Moviefone Editorial

Tag: emma thompson

  • Paul Feig May Direct Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson Comedy

    Television Academy And SAG-AFTRA's 4th Annual Dynamic And Diverse Celebration - ArrivalsPaul Feig may be continuing his streak of directing hilarious female-fronted flicks, with a new report suggesting he could be teaming up with Mindy Kaling and Emma Thompson.

    According to Variety, Feig is in talks to direct an untitled comedy set in the world of late night talk shows. Kaling wrote the script, and will co-star alongside Oscar winner Thompson.

    Feig has been carving out a niche for himself in Hollywood with his focus on helming comedies starring and directed toward women, an underserved audience that has proven quite eager for original content. The “Freaks and Geeks” creator is known for his work on hits including “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat,” and “Spy,” and also directed this summer’s all-female take on “Ghostbusters.”

    While Kaling made her name on television — writing and starring in “The Office,” and creating and starring in her own sitcom, “The Mindy Project” — she’s recently been on a hot streak in film. In addition to the Thompson project, she’s also playing one of the titular thieves in the “Ocean’s Eleven” spinoff “Ocean’s Eight,” and just signed on to play a high-profile role in the upcoming adaptation of literary classic “A Wrinkle in Time.”

    This is a promising partnership between three huge talents, and one we hope pans out. Stay tuned.

    [via: Variety]

    Photo credit: Getty Images

  • Nick Nolte Swept Up in Georgia’s ‘Spectacular Views’

    As it turns out, the story about a 2,200-mile trek along the Appalachian Trail was a sojourn of the body and mind for Nick Nolte in “A Walk in the Woods.”

    “The views were high—spectacular views,” the 74-year-old tells Made in Hollywood of the sweeping landscape in the Peach Tree State, adding, “So yeah, it was a journey.”

    Nolte brings to life the memoir of travel writer Bill Bryson’s five-month expedition, based on the 1998 book that shares the movie title, which stretched from Georgia to Maine.

    In the biopic he stars as Stephen Katz, a long-lost friend of Bryson (Robert Redford), who joins the writer on the expedition.

    Co-starring Emma Thompson and Mary Steenburgen, “A Walk in the Woods” opens Friday.

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  • Does ‘A Walk In the Woods’ Get Lost? Here’s What Critics Say

    Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson! Talk about a star-studded cast!

    But to the dismay of critics, even these A-listers can’t save “A Walk In the Woods,” the Ken Kwapis-directed action film about a renown travel writer (Redford)’s decision to take a 2,200 hike with a troubled former friend (Nolte) who leads them both on a wild adventure.

    The acting in the film – which is given only a 47 percent Rotten Tomatoes score – is predictably praised by critics. But the movie is panned for being somewhat flat, with occasional memorable moments.

    “As [Redford] hooks up with his alcoholic, overweight frenemy Stephen Katz, the point of the movie, and their journey, becomes less clear. This isn’t a bad thing. The real point of the movie is watching Redford and Nolte together, and too much plot would have cut into the curmudgeon time.” — Peter Hartlaub, SFGate.com

    “Redford, meanwhile, is nearly 80 … He is, as people often reminded, way too old for the journey. It creates an odd dissonance between the character and the scenario, which almost elevates the films to a level of high fantasy. The nature of this fantasy is boringly feel-good and aspirational. ‘A Walk in the Woods’ feels like a self-help movie by proxy. Watching it, we’re supposed be inspired by the pluck and resolve of Redford’s Bryson, while awed by the rapturous Appalachian scenery.” — John Semley, TheGlobeandMail.com

    But there are those who argue the acting is enough to make it all worth seeing.

    “‘A Walk in the Woods’ is just about as soothing as it sounds — a funny, contemplative consideration of what can and should be done in life brought into focus by two wily veteran actors who, like the characters they play, are obviously not ready to give up the ghost … In ‘A Walk in the Woods’ they show what true cinematic chemistry is all about without appearing to be acting at all.” — Tom Long, The Detroit News

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