All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 175
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News
McGrath says Infamous offers distinct Capote portrait
First,in the early 1960s, there was Richard Brooks' film version of In Cold Blood. Then, last year, therewas Bennett Miller's well-received biopic, Capote,which netted Philip Seymour Hoffman an Oscar for his portrayal of the mercurialAmerican novelist, Truman Capote. Now, in Venice, a third film inspired byCapote's trip to Kansas to ...
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Williamson to team with Big Beach for Sunshine Cleaning
Former Focus Features production chief and now independent producerGlenn Williamson (whose latest film Hollywoodland received its world premiere in Venice yesterday) is to partnerwith Big Beach, the outfit behindbox-office hit Little Miss Sunshine,on Sunshine Cleaning.BigBeach is fully financing the project, with a budget of about $7m. Shooting isdue to begin ...
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Black Dahlia gets enthusiastic response in Venice
Brian De Palma's James Ellroy adaptation TheBlack Dahlia yesterday received a mixed but largely enthusiastic receptionas it opened the 63rd Venice Festival yesterday. Maverick crime novelist Ellroy himself - who attended the opening press conferencealongside stars Scarlett Johansson, Josh Hartnett,Aaron Eckhart, Mia Kirchner and director De Palma -was clearly delighted ...
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Venice opens with more talk of Rome rivalry
As the 63rd VeniceFilm Festival opened yesterday with the world premiere of Brian De Palma's TheBlack Dahlia, the rumbling row about what impact the upstart new Rome Festival(due to be held for the first time in October) will have on Venice's long-termfuture showed no sign of dissipating."We are in Venice.Let's ...
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Roger Michell opts out of next Bond film
Britishdirector Roger Michell has confirmed that he will notbe directing the next Bond movie, the 22nd in the 007 franchise."I'vedecided not to do it," Michell told ScreenDaily.com. "I was very tempted. Ispent a long time working on it but I wasn't tempted enough to actually jumpin. At the last minute, ...
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Reviews
Severance
Dir: Christopher Smith. UK. 2006. 95mins.The latest in a seemingly endless cycle of newBritish horror films, Christopher Smith's Severanceis slick, funny and determinedly superficial and derivative. The screenplay(co-written by Smith and James Moran) is leavened with sub-Viz humour, satirical asidesabout office politics and the arms trade, and self-parodicjokes. Smith, who ...
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The Lives Of Others director to host special screening for Attenborough
Florian Henckel von Donnsermarck is planning a private preview in London of his multiple award-winning debut feature The Lives Of Othersfor Richard Attenborough. "We're going to hold aspecial screening in England before the film premieres because I know that hedoesn't really like to go to premieres," von Donnersmarksaid. The young ...
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Kazakh epic Nomad racks up sales in Locarno
It may have had threedifferent directors and an immensely complex birth, but bloodcurdling Kazakhepic Nomad has caught buyers' hearts.The $35m epic, which received its international premiere in Locarno's Piazza Grande at the weekend, has been bought in anumber of international territories. In France, Nomadwill be co-distributed by Rezo and Wild ...
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Reviews
The Lives Of The Saints
Dirs: Rankin/Chris Cottam.100mins. UK. 2006.The Lives Of TheSaints is a bold but determinedly awkward affair in whichdebut directors Rankin and Chris Cottam ultimatelyrisk overstretching themselves. Individual sequences are strikingly shot andperformed and there is no faulting the film-makers' ambition or imagination - butthere is no disguising either the gauche moments ...
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Reviews
Stormbreaker (aka Alex Rider: Operation Stormbreaker)
Dir: Geoffrey Sax. UK-US-Ger. 2006. 93mins.Geoffrey Sax's Stormbreaker, the first in whatthe producers are hoping will become a new British movie franchise to rival Spy Kids or Harry Potter, announces its intentions right at the outset. The audienceare treated to a frantic chase in which James Bond-style superspyIan Rider (Ewan ...
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News
First ThinkTank draws 170 international delegates
The inaugural Copenhagen ThinkTank, which took place last week, has been pronounceda success by organisers. "I think it wasextraordinary. We had 170 people there, representing 34 countries including Australia and Canada," the Danish Film Institute's chief executiveHenning Camre said. During the conference, delegatesbrainstormed strategies for "strengthening and reinvigorating European film." ...
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London UK Film Focus to host 12 premieres
The London UK Film Focus(LUFF), the annual showcase of British films for invited UK and international buyers, is looking to set up aco-production market along the lines of Rotterdam's CineMart. "It may be at the beginningor end of LUFF in 2007," said Adrian Wootton, chiefexecutive of organiser Film London. "Initial ...
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Vue's buyout should help with flexible planning
Following its managementbuyout earlier this week, UK exhibitor VueEntertainment is aiming to open as many as 20 cinemas over the next threeyears. "We are continuing with a very aggressive expansion programme in the UK," Tim Richards, CEO of Vue,told ScreenDaily.com. The new cinemas will be ineither greenfield sites or will ...
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News
Hauer plans directorial debut Changing Fortunes
Dutch star Rutger Hauer is to make hisdirectorial debut feature with ChangingFortunes, a drama set in occupied Holland during World War II.The $11.3 million projectis being put together as a UK/Dutch/Belgian co-production by Glasgow-based AlbaFilm Productions.Hauer is also in line to play a part in the film, based onthe true ...
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Raindance Festival to go ahead with new investors
UK indieshowcase The Raindance Film Festival has been saved, it has emerged thisweek. The festival was previously organised through writer and producer ElliotGrove's Raindance Film Festival outfit. When the Raindance organisation went into receivership earlier thissummer, it looked as if the festival might have been dragged down too.However,financiers Dean Goldberg ...
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UK's Aquarius adds international partners
Aquarius Film is goingglobal. The London-based financing and production outfit is setting up AquariusWorld Wide, a new venture with partners from Australia, South Africa, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany and India. Aquarius chief executiveTerence Potter won't disclose who the new partners are, but says that dealshave already been concluded in seven ...
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Congorama gone to UGC for France
Philippe Falardeau's Congorama,the closing film at the Directors Fortnight, has been sold to UGC for France.The deal was negotiated by French co-producer EricTavitian and producer Luc Dery.Congorama, onLondon-based The Works' Cannes slate, is a Canada/Belgium/France co-production.Starring Olivier Gourmet (best known for his work withthe Dardennes), Congorama is the story of ...
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Julian Richards prepares for Summer Scars
Prolific British filmmaker Julian Richards, whopreviously directed The Last Horror Movie, has completed the financing of hislatest project.Summer Scars, Richards'sfourth feature, is billed as "a dark psychological thriller about a gang ofschool truants held hostage in the woods by a psychopath."Kevin Howarth (who also played in The Last HorrorMovie) will ...
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Scottish producers criticise Scottish Screen
Scottish producers in Canneshave issued a stinging rebuke to national film agency Scottish Screen over itsdelay in revealing its long-term plans for feature film production. "Again and again(in Cannes), we have been asked what is happening with Scottish Screen. We don't quite know," said Mark Cousins of 4 Ways Productions. ...
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Czech producers protest funding cut in Cannes
Czech producers in Canneshave reacted with dismay and fury to yesterday's decision by the Czech Parliamentto kill off the long-awaited law to boost Czech production support.To register their anger, theCzech film delegation attending the Cannes Film Festival shut down the Czechstand at 5 pm yesterday for the remainder of the ...