Movie News, Obituary

R.I.P.: Oscar-winning ‘Lord of the Rings’ Cinematographer Andrew Lesnie Dies Age 59 0 943

rip-oscar-winning-lord-of-the-rings-cinematographer-andrew-lesnie-dies-age-59

Just yesterday the sad news hit that Andrew Lesnie, the Oscar-winning cinematographer who worked with Peter Jackson on Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films, has died from a heart attack at the far too young age of 59.

The Sydney-born Lesnie had a career spanning a whopping 35-plus in the business – his other worked included Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Jackson’s King Kong (he clearly had a talent for visualizing CGI primates on-screen) and most recently Russell Crowe’s directorial debut The Water Diviner.

But it was his work particularly on Lord of the Rings – he won his Oscar specifically for Fellowship of the Ring, dedicating the award to his partner and two sons – that really made his name and the films just simply wouldn’t look as visually stunning without his amazing talent as a cinematographer. Long-time collaborator Jackson hasn’t released an official statement yet but word from his production house Weta Digital in New Zealand is as follows:

Our memories of Andrew will always be of a wonderful and caring person who looked out for the technicians around him, was keen to have a good laugh and keep everyone jollied along even when things were at the most stressful for everyone.

Andrew Lesnie was a fantastic talent whose cinematic magic will be sorely missed. Our thoughts go out to his friends and family. R.I.P., sir.

Source: Variety 

Previous ArticleNext Article
I'm a freelance film reviewer and blogger with over 10 years of experience writing for various different reputable online and print publications. In addition to my running, editing and writing for Thoughts On Film, I am also the film critic for The National, the newspaper that supports an independent Scotland, covering the weekly film releases, film festivals and film-related features. I have a passion for all types of cinema, and have a particular love for foreign language film, especially South Korean and Japanese cinema. Favourite films include The Big Lebowski, Pulp Fiction and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Watch: Incredible New Trailer for ‘The Revenant’ 0 1242

watch-incredible-new-trailer-for-the-revenant

We don’t usually post trailers individually – saving them for the Trailer Watch – but this one was just too good to pass up.

The Revenant is the new film from acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, who most recently won an Oscar for Birdman. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson and Will Poulter in a tale of a forntierman in 1820 who sets out on a path of vengeance who left him for dead after a bear mauling.

We already had one amazing teaser trailer, now check out the equally great new trailer below:

Could this be the film that finally wins Leo his Best Actor Oscar? Quite possibly!

The Revenant is set for release in the UK on January 15th, 2016.

Vincent Cassel To Play Villain in Next ‘Bourne’ Film 0 1465

vincent-cassel-to-play-villain-in-next-bourne-film

After a fourth Bourne film in which Jason himself was conspicuous by his absence, things are returning to the old but brilliant formula of Matt Damon starring and Paul Greengrass directing.

We already know that in addition to Damon returning (rejoice!), Tommy Lee Jones and woman-of-the-moment Alicia Vikander are part of the cast, playing a tough CIA operative and (presumed) love interest, respectively, as well as Julia Stiles reprising her small but crucial role as Bourne helper Nicky Parsons. But now we’re getting word that one of the best French actors in the business is also joining the cast.

Variety has the news that the wonderful Vincent Cassel has signed on to the spy action sequel as its main villain, which will see him match wits and possibly even go toe-to-toe go with the former amnesiac hero. Although exact plot details are being kept secret for the time being, sources are saying that Cassel will play an assassin tracking Bourne. No doubt he will tie in with the Treadstone/Blackbriar history of the Bourne mythology – maybe he’ll be a scorned fellow assassin who feels Bourne somehow wronged him/was chosen ahead of him.

The series has a pedigree of casting great actors as assassins, whether it be Clive Owen in The Bourne Identity, Karl Urban in Supremacy, Edgar Ramirez in Ultimatum and Oscar Isaac in Legacy.

I was already looking forward to the return of the Damon-Greengrass team but the addition of Cassel – genuinely one of my favourite actors of modern times – only makes me wish next summer would get here sooner.

The as-yet-untitled Bourne sequel is set to start shooting this year for a July 29th, 2016 release date.

Source: Variety