Mike Leigh

Now Available to Own   Related Release: Since looks can always be deceiving, we’re frequently reminded to never judge a book by its cover or take something at face value without first taking it with a grain of salt. Yet in addition to possessing a small kernel of truth, another reason why idioms are so popular is because there’s one for any given occasion and every single justification. Therefore, when it comes to bewitching first impressions and questions of truth and beauty...Read Full Story

The stultifying world of late 50s suburban middle class respectability mixed with the memories of wartime loss is the setting for Mike Leigh's remarkable new play, Grief , which has its first out-of-London run at Bath this week. Lesley Manville plays Dorothy, a war widow trying to bring up a 15 year-old girl Victoria (played by Lark Rise star Ruby Bentall) in a household shared with her soon-to-retire brother Edwin (a fine buttoned up turn by Sam Kelly). The two-hour play, which runs with no...Read Full Story

I’m not sure how I feel about Panavision Mike Leigh. Dick Pope’s cinematography–and the film’s overall color scheme too–is very vibrant. Happy-Go-Lucky is a peppy, bright, Panavision Mike Leigh film. It’s got a loud–good, but loud–score (from Gary Yershon); the score’s peppy too. There’s a very definite arc to the film, with a predictable ending. It’s improvised like the rest of Leigh’s films, but it’s going for a different effect–it’s a comedy. If Hugh Grant showed up in Happy-Go-Lucky , he...Read Full Story

Topsy-Turvy (The Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray] The globe of Gilbert and Sulliavan arrives to vivid life in this extraordinary dramatization of the staging of their legendary 1885 comic opera The Mikado from Mike Leigh ( Naked , Secrets and Lies ). Jim Broadbent ( Moulin Rouge , Iris ) and Allan Corduner ( Yentl , Vera Drake ) brilliantly inhabit the roles of the planet-popular Victorian librettist and composer, respectively, who, along with their troupe of temperamental actors, should...Read Full Story

Legendary British director Mike Leigh returns with a brand new film that’ll knock your socks off in Another Year . Starring national treasure Jim Broadbent and long time collaborator Lesley Manville, this bittersweet tale follows the daily lives and struggles of two couples over the four seasons. It’s playing at the 54th BFI London Film Festival and not only that, Leigh’s new opus is part of an experiment which will see his film exhibited around the UK at cinemas during its UK premiere...Read Full Story

LOS ANGELES ( Hollywood Reporter ) - With six Oscar nominations to his credit, British filmmaker Mike Leigh is back in theaters with an awards contender struggling to be heard among the clamor. "Another Year" opened last week in New York and Los Angeles against three other high-prestige pictures vying for Oscar glory: "Blue Valentine," " Biutiful " and "The Way Back." They join a big field of contenders led by the likes of " The Social Network ," "Black Swan," " The King's Speech " and "True...Read Full Story

   I pretty much did not like this at all, but I give it props for Eddie Marsan, in a very memorable role, and Sally Hawkins' annoying but charming Golden Globe winning performance. Eddie Marsan played the villian in Hancock . You might have been thinking 'hey this guy is good; it's too bad he's in a terrible movie' (though you probably weren't, 'cause he was kind of sucky himself). Anyway, Sally Hawkins plays a 'happy-go-lucky' schoolteacher/bachelorette named Poppy (or Polly; that's proper...Read Full Story

Mike Leigh has received six Oscar nominations in 13 years, pretty good for a guy who has only made half a dozen movies in that time. Twice, he's been nominated for directing and his script in the same year. It's not a certainty that will happen this year, of course, but I'm not betting against the screenplay for Another Year . The movie debuted at Cannes and was instantly beloved, as his work generally is among critics and arthouse patrons. What is interesting about Leigh's approach is that...Read Full Story

CANNES, France (Reuters) - British director Mike Leigh's family story "Another Year" and French religious drama "Of Gods and Men" are seen as favorites to win the coveted Palme d'Or for best film at this year's Cannes festival. The 12-day cinema showcase on the French Riviera winds up with Sunday's awards ceremony which will determine which of the 19 movies in the main competition take away prizes. After a slow start that had critics scratching their heads about the overall quality of the...Read Full Story

POPPY: I’m calling the police! Do you want me to call the police? Do you? Right. So let’s just calm down, shall we? Okay? We’re disturbing the peace here. SCOTT: I just want to get in my car and drive away. POPPY: Sorry Scott, that’s not gonna happen. SCOTT: Jesus Christ, Poppy! You’re doing it again. You never give up, do you? You never give in for fuck’s sake, you fucking bitch! POPPY: You need help. SCOTT: Don’t patronize me! POPPY: I’m not patronizing you. SCOTT: Yes, you...Read Full Story