Large MPU – Page 1227
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Reviews
The Iron Ladies
Dir: Yongyooth Thongkonthun. Thailand. 2000Cool Runnings meets The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert in this raucous, cheer-the-underdog charmer inspired by true events at the 1996 Thailand national volleyball championships. A shameless crowd-pleaser, played for broad comic effect, it embraces every cliche of the sporting no-hopers genre but still ...
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Reviews
Karlovy Vary Reviews
ANGEL EXITDir: Vladimir Michalek. Czech Republic. 2000. 100mins.Reviewed by Anna FranklinA drug induced fantasy that mixes horror and comedy without being either, Vladimir Michalek's Angel Exit is a film that makes its impact with a mosaic of images, sights and sounds that appeal to all five senses. Based on ...
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News
Locarno reveals competition line-up
While Final Fantasy - The Spirit Within and Moulin Rouge will open and close the Piazza Grande programme respectively, this year's official competition of 19 films from 13 different countries includes ten first features and 15 world premieres.Debut projects include Meng Ong's Miss Wonton (US), Riccardo Signorell's Sheherazade (Switzerland) and ...
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News
UK Film Council reveals first single-project slate
Erick Zonca, the French writer-director of The Dreamlife Of Angels, is to make his English-language debut with National Lottery backing from UK film support body the Film Council's first round of single-project development funding.Zonca secured $106,244 (£75,000), the largest single award the council has made from its development fund, for ...
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News
Pleskow sells Pleswin stake to partner de Winter
Veteran producer Eric Pleskow has announced that he has sold his interest in Pleswin Entertainment Group BV to its other principal shareholder Leon de Winter.The company was launched in August 1999 by the former United Artists boss and Orion Pictures founder with Dutch novelist and screenwriter de Winter to create ...
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News
AFC increases producers' development fund
The Australian Film Commission (AFC) has put aside $596,000 (A$1.16m) in public money for this financial year for producers -- and writer/directors in exceptional circumstances - to develop a slate of projects. This is nearly double last year's allocation although the cap on individual awards remains $35,975 (A$70,000). The extra ...
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News
Tycoon heads $790m Malaysian studio revamp
A reclusive tycoon with a penchant for Bollywood extravaganzas is to head the $790m development of Malaysia's new Hollywood-style film studios, according to Reuters.Syed Mokhtar Al Bukhary, already in Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's good books for winning away Danish shipping giant Maersk Sealand from neighbour and rival Singapore, is ...
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News
Media Salles reveals new executive committee
Media Salles, an initiative within the EU media programme to foster theatrical distribution of European audiovisual products, has announced its new executive committee line-up. More of a reshuffle, with no change of personnel, the presidency has gone to Jens Rykaer, previous treasurer of the association and director of the European ...
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Reviews
Sagittarius
Dir: Vicente Molina Foix. Spain. 1hr 52mins.Character-driven and dialogue-heavy, Sagittarius (Sagitario) is not a film for all audiences. Its greatest appeal will likely lie with urban arthouse audiences interested in adult-oriented European fare. In Spain, where distributor Lauren Films put this assumption to test, average per-copy ticket sales have been ...
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Reviews
A Place On Earth
Dir: Artur Aristakisjan. 2001. Russia 126minsPart documentary, part feature film, compelling and deeply disturbing, Artur Aristakisjan's A Place On Earth, is a portrait of a Moscow commune in which squatters, beggars, cripples and the insane become actors in a metaphysical examination of the human need for love and spiritual ...
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News
Ster Century re-finances and avoids sale
Having failed to find a buyer since it was put up for sale last year, pan-European exhibition circuit Ster Century Europe has secured an $80m re-financing package and has now been taken off the market.Corporate restructuring will see Ster Century housed within a new consolidated film entity being proposed by ...
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News
HFPA donates $484,000 to film groups and charities
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) presented $485,000 in donations to various US charities and institutions at its annual installation luncheon yesterday, bringing the total amount of donations granted by the HFPA in the last seven years to $2.485m.The HFPA, the group of foreign journalists which presents the Golden Globe ...
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News
Marc Butan joins Lions Gate as production evp
Lions Gate Productions, a division of Lions Gate Entertainment, has hired Marc Butan, the former president of Ignite Entertainment, as executive vice president of production. Reporting to Michael Paseornek, president of production at Lions Gate, Butan will oversee production of the company's film projects and run its development activities.Butan will ...
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News
Myriad buys 20% of LA broadcast, services facility
Myriad Pictures has purchased a 20% stake in Broadcast Standard Inc (BSI), the LA-based broadcast and video servicing, standards conversion and digital editing facility.BSI was founded in 1987 and acquired late last year with funds from Independent International Television, an LA-based TV distribution company controlled by Argentina's Ledafilms, Ledafilms' main ...
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Reviews
Cabin Fever
Dir: Mona J Hoel. Norwegian. 2001. 95mins.A family whose skeletons come out of the closet when they get together for the holidays is not exactly a new idea, but Mona J Hoel's Cabin Fever explores this well-worn theme within the framework of the Dogma manifesto to create a Chekhovian drama ...
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News
Angel Exit
Dir: Vladimir Michalek. Czech Republic. 2000. 100mins.A drug induced fantasy that mixes horror and comedy without being either, Vladimir Michalek's Angel Exit is a film that makes its impact with a mosaic of images, sights and sounds that appeal to all five senses. Based on the popular novel of ...
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Reviews
Hi Teresa
Dir: Robert Glinski Poland 2001. 86mins.After making an impressive acting debut as a young criminal in the leading role of Robert Glinski's Hi, Teresa, 15-year- old Aleksandra Gieter had to return to the reform school that she had been plucked from to play the part. Ironically she ...
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Reviews
Luna's Game
Dir. Monica Laguna. Spain 2001. 102 mins. A disappointing attempt to deal with two different types of addiction, Monica Laguna's second feature takes far too many short cuts and avoids too many pertinent questions to deal with the many tasks it sets for itself. Ana Torrent, in the lead role ...
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Reviews
Firefly Dreams
Dir. John Williams, Japan 2001, 104 min.Although this fully Japanese-financed production looks and feels thoroughly authentic in every respect, it is written, directed and edited by a Cambridge-educated Englishman, John Williams, who has been living in Japan since 1988. For his debut feature Williams adopts the slow, deliberate pace ...
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News
De Laurentiis hopes Scott will direct Alexander
Contrary to earlier reports, producer Dino De Laurentiis has yet to secure the services of director Ridley Scott for the film he is lining up about Alexander The Great. De Laurentiis said that he hoped the film would be directed by Gladiator's Scott, but as yet no deal has been ...