ITV

Category: International

  • Survey finds Barrymore, Murphy in their own league

    MUMBAI: According to a survey, Drew Barrymore and Eddie Murphy are in a league of their own.


    Top stars can make tens of millions of dollars on a single film, and the payout can be justified when a movie like Pirates of the Caribbean brings in several hundred million at box offices. But when their movies bomb, that‘s another story. Barrymore saw her 2010 romantic comedy Going the Distance mop up $17.8 million in ticket sales. Her 2009 films Everybody‘s Fine and Whip It fared worse.


    Forbes.com said the actress returns just 40 cents for every dollar movie studios spend for her participation.


    In comparison, Murphy‘s films returned $2.70 for each dollar he was paid. Compared to Barrymore, Murphy is a financial superstar, said Forbes.com‘s Dorothy Pomerantz. But off late the star has been seen struggling with flops like Imagine That and Meet Dave.


    The magazine compiled the list from Hollywood‘s 40 top-earning actors, and based it on each star‘s compensation on his or her last three films and the operating income on those films. From that, Forbes.com derived a return-on-investment.


    Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington and Reese Witherspoon all made the top 10.

  • Eighteen films in race for animation Oscar award

    Eighteen films in race for animation Oscar award

    MUMBAI: Steven Spielberg‘s‘ The Adventures of Tintin, Kung Fu Panda 2, Rio and Rango are among the eighteen animation films that are in the run for a nomination at the 84th Academy Awards.

    The list includes films which have already released, like Puss in Boots, Cars 2, and those that are yet to be released like ‘Arthur Christmas and Happy Feet Too.

    Of these, there could be as many as five films for best animated feature film at the Oscars 2011 if all the 18 films qualify.

    An important clause for all these films to qualify for the coveted award is that at least eight of the movies must be released theatrically in Los Angeles County before the end of the year. Once they complete that run, the films will also be eligible in other categories beyond feature animation.
     

  • Canon unveils new movie camera for filmmakers

    Canon unveils new movie camera for filmmakers

    MUMBAI: Four decades after it won Academy Awards for its cinema lenses, Canon Inc. recently unveiled a new high-end digital video camera called Cinema EOS.

    Fujio Mitarai, chief executive of the Japanese camera and office equipment giant, took the wraps of the movie camera in a packed theater in the Paramount Pictures movie studio.

    Mitarai said the camera‘s digital images had the warmth of film and brought out skin tones well. The company showed a number of short films that used the camera to show off how it functioned in action sequences, especially in tight areas that made use of its compact size.

    At $20,000 for the body alone, the Cinema EOS is not cheap by consumer standards but is on the low end of what professional digital film cameras cost, which can reach into the six figures. Two zoom lenses intended for movie making will go for $45,000 and $47,000.

    Making such costly cameras for professional users is somewhat of a departure for Canon, which makes up more than a third of its revenue from consumer electronics, and more than half from office equipment like all-in-one printer-copier-fax machines.

    The camera draws on the popularity of the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a single-lens reflex still camera that the company introduced in 2008 and which became widely embraced by independent filmmakers because of its ability to take full high-definition video at the 1920-by-1080 pixel resolution known as 1080p.

  • Third part of Clash of the Titans in offing

    Third part of Clash of the Titans in offing

    MUMBAI: The Clash of the Titans, a film about the adventures of Greek hero Perseus, will soon have its third edition. Apart from Sam Worthington, the film stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Danny Huston as Greek gods.

    Film writers Dan Mazeau and David Leslie Johnson have been enlisted to write the story for the third part.

    The film, now in its post-production stage, has been titled Wrath of the Titans. It is likely to hit the silver screen on March 30, next year.

    The last part of the Titans, directed by Louis Leterrier, grossed USD 163 million domestically and a whopping USD 330 million overseas despite facing criticism for bad 3D conversion.

  • USA Fest retrospective on Alexander Payne

    USA Fest retrospective on Alexander Payne

     MUMBAI: The USA Film Festival along with the Angelika Film Center Dallas will present a retrospective film series featuring the films of writer/director Alexander Payne.

    The series, that will go underway on November 7 will conclude on November 14 with a screening of Payne‘s new film The Descendants.

    The films that would be shown at the fest include Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways and The Descendants.
     

  • New Bond film titled Skyfall

    New Bond film titled Skyfall

    MUMBAI: The 23rd instalment of the James Bond series has been eventually named Skyfall that will have Daniel Craig returning as the fictional spy for the third time.

    Directed by Sam Mendes, the new 007 film will go on the floors on November 7, while it is scheduled to release on October 26, next year in the UK and November 9, in North America.
     
    The new film will see Bond`s loyalty to M (Judi Dench) tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

    “We`re so delighted to have Sam Mendes direct Skyfall and be working once again with Daniel Craig. We`ve a great script, an extraordinary cast and an incredibly talented creative team for this latest James Bond adventure,” producers Wilson and Broccoli said in a statement.

    The film, produced by Albert R Broccoli`s Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment, has been written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan.

    Apart from Craig and Judi Dench, the starcast includes heavyweights names like Javier Bardem as the Bond nemesis, Naomie Harris and Berenice Marlohe as Bondgirls. Others in the cast include Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Ben Whishaw.
     
     

  • Gilbert Cates no more

    MUMBAI: Gilbert Cates, long time Oscars producer has expired. Declaring the death of its Dean Cates, the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television said that he expired on October 31 at the age of 77.


    Cates produced the Academy Awards(R) 14 times between 1990 and 2008, more than any other individual. In addition, he served three terms as governor of the Academy‘s Directors Branch and was a board member since 2002. He also was vice president with the organization from 2003 to 2005.


    Cates received multiple Emmy nominations for his Oscar work in addition to the honours from the Directors Guild of America and the President‘s Award in 2005. The same year, Cates received the Board of Governors Award from the American Society of Cinematographers, and also a Filmmaker Award by the Cinema Audio Society in 2007.


    In addition, Cates produced dozens of television films beginning from the ‘60s to the 2000s as well as Broadway and off-Broadway plays.


    Cates was the dean of the UCLA School fo Theater, Film and Television from 1990 to 1998.
     

  • Summit in 3 year output agreement with Media Pro Ent

    MUMBAI: Ralpho Borgos of Summit Entertainment has entered into a exclusive three-year output agreement with Anca Truta of Media Pro Entertainment, the distribution division of Central European Media Enterprise for all rights in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.


    The deal applies to upcoming Summit films through August 2014, including Now You See Me with Jesse Eisenberg and Woody Harrelson and the remake of Highlander.


    Summit Entertainment has had a successful and growing relationship with Media Pro since 2007 when Summit started licensing the rights to the studio‘s films to Romania and Bulgaria. During the past year, Media Pro‘s distribution activities of Summit‘s films have expanded to include Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.


    “Media Pro has proven itself to be a reliable and excellent distributor that has maximized results for us across all theatrical, video and television platforms,” said Borgos in a statement.
     
     

  • Al Pacino to play stand-up comedian

    MUMBAI: For a change, Al Pacino is all set to play a stand-up comedian in Adam Sandler‘s upcoming comedy Jack and Jill.


    The star known for his hard-hitting roles will do a cameo in Sandler‘s film. He insists that it‘s perfect casting because his roots are steeped in comedy.


    Commented Sandler, “Pacino was in a comedy team, in the beginning. I swear to god… For a while (too). It wasn‘t just like a brief thing. He did it for like a couple of years, I think. He told me some of his routines and they were great.”

  • Japanese film festival in Hollywood

    Japanese film festival in Hollywood

    MUMBAI: The Japan Film Society is all set to launch a film festival in Hollywood that will highlight current Japanese shorts and feature films. Dubbed LA EigaFest, the festival will run from 11 to 13 November at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatres.

    Yoshimasa Ishibashi‘s Milocrorze: A Love Story will open the festival while the director and his star Takayuki Yamada will be attending the screening.

    The festival will conclude with Takashi Miike‘s 2011 Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai 3D.

    There also will be an awards ceremony that will present the grand prize for the film judged to be the best in the competition.