. And they always start out bad and then they tend to end, well, better. Sometimes they end great, and sometimes they end like “wow”.
Did I just say “wow”. Oh yes, wow doesn’t even get close. And I know I am too old for this shit, but bugger that. Today will be a memorable day. This was the premiere of The Boat That Rocked.
And be warned, there are images of that man inside.
3 minutes of The Boat That Rocked
Things to make your Friday 3 minute clip from the upcoming The Boat That Rocked.
Double Bill: Valkyrie and Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Valkyrie
The first time I saw Valkyrie was last Saturday, together with someone who appreciates the acting (amongst others) skills of Mr. Nighy as much as I do. The 11.00am screening in Devon seemed to have been exclusively reserved for us, we had a private screening!
Valkyrie is one of the best films I have seen in quite a while. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the beginning until the very last second. It has a dream cast: Bill Nighy, Kenneth Brannagh, Tom Wilkinson, Tom Hollander, Terrence Stamp. There is a whole regiment of tremendous British talent here.
And there is Tom Cruise, and he is delivering a great performance as Gen. von Stauffenberg, the man who tried to assassinate Hitler. Bill’s Col. Olbricht hesitates at the crucial moment in the plot, and this has severe consequences. Valkyrie really makes you wonder what would have happened if they had succeeded. It’s one of those films that have you glued to your seat after it has ended. It made a big impact on me.
If you like a gripping thriller – Valkyrie is a must see. (My current Valkyrie counter: 3).
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
And then there was Underworld, which is something completely different. If you like Vampire movies, this might be something for you. If you thought Davy Jones was a baddie, wait until you see Viktor in this one. Here is one truly evil villain, the master of all Vampires, not someone to mess with. Bill plays king of the Vampires very well. Michael Sheen is delivering a solid acting performance too but the story is a bit weak. I do love the colours in the Underworld movies, the cold blue surroundings match very well with the red colour of blood. Cheers Viktor. See it if you like to watch top class actors hissing at each other, or just because Bill looks so bloody cool in a battle skirt.
And while we are at it: I have also spotted the trailer of The Boat That Rocked in the cinema for the first time. The 1st of April is approaching fast. It’s a good Bill year this year.
Have you seen any of the above films?
Mr. Groovy on Leicester Square
I really wasn’t going to go. I don’t like big crowds like that, and I have been so busy all week I just wanted to go home and relax with a cup of Yorkshire tea, right. Right? And that other part of me thought, yeah, and tomorrow you will think – why didn’t I go? Even a glimpse of a tiny bit of his lanky left leg really would have been worth going, right. Right. Yep. So I went. And I was very late, and there was this huge crowd. And I saw Tom Cruise (who again was very nice to his fans). And I did indeed saw Bill’s back very very far ahead of me. And he wasn’t coming our direction.
Right then, that was that, going home now. Come on, we’re going. Maybe we could just try to get a tiny little bit closer? No we don’t. But my other half walked to the complete opposite side of the square, walked through a pub whose other exit happened to be located exactly behind the cameras filming interviews with the actors of Valkyrie (how lucky was that). And who was standing there, about 12.42 meters in front of me giving an interview? Indeed.
Groovylicious »
And then – the letter came
Life has its funny ways.
Lighthouses, dogs, and Bill
Some random bits before I leave for Christmas (which is not before Wednesday):
- I need to buy a present for those two slime monsters. I am going to spent some days with them in Ireland after Christmas and I am sure we will be even better friends if I bring them a dog pressie. They are lovely dogs.
The next week or two will be very dog filled as my mum is currently baby sitting my brother’s few months old chihuahua. They are small dogs but they are ubercute, actually (check out that heart on his back!). Maybe I should buy him a little gift too.
I think it is fair to expect some dog pictures when I come back.
- He grooves me out. And it’s a really great cause.
- And what are those lighthouses doing there you wonder? I apologize, I am still in Illustrator mode. It will pass.
It’s called Groovy
Very. Groovy. Indeed.
Update: I reshuffled the design a bit an incorporated the new logo. It’s not completely finished yet but far enough to use it. I have called this design “Quentin” – very appropiate I think.
I am not so sure about the background it seems a bit wild, but for now – wild is good.
The Girl in the Cafe around the world
Will she ever stop? I don’t know. I have recently received email from new participants from Spain and the UK, so people still seem interested. As long as she is comfortable traveling, I will let her do so.
Several people have written reviews, step inside to read them.
If you have no idea what I am talking about – please go here.
SweetArts: Delayed, moved to October
There are a couple of reasons for this:
- I can’t find a producer just yet. I don’t want to make this film without being properly prepared. And I simply need a producer who can help me with budgets, contracts, release forms, locations and things like that. I don’t want to make the film without someone like that because it will turn into a mess.
- Also I have some holiday planned in September so the best thing really is to move the shoot to October. That way I can take some extra time to prepare. I am putting quite some money into this, and it would be a shame to rush it for no apparent reason.
- Maybe moving it away from the summer holiday will improve my chances of finding a good producer too.
- And as a last – I need to do what Ewan McGregor did, which is having some moles removed. It’s planned for the 20th of August, it’s a minor procedure and I try not to worry about it too much, but I would lie if I said that it is not spinning around in my head. I am not too worried about the procedure itself, even though I am not looking forward to it, but am slightly worried about the potential badness of them. Let’s see how it goes.
Back to the film.
The Girl in the Cafe on tour – and more G8 Bill Nighy
It must be a perfect moment to have a post about The Girl In The Cafe on tour, seeing as another important G8 meeting is held in Japan as we speak.
Now just in case you don’t remember what it was all about, here is a message from your Uncle Bill, as he can explain it much better than I can.
And let’s face it, he is also much groovier than I am.
More Bill:
Bill has also written a post on the Oxfam International blog about his experiences in Japan.
And Bill’s (and many other Oxfam ambassadors’) letter to the G8 can be read here.
And more on OXFAM.
OK so now you are up to date. The Girl in the Cafe, the film, is about the same things. And my DVD of this great film has been travelling for quite a while now to far away places (as you can see on the world map)
The DVD has visited 69 people around the world, and new participants are signing up regularly, with Greece, Singapore and Wales being new destinations.
And there are new reviews from a couple of people who participated.
Bill Nighy at the G8 in Japan for Oxfam
Because he is such a great and groovy and intelligent man. Because it is such an important issue. Because it is so related to The Girl in the Cafe – we do a Bill post. How long has it been anyway!
Bill Nighy is currently lobbying with Oxfam at the G8, to make sure that the G8 doesn’t forget their promises about making poverty history.
Bill did an interview for the Andrew Marr show (Bill’s interview is about 30 minutes in the program).
You can see the interview here.
See also: Oxfam
Go watch the interview!
An update on The Girl in the Cafe DVD world travelling project soon to come.
23 countries, 72 people, The Girl in the Cafe on tour
It’s time for a post about my favourite subject and a picture of my favourite actor. 2 years and a bit on and the Girl has visited 65 people and there is still a queue (9, so it’s now 74 people) for more visits.