All articles by Mike Goodridge – Page 92
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News
Two Weeks Notice an international smash for Warner
Warner Bros enjoyed hugesuccess over the weekend with Castle Rock comedy Two Weeks Notice, grossing $15m in 23 territories. The film whichstars Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant remained at number one in the UK in itssecond weekend with $3.6m (£2.19m) at 417 sites beating Fox's opener Daredevil and bringing its ...
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Gordon Green teams with ContentFilm for Undertow
Hot on the heels of hiscritically acclaimed Sundance Film Festival prize-winner All The Real Girls, hot US director David Gordon Green has set his nextfilm Undertow at Edward Pressman and John Schmidt's ContentFilm with DermotMulroney, Josh Lucas and Jamie Bell in the lead roles.The project has been indevelopment for over ...
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Uncertain climate weighs on AFM
Retrenchment is still the name of the game at the upcoming American Film Market (Feb 19-26), as both buyers and sellers cautiously weigh up the pros and cons of spending money in such a dour economic climate. Yes, they both need new films, but they are both being selective, with ...
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Bahman Naraghi joins Intermedia as COO
Bahman Naraghihas been named chief operating officer (COO) of Intermedia Film Equities USAand in his new role will oversee all Intermedia's business operations andfinance activities. He will report directly to Moritz Borman, chairman and CEOof the company.Naraghi joinsIntermedia after a stint as executive vice president of Miramax Films where hewas ...
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Zenpix launches international arm with Promark at AFM
Zenpix, the domesticdistribution joint venture between Susan Jackson and Jon Kramer's PromarkEntertainment Group, has launched an international sales arm which will seek toacquire, invest finishing funds in and distribute films in both the domesticand international markets.Jackson will work withPromark's vice presidents of international sales Eric Bernstein andAnnouchka Lesoeur to sell ...
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AFI, AFMA team for internships at AFM
The American Film Institute(AFI) and AFMA are teaming up to establish an internship programme focusing onpackaging and selling feature films; the programme, which is exclusivelyavailable to AFI Conservatory Producing fellows, will run during the AmericanFilm Market which starts this week.The interns will be placedwith production and distribution companies with offices ...
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Nancy Silverstone promoted to acquisitions vp at Starz Encore
NancySilverstone has been promoted to vice president, program acquisitions, at StarzEncore Group where she will be responsible for negotiating licensing deals withindependents and studios for first-run and library titles, library buyouts,documentary co-productions, STARZ! Pictures premieres, restoration deals andoverseeing the acquisitions budget and managing the multi-cultural acquisitionsand film evaluation departments. She ...
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Reviews
Daredevil
Dir: Mark Steven Johnson. US. 2003. 102mins.Take that, Batman! Finally comes a comic book adaptation which really does dare to go where Tim Burton and co merely flirted - into the dark realm. Daredevil, as brought to the screen by writer - director Mark Steven Johnson, brings real violence and ...
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Summit/IS takes on Jewison's The Statement
Summit Entertainment hasacquired international distribution rights to Norman Jewison's nextpicture The Statement starringMichael Caine, Jeremy Northam and Tilda Swinton. Sony Pictures Classics (SPC)has domestic rights to the film.Set to start shooting in Europeon March 17, The Statement isbased on Brian Moore's novel and was scripted by Ronald Harwood, who hasbeen ...
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News
Chicago, Harvey and Pedro score big in Oscar nominations
It was a bonanza for"independent" film as the 75th annual Academy Awardnominations were unveiled this morning at the Academy headquarters in BeverlyHills, California. Paramount Pictures was the only old-style Hollywood studiowith a Best Picture Oscar nomination this year, and that - for The Hours- was shared with Miramax Films. Indeed, ...
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Gold Circle to establish UK presence, pre-buy US rights to UK films
Gold CircleFilms - the LA-based production/financing outfit run by Paul Brooks whichscored the runaway hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding last year, is to establish a presence inthe UK with the imminent hiring of an acquisitions executive. The new executivewill likely be joined by one or two further Gold Circle ...
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Verhoeven, Mamet enter Franchise fold for AFM
ElieSamaha's Franchise Pictures may be busying itself for its Aug 5 trialdate in its ongoing legal battle with Germany's Intertainment AG, but itcontinues to board new projects and has three new ones available for pre-saleat AFM -Paul Verhoeven's next picture Void Moon, the next from David Mamet entitled Spartan with ...
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Altman gets lifetime achievement award in San Francisco
Robert Altman will receivethe Film Society Award for Lifetime Achievement in Directing at the 46thSan Francisco International Film Festival this year (April 17-May 1). The awardwill be presented to Altman in person on April 23 at Film Society Awards night.Altman will be interviewedon stage and three of his films - ...
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News
Paramount Classics concludes Singing Detective deal
ParamountClassics has finalized its deal with Icon Entertainment to buy rights in NorthAmerica, Latin America and Japan to The Singing Detective, Keith Gordon's film version of DennisPotter's landmark 1986 TV series which world premiered at the Sundance FilmFestival last month,Negotiations for the film which stars Robert Downey Jr,Mel Gibson and ...
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Reviews
Camp
Dir: Todd Graff. US. 2002. 115mins.Of all the films in dramatic competition at this year's Sundance Film Festival, none was as full of undiluted pleasures as Todd Graff's directorial debut Camp. A deliriously good-natured romp through the lives of a bunch of precocious kids attending a summer camp for actors, ...
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Fine Line wins battle to release HBO Films' Splendor
For the second time in six months, HBO Films has sealed adeal to release one of its productions theatrically in North America before itsHBO TV premiere, this time teaming with AOL Time Warner sister company FineLine Features to release American Splendorwhich last month won the Grand Jury Prize at the ...
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Reviews
The Recruit
Dir: Roger Donaldson. US. 2003. 115mins. Ireland's Colin Farrell proves that he has warranted Hollywood's grooming in The Recruit, a slick, improbable thriller driven by his charismatic movie star presence which even puts Al Pacino in the shade. Farrell has already demonstrated his considerable talent in Tigerland, Hart's War and ...
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Warner Bros puts classics division on the fast track
Warner Bros hasconfirmed that it has put its plans for a specialized film unit back on thefast track and is now actively searching for an executive to run it. Warner hasbeen the only major studio without a classics division for some time and hasbeen toying with the idea for about ...
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StudioCanal sales chief Weisbein flies to Senator International
Pierre Weisbein, the formerhead of sales at StudioCanal, has quit the diminishing French film operationand joined LA-based Senator International as executive vice president,international sales and distribution. Weisbein starts with Senator today.The Frenchman, who is basedin LA, will play a key role in evaluating projects for Senator's production andacquisition slate while ...
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News
Maxine Leonard gets evp marketing job at Myriad
Publicityveteran Maxine Leonard has joined Myriad Pictures to head up its marketing andPR operations in Los Angeles. As executive vice president, marketing andpublicity, Leonard will oversee the company's communication strategy in allareas as well as handle the international marketing and publicity campaigns forthe company's production and acquisitions. She reports to ...