tMF | The Movie-Fanatic

Yeah, he's the guy from the Harry Potter series and his name is Sean Biggerstaff! As Oliver Wood, Quidditch Captain, the Scottish actor became a household name when he was cast in the first two Potter films. He's also one of Alan Rickman's proteges and went on to play 'Tom' in the film The Winter Guest, directed by Rickman himself. But he's not only into mainstream cinema. Biggerstaff also plays the lead in Sean Ellis' award-winning film, Cashback.

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More on this movie: When art student Ben Willis is dumped by his girlfriend Suzy, he develops insomnia. To pass the long hours of the night, he starts working the late night shift at the local supermarket. There he meets a colorful cast of characters, all of whom have their own 'art' in dealing with the boredom of an eight-hour shift. Ben's art is that he imagines himself stopping time. This way, he can appreciate the artistic beauty of the frozen world and the people inside it - especially Sharon, the quiet checkout girl, who perhaps holds the answer to solving the problem of Ben's insomnia.

You might remember Michael Angarano in the film Lords of Dogtown where he played Sid, one of the legendary Z-Boys who pioneered the revival of skateboarding in the 1980s. Angarano, together with Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk and Heath Ledger, received acclaim for this movie directed by Catherine Hardwicke.

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But Angarano has been in the limelight since he was just 12 years old.

His critically acclaimed performances include being Meryl Streep's son Nick in Music of the Heart and young Red Pollard in Seabiscuit. In Almost Famous, he playd the younger version of the main character, William Miller, a teenage music fan who is inspired by the bands of the time and lands himself a magazine assignment to interview and follow a new band. A string of diverse roles followed including Disney's Sky High, where Michael finds himself the son of two superheroes, but mysteriously without any powers of his own. [ click for more ]

Maintaining his momentum as one of today's most sought-after young actors, Angarano will be soon seen in three upcoming films, including Black Irish, The Bondage and Snow Angels.

If you're not into arthouse and foreign films, then you probably won't have heard of Giovanna Mezzogiorno. She happens to be one of Italy's most amazing actresses, but has yet to make a movie in Hollywood. You might know the more popular Monica Bellucci, who made a number of high-profile films, but Mezzogiorno has yet to make her name in American cinema.

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This is about to change. Pitting talents with the likes of Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo and Benjamin Bratt, Giovanna will play the heroine in the film adaptation of Gabriel Marquez' Love in the Time of Cholera. As Fermina Daza, she plays a strong-willed woman who is loved and adored by two different men. But instead of the usual 'damsel in distress' type of role, Giovanna's Fermina is fiercely independent and does not depend on men in order to survive.

It was just recently when Cinematical invited its viewers to see Carice van Houten in Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book, which we think is one of the most engrossing films of 2006. Van Houten, although a well-known actress in Holland, has yet to make a movie in Hollywood. It's great news then that Van Houten is now on board for at least three high-profile films: Valkyrie with Tom Cruise, Body of Lies with Leonardo diCaprio and Russell Crowe and Repossession Mambo with Jude Law.

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But what kind of roles will she be playing?

“ is Van Houten just a minor character who is left behind? That's what it sounds like, and if you look at most of these American roles she's getting they're either labeled simply wife or love-interest. Considering all that she got to do in Black Book, it seems Hollywood could be missing the boat on why she's worth casting. If Van Houten does end up wasted or underused in these roles, it wouldn't be the first time a young European actress came into favor and was then miscast. “

“I never believed in going to America with my show reel and knocking on every agent's door. I'm way too insecure and too proud. I have a little more security to think that maybe I can do something outside my own country. I would like to because there's not so much to do anymore for me now. I've done a lot and now I've worked with Paul. What more is there to get in my own country?” says van Houten.

But given her set of talents, it might not be that bad at all. Surely, in the end, it’s the performance that counts…

We've been following Charlie Hunnam's career very closely - from the time he played Nathan Maloney, a young gay teen in the series 'Queer as Folk', through his critically-acclaimed performance in Nicholas Nickleby, to his powerful portrayal of the psychotic albino, Bosie, in Cold Mountain.

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The young actor has an innate ability to look perfect for the part - be it a period film where he dons a classic suit of old to wearing the most faddish of today's fashion. He is also not afraid to play second fiddle to other actors (who may seem less talented than him). He has this boy-next-door image but with a big difference - the guy can act and act really well.

While doing some research on talented young actor Jesse Eisenberg, we discovered that the guy is also into web development and has launched an amusing and very challenging word game on the net. Says Eisenberg:

"OneUpMe.com is a wordplay website. There are about 850 users from all over the world who try to “one up” a clever phrase I create daily.

For example, I write “He was like evolution: not employed by the catholic church” and users sign on to the site and try to “one up” the second part of the phrase. Such as: defended in court by Clarence Darrow or makes pandas nervous or has plans to remove a toe."

" I own Yugoslavio.com, but can't think of anything funny for it. "

The young New York-based actor is known for taking his role choices seriously and has proven that he can present us with some really remarkable screen performances. Starting with a notable role in Roger Dodger, Eisenberg went on to play one of the leading roles in The Squid and the Whale (starring alongside Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney).

In another important role, Jesse stars in the upcoming film "The Education of Charlie Banks", the directorial debut of Fred Durst which has its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. He has also been cast in the new Greg Mottola film called Adventureland.