Announcing Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson U.S. Speaking Tour
Best-Selling Author and Host of COSMOS to Appear in LA, D.C., Chicago and More Tickets On Sale June 13
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Innovation Arts & Entertainment is proud to announce that Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, the Host of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Best Selling Author, and the Director of the Hayden Planetarium, will be appearing on a six-city U.S. speaking tour. The tour will be produced by Innovation Arts and Entertainment. Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has guided the Ship of the Imagination to transport viewers to the nucleus of an atom, and the farthest reaches of the universe as he explores humanity’s quest for understanding. The tour begins January 26, 2015 in Madison, WI, with dates also confirmed at Los Angeles’ Pantages Theatre and Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, among others.
Tickets are on sale Friday, June 13 and available at www.NeildeGrasseTysonLive.com.
Each family-friendly event features an engaging multi-media presentation bringing the expanses of modern science direct to audience members, and engages them in a Q&A that rivals the presentation itself. In the past, he’s been asked a myriad of questions about everything from television appearances and space elevators to parenting advice. He often takes questions from children since he is fascinated with young ones who are interested in science.
The New York City native is host of StarTalk Radio and FOX’s Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (season finale airs June 8); he is a New York Times bestselling author of 10 books and is also a frequent guest on The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. President Bush appointed Tyson in 2001 and 2004 to serve on commissions studying the future of the U.S. aerospace industry and the implementation of the U.S. space exploration policy, respectively. Tyson is also the recipient of 18 honorary doctorates and the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal, the highest award given by NASA to non-government citizens.
For more information and tickets, visit www.NeildeGrasseTysonLive.com
A confirmed list of tour dates follows:
City - Date - Venue
Madison, WI - Monday, January 26 - Overture Center
Chicago, IL - Tuesday, January 27 - Auditorium Theatre
Denver, CO - Friday, January 30 - Temple Hoyne Buell
Los Angeles, CA - Monday, February 09 - Pantages Theatre
San Francisco, CA - Tuesday, February 10 - Orpheum Theatre
Washington D.C. - Thursday, February 26 - DAR Constitution Hall
More dates and cities will be announced in the coming weeks.
Innovation Arts & Entertainment (IAE) is a boutique producer of unique live entertainment experiences featuring intelligent, articulate, and engaging artists and authors. IAE is proud to be currently producing the United States book tour for Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Current and past tours featured David Sedaris, Anthony Bourdain, Garrison Keillor, & William Shatner to audiences across North America.
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Tuesday, June 10, 2014
2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco Kicks Off July 19th, 2014
2014 JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO LAUNCHES JULY 19th TO OFFER SPECIAL BAY AREA PREMIERES OF THE BEST IN NEW JAPANESE CINEMA
Week-Long Film Festival Launches At NEW PEOPLE Cinema In Conjunction With 2014 J-POP SUMMIT And Offers Exciting First-Run Titles, Special Guests Of Honor And Other Unique Content; Advance Tickets On Sale Now
The 2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, the only fully-dedicated annual Japanese film celebration for the S.F. Bay Area, returns for its second consecutive year and kicks off during the 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival. Set to open on Saturday, July 19th and running thru Sunday, July 27th, the Japan Film Festival of San Francisco (JFFSF) will showcase a variety of unique programs, many as first-run U.S. premieres.
The 2014 JFFSF takes place at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema, located inside the NEW PEOPLE J-POP entertainment complex at 1746 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94115. Tickets are $15.00 for most films, unless otherwise noted. Film summaries, trailers, screening times and advance tickets are available at: www.JFFSF.org.
The Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is presented in conjunction with the 2014 J-POP Summit, taking place Saturday July 19th and Sunday July 20th across the city’s historic Japantown district to celebrate the phenomenon of Japanese pop culture with a colorful array of live bands and artists, film premieres, edgy fashion shows, a J-pop dance and singing contest, celebrity appearances and more. Full details are available at www.J-POP.com.
Special film screenings taking place during J-POP SUMMIT include J-POP Splash! 2014, a FREE cinema event presented by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco featuring a colorful feast of music videos by some of the hottest J-Pop artists! Also set to screen at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema during J-POP SUMMIT will be Tokyo Short Shorts: A New Generation of 5 Short Films, as well as Count Five To Dream of You and Kotodama: Spiritual Curse, which both star members of the smash hit teen idol pop group Tokyo Girls’ Style, who will perform at J-POP SUMMIT and also host a special audience Q&A following the film screenings.
For the 2014 Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, exclusive live-action programs representing a vivid cross-section of the best in new Japanese cinema will have their exclusive U.S. and/or San Francisco premiere at NEW PEOPLE Cinema. The JFFSF will complement this press release next week with a subsequent announcement detailing an exciting slate of anime feature films also set to receive their U.S. and/or San Francisco premieres.
Special JFFSF Screenings During 2014 J-POP SUMMIT Festival:
COUNT FIVE TO DREAM OF YOU – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 12:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Tokyo Girls’ Style!
Thursday, July 24th, 7:00pm
This year's alluring Guest of Honor, Tokyo Girls’ Style, make their big screen debut taking on the leading parts of this film that takes place at an all-girl private high school where the planning for the beauty pageant is in full swing. The short-lived and unforgettable moments of adolescence that is colored by adoration, impatience and impulses, is brought to life by each student played by the members of Tokyo Girls’ Style.
KOTODAMA: SPIRITUAL CURSE – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 20th, 12:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Tokyo Girls’ Style!
Tuesday, July 22th, 9:15pm
Starring the members from Tokyo Girls’ Style, the story revolves around a high school where students start to gossip about the tragic deaths of former students from a gas accident inside of a mysteriously blocked classroom. Since then, a series of bizarre phenomenon begin to occur. Meanwhile, Hitomi and her friends sneak into an abandoned school for a video shoot without knowing that they are stepping into the underworld.
J-POP SPLASH! 2014
Saturday, July 19th, 2:15pm
Come check out the special FREE event, J-POP Splash! 2014, a flood of music videos presented by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, featuring the hottest J-Pop artists! Enjoy the latest musical acts topping the Japanese pop, rock, and modern charts on the big screen including Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, World Order, Sekai no Owari, Mr. Children, Rip Slyme, and many more! Don't miss special guest DAICHI's live performance as the opening act!
TOKYO SHORT SHORTS; A NEW GENERATION OF 5 SHORT FILMS – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 4:00pm;
Discover the latest big screen talent through a unique collection of five short films taking place in Tokyo and other parts of Japan directed by a new generation of filmmakers. From parallel stories of love unfolding around the world's tallest tower, Tokyo Skytree, to a surreal comedy of a careless death god that pays a visit in the middle of surgery, these shorts are colorful and they warmly applaud life's new beginnings and comebacks.
Additional Japan Film Festival of San Francisco Live-Action Screenings:
ASK THIS OF RIKYU – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 19th, 6:00pm - Featuring Special Appearance by Director Mitsutoshi Tanaka!
Based on the award-winning novel, "Rikyu Ni Tazuneyo," by Kenichi Yamamoto, the film begins with the final days of Rikyu, the tea master with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea" tradition, who was ordered to commit ritual suicide by the chancellor Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Who was Rikyu - who inspired fear in the most powerful man of his time?
BON LIN – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Friday, July 25th, 7:00pm
Director Keiichi Kobayashi's second feature film is a surprisingly pleasant and refreshing road movie about a young couple in Akihabara, the world-renowned holy ground for Otaku culture and anime fandom. Natsuko, a.k.a. BON, an eccentric Boys' Love (BL) and online game nerd girl, heads to Tokyo along with LIN, her longtime game-playmate, in order to save her best friend MIYU, who seems to be suffering from an abusive boyfriend she lives with.
CROWS EXPLODE – U.S. PREMIERE!!!
Thursday, July 24th, 9:00pm; Sunday, July 27th 12:00pm
Based on the popular "school of punk" manga by Hiroshi Takahashi, Crows: EXPLODE boldly ignites the gang wars in the delinquent schoolyards of Japan. The deadly road battle quietly begins when lone wolf Kazeo Kaburagi transfers to the notorious Suzuran High School. He quickly establishes himself as a fearless fighter, though he has no interest in the power struggle that encircles him.
KANZABURO THE MOVIE – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 27th, 4:50pm
This rare documentary features Nakamura KanzaburÅ XVIII, a popular Kabuki actor who died of cancer at the age of 57 in 2012. With nearly 7,000 hours of footage that captured his life journey, the film takes us through his enthusiastic life as one of the greatest Kabuki Actors of our time, and his personal side as a father of two sons succeeding his path as descendants of the family with a long history in Kabuki tradition.
PECOROSS’ MOTHER AND HER DAYS – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 26th, 2:10pm
Based on the autobiographical comic by Yuuichi Okano, this heart-warming comedy depicts a middle-aged comic artist Pecoross's humorous daily life with his hapless mother, Mitsue, who has dementia that began soon after her husband passed away 10 years before. Directed by Azuma Morisaki, the oldest active filmmaker in Japan at the age of 85, the film was critically acclaimed as one of the best movies of 2013 in Japan.
SILVER SPOON – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Tuesday, July 22rd, 7:00pm
Based on the bestselling manga by Hiroshi Arakawa, Silver Spoon centers around an isolated agricultural high school in Hokkaido at the northern end of Japan. Kengo is a freshman with an inferiority complex due to his failure to meet his fathers' expectation. He finds himself to be a misfit among eager students from farmers’ families, but he gradually discovers his own perspective on life through farming and friendship.
A STORY OF YONOSUKE – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Saturday, July 26th, 7:00pm
A Story of Yonosuke is a beautiful endearing film that reminds us of the incredible impact one person can have on the lives of others. Yonosuke, an 18-year old university freshman just moving to Tokyo, attracts people with his loving character. Set in the 80’s, the story is connected to the modern day by four friends of Yonosuke. Each have lost contact with him somehow, but are pleasantly reminded of their time together.
A TALE OF SAMURAI COOKING: A TRUE LOVE STORY – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Friday, July 25th, 9:00pm; Sunday, July 27th, 2:20pm
A once-divorced woman named O-haru remarries into the Funaki family, generations of trusted samurai chefs that serve the lord of the Kaga Domain. Her husband Yasunobu is the young heir of the family, however, his cooking skills and passion aren’t up to par. With the full support of her new mother-in-law, O-haru takes it upon herself to help Yasunobu find his way to become a great chef and maintain pride of his family tradition.
WHY DON’T YOU PLAY IN HELL? – S.F. PREMIERE!!!
Sunday, July 20th, 6:00pm
Why Don't You Play In Hell? is among Sono’s best work as his trademark outrageous-style is infused with his affection for 35mm and Japanese cinema. The Fuck Bombers are an eager group of wannabe filmmakers whose dream of making movies comes crashing down. Circumstances have brought them to this fateful moment where they’ll be able to film Why Don't You Play In Hell?
NEW PEOPLE Cinema is a 143-seat cinema located in the underground floor of NEW PEOPLE in San Francisco. Equipped with a cutting-edge HD digital projection and THX®-certified sound system, NEW PEOPLE Cinema is home for local film festivals and entertaining events. www.newpeoplecinema.com
About JAPAN FILM FESTIVAL OF SAN FRANCISCO
Launched in 2013, Japan Film Festival of San Francisco is the first and only fully-dedicated Japanese film event for the SF Bay Area, will feature a colorful mix of narratives, anime and documentary film premieres and exclusive screenings with special guest appearance at the NEW PEOPLE Cinema in SF Japantown from July 19 (Sat) through 27 (Sun), 2014. More details and ticket information available at www.jffsf.org
About J-POP SUMMIT Festival
Launched in 2009, J-POP SUMMIT Festival is an annual street fair held in San Francisco, CA that celebrates Japanese popular culture. By introducing the latest in Japanese music, film, art, fashion, gaming, anime, food, as well as niche subcultures, the festival has become a prominent platform to showcase the latest pop trends and creative innovations from Japan.
The 5th annual J-POP SUMMIT held in July 2013 welcomed more than 80,000 attendees, making it one of the largest Japanese festivals in the United States. In addition to the original Festival held in Japantown, new attractions include the J-POP LIVE AT UNION SQUARE concert in downtown San Francisco, the Bay Area’s premier dedicated Japan Film Festival of San Francisco, and sake-tasting and fine foods events at the POP GOURMET Food Festival, which have each further enriched the experience. Additional information about J-POP SUMMIT Festival is available at: J-POP.com.
Monday, June 9, 2014
"Edge of Tomorrow" #1 at the Worldwide Box Office
Doug Liman’s Critically Acclaimed Sci-fi Thriller, Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, Takes in $111.1 Million For the Weekend
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow” grossed $111.1 million, making it the weekend’s #1 film internationally and worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
Internationally, the film has been in limited release for 12 days, including Wednesday openings, and debuted in an additional 36 countries over the weekend, earning an impressive $82 million, including outstanding returns in Russia with $8.6 million, China with $25 million, and Korea at $16.6 million. The international cumulative gross now stands at $111 million. On the domestic side, in its first three days of release, “Edge of Tomorrow” has grossed $29.1 million, bringing the worldwide total to $140.1 million and counting.
In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has received terrific critical acclaim, which has been echoed by audiences who have responded to the film and the fantastic performances of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Word-of-mouth is extremely strong, which should continue to drive moviegoers to the theatre, either for the first time or to enjoy the film again.”
Kwan Vandenberg stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has risen above the crowded summer marketplace and continues to gain momentum, from our massive opening in Korea to the incredible results we’ve seen in Russia and China. We congratulate Doug Liman, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and the remarkable filmmakers, cast and crew on reaching this terrific benchmark.”
Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.
The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.
Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.
But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.
Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com
This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
The Motion Picture Academy Celebrates "Arab Cinema Classics"
The Academy Presents Top Arab Films From Dubai International Film Festival's “100 Greatest” List
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will present “Arab Cinema Classics,” a two-day screening series of the best in Arab film on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 21, at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles.
With input from nearly 500 prominent film critics, writers, novelists, academics and other arts professionals, DIFF in 2013 compiled a tally of the 100 greatest Arab films of all time. The Academy will screen three selections from DIFF’s Top 10:
“The Night of Counting the Years” (“Al-Mummia,” 1970)
Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Director Shadi Abdel Salam’s film is based on the true story of the Horabat tribe’s 1881 plundering of pharaohs’ tombs in the ancient city of Thebes. Long unavailable for exhibition, the film was restored in 2009 by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.
“Cairo Station” (“Bab el Hadid,” 1958)
Friday, June 13, at 9:20 p.m.
Directed by the internationally renowned Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine, the film takes place at Cairo’s main railroad station, commonly referred to as the Iron Gate, and offers a tense portrait of life at the margins of Egyptian society.
“West Beirut” (“West Beyrouth,” 1998)
Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m.
With special guest writer/director Ziad Doueiri
This directorial debut of Ziad Doueiri is set in the tumultuous spring of 1975, as the Lebanese Civil War unfolds. Following the lives of two teenagers from the Muslim section of Beirut, the film blends the personal and the historical into a vibrant coming-of-age drama.
The screening series is part of the Academy’s International Outreach initiative, which brings together Academy members representing a range of cinematic crafts with filmmakers and film lovers from around the world.
“The vibrancy of Arab cinema today owes much to the rich legacy and proud history of Arab filmmaking,” said Sid Ganis, chair of the International Outreach Committee. “The Academy is pleased to embrace some of the region’s most influential films and artists through this Los Angeles presentation.”
Tickets for each evening of Arab Cinema Classics is $5 general admission and $3 for Academy members, LACMA Film Club members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased starting June 3 online at www.oscars.org. The Bing Theater is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
ABOUT DIFF
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival in the region. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level, by spearheading the cinema movement in the region. The 11th edition of DIFF will take place from December 10 – 17, 2014. For more and updated information about DIFF, please visit www.diff.ae.
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will present “Arab Cinema Classics,” a two-day screening series of the best in Arab film on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 21, at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles.
With input from nearly 500 prominent film critics, writers, novelists, academics and other arts professionals, DIFF in 2013 compiled a tally of the 100 greatest Arab films of all time. The Academy will screen three selections from DIFF’s Top 10:
“The Night of Counting the Years” (“Al-Mummia,” 1970)
Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Director Shadi Abdel Salam’s film is based on the true story of the Horabat tribe’s 1881 plundering of pharaohs’ tombs in the ancient city of Thebes. Long unavailable for exhibition, the film was restored in 2009 by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.
“Cairo Station” (“Bab el Hadid,” 1958)
Friday, June 13, at 9:20 p.m.
Directed by the internationally renowned Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine, the film takes place at Cairo’s main railroad station, commonly referred to as the Iron Gate, and offers a tense portrait of life at the margins of Egyptian society.
“West Beirut” (“West Beyrouth,” 1998)
Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m.
With special guest writer/director Ziad Doueiri
This directorial debut of Ziad Doueiri is set in the tumultuous spring of 1975, as the Lebanese Civil War unfolds. Following the lives of two teenagers from the Muslim section of Beirut, the film blends the personal and the historical into a vibrant coming-of-age drama.
The screening series is part of the Academy’s International Outreach initiative, which brings together Academy members representing a range of cinematic crafts with filmmakers and film lovers from around the world.
“The vibrancy of Arab cinema today owes much to the rich legacy and proud history of Arab filmmaking,” said Sid Ganis, chair of the International Outreach Committee. “The Academy is pleased to embrace some of the region’s most influential films and artists through this Los Angeles presentation.”
Tickets for each evening of Arab Cinema Classics is $5 general admission and $3 for Academy members, LACMA Film Club members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased starting June 3 online at www.oscars.org. The Bing Theater is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.
ABOUT DIFF
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival in the region. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level, by spearheading the cinema movement in the region. The 11th edition of DIFF will take place from December 10 – 17, 2014. For more and updated information about DIFF, please visit www.diff.ae.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Review "Excalibur" is Epic, Unforgettable (Happy B'day, Liam Neeson)
Excalibur (1981)
Running time: 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER: John Boorman
WRITERS: Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman; from an adaptation by Rospo Pallenberg of Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Alex Thomson
EDITOR: John Merritt with Donn Cambern (no screen credit)
COMPOSER: Trevor Jones
Academy Award nominee
DRAMA/FANTASY/WAR
Starring: Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson, Robert Addie, Gabriel Byrne, Keith Buckley, Katrine Boorman, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, Niall O’Brien, Patrick Stewart, and Clive Swift
The subject of this movie review is Excalibur, a 1981 drama and fantasy film from producer-director John Boorman. The film is mostly based on Le Morte d’Arthur, the 15th century Arthurian romance written by Thomas Malory. Excalibur focuses on Merlin the magician, King Arthur, and Morgana Le Fey. It depicts how Arthur unites a land, creates the Round Table, and builds Camelot, while forces conspire to destroy it all.
John Boorman’s Excalibur is the acclaimed director’s lushly filmed take on the Arthurian legend as adapted from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur. Early in the film, we see Arthur’s illicit conception when his father, King Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne), use magical trickery to seduce, Igrayne (Katrine Boorman), another man’s wife, and impregnates her with the child that would become Arthur. Later, Merlin (Nicol Williamson) claims the infant Arthur as the price Uther must pay Merlin for providing the magical disguise Arthur used to seduce Igrayne.
Later, young Arthur (Nigel Terry) pulls the sword of kings, Excalibur, from a stone, which makes him King Arthur. The film tells the story of the rise of Arthur’s kingdom and the righteous birth of The Knights of the Round Table. Then, things go bad when Arthur’s wife, Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), takes Arthur’s best, bravest, and most favored knight, Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), as her lover. Arthur’s sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), a crafty sorceress, connives until the balance of power shifts from Merlin to her. The film concludes with Arthur’s final battle, this against his son, Mordred (Robert Addie), whom Arthur fathered with Morgana.
Boorman, his screenwriting partner Rospo Pallenberg, cinematographer Alex Thomson (who earned an Oscar nomination for his work here), composer Trevor Jones, and costume designer Bob Ringwood (who earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his work in this film) came together to create an exquisite rendition of the tale of King Arthur and Camelot. The film is full of Christian symbolism, in particularly dealing with Christianity supplanting the old gods and necromancy in favor of men. There is also a lot of sexual subtext, much of it is surprisingly gay; there is lots of man love and admiration of the virility, honor, bravery, and skill of men. Men really admire and love great men in this story, and women, for the most part, are trouble in this film.
Boorman wanted to emphasize the story over the characters in his take on the Arthurian myth, and he uses the stunning visuals to evoke feelings, but to also get the viewer to think about the things for which the stories of King Arthur and his kingdom stand. However, the actors really don’t surrender and play the role of puppets. They play up to the symbolism and imagery. They don’t treat their roles as figurative, but as interpreters of the things that this myth teaches us about the better parts of human nature – humility, charity, bravery, and sacrifice, and an understanding to forgive the trespasses our friends, loved ones, countrymen, and fellow humans make against us and we against them.
In Excalibur, John Boorman composes his scenes and photographic shots as if each were a giant painting, a series of representational works meant to tell a powerful tale about universal ideals. There is something grand in Excalibur, and in spite of its faults: some poor dialogue, the tendency for the film to suddenly take big leaps forward in the narrative time, and Boorman’s assumption that we should be familiar with these characters and their motivations, it succeeds.
8 of 10
A
Monday, May 23, 2005
Updated: Saturday, June 07, 2014
NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Cinematography” (Alex Thomson)
1982 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Costume Design” (Bob Ringwood)
1981 Cannes Film Festival: 1 win: “Best Artistic Contribution (John Boorman) and 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (John Boorman)
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Negromancer News Bits and Bites for June 1 to June 7, 2014 UPDATED #2
News and Miscellaneous:
TMZ has a suite of photos from the Abu Dhabi set of Star Wars: Episode VII. Huffington Post posted all of them in one article, including the following
----------------------------
The Business Insider at Yahoo has a nice article on the children of Jack Kirby and their attempt to get the Supreme Court to here their copyright case against Marvel/Disney.
---------------------------
Variety has news that Will Smith will star in a drama about the NFL's concussion problem. Ridley Scott is one of the film's producer. Peter Landesman will write and direct.
----------------------------
Jared Leto as Doctor Strange a/k/a Stephen Strange in Marvel's Dr. Strange movie? Sinister director Scott Derrickson to direct? Go to Collider. What happened to Johnny Depp as Strange?
----------------------------
"12 Years a Slave" came out in America and that sucked up all the guilt about black people that was available. They were so exhausted feeling guilty about slavery that I don't think there was much left over to be nice about our film. So our film didn't do as well as we'd hoped, which was a bit heartbreaking.
Yes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, William Nicholson, actually said that. [From Hitfix]
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How did James Cameron write three sequels to Avatar simultaneously? Find out at this Slash Film article.
----------------------------
Slash Film also has an exclusive article on Jurassic World. It concerns plot leaks about the film, the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise.
Obits:
Ann B. Davis, the actress who played the housekeeper, Alice, on the television series, "The Brady Bunch," died on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the age of 88. In the 1950s, Davis won two supporting actress Emmys for her role on "The Bob Cumming Show."
TMZ has a suite of photos from the Abu Dhabi set of Star Wars: Episode VII. Huffington Post posted all of them in one article, including the following
----------------------------
The Business Insider at Yahoo has a nice article on the children of Jack Kirby and their attempt to get the Supreme Court to here their copyright case against Marvel/Disney.
---------------------------
Variety has news that Will Smith will star in a drama about the NFL's concussion problem. Ridley Scott is one of the film's producer. Peter Landesman will write and direct.
----------------------------
Jared Leto as Doctor Strange a/k/a Stephen Strange in Marvel's Dr. Strange movie? Sinister director Scott Derrickson to direct? Go to Collider. What happened to Johnny Depp as Strange?
----------------------------
"12 Years a Slave" came out in America and that sucked up all the guilt about black people that was available. They were so exhausted feeling guilty about slavery that I don't think there was much left over to be nice about our film. So our film didn't do as well as we'd hoped, which was a bit heartbreaking.
Yes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, William Nicholson, actually said that. [From Hitfix]
----------------------------
How did James Cameron write three sequels to Avatar simultaneously? Find out at this Slash Film article.
----------------------------
Slash Film also has an exclusive article on Jurassic World. It concerns plot leaks about the film, the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise.
Obits:
Ann B. Davis, the actress who played the housekeeper, Alice, on the television series, "The Brady Bunch," died on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the age of 88. In the 1950s, Davis won two supporting actress Emmys for her role on "The Bob Cumming Show."
Friday, June 6, 2014
Review: "47 Ronin" Lacks Magic
47 Ronin (2013)
Running time: 119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements
DIRECTOR: Carl Rinsch
WRITERS: Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini; from a screen story by Chris Morgan and Walter Hamada
PRODUCERS: Pamela Abdy, Eric McLeod, and Scott Stuber
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John Mathieson
EDITOR: Stuart Baird
COMPOSER: Ilan Eshkeri
HISTORICAL/MARTIAL ARTS/DRAMA/FANTASY
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, Masayoshi Haneda, Hiroshi Sogabe, Takato Yonemoto, Shu Nakajima, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa
47 Ronin is a 2013 samurai action movie and historical fantasy. The film is a fantasy-based, fictional account of the legendary “forty-seven Ronin” and an incident in which they were involved that took place in the early 1700s in Japan.
47 Ronin tells the story through Kai (Keanu Reeves), a half-Japanese, half-English outcast. He lives in the domain of Ako, which is ruled by the benevolent daimyo (lord), Takumi no Kami Asano Naganori (Min Tanaka). Lord Asano found Kai, when he was a child, lost in the forest. Despite being scorned by most people in Ako, including Asano’s samurai, Kai finds deep kinship with Asano’s daughter, Mika (Ko Shibasaki), who loves the half-breed.
Asano is tasked with hosting the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). Lord Kira Yoshinaka (Tadanobu Asano) is also invited, but Kira wants Ako to be merged with his domain, Nagato. Joined by a conniving Witch (Rinko Kikuchi), Kira masterminds a series of events that ruins Asano. The Shogun orders Asano to die with honor though seppuku (ritual suicide).
Lord Asano’s samurai are cast out and become Ronin (samurai without a master). Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of Asano’s men, finds Kai, whom he once despised, and together they plot revenge against Lord Kira. The duo gathers Asano’s former samurai, and soon there are 47 Ronin on a mission to kill Kira. But the ruthless daimyo is more crafty and cunning than these Ronin imagine.
47 Ronin was not exactly a box office bomb, but it reportedly was a money-loser for Universal Pictures. I think Universal Pictures spent around $175 million on a movie that does not know what it wants to be. 47 Ronin looks like an American version of an epic samurai period drama (a “jidaigeki”). At the same time, the film is filled with fantasy and supernatural elements such as yokai (creatures of Japanese folklore) and magic.
I think that at one point, Universal wanted to make 47 Ronin a kind of epic fantasy franchise like the Lord of the Rings films. What the movie studio ended up with was a samurai movie with supernatural elements awkwardly tacked onto it.
47 Ronin is not a bad movie, nor is it a particularly good movie. There are characters, scenes, and sections of the plot that I really enjoyed and even found riveting. One actor I really liked was Hiroyuki Sanada who played Oishi, Lord Asano’s chief counselor. This is really Oishi’s movie; Sanada gives a nice performance filled with delicacy and grace. Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves – intense presence, but wooden delivery of dialogue. So I can recommend 47 Ronin to people who like samurai films, knowing that viewers may have a mixed reaction towards it.
5 of 10
B-
Thursday, June 05, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
"Edge of Tomorrow" Earns Big in Early International Openings
“Edge of Tomorrow” Rises Early in International Openings
BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and directed by Doug Liman, has earned an outstanding $33 million at the box office in early international openings ahead of its June 6 worldwide debut. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
“The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”
“Edge of Tomorrow” had a spectacular opening in Korea, with an estimated KRW 3.9b ($3.8m) on 681 screens, including sneak preview showings. Its Wednesday debut marked the biggest opening of all time for Warner Bros. Pictures in Korea, as well as the fourth biggest opening industry-wide, for that market. The film also opened yesterday at #1 in Denmark and Norway, as well as France, where it was #1 in both admissions and box office even amid strong competition from U.S. product and a popular local comedy.
Kwan Vandenberg said, “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”
The early box office results come on the heels of the film’s groundbreaking worldwide event when, for the first time ever, three fan premieres were held in three different cities—London, Paris and New York—in just one day, “resetting” the red carpet as Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt raced the clock to make each event before time ran out.
Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, noted, “Tom is a huge star globally and has been a phenomenal partner as we’ve introduced this exciting and original adventure to audiences everywhere. The film has been enthusiastically embraced by critics and consumers alike. Tom has gone above and beyond to support the film, traveling all over the world to share it with fans, and these incredible efforts have made a tremendous impact as we gear up to release ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ worldwide.”
Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.
The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.
Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.
But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.
Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com
This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.
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BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and directed by Doug Liman, has earned an outstanding $33 million at the box office in early international openings ahead of its June 6 worldwide debut. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.
“The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”
“Edge of Tomorrow” had a spectacular opening in Korea, with an estimated KRW 3.9b ($3.8m) on 681 screens, including sneak preview showings. Its Wednesday debut marked the biggest opening of all time for Warner Bros. Pictures in Korea, as well as the fourth biggest opening industry-wide, for that market. The film also opened yesterday at #1 in Denmark and Norway, as well as France, where it was #1 in both admissions and box office even amid strong competition from U.S. product and a popular local comedy.
Kwan Vandenberg said, “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”
The early box office results come on the heels of the film’s groundbreaking worldwide event when, for the first time ever, three fan premieres were held in three different cities—London, Paris and New York—in just one day, “resetting” the red carpet as Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt raced the clock to make each event before time ran out.
Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, noted, “Tom is a huge star globally and has been a phenomenal partner as we’ve introduced this exciting and original adventure to audiences everywhere. The film has been enthusiastically embraced by critics and consumers alike. Tom has gone above and beyond to support the film, traveling all over the world to share it with fans, and these incredible efforts have made a tremendous impact as we gear up to release ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ worldwide.”
Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.
The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.
Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.
But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.
The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.
Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com
This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.
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Thursday, June 5, 2014
"Mad Men" Creator Matthew Weiner to Be Honored at 2014 Austin Film Festival
Matthew Weiner to Receive “Outstanding Television Writer” Award at 2014 Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference
“The Writers Festival” announces Panelists for 21st Anniversary, featuring Neil LaBute, Terry George, Cary Fukunaga, William Broyles, Whit Stillman, Michelle Ashford, and more
AFF Screenplay and Film Competitions to include jurors hailing from AMC, The Black List, The Weinstein Company, Oscilloscope, and FilmBuff
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival that recognizes the writers’ and filmmakers’ impact on film and television is thrilled to announce accomplished creator, Executive Producer, writer, and director of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, as the 2014 recipient of the “Outstanding Television Writer” Award. In addition to his television credits, Weiner has written and directed the feature film, Are You Here, which stars Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler. The film will open in theaters on Friday, August 22.
Weiner has been nominated for a total of 11 Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. He won the award for the series pilot, as well as for the Second Season episode, “Meditations in an Emergency”, with Kater Gordon, and for the Third Season episode, “Shut the Door. Have a Seat.” with Erin Levy. Most recently, Weiner won the WGA Award for Best Episodic for the Season Five episode, “The Other Woman,” with Semi Chellas.
Austin Film Festival annually recognizes an Outstanding Television Writer for their contribution to the culture of television. Previous recipients include Vince Gilligan, David Simon, Chris Carter, David Milch, Mike Judge, David Chase, and Mitch Hurwitz.
Weiner joins Distinguished Screenwriter honoree, Jim Sheridan, along with a strong roundup of Panelists confirmed to speak at the 21st annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference such as Neil LaBute (writer/director The Shape of Things), Terry George (writer/director Hotel Rwanda), Whit Stillman (writer/director Metropolitan), Richard Kelly (writer/director Donnie Darko), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (President of Production at Sikelia Productions), Cary Fukunaga (director True Detective), screenwriters behind American Hustle, The Fault in Their Stars, Saving Mr. Banks, and the creators of Fargo, Masters of Sex, Halt and Catch Fire, TURN, and Better Call Saul.
Additional Conference participants include select jurors from AFF’s Film and Screenplay Competitions. Jurors include representatives from AMC, The Weinstein Company, FilmBuff, Sundance Institute, Oscilloscope, The Black List, P.O.V., and Frank Darabont’s production company, Darkwoods Productions.
For a list of confirmed 2014 Panelists, visit www.austinfilmfestval.com. Austin Film Festival and Conference takes place October 23rd through 30th, 2014. Badges and Passes are available for purchase online 24 hours a day at www.austinfilmfestival.com or at 1-800-310-FEST from 10am to 6pm CST.
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft, and business of filmmakers and screenwriters and is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.
“The Writers Festival” announces Panelists for 21st Anniversary, featuring Neil LaBute, Terry George, Cary Fukunaga, William Broyles, Whit Stillman, Michelle Ashford, and more
AFF Screenplay and Film Competitions to include jurors hailing from AMC, The Black List, The Weinstein Company, Oscilloscope, and FilmBuff
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival that recognizes the writers’ and filmmakers’ impact on film and television is thrilled to announce accomplished creator, Executive Producer, writer, and director of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, as the 2014 recipient of the “Outstanding Television Writer” Award. In addition to his television credits, Weiner has written and directed the feature film, Are You Here, which stars Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler. The film will open in theaters on Friday, August 22.
Weiner has been nominated for a total of 11 Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. He won the award for the series pilot, as well as for the Second Season episode, “Meditations in an Emergency”, with Kater Gordon, and for the Third Season episode, “Shut the Door. Have a Seat.” with Erin Levy. Most recently, Weiner won the WGA Award for Best Episodic for the Season Five episode, “The Other Woman,” with Semi Chellas.
Austin Film Festival annually recognizes an Outstanding Television Writer for their contribution to the culture of television. Previous recipients include Vince Gilligan, David Simon, Chris Carter, David Milch, Mike Judge, David Chase, and Mitch Hurwitz.
Weiner joins Distinguished Screenwriter honoree, Jim Sheridan, along with a strong roundup of Panelists confirmed to speak at the 21st annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference such as Neil LaBute (writer/director The Shape of Things), Terry George (writer/director Hotel Rwanda), Whit Stillman (writer/director Metropolitan), Richard Kelly (writer/director Donnie Darko), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (President of Production at Sikelia Productions), Cary Fukunaga (director True Detective), screenwriters behind American Hustle, The Fault in Their Stars, Saving Mr. Banks, and the creators of Fargo, Masters of Sex, Halt and Catch Fire, TURN, and Better Call Saul.
Additional Conference participants include select jurors from AFF’s Film and Screenplay Competitions. Jurors include representatives from AMC, The Weinstein Company, FilmBuff, Sundance Institute, Oscilloscope, The Black List, P.O.V., and Frank Darabont’s production company, Darkwoods Productions.
For a list of confirmed 2014 Panelists, visit www.austinfilmfestval.com. Austin Film Festival and Conference takes place October 23rd through 30th, 2014. Badges and Passes are available for purchase online 24 hours a day at www.austinfilmfestival.com or at 1-800-310-FEST from 10am to 6pm CST.
ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft, and business of filmmakers and screenwriters and is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.
Josh Trank, Director of "Chronicle," to Helm Star Wars Stand-Alone Movie
Josh Trank To Direct Stand-Alone Star Wars Film
June 04, 2014 - In addition to the episodes of a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm and Disney continue development of multiple stand-alone movies that will offer new stories beyond the core Saga. The newest director to come on board is Josh Trank.
"We're thrilled to welcome Josh into the family," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "He is such an incredible talent and has a great imagination and sense of innovation. That makes him perfectly suited to Star Wars, and for this new slate of movies that reach beyond the core characters and storylines of Episodes I through IX."
Trank states, "The magic of the Star Wars Universe defined my entire childhood. The opportunity to expand on that experience for future generations is the most incredible dream of all time."
Trank captured imaginations worldwide with his critically lauded directorial debut Chronicle, a fresh and engaging take on the superhero genre. Trank is currently at work on The Fantastic Four for 20th Century Fox.
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Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Oscar-Winning "Frozen" Team to Present at 2014 Student Academy Awards
Oscar® Nominee Demian Bichir, Adrian Grenier, Nate Parker And Oscar-Winning Filmmaking Team From “Frozen” To Present At 2014 Student Academy Awards®
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Actors Demian Bichir, Adrian Grenier and Nate Parker, along with the writing/directing/producing team of Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck and Peter Del Vecho, who earned Oscars® for “Frozen,” will present at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards on Saturday, June 7, at 6 p.m. at the DGA Theater in Hollywood. The awards ceremony caps a week of industry activities for the 15 student filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad who were selected as winners this year.
Oscar-nominated for his work in the film “A Better Life,” Bichir currently stars in the critically acclaimed television series “The Bridge.” He recently finished shooting his writer-director debut film, “Refugio.” His other feature credits include “Che,” “Savages” and “The Heat.”
Grenier recently wrapped production on the Warner Bros. feature film adaptation of the HBO series “Entourage.” Other acting credits include “Cecil B. DeMented,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Goodbye World,” and “Sex, Death & Bowling," which is due out in 2015. Founder of Reckless Productions, Grenier has also produced and directed such documentaries as “Shot in the Dark," “Teenage Paparazzo” and "How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” and is currently in production on the documentary “52,” which will chronicle the search for the loneliest whale in the world.
Parker was most recently seen in the thriller “Non-Stop” opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. His other feature acting credits include “Red Tails” and “Arbitrage.” His next film, “Blackbird,” is slated for released in November.
Lee, Buck and Del Vecho took home Oscars earlier this year for the Animated Feature Film winner “Frozen,” the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Along with becoming the first female feature director in the history of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lee also wrote the screenplay for “Frozen” and co-wrote the 2012 Oscar nominee “Wreck-It Ralph.” Co-director Buck’s other animated feature credits include “Pocahontas” and “Tarzan,” and he received a 2007 Oscar nomination for “Surf’s Up.” Del Vecho, who produced “Frozen,” also served as a producer on “Winnie the Pooh” and the Oscar-nominated “The Princess and the Frog.”
A complete list of this year’s Student Academy Award® winners can be found here.
Medal placements for each of the five award categories – Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Foreign Film – will be announced at the June 7 ceremony. Gold Medal award winners receive cash grants of $5,000, Silver Medal award winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal award winners receive $2,000.
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
The 41st Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 7 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at www.oscars.org or by mail. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The DGA Theater is located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. For more information, call (310) 247-2677.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Actors Demian Bichir, Adrian Grenier and Nate Parker, along with the writing/directing/producing team of Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck and Peter Del Vecho, who earned Oscars® for “Frozen,” will present at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 41st Student Academy Awards on Saturday, June 7, at 6 p.m. at the DGA Theater in Hollywood. The awards ceremony caps a week of industry activities for the 15 student filmmakers from the U.S. and abroad who were selected as winners this year.
Oscar-nominated for his work in the film “A Better Life,” Bichir currently stars in the critically acclaimed television series “The Bridge.” He recently finished shooting his writer-director debut film, “Refugio.” His other feature credits include “Che,” “Savages” and “The Heat.”
Grenier recently wrapped production on the Warner Bros. feature film adaptation of the HBO series “Entourage.” Other acting credits include “Cecil B. DeMented,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Goodbye World,” and “Sex, Death & Bowling," which is due out in 2015. Founder of Reckless Productions, Grenier has also produced and directed such documentaries as “Shot in the Dark," “Teenage Paparazzo” and "How to Make Money Selling Drugs,” and is currently in production on the documentary “52,” which will chronicle the search for the loneliest whale in the world.
Parker was most recently seen in the thriller “Non-Stop” opposite Liam Neeson and Julianne Moore. His other feature acting credits include “Red Tails” and “Arbitrage.” His next film, “Blackbird,” is slated for released in November.
Lee, Buck and Del Vecho took home Oscars earlier this year for the Animated Feature Film winner “Frozen,” the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Along with becoming the first female feature director in the history of the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Lee also wrote the screenplay for “Frozen” and co-wrote the 2012 Oscar nominee “Wreck-It Ralph.” Co-director Buck’s other animated feature credits include “Pocahontas” and “Tarzan,” and he received a 2007 Oscar nomination for “Surf’s Up.” Del Vecho, who produced “Frozen,” also served as a producer on “Winnie the Pooh” and the Oscar-nominated “The Princess and the Frog.”
A complete list of this year’s Student Academy Award® winners can be found here.
Medal placements for each of the five award categories – Alternative, Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Foreign Film – will be announced at the June 7 ceremony. Gold Medal award winners receive cash grants of $5,000, Silver Medal award winners receive $3,000 and Bronze Medal award winners receive $2,000.
The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar nominations and have won or shared eight awards. They include John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
The 41st Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 7 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at www.oscars.org or by mail. Any remaining tickets will be made available at the door on the evening of the event. The DGA Theater is located at 7920 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. For more information, call (310) 247-2677.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Lupita Nyong'o and Gwendoline Christie Join "Star Wars: Episode VII"
(Lupita Nyong'o (left) and Gwendoline Christie (right); Lupita's photo taken by Alexi Lubomiski for Lancome.)
Star Wars: Episode VII Adds Academy Award Winner Lupita Nyong'o and Game of Thrones' Gwendoline Christie
June 02, 2014 - Lupita Nyong'o joins the recently announced cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. This year, her breakthrough performance in 12 Years a Slave earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Gwendoline Christie, currently starring in the hit television series "Game of Thrones" as "Brienne of Tarth," has also been cast in the production. She can next be seen in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2.
"I could not be more excited about Lupita and Gwendoline joining the cast of Episode VII," says Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy. "It's thrilling to see this extraordinarily talented ensemble taking shape."
Actors John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, and Max von Sydow will join the original stars of the Saga: Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Kenny Baker in the new film.
Star Wars: Episode VII is being directed by J.J. Abrams from a screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan and Abrams. Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk are producing and John Williams returns as the composer. The movie opens worldwide on December 18, 2015.
"Dracula Untold" Hits IMAX Theatres Starting October 2, 2014
Universal Pictures' Dracula Untold(TM) To Be Released Into IMAX® Theatres Worldwide Starting Oct. 2
LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), and Legendary Pictures today announced that Dracula Untold, the origin story of the man who became Dracula, starring Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals), will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) format and released into IMAX(®) theatres internationally starting Oct. 2 and in North America beginning Oct. 17.
Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces this epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.
"Dracula is perhaps the most iconic horror story ever told, and this new twist on this classic tale is sure to appeal to IMAX audiences around the world," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "We're excited to have the opportunity to once again partner with the terrific team at Universal and our long time collaborators at Legendary as we present this exciting film in IMAX."
The IMAX release of Dracula Untold will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAXnXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube(www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
This press release contains forward looking statements that are based on IMAX management's assumptions and existing information and involve certain risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These risks and uncertainties are discussed in IMAX's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
LOS ANGELES, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- IMAX Corporation (NYSE: IMAX; TSX: IMX) and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp. (NASDAQ: CMCSA), and Legendary Pictures today announced that Dracula Untold, the origin story of the man who became Dracula, starring Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Immortals), will be digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX(®) format and released into IMAX(®) theatres internationally starting Oct. 2 and in North America beginning Oct. 17.
Gary Shore directs and Michael De Luca produces this epic action-adventure that co-stars Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper, Diarmaid Murtagh and Samantha Barks.
"Dracula is perhaps the most iconic horror story ever told, and this new twist on this classic tale is sure to appeal to IMAX audiences around the world," said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment and Senior Executive Vice President, IMAX Corp. "We're excited to have the opportunity to once again partner with the terrific team at Universal and our long time collaborators at Legendary as we present this exciting film in IMAX."
The IMAX release of Dracula Untold will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(®) with proprietary IMAX DMR(®) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images, coupled with IMAX's customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio, create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.
About IMAX Corporation
IMAX, an innovator in entertainment technology, combines proprietary software, architecture and equipment to create experiences that take you beyond the edge of your seat to a world you've never imagined. Top filmmakers and studios are utilizing IMAX theatres to connect with audiences in extraordinary ways, and, as such, IMAX's network is among the most important and successful theatrical distribution platforms for major event films around the globe.
IMAX is headquartered in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles, with offices in London, Tokyo, Shanghai and Beijing. As of March 31, 2014, there were 840 IMAX theatres (707 commercial multiplexes, 18 commercial destinations and 115 institutions) in 57 countries.
IMAX®, IMAX® 3D, IMAX DMR®, Experience It In IMAX®, An IMAX 3D Experience®, The IMAX Experience®, IMAX Is Believing® and IMAXnXos® are trademarks of IMAX Corporation. More information about the Company can be found at www.imax.com. You may also connect with IMAX on Facebook (www.facebook.com/imax), Twitter (www.twitter.com/imax) and YouTube(www.youtube.com/imaxmovies).
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Monday, June 2, 2014
Review: "X-Men: Days of Future Past" - Why So Serious?
X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)
Running time: 131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi violence and action, some suggestive material, nudity and language
DIRECTOR: Bryan Singer
WRITERS: Simon Kinberg; from a story by Jane Goldman, Simon Kinberg, and Matthew Vaughn
PRODUCERS: Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Bryan Singer
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Newton Thomas Sigel
EDITOR/COMPOSER: John Ottman
SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore, Omar Sy, Daniel Cudmore, Bingbing Fan, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Evan Peters, Josh Helman, and Anna Paquin
X-Men: Days of Future Past is a 2014 superhero movie from director Bryan Singer. It is 20th Century Fox’s seventh film based Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise. This new movie is a sequel to 2011’s X-Men: First Class and a kind of sequel to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. X-Men: Days of Future Past finds the X-Men of the future sending one of their own into past in a desperate effort to change history and to prevent the destruction of the world for both humans and mutants.
The film opens (apparently) sometime in the third decade of the 21st century. By this time, mutant-hunting machines called Sentinels have wiped out nearly all mutants and also the humans that supported them. The last of the X-Men are about to make a desperate bid to change their apocalyptic future. Charles Xavier/Professor X (Patrick Stewart) concocts a plan that sends the mind of Logan/The Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the past and into the body of his younger self in the year 1973.
In 1973, Logan must contact the younger Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and convince him that they must stop Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) from committing an assassination that will lead to the creation of the Sentinels. However, Wolverine finds that the younger Charles is a mess. Xavier wants no part of his future self’s plan, especially when he discovers that he must cooperate with Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), his dear friend-turned-bitter enemy.
Released in 2011, X-Men: First Class was a combination prequel to the original film, X-Men (2000), and a partial reboot of the franchise. First Class was sparkly, fun, energetic, and even a bit sexy. X-Men: Days of Future Past is ponderous and takes both its subject matter and its plot way too seriously. I liked the film, but I only really enjoyed certain moments and a few characters.
Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Mystique, making the character’s emotions, mission, and anger seem real. Nicholas Hoult is poignant as Hank McCoy/Beast; so much of his performance is restrained. Hoult makes the most of subtle facial expressions, and his expressive eyes convey Beast in a way that gives him weight and depth.
What this film lacks is gravitas. Days of Future Past pretends to be important serious because it metaphorically or symbolically deals with serious and important real world issues. However, the movie is tedious instead of being weighty in any meaningful a way. It is as if this film has so much to cover that it almost ends up sinking under the burden of its moralizing via multiple points of view, characters, and competing timelines.
In fact, after seeing Days of Future Past, I realized that Wolverine is not particularly consequential to the plot, or at least the screenplay does not make him seem so. For what the character does, just about any other X-Men could have made that trip into the past. [In The X-Men comic book story, “Days of the Future Past,” upon which this movie is based, Kitty Pryde travels into the past – the year 1983.] I read a review of this movie in which the writer said that this was a movie about Mystique and Wolverine. In a way, this movie is indeed most about what Mystique wants, and the movie would be better off if it stayed with Mystique longer than it actually does.
Although I like it, X-Men: Days of Future Past is my least favorite X-Men movie. I found the future Sentinels particularly scary and chilling, and Evan Peters as Quicksilver is a blast. Of all the X-Men movies, it has the best production values and the best special effects. It is, however, full of sound and fury, and even in the universe of X-Men movies, it does not signify much of anything.
5 of 10
B-
Saturday, May 31, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
How to Train Your Negromancer, Too (June 2014)
It's June 2014! Welcome to Negromancer 2.0. This is the rebirth of Negromancer, the former movie review website as a new movie review and movie news site.
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All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.
Follow Leroy on Twitter.
All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademark their respective owners.
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Negromancer News Bits and Bites for Saturday, May 31, 2014
The Washington Post began the walk back on Ann Hornaday's May 25th column/rant that blamed in part the recent Isla Vista massacre on the films like those made by Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow. Hornaday responded to the controversy of her original column.
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Actor Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) will apparently play Thanos in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (due August 1, 2014).
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Apparently, Quentin Tarantino left enough of Django Unchained on the cutting room floor that he wants to re-edit the film:
“My idea, frankly, is to cut together a four-hour version of 'Django Unchained,'” he said on Friday. “But I wouldn’t show it like a four-hour movie. I would cut it up into hour chapters. Like a four-part miniseries. And show it on cable television. Show it like an hour at a time, each chapter.”
Tarantino won a best original screenplay Oscar for the film. More at Variety.
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Monsters and Godzilla director Gareth Edwards has apparently signed on to direct one of Walt Disney's Star Wars spinoff films. Garry Whitta (Book of Eli) is writing the script for the spinoff. Which spinoff: no one knows.
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Edgar Wright has apparently left Marvel's Ant-Man movie.
The directors interviewing to replace Wright are Rawson Marshall Thurber (We're the Millers), Adam McKay (the Anchorman movies), and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland)
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Bunny Yeager, the pin-up model turned photographer, died Sunday, May 25, 2014. She was 85. This New York Times obituary gives an overview of her life and work. Yeager famously photographed pin-up queen, Bettie Page, in a leopard-print swimsuit. I recently reviewed the documentary, Bettie Page Reveals All, which has a segment on the Page-Yeager combination.
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Herb Jeffries was a pioneering actor in Westerns that were targeted at African-America. Best known as the "Bronze Buckaroo," Jeffries died Sunday, May 25, 2014, He was 100-years-old.
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Actor Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) will apparently play Thanos in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (due August 1, 2014).
-------------------------
Apparently, Quentin Tarantino left enough of Django Unchained on the cutting room floor that he wants to re-edit the film:
“My idea, frankly, is to cut together a four-hour version of 'Django Unchained,'” he said on Friday. “But I wouldn’t show it like a four-hour movie. I would cut it up into hour chapters. Like a four-part miniseries. And show it on cable television. Show it like an hour at a time, each chapter.”
Tarantino won a best original screenplay Oscar for the film. More at Variety.
-----------------
Monsters and Godzilla director Gareth Edwards has apparently signed on to direct one of Walt Disney's Star Wars spinoff films. Garry Whitta (Book of Eli) is writing the script for the spinoff. Which spinoff: no one knows.
------------------
Edgar Wright has apparently left Marvel's Ant-Man movie.
The directors interviewing to replace Wright are Rawson Marshall Thurber (We're the Millers), Adam McKay (the Anchorman movies), and Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland)
------------------
Bunny Yeager, the pin-up model turned photographer, died Sunday, May 25, 2014. She was 85. This New York Times obituary gives an overview of her life and work. Yeager famously photographed pin-up queen, Bettie Page, in a leopard-print swimsuit. I recently reviewed the documentary, Bettie Page Reveals All, which has a segment on the Page-Yeager combination.
-----------------
Herb Jeffries was a pioneering actor in Westerns that were targeted at African-America. Best known as the "Bronze Buckaroo," Jeffries died Sunday, May 25, 2014, He was 100-years-old.
Review: Ken Watanabe Carries "Letters from Iwo Jima" (Happy B'day, Clint Eastwood)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA; Languages: Japanese/English
Running time: 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – R for graphic war violence
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
WRITERS: Iris Yamashita; story by Iris Yamashita and Paul Haggis (based upon the book Picture Letters from Commander in Chief by Tadamichi Kuribayashi and Tsuyoko Yoshido)
PRODUCERS: Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Lorenz
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Tom Stern
EDITORS: Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach
COMPOSERS: Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens
2007 Academy Award winner
WAR/DRAMA
Starring: Ken Watanabe, Kazunari Ninomiya, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Ryo Kase, Shido Nakamura, Hiroshi Watanabe, Takumi Bando, Yuki Matsuzaki, and Luke Eberl
The subject of this movie review is Letters from Iwo Jima, a 2006 war film from director Clint Eastwood. Set during World War II, the film is almost entirely in the Japanese language and tells the story of the Battle of Iwo Jima from the perspective of the Japanese soldiers. Eastwood also makes contributions to the film’s score which was created by his son, Kyle Eastwood, and Michael Stevens.
Letters from Iwo Jima is director Clint Eastwood’s companion piece to his film, Flags of our Fathers. The films form a two-part examination of the ordinary men who fought on both sides of World War II during the crucial battle for a small island.
As tens of thousands of Allied troops storm Iwo Jima, Japanese General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) knows his men are outnumbered, running low on supplies, and have no hope of troop support or even rescue. The Japanese troops prepare to meet their fate – to die in battle or to die by their own hands. Gen. Kuribayashi and a soldier named Saigo (Kazunari Ninomiya) often pass the time writing letters to their wives, although they realize that the letters may never reach mainland Japan.
Eastwood directs Letters from Iwo Jima with stark simplicity that makes even its bloodiness seem eloquent and the drama never heavy-handed. For a war picture, Letters from Iwo Jima is surprisingly both quiet and thoughtful. Even the battle scenes come across as a time for reflection. If there are still any doubts about Clint Eastwood as a talented director who has the ability to weave intimate character dramas, then, Letters from Iwo Jima should put that hogwash to rest.
Eastwood is also quite good at directing actors and getting strong dramatic turns from both his leads and his supporting cast. Letters’ cast is strong, but Kazunari Ninomiya and Ken Watanabe stand out, in particularly the latter. Watanabe has a regal air about him, but there is substance in all his performances. He’s old Hollywood – a “face,” but he also has the dramatic chops to bury himself in characters and bring them to life.
7 of 10
A-
NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 1 win for “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman); 3 nominations for “Best Picture of the Year” (Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and Robert Lorenz), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Clint Eastwood), and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Iris Yamashita-screenplay/story and Paul Haggis-story)
2007 Golden Globes: 1 win for “Best Foreign Language Film” and 1 nomination: “Best Director-Motion Picture” (Clint Eastwood)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Updated: Saturday, May 31, 2014
The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Angelina Jolie Talks "Maleficent"
Q: What attracted you to the role?
A: I loved Maleficent when I was a little girl; she was my favorite Disney character. I was afraid of her and I loved her. So, when I'd heard rumors that there might be a Maleficent movie, I asked around to find out what was going on. Then I got a call asking if I was interested and I said absolutely. I said I loved the idea of it but I didn't know how one could turn that idea into a film because how could you make a film about somebody who curses a baby and what kind of film is that going to be? I said yes, but I didn't really think they'd be able to figure it out. And then they did.
Q: When you first read the script, what did you think?
A: I was really moved by the script from first reading. It was like uncovering a great mystery. We all know the story of "Sleeping Beauty" and we all know Maleficent and what happened at the christening because we've all grown up with that. But what we've never known is, what happened before?
Q: What are some of the things that we can expect?
A: People will see that she's the same wicked Maleficent. What I loved about the original Maleficent when I was little was that she had a wicked sense of fun. She enjoyed being evil and she reveled in it. She still gets to do that and she will satisfy, hopefully, the people that, like myself, are fans of the original. But you get to learn more about her and how she became evil.
I think that audiences will approach the christening scene differently. When you know what you know about her, by the time you get to the christening, if we've done it right, you may be on her side, which, if we can pull it off, would be extraordinary. Maleficent has a strong sense of justice; she has a strong heart and a strong sense of what she thinks is right and wrong and then she loses her way.
Q: What were some of the ideas you brought to this character?
A: I wanted to make sure we didn't lose her sense of wicked fun because I think it's a very beautiful story. It's kind of a different but classic fairy tale and it has a lot of heart. We want to revel in that and that was very important for me as well as that she was somebody that was relatable.
When I first read the script, I was very moved by it, so I sat my girls down and told them the real story of Maleficent. Then the next day, my little boy got into a fight with one of my daughters because he was saying, "Maleficent's evil. She's scary and she's evil." And my daughter was saying, "You don't understand. You don't know everything." I thought that was very interesting. Don't we all wish we could say, "But you don't know everything. You don't know me completely; you don't see the full picture." So when I heard my little girls defending her, I thought that this would be a character that I would hope that young girls and boys would see and would relate to. I hope the girls, especially, will see the importance of having a sense of justice and a sense of what's fair and what's worth fighting for. They'll see that they can be warriors and at the same time soft and feminine and deeply feeling, with all the complexities women have.
Q: Has your understanding of the character changed since playing her?
A: It changed all the way through the filming because she's taught me a lot. Maleficent is certainly one of the most difficult characters I've ever played because she represents all sides of what it is to be human, even though she is not. She was a very innocent youth with those kinds of qualities that you see in a lot of young people today where they're very passionate about environmental causes or the world or politics. Then she gets beaten down by betrayal and becomes quite dark and loses her humanity completely and then has to find it again.
For me, the journey of playing her has been much heavier, much more emotional, and much more difficult an experience than I expected. There's a part of me that plays big fun roles, but never this big. She's slightly crazy, extremely vibrant, a little wicked and has a big sense of humor, so she's quite full on. It's one of those characters that, for me, you couldn't do halfway.
Q: Tell us who Stefan is in the story and how your relationship changes.
A: Stefan is a human boy who Maleficent meets in the moors when she's young. They become best friends but as they grow up, the way they view the world changes and they have very different opinions. They both, at different times in the story, go very dark. They end up becoming enemies. Maleficent ultimately finds her humanity again and Stefan doesn't.
Q: Tell us who Diaval is.
A: Diaval is the most complicated character to explain. Diaval is a bird that Maleficent turns into a man because she needs someone to fly for her at a certain point. She then uses her powers to turn him into many other things, depending on what she needs. So this character, played by Sam Riley, is, on occasion, a bird, a wolf, a horse, or whatever animal she needs.
I think, especially for children, it's amazing to have this character that transforms into all these different personalities and all these different things. But they have a very bizarre relationship. At first Maleficent's quite controlling over him and then he tries to stand up to her and they bicker a lot. They're like a weird married couple that watches Aurora as she grows up. Maleficent has a disdain for Aurora and everything that she represents and Diaval's a little more nurturing.
Q: What do you hope the film will bring audiences?
A: Everybody involved is hoping to bring audiences the feeling that we've respected the classic film and if they loved the classic, we've tried to bring them what they've remembered and loved about this story. But we've tried to enhance it and also make it beautiful and touching. We hope that audiences care about the characters, Aurora and Maleficent and Stefan and everybody involved; whether they love them or hate them at moments, that somehow they deeply know them and they're deep, good characters.
But we also hope to bring a real world that they've never seen before and also action sequences and everything audiences want in a film. You have to have romance and you have to have action and you have to have stunning sets and you have to have a story you care about and a great script and you have to have surprises and you have to have all of it for it to work.
Q: Tell me about your daughter in the film and how she got the role.
A: There are a lot of different Auroras in the movie. There's a baby Aurora, whom I've shot scenes with. I tried to be as nice as I possibly could, but the way I look as Maleficent just scares babies, so this little, teeny, sweet baby is traumatized by me every time she sees me. She gives this very furrowed brow and then within a matter of minutes she's crying. When crewmembers brought their young kids almost always they would cry and run away from me, so we realized that the only four year old that would probably not run away from me was my own daughter. We had to put Vivienne in the movie because no other little kid would allow me to pick them up because I look so scary.
Q: Has it been fun working with her?
A: It has been fun but it's hard work. Kids want to do a scene once and they want to be done with it. They don't want to wear something that they don't want to wear and they don't want to smile when they don't feel like it. But Vivienne did, in the end, have a good time because we made it fun.
Q: Who are the pixies in the movie?
A: The pixies are three wonderful actresses, extraordinary actresses, who are playing the already famous pixies. You know them by color: the green, pink, and blue. Maleficent has a funny relationship with them because she hates them. I get to banter with them and especially Imelda Staunton, who is Knotgrass. So to actually be dressed in the horns and having my own crazy character moment and having her as a little fairy yelling at me in her crazy moment is one of the best crazy moments I've ever had on film. The three pixies are so funny together and certainly the comedic relief and the joy of the film.
Q: Who is Aurora in this film and what has it been like working with Elle Fanning?
A: Elle is Aurora. From the moment I met her, she is just sunshine. She's a wonderful, sweet, intelligent young woman. Elle's such a capable actress and a very strong person, which is nice because this Aurora is not just in love with the flowers; she is elegant and beautiful and delicate and loving, but she's centered and she's quite an impressive young woman. Elle is bringing all of that and a great deal of emotional depth and her talent, as an actress, has really surprised me. She's great.
ABOUT THE MOVIE:
"Maleficent" explores the untold story of Disney's most iconic villain from the classic "Sleeping Beauty" and the elements of her betrayal that ultimately turn her pure heart to stone. Driven by revenge and a fierce desire to protect the moors over which she presides, Maleficent cruelly places an irrevocable curse upon the human king's newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Aurora is caught in the middle of the seething conflict between the forest kingdom she has grown to love and the human kingdom that holds herlegacy. Maleficent realizes that Aurora may hold the key to peace in the land and isforced to take drastic actions that will change both worlds forever.
The film stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville.
"Maleficent" is produced by Joe Roth and directed by Robert Stromberg, with Angelina Jolie, Michael Vieira, Don Hahn, Palak Patel, Matt Smith and Sarah Bradshaw serving as executive producers. Linda Woolverton wrote the screenplay. "Maleficent" opens in U.S. theaters on May 30, 2014.
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"Maleficent" with Angelina Jolie Now in Theatres
DUBAI, UAE, May 27, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --When Academy Award(R)-winning actress Angelina Jolie got wind that a movie about Maleficent, her favorite Disney character, was going to be made, her interest was piqued.
"I loved Maleficent when I was a little girl," says Jolie. "I was afraid of her and I loved her. So, when I'd heard rumors that there might be a Maleficent movie, I asked around to find out what was going on. Then I got a call asking if I was interested and I said absolutely."
When Jolie read the script, she was moved by it and felt it was like uncovering a great mystery. "We all know the story of 'Sleeping Beauty' and we all know Maleficent and what happened at the christening because we've all grown up with that," comments Jolie. "But what we've never known is, what happened before?"
As to what audiences can expect from Disney's most iconic villain this time around, Jolie says, "People will see that she's the same wicked Maleficent. What I loved about the original Maleficent when I was little was that she had a wicked sense of fun. She enjoyed being evil and she reveled in it. She still gets to do that and she will satisfy, hopefully, the people that, like myself, are fans of the original. But you get to learn more about her and how she became evil."
Explaining how she approached playing Maleficent, Jolie relates, "I wanted to make sure we didn't lose her sense of wicked fun because I think it's a very beautiful story. It's kind of a different but classic fairy tale and it has a lot of heart. We want to revel in that and that was very important for me as well as that she was somebody that was relatable."
Jolie admits that Maleficent is one of the most difficult characters that she has ever played because "she represents all sides of what it is to be human, even though she is not." "For me, the journey of playing her has been much heavier, much more emotional, and much more difficult an experience than I expected," informs Jolie. "There's a part of me that plays big fun roles, but never this big. She's slightly crazy, extremely vibrant, a little wicked and has a big sense of humor, so she's quite full on. It's one of those characters that, for me, you couldn't do halfway."
Describing Maleficent's relationship with Stefan, played by Sharlto Copley, and how that relationship pushes the story forward, Jolie says, "Stefan is a human boy who Maleficent meets in the moors when she's young. They become best friends but as they grow up, the way they view the world changes and they have very different opinions. They both, at different times in the story, go very dark. They end up becoming enemies."
Maleficent can turn her raven Diaval, played by Sam Riley, into a man or any animal that suits her particular purpose. When Diaval is a man, he is Maleficent's confidant and conscience. Explaining their relationship, Jolie says, "They have a very bizarre relationship. At first Maleficent's quite controlling over him and then he tries to stand up to her and they bicker a lot. They're like a weird married couple that watches Aurora as she grows up. Maleficent has a disdain for Aurora and everything that she represents and Diaval's a little more nurturing."
Jolie was quite impressed by her young co-star Elle Fanning, who plays Aurora. "Elle is Aurora. From the moment I met her, she is just sunshine," says Jolie. "She's a wonderful, sweet, intelligent young woman. Elle's such a capable actress and a very strong person, which is nice because this Aurora is not just in love with the flowers; she is elegant and beautiful and delicate and loving, but she's centered and she's quite an impressive young woman. Elle is bringing all of that and a great deal of emotional depth and her talent, as an actress, has really surprised me."
Maleficent has a fun relationship with the pixies, played by Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Juno Temple, who are afraid of her and for good reason. "Maleficent hates them," sates Jolie. "I get to banter with them and especially Imelda Staunton, who is Knotgrass. So to actually be dressed in the horns and having my own crazy character moment and having her as a little fairy yelling at me in her crazy moment is one of the best crazy moments I've ever had on film." She adds, "The three pixies are so funny together and certainly the comedic relief and the joy of the film."
When moviegoers sit in their seats to watch "Maleficent," Jolie expects that they will have a great experience. "Everybody involved is hoping to bring audiences the feeling that we've respected the classic film and if they loved the classic, we've tried to bring them what they've remembered and loved about this story," says Jolie. "But we've tried to enhance it and also make it beautiful and touching. We hope that audiences care about the characters, Aurora and Maleficent and Stefan and everybody involved; whether they love them or hate them at moments, that somehow they deeply know them and they're deep, good characters. But we also hope to bring a real world that they've never seen before and also action sequences and everything audiences want in a film."
--------------------------
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Academy Celebrates 25th Anniversary of "Do The Right Thing"
The Academy to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of "Do The Right Thing" with Spike Lee
Screenings and Live Discussion in Los Angeles and New York
LOS ANGELES, CA –The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the seminal film “Do the Right Thing” with writer-director Spike Lee and members of the film’s cast and crew at two special screening events: on June 27 in Los Angeles at the Bing Theater, and on June 29 in Brooklyn at the BAM Harvey Theater.
Lee’s groundbreaking third feature, set on a single block in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood on summer’s hottest day, features a large ensemble cast including Lee, Danny Aiello, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, and then-newcomers John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson and Rosie Perez. It earned Oscar® nominations for Original Screenplay (Lee) and Best Supporting Actor (Aiello).
Los Angeles (Friday, June 27)
“Do the Right Thing” 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation
8:30 p.m. at the Bing Theater on LACMA campus
Moderated by John Singleton
Panel discussion includes Spike Lee, costume designer Ruth E. Carter, casting director Robi Reed, production supervisor Preston Holmes and former Universal executive Tom Pollock.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
New York (Sunday, June 29)
“Do the Right Thing” 25th Anniversary Screening and Conversation for Closing Night of BAMcinemaFest
Co-presentation with BAMcinématek
5 p.m. on the Steinberg Screen at the BAM Harvey Theater
Moderated by Khalil Gibran Muhammad, director of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Panel discussion includes Spike Lee; actors Danny Aiello, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn and Rick Aiello; film editor Barry Brown; and production designer Wynn Thomas.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
The Academy will also host the screening series “By Any Means Necessary: A Spike Lee Joints Retrospective,” beginning with a screening of “25th Hour” (2002) on Thursday, June 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. The evening also marks the opening of the photography exhibit “WAKE UP! David C. Lee Photographs the Films of Spike Lee,” in the theater foyer through September.
“By Any Means Necessary: A Spike Lee Joints Retrospective” continues July 11–27 at the Linwood Dunn Theater and the Bing Theater in Los Angeles, and June 29–July 10 at BAMcinématek in New York. Please visit oscars.org and BAM.org for more information.
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