Friday, June 27, 2008

2009 Sneak: The Last Station

I haven't seen these photos elsewhere unless I spaced while surfing the web... it happens. (IMDB doesn't have any photos up yet) So here's James McAvoy and Helen Mirren in The Last Station.


The film, based on the book of the same name, is about the life of famous Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer). Mirren plays his wife Sofya. McAvoy --much in demand, Wanted, literally -- plays Valentin Bulgakov, Tolstoy's secretary. Apparently Mirren and Plummer were replacements for Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins who bowed out or said no or something of the sort. Paul Giamatti also co-stars. The film is being directed by Michael Hoffman, whose biggest hit to date was the Pfeiffer/Clooney romantic comedy One Fine Day (1996). But since this is a period bio with a tony cast... maybe we'll see it in one Oscar race or another next year if its halfway decent? Hoffman's only Oscar film previously was the 17th century drama Restoration (1995) which won "the Moulin Rouge! Oscars" (i.e. costume design & art direction).

Helen Mirren is heading for another big year. At least three films coming our way. The other biggies are an A list ensemble crime thriller (State of Play) and one true story about a brothel in Nevada (Love Ranch) directed by her husband Taylor Hackford (Ray).

12 comments:

Mara said...

Hot damn, this sounds good.


... which means, considering I just used the phrase "Hot damn" to describe a movie about Tolstoy, that I am a giant nerd.

J.D. said...

Just those two pictures have blown my Anglophilic mind. OMG.

Simon Jester said...

Good day. I'm Don and I'm on an intrepid mission to find the mythical source of the 123 meme. I'm just passing through. TA

Anonymous said...

Am I going to get sick of seeing James McAvoy all over the place in the next year or so?

NATHANIEL R said...

probably yes

Anonymous said...

probably not. McAvoy recently anounced to the British media that he's taking a loooooooooooooong break. Possibly up to three years!!!

Anonymous said...

This looks interesting...
And I highly doubt I'll get sick of McAvoy anytime soon - this is the only film he's lined up right now, isn' it? And so far he doesn't seem to make any stupid choices...
And mara: I had about the same reaction upon reading this, so it at least makes us two of those...

Anonymous said...

Yes, this looks great! Maybe Christopher Plummer, one of the greatest actors on the continent, will get his (first?) Oscar nomination. Plummer and Mirren, oh my, plus McAvoy and his real-life wife as Tolstoi's daughter -- I'm looking forward to it, even if I found the book kind of dull.

And Nathaniel - I'm surprised you don't like Michael Hoffman - didn't he direct "A MIdsummer's Night's Dream" with Michelle Pfieffer? People wondered if she could pull off Shakespeare, but she and everyone else in the cast was just right.

Adrianna

NATHANIEL R said...

i didn't say i didn't like michael hoffman. i don't really have an opinion on him. haven't seen enough of his films

Anonymous said...

Sorry - I just meant actively liking rather than disliking. I haven't seen many of his others either.
Adrianna

John T said...

Plummer getting Oscar nomination (finally!) would be a huge relief and a way for Oscar to make up for ignoring him for the past four decades or so.

Anonymous said...

Good Job! :)