The lovely and talented Heidi Martinuzzi over at Pretty-Scary.net, a website devoted to women in horror, by women in horror, has just listed her top 20 Most Influential Women in Horror. I’m proud to be part of the list. Thanks Heidi! Here’s a copy of the article:
8. Kate Beckinsale
If you can forgive her for Van Helsing, then you can forgive anyone for anything. Which is why you probably are enjoying Kate Beckinsale on the DVD release of Vacancy, the extremely successful slasher/thriller film set in a motel that co-starred Luke Wilson. I have nothing else to say about Ms. Beckinsale.
Courtesy of Rue-Morgue.com
Showing posts with label Vacancy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacancy. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2008
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Kate's Horror Therapy
Actress Kate Beckinsale loves working on horror movies - because she finds scary scenes extremely therapeutic. The British star recently appeared alongside Luke Wilson in horror thriller Vacancy, and admits the shoot was hugely enjoyable.
She said, "There is a lot to be said about the cathartic value of screaming your head off and portraying sheer dread and terror. I'm sure some sort of New Age psychotherapy follows the same principle."
Original Link - Courtesy of Starpulse.com
She said, "There is a lot to be said about the cathartic value of screaming your head off and portraying sheer dread and terror. I'm sure some sort of New Age psychotherapy follows the same principle."
Original Link - Courtesy of Starpulse.com
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Updates
Firstly, I must sincerely apologize for the three day delay in updating KateBecks. In addition to being strained for time personally, news relating to our beloved Kate hasn't exactly been rushing in.
Anyhoo, the first update is a review of the Blueray version of "Vacancy" written by one Peter Cullen. Peter not only gives us a respectable review on the film, but takes the time to go through some of the features which this recently released Blueray version of the film features.
Excerpts:
"So it is a refreshing change to see a film like Vacancy eschewing the full-on gross out horror that has become the norm and letting the viewer imagine and experience fear via tension and scares rather than buckets of claret."
"As unsavoury as the premise of the film may be, Vacancy is more of a thriller than a horror film, and you would have seen more blood and guts in an episode of Millennium than here. Fans of suspense should enjoy this one."
Bonus Features
Functional without being overkill would be a good description for the bonus features on this disc. First up is what the menu calls an alternate beginning is actually an alternate ending, a brief camera pan that ties the story up a little better than the actual ending does. How the mistake got past the disc creation is beyond me!
There is a single deleted scene that is rather forgettable, the complete snuff film reel is included but considering the film goes out of its way to cover the horror up, it seems a slightly strange choice to include here.
The main feature is a 22 minute “making of” documentary. Nothing particular awe inspiring here, your average talking head piece where the principal actors talk about the film but there’s nothing particularly interesting revealed.
Sadly there is no writer or directors commentary which would have completed the set nicely. Minor gripes aside, the features are presented in 1080i/MPEG2 and look just fine (the Raccoon Encounter is 480i SD video).
Original Link
Meanwhile...
Though neither the article or the pictures within the article are new, a writer on Egotastic summed up their insight on Kate's spectacular body - based upon shots taken at the Die Hard 4: Live free or Die Hard premiere a while back:
Link to his comments
P.S. - Happy Remembrance Day to you all.
Anyhoo, the first update is a review of the Blueray version of "Vacancy" written by one Peter Cullen. Peter not only gives us a respectable review on the film, but takes the time to go through some of the features which this recently released Blueray version of the film features.
Excerpts:
"So it is a refreshing change to see a film like Vacancy eschewing the full-on gross out horror that has become the norm and letting the viewer imagine and experience fear via tension and scares rather than buckets of claret.""As unsavoury as the premise of the film may be, Vacancy is more of a thriller than a horror film, and you would have seen more blood and guts in an episode of Millennium than here. Fans of suspense should enjoy this one."
Bonus Features
Functional without being overkill would be a good description for the bonus features on this disc. First up is what the menu calls an alternate beginning is actually an alternate ending, a brief camera pan that ties the story up a little better than the actual ending does. How the mistake got past the disc creation is beyond me!
There is a single deleted scene that is rather forgettable, the complete snuff film reel is included but considering the film goes out of its way to cover the horror up, it seems a slightly strange choice to include here.
The main feature is a 22 minute “making of” documentary. Nothing particular awe inspiring here, your average talking head piece where the principal actors talk about the film but there’s nothing particularly interesting revealed.
Sadly there is no writer or directors commentary which would have completed the set nicely. Minor gripes aside, the features are presented in 1080i/MPEG2 and look just fine (the Raccoon Encounter is 480i SD video).
Original Link
Meanwhile...
Though neither the article or the pictures within the article are new, a writer on Egotastic summed up their insight on Kate's spectacular body - based upon shots taken at the Die Hard 4: Live free or Die Hard premiere a while back:
Link to his comments
P.S. - Happy Remembrance Day to you all.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Kate Nominated For "Scream Queen"!
Good news my fellow Kate fanatics! Kate has just been nominated for the "Scream Queen" award from Spike TV for her performance in "Vacancy".
Do take note that this will be the second year in a row that Kate has been nominated for this particular award. Last year she took the crown (that of which can be seen here) for her performance in "Underworld: Evolution" beating out the likes of Natalie Portman, Asia Argento and Naomi Watts.
Online voting started this past Friday, I encourage you to chip you're vote in and help Kate win that bloody award! ;-)
Vote Here
Spike TV Film Awards
Do take note that this will be the second year in a row that Kate has been nominated for this particular award. Last year she took the crown (that of which can be seen here) for her performance in "Underworld: Evolution" beating out the likes of Natalie Portman, Asia Argento and Naomi Watts.
Online voting started this past Friday, I encourage you to chip you're vote in and help Kate win that bloody award! ;-)
Vote Here
Spike TV Film Awards
Monday, June 11, 2007
Monday, April 30, 2007
"Vacancy" Review
Excerpts from my "Vacancy" Review
-While it doesnt persist entirely through the movie, this has got to be the least likable character I’ve ever seen Kate Beckinsale play. For the first half she plays quite a bitch (although you find out her attitude is understandable)
-Her acting is very good in this movie and while I found myself disappointed not hearing Kate’s beautiful accent, she played her American role very well. Her American accent was perfect (as in "Click")
-Dare I say it’s one of her better acting roles? I think I would. As far as I care, the “Underworld” films didn't really display her true acting skills, nor did “Click” (although she was great in both). The character of Amy Fox is far less likable and because of that I believe it’s a better display of her acting talent.
-Me
See the full review on my personal blog
-While it doesnt persist entirely through the movie, this has got to be the least likable character I’ve ever seen Kate Beckinsale play. For the first half she plays quite a bitch (although you find out her attitude is understandable)
-Her acting is very good in this movie and while I found myself disappointed not hearing Kate’s beautiful accent, she played her American role very well. Her American accent was perfect (as in "Click")
-Dare I say it’s one of her better acting roles? I think I would. As far as I care, the “Underworld” films didn't really display her true acting skills, nor did “Click” (although she was great in both). The character of Amy Fox is far less likable and because of that I believe it’s a better display of her acting talent.
-Me
See the full review on my personal blog
Monday, April 23, 2007
Yet Another Kate Interview
Kate on the set of Vacancy with director Nimród Antal"I was the least athletic person I've ever met and I'm a girly-girl," she says. "I like kittens and puppies. None of this was planned. `Underworld' was an exercise to see if I could do it. And it seems to have run away from me a bit." The modestly priced "Underworld" films feature Beckinsale as a Lycra-sheathed vampire who battles werewolves.
The original cleared more $51.9 million at the box office and the sequel $62.3 million. Both have enjoyed a healthy afterlife on DVD, another reason for her ascent to genre royalty. It might also explain why she was chosen to replace "Sex and the City's" Sarah Jessica Parker in "Vacancy," playing the fairer half of an embittered couple whose therapy turns out to be a brush with death. (In an unwitting attempt at method acting, the two reportedly bickered on the set.)
FYI - Kate has dismissed that last sentence ;-)
Beckinsale's Amy and Luke Wilson's David check into a motel, but they aren't supposed to check out. They become aware that they have been cast in a snuff movie. The fear factor for Beckinsale included rats and a tunnel, just perfect for her real-life claustrophobia. "I have two small fears: being in small spaces and somebody vomiting on me," she says.
While she may be the reigning monarch of films you might see at a drive-in, she has had a varied career. She played a Lady covered by pig muck in "Cold Comfort Farm" (1995), a fate-tangled lover in the romantic comedy "Serendipity" (2001) and Ava Gardner in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004). Her thespian chops have been celebrated (by the London Critics Circle for 1998's "The Last Days of Disco" (1998) and reviled (a shared Razzie, the anti-Oscar, for 2001's "Pearl Harbor"). But in terms of capturing an audience on her own, nothing has clicked like "Underworld."
"I think it's a strange fan base in terms of my whole body of work," says Beckinsale, who also played a vampire slayer in "Van Helsing." "I've got some great literary old farts in there like me, and teenage boys in there." And probably the teenage boys' dads, too.
The 33-year-old London native is a regular presence in the "who's sexiest?" ratings of lad magazines. She got her thoroughbred looks from her actor-parents, Judy Loe and Richard Beckinsale, who died when his daughter was almost 6. She also inherited their urge to perform. After an adolescent struggle with anorexia, she tried literature at Oxford and life in Paris but found a home in show business when Kenneth Branagh cast her as Hero in his film version of "Much Ado About Nothing" (1993).
Beckinsale is awaiting distribution of "Snow Angels," a Sundance heavy focusing on her character's frazzled marriage. The film was adapted from a book by Avon's Stewart O'Nan. "It's a very emotionally wrenching movie," she says. "That was one of the reasons it was such a fantastic acting job. I thought the book was a beautiful."
I very much look forward to seeing "Snow Angels". Should be a new turn in her career.
There have been conversations about a third "Underworld," which could reunite her onscreen with her husband, director Len Wiseman. (The two fell in love while shooting the first "Underworld"; Beckinsale left her boyfriend and "Underworld" co-star Michael Sheen, the father of her 8-year-old daughter.) "I'd love to do another project with my husband," she says. "I'd love to get my husband in the same country as me."
One production not in the works is adding to her family. "I think I'm pretty happy with what I've got going on," she says. While "Vacancy" is no manual to restoring marital bliss, Beckinsale says we should recognize the humanity in the story, how an extreme situation can "make you realize how much you do love someone or love them at all."
Tomorrow - My look at Kate's 2006 styles!
Saturday, April 21, 2007
I Was Expecting..
Some premiere photos from the release of Vacancy last night. Am I wrong, or does the premiere not happen on opening day?
But I do get the impression from my last post that Kate is still in Montreal finishing filming for Whiteout. So that explains why there are no premiere photos - she wasn't there.
Bummer.
Meanwhile, click here to watch a new interview with Kate from Tribute TV
But I do get the impression from my last post that Kate is still in Montreal finishing filming for Whiteout. So that explains why there are no premiere photos - she wasn't there.
Bummer.
Meanwhile, click here to watch a new interview with Kate from Tribute TV
Friday, April 20, 2007
Kate Busy!
No surprise here. Kate has been working like a dog lately. I honestly hope she stops to take a break soon. Don't want her to wear herself out!
By RACHEL LEIBROCK
Kate Beckinsale has exactly 12 minutes
Calling from a Montreal movie set, Beckinsale's just finished shooting a scene for her next film, Whiteout, and barely has time to catch a breath.
The 33-year-old actress hasn't even had time to see the finished version of Vacancy, the film for which she's taking a break to chat up. "I'll probably just have to go watch it in the movie theater when I'm done here," she says, words tumbling out in rapid-fire and with a perfectly clipped British accent. Vacancy, which opened Friday, is the story of an estranged couple who, mourning the death of their son, stops at a rundown motel after their car breaks down. What starts out as a night of awkward silences and an uncomfortable bed turns deadly when David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Beckinsale) discover a stash of videos in their room. They soon realise that the tapes, which show graphic, slasher-type scenes, are actually "snuff films" that depict real murders - and that they may be the next potential victims. What drew Beckinsale to the story, though, was the couple's relationship. "I thought it was really interesting to start a film at the end of a relationship and explore what happens," says the London native who is perhaps best known to many for her role in Pearl Harbor. "It just felt like there was an awful lot of room for actual acting." And, while the motel set sometimes felt a bit claustrophobic ("After hours in that room, we were always happy to get to be chased around the parking lot"), Beckinsale dismisses tabloid reports of any on-set friction with Wilson.
"Luke Wilson's very nice - great sense of humour," she says. "If you're going to be trapped in a motel room with someone on end, it helps if you have someone you like." She is, of course, used to gossipy attention, having endured speculation on everything from her appearance to her relationship with her husband, director Len Wiseman, whom she met on the set of 2003's Underworld. Beckinsale just shrugs most of it off. After all, she says, if you believe everything you read, then "there's this monstrous person who does crazy things and is constantly on the edge of divorce." "It's like, `I don't know who she is, but I'm not dying to hang out with her.'" If anything, Beckinsale's gotten quite adept at staying cool beneath the sweat-inducing spotlight. "It goes with the territory and there's a limit to how much you can complain about it," she says. "This is just the nature of being in the public life."
That said, Beckinsale would like to, thank you very much, focus on her work. Which, by the way, she claims is getting somewhat harder to come by. "It's a well-worn cliche that material for (older women) isn't as exciting as it is for the guys," she says. "And I do feel that there's less available and most movies aren't very good." Her own films notwithstanding, of course. "Oh no! A good deal of mine aren't very good," she disclaims, laughing. "But there were many lovely people involved, so I would never name them." OK, moving on. Despite the dearth of roles, Beckinsale says she's been able to strike a balance. For every stiff-upper-lip part in such films as 1995's Cold Comfort Farm, there's a kick-butt action flick like Van Helsing. For every serious drama (the upcoming Winged Creatures, with Forest Whitaker and Dakota Fanning), there's a vampire tale (Underworld). "It's funny, but working in action films came to me by accident," Beckinsale says. "Before Underworld, I was having trouble getting work that wasn't Oscar Wilde or very starched," she says. "So I thought, I just want to see if I can do (an action film)."
Lol at what I have bolded. That's classic Beckinsale humour and yet another reason why I think she's so great. She's got devilish charms, probably a result of being a Brit ;-)
As such, Underworld became an exercise in skill - both physical and mental. "It's not what comes easy to me - I'm not a tough girl, I'm not terribly athletic," she says. "But it is sort of an acting stretch and I'm still amazed that I can get away with it." Besides, action, drama, whatever - it's good work if you can get it. "I like entertainment just as much as anyone and it's all relevant in terms of a body of work and experience," says Beckinsale, who portrays a U.S. marshal in Whiteout. "It's all part of the learning curve." Before you know it, Beckinsale's 12 minutes are up - on the dot. It's time to return to the set and, then finally, to the trailer that she shares with daughter Lily, 8, while husband Wiseman's off shooting the next Die Hard film. And that's great, she says, because, at the end of a busy day, she's happy with the simple act of being Kate Beckinsale. "I make dinner in the trailer, we have the cats here - it's extremely domestic." And it's a good life, she says. "I try not to complain too much about anything because, honestly, I feel very lucky."
By RACHEL LEIBROCK
Kate Beckinsale has exactly 12 minutes
Calling from a Montreal movie set, Beckinsale's just finished shooting a scene for her next film, Whiteout, and barely has time to catch a breath.
The 33-year-old actress hasn't even had time to see the finished version of Vacancy, the film for which she's taking a break to chat up. "I'll probably just have to go watch it in the movie theater when I'm done here," she says, words tumbling out in rapid-fire and with a perfectly clipped British accent. Vacancy, which opened Friday, is the story of an estranged couple who, mourning the death of their son, stops at a rundown motel after their car breaks down. What starts out as a night of awkward silences and an uncomfortable bed turns deadly when David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Beckinsale) discover a stash of videos in their room. They soon realise that the tapes, which show graphic, slasher-type scenes, are actually "snuff films" that depict real murders - and that they may be the next potential victims. What drew Beckinsale to the story, though, was the couple's relationship. "I thought it was really interesting to start a film at the end of a relationship and explore what happens," says the London native who is perhaps best known to many for her role in Pearl Harbor. "It just felt like there was an awful lot of room for actual acting." And, while the motel set sometimes felt a bit claustrophobic ("After hours in that room, we were always happy to get to be chased around the parking lot"), Beckinsale dismisses tabloid reports of any on-set friction with Wilson.
"Luke Wilson's very nice - great sense of humour," she says. "If you're going to be trapped in a motel room with someone on end, it helps if you have someone you like." She is, of course, used to gossipy attention, having endured speculation on everything from her appearance to her relationship with her husband, director Len Wiseman, whom she met on the set of 2003's Underworld. Beckinsale just shrugs most of it off. After all, she says, if you believe everything you read, then "there's this monstrous person who does crazy things and is constantly on the edge of divorce." "It's like, `I don't know who she is, but I'm not dying to hang out with her.'" If anything, Beckinsale's gotten quite adept at staying cool beneath the sweat-inducing spotlight. "It goes with the territory and there's a limit to how much you can complain about it," she says. "This is just the nature of being in the public life."
That said, Beckinsale would like to, thank you very much, focus on her work. Which, by the way, she claims is getting somewhat harder to come by. "It's a well-worn cliche that material for (older women) isn't as exciting as it is for the guys," she says. "And I do feel that there's less available and most movies aren't very good." Her own films notwithstanding, of course. "Oh no! A good deal of mine aren't very good," she disclaims, laughing. "But there were many lovely people involved, so I would never name them." OK, moving on. Despite the dearth of roles, Beckinsale says she's been able to strike a balance. For every stiff-upper-lip part in such films as 1995's Cold Comfort Farm, there's a kick-butt action flick like Van Helsing. For every serious drama (the upcoming Winged Creatures, with Forest Whitaker and Dakota Fanning), there's a vampire tale (Underworld). "It's funny, but working in action films came to me by accident," Beckinsale says. "Before Underworld, I was having trouble getting work that wasn't Oscar Wilde or very starched," she says. "So I thought, I just want to see if I can do (an action film)."
Lol at what I have bolded. That's classic Beckinsale humour and yet another reason why I think she's so great. She's got devilish charms, probably a result of being a Brit ;-)
As such, Underworld became an exercise in skill - both physical and mental. "It's not what comes easy to me - I'm not a tough girl, I'm not terribly athletic," she says. "But it is sort of an acting stretch and I'm still amazed that I can get away with it." Besides, action, drama, whatever - it's good work if you can get it. "I like entertainment just as much as anyone and it's all relevant in terms of a body of work and experience," says Beckinsale, who portrays a U.S. marshal in Whiteout. "It's all part of the learning curve." Before you know it, Beckinsale's 12 minutes are up - on the dot. It's time to return to the set and, then finally, to the trailer that she shares with daughter Lily, 8, while husband Wiseman's off shooting the next Die Hard film. And that's great, she says, because, at the end of a busy day, she's happy with the simple act of being Kate Beckinsale. "I make dinner in the trailer, we have the cats here - it's extremely domestic." And it's a good life, she says. "I try not to complain too much about anything because, honestly, I feel very lucky."
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Barbarella and Vacancy
"Kate Beckinsale is set to star in a remake of 'Barbarella'.Movie bosses think the British actress is a perfect choice to play the cult 60s heroine - a role made famous by Jane Fonda in the original 1968 erotic space adventure.
A source told Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "Jane Fonda made the 'Barbarella' role very much her own all those years ago and she is bound to be a tough act to follow." But the feeling is that Kate has just the right combination of beauty, humour and acting talent for the part.
"Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry have also been linked to the role. The script for the £55 million project will be written by Robert Wade and Neal Purvis, who penned 'Casino Royale'. Peter Webber, whose credits include 'Girl with a Pearl Earring' and 'Hannibal Rising', is set to direct.
Producer Dino De Laurentiis said: "The reinvented heroine will be akin to a female James Bond - in outer space."In the original film, Barbarella stripped naked before being taken to a mysterious planet where she battled her enemies and had several sexual experiences.
(C) BANG Media International
-ASKMEN.com
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, April 16, 2007
"Vacancy" Stills!
Kate's newest movie project, Vacancy, is set to be released on April 20th.
"A young married couple (Beckinsale & Luke Wilson) becomes stranded at an isolated motel and finds hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film" - IMDB
I've got some high resolution photos you Kate fans will enjoy!
"A young married couple (Beckinsale & Luke Wilson) becomes stranded at an isolated motel and finds hidden video cameras in their room. They realize that unless they escape, they'll be the next victims of a snuff film" - IMDB
I've got some high resolution photos you Kate fans will enjoy!
and of course, the trailer:
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