“My wife, Stella, worries about my health and once said, ‘Do you want to keep going until you drop dead?’ I replied, ‘I guess so, unless my health gives out first’…reports Asian Lite News.
Age is not a barrier for actors like Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins is 83 and in fighting form in front of the camera, having just won an Oscar as Best Actor for “The Father”. He asserts that he enjoys working, which is what keeps him going.
“I enjoy working. I enjoy getting out of the house and doing something different. I enjoy the novelty of it. I love the activity,” Hopkins told Saga magazine, according to an aceshowbiz.com report.
“My wife, Stella, worries about my health and once said, ‘Do you want to keep going until you drop dead?’ I replied, ‘I guess so, unless my health gives out first’. And she said, ‘Well, that’s good, if it’s really what you want to do’. And it is. Acting is my passion,” he added.
Hopkins shares that his role in “The Father” took its toll on him.
“What was difficult about ‘The Father’ was that playing an older man, I actually started to feel older. My back would ache and my legs would ache.
“The theory I have — and it may be a cockamamie theory — is that the brain is not as sharp as we think it is, so if I started to tell it I’m an old man with dementia, it will believe me,” Hopkins said.
He added: “After I stopped playing the part, I started feeling better and better, and thought, ‘Oh, good, I’m coming back’.”
The story is penned by John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have worked on the screenplay…reports Asian Lite News.
Dwayne Johnson or the fondly called ‘Rock’ is still very active in the industry and social media platforms. The trailer of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt’s upcoming fantasy adventure “Jungle Cruise” was launched.
The cast also features Edgar Ramírez, Jack Whitehall, Jesse Plemons, and Paul Giamatti among others and, inspired by the popular Disneyland theme park ride of the same name, the film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, known as the helmer of films such as “House Of Wax”, “Orphan”, “The Shallows”, “Unknown”, and “Goal II: Living The Dream”.
The story is penned by John Norville, Josh Goldstein, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. Michael Green, Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have worked on the screenplay.
Besides starring, Johnson is also credited as a producer of the Disney film, which is slated for an international release on July 30. “Jungle Cruise” is also scheduled to release on big screen in India.
Set in the early 20th century, the film tells the story of a riverboat captain named Frank Wolff (Johnson) who takes a scientist, Dr. Lily Houghton (Blunt), on a mission into a dangerous jungle to find the Tree of Life, which is said to have healing powers. During the trip, they must battle dangers of the wild and supernatural forces.
Irrfan, who passed away last year in Mumbai at the age of 53 after a two-year battle with neuroendocrine tumour, earned global recognition with his work in projects such as “The Warrior”, “The Namesake”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “Life Of Pi”, “Jurassic World” and “Inferno”. He passed away on April 29 last year…reports Asian Lite News.
It is a great honour for all Indians and the film industry that our own people bags recognition on a global stage. Irrfan Khan and Bhanu Athaiya were the Indian film personalities honoured in the “In Memoriam” montage showcased at the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony held here, on early Monday morning according to India time.
Sean Connery and Chadwick Boseman were also among many others that the Academy remembered in the special tribute segment. Oscar nominee Angela Bassett gave a speech with the tribute, which was shown in the form of a video clip and was a homage to achievers the world of screen lost over the past year, including actors, writers, directors, and technicians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oavHZ0L_vwg
Irrfan, who passed away last year in Mumbai at the age of 53 after a two-year battle with neuroendocrine tumour, earned global recognition with his work in projects such as “The Warrior”, “The Namesake”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, “The Amazing Spider-Man”, “Life Of Pi”, “Jurassic World” and “Inferno”. He passed away on April 29 last year.
Costume designer Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Oscar, for her work in Sir Richard Attenborough’s much-feted classic of 1982, “Gandhi”. She won the Oscar jointly with John Mollo. Athaiya was 91 when she passed away at her residence in Mumbai after prolonged illness last year on October 16. Athaiya had also won a BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design for the film.
In 2012, Athaiya returned her Oscar to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for safe keeping.
The 93rd Academy Award, also known as the Oscars, was held from two locations in Los Angeles — Union Station and Dolby Theatre. Anthony Hopkins and Frances McDormand were honored with the Best Actor and Actress award respectively while filmmaker Chlo Zhao’s “Nomadland” was named the Best Film. Zhao won Best Director for the film.
All through Wednesday, support and respect for Floyd continued pouring on social media from netizens and celebrities…reports Asian Lite News.
The brutal death of George Floyd really shocked people around the world. Hollywood celebrities hailed Wednesday’s verdict declaring former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin guilty of killing African-American man George Floyd.
Chauvin went on trial for pinning Floyd to the pavement with his knee on May 25 last year for over nine minutes, which led to the latter’s death. The incident triggered the Black Lives Matter campaign.
Welcoming the court’s verdict, many Hollywood celebrities took to social media and paid respect to Floyd, echoing that justice had finally been served.
Singer Demi Lovato posted on Instagram: “Rest In Power, George Floyed #blacklivesmatter.”
Actress Viola Davis wrote: “GUILTY!!!! As it should!! Now….rest in peace George Floyd. Rest. You and your family have been vindicated. #SayHisName”
A guilty #verdict. But this fight for justice is not over. We have a lot of work to do. There is more fight ahead of us. But RIGHT NOW please take CARE of yourself. And let’s take care of each other. Prayers and love to the family of #GeorgeFloyd.
Singer Katy Perry tweeted: “Rest In Justice George Floyd” Whereas, Kerry Washington tweeted: “A guilty #verdict. But this fight for justice is not over. We have a lot of work to do. There is more fight ahead of us. But RIGHT NOW please take CARE of yourself. And let’s take care of each other. Prayers and love to the family of #GeorgeFloyd.”
“But what I love about the franchise is that it is not senseless action for the sake of action. It will deliver,” Cena told select media globally., during the trailer launch…John Cena speaks with Durga Chakravarty…reports Asian Lite News.
John Cena have a huge fan base through wrestling championships and films. WWE champion and Hollywood star John Cena is the latest addition to the “Fast & Furious” world. He admits being aware he is getting the opportunity to be a part of a legacy body of work, and adds that the franchise is not senseless action.
In the upcoming ninth instalment of the franchise, the 43-year-old star will be seen playing the character of Jacob Toretto, brother of actor Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto.
Talking about being the new addition to the family, Cena said: “I love the perspective of F9, of Dom (Dominic Toretto) having to face Jacob, his blood family. Someone that has been forgotten and long lost. I have to be equal to Dom or greater than Dom to be challenging, to let the viewer get to the edge of their seat and get knocked back in their chair.”
“But what I love about the franchise is that it is not senseless action for the sake of action. It will deliver,” Cena told select media globally., during the trailer launch.
Speaking about the upcoming installment he said: “Now we get to dive into the concept of, yes, we can choose who we love and we can choose who we are close to, and call them family, even if they don’t share our last name. We cannot run away from our past and choices.”
“Sooner or later, if we have any regrets, if we have any second thoughts and if we have any self-doubt we have to look into that glass and face it and that’s what I love about the power and gravity of this,” he said.
“This movie delivers on so many fronts, the trailer leaves so much meat on the bone and that’s what I am really excited about,” Cena add ed.
The wrestler-actor says he is aware that he is now a part of a film that has over 20 years of body work.
“I don’t lose sight of the perspective that I am getting the opportunity to be invited into a legacy body of work that is two decades long and these people have devoted their lives and put their physical health on line to maintain a reputation that goes along with these movies fans around the world not only enjoyed but expected,” Cena said.
He added: “So, I knew before going in that I would be sized up but I also am a super deep fan of the franchise and I love what the movie stands for.”
Cena called it a “life changing opportunity”.
“I don’t take that lightly and I didn’t take my investment in work lightly. I think it shows with all of us. I think everyone realised that I am in it for ‘Fast’. I really don’t lose sight of the opportunity I have been given. I don’t lose sight of the objective. The objectives to make ‘Fast’ a beast. I think we have all done that because collectively all have the same goal,” he said.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020. It won the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the US Dramatic Audience Award…reports Asian Lite News.
By recreating the wonderful memoirs of childhood, director Lee Isaac Chung has curated one of the best films in the history of films, which was recently got the Oscar nomination. The Academy Award-nominated film “Minari” is all set to release in India on April 16.
The film is in contention for six Oscars this year, having received nominations in categories of Best Picture, Best Director (Lee Isaac Chung), Best Original Screenplay (Lee Isaac Chung), Best Actor (Steven Yeun), Best Supporting Actress (Youn Yuh-jung), and Best Original Score (Emile Mosseri).
“Minari” has also collected six nominations at the BAFTAs, for Best Film Not In The English Language, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Alan Kim), Best Supporting Actress, Best Original Music, Best Casting (Julia Kim), and has garnered a Golden Globe in the best Motion Picture category.
The Korean-English language film stars Steven Yeun, Han Ye-ri, Alan Kim, Noel Kate Cho, Youn Yuh-jung, and Will Patton. It is a semi-autobiographical take on Chung’s upbringing, the plot follows a family of South Korean immigrants who try to make it in rural America during the 1980s.
Steven Yeun (Wikipedia)
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020. It won the US Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the US Dramatic Audience Award.
Minari is being released in India by PVR Pictures.
She did it. If she can, everybody can. Lebanese-American celebrity Mia Khalifa strikes a mean pose in her latest Instagram picture.
Mia Khalifa
Learn from Mia. Shed your lockdown pounds. Mia strikes a pose in a cut-out mustard-coloured dress in, flaunting her tiny waist. She stands against the backdrop of a forest.
“Damn, I look mean,” she wrote as caption with a chick emoji. The image currently has over 770K likes.
Last month, Mia found herself in the line of fire among Indian social media users, for coming out in support of the ongoing farmers’ protest.
She had tweeted: “”What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest.”
Her tweet came after international pop sensation Rihanna and activist Greta Thunberg expressed concern over the issue.
British singer-songwriter Zayn Malik had slammed the Recording Academy and the Grammy awards, accusing them of being biased and corrupt, and ignoring those who dont stay in touch with them.
Malik joins a growing list of top artistes including The Weeknd and Drake who have aired similar views.
Zayn wrote on Twitter: “F*** the grammys and everyone associated. Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionary.”
A couple of hours later the 28-year-old singer explained that his rant was not about him, or his recently-released music, which did not qualify to be considered for this year’s nominations, but about every other musician who he felt has been ignored by the Grammys for similar reasons.
“My tweet was not personal or about eligibility but was about the need for inclusion and the lack of transparency of the nomination process and the space that creates and allows favouritism, racism, and networking politics to influence the voting process,” he explained.
Soon after the Grammy nominations were announced this year, Canadian singer The Weeknd called the awards “corrupt” and said that they owed an explanation to him and his fans, who were surprised that his last album “After Hours” was completely snubbed by the Recording Academy, despite the fact that one of its singles, “Blinding lights”, made the record of staying top song on the Billboard charts for an entire year.
Similarly, rapper-producer Drake had called out the Grammys right after The Weeknd’s rant, writing on social media that they didn’t matter “anymore”.
“I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after. It’s like a relative you keep expecting to fix up but they just can’t change their ways,” Drake wrote.
Comedy icon Eddie Murphy’s daughter Bella Murphy, is all set to make her big screen debut alongside her father in the upcoming film, Coming 2 America.
The film is a sequel to the Eddie Murphy-starrer of 1988, Coming To America. Nineteen-year-old newcomer Bella says the original film shaped her humour.
In 2021 sequel, Bella plays the role of Omma, who is calm, cool and, as she not”s, “royal, but not too st”ffy”. Omma is the type of person who analyses a situation before she reacts.
Bella saw the original film when she was just” 11. “I remember it being really funny to watch. It shaped a lot of my humor, ‘oo. I’m really passionate about pursuing acting, so when my dad told me about this part, I was excited about auditioning and also, training for the role. It was fun to do it all with” him,” she said.
The newcomer portrays the middle daughter of Prince Akeem (played by Eddie Murphy) and Queen Lisa (played by Shari Headley) in the sequel.
Eddie Murphy
The film is slated for a global premiere on March 5, on Amazon Prime Video.
Set in the lush and royal country of Zamunda, newly-crowned King Akeem (Eddie Murphy) and his trusted confidante Semmi (Arsenio Hall) embark on an all-new hilarious adventure that has them traversing the globe from their great African nation to the borough of Queens, New York.
Eddie Murphy
Coming 2 America also brings back James Earl Jones, John Amos, and Louie Anderson in familiar roles. Joining the cast are Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Jermaine Fowler, Rotimi, KiKi Layne, Nomzamo Mbatha and Teyana Taylor.
When it comes to Hollywood, 2021 is going to be a year of superheroes, reboots and follow-ups on the big screen — and, of course, James Bond.
The Hollywood calendar of the year comes packed with big blockbusters including Scarlett Johansson’s solo superhero outing “Black Widow”, the/-+ Dwayne Johnson adventure “Jungle Cruise”, Marvel’s latest superhero genre addition “Eternals”, Tom Cruise’s new “Top Gun” sequel and Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond, “No Time To Die”.
IANS lists the Hollywood releases lined up in 2021 that sure gets us excited:
NO TIME TO DIE
Certainly the most talked-about Hollywood film not to release in 2020, Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond is now scheduled to release on April 2 this year. The 25th instalment of the franchise also features Rami Malek as the new Bond villain Safin, and brings back Lea Seydoux as Dr. Madeleine Swann, Ben Whishaw as Q, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny and Jeffrey Wright as CIA agent Felix Leiter. It is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
BLACK WIDOW
Marvel Studios will finally release their solo “Black Widow” film, which aims to give a new twist to women power in the superhero universe. The film will bring back Scarlett Johansson as of Natasha Romanoff and her superhero alter ego Black Widow, as she traces her past to solve the puzzle of her life. The film was slated to release in 2020, but got pushed due to the Covid crisis. Now, it is slated to release on May 7.
FAST & FURIOUS 9
Hollywood stars Vin Diesel and John Cena will give bromance a new spin in the upcoming “Fast & Furious” film, which will be fuelled by the emotion of vengeance. The saga sees the return of Justin Lin as director, who helmed the third, fourth, fifth and sixth chapters of the series. The film also stars Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron. It is expected to release in the first quarter of the year.
UNTITLED SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME SEQUEL
The Tom Holland-led film is expected to be a treat for franchise fans. Spider-Man’s new adventure will bring back Benedict Cumberbatch as the sorcerer superhero Doctor Strange and Alfred Molina as the evil Doctor Octopus. Jamie Foxx will reportedly appear as Electro. The upcoming adventure is expected to feature multiple generations of “Spider-Man” actors, with actors from past films in the series reprising their characters. The third “Spider-Man” film is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 17, 2021.
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
At 58, Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise will be back in his popular avatar as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in “Top Gun: Maverick”, the much-anticipated sequel of the 1986 hit “Top Gun”. The Joseph Kosinski-directed film co-stars Jon Hamm, Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Miles Teller and Jay Ellis. The trailer shows Maverick going back to Naval Fighter Weapons School to teach to the younger generations. It is slated to release on July 2.
JUNGLE CRUISE
Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt go on an action packed ride in the film based on the Disneyland ride of the same name. The Jaume Collet-Serra-directed film is set in the early 20th century, and follows the journey of a riverboat captain (Johnson) and scientist (Blunt) as they go into the jungles to find the Tree of Life. It is slated to release on July 30.
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 7
Tom Cruise returns as Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible 7”, which is helmed by filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie. It is slated to open on November 19, 2021. The spy action thriller also stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Vanessa Kirby, Simon Pegg, and Hayley Atwell.
DUNE
Denis Villeneuve’s much-hyped sci-fi movie is slated to release on October 1. An official adaptation of Frank Herbert’s classic of the same name, the film will explore themes like politics, religion, and war amid the backdrop of the planet Arrakis, known as Dune. It features Timothee Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgard, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa and Javier Bardem.
A QUIET PLACE PART II
The John Krasinski and Emily Blunt-starrer was originally set to hit the big screen last March, but was among numerous Hollywood films delayed owing to Covid. It is now scheduled on April 23 this year. The horror film is a sequel of the 2018 winner “A Quiet Place”, which imagined a post-apocalyptic world where humans fall prey to fast-moving creatures who track their victims by sound.
VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE
Tom Hardy’s much-anticipated “Venom” sequel is also slated to open this year. Andy Serkis has directed the second part of the action fantasy franchise, which sees Hardy take on an alien symbiote again for another adventure. It is expected to release in June.
THE SUICIDE SQUAD
James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” is a reboot of the 2016 film “Suicide Squad”, helmed by David Ayer. Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis will reprise the roles they played in the first film. It stars Pete Davidson as Blackguard, John Cena as Peacemaker, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Alice Braga as Sul Soria among others. It is expected to release in August.
THE KING’S MAN
Slated to open on March 12, the Matthew Vaughn-directorial is a prequel in the “Kingsman” film series. It is loosely based on the comic book series “Kingsman”, created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film takes place decades before the first two instalments in the franchise so far — “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014) and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” (2017). It features Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Daniel Bruhl and Djimon Hounsou.
MORBIUS
The “Spider-Man” spinoff is slated to release on March 19. It stars Jared Leto in the titular role as Michael Morbius, a scientist who turns into a vampire.
THE MATRIX 4
Priyanka Chopra will be joining Keanu Reeves in the next part of “The Matrix”, which is expected to release later this year. The film is produced, co-written and directed by Lana Wachowski, who co-directed and co-wrote three of the previous films with her sister Lilly.
TOM AND JERRY
The live-action/ CG-animated film features the iconic cartoon characters as they go on another fun-filled adventure. The film stars Chloe Grace Moretz and Michael Pena. It is expected to open in the first quarter of the year.
MONSTER HUNTER
Directed by Paul WS Anderson, the film is based on the video game series of the same name. The film stars Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Tip “T. I.” Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta, Josh Helman, Jin Au-Yeung and Ron Perlman. It is expected to release in the first quarter of the year.
FREE GUY
The Ryan Reynolds-led action comedy is about a non-player character in a video game. The Shawn Levy-directed film also stars Jodie Comer, Joe Keery, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar and Taika Waititi. It is slated to release on May 21.
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Marvel’s first Asian origin superhero will be introduced this year, with the Destin Daniel Cretton directorial. In the film, Simu Liu stars as the title character with Awkwafina in an unspecified role and Tony Leung playing the iconic comicbook villain known as The Mandarin. It is slated to release on July 9.
ETERNALS
Directed by Chloe Zhao, the film stars Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, Kit Harington, Gemma Chan, Salma Hayek and Kumail Nanjiani. It is about the super-powered beings, The Celestials, and their villainous adversaries, The Deviants, in a war set millions of years ago. Nanjiani had revealed that his character will have the secret identity of a Bollywood star. It is expected to open on November 5, 2021.
WEST SIDE STORY
Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has reimagined the musical “West Side Story” for the big screen. The classic New York tale tells the story of two lovers — Maria, a Puerto Rican, whose brother Bernardo is the leader of the “Sharks” street gang, and Tony, a former leader of the “Jets”, who battled the Sharks. The film is at the same time a romance and a crime story. It is a story of street gangs, racism, and violence in the shadows of rising skyscrapers. It will open on December 10.
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
Jason Reitman’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” is a direct sequel set 30 years after “Ghostbusters II”. It follows two children (Mckenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard) and their mother (Carrie Coon) who discover their link to the original gang. It also stars Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver and Paul Rudd. It is slated to release on June 11.
DEATH ON THE NILE
Director Kenneth Branagh returns with a new Agatha Christie adaptation, after the commercially successful and star-studded 2017 release, “Murder On The Orient Express”. It is about a murder of passion aboard a cruise ship on the Nile. The film casts Gal Gadot, Branagh, Letitia Wright, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Sophie Okonedo, Tom Bateman, Emma Mackey, Dawn French, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, and Russell Brand, along with Indian actor Ali Fazal. It is slated to release on September 17.
