Large MPU – Page 418
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Reviews
Matchstick Men
Dir. Ridley Scott. US, 2003. Paper Moon meets House Of Games in this lightweight crime caper coming from one of Hollywood's heavyweight directors, obviously on a break between his major projects. The tale of a con artist suffering from a severe case of OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) who is surpassed by ...
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News
Agata and The CardPlayer lead rare Italian pre-sales
In what stands as one of the rare times Italian films are pre-sold to international distributors, Rome sales agent Adriana Chiesa Enterprises (ACE) has already found a host of buyers for Bread And Tulips director Silvio Soldini's new comedy, Agata And The Storm, and Dario Argento's upcoming thriller, The CardPlayer. ...
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News
Weiss responds to Germany Film Academy critics
Germany's State Minister for Culture Christina Weiss has responded to growing criticism of her support for the setting up of an AMPAS-style German Film Academy by stressing the independence of the annual German Film Awards.Earlier this year Weiss voiced her support for a German Academy after a group of key ...
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News
Kurosawa's Doppelganger to open Pusan
The Pusan International Film Festival has released the lineup for its 8th edition (October 2-10) featuring 244 films in all, with a strong focus on Asian cinema.Opening the South Korean festival will be the international premiere of Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Doppelganger, a philosophical thriller about a man who meets ...
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News
NBC to merge with Vivendi Universal Entertainment
Vivendi Universal has announced NBC as the victor in its long-gestating auction of the company's US entertainment assets that include Universal Studios, television interests and theme parks.In the announcement, made soon after the Paris bourse closed, Vivendi and NBC parent General Electric said it had signed a letter of intent ...
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News
Benelux distributor falls for Kitano's style
Start-up Dutch distributor Bright Angel achieved something of a coup by snatching Benelux rights to hot Venice competition title Zatoichi. The film is possibly director Takeshi Kitano's most commercial and accessible to western audiences for several years. Bright Angel, which only launched in May, also bought Italian title Ora O ...
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ABC's theatrical arm acquires Tank Engine movie
ABC Films has confirmed it has acquired all Australian and New Zealand rights to the US$20m family film Thomas And The Magic Railroad which director Britt Allcroft has adapted from the Thomas The Tank Engine hit television series she also created. To avoid Olympics fever, which will take over Australia ...
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News
New Benelux distributor falls for Kitano's style
Start-up Dutch distributor Bright Angel achieved something of a coup by snatching Benelux rights to hot Venice competition title Zatoichi. The film is possibly director Takeshi Kitano's most commercial and accessible to western audiences for several years. Bright Angel, which only launched in May, also bought Italian title Ora O ...
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News
Berlin festival sets first titles for 2004
Mexican docu-fiction Digna Oaxa is the first film to have been selected for inclusion in next year's Berlin festival (5-15 February 2004). Festival director Dieter Kosslick said that he will include the film in the official line-up, though precise placement remains currently undetermined. Kosslick said that he has also already ...
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News
Phone Booth opens third in France for Fox
Fox International's thriller Phone Booth opened in third place in France at theweekend, grossing $1.8m from 276 screens.The decent bow raised the film's international cumulative score to$41.9m.Elsewhere the romantic comedy Down With Love opened fourth in Mexico on $288,000 on150 screens, raising its international running total to $2.5m.Overall the film ...
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News
Universal's The Hulk breaks $100m barrier
Universal's The Hulk became the 15th film to pass $100m at the international boxoffice this year with a $3.1m weekend gross powered by a mighty number oneItalian bow.Released through UIP, the film took $2.8m from 255 sites in Italyfor Universal's and UIP's biggest opening weekend of the year in the ...
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News
Alliance Atlantis spins off distribution businesses
Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications has announced itsintention to spin-off its Canadian and UK distribution businesses into a so-calledincome fund. Through an initial public offering, the fund will indirectlyacquire a non-controlling interest in a new entity, Motion Picture DistributionLimited Partnership, which will then acquire the business conducted by AllianceAtlantis Motion Picture ...
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News
Lawson, Libby promoted, Lewis rehired at US PR firm MPRM
Publicity veteran Michael Lawson has been promoted to senior vicepresident at mPRm Public Relations and Chris Libby to director as part of arestructuring of the company's film practice.James Lewis will also be returning to the company as a senioraccount executive in film."Michael Lawson's elevation to head of the film practice ...
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News
Miramax plots new Spanish distribution strategy
Miramax Films has terminatedits relationship with Spain's Lauren Films and is moving ahead with a newstrategy for releasing its films in the territory, the company's COO Rick Sandstold ScreenDaily yesterday.Sands was responding tostatements made by Lauren's new COO Francesc Guardans which claimed that Lauren is stilllooking to salvage its relationship ...
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News
Altman confirms he will be Toronto Maverick
Robert Altman has confirmedhis participation in the Maverick programme, part of the events taking place atthe Toronto International Film Festival's Rogers Industry Centre (RIC). Among the array ofindustry-focused events are panel discussions on current issues facing theindustry, personality interviews with innovators such as Altman and seminars onissues ranging from how ...
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News
Spain's Sogepaq scores Football Days, Torremolinos 73
Spain's Sogepaq has acquired international rights to two high-profile third-party films: much-anticipated new release Football Days (Dias De Futbol) and four-time Malaga winner Torremolinos 73.The deal links the Sogecable group's Sogepaq to successful indie producer Telespan 2000, the co-producer with broadcaster Telecinco's film arm Estudios Picasso of both films as ...
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Reviews
The Dreamers
Dir: Bernardo Bertolucci. UK. 2003. mins.The Dreamers is not the masterpiece that some were expecting. But neither does it betray the return to form that was announced by Bernardo Bertolucci's 1998 chamber drama, Besieged. This is an infinitely more intelligent, edgy and intriguing film than, say, Little Buddha. Its main ...
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News
Grade consortium buys Pinewood for $99m
After announcing yesterday that it has sold Odeon Cinemas to private equity financier Cinven, the UK's Rank group today confirmed the sale of British film studio Pinewood Studios to a consortium headed by former Channel 4 boss Michael Grade for $99m (£62m). The deal sees Grade become chairman of Pinewood ...
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News
France's Vincent Cassel joins Ocean's Twelve
Continuing his foray into Hollywood, French actor Vincent Cassel has taken a role in Stephen Soderbergh's upcoming sequel to Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve. Cassel's Paris-based agent, Laurent Gregoire of Intertalent confirmed the news to Screendaily on Wednesday.Ocean's Twelve will reunite the all-star cast of the 2001 hit which included George ...
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Reviews
The Human Stain
Dir: Robert Benton. US. 2003. 104 mins.Or The Human Blot, depending on your point of view. It's not that Miramax' early autumn Oscar rollout is a bad film: it's just that it doesn't quite work up the energy to be a good one. True, the pairing of Kidman and Hopkins ...