Benedict Cumberbatch and the Case of A Beastly Interview

Dammit.

Via HindustanTimes

I debated about writing since reading Benedict Cumberbatch's interview with entertainment editor Marlow Stern of the Daily Beast last week. What he said, what he meant, how the reporter's questions and opinion influenced the interview - and I hoped that Cumberbatch would say something - anything - in response to reader and fan reaction.

That hasn't happened, so here I am, writing - because the interview still bothers me.

"War Horse" - Finding the Words for World War I

Courtesy Dreamworks

“They fight a war and they don't know what for. Isn't that crazy? How can one man kill another and not really know the reason why he does it, except that the other man wears a different color uniform and speaks a different language?” 

― Michael Morpurgo, War Horse

The 100th anniversary of World War I will make news this week, primarily in Europe, as families recall their personal connection to the war, and journalists recount the war's impact on soldiers, families, and animals.

The loss of life - as well as a way of living - is cause for some to mourn, to honor and, even today, speak out against all that is lost, futile and senseless about going into battle.

The thing is - creative people who served and survived the Great War had been doing that for some time, from poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon to composers Maurice Ravel and Ralph Vaughan Williams, as well as authors J.R.R. Tolkien (The Hobbit) and C.S. Lewis (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Benedict Cumberbatch at Comic-Con: The Characterization of Smaug

During a Q &A with MTV's Josh Horowitz Thursday after the DreamWorks Animation panel for "Penguins of Madagascar" at the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, Benedict Cumberbatch confirmed that he would be back in Hall H on Saturday for "The Hobbit: the Battle of the Five Armies" panel. Of course, attendees and Hobbit fans will be excited to see director Peter Jackson, who missed last year's event due to filming conflicts, along with cast members from the film trilogy - and the chance to get a sneak peek at the director's vision of the final chapters in the beloved book.

However, if Thursday's reaction in Hall H is any indication, the big draw, once again, may be Benedict Cumberbatch, who portrayed Smaug (which doesn't rhyme with 'smog') and the Necromancer.

During Thursday's panel, attendees were cautioned to avoid off-topic questions for Benedict, or, as Craig Ferguson warned, "Comic-Con will be cancelled."

That's unlikely to recur during "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" BUT,  those who were allowed to ask questions of the panelists on Thursday found themselves at a loss as to what to ask.

We're here to help. Think of this as your source material, with links to even MORE information - should you find yourself in a long line waiting to catch a glimpse of "he-who-shall-flirt-with-the media-about-future-projects."

REVIEW: "Wish I Was Here" - Small Moments on the Big Screen

Theatrical Release Poster

Wish I Was Here

Director: Zach Braff

Starring: Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Joey King, Ashley Greene, Donald Faison

Rating: R (language & brief nudity)
Opens: July 18

Distribution: Focus Features

Zach Braff wanted to tell a story - and he didn't want others to tell him how to tell it. Critical and commercial success as an actor, director, or screenwriter doesn't give a person much more control over outside forces.  If you're lucky, however, it does afford a bit more control over what YOU want to do - and you find people who want to help.

Preparing for Parade's End & New Beginnings at the Imperial War Museum

Courtesy: BBC

From Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford: 

"The war had made a man of him! It had coarsened him and hardened him. There was no other way to look at it. It had made him reach a point at which he would no longer stand unbearable things.”  

“In every man there are two minds that work side by side, the one checking the other; thus emotion stands against reason, intellect corrects passion and first impressions act a little, but very little, before quick reflection.” 

REVIEW: "Begin Again" - A Love Song Sent to Music

Courtesy: The Weinstein Company

Director : John Carney

Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo,  James Corden & Introducing Adam Levine

On the radio as I was driving home, the DJ (with typical fervor), did a quick recap of the top songs over the holiday weekend. The artists he named?

Charlie XCX, Iggy Azalea and Jason Derulo

If you don't know who they are - or you do, and are old enough to remember a time when music was less homogenized and (a bit) more honest, you'll want to see "Begin Again," starring Academy Award nominees Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.

Music According to Benedict - "Can't Keep It Inside" - August: Osage County

Lee GrothOlson had a dream job.

Lee GrothOlson courtesy: http://bartlesvillesymphony.org/

A DREAM JOB. 

Who? Lee GrothOlson

What? A DREAM JOB

How? Talent (and location - it's not just important in real estate, you know.)

Why? Benedict Cumberbatch NEEDED her.

See what I mean? DREAM JOB.

So, here's the wrinkle: It sounds like a dream job IF you're a fan of Sherlock (she was), but does the dream become reality when that job is to teach Benedict Cumberbatch (a music lover, but NOT a musician) how to play piano for a minor character (but a key role) in a star-studded film based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play?

Benedict Cumberbatch Coming to "Black Mass"

In what seems a repeat of a work ethic that brought him worldwide attention, commercial success and critical acclaim, Benedict Cumberbatch's name was added to another movie project scheduled for 2015 release, hot on the heels of the "The Yellow Birds" cast announcement.

WENN

The Boston Globe reports today that Benedict Cumberbatch is set to replace English-born Australian actor Guy Pearce in the Whitey Bulger biopic from Warner Brothers Pictures', "Black Mass."  The article states that Pearce was "believed to be playing the mob boss’s law-abiding brother, Billy" while Johnny Depp has the lead role as Boston mobster-turned-FBI-informant James "Whitey" Bulger, who would later be one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted for over a decade.

The film is currently shooting in the Boston area with media reports detailing celebrity sightings of Depp and his fiancée, Amber Heard, as well as observations on the transformation of 50-year-old Depp's appearance. 

NYDN/PATRIOT PICS/FAMEFLYNET/ FBI/AP
Johnny Depp (L) Whitey Bulger (R)

Muppets Most Wanted. . .to Be BETTER

As a parent, I WANT to like family-friendly films.  Don't you? You're spending the equivalent of a week's worth of Happy Meals to sit for an hour and a half with strangers in seats you'd never want to see in sunlight.

If you're a mom, you know what I mean. You're in love with your DVR and Netflix because you can watch what you want when your kids have gone to bed or  - even better - gone to someone else's house.  Heaven is an internet connection and a remote with fresh batteries. You don't need a $15 popcorn/soda combo-for-1 in a megaplex to make you happy. You need 90 minutes to yourself to watch something that doesn't set off a snooze button inside your head.

Unfortunately, real life reminds us that kids don't want to see you in yesterday's tee shirt and yoga pants, holding a wine juice box while your tablet is paused on True Detective and one ear bud is dangling down your shoulder. 

(Hypothetically speaking.)