ADVENTUROUS ROMAN EPIC "THE EAGLE" WITH CHANNING TATUM, JAMIE BELL AND DONALD SUTHERLAND

Since you know how your HOLLYWOOD SPY loves epics and historical adventures, one of my most anticipated films of 2011 is the Roman epic THE EAGLE (previously titled THE EAGLE OF THE NINTH), which is going to

premiere in cinemas February 25th with great cast including Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Mark Strong, Donald Sutherland, Denis O’Hare, Douglas Henshall, Paul Ritter, Ben O’Brien, Tahar Rahim ... The film is directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, STATE OF PLAY).

 The story starts in 140 AD, when two men,  master and slave, venture beyond the edge of the known world on a dangerous and obsessive quest that will push them beyond the boundaries of loyalty and betrayal, friendship and hatred, deceit and heroism…  20 years earlier, Rome’s 5,000-strong Ninth Legion, under

the command of Flavius Aquila (Donald Sutherland), marched north carrying their treasured golden Eagle emblem. They never returned; Legion and Eagle simply vanished into the mists. Hearing a rumor that the Eagle has been seen in a tribal temple in the far north, Flavius’ son Marcus (Channing Tatum), determined to restore the tarnished reputation of his father, is galvanized into

action. Accompanied only by his slave Esca (Jamie Bell), Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia, the vast and dangerous highlands of Scotland, to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father’s memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem the hallowed Eagle of the Ninth. Along the way Marcus realizes that the mystery of his father’s disappearance may well be linked to the secret of his own slave’s identity and loyalty – a secret all the more pressing when the two come face-to-face with the warriors of the fearsome Seal Prince (Tahar Rahim).

ROMANTIC MONDAY: "JANE EYRE" WITH MICHAEL FASSBENDER, JUDI DENCH AND JAMIE BELL. "ONE DAY" WITH ANNE HATHAWAY AND JIM STURGESS

Here are two romantic films which are coming to cinemas next year for all of you who like a bit of love magic in your movies.
First there's the new adaptation of JANE EYRE by Charlotte Bronte. With the star studded cast including Michael Fassbender,  Judi Dench, Imogen Poots, Jamie Bell, Mia Wasikovska ... the film follows Jane Eyre who flees Thornfield

House, where she works as a governess for wealthy Edward Rochester. As she reflects upon the people and emotions that have defined her, it is clear that the isolated and imposing residence, and Mr. Rochester's coldness, have sorely tested the young woman's resilience, forged years earlier when she was orphaned. She must now act decisively to secure her own future and come to terms with the past that haunts her - and the terrible secret that Mr. Rochester is hiding and that she has uncovered... If you ask me, since Wasikovska lacks charisma, I think Imogen Poots would've been much much better as Jane. I will watch the film for Fassbender and my dear Judi Dench.


The second film is ONE DAY with inescapable Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess which has a very interesting plot: the film charts an extraordinary relationship. Emma and Dexter meet on the night of their college graduation - July 15th, 1988. She is a working-class girl of principle and ambition who dreams of making

the world a better place. He is a wealthy charmer who dreams that the world will be his playground. For the next two decades, every July 15th reveals to us how "Em" and "Dex" are faring, as their friendship ebbs and flows with the passing of the years. Through love and loss, heartbreak and success, hopes fulfilled and dreams shattered, they experience the grandeur of life. Somewhere along their journey, these two people realize that what they are searching and hoping for has been there for them all along.