Small MPU – Page 1583
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Reviews
Zelary
Dir: Ondrej Trojan. Czech Republic. 2003. 150mins.Ondrej Trojan, the producer of Czech hits Divided We Fall and Pupendo, returns to directing with Zelary, a sweeping World War II story set in a remote mountain community where a resistance worker takes refuge from the Nazis. One of those lilting, long films ...
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News
Palm Springs to screen 52 of 56 foreign Oscar submissions
Sixty-nine world and US premieresare among a line-up of 200 films from 60 countries that will play at the 15thPalm Springs International Film Festival, which runs from Jan 8-19.The festival opens with TimBurton's father-son drama Big Fishand closes with the US premiere of John Irvin's musical comedy The Boys FromCounty ...
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News
Wellspring takes US rights to Strayed
US-based Wellspring Media has acquired all US rights toAndre Techine's Strayed (LesEgares), which premiered in competition atCannes earlier this year. The company plans a summer 2004 US release followedby DVD and video roll-out.Based on GillesPerrault's best-selling novel, Strayed stars Emmanuelle Beart as a widowed schoolteacher who fleesParis as the Nazis ...
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News
Warner Bros and Rowling win German plagiarism court case
A district courtin Hamburg has upheld a plagiarism claim brought by Warner Bros Entertainmentand J K Rowling against a German educational publisher.According to thestatement of claim the company, Verlag an der Ruhr, published three schoolbooks related to the character, lore and trademarks of the Harry Potter serieswithout formal permission of ...
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News
Seven films shortlisted for FX Oscar - but no Matrix
The Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences has announced the seven films that will be consideredfor achievement in visual effects for the 76th Academy Awards.The titles are: Hulk,The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King, Master And Commander, Peter Pan,Pirates Of The Caribbean, Terminator 3 and X2.Curiously,neither of ...
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News
Washington DC critics name Return Of The King best film
The Lord OfThe Rings: The Return Of The King has been named best film and Peter Jackson best director by theWashington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA).The 23-membergroup named Bill Murray best actor for Lost In Translation and Naomi Watts best actress for 21Grams, while supportinghonours went to Benicio Del ...
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News
Return Of The King reigns supreme on $73.6m three-day opening
New Line's J R R Tolkientrilogy finale The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King obliteratedthe opposition at the weekend, opening top on an estimated $73.6m from itsfirst three days on 7,205 screens and a staggering $125.1m from its first five.The third and final episodein Peter Jackson's acclaimed ...
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TVE renews output deal with Warner Television
Spain's Television Espanola (TVE) renewed its agreement this week with Warner Bros International Television (WBIT), in a move that gives the public broadcaster rights to WBIT feature film and television product through 2004. TVE and WBIT have maintained an ongoing output agreement since 1990.Included in the deal are feature film ...
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News
Nemo reaches $365m international total, sets sights on $500m target
Buena Vista International's(BVI) Finding Nemo added $25m at the weekend for an internationalrunning total of $365m.The latest figures combinewith the film's US tally for a worldwide total of more than $700m. Studioexecutives are now tentatively setting their sights on a possible internationalfinal tally of more than $500m.The animated hit is ...
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News
Rings round opposition: Return Of The King scores $121m int'l bow
New Line International's TheLord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King ruled them all in 28 territoriesat the weekend, opening on a sensational $121m international box office in itsfirst five days and smashing numerous records.The international gross combinedwith the $125.1m US tally for what the studio is claiming to ...
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News
Love Actually Universal's sixth $100m international title of 2003
Love Actually became Universal's sixth title of the year to pass$100m at the international box office at the weekend, marking the first timethis has happened at the studio and only the second time in industry historyafter Buena Vista International in 1997.The romantic comedy added$5.9m from 2,650 sites in 31 UIP ...
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Reviews
Paycheck
Dir: John Woo. US. 2003. 119 mins.Representing a comeback opportunity for both director John Woo and star Ben Affleck, Paycheck is a sci-fi action thriller that offers glimpses of Woo at his elegant best before it disintegrates into hackneyed genre silliness. Paramount's Christmas Day US release will be watched closely ...
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News
MONSTER
Dir: Patty Jenkins. US. 2003. 110 mins.Two documentaries by Nick Broomfield may have told the Aileen Wuornos story vis a vis the American justice system and media, but Patty Jenkins tells the human story of the woman in her dramatization Monster, a low-budget character study which was released domestically at ...
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Reviews
Monster
Dir: Patty Jenkins. US. 2003. 110 mins.Two documentaries by Nick Broomfield may have told the Aileen Wuornos story vis a vis the American justice system and media, but Patty Jenkins tells the human story of the woman in her dramatization Monster, a low-budget character study which was released domestically at ...
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News
Mexican box office slumps in 2003
Mexico's national film institute Imcine and Chamber of Commerce Canacine are nit picking over details but the final assessment of the country's film industry in 2003 remains dire. Canacine has concluded that Mexican cinema captured a 4.5% share of the overall market but Imcine has given a rosier figure of ...
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News
Berlinale launches new niche competitions
Two new competitions - the Volkswagen Score Competition and the "Dialogue en Perspective" Prize - are being launched at the forthcoming Berlinale (5-15 February, 2004).In the Volkswagen Score Competition, a jury will select the most outstanding contribution to the Berlinale Talent Campus' "The Sound and Music" section and the prize-winner ...
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News
BVI Ireland celebrates record breaking year
Buena Vista Ireland has set a number of Irish distribution records in 2003 to become the number one Irish distributor for the first time in its ten years in business.The top slot has been achieved with a combination of strongly performing titles from the Disney and Miramax stables together with ...
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Celestial Movies secures Hong Kong pay-TV slot
Hong Kong-based Celestial Pictures has secured carriage for its 24-hour Chinese movie channel, Celestial Movies, on Hong Kong's newest pay-TV service, exTV, which launches on Feb 18 next year.The channel, which features content from the Shaw Brothers library, Golden Harvest and several other Asian film studios, has already been launched ...
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News
Producer takes legal action against Southern Star
Australian producer Hal McElroy's family-owned company Eden Productions has commenced legal proceedings against Southern Star Entertainment and the Southern Star Group, claiming it is owed more than $6.4m (A$10.5m). But McElroy's former employer has moved quickly to say it is Eden which owes money to Southern Star.The issue has been ...
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News
Italian gov't prepares to unveil Venice board overhaul
Italian culture minister Giuliano Urbani has announced that he will name the Venice Biennale's new board of directors and president before January 6th - although it now looks increasingly unlikely that either Biennale president Franco Bernabe' or artistic director Moritz de Hadeln will be reappointed to helm the next Venice ...