All articles by Geoffrey Macnab – Page 195
-
Reviews
The Skeleton Key
Dir: Iain Softley. US.2005. 104mins.Iain Softley'sLouisiana-set The Skeleton Key is a horror film which does not alwaysseem to know which doors it is trying to unlock. The film is at once apsychological chiller in similar vein to Amenabar's The Others, a ratheroverwrought and inadvertently comic slice of Southern Gothic, and ...
-
Reviews
Festival
Dir/scr: Annie Griffin.UK. 2005 107mins.Festival is a deceptive affair. Early on, as we're introduced to agallery of aspiring comedians and actors, Annie Griffin's debut feature looksset to turn into a grating celebration of the Edinburgh Festival (the largestarts festival in the world) in all its full carnivalesque glory. There issomething ...
-
Reviews
The Descent
Dir/scr: Neil Marshall.UK. 2005. 96mins.The Descent, Neil Marshall's follow-up to 2002 hit DogSoldiers, is superior British genre fare: unashamedly gory but handsomelycrafted and inventive too, and with some gallows humour to leaven the moreextreme moments. Marshall's influences are wide-ranging. He has pitched thefilm as 'Deliverance goes underground', but he seems ...
-
News
London Film Focus closes on a high
The second London UK Film Focus (LUFF) has closed on a generally upbeat note.Screenings were well attended and buyers clearly supported the event, which nowlooks set to become an annual fixture in the calendar"I do think we've stepped up a rung this year. The quality of the filmswas better by ...
-
News
Rourke, Nighy, McGregor enlist for Stormbreaker
An impressive cast isgathering for the $40m-plus teen superspy adventure Stormbreaker, whichbegins shooting in the Isle of Man next week.Alex Pettyfer (pictured), who was TomBrown in UK TV series Tom Brown's Schooldays, will play 14-year-old specialagent Alex Rider. Mickey Rourke will star as Alex's nemesis, megalomaniacbusinessman Darrius Sayle. Bill Nighy ...
-
News
Cuaron film promises to 'remove hex' on Pinewood
After a week of profitwarnings and falling share prices, Pinewood-Shepperton studios can finallyannounce some good news.Universal's adaptation ofthe PD James' novel Children Of Men, to be directed by Alfonso Cuaron,is setting up shop at Pinewood Studios - and looks certain to shoot there fromearly autumn."I've been able topersuade the powers ...
-
News
Lions Gate pounces on The Descent
Lions Gate has snapped up NorthAmerican rights to Neil Marshall's British gorefest The Descent from PatheInternational.The film, which sold widely during Cannes,is to receive its world premiere at next week's London UK Film Focus.The Descent (Marshall'sfollow-up to 2002's Dog Soldiers) isa Celador Films production, executive produced byPaul Smith and produced ...
-
News
Working Title reshuffles its senior executive pack
Working Title has restructured its creative executive team. Natascha Wharton,head of low-budget arm WT2, will take over the development departments of bothWorking Title Films and WT2.Meanwhile, DebraHayward, head of film, is to leave her current post, but will continue to workwith Working Title as exec-producer on selected projects."Debra has a ...
-
News
Stargate, Magic Hour launch£30m 'protected' UK fund
A new £30m "capital protected" film financing fundhas been launched in London. MagicGate is a joint venture between fund managerStargate Capital Management and UK production company Magic Hour Media whosecredits include MIke Barker's A Good Woman.MagicGate aims to invest in four films in the £5m to £10m range over the ...
-
News
Marshall, Pathe eye autumn shoot for Outpost
Writer-director Neil Marshall, one of the leading figuresbehind the new wave of British horror films, is at work on another horror filmfor Pathe Pictures. Outpost is a sci-fihorror film about a genetic experiment which goes horribly wrong. Marshall is currentlyat third draft script stage and may be ready to shoot ...
-
News
London UK Film Focus lines up 12 world premieres
The second London UKFilm Focus (LUFF) (June 27-30) has unveiled its programme for this year'sevent, which includes 12 world premieres - up from 8 last year.Among the worldpremieres (see full list below) are such sought-after titles as Neil Jordan's BreakfastOn Pluto, Stephen Frears' Mrs Henderson Presents and Nick Love's TheBusiness. ...
-
News
Buyers take plunge for Pathe's Descent
Buyers have been lapping up Neil Marshall's gorefest TheDescent, one of many new British horror films being touted at last month'sCannes market. After screening footage to buyers early in the festival,Pathe Pictures International (PPI) clinched deals with Avex in Japan, SquareOne Entertainment in Germany, Vertigo in Spain, CDE Videa in ...
-
News
Cinelibre stacks up with Cannes titles
Celebrating its 30thanniversary, voracious Belgian indie distributor Cinelibre-Cineart has beenstacking up on new titles. Together with Dutchdistributor A-Film, Cinelibre-Cineart has taken Benelux rights to WongKar-Wai's The Lady From Shanghai, Golden Bear-winner U-Carmen,Tsui Hark's Seven Swords (tipped for a prestigious early slot in Venice)and Park Chan-Wook's Sympathy With Lady Vengeance.During Cannes, ...
-
News
DreamWorks wins Match Point as UK buyers circle
After a ferocious bidding war, DreamWorks has picked upNorth American rights to Woody Allen's Match Point for a reported $4m.The deal comes as UK buyers continue to circle what is considered one ofAllen's strongest commercial prospects in several years. The film, his first tobe made in England, is being sold ...
-
News
The Works closes multiple deals on Cannes slate
As the dust settles onanother Cannes market, UK-based sales agents The Works announced yesterday thatit had closed multiple deals on its Cannes slate. "It was a busymarket and we were there then to the bitter end closing deals," said TheWorks' Joy Wong. Among The Works' titles to catch buyers' eyes ...
-
News
Zelenka's Wrong Side Up wins Moscow slot
Wrong Side Up, the latest film from Czechdirector Petr Zelenka, has been chosen for competition at the 27th MoscowInternational Film Festival (June 17-26). The film, released in the Czech Republic in February 2005, has already rackedup more than 200.000 admissions in its domestic market. 'We're very happyto see Wrong ...
-
News
Artificial Eye loads up with Cannes titles
Leading UK independent distributor Artificial Eye has comeaway from Cannes with a haul of six titles in official selection including thisyear's Palme D'Or winner, the Dardennes brothers The Child, andDirector's prize winner, Hidden, by Michael Haneke.The other Artificial Eye pick-ups are Francois Ozon's Le Temps Qui Reste,which screened in Un ...
-
News
Viggo Mortensen takes lead in Nazi drama
Viggo Mortensen is to star in Good, the screen adaptation of CP Taylor's award-winning stage play set during the Nazi era. British actors Jason Isaacs and Mark Strong will also appear in the film, which will be directed by Vicente Amorin. The screenplay has been written by John Wrathall.Good tells ...
-
News
Verhoeven's Black Book closes financing
VIP Mediafondshas boarded Black Book,Paul Verhoeven's long-gestating $20m wartime thriller, as majority financier,finally giving a start-date to the project in August on location in TheNetherlands and at Studio Babelsberg.The cast is ledby Dutch star Carice van Houten, Halina Reijn and Dutch actor Thom Hoffman. Thelead German parts are played by ...
-
News
Kaurismaki embarks on Nightwatchman shoot
Shooting has begun inFinland on Nightwatchman, thethird part of Aki Kaurismaki's Finland trilogy. Having dealt withunemployment in Drifting Cloudsand homelessness in Man Without A Past, the Finnish auteur is now taking as his subject "loneliness in suburbanHelsinki." The film is being made through Kaurismaki's production companySputnik.Among the starsis Paju, the ...