Abbie Cornish Movies
After a couple of minor ingenue roles in her native Australia, actress Abbie Cornish attained instant superstardom down under with a hypnotic, evocative, and multi-layered lead performance in director Cate Shortland's well-received psychological drama Somersault. That film -- about a fragile young woman who comes completely unhinged while trying to build a new life for herself in a snowy Australian town -- spoke volumes about Cornish's raw ability and foreshadowed a long and successful career for the young dramatist. She reinforced these notions with an equally demanding and harrowing turn as an art student who slides backward into heroin addiction in Neil Armfield's justly praised Candy (2005). Dissatisfied with the limitations of the Australian film industry, Cornish then jumped ship and went Hollywood, where she tackled supporting roles in such features as the 2006 A Good Year (opposite fellow Aussie Russell Crowe) and the 2007 period piece Elizabeth: The Golden Age. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
After serving his tour of duty in Iraq, a young American soldier who is ordered to return to the front lines as part of the military's controversial stop-loss policy opts instead to go AWOL in a thought-provoking military drama directed by Kimberly Peirce. Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Philippe) is a decorated Iraq War veteran who once served his country with pride. After his tour of duty comes to an end, King returns to his Texas hometown and attempts to pick up where he once left off with a little help from his family, as well as long-time best friend and war buddy Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). But just as Brandon, Steve, and the rest of their war buddies begin to settle back into civilian life, Uncle Sam comes calling on them once again. Suddenly ordered back into active duty, the disillusioned war veteran begins to question not just his ties to family and his longtime friendships, but his capacity for love and his sense of honor as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, (more)
- 2008
- PG
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The tragic but intensely passionate love affair between Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and the radiant Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish) is detailed in this romantic period drama from critically acclaimed writer/director Jane Campion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish, (more)
- 2008
Ryan Phillippe and Sean Bean star as Viking brothers whose travels take them into Britain in this costume adventure from writer/director Menno Meyjes (Martian Child). ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Sean Bean, (more)
Actress Cate Blanchett returns to her Oscar-nominated role and director Shekhar Kapur steps back into the director's chair for this belated sequel to the critically acclaimed 1998 biopic Elizabeth that explores the 16th century romance between the "Virgin Queen" and noted adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). Michael Hirst teams with William Nicholson to pen the screenplay, and actor Geoffrey Rush returns to the role of Sir Francis Walsingham. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, (more)
Gladiator duo Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe re-team for this adaptation of author Peter Mayle's best-selling novel about a London-based investment banker who relocates to Provence in hopes of selling a small vineyard he has inherited from his recently deceased uncle. As a child, Max Skinner (Freddie Highmore) was taught to appreciate the finer things in life while wandering the vineyard estate of his sophisticated uncle Henry (Albert Finney). Life has a strange way or turning out how you least expect it to though, and 25 years later, Max (Russell Crowe) is now a prosperous moneyman wheeling and dealing in the cutthroat world of London business. When Max learns that Henry has recently passed away and that he has been named the sole beneficiary of his late uncle's modest estate, the keen businessman hastily arranges a flight to France in order to assess the value of the old property and get it prepped for sale. After Max arrives to find the vineyard in a crumbling state of disrepair, his troubles are further compounded by the stubbornness of gruff estate winemaker M. Duflot (Didier Bourdon) and the unexpected arrival of a determined California beauty named Christie (Abbie Cornish), who presents herself as a long-lost cousin while making a dubious claim to Henry's estate. Meanwhile, the overstressed Max reluctantly finds himself falling for local café owner and town siren Fanny (Marion Cotillard), whose formidable guard is quickly worn down by the smitten beneficiary. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Albert Finney, (more)
A free-spirited art student and a roguish poet find their addiction to each other taking a back seat to their taste for heroin in director Neil Armfield's intensely personal tale of recreational drug use gone bad. When Candy (Abbie Cornish) and Dan (Heath Ledger) first fell in love, they both thought they had found all they ever needed in life. Despite financial hardships, the pair sustained themselves on the vibrant life force that burned blindingly bright as it promised an invincible future. Their intoxicating romance a blissful altered state of which heroin played only a minor role in the beginning, Candy and Dan soon decide to strengthen their bond by marrying and starting a family. Their manufactured Eden gradually becomes an uncontrollable inferno, however, as Candy's parents slowly pull away due to the pain of witnessing their daughter's slow slide into oblivion, and even chemistry professor Casper (Geoffrey Rush), who was at first complicit in their experimentation, admits that Candy and Dan's blind devotion to the drug is now forever ingrained into their commitment to one and other. As the marriage deteriorates right along with Candy's increasingly fragile mental state, Dan must make the difficult decision to either rescue her or pull away in hopes that the clarity of separation will finally empower her to break free of the addiction that binds her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, (more)
Twenty-two-year-old Tommy Matisse (Dan Spielman) is a student at the Royal Academy of Music in London who dreams of writing an opera that will speak truth in the chaos of the contemporary world. Consumed by his unrelenting search for inspiration and his powerful love for girlfriend Alysse (Leeanna Walsman), Tommy remains deaf to the desperate cries of his younger sister Emma (Abbie Cornish). When Emma and Alysse go out for a night of partying and Emma suffers a fatal overdose, Alysse's burden of guilt becomes too weighty to bear and she soon seeks to tell Tommy the truth about his sister's death. Subsequently torn apart by Tommy's anger and Alyssa's sorrow, the pair both embark on solitary journeys that find Tommy making a name for himself in the Melbourne club scene, and self-destructive Alyssa falling under the drug-addled influence of powerful music producer and nightclub owner Hector Lee (Andrew Lee). Though Tommy and Alyssa are later reunited when their paths intersect at the club where Tommy is DJ'ing, the resulting rage of jealous Hector threatens to spell tragedy for all involved. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Spielman, Leeanna Walsman, (more)
Heidi (Abbie Cornish) is a pretty teenager who leaves home after getting caught making out with her mother's boyfriend. She impulsively travels to Jindabyne, a snowy ski resort town, because she once met a man from there who said she should call him if she was ever in town. When that connection doesn't materialize, Heidi is forced to fend for herself with little money. Her first night in town, she goes to a bar, drinks, meets a boy, and goes home with him. She doesn't even notice Joe (Sam Worthington) watching her. The next morning, Heidi is dismayed to find that the guy she slept with has a girlfriend, and is on his way back to Sydney. Desperate and broke, she goes looking for work. Despite her good looks and charm, she's a bit too aggressive in trying to win friends and influence people. That night, she hooks up with Joe, and senses a connection between them. Instead of taking her home, he takes her to a motel. He seems reluctant to get involved with her, but she is persistent. The next morning, he hurriedly leaves for work. Joe works for his father, a wealthy farmer. Heidi meets the motel owner, Irene (Lynette Curran), who kindly offers to let her stay a couple of days, until she finds a job. Heidi ends up working at the local gas station with Bianca (Hollie Andrew). She begins to settle in, but her relationship with Joe deteriorates, her emotional instability takes hold. Somersault marks the feature debut of writer/director Cate Shortland. The film won 13 of the Australian Film Institute's annual awards in 2004, and was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art for inclusion in the 2005 edition of New Directors/New Films. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Abbie Cornish, Sam Worthington, (more)
- 2002
Australian filmmaker Stavros Kazantzidis directs the dark comedy Horseplay. Con man Max Mackendrick (Marcus Graham) wants a bit of horseracing action, so he marries the snobby Alicia Coxhead (Tushka Bergen), the daughter of famous horceracer Barry Coxhead (Bill Hunter). However, Max gets eternally barred from the sport after he gets caught swapping horses. Undaunted, Max and his sex-addict sidekick Henry (Jason Donovan) come up with a plan to make a million dollars at the Melbourne Cup. He needs the money to get back at his nemesis Barry and to reunite with his needy ex-girlfriend Jade (Natalie Mendoza). He hires two crooks (Jacek Koman and Robert Menzies) for an elaborate kidnapping scheme that inevitably and quickly goes awry. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcus Graham, Tushka Bergen, (more)
