Tale of adultery unwinds slowly in "Longing" (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - "Longing" makes you long for a good movie. Tedious and long-winded even at its brief running time, this German film, written and directed by Valeska Grisebach, tells a mundane tale of adultery that lacks even the slightest insight. The film will have scant theatrical opportunity outside of German-speaking territories. Euro tube sales are its best bet.
"Crime Novel" travels familiar mean streets (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - This Italian gangster movie is based on a novel titled "Crime Novel" (Romanzo Criminale). So why not call this "Crime Movie?" Especially because, even though the story reputedly portrays a real gang of street punks that did rise to some power in Rome from 1977-92, the movie feels totally generic.
'Bambi II' leaps to top of DVD chart in 1st week (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Buena Vista Home Entertainment's "Bambi II" scored a stunning upset victory on the DVD sales chart the week ending February 12.
BAFTA honors Puttnam with fellowship nod (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts said Wednesday it will present producer David Puttnam with this year's Academy Fellowship on Sunday at the organization's annual Orange British Film Awards.
Robert Redford Reflects on Watergate Film (AP)
February 15, 2006AP - "All the President's Men," the classic 1976 film about Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unraveling of Watergate, opens with hammering typewriter keystrokes that sound like gunshots.
"Legend" offers mild chills (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Bad things happen to good city folk when they move to the sticks -- a standard setup that unfolds with lukewarm results in "The Legend of Lucy Keyes."
Polish director Wajda makes film on Katyn atrocity (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Celebrated Polish director Andrzej Wajda said on Wednesday he aims to finish a film close to his heart this year about the 1940 Soviet massacre of 15,000 Polish soldiers, including his own father, in the Katyn forest.
'Crash' May Pull Off Surprise Oscar Win (AP)
February 15, 2006AP - Bad Academy Awards puns are flying. There's the "Brokeback backlash" ... the little film that "crashed" the party ... the one about "Brokeback Mountain" peaking too early.
Robert Redford Reflects on Watergate Film (AP)
February 15, 2006AP - "All the President's Men," the classic 1976 film about Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's unraveling of Watergate, opens with hammering typewriter keystrokes that sound like gunshots.
Olsen Twins to Don Badgley Mischka Gowns (AP)
February 15, 2006
AP - Mary-Kate Olsen and her twin sister, Ashley, known for their casual, layered, bohemian style, will wear red carpet-ready couture gowns in an ad campaign for Badgley Mischka.
Oscar hopeful Ledger goes from gay cowboy to junkie (Reuters)
February 15, 2006
Reuters - Oscar contender Heath Ledger made the
Hollywood A-list with his portrayal as a gay cowboy before a
brief flirtation with levity playing Casanova. Now he is
getting serious again as a dropout heroin addict.
Likeable Italian killers stir Berlin Film Fest (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Uneasy about their Mafia past and especially Hollywood's portrayals of it, Italian filmmakers have knocked down their own taboos in style with "Romanzo Criminale" that drew cheers at the Berlin Film Festival on Wednesday.
Texas A&M Wants Apology for 'Glory Road' (AP)
February 15, 2006AP - Officials at Texas A&M University-Commerce want Walt Disney Co. and the makers of "Glory Road" to apologize for inaccurately linking their school to some of the film's most racially charged scenes.
Andrzej Wajda Honored at Berlin Film Fest (AP)
February 15, 2006
AP - Andrzej Wajda was being given the Berlin International Film Festival's top honor Wednesday in recognition of a career spanning a half-century.
Jason Vorhees Lives! (E! Online)
February 15, 2006
E! Online - Hollywood testosterone king Michael Bay has been charged with breathing
new life into Jason Vorhees and resurrecting the Friday the 13th
franchise with a prequel.
Shot NYPD Officer to Be Honored in Film (AP)
February 15, 2006AP - The New York police officer shot by an on-duty patrolman last month will be memorialized in a film starring Colin Farrell.
Guantanamo film is Berlin's "Michael Moore moment" (Reuters)
February 15, 2006
Reuters - It did not take long for the
entertainment press to liken British film director Michael
Winterbottom's "The Road to Guantanamo" to Michael Moore's
"Fahrenheit 9/11," a polemic against the Bush administration.
Hayek Helps Groups Aiding Battered Women (AP)
February 15, 2006
AP - Hollywood actress Salma Hayek has made donations to groups aiding battered women in her native Mexico, calling domestic violence a problem that touches every corner of the globe.
Tom Cruise, Holmes Deny Breakup Report (AP)
February 15, 2006
AP - Not true. That was Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' response Tuesday to a Valentine's Day report by Life & Style magazine claiming that the Hollywood superstar and his pregnant paramour have split up.
Jakubowicz follows Universal 'Protocol' (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Universal Pictures has hired Jonathan Jakubowicz to write and direct the big-screen adaptation of Robert Ludlum's "The Sigma Protocol."
Director Beresford preps for small-screen debut (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Oscar-nominated filmmaker Bruce Beresford will direct his first pilot, the CBS drama "Orpheus."
Sales brisk for "Wal-Mart" docu as accusations fly (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Berlin's European Film Market became the backdrop for yet another verbal battle between Wal-Mart and its filmmaker nemesis Robert Greenwald on Tuesday. The Greenwald-directed film "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" made for hot sales but heated words at the market.
DTS subtitling system offers 'Signs' of new access (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Subtitles are an essential part of the story in the independent film "Universal Signs." Rather than merely translate what the actors are saying, they give viewers an intimate window into a unique subculture by using the latest captioning technology.
Schwartzman back to school for "Carlisle" (Reuters)
February 15, 2006Reuters - Oscar-nominated cinematographer John Schwartzman will make his directorial debut on the pigskin movie "Carlisle School."