Movies

Lupita Nyong'o didn't really know what she was reading for when she auditioned for 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'.
The 32-year-old actress admits she wasn't quite prepared for when she met with J.J. Abrams because she was "so busy".
"It was crazy. I accepted this audition ... and I didn't really know what I was auditioning for. I knew I was going in for J.J. [Abrams], but I was so busy. I was so busy I was working with adrenaline so I went in and out.
"I barely remember that audition and then two months later he called me. [I was just told he was] working on a big movie. I remember crouching around and I was using my hands as a gun, I remember that."
The '12 Years A Slave' actress also revealed she was enjoying a holiday in Morocco when she got the news.
She added: "I was in Morocco on holiday and he called me at my hotel and said, 'I have this motion-capture role that I'm considering you for.'"
And Lupita also revealed during filming for her role as pirate Maz Kanata, she regularly had to have the motion capture dots put back on her face after every meal break.
Speaking on today's episode (15.12.15) of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said: "I had dots on my lips and on my teeth and then at lunch time I would just eat the dots and then they would put them back."

John Boyega isn't "nervous" about the release of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'.
The 23-year-old actor had a first look at the complete film last week and admits it has settled his fears about how the movie will be received by the franchise's legions of fans.
He said: "I'm not nervous. I've watched the film and it's given me clarity on how it's going to do. Last week, me and Kathy [Kennedy; the president of LucasFilm Ltd.] sat down and watched the movie and it's amazing. I'm not just saying that; it's really genuinely a good film.
"The balance between the old and the new generation is so organic and natural. You're not going to feel like the new generation of new characters are forced on you. There's a natural kind of introduction and a blatant kind of chemistry between the characters, which is very very good."
And John - who got the attention of director J. J. Abrams after he starred in 2011's 'Attack the Block' - also revealed details about the long audition process he faced to win the part.
Speaking with Katie Couric for Yahoo! News, he added: "J. J. got in contact with me four years [after 'Attack the Block'] and I had an audition for 'Star Wars' and that kickstarted seven months of auditions, meetings and training.
"And then I finally booked the part after a nice breakfast with J. J. at a cafe and he told me, 'You're the star of 'Star Wars.'"

'Carol' leads the London Critics' Circle Film Awards nominations with seven nods.
The period drama - which stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in the lead roles - has been put up for the coveted Film of the Year award, whilst the two actresses will battle it out for the Best Actress prize.
The film's director Todd Haynes has also been nominated for his part in the film, whilst screenwriter Phyllis Nagy also receives a nod.
Other big nominees include '45 Years', a British drama based on the short story 'In Another Country', with six nominations and 'Mad Max: Fury Road', 'The Revenant' and 'Steve Jobs' receiving five nods apiece.
'Amy', the documentary about the late Amy Winehouse, was also given a number of nominations including for Film of the Year, British Film of the Year and a nod for Documentary of the Year.
Rich Cline, chair of the Critics' Circle Film Awards said: "Our critics nominated more than 200 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year.
"There was love for everything from 'Tangerine', 'Joy' and 'The Hateful Eight'. Getting to that final list of nominees certainly wasn't easy this year."
The ceremony will be held on Sunday January 17 at The May Fair Hotel in London, England.

The full list of nominees for the 36th London Critics' Circle Film Awards:

FILM OF THE YEAR
45 Years
Amy
Carol
Inside Out
The Look of Silence
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

BRITISH FILM OF THE YEAR
45 Years
Amy
Brooklyn
The Lobster
London Road

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Eden
Hard to Be a God
The Look of Silence
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya
The Tribe

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Amy
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief
The Look of Silence
Palio
A Syrian Love Story

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Tom Courtenay - 45 Years
Paul Dano - Love & Mercy
Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant
Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs
Tom Hardy - Legend

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Cate Blanchett - Carol
Brie Larson - Room
Rooney Mara - Carol
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Benicio Del Toro - Sicario
Tom Hardy - The Revenant
Oscar Isaac - Ex Machina
Michael Keaton - Spotlight
Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Olivia Colman - The Lobster
Kristen Stewart - Clouds of Sils Maria
Tilda Swinton - Trainwreck
Alicia Vikander - Ex Machina
Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Andrew Haigh - 45 Years
Todd Haynes - Carol
Alejandro G Iñárritu - The Revenant
George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott - The Martian

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Emma Donoghue - Room
Nick Hornby - Brooklyn
Phyllis Nagy - Carol
Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy - Spotlight
Aaron Sorkin - Steve Jobs

BRITISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Michael Caine - Kingsman: The Secret Service, Youth
Idris Elba - Beasts of No Nation, Second Coming
Colin Farrell - The Lobster, Miss Julie
Michael Fassbender - Macbeth Slow West, Steve Jobs,
Tom Hardy - Legend, London Roa, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenantd

BRITISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Emily Blunt - Sicario
Carey Mulligan - Far From the Madding Crowd, Suffragette
Charlotte Rampling - 45 Years, The Forbidden Room
Saoirse Ronan - Brooklyn, Lost River
Kate Winslet - The Dressmaker, A Little Chaos, Steve Jobs

YOUNG BRITISH PERFORMER
Asa Butterfield - X + Y
Milo Parker - Mr Holmes, Robot Overlords
Florence Pugh - The Falling
Liam Walpole - The Goob
Maisie Williams - The Falling

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH FILMMAKER
Tom Browne - Radiator
Mark Burton & Richard Starzak - Shaun the Sheep Movie
Emma Donoghue - Room
Alex Garland - Ex Machina
John Maclean - Slow West

BRITISH SHORT FILM
Directed by Tweedie - dir Duncan Cowles
Leidi - dir Simon Mesa Soto
Over - dir Jorn Threlfall
Rate Me - dir Fyzal Boulifa
Stutterer - dir Benjamin Cleary

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Carter Burwell, music - Carol
Wade Eastwood, stunts - Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
Colin Gibson, production design - Mad Max: Fury Road
Elliott Graham, editing - Steve Jobs
Edward Lachman, cinematography - Carol
Tom Ozanich, sound design - Sicario
Sandy Powell, costumes - Cinderella
John Seale, cinematography - Mad Max: Fury Road
Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler, sound design - Macbeth
Andrew Whitehurst, visual effects - Ex Machina

J.J. Abrams and George Lucas walked the red carpet together at the world premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' on Monday night (14.12.15).
The movie's director was given the seal of approval from the 71-year-old Hollywood legend - who created the sci-fi franchise and directed and produced the first six 'Star Wars' films before selling Lucasfilm to The Walt Disney Company in 2012 - when they attended he highly anticipated event at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
Abrams - who revealed he was overwhelmed at the "surreal" hype surrounding the movie - was given a big thumbs up from Lucas, as he placed a supportive arm around the acclaimed director.
Speaking about why the franchise has become such a huge part of popular culture since the first movie came out in 1977, Lucas told reporters on the red carpet: "I didn't think it would be this big when it started. It's a film about families and what one generation leaves behind another generation has to deal with.
"I started off wanting to do a film for young people who were going through adolescence, with mythological themes and spiritual themes. "That is what resonated with people."
Lucas, 71, talking about how the cycle of life influences the sci-fi saga, he added: "It's about what one generation leaves behind and the next generation has to deal with."
The premiere was also attended by the cast of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' with stars such as Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Max von Sydow Gwendolyn Christie and Harrison Ford - who was accompanied by his wife Calista Flockhart - all in attendance.
The movie opens in cinemas worldwide on Friday (18.12.15).

Sam Taylor-Johnson is in talks to direct a new film about the infamous US political scandal, the Chappaquiddick incident.
The 48-year-old director - who helmed the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' movie - is wanted by producer Mark Ciardi and Apex Entertainment to bring the real-life drama to the big screen.
The Chappaquiddick incident involved Senator Ted Kennedy, who, in July 1969, was involved in a tragic car accident that claimed the life of his young colleague Mary Jo Kopechne.
Ted drove his vehicle off of a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island on July 18 and after swimming free he waited several hours before reporting the accident.
Kopechne drowned in the car and her body was recovered the next day and the incident became a huge national scandal, resulting in Kennedy receiving a two-month suspended jail sentence. The accident stopped Ted from following his brothers John and Robert into campaigning to become American President.
The movie will be based around the seven-day period surrounding the accident and the fallout and Sam - who is married to Aaron Taylor-Johnson - is believed to be interested in the project.
The script - written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan - is currently being offered to Hollywood studios and agents.
In a statement about the film, producer Ciardi said: "I've done a lot of true life stories, many sports stories, but this one had a deep impact on this country. Everyone has an idea of what happened on Chappaquiddick and this strings together the events in a compelling and emotional way. You'll see what he had to go through."

Carrie Fisher was late to the premiere of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' on Monday night (14.12.15).
The 59-year-old actress reprises her role as Leia in the upcoming latest installment of the world famous movie franchise.
But the high security at the world premiere in Los Angeles caused Carrie to make a late arrival onto the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
The Hollywood veteran kept fans updated about her progress on her social network pages.
Posting a picture from her vehicle, Carrie wrote on Twitter: "We probably'll be stuck in traffic thru first hour of film..bomb dogs currently sniffing the car-almost there (sic)."
Carrie eventually made it to the event, and walked the red carpet alongside her daughter Billie Lourd.
She had earlier shared a picture of herself and Billie getting ready for the event in their dressing gowns, writing: "Check out pre premiere Robe Warriors!"
Carrie was joined at the world premiere by Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, who starred with her in the original films.
The trio showed red carpet newbies Daisy Ridley and John Boyega just how to do it as they strutted their stuff in front of the world's media.
Security was tight at the premiere as bosses battled to keep details of the film under wraps.
Journalists and guests had to hand their mobile phones in before entering the three different screens at which the movie was screened.
However, reviews for the film quickly began trickling onto the internet after the premiere.
Initial responses appear to be positive, with actress Geena Davis leading the way with a very vocal reaction to the movie.
Sitting in the second row at the screening, Geena whooped at the end of the film, telling the rest of the audience: "I loved everything about it!"

Eddie Redmayne was offered the lead role in 'The Danish Girl' whilst still filming for 'Les Miserables'.
Tom Hooper, the director of the 2015 film, which stars Eddie as Lili Elbe, the first person to undergo full gender reassignment surgery, has revealed he passed the script over when they were filming poignant scenes for the 2012 musical movie.
He shared: "Eddie's very emotionally connected, which is exciting and it was on the barricades of 'Les Miserables' I handed him the script in a brown paper envelope and said, 'Please read this, I would love you to do it.'
"He came back the next morning and said, 'I am in love with this script like you were, let's do it.'"
And Tom admits it was a "risky" film to make but is glad there is now a "popular acceptance of trans stories".
Speaking at the premiere of the movie, he added: "At that time it was considered a hard film to make, maybe risky, a difficult film to finance.
"But to see how it has been embraced shows how far we have come as a culture, there's been a great shift in terms of the popular acceptance of trans stories and the interest in trans stories and that's fantastic."

Dev Patel doesn't like being referred to as a star.
The 'Slumdog Millionaire' actor admits he hates being praised as it doesn't "work" with his low self-esteem.
When asked if he's a superstar in India, he replied: "No, no, no, of course not - that word star is something I'm really not comfortable with - it doesn't work with my low self-esteem."
The 25-year-old star also recalled a strange experience where he was travelling on public transport and spotted his face on the front of a fellow commuter's newspaper.
He said: "It's weird - I used to travel on the train a lot and you get that free newspaper Metro. One day I was going to the city meet a friend and I was on the front page.
"And I remember one by one everybody just started looking at each other, going, 'Who is that guy?' - and we're all stuck in this sardine can. It was pretty crazy."
Meanwhile, Dev opened up about becoming "connected" to India whilst filming his latest movie 'The Man Who Knew Infinity'.
He added to the National newspaper: "When I was in school [in London] you get those terms, like 'fresh off the boat,' and you try to shun your heritage so that you can fit in. That's something I did, like lots of kids try to do - dress cool and be 'normal' - but embracing your originality is something I find I'm learning as I grow up.
"And going to India and filming and really being connected to India like that - that was life-altering, a tectonic shift. It made me incredibly proud of something I wasn't before."

Carrie Fisher feels like the new 'Star Wars' movie is similar to a school reunion.
The 59-year-old actress is reprising her role as Princess Leia in 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' and was excited to be reunited with Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford for the highly-anticipated film.
She told the Sunday Express magazine: "The new actors are great. We're like the old guard who come back and we have a reunion and they're the freshmen.
"I understand - there is just this insane interest. People grew up with these characters, so it's their childhoods."
Meanwhile, Carrie previously revealed she had to shed two and a half stone ahead of her role in the science fiction flick.
She shared: "Nothing changes, it's an appearance-driven thing. I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say get younger, because that's how easy it is.
"When I do lose the weight I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself. It's not who I am. My problem is they talk to me like an actress but I hear them like a writer."