December 17, 2008
Women's Perspective
Women Film Critics Circle:
BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN
Changeling
BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN
Frozen River
BEST STORYTELLER [Screenwriting Award]
Jennifer Lumet: Rachel Getting Married
BEST ACTRESS:
Melissa Leo: Frozen River
BEST ACTOR
Mickey Rourke: The Wrestler
BEST YOUNG ACTRESS:
Abigail Breslin: Kit Kittredge and Definitely Maybe
BEST COMEDIC ACTRESS: *TIE*
Sally Hawkins: Happy-Go-Lucky
Meryl Streep: Mamma Mia!
BEST FOREIGN FILM
I've Loved You So Long
BEST FEMALE IMAGES IN A MOVIE:
The Secret Life Of Bees
BEST UNRELEASED MOVIE:
How The Garcia Girls Spent Their Summer
BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES:
Nothing But The Truth
BEST MUSIC:
Cadillac Records
BEST ANIMATED FEMALE:
Eve: WALL-E
BEST FAMILY FILM
WALL-E
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:
Meryl Streep
ACTING AND ACTIVISM:
Natalie Portman
ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD: For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women:
Changeling
JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD: For best expressing the woman of color experience in America:
Ballast
KAREN MORLEY AWARD: For best exemplifying a woman’s place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity:
Battle In Seattle
COURAGE IN ACTING:
Deidra Edwards in DisFigured: For redefining conventional standards of female physical beauty and pride on screen, and promoting positive images of big bodied women.
BEST DOCUMENTARIES:
GROUNDBREAKER:
A Walk To Beautiful
ABOVE AND BEYOND:
Wings Of Defeat
COURAGE IN FILMMAKING:
Traces Of The Trade
MOST OFFENSIVE MALE CHARACTERS
Aaron Eckhart: Towelhead
Sam Rockwell: Choke,
Larry Bishop: Hell Ride
Paul Rudd, Sean William Scott: Role Models
Jason Mewes: Zack And Miri Make a Porno
TOP TEN HALL OF SHAME
Roman Polanski: Wanted And Desired
House Of The Sleeping Beauties
The Women
The Life Before Her Eyes
The Hottie and the Nottie
Savage Grace
Made Of Honor
The Family That Preys
Hounddog
Zack And Miri Make A Porno
I'm glad Zack And Miri finally won something.
Dallas Fort Worth Critics
Top Ten Films of 2008
1. SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE
2. MILK
3. THE DARK KNIGHT
4. THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
5. THE WRESTLER
6. THE VISITOR
7. FROST/NIXON
8. DOUBT
9. WALL-E
10. HAPPY-GO-LUCKY
runners-up: David Fincher, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; Christopher Nolan, THE DARK KNIGHT; Gus Van Sant, MILK; and Ron Howard, FROST/NIXON
runners-up: Mickey Rourke, THE WRESTLER; Frank Langella for FROST/NIXON; Brad Pitt, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; and Richard Jenkins, THE VISITOR
runners-up: Meryl Streep, DOUBT; Sally Hawkins, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY; Kristin Scott Thomas, I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG; and Kate Winslet, REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
Toronto Film Critics Awards
The critics from up north make their picks:
BEST PICTURE
“Wendy and Lucy” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up:“Rachel Getting Married” (Mongrel Media) “WALL*E” (Disney/Pixar)
BEST PERFORMANCE, MALE
BEST PERFORMANCE, MALE
Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler” (Alliance)
Runners-up: Sean Penn, “Milk” (Alliance) Jean-Claude Van Damme, “JCVD” (Peace Arch)
BEST PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
BEST PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Michelle Williams, “Wendy and Lucy”
Runners-up: Anne Hathaway, “Rachel Getting Married” Meryl Streep, “Doubt” (Maple)
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, MALE
Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros)
Runners-up: Josh Brolin, “Milk” Robert Downey, Jr, “Tropic Thunder” (Paramount) Philip Seymour Hoffman, “Doubt”
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE, FEMALE
Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: Penelope Cruz, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (Fox Searchlight) Viola Davis, “Doubt”
BEST DIRECTOR
Jonathan Demme, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Andrew Stanton, “WALL*E”
BEST SCREENPLAY
BEST SCREENPLAY
Jenny Lumet, “Rachel Getting Married”
Runners-up: John Patrick Shanley, “Doubt” (Maple) Peter Morgan, “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
BEST FIRST FEATURE
BEST FIRST FEATURE
“Ballast”, directed by Lance Hammer (KinoSmith)
Runners-up: “The Band’s Visit”, directed by Eran Kolirin (Mongrel Media) “Frozen River”, directed by Courtney Hunt (Mongrel Media)
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“WALL*E” (Disney/Pixar)
Runners-up: “Kung-Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animaton) “Persepolis” (Mongrel Media) “Waltz with Bashir” (E1 Films)
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“Let the Right One In” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up: “The Class” (Mongrel Media) “I’ve Loved You So Long” (Mongrel Media) “A Christmas Tale” (E1)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“Man on Wire” (Mongrel Media)
Runners-up: “Standard Operating Procedure” (Mongrel Media) “Up the
Yangtze” (KinoSmith/NFB)
-Nice to see some different people awarded the honors, at least for me it is....how bout y'all?
December 16, 2008
The 49 Potential Nominees for Best Original Song
Here they are:
“Another Way to Die” from “Quantum of Solace"
“Barking at the Moon” from “Bolt”
“The Boys Are Back” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Broken and Bent” from “Role Models”
“By the Boab Tree” from “Australia”
“The Call” from “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”
“Can I Have This Dance” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Chase the Morning” from “Repo! The Genetic Opera”
“Chromaggia” from “Repo! The Genetic Opera”
“The Code of Life” from “My Dream”
“Code of Silence” from “Save Me”
“Count on Me” from “The Women”
"Di Notte” from “The Lodger”
“Djoyigbe” from “Pray the Devil Back to Hell”
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E”
“Dracula’s Lament” from “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”
“Drive” from “Fuel”
“Forever” from “They Killed Sister Dorothy”
“High School Musical” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Gran Torino” from “Gran Torino”
“I Thought I Lost You” from “Bolt”
“I Want It All” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“In Rodanthe” from “Nights in Rodanthe”
“It Ain’t Right” from “Dark Streets”
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“Just Getting Started” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Just Wanna Be with You” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Little Person” from “Synecdoche, New York”
“The Little Things” from “Wanted”
“A Night to Remember” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Nothing but the Truth” from “Nothing but the Truth”
“Now or Never” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire”
“Once in a Lifetime” from “Cadillac Records”
“Right Here Right Now” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Right to Dream” from “Tennesee”
“Rock Me Sexy Jesus” from “Hamlet 2”
“Scream” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“The Story” from “My Blueberry Nights”
“Sweet Ballad” from “Yes Man”
“Too Much Juice” from “Dark Streets”
“The Traveling Song” from “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa”
“Trouble the Water” from “Trouble the Water”
“Up to Our Nex” from “Rachel Getting Married”
“Walk Away” from “High School Musical 3: Senior Year”
“Waterline” from “Pride and Glory”
“The Wrestler” from “The Wrestler”
“Yes Man” from “Yes Man”
“Zydrate Anatomy” from “Repo! The Genetic Opera”
-Which films do you think deserve to be recognized?
The Most Average DVD Week....Ever!
Indeed, just about every film out this week meets with a resounding "meh". The best of the bunch, which earns my coveted PICK OF THE WEEK distinction is an unlikely film to get recognized as such. It's:
The House Bunny
If for no other reason than the fact that Anna Faris is a riot in the otherwise average film, this works as a decent date night film.
-Also out on the average side we have Traitor, which had the potential to be really good, but ends up only being ok, The mediocre chick flick The Women, and the howlingly average third entry in the mummy flicks The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
-Mamma Mia is out as well, which some people enjoyed, but I found to be an incredibly painful experience...you be the judge.
-My vintage pick this week is the most realistic romance I have ever seen in a film. It's the film All The Real Girls. David Gordon Green is a poor man's Terrance Malik, and this film is like poetry, both visually and emotionally. It's definitely worth a shot for anyone who hasn't seen it yet.
-What will you guys and gals be checking out this week?
Morgan and Sheen Bringing Back Blair...
seems like they're going for the trifecta, as per this article in Variety:
"Frost/Nixon" playwright and screenwriter Peter Morgan is lining up his directorial debut, a film that would be the third movie in the Tony Blair trilogy launched in 2003 by Stephen Frears' British TV movie "The Deal" and followed by "The Queen."
"Deal" tracked the rise of Tony Blair, played by Michael Sheen. Frears and Sheen then reteamed for "The Queen," which also starred Helen Mirren in her Oscar-winning turn. Morgan earned an Oscar nom for best original screenplay on the pic as well.
The third movie, tentatively titled "The Special Relationship," will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy and will again star "Frost/Nixon" thesp Sheen as Tony Blair.
Morgan initially planned to focus the pic on George W. Bush as well as Bill Clinton, but decided to narrow its scope to the intimate relationship between Blair and Clinton between 1997 and 2000. The writer researched the picture in Washington, D.C., and Little Rock, Ark., last summer.
One prospective home for the trilogy's final chapter could be DreamWorks, where Kennedy set up Morgan's script "Hereafter" for Clint Eastwood to direct.
The prolific Morgan also wrote Tom Hooper's upcoming "The Damned United," which also stars Sheen as legendary English soccer coach Brian Clough; Universal-Working Title's remake of the Brit miniseries "State of Play," starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck; and a pending adaptation of John le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" for Working Title.
"Deal" tracked the rise of Tony Blair, played by Michael Sheen. Frears and Sheen then reteamed for "The Queen," which also starred Helen Mirren in her Oscar-winning turn. Morgan earned an Oscar nom for best original screenplay on the pic as well.
The third movie, tentatively titled "The Special Relationship," will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy and will again star "Frost/Nixon" thesp Sheen as Tony Blair.
Morgan initially planned to focus the pic on George W. Bush as well as Bill Clinton, but decided to narrow its scope to the intimate relationship between Blair and Clinton between 1997 and 2000. The writer researched the picture in Washington, D.C., and Little Rock, Ark., last summer.
One prospective home for the trilogy's final chapter could be DreamWorks, where Kennedy set up Morgan's script "Hereafter" for Clint Eastwood to direct.
The prolific Morgan also wrote Tom Hooper's upcoming "The Damned United," which also stars Sheen as legendary English soccer coach Brian Clough; Universal-Working Title's remake of the Brit miniseries "State of Play," starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck; and a pending adaptation of John le Carre's "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" for Working Title.
-Very cool
A New Film by James L. Brooks?
Yes indeed, according to Variety:
Helmer James L. Brooks is set to team with Reese Witherspoon on an untitled comedy for Columbia Pictures.
Brooks, who has directed only five films during his career and hasn't helmed one since 2004's "Spanglish," has been holed up writing the screenplay for the film, which is described as an ensemble project that boasts at least three major characters -- a hallmark of such Brooks films as "Broadcast News" and "Terms of Endearment."
Witherspoon is the only lead to sign on so far.
Logline is being kept under wraps on the film, which has the working title "How Do You Know?"
Studio is eyeing a March start date.
Witherspoon was set to start lensing an untitled Cameron Crowe romantic comedy for Sony in February, but that film has been pushed to July, leaving an opening in the actress' schedule.
Witherspoon, who is onscreen in "Four Christmases," is in production as the voice star of DreamWorks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens."
Brooks, who has directed only five films during his career and hasn't helmed one since 2004's "Spanglish," has been holed up writing the screenplay for the film, which is described as an ensemble project that boasts at least three major characters -- a hallmark of such Brooks films as "Broadcast News" and "Terms of Endearment."
Witherspoon is the only lead to sign on so far.
Logline is being kept under wraps on the film, which has the working title "How Do You Know?"
Studio is eyeing a March start date.
Witherspoon was set to start lensing an untitled Cameron Crowe romantic comedy for Sony in February, but that film has been pushed to July, leaving an opening in the actress' schedule.
Witherspoon, who is onscreen in "Four Christmases," is in production as the voice star of DreamWorks Animation's "Monsters vs. Aliens."
-Gotta say, more excited for the Crowe flick, but this is good too...thoughts?
December 15, 2008
Official Trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine
-still not sure if I like this or not...what does everyone else think?
South Eastern Film Critic Awards
There are too many of them. I've lost count.
BEST PICTURE
1. Milk
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. The Dark Knight
5. The Wrestler
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. The Reader
8. The Visitor
9. Frost/Nixon
10. Revolutionary Road
BEST ACTOR: Sean Penn “Milk”
Runner-up: Mickey Rourke “The Wrestler”
BEST ACTRESS: Anne Hathaway “Rachel Getting Married”
Runner-up: Kate Winslet “The Reader”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Heath Ledger “The Dark Knight”
Runner-up: Robert Downey, Jr. “Tropic Thunder”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Penelope Cruz “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Runner-up: Viola Davis “Doubt”
BEST DIRECTOR: Danny Boyle “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Gus Van Sant “Milk”
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Dustin Lance Black “Milk”
Runner-up: Robert D. Siegel “The Wrestler”
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Simon Beaufoy “Slumdog Millionaire”
Runner-up: Eric Roth and Robin Swicord “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: “Let the Right One In” (Sweden)
Runner-up: “I’ve Loved You So Long” (France)
DOCUMENTARY: “Man on Wire”
Runner-up: “Young@Heart”
ANIMATED FEATURE: “WALL-E”
Runner-up: “Kung Fu Panda”
The AP Chimes in on Top 10
Both David Germain and Christy Lemire weigh in, and here's their lists:
Lemire:
1. The Wrestler
2. Frost/Nixon
3. Man on Wire
4. Waltz with Bashir
5. Wall-E
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Frozen River
8. Milk
9. Paranoid Park
10. Iron Man
Germain:
1. Happy-Go-Lucky
2. Wall-E
3. Encounter at the End of the World
4. Slumdog Millionaire
5. Frozen River
6. The Visitor
7. The Wrestler
8. Frost/Nixon
9. The Dark Knight
10. Wendy and Lucy
-I like both lists...what about you guys?
Nominations from the Chicago Film Critics
Take a gander:
BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL*E
BEST DIRECTOR
BEST DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle–Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher–The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Christopher Nolan–The Dark Knight
Andrew Stanton–WALL*E
Gus Van Sant–Milk
BEST ACTOR
Clint Eastwood–Gran Torino
Richard Jenkins–The Visitor
Frank Langella–Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn–Milk
Mickey Rourke–The Wrestler
BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married
BEST ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway–Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins–Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie–Changeling
Melissa Leo–Frozen River
Meryl Streep–Doubt
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert Downey Jr.–Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman–Doubt
Bill Irwin–Rachel Getting Married
Heath Ledger–The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon–Revolutionary Road
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams–Doubt
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams–Doubt
Penelope Cruz–Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis–Doubt
Rosemarie Dewitt–Rachel Getting Married
Kate Winslet–The Reader
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
In Bruges–Martin McDonagh
Milk–Dustin Lance Black
Rachel Getting Married–Jenny Lumet
Synecdoche, N.Y. –Charlie Kaufman
WALL*E–Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Eric Roth
The Dark Knight–Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan
Doubt–John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon–Peter Morgan
Slumdog Millionaire–Simon Beaufoy
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
The Band’s Visit
Che
A Christmas Tale
I’ve Loved You For So Long
Let the Right One In
BEST DOCUMENTARY
BEST DOCUMENTARY
American Teen
Dear Zachary
IOUSA
Man On Wire
Standard Operating Procedure
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung-Fu Panda
Tale of Desperaux
WALL*E
Waltz with Bashir
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Australia–Mandy Walker
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight–Wally Pfister
The Fall–Colin Watkinson
Slumdog Millionaire–Anthony Dod Mantle
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Alexandre Desplat
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button–Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight–Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard
Milk–Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire–A.R. Rahman
WALL*E–Thomas Newman
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
MOST PROMISING PERFORMER
Russell Brand–Forgetting Sarah Marshall
David Kross–The Reader
Lina Leandersson–Let the Right One In
Dev Patel–Slumdog Millionaire
Brandon Walters–Australia
MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER
Tomas Alfredson–Let the Right One In
Lance Hammer–Ballast
Courtney Hunt–Frozen River
Martin McDonagh–In Bruges
Steve McQueen–Hunger
-Somewhat typical for a Critics group, but nothing too bad....opinions?
Winners of the Golden Satellite
Here they are:
Best Film (Drama): “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Film (Comedy/Musical): “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Best Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Actress (Drama): Angelina Jolie, “Changeling”
Best Actor (Drama): Richard Jenkins, “The Visitor”
Best Actor (Comedy/Musical): Ricky Gervais, “Ghost Town”
Best Actress (Comedy/Musical): Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky”
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon, “Revolutionary Road”
Best Supporting Actress: Rosemarie DeWitt, “Rachel Getting Married”
Best Original Screenplay: “The Visitor”
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Frost/Nixon”
Best Art Direction and Production Design: “Austrailia”
Best Cinematography: “Australia”
Best Costume Design: “The Duchess”
Best Editing: “Iron Man”
Best Original Score: “Slumdog Millionaire”
Best Original Song: “Another Way to Die” from “Quantum of Solace”
Best Sound (Editing and Mixing): “The Dark Knight”
Best Visual Effects: “Australia”
Best Foreign-Language Film: “Gomorrah”
Best Animated or Mixed-Media Film: “WALL-E”
Best Documentary: (tie) “Anita O’Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer” and “Man on Wire”
-Way to not make a stand at all Satellite awards...jeez...thoughts?
More Terminator Coming Our Way Already?
Seems like it, as we can read in this piece from Variety:
The Terminator will be back.
Halcyon Co. toppers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are developing a fifth instalment of the man-vs.-machine franchise.
Helmer McG, who directed the upcoming fourth pic, "Terminator Salvation," is working with the Halcyon duo on the latest project.
Announcement was among the news that came out of the Dubai Intl. Film Festival, which bowed Dec. 11 and runs through Thursday.
McG was in Dubai for the announcement, despite his well-known fear of flying, which led to him dropping out of the Oz-shot "Superman Returns." He mentioned that incident in remarks during the announcement.
No decision has been made as to where to film the next "Terminator," although the Middle East was mentioned as a locale.
When Anderson and Kubicek acquired the rights the lucrative "Terminator" franchise last year from previous owners C2, the former ad exec and banker envisaged the re-booted series as a trilogy. Christian Bale has signed on in the role of John Connor for all three roles. Newest pic is tentatively skedded for a 2011 release.
The duo had originally planned to wait until the release of "Terminator Salvation" next summer before deciding on whether to proceed with the next chapter, but the positive studio, fan and media reaction to footage from the current pic has encouraged them to move forward ahead of schedule.
"We feel the time is now to start shaping the next part of this," Kubicek said.
Warner Bros. is handling the domestic release of "Terminator Salvation" with Sony handling the majority of the rest of the world, with the exception of the Middle East where the film is being handled by Dubai-based Gulf Film.
No decision has been made yet on whether the fifth "Terminator" will be once again split by Warner Bros. and Sony.
"Terminator" vidgame, which has been developed inhouse through the Halcyon Games division, will be released day-and-date with the live action pic.
The Halcyon duo is also prepping an English-language remake of Danish helmer Susanne Bier's Oscar-nominated "After the Wedding." Brit helmer Michael Caton-Jones will start lensing in early 2009. Pic, about a Western social worker in a Mumbai slum who receives a mysterious multi-million-dollar donation from a Western businessman, has yet to be cast.
"It's on the opposite side of the spectrum from 'Terminator" in that it's a much smaller drama," Anderson said. "It's a total departure for us. There's not that many screens for foreign-language films so we thought this was an opportunity for more people to see the film."
Keen to assuage question marks over its commitment to the local film industry, the Dubai government announced at the fest that it would invest in its first-ever feature project. Government investment arm the Dubai Intl. Financial Center is coughing up the majority of coin for Emirati helmer Ali Mustafa's debut feature "City of Life," which refers to the English translation of Dubai's oldest nickname.
Project, which has a budget in the mid-seven-figure range, is a multilingual, character-driven drama based in the bustling emirate. Filmworks CEO Tim Smythe is producing the project, which will begin lensing on location in Dubai next February.
Alexandra Maria Lara ("Control"), Arab-American standup Ahmed Ahmed and rising Bollywood star Sonu Sood ("Singh Is Kinng") have boarded the cosmopolitan project.
"We need to be aware that as a first film this is going to serve as a benchmark for," Smythe said. "It's an important project for Dubai and developing an industry here. We're going to be 85% local crew, which is an amazing thing to do. This is a huge step up for us."
Project is the most ambitious Emirati film to be fully funded with local coin. Mustafa, who won the Emirati Filmmaker prize at the Dubai fest last year, has long been seen as the Emirati helmer most likely to break out internationally.
Mustafa and Smythe are hoping to world preem the pic at next year's Dubai fest.
-Excited?
Halcyon Co. toppers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek are developing a fifth instalment of the man-vs.-machine franchise.
Helmer McG, who directed the upcoming fourth pic, "Terminator Salvation," is working with the Halcyon duo on the latest project.
Announcement was among the news that came out of the Dubai Intl. Film Festival, which bowed Dec. 11 and runs through Thursday.
McG was in Dubai for the announcement, despite his well-known fear of flying, which led to him dropping out of the Oz-shot "Superman Returns." He mentioned that incident in remarks during the announcement.
No decision has been made as to where to film the next "Terminator," although the Middle East was mentioned as a locale.
When Anderson and Kubicek acquired the rights the lucrative "Terminator" franchise last year from previous owners C2, the former ad exec and banker envisaged the re-booted series as a trilogy. Christian Bale has signed on in the role of John Connor for all three roles. Newest pic is tentatively skedded for a 2011 release.
The duo had originally planned to wait until the release of "Terminator Salvation" next summer before deciding on whether to proceed with the next chapter, but the positive studio, fan and media reaction to footage from the current pic has encouraged them to move forward ahead of schedule.
"We feel the time is now to start shaping the next part of this," Kubicek said.
Warner Bros. is handling the domestic release of "Terminator Salvation" with Sony handling the majority of the rest of the world, with the exception of the Middle East where the film is being handled by Dubai-based Gulf Film.
No decision has been made yet on whether the fifth "Terminator" will be once again split by Warner Bros. and Sony.
"Terminator" vidgame, which has been developed inhouse through the Halcyon Games division, will be released day-and-date with the live action pic.
The Halcyon duo is also prepping an English-language remake of Danish helmer Susanne Bier's Oscar-nominated "After the Wedding." Brit helmer Michael Caton-Jones will start lensing in early 2009. Pic, about a Western social worker in a Mumbai slum who receives a mysterious multi-million-dollar donation from a Western businessman, has yet to be cast.
"It's on the opposite side of the spectrum from 'Terminator" in that it's a much smaller drama," Anderson said. "It's a total departure for us. There's not that many screens for foreign-language films so we thought this was an opportunity for more people to see the film."
Keen to assuage question marks over its commitment to the local film industry, the Dubai government announced at the fest that it would invest in its first-ever feature project. Government investment arm the Dubai Intl. Financial Center is coughing up the majority of coin for Emirati helmer Ali Mustafa's debut feature "City of Life," which refers to the English translation of Dubai's oldest nickname.
Project, which has a budget in the mid-seven-figure range, is a multilingual, character-driven drama based in the bustling emirate. Filmworks CEO Tim Smythe is producing the project, which will begin lensing on location in Dubai next February.
Alexandra Maria Lara ("Control"), Arab-American standup Ahmed Ahmed and rising Bollywood star Sonu Sood ("Singh Is Kinng") have boarded the cosmopolitan project.
"We need to be aware that as a first film this is going to serve as a benchmark for," Smythe said. "It's an important project for Dubai and developing an industry here. We're going to be 85% local crew, which is an amazing thing to do. This is a huge step up for us."
Project is the most ambitious Emirati film to be fully funded with local coin. Mustafa, who won the Emirati Filmmaker prize at the Dubai fest last year, has long been seen as the Emirati helmer most likely to break out internationally.
Mustafa and Smythe are hoping to world preem the pic at next year's Dubai fest.
-Excited?
December 14, 2008
New York's Online Film Critics Present Their Winners...
The NYFCO Awards for 2008:
BEST PICTURE-Slumdog Millionaire
BEST DIRECTOR-Danny Boyle w/ Loveleen Tandan - Slumdog Millionaire
BEST ACTOR-Sean Penn - Milk
BEST ACTRESS-Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR-Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS-Penelope Cruz - Vicki Cristina Barcelona
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY-Slumdog Millionaire - Anthony Dod Mantle
BEST SCREENPLAY-Slumdog Millionaire - Simon Beaufoy
BEST FOREIGN PICTURE-4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days
BEST DOCUMENTARY-Man on Wire
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE-Wall-E
BEST SCORE-Slumdog Millionaire - A.R. Rahman
BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE-Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
BEST DEBUT AS DIRECTOR-Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
BEST ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE-Milk
BEST PICTURES (alphabetical)
Che
A Christmas Tale
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
The Wrestler
-Nothing too out of the ordinary, though Che gets a mention for a change...the Slumdog lovetrain continues...thoughts?
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