All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 182
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Reviews
20 Centimetres (20 Centimentros)
Dir/scr: Ramon Salazar.Sp-Fr. 2005. 113mins.A bawdy, picaresque Spanish yarn about a transvestite whoyearns for a sex change operation (she has 20cm she wishes to dispense with -hence the title), Ramon Salazar's second feature carries obvious echoes of theearly work of Pedro Almodovar. There is the same irreverent humour, a sharedfascination ...
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News
Grosvenor Park weighs in behind Highlander trilogy
The new trilogy of Highlander films being prepared byDavis-Panzer Productions and Sequence Films are to use a "one-stop"financing structure created by Grosvenor Park.Highlander V,budgeted between $12-$14m, is due to start shooting in Lithuania inOctober. Although there will be some Lithuanian backing, Grosvenor Park is effectively fully financing theproject. Bret Leonard ...
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News
Da Vinci Code set to join Maltese influx
The Malta FilmCommission Act, which came into force on July 15, has already attracted a raftof high-profile international films to the island, led by Steven Spielberg's Munichand now a confirmed one-week shoot for The Da Vinci Code thisNovember.Under the terms of theAct, the Malta Film Commission is empowered to grant ...
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News
UK announces new tax proposals: Section 42 to go
The UK Government has signaled its intent to do awaywith Section 42 as well as Section 48 in a set of long-awaited proposals fornew tax incentives for the British film industry. In future, low- andhigh-budget films would be be dealt with under a "single coherent regime".At the same time, the ...
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Reviews
On A Clear Day
Dir: Gaby Dellal. UK2005. 99mins.British cinema has alwaysloved its underdogs. Gaby Dellal's big-hearted debut feature is yet anotheryarn about a small-timer fighting back against a society that marginalises him.In this case, the protagonist is a 55-year-old newly unemployed Glaswegian whostrives to redeem his life by swimming the English Channel.Confidently directed, ...
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News
UK announces new tax proposals: Section 42 to go
The UK Government has signaledits intent to do away with Section 42 as well as Section 48 in a set of long-awaitedproposals for new tax incentives for the British film industry. In future, low-and high-budget films would be bedealt with under a "single coherent regime".At the same time, theDepartment for ...
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News
UK Film Council boss responds to 'unrealistic' Kuhn speech
UK FilmCouncil chief executive John Woodward has written a strongly worded letter toMichael Kuhn following the ex-Polygram Filmed Entertainment boss' speech to UKproducer's association, PACT. In his Mayspeech, titled 'UK Film Crisis And What Can Be Done', Kuhn argued that Britishproducers currently face the "bleakest prospects" since the mid-1980s.In ...
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Reviews
The Skeleton Key
Dir: Iain Softley. US.2005. 104mins.Iain Softley'sLouisiana-set The Skeleton Key is a horror film which does not alwaysseem to know which doors it is trying to unlock. The film is at once apsychological chiller in similar vein to Amenabar's The Others, a ratheroverwrought and inadvertently comic slice of Southern Gothic, and ...
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Reviews
Festival
Dir/scr: Annie Griffin.UK. 2005 107mins.Festival is a deceptive affair. Early on, as we're introduced to agallery of aspiring comedians and actors, Annie Griffin's debut feature looksset to turn into a grating celebration of the Edinburgh Festival (the largestarts festival in the world) in all its full carnivalesque glory. There issomething ...
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Reviews
The Descent
Dir/scr: Neil Marshall.UK. 2005. 96mins.The Descent, Neil Marshall's follow-up to 2002 hit DogSoldiers, is superior British genre fare: unashamedly gory but handsomelycrafted and inventive too, and with some gallows humour to leaven the moreextreme moments. Marshall's influences are wide-ranging. He has pitched thefilm as 'Deliverance goes underground', but he seems ...
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News
London Film Focus closes on a high
The second London UK Film Focus (LUFF) has closed on a generally upbeat note.Screenings were well attended and buyers clearly supported the event, which nowlooks set to become an annual fixture in the calendar"I do think we've stepped up a rung this year. The quality of the filmswas better by ...
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News
Rourke, Nighy, McGregor enlist for Stormbreaker
An impressive cast isgathering for the $40m-plus teen superspy adventure Stormbreaker, whichbegins shooting in the Isle of Man next week.Alex Pettyfer (pictured), who was TomBrown in UK TV series Tom Brown's Schooldays, will play 14-year-old specialagent Alex Rider. Mickey Rourke will star as Alex's nemesis, megalomaniacbusinessman Darrius Sayle. Bill Nighy ...
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News
Lions Gate pounces on The Descent
Lions Gate has snapped up NorthAmerican rights to Neil Marshall's British gorefest The Descent from PatheInternational.The film, which sold widely during Cannes,is to receive its world premiere at next week's London UK Film Focus.The Descent (Marshall'sfollow-up to 2002's Dog Soldiers) isa Celador Films production, executive produced byPaul Smith and produced ...
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News
Cuaron film promises to 'remove hex' on Pinewood
After a week of profitwarnings and falling share prices, Pinewood-Shepperton studios can finallyannounce some good news.Universal's adaptation ofthe PD James' novel Children Of Men, to be directed by Alfonso Cuaron,is setting up shop at Pinewood Studios - and looks certain to shoot there fromearly autumn."I've been able topersuade the powers ...
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News
Working Title reshuffles its senior executive pack
Working Title has restructured its creative executive team. Natascha Wharton,head of low-budget arm WT2, will take over the development departments of bothWorking Title Films and WT2.Meanwhile, DebraHayward, head of film, is to leave her current post, but will continue to workwith Working Title as exec-producer on selected projects."Debra has a ...
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News
Stargate, Magic Hour launch£30m 'protected' UK fund
A new £30m "capital protected" film financing fundhas been launched in London. MagicGate is a joint venture between fund managerStargate Capital Management and UK production company Magic Hour Media whosecredits include MIke Barker's A Good Woman.MagicGate aims to invest in four films in the £5m to £10m range over the ...
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Marshall, Pathe eye autumn shoot for Outpost
Writer-director Neil Marshall, one of the leading figuresbehind the new wave of British horror films, is at work on another horror filmfor Pathe Pictures. Outpost is a sci-fihorror film about a genetic experiment which goes horribly wrong. Marshall is currentlyat third draft script stage and may be ready to shoot ...
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London UK Film Focus lines up 12 world premieres
The second London UKFilm Focus (LUFF) (June 27-30) has unveiled its programme for this year'sevent, which includes 12 world premieres - up from 8 last year.Among the worldpremieres (see full list below) are such sought-after titles as Neil Jordan's BreakfastOn Pluto, Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents and Nick Love's TheBusiness. ...
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News
Cinelibre stacks up with Cannes titles
Celebrating its 30thanniversary, voracious Belgian indie distributor Cinelibre-Cineart has beenstacking up on new titles. Together with Dutchdistributor A-Film, Cinelibre-Cineart has taken Benelux rights to WongKar-Wai's The Lady From Shanghai, Golden Bear-winner U-Carmen,Tsui Hark's Seven Swords (tipped for a prestigious early slot in Venice)and Park Chan-Wook's Sympathy With Lady Vengeance.During Cannes, ...