Daniel Day Lewis is undisputedly one of the most talented actors working today with unforgettable performances in My Beautiful Launderette, A Room with a View, My Left Foot, The Last of the Mohicans, In the Name of the Father and Gangs of New York, among many others.

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(The Theatrical trailer courtesy of YouTube, see above!)

It has been said that in order to prepare for his role in My Left Foot, where he portrayed a disabled man with cerebral palsy, he asked film crews on many occasions to carry him to his wheelchair. His unconventional and often controversial ways of sinking into a role may not please everyone, but it certainly puts him in a league of his own. Watching Gangs of New York right after seeing My Left Foot, I couldn't help but wonder if I was seeing the same man - he portrayed two entirely different characters with amazing aplomb. Both films have been praised for Lewis’ intelligent and truthful performances, garnering the actor a win (My Left Foot) and a nomination (Gangs of New York) at the Oscars.

While he may seem to be on 'semi-retirement' at present, a lot of buzz is being generated by an upcoming film from PT Anderson. The film, There will be Blood, will feature the unparalleled Mr. Day-Lewis, and tMF will not be far behind in posting updated information regarding this eagerly awaited film.

While Casey Affleck rakes up points as one of Hollywood's upcoming stars and the Ben Whishaw-James McAvoy rivalry heats up the UK cinemas, there is a rising young actor from Italy who is emerging into the limelight and making a name for himself as a talent to watch.

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Says european-films.net:

Recently returned from the Cannes Film Festival, where he wowed Un Certain Regard audiences as the protagonist of Mio fratello è figlio unico (My Brother is an Only Child), Italian actor Elio Germano is lining up several new projects for him to star or co-star in.

Germano already won the Best Actor award at the David di Donatello Awards in Italy and getting more media mileage as we speak. Definitely a candidate for the next European shooting stars list, Germano is absolutely brilliant in this movie about two brothers.

The first feature film by Dutch actress and filmmaker Tamar van den Dop, this dark fairy tale of a film incites us to notice issues that slumber just below the surface of our lives and that often emerge to haunt us: our self-perception, our concept of beauty and perfection, the projection of our innermost yearnings, the rejection of love for fear of hurting oneself or the other…

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More of the film from Jane Schoettle: Remarkably beautiful to look at and listen to, Blind is a fable come vividly to life. It also exerts a formidable pull on the heartstrings throughout all its plot twists, keeping viewers tightly pinned to their seats.

Variety's Eddie Cockrell sums up this German thriller:

"The moral quandary of Nazi complicity is revisited in taut drama "The Counterfeiters," which tells the true story of a disparate group of imprisoned artists, financiers and swindlers secretly assembled in a concentration camp to forge millions of pound and dollar notes to support the German war effort. "

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Featuring superb performances from top German stars Karl Markovics, August Diehl and Sebastian Urzendowsky, Die Fälscher is definitely one to watch!

Directed by one of Germany's most exciting new directors, Robert Thalheim, And Along Came Tourists is set to continue the tradition of excellence in German new wave cinema.

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Says Boyd van Hoeij at European-films.net:

"Auschwitz is the unlikely background for a love story between a German and Polish youngster in German director Robert Thalheim’s Am Ende Kommen Touristen (And Along Come Tourists). Part of the Un certain regard line-up in Cannes, the film toys with a possible heavy subject matter in a contemporary and light-hearted way without seeming frivolous or disrespectful."

"With an outrageous premise that proves to be less extreme than it sounds, "Lars and the Real Girl" emerges as a deep, sweet-hearted study not only of one lonely character but also of the community that supports him. A small but passionate following is assured; smart marketing that sells the film for what it is could make it a niche favorite. " says the Hollywood Reporter.

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After the critically acclaimed Half-Nelson and the less than impressive Fracture, Ryan Gosling is once again hugging the limelight in this new and quite unique film....

Gabriel Garcia Marquez is one of the world's most admired authors. Even though he has penned masterpieces such as One Hundred Years of Solitude, Of Love and Other Demons, The General in His Labyrinth, and Love in the Time of Cholera, there has never been an opportunity for his work to be made into film. That is about to change...

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Finally, after years of negotiations, Garcia Marquez gave the go-signal to British director Mike Newell to do the film adaptation of Love in the Time of Cholera.

Based on the novel of the same name, it tells the story of a love triangle between Fermina Daza (played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and her two suitors, Florentino Ariza (Javier Bardem) and Doctor Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt). The story spans 50 years from 1880 to 1930.

Tom (Steven Mackintosh) is a middle-class city boy whose life has reached breaking point. D (Ashley Walters) is a young crack-head: smart, witty, desperate. Tom is completely out of his depth when he finds himself in D's abandoned warehouse attempting to do a "deal" with the energetic, volatile drug addict.
The two enter into an irrational, deadly game of cat and mouse.
The tense drama escalates when psychotic local crime-lord Hoodwink (Andy Serkis) wakes up to find his snub nose gun missing.

Featuring three outstanding performances, this urban thriller is director Gary Love's feature debut, based on screenwriter Dominic Leyton's critically-acclaimed stage play Collision.

" Within the lyrics of the world's most famous songs, lives a story that has never been told..." says the teaser for the film Across the Universe.

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Considered as one of the most highly-anticipated films this year, Across the Universe is the story of Jude (Jim Sturgess), Lucy ( Evan Rachel Wood) and Max (Joe Anderson) as they struggle and survive America in the turbulent 1960s. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Julie Taymor, the film is an original musical love story based on the Beatles' songs from a screenplay by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clement.

Updates! Read our film review of Across the Universe!

[ Official website ] [ IMDb page ] [ Julie Taymor profile ]

Anakin Skywalker meets Billy Elliot! Based on Steven Gould's novel, Jumper stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson and Jamie Bell. Directed by Doug Liman, the same one who took the helm and delivered the highly sucessful Bourne series.

The science-fiction adventure film take us into the world of teleportation and the battle between the Jumpers (individuals who have the power to teleport) and the Paladins, a dedicated group of warrior-like individuals who search and kill jumpers around the world.

This will be the first time for Christensen and Bell to perform together. Both have been hailed by critics and moviegoers alike as two of today's most talented young actors.

Updates! tMF just launched a new series of articles on The Vintner's Luck!

Part 1: Of Love, Wine and Angels, tMF begins series with an introduction to the book, plus a detailed look at some of Elizabeth Knox's most acclaimed works apart from the upcoming movie;

Part 2: A Tale of Two Actors, tMF puts the spotlight on the movie's two main characters - Xas the angel and Sobran the French vintner, and the actors chosen for the roles;

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One of this year's most anticipated films is The Vintner's Luck, directed by Niki Caro. While this is already 'old news' on the internet, it will be tMF's first-ever spotlight on an upcoming movie (more to come soon!)...

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Two of today's most talented young actors, rising French stars Gaspard Ulliel and Jérémie Renier, will play pivotal roles in the new Niki Caro film called The Vintner's Luck. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by New Zealand author Elizabeth Knox. Both actors have already won acclaim - Renier is best known for his role in the Dardenne Brother's The Child, while Ulliel has starred in a number of high-profile films, including A Very Long Engagement, Strayed, and Hannibal Rising. It will not be the first time they have appeared onscreen together as they were cast in a previous film entitled Brotherhood of the Wolf.

The exotic Italian town of Genova provides a fresh start for Joe (Colin Firth) and his two young daughters as they seek a new life after the sudden death of their mother. Kelly, the 16-year-old, explores the sexy and dangerous underbelly of this mysterious new world, while the younger daughter Mary discovers the ghost of her mother wandering the streets.

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Genova is a poignant tale of love and forgiveness and a contemporary family ghost story. EDGE Boston reports that the new film by Michael Winterbottom, fresh from the critically-acclaimed A Mighty Heart, started production in June 2007.

Max Minghella, son of famed director Anthony Minghella, has slowly been making a name for himself. After notable roles in Syriana and Bee Season, he took the lead role in Art School Confidential, to critical acclaim. Now he's back in another film, this time a love story set in small town USA.

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Entitled Elvis and Anabelle, the film premiered at the South by Southwest film and music festival in Austin, Texas.

Short synopsis: Anabelle is a small town beauty queen being groomed for success by her overly ambitious mother. Elvis is working without a license as a mortician at his eccentric father's mortuary. His sense of family duty and love for his ailing father keep him from following his dreams. Worn out by her mother's demands, Anabelle decides to hide out in the only place where she knows no one will look for her - the mortuary. In a final bid for freedom, Elvis and Annabelle set off on a trip across Texas, during which they will discover who they really are and what they want out of life, as well as their love for one another.

[ Official Website ] [ Max Minghella's fansite ]

Described as "an evocative and compelling journey through the sunburnt landscape of Western Australia," Dirt Music is a new film by Philip Noyce starring Colin Farrel and Rachel Weisz.

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IMDb reported that Heath Ledger was supposed to play the lead character, but with his hectic schedule, he opted to concentrate instead on The Dark Knight. Nicole Kidman was also reported to have been interested in one of the lead roles, Georgie, which eventually was given to Weisz.

The film is based on the novel of the same name by Tim Winton, who is regarded as one of Australia's most renowned fiction writers.