Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Rihanna Makes A Stop For Grub At McDonalds In London

First Published: December 28, 2011 1:46 PM EST Credit: Getty Premium LONDON, UK -- Caption Rihanna performs at Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland on November 7, 2011 Rihanna was lovin it at McDonalds earlier this week in London. After performing for 20,000 fans at Londons O2 arena, Rihanna nipped into a Charing Cross, London McDonalds for a bite to eat. Britains The Sun newspaper had photographic proof of the star ordering her meal at the counter on Tuesday a pic taken by a fan who was also in line at the popular burger chain. Click HERE to see the photo. And, according to the restaurant chain patron, no one else figured out that the gorgeous gal in line was the We Found Love singer. I was the only one who realized it was her. She took her food, paid and slipped away no one batted an eyelid, the patron, who was not identified, told the paper. This isnt the first time Rihanna has hit the streets of London like an ordinary person. In October, she was spotted taking the subway to one of her concerts. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

RTL taps p Posch as COO

Pan-European broadcasting giant RTL Group has hired former ProSiebenSat.1 topper Guillaume p Posch as chief operating officer. Effective Jan. 1, p Posch will manage the organization strategy and business team of developers at RTL's headquarters in Luxembourg as well as oversee broadcasting within the Netherlands and Belgium in addition to radio in France. The Belgian native will even function as a person in RTL's executive committee alongside Boss Gerhard Zeiler, chief financial officer Elmar Heggen and Andreas Rudas, professional Vice president of regional procedures and business rise in central and eastern Asia and europe. Zeiler stated p Posch's new function could be "vital they are driving RTL Group's expansion in new companies and marketplaces. Guillaume includes a fantastic expertise in most facets of the worldwide broadcasting business, coupled with an in-depth knowledge of the technological challenges for that media industry within the digital age." P Posch started his career at Compagnie Luxembourgeoise p Telediffusion, which grew to become RTL Group in 2000, as assistant towards the controlling director before moving onto become mind of CLT's TV arm in French-speaking nations. From 1997 to 2003, he was deputy gm and programming director of Gallic feevee TPS before joining Munich-based ProSiebenSat.one in 2003, first as chief operating officer after which as chairman and Boss. He ankled in 2008 and it has since been an advisor to European and U.S. tv stations. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Friday, December 16, 2011

Anchor Bay shows 'Conviction'

Anchor Bay Films has acquired privileges to actioner "Maximum Conviction" starring Steven Seagal and Steve Austin. Deal, introduced Friday, is made with Current Pictures so they cover theatrical and home theatre privileges within the U.S. and Canada. "Maximum Conviction" has been shot in Vancouver, directed by Keoni Waxman and created by Seagal, Austin and Phillip B. Goldfine. Bill Clark, leader of Anchor Bay Entertainment, made the announcement. Seagal plays an old special-forces operative who now is employed by a private security firm managing the decommissioning of the old prison. Austin's character is allied with Seagal because the leader of his procedures team. The prison will be attacked by a top-notch pressure of mercenaries. Aliyah O'Brien and Steph Song portray two mysterious criminals. Benjamin F. Sacks, Scott Kennedy and Waxman are executive producers, with Binh Dang co-professional creating. Nicolas Chartier and Nadine p Barros of Current Pictures will represent worldwide privileges. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

Thursday, December 15, 2011

'The Artist' Tops Golden Globe Nominations

Nominees inside the television and film groups for your 69th annual Golden Globe Honours were introduced early Thursday morning within the Beverly Hilton Hotel by Sofia Vergara, Gerard Butler, Rashida Manley and Woodsy Harrelson with Hollywood Foreign Press Association leader Aida Takla-O'Reilly, one following day from the SAG Honours nominations were revealed.The Globes needed another turn from SAG, including beginners like Fox's newcomer series "New Girl" and Showtime's "Homeland" inside the honours mix, the 2nd that was shut through the Screen Stars Guild on Wednesday morning, although giving surprises noms to "Revenge" and USA Network's "Necessary Roughness."Round the film side, the HFPA preferred Oscar management like "The Artist," "The Descendants" and "The Help,In . while giving due notice to George Clooney's political thriller "The Ides of March," largely overlooked round the experts and honours circuit until recently.InchThe Artist" introduced film nominations with six, while "The Descendants" and "The AssistanceInch adopted with five. "The Ides of March," "Moneyball" and "Evening amount of time in Paris" each snagged four noms."Downton Abbey" and "Mildred Pierce" introduced the television side in nominations with four each, with "Boardwalk Empire," "Modern Family" and "Homeland" following close behind. Surprises incorporated recognition for Ryan Gosling for "Crazy Stupid Love" and "Ides of March," "Revenge" actress Madeleine Stowe and "Necessary Roughness" star Callie Thorne.The initial category introduced, best supporting actress in the series, miniseries or TV movie, begins Jessica Lange ("American Horror Story") against Kelly Macdonald ("Boardwalk Empire"), Maggie Cruz ("Downton Abbey"), Sofia Vergara ("Modern Family") and Evan Rachel Wood ("Mildred Pierce")."The Truly Amazing Wife's" Julianna Margulies, "Homeland's" Claire Danes, "The Killing's" Mireille Enos, Madeleine Stowe of "Revenge" and Callie Thorne from "Necessary Roughness" will compete for lead actress in the TV drama series.Original song for film nominees include "Hello Hello" from Gnomeo and Juliet, "The Keeper" from Machine Gun Preacher, "Lay My Thoughts Lower" from Albert Nobbs, "The Living Proof" within the Help and "Masterpiece" from W.E.Original score for just about any film nominees include "The Artist's" Ludovic Bource, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for "The Woman While using Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo's" Howard Shoreline and John Williams for "War Equine."Laura Dern of "Enlightened," Zooey Deschanel of "New Girl," Tina Fey of "30 Rock," Laura Linney of "The Big C" and Amy Poehler of "Parks and Entertainment" snagged noms for top comedy TV actress."The Flowers of War," "Inside the Land of Blood stream of Honey," "The Child Getting a bicycle,Inch "A Separation" and "The Skin Home IsInch will vie for top foreign film."Evening amount of time in Paris'" Woodsy Allen, screenwriters (Clooney and Grant Heslov) from "The Ides of March," Michel Hazavanicius of "The Artist," "The Descendants" (Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash) and "Moneyball's" Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian will compete for top script.Peter Dinklage of "Wager on Thrones," Paul Giamatti ("Too Big to Fail"), Guy Pearce ("Mildred Pierce"), Tim Robbins ("Cinema Verite") and Eric Stonestreet ("Modern Family") have acquired noms for supporting actor in the series, miniseries or TV movie. "30 Rock's" Alec Baldwin, "Californication's" David Duchovny, "The Big Bang Theory's" Johnny Galecki, "Hung's" Thomas Jane and "Episodes'" Matt LeBlanc compete for top comedy actor.Best comedy series nominees include "New Girl," "Modern Family," "Enlightened," "Glee" and "Episodes." Best TV movie or miniseries nominees include "The Hour," "Downton Abbey," "Cinema Verite," "Mildred Pierce" and "Too Big to Fail." Animated feature film nominees are "Arthur Christmas," "Cars 2," "Adventures of Tintin," "Puss in Boots" and "Rango."Nominees to find the best actor in the miniseries or TV movie include Hugh Bonneville ("Downton Abbey"), Idris Elba ("Luther"), William Hurt ("Too Big to Fail"), Bill Nigh and Dominic West ("The Hour"). Best actor in the drama nominees include Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Kelsey Grammer of "Boss," Jeremy Irons of "The Borgias," Damian Lewis ("Homeland") and Steve Buscemi ("Boardwalk Empire"). "American Horror Story," "Boardwalk Empire," "Boss," "Wager on Thrones" and "Homeland" nominated for TV drama series.Jean Dujardin ("The Artist"), Brendan Gleeson ("The Guard"), Ernest Gordon-Levitt ("50/50"), Ryan Gosling ("Crazy Stupid Love") and Owen Wilson ("Evening amount of time in Paris") nominated for actor in the film comedy or musical. Supporting actress in the film include Jesse McTeer ("Albert Nobbs"), Jessica Chastain ("The AssistanceInch), Octavia Spencer ("The AssistanceInch), Shailene Woodley ("The Descendants") and Berenice Bejo ("The Artist").George Clooney ("The Descendants"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("J. Edgar"), Michael Fassbender ("Shame"), Ryan Gosling for "The Ides of March" and Kaira Pitt ("Moneyball") are nominated for top actor in the film drama.Comedy or musical film nominees include "The Artist," "Bridesmaids," "50/50," "My Week With Marilyn" and "Evening amount of time in Paris."Romola Garai, Emily Watson, Elizabeth McGovern ("Downton Abbey"), Kate Winslet ("Mildred Pierce") are the nominees for lead actress in the miniseries or TV series. Kenneth Branagh ("My Week With Marilyn"), Albert Brooks ("Drive"), Jonah Hill ("Moneyball"), Viggo Mortensen ("A Dangerous Method") and Christopher Plummer ("Beginners") nominated for supporting actor in the film.Woodsy Allen ("Evening amount of time in Paris"), George Clooney ("The Ides of March"), Alexander Payne ("The Descendants"), Michel Hazanivicus ("The Artist") and Martin Scorsese ("Hugo") for top director from the drama film.Glenn Close ("Albert Nobbs"), Rooney Mara ("The Woman While using Dragon Tattoo"), Viola Davis ("The AssistanceInch), Meryl Streep ("The Iron Lady") and Tilda Swinton ("We must Discuss Kevin") nominated for lead actress in the film drama. Jodie Promote ("Carnage"), Charlize Theron ("Youthful Adult"), Kristen Wiig ("Bridesmaids"), Michelle Williams ("My Week With Marilyn") and Kate Winslet ("Carnage") for film comedy or musical actress.Best film drama nominees include "The Descendants," "The Help,In . "Hugo," "The Ides of March," "Moneyball" and "War Equine."The Golden Globes will probably be be broadcast survive NBC coast-to-coast Jan. 15, 2012 with returning host Ough Gervais. Morgan Freeman can get the Cecille DeMille Award. The Hollywood Reporter

Matt Damon talks The Bourne Legacy

Matt Damon continues to be speaking concerning the approaching continuation from the Bourne franchise, and based on the guy themself, he will not be remotely associated with the project."No, I am not for the reason that one," he told MTV lately. "I've not even browse the script." However, he is doing appear to understand enough to describe the way the film will fit to the relaxation from the canon."My understanding is the fact that it's like should you think about X-Males after which Wolverine, the spin-off movie - just think about it backwards,Inch he described. "There is the Bourne character, after which there's this complete world. It does not preclude Paul Greengrass and that i from doing a different one.InchAnd Damon was just too pleased to give his successor, Jeremy Renner, the state press.InchWhen Paul Greengrass and that i were speaking concerning the character and perhaps carrying out a 4th one a few years back and perhaps passing them back to somebody, Renner was the man we spoken about. He's an apparent choice, because he's this type of good actor and may have a movie." "Individuals movies are actually tough, since you require the guy to become internally tortured about something, and Jeremy's the type of guy you can watch," ongoing Damon. "You can take away the action watching Jeremy just angst over something for 2 hrs, and it may be really compelling."The Bourne Legacy is launched within the United kingdom on 17 August 2012.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Digital reshapes prod'n budgeting, billing

Hugo shows how digital has transformed the development process. Holdouts and traditionalists might be adhering with 35mm film, however the digital revolution has triumphed.You most likely understood that, even when you do not enjoy it. What you might not have fully understood yet, though, is this fact revolution means a lot more than doing exactly the same things you've always done however with digital gear. This means altering how you consider your projects, how you do your projects, and, oftentimes, the way in which your projects is charged and taken care of.Consider Martin Scorsese's three dimensional pic "Hugo" and visual effects company Pixomondo.Within the analog world, f/x were "publish." The editor and director locked their cut and handed it to visual effects, wishing they'd don't have any regrets once they saw the end result. Changes late in the overall game were difficult and costly. Most visual effects galleries still charge on the flat-bid model remaining from individuals days, according to cost per shot.Digital editing is much more fluid, though. It begins earlier -- on some photos rough cutting begins before a scene is performed shooting -- and continues later. That change tossed the vfx business design for any loop. Because the cut is not locked early, vfx galleries are dealing with continuous adds and changes that were not within their flat bid.Scorsese and longtime film editor Thelma Schoonmaker like to test out their cut almost as much as the pic's delivery date. On "Hugo," they'd a brief publish-production period by their standards -- about 38 days rather than the 58-68 days they like -- along with a huge quantity of three dimensional visual effects to become completed. Adds and changes were inevitable.So Pixomondo emerged having a three-part solution, based on Ben Grossmann, the business's vfx supervisor around the pic. An on-set previs system let Scorsese and the camera team understand what would replace the greenscreen, so that they could frame accordingly and steer clear of "repair it in publish" moments. Then Pixomondo provided temporary vfx for that edit, so Scorsese and Schoonmaker often see what can maintain the frame because they did their editing.The 3rd part and many counterproductive part, states Grossmann, was "save all of your bullets until they are really helpful."Quite simply, wait as lengthy as you possibly can to show temp vfx into finals."If you are accustomed to the concept that the visual effects are surrended towards the visual effects company after editorial, your instinct is, the moment you've something, get focusing on it. However when visual effects is before or synchronised with editorial, you need to switch your mindset. You won't want to get focusing on something until you are certain it's within the movie." On "Hugo," they understood there is a strong possibility that any vfx shot -- a simple wire removal -- would move, or start and finish inside a different place, or perhaps be changed altogether having a different take. To complete such work early would throw away cash and assets. So that they only finished vfx shots once the team around Scorsese and Schoonmaker, especially assistant editors, signaled that something appeared locked."It scared the shit from many people on 'Hugo,'?" states Grossmann. There have been tests with temp effects prior to the official delivery date. But ultimately it labored.Furthermore, Pixomondo did not use flat-bid prices. Rather, the store started costs for construction of digital sets, as with physical production. Then, once individuals digital sets were built and lit, the price of "shooting" in it, despite adds and changes, might be relatively modest: a couple of times of labor and goods like computer time.Stated Grossmann: "A set bid is dependant on the premise guess what happens you would like and that i understand what I must get it done with, in order to provide you with a total price estimate on which it takes. Within the new model I must begin to adapt that to some time-and-materials model much like anything else in filmmaking."Though this model has been utilized in TV, Grossmann stated movie producers are usually skeptical from it. By experience, they learn how to negotiate lower a set bid. However they have to either find out more about vfx or trust their vfx producers more.Galleries and production companies, however, love the non-flat-bid approach, stated Grossmann, "since the filmmaker will get what he wants, that is with additional control and interaction and, in some way -- they do not quite know how -- they get cheaper costs."For visual effects firms, that have been hunting for a new business design because the old one creaks under the stress of short posts and late changes, it is a mixed bag."The one thing that (the vfx business) is nervous about is, 'Well the main one positive thing was the edit could be locked and that we would stop dicking around by using it.A?Inch stated Grossmann. "But you need to purchase the whole factor part. You cannot say, 'We desire to be involved, and that we would like you to possess all of this control and interaction, but we would like you to definitely lock the cut blind and hands it to visual effects."BITS & BYTES:The Mill has introduced its vfx administrators for many of their approaching projects. Nicolas Hernandez is vfx supe on "Snow Whitened and also the Huntsman." Paul O'Shea is vfx supervisor on "The Odd Existence of Timothy Eco-friendly." Sara Bennett may be the Mill's vfx supe on "Dredd" Jeremy Hattingh was on-set vfx supe. Sensio has hired Diana Cantu as Vice president, business development, live three dimensional. ... Society of Cable Tv Engineers (SCTE) has drawn on Mike LaJoie, executive Vice president and CTO for Time Warner Cable, as part of is board for that 2011-2012 term. ... The Entertainment Technology Center at USC is seeking a brand new executive director. Former executive director David Wertheimer has become leader, digital, at Fox Broadcasting. ... Worldwide visual effects studio Pixomondo has hired Simon Mowbray as creative director for advertisements. Mowbray depends from La.Warner's "A Virtual Detective: A Game Title of Shadows," is going to be proven with D-Box motion seats in choose theaters worldwide. Previous Holmes pic seemed to be proven with D-Box. ... The Audio Engineering Society provides a brand new technical committee to examine audio reproduction for digital cinema and television. Committee will come across in L.A. at the begining of 2012. Committee contact John McCarty observed there's no standard for digital cinema seem performance: "Basically, what's recorded electronically within the studio doesn't seem exactly the same in the theatrical finish," he stated. The AES hasn't typically addressed theater seem.Harkins Theaters, the biggest privately owned cinema chain in The United States, has pacted with Christie in excess of 400 Christie Soliaria Series 2 projectors and it has activated to Christie's Virtual Print Fee program. Harkins has 420 screens ... New Orleans-based Southern Theaters, which works the AmStar and Grand Theaters chains, has introduced intends to go all-digital with Christie too, using Solaria projectors. Plan requires Southern to purchase 140 Christie projection systems as well as for almost all their theaters to become 100% digital by year's finish ... Quebec's Movie theaters Guzzo can also be going all-digital with Christie, purchasing digital 4K projectors for 27 screens. Change to digital will be performed by April 2012. ... Christie's CP4220 and CP4230 d-cinema projectors happen to be licensed DCI compliant. ... Cigital Cinema Ltd. has installed Cinedigm digital cinema software and named Cinedigm their preferred supplier to handle deployment throughout Ireland.Mei Ah Entertainment Number of Hong Kong has selected RealD three dimensional for 100 screens on its circuit in China. MAEG intends to expand with 50 new movie theaters and 500 new screens in China within the next 5 years. ... RealD was selected for that November. 28 Royal Film Performance U.K. preem of Martin Scorsese three dimensional pic "Hugo." ... Legend3D was the main three dimensional conversion vendor on "Hugo." Vintage 2D material was transformed into stereocopic three dimensional for that pic. Original footage was shot with three dimensional cameras. ... Hastings Museum of Natural and Cultural History in Nebraska has selected RealD three dimensional because of its giant-screen digital theater. ... The Wildlife Experience's Extreme Screen Theater in Colorado has additionally selected RealD three dimensional ... Religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting Network has released a VOD portal supplying programming across TV, Internet and mobile products. the "iTBN" platform uses technology from Key Code Media ... Technicolor created the newest Barbie dolls DVD feature: "Barbie dolls: An Ideal Christmas." Technicolor provided services including pre-production, CG animation, and DVD menus. It isn't the very first Barbie dolls pic created by Technicolor additionally they created a five-minute laffer about Barbie dolls going camping together with her siblings.Dolby continues to be honored having a Hollywood Publish Alliance Engineering Excellence award because of its PRM-4200 Professional Reference Monitor. Luxurious has introduced it's decided to buy "mutliple models" of this monitor. ... Cinedeck and The new sony have teamed to provide a rebate on The new sony XDCAM EX and F3 cameras when bought having a Cinedeck EX recorder. Rebate is nice within the U.S. only and runs with the finish of 2011.Publish facility Cineworks has opened up a satellite office at Millennium Galleries in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana. New facility has digital dailies and capability to upload digital footage towards the Cineworks HQ in New Orleans. ... Hollywood-based publish facility Cinelicious has added visual effects creative and finishing services to the choices.Film Factory used Image Systems Nucoda certifying and learning gear to complete "Immortals" for Relativity. ... CBS News has bought another Nucoda for his or her NY facility. ... Nvidia has bowed its Maximus technology, which allows work stations concurrently perform complex analysis and visualization. Workstation producers including Hewlett packard, Dell, Lenovo and Fujitsu happen to be integrating the brand new tech... Look Forex used Nvidia GPUs to energy their digital vfx focus on "The Muppets."NewTek has revealed version 11 of LightWave. ... Luxion has launched KeyShot3. ... Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com

Shakespeare story gets redo from Arc

'Gnomeo and Juliet'In retelling Shakespeare with lawn ornaments, the big challenge was "finding a way to blend this classic story in a format that didn't have a tragic ending, yet still entertained and got the point across about prejudice and feuding families, all done with garden gnomes and using a score by Elton John," says director Kelly Asbury, who also co-wrote the screenplay."Technically, the believability of the gnomes and their world was very important to me, and our team at Arc Animation in Toronto did all the texturing of the gnomes and the animation."Lighting the world and all of the environments was also a challenge, with the goal being to make everything look as realistic as possible.According to Asbury, a pleasant surprise was "just how big and crucial a role all the sound work played in creating this totally believable world. Glenn Freemantle and his team worked diligently during our post production in London to contribute a sound that perfectly captures the heightened reality that these gnomes live in."Asbury credits the film's $100 million domestic success to all the work the team put into the script."As always, the story is the main challenge, but how you tell it and the manner in which you tell it depends greatly on the technical aspects. This took five years from when I began," he says."There's already been talk at Rocket Pictures, Elton John's London film company, of doing more projects in this vein, building on what we've now developed. I'd love to see the further adventures of these characters." EYE ON THE OSCARS: ANIMATION Animated pics boost property valuesWhether working on a shoestring hand-drawn project or pushing the limits of computer-generated technology, this year's offerings overcame major challenges in bringing their animated visions to screen. Here's how:'Arthur Christmas' | 'Chico and Rita' | 'Gnomeo and Juliet' | 'Rango' | 'Wrinkles' | 'Rio' Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Monday, December 5, 2011

Smug New Yorker Critic Somehow Manages to Compel Sympathy For Scott Rudin

This kind of silly public skirmish seems a little too convenient to just naturally occur in a week when The Artist and War Horse are dominating awards chatter, but either way, stroppy megaproducer Scott Rudin is furious with The NYer for breaking a review embargo on The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Who can blame him, especially since critic David Denby — along with the rest of the members of the NY Film Critics Circle who saw the film before voting last week — signed an agreement assenting to hold his review until Dec. 13 at the earliest? Or maybe the more important question is: Why should you care? I can think of a few reasons, chief among them being that Denby’s excuse for breaking his word is hilarious. The Playlist got a hold of an e-mail exchange between Rudin and Denby, which really must be read to be believed — particularly this passage from Denby (who, incidentally, gave the film a rave): The system is destructive: Grown-ups are ignored for much of the year, cast out like downsized workers, and then given eight good movies all at once in the last five weeks of the year. A magazine like The NYer has to cope as best as it can with a nutty release schedule. It was not my intention to break the embargo, and I never would have done it with a negative review. [T]he early [NYFCC] vote forced the early screening of Dragon Tattoo. So we had a dilemma: What to put in the magazine on December 5? Certainly not We Bought the Zoo, or whatever it’s called. If we held everything serious, we would be coming out on Christmas-season movies until mid-January. We had to get something serious in the magazine. So reluctantly, we went early with Dragon, which I called “mesmerizing.” I apologize for the breach of the embargo. It won’t happen again. But this was a special case brought on by year-end madness. In any case, congratulations for producing another good movie. I look forward to the Daldry. Best, David Denby “Best,” indeed! I never thought it could be done, but for once — and again assuming this isn’t all some manufactured controversy (which The NYer historically would be above, but at this point who fucking knows) — I actually feel pangs of sympathy for Scott Rudin. A few thoughts for the six or seven of you who cared enough to read this far: 1. Comparing sophisticated adult filmgoers who face a prestige glut in December to “downsized workers” is one of Denby’s more hobbled (not to mention breathtakingly tasteless) metaphors of the year — and this is a guy who regarded a film last winter “like a butterfly half out of its cocoon, emerging with many fond looks back to the protective walls.” Congrats, I guess! 2. “A magazine like The NYer has to cope as best as it can with a nutty release schedule,” Denby writes. Memo to Denby: Everyone has to cope with this schedule — critics, editors, studios, theater owners… It’s a challenge that requires strategy and choices. That’s what professionals do, not pledge one thing and change direction to suit themselves. I have a feeling that to the extent they even care, readers will understand. But you tell me, readers. 3. Moreover, since when does “a magazine like The NYer” sign NDAs prohibiting it from covering something? I’d love to see the White House try that with Seymour Hersh. 4. “What to put in the magazine on December 5? Certainly not We Bought the Zoo, or whatever it’s called.” LOLOL. 5. For Christ’s sake, people, stop calling films “the Daldry” or “the Fincher” or whatever. It’s such an obvious, pretentious affectation — like an annoying auteurist equivalent to being addressed as “bro” — and everyone who practices it knows it. The title of the film is Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close; just use it. Either way, there will be no “the Daldry” for Denby, at least if Rudin upholds his own vow, also obtained by The Playlist: I could not in good conscience invite you to see another movie of mine again, Daldry or otherwise. I can’t ignore this, and I expect that you wouldn’t either if the situation were reversed. I’m really not interested in why you did this except that you did — and you must at least own that, purely and simply, you broke your word to us and that that is a deeply lousy and immoral thing to have done. … You will now cause ALL of the other reviews to run a month before the release of the movie, and that is a deeply destructive thing to have done simply because you’re disdainful of We Bought a Zoo. Why am I meant to care about that??? For the record, this is not the crisis that Rudin claims it is — there will not likely be a torrent of other reviews a month before Dragon Tattoo, and even if there were, “deeply destructive” implies strong dislike across the board — which, as word gets around, apparently couldn’t be further from the reality of many reviewers and other insiders’ perspectives. Nevertheless, Denby’s smug entitlement is of a rare variety that outsizes even Rudin’s own. Pretty impressive, I have to say. And in any case, as much as we hate to make you “downsized workers” out there wait, Movieline will wait to publish its review closer to the release of the film. Hang in there! · ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Producer Scott Rudin Replies To David Denby’s Upcoming NYer Review Embargo Break [The Playlist]

Friday, December 2, 2011

Mike Leigh Named Berlin Festival Jury Leader

BERLIN - Acclaimed British film director Mike Leigh will be the Jury Leader for your 62nd Berlin Worldwide Film Festival, which runs Feb. 9-19, 2012. Leigh, which has collected a Palme d'Or in Cannes, a Golden Lion in Venice and seven Oscar nominations within the 40-year film making career, will oversee the world jury that hands out Berlin's Golden and Silver Bears within the 62nd Berlin fest.our editor recommendsQ & A: Mike LeighGrief: Theater ReviewRelated Subjects•Berlin Worldwide Film... PHOTOS: 61st Berlin Film Festival Buzz Films Leigh's debut feature, Meantime opened up in Berlin's Forum sidebar in 1984 but he didn't return until 2008, when Happy-Go-Lucky bowed competing, winning the most effective Actress prize for star Sally Hawkinsand beginning her worldwide career. Leigh is a among Europe's finest living company company directors. His last feature, Another Year, opened up in Cannes this season and acquired Leigh an Oscar nomination for top Original Script. The 57-year-old director is constantly concentrate on stage. His latest play, Grief, is presently being completed across Britain. Related Subjects Worldwide Berlin Mike Leigh

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Parks and Rec: Kathryn Hahn to Recur Louis C.K. Returning

Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Hahn can be a free agent forget about. Under two several days after NBC axed her newcomer comedy, Free Agents, Hahn has nabbed a recurring role on Parks and Entertainment just like a political operative, TVLine reviews. NBC cancels Free Agents Hahn's character works well with another candidate inside the race for City Council, which includesLeslie (Amy Poehler).Furthermore, Parks and Entertainment may also be getting backLeslie's cop ex-boyfriend, Dork, carried out by Louis C.K. The Louie star came out in many episodes at the beginning of Season 2 before his character was gone to live in Hillcrest. Watch full cases of Parks and Entertainment Hahn's first episode will air noisy . 2012, as will Louis C.K.'s return. Are you currently presently excited to find out Hahn and Amy Poehler go in person? Are you currently presently glad Louis C.K. is coming back?

Regis Philbin Plotting TV Return With Family Talent Show

Regis Philbin A lot to take a rest. Regis Philbin has already been planning his next TV project under two days after departing his longtime publish on Live! With Regis and Kelly. Social Energy Ratings: Who should replace Regis Philbin? "We are considering a show that's kind of a talent show, however it involves everyone,Inch Philbin, 80, informs The NY Publish. A household competition "is one thing new within our business. It will likely be on primetime if this happens." Philbin lately created RAF Productions with former Live! director Craig Glazer, City Island executive producer Edward Walson and Cort Cassidy. The longtime TV personality also stated he's been contacted about other projects, for example returning the range show format. "[An] entertainment kind of show would attract me," Philbin stated. "Almost a range show. Within our business you won't want to say variety since it is frowned upon now, but something with those who are carrying out." Regis Philbin discloses he's departing Live! over contract issues Philbin reiterated again that he's not upon the market, he's just "moving forwardInch after departing Live! "It had not been that ABC did not attempt to negotiate beside me,Inch he stated. "In fact within this business, sometimes you do not enjoy the terms which means you just leave knowing that.Inch

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Kenneth Branagh on My Week With Marilyn, His Brush With Olivier, and the Curse of the Difficult Actor

As arguably the film world’s closest contemporary equivalent to Sir Laurence Olivier, the classically trained, commercially adventurous actor/filmmaker Kenneth Branagh makes an ideal candidate to play the great man in this week’s My Week With Marilyn. Branagh inhabits Olivier at a rare career ebb: Flirting with irrelevancy in the decade after his Oscar-winning Shakesperean triumphs Henry V and Hamlet, the legend enlisted Marilyn Monroe as his leading lady in his screen adaptation of Terrence Ratigan’s play The Prince and the Showgirl. He also brought aboard a young assistant named Colin Clark, whose dual memoirs of the period (The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me and My Week with Marilyn) provide the framework for screenwriter Adrian Hodges and director Simon Curtis to explore Olivier’s vexation with the troubled actress (played exquisitely by Michelle Williams) against the backdrop Clark’s infatuation with her. Branagh spoke recently with Movieline about the responsibility to playing an icon, salvaging good work from a bad relationship, and his cherished counsel from Olivier himself. So you were onstage on Europe when Marilyn has had its coming-out party in the States. Were you keeping tabs on the response? Yeah, to some extent. I was very interested, of course. Simon showed me an early cut, and I was very taken with it. One of the things that struck me about it that I was surprised to find was so powerful — for me, anyway — was this sense of innocence and delicacy and fragility in the world. It did somehow have kind of a heartfelt [sensibility]— light-seeming, but leaving a greater sort of residue after you’ve seen it. It’s kind of an elegy for this lost world where this proto-supercelebrity, Marilyn, is offered a little parenthesis of potential freedom. But the world of red telephone boxes and bobbies on the beat and people so well-turned-out… I mean, when I look at pictures of the time of Olivier and Vivien Leigh, they really did dress like royalty. They wouldn’t leave a stage door after a show unless they were perfectly turned out. It’s Old Hollywood. Nobody was interested in grungy-looking actors. And although, as the world moves on, there’s something in the film that sort of mourns for the era of people keeping up appearances — making an effort, etc. There’s something touching about it. Anyway, I was struck by that quality — that affection inside the movie. Being an actor and a student of acting would probably provide a lot of background on Olivier in itself. How much more did you feel like you needed to know beyond that? How much research did you feel like you needed to do, and how much of your own touch did you want to bring? I went absolutely encyclopedic with it — enjoyably. I got a hold of everything that I could find that he wrote; his autobiography, Confessions of an Actor, and his other book, On Acting, as he calls it. I read numerous biographies on him, including the latest ones. And then I pulled out everything that I could that was on video or on tape or on the Internet. There’s this fascinating documentary he does with Kenneth Tynan in the 1960s called Great Acting. It’s on… great acting. There’s a fascinating interview with Michael Parkinson, a great British interviewer, from the late ’60s, quite specifically about the Marilyn incident. He’s quite candid about his own frustration and his inability to get to her — to either understand her, appreciate her, know how to direct her, talk to here or indeed compete with her, feeling as he did that she sort of walked off with the movie. She knew how to do it, and in some strange way, he didn’t in that circumstance. So I threw myself at all of that, and indeed, with that information, I went back to Adrian Hodges — the screenwriter — and David Parfitt — the producer — and Simon Curtis, of course, who were very helpful about wanting to further flesh out what appeared to be this pivotal moment of self-knowledge for Olivier. Again, he was quite candid about being associated with Marilyn at this time — when she was the biggest movie star in the world — would renew him, as he says in the movie. It was a period where he was very sensitive about being out of touch. Revered, but feeling like he was about to go into a museum, he was so “great.” He wanted to be young and edgy and cool, and he was about to be, because after this movie he did The Entertainer, which was part of a New Wave of British drama. And he’s wonderful in it. So for me it was trying to find everything that one could about someone so that a couple things could happen at once: You could see why he was the great actors with the clothes and look and they style and affectation of voice and movement, but also, there was this sort of hunger and anger underneath as well. As a director, have you ever encountered an actor you couldn’t get to? Yes, I have. What do you do? I’ll tell you what it is that I understood about Olivier: It’s very unmanning. It really leaves you literally struggling for words. You’re in a different kind of vulnerability yourself — you’re certainly under pressure. There’s a producer, and there’s a budget, and there’s a clock ticking. And although you would love every encounter on the set to be one where people explore, and it’s beautiful and a wonderful creative adventure… That’s all true! But we need to get it done by midday! They say about moviemaking that the first thing in the morning, you’re making Citizen Kane. By lunchtime, it’s Starsky and Hutch. And by the end of the day, it’s Celebrity Squares. Anything to get it in the can by the end of the day. And when you get an actor — or in my particular case, an actress, not in a leading role but in an important supporting role, and this was some years ago — like this, it’s very, very uncomfortable. There’s no shared language. There’s trickery and a sort of obfuscation and obstructionism going on. It really leaves you between a rock and a hard place as a director: If you see the end result is not what you want or what you think the piece deserves, but you don’t know how to get there, and from the other side, people are saying, “It’s terrible, but there’s no time to do anything about it.” But you can’t make that person angry because if they leave, then you’re in these positions where your halfway through, and what are you going to do? Shoot the movie again? Not in my position, you’re not, because it’s going to be another couple million dollars. Nobody’s going to write that check; they’re going to say, “Just make it work.” So it can become a sort of agonizing experience. I didn’t particularly find an answer; I just found that it was imperfect. So I found sympathy with Olivier. I didn’t find myself frustrated, but I did find myself blocked — completely blocked — in the communication department in a relationship that totally depends on it. And you realize, when that happens for that brief period you’re shooting a movie and that brief period during the day when you’re shooting a scene, that once it’s gone, there it is — being not very good on film forever. That haunts you. Ugh. Yeah, that really keeps you up at night, because it’s always such a precious experience to get a film together at all because it’s so costly and so crazy. So when it’s slightly imploding under your very gaze, it’s tricky.

Will Muppets Create a TV Comeback? NBC Buys Human-Puppet Comedy From Jim Henson Company

Jim Henson It is a good week to become a puppet. 2 days following the Muppets designed a surprise appearance on Saturday Evening Live and 2 days prior to the discharge of their latest feature film, NBC has purchased a hybrid human-puppet comedy in the Jim Henson Company, Deadline reviews. VIDEO: The Muppets crash Jason Segel's SNL party The Brand New Nabors follows an individual family and also the complications that ensue from living across the street from a household of puppets. John Hoffman (Afterlife) and 30 Rock executive producer John Riggi will write the script, that they developed with Lisa Henson and also the Jim Henson Company. NBC most particularly found positive results mixing puppets and humans using the 1980s family comedy, ALF. Would you like to see puppets back around the small screen?

Will.i.am to Headline Beijing Education Concert

Black Eyed Peas' singer will.i.am and bandmate apl.p.ap, John Legend and also the Bucky Manley band in a Beijing concert 12 ,. 17 made to encourage study abroad programs in China, the music artists introduced Monday in La.our editor recommendsWill.i.am, U.S. Condition Dept. to Back Beijing ConcertWill.i.am debuts Obama song The concert, which assists the U.S. Condition Department's 100,000 Strong Initiative to transmit that lots of American students to review in China, could see a look and feel by fighting techinques actor and sometime-singer Jackie Chan, whose Jackie Chan Charitable Foundation Beijing is co-organizing the show. Monday's announcement pointed out the participation of "other prominent Chinese and U.S. artists," only named the Peas' people, Legend and Bucky Manley. No venue was specified, although among Beijing's former Olympic venues could play host. Tickets were this is not on purchase in Beijing by Tuesday mid-day local time. The Black Eyed Peas have carried out like a unit two times formerly within the Chinese capital. Charitable organisation concerts possess a rocky history in Beijing if not organized directly through the Chinese government. The Show of Peace concert, that was to feature Brought Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, was initially postponed from April 2010 after which canceled. Other recent canceled Beijing concerts by major artists incorporate a March 2009 show by Oasis, because of a previous Noel Gallagher appearance in a professional-Tibetan independence gig, as well as an March. 2008 performance by Linkin Park, because of injuries to singer Chester Bennington. In Beijing, the concert has been co-organized by People in america Marketing Study Abroad, which supplies scholarship grants to inner city students. It's based on both U.S. Condition Department and La Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Related Subjects Black Eyed Peas John Legend Will.i.am Worldwide Asia

Thursday, November 17, 2011

'The Iron Lady' Star Meryl Streep is Under-Appreciated... Yeah, You Heard Me Right! (Analysis)

It's tough to reason that the actress Meryl Streep -- that has received 16 Oscar nominations (a lot more than every other man or woman ever), a couple of which led to wins -- is under-appreciated through the Academy. That, however, is strictly things i've felt the need to complete since screening the most recent film by which she stars, Phyllida Lloyd's The Iron Lady, the 2009 week.our editor recommendsMeryl Streep's 'The Iron Lady' Sparks Internet Craze Following Early ScreeningsMeryl Streep Debuts New 'Iron Lady' Poster and Trailer in U.K. (Video)Meryl Streep: 5 Items To KnowMeryl Streep Movie 'The Iron Lady' to spread out 12 ,. 30 PHOTOS: Hollywood's 10 Greatest-Compensated Stars If anybody needed a indication that Streep may be the world's finest living actress, this performance could it be. She transforms -- body, soul, and, of course, accent -- into former British pm Margaret Thatcher, who's not quite history's most pleasant or supportive character, but who's humanized through the actress for an extent which i i never thought imaginable. It's almost near the indicate discuss the film overall, since Streep's performance so rules it. Sure, Alexandra Roach is very good because the more youthful version of Maggie Jim Broadbent does his usual solid character act as the older version's put-upon husband Denis Thatcher and Alexander Mind is perfectly fine as Thatcher's political ally-switched-challenger Geoffrey Howe. However the simple fact is the fact that there's one reason to determine The Iron Lady: it features the very best actress that people have working towards the top of her game. The question, obviously, is whether or not that's adequate for that Academy, that has, on 14 occasions, nominated Streep but selected to recognition another person -- including three from the last 5 years, despite the fact that she was perfectly worth victory on her remarkable operate in The Demon Wears Prada (2006) and/or Doubt (2008) and/or Julie & Julia (2009). It's nothing like the performances that beat hers -- Helen Mirren within the Full (2006), Kate Winslet within the Readers (2008), and Sandra Bullock within the Blind Side (2009) -- were substantially better. (Actually, I'd reason that only Mirren's even may have been worthier.) Also it's nothing like Streep is unliked -- actually, she appears to become admired and revered by her peers. (Indeed, both Winslet and Bullock particularly acknowledged her in the podium when delivering their Oscar acceptance speeches, with Winslet saying, "I believe all of us can't believe we're inside a category with Meryl Streep whatsoever!") So how do you explain it? PHOTOS: Stars Who've Performed Political figures Here's my theory: many people -- including Academy people -- aren't exactly on their Oscar stats. The things they learn about Streep is the fact that she appears to become nominated each year, which she doesn't campaign to win as strongly as her rivals, so, naturally enough, they conclude that they continues to be correctly taken proper care of through the years ("She should have six Academy awards right now!Inch) and isn't especially hungry for more recognition ("For the reason that situation, let's give another person an opportunity this time around!"). The cold, hard details, however, tell another story, and really should be noted by voters henceforth. Think about the following amounts... 29 -- That number it's been since Meryl Streep last won an Oscar -- quite simply, a complete generation of individuals, including myself, came old without ever getting seen her honored on her work through the Academy. 3 -- The amount of best actress Academy awards that Katharine Hepburn -- the actress to whom Streep is most frequently in comparison and also the only other one that ever appears to top lists from the finest movie stars of-time -- had won when she was Streep's current age (62) Hepburn would go onto win another to create her total to four. 1 -- The amount of best actress Academy awards that Streep has won. It came for Sophie's Choice (1982) her first Oscar, which came 3 years earlier for Kramer versus. Kramer (1979), was for the best supporting actress. To place things in certain perspective, this is actually the same quantity of best actress Academy awards which have been won by Cher, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon. 2 -- The amount of best actress Academy awards that Hilary Swank has won. In mentioning this disparity I am talking about no disrespect to Swank, who's an awesome actress in their right... however i believe that even Swank would acknowledge it's a little screwed up that they has two times as numerous best actress Academy awards as Meryl Streep. Meryl Streep Academy awards

HBO And BBC Developing Wolf Hall Mini With Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Writer

EXCLUSIVE: In their latest collaboration, HBO and BBC are developing a miniseries adaptation of the award-winning historical novel Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy co-writer Peter Straughan will make his TV debut writing the four-part miniseries, which is being eyed for HBO and BBC2. It is being produced by UK indie Company Pictures (Shameless) and U.S.’ Playground Entertainment, the company of former HBO Films president Colin Callender. Mantel’s 2009 novel Wolf Hall, which won the Man Booker Prize, the UKs highest literary award, is set in Medieval England. It is a fictionalized biography chronicling the rise to power of Thomas Cromwell in the court of King Henry VIII. Cromwell, one of the strongest advocates of the English Reformation, helped get an annulment for Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon so he can marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. Cromwell eventually fell out of favor with the king and was executed. On the showtime series The Tudors, also set during the reign of Henry VIII, Cromwell was played by James Frain. In addition to co-writing this year’s Oscar contender Tinker Taylor Solider Spy, an adaptation of John Le Carres novel, Peter Straughan’s feature writing credits include The Debt and The Men Who Stare At Goats.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

R rating upheld for 'The Possession'

The Motion Picture Assn. of America's rating appeals board has upheld the R rating given to Lionsgate's horror-thriller "The Possession." The Classification and Rating Administration had assigned the movie an R for "violence, terror, and disturbing images" in October, prompting the minimajor to appeal. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is toplining "The Possession," formerly titled "Dibbuk Box," with Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert producing via their Ghost House Pictures shingle. Danish director Ole Bornedal directed from a script -- inspired by true events -- by Juliet Snowden and Stiles White. Morgan stars as a recently divorced father whose youngest daughter becomes strangely connected to an antique wooden box she purchased at a yard sale. Lionsgate originally had slotted "The Possession" for a January release but has moved the pic to Aug. 31. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Ough Gervais & NBC Appear Ready For 3rd Golden Globes Stint: And Can HFPA Agree?

Because the lengthy courtship and quick departure of Oscar host-to-be Eddie Murphy demonstrated now, appropriate hosts for major honours shows aren’t found easily. Therefore the Hollywood Foreign Press Association might want to keep two-time Golden Globes host Ough Gervais. NBC has always wanted him back and Gervaisin Augustannounced the network had asked him to come back because the Golden Globes host. He confirmed that to gain access to Hollywood tonight, singling the HFPA because the holdout. I believe NBC wants me to get it done, but [the] Hollywood Foreign Press have to want me too, he stated. Its their event. Its their party. The edges are speaking, although informally, and Gervais lately dined with reps for NBC and HFPA in Paris. However with only 2 several weeks to visit before the The month of january twelfth event, the HFPA has to make its move soon before Gervais changes his mind again. Or will get asked through the Academy Of Movement Picture Arts & Sciences for that Oscar hosting gig that's also vacant. Gervais tonight stated (maybe joking, not) he could host both honours occasions for a cheap price cost. There's also the problem of potential celebrity defections if Gervais returns as host, as Hollywood star energy continues to be the Globes greatest draw. I hear that to date there's just one A-lister who's threatening to not attend if Gervais emcees. Obviously, the cant forget just how much his second stint as Globes host this past year stirred the pot with blunt one-inserts focusing on large-title celebs attending the big event as well as the questionable HFPA itself sponsoring the show. Later, the HFPA reps distanced themselves from Gervais, stating that he went too much and entered the road. That residual bitterness appears to become the obstacle to some formal offer for Gervais to come back like a Golden Globes host. The British comedian was initially signed by NBC to some 2-year deal. The network could revert towards the Golden Globes longtime no-host format but does not wish to. That practice found an finish when Gervais was hired. Gervais in the beginning ignored the potential of a 3-peat moss soon after his second time hosting. But he's been progressively starting to warm up towards the idea. In most recent interviews, Ough has proven an eagerness to come back as emcee. He confirmed to gain access to Hollywood tonight he hasnt been formally offered the task yet but accepted that the thought of returning behind the podium is extremely tempting.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Jessica Chastain Princess Diana Movie May Happen and More in the Morning Grind

2011 has had no shortage of It-Girls (come on down, Elizabeth Olsen and Felicity Jones), but none can compare to Jessica Chastain. The possible Oscar nominee has featured in five films already this year ('The Tree of Life,' 'The Debt,' 'The Help,' 'Take Shelter' and 'Texas Killing Fields') and still has 'Coriolanus' coming in December. Busy! Chastain is poised to capitalize that fame in the way that young actresses do: by co-starring in a giant tentpole with Tom Cruise ('Horizons'), leading a horror film produced by Guillermo Del Toro ('Mama') and, perhaps, being cast in a major biopic. Chastain is attached to star as Princess Diana in 'Caught in Flight,' a sure-to-be controversial film about Diana's long-time relationship with Dr. Hasnat Kahn, "the love of her life." German director Oliver Hirschbiegel ('Downfall,' 'The Invasion') will direct, with the film already looking at shooting locations. Considering even Anne Thompson, who broke this news from the American Film Market, adds the caveat that many films pitched during the buying frenzy in California never happen, write this one down in pencil just to be safe. [indieWIRE/Thompson on Hollywood] The list of young(ish) men who might play John McClane's son in 'A Good Day to Die Hard': Liam Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, James Badge Dale, D.J. Cotrona. Per THR, Hemsworth is in the lead, because that dude doesn't have enough franchises on his docket. [Deadline] More possible casting! Tom Hiddleston and Benjamin Walker are reading for 'Winter's Tale,' a reincarnation period piece that writer/director Akiva Goldsman ('A Beautiful Mind,' 'I Am Legend') is trying to set up. Russell Crowe is "loosely attached" to play the villain. [THR] And more! Ezra Miller ('We Need to Talk About Kevin') and Alden Eherenreich ('Tetro') are testing to play Tetsuo in 'Akira.' [THR] Wondering why there is precious little buzz surrounding 'The Iron Lady'? Because The Weinstein Company hasn't revved up its "Meryl Streep for Oscar!" engines just yet; TWC announced on Sunday that 'The Iron Lady' will now get release on Dec. 30. It was originally scheduled for early December. [@WeinsteinFilms] News! "I'd make anything with Eddie [Murphy]," says Brett Ratner. OK, then. [TheWrap] [Photo: Getty] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

Past the boards

'Carnage''The Ides of March''A Harmful Method'This year's bumper crop of plays-switched-films sheds light around the varied transposition tactics open to the adapter, while ongoing an appreciation affair between stage and screen dating back the medium's birth.Since future Vital mogul Adolph Zukor made his bones in 1912 by advertising "Famous Gamers in Famous Plays," theater's endless way to obtain tight plots continues to be catnip to moviemakers.With time they have examined the limitations of the items "openingInch a play might mean.Nowadays "you have to choose the grand gesture, you have to be bold," states John Logan, adapter of 2009's "Sweeney Todd" which year's "Coriolanus.""You cannot just turn your camera to the set. That's just an action of reportage, a piece of nonfiction. To inform a tale cinematically, you need to shake some misconception, that they hopes to resurrect later on you need to consider it as a filmmaker."Comparatively little trembling up, but lots of cinema savvy, entered Yasmina Reza's "Carnage" which, aside from an outside prologue and coda, basically limits itself towards the same urban apartment as with her Tony-winning "God of Carnage."The piece's stage oneness was a part of what attracted helmer Roman Polanski, Reza thinks. "The play unravels in 'real time,' with no begin time, with no 'fade to blacks' the figures appear and disappear without our really departing them. Roman absolutely desired to maintain this principle."Furthermore, once they sitting lower to create the script "the issue of 'opening' the play would be a non-problem," she states. "Theater provides the spectator a horizontal method of space and time. Cinema opens that as much as multiple angles. It enables us to determine two moments happening simultaneously,Inch using the resulting "elevated feeling of closeness" adding an additional motion picture dimension.Extra size of plot, character and theme emerged when George Clooney and Grant Heslov switched Love Willimon's "Farragut North" into "The Ides of March." Willimon's script version found the "Night, and Best Of LuckInch team's attention as the pair were focusing on a political story that belongs to them.The projects meshed, Heslov states, but "i was thinking about carrying out a morality have fun with some thriller elements into it, and also the play is much more 'inside' than that.""Love had produced these beautiful figures whom we loved, all very problematic the quantity of change Stephen (the political operative performed by Ryan Gosling) experiences is extremely small, as well as on stage everything is effective.InchThey maintained "huge portions" from the stage dialogue, but "we felt that for film, the stakes must be greater. What interested us was, at what cost? The amount of your soul are you prepared to sell to be able to win?"Ryan's character does something wretched. But ultimately does the best person, the very best guy, get nominated? I do not know basically possess the response to that. But when it will get people thinking and speaking, this is a positive thing."Thought and talk would be the stock in trade of Christopher Hampton's "A Harmful Method," modified for David Cronenberg from Hampton's 2003 play "The Speaking Cure," that was itself according to an authentic 1997 script. (The second dedicated to Sabina Spielrein, famous patient and then friend of Dr. Carl Jung, whereas both play and film target the conflict between Jung and Sigmund Freud, with Sabina caught within the crossfire.)Now, Hampton states, "you receive a more vivid impression from the relationship between Jung and Sabina. I simply think we could extend it over more moments. And whereas we reduce a few of the other locations from the play, we really extended or broadened the Freud sequences. Individuals moments are extremely entertaining, I believe, even though they are rather vocally dense."The extent that theatrical verbosity is participated is frequently dependent on directorial taste, Hampton states. While "Harmful Liaisons" helmer Stephen Frears "will get very nervous if your scene is more than a webpage,Inch Cronenberg "was very relaxed about these lengthy dialogue moments. He was very obvious regarding where he was comfortable simply to sit watching the scene develop, and where he felt it might assistance to acquire some outdoors, so to speak."No play this season loved more outdoors than Shakespeare's "Coriolanus," pared lower by Logan and helmer-star Rob Fiennes to simply over two hrs, and occur a contemporary context -- think civil war within the Balkans -- where political protests go viral on mobile phones, and handheld desert fight footage is broadcast as network news: Ye Olde Hurt Locker."The cinema landscape for Shakespeare has become very elastic," Logan states. "It may encompass surrealism and abstraction like Julie Taymor's 'Tempest,' as well as absolute literalism like Kenneth Branagh's 'Hamlet.' Both of them are legitimate storytelling methods."Like Heslov and Clooney, Logan and Fiennes introduced laser-like focus on their central character's mental journey, from "this superpatriot, tormented, Norman Bates/mother-obsessed neurotic, to someone prepared to destroy the town that formed him.""Aspects of the play that did not deal directly with Coriolanus' journey were the first one to go," Logan reviews. "Ruminations around the character from the military and society grew to become for all of us not as essential as telling the storyline of the driven central character."His two cinema adaptations up to now loved different levels of latitude." 'Sweeney Todd' is built around music. Everything we did needed to slot and refract from Sondheim's great, great score," Logan states. "Whereas with 'Coriolanus,' I felt the liberty to use and muck around using the guts from the engine."And just how might his lengthy-dead playwright react? "During my office I've got a bust of Shakespeare, even though I done 'Coriolanus' I put a blindfold around it. So when I finally required them back, he did not look horrified, he looked OK. I possibly could still look him within the eye with respect."Obviously, the Bard most likely had not yet seen the ultimate cut.EYE Around The Academy awards: BEST PICTURE PREVIEWReading the voters' minds Spinning history to match the requirements of drama Veterans in action Past the boardsAWARDS SEASON CALENDARNovember December The month of january Feb Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Monday, October 31, 2011

'Spy Kids: Constantly within the World' Survived More Than Kim Kardashian's Marriage

They stated it can't last -- plus they were right! Foreseeable news from Hollywood this Halloween: Kim Kardashian and her beloved husband of 72 days, National basketball association Kris Humphries, will divorce. (A lot more like Hollyweird, amirite?) The pair married before buddies, family and compensated media people on August. 20 of the year, even though they spent a reported $ten million around the wedding, they provided nearly $18 million around the media privileges for his or her fortunate union. Pretty good! Although the finances from the Kardashian/Humphries marriage/divorce pale compared to another thing that first showed around the weekend of August. 20: 'Spy Kids: Constantly on the planet.A Launched on August. 19, the Robert Rodriguez 4D kids movie (the 4th "D" is perfect for Aromavision!), gained just $11.six million from over 3200 theaters throughout its opening weekend, bad enough for any third place finish behind weekend a couple of 'The Help' and weekend three of 'Rise from the Planet from the Apes.' In those days, you'd have thought the Kardashian wedding was the obvious champion of the non-competition, but, wrong: after 73 days, 'Spy Kids 4' continues to be playing in 151 locations round the country, where it gained an believed $60,000 over the past weekend. The Kardashian-phries -- for insufficient a much better term -- are from theaters permanently. So, congratulations to Rodriguez, Jessica Alba, Joel McHale and Ough Gervais (because the speaking dog)! All of you created some thing lasting than Kim and Kris. Congratulations. [Photo: Dimension Films] Kim Kardashian at America online/Huffington Publish Game Changers Honours See All Moviefone Art galleries » Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

The Biz: Conan O'Brien Looks Back on His Large Year

Conan O'Brien This month will mark twelve months since Conan O'Brien moved his sofa, desk and bone-dry partner, Andy Richter, to The best spinner's and released Conan. He's in NY now to tape four shows in the Beacon Theater (Monday - Thursday, 11/10c, The best spinner's). We celebrated his homecoming having a talk about yesteryear, present and future recently evening.TV Guide Magazine: Would you miss NY?Conan O'Brien: Oh, yeah. We simply were back two days ago. I'd a few slow days and that i returned there using the crew, and that we shot a lot of things around the town, also it only agreed to be this blast of adrenaline, you realize? It's like on ER, once they stick that needle into someone's heart to have it going again. It is a needle of adrenaline inside your left ventricle. And also the everyone was great. I am talking about, everywhere I went, everyone was leaning from buses: "Conan!" You realize, I believe everyone was pleased to see my strange orange mind.TV Guide Magazine: Do you consider getting the show to NY full-time?O'Brien: After I moved to La, and that i required my spouse and my children here and that we chose to make this large resolve for this, it felt like my children really put lower roots. That like it here. I spent 21 years walking, mining, shooting each and every possible remote I possibly could think about, around NY City. And it is fun to return for a few days. But L.A. is much like trembling in the Etch A Sketch and beginning again. It's giving me an opportunity to maybe try to reinvent several things.Television Guide Magazine: Whenever you were in NY lately you made an appearance on Late Evening with Jimmy Fallon. How emotional could it have been revisit the sixth floor at Rockefeller Center in which you labored in excess of two decades?O'Brien: I walked from that building and arrived on the scene to L.A., and everyone knows what went down next. I had not been back there since. I had been thinking to myself, 'This will probably be strange.' However it really was nice to get it done. It simply wasn't how long which i spent there, it had been the concentration of it. You realize initially when i first first viewed it, I had been a author at Saturday Evening Live. My writing partner, Greg Daniels, and that i would sneak into David Letterman's studio. And That I would spend time at his desk and write SNL sketches. Now it's Dr. Oz's studio and it is a totally different audience... They are speaking about hysterectomies.TV Guide Magazine: You've always spoken concerning the legacy recently evening television. However it feels as though a really different atmosphere because you left The Tonight Show. How can you size up?O'Brien: Late evening is becoming more democratic. After I was raised, there is one individual, Johnny Carson. The very first revolution was when Dork visited CBS, since there wasn't only one late evening network show at 11:30. However I think what's speeding up it now's you will find so many different ways people experience television. If you are enthusiastic about the thought of being the man or lady who everybody gathers around during the night and watches, there's no such factor. You will find a wide variety of niche shows for various kinds of audiences the ones go through it various different occasions and ways. You will find there's more youthful audience, so that they watch our show on Digital recording device. I've an assistant who does not even own a tv and she's an enormous television fan. She watches on her behalf computer. And That I are in possession of a lot of people that reach me and say, "Oh, I really like that factor you probably did.Inch A number of them first viewed it at 11 o'clock on The best spinner's. But you will find a lot of people who first viewed it around the Huffington Publish or online.Television Guide Magazine: Can there be pressure to develop bits that will run as clips on news shows or internet sites? O'Brien: I've people on my small staff arrived at me and say, "Oh, this is good, as this may go viral." And That I really try to discourage it. I only say our obligation is the same as it had been in 1993. And it is the same as what Johnny's job was. You are there to have an hour, and you are attempting to be as enjoyable as possible. The truly great moments - you cannot pressure them, they are available.Television Guide Magazine: Comedy concerning the presidential campaign will get replayed a great deal. However your show has more youthful audiences who will not watch lots of news. Could it be harder to do political humor? O'Brien: Sometimes I seem like lots of this ground has been included in others. You will find whole shows - Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Bill Maher - that concentrate on it a lot. We do not have as overtly a political show, so when we all do stuff, we attempt and it sillier. And So I don't walk out my way to think, "The editorial page within the Wall Street Journal will love this undertake John Huntsman." TV Guide Magazine: Possess the parameters on you skill transformed at The best spinner's? It's difficult to assume a few years ago on NBC you could possess a basketball mascot outfitted as Anthony Wiener's under garments bulge.O'Brien: This is a guy who's spent years training to become an actress. We stated, "Congratulations. Now placed on this under garments bulge outfit." You realize, since I am on Turner, I am permitted to swear. And guess what happens? I do not. I do not walk out my method to swear nearly around another hosts.TV Guide Magazine: What exactly are late-evening audiences getting of your stuff that actually can't get elsewhere? O'Brien: I believe there's a looseness which has developed. I am looser than I have have you been. You realize, we built a pleasant little comedy lab room, and you will find there's very excited audience. Andy Richter and that i can easily each other peoples sentences. The connection I've with him differs from other things on tv. He was not ever a conventional partner. We have both experienced the wars. We have both experienced a great deal. And thus he'll freely mock me within the monologue, if something is not working. And we'll go in internet marketing. A specific item whenever you stay tuned to the show is me, every evening, determining what the heck it's. Will still be changing. Will still be altering. I am intrigued through the Internet side of my show, that is growing. It is going to seem just like a joke, but it is entirely possible that in ten years the television show is a small unit that's connected to the giant octopus that's Team Coco (the show's Site). It is a very strange factor that's happening.TV Guide Magazine: The passion among your fans is deep. But do you consider how you can broaden it and obtain more and more people to sample what you are doing? O'Brien: The best spinner's is incorporated in the procedure for developing original programming and accumulating. They have been terrifically encouraging. We always understood, "Okay, we are registering with one of these men for that lengthy haul, which will have to evolve." Also, I have always were built with a Area of Dreams philosophy: Should you construct it, they'll come. Should you keep creating funny stuff, you will find there's culture now where it may get batted around and where individuals are exercising during a workout session plus they show something funny on among the news shops.TV Guide Magazine: Perform the The best spinner's people let you know never fear about conventional day-to-day rankings? O'Brien: Yeah. We always understood we are getting time and they are along the way of re-branding. They simply added The Large Bang Theory for their primetime, that leads into us. And we are likely to all interact and make this factor. This is the nice factor about being with one of these men. They watch each and every show. Plus they call me up, plus they love the show. Plus they love what we are doing. Everyone has a obvious vision of what it's you want to do here.TV Guide Magazine: Has anybody recommended creating a version from the reveal that could air in broadcast distribution or any other shops?O'Brien: There is discuss us carrying out a best-of show. You realize, they leave me from individuals talks because I usually would like to do concert events. I am constantly just trying to return to vaudeville. And they are like, "No, no, no. That isn't what we should want. Settle lower, kid." Among the finest to use makeup and go tap dance.TV Guide Magazine: What goes on if Turner involves you having a contract extension?O'Brien: I'd be fine with this. I really like these men. I've approaching talks with Telemundo. We are likely to have tapas, and we are likely to discuss some stuff. That could be my only caveat with The best spinner's.Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Acad muzzles the clink and guzzle scene

Inside a town that likes to celebrate itself, the premier award-giving org limits lavish parties for Oscar challengers quite normal for 'The Social Network' along with other 2009 photos.When Jennifer Aniston located a The month of january screening of "Biutiful" to showcase Javier Bardem's Acad-nominated performance, it appeared just like a passionate method for an Oscar champion to exhibit support on her "Eat Pray Love" co-star. However, as truly sincere as Roberts might have been in her own enthusiasm for that movie, her private event and subsequent effusive interview with Entertainment Weekly only agreed to be yet another stop on the campaign trail which was regarded as overrun with Academy people attempting to wield their affect on the Oscar election. Even honours campaigners ended this years-11 season thinking the time had come for something new.It could seem just like a champagne problem to anybody outdoors Hollywood, but toning down the round of glitzy publish-nomination receptions and member-backed tests has turned into a priority for that Academy of movement Picture Arts & Sciences. Changes passed this year present rules for from the amount of Q&A periods by which anyone connected having a film may participate lower to when food can accompany a screening.Though a properly-placed campaigner states last season's festivities had become somewhat "unseemly," the Academy's changes, a minimum of for that publish-nom time period, tend to be more about maintaining the worthiness and integrity from the award itself. Actually, losing the credibility of this 8 1/2-pound trophy isn't good for publicists, party organizers and the like print guides as Variety -- any entity which has assisted turn honours season into Honours Season."The perception the Academy Award can be purchased may be the last factor anybody wants," states veteran honours consultant and Academy member Tony Angellotti.Another campaigner states 5-week glow Oscar nominees enjoy prior to the ceremony ought to be about letting the job speak by itself, instead of making the nominee speak for that operate in a never-ending procession of sections, parties and pressing palms. Smart words if you be considered a circuit veteran like Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks, however it could transform the entire process to have an actor who's going through the hurry of the nomination for the first time.Most campaigners the rule changes did little to affect their daily, despite the fact that it's probably likely to mean most occasions and tests may happen within the pre-nomination several weeks."We are all testing it at this time,Inch states strategist Lisa Taback. "We have to respect the guidelines. I'd rather not state that they are bad or good.InchObviously no modifications can quell whisper campaigns after Oscar nominations are introduced Jan. 24, but meanwhile, limitations are somewhat lighter for pre-nomination campaigning.Unlike previous years, campaigners can directly invite Academy people to tests and Q&As people have the freedom to go to and consume the food offered there. Besides this being great news for publicists whose primary goal is to buy as numerous people as you possibly can towards the movies they represent, additionally, it serves the Academy's intention to possess its people see films around the bigscreen (a policy on digital delivery and screeners notwithstanding).Encouraging theatergoing dovetails in to the Academy's other major move, which leaves room for between five and ten best picture nominations, based on the number of films earn a No. 1 ranking around the ballot.It's largely a proceed to correct a few of the natural record anomalies from the Academy's voting process, but it is also keeping prognosticators and campaigners alert. Still, most campaigners aren't counting votes to discover where their films stand. They are still doing the work that old-fashioned way: getting people into theaters, gauging responses and distributing the term regarding their films.Honours SEASON LAUNCH:Acad muzzles the clink and guzzle scene New rules redraw Oscar's picture, doc, toon races Tricky photos spend years on the way Fest test weeds out basically Oscar's best Contact Christy Grosz at christy.grosz@variety.com

Friday, October 28, 2011

Analyst: Lost NBA Season Would Lower Revenue, Boost Profit at Time Warner, Disney Networks

NY - In case the full NBA season gets cancelled, "the risks to Time Warner and Walt Disney appear manageable," Credit Suisse analyst Spencer Wang said Friday. "Our analysis finds that a lost NBA season would have a negative impact on advertising revenue for TW's and Disney's cable networks segment," he said in a report. "However, given the higher margin profile of replacement programming [college football and college basketball in the case of ESPN, and primetime library content in the case of TNT], we believe profitability and margins would improve moderately for each network." For TW, TNT is carrying games. For Disney, ESPN recognizes all advertising revenue from the NBA, even from games shown on Disney's ABC broadcast network, according to his report. "Based on Kantar Media data, we estimate the NBA generated roughly $664 million in advertising revenue, net of about 15 percent in agency commissions, during the 2010-11 season, up about 7 percent from about $620 million in the 2009-10 season," Wang wrote. "Given that ESPN telecasts more games and, more importantly, the NBA Finals, we believe advertising revenue is heavily weighted in favor of ESPN (about 70 percent) compared to TNT (about 30 percent)." On the TV rights cost side, ESPN and TNT hold rights through the 2015-16 season in a $7.4 billion deal package. "ESPN pays slightly more (52 versus of the total versus 48 percent for TNT) since it holds the rights for the NBA Finals and broadcasts more games overall," Wang said. For both entertainment giants, the loss of an entire NBA season would add "moderately" to 2012 earnings before interest and taxes, Wang calculated. In TW's case, he estimated 2012 cable networks unit revenue to be $119 million lower without the NBA, with the current fourth-quarter hit likely to be $46 million. But earnings before interest and taxes could see a benefit of $137 million next year and $43 million in the fourth quarter, according to Wang. In Disney's case, Wang sees a fourth-quarter drag on cable networks revenue of $28 million, with the 2012 figure to be $310 million lower in case of a lost NBA season. But its EBIT would be virtually unchanged in the current quarter and $7 million higher in 2012, he said. "In our view, the longer term risk is that once NBA games resume, viewership suffers from fan backlash, resulting in lower audience levels and ad revenue, while NBA programming costs for the TV networks would remain fairly fixed. This would (obviously) result in lower profitability for the networks," the Credit Suisse analyst cautioned though. On the other hand, the NBA could benefit from stronger fan support after the labor dispute "if it can address its business model and the competitive imbalance between teams, leading to increased popularity and higher profits for TV partners in future years of the current TV contract." Meanwhile, NBA stars are eyeing a possible international exhibition game tour, according to the Wall Street Journal. On Sunday, players such as Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers, Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Amar'e Stoudemire of the NY Knicks will play an exhibition game in San Juan, Puerto Rico in an 18,000-seat building, for what they hope will become an international tour that makes stops in London, Australia and China, the paper said. Email: Georg.Szalai@thr.com Twitter: @georgszalai Related Topics Time Warner The Walt Disney Company ESPN

Judge keeps defamation suit vs. NBC

A federal judge has refused to throw out a defamation lawsuit against NBC over a segment on the net's "Dateline NBC: To Catch a Predator." U.S. District Judge Edward M. Chen denied NBC's motion to dismiss, as well as another motion that would delay the discovery phase of a trial and part of a motion to strike. The controversial, now-defunct pedophile sting show netted former Sun Microsystems engineer Anurag Tiwari in a 2006 undercover operation in Petaluma, Calif. Tiwari was among the men who arrived at a house where a 13-year-old girl (actually an 18-year-old actress) was supposedly alone without her parents. The two felony counts against Tiwari were dismissed, and he is suing the network for defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy based on the humiliation caused when police allegedly arrested him with unnecessary force at the behest of "Predator" producers. Tiwari also alleges that police walked him out of the precinct house to be photographed for the show. "If NBC instructed the police to arrest Mr. Tiwari in a sensational way, even though that was not necessary -- e.g., using multiple police officers with guns raised -- then a reasonable jury could find that NBC acted in reckless disregard (of causing emotional distress)," said Chen in a 22-page order filed this week. "NBC argues that even its conduct should be considered speech because the production and the broadcast of the show are inextricably intertwined," Chen wrote. "That argument lacks merit." Contact Sam Thielman at sam.thielman@variety.com

Thursday, October 27, 2011

VIDEO: Cameron Mathison States Lucci, Budig Might Join Him for Online The Kids

Cameron Mathison Cameron Mathison states there's still expect Ryan and Greenlee being together when The Kids premieres online. "[Rebecca Budig] can be obtained to ... options," according to him. "I'd tell the fans to have persistence.Inch The Kids involves an finish: Creator Agnes Nixon as well as the cast think back Mathison, who stopped with the TVGuide.com art galleries throughout the "Tribute to Pine Valley" tour with cast mates Michael E. Dark evening, Wally Willey, Vincent Irizarry, Darnell Williams and Jacob Youthful, shared how he hopes there's a period jump when the show picks support. Plus: Was he happy with the television ending? And what's the most recent news on Susan Lucci's return? Uncover the shocking truth interview below! Online home from the Kids, One Live to reside in will receive a title

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Film classics reborn

The restored 'Les Enfants du paradis' examined within the Lumiere fest just before a December run in France. LONDON -- The restoration of classic films is both a labor of love together with an industrial enterprise.Ellen Schafer, who handles the film library at SNC, part of Gallic media conglom M6, highlights that particular consequence in the digitization in the film biz is always that many old masters have become a transformation and experiencing a completely new lease on existence commercial.All through the Lumiere Film Festival in Lyon, France, which went March. 3-9, fest mind Thierry Fremaux paid out tribute for the work in the Jerome Seydoux-Pathe Foundation, that have just restored Marcel Carne's "Ces Enfants du paradis," which was examined within the fest. The inspiration can also be concentrating on Jean-Pierre Melville's "Le Samourai," Roman Polanski's "Tess" and Raymond Bernard's "Ces Miserables."The restored version of "Ces Enfants," completed with the Eclair and L'Immagine Ritrovata labs with limited funds of 300,000 ($410,000), will probably be released theatrically by Pathe in France in December, and may get theatrical dates in the areas. Reissues on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD follows. Although distribs are unlikely to acquire wealthy quick using the restoration and re-relieve classic films, you'll have the ability to no less than cover the cost of restoration. Jane Giles, the British Film Institute's mind of content, oversaw the release in Blighty of "The Fantastic White-colored Silence" taken. The nonfiction quiet film from 1924, which documents Captain Scott's condemned expedition for the south Pole, cost around $126,000 to bring back, such as the cost of the completely new score by Simon Fisher Turner. The theatrical release netted $95,000 from 40 screens, and offered 4,000 models in the dual format edition (DVD and Blu-ray), which costs $32. The film appeared to become offered for the Discovery Funnel, although Giles declined to exhibit the price. The pic has furthermore been acquired in Germany, as well as the BFI is at discussions with distribs for Australian and Nz rights.The cost of repairing a Technicolor pic, usual to do the job completed by Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation on "The Red-colored-colored Shoes," is a lot more pricey. Efforts such as this could cost just south of $millions of.Scorsese and also the Film Foundation are probably the most high-profile orgs devoted towards the work. Clearly, restoration work might be lucrative, though inside the conglomerate age that focuses on quarterly bottom lines, it is really an uphill find it hard to get professionals to know the value of the task -- not only paydays, however the opportunity to reveal new audiences to classics. (Variety on August. 2-8, 2010, designed the entire problem for the advantages and challenges in this area.) To have the ability to put the photos on video-on-demand platforms, film companies first have to make a digital master, as well as, because so many old 35mm prints will be in an unhealthy condition, the movies have to be restored first.However the industry for classic films is fixed. Schafer states only half of SNC's library near to 1,200 films are utilized commercial. Just a little number, like Jean Cocteau's "La Belle et la bete," are evergreens, and then sell worldwide, although some only sell inside a couple of areas, like the "Gendarme" comedy franchise, which has little market cost in British-language areas, but is popular across continental Europe.Still, specialized areas are showing up inside the U.S. and Germany, states Schaefer, giving lesser-known game game titles that are around nowadays by having an HD master new existence. Many restored classics have extended legs laminator tl901 office in re-release.A year ago, Rialto needed $357,000 within the 50th anni reissue of Jean-Luc Godard's "Breathless" after it carried out more than seven several days at U.S. theaters, while Kino Intl. nabbed $529,000 in the re-relieve Fritz Lang's "Metropolis," whose new print including lost footage, around the similar period. Pathe states the restoration of Luchino Visconti's "The Leopard" was produced just like a project by itself, beginning having its screening inside the Cannes Classic section this season, a re-release in French theaters and finally its release on DVD and VOD. Sales on DVD were excellent, having a couple of 50,000 models offered.The standard classic film customer is generally older than the normal filmgoer, and contains a far greater knowledge of cinema which is history, states Steve Lewis, mind of home theatre at U.K. distrib Artificial Eye, having a substantial range of classic game game titles. The business is almost to re-release Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors" trilogy on Blu-ray, that's been among the company's best-merchants, alongside the entire shebang of Andrei Tarkovsky and Robert Bresson. Comparable to their options inside the fanboy world, classic movie fans can give the a whole range of a typical auteurs, so restored prints drive sales -- meaning VOD sales are reduced. Through the Lumiere festival, Europa Distribution, a look and feel that reps indie distribs in Europe, held its annual confab, where affiliates agreed the industry for classic films was small, as well as the clients were aging.Tilman Scheel, controlling director of Reelport, which runs Europe's Finest, something which supplies digital prints of classic European films to theaters, mentioned both of these particulars will remain true unless of course obviously the research into film which is history is defined into school courses, as well as the audience is educated to understand cinema very much the same it'll other artistic representations."Tell individuals who it is really an old film, plus they're not going to go to the cinema inform them it is really an exhibition of old pieces of art, and so they go to the museum. Everybody knows who Leonardo Da Vinci is, but I'm not too sure they do know who the Lumiere brothers and sisters are," according to him. -- Boyd van Hoeij in Paris brought with this report. Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Party 'Like Crazy'

Felicity Johnson and Eric Slovin flank Amy Ryan. Olivia Thirlby and Cary FukunagaAnton Yelchin and Drake Doremus.Associations are untidy, especially lengthy-distance ones -- that is what the figures in Drake Doremus' "ConstantlyInch discover hard way.The Vital Vantage film, which acquired much attention throughout Sundance, preemed Tuesday evening at Gotham's Sunshine Landmark, located by Tommy Hilfiger. Even Doremus was impressed, particularly when he remembered how he accustomed to buy "$2 tacos" and stand outdoors the ArcLight in Hollywood, wishing to possess their own premiere eventually.The lengthy-distance issue is something the pic's Felicity Johnson knows about. "Being an actor, you are constantly inside a lengthy-distance relationship because much of your work happens all over the world. The bottom line is to make certain you speak as regularly as you possibly can and do not let it rest more than 2 . 5 days. Very specific advice I understand,Inch she added.Co-star Anton Yelchin stated he could recognize the switch side of lengthy-distance associations. "I overstay my welcome everywhere Time passes. I am not welcome anywhere," he joked. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

New Decendants Poster And Clip

George Clooney hits the beachGiven that we've had to wait seven years since Alexander Payne last graced the cinema with Sideways, his return to the big screen as a director was always going to be an anticipated event. And thank goodness he's back with the excellent The Descendants, which boasts a superb central performance from George Clooney. Check out the UK poster for the film below.{UK Descendants Poster}Descendants finds Clooney as Matt King, a successful land baron whose skills don't ever quite seem to extend to his family life. When his wife is left in a coma after a boating accident, he's forced to deal full time with his two daughters, Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller). We've got a clip from the film showing Matt trying to parent his girls below. But then he also discovers that his other half was in the midst of a torrid affair with another man (Matthew Lillard), and he sets out to confront him.Co-written by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, The Descendants will be out on 27 January.

Monday, October 17, 2011

The Best Director Feud That Never Was

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Looper director Rian Johnson would have you believe he sought to bury the hatchet in a putative feud with Jason Reitman. The results are… vivid! “Just before sunrise I found Jason in a half shattered bathtub in a park outside of town. He was eating pork rinds and had obviously been crying and had carved what looked like a Golden Globe out of soap. He was in a dark place.” [@rcjohnso via /film]

Monday, October 10, 2011

Kendrick, Howard and Gleeson add to 'Company'

KendrickHowardGleesonThe company for director Robert Redford's latest pic "The Company You Keep" continues to expand in impressive fashion, as Oscar-nominated thesps Anna Kendrick and Terrence Howard, respected character actors Brendan Gleeson and Sam Elliott, and newcomer Jackie Evancho, an 11-year-old finalist on "America's Got Talent," have joined the ensemble cast.Quintet joins Redford, Shia LaBeouf, Brit Marling, Nick Nolte, Susan Sarandon, Richard Jenkins, Julie Christie, Stephen Root, Stanley Tucci and Chris Cooper in the Lem Dobbs-scripted pic, which is based on the novel by Neil Gordon.Redford stars as Jim Grant, a former Weather Underground militant wanted by the FBI for 30 years who must go on the run when a young, ambitious reporter (LaBeouf) exposes his true identity.Kendrick will play Diana, a young FBI agent and LaBeouf's former flame who provides him with information he needs to uncover the truth about Grant and the Bank of Michigan robbery.Howard will play Cornelius, the senior FBI agent on the case who has relentlessly pursued Grant across the nation and now leads the task force assigned to take down the Weather Underground fugitives who have been on the run for three decades.Gleeson will play Henry Osborne, the retired Michigan Chief of Police who investigated the bank robbery in the 1960s.Elliott will play Mac, Christie's employer in the marijuana trade who used to be romantically involved with her.Evancho will play Redford's daughter, who recently lost her mother and is unaware of her father's militant past.Voltage Pictures and Redford's Wildwood Enterprises banner are teaming to produce the political action thriller, which is currently filming in Vancouver. Redford and his Wildwood partner Bill Holderman are producing with Nicolas Chartier of Voltage. whose Craig J. Flores is exec producing.CAA reps Kendrick and Howard, while WME reps Evancho. Elliot is repped by ICM and Hofflund/Polone, while The Agency and Principal Entertainment rep Gleeson. Contact Jeff Sneider at jeff.sneider@variety.com

Tucker & Dale director reveals sequel idea

During a chat with What Culture!, Tucker & Dale director Eli Craig discussed his plans for a potential sequel.Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil was tons of fun, centring on two misunderstood 'hillbillies' who are mistaken for violent killers in the stereotypical Hollywood cliché mould by a bunch of holidaying college students.Craig said that he would be keen on turning the tables for a sequel called Tucker & Dale Go To Yale, depending on the first movie's final profit margins.He told What Culture!, "It's hard to tell how well it's done yet on VOD [Video On Demand] but it's doing pretty well, and if it does a little bit better in theaters then I would be psyched to do another version of this. We have a treatment for Tucker & Dale Go To Yale.""For us, it's like a Dusk Till Dawn-type thing, where there's all these sort of demented people in college that Tucker and Dale have to figure out how to survive."In a statement that'll come as something of a relief to fans, Craig said that his stars would return, "Barring scheduling conflicts, because they have very industrious careers, [Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine] are on board."These guys have been huge supporters of the film, they love the film, they love the characters, and they're the ones who have been encouraging me to do the sequel, so I know that I have Alan and Tyler on board and hopefully I'll have Katrina [Bowden] for some of it as well."It sounds a lot more fun and inventive than your run-of-the-mill cash-in sequel, so if you wan't to see it, make sure you go out and rent, buy or (legally) download the first movie!

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Raven Trailer Flies In

John Cusack has Poe better bluesWe got a review of some footage from period action thriller The Raven at Comic-Disadvantage this year, now the whole trailer is online at Apple for everyone to find out. The Raven finds John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe (yes, the man behind The Pit as well as the Pendulum, The Tell-Tale Heart together with other classics in the horror literary canon). He's approached by detective Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) when numerous grisly killings appear, all apparently inspired with the writer's work. Initially, the interest of suspicion falls on him, but soon it's apparent the suspect is taunting Poe, searching to have interaction him in the fight of wits which eventually eventually ends up threatening the presence of his beloved Emily (Alice Eve).Directed by V for Vendetta's James McTeigue, a clip produces a complete vibe from the period-set Seven, even though it remains to look once the finished product can get anywhere near the standard levels David Fincher's masterpiece of crime cinema.With Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Kevin McNally also inside the cast, The Raven flutters into our cinemas on March 9 next season.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Julia Roberts vs. Charlize Theron: Who Makes the Better Snow White Evil Queen?

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest Evil Queen of them all? Is it Julia Roberts, who will star opposite Lily Collins’s Snow White in Tarsem Singh’s untitled fairy tale adaptation? Or is it Charlize Theron, who will play the wicked queen opposite Kristen Stewart’s armored Disney princess in Snow White and the Huntsman? Take a look at the side-by-side comparison below before deciding for yourself. Entertainment Weekly premiered the first photo of Roberts in character as the Evil Queen as well as a few other new photos of Lily Collins and Armie Hammer. While we love Lily Collins’s Snow White ballgown (no comment on the Bjork-inspired headpiece), Julia Roberts looks more like a poorly-outfitted peasant with a soft spot for peacock feathers than an evil sorceress who plots deaths via poisoned apples. Which Evil Queen do you prefer? Both Snow White films are due in theaters next year. [EW]