Small MPU – Page 231
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News
Truly Indie to handle US release of 51 Birch Street
MarkCuban and Todd Wagner's independent label Truly Indie will handle the UStheatrical release of Doug Block's autobiographical documentary 51 BirchStreet.Thefocus of the story centres on the truth behind the seemingly idyllic 54-yearmarriage of Block's parents. When his mother dies and his father announcesseveral months later that he is leaving town ...
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News
Chartier steers Voltage through changing international landscape
Headof fast-growing 18 month-oldfinancing & sales company Voltage Pictures Nicolas Chartier talks to Jeremy Kay about the newgeneration of film financiers and international distributors.Aveteran of such companies as Arclight Films and Myriad Pictures, VoltagePictures co-head Nicolas Chartier (pictured) is the kind of go-to guy in theinternational sales business ...
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Reviews
The Queen
Dir: Stephen Frears. UK2006. 97mins.The British have been making films about their RoyalFamily almost since cinema began. What is so distinctive about Stephen Frears' brilliant new feature The Queen is that it is unfolds only a few years ago - in 1997 atthe time of Princess Diana's death - and ...
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Reviews
Black Book (Zwartboek)
Dir: Paul Verhoeven. Neth-Bel-Ger-UK.140mins.The prodigal son of Dutch cinema comes home from Hollywood with the budget,production values and the epic nonchalance of the American Way packed in his suitcase. Black Book, Paul Verhoeven'sfirst European film for more than 20 years, is not a particularly original pieceof cinema but it is ...
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Reviews
Private Fears In Public Places (Coeurs)
Dir: Alain Resnais. Fr-It. 2006. 120mins.Now well into his eighties, Alain Resnaisis firmly established as one of cinema's all-time masters and has no need toprove anything to anyone. It means that with Private Fears In Public Places he can againallow himself the luxury of adapting an Alan Ayckbourncomedy of manners, ...
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News
Olswang launches media corporate finance house
UK law firm Olswang has launched LongAcre Partners, an independent corporate finance advisor, specialising in technology, media and communications.JP Morgan Corsair II Capital Partners, the $1bn investment fund of JP Morgan, has taken a 15% stake in the operation.LongAcre's board of directors includes Olswang chairman Simon Olswang; Olswang chief executive ...
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San Fu Maltha ready to fly with De Bernieres bestseller
BlackBookproducer San Fu Maltha has optioned bestseller BirdsWithout Wings from Louis De Bernieres, whose Captain Corelli's Mandolin was filmed in 2001 by WorkingTitle. Thestory is set in 19th Century Turkey, just as the Ottoman empire is beginning tocrumble. Dealingwith life in a small village split by religious and political tension, ...
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Consultant questions Venice's industry credentials
With 300 buyers in attendance and 80 market screenings, this year's Venice Festival would appear to be catering to industry demands as thoroughly as it can, given the Lido's awkward infrastructure. But Edith Grant, consultant to Venice's industry office, has questioned how deep the Biennale's commitment to staging a meaningful ...
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Frears' Queen is royally received
Regal mania gripped the Lido following this weekend's world premiere of Stephen Frears' The Queen in competition at the Venice Festival. Frears, Helen Mirren and the film's producers received a standing ovation at their press conference.There was a whiff of republicanism as Frears met the British press in the gardens ...
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News
Granada steps up film commitment after Queen success
Following its success with The Queen, UK TV company Granada is to step up its commitment to feature film.Granada's controller of Drama and Comedy Andy Harries, speaking in Venice, has given details of a slate of new projects the company is developing. These include films with talent ranging from Paul ...
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Reviews
The Banquet (Yeyan)
Dir: Feng Xiaogang. Chi-HK. 2006. 131mins.Announced as China's opulent version ofShakespeare's Hamlet and originallyexpected to surface at Cannes, Feng Xiaogang's TheBanquet finally emerges three months later as an out of competition screeningat Venice. Though the plot is definitely indebted to the Bard - and to Macbeth as well as Hamlet ...
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Reviews
Children Of Men
Dir: Alfonso Cuaron. US-UK. 2006. 108mins.Unwrap the fascinating dystopian visionof the near-future in Alfonso Cuaron's Children Of Men- based on the sci-fi novel by British literary baroness PD James - and youfind a fairly ordinary movie with stock characters. But if its backdrop andstory never quite coalesce into a satisfying ...
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News
BVI's Pirates holds international crown for ninth weekend
Pirates of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest closed its ninth consecutive weekend asthe number one international picture as it took another significant stridetowards the $1bn global mark.Adding an estimated $11m through Buena Vista International (BVI),the smash adventure sequel reached $579.1m in overseas revenues and $991.9mworldwide and is expected to cross ...
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The Host smashes record for Korea's biggest local film
Bong Joon-ho's The Host smashed Korea's all-time box office admissions record over theweekend, racing towards the record faster than any previous release.The monster sci-fi filmsurpassed previous record-holder King AndThe Clown's 12.3 million admissions on Saturday afternoon (Sept 2) with12.37 million admissions, and it's estimated that a further 90,000 were addedon ...
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News
Gordon Green, Dunaway among No Borders projects at IFP Market
New work from David Gordon Green and Faye Dunaway's featuredirectorial debut are among the highlights of the No Borders International Co-production market at the upcoming 28th Annual IFPMarket in New York.Hot on the heels of the Toronto International FilmFestival, the yearly event presents a forum for filmmakers to discuss projectsin ...
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News
Fuji TV unveils fourth spin-off in Bayside franchise
Fuji TV has announcedanother entry in its successful Bayside Shakedownfilm and TV franchise - Bengoshi HaijimaHideki (Hideki Haijima, Esq.) - to bedirected by Daisaku Kobayashi and star actor and TV presenter Norito Yashima.The TV movie will be thefourth spin-off produced since the release of the original feature film in 1998and ...
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Villalonga retains position despite investigation
Telefonica president Juan Villalonga emerged from a critical board meeting yesterday (June 28) with his position intact, despite an ongoing investigation into accusations that he benefited from insider information when he purchased options for shares of Telefonica in January, 1998.There was speculation that Telefonica's key shareholders, banks BBVA and La ...
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Reviews
Children Of Men
Dir: Alfonso Cuaron. US-UK. 2006. 108mins.Unwrap the fascinatingdystopian vision of the near-future in Alfonso Cuaron's Children Of Men - based on the sci-fi novel by British literarybaroness PD James - and you find a fairly ordinary movie with stock characters.But if its backdrop and story never quite coalesce into a ...
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News
Oliver Stone recruited for BAFTA's David Lean Lecture
BAFTAhas announced that Oliver Stone will deliver its David Lean Lecture on Sept 6 atAcademy headquarters in Piccadilly, London.DavidParfitt, chairman of Bafta'sfilm committee, will introduce Stone, who will deliver the lecture and thendiscuss his past work and forthcoming film WorldTrade Center with critic Mark Kermode. 'OliverStone is that rare thing ...