Leonardo DiCaprio - (Please Read First Post Prior to Posting)

[katchitup]

Another good review of J.Edgar and Leo

"J. Edgar" review: A poignant revelation about the man inside a man

Clint Eastwood's speculative biopic tries to delve deep by going beyond historical hype to reveal the complex personality that was J. Edgar Hoover.

Reviled and revered as the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for nearly half a century, J. Edgar Hoover, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio, guarded his privacy as closely as he held secrets uncovered about nearly every leading figure during the time he headed the FBI.

Through eight presidents and three wars, Hoover waged battle against threats both real and perceived. He was a man loathed by many, while being heralded a hero for capturing some of the most wanted fugitives of the day.

Clint Eastwood's directorial foray into Hoover's personal life springs from a screenplay by Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black ("Milk") that delves into Hoover's protective inner circle of confidants. Clyde Tolson (Arnie Hammer) was known to be his closest confidant and also his constant companion, while Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), his private secretary, was the one, possibly, most privy to his confidential dossiers, which no one in power seemed to be exempt from.

Told in a series of flashbacks, and narrated by a senior Hoover to FBI agents to document his memoir, the film spans the rise of Hoover through the ranks and focuses on a series of events that form the foundation of the film. His relationship with his headstrong mother (Judi Dench) permeates throughout the film and gives us a sense of his strong devotion and intent to please her, as well as looking at some of the high level crimes he had his hand in "solving." Ranking at the top of that list is the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby in the 1930s. Much of his goal through his narration is clearly not to represent history, but more to cement his own legacy and place in history.

But the crux of the film speculates about Hoover's intense relationship with Tolson and the innuendo that the two were more than just friends. The exact nature of this relationship, as well as Hoover's sexuality (did he actually cross-dress) cannot be proven at this point in time.

DiCaprio is masterfully convincing in his scenes as Hoover and is able to maneuver through the dynamics between both the younger and elder G-Man. With little officially documented about Hoover's personal life, it is a tricky line he is charged with walking, portraying a darker, intimate side of a man many loathed. Screenwriter Black used as many first person accounts of Hoover's personal life as he could, but with little on file - except for hints and clues that were uncovered from misfiled documents from his time at the FBI, much is left to innuendo and imagination.

A stellar cast helps provide a rich depth of characters. Judi Dench is immaculate as Hoover's hovering mother, who saw to it her son led the life she had mapped out for him with little other distraction. Naomi Watts is fine as his secretary, loyal to the end and beyond, and Arnie Hammer pulls off the charming Tolson, who is portrayed as a man comfortable living in the shadows of his close friend.

Eastwood's characteristic pursuit of detail is evident in every scene, from the immaculate make-up for DiCaprio's Hoover, to set pieces and props. His inimitable filmmaking style hones well with the revisionist take on Black's script. The result is an intricate piece of storytelling that is both entertaining and darkly compelling.MPAA rating R.

The runtime is 2:17

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31749_162-5732...n-inside-a-man/

[by_princess]

The resurgence of Leonardo DiCaprio

From Hoover to Gatsby, former teen idol takes on serious, biopic roles. 870 words with 250 in optional end

LOS ANGELES — With his slick tailored suit and shiny smile, Leonardo DiCaprio looks like a celebrity, as he enters the interview room at a Beverly Hills hotel.

And that’s fine with him. He just doesn’t want to act like a celebrity.

After dimming down his movie-star status for more challenging roles, the 36-year-old says he likes where he’s headed.

The new direction has him in conversation with Martin Scorsese to play Frank Sinatra in a film. And he’s excited about his Jay Gatsby part in the re-imagined Baz Luhrmann movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, currently shooting in Australia.

For a real change of pace, fans can catch DiCaprio in Clint Eastwood’s biopic, J. Edgar, in which he plays the controversial FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover. It’s a performance that will likely earn him his fourth Oscar nomination.

Opening Nov. 11, DiCaprio plays Hoover, from his early days as an ambitious justice-department agent based in Washington, D.C., to his aggressive FBI empire building from the 1930s to the 1970s, until his death in 1972.

Critical moments in the FBI, and Hoover’s reign, are emphasized. They include his 1919 battle, as a justice agent, with Communist radicals, his real and imagined handling of the Lindbergh kidnapping case, and his trackdown of the bank-robbing gangsters during the Dirty ‘30s.

More revealing are depictions of Hoover extorting high-ranking officials with his secret files, including Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, the latter’s Attorney General brother Bobby, and civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, among many others.

As well, Hoover’s clandestine personal life is examined by director Eastwood and writer Dustin Lance Black, who earned an Academy Award for his script for Milk, about the life and death of gay San Francisco politician, Harvey Milk.

In J. Edgar, the film shows America’s top cop as a mother-obsessed closeted gay man, and likely cross-dresser, who had a relationship with his longtime deputy, Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer). Judi Dench plays Hoover’s overbearing mother, and Naomi Watts is Hoover’s loyal secretary, Helen Gandy.

“Hoover was a crack pot of eccentricities, and we couldn’t even fit all of his eccentricities into this movie,” says DiCaprio on a break from The Great Gatsby to promote J. Edgar.

That was the easy part. Playing the pudgy-faced megalomaniac required lots of makeup, too — a makeover that took six to eight hours a day.

DiCaprio says he’s thankful Eastwood decided to shoot their “older scenes” in the last two weeks of filming, which helped DiCaprio, along with Hammer as Tolson and Watts as Gandy, who also had to age significantly.

“We got to get our footing, and then come to set,” recalls DiCaprio. “The challenge for me was not just the prosthetic work, and how to move like an older man, but more, to show an all-powerful older man with 50 years in the workplace.”

Adds Eastwood with a smile; “Having an 80-year-old director right there in front of you helps, too.”

More seriously, DiCaprio says Eastwood “created an environment catering to actors,” so the aging sequences were easier than they might have been.

The actor also says he adheres to the old-school Eastwood method. “What Clint expects is that you plant your feet and speak the truth, like James Cagney said.”

Indeed, DiCaprio insists that playing Hoover as a lonely eccentric hiding his sexual orientation was a great deal less complex than showing the career-obsessed side of the lawman’s personality.

“That’s a hard concept for me to wrap my head around,” admits DiCaprio of Hoover’s career obsession. “I would never completely sacrifice any sort of love in my life. I have never experienced that on a personal level.”

For good or for bad, the gossip pages confirm DiCaprio’s statement. After splitting with actress Blake Lively in October, he’s been seen with a series of beautiful women while filming The Great Gatsby in Australia.

That might be the only other movie-star element of his life that remains.

Certainly, it took him a while to shake his poster-teen image after his performance in 1997’s hit, Titanic.

He might have been spurred on by a few films that underscored his flagging credibility. A self-mocking cameo in 1998’s Celebrity came across, critics said, as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Although his dual role in The Man in the Iron Mask was a modest hit, DiCaprio’s performance was skewered by reviewers. In 2000, neither fans nor pundits appreciated The Beach, which bombed.

Joining Scorsese’s all-star cast in 2002’s Gangs of New York was a first step in career reclamation. He followed that with his Howard Hughes role in 2004’s The Aviator, again with Scorsese, and The Departed, two years later. Last year’s Christopher Nolan sci-fi action flick, Inception, sealed the new deal for the actor.

It led to his Hoover and Gatsby assignments, and possibly Sinatra; all powerful, iconic figures, but all flawed, either literally or figuratively.

And that’s fine with him, too.

“I don’t have to sympathize or empathize with a human being in order to portray him,” says DiCaprio. “Some of the greatest roles that actors have been able to play haven’t been the most endearing on screen.”

http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment...l#ixzz1dFfTV3GN

[by_princess]

'J. Edgar' Star Leonardo DiCaprio's Upcoming Biopics Include 'Bond' Creator, Roosevelt

If Leonardo DiCaprio picks up an Oscar nomination for his role as the enigmatic head of the FBI in "J. Edgar," that will make him two-for-two with Academy Award nominations and biopics. (We won't count "Catch Me If You Can" because it focused on Tom Hanks' character almost as much as Frank Abagnale, Jr.)

Ever since he was nominated in 2005 for his role as Howard Hughes in "The Aviator," a number of other biopic projects have made headlines with DiCaprio's name attached to star. So many have come up, in fact, that it's been hard to keep track of them all -- so we've compiled a list of the biopics DiCaprio's been at least mentioned with. Check them out past the jump!

"Fleming"

Back in 2008, DiCaprio began developing a biopic based on the life of Ian Fleming, the author of the James Bond novels. The script under went one re-write, and a rival project popped up roughly a year later. Not much has been heard from the project in two years.

"Sinatra"

When Martin Scorsese became attached to a Frank Sinatra biopic, DiCaprio's name was instantly batted around to take on the role of Old Blue Eyes. With "Silence" poised as Scorsese's next, it may be a while before we see if DiCaprio will take to the mic.

"The Wolf of Wall Street"

A much more low-key biopic, this financial drama DiCaprio's Appian Way is developing is based on Jordan Belfort's memoir. "Wolf" follows Belfort's rise to stock market stardom and his eventual and spectacular fall.

"Devil in the White City"

Though not technically a biopic, this thriller focuses on two historical figures, one of which was Dr. H.H. Holmes, the notorious serial killer. DiCaprio has been rumored for about a year as the main contender for the dark role.

"The Imitation Game"

In the proposed Alan Turing biopic, DiCaprio would play the mathematician responsible for the decoding and breaking the Nazi encryption during World War II.

"The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt"

Another long-in-development Scorsese project, this film based on the early years of the Rough Rider had DiCaprio's name attached as soon as the famous director became involved. It seems that where one goes, the other soon follows.

http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2011/11/09/j-edg...icaprio-biopic/

[Nanda23]

Nanda: I loved your line about Edward Cullen not being a vampire, so true and funny. I laugh a lot. Off topic, but seriously twilight is horrible, sorry.

Me too, as you can see. I watched only the first two, but just I cannot understand why all the fascination surrounding this film. Nothing against vampire movies, quite the contrary. I'm a huge fan of "The Vampire Diares", just love. But "Twilight", I pass.

Thanks princess for all the pics you posted. Gorgeous .

Thanks kat for more good reviews. And tks wijn by the "news" that no one here believes .

So many projects. Our man just doesn't stop working... this is amazing, wonderful for us . Thanks again princess.

[by_princess]

Rotten Tomatoes J. Edgar (2011)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/j_edgar/

Well basically strong performance by Leo, poor film.

[by_princess]

So many projects. Our man just doesn't stop working... this is amazing, wonderful for us

Yes Nanda but all are biopic. A little disappointing if I may say

Django is the only one that have me

[BarbieErin]

I don't think Leo will do all this movies, remember that Leo name was announced in a bunch of movies and most of them Leo didn't made or even turn into a movie, in fact. So, we have to wait and see what comes next after Django.

Talking about Django, since a long time we don't see Leo with his cute mini dog.

[by_princess]

So... here we are, once again, no clues of Leo's location. He's still in New York? or he's in LA? We need Detective Oxford , she's better with the tweets

[BarbieErin]

Didn't Leo have to come back to Australia this week? Maybe he's in a flight.

[by_princess]

Didn't Leo have to come back to Australia this week? Maybe he's in a flight.

Well According to an article that one of the girls posted, he will celebrate a birthday party this week

Word is he’ll celebrate his 37th birthday this week with a small private party to benefit his environmental foundation.

Although it could be just a rumor but if we think about it, the flight between new york and sydney must be at least 24 hours. plus the time difference, He would be arriving on Friday, so I doubt he's going to shoot immediately that day and like is free on weekends, could be true that He would stay in USA to celebrate his birthday and then travel back to sydney to work on Monday

[by_princess]

Oscar Watch: Best Actor to Include Leonardo DiCaprio?

Leonardo DiCaprio teamed with Clint Eastwood for J. Edgar and produced one of the actor’s finest performances. Will it equal an Oscar nod? Movie Fanatic thinks so, but with this year’s crop of stellar acting performances, who will make the list of Best Actor nominees?

In this week’s edition of Oscar Watch, we take a closer look at the Best Actor race and solicit our readers' opinions too as to who you believe should make the final five come nomination day.

The Best Actor Contenders:

Leonardo DiCaprio for J. Edgar: It’s a stellar turn for DiCaprio in J. Edgar that the Academy especially enjoys -- he plays a historical figure over a lifetime, no easy task for any actor. Plus, Eastwood’s actors usually score a nod, and even win (see Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby.)

Read more: http://www.moviefanatic.com/2011/11/oscar-.../#ixzz1dGMqlBfA

[BarbieErin]

thanks for this article princess, and yeah, maybe Leo celebrate his b-day in L.A and than after goes back to Australia.

[oxford25]

When By Princess wants to know where Leo is , Oxford must not disappoint her

lothesPonyJazmin Cabrera

Casually watching a play at the Lincoln Theatre, in the company of Mr Leonardo DiCaprio (who isn't on the stage!) #IheartNYC

7 minutes ago

By Princess

Thanks for Django casting news , assorted articles, clip and great J Edgar press and HR pix

Wijn

Thanks for assorted articles

Kat

Thanks for another positive review

[by_princess]

Leonardo DiCaprio Gushes Over Costar

The A-Lister is garnering a lot of acclaim for his role in "J. Edgar"--but Leo shares his own praise for costar Armie Hammer! Listen in.

[oxford25]

Love a person who knows how to multitask

ClothesPonyJazmin Cabrera

Interval over, back to watching the play (and Leo!)

13 minutes agovia Twitter for iPhone

Wijn

Regarding the RT / J Edgar score that I see some referring to, as the L.A Times article below points out that all the top film critics in the country give it an 82 rating

And that at the end of the day the moviegoers around the world and Academy will decide J Edgar's final rating; and , personally , I agree

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/201...ws-critics.html

[BarbieErin]

thanks for the tweets ox, so he is still in NY.

[by_princess]

When By Princess wants to know where Leo is , Oxford must not disappoint her

Yes, I knew it! I knew that you were the one to find him!

Give me the "O", Give me the "X", Give me the "F",

[oxford25]

By Princess

Since I know YOU will solve the bracelet mystery for us it was the least I could do for you

Below is the website for Lincoln Theater in NY, Leo is watching one of these

http://lct.org/

[FashionDream]

I don't think Leo will do all this movies, remember that Leo name was announced in a bunch of movies and most of them Leo didn't made or even turn into a movie, in fact. So, we have to wait and see what comes next after Django.

Talking about Django, since a long time we don't see Leo with his cute mini dog.

Very true Barbie!! I don't think all those rumoured projects will get made either.

Yeah I haven't seen that dog in awhile too.. hope it's ok

[solange_09]

J. Holberman - film critic of The Village Voice

"J. Edgar": Rich Script, Masterful Acting Weave Dense Historical Tale

Clint Eastwood goes deep into Oliver Stone territory and emerges victorious with J. Edgar. Although hardly flawless, Eastwood's biopic is his richest, most ambitious movie since Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our Fathers, if not Unforgiven. Patriot, scoundrel, genius of self-promotion, gang-buster, red-baiter, blackmailer, proponent of the fingerprint, apostle of the wiretap and momma's boy monster of sexual repression, J. Edgar Hoover (1895