DreamWorks Studios Buys Remake Rights to Fuji TV's "Like Father, Like Son"
TOKYO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios, co-founded by Stacey Snider and director Steven Spielberg and in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, has bought the rights to Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s film “Like Father, Like Son,” it was announced today by Fuji TV.
Winner of a Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, "Like Father, Like Son" tells the heartbreaking story of two families who discover that their six-year-old sons were switched at birth.
Spielberg served as president of the jury at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, which is where he first saw the film and brought it to the attention of his team back at DreamWorks. Said Spielberg, “When I saw the film at Cannes, I was so impressed by its power to bring such a human story to the screen. Here at DreamWorks Studios, Stacey and our team recognized that it was a story we wanted to remake to bring to our audiences throughout the world. I thank Hirokazu Kore-eda and Fuji TV for giving us this once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Said director Hirokazu Kore-eda, “I am honored that a company such as DreamWorks will be developing my film for American audiences. I’m looking forward to working with Steven Spielberg, for whom I have great admiration.”
Produced by Fuji TV, Amuse Inc. and GAGA Corporation (GAGA), the much anticipated release of “Like Father, Like Son” in Japanese theatres is scheduled for September 28, 2013. GAGA and Wild Bunch handles its international sales.
Showing posts with label DreamWorks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DreamWorks. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Review: "Small Soldiers" is Hugely Entertaining (Remembering Jerry Goldsmith)
Small Soldiers (1998)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for some menacing violence/action and brief drug references
DIRECTOR: Joe Dante
WRITERS: Gavin Scott, Adam Rifkin, and Ted Elliot & Terry Rossio
PRODUCERS: Michael Finnell and Colin Wilson
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jamie Anderson
EDITORS: Marshall Harvey and Michael Thau
COMPOSER: Jerry Goldsmith
FANTASY/SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/COMEDY
Starring: Gregory Smith, Kirsten Dunst, Jay Mohr, David Cross, Denis Leary, Kevin Dunn, Ann Magnuson, Phil Hartman, Jacob Smith, Wendy Schaal, and Dick Miler and the voices of Tommy Lee Jones, Frank Langella, Ernest Borgnine, Jim Brown, Bruce Dern, George Kennedy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Clint Walker, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Christina Ricci, and Harry Shearer
The subject of this movie review is Small Soldiers, a 1998 science fiction, fantasy, and action film from director Joe Dante. The film depicts a small war between two groups of action figures brought to life by new technology. Small Soldiers remains one of my all-time favorite films.
Joe Dante directed Gremlins, the tale of toy-like creatures besieging a small town. He returned to a similar toys-come-to-life theme in the 1998 DreamWorks film, Small Soldiers. When computer chips manufactured for military use end up in a line of action figures, the toys come to life with minds of their own. One group, the Commando Elite, is composed of military action figures, kind of like an extreme version of G.I. Joe. The second group is a collection of monsters and creatures called the Gorgonites. The Commando Elite, led by Major Chip Hazard (voice of Tommy Lee Jones), are programmed to destroy the Gorgonites, led by the wise Archer (voice of Frank Langella), who are programmed to lose to the Commando Elite.
Alan Abernathy (Gregory Smith) is manning the counter of his father, Stuart’s (Kevin Dunn) old-fashioned toy store, The Inner Child, when he spots a shipment of Commando Elite and Gorgonite toys on a delivery truck. He convinces the delivery driver to give him a case of each toy set, but he doesn’t know that once he opens the box, he’s also activated the toys, which are actually intelligent because of the military chips in them. Then, the Commando Elite begin hunting Archer. When Alan unknowingly takes Archer (who’s hiding in Alan’s bag) home with him, Chip Hazard and the rest of the Elite mark him for annihilation along with the Gorgonites. Soon Alan’s neighbors, including a classmate to whom he’s attracted, Christy Fimple (Kirsten Dunst), are marked for death as collaborationists with the Gorgonites. Now, Alan, Christy, both their families, and two developers from the toy manufacturer (Jay Mohr and David Cross) must not only defend themselves from the Commando Elite, they must also stop the toys for good.
The characters in Small Soldiers aren’t that well developed, but they’re more broad archetypes than caricatures. Gregory Smith’s Alan is the outsider boy, one with a bit of a rebellious streak, and he’s more spirited and strong-willed than his slight build would suggest. Kirsten Dunst’s Christy Fimple is the all-American girl-next-door who is much wiser and more open minded than her contemporaries. They make a good screen couple, and Smith and Ms. Dunst act as if they’ve done this before. Tommy Lee Jones’ voice over performance as Major Chip Hazard is surprisingly good and really sells the film. His Hazard voice is a mixture of tongue-in-cheek humor, sarcasm, laid-back disdain, and menace. The rest of the cast fits in well, but really don’t do much until the final act.
Small Soldiers was a moderate box office success. The film is a bit old for the small children who would play with toys like the Commando Elite and Gorgonites, and would certainly not interest the older teens and twenty-something males who see war action/adventure films. Still, it’s a good satire of the violent mentality that says we must hate, fight, kill, and destroy those who are supposed to be our enemies or those we were taught or programmed to believe deserve destruction.
The film really is fun (I’ve seen it twice.), and Joe Dante has the knack for never taking his films too seriously. He can both make his point and make entertaining films with fantastical settings or creatures. Dante fills Small Soldiers with references to other films that augment the tale he’s telling. Like his other films, the aforementioned Gremlins and Piranha and The Howling, he takes the ridiculous and gives it humor and bite, and Small Soldiers surely is an edgy little comedy about a small war and the small-minded reasons for fighting it.
8 of 10
A
Updated: Sunday, July 21, 2013
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Friday, June 21, 2013
DreamWorks and Ford Unveil "Need for Speed" Car
The one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang starring in DreamWork's "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios and Ford Motor Company Announce Exclusive Partnership for Film Adaptation of Electronic Arts’ ‘Need for Speed’ Video Game
‘Breaking Bad’ star Aaron Paul Teams with a One-of-a-Kind Mustang Hero Car Specially Designed for the Film by Ford
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, DreamWorks Studios’ Stacey Snider, Partner and Co-Chair, and Ford Motor Company’s Jim Farley, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing, Sales and Service, are pleased to announce an exclusive partnership for the feature film “Need for Speed,” which will include significant integration of Ford products, along with extensive media promotion by Ford at the time of the film’s release on March 14, 2014. The announcement coincides with the unveiling of a one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang for the film, during Electronic Arts’ press conference at E3 Expo in Los Angeles later today.
The Ford-designed and created made-for-movie Mustang will be featured prominently throughout the film and become part of the mythology of the movie. The “Need for Speed” Mustang features a custom-designed wide body, unique 22-inch alloy wheels, and larger air intakes to feed the supercharged V8 engine under its classic Mustang twin-nostril hood.
“’Need for Speed’ is rooted in Americana, and when we were casting our hero car for the film, Ford Mustang was the obvious choice,” said Snider. “With its 50-year history in film, the iconic Mustang is the perfect co-star for Aaron Paul. We are privileged to have such an esteemed partner like Ford working with us on this film and look forward to seeing their Mustang up on the big screen next year.”
Ford also provided the production with an F-450 truck known in the film as “The Beast,” as well as another Mustang to serve as a specially designed camera car, which allows the filmmakers to capture car racing action in new and exciting ways.
“Need for Speed” marks an exciting return to the great car culture films of the 1960s and ’70s, tapping into what makes the American myth of the open road so appealing. The story chronicles a near-impossible cross-country journey for our heroes – one that begins as a mission for revenge but proves to be a journey of redemption.
“Ford Mustang is a symbol of freedom and optimism that allows you to be the person you dream of being, making it the perfect fit for this story,” said Farley. “Ford is excited to partner with DreamWorks and Electronic Arts as they bring the epic gaming franchise of ‘Need For Speed’ to the big screen, allowing us to go further with them as they tell their great story on the global stage.”
The movie is based on Electronic Arts’ popular video game series of the same name. It is one of the most successful racing video game franchises in the world, with more than 140 million games sold. The film stars Aaron Paul (“Breaking Bad”), Dominic Cooper (“Captain America”), Imogen Poots (“Fright Night”) and Michael Keaton (“Batman”), and is directed by Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”). George Gatins and John Gatins developed the story and wrote the screenplay. John Gatins, Patrick O’Brien and Mark Sourian are producing. The Walt Disney Company is distributing the film in the United States and select international territories, while Mister Smith Entertainment is handling distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. DreamWorks’ partner Reliance will distribute the film in India.
“’The Need for Speed’ movie will embody everything that fans of action racing films want to see – hot cars, high-stakes street racing and mind-blowing stunts,” said Scott Waugh, director of the “Need for Speed” film. “The adrenaline-fueled story across America will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.”
The next game in the “Need for Speed” franchise, “Need for Speed Rivals,” will be available Nov. 19, 2013 for the Xbox 360® game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. The game will launch on Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 4 later this year.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $270 million at the worldwide box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 175,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford and its products worldwide, please visit http://corporate.ford.com.
In 2014, Ford Mustang will celebrate a milestone anniversary and become the newest member of a very exclusive club – vehicles in continuous production for 50 years. Mustang’s unique combination of style, performance and affordability sets it apart from other sports cars and it’s why the car connects so well with drivers – with a worldwide base of avid fans to prove it. The Mustang attitude of limitless possibilities is universal and enduring, it’s truly part of our cultural fabric and evokes a variety of emotions – freedom, independence and optimism – just to name a few. Fans around the world will be honoring that heritage with numerous celebrations as the original pony car heads into the next 50 years.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA has more than 275 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
Origin, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield, Battlefield 4 and Frostbite are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Friday, April 5, 2013
DreamWorks and Participant Acquire "Boston Globe" Priest Scandal Story
DreamWorks and Participant Acquire Drama about Boston Globe Exposé on Cover-up of Catholic Priest Scandal
Tom McCarthy to direct and co-write with Josh Singer
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media have acquired the feature film rights to the story of the Catholic Church's decades-long cover-up of its pedophile priests in Massachusetts as uncovered by a year-long investigation by the Boston Globe, it was announced today by Holly Bario, DreamWorks President of Production, and Jonathan King, Participant Executive Vice President of Production. Tom McCarthy has signed on to direct and co-write the script with Josh Singer. Anonymous Content's Michael Sugar and Steve Golin and Rocklin/Faust's Nicole Rocklin and Blye Faust will produce. David Mizner, who originally brought the project to the producers, will serve as a consultant and associate producer. King and Jeff Skoll will serve as executive producers.
Life rights have been acquired to the Boston Globe's "Spotlight Team" of reporters and editors, including then-Globe editor Marty Baron, special projects editor Ben Bradlee Jr., Spotlight Team editor Walter "Robby" Robinson and reporters Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Matt Carroll. The team spent a year interviewing victims and reviewing thousands of pages of documents and discovered years of cover-up by Catholic Church leadership. Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law who had hidden years of serial abuse by other priests and opened the floodgates to other revelations of molestation and cover-ups around the world which still reverberate today. For their efforts, the Globe team won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 "for its courageous, comprehensive coverage of sexual abuse by priests, an effort that pierced secrecy, stirred local, national and international reaction and produced changes in the Roman Catholic Church."
"The Boston Globe's coverage of the Catholic priest scandal opened the door to a bigger story that had worldwide ramifications," said Bario. "The story of how this team of editors and reporters came to uncover the truth will make a dramatic and compelling film, especially with the talents of our director Tom McCarthy and his co-screenwriter Josh Singer on board."
Said King, "It's great to be back in business once again with our friends at DreamWorks and Anonymous, especially on such a powerful and still-evolving story. We have been eager to do another movie with Tom McCarthy ever since 'The Visitor.'"
This will be the sixth collaboration between DreamWorks and Participant, having previously partnered on Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” the 2011 Academy Award-winning smash “The Help,” “The Kite Runner,” “The Soloist,” and this year’s “The Fifth Estate.” With a focus on real issues that shape our lives, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Some of their other films include Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor," “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Food, Inc.,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and the recent Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, “No.”
In addition to "The Visitor," Tom McCarthy wrote and directed “The Station Agent” and "Win Win." He was nominated for an Oscar for co-creating the story of Pixar’s “Up." McCarthy also wrote the screenplay for the Disney film "The Million Dollar Arm" starring Jon Hamm that begins shooting next month. He is repped by the Gersh Agency and attorney Andrew Hurwitz.
Josh Singer wrote the Wikileaks drama "The Fifth Estate" for DreamWorks, which was directed by Bill Condon and will be released later this year. A veteran TV writer, he has worked on such shows as "The West Wing," "Law & Order: SVU," "Lie to Me," and "Fringe." Singer is repped by WME and Anonymous Content.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $180 million at the U.S. box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Participant Media
Participant (participantmedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature films, television, publishing and digital content that inspire social change. Participant's more than 40 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN’, THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Participant’s social action campaigns and digital network TakePart.com continue the conversation and connect audiences to a wealth of content and actions. Its new millennial television network Pivot (pivot.tv), launching this summer in 40 million-plus homes, is TV for The New Greatest Generation.
Tom McCarthy to direct and co-write with Josh Singer
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios and Participant Media have acquired the feature film rights to the story of the Catholic Church's decades-long cover-up of its pedophile priests in Massachusetts as uncovered by a year-long investigation by the Boston Globe, it was announced today by Holly Bario, DreamWorks President of Production, and Jonathan King, Participant Executive Vice President of Production. Tom McCarthy has signed on to direct and co-write the script with Josh Singer. Anonymous Content's Michael Sugar and Steve Golin and Rocklin/Faust's Nicole Rocklin and Blye Faust will produce. David Mizner, who originally brought the project to the producers, will serve as a consultant and associate producer. King and Jeff Skoll will serve as executive producers.
Life rights have been acquired to the Boston Globe's "Spotlight Team" of reporters and editors, including then-Globe editor Marty Baron, special projects editor Ben Bradlee Jr., Spotlight Team editor Walter "Robby" Robinson and reporters Michael Rezendes, Sacha Pfeiffer, and Matt Carroll. The team spent a year interviewing victims and reviewing thousands of pages of documents and discovered years of cover-up by Catholic Church leadership. Their reporting eventually led to the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law who had hidden years of serial abuse by other priests and opened the floodgates to other revelations of molestation and cover-ups around the world which still reverberate today. For their efforts, the Globe team won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2003 "for its courageous, comprehensive coverage of sexual abuse by priests, an effort that pierced secrecy, stirred local, national and international reaction and produced changes in the Roman Catholic Church."
"The Boston Globe's coverage of the Catholic priest scandal opened the door to a bigger story that had worldwide ramifications," said Bario. "The story of how this team of editors and reporters came to uncover the truth will make a dramatic and compelling film, especially with the talents of our director Tom McCarthy and his co-screenwriter Josh Singer on board."
Said King, "It's great to be back in business once again with our friends at DreamWorks and Anonymous, especially on such a powerful and still-evolving story. We have been eager to do another movie with Tom McCarthy ever since 'The Visitor.'"
This will be the sixth collaboration between DreamWorks and Participant, having previously partnered on Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” the 2011 Academy Award-winning smash “The Help,” “The Kite Runner,” “The Soloist,” and this year’s “The Fifth Estate.” With a focus on real issues that shape our lives, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Some of their other films include Tom McCarthy's "The Visitor," “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Food, Inc.,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Waiting for ‘Superman,’” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and the recent Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, “No.”
In addition to "The Visitor," Tom McCarthy wrote and directed “The Station Agent” and "Win Win." He was nominated for an Oscar for co-creating the story of Pixar’s “Up." McCarthy also wrote the screenplay for the Disney film "The Million Dollar Arm" starring Jon Hamm that begins shooting next month. He is repped by the Gersh Agency and attorney Andrew Hurwitz.
Josh Singer wrote the Wikileaks drama "The Fifth Estate" for DreamWorks, which was directed by Bill Condon and will be released later this year. A veteran TV writer, he has worked on such shows as "The West Wing," "Law & Order: SVU," "Lie to Me," and "Fringe." Singer is repped by WME and Anonymous Content.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $180 million at the U.S. box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Participant Media
Participant (participantmedia.com) is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature films, television, publishing and digital content that inspire social change. Participant's more than 40 films include GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, SYRIANA, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, FOOD, INC., WAITING FOR 'SUPERMAN’, THE HELP, CONTAGION and LINCOLN. Participant’s social action campaigns and digital network TakePart.com continue the conversation and connect audiences to a wealth of content and actions. Its new millennial television network Pivot (pivot.tv), launching this summer in 40 million-plus homes, is TV for The New Greatest Generation.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Review: "Biker Boyz" a Disappointment
Biker Boyz (2003)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hours, 50 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence, sexual content and language
DIRECTOR: Reggie Rock Blythewood
WRITERS: Craig Fernandez and Reggie Rock Blythewood (based upon a magazine article by Michael Gougis)
PRODUCERS: Stephanie Allain, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Erwin Stoff
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Greg Gardiner
EDITORS: Caroline Ross and Terilyn A. Shropshire
COMPOSER: Camara Kambon
ACTION/DRAMA with elements of crime
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Larenz Tate, Kid Rock, Rick Gonzalez, Meagan Good, Salli Richardson, Vanessa Bell Calloway, Dante Basco, Dion Basco, Tyson Beckford, Kadeem Hardison, and (uncredited) Eriq La Salle
The subject of this movie review is Biker Boyz, a 2003 drama and action movie. The film focuses on underground motor cycle drag racers and was released by DreamWorks Studios.
Biker Boyz probably exists because of the surprising and enormous success of The Fast and the Furious. Heck, the television program, “Fastlane,” probably exists because of Furious, as well as the fact that a popular movie video and film director proposed it.
First, I’ll mention what’s good about the movie. Director Reggie Rock Blythewood uses a lot of really interesting, unique, and visually jarring camera angles and shots. To watch the opening credits is an invigorating experience; it was so cool that I expected even greater things later in the film. Blythewood uses still photography and quick-cut editing to raise the level of excitement and tension in the film, and on many occasions it works…for awhile.
Laurence Fishburne is Smoke, the "King of Cali," a legendary motorcycle racer in California. The Kid (Derek Luke), a former member in training of Smoke’s gang, The Black Knights, wants Smoke’s mythical crown, his racing helmet. Smoke would have to surrender it if he ever lost a face, and he hasn’t in over 25 races. However, bike racing, among the mostly African American bike clubs is hierarchical, a governing board has to vote to let Kid play; he has to earn the right to tackle Smoke. Kid forms a club of his own, The Biker Boyz, and sets about throwing his weight around to get his way. But does the older Smoke, whom Kid views as an enemy, have something to teach the brash, young biker?
Just this last line tells you that what could have been a good racing movie turns into a mush fest. That’s just the tip of the bad. The story of the young up-and-comer challenging a revered leader is familiar, and, when done correctly, can make for an entertaining story. However, as good as Blythewood is with camera work and quick cuts, his sense of storytelling is abominable. Things develop so slowly that the film actually seems to grow longer as it progresses. The problems stem from the relationships between the characters. Every time the film stops to give two characters a chance to connect with each other, the film literally grinds to a halt; you can almost hear the film’s gears crunching and dragging. It becomes deliriously dull, and I mean that it gets so dull that it made me delirious. I was going to walk out, but to be fair, I wanted to see the entire film so that I could properly review it for you, dear reader. Never say that I don’t care for you.
Late in the film, Kid and his mother, Anita (Vanessa Bell Calloway), meet to make up, and the movie stops cold. I was ready for her to just make her apologies and get the heck out of Kid’s apartment so that he could go race. Ms. Calloway’s character had potential, but like all the others, she’s wasted by Blythewood’s inability to tell a story through his characters. As long as he can do tricks with his camera, he’s fine, but the moment people stop to relate to one another, Blythewood is struck dumb.
Biker Boyz has lots of supporting characters, and the actors playing them (Kid Rock, Orlando Jones, Djimon Hounsou, Lisa Bonet, Tyson Beckford) might interest moviegoers. But they would be shocked how listless and dull their favorites are in this surprisingly poor film.
2 of 10
D
Saturday, February 9, 2013
DreamWorks Announces New International Partnerships
DreamWorks Studios Announces 10 Additional Strategic International Partnerships Through Its Agreement with Mister Smith Entertainment
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios is pleased to announce that, through their existing collaboration with David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment to represent DreamWorks Studios' films for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, they have concluded a further ten key partnership deals with leading independent distribution companies.
DreamWorks has entered into multi-year output agreements to distribute the company's films in all media with international distributors: Acme in the Baltics, Blitz for Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia; Odeon in Greece; Sam Film in Iceland; United King in Israel; Andrea Leone Film in Italy; Monolith in Poland; Lusomundo in Portugal; through a joint venture between Tri Pictures & DeaPlaneta for Spain; and Fida Film in Turkey.
"On behalf of Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, we are delighted to now have in place our remaining key international distribution partners. We look forward to working with these premier companies as we expand the global reach of our films in the marketplace. Our thanks to David Garrett and his team at Mister Smith Entertainment who continue to be a key partner," said Jeff Small, DreamWorks' President and COO.
As part of the Company’s strategy to create a network of partnerships for their product internationally with a view to additional financial flexibility and capitalizing on the expanding global market, DreamWorks previously announced partnerships with Constantin Film, Entertainment One (eOne), Nordisk Film, and Italia Film in Fall 2012. DreamWorks’ domestic distributor, The Walt Disney Company, will continue to handle North America, Latin America, Asia, Russia and Australia. Reliance continues to finance production of DreamWorks’ films and hold distribution rights in India.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett commented, “It is a true affirmation to the Olympian status of DreamWorks Studios that they have been able to secure partnerships with the cream of the independents across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Every single one of these partners are leaders in their field, and this is reflected in their undoubted professionalism, and their shared passion for movies. These strategic partnerships create an outstanding network of distribution for the upcoming DreamWorks Studios slate.”
Upcoming features under the DreamWorks deal with Mister Smith Entertainment include: "Delivery Man" (Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Scr./Dir. Ken Scott) currently in post-production, the Wikileaks drama "The Fifth Estate" (Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander and Carice van Houten, Dir. Bill Condon) currently in production, and "Need for Speed" (Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Dir. Scott Waugh) which starts principal photography in April.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $160 million at the U.S. box office and has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director. Other releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes: Inimitable Pictures’ "Imagine," Dan Fogelman’s directorial debut starring Academy Award® winner Al Pacino, Academy Award® nominee Jeremy Renner and Academy Award®nominee Julianne Moore, which starts filming in April; Constantin Film's "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare's #1 best-selling book series and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; Constantin Film's compelling true story "3,096 Days" based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world, which is due for release in early 2013; and Constantin Film's romantic comedy “Love, Rosie” which is based on the best-selling novel Where Rainbows End by internationally renowned author Cecelia Ahern, starring Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, directed by Christian Ditte and scheduled to commence principal photography in May 2013.
About Acme Film/Baltics
ACME Film is one of the largest theatrical distributors in the Baltics, distributing films from Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Lionsgate/Summit, Lakeshore and many other top independent producers.
Blitz Film & Video Distribution/Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia
Blitz Film the leading film distributor in Croatia and the countries of former Yugoslavia, including film distribution of motion pictures and other content through standard types of distribution – theatrical, video, TV - as well as through new technologies such as Video on Demand, IPTV, internet etc. Founded in 1992 in Croatia, the company has extended its operation to almost all countries of ex-Yugoslavia through its own group of companies: Blitz Slovenia, Blitz Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Millennium Serbia. Blitz has represented U.S. Studios including Warner Bros Pictures International, Universal Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International, DreamWorks Animation, and 20th Century Fox with respect to exclusive theatrical distribution, and is also the exclusive video distributor of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment Global, DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment LLC and DreamWorks LLC. Blitz has a very successful long-term cooperation with a number of independent companies including Icon Entertainment, Europa Corp, Lakeshore Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, Pathe Distribution, Studio Canal, LionsGate and others, whose film it distributes throughout all media.
https://www.facebook.com/CineStarMultiplexi
http://www.blitz-cinestar.hr/cinestar
About Odeon / Greece
Odeon S.A. is one of the leading theatrical distribution companies in Greece and Cyprus. While operating 40% of the territory's film theatres Odeon also manufactures and distributes DVDs and BDs and is the exclusive licensee for FOX, MGM/UA (theatrical and home entertainment), Paramount Pictures (home entertainment only). Odeon has also been developing and producing Greek films over the last two decades that includes "Loufing & Camouflage: Sirens of the Agean" and "Brides".
About Samfilm/Iceland
Samfilm was founded by Mr. Arni Samuelsson, its CEO, in 1975 and is the biggest distribution company in Iceland. Samfilm is the local distributor for Warner Bros, Paramount and Walt Disney, both on theatrical and DVD. On the gaming side, Samfilm handles distribution for Disney Interactive and Warner Interactive. Samfilm exhibition side runs 5 locations, 3 cinemas in Reykjavik with a total of 13 screens and two outside Reykjavik with a total of 4 screens. Market share in both Distribution and Exhibition has been around 45-55% in recent years. SAMcinemas have been vigilant for new opportunities which live presentations via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera and National Theatre in London as well as other live events prove.
About United King/Israel
United King Films Israel is one of the largest exhibitor and distributor of mainstream and art house cinema. United King Films owns a chain of the largest cinema complexes in Israel, which brings around 35%-40% of box office admissions in Israel. At the moment the chain includes 6 complexes with 5 more to be built within the next 3 years. United King Films distributes around 50 films each year such as; "The Twilight Saga," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Crash," "The Pianist," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Rust & Bone," "Holly Motors" and many more.
United King Films is also the biggest producer of Israeli Films including two Oscar nominated films "Beaufort" and "Footnote" as well as "Lebanon," "Walk on Water," "The Bubble" and many more.
About Andrea Leone Film/Italy
ANDREA LEONE FILMS was founded in 1989 by Sergio Leone and is currently owned by Andrea and Raffaella Leone, respectively the son and daughter of the Director. The company handles the renowned library of western pictures directed by Sergio Leone for Italy and co-owns rest of the world along with co-producers MGM, PARAMOUNT, UA. Besides the Sergio Leone estate the company owns and or controls a library of over 400 titles for ITALY.
ALF has output or volume deals with the main independent TV movie production companies acquiring 50/60 pictures per year. And in 2000 ALF moved into the theatrical arena with bigger budget theatrical titles acquiring 10 to 20 feature films per year in the US $10 to US $60 million range from companies such as LIONS GATE, MILLENNIUM FILMS, LAKESHORE etc. ALF has recently increased its library for ITALY acquiring prestigious libraries from independent distributors such as CAPITOL (LARGO/INTERMEDIA/FRANCHISE), LIONSGATE, LAKESHORE, ECHOBRIDGE /ALLIANCE, FIRST LOOK, PANDORA, FILM FOUR etc.
Created as a branch of ALF in 2010, PACMEDIA is a new product placement and major events company based in both Rome and Los Angeles. Pacmedia is already strongly placed in the market with an extensive client roster headed by Italy’s leading car group FIAT/LANCIA/ALFA ROMEO and in the US the CHRISLER/JEEP/DODGE group.
In 2012 ALF has also been appointed as exclusive representative for the TV Library of NEW REGENCY.
About Monolith Films/Poland
Monolith Films, Poland’s leading independent film distributor, has been operating in the Polish market since 1998. In 2012 the company signed an output deal with Lionsgate/Summit. Monolith Films has distributed such blockbusters as: "American Pie,” “What Women Want,” “Hannibal,” “The Passion of the Christ”, “Alexander,” “Mr & Mrs Smith,” “Apocalypto,” “Step up,” “Twilight Saga” and “Taken”. In addition to distribution, Monolith Films is active in the production of the local movies.
About Lusomundo/Portugal
About ZON - www.zon.pt
ZON is the leader of the Portuguese Pay TV market, with 1.6 million customers and the leading provider of next generation broadband, cinema distribution and exhibition. ZON is also the only operator of fixed telephony to grow.
About Tri Pictures & DeaPlaneta for Spain
DeAPlaneta, the result of a joint venture between two major European communication groups – DeAgostini and Planeta – is a role model in the Spanish audiovisual sector. In addition to acquiring and distributing films for cinema, Home Entertainment and television, it distributes contents in fiction, documentaries and children’s entertainment through DeAPlaneta Distribución and Planeta Junior.
DeAPlaneta is the second largest independent distributor in Spain. Its catalogue includes Oscar-winners such as "The Pianist," "The Hurt Locker" and "The King's Speech," together with major commercial hit films such as "Planet 51" and "The Knowing." Upcoming films include from the anticipated film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s new saga "The Host" and Noah Gordon’s worldwide Bestseller "The Physician" to prestigious Steve McQueen’s "Twelve Years a Slave" or the film adaptation of 2008 Pulitzer Prize "August: Osage County."
TRIPICTURES was founded in 1987 and is one of the leading independent distributors in Spain focused on commercial titles for all windows of exploitation. Tripictures’ catalogue includes films like "Seven Years in Tibet," "Golden Compass," The Asterix Franchise," Alexander the Great," "Sex and the City" or the recently Oscar nominated "Flight." Today, TRIPICTURES has a catalogue of over 360 titles. In 2006, VOCENTO, a leading Spanish multimedia publishing group, acquired 70% of TRIPICTURES, allowing the company to integrate and create synergies with other television production and services companies within the group. Upcoming titles include the next film from Oscar nominated director David O’Russell, "The Place Beyond the Pines" starring Ryan Goslin and Bradley Cooper, "Non Stop," starring Liam Neeson or the epic action adventure, "I, Frankenstein."
About Fida Film/Turkey
For the last 48 years, Fida Film has been the leading company in cinema advertising, acquisitions and film production in Turkey. Fida Film started acquiring theatrical, home video and television rights for foreign films in 2004. Fida Film has more than 400 feature films in its current slate from partnerships with several prestigious studios and production companies.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios is pleased to announce that, through their existing collaboration with David Garrett’s Mister Smith Entertainment to represent DreamWorks Studios' films for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, they have concluded a further ten key partnership deals with leading independent distribution companies.
DreamWorks has entered into multi-year output agreements to distribute the company's films in all media with international distributors: Acme in the Baltics, Blitz for Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia; Odeon in Greece; Sam Film in Iceland; United King in Israel; Andrea Leone Film in Italy; Monolith in Poland; Lusomundo in Portugal; through a joint venture between Tri Pictures & DeaPlaneta for Spain; and Fida Film in Turkey.
"On behalf of Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider, we are delighted to now have in place our remaining key international distribution partners. We look forward to working with these premier companies as we expand the global reach of our films in the marketplace. Our thanks to David Garrett and his team at Mister Smith Entertainment who continue to be a key partner," said Jeff Small, DreamWorks' President and COO.
As part of the Company’s strategy to create a network of partnerships for their product internationally with a view to additional financial flexibility and capitalizing on the expanding global market, DreamWorks previously announced partnerships with Constantin Film, Entertainment One (eOne), Nordisk Film, and Italia Film in Fall 2012. DreamWorks’ domestic distributor, The Walt Disney Company, will continue to handle North America, Latin America, Asia, Russia and Australia. Reliance continues to finance production of DreamWorks’ films and hold distribution rights in India.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett commented, “It is a true affirmation to the Olympian status of DreamWorks Studios that they have been able to secure partnerships with the cream of the independents across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Every single one of these partners are leaders in their field, and this is reflected in their undoubted professionalism, and their shared passion for movies. These strategic partnerships create an outstanding network of distribution for the upcoming DreamWorks Studios slate.”
Upcoming features under the DreamWorks deal with Mister Smith Entertainment include: "Delivery Man" (Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Scr./Dir. Ken Scott) currently in post-production, the Wikileaks drama "The Fifth Estate" (Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Bruhl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander and Carice van Houten, Dir. Bill Condon) currently in production, and "Need for Speed" (Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Dir. Scott Waugh) which starts principal photography in April.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $160 million at the U.S. box office and has been nominated for twelve Academy Awards® including Best Picture and Best Director. Other releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need for Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes: Inimitable Pictures’ "Imagine," Dan Fogelman’s directorial debut starring Academy Award® winner Al Pacino, Academy Award® nominee Jeremy Renner and Academy Award®nominee Julianne Moore, which starts filming in April; Constantin Film's "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones," the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare's #1 best-selling book series and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; Constantin Film's compelling true story "3,096 Days" based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world, which is due for release in early 2013; and Constantin Film's romantic comedy “Love, Rosie” which is based on the best-selling novel Where Rainbows End by internationally renowned author Cecelia Ahern, starring Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, directed by Christian Ditte and scheduled to commence principal photography in May 2013.
About Acme Film/Baltics
ACME Film is one of the largest theatrical distributors in the Baltics, distributing films from Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., Lionsgate/Summit, Lakeshore and many other top independent producers.
Blitz Film & Video Distribution/Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia
Blitz Film the leading film distributor in Croatia and the countries of former Yugoslavia, including film distribution of motion pictures and other content through standard types of distribution – theatrical, video, TV - as well as through new technologies such as Video on Demand, IPTV, internet etc. Founded in 1992 in Croatia, the company has extended its operation to almost all countries of ex-Yugoslavia through its own group of companies: Blitz Slovenia, Blitz Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Millennium Serbia. Blitz has represented U.S. Studios including Warner Bros Pictures International, Universal Pictures International, Paramount Pictures International, DreamWorks Animation, and 20th Century Fox with respect to exclusive theatrical distribution, and is also the exclusive video distributor of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Paramount Home Entertainment Global, DreamWorks Animation Home Entertainment LLC and DreamWorks LLC. Blitz has a very successful long-term cooperation with a number of independent companies including Icon Entertainment, Europa Corp, Lakeshore Entertainment, Summit Entertainment, Pathe Distribution, Studio Canal, LionsGate and others, whose film it distributes throughout all media.
https://www.facebook.com/CineStarMultiplexi
http://www.blitz-cinestar.hr/cinestar
About Odeon / Greece
Odeon S.A. is one of the leading theatrical distribution companies in Greece and Cyprus. While operating 40% of the territory's film theatres Odeon also manufactures and distributes DVDs and BDs and is the exclusive licensee for FOX, MGM/UA (theatrical and home entertainment), Paramount Pictures (home entertainment only). Odeon has also been developing and producing Greek films over the last two decades that includes "Loufing & Camouflage: Sirens of the Agean" and "Brides".
About Samfilm/Iceland
Samfilm was founded by Mr. Arni Samuelsson, its CEO, in 1975 and is the biggest distribution company in Iceland. Samfilm is the local distributor for Warner Bros, Paramount and Walt Disney, both on theatrical and DVD. On the gaming side, Samfilm handles distribution for Disney Interactive and Warner Interactive. Samfilm exhibition side runs 5 locations, 3 cinemas in Reykjavik with a total of 13 screens and two outside Reykjavik with a total of 4 screens. Market share in both Distribution and Exhibition has been around 45-55% in recent years. SAMcinemas have been vigilant for new opportunities which live presentations via satellite from the Metropolitan Opera and National Theatre in London as well as other live events prove.
About United King/Israel
United King Films Israel is one of the largest exhibitor and distributor of mainstream and art house cinema. United King Films owns a chain of the largest cinema complexes in Israel, which brings around 35%-40% of box office admissions in Israel. At the moment the chain includes 6 complexes with 5 more to be built within the next 3 years. United King Films distributes around 50 films each year such as; "The Twilight Saga," "Zero Dark Thirty," "Crash," "The Pianist," "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Rust & Bone," "Holly Motors" and many more.
United King Films is also the biggest producer of Israeli Films including two Oscar nominated films "Beaufort" and "Footnote" as well as "Lebanon," "Walk on Water," "The Bubble" and many more.
About Andrea Leone Film/Italy
ANDREA LEONE FILMS was founded in 1989 by Sergio Leone and is currently owned by Andrea and Raffaella Leone, respectively the son and daughter of the Director. The company handles the renowned library of western pictures directed by Sergio Leone for Italy and co-owns rest of the world along with co-producers MGM, PARAMOUNT, UA. Besides the Sergio Leone estate the company owns and or controls a library of over 400 titles for ITALY.
ALF has output or volume deals with the main independent TV movie production companies acquiring 50/60 pictures per year. And in 2000 ALF moved into the theatrical arena with bigger budget theatrical titles acquiring 10 to 20 feature films per year in the US $10 to US $60 million range from companies such as LIONS GATE, MILLENNIUM FILMS, LAKESHORE etc. ALF has recently increased its library for ITALY acquiring prestigious libraries from independent distributors such as CAPITOL (LARGO/INTERMEDIA/FRANCHISE), LIONSGATE, LAKESHORE, ECHOBRIDGE /ALLIANCE, FIRST LOOK, PANDORA, FILM FOUR etc.
Created as a branch of ALF in 2010, PACMEDIA is a new product placement and major events company based in both Rome and Los Angeles. Pacmedia is already strongly placed in the market with an extensive client roster headed by Italy’s leading car group FIAT/LANCIA/ALFA ROMEO and in the US the CHRISLER/JEEP/DODGE group.
In 2012 ALF has also been appointed as exclusive representative for the TV Library of NEW REGENCY.
About Monolith Films/Poland
Monolith Films, Poland’s leading independent film distributor, has been operating in the Polish market since 1998. In 2012 the company signed an output deal with Lionsgate/Summit. Monolith Films has distributed such blockbusters as: "American Pie,” “What Women Want,” “Hannibal,” “The Passion of the Christ”, “Alexander,” “Mr & Mrs Smith,” “Apocalypto,” “Step up,” “Twilight Saga” and “Taken”. In addition to distribution, Monolith Films is active in the production of the local movies.
About Lusomundo/Portugal
About ZON - www.zon.pt
ZON is the leader of the Portuguese Pay TV market, with 1.6 million customers and the leading provider of next generation broadband, cinema distribution and exhibition. ZON is also the only operator of fixed telephony to grow.
About Tri Pictures & DeaPlaneta for Spain
DeAPlaneta, the result of a joint venture between two major European communication groups – DeAgostini and Planeta – is a role model in the Spanish audiovisual sector. In addition to acquiring and distributing films for cinema, Home Entertainment and television, it distributes contents in fiction, documentaries and children’s entertainment through DeAPlaneta Distribución and Planeta Junior.
DeAPlaneta is the second largest independent distributor in Spain. Its catalogue includes Oscar-winners such as "The Pianist," "The Hurt Locker" and "The King's Speech," together with major commercial hit films such as "Planet 51" and "The Knowing." Upcoming films include from the anticipated film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s new saga "The Host" and Noah Gordon’s worldwide Bestseller "The Physician" to prestigious Steve McQueen’s "Twelve Years a Slave" or the film adaptation of 2008 Pulitzer Prize "August: Osage County."
TRIPICTURES was founded in 1987 and is one of the leading independent distributors in Spain focused on commercial titles for all windows of exploitation. Tripictures’ catalogue includes films like "Seven Years in Tibet," "Golden Compass," The Asterix Franchise," Alexander the Great," "Sex and the City" or the recently Oscar nominated "Flight." Today, TRIPICTURES has a catalogue of over 360 titles. In 2006, VOCENTO, a leading Spanish multimedia publishing group, acquired 70% of TRIPICTURES, allowing the company to integrate and create synergies with other television production and services companies within the group. Upcoming titles include the next film from Oscar nominated director David O’Russell, "The Place Beyond the Pines" starring Ryan Goslin and Bradley Cooper, "Non Stop," starring Liam Neeson or the epic action adventure, "I, Frankenstein."
About Fida Film/Turkey
For the last 48 years, Fida Film has been the leading company in cinema advertising, acquisitions and film production in Turkey. Fida Film started acquiring theatrical, home video and television rights for foreign films in 2004. Fida Film has more than 400 feature films in its current slate from partnerships with several prestigious studios and production companies.
Friday, January 25, 2013
DreamWorks Begins Production on "WikiLeaks" Movie
Drama Will Open in Theaters November 15, 2013
Participant Media Joins Project
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography has begun on the WikiLeaks drama “The Fifth Estate,” it was announced today by DreamWorks Studios. The film about the controversial website stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg, as well as Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, David Thewlis, Peter Capaldi, Dan Stevens, Alicia Vikander and Carice van Houten.
“The Fifth Estate” will open in U.S. theaters on November 15, 2013 and be distributed domestically by Disney’s Touchstone label. Distribution internationally will be split among Disney, DreamWorks partner Reliance, and deals made through the studio’s partnership with Mister Smith Entertainment.
Following Daniel Domscheit-Berg (Brühl), an early supporter and eventual colleague of Julian Assange (Cumberbatch), “The Fifth Estate” traces the heady, early days of WikiLeaks, culminating in the release of a series of controversial and history changing information leaks. The website’s overnight success brought instant fame to its principal architects and transformed the flow of information to news media and the world at large.
Joining DreamWorks as a co-financier on “The Fifth Estate” is Participant Media. This will be the fifth collaboration between the two companies who previously partnered on Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” the 2011 Academy Award-winning smash “The Help,” “The Kite Runner” and “The Soloist.” With a focus on real issues that shape our lives, Participant creates social action and advocacy programs to transform the impact of the media experience into individual and community action. Some of their other films include “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Good Night, and Good Luck,” “Food, Inc.,” “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “Waiting for ‘'Superman,’” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and the current Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film, “No.”
Bill Condon (“Kinsey,” “Dreamgirls,” "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn") will direct “The Fifth Estate” from a screenplay by Josh Singer (TV’s “Fringe,” “The West Wing”), based on “Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange at the World’s Most Dangerous Website” by Daniel Domscheit-Berg and “WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange’s War on Secrecy” by David Leigh and Luke Harding. The producers are Steve Golin and Michael Sugar, with Participant’s Jeff Skoll and Jonathan King joining Richard Sharkey as executive producers. “The Fifth Estate” is a coproduction between Afterworks and FBO, with Hilde De Laere co-producing for FBO. The film is supported by the Belgian Tax Shelter for Audiovisual Production.
Said director Bill Condon, “It may be decades before we understand the full impact of WikiLeaks and how it's revolutionized the spread of information. So this film won't claim any long view authority on its subject, or attempt any final judgment. We want to explore the complexities and challenges of transparency in the information age and, we hope, enliven and enrich the conversations WikiLeaks has already provoked.”
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln," starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $150 million at the U.S. box office and has been nominated for twelve Academy awards including Best Picture and Best Director. Other releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Upcoming films include the comedy "Delivery Man," starring Vince Vaughn, the WikiLeaks drama "The Fifth Estate," and car racing actioner "Need For Speed."
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
DreamWorks Gets Matthew Quick's Upcoming Novel
DreamWorks Studios Acquires Matthew Quick’s “The Good Luck of Right Now”
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has acquired the manuscript to Matthew Quick’s latest work entitled “The Good Luck of Right Now,” it was announced today by Holly Bario, President of Production of the studio. Quick authored the book "The Silver Linings Playbook," as well as the young adult novels “Boy 21,” “Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock,” and “Sorta Like a Rock Star.”
The story follows the intertwined lives of four people, who are all outsiders in their own right. However, in the wake of grieving over pain and loss in their lives, they come together to form the most unlikely family.
“We immediately sparked to Matthew Quick's book and the heart and humor which is infused in his storytelling,” said Holly Bario. “All of us at DreamWorks are excited to begin developing this story and look to make it a priority at the studio.”
Matthew Quick is repped by CAA in conjunction with Douglas Stewart of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., who simultaneously negotiated the publishing rights for the book to Harper Collins.
Harper-Collins pre-empted the manuscript for publishing in the U.S. and Canada. They are targeting Spring 2014 to launch the book.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Currently in theaters is Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has acquired the manuscript to Matthew Quick’s latest work entitled “The Good Luck of Right Now,” it was announced today by Holly Bario, President of Production of the studio. Quick authored the book "The Silver Linings Playbook," as well as the young adult novels “Boy 21,” “Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock,” and “Sorta Like a Rock Star.”
The story follows the intertwined lives of four people, who are all outsiders in their own right. However, in the wake of grieving over pain and loss in their lives, they come together to form the most unlikely family.
“We immediately sparked to Matthew Quick's book and the heart and humor which is infused in his storytelling,” said Holly Bario. “All of us at DreamWorks are excited to begin developing this story and look to make it a priority at the studio.”
Matthew Quick is repped by CAA in conjunction with Douglas Stewart of Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc., who simultaneously negotiated the publishing rights for the book to Harper Collins.
Harper-Collins pre-empted the manuscript for publishing in the U.S. and Canada. They are targeting Spring 2014 to launch the book.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Currently in theaters is Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
2013 "Scripter Award" Nominations Announced
USC Libraries Name Finalists for 25th-Annual Scripter Award
Tie results in six sets of writers and screenwriters earning nominations
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Silver Linings Playbook as finalists for the 25th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. A tie resulted in six sets of finalists for the 2013 honor, rather than the typical five.
The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:
•Joshuah Bearman, author of the article “The Great Escape,” Antonio J. Mendez, author of The Master of Disguise, and screenwriter Chris Terrio, for Argo
•For Beasts of the Southern Wild, dramatist Lucy Alibar, who wrote the play Juicy and Delicious, and screenwriter Benh Zeitlin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alibar
•Novelist Yann Martel and screenwriter David Magee for Life of Pi
•Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and screenwriter Tony Kushner for Lincoln
•Stephen Chbosky, author of the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower, as well as the screenplay based upon the book
•For Silver Linings Playbook, author Matthew Quick and screenwriter David O. Russell
The Scripter Award honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988, presenting the inaugural awards to author Helene Hanff and screenwriter Hugh Whitemore for 84 Charing Cross Road. This year marks the award’s 25th anniversary.
Other previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of The Descendants, The Social Network, Schindler’s List and L.A. Confidential.
Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2013 Scripter selection committee selected the six finalists from a field of 82 eligible adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Kaui Hart Hemmings and Jonathan Lethem; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Gale Ann Hurd and Lawrence Kasdan; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:
•Argo—Warner Bros., Wired for Bearman’s article, and Penguin for Mendez’s book
•Beasts of the Southern Wild—Fox Searchlight and Diversion Books, publisher of the play Juicy and Delicious, upon which Beasts of the Southern Wild is based
•Life of Pi—20th Century Fox and Mariner Books
•Lincoln—DreamWorks and Mariner Books
•Perks of Being a Wallflower—Summit Entertainment and MTV Books
•Silver Linings Playbook—Weinstein Company and Sara Crichton Books
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford are serving as honorary dinner chairs.
Brokeback Mountain screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana will attend the ceremony to receive the previously announced Literary Achievement Award.
Current silent auction donors and other sponsors include Bennett Farms, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-0 and Eye Productions, Hungry Cat Santa Monica, L.A. Saddlery, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Namale Resort & Spa in Fiji, Paperblanks, PGA Tour, Picca Peruvian Cantina, the NFL, Pizzeria Mozza, Pleasant Holidays, the Sundance Institute, Terranea Resort, Tony Robbins, Montage Beverly Hills, the Wine of the Month Club, the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, the USC Thornton School of Music and the Friends of the USC Libraries board of directors.
For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
Tie results in six sets of writers and screenwriters earning nominations
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The USC Libraries have named the authors and screenwriters of Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Perks of Being a Wallflower and Silver Linings Playbook as finalists for the 25th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award. A tie resulted in six sets of finalists for the 2013 honor, rather than the typical five.
The finalists are, in alphabetical order by film title:
•Joshuah Bearman, author of the article “The Great Escape,” Antonio J. Mendez, author of The Master of Disguise, and screenwriter Chris Terrio, for Argo
•For Beasts of the Southern Wild, dramatist Lucy Alibar, who wrote the play Juicy and Delicious, and screenwriter Benh Zeitlin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Alibar
•Novelist Yann Martel and screenwriter David Magee for Life of Pi
•Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, and screenwriter Tony Kushner for Lincoln
•Stephen Chbosky, author of the novel Perks of Being a Wallflower, as well as the screenplay based upon the book
•For Silver Linings Playbook, author Matthew Quick and screenwriter David O. Russell
The Scripter Award honors the screenwriter or screenwriters of the year’s most accomplished cinematic adaptation as well as the author of the written work upon which the screenplay is based. The Friends of the USC Libraries established Scripter in 1988, presenting the inaugural awards to author Helene Hanff and screenwriter Hugh Whitemore for 84 Charing Cross Road. This year marks the award’s 25th anniversary.
Other previous Scripter winners include the screenwriters and authors of The Descendants, The Social Network, Schindler’s List and L.A. Confidential.
Co-chaired by Golden Globe-winning screenwriter Naomi Foner and USC professor and vice president of the Writers Guild of America, West, Howard Rodman, the 2013 Scripter selection committee selected the six finalists from a field of 82 eligible adaptations.
Serving on the selection committee, among many others, are film critics Leonard Maltin and Kenneth Turan; authors Michael Chabon, Kaui Hart Hemmings and Jonathan Lethem; screenwriters Geoffrey Fletcher, Gale Ann Hurd and Lawrence Kasdan; and USC deans Elizabeth Daley of the School of Cinematic Arts, Madeline Puzo of the School of Dramatic Arts and Catherine Quinlan of the USC Libraries.
The studios distributing the finalist films and the publishers of the original stories are:
•Argo—Warner Bros., Wired for Bearman’s article, and Penguin for Mendez’s book
•Beasts of the Southern Wild—Fox Searchlight and Diversion Books, publisher of the play Juicy and Delicious, upon which Beasts of the Southern Wild is based
•Life of Pi—20th Century Fox and Mariner Books
•Lincoln—DreamWorks and Mariner Books
•Perks of Being a Wallflower—Summit Entertainment and MTV Books
•Silver Linings Playbook—Weinstein Company and Sara Crichton Books
The USC Libraries will announce the winning authors and screenwriters at a black-tie ceremony on Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013 in the historic Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library on the University Park campus of the University of Southern California. Academy Award winners Helen Mirren and Taylor Hackford are serving as honorary dinner chairs.
Brokeback Mountain screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana will attend the ceremony to receive the previously announced Literary Achievement Award.
Current silent auction donors and other sponsors include Bennett Farms, the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, Hawaii Five-0 and Eye Productions, Hungry Cat Santa Monica, L.A. Saddlery, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Namale Resort & Spa in Fiji, Paperblanks, PGA Tour, Picca Peruvian Cantina, the NFL, Pizzeria Mozza, Pleasant Holidays, the Sundance Institute, Terranea Resort, Tony Robbins, Montage Beverly Hills, the Wine of the Month Club, the USC Roski School of Fine Arts, the USC Thornton School of Music and the Friends of the USC Libraries board of directors.
For more information about Scripter—including ticket availability, additional sponsorship opportunities, and an up-to-date list of sponsors—please email scripter@usc.edu or visit scripter.usc.edu.
Monday, January 7, 2013
2013 Producers Guild Award Nominations Announced
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) describes itself as “the non-profit trade group that represents, protects and promotes the interests of all members of the producing team in film, television and new media.” Film fans know the organization because of its annual PGA Awards.
The PGA recently announced the motion picture nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and BULLY (Stanley Kramer Award).
The 2013 Producers Guild Awards Chair is Michael De Luca.
The 2013 Producers Guild nominated films are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.
2013 Producers Guild Awards theatrical motion picture nominees are:
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Argo” (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
"Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
"Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
"Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark
"Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
"Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)
Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales
"Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
"Skyfall” (MGM/Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
"Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Brave” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Katherine Sarafian
"Frankenweenie” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Producers: Allison Abbate, Tim Burton
"ParaNorman” (Focus Features)
Producers: Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner
"Rise of the Guardians” (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Nancy Bernstein, Christina Steinberg
"Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Clark Spencer
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures (Previously announced November 2012):
"A People Uncounted” (Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger
"The Gatekeepers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh
"The Island President” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen
"The Other Dream Team” (The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach
"Searching For Sugar Man” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
The PGA recently announced the motion picture nominations for the 24th Annual Producers Guild Awards.
All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26, 2013 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and BULLY (Stanley Kramer Award).
The 2013 Producers Guild Awards Chair is Michael De Luca.
The 2013 Producers Guild nominated films are listed below in alphabetical order by category, along with producers. The producers’ names listed for each nominated production are listed in alphabetical order and are not necessarily the proper order of credits.
2013 Producers Guild Awards theatrical motion picture nominees are:
The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Argo” (Warner Bros.)
Producers: Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Grant Heslov
"Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
"Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone, Stacey Sher
"Les Misérables” (Universal Pictures)
Producers: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
Life of Pi” (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Producers: Ang Lee, Gil Netter, David Womark
"Lincoln” (Touchstone Pictures)
Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg
"Moonrise Kingdom” (Focus Features)
Producers: Wes Anderson & Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson, Steven Rales
"Silver Linings Playbook” (The Weinstein Company)
Producers: Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti, Jonathan Gordon
"Skyfall” (MGM/Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
"Zero Dark Thirty” (Columbia Pictures)
Producers: Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:
"Brave” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Katherine Sarafian
"Frankenweenie” (Walt Disney Pictures)
Producers: Allison Abbate, Tim Burton
"ParaNorman” (Focus Features)
Producers: Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner
"Rise of the Guardians” (Paramount Pictures)
Producers: Nancy Bernstein, Christina Steinberg
"Wreck-It Ralph” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Producer: Clark Spencer
The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures (Previously announced November 2012):
"A People Uncounted” (Urbinder Films)
Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger
"The Gatekeepers” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh
"The Island President” (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen
"The Other Dream Team” (The Film Arcade)
Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach
"Searching For Sugar Man” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
Saturday, December 1, 2012
Review: "Match Point" Goes for the Fatal Attraction (Happy B'day, Woody Allen)
Match Point (2005)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – R for some sexuality
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Woody Allen
PRODUCERS: Letty Aronson, Lucy Darwin, and Gareth Wiley
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Remi Adefarasin
EDITOR: Alisa Lepselter
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA with elements of romance and thriller
Starring: Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, Emily Mortimer, Matthew Goode, Brian Cox, Penelope Wilton, and Colin Salmon
The subject of this review is Match Point, a 2005 dramatic thriller from director Woody Allen. The film was originally to be set in the Hamptons, but the setting was changed to London because the financing for the film came from sources based in the United Kingdom. Match Point follows a former tennis pro and his volatile relationship with a femme fatale.
Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), a tennis pro who recently left the professional ranks, takes a job as a tennis instructor at a high society social club near London. There, he meets and strikes up a friendship with Tom Hewett (Matthew Goode), the only son of a wealthy family from the British upper crust. Chris also meets Tom’s fiancé, Nola Rice (Scarlett Johansson), this movie’s femme fatale (so to speak) and an American actress struggling with her career in London. Chris also attracts the eye of Tom’s sister, Chloe (Emily Mortimer), who is immediately attracted to Chris. Chloe practically throws herself at Chris, but it has benefits. Tom and Chloe’s father, Alec Hewett (Brian Cox), a very wealthy and highly connected businessman, takes an immediate liking to Chris. Before long, Alec’s connections have landed Chris a cushy business job, and Chris social climbs his way to improved social status and finances, especially for a man who grew up a poor Irish boy. Chris marries Chloe. However, Chris is infatuated with Nola, and they have an affair that lasts even after Tom’s dumps her, and Nola is a very demanding woman. She wants Chris to leave Chloe for her, and Chris begins to wonder if violence is the only way out of his predicament.
Woody Allen earned his fourteenth Oscar nomination for screenwriting (more than anyone else and all of them “Written Directly for the Screen”) with his only film shot entirely in Great Britain, Match Point. Match Point, also his longest film, is almost the typical Woody Allen film except that this is a straight drama with no comedic elements (one of the few times he’s done that and the first time since the late 1980’s). As per usual, there is a philandering husband and a mistress, but the mistress Nola’s rage has an edge to it that a comic narrative would temper. There are class differences among the characters, except the disparity here between the pair of Chris and Nola and the Hewett’s is a chasm. There is an unhappy marriage, except in this film the husband is totally to blame and an idiot. Chloe is great to Chris, and she and her family throw wealth and privilege at him that could have easily gone to someone who was already in Chloe’s social set. Finally, Allen, as always, discusses philosophy in his movie, but in the case of Match Point’s drama, the philosophy isn’t meandering. Chris’ belief that luck is more important than hard work, as important as he believe hard work indeed is, defines this film. There’s no mock comic philosophizing here as there sometimes is in an Allen movie.
The acting is good, but not great. I’ve come to accept that Scarlett Johansson is beautiful (though not “classically” beautiful), and that while she looks good on the screen, she doesn’t have major acting chops. Her best acting is done with her face and not with her voice, in particularly delivering dialogue. She also has zero chemistry with Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in this flick, and their passion has a hollow ring – an almost fatal flaw in the film. Match Point, however, is predicated on some of Woody Allen’s strengths: intimate character drama and constructive dialogue that moves the narrative and reveals character and motivation.
For Woody Allen fans, this is a rare treat – a Woody drama. For everyone else, Match Point is Fatal Attraction with a bit more brains and less glossy exploitation, but it’s still full of tawdry fun.
7 of 10
A-
NOTES:
2006 Academy Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Woody Allen)
2006 Golden Globes, USA: 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Woody Allen), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Scarlett Johansson), “Best Screenplay - Motion Picture” (Woody Allen)
Thursday, May 4, 2006
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
"Need for Speed" Video Game to Become 2014 Film
Emmy Winner Aaron Paul to Play Lead in DreamWorks Studios’ “Need for Speed”
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aaron Paul has been cast to play the lead in DreamWorks Studios action film “Need for Speed,” it was announced today by DreamWorks’ President of Production, Holly Bario. Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”) is attached to direct, and the project has a target production start date for early next year and a theatrical release on February 7, 2014.
"We are huge fans of Aaron's and his stellar work on 'Breaking Bad.' We couldn't be more excited to have him headline our cast for 'Need for Speed,’” said Holly Bario, President of Production, DreamWorks Studios.
"Need for Speed is one of the most action-packed entertainment experiences you can find," said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President, Electronic Arts. "The newest game, ‘Need for Speed Most Wanted’ and the upcoming film take the action to all new heights. Like the game series itself, the cast for the movie needs to be edgy and cool. Aaron Paul is a rising star -- a great choice for the film lead. We're looking forward to announcing the rest of the actors that will bring this racing franchise to the big screen."
Aaron Paul is a two-time Emmy winner for his breakthrough performance on the television series “Breaking Bad.” Paul’s other credits include “Smashed,” “The Last House on the Left,” “Mission: Impossible III,” and HBO’s “Big Love.”
DreamWorks acquired the feature film rights to EA’s popular video game franchise earlier this year. George Gatins and John Gatins developed the original story with George writing the feature’s screenplay. The screenplay is based on the “Need for Speed” series, but is not based on an individual game. John Gatins, Mark Sourian and EA’s Patrick O’Brien will produce.
The film adaptation will be a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise. In “Need for Speed,” the cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story keeps players at the edge of their seat.
“Need for Speed” is one of the biggest and most successful franchises in the video game industry, having sold more than 150 million units worldwide and generating an estimated $4 billion in revenue. The next blockbuster release in the series is “Need for Speed Most Wanted” - the most socially-connected game of this generation, launching October 30, 2012.
Aaron Paul is represented by United Talent Agency (UTA) and Loch Powell of Leverage Management. EA is also repped by UTA.
About DreamWorks
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aaron Paul has been cast to play the lead in DreamWorks Studios action film “Need for Speed,” it was announced today by DreamWorks’ President of Production, Holly Bario. Scott Waugh (“Act of Valor”) is attached to direct, and the project has a target production start date for early next year and a theatrical release on February 7, 2014.
"We are huge fans of Aaron's and his stellar work on 'Breaking Bad.' We couldn't be more excited to have him headline our cast for 'Need for Speed,’” said Holly Bario, President of Production, DreamWorks Studios.
"Need for Speed is one of the most action-packed entertainment experiences you can find," said Patrick Soderlund, Executive Vice President, Electronic Arts. "The newest game, ‘Need for Speed Most Wanted’ and the upcoming film take the action to all new heights. Like the game series itself, the cast for the movie needs to be edgy and cool. Aaron Paul is a rising star -- a great choice for the film lead. We're looking forward to announcing the rest of the actors that will bring this racing franchise to the big screen."
Aaron Paul is a two-time Emmy winner for his breakthrough performance on the television series “Breaking Bad.” Paul’s other credits include “Smashed,” “The Last House on the Left,” “Mission: Impossible III,” and HBO’s “Big Love.”
DreamWorks acquired the feature film rights to EA’s popular video game franchise earlier this year. George Gatins and John Gatins developed the original story with George writing the feature’s screenplay. The screenplay is based on the “Need for Speed” series, but is not based on an individual game. John Gatins, Mark Sourian and EA’s Patrick O’Brien will produce.
The film adaptation will be a fast-paced, high-octane film rooted in the tradition of the great car culture films of the 70s while being extremely faithful to the spirit of the video game franchise. In “Need for Speed,” the cars are hot, the racing is intense and the story keeps players at the edge of their seat.
“Need for Speed” is one of the biggest and most successful franchises in the video game industry, having sold more than 150 million units worldwide and generating an estimated $4 billion in revenue. The next blockbuster release in the series is “Need for Speed Most Wanted” - the most socially-connected game of this generation, launching October 30, 2012.
Aaron Paul is represented by United Talent Agency (UTA) and Loch Powell of Leverage Management. EA is also repped by UTA.
About DreamWorks
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
DreamWorks Studios Announces New International Partnerships
DreamWorks Studios Announces Initial Strategic Partnerships with Entertainment One, Constantin Film, Nordisk Film and Italia Film
LONDON & TORONTO & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios is pleased to announce that through their newly created collaboration with Mister Smith Entertainment, they have concluded the first of many key partnership deals with independent distribution companies Entertainment One (eOne), announced earlier; Constantin Film; Nordisk Film; and Italia Film; reflecting the previously announced shift in DreamWorks' international strategy.
These deals signal the first phase of DreamWorks' plans to create a network of partnerships for their product across all of Europe, Africa and The Middle East with the top independent distributors. This strategy will provide the Company with additional financial flexibility, while also taking advantage of a burgeoning global market.
"On behalf of Steven and Stacey, we are so excited to be in business with international partners we consider the ‘best of breed’ and a perfect match for our films. Partnering with industry leaders at eOne, Constantin, Nordisk, and Italia, we know our films will be handled with the utmost skill and creativity by their distribution teams. This new network of relationships encapsulates the studio's vision for capitalizing on the growing global marketplace," said Jeff Small, DreamWorks' President and COO.
DreamWorks has entered into multi-year output agreements to distribute the company's films in all media with eOne for the UK and Benelux; with Italia Film for the Middle East; with Nordisk Film for Scandinavia; and with Constantin Film for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Other partnerships will be announced over the days and weeks ahead. DreamWorks’ domestic distributor, The Walt Disney Company, will continue to handle North America, Latin America, Asia, Russia and Australia. Reliance continues to finance production of DreamWorks’ films and hold distribution rights in India.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett commented that the swift conclusion of these very complex deals in Toronto reflects the high level of enthusiasm in the international marketplace for DreamWorks' product and for exploring new ways to collaborate in the arenas of both production and distribution.
Martin Moszkowicz, a member of the executive board of Constantin Film said: "We take great pride in seeing Constantin included among the best distributors in each territory and being part of this strategic distribution partnership for the upcoming DreamWorks films. We look forward to working with the most iconic studio in Hollywood and with such a distinguished and dynamic group of people led by Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small."
"We're thrilled to collaborate with Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider, Jeff Small and the entire DreamWorks team in the UK and Benelux. We’re delighted that their expansion aligns so well with eOne’s strategic international distribution infrastructure. We’re looking forward to working on DreamWorks’ premium slate and sharing many successes in the coming years," said Patrice Theroux, eOne’s President, Filmed Entertainment.
Kenneth Wiberg, Senior Vice President, Nordisk Film said: “We are extremely excited about being in business with a legendary Studio such as DreamWorks led by Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small. This is an extraordinary opportunity to work with some of the most creative and dynamic people in Hollywood and to further expand on our current position as the leading distributor of high quality and commercial films. Combined with our existing Output Deal with Lionsgate and our outstanding position as distributor of Local content it will cement Nordisk Film’s position as a major distributor in the Nordic region in the years to come.”
Italia Film CEO/major Partner, Joseph Vincenti stated: “We are honored and thrilled to have been chosen with the great international Dream-team distribution companies to be part of this new adventure with DreamWorks and Mister Smith Entertainment. We are truly confident that the movie passion, enthusiasm, dynamism, long time experience and professionalism behind Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small can only lead to great cinematographic output & blockbuster titles that will surely top the box office in our region.”
The first film to go into production in the new slate will be the remake of French-Canadian film “Starbuck,” starring Vince Vaughn, which begins principal photography in October 2012 for release in 2013.
About DreamWorks
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company's recent releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo's award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln" starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes Constantin Film's THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare's #1 best-selling book series, currently shooting in Toronto, and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; and the compelling true story 3,096 DAYS based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world. The film is due for release in early 2013.
About Constantin Film
Constantin Film has been synonymous with quality and success for over 30 years. It has played a crucial role in establishing German cinema both nationally and internationally. Between 1977, when Bernd Eichinger established the company, and 2009, when it was integrated into media conglomerate Constantin Medien AG, Constantin Film emerged as the most successful independent production and distribution company in the German media industry. Constantin Film’s operations include German and English language motion picture theatrical production, theatrical distribution, home entertainment distribution, licensing and television production.
Constantin Film’s diverse slate includes box office hits and award-winning films alike, ranging from comic book to literary adaptations, historical dramas, action and genre, among them THE NEVERENDING STORY, THE FANTASTIC FOUR film franchise, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, WICKIE THE MIGHTY VIKING, NOWHERE IN AFRICA, DOWNFALL, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, PERFUME - THE STORY OF A MURDERER, THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS, and the RESIDENT EVIL film franchise. Upcoming films include 3,096 DAYS about real-life kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch and the highly anticipated film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s #1 New York Times Bestseller THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES.
About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 24,000 film and television titles, 2,700 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
About Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film was founded in 1906 and is one of the oldest still operating film companies in the world. Nordisk Film is part of the Egmont Group and the leading Nordic developer, producer and distributor of creative content in films and games. In addition to the output deal with DreamWorks, Nordisk Film has output deals with Lionsgate/ Summit, Relativity Media and Lava Bear. Nordisk Film works closely together with several of the leading production companies in the Nordic region, either as distributor/co-producer or co-owner. In recent years Nordisk Film has launched The Twilight Franchise, The Hunger Games and local blockbusters like the Millennium Trilogy, Easy Money, The Headhunters, A Royal Affair, Kon-Tiki and the recent Susanne Bier film Love is All you Need. Nordisk Film produces or co-produces more than 15 films annually. Nordisk Film and Zentropa own the international sales arm TrustNordisk, which is handling sales on 7 films included in this year’s Official TIFF Program. The titles that participated were Love is All you Need, A Royal Affair, Purge, Blondie, A Hijacking, Call Girl, and The Hunt.
Nordisk Film owns the number one cinema chain in Denmark and holds the Nordic distribution rights to Sony PlayStation. Nordisk Film also supplies production and post-production facilities to a number of Nordic film companies. In 2011, Nordisk Film generated a total revenue of EUR 334 million. The company has app. 1.000 employees in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
About Italia Film:
ITALIA FILM, a privately owned company, is the largest USA/European Independent films Buyer/Distributor for the Middle East in addition to being the Walt Disney Pictures exclusive distributor in the region since 1993. Italia Film has distributed, over the last 4 decades, the biggest Independent movies ever with a an average of 55-60 theatrical releases/year. Its CEO/major Partner: Joseph Vincenti, a pioneer and pillar of the movie industry in the region, has started the company in 1954 for the distribution of Italian films, at that time very popular, and then its activities were extended for the distribution of French and U.S. films. In 1993, Italia Film was appointed as Disney Pictures exclusive sub-distributors in the Middle East. Italia Film, is the only company in the Middle East, releasing the films distributed on a percentage basis with branch offices in each of: Dubai (United Arab Emirates): to supervise the distribution of our films in the Gulf States; Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Omam; Cairo (Egypt): to supervise the distribution of our films in Egypt; Amman (Jordan): to supervise the distribution of our films in Jordan; and Beirut (Lebanon): to supervise the distribution of our films in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan.
Italia Film Masters the distribution & marketing of children, family & Adults oriented movies due to very efficient ATL as well as BTL plans that involve tie-in partnerships, targeted Database & PR activities with schools and various organizations. Italia Film has over the last years been numerously been praised and awarded for its marketing activities by the Independent Companies it distributes as well as by Disney who has also for several years in row named I.F. as: Most Profitable& Biggest Contributor Sub-Distributor Market (Middle East).
LONDON & TORONTO & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios is pleased to announce that through their newly created collaboration with Mister Smith Entertainment, they have concluded the first of many key partnership deals with independent distribution companies Entertainment One (eOne), announced earlier; Constantin Film; Nordisk Film; and Italia Film; reflecting the previously announced shift in DreamWorks' international strategy.
These deals signal the first phase of DreamWorks' plans to create a network of partnerships for their product across all of Europe, Africa and The Middle East with the top independent distributors. This strategy will provide the Company with additional financial flexibility, while also taking advantage of a burgeoning global market.
"On behalf of Steven and Stacey, we are so excited to be in business with international partners we consider the ‘best of breed’ and a perfect match for our films. Partnering with industry leaders at eOne, Constantin, Nordisk, and Italia, we know our films will be handled with the utmost skill and creativity by their distribution teams. This new network of relationships encapsulates the studio's vision for capitalizing on the growing global marketplace," said Jeff Small, DreamWorks' President and COO.
DreamWorks has entered into multi-year output agreements to distribute the company's films in all media with eOne for the UK and Benelux; with Italia Film for the Middle East; with Nordisk Film for Scandinavia; and with Constantin Film for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Other partnerships will be announced over the days and weeks ahead. DreamWorks’ domestic distributor, The Walt Disney Company, will continue to handle North America, Latin America, Asia, Russia and Australia. Reliance continues to finance production of DreamWorks’ films and hold distribution rights in India.
Mister Smith CEO David Garrett commented that the swift conclusion of these very complex deals in Toronto reflects the high level of enthusiasm in the international marketplace for DreamWorks' product and for exploring new ways to collaborate in the arenas of both production and distribution.
Martin Moszkowicz, a member of the executive board of Constantin Film said: "We take great pride in seeing Constantin included among the best distributors in each territory and being part of this strategic distribution partnership for the upcoming DreamWorks films. We look forward to working with the most iconic studio in Hollywood and with such a distinguished and dynamic group of people led by Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small."
"We're thrilled to collaborate with Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider, Jeff Small and the entire DreamWorks team in the UK and Benelux. We’re delighted that their expansion aligns so well with eOne’s strategic international distribution infrastructure. We’re looking forward to working on DreamWorks’ premium slate and sharing many successes in the coming years," said Patrice Theroux, eOne’s President, Filmed Entertainment.
Kenneth Wiberg, Senior Vice President, Nordisk Film said: “We are extremely excited about being in business with a legendary Studio such as DreamWorks led by Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small. This is an extraordinary opportunity to work with some of the most creative and dynamic people in Hollywood and to further expand on our current position as the leading distributor of high quality and commercial films. Combined with our existing Output Deal with Lionsgate and our outstanding position as distributor of Local content it will cement Nordisk Film’s position as a major distributor in the Nordic region in the years to come.”
Italia Film CEO/major Partner, Joseph Vincenti stated: “We are honored and thrilled to have been chosen with the great international Dream-team distribution companies to be part of this new adventure with DreamWorks and Mister Smith Entertainment. We are truly confident that the movie passion, enthusiasm, dynamism, long time experience and professionalism behind Steven Spielberg, Stacey Snider and Jeff Small can only lead to great cinematographic output & blockbuster titles that will surely top the box office in our region.”
The first film to go into production in the new slate will be the remake of French-Canadian film “Starbuck,” starring Vince Vaughn, which begins principal photography in October 2012 for release in 2013.
About DreamWorks
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company's recent releases include "Real Steel," starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg's "War Horse," based on Michael Morpurgo's award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and "The Help," which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg's "Lincoln" starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes Constantin Film's THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare's #1 best-selling book series, currently shooting in Toronto, and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; and the compelling true story 3,096 DAYS based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world. The film is due for release in early 2013.
About Constantin Film
Constantin Film has been synonymous with quality and success for over 30 years. It has played a crucial role in establishing German cinema both nationally and internationally. Between 1977, when Bernd Eichinger established the company, and 2009, when it was integrated into media conglomerate Constantin Medien AG, Constantin Film emerged as the most successful independent production and distribution company in the German media industry. Constantin Film’s operations include German and English language motion picture theatrical production, theatrical distribution, home entertainment distribution, licensing and television production.
Constantin Film’s diverse slate includes box office hits and award-winning films alike, ranging from comic book to literary adaptations, historical dramas, action and genre, among them THE NEVERENDING STORY, THE FANTASTIC FOUR film franchise, THE NAME OF THE ROSE, WICKIE THE MIGHTY VIKING, NOWHERE IN AFRICA, DOWNFALL, THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX, PERFUME - THE STORY OF A MURDERER, THE HOUSE OF SPIRITS, and the RESIDENT EVIL film franchise. Upcoming films include 3,096 DAYS about real-life kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch and the highly anticipated film adaptation of Cassandra Clare’s #1 New York Times Bestseller THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES.
About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a leading international entertainment company that specializes in the acquisition, production and distribution of film and television content. The company's comprehensive network extends around the globe including Canada, the U.S., the UK, Ireland, Benelux, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Through established Entertainment and Distribution divisions, the company provides extensive expertise in film distribution, television and music production, family programming and merchandising and licensing. Its current rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 24,000 film and television titles, 2,700 hours of television programming and 45,000 music tracks.
About Nordisk Film
Nordisk Film was founded in 1906 and is one of the oldest still operating film companies in the world. Nordisk Film is part of the Egmont Group and the leading Nordic developer, producer and distributor of creative content in films and games. In addition to the output deal with DreamWorks, Nordisk Film has output deals with Lionsgate/ Summit, Relativity Media and Lava Bear. Nordisk Film works closely together with several of the leading production companies in the Nordic region, either as distributor/co-producer or co-owner. In recent years Nordisk Film has launched The Twilight Franchise, The Hunger Games and local blockbusters like the Millennium Trilogy, Easy Money, The Headhunters, A Royal Affair, Kon-Tiki and the recent Susanne Bier film Love is All you Need. Nordisk Film produces or co-produces more than 15 films annually. Nordisk Film and Zentropa own the international sales arm TrustNordisk, which is handling sales on 7 films included in this year’s Official TIFF Program. The titles that participated were Love is All you Need, A Royal Affair, Purge, Blondie, A Hijacking, Call Girl, and The Hunt.
Nordisk Film owns the number one cinema chain in Denmark and holds the Nordic distribution rights to Sony PlayStation. Nordisk Film also supplies production and post-production facilities to a number of Nordic film companies. In 2011, Nordisk Film generated a total revenue of EUR 334 million. The company has app. 1.000 employees in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland.
About Italia Film:
ITALIA FILM, a privately owned company, is the largest USA/European Independent films Buyer/Distributor for the Middle East in addition to being the Walt Disney Pictures exclusive distributor in the region since 1993. Italia Film has distributed, over the last 4 decades, the biggest Independent movies ever with a an average of 55-60 theatrical releases/year. Its CEO/major Partner: Joseph Vincenti, a pioneer and pillar of the movie industry in the region, has started the company in 1954 for the distribution of Italian films, at that time very popular, and then its activities were extended for the distribution of French and U.S. films. In 1993, Italia Film was appointed as Disney Pictures exclusive sub-distributors in the Middle East. Italia Film, is the only company in the Middle East, releasing the films distributed on a percentage basis with branch offices in each of: Dubai (United Arab Emirates): to supervise the distribution of our films in the Gulf States; Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Omam; Cairo (Egypt): to supervise the distribution of our films in Egypt; Amman (Jordan): to supervise the distribution of our films in Jordan; and Beirut (Lebanon): to supervise the distribution of our films in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Sudan.
Italia Film Masters the distribution & marketing of children, family & Adults oriented movies due to very efficient ATL as well as BTL plans that involve tie-in partnerships, targeted Database & PR activities with schools and various organizations. Italia Film has over the last years been numerously been praised and awarded for its marketing activities by the Independent Companies it distributes as well as by Disney who has also for several years in row named I.F. as: Most Profitable& Biggest Contributor Sub-Distributor Market (Middle East).
Friday, September 14, 2012
DreamWorks Plans to Make "Shadow and Bone" Movie
DreamWorks Studios Acquires Feature Film Rights to the Novel “Shadow and Bone”
David Heyman to Produce Young Adult Adaptation
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has acquired the feature film rights to Leigh Bardugo’s debut novel “Shadow and Bone,” it was announced today by Holly Bario, President of Production at the studio. The young adult fantasy was published in June 2012 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and is the first in a planned three book series, called the Grisha Trilogy. David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films, will produce along with "Up in the Air" producer Jeffrey Clifford.
In “Shadow and Bone,” a young woman must learn to control her newly discovered power in order to save her country from the Shadow Fold, a creature-filled darkness that threatens to overrun the land.
Said Holly Bario, “At DreamWorks, we are always looking for great stories, and with Leigh’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ we found not just a fantastic story, but one set in a mystical and fascinating world that will translate well to the big screen. We are excited to begin adapting this book and look forward to working with David Heyman who has unparalleled proven success in this genre.”
Said Leigh Bardugo, “I can't think of a better home for ‘Shadow and Bone.’ From moment one, I knew the story would be in great hands, and I'm truly thrilled."
Said David Heyman, “’Shadow and Bone’ is a riveting and wholly original adventure set in a breathtakingly imaginative world. I am thrilled to be working with the DreamWorks team and incredibly grateful to Leigh Bardugo for giving us the opportunity to bring her work to the screen.”
“Shadow and Bone” debuted on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list with Bardugo being one of the few first-time authors to make that list this year. The book has been selling consistently since its June 5th publishing date and Macmillan recently went back for a third printing at the end of July. Amazon also selected “Shadow and Bone” as both an adult and children’s Book of the Month pick and is the only title to have that distinction.
Internationally, the book was released simultaneously in the United Kingdom with ten more territories scheduled for release over the next year. The next book in the series, “Siege and Storm,” is scheduled for release in June 2013 with the third installment coming in summer 2014.
Bardugo is repped by Joanna Volpe and Pouya Shahbazian at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. and Melissa Rogal at Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman, Inc.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives in Hollywood, where she indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as a makeup artist. Occasionally, she can be heard singing with her band, Captain Automatic. Read more about Leigh and the world of the Grisha at www.leighbardugo.com.
David Heyman to Produce Young Adult Adaptation
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has acquired the feature film rights to Leigh Bardugo’s debut novel “Shadow and Bone,” it was announced today by Holly Bario, President of Production at the studio. The young adult fantasy was published in June 2012 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and is the first in a planned three book series, called the Grisha Trilogy. David Heyman, who produced the Harry Potter films, will produce along with "Up in the Air" producer Jeffrey Clifford.
In “Shadow and Bone,” a young woman must learn to control her newly discovered power in order to save her country from the Shadow Fold, a creature-filled darkness that threatens to overrun the land.
Said Holly Bario, “At DreamWorks, we are always looking for great stories, and with Leigh’s ‘Shadow and Bone’ we found not just a fantastic story, but one set in a mystical and fascinating world that will translate well to the big screen. We are excited to begin adapting this book and look forward to working with David Heyman who has unparalleled proven success in this genre.”
Said Leigh Bardugo, “I can't think of a better home for ‘Shadow and Bone.’ From moment one, I knew the story would be in great hands, and I'm truly thrilled."
Said David Heyman, “’Shadow and Bone’ is a riveting and wholly original adventure set in a breathtakingly imaginative world. I am thrilled to be working with the DreamWorks team and incredibly grateful to Leigh Bardugo for giving us the opportunity to bring her work to the screen.”
“Shadow and Bone” debuted on the New York Times’ Best Sellers list with Bardugo being one of the few first-time authors to make that list this year. The book has been selling consistently since its June 5th publishing date and Macmillan recently went back for a third printing at the end of July. Amazon also selected “Shadow and Bone” as both an adult and children’s Book of the Month pick and is the only title to have that distinction.
Internationally, the book was released simultaneously in the United Kingdom with ten more territories scheduled for release over the next year. The next book in the series, “Siege and Storm,” is scheduled for release in June 2013 with the third installment coming in summer 2014.
Bardugo is repped by Joanna Volpe and Pouya Shahbazian at New Leaf Literary & Media, Inc. and Melissa Rogal at Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler & Feldman, Inc.
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, grew up in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she lives in Hollywood, where she indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as a makeup artist. Occasionally, she can be heard singing with her band, Captain Automatic. Read more about Leigh and the world of the Grisha at www.leighbardugo.com.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Google Play and Steven Spielberg Host "Lincoln" Sept. 13th
You’re Invited to a Google Play Hosted Hangout with Director Steven Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt for the World Premiere of the “Lincoln” Trailer on September 13th
First-Time-Ever Event Will Be Broadcast Live in Times Square
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures and Google Play announced today that they will debut the theatrical trailer for “Lincoln” during a Google+ Hangout on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at 4 p.m. PT.
The event will also feature a live conversation with Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who portrays Robert Todd Lincoln in the highly anticipated film slated for release in November.
The “Lincoln” trailer will be the first film trailer to launch during a Google+ Hangout, which allows people to connect face-to-face-to-face via group video chat. In another first, the Hangout will also be broadcast live on the ABC SuperSign in the heart of New York City’s Times Square.
The Hangout is being hosted by Google Play, which boasts the world’s largest collection of ebooks and is home to millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and a growing selection of magazines. Not to mention over 600,000 apps and games.
Fans interested in participating are asked to upload a short video to their own YouTube channel with the #LincolnHangout tag explaining who they are, why they are interested in “Lincoln” and what they would like to ask Spielberg and Gordon-Levitt about the film.
To learn more about the submission process and about how to tune in to this live Hangout, visit www.lincolnmoviehangout.com.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln” is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, based in part on the book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The DreamWorks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox film, in association with Participant Media, releases in U.S. theaters exclusive on November 9, 2012, with expansion on November 16, 2012.
First-Time-Ever Event Will Be Broadcast Live in Times Square
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Pictures and Google Play announced today that they will debut the theatrical trailer for “Lincoln” during a Google+ Hangout on Thursday, September 13, 2012, at 4 p.m. PT.
The event will also feature a live conversation with Spielberg and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who portrays Robert Todd Lincoln in the highly anticipated film slated for release in November.
The “Lincoln” trailer will be the first film trailer to launch during a Google+ Hangout, which allows people to connect face-to-face-to-face via group video chat. In another first, the Hangout will also be broadcast live on the ABC SuperSign in the heart of New York City’s Times Square.
The Hangout is being hosted by Google Play, which boasts the world’s largest collection of ebooks and is home to millions of songs, thousands of movies and TV shows, and a growing selection of magazines. Not to mention over 600,000 apps and games.
Fans interested in participating are asked to upload a short video to their own YouTube channel with the #LincolnHangout tag explaining who they are, why they are interested in “Lincoln” and what they would like to ask Spielberg and Gordon-Levitt about the film.
To learn more about the submission process and about how to tune in to this live Hangout, visit www.lincolnmoviehangout.com.
ABOUT THE MOVIE
Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook and Tommy Lee Jones, “Lincoln” is produced by Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, with a screenplay by Tony Kushner, based in part on the book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. The DreamWorks Pictures/Twentieth Century Fox film, in association with Participant Media, releases in U.S. theaters exclusive on November 9, 2012, with expansion on November 16, 2012.
Friday, August 31, 2012
DreamWorks Studios Has New Partner, Mister Smith
DreamWorks Studios Partners with Mister Smith Entertainment for International Distribution
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has signed an agency deal with Mister Smith Entertainment, it was announced today by Jeff Small, President and COO at DreamWorks Studios, and David Garrett, CEO at Mister Smith Entertainment. The London-based Mister Smith Entertainment will handle the licensing and servicing of DreamWorks Studios product in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and the deal covers all media.
The Walt Disney Company will continue to manage distribution of DreamWorks’ films in the United States and other territories not covered by Mister Smith Entertainment. DreamWorks’ partner, Reliance, retains distribution of the films in India. The first group of films covered under the deal with Mister Smith includes the untitled Ken Scott project, which begins principal photography in October, and “Need for Speed,” which begins shooting early next year. As previously announced, foreign distribution on upcoming DreamWorks releases “Lincoln” and “Robopocalypse” will be handled by 20th Century Fox, who is also a co-financier on both of those projects.
Said DreamWorks Studios President and COO Jeff Small, “David has a proven track record, and his years of experience in building Summit International will help us in this next step of growing our business. This partnership allows us to best capitalize on the expanding global marketplace and generate foreign sales as a revenue source. We appreciate Disney’s continued support of our company and our ongoing partnership.”
Said Mister Smith Entertainment’s CEO David Garrett, “I am incredibly excited to be working with Stacey, Steven, Jeff and the DreamWorks team. I could not hope to be working with a more exceptionally talented and delightful group of people, and I hope that we will find a way of creating new and exciting synergies together, in the ever-changing international landscape. DreamWorks also have a very compelling, original and diverse slate of pictures in development, which is wonderfully refreshing. We also hugely look forward to working with the Disney team, who have been so supportive of DreamWorks' new strategy.”
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes Constantin Film’s THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare’s #1 best-selling book series, currently shooting in Toronto, and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; and the compelling true story 3,096 DAYS based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world. The film is due for release in early 2013.
LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--DreamWorks Studios has signed an agency deal with Mister Smith Entertainment, it was announced today by Jeff Small, President and COO at DreamWorks Studios, and David Garrett, CEO at Mister Smith Entertainment. The London-based Mister Smith Entertainment will handle the licensing and servicing of DreamWorks Studios product in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and the deal covers all media.
The Walt Disney Company will continue to manage distribution of DreamWorks’ films in the United States and other territories not covered by Mister Smith Entertainment. DreamWorks’ partner, Reliance, retains distribution of the films in India. The first group of films covered under the deal with Mister Smith includes the untitled Ken Scott project, which begins principal photography in October, and “Need for Speed,” which begins shooting early next year. As previously announced, foreign distribution on upcoming DreamWorks releases “Lincoln” and “Robopocalypse” will be handled by 20th Century Fox, who is also a co-financier on both of those projects.
Said DreamWorks Studios President and COO Jeff Small, “David has a proven track record, and his years of experience in building Summit International will help us in this next step of growing our business. This partnership allows us to best capitalize on the expanding global marketplace and generate foreign sales as a revenue source. We appreciate Disney’s continued support of our company and our ongoing partnership.”
Said Mister Smith Entertainment’s CEO David Garrett, “I am incredibly excited to be working with Stacey, Steven, Jeff and the DreamWorks team. I could not hope to be working with a more exceptionally talented and delightful group of people, and I hope that we will find a way of creating new and exciting synergies together, in the ever-changing international landscape. DreamWorks also have a very compelling, original and diverse slate of pictures in development, which is wonderfully refreshing. We also hugely look forward to working with the Disney team, who have been so supportive of DreamWorks' new strategy.”
About DreamWorks Studios
DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include “Real Steel,” starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Shawn Levy, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award nominations with Octavia Spencer winning one for Best Supporting Actress. Its upcoming releases include Spielberg’s “Lincoln” starring Daniel Day-Lewis.
DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.
About Mister Smith Entertainment
Led by CEO David Garrett, Mister Smith Entertainment is involved in the financing, co-financing and licensing of high-quality mainstream feature films and filmmaker driven movies for the global market. The company is a joint venture between Garrett and Constantin Film. Mister Smith Entertainment's current film slate includes Constantin Film’s THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, the first film in the highly anticipated action fantasy franchise based on Cassandra Clare’s #1 best-selling book series, currently shooting in Toronto, and scheduled for release in August 2013 through Screen Gems; and the compelling true story 3,096 DAYS based on the autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, the Austrian girl who was held captive for over 8 years and whose escape made headlines around the world. The film is due for release in early 2013.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
TNT and Dark Horse Announce "Falling Skies: Season 2" Comics
TNT and Dark Horse Comics have partnered again for the Falling Skies season two digital comic. The comic will be available beginning April 18 on FallingSkies.com and Dark Horse Digital. TNT’s epic drama Falling Skies, basic cable’s number-one new series of last year, chronicles the chaotic aftermath of an alien attack that has left most of the world completely incapacitated. Season two will premiere with back-to-back episodes on Sunday, June 17, at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).
Dark Horse Comics began working with TNT over a year ago, publishing a free webcomic prequel to Falling Skies. The inaugural comic quickly sold out and was a fan favorite in advance of the series premiere. The upcoming digital comic series, Falling Skies: The Battle of Fitchburg, chronicles what happens to the Second Mass in the three months between when season one ends and season two picks up. With an army of skitters closing in, and the group sustaining heavy losses, the Second Mass shields itself in an armory in Fitchburg ready to finish the battle once and for all. Falling Skies: The Battle of Fitchburg will be released as free eight-page, biweekly comics featuring art by Juan Ferreyra (Rex Mundi) and scripts by Paul Tobin (Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four, Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man). Fans can get a sneak peek of the animated trailer by visiting EW’s Shelf Life!
This season will continue its extraordinary story about life and survival in the wake of a catastrophic alien invasion. Noah Wyle (ER) stars as Tom Mason, a former college professor and father of three, who has become an unlikely leader for the Second Massachusetts civilian resistance group. Falling Skies comes to TNT from DreamWorks Television and is executive produced by Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank. Remi Aubuchon, Greg Beeman, and Robert Rodat are also executive producers. Fans can find the latest Falling Skies news online at FallingSkies.com and via @FallingSkiesTNT on Twitter.
In its debut season, TNT’s Falling Skies averaged more than 6.9 million viewers, 3.3 million adults 18–49 and 3.7 million adults 25–54 to rank as basic cable’s number-one new series of 2011. On the international front, Falling Skies premiered in more than 115 global markets, achieving hit status in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Latin America, among others. The premiere of Falling Skies also ranks as the biggest series launch ever for TNT networks in Spain, Germany, and Austria.
About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 99 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Emmy® winner Kyra Sedgwick; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Falling Skies, starring Noah Wyle; Franklin & Bash, with Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Breckin Meyer; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Southland, from Emmy-winning producer John Wells, as well as the upcoming series Major Crimes, Dallas, Perception and The Great Escape. TNT also is the cable home to powerful dramas like The Mentalist, Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and, starting this year, Castle; primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; blockbuster movies; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR, the NBA and the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship. TNT is available in high-definition.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news; entertainment; animation and young adult; and sports media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and best-selling prose author Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and the Occultist. Additionally, its highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan the Barbarian, Mass Effect, Serenity, and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry’s leading publisher of licensed material.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Review: "The Island" Floats on Ewan McGregor (Happy B'day, Michael Bay)
The Island (2005)
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexuality, and language
DIRECTOR: Michael Bay
WRITERS: Caspian Tredwell-Owen and Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci; from a story by Caspian Tredwell-Owen
PRODUCERS: Walter F. Parkes, Ian Bryce, and Michael Bay
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Mauro Fiore
EDITOR: Paul Rubell
SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ethan Phillips, Brian Stepanek, Noa Tishby, and Mark Christopher Lawrence
The Island is a 2005 science fiction film and action movie from director Michael Bay. The movie follows the struggles of a young man to fit into the highly regimented world in which he lives. Then, he learns a shocking secret about that world and about himself that sends him on a race to freedom.
In the mid-21st century, Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) and Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) are among the hundreds of residents living in a self-contained facility because, they are told, the world outside is contaminated due to an ecological disaster that took the lives of everyone on the planet, leaving the residents (for the most part) the only remaining humans. The facility’s environment is carefully controlled, and everything about Lincoln and Jordan’s day-to-day lives, like that of all the facilities residents, is monitored, seemingly for their own good, by a security staff and a team of doctors and scientists. The only way out for the residents—and the hope they all share—is to be chosen to go to The Island, reportedly the last uncontaminated spot in the world.
Lincoln is restless because of the unexplained nightmares that have recently plagued him, and he increasingly questions the restrictions placed on his life, even sharing his concerns with the head of the facility, Merrick (Sean Bean). For instance, Lincoln wonders why can the residents go to the Island, and the facility’s security and administration can’t. He is, however, unprepared for the truth when his growing curiosity leads to the terrible discovery that everything about his existence is a lie, that The Island is a cruel hoax…and that he, Jordan and everyone they know are actually more valuable dead than alive. With time running out, Lincoln and Jordan make a daring escape to the outside world they’ve never known. However, Merrick cannot afford the truth of his activities to get out. He hires a team of mercenaries, led by Albert Laurent (Djimon Hounsou), to hunt down Lincoln and Jordan – return them or kill them. With the forces of the institute relentlessly pursuing them, Lincoln and Jordan have one overriding concern, to live.
The Island is the latest film from director Michael Bay, who gave us Bad Boys II in 2003, but is best known for such films as The Rock and Armageddon. The Island is divided into two halves making it almost like two films. The first is a futuristic, dystopian tale set in a complex that protects people from the allegedly dead world outside, which is poisonous to humans. The second film (or half) is an action movie, with the usual Bay histrionics; imagine the car and helicopter chases in the Bad Boys franchise, in particular the over-the-top freeway car chase in Bad Boys II. Better yet: if you remember the film, Logan’s Run, or the novel upon which it’s based; then, you may recognize The Island as a kind of action movie/video game remake or re-imagining of Logan’s Run.
The film hardly touches the scientific and philosophical issues it raises (cloning; what does it mean to be human; and freedom) merely as window dressing for a big-budget Hollywood shoot out with the requisite hysterical car chase/car wrecks/automobile destruction scenes. Perhaps, the writers and director don’t have to really dig too deeply; just the idea of cloning and using clones as spare body parts for “regular” humans is creepy and nausea inducing as it is. But wouldn’t it have been nice for the film to make an effort to emphasize ideas over cinema of sensations and thrills? The design of the futuristic Los Angeles cityscape looks as if no one really bothered to put much thought into how L.A. will look in 50 years. Steven Spielberg put way much more effort in imagining the future for Minority Report, and that movie is set in a time much closer to our own than the one in The Island.
Scarlett Johansson is almost dead on arrival – too much like a machine, cold and aloof as if she mistakenly believes that she’s playing a cyborg killer in one of The Terminator movies. Ewan McGregor, on the other hand, is a movie star; he is a good actor, but he’s a great movie actor. The screen loves him, and he always seems to create the perfect film character – except in the Star Wars prequel, where he was just another film element for George Lucas to manipulate; he wasn’t allowed the freedom to build a movie character. Here, he does have the freedom to gradually build Lincoln into the kind of rebellious hero who questions the status quo of the world around him, the kind of hero through which we vicariously live as he fights his way to a satisfactory resolution. Hooray for Ewan; he makes this film. He saves it from Michael Bay’s intentions gone wrong.
6 of 10
B
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