Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken Wins the Christmas Day Box Office
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 28 December 2014 13:03
- Written by Vanity Fair
The film bested Into the Woods and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies.Angelina Jolie has just beaten two giants.Jolie’s second work as a director, Unbroken, is now expected to be the top film at the Christmas Day box office, besting Disney’s Into the Woods as well as the final installment of Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit.Unbroken is on track to earn $15.6 million in Christmas Day ticket sales, according to Deadline, outpacing Into the Woods, which was initially expected to be the day’s big winner with an estimated $13.6 million in sales.The film, which Vanity Fair’s Richard Lawson calls “respectfully, carefully made”, is based on Laura Hillenbrand's best-selling biography of Louis Zamperini, the real life Olympic runner turned World War II airman turned P.O.W. Jolie directed the cast that includes Garrett Hedlund, Jai Courtney, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, Finn Wittrock, and Jack O'Connell. (See Vanity Fair’s photo shoot with the cast here.) Unbroken has also earned an A- at Cinemascore.Jolie told Vanity Fair what she hoped audiences would take away from the film: “The main message [of the movie] is about how you choose to live your life—that there is greatness in everyone.” The box office triumph must be doubly sweet for Jolie, after the hopeful Oscar contender was overlooked by both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards. While she waits for the Oscar nominations to be announced, Jolie has nominations for best picture, director, adapted screenplay and cinematography from the Critics’ Choice Awards (plus Brad Pitt) to keep her warm at night.(...)
 |
Angelina Jolie Dieted to Support Unbroken Actors
- Details
- Published on Friday, 26 December 2014 11:17
- Written by Newser
Angelina Jolie's film Unbroken is about Louis Zamperini, the former Olympic athlete who first spent 47 days drifting in the ocean during World War II, then two years in a Japanese POW camp—so, needless to say, lead actor Jack O'Connell and others portraying inmates at the camp had to lose a lot of weight. As the director, Jolie showed a lot of solidarity, one of the actors tells RadioTimes.com. "She came to the set every day, giving advice to the actors, and she actually didn't eat much [either]," says Miyavi, who plays the prison guard overseeing the camp. "She was so thin because most of the actors were not able to eat because they're prisoners in the prison camp. So she was so close to us." And, O'Connell adds, Jolie did one more thing: "She did test out all of my stunts before I had to do them," he says. In one scene, he had to spend hours supporting a heavy plank above his head. "The plank—I’m not sure if that can be regarded as a stunt—but, in any case, she was under it before I turned up on set," he says. (One of the Unbroken actors lost so much weight, his contacts stopped fitting.)
|
Angelina Jolie's second world war biopic Unbroken accused of racism over portrayal of Japanese guards
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 10 December 2014 11:24
- Written by Independant
Conservatives in Japan have accused Angelina Jolie’s second world war biopic Unbroken of racism, with some calling for both the film and director to be banned from the country.Nationalist campaigners say the film’s version of Japanese guards is 'deeply misleading', the Daily Telegraph reported, and claim that the details of the treatment of POWs are a "complete fabrication".Unbroken is based on the life story of American Olympic runner and US Air Force second lieutenant Louis Zamperini, which was told in the 2010 book Unbroken: A World War II story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand.Zamperini, portrayed by Jack O’Connell in Jolie’s film, was beaten and mistreated by the Japanese navy between July 1943 and the end of the war in August 1945 after being captured near the Marshall Islands.The book and film both describe how Zamperini was tormented by prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed the Bird.Watanabe is said to have once forced a weak and starving Zamperini to hold a heavy piece of wood above his head for 37 minutes before punching him in the stomach. The book also accuses the Japanese of engaging in cannibalism of POWs.Hiromichi Moteki, secretary general of the nationalist pressure group the Society for the Dissemination of Historical Fact, told the Telegraph the claims were "pure fabrication".He said: "If there is no verification of the things he said, then anyone can make such claims. This movie has no credibility and is immoral." Mindy Kotler, director of Asia Policy Point, said: "It is outrageous and reprehensible to deny what happened to Louis Zamperini."It will not be something that the US government will be able to ignore. Both the San Francisco Peace Treaty, which is predicated on acceptance of the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, and the honour of American veterans need to be defended." Miyavi, the Japanese pop star starring as Matsuhiro Watanabe, has previously spoken about the harrowing experience of working on the film, saying that it left him physically sick and unable to stop crying.
 |
Angelina Jolie Thinks Even Her Younger Kids Can Handle 'Unbroken'
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 10 December 2014 04:58
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie signs autographs for fans while outside the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on Monday evening (December 8) in Beverly Hills, Calif.Recently, the 39-year-old actress revealed whether or not she was going to let her kids see her upcoming movie Unbroken.“It’s PG-13,” Angelina told E! News. “My boys — one is 13, one is 11 but he’s a mature 11 — will see it, but I think I might actually show my younger children.” She continued, saying: “I think they could handle it because they understand film. They know the difference of what is real and what isn’t, because it’s heavy for [kids] under 13. But they all knew Louis [Zamperini]. They want to see it because it’s Louis.”
 |
Chris Martin says Angelina Jolie 'kidnapped' him to write a song for her new film
- Details
- Published on Monday, 22 December 2014 21:44
- Written by NME
The Coldplay singer jokes about how he wrote 'Miracles' for the movie 'Unbroken'.Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has discussed writing a song for Angelina Jolie's new movie 'Unbroken', joking that the actress kidnapped him in order to ensure his involvement in the project.'Unbroken' was directed and produced by Jolie, telling the story of World War II hero Louis Zamperini. Coldplay contributed the track 'Miracles' for the film, making them one of the contenders for Best Original Song at the 2015 Oscars.Now, Martin has spoken to Vulture about how it allegedly all came about, stating: ""I got a message [from Jolie] that said, 'Meet in this undisclosed location. You'll be blindfolded and picked up by seven ex-Navy SEALs'."Martin added: "So they kidnapped me, hit me over the head, and sprayed me with Mace. When I woke up, I was in an office, and Brad Pitt was doing push-ups as Angelina Jolie was just sitting there with her crown on. There was also a guy holding a knife to my throat, and she said, 'Write me a song, or else'. And Brad Pitt said, 'Yeah. What she said'."Meanwhile, Chris Martin also recently revealed that he once asked David Bowie to record vocals for a Coldplay song but was rejected by the singer.Martin made the revelation at the BBC Music Awards, a ceremony where Bowie was nominated for British Artist Of The Year and Coldplay performed live. He said: "One time i sent him a song to ask him to sing on it. He called me and said, 'It's not one of your best.' He's got very high standards and I appreciate that. It inspires the rest of us to keep our standards high."Coldplay released their latest album 'Ghost Stories' in May.
 |
Angelina Jolie & Her 'Unbroken' Stars Discuss the Message of the Movie on 'Today' - Watch Now!
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 10 December 2014 05:01
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie and the stars of her film Unbroken – Jack O’Connell and Miyavi – sit down for an interview on the Today show on Tuesday (December 9) in New York City.The 39-year-old actress and director will also be featured on a special tonight on NBC titled Angelina Jolie: Unbroken, where she discusses the film with Tom Brokaw.“You do want to send a message with this film,” Tom said. “About values, and about a different time in our lives.” “We are losing these men and women,” she said of the World War II generation. Their commitment to their community, their family, their faith — it’s extraordinary,” Angelina said.FYI: Angelina is wearing an Everlane Cashmere Tunic. Miyavi is wearing Ermenegildo Zegna Couture.
 |
Angelina Jolie Supports Her Cast at a Special 'Unbroken' Luncheon
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 03 December 2014 05:02
- Written by Just Jared
Angelina Jolie supports her cast at a special luncheon for her film Unbroken on Tuesday (December 2) in New York City.The 39-year-old actress and director was surrounded by Jack O’Connell, Garrett Hedlund, Miyavi, and Finn Wittrock at the big event.Unbroken‘s reviews are just coming in after screenings in Los Angeles earlier in the week and the critics are enjoying it! You can catch Unbroken when it hits theaters on December 25 in just a few weeks!
 |
Share
