Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Stars to Watch: Part 1 – Movies Spotlight – October 2010

Cinema constantly has new talent each and every year, making good films and opening audiences’ eyes to new characters, stories and worlds. Six such newcomers in particular are having a breakthrough year – Chloe Grace Moretz, Andrew Garfield, Rooney Mara (Part 1), Emma Roberts, Aaron Johnson, and Gemma Arterton (Part 2), each with a new film coming out in October.

Chloe Grace Moretz:

What She’s Been In:

Moretz, 13, got her start when her family moved to LA in 2003 and she was cast in a role in the series The Guardian, appearing in two episodes. Her first film role came in Heart of the Beholder. In 2005 she got her next film role in The Amityville Horror remake earning her first Young Artist Award nod (of four). She continued to appear in TV shows and films for the next few years before her first breakthrough role, highlighted by Desperate Housewives, My Name is Earl, Bolt, Dirty Sexy Money, and My Friends Tigger & Pooh.

Breakthrough:

In 2009 Moretz had her first breakthrough performance as Rachel Hansen in (500) Days of Summer, a role in which she seemed to be wise beyond her years offering advice and reconciliation to heartbroken Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Then in 2010, she burst onto the scene as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass, garnering the attention of cinema goers and practically stealing the show. Her performance is wonderfully comedic and perfectly charismatic, oh yeah and subversive. As the credits play, everyone in the theater knew a star had been born.

October Film:

Moretz follows up Kick-Ass with this month’s Let Me In, a film in which she gives another fantastic performance. The film tells the story of a young lonely boy, Owen, who is bullied at school and ignored at home. He befriends a young girl, Abby, who has just moved into his apartment complex (Moretz) – and she also happens to be a vampire. It is a great horror/romance/coming-of-age film. Go see it.

Upcoming:

With great performances in Kick-Ass and Let Me In this year, Moretz is in high demand (she has seven films currently on her slate). Next up she has a role in Untitled Comedy, a feature film composed of short comedy segments. Then she is in Martin Scorsese’s first 3-D film (really, even Scorsese is buying into this) Hugo Cabret about an orphan living in 1930s Paris in a train station trying to solve a mystery involving his late father and a robot. She has another four films scheduled for 2011 and then Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall in 2012. If anything, she certainly has a bright future and some cool films coming up.


Career Highlights:

1.) (500) Days of Summer (2009) – supporting [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
2.) Kick-Ass (2010) – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
3.) Let Me In (2010) – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
*Editor’s picks

Andrew Garfield:

What He’s Been In:

Garfield, 27, got his start after graduating from England’s Central School of Speech and Drama in 2004 appearing in local youth theatre productions. He won the MEN Theatre Award for his performance in Kes and later the Evening Standard Theatre Award for outstanding newcomer in 2006. Having made a name for himself on the stage, he changed his focus to film. He first appeared in a number of British TV series, including Doctor Who, before getting his first big roles in Boy A and Lions for Lambs. Boy A in particular was well received by critics and his performance was noted as being very good. He also had a brief cameo in The Other Boleyn Girl.

Breakthrough:

Garfield’s first breakthrough performance came in 2009’s the Red Riding Trilogy. He stars in the first part – Red Riding: In the Year of the Lord 1974. The film is the best of the series and Garfield’s performance is one of the best of the year. He also got a role in Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (featuring Heath Ledger’s last performance) and the co-lead in the critically acclaimed festival favorite Never Let Me Go also starring Keira Knightley and Carey Mulligan. These two films being distributed in the U.S. along with the Red Riding Trilogy’s release on DVD and streaming on Netflix.com garnered him exposure with American audiences leading to him landing the lead in Sony’s flagship franchise (to be discussed below).

October Film:

This month Garfield co-stars in The Social Network about the founders of Facebook. This film is excellent, directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin. It is certainly one of the best of the year and a must see for those a part of the online social experience as the film is about you, in a sense. Garfield’s performance in the film is great, and probably the best of the film, again further establishing him as one of the best young actors today.

Upcoming:

Earlier in the year with Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 4 falling apart, Sony Entertainment announced they would be rebooting the franchise with a new director and cast. The new Spider-Man film will be directed by Marc Webb, hot off the success of last year’s (500) Days of Summer, based on the script by Zodiac writer James Vanderbilt. Garfield won the lead role of Spider-Man and now Emma Stone has been announced as Gwen Stacy. With a number of very good performances under his belt, Garfield can now look forward to worldwide fame with the release of the film in 2012.


Career Highlights:

1.) Boy A (2007) – lead [DVD/Rent]
2.) Red Riging Trilogy – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
3.) The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus – supporting [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
4.) Never Let Me Go – lead* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
5.) The Social Network – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
*Editor’s picks

Rooney Mara:

What She’s Been In:

Mara, 25, started her career with a small role in the direct-to-video horror sequel Urban Legends: Bloody Mary in 2005. She was inspired to get into acting looking up to her older sister and actress Kate Mara. She then got bit roles in a number of TV shows including Law & Order: SVU, Women’s Murder Club, The Cleaner, and ER. In 2008 she was cast in her first feature to be distributed, Dream Boy, following it up in 2009 with small roles in indy films Dare and Friends (With Benefits). She got some more mainstream exposure with roles in 2010’s Youth in Revolt and The Winning Season, though still only being cast in small parts.

Breakthrough:

Mara got her first leading role in 2009’s Tanner Hall, though it only received very limited distribution. Her first breakthrough came with this year’s remake A Nightmare on Elm Street. She played a co-lead among a few better known TV actors all being hunted and terrified by Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley). While critics were not overly impressed with the film, many listed the performances of Mara and Haley as the highlight. It was also her first film to receive a wide release finally getting her name and face out there.

October Film:

She also stars in this month’s The Social Network – though in a limited by very important role. She is incredible in her scene opposite Jesse Eisenberg that opens and sets up the whole film. The film really serves as her second breakthrough as not only is she fantastic and memorable, but also it will likely be an Oscar Best Picture contender which will only bring more acclaim and awareness her way. 

Upcoming:

Up next for Mara, and what should really serve as her coming out party, is David Fincher’s remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in 2011. She plays co-lead Lisbeth Salander, a computer hacker who helps Mikael Blomkvist investigate a mystery involving a missing girl. Mara stars opposite Daniel Craig as Blomkvist. She won the role, which was highly coveted among many of Hollywood’s best young actresses, due to her great work with Fincher in The Social Network. He obviously saw something special in her, and if you see The Social Network (and you should) so will you.


Career Highlights:


1.) The Social Network – supporting* [Blu-ray/DVD/Rent]
*Editor’s picks

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