Mining a rich vein of the quest for personal identity and slowly but surehandedly earning its emotional resonance, “Albert Nobbs” has much more to offer than just Close’s performance. But what a performance it is: one that doesn’t merely burnish, but absolutely cements her reputation as one of the finest actresses alive. – The Playlist

Glenn Close leads an adept, uncompromising cast in Albert Nobbs, which had its premiere here last night at the Telluride Film Fest in the Galaxy Theater. Because the film, and many of its cast members, have been deliberately kept under wraps, no one knew what to expect. We all assumed we would know what we were going to get but this is a film unlike any other you’ve likely seen. You never quite know where it’s headed and it offers some startlingly beautiful scenes. Close is headed for her sixth Oscar nomination with this her most difficult and accomplished role to date. – Awards Daily

Directing his first period piece, Garcia does a fine job of evoking the era, while only partially managing to convey the circumstances that make Nobbs such a magnet for misery. “Albert Nobbs” is relatively unique among cross-dressing stories in that it takes the form of tragedy rather than full-blown farce. A wee bit of humor would have gone a long way in this dour affair, and the few glimpses we get of Victorian vice (an alcoholic butler sneaking sips from guests’ half-finished glasses, the sight of Jonathan Rhys Meyers as a wealthy viscount with same-sex persuasions) are scarcely enough to salvage the slow-motion inevitability of looming misfortune. – Variety

The screenplay hints there could be more though such as the secrets so many of the characters hide from each other including the Doctor’s affair with another maid, the rich “womanizing” lord (a completely wasted Jonathan Rhys Meyers) who plays more in bed with his best mate than with the ladies or the despised hotel owner (Pauline Collins) who is barely keeping the business a float. This theme could have worked under another director, but these tangents almost fly pointlessly by Garcia’s eye. – HitFix

Accalia: You come from quite a musical, creative family, don’t you?

Jonathan: Yah, my dad is a musician. He’s been a gigging musician, what we call a working musician his whole life.

My brother’s a singer/songwriter. I’m doing some recording with him in the new year.

I have another brother who plays for an alternative rock band on the East Coast of the United States. They’re becoming very popular. They’re doing some gigs. They got an award recently in Los Angeles so he’s kind of alternative rock, prog rock they call it, progressive rock. And he’s an incredibly talented musician. He’s a bass player, but a technical bass player so he’s playing for his own band but then he’s doing session work with a lot of people… a lot of reggae bands, a lot of soul and blues artists, and stuff like that.

Accalia: Do you consider yourself a musician?

Jonathan: No.

Accalia: But I’ve seen your films where you’ve sung though.

Jonathan: I have sung but I don’t consider myself a muscian. I have another brother whose a wonderful drummer, and he’s a wonderful musician but he’s actually working on the TV series Hawaii Five-0.

Accalia: That’s so cool.

Jonathan: He’s wife is assistant to the lead actor Alex O’Loughlin. And Jamie is the stand in for Scott Caan.

Accalia: Creative family then.

Be sure to listen to the full interview. It’s a real treat!

He was also recently seen attending the Raisa Gorbachev Foundation Party in London on June 7. Filming for the 3rd season of “The Tudors” is expected to begin in the coming week. Production will again be based in Dublin.

Photos from both events will be added soon!

Like last year, Jonathan again played in a charity football match for St. Killian’s in Dublin to aid the Bray Women’s Refuge early this month. And this Saturday, Jonathan is expected to participate in a special event for Tara Heritage Day. From the Gaiety School of Acting website:

Help Stuart Townsend, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and internationally reknowned Aerial Artist, John Quigley create the worlds’ first GIANT HUMAN HARP at TARA HERITAGE DAY.

We need hundreds of people to gather at the Hill of Tara on Sunday, 23rd September from 1:30pm to 3:30pm to form the human aerial art image of a giant harp and a Tara heritage preservation message. Many of Ireland’s top harpists will accompany the performance. The event will be directed by internationally reknowned Aerial Artist, John Quigley and participants include Irish born international film stars Stuart Townsend and Jonathan Rhys Meyers as well as musicans, historians and scholars. The image will be photographed from an aircraft at 3pm. Families are encouraged to bring a picnic lunch.

Spectral Q and the Save Tara Campaign are hosting Tara Heritage Day. Spectral Q has created similar human ‘aerial art’ images around the world including the Arctic, Antarctica, the Amazon Rainforest, London, New York, Los Angeles, Geneva, Miami, Toronto, Washington D.C., Copenhagen, New Orleans and others. To see images please check: www.SpectralQ.com. The Save Tara campaign is seeking to reroute the M3 motorway to preserve the ancient sites of the sacred Tara Valley. For more information please check: www.savetara.com.

Sources: tdonline, mouret, Gaiety School of Acting

“August Rush” will be screening at a premiere event at the 2007 Heartland Film festival on October 18 in Indianapolis, IN. Producer Richard Barton Lewis is scheduled to attend the premiere. No other cast or crew have been announced to attend. You can buy tickets online for a 4:30pm matinee screening ($20) or the 7:30pm evening screening with a reception and Q+A afterwards ($30). They are also selling tickets for a special dinner before the evening screening ($125).

“August Rush” was also recently awarded a Heartland Truly Moving Picture Award. This is a watermark that studios can use in posters and ads to inform audiences about a film’s uplifting message and appeal.

Finally, the soundtrack for “August Rush” is due for release on November 6. You can pre-order it on Amazon now. There is no track listing or cover yet, but it’s very likely songs Jonathan sings for the movie will be featured on the soundtrack.

Sources: casbahkitten, Shelia63, JRM Update

Bronte sisters film set to boost region
07 August 2006

Their novels still exercise a hold over popular imagination and now their lives are about to be made into a major film which will introduce cinemagoers around the world to Yorkshire’s hills and dales.

Filming is due to start in October on the film which will chronicle the lives of the Bronte sisters and is set to be a massive boost for the local economy as audiences are introduced to the landscapes that inspired their work.

It will star Michelle Williams, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Brokeback Mountain, as Charlotte. Natalie Press, who has appeared in the BBC’s adaptation of Bleak House will play Emily and Anne will be played by Emily Barclay, from New Zealand, who was in the film In My Father’s Den.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who was in Bend it Like Beckham, will play Branwell and Ben Chaplin will play Rev Arthur Bell Nicholls. Brian Cox takes the role of Rev Patrick Bronte.

Yesterday film co-producer Alistair MacLean Clark, of AMC Pictures said filming would begin in October, although they would not be shooting in Haworth itself. He said they were looking at two or three locations.

“The house they lived in has changed quite dramatically over the years so we are trying to find a local town or village which is not too far away where we can build a set,” he said.

“The story begins with them as children and moves on to them at the age of 17/18 and continues for the rest of their lives. It focuses on what drove, Charlotte, Emily and Anne to write. The challenge with a film like this is do you cover their whole lives or just one section. We’re doing the whole lot. I felt it was important to show their entire lives as they were so short. We go into what they were like growing up and where their imagination and passion came from to write books because they led austere lives.”

The script was originally written for Dreamworks film company nine years ago but then shelved until Mr MacLean Clark picked it up five years ago.

“It was a story that needed to be told. There have been variations of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights but there has never been an English language variation of their lives, which is really close to the truth,” he said. “They are still some of the best-selling authors in the world who are also quite contemporary.”

He added: “It’s important to be shooting the movie as close as possible to Haworth because that’s where it all took place and it needs to be accurate. A lot of the extras will be locally cast and where possible the crew will also be employed locally.”

Alan Bentley, director of the Bronte Parsonage Museum, in Haworth, said: “This will tell the lives of the Bronte’s to a wider audience. I am sure it will boost the economy, what’s good for the parsonage is also good for the local area.”

He said members of the cast would be welcome to visit the parsonage to help them with preparations for the film. They will spend eight weeks filming and hope to launch the film at the Toronto Film Festival in September 2007. It is hoped it will be in cinemas by January 2008.