ITV

Category: Hollywood

  • Etihad Airways & Universal Pictures unveil ‘Fast & Furious’ plane

    Etihad Airways & Universal Pictures unveil ‘Fast & Furious’ plane

    MUMBAI: Etihad Airways and Universal Pictures unveiled the luxury Fast & Furious 777 airliner at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Actor/producer Vin Diesel was on hand as Etihad Airways Flight 171 arrived from Abu Dhabi to kick off the global junket and world premiere of Furious 7. The film arrives in theaters on 3 April.

     

    Representing a welcome first for the franchise, the Fast & Furious 777 will fly the direct route between Abu Dhabi and Los Angeles, which Etihad Airways opened in June 2014. The airline is also a sponsor of the Furious 7 world premiere, which takes place in Los Angeles on 1 April.

     

    As the United Arab Emirates offered an opportunity to inject striking elements and locales into the series’ mythology, Abu Dhabi became a key location for the Furious 7 production. Over the course of two weeks in April 2014, the team lensed in areas outside Abu Dhabi in the Liwa Desert, as well as in the city center at such locations as the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Emirates Palace hotel, the Yas Marina F1 race circuit and the Etihad Towers. Considering Abu Dhabi’s striking skyline—one accentuated with stunning architectural achievements—aerial shots of the skyscrapers were mandatory.

     

    “Etihad Airways is one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world with a strong history of culture and innovation and a commitment to reimagining the travel experience for our guests. We are pleased to work together with Universal, an organization that shares that same spirit of innovation and reimagination when it comes to the world of entertainment, to unveil our newly-decaled Boeing 777 aircraft in support of the Fast & Furious franchise and Furious 7, which premieres next month and highlights our airline’s home of Abu Dhabi,” said Etihad Airways chief commercial officer Peter Baumgartner.

     

    “When we began filming The Fast and the Furious in 2000, if you told me that we would one day have our logo on a wide-body jet, I would have said you were crazy. We are so honored that Etihad has partnered with us to support this very personal film, and we thank the people of the United Arab Emirates for all the kindness and graciousness they showed throughout production,” said producer Neal H. Moritz, who has shepherded all seven films in the series.

     

    The Fast & Furious decal will remain on the plane for the next four to six months.

  • ‘Hangover’ director Todd Phillips begins shooting for ‘Arms & the Dudes’

    ‘Hangover’ director Todd Phillips begins shooting for ‘Arms & the Dudes’

    MUMBAI: Principal photography is underway on Warner Bros. Pictures’ Arms & the Dudes, starring Oscar nominee Jonah Hill and Miles Teller.

     

    The Hangover trilogy director and Oscar nominee Todd Phillips is directing the film.

     

    Based on a true story, Arms & the Dudes follows two friends in their early 20s (Hill and Teller) living in Miami during the Iraq War who exploit a little-known government initiative that allows small businesses to bid on U.S. Military contracts. Starting small, they begin raking in big money and are living the high life. But the pair gets in over their heads when they land a $300 million deal to arm the Afghan Military – a deal that puts them in business with some very shady people, not the least of which turns out to be the U.S. Government.

     

    Phillips directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jason Smilovic, and Stephen C. Chin, based on the Rolling Stone article by Guy Lawson. Phillips and Bradley Cooper, under the banner of their 22nd & Green Productions, and Mark Gordon, under the banner of The Mark Gordon Company, are producing the film. The executive producers are David Siegel and Bryan Zuriff.

     

    Filming began on location in Romania, and shooting is also being accomplished in Las Vegas, Southern California, Miami, and in Morocco.

     

    Arms & the Dudes reunites Phillips with several of his collaborators from The Hangover trilogy, including director of photography Lawrence Sher, production designer Bill Brzeski and editor Jeff Groth. Joining the team is costume designer Michael Kaplan.

     

    The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

  • John Legend to speak at Marketo’s 2015 Marketing Nation Summit

    John Legend to speak at Marketo’s 2015 Marketing Nation Summit

    MUMBAI: Musician and producer John Legend will be a special guest speaker at the 2015 Marketing Natio Summit, which is being held from 13 – 15 April at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. The summit is being organised by Marketo, a provider of engagement marketing software and solutions.

     

    Legend joins speakers like Marketo CEO Phil Fernandez, media entrepreneur Arianna Huffington and education reform crusader Salman Khan.

     

    Legend is a singer, songwriter, producer and philanthropist, who has won nine Grammy awards and the 2015 Academy Award for Best Original Song for the motion picture Selma. Legend will deliver a special guest keynote at the Marketing Nation Summit’s Day One agenda on 14 April.

     

    Each year, the Marketing Nation Summit brings together over 6,000 of the brightest minds in marketing, offering a variety of sessions that discuss the next era of marketing, engagement marketing strategies, best practices and workshops for every level.

     

  • Cinderella secures pole position at US box office

    Cinderella secures pole position at US box office

    MUMBAI: Disney’s live-action take on the famous fairytale Cindrella grossed an estimated $ 70.1 million at the North American box office.

     

    The movie starring Lily James has a bigger opening than Disney’s Maleficent ($69.4 million) despite the fact that the 2014 movie has a more famous female lead, Angelina Jolie. Overseas, the film raked in $ 62.4 million for a worldwide total of $132.5 million, reported Ace Showbiz.

     

    Attached to the screenings of Cinderella is animated short Frozen Fever, which features the Frozen (2013) characters. This provided a double dose of family entertainment, especially after a string of R-rated films in recent weeks.

     

    Run All Night, the latest action film starring Liam Neeson, entered the chart at No 2 with an estimated $11 million. It is a weak debut compared to Neeson’s Tak3n, which opened to $39.2 million in January.

  • Comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s debut performance in Mumbai cancelled

    Comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s debut performance in Mumbai cancelled

    MUMBAI: Emmy and Golden Globe-winning stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s debut in India has been cancelled due to issues related to traffic and parking at the venue. 

     

    The actor, best known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the sitcom Seinfeld, was to perform his stand-up routines on 14 and 15 March.

     

    The performance, a part of Stage42 festival, was supposed to be held at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel Stadium, Mumbai. 

     

    The stadium has a seating capacity of 4,000 people and was recently the venue for a charity fashion show attended by politician that led to traffic snarls. Police had been wary of the large turnout expected for Seinfeld’s shows.

     

    “This cancellation is unavoidable due to circumstances beyond the artist’s and our control. Issues related to traffic and parking at the venue, which were brought to our attention only a couple of days ago, forced the cancellation of all artist travel arrangements pending a resolution of these logical issues,” a statement released by the organisers said.

     

    The show’s tickets, which had a starting price tag of Rs 7500, will be refunded by 25 March, 2015. 

  • China fuels record global box-office revenue in 2014: MPAA

    China fuels record global box-office revenue in 2014: MPAA

    MUMBAI: China’s fillip in ticket sales saw the Hollywood box office touching a new high in 2014. 

     

    The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. (MPAA) released its annual Theatrical Market Statistics Report for 2014, which shows that global box office receipts for all films released around the world reached $36.4 billion in 2014, an increase of one per cent over the previous record in 2013.

     

    Growth continued to be driven by a dramatic expansion in the Asia Pacific region, which was up by 12 per cent overall, including China, which jumped 34 per cent and became the first international market to exceed $4 billion in box office ($4.8 billion total). The global growth occurred despite a drop in the US/Canada box office, which at $10.4 billion was down five per cent.

     

    “In the past few years, more people than ever before around the world are going to their local cinemas to see movies made by filmmakers in the United States and all around the globe. This is not just an American story of success, but a worldwide story about the value of craft, creativity and the importance of a story well told. We tell stories that transcend borders and transform individual experiences into shared ones. 2014 was a strong year, and 2015 is starting out tremendously, with box office in the US/Canada up 11 per cent in the first two months of this year,” said MPAA chairman and CEO Senator Chris Dodd.

     

    Additionally, the report showed that films released in the US/Canada by MPAA member studios increased for the first time in five years, reaching 136 in 2014. Total films and total films released by non- MPAA member studios also increased from 2013 (up seven per cent and five per cent, respectively).

     

    In the US and Canadian marketplace, more than two-thirds of the population (68 per cent) – or 229.7 million people – went to a cinema at least once in 2014, comparable to the previous year. Frequent moviegoers who go to the cinema once a month or more continue to drive the movie industry, accounting for 51 per cent of all tickets sold.

  • Sony Pictures unveils teaser of ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’

    Sony Pictures unveils teaser of ‘Hotel Transylvania 2’

    NEW DELHI: Sony Pictures Animation is back with the sequel of Hotel Transylvania. The studio has released the first teaser of the movie, which is slated to release later this year.

     

    Hotel Transylvania 2 will have voices of actors like Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks, Andy Samberg and Kevin James.

     

    The animation film, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky, is slated for release on 25 September, 2015. The film will also be available in 3D.

     

    Apart from Sandler (Dracula), Samberg (Johnny), James (Frank) and Brooks (Vlad), the movie will also feature voices of Selena Gomez (Mavis), Fran Drescher (Eunice), Steve Buscemi (Wayne), Molly Shannon (Wanda), David Spade (Griffin) and Keegan-Michael Key (Murray).

  • Oscar Frenzy on Lukup’s Hollywood ON Channel

    Oscar Frenzy on Lukup’s Hollywood ON Channel

    MUMBAI: The Oscar red carpet was recently rolled out to honour the best of cinema in the year 2014. Celebrating the spirit of Oscar, Lukup’s premier movie channel Hollywood ON brings to its viewers a special line-up of some of the best movies nominated for the Oscars in 2015. Starting March, viewers can catch these select Academy award winning movies exclusively on Lukup’s Hollywood ON channel.

     

    The exclusive selection includes The Judge, premiering 15th March on Hollywood ON. The critically acclaimed American courtroom drama hit the box office in September 2014 with a powerful star cast of Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall. The duo’s fiery on-screen chemistry portraying a troubled father-son relationship, fetched an Oscar nomination for Best Performance in a Supporting Role, for Duvall.

     

    Interstellar, premiering on 1st April is an enthralling science fiction adventure which was nominated by the Oscars for Best Original Score, Production Design, Sound Mixing and Sound Editing and won the award for Best Visual Effects.

     

    The Hobbit, Battle of the Five Armies, nominated for Best Sound Editing, will also premier towards the end of April

     

    American Sniper, premiering mid-June received 6 nominations, including Adapted Screenplay, Best Picture, Best Actor, Film Editing, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing and won for Best Editing.

     

    Hollywood ON has been constantly setting benchmarks in on-demand entertainment by screening the best blockbusters, an advantage of having unrivalled library strength. Entertaining viewers across India, the channel aims to bring the best of cinema closer to its viewers, available at the click of their remote controls!

  • ‘Pseudonym’ to premiere at Houston International Film Fest

    ‘Pseudonym’ to premiere at Houston International Film Fest

    NEW DELHI: Pseudonym is all set to get its North American premiere at the 48th annual Houston International Film Festival next month.

     

    The festival will be held from 10 to 19 April at AMC Studio 30 on Dunvale. Festivities include the Opening Night Champagne Gala Premiere, Daily Film Screenings, nine Master Classes, the Grand Awards Gala and Cocktail Reception with the filmmakers, plus the Closing Day events (Houston Yacht Club Consular Regatta/Barbecue and VIP NASA/Space Center Houston Tour).

     

    The festival will feature 50 award-winning independent films, 111 short films and 550 independent filmmakers from around the globe. 

     

    Founded in 1961, World Fest-Houston is the oldest Independent Film Festival in the world and third oldest in the United States. This annual event has evolved into a competitive independent international film festival showcasing the rising stars of tomorrow. 

     

    Pseudonym is a thriller directed by Thierry Sebban and stars Simon Abkarian, Igor Skreblin, Perrine Tourneux, and Thierry Sebban. It has original soundtrack composed by Nicolas Baby and has been produced by La Petite Reine, Diabolo Films and Lorette Productions

     

    According to the storyline, Alex is a divorced father, a stressed executive. But he is breaking this routine to meet a beautiful young stranger who contacted him via the internet. But this blind date will flip him into a downward spiral and disrupt forever the course of his life.

  • Director Guy Ritchie’s new King Arthur movie goes on floors

    Director Guy Ritchie’s new King Arthur movie goes on floors

    MUMBAI: Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to an original King Arthur epic, a sweeping fantasy action adventure starring Charlie Hunnam for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.

     

    Principal photography has begun at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, UK.

     

    The bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang, unaware of the life he was born for until he grasps hold of the sword Excalibur – and with it, his future. Instantly challenged by the power of Excalibur, Arthur is forced to make some hard choices. Throwing in with the Resistance and a mysterious young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern, who stole his crown and murdered his parents, and become King.

     

    Starring with Hunnam is Astrid Berg?s-Frisbey as Guinevere; Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou as Resistance leader Bedivere; Aidan Gillen as Goosefat Bill; Oscar nominee Jude Law as Vortigern; and Eric Bana as Arthur’s father, King Uther Pendragon.

     

    Ritchie will direct from a screenplay by Joby Harold. Ritchie will also produce the film, alongside producers Lionel Wigram and Steve Clark-Hall, Akiva Goldsman, Joby Harold, and Tory Tunnell. David Dobkin and Bruce Berman will executive produce. Max Keene will serve as co-producer and James Herbert as associate producer.

     

    The creative team joining Ritchie behind the scenes includes two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography John Mathieson, Oscar-nominated production designer Gemma Jackson, editor James Herbert, costume designer Annie Symons, makeup and hair designer Christine Blundell, and Oscar-nominated VFX Supervisor Nick Davis.

     

    The film will shoot primarily at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, and on location in Wales and Scotland.

     

    Slated for release on 22 July, 2016, it will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.