Alan Rickman

• Can you match the famous hair with the TV star? — The TV Addict
• Apparently, Alan Rickman is already mentally prepared to play the hookah-smoking caterpillar in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. — Popwatch
• Joss Whedon says Dollhouse is going great; too bad he sounds miserable. — Vulture
• The stars of Zack and Miri Make a Porno have a funny/strange conversation with Ben Lyons. — E! Online's Lyons Den
• Hey, it's new promos for Nip/Tuck. — TV Squad
• Sean Connery says he's definitely retired from acting on the big screen. — MTV Movies Blog
• Congrats to the bloggers and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia writers who just sold a pilot to Fox! — Give Me My Remote
• What are some movies that shouldn't have scared you. . . but did? — Cinematical

I had the good fortune to attend the red carpet premiere of Bottle Shock at the Napa Valley winery where the movie's true story takes place (I know, it's a tough job but someone has to do it). Before they screened the movie, which is about the emergence of Napa as a legitimate winemaking region, I got the chance to chat with some of the movie's stars.

First up, the venerable Alan Rickman with whom I'm slightly obsessed. Surely you know who he is, but have you ever perused the man's IMDB page? It's stunning. He has worked with everyone in everything from the Harry Potter movies to Kevin Smith's Dogma. When I met Alan, I found him to be. . . kind of sassy actually. But in a British way.

I also chatted with Bill Pullman who plays a grumpy guy in Bottle Shock. It's some great acting on his part because he is warm and generous in person, and was as excited as anyone else to be in gorgeous Napa Valley.

To see what I discussed with these two veteran actors of the silver screen, read more

I live near Napa Valley and I enjoy wine a great deal, so when I first heard about a new little movie called Bottle Shock all about the historical legitimization of California wine, I was intrigued. I may have taken for granted the fact that Napa hasn't always been a world-renowned winemaking region, and that at one point it was viewed as nothing more than a bunch of back-water country hicks noodling around with grapes. Which is why I was disappointed to not love this sincere attempt to bring this story to life on the screen. I had such high hopes, but in the end the movie spends too much time on other stuff and not enough on the part that's the most interesting.

Invariably, this tale of Napa's beginnings will be compared to another indie film about California wine, Sideways, and though the subject matter may be similar, it's not an accurate pairing. Where Sideways uses wine country as a setting in which to explore the lives of four intriguing characters, Bottle Shock is a saccharine mix of slapstick comedy, melodrama, and sweeping shots of California's golden hills. This director practically fetishizes the beauty of the state's coast, and at times the movie feels more like a tourist ad than anything else. I wish the filmmakers had relied on the interesting true story for a dramatic arc rather than tossing in several tedious subplots, including an emotionally weightless father-son drama and a mind-numbing love triangle. To see why, read more

Did you like Sideways, a quirky indie movie about wine (and relationships)? Then you might dig Bottle Shock, another indie movie about wine, this time with an emphasis on the history of American winemaking. It may sound like a snoozefest to some of you, but the trailer makes it look incredibly interesting. The film premiered at this year's Sundance and I was sorry to miss the screenings while I was there.

The movie focuses on the mid-1970s when French wine makers were starting to sit up and pay attention to what was going on in California vineyards. Alan Rickman stars as a wine snob from across the pond who comes over to find out what these California "hicks" are up to with their so-called wine. The supporting cast includes Bill Pullman, Dennis Farina, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku and Freddy Rodriguez, among others. It looks funny and interesting, and opens in limited release August 8. To check out the trailer, read more

Johnny was showing off some more of that smooth chest for the Sweeney Todd premiere, but something about his suit seems supersized. Luckily, new mama Helena Bonham Carter was there to take some of the attention off Johnny with her bright red dress. Johnny may be your choice for Favorite Male Star, but he credits his success to his director, saying, "Tim is what makes it special, I love to work with him." We think Johnny is pretty special all by himself but love that he has so much admiration and appreciation for his BFF.

Lots more pics, including Alan Rickman and everyone you see above, so just read more

As I was leaving the screening of Sweeney Todd, my mind was swirling with those silly, cliche comments often seen accompanying ads for critically acclaimed movies: "Sweeney Todd is . . . a visual masterpiece!" "Another Burton beauty!" "A tale of blood and woe — woah!" I'll spare you the rest. The bottom line is that I was impressed. And nauseated. But mostly impressed.

The Stephen Sondheim musical and Tim Burton are a match made in heaven. Burton's dark, sinister-looking scenery and the bloody, musical horrorfest of a story gel together seamlessly to create something so lushly gory — but heartfelt — you may need to dry heave a little bit.

The story follows Benjamin Barker (Johnny Depp), a young man wrongfully imprisoned because the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) was obsessed with Barker's wife Lucy (Laura Michelle Kelly) and wanted her for himself. Years later when Barker returns to London, he renames himself Sweeney Todd and opens up a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett's (Helena Bonham Carter) meat pie shop, hoping to exact revenge on the judge by luring him in for a shave and then slitting his throat. For his part, Judge Turpin has been keeping Todd's daughter Joanna as his ward. Yet when a young friend of Todd's falls in love with Joanna by spotting her at her window, he determines to break her free from the Judge's grasp. Meanwhile, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd figure out a gruesome way to boost her meat pie sales. Those are basic plot points, but there's much more to say about Sweeney Todd, so read more

Reuters reported today that Alan Rickman is signing on for Tim Burton's latest project, Sweeney Todd, an adaptation of the morbid Sondheim musical of the same name. Rickman is the latest addition to the already stellar cast, which also includes Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, and Burton's apparently favorite actor ever, Johnny Depp.

The story centers around Benjamin Barker (Depp), who is wrongly imprisoned by the vulgar Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman). Barker returns as a London barber named Sweeney Todd and plots revenge. Sacha Baron Cohen will play Signor Adolfo Pirelli, Sweeney Todd's rival barber, while Carter has been tapped as Sweeney Todd's partner, Mrs. Lovett.

The cast is so fantastic that I hope the film is equally good! I have a long time to wait, however: The movie isn't due to come out until December.