ITV

Tag: Jon Hamm

  • Lionsgate Play to premiere Jon Hamm’s Maggie Moore(s) on 20 October

    Lionsgate Play to premiere Jon Hamm’s Maggie Moore(s) on 20 October

    Mumbai: A cop, a murderer, and two Maggies! Lionsgate Play brings you a murderous mystery comedy in the form of Maggie Moore(s) that takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. Filled with hilarity, the crime film stars the iconic Jon Hamm and Tina Fey in titular roles as they showcase the story of a double homicide. But these aren’t any ordinary homicides, for the victims bear the same name – Maggie! Is it just an expected coincidence or is there a bigger web of lies yet to be uncovered? Find out with Jon Hamm who plays detective in Maggie Moore(s), as the title is all set to stream exclusively on Lionsgate Play in India on 20 October.

    Talking about the story he wanted to tell through the script, director John Slattery said, “What struck me about Paul Bernbaum’s script was the vulnerability of everyone in the story. They’re almost all lonely, searching for some kind of emotional connection, happiness, or satisfaction, in the middle of an insane story about a double murder, which I found to be a deft balancing act. Both of these elements coexisted seamlessly. I wanted to tell this story which was so specific in character, tone, feeling, and intention, partly to see if I could execute it as specifically as it was written— try to maintain that specificity through the entire filmmaking process, given all the challenges and obstacles along the way. Keeping that feeling which moved me to do it in the first place— through casting and hiring designers, collaborators— explaining, protecting, allowing it to change—I try to come as close as I can to what I experienced when I first read it… so that hopefully the audience will do the same.”

    Directed by John Slattery and starring Jon Hamm, Maggie Moore(s) releases exclusively on Lionsgate Play this 20 October.

  • Star English has much to cheer at Golden Globes

    Star English has much to cheer at Golden Globes

    MUMBAI: Star India’s English entertainment bouquet, consisting of Star World, Star World Premiere HD and FX, is known for showcasing the best and latest in English entertainment from across the world. Star India remains the first choice for premium urban audiences seeking quality English entertainment. Cast from some of its leading and critically acclaimed shows like Taraji P Henson (Empire), Jon Hamm (Mad Men), Maura Tierney (The Affair), Lady Gaga (American Horror Story – Hotel) and Rachel Bloom (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) have struck gold at the 2016 Golden Globe awards this year.

     

     The leading lady from Empire, Taraji P Henson, won her first Golden Globe for best actress in a television series drama for her groundbreaking role as Cookie.  Taraji’s character is the heart of the series and provides unforgettable catchphrases, heartbreaking line readings, and natural comedy in a tour de force performance that makes you miss her every second she’s not on screen. Empire Season 2 is currently airing on FX and FX HD every Sunday at 10 pm.

     

    The Mad Men superstar Jon Hamm won the Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a television series drama. Jon Hamm popularized the character of Don Draper in the series which captures the world of advertising in the 1960s like never before. Despite his outward disenchantment and egotism, the character of Don Draper demonstrates a strict code of personal ethics, insisting on honesty and chivalry in his subordinates, but not always in himself. Mad Men returns to television with FX and FX HD from 29 January 2016 and will continue to air from Monday to Friday at 11 pm.

     

     Maura Tierney from The Affair won the award for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television. As a jilted wife slowly coming to terms with a life she never had planned for herself, Maura Tierney found a perfect balance of comedy and tragedy in her character Helen’s situation The Affair Season 2 is coming soon on FX and FX HD as part of special programming for Valentine’s Day on 14th Feb

     

    The singer-actress Lady Gaga won Best Actress in a miniseries or motion picture for television for her role in American Horror Story: Hotel. Gaga plays Countess Elizabeth who is the owner of Hotel Cortez, a ritzy hotel set in modern day Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth is an uber glamorous socialite who secretly maintains her stunningly fierce good looks by using her special clawed gloves to murder people and drink their blood. American Horror Story – Hotel airs on FX and FC HD on every Saturday at 11 pm.

     

    The Crazy-ex girlfriend star Rachel Bloom grabbed the Golden Globe for best performance by an actress in a television series—musical or comedy. Bloom plays a successful Manhattan lawyer Rebecca Bunch who follows her high-school ex, Josh Chan, to the humdrum suburbs of California. The occasional musical numbers in the series act as comedic interjections, but they also telegraph the show’s darker themes, reminding us that our protagonist is slowly unravelling. Crazy ex-girlfriend airs on Star World Premiere HD every Thursday at 10 pm.

     

    Star India has a successful track record in bringing the best of international television, a stellar cast and outstanding performances. The network is home to the shows that have helped these stars acquire world acclaim.

  • ‘Minions’ mania to take over Indian theaters this July

    ‘Minions’ mania to take over Indian theaters this July

    MUMBAI: Universal Pictures India has already tasted success in 2015 with blockbusters Fast and Furious 7 and Jurassic World. The studio is now all set for the release of the animated comedy film Minions, a spin-off of the Despicable Me series. Featuring voiceovers by Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders and Geoffrey Rush, the film will see a pan India release on 10 July, 2015.

      

    The story revolves around a Minion named Kevin who along with Stuart and lovable little Bob—ventures out into the world to find a new evil boss for his brethren to follow. The trio embarks upon a thrilling journey that ultimately leads them to their next potential master, Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), the world’s first-ever female super-villain. They travel from frigid Antarctica to 1960s New York City, ending in mod London, where they must face their biggest challenge to date: saving all of Minion kind from annihilation.

     

     Minions co-director Pierre Coffin said, “This movie is not just for one audience. It’s for a broad audience, but we tried to be witty about it, meaning that every time there is a joke, we try putting multiple levels on it. That’s the magic of animation. You can express everything for your characters with sheer physical movements.” 

  • Europe’s Largest South Asian Film Event is Back!

    Europe’s Largest South Asian Film Event is Back!

    MUMBAI: Executive produced by actor Emma Thompson, Sold will be the red carpet European Premiere opening night film of the Fifth annual London INDIAN Film Festival (July 10-17). This film is a powerful, survival against the odds tale about a young Nepali girl who is trafficked to Kolkata, India. Gillian Anderson stars with a great Indian and Nepali ensemble cast including Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen). Central highlights of the festival will be the UK Premiere of the true story Million Dollar Arm, from The Walt Disney Company, starring Jon Hamm (Mad Men) and Suraj Sharma (Life of Pi). Bollywood’s hottest actor Farhan Akhtar and South Indian cinematography supremo Santosh Sivan will be giving rare screen talks at the BFI Southbank. Closing the festival will be the World Premiere of Hemalkasa, an homage to the revolutionary human rights leader Prakash Baba Amte, starring Bollywood hero Nana Patekar. Many other special guests are expected to a packed week of UK first screenings.

    Now Europe’s largest platform for Indian cinema, the London Indian Film Festival returns to the Capital, in association with Pure Heaven, the British Film Institute, and official Hotel Partner Grange Hotels, celebrating the exploding movement of Indian Independent cinema and bringing to UK audiences a rare selection of cutting-edge films from some of the Indian subcontinent’s hottest independent talents. Going way beyond Bollywood, the festival presents a kaleidoscope of new films that challenge, shock, generate debate and present a more realistic view of India and the subcontinent today, in all its diversity. The festival will stretch citywide, opening in the West End at the historic Cineworld Haymarket, and continuing at BFI Southbank, Cineworld cinemas Wembley, Wood Green, Wandsworth and O2 in Royal Greenwich and ICA near the Pall Mall, so there is a screening near you.

    The first weekend of this high-impact festival launches with Sold, on 10th July which explores the controversial theme of child trafficking; one school girl’s battle against the odds and the dangerous journey to liberate her from the Kolkata mafia; expect a glamorous line up of celebs to follow X Files and The Fall actress Gillian Anderson down the red carpet.

    On 12th July Rotterdam Film Festival headliner Qissa: Tale of a Lonely Ghost, has its UK Premiere, Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire, Life of Pi) plays a rural Punjabi father hell bent on having a son and heir, no matter what the consequences. Apur Panchali, based on a true-life story, is an emotionally charged homage to Satyajit Ray’s impoverished child character Apu and the real-life person who played one of the most famous child roles in world cinema. It screens on 13th July. By contrast Slamdance audience winner Hank and Asha explores a new generation of trans-global online romance, at ICA and Cineworlds across London. The festival’s Central Gala is the inspirational true story Million Dollar Arm that follows the uplifting journey of two Indian boys whose lives are transformed by a national TV contest and against the odds end up going to the US to train to become major sports stars.

     

    As well as films in the Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages, and UK/Pakistani film Anima State, in Urdu, the festival previews its first Bangladesh based film Shongram (Struggle) directed by Munsur Ali. In terms of special talks, India’s most celebrated cinematographer and acclaimed director Santosh Sivan gives a unique Masterclass at BFI Southbank, 11th July. The multi-talented singer, actor and director Farhan Akhtar rocks into town on 15th July and offers an insight on his high-octane career so far, including his iconic recent role as muscle rippling athletics hero Milkha Singh in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. Expect lots of female fans! Bollywood icon Nana Patekar stars in the festival’s uplifting closing World Premiere of Hemalkasa. Directed by Samruddhi Porey it’s guaranteed to make you cry and smile at the same time.

    London Indian Film Festival also includes industry events at BAFTA, exploring UK and Indian subcontinent co-productions. The winner of the annual Satyajit Ray Short Film Competition will be announced at the end of the festival, with short-listed contenders battling it out at the ICA on 15th July. We are delighted to announce that our Major Sponsors this year will include Queen’s Award for Enterprise International Trade winner Sunmark Ltd, producers of Pure Heaven brand and founding sponsor Grange Hotels. The festival is also grant funded for by the BFI Film Festival Fund.

    Emma Thompson comments: “It is wonderful to have our film premiered at London Indian Film Festival, to raise awareness of child-trafficking, which is an issue close to my heart and is shockingly on the increase world-wide. We hope that this film will make people think and highlight the support for key charities such as The Helen Bamber Foundation and others working in this difficult area in India, Nepal and elsewhere”.
    Says Farhan Akhtar: “At its heart, Cinema is about sharing ones culture with the world. Be it on screen or in representation of ones work. I look forward to sharing my experiences, memories and motivations.”

    Cary Rajinder Sawhney, Festival Director comments: “We are delighted that the festival is now firmly established on the London and international scene after five amazing years. If you want to find out more about South Asian cinema, come to London and soak yourself in a week of magnificent, world class cinema”.

  • A.R. Rahman gives music for ‘Million Dollar Arm’

    A.R. Rahman gives music for ‘Million Dollar Arm’

    NEW DELHI: Suraj Sharma, who played the young man stranded on a raft with the tiger in Ang Lee’s ‘Life of Pi,’ and Madhur Mittal who portrayed Salim in the best Oscar winning movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire,’ along with actor Jon Hamm feature in the new Disney film ‘Million Dollar Arm’ being released this weekend in the United States.

     

    With its release last Friday, ‘Million Dollar Arm’ clashed with the giant ‘Godzilla’ remake distributed by Warner Bros.

     

    The film has been directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy. The film is based on the true story of baseball pitchers Rinku Singh and Dinesh Patel who were discovered by sports agent J.B. Bernstein after winning a reality show competition. The film also stars Bill Paxton as pitching coach Tom House, Alan Arkin and Lake Bell. The film’s music is composed by A.R. Rahman. The movie is produced by Joe Roth, Mark Ciardi, and Gordon Gray for Walt Disney Pictures. 

     

    By the standards of the studio known for big-budget blockbusters, ‘Million Dollar Arm’ is a small film, with a budget of $25 million, a fraction of the $200 million it cost to make the soon-to-be-released ‘Maleficent’ with Angelina Jolie.

     

    But Walt Disney Studios’ executive vice president of film distribution Dave Hollis said, “We believe in great stories, both big and small, that depict values such as courage, ambition, hard work and family. ‘Million Dollar Arm’ is a great story that has those unique human themes throughout.”

     

    ‘Million Dollar Arm’ was shot partly in India. Jon Hamm – who played the ‘Mad Men’ character Don Draper – plays sports agent J B Bernstein who in a desperate bid to drum up clients goes to India to find baseball pitchers among the country’s cricket-loving sportsmen. It is a real-life story that warmed hearts over at the Walt Disney Co.

     

    The first part of ‘Million Dollar Arm’ shows a hot and chaotic Mumbai where JB struggles to get his improbable venture off the ground with a reality show. After frustrating rounds of tryouts, the American agent finds two strong arms in Rinku and Dinesh in rural India and brings them to Southern California, where they undergo training before being shown to Major League Baseball scouts.

     

    The young men find themselves struggling with the culture, the lifestyle and, most importantly, the business expectations that JB has from them. His neighbour Brenda, a doctor played by Lake Bell, works to suture the fraying relationship in time to save their chances of making it in American baseball.

     

    Despite working in conditions Hamm termed “remarkably warm and challenging,” the baseball tale with a global twist gave Hamm not only his first lead role in film but one that was decidedly more upbeat than the ad man that made him famous on television.

     

    “I love the fact that it has a family component to it and it has redemption,” said Hamm. “You leave the movie theater with a smile on your face. It’s a nice alternative to my other on-screen persona, who is a little bit darker.”

     

    Bell and Hamm, who are friends in real life, both highlighted one of the great advantages of working on a Disney film: for a change, they can send anyone in their families to see it and not have to worry about uncomfortable scenes. “It is nice to be part of a project that my sister can take her kids to,” said Hamm.

     

    Prior to ‘Million Dollar Arm,’ Hamm played an FBI agent in Ben Affleck’s 2010 crime caper ‘The Town’ and a part as the loathsome lothario in the 2011 women-driven comedy ‘Bridesmaids.’

     

    “I think you can make an argument that I was actually the star of ‘Bridesmaids,’” he joked.

     

    As he films the final episodes of ‘Mad Men’ to air next year on the AMC cable network, Hamm said he has no road map for his career post-Don Draper, although ‘Million Dollar Arm’ fit perfectly into his loose plan.

    The movie stars actors Suraj Sharma of ‘Life of Pi’ fame and Madhur Mittal of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

     

    “I just want to work on things I find interesting in some way and this is a perfect example of something I find interesting,” said Hamm, who happens to be a big baseball fan.