The Playlist

Review: 'Mary And Martha' Starring Hilary Swank Plays Like A Dramatized Charity Infomercial

By Kevin Jagernauth
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April 20, 2013 11:56 AM
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7 Comments

Television

"Did you know, that if you take every single person killed in a terrorist act around the world in the last twenty years, and you add to that all the lives lost in the Middle East since 1967 -- the 6 Day War -- and you add to that every single American life lost in Vietnam, in Korea, and in every single American engagement since then -- Iraq, Afghanistan... If you take all those lives and you multiply by two, that's the number of children that die of malaria every single year," James Woods gravely intones in "Mary and Martha." That this audience educating factoid comes during one of the climactic moments of the movie should tell you everything you need to know about the intentions and storytelling choices in this sentimental, misjudged, one-note clunker, that's yet another wide misstep by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank.

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Robert Pattinson, Sam Claflin, Max Irons & Douglas Booth Circling Lone Scherfig's Adaptation Of Stage Hit 'Posh'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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March 15, 2013 6:10 AM
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4 Comments

News

When it opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London in 2010, "Posh" helped to give a real boost to the careers of its young cast, with actors including Kit Harington ("Game Of Thrones"), Joshua McGuire ("The Hour"), Tom Mison (the upcoming "Sleepy Hollow" TV series) and David Dawson ("Luther") all having gone on to great things after the fact. "An Education" director Lone Scherfig signed on to a film adaptation recently, and it looks like we might be seeing a movie cast that's just as broad in talent, with a few rising names, and one massive one, apparently in various stages of talks to come on board.

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Lily Collins & Sam Claflin Team For Rom-Com 'Love, Rosie'

By Joe Cunningham
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February 5, 2013 11:39 AM
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4 Comments

News

Someone out there must have seen something that we, as yet, have not, but it looks like Hollywood is still trying to make Sam Claflin happen. The young British actor was virtually anonymous in “Snow White and the Huntsman” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” but that didn’t stop him lining up a key role in “The Hunger Games” franchise as Finnick Odair. Perhaps it’s that the films we’ve seen him in so far haven’t really harnessed his talents (and that’s perfectly feasible considering their respective quality), so we’ll hold out hopes that he’ll bring the goods in the future; perhaps in “Love, Rosie,” in which he’s just been cast alongside Lily Collins.

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First Look At Katniss & Finnick In 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 9, 2013 11:08 AM
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12 Comments

News

Strap in, because eleven months of marketing begins now. With "The Hunger Games" earning over $680 million worldwide, launching Jennifer Lawrence into the stratosphere and cementing a new tween brand, Lionsgate want those numbers to keep going up. Which is why with a release date set for November, they're starting to get the word out now on the sequel.

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Sam Claflin, Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth Now Among Frontrunners For Harry Osborne In 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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November 19, 2012 7:56 PM
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10 Comments

News

How quickly a studio (or a trade?) change their minds. Not even a week, it was reported that a trio of indie types -- Brady Corbet, Dane DeHaan and Alden Ehrenreich -- were leading the pack to take over James Franco's old part of Harry Osborne, best pal to Peter Parker, and son of Green Goblin Norman Osborne, in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," the sequel to this summer's tepidly-received superhero reboot. But it seems like either The Hollywood Reporter were acting on old info, or Marc Webb and Sony executives had a major rethink over the weekend, as the same trade now reports that the three previous names are out, and four new, and quite different actors, are now testing for the role.

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'Snow White And The Huntsman' Star Sam Claflin Confirmed To Play Finnick Odair In 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 22, 2012 12:30 PM
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5 Comments

News

It's been one of the most sought-after roles in recent Hollywood casting history, one that names like Armie Hammer, Taylor Kitsch, Garret Hedlund and even Robert Pattinson were (mostly erroneously) linked to. And after several months, it's finally been filled, with Lionsgate announcing via a press release that Sam Claflin, the 26-year-old British actor who's so far featured in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and "Snow White and the Huntsman," has officially signed on to play Finnick Odair in hotly anticipated sequel "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

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Kevin Kline Rounds Out Quartet For 'Last Vegas'; Sam Claflin Heads Into 'Overdrive' & Jessica Szohr Books An 'Internship'

By Ryan Gowland
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July 19, 2012 12:56 PM
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0 Comments

News

It seems that Hollywood isn't finished wringing the life out of the plot that sees four friends heading to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, only this time it's filled with Oscar-winners and targeted at a slightly older demographic. Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman make up three of the four pals, and it looks like director Jon Turteltaub ("The Sorcerer's Apprentice") has finally made his decision on the fourth friend: Kevin Kline.

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Sam Claflin In The Mix For Finnick Odair In 'Catching Fire'; Hunt For 'Mockingjay' Director Underway

By Kevin Jagernauth
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July 17, 2012 5:17 PM
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11 Comments

News

Well, if you can't get Robert Pattinson, Taylor Kitsch, Armie Hammer or Garrett Hedlund (all rumored/denied early on) perhaps give Sam Claflin a call? Perhaps due to thankless roles (or simply just bland presence), the actor starred in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" and "Snow White and the Huntsman" and made little impact. But maybe a Kitsch-ian third crack at a franchise will be the breakthrough he needs.

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Universal Looks In The Mirror And Decides To Go Ahead With A 'Snow White & The Huntsman' Sequel

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 7, 2012 10:57 PM
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5 Comments

News

Say it with us now: Franchise! That Universal has keeping crossing their fingers they would get multiple movies out "Snow White & The Huntsman" is absolutely no surprise, and it looks like they're getting their wish.

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Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sarah Gadon & Sam Claflin Lead Promising Cast For Amma Asante's Period Drama 'Belle'

By Simon Dang
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May 16, 2012 9:39 AM
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1 Comment

News

Quentin Tarantino and Steve McQueen dared to tackle race and slavery with their latest projects, "Django Unchained" and "Twelve Years A Slave," and it looks like they've now paved the way for other filmmakers to follow suit. One such example is British helmer Amma Asante who's set to adapt the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle -- a half-black illegitimate daughter of renowned Admiral Sir John Lindsay, eventually taken in and raised as an aristocratic lady in 18th Century England by Lindsay's uncle William Murray, the Earl of Mansfield.

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