The trio were among hundreds of mourners, including actors, politicians and members of British royalty, who gathered at Southwark Cathedral for the beloved author’s memorial service.

Mortimer’s actress daughter Emily, who lives in New York, was forced to miss the ceremony – because she is heavily pregnant with her second child.

Lord Kinnock, one of Mortimer’s closest friends, paid tribute to his pal, describing him as an “illuminating” star.

He told the assembled crowd, “He illuminated our lives, he lit up our times. Rejoice in him and be thankful.”

Mortimer died in January (09) following a long illness.

Source: hollywoodupclose

You can’t blame co-writer-director Randall Miller (“Bottle Shock”) for wanting to have flashy criminal fun with his setup.

At the same time an arrogant and rakish scientist named Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman) is awarded the Nobel Prize, his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg) — struggling to complete a PhD centered on cannibalism — falls prey to a kidnapping brainiac (Shawn Hatosy) whose venal scheme involves a severed thumb, Mini Coopers and a devastating family secret about Eli. Daddy isn’t too keen on ponying up the ransom, though, which puts Barkley in a mind to turn the tables on a father who has ridiculed him his whole life.

That might seem enough for a tight, nasty little payback romp, but Miller and wife-co-writer Jody Savin’s ingredient-heavy mix includes the criminal psychologist mom (Mary Steenburgen), a nosy detective (Bill Pullman), a crazy/sexy poet chick named City Hall (Eliza Dushku) and an extraneous character with OCD played by Danny DeVito.

That said, the large, eclectic cast has its virtues, and the sneering Rickman and effortlessly carnal Dushku are especially watchable.

But “Nobel Son” shows strains of stylistic overkill with egregious flash-edit tricks and sped-up camera moves, while the signal-flare plotting indicates that perhaps a bit more time could have been taken on the screenplay.

Also, a grating techno score by Paul Oakenfold gives the same thumping sonic import to inconsequential moments as it does to tense action, which makes enjoying the comic thriller’s eccentric genre blend all the more difficult.

Abele is a freelance writer.

Cast & Crew:

Genre: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Bryan Greenberg, Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, Mary Steenburgen,
Director: Randall Miller
Producer: Jody Savin, Randall Miller
Writer: Jody Savin, Randall Miller

Set primarily in the Napa Valley of the 1970s, “Bottle Shock” tries to involve the viewer in the Miracle on Ice of the wine world, in which upstart California vintages faced off against dominant French varieties in a blind taste test. Guess which ones triumphed?

But this is no “Sideways.” It’s not even a “French Kiss.” The subtleties of the craft, the exquisite whispers of the vine, are splashed in the audience’s face by hyperactive direction and a clunky script. Despite a cast boasting Alan Rickman and Bill Pullman, director and co-writer Randall Miller can’t seem to leave a moment alone long enough for the viewer to appreciate its bouquet.

The characters, purportedly based on real people, are stiffly drawn and often just plain unlikable. Relationship threads start but go nowhere.

The soul of the grape, that thing that elevates a wine to greatness, proves here as elusive on screen as in the bottle.

Cast & Crew:

Genre: Drama
Starring: Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine, Eliza Dushku, Rachael Taylor,
Director: Randall Miller
Producer: Brenda Lhormer, Diane Jacobs, J. Todd Harris, Jody Savin, Marc Lhormer, Randall Miller
Writer: Jody Savin, Randall Miller