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Category: Movies

  • Jeffrey D. Brown’s ‘Sold’ to open Indian Film Fest of LA

    Jeffrey D. Brown’s ‘Sold’ to open Indian Film Fest of LA

    MUMBAI: The Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) announced on 6 March that its Opening Night Gala film would be Sold, a harrowing and inspiring story of child trafficking directed by Jeffrey D. Brown (Molly’s Pilgrim), executive produced by Emma Thompson (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban), and starring Gillian Anderson (The X-Files), David Arquette (Scream), and Seema Biswas (Bandit Queen).

     

    The full line-up of screenings and events will be announced in mid-March. The festival is widely recognised as the premiere showcase of groundbreaking Indian cinema. Celebrating its 12th year, IFFLA will run from 8 to 13 April at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles, the festival’s home since its inception.

     

    Through one extraordinary girl’s journey, Sold illustrates the brutality of child trafficking, a crime experienced by millions of girls every year around the globe. Sold is a clarion call to action and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.

     

    “Because of Sold’s marvelous script and courageous and brilliant cast,” said Emma Thompson in a press statement, “It is a story that we can all watch, so that we may understand the processes of slavery in modern India and feel able to act without feeling the kind of rage and hopelessness that gets in the way of doing anything.”

     

    Sold is an adaptation of the National Book Award-Finalist novel by Patricia McCormick, based on true accounts. The book has been translated into 32 languages and is a powerful entry point to introduce young people to the issue of modern day slavery.

     

    Director Jeffery D. Brown and select A-list cast and supporters will be in attendance at the Opening Night Gala.

  • Transformers 4: Age of Extinction extended trailer out

    Transformers 4: Age of Extinction extended trailer out

    MUMBAI: After a short 30-second Super Bowl spot earlier this year, the producers for the upcoming Transformers movie, Transformers 4: Age Of Extinction, have released a new extended trailer with more than two-and-a-half minutes of action.

     

    From the trailer, we learn that government agencies once again want to rid the world of the Transformers, both good and bad, and that the lead character, played by Mark Wahlberg, discovers something that quickly has both the government and the Transformers after him.

     

    Over the past year the movie’s director Michael Bay has dropped details on many of the cars that will feature. They include a classic 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS, a unique Camaro concept based on the fifth-gen car, a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse, a Corvette Stingray and Sonic RS rally car, a Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, a Pagani Huayra, a military truck from Oshkosh Defense, as well as Freightliner Argosy and Western Star trucks from Daimler Trucks North America.

  • Big Cinemas associates with Maniyar Market

    Big Cinemas associates with Maniyar Market

    MUMBAI: Big Cinemas, a division of Reliance MediaWorks and a member of Reliance Group, has announced its association with Maniyar Market – a multi brand retail store into provisions and grains. This association will culminate into the launch of a 7,730 sq ft supermarket inside Big Cinemas. In addition to this, Maniyar Market will also be opening Quick Service Restaurants (QSRs) and eateries inside the premises, catering to the local flavour needs of Aurangabad.

     

    Harihar Maniyar said: “We felt that both Big Cinemas and Maniyar Market follow a format that attracts high footfalls and bringing these together would definitely result in a win-win situation for both. We are extremely glad to be associated with the Reliance Group.”

     

    Big Cinemas, with over 410 screens across the country, has a strong reach in the interiors and metros alike and is gradually adopting a retail model, thereby encouraging F&B as well as lifestyle brands to come together and offer an enhanced experience to customers. 

     

    Big Cinemas head – sales and marketing Shirish Srivastava said: “The association with Maniyar Market is in alignment with our goal to adopt a retail model at Big Cinemas. We are here to integrate cinema viewing along with retail therapy and hope Aurangabad enjoys this pilot project.”

  • Indian film fest in Melbourne to be competitive from this year

    Indian film fest in Melbourne to be competitive from this year

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is becoming a competitive festival with international competition in 2014.

     
    The festival, for which actor Vidya Balan is the brand ambassador, is scheduled from 1 to 11 May.

     

    The inaugural Indian Film Festival Awards (IFF Awards) will honour films in five categories: Best Film, Best Performance, Best Director, Best Independent Film and the People’s Choice Award.

    A select number of narrative feature films will be invited into competition. The films will be judged by an International Jury of prominent Indian and Australian film industry figures from a wide range of backgrounds.

     

    The stellar list includes award-winning Australian director Phillip Noyce (Rabbit Proof Fence, Dead Calm, The Quiet American); world renowned Australian film editor Jill Bilcock (Strictly Ballroom, Elizabeth, Moulin Rouge, Red Dog and Shekhar Kapur’s upcoming Paani) and 2013 Gold Jury member for the Mumbai Film Festival and celebrated filmmaker Raju Hirani (Munnabhai MBBS , Lage rahoo Munna Bhaiand 3 Idiots ) Indian actress, producer and television presenter Simi Garewal; film critic Rajeev Masand and Indian actress, director, writer and producer Suhasini Maniratnam. Winners of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards announced at the Festival.

     

    Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick-Lange said in a release from Melbourne, “We are thrilled to announce the inaugural Indian Film Festival of Melbourne Awards. The Awards will build the festival’s reputation as an important international showcase for contemporary Indian cinema.”

     

    Balan was a 2013 Cannes Jury Member and in January was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Indian government. Balan will be in Melbourne to launch the festival programme on March 28.

     

    IFFM continues to offer a window into the future of filmmaking. The Western Union Short Film Competition is now open to filmmakers from India and Australia.

     

    The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne was established in 2012 as an initiative of the Victorian Coalition Government and presents a broad, curated program of more than thirty films, ranging from Bollywood to art house and the sub continent, as well as master classes. In 2014, the festival presents a world-class program of films across three Melbourne cinemas.

     

  • Amitabh Bachchan hits 10 million fans on Facebook

    Amitabh Bachchan hits 10 million fans on Facebook

    MUMBAI: Amitabh Bachchan, the legendary Bollywood actor known to be quite active when it comes to social media, has managed to garner 10 million fans for his page. Bachchan has won many major awards in his career, including three National Film Awards as Best Actor (a record he shares with Kamal Hassan and Mammootty), a number of awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 39 nominations overall.

     

    Bachchan, commonly referred to as Big B, put up his 508th post on Facebook, stating, “B 508 -10 MILLION !!!!! Thank you all… just so overwhelmed ..what a way to start the day …”

     

    Bachchan made his Hollywood debut in 2013 with The Great Gatsby, in which he played a non-Indian Jewish character, Meyer Wolfsheim sharing screen space with famous Hollywood actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

     

    Bachchan is set to make his debut in scripted television in a drama created by Anurag Kashyap.

  • Biblical Epic Noah by Darren Aronofsky set to release in India

    Biblical Epic Noah by Darren Aronofsky set to release in India

    MUMBAI: Director Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan) was fascinated by the compelling story about Noah since a very young age, and is all set to present his take on the larger-than-life story of courage, sacrifice and hope, titled Noah based on the popular biblical stories. Paramount Pictures recently released the first pulse-racing trailer of the film, which has attracted amazing response from the audience across the globe.

     

    The film boasts of a stellar cast, comprising of Academy Award winners Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) as Noah and his wife, Naameh, respectively. It also features Oscar Award winner Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) and the ‘Harry Potter’ actress, Emma Watson. The director, Darren Aronofsky, who has given the world remarkable award winning films like Pi, Black Swan and The Wrestler, had been working on the screenplay of the epic since 2004.  

    The adventure packed film has spectacular VFX with mass scale production. The film features Noah having visions of an apocalyptic deluge, taking measures to protect his family and saving the innocent animals from the coming flood. In a world ravaged by human sin, Noah is given a divine mission: to build an Ark to save God’s creation from the devastating flood. Noah and his family build a massive ark, large enough to give shelter to two of every type of animal, who, when the time is right, appear at the foot of the great ship to board. What follows is a battle for Noah’s Ark, so that the storm can be survived.

     

    With the film due for a worldwide release next month, filmmaker Aronofsky has certainly left the audience looking forward to the grand cinematic experience. Presented by Paramount Pictures, the film is slated for release on 28 March by Viacom18 Motion Pictures in India.

  • Shaadi Ke Side Effects collects Rs 20.2 crore

    Shaadi Ke Side Effects collects Rs 20.2 crore

    MUMBAI: Shaadi Ke Side Effects met with poor response on Friday. The collections improved on Saturday and Sunday, an advantage which is not expected to spill over in the new week beginning today as the film finds no appreciation. Whatever patronage the film found was at few multiplexes in West and North with single screens rejecting the film. The film registered a figure of Rs 20.2 crore for the first weekend.

     

    Darr @ The Mall fails to find favour with moviegoers and has a poor Rs 5.1 crore to show for its first seven day run.

     

    Gulabi Gang (Documentary) released theatrical has found much appreciation which, sadly, did not reflect on its box office collections. 

     

    Gunday from the Yash Raj stable has sustained well to add Rs 12.2 crore in its second week to take its two week total to Rs 75.3 crore.

     

    Hasee Toh Phasee has added Rs 2.05 crore in its third week to take its three week total to Rs 35.1 crore.

     

    In the week to come, March 7th, as many as three films are lined up for release out of which two, Gulaab Gang and Queen, are female oriented. While the third one, Total Siyapaa, looks more like a youth oriented romantic comedy. More than from each other, the main challenge to these films come from exam season.

  • Production on Fast & Furious 7 to resume 1 April

    Production on Fast & Furious 7 to resume 1 April

    MUMBAI: Since the death of famous actor Paul Walker on 30 November, the production on the upcoming sequel to the hit Fast & Furious franchise had been put on an indefinite hiatus. But, according to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the shooting for Fast & Furious 7 will resume come April.

     

    Walker, 40, who played a former FBI agent-turned-criminal Brian O’Conner in the action film, died with his friend, Roger Rodas, in a fatal car crash last year. The script was reworked following Walker’s sudden passing since the movie was still halfway done when the O’Conner depicter died. In the previous six films, Walker played the on-screen sidekick to Vin Diesel’s character of Dominic Toretto.

     

    THR has reported that cameras would start rolling on or around 1 April in Atlanta and continue for six to eight weeks until filming is finished. In January, THR had reported that the writing staff of the film had opted to retire Walker’s character, instead of having it killed off.

     

    According to earlier reports, the release date of the seventh instalment in the blockbuster franchise was pushed to 10 April, 2015.

  • The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the Oscars preshow and full awards telecast will stream live for verified Watch ABC viewers online and on mobile devices.  The Watch ABC app allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as next day on demand access to most series, making it possible for fans to watch the entire the Oscars experience – including Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars – in more places and at more times than ever before.

     

    Live streaming is currently available through Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse in ABC’s eight Owned Station markets – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno.  Once aired, the full Oscars telecast and pre-show will be available on demand via WATCH ABC for verified viewers for three days, through Wednesday, March 5.  WATCH ABC can be accessed from Oscar.com, ABC.com, and WATCHABC.com or via the WATCH ABC app, which is free on select Android devices and iOS and can be downloaded at Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and the App Store.  Verified viewers then log in using their cable or satellite subscription username and password.

     

    The Academy and Disney/ABC Television Group’s Digital Media team are also unveiling the talent line up for their Emmy Award-winning Oscar second screen experience, The Oscars Backstage, which will also be streamed this year to all viewers – regardless of whether they are verified – via Watch ABC.  Hosts and correspondents include: 

     

    •Entertainment Reporter and Film Critic Ben Lyons (Yahoo, “Extra!,” ESPN Radio, “E! News,” among others) and fashion retail correspondent and author Hitha Prabhakar (who has contributed to ABC World News, Good Morning America, Nightline, Bravo, CNN, E! Entertainment television, among others) will co-host from the red carpet and backstage.

    •PEOPLE’s Managing Editor Peter Castro will once again report from the fan bleachers on the red carpet.  The bleachers are sponsored by Time Inc.’s PEOPLE, which invites 700 fans and PEOPLE VIP subscribers to watch and cheer nominees, presenters and film’s biggest stars as part of the PEOPLE Oscar Fan Experience.

    •Good Morning America and ESPN contributing editor Chris Connelly is returning as the official greeter of the Oscars Red Carpet, which includes welcoming nominees, presenters and performers to the show.  

     

    Presented again this year by Samsung Galaxy, The Oscars Backstage is designed to be the ultimate complement to the live telecast. All Oscar viewers who visit WATCH ABC will be able to select from three channels that will pull from more than 15 live cameras strategically placed on the Red Carpet and throughout the backstage areas of the Dolby Theatre, providing fans with insider views into the most memorable moments of the night. Popular cameras positions include the Thank You cam, Winners Walk, Audience and Press Room.   Fans will also be able to access the official Oscar Buzz social feed and popular photo galleries from within the app.   The Oscars Backstage experience launched in 2011 to much acclaim and has been recognized with an Emmy for Creative Achievement in Interactive Arts and an Industry Star Mobile Excellence Award.  It remains unprecedented in terms of live event second screen access. 

     

    “We’re extremely proud of how much the Oscar Digital Experience has evolved,” said Albert Cheng, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group in a press release. “This year more people than ever before will have access to the backstage streams and verified WATCH ABC viewers will be able to participate in the most interactive Oscars to date, seamlessly navigating between the pre-show, telecast and The Oscars Backstage experience on their mobile devices.”

     

    “We’re excited to once again bring viewers backstage and allow them to experience all of the action on Oscar Sunday – not just what happens on stage, but the stories that play out behind-the-scenes as well”, said Josh Spector, Managing Director of Digital Media and Marketing at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a statement.

     

    Additionally, video highlights from the telecast and The Oscars Backstage will be available as embeddable clips on Oscar.com almost immediately after they air at Oscar.com/blogs. Full  performances of the shows musical performances, including Pharrell (Happy), Idina Menzel, (Let It Go),  Karin O (The Moon Song) and U2 (Ordinary Love) will be featured in a dedicated “Musical Moments” section sponsored by Pepsi that includes in-depth video and photo coverage of past music winners. 

     

    The site is also showcasing nominees “in their own words,” a collection of official nominee questionnaires, including Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Michael Fassbender (Shame), June Squibb (Nebraska), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), among others.  To add to the fun, insanely addicting quizzes from past year’s awards shows are featured, including: “Guess Who Won Best Actress”, “Guess the Dress”, “Who Starred In?”, and “Script to Screen”.  The hugely popular “My Picks” interactive ballot is also live.  Friends can view and share the ballot on Facebook, which will update in real time on Oscar Night, ensuring that the most competitive Oscar handicappers are instantly aware of their ranking among friends. 

     

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    The 9th annual Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars airs Sunday, 2 march in the US after the late local news ET/CT and at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time on ABC. It will also be available live and on demand via the WATCH ABC app.  Broadcasting from Disney’s El Capitan Theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in the heart of L.A.’s star-studded Walk of Fame, the studio is just steps away from Dolby Theater, home to the “Academy Awards.” Past guest appearances on Kimmel’s post-Oscar specials have included Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Chastain, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, John Krasinski, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. Additionally, previous comedy bits featured include the epic trailers for Movie: The Movie, which has been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube, the follow-up Movie: The Movie: 2V as well as Toddlers and Tiaras with Tom Hanks and Kimmel pitching show ideas to Oprah. Last year’s Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars marked the most-watched post-Oscar telecast in the franchise’s history.

  • ‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’: A Yawn Fest

    ‘Shaadi Ke Side Effects’: A Yawn Fest

    MUMBAI: A sequel to director’s earlier film, Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), Shaadi Ke Side Effects deals with the post marriage equations between an urban couple, their ups and downs and their attempts to finally strike a balance in their married life. The names of the lead characters are carried forward though the faces have changed. Though posed as a comedy on two very independent people trying to adjust with each other, it is not really that. It crams in a lot of situations and issues in what could have been an outright laugh riot.

    Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan tie the knot even though her widowed mother, Rati Agnihotri, does not really approve of Vidya’s choice. Because, while Vidya is a well-placed executive, Farhan is a struggling singer waiting to cut his first album and, till that happens, making some living out of composing jingles. Considering all that, the couple lives a lavish life. They have devised some role playing games which is supposed to keep their marriage interesting and Farhan also believes in saying sorry to his wife either way, whether he is wrong or she is. One of the games they play is, they check into a hotel and land up in its bar. They pretend to be total strangers who have become friends over a few drinks and have decided to go to bed together.

    Their ecstatic romantic life leads to the inevitable. Vidya is pregnant. Neither one of the two is ready to start a family. While Farhan wants to do it after his career is launched, Vidya is shortly due for a promotion. While Vidya develops this sudden urge for motherhood, Farhan’s answer is no. It is while Vidya is on the operation table with an abortion due shortly that Farhan meets a father of quadruplets. They are the result of delaying parenthood and opting for other fertility methods, he learns. His decision is made and he wants the child too. The abortion process is terminated. To be fair to his wife, Farhan tries to undergo similar experiences that a pregnant woman would go through. The idea is to add some fun to the goings-on.

    Producers: Ekta Kapoor, Shobha Kapoor, Pritish Nandy, Rangita Nandy.

    Director: Saket Chaudhary.

    Cast: Farhan Akhtar, Vidya Balan, Ram Kapoor, Gautami Kapoor, Vir Das, Purab Kohli, Rati Agnihotri.

    Between the two, it is romance but when the couple becomes a family, role-playing and saying sorry stops being effective. Farhan tries his best to be helpful in tending to the child but Vidya’s maternal instincts always get the better of him. She knows why the child is crying, when it is feeling hungry, warm or cold. Farhan is no more the centre of attention to Vidya, he is marginalised while not being allowed to participate in parenting.

    Farhan approaches Vidya’s brother-in-law, Ram Kapoor, a man he never thought much of. But he has watched Ram doting on his wife and kid. The couple is lovey-dovey with Ram taking the lead all the time. He wants to know how Ram manages this. Ram has his little secret on which Farhan tumbles accidently! He is advised by Ram to follow the same formula as him. He starts doing what, they say, ‘all men do’. Tolerable so far, the film loses it purpose and goes on an abstract track. With its age-old marital discord theme, its attempts to be contemporary but ends up creating a mess.

    Scripting is rather ad hoc as it slips into flash-forward or flashback at whim. This includes a romantic song in flashback after the couple is married which does not quite interest a viewer. As a result of the script, the director has no hold on the proceedings and the film keeps meandering even as attempts at some light moments also fail. The film has some good songs in Tauba main vyaah karke pachtaya…, Bawla sa sapna, Desi romance… and Harry is not a brahmachari. However, these songs make for better listening on the audio track than they do in the film. Dialogue shows some sparks of wry humour in parts. 

    Yet, the main problem is with the film’s length, with two characters hogging most of the footage, it carries on for 145 minutes. This shortcoming shows as the film goes on to become unbearable in the second half. Vidya performs well as expected; but she is fast going out of shape to be appealing. Farhan is his usual casual self. Ram Kapoor is good in a brief role. Vir Das is loud. While Rati Agnihotri, Purab Kohli and Gautami Kapoor are okay in support, Ila Arun’s character looks forced.

    Shaadi Ke Side Effects has had a poor opening response despite much promotion; its reports won’t help further its prospects any more.