Small MPU – Page 1628
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News
UK video/DVD sales surge in 2002
Tim Dams IN LONDONVideo retail sales surged to an estimated 154 million units in 2002, helped by 111% increase in DVD sales, which contributed to overall video market growth of 26%.The figures were released by the British Video Association, which added that the figures do not include mail order, which ...
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Chereau named as Cannes competition jury president
Top French director Patrice Chereau has been named as president of the competition jury for the forthcoming Cannes Festival (May 14-25).Noted initially as a theatre director, Chereau first made the transition to film in 1974 with La Chair De L'Orchidee and became a Cannes regular with La Reine Margot and ...
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Reviews
Tycoon (Oligarch)
Dir. Pavel Lounguine. Russia/France. 128mins.Pavel Lounguine's latest chronicle of the new Russia must have had many of this country's high and mighty squirming on their seats - that is if they still care at all about their reputation. A major hit at home and a festival staple last year, Lounguine's ...
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Reviews
Two Weeks Notice
Dir: Marc Lawrence. US 2002. 102minsThe adorably klutzy Sandra Bullock and the self-deprecatingly charming Hugh Grant have always engendered enormous goodwill among movie-goers. That's lucky for writer and first-time director Marc Lawrence because without the couple's seemingly bullet-proof appeal, this predictable, utterly formulaic romantic comedy would be unbearable. The film ...
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Berlin confirms bulk of competition line-up
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has officially unveiled 19 films from Europe Asia, USA and Africa which will feature in its main competition program.In total 26 films - including the opening and closing films and special out of competition screenings - are expected to be selected.The list includes ...
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Berlin confirms bulk of competition programme
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has officially unveiled 19 films from Europe Asia, USA and Africa which will feature in its main competition programme.In total 26 films - including the opening and closing films and special out of competition screenings - are expected to be selected.The list includes ...
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News
Australia gains financier for genre pics
Australia has gained a new breed of financier - Kirkham Management Limited - which aims to coax private investors to plough funds into genre pictures.Set up by chartered accountant Stephen Kirkham - after spending the last six years planning the move - the outfit aims to fund four pictures annually ...
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News
Minghella takes over as British Film Institute chief
Anthony Minghella has been appointed chair of UK cinema cultural body the British Film Institute (BFI).The Academy Award-winning director replaces Joan Bakewell for a three-year term. Minghella, who has just finished shooting Cold Mountain, said he aimed to promote the BFI's accessibility to the public."The BFI exists to celebrate the ...
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Ex-Granada boss Morrison appointed chair of North West Vision
Steve Morrison, the former chief executive of UK television broadcaster Granada, has been appointed as chair of North West Vision - the body responsible for developing film and television in the north west of England.With an annual budget of £1.3m, North West Vision is primarily funded by the Film Council. ...
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News
Direction of Battle Royale sequel passes from father to son
Kinji Fukasaku, whose controversial dystopian thriller Battle Royale was one of the big local hits of 2001, died on Sunday Jan 12.Direction of the sequel has passed to his son Kenta .Fukasaku, 72, began principal photography of Battle Royale 2 in Tokyo on December 16, but soon after complained of ...
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News
Polish cinema admissions fall back in 2002
The Polish box office declined slightly in 2002, falling back by half a million compared to 26 million admissions in 2001.Some pundits have blamed the lack of big budget Polish productions for the decline. In 2001 the box office was driven by Quo Vadis with more than 4m admissions and ...
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News
Lebanon hostage drama gets big screen treatment
UK production company Parallax Independent Production has started shooting Blind Flight, the story of the kidnapping and imprisonment in the Lebanon in the 1980s of Brian Keenan and John McCarthy.Based on the book An Evil Cradling, the production stars Ian Hart (Backbeat, Land and Freedom) as Keenan and Linus Roache ...
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News
Curtain falls for last cinema in historic Venice
Venice may be home to the world's oldest film festival, but the island is now officially without a single cinema after it drew the curtains on its last two privately-owned screens due to a lack of profit and spectators."It's the end of cinema in Venice, the death of cinema in ...
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News
Mexican exhibitors and distributors protest at cinema levy
Major distributors and exhibitors in Mexico plan to file an injunction before the Supreme Court to contest the new public service fee of one peso (10 cents) levied on cinema tickets. Introduced by the country's Congress in an effort to raise funding for local film production, the fee has riled ...
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News
Palm buys North America and UK rights to entire Cremaster Cycle
Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures has acquired NorthAmerican and UK rights to Matthew Barney's Cremaster Cycle, five films, the last of which Cremaster 3 screens in the Frontier section of the Sundance FilmFestival next week.The films will be the first to be distributed by Palm'snew Arthouse Films label in North America ...
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News
Cooper quits Artisan, relaunches Landscape
Robert Cooper isleaving his post as CEO of Artisan Pictures and vice chairman of parent companyArtisan Entertainment after just 15 months at the company. Cooper, who mergedhis Landscape Entertainment with Artisan in Sept 2001, is to relaunch LandscapePictures as an independent vehicle to produce films and TV programming.Cooper is acquiringthe ...
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Reviews
Rated X
Dir: Emilio Estevez. USA. 1999. 113 mins.Prod Co: District. Prods: Dick Berg, Allan Marcil. Co-prod: Lisa Niedenthal. Scr: Norman Snider, Anne Meredith, David Hollander. DoP: Paul Sarossy. Prod des: John Dondertman. Ed: Craig Bassett. Mus: Tyler Bates. Main cast: Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Tracy Hutson, Rafer Weigel, Megan Ward, Terry ...
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News
Fox's Just Married kickstarts the new year
Fox's slapstick comedy Just Married opened number one over the weekendon $18m, according to studio estimates released today (Jan 12). The lowbrowpicture's debut means the studio has already recouped its low budget productioncosts - which were in the region of $18m - and cocked a snoot at the criticsthat lambasted ...
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News
Chairman Case steps down at AOL Time Warner
Steve Case, the architect of the $106bn merger of AOL and Time Warner, is to stand down from the top job at the troubled media conglomerate.Succumbing to months of investor and media pressure to resign, Case said he would step down at the annual shareholders meeting in May. He will ...
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Trumer takes over at UIP France
UIP's French outpost has announced the arrival of Camille Trumer as managing director. Trumer replaces former Polygram executive Jean-Paul Rougier who held the top spot at UIP France since July 2000.The newly-installed Trumer has a varied background including a stint at UGC during which he passed from director of UGC ...