Small MPU – Page 468
-
News
UK/IRELAND 14 September
Redbus Film Distribution made a splash at the UK box officethis weekend with Open Water.The indie suspenser about a couple who find themselvesabandoned in the middle of shark-infested waters after their scuba-diving boatleaves without them opened top in the UK with a powerful $3.5m (£1.97m)including previews of $345,700.Playing at 378 ...
-
Reviews
Cellular
Dir: David R.Ellis. US 2004. 90minsTotallyimplausible from start to finish, suspense thriller Cellular has a silly premise and zero chills, but offers plenty ofaction (without a single explosion) and an easy-to-follow storyline. Given thedearth of good popcorn movies during the past five or six weeks, it may evenmanage to hold ...
-
News
HUNGARY 14 September
As expected I, Robotdebuted at the top of the Hungarian box office list with nearly 42,000admissions on its opening weekend, but Pedro Almodovar's latest Bad Education was the success story inHungarian cinemas. The film produced the second strongest opening ever for anAlmodovar film in Hungary after Talk ToHer.Meanwhile despite the ...
-
Reviews
Kinsey
Dir/scr: Bill Condon US.2004. 124minsA deftly handled mixture ofpersonal drama and social history, Kinseysculpts a compelling film from the life of the pioneering scientist who devotedhimself to the study of human sexuality. Beautifully judged and paced, it isboth intellectually stimulating and emotionally satisfying.Illuminating the presentthrough dramatising the past, it offers ...
-
Reviews
Downfall (Der Untergang)
Dir: Oliver Hirschbiegel.Ger. 2004. 150minsDoes the world really needanother film on Adolf Hitler' Downfall answers the question in theaffirmative. Recent years have seen the release of Max, Moloch,the documentary Blind Spot and the Robert Carlyle mini-series, but Downfallis distinctive and potentially much more commercial.It covers seeminglyfamiliar material from the fresh ...
-
Reviews
Beyond The Sea
Dir: Kevin Spacey. UK-Ger.2004. 121minsAn old-fashioned,razzle-dazzle biopic, Beyond The Sea breezes through the life of 1960sshowbusiness all-rounder Bobby Darin with a song and a dance and a ton ofchutzpah. Kevin Spacey's second directorial effort (after Albino Alligator)is a true labour of love; beautifully designed, richly photographed andglistening with ambition.Spacey the ...
-
News
DENMARK 15 September
Shrek remaineduntouchable on the top spot with its high 119 prints taking a strong DKK44.350screen average. This week's best average was, however, the new release of Resident Evil: Apocalypse's DKK51.962 onits 12 prints putting it on fourth, two slots higher than Around The World In 80 Days on seventh, which ...
-
News
London cherrypicks festival favourites for 2004 line-up
"They don't openthe London Film Festival with films like Vera Drake...but they donow!" Mike Leigh, fresh from his Golden Lion triumph in Venice, quippedyesterday at the official launch of this year's Festival programme.Speaking on the stage ofthe Odeon West End in Leicester Square, Leigh said he had been coming to ...
-
Reviews
Being Julia
Dir: Istvan Szabo. Canada/UK/Hungary. 2004. 105mins.Older adults will find many pleasures in IstvanSzabo's cheerful period comedy Being Julia which plays like DangerousLiasions-light in the world of 1930s London theatre. Dominated by astupendously entertaining performance from Annette Bening, which covers overmany of the cracks in the film's lumpy structure, it is ...
-
Reviews
The House Keys (Le Chiavi di Casa)
Dir:Gianni Amelio. It-Ger-Fr. 2004. 115mins.Thoughit was well received by the home crowd and the local media, who were desperatefor at least one good Italian film in competition at Venice this year, GianniAmelio's eagerly awaited The House Keys was a major disappointment tothe rest of us.Atough and sombre director, whose Sicilian ...
-
News
Info Avenue launches film investment web-site
Info Avenue, an e-commerce design and consulting company whose shareholders include the Itochu trading house and Sun Microsystems, has launched a web-site for raising film finance from film fans. Called cinem@net.com, the site recruits individuals for site-sponsored "support groups" based around specific projects. The "supporters" purchase membership in return for ...
-
News
Almodovar to honour Allen at San Sebastian
Pedro Almodovar is confirmed to present Woody Allen with theDonostia Award on Friday night at the inaugural ceremony of the San SebastianInternational Film Festival (Sept 17-25).Allen's new comedy Melinda& Melinda opens the festival, and the director will hold a pressconference earlier in the day.Also at the inaugural ceremony, UK film ...
-
News
Honeymooners launch for Film Dublin
The IrishFilm Board has backed the launch of a location shooting initiative, FilmDublin, modelled on the Office of Film in the New York Mayor's Office.The movecomes just as production begins in Dublin on The Honeymooners, a $30mNew York-set comedy for Paramount. The Honeymooners has already testedthe initiative by closing key ...
-
News
Evil enters international chart
Day-and-datelaunches in Japan and Denmark saw action-horror sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse the highest new entry on theinternational chart this week at sixth.The 2002 originaloutperformed its domestic gross internationally with 61% ($62m) of its $102mworldwide total coming from international territories.Its weekend grossof $4.7m was not enough, however, to dethrone BVI's The ...
-
News
Senator saved as creditors agree restructuring plan
The future of SenatorEntertainment has become much brighter after the producer-distributor's100-plus creditors agreed unanimously at a meeting in Berlin today (Wednesday)to accept the insolvency restructuring plan drawn up by the court-appointedreceiver Rolf Rattunde.Rattunde said that the plan meant that the filmconcern's existing range of services - encompassing production, distributionand world ...
-
News
Moore's Sicko gathers buyer heat
An outline of Michael Moore's next documentary has been sentout to international distributors by Moore's agency Endeavor - and isgenerating heat amongst major buyers at the Toronto Film Festival.Entitled Sicko, it is his much-discussed study of thehealthcare system in the United States and Moore recently explained his agenda in making ...
-
News
Wild Bunch wraps up Howl load of deals
Frenchsales house Wild Bunch has secured a couple of high profile Japanese and UKsales and a raft of Italian deals for its bulging Toronto slate.WildBunch closed a deal with Gaga Communications for Arnaud Desplechin's Rois Et Reine and with Comstock forMarziyeh Yeshkini's Afghanistan-set StrayDogs in Japan.Rois was also soldto Artificial ...
-
News
Fortissimo sells Kidd's Love to Germany
Fortissimo secured its first everlicence deal with leading German indie distributor Tobis Filmkunst with thesale of Dylan Kidd's romantic comedy PS ILove You.The film, which premiered in Venicelast week, was also sold to Dendy for Australia and New Zealand and SandrewMetronome in Scandinavia.PS, which starsLaura Linney and Topher Grace, received ...
-
News
Travolta, Berney, Braff, Mann among HFA honourees
More honorees have beennamed at this year's Hollywood Film Awards on Oct 18. John Travolta willreceive the Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award, distributor Bob Berney hasbeen named winner of the Hollywood Leadership Award and Zach Braff will receivethe award for Hollywood Breakthrough Director of the Year award.Michael Mann was namedHollywood director ...
-
News
Tao, Emery promoted at Hurd's Valhalla Motion Pictures
Stephen Tao has beenpromoted to senior vice president, development, and Stephen Emery has beenpromoted to vice president of production/development at Gale Anne Hurd'sLA-based Valhalla Motion Pictures.Tao will oversee production,development and acquisitions of all projects including Valhalla's currentproject Aeon Flux starringCharlize Theron and Frances McDormand. Tao will work in collaboration withEmery ...