Advertisement
Notes from Movieland: 14: Sundance, 28: Hollywood High
I promised to write about Antonio (Tony) Manriquez a few blogs ago. He’s one of the cinematic child wonders currently coming up through the ranks. Though still pursuing his own moviemaking expression on some level, Tony, 28, now teaches other youngsters the magic of moviemaking. One of the reasons I wanted to write about Tony was his incredible passion for and knowledge of not only the craft of moviemaking, but the world of film.
October 12th, 2008 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>In Theaters Now: Body of Lies, City of Ember, Quarantine, Happy-Go-Lucky & RocknRolla
Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott take Leonardo DiCaprio along for the ride on their gravy train while Bill Murray and Guy Ritchie aim for comebacks after Garfield and Swept Away, respectively.
October 10th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Douglas Polisin
indieProducer’s 6th Annual Screenwriting Competition & Short Film Contest
Unknown screenwriters and moviemakers looking to catch their big break will have a chance to get their work seen by some of the industry’s best with this year’s indieProducer 6th annual Screenwriting Competition and Short Film Contest, an event owned and operated by working moviemakers and judged by some of the industry's most established screenwriters and producers. While only a few can win, all who enter get great exposure in front of judges looking for the next big moviemaker. "I believe in finding new talent, original ideas and fresh perspectives… the indieProducer contest enables me to do that," says Stephen Rivele, Oscar-nominated screenwriter (Ali, Nixon).
October 9th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Douglas Polisin
Penélope Cruz To Receive Tribute at Gotham Awards
Penélope Cruz is a hot topic on the cinema radar. Not only was she recently seen starring in two critically-acclaimed movies, Isabel Coixet's Elegy and Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, but it was also recently announced that she will be honored with a tribute award at IFP’s 18th annual Gotham Awards ceremony in December. IFP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization of independent moviemakers and presents the Gotham Awards each year to kick off the awards season. The jury decided to award Cruz with a tribute due to her achievements stateside and abroad, for she has earned great success from her starring roles within Spanish cinema as well as Hollywood and was the first Spaniard to be nominated for an Oscar.
October 9th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Beth Levin
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Create Your Own SAW V Trailer and Win Big
Are you eager to try your hand at crafting a truly blood-curdling trailer? If so, then the new SAW V trailer mashup contest should be right up your alley. Visit the Lionsgate Live channel on YouTube and create a trailer for your favorite SAW film using the mashup tool. Then, upload your video and you’ll be entered to win a trip to Los Angeles and two tickets to a Lionsgate horror film premiere! The SAW V trailer mashup has already received more than three million views—check it out for yourself at http://www.youtube.com/LionsgateLIVE and enter today! And don’t forget, SAW V hits theaters October 24th.
October 8th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Kyle Rupprecht
Box Office Resilient Through Tough Times
According to SNL Kagan’s recent study, "Economics of Motion Pictures," box office numbers reached an all-time high in 2007, making a record $9.67 billion despite the economic downturn. The previous record was set in 2002 at $9.29 billion.
The study, which included all films shown on 1,000 or more screens from 2003 to 2007, found that the most expensive films posted the largest revenues and average net profit. Statistics were broken down by budget range and genre, encompassing animated, sci-fi/fantasy, family, action, drama, comedy, romance, horror and thriller films.
October 7th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Kristin Forte
Beverly Hills Chihuahua is Leader of the Pack
New Disney family film Beverly Hills Chihuahua found its way to the top this past weekend, grossing an impressive $29 million. Last weekend's box office-topper, Eagle Eye, took the number two spot with $17.7 million. Michael Cera comedy Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist claimed number three with a gross of $12 million while number four went to the romantic Nights in Rodanthe (last week's number two) with $7.4 million. Rounding out the top five was Ed Harris' critically acclaimed Western Appaloosa. The buzzed-about How To Lose Friends & Alienate People came in well below expectations, making only $1.4 million and barely hanging on at number 19.
October 6th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Kristin Forte
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>In Theaters Now: Blindness, Religulous, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist & More
You have a choice at movie theaters this weekend: See dogs talk, people go blind, Simon Pegg try to lose friends and alienate people or trek around the world with Bill Maher to find out why citizens of the world turn to religion.
October 3rd, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kristin Forte
Deepa Mehta Receives the Infinite Power of Story Award
Deepa Mehta, the Indian-born, Canadian-based director of 2005’s Water (Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award nominee) was will be awarded the Infinite Power of Story Lifetime Achievement Award by Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television (SFTV). The award will be given to Mehta at the school’s annual Film Outside the Frame Festival on October 13 at the Directors Guild of America.
October 2nd, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Douglas Polisin
Religulous Disbelief
Jetset Studios, one of the entertainment industry’s leading online marketing agencies, has decided to face controversy head-on by developing Disbeliefnet.com, a new Website that promotes the release of the upcoming Bill Maher documentary Religulous. The site, which satirizes the spiritual site Belief.com, has already been categorized as “tasteless” and deemed “unsuitable for use on a government network” by the United States Department of Defense.
October 1st, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Kyle Rupprecht
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Notes from Movieland: Do the Distribution Dance
After a veritable maze of introductions, letters, meetings, “possibly"s and even a "yes" or two that transformed into "no" with the grinding of time, my little indie movie finally met her distribution match: The prince to my Red princess, the Bogart to my Bacall, the Captain to my Maria. When I was still a starry-eyed novice, I truly believed in the conventional distribution route. So did most of my fellow moviemakers. We were all after that golden carrot, which, it seems, isn’t as edible as I was led to believe.
September 30th, 2008 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
Eagle Eye Soars to Number One at Weekend Box Office
Shia LaBeouf and D.J. Caruso (who teamed up for 2007's Disturbia) thrilled audiences once again, taking the number one spot at the box office with action flick Eagle Eye.
September 29th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Kristin Forte
MM Remembers: Paul Newman
Back somewhere in 1975, just before Paul Newman started filming The Drowning Pool in and around my hometown of New Orleans, he joined a few of his co-stars (including his wife, Joanne Woodward), for a small press reception in a secure meeting room at the city's main airport. (Looking back, I have to wonder if this little get-together occurred just a few minutes after Newman and company first arrived in The Big Easy.) Newman seemed amiable—perhaps because, judging from his long pauses and languid movements, he'd prepared for the reception by having a beer or two, or five or six—and more than a little mischievous. He sat on a chair near where Woodward was seated, facing me while she chatted with another journalist. And every so often while we talked, he'd turn around, make sure she wasn't looking at him, and... and... well, reach out to grab her ass.
September 27th, 2008 | Category: MM Remembers | By Joe Leydon
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>New W. Trailer Revealed!
On October 17, before anyone can cast their vote for the next President of the United States, Lionsgate will release W., directed by Academy Award winner Oliver Stone. Much like Stone himself, the movie's subject, George W. Bush has weathered public ridicule, scathing reviews and controversial projects throughout his professional career. It is this and more that is chronicled in the much-anticipated fall drama. Here, a sneak peak.
September 26th, 2008 | Category: MM First Look, News/Commentary, Video | By Mallory Potosky
InTheaters Now: Choke, Miracle at St. Anna, Eagle Eye, Nights in Rodanthe & The Lucky Ones
Richard Gere and Diane Lane re-team for Nights in Rodanthe, Spike Lee puts his print on the war joint, a Sundance darling gets its day and Shia LaBeouf sets his sights on another box office takeover.
September 26th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Jessica Wall
Sony Partners with The Film Foundation for Truly Classic Movies
Lovers of classic films can breathe a sigh of sweet relief as it has been announced that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (SPHE) and Martin Scorsese’s non-profit film preservation organization, The Film Foundation, have teamed up to release onto DVD beloved titles from the Sony catalog that have been out of circulation for years. The two organizations plan to release the DVDs under the “Collector’s Choice” banner with each movie being restored and remastered.
September 23rd, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Douglas Polisin
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Lakeview Terrace Arrests Weekend Audiences
The new Samuel L. Jackson thriller Lakeview Terrace took the top spot at the box office this past weekend, earning $15.6 million. The rest of the top five were made up of new releases and second-week victors.
September 22nd, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Kristin Forte
In Theaters Now: Lakeview Terrace, The Duchess, Appaloosa & Ghost Town
This weekend's offerings feature a little bit of everything: A corrupt cop, an English royal and Ricky Gervais as Bertram Pincus, the man who can see dead people. These and more are awaiting audiences now.
September 19th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Kyle Rupprecht
2008 Spike TV Awards Give Genre Fans Something to “Scream” About
Hungering for an awards show that celebrates genres the Oscars usually steer clear of? The 2008 Spike TV Scream Awards, now in its third year, prides itself on being the first awards show to honor the best in horror, fantasy and sci-fi feature films, television shows and comics. Even better, fans get to choose who the lucky winners will be by voting on the show’s Website.
September 18th, 2008 | Category: MM In The News | By Kyle Rupprecht
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>Shakespeare on Film: The IndiePix Collection
Anthony Hopkins, lest ye be a fool, take note: If you want to fully fit your upcoming role as King Lear, it may be wise to check out the IndiePix Shakespeare collection. The 10 films within the collection, which range from Laurence Olivier’s classic interpretations of Henry V (1944), Hamlet (1948), and Richard III (1955) to Bollywood’s own Maqbool and Omkara (renditions of Macbeth and Othello respectively), shed new light on Shakespeare’s work, bringing him into “a new media” and offering students another way of examining his themes amongst a global background.
September 17th, 2008 | Category: News/Commentary | By Douglas Polisin
Vote in the “Where Nightmares Come Alive” Film Competition
Cast your vote in Universal Studios Hollywood's "Where Nightmares Come Alive" short film competition. As part of the theme park's Halloween Horror Nights, the competition will screen the winner at the Eyegore Awards, an event honoring the horror and sci-fi genres that will feature an audience of celebrities (past award recipients include Janet Leigh, Rob Zombie and Joss Whedon) and studio executives.
September 16th, 2008 | Category: | By Jessica Wall
Burn After Reading Fires Up the Box Office
Four new films took the top spots this past weekend: The Coen brothers' Burn After Reading reigned supreme, grossing $19.4 million. Tyler Perry's latest flick, The Family That Preys, was a close second with $18 million. Righteous Kill, the only non-comedy in the top four, came in third with $16.5 million, while number four went to remake The Women with $10 million. The Dark Knight was finally knocked out of the top five but managed to keep an impressive hold on the charts, making $4 million and coming in at number seven.
September 15th, 2008 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By Kristin Forte
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>In Theaters Now: The Women, Burn After Reading, The Family That Preys & Towelhead
Estrogen makes a comeback in theaters this weekend, with the all-star cast of The Women, Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard's cross-country trek in The Family That Preys and newcomer Summer Bishil, who stars in the coming-of-age drama Towelhead. Oh yeah, and the Coen brothers return with Burn After Reading.
September 12th, 2008 | Category: In Theaters Now | By Lauren Barbato
Become Enlightened at the Women In Film Entertainment Forum and Business Leadership Awards
Now in its third year, the Women In Film Entertainment Forum will take place on November 1 and 2, 2008 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Century City. This year, Women In Film is bestowing its Business Leadership Awards on two extraordinarily accomplished honorees: Susanne Daniels, former president of entertainment at Lifetime and WB Networks, and current media consultant to Lifetime Television Network, and Rena Ronson, senior vice president at William Morris Agency and co-head of William Morris Independent.
September 9th, 2008 | Category: Happenings, News/Commentary | By Kyle Rupprecht
Notes from Movieland: Vampire/Zombie Funnels Art
I met with Antonio (Tony) Manriquez at the Borders cafe in Sherman Oaks last week. Tony directed his first feature film at the ripe age of 14 and landed in Sundance with his fellow student moviemakers. I like him a ton. At the age of 28, he wears a cloak of worldliness that continually surprises me. In contrast to his jaded edginess, he possesses a passion for everything and anything to do with moviemaking that is truly scrumptious. I love his unabashed nerdiness when discussing the history and theory of film. Tony teaches moviemaking to Los Angeles high school kids and Final Cut Pro to adults. That’s how I met him. I was taking a Photoshop course at the North Hollywood Adult Learning Center and he was teaching the editing course right afterwards.
September 8th, 2008 | Category: Notes From Movieland | By Anne Norda
Advertisement
' . $phpAds_raw['html'] . ''; } ?>
Categories
Association of the WeekAssociations
Awards Watch
Contests
Moviemaker of the Week Contest
Moviemaking Contest
Exhibitor of the Week
Exhibition
Festival of the Week
Festival Dispatch
Festivals
Film School of the Week
Education
Grassroots Moviemaker
Happenings
In Theaters Now
Location of the Week
Locations
MM First Look
MM In The News
MM Remembers
Moviemaker of the Week
Moviemaking
News/Commentary
Video
Notes From Movieland
Rufus Rex
Rus Thompson's Short Takes
Screenwriter of the Week
Screenwriting
This Day in Indie History
Top of the Box Office
Website of the Week
Monthly Archives
October 2008September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
June 2006
SITE DELIVERY OPTIONS
Advertisement
