www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

Venice: Hayao Miyazaki To Retire After Competition Pic ‘The Wind Rises’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 11:14am PDTTags: Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises, Venice Film Festival, Wild Bunch

Oscar-winning Japanese anime master Hayao Miyazaki once said he thought he’d stop making features after 1997′s Princess Mononoke. Instead, he went on to such films as Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle and Ponyo. Today in Venice, Koju Hoshino, president of Miyazaki’s production company Studio Ghibli, announced that the director’s competition title, The Wind Rises, will be his last film. Wild Bunch co-founder Vincent Maraval, who confirms the news, says, “For me, he is simply the greatest animator that ever was.” Wild Bunch is a longtime collaborator of Miyazaki’s and is handling world sales on The Wind Rises. Maraval calls Miyazaki’s retirement “the end of an era.” Knowing there will be no more “Ponyo or Catbus or monsters or witches or resourceful little girls, is very strange,” Maraval adds. “At the same time, he is ending on a masterpiece that leaves us with his great humanism and a vision of our century to contemplate.” Hoshino did not take questions at a Venice press conference, saying there will be a special one held in Tokyo next week. “He wants to say goodbye to all of you.” Miyazaki’s 2004 film Howl’s Moving Castle was nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature. In 2001, he won the Oscar in that category with Spirited Away.

Related: Hot Festival Trailer: Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Wind Rises’

Comments (0)

Deadline’s Best Film Stories Of The Week

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 11:00am PDTTags: China-Hollywood, J.J. Harris, Man of Steel, Steven Spielberg, Telluride Film Festival, The Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Venice International Film Festival

It may be the last week of summer but Hollywood was buzzing with news from LA to Telluride to Venice, China and in the courts too. Check out this week’s top film stories:

Steven Spielberg’s Cannes Jury Duty Leads DreamWorks To Remake Deal On ‘Like Father, Like Son’
By Mike Fleming Jr – EXCLUSIVE: Who says jury duty is a waste of time? DreamWorks is negotiating right now with Fuji TV for remake rights to the Japanese film Like Father, Like Son (Soshite Chichi Ni Naru).

R.I.P. Talent Manager J.J. Harris
By Nikki Finke - Motion picture and television talent agent/manager J.J. Harris died of what is believed to be natural causes on Friday afternoon and was found today in her Beverly Hills home by her staff. She was 62

MPAA Wins Hotfile Copyright Lawsuit
By Dominic Patten - Nearly two years and a half years after first filing their suit on behalf of several studios, the MPAA today scored a victory against file-sharing service Hotfile.

Venice Film Festival: Will The Lido Shuffle Biz Into Awards Season?
By Nancy Tartaglione - The Venice Film Festival kicks off tomorrow, and with it a renewed second outing for fest chief Alberto Barbera.

Labor Day Box Office: ‘One Direction’ Winning 3-Day Weekend But Will ‘The Butler’ Take 4-Day Holiday?
By Nikki Finke - This is too close to call right now. And film order is up in the air as well. Every Hollywood studio except Sony seems certain that Lee Daniels’ The Butler from The Weinstein Company will threepeat for #1 at the end of the 4-day Labor Day holiday. Read More »

Comments (0)

Venice: ‘Parkland’ Helmer Peter Landesman On Conspiracy-Free JFK Assassination Pic

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 10:10am PDTTags: Parkland, Peter Landesman, Venice Film Festival

Tom Welling Parkland“Parkland is not out to pick a fight and start a dialogue about conspiracy,” director Peter Landesman said today of his film that follows the events in the hours and days following the assassination of John F. Kennedy. “It is utterly focused on the raw emotion of the weekend,” he told reporters. Landesman wrote Parkland based on Vincent Bugliosi’s Reclaiming History: The Assassination Of President John F. Kennedy. It’s also his helming debut.

The story of what happened in Dealy Plaza on November 22, 1963 has been told from many different angles, so Landesman said the idea was, “How have we not seen this story?” He was looking to explore the “disorientation, chaos and anarchy” and “what it was to survive that weekend” for people who were pulled into the extraordinary situation. “There’s not a scene in this movie that anybody’s ever seen before,” he said. “We wanted to take an audience and put them in the shoes of these people and have it wash over them like a wave.” There was applause at the press screening this morning. Reviews have so far been mixed.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the assassination and Parkland was among the most anticipated films coming into the Venice competition. Having the world premiere in Venice and ahead of the film’s trip to Toronto was a good place to start because it gives Parkland “more opportunity to stand out,” Exclusive Media exec Alex Walton told me before the bow. Another person involved with the film also suggests that Europeans are likely to embrace it given a fascination, but perhaps less familiarity, with the Kennedys. The film has essentially sold out worldwide, including to Italy’s RAI, an early adopter which has been acquiring very few movies of late. Exclusive co-financed with The American Film Company and is releasing in the U.S. on October 4. Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are among the producers. The sizeable ensemble includes Paul Giamatti, Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden, James Badge Dale, Billy Bob Thornton, Ron Livingston, Mark Duplass, Jacki Weaver and Tom Welling. Welling is here on the Lido.

The film’s title refers to the hospital where Kennedy – and later his assassin Lee Harvey Oswald – died, but the movie isn’t entirely about Parkland and the shell-shocked staff there who treated them both. Early on, it’s set in the blood-soaked operating room where doctors attempt to keep Kennedy alive while Secret Service agents and the First Lady look on. But also followed closely are the plights of Abraham Zapruder (Giamatti), Robert Oswald (Badge Dale) and James Hosty (Livingston). Read More »

Comments (1)

Specialty Box Office: ‘Passion’ Is Fleeting In Slow Holiday Weekend

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 9:48am PDTTags: Brian De Palma, Our Nixon, Passion, Specialty Box Office

Brian Brooks is a Deadline contributor.

Indie FilmsSummer is going out with a whimper in the Specialty Box Office – at least among the couple of newcomers reporting numbers Sunday, though some holdovers are showing zest. Entertainment One debuted Brian De Palma‘s Passion in 14 theaters but only managed to find limited audiences so far this holiday weekend. The corporate thriller grossed under $34K for a slight $2,579 average.

Still, that’s better than his 2007 opening weekend for Redacted. That film opened in 15 theaters, grossing $25,628 with a $1,708 PSA. Reporting the numbers Sunday, eOne noted that the title has been available on ultra-VOD since August 1. The distributor said it will take the film to the top 25 to 30 markets based on performance. The opening numbers may keep things on the lower end of that expansion. Read More »

Comments (0)

CNN Moves Up ‘Crossfire’ Launch

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 9:15am PDTTags: CNN, Crossfire, Syria

CNN‘s resuscitated Crossfire was set to return to the network on Monday, September 16. Instead the half-hour political debate show will premiere a week early to get in on Syria coverage, debuting September 9 at 6:30 PM ET according to a network Tweet.

Related: Big Four Networks Break In For President Obama’s Address On Syria

Comments (0)

Labor Day Box Office: ‘One Direction’ Winning 3-Day Weekend But Will ‘The Butler’ Take 4-Day Holiday?

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 8:03am PDTTags: Box Office, One Direction: This Is Us, The Butler

SUNDAY 8 AM: This is too close to call right now. And film order is up in the air as well. Every Hollywood studio except Sony seems certain that Lee Daniels’ The Butler from The Weinstein Company will threepeat for #1 at the end of the 4-day Labor Day holiday. This, despite a $5 million head start by Sony Pictures/TriStar’s One Direction: This Is Us after overperforming for Thursday and Friday shows. But these concert films are always frontloaded even though this one is doing surprisingly well. Here’s the Top Ten based on 3-day weekend estimates with more analysis coming later today because I’m on vacation:

1. One Direction: This Is Us (TriStar/Sony) NEW [Runs 2,735] PG
Friday $8.8M, Saturday $4.0M, 3-Day Weekend $16.9M, 4-Day Holiday $20.0M

2. Lee Daniels’ The Butler (Weinstein) Week 3 [Runs 3,330] PG13
Friday $3.6M, Saturday $5.5M, 3-Day Weekend $14.8M, 4-Day Holiday $20.0M, Cume $79.2M

3. We’re The Millers (New Line/Warner Bros) Week 4 [Runs 3,445] R
Friday $3.1M, Saturday $4.5M, 3-Day Weekend $12.7M, 4-Day Holiday $16.0M, Cume $112.9M

4. Planes (Disney) Week 4 [Runs 3,259] PG
Friday $1.7M, Saturday $2.9M, 3-Day Weekend $7.7M, 4-Day Holiday $10.7M, Cume $73.8M

5. Instructions Not Included (Lionsgate) NEW [Runs 347] PG13
Friday $1.9M, Saturday $2.7M, 3-Day Weekend $7.5M, 4-Day Holiday $9.3M

6. Elysium (Sony) Week 4 [Runs 2,539] R
Friday $1.5M, Saturday $2.3M, 3-Day Weekend $6.3M, 4-Day Holiday $8.1M, Cume $80.2M

7. The Mortal Instruments (Screen Gems/Sony) Week 2 [Runs 3,118]PG13
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $2.0M, 3-Day Weekend $5.6M, 4-Day Holiday $7.2M, Cume $24.6M

8. The World’s End (Focus Features) Week 2 [Runs 1,553]
Friday $1.4M, Saturday $1.8M, 3-Day Weekend $5.1M, 4-Day Holiday $6.7M, Cume $16.5M

9. Getaway (Warner Bros) NEW [Runs 2,130] PG13
Friday $1.4M, Saturday … Read More »

Comments (1)

R.I.P. David Frost

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Sunday September 1, 2013 @ 4:25am PDTTags: BBC, David Frost, Frost/Nixon, R.I.P.

Sir David Frost, the veteran broadcaster and writer, has died of a suspected heart attack while traveling aboard the Queen Elizabeth where he was delivering a speech on Saturday night, according to the BBC. He was 74. Frost’s long career spanned journalism, heavy-hitting TV interviews, game show hosting and comedy writing. He notably conducted a series of televised sit-downs with former president Richard Nixon in 1977. They were the basis of a 2006 play by Peter Morgan, which was then adapted as Ron Howard’s 2008 film, Frost/Nixon. Michael Sheen played Frost and the film was nominated for five Oscars. In the early 1960s, Frost hosted the satirical program That Was The Week That Was on the BBC and also featured on an American version for NBC from 1964-1965. In 1968, he helped launch London Weekend Television, which is now part of ITV. His other on-air TV credits included The Frost Report, The David Frost Show, Through The Keyhole, Breakfast With Frost and, more recently, Frost Over The World for Al Jazeera English. A statement released by his family today said details of a memorial service will be announced in due course.

Comments (6)

R.I.P. Talent Manager J.J. Harris

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 5:23pm PDTTags: Hollywood Agents, Hollywood managers, J.J. Harris, Kevin Costner

Motion picture and television talent agent/manager J.J. Harris died of what is believed to be natural causes on Friday afternoon and was found today in her Beverly Hills home by her staff. She was 62. Always classy and funny but never a pushover, she at one time was among the top women talent agents and sole practitioner managers in Hollywood, representing such notable clients over the course of her decades-long career including Kevin Costner, Charlize Theron, Dakota and Elle Fanning, Kate Bosworth, Drew Barrymore, and Scott Bakula. After starting her career at the old William Morris Agency and jumping to UTA as a partner, she started her own management company more than a decade ago. Harris ran One Talent Management until recently deciding to wind down her business. Until her death, she was spending almost all her time on the career of her longtime confidante and client Costner. It was because of him that her office became worried. “She wasn’t returning my calls or texts. Then Kevin called her,” her assistant and co-manager Sharon Vitro tells me. “It’s one thing for her to ignore me. But she doesn’t ignore Kevin ever.” Her staff went to her home and discovered her body. Through the years, Harris was an outspoken feminist who challenged mano-a-mano the Hollywood men’s club that long ruled actor representation. Bluffing her way into the William Morris accounting department as a secretary, Harris rose through the ranks to become a young but … Read More »

Comments 38

Telluride: ’12 Years A Slave’ Ignites The Festival, But Fox Searchlight Plans To Take It Slow

By PETE HAMMOND | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 4:00pm PDTTags: 12 Years A Slave, Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Nancy Utley, Steve McQueen, Telluride Film Festival
Pete Hammond

Telluride has been buzzing since last night’s first screening of Steve McQueen‘s excellent slavery drama, 12 Years A Slave. One site which shall remain nameless was so overcome that the writer already just about declared the Oscar race over and done. “Guess we don’t have to go to Toronto now,” said a publicist here with another contender. One blogger stopped me on the street today after I saw the film and asked, “So do you agree with us (bloggers) the actor race is done?” he said in referring to star Chewitel Ejiofor‘s towering and dignified performance as the slave Solomon Northup, who lived to tell his harrowing tale and write a book about it in 1853. As I said yesterday, hyperbole is a big part of any festival like this and intelligent moviegoers are so thirsty for Oscar-quality adult movie fare they might have a tendency to go overboard with praise. But it’s a disservice to a very fine but challenging film like 12 Years A Slave to build up such high expectations no movie could possibly live up to it.

As I exited the packed 650-seat Herzog Theatre, I ran into Fox Searchlight co-President Nancy Utley, who was there gauging reaction to her film, which they open in LA and NY on October 18 and then roll out slowly. She agreed it is a film that should be “discovered” but, obviously happy with the ecstatic reaction so far at its first two screenings, added that this film needs special handling. “It’s a movie that will depend on critical reaction and awards play to really tell people that despite tough subject matter it’s a film they must see,” she said.

Read More »

Comments (5)

North Carolina Likely To End Its Production Incentive Program After 2014

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 2:25pm PDTTags: North Carolina, Runaway Production

Los Angeles-area movie production took another gut punch a few days ago when news surfaced that the Man of Steel sequel will shoot in Detroit. But now comes a glimmer of good news for locals lamenting runaway production: North Carolina is nearing an end to its tax incentive for filming there. The Wall Street Journal reports that although the Legislature voted in July to fund the program for two more years, it is targeted to end after 2014.

According to the North Carolina Film Office, the Tarheel State is fifth in the nation when it comes to production revenue, trailing only California, New York, Georgia and Louisiana. The state — which offers a 25% refundable tax credit — is coming off back-to-back record years for film production, taking in $376 million in 2012 that created more than 4,100 full-time crew jobs. Last year it hosted shoots for projects including Iron Man 3 and Homeland. “It is amazing to see what has taken place the past two years in North Carolina,” said NC Film Office Director Aaron Syrett said in his 2012 report. “Not only were we able to exceed our record-breaking numbers from 2011, but we continue to grow throughout the state.” But that was in December. Read More »

Comments (18)

Hot TV Trailer: ‘Downton Abbey’ Season 4

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 12:31pm PDTTags: Downton Abbey

Here’s the international trailer for the next season — or “series”, for those in the UK — of the Emmy-nominated period drama. Here’s what you can expect from Year 4 of Downton Abbey: hugs and kisses, dancing and brawling, smile and scowls, lots and lots of meaningful glances, even advice on a life-or-death decision. All set to the Joy Formidable’s “Wolf’s Law”. As Lady Rose MacClare breathlessly offers, “Welcome to Downton.” Season 4 bows January 5 on PBS.

Related: PBS Chief Credits ‘Downton Abbey’ In Part For Ratings Spike

Comments (7)

Big Four Networks Break In For President Obama’s Address On Syria

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 11:12am PDTTags: ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, President Obama

ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox all broke into their programming today to cover the commander-in-chief’s speech at 10:50 PT this morning. All of the cable news outlets covered the speech as well. CBS and NBC were carrying pricey live sports programming — tennis’ U.S. Open and English Premier League soccer, respectively. (NBC also cut in from 10:27-10:35 as it waited for the president, who was scheduled to begin at 10:15). ABC had the educational program India: A Royal Life. Fox, which did not air yesterday’s Obama statement from the Cabinet Room, cut into its Portable Cooktop infomercial. Fox’s coverage also continued after the speech.

President Obama announced that he has decided to take military action against Syria in the wake of that country’s chemical weapons attack on civilians last week. But he also said he doesn’t believe the action is time sensitive, so the issue could continue to play out over the next several weeks. “We are prepared to strike whenever we choose,” Obama said. He also said he will go to Congress to seek authorization for the strike.

“[Syria's] attack is an assault on human dignity,” Obama said. “It also presents a serious danger to our national security.” He did not take questions after the 10-minute speech — which was delayed by about 35 minutes from its announced start time — though one reporter shouted out, “Will you forgo a strike if Congress disapproves?”

Comments (13)

Deadline’s Best TV Stories Of The Week

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 10:50am PDTTags: American Idol, CBS, Harry Connick Jr., HBO, Julianna Margulies, Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger, Time Warner Cable, TV

If you missed Deadline’s top TV stories, check them out:

Harry Connick Jr To The Rescue? Crooner In The Mix For ‘American Idol’ Judge
By Nellie Andreeva – EXCLUSIVE: He is a self-professed big fan of American Idol who has done two very well-received stints as a guest mentor on the Fox singing competition and has been rumored for a judging gig on the show in the past

Are CBS & Time Warner Cable Getting Closer To Agreement?
By Nellie Andreeva - The irony was not lost on anyone who has caught a glimpse of ESPN’s wall-to-wall coverage of the U.S. Open tennis championships this week.

Tina Fey & Amy Poehler Approached To Return As Golden Globe Hosts
By Nellie Andreeva – EXCLUSIVE: Twenty million viewers can’t be wrong.

HBO’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Drama From Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger & Terence Winter Taps Showrunners
By Nellie Andreeva – EXCLUSIVE: Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger and Terence Winter’s long-gestating rock ‘n’ roll drama for HBO has taken another step to fruition.

‘Dancing With The Stars’ At A Casting Crossroads
By Lisa De Moraes - ABC needs to get two things right this fall: 1) Launch Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.; 2) Relaunch Dancing With The Stars.

‘Longmire’ And ‘The Glades Hit Season Highs In Finales, Await Renewal Decision
By Nellie Andreeva – It was a good finish for A&E drama series Longmire and The Glades last night.

Julianna Margulies Settles ‘Good Wife’ Commissions Lawsuit With Ex-Managers
By Dominic Patten - Like many a good courtroom drama, they’ve reached a deal. More than a year … Read More »

Comments (0)

Telluride: Coen Brothers And T Bone Burnett Let Loose At Lively Tributes

By PETE HAMMOND | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 10:29am PDTTags: Ethan Coen, Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel Coen, T Bone Burnett, Telluride Film Festival
Pete Hammond

Joel and Ethan Coen have a ton of Oscars and other awards on their shelves, but the duo is fairly elusive when it comes to touting themselves and their work. So it isn’t exactly surprising that they’d never agreed to a Telluride Film Festival tribute, until this year. And the only way — a smart and entertaining one as it turns out — to lure them here was to wrap it around the use of music in their films and in particular the remarkable work they do with T Bone Burnett, who is getting equal treatment with the Coens here at the tribute shows on Friday night and this morning. The trio received the Festival’s much-prized Silver Medallion last night from their friend Barry Sonnenfeld right after a lively musical performance of Coenesque tunes by a group called The Americans and a half-hour of superbly-chosen clips from the T Bone-infused films The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou, The Ladykillers  and their latest, Inside Llewyn Davis, a grand prize winner at Cannes and set to open in December via CBS Films. It is also playing here this weekend.

Related: Hammond On Cannes: Coen Brothers’ ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’

A 35-minute onstage conversation followed the Medallion presentation which was placed on a chain around their necks. “I’m feeling like Mark Spitz,” joked Ethan about the latest award they have received. As I said in Cannes, this film, set in the folk singing scene of the early ’60s,  is one of their best. Needless to say, it has great music in addition to a terrific cast including star Oscar Isaac, who should be a contender for awards (along with a scene-stealing cat). In fact one of those “stolen scenes” was an extended sequence with Isaac forced to carry the cat through New York City after he dashes out the door of his apartment. As with the other clips shown, it really demonstrates the power of music in the films of these iconic filmmakers.

Related: Awards Watch With Pete Hammond: ‘Inside Llewyn Davis’
Read More »

Comments (1)

Harry Connick Jr. Nears Deal For ‘American Idol’

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 9:54am PDTTags: American Idol, Fox, Harry Connick Jr.
Nellie Andreeva

The judging panel for the 13th season of American Idol is expected to be in place by the end of the weekend so production can get underway as planned. Harry Connick Jr. is finalizing a deal to take the third spot alongside Keith Urban and Jennifer Lopez. As we first reported, Connick Jr. emerged as a leading candidate for the vacant chair earlier this week after a deal with music producer Dr. Luke fell through at the last minute. Connick is a self-professed big American Idol fan and has done two very well-received stints as a guest mentor on the Fox singing competition. With him on board, Idol for the first time will have a judging panel entirely made of singers, resembling the group of mentors on rival The Voice.

Related:
‘Idol’: Jimmy Iovine Out, Randy Jackson Poised To Replace Him
Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Idol’ Return Is On, Says Boyfriend In Apparent Slip

Comments (6)

Venice: The Weinstein Co Sets Christmas Release For ‘Philomena’

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 7:25am PDTTags: Philomena, The Weinstein Co, Venice Film Festival

EXCLUSIVE: Following the massively positive reaction to Stephen Frears’ Philomena here in Venice, The Weinstein Co is firming its U.S. release plans. Philomena will go out first in New York and Los Angeles on Christmas Day and then will open wide on January 10, say TWC execs Robert Walak and Negeen Yazdi. The movie was warmly received at its screening here this morning; Frears and stars Judi Dench and Steve Coogan also got a standing ovation at a press conference a little while ago. It had already been expected to play a role in TWC’s awards season plans, and there has been kudo chatter since the first screening today, with folks noting that Frears’ 2006 The Queen started its awards career here.

Related: Venice: ‘Philomena’ Wows Lido, Debuts To Thunderous Applause

Comments (1)

Venice: ‘Philomena’ Wows Lido, Debuts To Thunderous Applause

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 4:41am PDTTags: Judi Dench, Philomena, Steve Coogan, The Weinstein Co, Venice Film Festival

One of the most anticipated films in the Venice competition, Stephen Frears’ Philomena blew a breath of fresh air onto the Lido this morning. Essentially a Judi Dench/Steve Coogan two-hander, it screened to laughs, tears and lots of applause – the latter both during and after the film. Following a series of intensely serious movies – some of which, like Gravity, have been very well-received – festgoers were still looking for a genuine crowd-pleaser. Although Philomena treats a very delicate subject matter, which resulted in the pulling out of a lot of hankies in the Sala Darsena, it’s also a very funny and heart-warming film. The Weinstein Co. won a bidding war for it in Cannes after Pathé screened a seven-minute reel for buyers.

Philomena was positioned to open here using a similar strategy to The Queen. Frears also directed that film which won Helen Mirren the Best Actress Volpi Cup, a screenwriting prize for Peter Morgan and the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI). It later garnered six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress which Mirren won. Philomena next heads to Toronto. An exec involved in the film recently told me they hoped to arrive at that festival “with a little bit of a reputation.” Given today’s reaction, that hope would appear fulfilled. Read More »

Comments (9)

Telluride: Surprise ‘Prisoners’ Rocks The Fest And Becomes Instant Oscar Contender

By PETE HAMMOND | Saturday August 31, 2013 @ 12:27am PDTTags: Alcon, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Melissa Leo, Prisoners, Telluride Film Festival, Warner Bros
Pete Hammond

Hyperbole at film festivals is to be expected, BUT even with direct competition from Brad Pitt and the Coen brothers, the reaction to the first public screening Friday night anywhere of director Denis Villenueve’s thrilling and penetrating drama Prisoners at the 40th Telluride Film Festival was completely unexpected and significant. This was a “surprise” screening (although I predicted it) and filled the 650-seat Herzog Theatre. For weeks some I spoke to thought on the basis of the trailer and more mainstream elements of the film that it was probably an unworthy commercial film that somehow snuck into the more tony environ of Telluride. Uh, no. This is a first-class motion picture experience unlike any other that I, for one, have experienced in a long time. But it’s not an easy sell.

The applause was strong and early critical praise is over the moon. Pundits will have to add this Alcon production being released by Warner Bros on September 20 to the list of strong Oscar contenders. That is, if  audiences and Academy members can handle the intensity of this superbly directed and produced film that features career-best performances, for sure, from Jake Gyllenhaal and Hugh Jackman (OK, I liked Les Miz too a lot), plus a brilliant supporting cast including Melissa Leo going for another supporting win; Terence Howard; the great Viola Davis; Maria Bello; and Paul Dano, who goes through the ringer for his art. You can easily compare this gem to critically acclaimed pictures like Zodiac, Seven, Mystic River and any number of films in the genre. Director Villeneuve doesn’t shy away from the comparisons. He says he is a great admirer of David Fincher and Clint Eastwood. In fact one of his editors, Joel Cox, is an Eastwood regular. Read More »

Comments (9)

Global Showbiz Briefs: ‘X Factor’ Musical; Hugh Jackman Honored In Zurich; Beijing Fest In Venice & More

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Friday August 30, 2013 @ 10:00pm PDTTags: Global Showbiz Briefs, Hugh Jackman, The X Factor

London’s ‘X Factor’ Musical Finds Its Simon Cowell
Nigel Harman, the former Eastenders star who has a role in Season 4 of Downton Abbey, has been tapped to play a character based on Simon Cowell in I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical. The show will be directed by Olivier Award-winner and Tony Award-nominee, Sean Foley. It’s set to premiere at the London Palladium on March 26, 2014. Cowell and Sony Music’s joint venture Syco Entertainment is partnering with Stage Entertainment UK to launch the show that’s written by British comedian Harry Hill.

Hugh Jackman Honored At Zurich Film Festival
Hugh Jackman will receive the Golden Icon Award at the Zurich Film Festival which runs September 26 – October 6. The fest’s most prestigious symbol of recognition is awarded “in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor or actress.” Jackman’s latest film, Prisoners, will be screened at the fest. “Hugh Jackman is in a class by himself as a multi-talented entertainer with a global following,” said fest co-director Karl Spoerri. “There is nothing he can’t do and he proves this time and time again with every project he’s involved in. We’re honored to recognize his brilliant career at the Zurich Film Festival.” Read More »

Comments (0)
More Deadline | Hollywood »
Quantcast