Large MPU – Page 773
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News
Mesrine project on the rocks after producer assaults agent
The future of producerThomas Langmann's two-part project about career criminal Jacques Mesrine hasbeen called into question following the loss of its lead actor and analtercation between Langmann and agent Francois Samuelson.Barbet Schroeder is set todirect the Euros 45 million films which Benoit Magimel had been set to headlineas France's former ...
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Third weekend at the top for Disney's Treasure
Buena Vista's NationalTreasure stayed top of the chartsfor the third consecutive weekend as it breezed past $100m, whileRevolution/Sony's Christmas With The Kranks climbed to second place to bear down on $50m aftertwo weekends.National Treasure added an estimated $17.1m for $110.2m and it is setto overtake 1996's The Rock on$134m to ...
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Closer posts impressive opening across North America
Buena Vista's NationalTreasure stayed top of the chartsfor the third consecutive weekend as it breezed past $100m, whileRevolution/Sony's Christmas With The Kranks climbed to second place to bear down on $50m aftertwo weekends.National Treasure added an estimated $17.1m for $110.2m and it is setto overtake 1996's The Rock on$134m to ...
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AUSTRALIA 6 December
Team America: WorldPolice, in its first weekend incinemas, tried hard to dislodge National Treasure from the top of thechart but fell just short and had to be satisfied with second place.National Treasure took A$1,241,160 from 276 screens for BVI in whatwas its second weekend on release, compared to Team America'sA$1,229,097 ...
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Reviews
The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Dir: Wes Anderson. US.2004. 118mins.Bill Murray owes anenormous debt of gratitude to writer/director Wes Anderson, whose wonderfullydry, absurdist films have stretched the actor in ways the comedy star mightnever have attempted on his own.Forced to venture outsidehis comfort zone into uncharted emotional waters, Murray has delivered oneoutstanding performance after another ...
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BBC leads race for BAFTA television awards
The BBC dominated the drama categories in the nominations for this year's British Academy Television Awards, garnering 11 out of 20 nods.BBC1's Wives & Daughters was the most heavily nominated BBC drama production, picking up nods for best actress (Francesca Annis), best actor (Michael Gambon) and best drama serial.ITV's Lost ...
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Greeks rush to embrace Alexander
Unlikeits limp performance in the US, Oliver Stone's Alexander has gone down a stormin the country that inspired the film - Greece.The filmopened in Greece this weekend and attracted 104,215 admissions nationwide on 85screens through local distributor Spentzos Film.Thestrong opening puts it on a par with hits such as Troy, ...
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NEW ZEALAND 6 December
Bridget Jones - The EdgeOf Reason, handled by UIP, has beenthe most popular film at the box office for three consecutive weekends. In itssecond outing in cinemas its four-day gross dropped 26.2% and this weekend theNZ$416,587 gross from 65 screens represented a drop of 33.8%.A very different film, TheGrudge, was ...
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Ian Riches named CEO of UK independent exhibitor
Exhibition industry veteranIan Riches has joined the UK's Curzon (Loughborough) leisure group as chiefexecutive officer.Riches' appointment heraldsthe start of a major expansion push for the independent cinema chain. Having been acquired as a single site business byKC Suri, a property entrepreneur, in 2001 it now Presentlycomprisingcomprises of six locations around ...
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Reviews
A Midwinter Night's Dream
Dir. Goran Paskaljevic.Serbia-Montenegro. 2004. 95mins.More introspective andless explosive than his remarkable feature Powder Keg (1998), GoranPaskaljevic's A Midwinter Night's Dream may, in many respects, be ametaphor for Serbia today, but it is still a powerful and moving personaltragedy that functions well, regardless of its political subtext.The finely tunedrelationship between a ...
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News
Balkan funds back six new projects
Six filmprojects have received backing for script development and co-production from the Thessaloniki based BalkanFund and the Sarajevo co-production Market-Cinelink. The news was announced atlast week's Thessaloniki Film Festival (TIFF).Fourprojects were granted Euros 10,000 each by the Balkan Fund, a TIFF scriptdevelopment initiative created in 2003.Theprojects are:- The Only Love ...
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Downfall for Momentum in UK
Momentum Pictures has acquired UK rights to German boxoffice hit The Downfall (Der Untergang) - which grossed $40m in its home territory.Lara Thompson, head of acquisitions at Momentum Pictures,and Eos Distribution's managing director, Dirk Schuerhoff, negotiated the deal.The war drama depicts the final days of Adolf Hitler andis directed by ...
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Top Dutch production outfit launches Oz joint venture
Leading Dutch film company IdtV Film (Twin Sisters)and co-owner Anton Smit are moving into English language film-making via ajoint venture with Australian TV producers Mark and Cathy Overett.Called New Holland Pictures, the Queensland-based jointventure is readying an Australian remake of a Dutch film called Afghan Bride(working title). The project is ...
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'Make or break' period for European animation
European animation is entering into a 'make or breakperiod' over the next few years as a string of high budget films produced inEurope hit the market.That's the conclusion of a new report from Screen Digest,called Animated Movies - US and European Market Assessment.US animations captured the lion's share of admissions ...
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JAPAN Production Listings - September 28
Japan - September 28Pre-ProductionIT'S ONLY TALK(Studio Three) Budget: US$1m. Backers:CinaQuanon, Happinet Pictures, Eisei Gekijo. Int'l sales:Gold View. Dist (Jap):CineQuanon.Drama. A heartwarming drama about a woman in her mid-thirties who experiencesthe loss of her parents and her boyfriend, though continues living positively. Prod:Akira Morishige. Dir:Ryuichi Hiroki. Scr:Haruhiko Arai. DoP:Kazuhiro Suzuki.Main cast: ...
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82 short films selected for Sundance
The Sundance Instituteannounced yesterday (6) that 82 short films have been chosen from 3,887submissions to play at the Sundance Film Festival in January.Narrative, documentary andanimated shorts will play in six programmes, with prizes on offer for outstandingachievement and merit in international and American entries.Subjects cover a satiricallook at spelling bees, ...
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Granada set to buy Border television assets
The UK's ITV television network faces further consolidation following news that UK radio broadcaster Capital Radio will sell Border Group's television assets to Granada Group if its proposed takeover of the company is successful.Granada has agreed to pay $80.2m (£50.5m) for Border's TV assets. Capital will retain Border's radio stations. ...
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Incredibles continues to soar for BVI
Buena VistaInternational's (BVI) The Incredibles passed $100m at the weekend with an estimated $36.3m grossthat raised the international cumulative total to $104.6m.The highlight was the second biggest animated debut everin Japan behind Finding Nemo on $7.3m on689 screens that ranked second behind Howl's Moving Castle.The pictureopened top in Argentina on ...
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Universal to remake BBC mini State Of Play as movie
UniversalPictures has acquired the rights to BBC's political thriller television series StateOf Play from producerAndrew Hauptman and his Mission Pictures.Hauptman willproduce the project with Tracy Falco. State Of Play series creator Paul Abbott will serve asexecutive producer and is currently working on future installments to thetelevision series.State Of Playcentres on ...
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Alexander opens number one in eight smaller territories
Alexander grossed an estimated $4m on 686international screens at the weekend, powered by eight number one debuts includingMexico through Warner Bros.The pictureopened on $1.3m on 400 screens in Mexico through Warner Bros and scored astrong $948,356 on 83 in Greece, where Athens accounted for $51,155.The Greek result was especially impressive ...