Small MPU – Page 3450

  • News

    Chris Cooper joins powerhouse cast of Universal's Jarhead

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    Chris Cooper hasjoined the cast of Universal's dark coming-of-age story Jarhead, which began shooting earlier this monthand is being directed by Sam Mendes.Based on Marine AnthonySwofford's memoirs of the first Gulf War, Jarhead follows a group of fightersas they sustain themselves with sardonic humanity and wicked comedy in acountry they ...

  • News

    TIFFG names ten best Canadian films of the year

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    The Toronto International FilmFestival Group has unveiled its annual listing of the best in Canadian cinema.Titles making the fourth annual list include acclaimed short title Ryan, by Chris Landreth, Michael Dowse's TIFF prize winner It's All GonePete Tong, Daniel Roby's Peau Blanche, which won the first film prize at TIFF ...

  • News

    Revolution/Rhombus co-production wins Telefilm Canada funds

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    Marc Evans' Snowcake, a coproduction between Canada's Rhombus Media andthe UK's Revolution Films, is one of four films approved for funding over C$1min the latest subsidy round of Telefilm Canada. Other tittles include newfeatures from Clement Virgo (Lie With Me, Rude) and Vic Sarin (Cold Comfort). The total potential financial ...

  • News

    Chris Weitz steps away from His Dark Materials

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    Chris Weitz hasquit as director on New Line Cinema's upcoming Philip Pullman adaptation HisDark Materials due tothe "technical challenges of making such an epic".In a statementWeitz, whose credits include About A Boy, stressed that his departure was not tied to any creativedifferences regarding the fantasy project, and expressed satisfaction that ...

  • News

    Miami unveils 118 film-heavy lineup in Feb

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    The MiamiInternational Film Festival (MIFF) presented by Miami Dade College will open onFeb 4 with Modiglianistarring Andy Garcia and closes on Feb 13 with Joaquin Oristrell's Spanishfarce Unconscious (Inconscientes).All in all 118 pictures, including seven world and 15international, North American and US premieres, will screen at the festival,which will run ...

  • News

    POW! teams up with films and other products with CIA

    2004-12-15T04:00:00Z

    Stan Lee andGill Champion's Los Angeles-based POW! Entertainment will co-produce andco-develop an animated series of titles and products with Celebrities In Action(CIA).The projectincludes direct-to-DVD titles, features, video games, clothing, publishing andother consumer products."After havinginvented countless fictional characters over the years, what a kick it is to betackling a project as ...

  • Reviews

    In Good Company

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    Dir/scr: Paul Weitz. US.2004. 106mins.A warm, timelycontemporary comedy set against a backdrop of corporate mergers and staffdownsizing, In Good Company (formerly titled Synergy), is ripewith value for its distributors both as a medium-sized theatrical performer anda robust TV and DVD title.Both a bittersweet romanticcomedy and a moral fable of keeping ...

  • Reviews

    Noel

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    Dir:Chazz Palminteri. US. 2004. 96mins.Animmensely talented cast is mostly wasted in Noel,actor Chazz Palminteri's inauspicious directorial debut. Sadly, this feel-goodfilm, set at Christmas in New York (that old movie stand-by), never rises muchabove made-for-TV fare, despite the high-voltage actors who populate it.Stalwarts like Susan Sarandon, PenelopeCruz, and an uncredited Robin ...

  • News

    MPAA takes legal action against file-trading networks

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) istaking legal action to shut down file-trading networks it says distributemillions of unauthorised copies of Hollywood films and TV programmes.The MPAA said it was filing civil suits and pressing forcriminal actions against networks with the names BitTorrent, eDonkey andDirectConnect.The association said the three ...

  • News

    Incredibles rules international box office chart

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    TheIncredibles is looking unstoppable at the top of theinternational chart with its latest weekend gross nearly double that of thesecond placed title.Lastweekend saw a number one debut in Germany gross $5.7m (Euro 4.3m) from 751,000admissions adding to holdover territories and taking the animated film past$150m internationally.WarnerBros' The Polar Express is ...

  • News

    Italian admissions soar in 2004

    2004-12-16T04:00:00Z

    Admissionsin Italy are up 8.5% to 98 million according to new figures from research bodyCinetel.The admissions relate to the period Dec 1 2003 and Nov 302004 and led to an Italian box office take of Euros 577m.Cinetel data only measures admissions and takings from 75% ofItalian screens, but is the ...

  • News

    Refn's Pusher II dominates Danish Oscar nods

    2004-12-16T04:00:00Z

    Nicolas Winding Refn's drama PusherII (With Blood on my Hands - Pusher II) bagged the most nominations forthe Danish Film Academy's ROBERT awards with 12 nods including best film,director, script and actor Mads Mikkelsen.However, Pusher II, which doesn't open locally until Dec 25, faces competition from other films including PaprikaSteen's ...

  • News

    Global appetite wanes for French film

    2004-12-16T04:00:00Z

    Some 330 French films werereleased in at least one territory around the world in the first eleven monthsof 2004, according to French film export body Unifrance. The films achieved 33 million admissionsaround the world, down 11% on the same period in 2003.Several factors explain thedownturn, including the fact that local ...

  • News

    CME acquires Czech broadcaster TV Nova

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    CentralEuropean Media Enterprises (CME), the multinational media conglomerate, hasagreed to buy leading Czech private sector television station TV Nova.Thedeal is rich in irony as TV Nova previously broke away from CME, sparking along-running series of court and arbitration battles.Under theterms of the new deal CME will pay Euros 485m in ...

  • News

    Focus acquires Alzheimer Case remake rights

    2004-12-16T04:00:00Z

    Belgium's foreign-languageOscar contender The Alzheimer Case (De Zak Alzheimer) has beenbought for English-language remake by Focus Features of the US.The Flemish-language thriller,directed and co-written by Erik Van Looy, sees an assassin with a failingmemory become caught in a web of government intrigue. It was produced by HildeDe Laere and Erwin ...

  • News

    Ghobadi to consult on the rebuilding of cinema in Iraq

    2004-12-16T04:00:00Z

    Bahman Ghobadi's Iranianforeign language Academy Award entry Turtles Can Fly yesterday (15) became the first picture to open inan Iraqi theatre since the end of the war.Ghobadi was due to attendthe screening at the Crystal Theatre in Arbil City and has also been invited bythe interim Iraqi government to conduct ...

  • News

    Jones leaves UK Film Council to run New Line/Entertainment venture

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    Robert Jones is leaving as chief of the UK Film Council'sPremiere Fund to head up Material Entertainment, a new London-based productioncompany jointly owned by Nigel and Trevor Green's Entertainment FilmDistributors and New Line Cinema.The company willlaunch in the first quarter of 2005 and aims to produce up to four pictures ...

  • News

    Fortissimo picks up Wen's Foreign Devils

    2000-04-18T12:18:00Z

    Fortissimo Film Sales has picked up world rights to highly anticipated Chinese title Foreign Devils At The Door (provisional title), the second picture from actor-turned-director Wen Jiang.The film, which is expected to be included in today's Cannes competition list, is a story about the last days of Japanese occupation of ...

  • News

    Lumet to receive honorary Oscar

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    Sidney Lumetwill receive an Honorary Oscar at the 77th Academy Awards on Feb 27 inrecognition of his "brilliant services to screenwriters, performers and the artof the motion picture.""Lumet is one ofthe most important film directors in the history of American cinema and hiswork has left an indelible mark on both ...

  • News

    Relativity, Platinum team up on Dylan Dog

    2004-12-15T00:00:00Z

    Hollywood talentmanagement agency Relativity Management has teamed up with Platinum Studios,which controls one of the world's biggest libraries of comic book characters,on the computer animated thriller Dylan Dog: The Fourth Kingdom.The partners have selected computer animation productionhouse Vancouver-based The Shop Animation Studios to develop and co-produce theproject, based on Tiziano ...