Free Republic

“Mary Queen of Scots” is director Josie Rourke’s historical retelling of one of the most fraught and interesting periods of the Elizabethan era. But how much of it is fact and how much is fiction? The film, which is written by Beau Willimon (“House of Cards”) and based on a book by John Guy, stars Saoirse Ronan in the titular role as Mary Stuart and Margot Robbie as her cousin, Queen Elizabeth I. It also showcases a number of actors of color in prominent roles in both Mary’s and Elizabeth’s courts, including decorated Shakespearean actor Adrian Lester, who is...

Conservative actor Adam Baldwin pushed back Wednesday as many on the left—from Hollywood celebrities to political leaders—called for gun control in the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida.“[Nancy] Pelosi again demanding gun control. Again, the shooter was stopped by people with firearms,” the actor tweeted. “Schools need armed security and volunteer staff members with CCW,” he added.  Pelosi again demanding gun control.— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) February 14, 2018 Again, the shooter was stopped by people with firearms. Schools need armed security and volunteer staff members with CCW.— Adam Baldwin (@AdamBaldwin) February 14, 2018 House...

George Clooney doesn't want you to get any ideas. A source who attended the "Ides of March" premiere on Wednesday tells us the 50-year-old sex symbol wasn't "comfortable" taking photos with other women. And his co-star Evan Rachel Wood wasn't about to push the envelope. When photographers on the red carpet encouraged Wood to pose for a shot with Clooney, she replied: "Eh, you better ask him."

It takes a certain degree of nerve to title a film The Ides of March—not merely because it invites Shakespearian comparisons but, more particularly, because the word that most commonly precedes the calendric phrase in the English-speaking world is "beware." George Clooney has nonetheless taken this gamble in his latest directorial outing, a political fable adapted from the Beau Willimon play Farragut North (itself named, more modestly, after a downtown Washington, DC Metro station).