’Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Critical Roundup: The Third Time’s the Charm for Renée Zellweger
The latest movie is due in theaters next week.
Archives | Colin Firth
Arthouse Audit: Documentaries ‘De Palma,’ ‘Music of Strangers’ Open Best
Holding well in wider release are spring hits “Love & Friendship” and “The Lobster,” as “Maggie’s Plan” sustains strong word of mouth.
Arthur Newman
Wallace Avery is tired of being a loser. Once a hot shot in the world of competitive amateur golf, Wallace was dubbed ‘The Choker’ when he hit the pro circuit. Unable to shake off a monumental loss of nerve on the greens, Wallace retired from the pro tour and slipped into the ranks of the quietly desperate. Deciding to address a radical problem with a radical solution, he stages his own death, buys himself a new identity as Arthur Newman, and sets out toward his own private Oz of golf. An offbeat love story set in a perfect storm of identity crisis, Arthur Newman looks at how two people try to remake themselves and come around to owning up to some basic truths about the identities they left at home. [Synopsis courtesy of TIFF]
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
George Smiley, a recently retired MI6 agent, is doing his best to adjust to a life outside the secret service. However, when a disgraced agent reappears with information concerning a mole at the heart of the service, Smiley is drawn back into the murky field of espionage. Tasked with investigating which of his trusted former colleagues has chosen to betray him and their country, Smiley narrows his search to four suspects – all experienced, skilled and successful agents – but past histories, rivalries and friendships make it far from easy to pinpoint the man who is eating away at the heart of the British establishment.
Dorian Gray
When the handsome and naive Dorian (Barnes) arrives in Victorian London, he befriends the charismatic Lord Henry Wotton (Firth), who introduces him to a world of excess. For Henry, the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses, views he imparts to Dorian together with a good deal of flattery.
Women are enamoured of Dorian’s youthful countenance, but so is artist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin), a friend of Henry’s who paints Dorian’s portrait, aiming to capture all the power and allure of physical beauty. Overtaken with his own vanity, Dorian decides he would rather sell his soul than see himself age another day. Soon after, just such a deal presents itself, with the stipulation that every sin marked upon his soul would render itself visible on Basil’s painting. Disregarding consequences, Dorian descends into debauchery. He seduces the beautiful performer Sibyl Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and then abandons her. He woos a host of stunning women, attends erotically charged costume parties and indulges in whatever fancy suits his whim. Yet Dorian is continually haunted by the true nature of his appearance. [Synopsis courtesy of TIFF]
Gambit
This is based on the 1966 British caper pic that starred Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine. In this version Harry Dean’s (Colin Firth) plan to steal a painting from one of the world’s richest men is missing one final component — the participation of a beautiful woman to act as his gambit. In Nicole, he meets someone who appears to be the perfect candidate, but Harry himself becomes enraptured with her, causing his plan to take a series of wrong turns. [Synopsis courtesy of IOnCinema]
A Single Man
Adapted from a 1964 novel of the same name, the film follows a day in the life of George Falconer (Colin Firth), a British college professor reeling with the recent and sudden loss of his longtime parter. This traumatic event makes George challenge his own will to live as he seeks the console of close friend Charley (Juliane Moore) who is struggling with her own questions about life.
St. Trinian’s
The girls of St. Trinians are on the hunt for buried treasure after discovering headmistress Miss Fritton is related to a famous pirate.
Stars In Shorts
Seven short films, all of which feature name actors, including Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Colin Firth, Lily Tomlin, Keira Knightley, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and more.
Easy Virtue
The twenties have roared…the thirties have yet to swing. John Whittaker, a young Englishman, falls madly in love with Larita, a sexy and glamorous American woman, and they marry impetuously. However when the couple returns to the family home, his mother Mrs. Whittaker has an instant allergic reaction to her new daughter-in-law. Larita tries her best to fit in but fails to tiptoe through the minefield laid by her mother-in-law. Larita quickly realizes Mrs. Whittaker’s game and sees that she must fight back if she’s not going to lose John. A battle of wits ensues and sparks soon fly. Mrs. Whittaker manipulates every situation to undermine her, while Larita remains frustratingly calm and engineers sassy counter attacks. Before long, Mrs. Whittaker’s manipulation starts to work on John and Larita feels their love is in danger of slipping away. In a grand finale, where the secrets from Larita’s past are revealed, she finally makes a break for freedom from the suffocating house… [Synopsis courtesy of film’s official website]
The King’s Speech
Tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George (‘Bertie’) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
Bridget Jones’s Baby
The continuing adventures of British publishing executive Bridget Jones as she enters her 40s.