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2008
17 articles from 2009
Bazmann’s Christmas Address
25 December 2009 7:00 AM, PST
| HeyUGuys.co.uk
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It’s been a great year for the British film industry. It kicked off with the British invasion of the Oscars, with notable wins for Kate Winslet, and Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire. The huge amount of British Actors plying their trade successfully in Hollywood continued to grow, with Scot Gerard Butler particularly in demand with parts in Gamer, The Ugly Truth and Law Abiding Citizen.
British filmmakers have been responsible for some of the more interesting films this year. Duncan Jone’s Moon was a brilliant yet under appreciated sci-fi drama. Fish Tank and Harry Brown lead the way for low budget drama. Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus finally found a distributor. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince became the highest grossing British movie of all time.
British film festivals Raindance and the BFI London Film Festival saw record attendances, and showcased some great films from home,
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- Barry Steele
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Top 7 Movies of the Decade (another opinion)
19 December 2009 5:09 PM, PST
| The Scorecard Review
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We start the Top 7. You finish the Top 10.
I have always struggled with the notion that perhaps movies, as a whole, are getting worse. As anyone who has seen what’s been playing for the past ten years will notice, there’s plenty of evidence to indicate that the brightness from the moving pictures is getting darker. Screenwriters and directors are sticking to formulas when hesitant to experiment with their creative juices, and at the same time, big studios are playing it safe by adapting anything in sight. But while many movies crowd up the marquee like a group of regular students with satisfying GPAs, cinema has still been able to continue thanks to true poindexters of the art, those who craft experiences so fulfilling and basically perfect that the deconstruction of “the movies” seems to still be a myth. With films like Talk to Her, Superbad, and There Will Be Blood,
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- Nick Allen
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Production Update #7: That’s a Wrap!
6 December 2009 12:46 PM, PST
| Nolan Fans
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Well, it certainly has been an adventure! From that first image of Christopher Nolan, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ken Watanabe that surprised us with some early filming in Japan to the final leg of the film’s production at the Arctic Fortress, closely following the production of Inception has been one heck of a journey.
Starting out in Japan in mid-June, we found out that this was only one of six countries this film was scheduled to shoot in. We didn’t know what else to feel but excitement. Even though the June filming was a bit early, on July 24th, Warner Bros. announced that principal photography had begun and filming was already under way in London. On August 17th, the first real production images started to come in from Paris. This was getting so exciting way too quickly. On August 25th, one of our readers who lives in Morocco informed
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- AlexHaas
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IFC Teams with Netflix to Bring 53 New Films to Streaming “Watch Instantly” Service
20 November 2009 2:50 PM, PST
| Collider.com
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While not quite as massive as the thousands of films the Starz deal provided to Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service last year, IFC Films has signed an exclusive streaming deal with Netflix for 53 of IFC’s films. Among the 53 films are John Sayles’ The Brother From Another Planet and Return of the Secaucus Seven; Christopher Nolan’s first film, Following; James Toback’s When Will I Be Loved?; the Errol Morris’ documentaries Gates of Heaven and The Thin Blue Line; Susanne Bier’s Brothers (which is the original version of the upcoming Tobey Maguire/Natalie Portman/Jake Gyllenhaal movie of the same name); and Alfonso Cuaron’s first feature film, Solo con tu pareja. The press release doesn’t say whether or not any IFC Films beyond the 53 they’re adding today will become available on “Watch Instantly”.
For those who don’t know, Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service allows
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- Matt Goldberg
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IFC Films to Stream Content Through Netflix
20 November 2009 7:21 AM, PST
| MovieWeb
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In a move designed to increase the reach of independent cinema, IFC Entertainment, one of the leading distributors of independent and foreign films, and Netflix, the world's largest online movie rental service, today announced a partnership that gives Netflix U.S. rights to 53 unique titles from IFC Entertainment. Through this agreement select titles from IFC Entertainment's eclectic library of independent films will become available to be streamed instantly to televisions and computers via the Netflix service. The deal was announced jointly by Lisa Schwartz, executive vice president for IFC Entertainment, and Robert Kyncl, vice president of content acquisition for Netflix.
The partnership gives Netflix members on an unlimited plan the opportunity to instantly watch the newly acquired films on their computers or TVs through a range of Netflix ready devices. Those devices include Netflix ready Blu-ray disc players and new Internet TVs from LG Electronics; Blu-ray disc players from Samsung
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The Top 10 Most Influential Scores of the Past Decade: #9
30 September 2009 7:00 AM, PDT
| SCOREcastOnline.com
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#9 - The Dark Knight
(Hans Zimmer & James Newton-Howard)
Following the success of their collaboration for Christopher Nolan's reboot of the Batman franchise Batman Begins, Hans Zimmer and James Newton-Howard reteamed in 2008 to score The Dark Knight — the decidedly darker follow-up fueled almost single-handedly by Heath Ledger's iconic performance as "The Joker".
At first, what seemed like an odd pairing turned out to be one of the most effective once Zimmer and Newton-Howard unleashed their Batman Begins score on the world in 2005. But what followed for Round 2 from the duo was a complete about-face from Batman Begins. The Dark Knight boasted a tone all its own that traversed a darker and much more visceral soundscape, utilizing string and brass effects combined with electronic elements to bring edge and power to the series. In addition, Newton-Howard's emotional themes lifted the story to more dramatic heights than it's predecessor,
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- noreply@blogger.com (SCOREcast Admin)
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Five Projects for Dce to Jump On, Day 1: ‘The Flash’
14 September 2009 5:30 AM, PDT
| WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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On the surface, The Flash may seem too simple of a project to make into a decent movie, but it’s that simplicity of the character that has always intrigued me. As a superhero, The Flash is not complicated. Regardless of which of the four incarnations you reference, The Flash embodies superhuman speed, agility, quick-thinking and intelligence and even the ability to defy certain law of physics, such as being able to vibrate so fast he can walk through walls or leap to alternate dimensions.
For the sake of argument, and popularity, we’ll focus on the most popular incarnation of The Flash. The story of Barry Allen began back in 1956, when DC Comics made the successful decision to modernize it’s most popular characters. In this re-imagining of The Flash, scientist Barry Allen is exposed to some powerful chemical agents when lightning strikes his lab, resulting in an exponentially-enhanced metabolism and physical ability.
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- Travis
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A Win-Win Situation: IFC & Criterion releasing Hunger, Still Walking and Abdellatif Kechiche’s The Secret of the Grain
2 September 2009
| ioncinema
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- Ask me what my top film of 2008 was. Simple. Abdellatif Kechiche's The Secret of the Grain (see here). Ask me what my number 2 film of the year is. Simple. Steve McQueen's Hunger (see here). Climb up a couple of spots on my top 20 of the year, and Matteo Garrone’s Gomorrah is slotted at my number 6 spot.
After announcing that they would pact together on Arnaud Desplechin’s “A Christmas Tale,” Matteo Garrone’s “Gomorrah,” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Che,” it looks like Criterion and IFC Films have 7 more titles are in the oven. Apart from my number 1 and 2 picks, Criterion will make special editions for recently released Jan Troell’s Everlasting Moments, Olivier Assayas’ Summer Hours, Hirokazu Kore-Eda’s Still Walking, and will go back in the vault to launch special editions of Alfonso Cuaron’s Y Tu Mama Tambien and Christopher Nolan’s Following.
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Heath Ledger's 'Imaginarium' Finds Stateside Distributor
13 August 2009 1:00 AM, PDT
| Aceshowbiz
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Following the release of its international trailer a week earlier, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" is reportedly close to have a U.S. buyer. According to Variety, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group is in advanced talks to pick up this fantasy drama that features Heath Ledger's last performance.
The Sony group is said to have planned to release "Imaginarium" theatrically this year through Sony Pictures Classics. The trade further claimed that the deal with Sony "has long been in the works and could be made official this week". Nonetheless, representatives, including sales agent John Sloss, kept tight lips on the deal.
In early 2008, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" has been put in a jeopardy when its leading actor, Ledger, was found dead in his apartment while the production was still halfway through. But with the joining of Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law in place of the late actor's vacant role,
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- AceShowbiz.com
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Oldman confirms 'Dark Knight' sequel
27 July 2009 2:15 AM, PDT
| digitalspy
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Gary Oldman has said that the follow-up to The Dark Knight should begin shooting next year. The actor made the off-the-cuff remark during a press conference at last week's Comic-Con convention in San Diego. Following a question by a fan, Oldman said: "I think the next Batman is next year. We start shooting next year. You didn't hear that from me." Oldman played James Gordon in the Christopher Nolan-directed (more)
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- By Mayer Nissim
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Hans Zimmer Re-Teaming With Nolan To Score Inception
25 July 2009 9:52 PM, PDT
| ScreenRant.com
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BusinessWire (via NolanFans and The Playlist) is reporting that prolific film composer, Hans Zimmer, has been tapped to score Christopher Nolan’s upcoming secretive thriller, Inception. Of course, this isn’t really a surprise considering Zimmer worked with Nolan on both his Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.
Inception is Nolan’s new movie that could aptly be summed up as “mysterious.” With a few small character details aside, and a central story that focuses on blackmailing, the only real line of info we’ve had to go on is that it’s, “a contemporary sci-fi thriller set within the architecture of the mind.”
Even The Riddler would have trouble working that one out…
Although like I said, it’s no surprise that Zimmer is (apparently) scoring Inception since he scored Nolan’s Batman Begins and The Dark Knight (the latter along with James Newton Howard), The Playlist
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- Ross Miller
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‘Johnny Depp Playing The Riddler’ Voted Favorite ‘Batman 3’ Rumor
13 July 2009 3:13 PM, PDT
| MTV Splash Page
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In last week’s poll, I asked readers to vote on the “Batman 3″ rumors they wished were true. From Cher playing Catwoman and Christopher Nolan exiting the franchise to Philip Seymour Hoffman playing The Penguin and Christian Bale taking his growl elsewhere, there’s been no shortage of rumors surrounding the next installment of the Batman film franchise. And no rumor has been without its share of fans, either.
When all the votes were tallied, however, the margin of votes between the most popular rumor and the next wish-it-was-true option was one of the largest in any of our polls thus far. And while the winner isn’t much of a surprise, the support for some of the other might raise a few eyebrows (and cause some heart palpitations) among the Batman faithful.
After all the votes were tallied, two rumors that originated with “Batman Begins” actor Michael Caine proved
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- Rick Marshall
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Hrithik-Aishwarya's next film - Guzaarish
12 May 2009 3:29 PM, PDT
| India.com
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After struggling to find a suitable name for his Hrithik-Aishwarya starrer, director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is reported to have finalized a title – it's Guzaarish.
Following the success of Jodhaa Akbar many directors were more than keen to sign the amazing on-screen couple of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai together. And the first to do it was Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for his untitled film. The movie is still in nascent stages and will go on floors only by next year.
For 'Guzaarish', Bhansali is tying up with producers Utv Motion Pictures; coincidentally, they were also the producers of 'Jodhaa Akbar'. Earlier it was said that Bhansali will team up with Big Pictures or Sony Pictures to make the film. But now the picture is clear; it's Utv.
The movie is believed to be a remake of the 2006 Hollywood film 'The Prestige', which was directed by the '
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- mihirkula
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'Terminator Salvation' Gets 5 Minutes Featurette of The Harvester
11 May 2009 7:29 PM, PDT
| Aceshowbiz
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Five minutes featurette from "Terminator Salvation" has come out courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Pizza Hut. Posted on Pizza Hut's website, the featurette contains an extended clip on the battle scene with Skynet's The Harvester, and a look at the immense preparation for the shooting of the particular scene.
The featurette opens up with director McG introducing the video, saying that viewers are about to see the meanest machine Skynet has ever created attacking humanity. The clip itself runs for nearly two minutes long. It displays a scene where The Harvester goes to the deserted 7 Eleven and starts attacking and collecting people there. Amidst the chaos, Sam Worthington's Marcus Wright and Anton Yelchin's Kyle Reese team up to bring down the giant machine. Following the clip is a behind-the-scene footage, showing the filming for the scene.
"Terminator Salvation" comes from McG, the man who directed "Charlie's Angels
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- AceShowbiz.com
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Michael Caine Set For Inception
27 April 2009 12:43 AM, PDT
| EmpireOnline
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If it’s a Christopher Nolan film, then it must star Michael Caine. So has it been written – and lo, Sir Maurice Micklewhite has indeed signed on to join the cast of Nolan’s mysterious sci-fi, Inception.The movie will be the fourth in a row for the Caine/Nolan team, following Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. Rumour has it that Nolan is planning to digitally insert footage of Caine into Memento, Following and Insomnia.As has been the case with Inception since, well, its inception, Caine hasn’t been able to spill word one about the project or his character. "I have a little part in it, yes,” he told InContention.com. “I think I'll work about three days. It'll be extraordinary, wait until you see this one. I think if I say another word he's going to kill me!"Well, we wouldn’t want that,
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Fragment of Fear: Exclusive trailer and more!
23 March 2009 12:24 PM, PDT
| Fangoria
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The ongoing trend of visceral Australian horror delves into dark psychology as well with Fragment, the feature debut of writer/director Andrew Miles. The recently completed film was produced by Kelvin Crumplin and executive-produced by Graham Broughton and Michael Favelle (the latter of whom provided Fango with an exclusive first look at the trailer; you can see that preview, and a couple of exclusive photos, below).
“It began with a fantasy I had about breaking into someone’s apartment and finding a beautiful dead woman lying on the floor naked, and wondering who she was,” Miles explains. “This idea then floated around as a David Lynch-type short story, where a guy spends the afternoon with the woman’s body. This time, however, she is alive and then dead again, like a time loop. But it was basically about falling in love with a dead woman and finding out who
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Exclusive: Zack Snyder's Thoughts on Adapting Dark Knight Returns
25 February 2009 3:57 AM, PST
| firstshowing.net
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So the story goes that at the San Diego Comic-Con last year, during the Watchmen panel, Zack Snyder said that he "would love to see Frank Miller's Dark Knight Returns made into a movie." Following all the hype surrounding that statement, Frank Miller was asked if he would give Zack his blessing to adapt that graphic novel, which he would. So of course, the next logical step would be to go back to Zack and ask him how he might adapt the story, even though there's a distinct possibility that Warner Brothers will never ever allow this, especially with Christopher Nolan's version of Batman earning them billions of dollars.
In my interview with Zack Snyder on Watchmen, the final question I asked him was about, hypothetically, if he were to adapt The Dark Knight Returns, how would he do it. Some of you may have already heard his
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- Alex Billington
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17 articles from 2009
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