Category: International

MUMBAI: Followed by Rober De Niro‘s rejection of the role, Al Pacino has been signed to play a stellar role in Son Of No One, a police thriller starring Channing Tatum.

The script, written by director Dito Montiel, centres on a young cop who is assigned to a precinct in the working class neighbourhood where he grew up with an old secret surfacing and threatening to destroy his life and family.

Terrence Howard, Ray Liotta and Katie Holmes are soon to join the cast. Shooting on the film is scheduled to begin in New York on 22 March.

Pacino‘s recent credits include 2008‘s Righteous Kill and 2007‘s Ocean‘s Thirteen.

MUMBAI: Richard Gere will host the inaugural Aruba International Film Festival opening on 4 June.

The actor will also receive a humanitarian award and participate in the festival‘s public ‘In Conversations With‘ series.

Said AIFF artistic director Claudio Masenza, “Richard Gere is a man whose amazing career is matched only by his remarkable and ongoing humanitarian pursuits.”

“On-screen, and off, Richard has an iconic presence and is revered around the world. We are both honored and excited to have him attend the first Aruba International Film Festival and take such an active role in the event,” Masenza said.

The festival, which runs till 11 June was founded by fest producers Giuseppe Cioccarelli and Jonathan Vieira.

MUMBAI: Nicolas Chartier, producer of best picture nominee The Hurt Locker has been banned from attending the Oscar presentation ceremony on Sunday.

This is the first time in its history, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has banned a nominee from attending the Oscars.

It is said that Chartier‘s tickets have been revoked, and he will not be granted entry as a guest of any other attendee.

The decision comes on the heels of Chartier sending an e-mail message to a group of colleagues that included academy members asking them to choose The Hurt Locker for best picture and “not Avatar”.

The message was deemed in violation of the Academy‘s ban against creating a negative impression of a rival nominee. However, Chartier later apologized for his actions.

Should The Hurt Locker win best picture, Chartier would be given his Oscar at a later date.

Though the Academy didn‘t disallow the film from competing for Oscars, the banning of a nominee from attending award ceremony is said to be unprecedented.
 

MUMBAI: Joseph Gordon-Levitt will play the role that James McAvoy was to have essayed in an untitled cancer comedy due to go on the floors next Monday.

McAvoy, the British co-star of films like Atonement and The Last King of Scotland left the project “due to unrelated circumstances beyond his control,” said a statement from distributor Summit Entertainment that is partnering in the venture with Mandate Pictures.

Gordon-Levitt will appear opposite Seth Rogen in the autobiographical tale of a man dealing with Cancer written by Will Reiser. The film, directed by Jonathan Levine also stars Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston and Philip Baker Hall.

Gordon-Levitt recently starred in (500) Days of Summer and the recent Sundance premiere Hesher.
 

MUMBAI: Michael Douglas has been selected to receive the Film Society of Lincoln Center‘s annual Chaplin Award.

The award will be presented on 24 May at a gala at Alice Tully Hall when the actor-producer would be feted by friends and colleagues. “Throughout his career, Michael has entertained audiences both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, and it will be an honor to showcase his diverse body of work,” said Film Society board chairman Ann Tenenbaum.

The award has been named after Charles Chaplin who was its first recipient.

A two-time Oscar winner for producing One Flew Over the Cuckoo‘s Nest and for starring in Wall Street. Douglas next essayed the character of Gordon Gekko in Oliver Stone‘s sequel Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps that would be released on 23 April.
 

MUMBAI: Technicolor, that has tied up with Mid-Atlantic regional exhibitor Bow Tie Cinemas, sold its first film-3D equipment on Monday. The exhibitor will install of its 150 screens with the 3D systems.

Film-based 3D allows exhibitors to install 3D adapters on conventional 35mm projectors though a separate conversion from conventional movie screens to so-called silver screens is still required, just as with a few digital-3D systems.

Technicolor has been marketing a film-3D system as a lower-cost alternative to digital 3D and thus targeting smaller circuits.

New York-based Bow Tie operates 18 theatres in New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Colorado.

Technicolor plans to outfit Bow Tie screens in time for the release of two films in its film-3D format like DreamWorks Animation‘s How to Train Your Dragon due for release on 26 March and Clash of the Titans that is to open on 2 April.

Said Technicolor creative services president Joe Berchtold, ” the company‘s film-3D technology represents “a high-quality solution that addresses the 3D screen scarcity issue and allows exhibitors an affordable way to bridge the gap to digital.”

MUMBAI: The actor son of Star Trek veteran Walter Koenig was found dead in a wood in Vancouver. Koenig said his 41-year-old son Andrew, who suffered from depression committed suicide.

On Thursday, his body was discovered in Vancouver‘s 1,000-acre Stanley Park, where Andrew liked to walk and was last seen.

Police has said that they were not of the view that anyone else had been involved. Andrew was best known for his recurring role as ‘Boner‘ on US sitcom Growing Pains, between 1985-1989.

Andrew‘s parents reported him missing when he failed to return home to Los Angeles after visiting friends in Vancouver earlier this month.

Walter, who played Lieutenant Pavel Chekov in the original Star Trek series, said his son was “obviously in a lot of pain” to have taken his own life. In a statement he said that Andrew had given away his belongings and had not been taking his medication. He urged others suffering from depression to seek help.
“If you are one of those people who can‘t handle it any more, know people are out there who really care before you make that final decision,” Koenig, 71, said.
 

MUMBAI: Precious that has been inspired by the novel ‘Push by Sapphire bagged six awards yesterday night at the 41st NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles.

Oscar aspirants Gabourey Sidibe and Mo‘Nique took home best actress and best supporting actress prizes respectively while director Lee Daniels and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher also annexed awards.

Precious that chronicles an abused, illiterate teen‘s steps towards independence and self-confidence, completed its Image Awards run with prizes for both outstanding motion picture and outstanding independent motion picture.

On the TV side, Tyler Perry‘s House of Payne was named outstanding comedy series garnered acting honours for lead actress Cassi Davis and also the supporting players Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam.

The TNT original movie Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story won multiple honors including outstanding TV movie, mini-series or dramatic special and acting honours for leads Cuba Gooding Jr. and Kimberly Elise.

Other winners of the evening included Chris Rock‘ documentary Good Hair; Grey‘s Anatomy‘s; singers Maxwell, Mary J. Blige and newcomer Keri Hilson and actors Daryl Mitchell for Brothers, Hill Harper for CSI:NY, Jada Pinkett Smith for HawthoRNe, Delroy Lindo for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and S. Epatha Merkerson for Law & Order.

The NAACP Image Awards celebrate the accomplishments of people of colour working in the fields of literature, music, television and film. Special honours were given to Tyler Perry, Wyclef Jean, music exec Clarence Avant and activist Van Jones.

MUMBAI: Universal and Motion Picture Corporation of America have partnered with Broken Lizard on Rogue Scholars and also an untitled project from the same comedy group.

Universal will co-finance both the projects through its studio feature film investment fund.

Rogue is being developed as a college comedy revolving around five unruly professors played by the members of Broken Lizard — Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske. The group also handles writing chores for their films.

Details of the second project are being kept under wraps sine both are in the script stage. The films will be produced by Brad Krevoy, Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber of MPCA with Richard Perello of Broken Lizard Industries.

Universal‘s Tracy Falco and Kiska Higgs will oversee the projects for the studio while Callaghan will oversee for MPCA.
 

MUMBAI: James Ivory‘s City of Your Final Destination will be the opening night attraction at the 12th annual Method Festival that runs from 25 to 31 March in Calabasas and Aguora Hills, California.

City stars Anthony Hopkins, Omar Metwally, Laura Linney and Charlotte Gainsbourg in Ruth Prawere Jhabvala‘s adaptation of Peter Cameron‘s novel.

Other titles in the line-up include Bruce Webb‘s The Be All and End All, Paul Hills‘ Do Elephants Pray?, Dagur Kari‘s The Good Heart, Marc Rensing‘s Parkour and Jeff Phillips‘ UrFrenz.

Don Franken, the festival‘s executive director said, “We now have become a worldwide showcase of quality independent film. We also have many world premieres this year. But, even more importantly, we have films with captivating performances and riveting stories.”