Rupert Friend | pinartarhan.com

The Last Legion starring Colin Firth & Ben Kingsley

Posted on June 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Last Legion starring Colin Firth, Aishwarya Rai, Ben Kingsley, Thomas Sangster, Kevin McKidd and Rupert Friend. Image from: http://img5.allocine.fr/acmedia

Romulus Augustus (Thomas Sangster) is the new emperor of Rome. He might be young but he is carrying Ceasar’s blood in his veins. Even though he is protected by his parents and his new protector Aurelius (Colin Firth), they fail to protect him and themselves from the Goth attack. The king and queen are murdered and Aurelius loses his army. Rome is in ruins and Romulus is now a prisoner of the Goths. The only reason he is not dead- despite the wishes of the king’s right arm Wulfila (Kevin McKidd)- is his former caretaker/teacher Ambrosinus(Ben Kingsley)-who persuades the king that killing a young boy will not gain respect. So the kind decides to imprison Romulus and Ambrosinus.

By this time, Aurelius has gathered what’s left of his men and the guard their ally Constantinople’s messenger (Alexander Siddig) has assigned him. To his surprise, the masked guard turns out to be a very attractive woman named Mira (Aishwarya Rai), who fights just as well as he does.

The Last Legion with Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai — Aurelius (Colin Firth) and Mira (Aishwarya Rai). We knew something was up when we learned he was single. Image from: http://images.allmoviephoto.com/

Colin Firth and Aishwarya Rai in The Last Legion — So, every couple has a different way of foreplay...Image from: http://www.pocandpoch.com

However they soon realize that saving their young emperor will be the least of their problems as even their own senators and allies turn against them and they will need to go to Britannia and find the last legion- their fellow Roman soldiers who never returned home. They will however have resistance and another and stronger nemesis….

This movie is pure fun. It is all there is to it. I am not really interested or knowledgeable when it comes to histories, legends and myths. So while lovers of the legend (I am not going to say which because it might be a lovely surprise if you don’t read the plot or tagline on IMDB) might be disappointed, I don’t see how entertainment and movie addicts like me- who also happen to be Colin Firth fans- will fail to have a good time. It has all the fun and glory of a fun little epic: strong and loyal characters, betrayers, romance potential, lots of fighting and battles, good-looking leads, some true wisdom, friendship, loyalty and more. It doesn’t hurt that it comes with a cast that features Colin Firth, Kevin McKidd, Ben Kingsley, Rupert Friend and Alexander Siddig. For those of you who have seen Love Actually- also featuring Colin Firth and Thomas Sangster- might enjoy watching Thomas as a teenager. Love Actually was made 4 years prior to this film and featured an almighty British cast including Liam Neeson, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant. Thomas plays the stepson to Liam Neeson’s character. And they do have an adorable relationship. Which reminds me, I should write about Love Actually.

Kevin McKidd seems to be getting his fair share in epic movies as he also co-starred in Kingdom of Heaven (starring Orlando Bloom) and he played in the critically acclaimed TV show Rome. I first watched Scottish Kevin as he played the Scottish fiancé of Michelle Monahan- the love of Patrick Dempsey’s life-in Made of Honor. He and Patrick continued to act together when Kevin joined the cast of Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. Owen Hunt. It is nice to see Kevin go all evil here.

I am pretty sure Ben Kingsley needs no introduction but I feel his roles in Gandhi (as Gandhi) and Schindler’s List should be mentioned. He is also seen in a big role in Prince of Persia alongside Jake Gyllenhaal as his uncle.

Well, watching Alexander Siddig- albeit in a small role- was fun all the same. My recent admiration for the actor comes from watching Cairo Time. May he be in more and more leading roles without killing people. As he is quoted (from imdb)on his role in Cairo Time: “It was a real treasure, a treat, to find a character, a role, that wasn’t intent on trying to blow up the White House or hijack an airplane”. Well, he has been cast in 24. Boys might also remember him from Star Trek Deep Space Nine TV series.

Rupert Friend plays in Pride and Prejudice, Chéri and The Young Victoria.

Of course, I need to mention James Cosmo. Did you think the big warrior next to Kevin McKidd’s Wulfila seem familiar? It is because he played Campbell, Hamish’s father in Braveheart.

So, this is a movie about honor, loyalty, love and friendship. It may not be one of the best but it does show a good time. Of course there are many who disagree as the movie was rated a 5.4 on IMDB. Watch and see for yourselves. I think it is a 7.

Posts Featuring Colin Firth and his movies:

Dorian Gray

The British Actors We Love

22 Tall Actors From Hollywood

Apartment Zero

Trauma

St. Trinian’s

The Accidental Husband

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen

Posted on April 21, 2010 Written by ripitup

Pride and Prejudice starring Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley. One of the best romances ever. Photo: blog.lib.umn.edu

Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan, Jena Malone, Simon Woods, Rupert Friend, Tom Hollander and Judi Dench

Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives in the early 19^th century England with her parents and 4 sisters. She gets along fine with the pretty and serene Jane (Rosamund Pike) and is amused by her 3 other sisters (Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan and Talulah Riley). She adores her father (Donald Sutherland) and tries to tolerate her mother (Brenda Blethyn )- who is very loud, very traditional and is dying to see all her daughters get married fast. Except Lizzy couldn’t have cared less. She loves reading, walking, dancing and having fun. She is not about to give up the idea on true love so that her mother can be happy.

When Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), his sister and their friend Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) visit home, things are about to get a little complicated. Bingley and Jane instantly fall for each other. Elizabeth is not impressed by Darcy at all, who appears to be very full of himself. And no matter how rich, handsome and knowledgeable Darcy might be, Elizabeth won’t take any crap from anyone. But given Bingley’s love and her mother’s plans, she might have to see a lot more of Darcy than she planned. Then she meets the handsome soldier Wickham (Rupert Friend) who tells her that Darcy caused him great misfortune. But maybe Darcy isn’t that arrogant and proud. Maybe he is just misunderstood. It is not helping matters that he has declared his feelings for her…

Obviously there is a lot to the story than just the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth but it is the core that gives the story the name and the magic. There are many sub-plots featuring Elizabeth’s sister and the one featuring her best friend but let’s face it. Our number 2 concern is Jane and Bingley. And number 1 is obviously….yeah.

This version of Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is either in top 20 or top 10 and yeah, I watch a lot of movies. It has all the charming and addictive elements of an amazing period romance and it contains hilarious comic relief. The actors are perfectly cast and I wouldn’t replace anyone, had I been (magically) involved in the process. Matthew McFadyen and Keira Knightley were born to play Darcy and Elizabeth.

I love everything about this movie. The costumes, music, parties, location, houses…See it. Hell, it is 7.8 on imdb. How many other “chick flicks” that are rated that high? 10/10 from me.

Darcy is the guy that should give every boy in his right mind a nightmare. Why? You can read it here.

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen — Pride and Prejudice, based on the novel of Jane Austen, was made in 2005. Directed by Joe Wright. Photo: fanpop.com

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Chéri starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rupert Friend

Posted on February 5, 2010 Written by ripitup

Chéri with Michelle Pfeiffer. She is good. The movie? Not so much.

I didn’t like this movie. Bye.

Kidding. Well, only about the second part. I really didn’t like this movie.

I like period pieces and romantic/sexy stories. I love Michelle Pfeiffer. Director Stephen Fears made Dangerous Liaisons in 1988, starring John Malkovich Glenn Close and Michelle, a movie I adored. So I was expecting something spectacular from Stephen again. Well, the magic is just isn’t here. Of course that cast included the-ever-amazing John Malkovich. Here, we have Rupert Friend. I had previously seen him in Pride and Prejudice in a small role and he had done alright. Now, even “alright” would be overstatement.

The story:
Michelle plays Lea- a glorified prostitute who is near her retirement age. I am saying glorified, because we are talking about times where some prostitutes had power, money and more style and grace than any other woman in society. She is the godmother of Chéri and this young man has started to concern his mother Madame Peloux (Kathy Bates), an ex-prostitute herself. Chéri’s life consists of sex and booze and she’d rather have him mature under the wings of her old friend Lea. But this maturing period lasts longer than they all expected. After 6 years, they are still together. But according to Madame, it is time for his son to get married. She finds the girl and makes all the arrangements. Chéri still would like to have an affair, but Lea doesn’t want to be him after he is married. So they break up, which sends both lovers to different types of depression. They try to get on with their lives, but 6 years of passion and love are not easily forgotten…

chéri with rupert friend and michelle pfeiffer — Chéri with Rupert Friend and Michelle Pfeiffer

Not a story we aren’t used to but hey, it will do. The costumes are fine and Michelle Pfeiffer is still very pretty. But the movie doesn’t work. I easily got tired of Kathy Bates’ over the top character. I was annoyed by almost everything about Rupert Friend’s Chéri. I failed to see what might have been so appealing about him. He has a pretty face I guess, in a weird way but I half-expected him to announce he was actually gay throughout the movie. He walks, talks and acts funny. He has this weird fascination of pearls and if a guy isn’t gay, his wanting to borrow pink pearls can’t be endearing. I failed to recognize the slightest level of testosterone from him. His personality? There was nothing good or charming. So how am I supposed to believe a “love” story when the guy has nothing to offer? Youth can not be the answer, she has seen many of young men before. I guess we can explain that as shit happens. But surely, a girl finding Chéri as annoying, spoilt and gay is not a good sign?

And the ending is disappointing too. I am not saying it is happy or sad. I didn’t really care either way but it was just a pointless ending to a pointless story.

I watched it because as I said: 1) Michelle Pfeiffer

2) Stephen Frears

Don’t watch it unless you love period pieces no matter what the story and find Rupert Friend cute.

Also with Michelle Pfeiffer:

Wolf

Tequila Sunrise

With Kathy Bates

My Sister’s Keeper

P.S. I love you – plays Gerard Butler’s mother-in-law

White Palace – plays James Spader’s boss