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In Theaters Now: Disaster Movie, Babylon A.D., Traitor & College
Disaster strikes, Vin Diesel broods, Guy Pearce chases and College happens—in theaters now.
August 29th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Beth Levin
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>IFC Center Screens a Restored Version of Day of Wrath
Looking for a way to celebrate Labor Day? Why not attend a screening of Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Day of Wrath (1943) at IFC Center? In an effort to honor the film’s 65th anniversary a brand-new restoration (each frame of the original negative was cleaned and digitally scanned to create a new 35mm print), the film will be playing at New York City's IFC Center from August 29th to September 4th. Called “one of the most completely moving films ever made” by film critic Pauline Kael, seeing Day of Wrath is not only a chance to view the work of a true auteur but also an opportunity to view something that is a part of history, since it was filmed in Nazi-occupied Denmark right before Dreyer fled.
August 28th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Jessica Wall
Nothing Is Private for Towelhead
America’s largest civil liberties group, CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations), is urging Warner Bros. executives to re-title Alan Ball’s upcoming film Towelhead.
The film, which co-stars Aaron Eckhart and Toni Collette, centers around a young Arab-American girl, Jasira, (played by Summer Bishil) who struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War. Jasira is dubbed “Towelhead” by racist American characters in the story.
August 27th, 2008 | Category: MM Remembers | By Kyle Rupprecht
Notes From Movieland: The Green Goddess
A psychedelic journey to the mystical heart of cannabis
My dear friend, Craig Nisker, thinks he can save the world one crop at a time. The crop being cannabis (marijuana to the uninformed). And that’s only one of the reasons Craig found himself knee-deep in a seven acre field of cannabis, in the foothills of the Alps, just outside Lucerne, directing a rag-tag group of neophytes in a feature film that’s soon to become a cult-classic (how many years does it take to be a “classic”?) Their bizarre journey is rife with bungles, serendipity and magic. Once again, fact proves itself stranger than fiction.
August 26th, 2008 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Tropic Thunder Storms Box Office for Second Week
Tropic Thunder remained king of the box office for its second weekend in theaters, pulling in $16.1 million.
The number two and three spots both went to new films. The House Bunny, a ditzy comedy starring Anna Faris, came in a close second with $15.1 million, while Paul W.S. Anderson's action-thriller Death Race brought in $12.3 million.
August 25th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Jennifer M. Wood
In Theaters Now: Hamlet 2, Death Race, The Rocker & More
Three comedies, a race to the death and a longshot make up this weekend's box office options.
August 22nd, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Beth Levin
Sell Your TV Concept Now Announces Hit Makers Summit Scholarship
Ever wanted to write your own TV series? Well here’s your chance. Sell Your TV Concept Now, Inc. will award one student the Hit Makers Summit Scholarship, a program in which students are counseled to develop and pitch their ideas while working with industry professionals. The next Summit will occur over three days in September and will essentially be a TV pitch crash course. The scholarship is open to both undergraduates and recent grads who are/were enrolled in a TV or film production program and will be awarded to the student who writes the most marketable, creative and original idea for a TV show.
August 20th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Beth Levin
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>I.O.U.S.A Wants You to Take Action
From An Inconvenient Truth (2006) to Sicko (2007), movies are becoming the choice medium for exposing societal problems in an effort to fuel change. Patrick Creadon’s I.O.U.S.A. is another documentary intent on exposing America’s troubles, this time taking a harsh look at our current economic situation and offering suggestions on how to make the nation financially secure for the future. The film is not just a presentation of the facts, however; the minds behind it have decided to take a more proactive role in making sure their movie inspires dialogue among viewers.
August 19th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Jessica Wall
Tropic Thunder Knocks Out The Dark Knight
The caped crusader has finally let down his guard. A new movie has taken over the number one spot: Ben Stiller’s new hit comedy, Tropic Thunder, which made just over $37 million since its Wednesday release. In its fifth weekend in theaters, for the first time, The Dark Knight came to reckon with the number two spot, taking in $16.79 million.
Claiming the number three spot was Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is not only a new animated Star Wars feature, but also the pilot for an upcoming TV series. Mirrors, the new horror movie starring Kiefer Sutherland, took the number four spot with approximately $11.1 million. The Seth Rogen stoner comedy The Pineapple Express slipped down to a disappointing number five spot at the box office, taking in a mere $10 million in its second weekend.
August 18th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Beth Levin
Fuji Wants You!
Your chance to have your very own L.A. movie premiere is here! Fujifilm, along with Z Spot Now, is sponsoring the Fujifilm Z Roll Movie Contest, which will award the moviemaker who creates the best 30-second ending of a provided starter video (which can be viewed at http://www.zspotnow.com/zspotla) a trip to the movie’s premiere at the Opera/Crimson Theater in California.
August 16th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Beth Levin
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>In Theaters Now: Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tropic Thunder, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Tropic Thunder arrives, Clones attack, Woody Allen scores, Kiefer Sutherland scares, the Moon is in 3-D and Henry Poole is Here—in theaters now.
August 15th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kyle Rupprecht
LA Shorts Fests Honors “Maverick Filmmaker” Shane Black
In its 12th year, the annual LA Shorts Fest will honor legendary writer-director Shane Black with its Maverick Filmmaker Award. Best known for writing Lethal Weapon shortly after graduating from UCLA, Black quickly became one of the highest paid screenwriters in Hollywood history. When Lethal Weapon spawned three sequels and became one of the most successful film franchises, Black was commended for bringing the “buddy” action film genre back into the industry. More recently, in 2005 Black made a comeback as both writer and director of Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang—a comedic, film-noir action film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer that earned critics’ praise and various awards.
August 14th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Beth Levin
Grassroots Moviemaker: Stop Russia! Say “No” to War!!
Georgian actress speaks out against Russian invasion
Yesterday I wrote about Anna Gurji, the Georgian star of Rufus Rex. Today I’m going to post a very powerful entry from her own blog.
Stop Russia!
Say No To War!!!
It’s 4 a.m. and a frightening nightmare wakes me up. I am wearing outdoor clothes, that is not very comfortable in bed. But at that moment, I can’t feel it, since I am too scared... too scared that a huge noise might pierce my eardrums and brightness invade my whole vision. I stand up and look outside from the window. I look at the dark, cloudless sky and I look at the street lamps. I look at the deserted, empty pavement and then back at the sky. Then I turn around and go to bed. I hug my pillow tight and try to sleep as much as I can. But I can’t stop thinking about it... all those images of horrible scenes from the TV are flashing into my mind. Then I hear noise of a jet, flying above somewhere and I feel as my heart starts to beat faster and louder. Fortunately, that night goes well. Nothing happens in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia.
August 13th, 2008 | Category: Grassroots Moviemaker | By Timothy Rhys
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Warner Home Video Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock
Our generation will be celebrating music and freedom in a different fashion: Through a DVD. August 15th, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary Woodstock music festival. To celebrate, Warner Home Video plans to release a new DVD of the fest, including newly discovered full performances from artists such as The Who and Joe Cocker. The DVD will also include thoughts and insights from various musicians, celebrities and other industry experts regarding the cultural impact of Woodstock 40 years after the event. Also within this Ultimate Collector’s Edition will be a short documentary by Robert Kline, adapted from his memorabilia-filled book, Children of the 60’s.
August 13th, 2008 | Category: MM In The News | By Beth Levin
Make a PSA and Become an Honorary Starship Trooper
Do you have what it takes to be a Starship Trooper? With Starship Troopers 3: Marauder blasting off on DVD August 5th, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Brickfish Entertainment have launched a new promotional campaign, “Create A Starship Troopers 3 PSA.” The campaign asks wannabe troopers to create an original public service announcement or poster powerful enough to rally fellow citizens in the intergalactic battle against huge, nasty space bugs. Entries will be accepted no later than August 27th.
August 12th, 2008 | Category: MM In The News | By Kyle Rupprecht
Grassroots Moviemaker: Georgia On My Mind
The dreams and survival of Rufus Rex star at risk in Georgian capital
I was about to file my next update on the progress of Rufus Rex, but some things transcend moviemaking, even for me…
Almost three years ago I got a letter from a 15-year-old girl named Anna Gurji who lived in the Republic of Georgia. She said that her father was a writer-director, her older sister was a director and that she herself had already appeared in a few films and commercials. Her constant, passionate dream was to become a professional actress and hopefully work in international productions. I wrote back and she stayed in touch, keeping me updated on her career progress. She landed more film roles and recently garnered serious acclaim for her performance in a Hungarian feature called Cinka Panna. In that film she plays the famous 18th-century gypsy primadonna whose “exceptionally interesting, colorful and emotionally strained life metaphorically points out the movie’s theme, which is the individual’s struggle for recognition and a place in the world.” That quote, which comes directly from the movie’s IMDb website entry, reminds me of Anna’s real-life role, not only as a young artist seeking “recognition and a place in the world,” but as a human being whose struggle just became more dire.
August 11th, 2008 | Category: Grassroots Moviemaker | By Timothy Rhys
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Pineapple Express is No Match for The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight is unstoppable. The caped crusader topped the box office yet again for its fourth consecutive week, taking in just over $26 million this weekend and bringing its total gross to an approximate $441.5 million.
Pineapple Express, David Gordon Green's new stoner comedy starring Seth Rogen and James Franco, opened in the number two spot with $22.4 million this weekend, but reached a total of $40.5 million from its Wednesday release.
August 11th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Beth Levin
In Theaters Now: Pineapple Express, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, Elegy & Bottle Shock
It's testosterone against estrogen when Pineapple Express and Hell Ride compete with Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 and Elegy at the weekend box office.
August 8th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Lauren Barbato
Woody Allen, William Friedkin and David Cronenberg Take to the Stage in L.A.
Three of today’s most legendary moviemakers—Woody Allen, William Friedkin and David Cronenberg—are putting their own cinematic spin on the classic art of opera. Each is directing an exciting new production for the opening of the L.A. Opera’s 2008-2009 season.
On September 6th, Giacomo Puccini’s classic Il Trittico, celebrating its 90th anniversary this year, premieres, staged by Academy-Award winners Allen and Friedkin. Allen, making his operatic directing debut, will helm "Gianni Schicchi," the first part of this unique triptych of one-act operas. Friedkin will direct the second two one-acts, "Il Tabarro" and "Suor Angelica." Il Trittico runs through September 26th at the LA Opera.
August 7th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Kyle Rupprecht
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' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Sundance Institute Awards Fellowships to Seven Moviemakers
The Sundance Institute may be best known for its star-studded winter festival, but its dedication to moviemaking is a year-round effort. It recently awarded Annenberg Film Fellowships to seven moviemakers chosen from its June Directors Lab as part of a $5 million dollar grant created by the Annenberg Foundation. The recipients are John Magary, Fellipe Barbosa, Moon Molson, Daniel Casey, Frank Budgen, Lara Foot Newton and Gerhard Marx, whose fellowship projects range from Shockheaded Peter, Budgen’s adaptation of gruesome fairy tales, to Casa Grande, Barbosa’s story of a young boy struggling with class privilege in Rio.
August 6th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Jessica Wall
Frank Miller's Art School Spirit
Film advertisements have reached a new level with Frank Miller’s new comic adaptation of The Spirit. Lionsgate has teamed up with nine leading art schools around the nation to create one student-designed ad from each participating school. This series, entitled The Spirit Art School Program, will display the finished works throughout the summer around the schools’ home cities. The program presented the first design from The Art Institute of California-San Diego at the city’s famous Comic-Con convention just recently.
August 5th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Beth Levin
The Dark Knight Can't Be Stopped
The joke is on every film to hit theaters. The Dark Knight kept its number one spot at the box office in its third consecutive weekend, taking in $43.8 million and bringing its total gross to just under $400 million. Brendan Fraser’s third film in The Mummy series, Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, opened in the number two spot with much less than studio execs had hoped—totaling in with approximately $42.5 million.
August 4th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Beth Levin
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