"Candy" a mixed bag of drug drama, pop style (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - "Candy" is an attempt to tell a story about heroin addiction without resorting to the skuzzy cliches that usually characterize the genre. The idea works very well for the first third, which focuses on the misguided commitment users have to their drugs rather than the social and health consequences of using. But when long-term addiction kicks in proper, the pop stylistics jar with the horrendous lives the characters are living.
"Saw II" cuts to top of DVD sales, rental charts (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Lionsgate's surprise hit horror sequel "Saw II" buzzed through the competition to take the top spot on both the preliminary national DVD sales chart and the video rental chart for the week ending February 19.
Howard Stern Launches Film Festival (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - His credits include radio, books, cable TV and movies. Now Howard Stern is adding talent scout to his "King of All Media" resume.
Craig Detractors Bash Blond Bond (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - A group of angry James Bond fans have elected to just say no to
Daniel Craig.
'Brokeback Mountain' Shirts Auctioned (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Tom Gregory just spent more than $100,000 on two used cowboy shirts. And he couldn't be happier. The shirts are the ones worn by the ill-fated lovers, played by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, in Oscar front-runner "Brokeback Mountain."
Kingsley to Appear in Quake Documentary (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Ben Kingsley will be featured in a documentary about the devastation caused by last year's earthquake in Pakistan that flattened entire villages in the country's portion of Kashmir and surrounding areas.
'North Country' Tops Important Films List (AP)
February 22, 2006AP - "North Country" was the most-important film for women to see in 2005, according to a survey released by New York Women in Film & Television.
Two Naked Actresses Draw Magazine Buzz (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Pick up this month's Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair and you'll see two lovely young stars-of-the-moment, Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson, posing alluringly in the altogether. Open the foldout, and you'll even see Johansson's bare buttocks.
Craig Detractors Bash Blond Bond (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - A group of angry James Bond fans have elected to just say no to
Daniel Craig.
"Godfather" Actor Richard Bright Dies (E! Online)
February 22, 2006
E! Online - Richard Bright, the versatile character actor who traversed both
stage and screen but was best known for tough guy roles such as the
Corleone family's enforcer in all three Godfather films, died
Saturday in New York City after he was accidentally hit by a bus. He
was 68.
Troubles in Bond-Land
February 22, 2006Like almost everything else surrounding Casino Royale, even the protesters are coming late to the party. Casino producers just last week settled on casting choices for two of the movie's biggest roles — weeks after the film had already gone into production. Now a group of 007 fans who are unhappy with the casting of Daniel Craig as the first blond Bond have started an Internet campaign urging producers to dump him. What, they couldn't have done this when he was announced, months ago? Meanwhile, things are not going so smoothly for the Ian Fleming-created smooth spy guy on set. A stunt gone wrong cost Craig his two front teeth, and the New York Daily News reports that 007's biggest foe isn't proving to be Bond baddie Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) — it's Bond's hot Aston Martin. Craig, apparently, doesn't know how to drive manual transmission.
Chris Rock's … Chick Flick?!
February 22, 2006If watching Will Ferrell in a remake of Bewitched didn't do it for you, here comes Chris Rock in his very own rom-com. The acerbic comedian is set to star in I Think I Love My Wife, a remake of the French flick Chloe in the Afternoon, about a married man who limits his fantasies to daydreams about other women until the girlfriend of an old pal tries to seduce him. Rock adapted the script with collaborator Louis C.K., while Drumline's Charles Stone is in talks to direct … Meanwhile, in other odd casting news, Drew Barrymore's will unite with Jessica Lange in Grey Gardens, a fact-based story about two eccentric socialite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis relatives whose crumbling, flea-infested New York mansion was investigated by the Department of Health. The mother and daughter duo — an aunt and cousin of Jackie O — became cult figures after a 1976 documentary that included clips of their less-than-glamorous living conditions.
Thornton, Paramount exploring pic on 'Floyd Collins' (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - Billy Bob Thornton is
digging into a new period project.
McG recruits Strathairn for football pic (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - Oscar nominee David
Strathairn is going from the television studio to the football
field.
Pan African fest lauds 'Tsotsi,' 'Mandela' docu (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Gavin Hood's "Tsotsi" was awarded the jury prize for best feature at the 2006 Pan African Film and Arts Festival, which concluded Sunday in Los Angeles.
Rock, Stone join forces for 'Chloe' remake (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Chris Rock is set to star in "I Think I Love My Wife," a remake of the French film "Chloe in the Afternoon," for Fox Searchlight Pictures. Charles Stone, who directed 2002's "Drumline," is in final negotiations to direct.
Families cast Presidents Day vote for "Eight" (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Buena Vista Pictures' "Eight Below" was easily the top dog at the boxoffice during the weekend, pulling $25 million through the boxoffice turnstiles during the four-day Presidents Day holiday.
Indie Wellspring runs dry as distributor (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - In a move that effectively ends Wellspring Media's existence as an independent theatrical distributor, Genius Products, the parent company of the art-house-oriented Wellspring, said Tuesday that it has reached an agreement for the Weinstein Co. to serve as the new theatrical distribution arm for the indie's theatrical releases.
Liebesman makes date with a killer (Reuters)
February 22, 2006Reuters - Jonathan Liebesman, director of the upcoming "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" prequel, is in negotiations to direct the remake of horror classic "Friday the 13th" for New Line Cinema.
Morgan Freeman to Get Spencer Tracy Award (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - Morgan Freeman will be honored with UCLA's Spencer Tracy Award, which recognizes outstanding screen performances and professional achievement.
Lawyer Pleads Not Guilty to Wiretapping (AP)
February 22, 2006
AP - A prominent attorney who represented billionaire investor Kirk Kerkorian pleaded not guilty Tuesday in connection with a Hollywood wiretapping scandal.
Christie, Dukakis, Murphy join Polley's "Away" team (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - Julie Christie, Olympia
Dukakis and Michael Murphy have joined the cast of Canadian
actress Sarah Polley's feature film directorial debut, "Away
From Her."
Would-be satire "Date Movie" generates no laughs (Reuters)
February 22, 2006
Reuters - Every now and then you
find yourself watching a movie so silly that somehow you still
find yourself laughing despite the stupidity of it all.