Small MPU – Page 203
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News
Applegate joins Farce Of The Penguins voice cast
Christina Applegate islending her sultry tones to the voice cast of THINKFilm's documentary spoof FarceOf The Penguins.Applegate will voice the part of Melissa, whom director Bob Saget describes asa "grounded and sexually compatible" partner to his character, Carl.Samuel L Jackson narrates the story and Lewis Black, Mo'Nique and Tracy Morganround ...
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News
Academy invites 83 foreign language entries
The Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences has invited 83 countries to submit films forconsideration in the foreign language film category for the 79th AcademyAwards.Last week Academy members changed the rules so that foreign language entriescan be submitted in any language or combination of languages so long as thedominant language ...
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Goldblum signs on to Schrader holocaust project
Jeff Goldblum hassigned on to star in Beverly Hills-based Bleiberg Entertainment's holocaustdrama Adam Resurrected, followingmonths of courtship and negotiation.Bleiberg Entertainment chief Ehud Bleiberg is preparing a spring 2007 start onthe project, which is being directed by Paul Schrader and will be shot inGermany, Romania and Israel.Bleiberg Entertainment is co-financing with ...
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Cars drives into China's crowded summer schedule
Now that China's month-long blackout on foreign blockbusters isover, there's a bottleneck of Hollywood films waiting for release. Disney has just confirmedthat Pixar animation Cars will bereleased in China on August 22, but the release of PiratesOf The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has been delayed indefinitely, accordingto local media. Disney's ...
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Japan's Avex Entertainment plans anniversary film
Japan's Avex Entertainment hasannounced plans to produce a commemorative feature film for release in April2008, in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding ofthe Avex music and media group.Starting from this monthuntil October, the company will solicit story ideas from the public. The range ofpossible ideas is fully ...
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News
Moore replaces Hewison at Melbourne film festival
Richard Moore will be thenext programmer of the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF), replacingJames Hewison as executive director from September.Moore co-programmed 'Real Life on Film', a documentaryfestival held at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) in Melbourne in February as part of the cultural programme of the2006 Commonwealth ...
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Kathy Bates joins jury of Montreal World Film Festival
Oscar-winning US actressKathy Bates will serve on the jury of the 30th Montreal World Film Festival.The veteran star of stage and screen is best known for her roles in Titanic, where she played "the unsinkable Molly Brown", and Misery(1990), as the tormentor of JamesCaan's author in the adaptation of the ...
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Toronto announces Spanish films in festival including Labyrinth
Guillermo Del Toro's Pan'sLabyrinth will have its NorthAmerican premiere at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. TheCannes competition title was among seven Spanish-language features announcedTuesday for screening during the September event. Another Cannes title is Fantasma, from Lisandro Alonso, which was a special screeningin the Quinzaine.In announcing the pictures,Toronto organizers ...
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News
Janek takes over as director of Citizen Havel
Czech documentary film-maker Miroslav Janek has agreed to take over as director of Citizen Havel,a documentary about former Czech president Vaclav Havel,following the tragic death of the project's original director, Pavel Koutecky. Janek has directed numerous Czech documentaries,including Kha-chee-pae,which screened in documentary competition at Karlovy Vary, and served as editor ...
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Locarno's line-up boasts more US films
The full line-up for the 59ththLocarno International Film Festival (Aug 2-12) hasbeen unveiled, marked by a boost in US fare underlined by opening film Miami Vice, final night film Little Miss Sunshine and two Sundancetitles in the International Competition. Actor Willem Dafoe will behonoured with an artistic excellence award while ...
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Reviews
The Destiny (El Destino)
Dir: Miguel Pereira. Arg-Sp. 2006. 102mins.An allegory about the rape of Latin America throughforeign intrusion, Destiny has justthe kind of political message that will appeal to liberal festival and arthouse audiences. The addition of spectacular landscapesand generous splashes of local colour should help usher it to events around theworld.But while ...
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Reviews
The Music Box (Lifashi)
Dir:Chen Yifei. China. 2006. 104mins.Lushly photographedhistorical romances from mainland China are not exactly in short supply intoday's film market, but The Music Boxdistinguishesitself with its meticulously illuminated visual polish. Yet although this taleof a hairdresser's grand adventures, both amorous and political, is set againstthe turmoil of modern China's mid-20th century, ...
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News
Crazy Stone becomes China's biggest local film in 2006
Ning Hao's black comedy Crazy Stone has become the highest-grossinglocal production at the Chinese box office so far this year, with box officereceipts of $775,000 (RMB6.2m).The low-budget comedy, distributed by Warner China Film,was also the best performing domestic production during the "Local FilmProtection Month", which ended two days ago.Ronny Yu's ...
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Reviews
Crazy Stone (Feng Kuang De Shi Tou)
Dir:Ning Hao. China. 2006.100mins.The commercialpotential for modestly budgeted, audience-oriented films in China's filmindustry may be more theoretical than fully realised -but Ning Hao's Crazy Stone is a model exampleof how it can work, combining as it does box-office appeal with strongproduction values and a jazzy contemporary sensibility.New Chinese cinema is ...
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Reviews
Salvador
Dir: Manuel Huerga. Sp-UK. 2006. 138mins.Based on the true story of a dashing Spanish anarchistand his execution as General Franco's last political prisoner, Manuel Huerga's Salvadoris never an overtly bad film but does pantingly flirtwith disaster during its overlong running time.While well-mounted, withexcellent production values and convincing action, theatrical prospects ...
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News
Manual Of Love sequel starts shooting in Barcelona
Manual OfLove: The Stories, a sequel to the hit Aurelio De Laurentiis-producedcomedy, has started shooting in Barcelona with Monica Bellucci and Carlo Verdone.Directedby Giovanni Veronesi, the film also stars Riccardo Scamarcio, Barbora Bobulova, Sergio Rubini, and comedians Antonio Albanese, Fabio Volo and Claudio Bisio.Likethe original film, also directed by Veronesi, ...
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New joint board announced to make way for Creative Scotland
Theestablishment of Creative Scotland has taken another step forward with theannouncement that there is to be a new joint Board for Scottish Screen and theScottish Arts Council which will be appointed before the end of the year.Thisfollows the Scottish Executive's announcement earlier this year that ScottishScreen and the Scottish Arts ...
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The Host generates advance bookings fever
Bong Joon-ho's sci-fithriller The Host is already whippingup unprecedented advance bookings in Korea, selling more tickets in a shorterperiod than ever before, according to producer Chungeorahm Film.Starting three weeks beforeits July 27 release, advance bookings for about 100 select theatres have beenselling like hotcakes, with the multiplex Megabox COEX site ...
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Reviews
Sway (Yureru)
Dir: Miwa Nishikawa. Jap.2006. 119mins.Japanese film-maker Miwa Nishikawa may have beenmentored by acclaimed director's Hirokazu Kore-eda, but his latest feature, Sway, lacks the veteran's pacing and distinguished handling of drama.A supposed thriller thatuses a seemingly accidental death to deal with the malaise afflicting aJapanese family, and through it Japanese society, ...
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News
Catalunya establishes new $7.6m co-production fund
Spain's regional government of Catalunya has approved a new $7.6m (Euros 6m) filmco-production fund, Mesfilms Inversions.The CatalanInstitute of Finances (ICF), the Catalan Institute of Cultural Industries(ICIC) and regional public broadcaster TVC each bring $1.3m (Euros 1m) to thefund initially, with an agreement to bring an additional $1.3m (Euros 1m) eachby ...