Category: International

MUMBAI: Though James Cameron’s Avatar, the world‘s most expensive film continues to break records, Gemma Arterton‘s latest feature The Disappearance Of Alice Creed has proved that you do not need a bountiful to impress film buffs. Thefilm was made on a shoestring budget by J Blakeson.

Featuring a cast of just a few key players and set across a handful of locations, the film follows Alice, played by Gemma, who is kidnapped by a couple of ex-cons.

Said Blakeson, “The character starts off as glamourous and then is put through this ordeal. Sometimes you see these films where people are put through an ordeal and they‘ve got perfect make-up and perfect hair and expensive designer clothes and you just don‘t believe it for a second.”
 

MUMBAI: Steven Spielberg is all set to direct War Horse for DreamWorks Studios. The director will co-produce the film with Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Revel Guest.

Lee Hall and Richard Curtis who wrote the screenplay for Billy Elliot and Pirate Radio respectively are adapting the screenplay from the 1982 novel by Michael Morpurgo and the recent stage adaptation by Nick Stafford.

The epic is a tale of a friendship between a boy and his horse who separate but continue to be intertwined as they try to survive the horrors of World War I.

Horse was a runner-up for the Whitbread Award in the UK where it also played onstage at the National Theatre and New London Theatre.

MUMBAI: The Edinburgh International Film Festival will host the international premiere of Toy Story 3 the day after it is first screened in the US. The film festival, now in its 64th year, will screen the film on 19 June.

The voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack will be once again be used by director Lee Unrich whose previous credits include Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo. Newcomers to the team of the toys‘ voices will include Timothy Dalton as Mr Picklepants and Michael Keaton as Ken.

The original Toy Story was the first feature-length CG animation film.

Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) artistic director Hannah McGill said, “To have the first screening after it‘s unveiled in the US is an incredible honour for us.This is going to be one of the highlights of the festival, and I‘m looking forward to working with our friends at Disney to make it truly spectacular.”

The premiere shows Disney‘s relationship with the EIFF, that earlier premiered their productions such as Wall-e and Ratatouille. In the upcoming film Andy‘s toys face an unpredictable future and have to make sure “no toy gets left behind” as Andy heads off to college.
 

MUMBAI: Ending his silence, Roman Polanski accused American authorities of “trying to serve me on a platter to the media of the world,” instead of honouring what he described as an agreement, made decades ago, to limit his punishment to the time already served.

“I have decided to break my silence in order to address myself directly to you without any intermediaries and in my own words,” Polanski said in the statement.

Charged with various offenses, including rape, Polanski pleaded guilty to having unlawful sex with a minor. He spent 42 days in a California state prison during a psychiatric evaluation, but fled the country before final sentencing by Judge Laurence J. Rittenband.

Lawyers of Polanski have argued in court that Judge Rittenband, who died in 1993, committed improprieties in the case and had promised that the psychiatric evaluation would be the filmmaker‘s entire sentence.

Prosecutors and a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge have insisted that Polanski cannot pursue his claims until he returns to the United States. But his lawyers have argued that an extradition request sent to Swiss authorities concealed facts that would show that he does not qualify for extradition.

The Los Angeles County district attorney‘s office has strongly disputed that claim

MUMBAI: Scheduled between 11June to 11 July in South Africa, the football World Cup is giving Hollywood film executives a big headache.

The 30-day sports event has forced studio distribution units to execute intricate overseas booking maneuvers to avoid opening their biggest movies during the soccer-saturated period. This could well mean that the annual international box-office could see a downward trend from last year‘s tally.

The U.K. saw the box-office dipping 1 per cent and admissions slid 5 per cent when Germany hosted the World Cup in 2006.

Commented Warner Bros. international distribution president Veronika Kwan-Rubinek “Many countries come to a standstill during the World Cup games, especially if the home team is playing.”

Research shows the first three weeks of a film‘s overseas run before the World Cup begins generate anywhere from 75 to 85 per cent of overall box-office while the film marking weekly declines of up to 50 per cent

Taking no chances, Disney will begin the overseas run of its video game-based Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time nine days before its 28 May domestic opening.

Universal will launch its male-targeting Russell Crowe starrer Robin Hood on 12 May in France, the same day the film opens at the Cannes.

Warners will release Sex and the City 2 in most offshore markets day-and-date with its May 27 domestic bow. The first Sex lapped up $263 million in the overseas market in 2008.

Summit‘s The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third instalment of the Twilight franchise, will open in the foreign circuit within two weeks of its 30 June domestic opening.

Paramount will release DreamWorks Animation‘s 3D sequel Shrek Forever After on 30 June 30 in France. Disney‘s Toy Story 3 will begin foreign bookings about a week after its 18 June domestic release. The film‘s overseas opening fall in the thick of World Cup action.

Targeting a broader audience, Sony‘s remake of The Karate Kid is opening selectively overseas. It will debut nearly day-and-date with its 11June domestic release in Korea, Southeast Asia, Australia and Middle Eastern territories.
 

MUMBAI: Julie Bertucelli‘s The Tree starring Charlotte Gainsbourg will be the closing-night film at the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May.

The Tree is Bertucelli‘s second feature after Since Otar Left which won the prize for best first film at the 2004 Cesar Awards, France‘s top movie honors.

In addition to Gainsbourg, the film stars Marton Csokas and Aden Young in a drama about a family mourning the death of their father.

The film, an adaptation of Judy Pascoe‘s novel Our Father Who Art in a Tree was shot in Australia.

The festival opens on 12 May.

MUMBAI: Looks like sequel-mania has got a grip on Hollywood. DreamWorks Animation will launch a follow-up to How To Train Your Dragon in 2013.

The 3-D animated film, having grossed almost $375 million worldwide, is being touted as a strong franchise candidate.

Another 3-D film, a sequel of Clash of the Titans is also on the cards. Legendary Pictures are aiming for a follow-up in Spring 2012. The film‘s worldwide gross is an impressive $389 million.
 

MUMBAI: Warner Bros. has inked a long-running partnership with Imax with an agreement to release up to 20 films till 2013.

Announcing the pact, officials of Warner Bros. said the releases will consist of a mix of 2D and 3D titles. Some of the 3D films lined up for Imax venues include Legends of the Guardian: The Owls of Ga‘Hoole that is likely to release on 24 September 24, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 on 19 November, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II on 15 July, 2011, Happy Feet 2 on 18 November, 2011 and The Hobbit that is to release in December 2012.

Said Warners domestic distribution president Dan Fellman, “Our track record with Imax has been incredible, and incorporating 3D into this collaborative effort will serve as the ultimate experience for our audiences.”

Imax‘ International distribution chief Veronika Kwan-Rubinek feels that Imax‘s continuing growth overseas means that “more and more audiences will have the opportunity to experience our films using this exciting format.”

Since 2003, Warners has released 25 films in the Imax format including 10 3D titles.
 

MUMBAI: Prince Charles’ film about climate change and attempts to find innovative solutions to global environmental problems will be shown on US television channel NBC.

In November, the channel would showcase the TV movie called Harmony. The movie was the result of three decades of work on the issue of climate change by Prince Charles. 

The fim follows the prince at work in Britain and overseas and features contributions from farmers, business and government leaders.

The project also includes footage of Prince Charles interviewing former U.S. vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore in 1988. Gore won the Nobel prize, along with an Oscar, for his 2006 global warming documentary “An Inconvenient Truth.”

Harmony is expected to highlight his view that man has lost the once innate understanding of how to live in harmony with the natural world and within its limits.
 

MUMBAI: After achieving the top spot as the highest grossing film of all time, Avatar has achieved something new. The Blu-ray discs of the title sold 2.7 million units after just four days in stores in North America. 

Retail sales of the James Cameron blockbuster on Blu-ray and DVD have exceeded 6.7 million units since it launched last Thursday. The earlier record for Blu-ray sales was 2.5 million units.

The Avatar Blu-ray and DVD release features the film and corresponding menu, using the disc’s entire storage space to provide the highest quality picture and sound.