Author: Ambrose Heron

Editor of FILMdetail

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008 Reactions: Three Monkeys

One of the in competition films getting a lot of buzz over the last couple of days has been Three Monkeys (Uc Maymun) which had a gala screening tonight.

Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (who made Uzak (Distant) in 2002 and Climates in 2006) it is a family drama about a politician (Ercan Kesal) who accidentally kills someone whilst out driving and manages to convince his lowly driver (Yavuz Bingol) to take the wrap.

The plot then thickens whilst the driver is in jail, with his wife (Hatice Aslan) and son (Ahmet Rifat Sungar) getting drawn into the web of deceit.

So far, the film has got several critics buzzing.

Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere thinks it is the first major film of the festival:

I was hooked from the get-go — gripped, fascinated. I was in a fairly excited state because I knew — I absolutely knew — I was seeing the first major film of the festival.

Three Monkeys is about focus and clarity in every sense of those terms, but it was mainly, for me, about stunning performances — minimalist acting that never pushes and begins and ends in the eyes who are quietly hurting every step of the way.

Geoff Andrew of Time Out urges people to see it:

This fifth feature is arguably the most ambitious film yet from the maker of ‘Uzak’ and ‘Climates’.

It has the dry humour, assured pacing, astute psychological insights and sharp sense of moral and dramatic irony that has been conspicuous in all his [Nuri Bilge Ceylan] work…

…if you thought Ceylan’s photographer’s eye produced stunning images in ‘Climates’, ‘Three Monkeys’ pushes the envelope still further. It’s been bought for the UK, so when it turns up, see it – and marvel!

Justin Chang of Variety is admiring, but has reservations about it’s commercial prospects:

Seeing, hearing and speaking no evil comes all too easily to the tortured trio in ‘Three Monkeys’, a powerfully bleak family drama that leaves its characters’ offenses largely offscreen but lingers with agonizing, drawn-out deliberation on the consequences.

But gripping as the film often is, its unrelenting doom and gloom offers fewer lasting rewards, making it unlikely to draw sizable arthouse crowds beyond the Turkish helmer’s fanbase.

Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune is bowled over by the film:

…’Three Monkeys’ offers the kind of artistry rare in contemporary cinema. Little details linger in the mind, such as a knife on a cutting board, tipping slightly in the breeze.

Ceylan gets wonderful suspense out of everyday things, such as a telltale cell phone ring-tone that wails to the tune of a vengeful Turkish pop ballad.

Most indelibly, the film’s brief but brilliant depictions of the dead son grip the audience like nothing else so far in this year’s Cannes festival.

Jonathan Romney of Screen Daily has one caveat in an otherwise admiring review:

The only cavil is that the pacing gets a little slack in the final stretches, and – while it’s the nature of a Ceylan film to be slow-burning – the smallest amount of trimming could well turn an exceptional film into a near-perfect one.

Charles Ealy of The Austin Movie Blog is engrossed:

Remarkably enough, I was engrossed by “The Three Monkeys” from the very beginning. It’s the best Ceylan film ever, not that such a comment will mean much to most people.

Ceylan’s cinematography is wonderful, once again.

Pyramide International, the sales company for the film, has already sold it to several territories including France, Italy, England and Ireland, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg, Greece, India and Russia and the Baltic States.

Here is the trailer:

> Official site for Three Monkeys
> Find out more about Nuri Bilge Ceylan at Wikipedia

Categories
Cannes Festivals Interesting

Steven Spielberg at Cannes in 1982

This Sunday Steven Spielberg will be at the Cannes Film Festival to unveil Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Back in 1982 he was there to unveil E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial and during his stay German director Wim Wenders persuaded him to sit down for a short film called Room 666.

The premise was simple – Wenders asked a group of film directors from around the world to sit in Room 666 of the Hotel Martinez in Cannes.

Using a static camera he then asked the directors about the future of cinema, the principle question being:

Is cinema a language about to get lost, an art about to die?

Here is what Spielberg said (wait 23 seconds for him to appear):

> Room 666 at the IMDb
> More about the film at Wim Wenders official site

Categories
Cinema Podcast Reviews

The Cinema Review: Charlie Bartlett / Smart People / Shutter

This week we review Charlie Bartlett, Smart People and Shutter.

Listen to the review podcast here:

[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-05-16-85869.MP3]

Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking here.

> Download this review podcast as an MP3 file
> Get local show times for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews for these films at Metacritic

Categories
News

Anthony Pellicano is found guilty

Private investigator Anthony Pellicano has been found guilty in the long running trial that exposed a murky world of wiretapping and intimidation in Hollywood.

Carla Hall and Tami Abdollah and of the LA Times report:

Anthony Pellicano was found guilty Thursday of scores of federal charges for conspiring to wiretap and intimidate dozens of celebrities and business executives, including Sylvester Stallone, Garry Shandling and developer Robert Maguire

The jury also delivered guilty verdicts against all four of Pellicano’s co-defendants who played various roles in the private eye’s sophisticated and illegal schemes to gather personal information on people, which he often used to gain advantages in the courtroom or in business dealings.

The co-defendants were former Los Angeles Police Sgt. Mark Arneson, former telephone company field technician Ray Turner, computer expert Kevin Kachikian and businessman Abner Nicherie.

The four were ordered to return to court for sentencing Sept. 24.

Pellicano, meanwhile, was ordered to remain in federal custody until his sentencing.

The whole saga had a cast of high profile Hollywood figures, with the likes of Garry Shandling, former agent Mike Ovitz and studio executives such as Paramount’s Brad Grey and Universal’s Ron Meyer, all connected in different ways to the unfolding drama.

The affair began when LA Times reporter Anita Busch received threats back in June 2002. She was  investigating alleged links between the actor Steven Seagal and the Mafia, when one morning she found that her car had been vandalised.

In a twist worthy of a bad mob movie, a note was taped to the windscreen saying “Stop” along with a dead fish. The FBI were called in and the trail led to an informant who taped a small-time criminal, who then in turn named Pellicano as the man who had hired him to intimidate Busch.

Seagal was cleared of any involvement in the scheme and the actor (and singer, let’s not forget) has always denied any links to the Mafia.

Meanwhile Pellicano’s office on Sunset Boulevard was raided by the FBI. According to official documents leaked to The Smoking Gun they found around $200,000 in cash and a cache of explosives, which included:

Fresh military-grade C-4 plastic explosives, anti-personnel grenades (along with the C-4, investigators found a detonation cord and blasting cap).

The amount of C-4 found, agents noted, could easily blow up a car and ‘was, in fact, strong enough to bring down an airplane’.

Pellicano was charged with illegal possession of explosives and sentenced at trial to 30 months in prison.

A further investigation into the threats then followed and revealed an extraordinary wiretapping operation run by Pellicano, which cast a shadow over many high profile figures in Hollywood.

It turned out that actors such as Sylvester Stallone and Keith Carradine were wiretapped, whilst Garry Shandling was subjected to an illegal criminal background check.

It also emerged that stars like Chris Rock and Courtney Love received advice from Pellicano.

More seriously, director John McTiernan was sentenced to four months in jail for lying to the FBI about his relationship to Pellicano, although he has since appealed that decision.

The question now is, will all this be made into a movie?

Check out this VH1 video profile fom last year:

> Full story at the LA Times on the Pellicano verdict and an article from 2006 on his web of connections
> New York Times on the verdict
> Listen to audio of Mike Ovitz, Chris Rock and Courtney Love speaking to Pellicano via The Huffington Post
> A lot of information on Pellicano at Luke Ford’s site
> Leaked document about the case at The Smoking Gun

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008 Reactions: Kung Fu Panda

Last night saw the out of competition premiere of Kung Fu Panda – the latest animated film from DreamWorks Animation.

After Jack Black posed yesterday for photographers alongside a bunch of pandas and inadvertantly confirmed that co-star Angelina Jolie was pregnant with twins, people finally got a look at the film.

Here is a summary of the critical reaction.

James Rocchi of Cinematical is impressed:

Dreamworks Animation’s latest effort may stick out a little on the Red Carpet at Cannes — where it’s screening out of competition — but it’s certainly a well-made kid’s film that earns high points for how directors John Stevenson and Mark Osborne clearly crafted and contemplated its look and feel with ambition and style.

Richard Corliss of Time is also taken with the cartoon panda:

Today DreamWorks unveiled its latest ani-movie, Kung Fu Panda. As cunning visual art and ultra-satisfying entertainment, it proved an excellent choice.

…some sequences [are] so smartly thought out and spectacularly executed that they might have been designed by an ace stunt coordinator like Yuen Wo-ping.

Todd McCarthy of Variety is more circumspect:

How many underdog kidpic characters have been told “You just need to believe” in recent years? Whatever the ample number, add one more to the list with “Kung Fu Panda,” a nice looking but heavily formulaic DreamWorks animation entry.

It looks like this is going to do solid business when it opens in the US on June 6th and the UK on July 4th.

Here is the moment where Jack Black accidentally let slip Jolie was pregnant with twins whilst in an interview with Natalie Morales of the Today show:

> Kung Fu Panda at the IMDb
> Official site for Kung Fu Panda

Categories
News

Warren Cowan dies aged 87

Legendary Hollywood publicist Warren Cowan has died at the age of 87.

Variety report:

Warren Cowan, known to many as the “father of Hollywood press agents,” died Wednesday night at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from heart failure after a long battle with cancer.

He was 87, according to his childhood friend, Variety columnist Army Archerd.

The celebrated publicist’s firm Rogers & Cowan became the biggest entertainment PR firm in the world, with a list of clients that reads like the entertainment industry’s “Who’s Who.”

He repped just about every major star during the past 50 years, from Paul Newman to Elizabeth Taylor, Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas, Frank Sinatra, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, Roberto Benigni and Elton John.

But whenever asked who his favorite client was, Cowan’s constant answer was always “the next one.”

In the 1950s he became a partner in the public relations firm Rogers & Cowan and was named president in 1964.

It grew to become the largest entertainment PR firm in the world, but Cowan was also known for his extensive charity and volunteer work.

He was involved with organisations such as UNICEF, the Scott Newman Foundation, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts Foundation, the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis, and the Young Musicians Foundation.

> Full story at Variety
> Variety’s Army Archerd pays tribute to his late friend
> A triubute at Movie City News by Valerie Van Galder

Categories
Cannes Festivals Trailers

Trailer: Vicky Cristina Barcelona

This is the trailer for Woody Allen’s latest film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. 

It premieres in Cannes on Saturday (out of competition) and opens in the US on September 5th.

> Vicky Cristina Barcelona at IMDb
> See our preview of the Cannes films showing out of competition

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008 Reactions: Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir is one of the films in competition getting some early buzz.

It is an animated film that documents the struggle of director Ari Folman to come to terms with the part he played in the first Lebanese war in 1982 and the massacre of Palestinian civilians in the West Beirut refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila.

There will be comparisons with last year’s Persepolis, which used animation to deal with political memories, but Kim Voynar of Cinematical thinks that would be unwise:

Where Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (to which this film will be inevitably, if somewhat inaccurately, compared) used stark black-and-white animation based on Satrapi’s graphic novels to tell the history of one girl growing up during the Iranian revolution, Waltz with Bashir uses vivid, hand-drawn animation to bring to life interviews Folman conducted with friends who were involved in the Lebanese war in the early 1980s to bring to life harrowing memories of death, guilt and regret.

She goes on to praise the film and talk up its Oscar prospects:

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I wouldn’t be surprised to see Waltz with Bashir show up on the slate at Telluride in September, and even less so to see it wind up with an Oscar nod come January.

Folman has made a beautiful, disturbing and deeply compelling film that documents the horrors to which he and his friends were witnesses, while offering hope that he and others might, some day, heal from the ravages of war.

Anne Thompson of Variety was similarly impressed. She calls it:

…an odd Israeli documentary that is gorgeously and effectively animated.

Like the stylized Persepolis, the animation makes palatable scenes that would otherwise be horrific: hallucinatory flashbacks of Israeli soldiers on various campaigns in Lebanon, all leading to one long repressed memory of witnessing a 1982 massacre by Christian militia of Palestinians.

The filmmaker makes a journey back into his mind by interviewing people who might remember what he has suppressed.

Very strong film. Some of the animated characters’ POV have a vidgame feel. Early distrib response is cautious. They’ll check reviews and see where it goes.

Michael Phillips of The Chicago Tribune was another struck by the film and feels it:

…made up for the arch inertia of the opening-night selection.

The collaborators work in a style of animation resembling the rotoscoping efforts of Richard Linklater (”Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly”), though none of the fluid, insinuating frames was actually rotoscoped.

…Folman’s story has a lot to say about how a miserable conflict haunts those who wage it.

Watch the trailer here:


Waltz With Bashir, the first official trailer

There is another montage here:

> Waltz with Bashir at the official Cannes site
> Quiet Earth with a preview of Waking with Bashir
> Official site for Waltz with Bashir

Categories
In Production Interesting News

Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro want 20 questions about The Hobbit

Peter Jackson and Guillermo Del Toro are inviting fans to ask them 20 questions about the upcoming film version of The Hobbit which they will answer via a live webchat.

Click here to register at Weta’s official site.

> The Hobbit at the IMDb
> Weta’s official site

Categories
Cannes Events Festivals

Cannes 2008: Buzz Builders

At the American Pavilion in Cannes yesterday, there was a debate entitled Buzz Builders which dealt with movie journalism and the internet.

The AmPav

Alex Ben Block moderated a panel that included:

Here are a few key bits as relayed by Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere:

Poland said that the difference between print and online film writing is a “lack of editing” and seasoned judgment.

Both Hernandez and Jones mentioned the importance of judgment and “context” in the reporting of news stories.

Poland said later that an online hurdle thus far is that “there’s no money” in blogging for many if not most writers who toil in this medium. Or at least, “not enough to live on.”

And yet “having a seat at the table” is what everyone wants, he said, including the N.Y. Times.

But the bit that really struck me was when he quotes David Poland as saying:

….he “would be very surprised if The Hollywood Reporter is still [around] three years from now.” (I think he meant in its present form, but maybe not.)

Is this true?

Let’s for a second assume this isn’t a throwaway line about a traditional media outlet not adapting to the times.

Is the Hollywood Reporter really going the way of Premiere Magazine? Or is it perhaps adapting to some kind of web/print hybrid?

On a more pressing point, why don’t the American Pavilion or the organisers of the debate film this and put it up on the web? Why no live stream? Or YouTube video? Or some kind of transcript?

What is sometimes depressing – and indeed ironic – about these kinds of debate is that they suffer from the very problems they are discussing.

At a talk last year at the London Film Festival about the internet and film criticism, the moderator mused at one point that maybe the panel (which consisted of two national newspaper critics, plus two heads of content from MySpace and the BBC) should have included a blogger, as that’s what they were partly discussing.

Similarly here, with all the chat about the merits of blogger vs traditional media, we should be reminded that if it wasn’t for the efforts of Hollywood Elsewhere and a link from Spout Blog, then anyone outside of the American Pavilion probably wouldn’t know about this.

If the issues are important enough to debate at one of the key venues of the world’s biggest film festival, then why not disseminate it to the wider world via the web?

> Original report at Hollywood Elsewhere
> Official site of The American Pavilion

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: The Edge of Love

Here is the latest trailer for The Edge of Love, the new film about Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.

The story revolves around the poet (played by Matthew Rhys), his wife Caitlin MacNamara (Sienna Miller) and their friends, William Killick (Cillian Murphy) and Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley).

It opens in the UK on June 27th

> The Edge of Love at the IMDb
> Find out more about Dylan Thomas at Wikipedia

Categories
Cannes Festivals News

Cannes 2008 Reactions: Blindness

The opening film of this year’s festival was Blindness, directed by Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Constant Gardener) and starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo.

Based on José Saramago’s 1995 novel it is about an epidemic of blindness in a modern city.

Here is a summary of some of the critical reaction:

Jeffrey Wells of Hollywood Elsewhere is underwhelmed:

I respected Blindness — I certainly agree with what it’s saying — but it didn’t arouse me at all. Opening-night films at big festivals are often underwhelming on this or that level — bland, suckish, so-so.

I’m sorry to be saying what I’m saying as I worshipped Meirelles’ City of God and very much admired The Constant Gardener. But the truth is that Blindness is more than a bit of a flub.

For what it’s worth, the pacing, performances and tech credits are first-rate.

Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter feels lacks an element of surprise:

Blindness is provocative cinema. But it also is predictable cinema: It startles but does not surprise.

An appreciative critical response will be needed stateside for Miramax to market this Brazilian-Canadian-Uruguayan co-production.

Other territories may benefit from the casting of an array of international actors with some boxoffice draw.

Justin Chang of Variety has similarly mixed feelings:

Despite a characteristically strong performance by Julianne Moore as a lone figure who retains her eyesight, bearing sad but heroic witness to the horrors around her, Fernando Meirelles’ slickly crafted drama rarely achieves the visceral force, tragic scope and human resonance of Saramago’s prose.

Despite marquee names, mixed reviews might yield fewer eyes than desired for this international co-production.

Joe Utichi of IGN is also somewhat disappointed:

Ultimately, Blindness is a brave attempt from this ever-versatile director at creating an intelligent, original sci-fi thriller that, sadly, never quite comes together.

James Rocchi of Cinematical is more admiring:

But while Blindness can be faulted for many things, it also has to be respected for its ambition, craft, and effort;

Blindness shows us a world of wide-eyed sightlessness, and it does so through a fierce vision that only occasionally loses focus.

Xan Brooks of The Guardian is also more positive:

Blindness may well be the bleakest curtain raiser in the history of the festival, a nightmarish parable of the apocalypse, directed by the Brazilian film-maker Fernando Meirelles and just as impressive in its way as his career-making City of God.

It’s a devastating bit of work – a cold-eyed portrait of social meltdown that nonetheless shows how catastrophe can bring out the best in people as well as the worst.

I could have done without Danny Glover’s sage, hushed narration over every stray moment of quiet, but otherwise this was pretty much spot-on.

Sukhdev Sandhu of The Daily Telegraph feels the acting is strong, but not enough to redeem the overall film:

As always, it’s impossible to take one’s eyes off Moore who is so adept at playing roles in which her strength seems brittle, almost masochistic.

Alice Braga, a prostitute who is one of the inmates that Moore and Ruffalo befriend, is also a stand-out performer.

They do well to save a film that, in trying so hard to be faithful to the novel, falls prey to tone-deafness.

Did you see Blindness at Cannes? If so, then leave your thoughts below.

> Blindness at the IMDb
> Find out more about the novel at Wikipedia
> Anne Thomspon speaks to director Fernando Meirelles at Variety
> Will Lawrence also has a piece on Mereilles at the Telegraph

Categories
Interesting

Real life locations used in famous Sci-Fi films

Oobject has posted an interesting list of real life locations used in notable sci-fi films.

The list includes:

> Check out the full list over at Oobject
> A list of films with interesting architecture at the University of Waterloo
> Architechnophilia – blog on architecture

Categories
Amusing Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008: Kung Fu Panda launch at the Carlton

Now this is how to launch a DreamWorks animated film about kung fu pandas in Cannes.

Get Jack Black and about 40 people in panda costumes outside the Carlton Hotel:

Kung Fu Panda screens at the festival tomorrow (Thursday 15th) and opens in the US on June 6th and the UK on July 4th

> Official site for Kung Fu Panda
> Find out more about the film at Wikipedia

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008: Screening Schedule

For all those out at Cannes here is the schedule for all the major screenings for the next fortnight, which include those in and out of official competition.

Steps of the Red Carpet

FILMS IN COMPETITION AND CLOSING FILM

WEDS 14th MAY
19.15 Opening ceremony
23.30 BLINDNESS (1h58) Directed by Fernando Meirelles

THURS 15th MAY
8.30 – 16.30 LEONERA (1h53) Directed by Pablo Trapero
14.00 – 22.00 WALTZ WITH BASHIR (1h27) Directed by Ari Folman

FRI 16th MAY
8.30 – 14.30 – 19.00 UN CONTE DE NOËL (2h30) Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
12.00 – 22.30 ÜÇ MAYMUN (Les Trois Singes) (1h49) Directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

SAT 17th MAY
8.30 – 22.00 LINHA DE PASSE (1h48) Directed by Walter Salles, Daniela Thomas
16.00 ER SHI SI CHENG JI (24 City) (1h52) Directed by Jia Zhangke

SUN 18th MAY
8.30 – 22.00 GOMORRA (2h15) Directed by Matteo Garrone
16.30 SERBIS (1h30) Directed by Brillante Mendoza

MON 19th MAY
9.00 – 13.00 – 19.00 LE SILENCE DE LORNA (1h45) Directed by Jean-Pierre et Luc Dardenne
22.00 TWO LOVERS (1h40) Directed by James Gray

TUE 20th MAY
8.30 – 12.00 – 19.30 CHANGELING (2h21) Directed by Clint Eastwood
16.00 DELTA (1h32) (Directed by Kornél Mundruczó)

WED 21st MAY
16.00 LA MUJER SIN CABEZA (1h27) Directed by Lucrecia Martel
18.30 CHE (4h28) Directed by Steven Soderbergh

THU 22nd MAY
8.30 – 14.30 – 19.30 LA FRONTIÈRE DE L’AUBE (1h46) Directed by Philippe Garrel
11.30 – 22.30 ADORATION (1h40) Directed by Atom Egoyan

FRI 23rd MAY
8:30 – 19.30 SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK (2h04) Directed by Charlie Kaufman
11.30 – 22.30 IL DIVO (1h50) Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
16.30 MY MAGIC (1h15) Directed by Eric Khoo

SAT 24th MAY
8.30 – 16.00 ENTRE LES MURS (2h08) Directed by Laurent Cantet
19.30 PALERMO SHOOTING (2h04) Directed by Wim Wenders

SUN 25th MAY
19.30 Closing ceremony
23.00 WHAT JUST HAPPENED? (1h46) Directed by Barry Levinson

Crowd gathers for Ocean's Thirteen premiere

OUT OF COMPETITION AND MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

THU 15th MAY
11.15 – 19.30 KUNG FU PANDA (1h35) Directed by Mark Osborne, John Stevenson

SAT 17th MAY
11.30 – 19.30 VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA (1h36) Directed by Woody Allen
00.15 THE CHASER (2h03) Directed by Na Hong-jin

SUN 18th MAY
13.00 – 19.00 INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL (2h03) Directed by Steven Spielberg

MON 19th MAY
16.00 SÉANCE HOMMAGE À MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA (1h00)

TUE 20th MAY
23.30 MARADONA BY KUSTURICA (1h30) Directed by Emir Kusturica

WED 21st MAY
23.45 SURVEILLANCE (1h38) Directed by Jennifer Lynch

SAT 24th MAY
11.30 – 22.30 THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD (2h00) Directed by Kim Jee-woon

> Download the official screenings schedule as a PDF file

Categories
Amusing Viral Video

Gay Top Gun

Quentin Tarantino explains the gay subtext of Top Gun:

Tarantino’s speech is from the 1994 film Sleep With Me.

> More on Top Gun at Wikipedia
> Popmatters with a review of the Top Gun sepcial edition DVD

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008 Preview: Films Out of Competition

The out of competition films screening at this year’s Cannes Film Festival include some of the more high profile premieres.

Red Carpet at the Palais

OUT OF COMPETITION

Here is a guide to the big films screening out of competition, which means they are not competing for the Palme d’Or and are basically ‘prestige’ premieres.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Dir. Steven Spielberg): The biggest major studio release of the year gets a high profile premiere, with Steven Spielberg bringing a film to the festival for the first time since The Color Purple in 1985.

All eyes around the world will eagerly be awaiting how this installment will fit in with the original trilogy. Plot details have been kept under wraps, but according to the offficial plot sypnopsis at the festival site it begins in 1957 at the height of the Cold War and involves Indy battling Russian agents as he searches for the Crystal Skull of Akator in Peru.

Harrison Ford returns as the famous archaeologist and the supporting cast includes Ray Winstone, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent and Karen Allen.

It is bound to be a huge hit worldwide, but the big question is whether or not it can please the older, more demading audiences that loved the original trilogy. All eyes will be on the reports coming out of the press screening which happens a few hours before the official premiere. (Screening: Sunday 18th May)

Kung Fu Panda (Dir. Mark Osborne and John Stevenson): The new animated film from DreamWorks Animation is about a panda (voiced by Jack Black) who learns martial arts to fight his enemies.

The film features a starry voice cast including the likes of Jackie Chan, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie and
Lucy Liu. Cannes has often been a place for DreamWorks to launch their tentpole releases like Shrek or Over the Hedge and this is expected to do similar business.

Maradona (Dir. Emir Kusturica): A documentary about the extraordinary life of Diego Maradona – the legendary Argentine footballer.

If the quality is good, this looks set to get interest from the wider media though the fact that the IMDb lists it as a 2006 film may be a cuase for concern. (Screens: Tuesday 20th May)

Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Dir. Woody Allen): The latest Woody Allen film is about two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) who come to Barcelona for a summer holiday only to get invloved with a local painter (Javier Bardem).

Despite the fact that Allen’s recent films haven’t always even secured UK distribution, he is loved in France and the European setting of this film, as well as the solid cast, should ensure a lot of interest. (Screens: Saturday 17th May)

What Just Happened? (Dir. Barry Levinson): The closing night film is based on producer Art Linson’s memoir of the same name, this stars Robert De Niro as an ageing producer struggling to get his new moviein the crazy world of Hollywood.

Despite a solid cast with Bruce Willis and Sean Penn turning up in minor roles as themselves, this only seemed to get lukewarm reviews at Sundance back in January. That said the book it is based on is very funny indeed (especailly the chapter chrinicling the making of The Edge) so it could be a pleasant surprise. (Screens: Sunday 25th May)

Also screening out of competition are:

If you are in Cannes and get to see any of these films then you can leave comments below.

> Official site for the Cannes Film Festival
> Our guide to the history and significance of the festival from last year
> Download the official screenings schedule as a PDF file

Categories
Cannes Festivals News

Cannes in a Van

Last year three people armed with a projector and a van brought new meaning to the term ‘guerrilla cinema’ when they screened films at Cannes from their van.

This year they are back and their aim is to give exposure to lesser known films and filmmakers whilst out in Cannes.

As they put it:

Every film has a creator who is undeniably committed to what they are doing, committed to their obsession.

Maybe their goal is to make a personal film about something close to their heart, maybe they have a bigger picture, maybe their career is in film.

One thing is for sure – some of them you will know about in 10 years, some will win Oscars, Baftas, international awards. Some will change the publics’ consciousness.

Our aim is to give these films exposure. Where that exposure takes them is an unknown quantity, but it may just help them on their way.

We screen the best selection of short-films from the cream of independent filmmaking to a receptive, captive audience.

The crew this year consists of Andy, Cath, Stuart and Janus and you can follow their exploits at their blog or podcasts.

Check out this London Tonight report from last year’s festival:


Cannes in a Van on London Tonight

> Cannes in a Van official website
> Their video diary and blog
> Check out their videos form last year
> Find out more about the Cannes Film Festival here

Categories
In Production News

Michael Moore set for Fahrenheit 9/11 sequel

Michael Moore is set to make a follow up film to his 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

indieWire report:

Paramount Vantage and Overture Films have announced that they will team to co-finance and distribute Michael Moore’s next film, an as-yet-untitled follow-up to “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

Vantage will handle international distribution in all media and Overture will handle domestic distribution in all media.

It will get an official launch at the international marketplace this week in Cannes.

Moore released a statement that said:

It’s great to be working again with [Overture CEO] Chris McGurk and [Paramount Film Group President] John Lesher.

Both of them have been exceptional to work with in the past and I look forward to their assistance in this new project.

John Lesher used to be Moore’s agent when he was at Endeavor back when Fahrenheit 9/11 was released in 2004.

Chris McGurk was at MGM when they released Bowling For Columbine in 2002.

Paramount Vantage and Overture made an international distribution deal at Cannes last year which allows Overture to tap in to Vantage’s international sales division as well as the international distribution of Paramount Pictures.

Variety report why it won’t be released by The Weinstein Company:

Fahrenheit is the highest grossing docu ever domestically, earning $119.1 million. It grossed another $100 million at the international box office.

Moore’s decision not to make his next film with the Weinstein Co. comes after “Sicko” failed to ignite the box office.

Film, which took on the U.S. health care system, grossed $24.5 million domestically and $11.2 million internationally. Topically, the film didn’t resonate with overseas auds.

The new Moore film should be released sometime in 2009.

UPDATE 17/05/08: Anne Thompson of Variety speaks here with Moore about the film:

> IndieWire report in full
> Michael Moore at the IMDb

Categories
Cannes Festivals

Cannes 2008 Preview: Films in Competition

The 2008 Cannes Film Festival kicks off tomorrow and here are my pick of the films to look out for in competition for the Palme d’Or.

Big sign on Le Palais

IN COMPETITON

Blindness (Dir. Fernando Meirelles): An adaptation of José Saramago’s 1995 novel about about an epidemic of blindness in a modern city, it stars Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Danny Glover and Gael García Bernal.

Hotly anticipated because it has an excellent cast, is based on a Nobel prize winning novel and is directed by the man who brought us City of God and The Constant Gardener. (Screens: Wednesday 14th May)

Un conte de Noel (A Christmas Tale) (Dir. Arnaud Desplechin): The latest film from the director of Kings and Queen is a family drama starring Catherine Deneuve and Mathieu Amalric.

The presence of a screen legend like Deneuve and the rising star of Amalric (who will be seen later this year as the new Bond villain in Quantum of Solace) will make this a high profile French entry. (Screens: Friday 16th May)

Linha de Passe (Dir. Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas): The new film from the director of The Motorcycle Diaries is about four brothers from a poor family in Sao Paolo struggling to find a better life.

Although 2005’s Dark Water was an unproductive attempt to bring his sensibility to a Hollywood film, Salles is always a director worth looking out for and this looks like a return to what he does best. (Screens: Saturday 17th May)

Le Silence de Lorna (Lorna’s Silence) (Dir. Luc Dardenne and Jean-Pierre Dardenne): The new film from the Belgian brothers is about a young Albanian woman living in Belgium who becomes an accomplice to a local mobster’s plan.

The Belgian duo have achieved the remarkable feat of winning the Palme d’Or twice (with Rosetta in 1999 and L’Enfant in 2005) so all eyes will be on whether this can match the heights of those films. (Screens: Monday 19th May)

Two Lovers (Dir. James Gray): Set in Brooklyn, this is a romantic drama about a bachelor (Joaquin Phoenix) who is torn between two women (Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw).

Director James Gray is something of a favourite with Cannes, as he was here in competition just last year with We Own the Night. The star power of Phoenix, Paltrow and Isabella Rossellini should ensure interest in this one. (Screens: Monday 19th May)

Changeling (Dir: Clint Eastwood): The new film from Clint Eastwood is set in LA in 1928 and stars Angelina Jolie as a woman whose young son goes missing. When the child is found months later, she suspects it might not be him.

If Clint can deliver the goods you would have to say this is a hot favourite to snag the Palme d’Or – the veteran actor/director has long been a favourite at the festival (with films like Pale Rider, White Hunter Black Heart and Mystic River all playing in official competition) but has never won the big prize. The star power of Jolie in the lead role will also ensure huge press interest. (Screens: Tuesday 20th May)

Che (The Argentine / Guerrilla) (Dir: Steven Soderbergh): Possibly the most anticipated and ambitious film due to be shown at Cannes this year, director Steven Soderbergh will screen his two films about Che Guevera (played by Benicio del Toro) back-to-back.

The first one is called The Argentine and will focus on the Cuban revolution, as Fidel Castro, Guevara  and other revolutionaries topple the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The second film is called Guerrilla and focuses on the years after the Cuban revolution with Che’s trip to the UN in 1964, until his death in the Bolivian mountains in 1967. (Screens: Weds 21st May)

Adoration (Dir. Atom Egoyan): The new film from Canadian director Atom Egoyan is about a young man obsessed with the idea that he is the spawn of two historical figures.

It stars Devon Bostick, Rachel Blanchard and Scott Speedman. (Screens: Thursday 22nd May)

Synechdoche, New York (Dir. Charlie Kaufman): Another one of the most hotly anticipated films of the festival, this sees screenwriter Charlie Kaufman make his directorial debut.

It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a theatre director in Schenectady, New York who has to cope with his wife leaving him and a mysterious illness. Worried about his life, he moves his theater company to a warehouse where he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York as part of his new play. Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton and Hope Davis co-star. (Screens: Friday 23rd May)

Palermo Shooting (Dir. Wim Wenders): The German veteran who won Best Director at Cannes in 1987 with Wings of Desire, returns with a new film about a German photographer (played by Campino) who comes to Palermo because he needs to escape his past.

Although Wenders’ output has been a little inconsistent of late (Don’t Come Knocking, which screened at the festival in 2005, was a huge disappointent) some will be keen to see if the magic of his earlier work can return. (Screens: Saturday 24th May)

The other films screening in competition are:

The jury at Cannes this year features:

It is notoriously hard to predict who will win the big prize but the major contenders would appear to be Blindness, Changeling, Che, Lorna’s Silence and Synechdoche, New York.

If you are at the festival or have any thoughts then do leave a comment below.

> Official site for the Cannes Film Festival and the full list of films competing in the official selection
> Our guide to the history and significance of the festival from last year
> See a past list of Palme d’Or winners at Wikipedia

Categories
Amusing Viral Video

Bill O’Reilly is Angry

When Fox News presenter Bill O’Reilly was on Inside Edition at CBS in the early 90s, he could still get angry:

UPDATE 14/05/08: A YouTube user has done a fine dance remix of the video with music from RevoLucian:

UPDATE 16/05/08: Stephen Colbert has his take on the video:

Bill’s arch nemesis, Keith Olberman of MSNBC has his take:

And Bill himself comments on the video in a piece on Fox News:

> More anger from The O’Reilly Factor
> Find out more about Bill O’Reilly and Inside Edition at Wikipedia

Categories
Cinema

Sex and the City premieres in London

The film version of Sex and the City had it’s world premiere in London earlier this evening.

Stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Catrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis were in Leicester Square to promote the film.

Some people have been asking why the first premiere was in London, rather than the more obvious choice of New York. New Line, the studio behind the film, have said the decision was taken simply to maximise the movie’s ‘global appeal’.

With foreign box office now as important as domestic grosses, it could be that they want to give the film a foreign marketing push first. This was partly the reason a film like Spider-Man 3 had it’s world premiere in Tokyo last year.

Another factor could be that because New Line sell off distribution rights to foreign exhibitors (in the UK, it is being released by Entertainment Films) and they get a say in when to stage the premiere.

Details about the film are still a little sketchy but if you don’t mind a couple of spoilers then the Wikipedia entry for the film suggests a few plot points from the official trailer.

Here is a short behind the scenes featurette about the film:

> Official blog for Sex and the City
> IMDb entry for the film
> BBC News report on the premiere

Sex and the City opens in the UK on Wednesday 28th May and in the US on Friday 30th May

[Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Europe]

Categories
Sponsored Content

Sponsored Video: AVP Requiem



AVP Requiem is out on DVD from today

Categories
Useful Links

The Most Useful Movie Websites 2.0

This is a list of useful movie websites to help guide you to the best film content on the web.

Back in August 2006 I created a list of what I thought were the 10 most useful movie websites but I felt a fresher and more comprehensive one was needed (which is why it is the 2.0 version).

So, the following is a collection of sites related to the world of film broken down into these categories: essential sites, news, blogs, critics, DVDs and podcasts.

If you look on the sidebar to the right you’ll see links to a lot of these sites but I thought I’d expand it and explain why they are worth bookmarking.

Part of the aim here is also to spread the word about quality film sites, so if you want to post this to Digg or another social news site then just use the buttons at the bottom of this post.

I’m sure there are more links out there worthy of inclusion in a future list, so if you have any suggestions email me or leave a comment below.

ESSENTIALS

These are sites that I would consider essential bookmarks. They range from some of the most popular film sites on the web to the more obscure, but all are useful at helping you find the movie information you want.


NEWS

The following section is a little broad but it centres on more general sites that cover the world of film.

Some are established news organisations whilst others are purely online, but all are useful sources of information on the latest film stories.

  • Aint It Cool News: One of the first movie websites to get worldwide attention in the late 90s after creator Harry Knowles spilled the beans on how bad Batman and Robin was, AICN remains an important place for checking out the latest news, rumours and fan reaction even though the design hasn’t changed much during the years.
  • AP News / Entertainment: The famous US news agency is always worth checking for stories related to the film industry.
  • AV Club: The entertainment branch of The Onion features a lot of interesting reviews and features on films and directors outside the mainstream, plus Scott Tobias and Nathan Rabin are critics always worth reading.
  • BBC News / Entertainment: One of the British taxpayer’s (or to be more accurate licence fee payer’s) gift to the world is the web’s best and most comprehensive news site. As such, the entertainment section is essential.
  • Bloody-Disgusting: For horror fans this a very useful place to get the latest news and views on the genre.
  • C.H.U.D.: Cinematic Happenings Under Development plays in the same ballpark as AICN with a slant towards genre side of things but is worth checking out for the news, features and interviews.
  • Coming Soon: Another site that can be useful for news and previews of mainstream releases.
  • Dark Horizons: An Australian based site that started out specialising in sci-fi but now is a valuable resource for all kinds of mainstream films.
  • Devil Ducky: A useful hub for checking out the latest viral videos.
  • Empire: The UK’s bestselling film magazine has had a healthy online presence for years now and does a good job of juggling the demands of the print and digital worlds. Their (relatively) new blog is definitely worth subscribing to and they have a good range of writers working for them like Kim Newman, Angie Errigo, Chris Hewitt and Helen O’Hara. Coincidentally, the question I get asked the most – apart from ‘what is your favourite film?’ – is ‘why don’t you write for Empire?’, so if anyone there is reading this, I’m open to offers 😉
  • Entertainment Weekly: The magazine founded by Jeff Jarvis of Buzzmachine back in 1990 became famous for issuing grades to movies and still remains a useful site for mainstream Hollywood films with people like Steven Spielberg giving them exclusive interviews and writers like Stephen King and Diablo Cody writing articles for them.
  • Film Comment: The bimonthly film journal published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center has a website that is worth reading for those interested in the more highbrow films. Although only a selection of articles are posted online their intelligence and rigour is always a pleasure to read.
  • Filmmaker Magazine: A quarterly publication covering the indie world is useful for a different perspective and those hidden films with smaller budgets but greater ambitions. It even features articles from the likes of director David Gordon Green, so is always worth a look.
  • Four Word Film Review: One of those curious sites that sounds crazy but proves strangely addictive. Every film is reviewed by users using 4 words or less and some of the results range from the hilarious to the profound. A recent review of Iron Man reads ‘Robot Downey Jr.’
  • Guardian Film: The UK newspaper that probably best understands the dynamics of print and online has an excellent film section filled with solid features whilst critics like Philip French, Mark Kermode and John Patterson are always worth reading. The comments sections on their blog can be illuminating, especially when film companies and PRs are caught out planting positive reviews of terrible British films.
  • Hollywood Wiretap: The look and feel of this news site make it appear like a film version of the Drudge Report but it is a handy gauge of film news from a variety of sources.
  • Film4: The UK’s best film channel has a comprehensive website filled with reviews, interviews and features. Pus, if you live here then check out their listings as they have a great mix of mainstream and cult movies showing throughout the week.
  • indieWIRE: An excellent hub for news on the independent film world with excellent coverage of festivals like Sundance and interviews with established and up and coming filmmakers.
  • JoBlo’s Movie Emporium: Another website that’s been around quite a while with a nice mixtures of news, reviews and thoughts on films across the board – even Steven Spielberg is a fan.
  • Little White Lies: A classy UK based film magazine that also has a presence on the web.
  • New York Times / Movies: The pre-eminent US newspaper maybe cutting jobs but lets hope that doesn’t affect their first rate movies section. The features may sometimes be a day or two behind the best movie blogs, but generally speaking the reporting and writing is of the high standards you would expect of the Grey Lady. Critics such as Manohla Dargis and A.O. Scott are part of any discerning film fans’ required reading.
  • Premiere: Although the magazine may no longer exist, the online version survived with Glenn Kenny providing the news and insight. Well, that was until a couple of days ago when Glenn was let go. He has a new blog called Some Came Running.
  • Sight and Sound: The UK’s best highbrow film magazine is frustrating in what it chooses to put up on the web (it saves some of the juicier features for the print edition) but there is no doubting the quality of the contributors whose reviews and features are usually in-depth and rich food for the cinephile mind.
  • Slant Magazine / Film: This is a well written, intelligent site and in critic Ed Gonzalez they have a writer who is always worth reading even though his views tend towards the arch and contrarian. Their end of year lists are required reading.
  • Telegraph / Film: Although it suffers in comparison to The Guardian (its UK newspaper rival) the film section of the Telegraph is worth a look now and then for interviews, profiles and features.
  • The Times / Film: Another UK newspaper that often has some good features, especially around the London Film Festival (which it sponsors) and reviews from the likes of James Christopher, Cosmo Landesman and Wendy Ide.
  • Cinematheque: A useful hub for finding out more about individual filmmakers like Woody Allen, Ingmar Bergman or Michelangelo Antonioni.
  • The Hollywood Reporter: Although it doesn’t have the influence or prestige of its rival Variety, this trade paper often contains stories of interest, whether it is the announcement of a new production or recent box office grosses.
  • The New Yorker / The Film File: The New York magazine has a deserved reputation for quality writing and that comes across in many of the movie features or profiles it does. The review section was made famous by Pauline Kael and now Anthony Lane and David Denby carry her critical torch with witty (and often snooty) putdowns of the latest cinema amidst the few things they enjoy.
  • They Shoot Pictures Don’t They?: A superb gateway to some enlightening movie content be it a 1000 great movies you should see or posts from other sites like GreenCine.
  • Variety: The trade bible is sometimes accused of be a little too close to the industry it covers (see the WGA strike coverage or that infamous Charlie’s Angel’s 2 review) and editor Peter Bart may have doubts about blogs, but it is still essential reading for anyone with the slightest interest in Hollywood. Almost every aspect of the entertainment business is covered in depth and after they sensibly abolished their pay wall last year, it has become an invaluable resource.
  • Yahoo News / Movies: With all their recent troubles evading the clutches of Microsoft, Yahoo’s movie section resembles the rest of the company – i.e. stuck in 1998. But new trailers (like Indy 4) often show first here and the photos of premieres are quite good if you are into that kind of thing.

BLOGS

Blogs have grown rapidly in the last four years, allowing professional journalists and keen movie lovers to publish their thoughts online in a structured format.

Some of these belong to established news organisations, others are independent – but all are worth reading if you want regular doses of movie opinion and insight.

CRITICS

The role of the film critic is one that has come under some scrutiny in recent times with many getting laid off and some questioning their role in an age of blogs and sites like Rotten Tomatoes.

What follows here are the film critics whose opinion and insight is valuable to anyone who cares about the medium.

DVD

For those interested in finding films on DVD and what the latest releases are like then I would suggest the following.

  • Amazon UK / US: The giant online retailer is still the place to search for and buy (or even sell) DVDs. They own the IMDb, so when you are browsing entries there look on the top right hand corner and you will see links to the film on DVD or the soundtrack. The user reviews can also be handy.
  • DVD Beaver: An excellent place to check out the specs of the latest DVD releases – check out these screenshots of the Criterion release of Days of Heaven to see how useful the site can be.
  • DVD File: A very solid and comprehensive site featuring news, reviews and technical explanations of the format.
  • DVD Price Check: A good place to get price comparisons on the latest DVDs from the various regions.
  • DVD Spin Doctor: Glen Abel‘s blog about the latest DVD news and releases is a very useful source of news and opinion.
  • DVD Times: Posssibly my favourite DVD site, with a comprehensive list of release dates, news, reviews and images.
  • The Easter Egg Archive: Useful site for finding hidden bonus features (also known as Easter Eggs) on DVDs.
  • Ebay US / UK: If you can’t find a DVD at a retail outlet, have a browse on the auction giant to see if a user is selling an old copy.
  • Play: A consistently excellent place for good deals on DVDs, as well as CDs and other products. Very useful for getting a bargain on a DVD box set.

PODCASTS

A number of fine film related podcasts are now available for free and you can subscribe to them via iTunes, RSS feed or via direct MP3 download.

Here are my pick of the best:

So that wraps this list up.

As I said before, if you have any good sites worthy of inclusion then leave them in the comments below or email me.

UPDATE: Jim Emerson’s Scanners blog has now been included (an oversight by me but thanks to Denis at SLIFR for reminding me!)

Categories
Interesting Useful Links

TimeTube

TimeTube is a very cool mashup of YouTube and the interactive timeline site Dipity.

This means that if you do a keyword search it will bring up relevant YouTube videos in an interactive timeline.

So, for example, if we wanted to to a TimeTube search on Steven Spielberg, type in the keywords ‘Steven Spielberg’ and then watch it build up a timeline of videos related to the director:

Then select the relevant video you want from the timeline, such as this BBC interview Spielberg did with Jeremy Isaacs around the UK release of Schindler’s List in 1994:

Then you can watch the video:

You can also check out parts two, three, four and five of the interview.

> Check out more video timelines at TimeTube
> Steven Spielberg at the IMDb

Categories
Amusing Viral Video

The Dogway Melody

This is one of the strangest viral videos I’ve ever come across.

Called The Dogway Melody it was a short made in 1930 that recreates scenes from early musicals, such as The Broadway Melody. As you can see the cast are trained dogs with humans providing the voiceovers.

It was directed by Zion Myers and Jules White and is part of the MGM produced series of Dogville shorts.

[Link via Cracked]

> IMDb entry for The Dogway Melody
> More discussion on the MGM Dogville shorts at ToonZone

Categories
Images In Production News

Josh Brolin as George W Bush

Shooting is about to begin on W., Oliver Stone’s upcoming biopic of George W. Bush, with Josh Brolin playing the 43rd president of the United States.

EW has a cover story on the film, with the first photos of Brolin as Bush and an interview with Stone.

Stone promises it will be a ‘fair’ portrait of the president:

I think history is going to be very tough on him. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t a great story.

It’s almost Capra-esque, the story of a guy who had very limited talents in life, except for the ability to sell himself.

The fact that he had to overcome the shadow of his father and the weight of his family name — you have to admire his tenacity. There’s almost an Andy Griffith quality to him, from A Face in the Crowd.

If Fitzgerald were alive today, he might be writing about him. He’s sort of a reverse Gatsby.

He also recalls meeting Bush at a Republican breakfast in 1998 when he was Governor of Texas:

I don’t usually go to breakfast with anybody, but I wanted to prove that even though people thought I was a leftist I wanted to hear what they had to say.

It was funny, though — the minute I walked in the room the sound of the silverware kind of died. People were like, ‘What’s he doing here? Satan has walked in.

But I met George Bush and I remember thinking that this man was going to be president. There was just a confidence and enthusiasm I’d never seen in a candidate before, especially in a Republican.

Here is a comparison of the real Bush and the Brolin version:

What do you think?

UPDATE 12/05/08: Lionsgate have acquired US and UK distribution rights for W.

Here is the official press release:

SANTA MONICA, CA (May 8, 2008) – LIONSGATE®(NYSE: LGF), the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, announced today that in a deal with Omnilab Media it has acquired North American distribution rights from QED International to W, a biopic about President George W. Bush directed by Academy Award® winner Oliver Stone (WORLD TRADE CENTER, PLATOON, WALL STREET) from a screenplay by Stanley Weiser (WALL STREET). Lionsgate will also distribute W in the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.  The announcement was made today by Lionsgate President of Theatrical Films Tom Ortenberg.

W stars Josh Brolin (NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN) as George W. Bush, Elizabeth Banks (SEABISCUIT) as Laura Bush, James Cromwell (THE QUEEN) as George Herbert Walker Bush, Academy Award® winner Ellen Burstyn (REQUIEM FOR A DREAM) as Barbara Bush, Thandie Newton (CRASH) as Condoleezza Rice, Jeffrey Wright (SYRIANA) as Colin Powell, Scott Glenn (THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM) as Donald Rumsfeld, and Ioan Gruffud (FANTASTIC FOUR) as Tony Blair.  The film’s producers are Moritz Borman, Jon Kilik and Bill Block.

W begins production on May 12th in Louisiana.  Lionsgate is releasing the film in the US on October 17, 2008.

“It’s an honor to be in business with Oliver Stone, a brilliant and consistently adventurous filmmaker,” said Ortenberg.  “With W, he again demonstrates his creative vitality and genius for speaking to our times.”

Commented Block, “W is in the most innovative hands with Lionsgate and Omnilab Media. With the backdrop of the election this fall, W will be an event picture that will be eagerly anticipated.  Oliver Stone, Moritz Borman and myself could not be more excited about Lionsgate leading the charge this October.”

Christopher Mapp said, “We had a great experience with Lionsgate on THE BANK JOB, and we are delighted to reunite with them as we continue our strategy in investing in quality films that are made by innovative and unique storytellers.”

Said Stone, “The impact of George W. Bush’s presidency will be felt for many years to come.  Despite a meteoric, almost illogical rise to power, and a tremendous influence on the world, we don’t really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we’ve been allowed to see on TV.  This movie’s taking a bold stab at looking behind that curtain.  I’m real pleased that Liongate has the independence necessary to bring this provocative story to an American audience.”

Financing the film alongside QED are Omnilab Media, led by Christopher Mapp, David Whealy and Matthew Street; China-based Emperor Group, led by Albert Yeung and Feron Lau; Condor Films, led by Thomas Sterchi; and Global Entertainment Group, led by Johnny Hon, Adam Palin and Teresa Cheung.

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Ortenberg, Wendy Jaffe, Executive Vice President Legal & Business Affairs, Acquisitions and Co-Productions, and Zygi Kamsa, Chief Executive Officer Lionsgate UK; for Omnilab Media by Managing Director Christopher Mapp, Executive Director Matthew Street and Executive Producer David Whealy; and for QED International by Bill Block, Chief Executive Officer, and Paul Hanson, Chief Operating Officer.

SYNOPSIS
Whether you love him or hate him, there is no question that George W. Bush is one of the most controversial public figures in recent memory.  In an unprecedented undertaking, acclaimed director Oliver Stone is bringing the life of our 43rd President to the big screen as only he can.  W takes viewers through Bush’s eventful life — his struggles and triumphs, how he found both his wife and his faith, and of course the critical days leading up to Bush’s decision to invade Iraq.

ABOUT QED INTERNATIONAL
QED is a Beverly Hills based independent film company that represents theatrical motion picture projects for sales and distribution in the worldwide marketplace. The company also acquires, develops, finances and produces its own motion pictures, either independently or in partnership with major studios, talent, and key foreign distributors.

QED Managing Partners include CEO, Bill Block; Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales & Distribution, Kimberly Fox; Chief Operating Officer, Paul Hanson; and Vice President of Production, Elliot Ferwerda.

ABOUT OMNILAB MEDIA
Omnilab Media is an Australian and New Zealand based globally focused vertically integrated entertainment company involved in the production, visual effects, post production and financing of a diverse range of film and television properties.  Amongst the funding deals recently concluded by Omnilab Media are THE BANK JOB (Charles Roven, Roger Donaldson, Jason Statham), and THE MESSENGER (Mark Gordon, Woody Harrelson, Ben Foster).  Omnilab Media has also created a new digital film company with Kennedy Miller Mitchell to use groundbreaking digital storytelling, animation and visual effects. This will include HAPPY FEET 2, BABE 3 & MAD MAX  4 and a range of other blue-chip properties in development.

Christopher Mapp is Managing Director, Matthew Street Executive Director and David Whealy Executive Producer.  www.omnilab.com

ABOUT EMPEROR MOTION PICTURES
Emperor Motion Pictures (EMP) is the visual entertainment division of Emperor Group, a long-established Hong Kong corporation.   The company produces feature films, TV series and other programming aimed at three distinct markets: local, Asian and international.  It works within a broad range of genres, languages and budgets, with the sole connecting factor being its demand for quality.  EMP is also developing its own videogame division to take advantage of the latest advances in home entertainment technology.  The company also operates its own management company, which creates and executes career strategies for some of Asia’s hottest talents.

ABOUT LIONSGATE
Lionsgate is the leading independent filmed entertainment studio, winning the 2005 Best Picture Academy Award® for CRASH, and the Company is a premier producer and distributor of motion pictures, television programming, home entertainment, family entertainment and video-on-demand content. Its prestigious and prolific library of nearly 12,000 motion picture titles and television episodes is a valuable source of recurring revenue and a foundation for the growth of the Company’s core businesses. The Lionsgate brand is synonymous with original, daring, quality entertainment in markets around the globe.

W is set to open in the US on October 17th.

> Read the full story at EW
> Entries for W. and Oliver Stone at the IMDb
> Find out more about George W. Bush at Wikipedia

Categories
Cinema Podcast Reviews

The Cinema Review: Speed Racer / Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? / Doomsday

This week we review Speed Racer, Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden and Doomsday.

Listen to the review podcast here:

[audio:https://www.filmdetail.com/podcast/get.php?fla=podcast-2008-05-09-72113.MP3]

Download and subscribe to the review podcast via iTunes by clicking here.

> Download this review podcast as an MP3 file
> Get local show times for your area via Google Movies
> Check out other reviews for these films at Metacritic

Categories
Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Neil Marshall on Doomsday

Director Neil Marshall was the man behind such horror films as Dog Soldiers (2002) and The Descent (2005) and he now returns with post-apocalyptic thriller Doomsday.

I spoke to him recently about his new film, his favourite font, the state of the horror movie, filming in South Africa and a few other things besides.

Listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Neil_Marshall_on_Doomsday.mp3]

Download it as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

> Download this interview as an MP3
> Official site for Doomsday
> Neil Marshall at the IMDb

Doomsday is out at UK cinemas from today

[Image courtesy of Universal / Rogue Pictures © 2007]

Categories
News

Warner Bros to close Warner Independent and Picturehouse

Variety are reporting that Warner Bros are closing down their two specialty divisions, Warner Independent Pictures and Picturehouse.

Dade Hayes and Dave McNary report:

Warner Bros. has discovered a way to deal with the specialty film business — it’s staying away from it.

In a move that reflects the massive pressures to cut costs., Warner Bros. has decided to shutter both Picturehouse and Warner Independent Pictures. The closings – which caught Hollywood off guard — will eliminate more than 70 slots.

Announcement came late Thursday morning from Alan Horn, Warner’s president and chief operating officer, who pointed to the recent move to fold in New Line to Warner Bros. More than 500 New Line jobs have been cut as a result.

“With New Line now a key part of Warner Bros., we’re able to handle films across the entire spectrum of genres and budgets without overlapping production, marketing and distribution infrastructures,” he said.

“After much painstaking analysis, this was a difficult decision to make, but it reflects the reality of a changing marketplace and our need to prudently run our businesses with increased efficiencies.”

Horn told Daily Variety that the decision – made in conjunction with Warner topper Barry Meyer – was “wrenching” from the standpoint of its impact on pink-slipped employees.

But he emphasized that it made no sense for Warner Bros. to continue funding marketing and distribution infrastructures at Picturehouse and WIP – particularly since Warner has expanded its capacity to handle films by absorbing New Line’s marketing-distribution operations.

So the big question is will Warner Bros bother with the kinds of movies WiP and Picturehouse produced and/or distributed? Key quote here:

Horn cited the fact that 600 pics get released annually as having made the specialty biz less attractive financially in recent year.

He also said that such pics have becomce more likely to screen at multiplexes rather than art-hosue venues and expresssed confidence in Warner’s distribution side to ensure that smaller films receive the proper handling.

Well, the answer would appear to be ‘no, not really’.

Warner Bros were the last major to get into the specialty business and they never appeared as comfortable with supporting a dependant in the way Disney were with Miramax, Paramount were with Paramount Vantage, or Universal were with Focus Features.

Depsite that both WiP and Piturehouse have put out some very distinctive and interesting films such as Before Sunset, A Very Long Engagement, Good Night, and Good Luck, Paradise Now, The Painted Veil, In the Valley of Elah, Funny Games US, Pan’s Labyrinth and La Vie En Rose – the last two of which were Oscar winning arthouse hits.

So the legacy of both companies is short and sad, but by no means unimportant.

I’m sure the accountants at Burbank have run the numbers and – with difficult economic times ahead – concluded that the best way to save money was to close both divisions and maybe use a reduced New Line to pick up some of the slack.

This is a sad day for all those left jobless, but also a bad day for anyone who thinks that quality, award-friendly filmmaking can exist in the same corporate structure as tentpole blockbusters.

> The full story in Variety
> S.T. Van Airsdale at Defamer with a prescient post last week about the closures
> Check out the notable films produced and distributed by WiP and Picturehouse over at Wikipedia

Categories
Amusing

Orson Welles roasts Dean Martin

Here is Orson Welles roasting Dean Martin back in 1977, after he himself has been introduced by Don Rickles:

> The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast at the IMDb
> More on Orson Welles at Wikipedia
> The infamous Orson Welles peas commercial

Categories
Cinema Documentaries Interviews Podcast

Interview: Morgan Spurlock on Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?

Morgan Spurlock explored the health effects of eating McDonald’s food for a month in his 2004 documentary Super-Size Me.

Now, after the success of his TV series 30 Days, he returns to the big screen with Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?, a look at where the world’s most wanted terrorist might be and the different attitudes in the Middle East towards America’s war on terror.

Listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Morgan_Spurlock_on_Where_in_World_is_Osama_Bin_Laden.MP3]

Download it as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

> Download this interview as an MP3
> Official site for the film
> Find out more about Morgan Spurlock at Wikipedia

Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? is out at selected UK cinemas from Friday

[Photo: Daniel Marracino / Courtesy of Optimum Releasing / The Weinstein Company Ltd.]

Categories
News Trailers

New Trailer: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The latest – and presumably final – trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is here:

The film opens in the UK on Thursday 22nd May

> Watch the large trailer in hi-def here
> Official site for Indiana Jones

Categories
DVD & Blu-ray Film of the Week

DVD Pick: Bonnie and Clyde

Warner Bros have finally got around to issuing a proper special edition of Bonnie and Clyde, the landmark gangster film that signalled the rise of New Hollywood.

Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway star as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow – the notorious bank robbers who cut a swathe through the US during the Great Depression.

A notable supporting cast includes Gene Hackman as Clyde’s brother Buck and Estelle Parsons as his wife Blanche.

Although only partly based on the historical truth, director Arthur Penn and screenwriter Robert Benton created a film that ushered in a new era of mainstream filmmaking with a groundbreaking approach to morality, sex and violence.

At the time the film was hugely controversial for its graphic violence – it was one of the first to make heavy use of squibs – but in time would be seen as a turning point for mainstream films that followed, such as The French Connection and The Godfather.

Penn and Benton were heavily influenced by French New Wave directors like Francois Truffaut, who strangely enough was offered the chance to direct it before passing on it.

The film stands up well today and now has a decent set of extras to cmplement it. They include:

  • Revolution! The Making of Bonnie and Clyde. A behind the secen doc consisting of three sections:
    • Bonnie and Clyde’s Gang (22 minutes)
    • The Reality and Myth of Bonnie and Clyde (24 minutes)
    • Releasing Bonnie and Clyde (18 minutes)
  • Love and Death: A History Channel documentary that explores the real life Bonnie and Clyde (43:13)
  • Warren Beatty Wardrobe Tests (07:39)
  • Two deleted scenes:
    • The Road To Mineola (2:06)
    • Outlaws (3:17)
  • Teaser and Theatrical Trailer

Check out the original trailer here:

Bonnie and Clyde is released today on DVD from Warner Home Video

> Buy Bonnie and Clyde from Amazon UK
> Bonnie and Clyde at the IMDb
> Reviews of Bonnie and Clyde at Metacritic

Categories
Trailers

New Trailer: The Dark Knight

This is the latest trailer for The Dark Knight:

You can see a better quality version by clicking here.

It is out in the UK on July 25th.

> Official site for The Dark Knight
> Find out more about the film at Wikipedia

Categories
News

Tom Hanks endorses Barack Obama

Tom Hanks has recorded a thoughtful and eloquent endorsement for Barack Obama on his MySpace page:

Beware: Celebrity Endorsement

> Tom Hanks at MySpace
> Barack Obama’s official 2008 campaign site
> Find out more about the 2008 Democratic presidential primary at Wikipedia

Categories
News

Roger Ebert’s blog

Roger Ebert now has a blog.

It is called Roger Ebert’s Journal and he already has some posts up about fanzines begetting blogs and his early days as a teenage newshound.

You can subscribe to the feed here.

> More about Roger Ebert at Wikipedia
> His official website

Categories
News

Iron Man After Credits Scene

If you saw Iron Man this weekend and left before the credits finished you will have missed a hidden scene.

It has started popping up on YouTube and I’m sure the folks at Paramount are busily issuing takedown orders, so if you really want to see it either:

a) Go see Iron Man again and stay right till the end

or

b) Check out this comment thread over at Digg and someone may post an active link

[Link via Digg]

> Geeks of Doom on the hidden scene (Spoiler alert)
> Our first thoughts and official review of Iron Man
> Variety predicts Iron Man should top $90 million over the 3 day weekend

Categories
TV Viral Video

Gremlins BT Ad

The Gremlins are back.

Those creepy little monsters from Joe Dante’s 1984 film have been resurrected for this BT ad starring Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den.

Some quick facts from the press release:

  • Special effects company Artem created 20 Gremlins for the ad.
  • It took a crew of 34 specialist technicians and over 2,500 man hours to produce the different component parts required to bring the mischievous creatures to life.
  • More than 100 litres of liquid latex and 75 litres of soft foam went into the bodies; hundreds of teeth had to be made and each set of eyeballs painstakingly hand painted.
  • A separate crew was working simultaneously on the internal mechanisms to make them easy to operate for the puppeteers and give them distinctive Gremlin™ expression and movement.
  • The shoot required 28 puppeteers and technicians to operate the Gremlins who each developed their own character.
  • The ad airs on TV for the first time on Monday May 5th.

The ad agency Swarm – who are behind the ad – have also released this making of video:

> Gremlins at Wikipedia
> IMDb page for the Gremlins movie

Categories
Amusing Random Short Films

Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham

Back in the 1970s Telly Savalas (best known for playing Kojak) recorded a series of short films that extolled the virtues of UK cities like Birmingham, Aberdeen and Portsmouth.

I recently came across a Radio 4 show (via the excellent Speechification) about these bizarre and unintentionally hilarious films.

Check out Telly Savalas Looks at Birmingham, England:

Known as ‘quota quickies’, they were a product of the Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 which meant that short films – or supporting features as they were known back then – were subsidised by the government to offset the dominance of the Hollywood main features.

They were made by director Harold Baim who managed to persuade Savalas via his agent – Dennis Selinger of ICM – to provide the voice for these travelogues.

What makes it even funnier is that Savalas never even visited the locations he is waxing lyrical about.

You can listen to the Radio 4 show here or download it as an MP3 here.

> Find out more about Telly Savalas at Wikipedia
> Radio 4 page for Telly Savalas and the Quota Quickies
> The Baim Collection