Small MPU – Page 764
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News
Relativity teams with Asgaard on The First Vampire
Relativity Management hasteamed up with Jason Todd Ipson's Asgaard Entertainment to produce Ipson'sdirectorial debut The First Vampire.Asgaard associates JulioBove and Cari-Esta Albert will produce the project with Relativity's RyanKavanaugh serving as executive producer.The film is currently beingcast by Kate Dowd in London and the film is scheduled to begin filming ...
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Pearson close to TalkBack acquisition
Pearson Television, the TV arm of the UK's Pearson Group, is close finalising a $110m (£70m) deal to buy London production company, TalkBack Productions, according to UK newspaper the Financial Times, which is owned by Pearson. Several media companies including Endemol and the UK's Carlton Communications are understood to have ...
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FRANCE 22 November
Jean-PierreJeunet's A Very Long Engagementcontinued its first place run for the third consecutive week and has nowbrought in $23,778,320.EuropaCorp.'sBanlieue 13 took the second spot withan impressive 471,029 admissions in its debut week followed by new EtienneChatiliez comedy La Confiance Regnein third position for just over $2 million.Shark Tale swam down ...
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HONG KONG 22 November
Oxide Pang'sthriller Ab-normal Beauty held on tothe top spot in yet another sluggish week at the Hong Kong box office in whichthe top ten films grossed only US$1.16mLocal opener Beyond Our Ken, directed by hot upcomingdirector Edmond Pang Ho-cheung, came in second with US$267,164 from 35 screens.The Mei Ah Entertainment ...
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Reviews
Alexander
Dir: OliverStone. UK-Fr-Neth. 2004. 165mins.Alexander is a magnificent mess of a movie, a wildly ambitiousold-style epic filled with as many moments of greatness as creative mis-steps.The first feature film in five years from Oliver Stone, produced and financedindependently to the tune of $160m by Moritz Borman and Intermedia, Alexandercertainly won't ...
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Reviews
Closer
Dir:Mike Nichols. US. 2004. 98mins. Adouble love story with a brutally forthright view of modern relationships, thescreen version of British writer Patrick Marber's acclaimed stage play Closer,incisively directed by stage-to-screen expert Mike Nichols, is not a film forthe faint hearted. And that may prove to be a mixed blessing at ...
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Reviews
Childstar
Dir:Don McKellar. Can. 2004. 98minsFollowingup on his auspicious directorial debut Last Night, Don McKellar plungesinto a movie about movies focusing on a 12-year-old star and his circle offamily, reps and general hangers-on. While the territory has considerablepotential both dramatically and in humorous insights, McKellar fails to plumbits depths. The film ...
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News
Stelios' easyGroup ploughs into UK DVD rental market
Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup is entering the onlineDVD rental market with an easyCinema DVD service powered by rental platformVideo Island.Due to be launched in January, the service will operate apay-as-you-go model, charging easyCinema customers £1.99 per DVD rental andoffering a 21-day return policy.easyGroup joins existing Video Island partners, such asnational brands ...
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News
Los Muertos takes Turin top prize
Argentinian directorLisandro Alonso walked away with the Turin Film Festival's Euros 20,500 topprize for his drama Los Muertos.The powerful film, whichwas written, directed and edited by Alonso, tells the story of a man who hasjust been released from prison after serving a lengthy sentence, and undertakesa long voyage across the ...
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News
Osama triumphs at Cape Town
Afghan feature Osama, by director Siddiq Barmakhas won the best feature film award and the best director prize at theCape Town World Cinema Festival.The film beat off 19 features in competition, includingan impressive showing of eleven South African features, most by first-timedirectors.The story of a girl who has to dress ...
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Times Of India Group moves into film production
India's largest media company, The Times of India Group,has moved into film production, backing English language feature Being Cyrus.Directed and co-written by Homi Adajania, the film isbilled as a cross between a psychological drama and a comedy in which a dopesmoking retired sculptor, who lives in a secluded Indian hill ...
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Biggest UK electrical retailer Dixons dumps VCRs
The UK'slargest electrical chain, Dixons, has said it is to stop selling video cassetterecorders, leading to predictions of the imminent demise of the VCR market inthe country.Dixonsis phasing out VCRs due to the boom in DVD players, which can now be bought foras little as £25.Theretailer expects to sell its ...
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News
New Latin aims for crossover hit with Luminarias
US producer-distributor New Latin Pictures plans to open romantic comedy Luminarias on more than 60 screens in California, in a bid to repeat the success of its first crossover Latino release Nueba Yol.The $1.5m feature, directed by UCLA drama professor Jose Luis Valenzuela, will open May 5 in greater Los ...
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News
Miyazaki's Howl breaks Japanese box office record
Howl's Moving Castle, the new animation by Hayao Miyazaki, earned $14.2m(Y1.48bn) on 1.1 million admissions in its first two days on release - a newrecord for a Japanese film.The previous record holderwas Bayside Shakedown 2, which was released in 2003. The figures alsorepresented a 40% gain over Spirited Away, Miyazaki's ...
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News
Fire destroys Japanese sound stage
A fire has destroyed a sound stage at Kadokawa-Daieistudio in Chofu, a western Tokyo suburb. The blaze, which broke out in thestructure in the early morning hours of November 21, did not result in anyinjuries. The cause has not yet been determined and total damages have not yetbeen assessed.The 1,067 ...
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News
Zentropa, Filmanova strike two picture deal
Spain's Filmanova and Denmark's Zentropa Productions havesigned a two-picture co-production agreement starting with Filmanova co-founderAnton Reixa's Tivoli Hotel.The second film of the accord has not yet been agreed.The deal marks Zentropa's first such move with a Spanish company. It brings 10% of the film's estimated Euros 2.6m budget.A romantic comedy ...
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Berlinale film selection committee shapes up
German producer Gloria Burkert (A Map Of The Heart) and Rajendra Roy, programme director of the Hamptons International Film Festival, and Berlin-based freelance journalist Ralf Schenk are three new members of this year's advisory film selection committee for the Berlinale's Official Competition.The twelve-person committee includes the various section heads - ...
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The Incredibles UK previews add to $5.4m weekend take
Pixar's TheIncredibles grossed anestimated $5.4m at the weekend through Buena Vista International (BVI), raisingits early international cumulative total to $12.3m.The picturescored all-time record animated openings in Singapore and Malaysia on $797,000on 40 screens and $549,000 on 39 respectively.In the UK, two-day paid previews generated $6.5m. Thepicture launches there next weekend, ...
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Fox takes another $6.3m with AVP
Theaction-horror picture Alien Vs Predator added $6.3m on 2,343 screens through Fox International atthe weekend to raise its international running total to $67.5m.Key drivers wereItaly, where the picture opened top on $1.6m on 299 screens, and Spain, whereit opened in second place on $2.4m on 397.The comedy Dodgeball grossed $378,792 ...
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News
Columbia TriStar no more; Sony extends brand to international
Columbia TriStar FilmDistributors International has changed its name to Sony Pictures ReleasingInternational (SPRI), effective immediately.The name change will beimplemented in most territories around the world immediately, but not in thoseterritories where Sony operates in joint ventures with other distributors."The Sony name is oneof the most recognised and respected brand names ...