Small MPU – Page 867
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Reviews
The Deal
Dir: Steven Schachter. Canada. 2008. 98mins.Completing an informal trilogy of Sundance titles about the making of movies (following Michel Gondry's Be Kind Rewind and Barry Levinson's What Just Happened'), Steven Schachter's The Deal is erratic and paper thin. Not a moment of it rings particularly true, and it never gathers ...
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News
SPTI seals mobile VoD deal with Korea's SK Telecom
Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) has sealed a video-on-demand (VoD) licensing deal with South Korean mobile operator, SK Telecom. Under the terms of the agreement, a selection of SPTI's films and TV series will be offered on-demand and in full-length to SK Telecom mobile customers via its mobile platforms NATE ...
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Reviews
The Brøken
Dir/scr: Sean Ellis. UK/France. 2008. 88mins.In his second feature The Brøken the talented British director Sean Ellis (Cashback) traffics in a melange of styles and historical references that range from the poetic horror works of Jean Cocteau (Orpheus) to the social malaise and extreme alienation of Roman Polanski (The Tennant), ...
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News
Fortissimo adds Son Of ALion, Hold Me Tight to EFM slate
Fortissimo Films has bolstered its slate for the upcoming European Film Market (EFM) in Berlin with two acquisitions. The Amsterdam and Hong Kong-based sales agent has picked up Australian production Son Of A Lion, which was shot in Pakistan by first-time director Benjamin Gilmour. The deal, which includes worldwide rights ...
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Reviews
Assassination of a High School President
Dir: Brett Simon. US. 2008. 98mins.Brett Simon's Assassination of a High School President is a small and pleasant surprise. It's a mostly energetic satire of the sexual, social and political hierarchies of contemporary high school reconceived, like Rian Johnson's Brick, as a postmodern noir. Its throwaway accessibility makes it go ...
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Reviews
57000 km Between Us (57000 KM entre nous)
Dir: Delphine Kreuter. France. 2007. 82 mins.Hell is other people - especially family, and especially when they have a camcorder in hand. That's the message of Delphine Kreuter's debut 57 000 KM Between Us, a caustic exercise that uses its rough-edged DV medium to revealing effect, re-tuning French bourgeois comedy ...
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News
Berlinale unveils sevenothermembers of competition jury
The Berlinale has unveiled the seven members of the International Jury who will join jury president Costa-Gavras in deliberating on the prizes for this year's competition. They are: Susanne Bier, director/screenwriter (Denmark)Sandrine Bonnaire, actress/director (France)Uli Hanisch, production designer (Germany)Diane Kruger, actress (Germany)Walter Murch, editor (US)Shu Qi, actress (Taiwan)Alexander Rodniansky, producer ...
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Reviews
Rail Road Crossing (Pas a nivell)
Dir: Pere Vilà. Spain. 2007. 103 mins.For many viewers, Catalan drama Rail Road Crossing will seem like the watching-paint-dry film par excellence. At first sight, Pere Vilà's debut feature exemplifies the three-act structure of art cinema: nothing happens, nothing happens and still nothing happens. But for viewers prepared to go ...
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News
Bumper Asian crop set for release over Chinese New Year
Two Chinese-language films, Stephen Chow's CJ7 and Kung Fu Dunk starring Jay Chou, are poised to kick off the first major box office battle of the year with massive pan-Asian releases over the upcoming Chinese New Year. This year, the first day of the lunar New Year holidays falls on ...
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Reviews
The Black Balloon (2007)
Dir: Elissa Down Aust. 2007, 97 minsThe Black Balloon is notable for its graphic, not-for-the-squeamish depiction of adult autism. But, more importantly for its box office potential, the youth-oriented movie introduces a glowing young Australian actress with true star potential - the international model Gemma Ward. Plus there's a showy ...
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News
Berlin-based M-Appeal launches with Rotterdam trio
A new Berlin-based sales company M-Appeal launched this week with a slate comprising threefilms in the Rotterdam line-up and another five titles to be presented at the forthcoming European Film Market (EFM). The company has been established by Maren Kroymann, formerly head of acquisitions at the German sales agent mdc ...
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Reviews
Sexy Beast
Hollywood Partners (HP), the Munich-based private film fund, has committed to co-financing and co-producing Walter Hill's Undisputed, starring Wesley Snipes, Ving Rhames and Peter Falk, in return for all foreign rights and certain income rights in the US and Canada.The film, which began shooting at a maximum security prison just ...
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News
Cristi Puiu's suburban series leads buzz at 25th Rotterdam CineMart
With just two days left to go at Rotterdam's CineMart, a number of key projects are emerging as hot titles in the co-production market. They include Cristi Puiu's Aurora & Home Sweet Home, his new in a series of suburban stories; Koen Mortier's 22nd Of May about a dull man ...
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News
Very Best Film scores very best opening in Russia
Russian comedy The Very Best Film (Samiy Luchshiy Film) smashed box office records in its home territory with a whopping $16.5m opening weekend - the biggest ever opening for a film in the country. The film, distributed through Caroprokat, played across 702 screens in Russia for a massive $23,482 screen ...
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News
TWC to take US, Latin America on next Dario Argento horror movie
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is in final negotiations to take US and Latin American rights to Dario Argento's forthcoming Giallo which is scheduled to start shooting on March 3.LA-based Hannibal Pictures is handling world sales and also financing the $7-8m picture, which has been described as a return to the ...
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News
Amy Beecroft named head of GreeneStreet Films International
Amy Beecroft has been named head of GreeneStreet Films International (GSFI) in the wake of Ariel Veneziano's departure last autumn to head up Icon Entertainment International.Beecroft previously served as director of international theatrical distribution for HBO and vice president of international theatrical distribution at First Look Studios.Based in Los Angeles, ...
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News
Unified Pictures to debut international sales arm at EFM
California-based production, financing and distribution company Unified Pictures has launched an international sales division and retained Ann Dubinet to oversee the debut slate at next week's EFM in Berlin.Unified will commence sales on the revenge noir The Perfect Sleep starring Roselyn Sanchez, drama Bob Funk starring Oscar nominee Amy Ryan ...
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Reviews
The Wackness
Dir: Jonathan Levine. US. 2008. 110 mins.Having shown that he is a dab hand at teen horror in Toronto 2006 hit All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, Jonathan Levine proves that he can handle character-driven drama, albeit still of the teen variety, in his second film The Wackness. The audience ...
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Reviews
Momma's Man
Dir: Azazel Jacobs. US. 2008. 94 mins.Azazel Jacobs' highly personal Momma's Man was a major discovery at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Artfully tracking the internal breakdown of a thirtysomething man, the film is both lyrical in its near wordless storytelling and humorous in its warm observation of human ...