Favorites of American Film Institute
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The American Film Institute announced its own version of the ten best films of the year, according to the university, enriching the national cinema heritage. Among them, the "Social Network" by David Fincher, "Toy Story: The Great Escape" Lee Ankrich, "Kids are all right" Lisa Cholodenko, "Fighter" by David O. Russell, "Inception" by Christopher Nolan, "Black Swan" by Darren Aronofsky, "127 hours" Danny Boyle's "True grit" the Coen brothers, "The Town" Ben Affleck and "Winter bone" Debra Granik.
Nor was overlooked British film "The King's speech", Along with the documentary "Waiting for Superman” marked by the American Film Institute special award.
Among the television projects, the best were: "Losers," "American family", "Freaks," "Boardwalk Empire", "Walking dead", "Breaking Bad", “30 Rock " "Temple Grandin" and mini-series "The Pacific".
Chairman of the jury of this convocation is the producer and former studio manager Tom Pollock. The writer Diablo Cody, editor Donn Kembern, director Lee Daniels, film Janine Bessindzher, Jane M. Gaines, Akira Mizuta Lippi and Michael Wood, director of the Institute of Bob Gazzale and critics Leonard Maltin, Elvis Mitchell, Claudia Puig, Lisa Shvartsbaum. Television is rated producer Richard Frank (presiding judges), writer-director Steven Bock and Marshall Herskovits and actress Jennifer Love Hewitt.
The award-winning authors of films and TV series will be in January 14, 2011. It is noteworthy that the American Film Institute are often marked movies, which have high potential to become Oscar favorites. For example, last year, among those were pictures of "The Hurt Locker," "Treasure," "Up in the sky", "Up" and "A Serious Man."
Furthermore AFI “Social Network" by David Fincher also appreciated by Association of New York, Los Angeles and Boston, who called the tape “the best film of the year”.
Long and hard Warrior’s Way
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Asian films (and Korean, in particular) are produced in two ways: one tape for the domestic market, and another one for international. The former have their own, with nothing comparable logic of the narrative, which hardly anyone understands outside of Asia, while the latter manage to do without the flying ninjas and thus follow the logic, understandable Western audiences. "The Warrior’s Way" by Korean writer and director, debutant Sngmu Lee, has been filmed on American money and is trying to unite the entire eastern attributes such as swords, military, philosophy, flying samurai and supernatural plot with typical "western" genre.
It is worth noting that the plot of this film is very similar to last year's US-Asian action film "Ninja Assassin", where the main character also refuses to murder, and eventually own clan announces hunt for him. The only difference in the time interval: the Wild West here, and in "Ninja Assassin" is a modern metropolis. Those spectators who happened to look a pair of such tapes without difficulty they will bite each subsequent plot episode. Even the whole maximalism of samurai fighters: if the main character - "the best swordsman in the history of mankind", he necessarily afford single-handedly put tens if not hundreds of opponents and does not knock the breath.
By itself, the story is very short and in some places is too stretched. During half hours there are too little actions. Some of the episodes too short, other ones are too long.
However, these genre movies fans are looking more charming for the sake of fighting, combat philosophy, and visual beauty than for the sake of the plot. And if the philosophy is all much more clearly (storyline, "Teacher-student" is made in the best tradition), here's the visual side came out a controversial situation. On the one hand, we have a stylish picture where rainfall is very fruity combine with shiny suits of samurai. And as another striking appearance of these most samurai immediately raises thoughts about the upcoming spectacular carnage.
With the cast affairs are not much better. Geoffrey Rush appears in the picture too seldom and every time drunk. It’s funny! Perhaps, only Chang Dong Gun (Lead Actor) looked good in a frame and up until the very end of his professionalism was not questioned. Star of one of the best Korean films "The 38-th parallel" here plays a very collected and even when silent at his pleasure to watch. Can’t be said about Kate Bosworth, which despite the large amount of screen time (if not more, than that of the Ghana), failed to show anything like a coherent game. Danny Huston in the role of rogues is nice, but it's more merit of his actions personage than the charisma of the actor.
Way of the Warrior - an extremely controversial US-Asia project, which can’t be named even action. The same "Ninja Assassin" with equally weak story and acting, could be interested really strong contractions. In this case, even fans of the genre, quietly digesting local narrative conventions, will be disappointed useless action-scenes (the final does not count) and weak acting. Yes, the movie is not talentless, and someone may even like it, but don’t wait of this movie special delight!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZgdFPV_kCw
“Teddy Bear” and new “Gambit”
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1). Mila Kunis and Adam Scott could join the cast of the film "Teddy Bear" - directorial debut creator of animated series "Family Guy" and "American Dad" by Seth MacFarlane. Kunis will play the leading female character, while Scott will get a minor role. The leading star of the project is Mark Wahlberg.
He will perform a Boston guy, who has being a child, has wished to his favorite teddy bear come to life, which is happened. Years go by, but the hero still attached to his favorite toy, remote from the moral ideal. McFarlane himself will voice bear, which will draw with the help of visual effects. It is assumed that Adam Scott can play a Wahlberg character.
The film is positioned as a comedy with a rating of R. The budget of the picture is $ 65 million. The authors of the script are Alec Salkin and Wellesley Wild, and producer of the project, Scott Stuber and John Jacobs. In the plans of MacFarlane is the emergence of full-length "Family Guy”.
It is noteworthy that Kunis has already cooperated with the multiplier on the voice acting "Family Guy" - her voice, says Meg.
2). As reported by Deadline, a British actor Colin Firth talks about participation in the remake of Ronald Nim "Gambit", going to be filmed by the author of "The Last Station" Michael Hoffman.
Firth attributed to participation in the project two years ago, which he then denied, but said that the script written by the authors of "Big Lebowski" is "simply amazing". Yet, apparently, the actor has decided to return to the picture.
In the center of the original plot of "Gambit" is thief by Michael Kane, planning with the heroine Shirley MacLaine to rob one of the most influential richman in the world.
For a long time in the project has been participating director Doug Liman. Producers of the new version of "Gambit" hoping that will begin shooting in London and Texas before the summer of the next year.
Among the latest high-profile works by Colin Firth is a film "A Single Man" and "The King’s speech", for the play in which Briton has received numerous awards including Oscar nomination. It is not excluded that Firth will also participate in the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony figuring as a competitor of the awards with the "King".
“Tangled” review
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To write review of the full-length animation cartoons of Walt Disney studio is rather extremely complicated but at the same time simple deal. Complicated, because they are all ultimately one and the same, and to highlight something special in the next project - a non-trivial task. A simple, because all the emotions generated by the body for a half hour show another Disney creation can be described by only one word - love. That's about it, this and this is an animated fairy tale "Tangled”.
It is pointless to argue about the technical aspects of "Tangled”. Visuals usual in Disney's is impeccable, musical accompaniment habitually takes the soul, and the dub is as usual - high quality. If you're just a lover of high-end animation, "Tangled" - is another cartoon, which will take its rightful place in your collection of masterpieces of the genre.
But the technical details - is nonsense, when it comes to rethinking the classic Disney fairy tales. And here and begin complexity.
In "Tangled" everything in its place. And the blonde beauty with superhuman sized eyes, and reckless character, full of romanticism, and dumb minor characters, who are often funnier than the main, and classic villains with an equally non-human eyes, one look at that leaves no doubt as to their true intentions, and banality of the melodramatic techniques that go back even to the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."
Why? Why do these works again and again?
The answer is only one here. Because being created by the Walt Disney genius animation tradition slaps in the most important thing.
Actor Guild announced its nominees
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Screen Actors Guild has also voiced a list of candidates for their awards. Among the nominees of the main favorites this year: "True Grit", "Social Network", "The King’s speech", "127 hours", "Black Swan", "The Fighter", "Kids are all right”, etc.
The current list of candidates traditionally similar to the variants of critics and a list of nominees for Golden Globe. In the television section presents "The Boardwalk Empire," "30 Rock," "The Office," "The Losers" and many other serial epics. For stunt awards are struggling teams of "Inception", "Robin Hood" and "Green Zone”.
Prize for outstanding achievements in acting skills get a Hollywood veteran Ernest Bornayn.
The main cinema awards are as follows:
Best Actor:
* Jeff Bridges – “True Grit”
* Robert Duvall – “Get Low”
* Jesse Eisenberg - "Social Network"
* Colin Firth – “The King’s speech”
* James Franco - "127 hours"
Best Actress:
* Annette Bening - "Kids are all right”
* Nicole Kidman - "Rabbit Hole"
* Jennifer Lawrence - "Winter bone"
* Natalie Portman - "Black Swan"
* Hilary Swank - "Conviction"
Best Supporting Actor:
* Christian Bale - "Fighter"
* John Hawkes - "Winter bone"
* Jeremy Renner - "The Town"
* Mark Ruffalo - "Kids are all right"
* Geoffrey Rush - "The King’s speech”
Best Supporting Actress:
* Amy Adams - "Fighter"
* Helena Bonham Carter - "The King’s speech”
* Mila Kunis - "Black Swan"
* Melissa Leo - "Fighter"
* Haley Staynfeld – “True Grit "
Best Ensemble:
* "Black Swan"
* "The Fighter"
* "Kids are all right"
* "The King’s speech”
* "Social Network"
SAG Awards ceremony will take place on January 30, 2011.
Angelina Jolie about Brad, family, work and Johnny Depp
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In an interview with the Popsugar resource Angelina Jolie, who performed the lead female role in the thriller "Tourist," talked about her family life, the political aspirations of Brad Pitt and about her relation to plastic surgery.
About their with Pitt relation to gossips.
"Believe me, all the rumors about our problems- is nonsense. We ignore them because this is nonsense. We laugh when we hear such bullshit, because we have everything in order."
About the rumors that Brad will probably run for president.
"Well, it's a new for me. He would have revived the White House fast enough. But I think now he's a little busy ..."
About her work with Johnny Depp.
“It turned out that Johnny and I are both hermits by nature ... so our paths never crossed. We do not like to hang out, go out, so to speak, in the light. And, in my opinion, we do not take ourselves quite seriously. Perhaps it's because we both love our families, for us it’s everything - to be with people close to us. We’ve spent time together, having met the families: Brad, Vanessa, and children. It was great. Such an idyll family. "
About the time she spends with Brad.
"From time to time we cease to be a mom and dad. I think for any parent it is very important to love their children, but at the same time, it is imperative to concentrate on your partner. This will make your relationship stronger. And because you are a strong couple, your children will only get better. "
About mom role.
"I hope my children feel that they are deeply loved and are in good hands. On the other hand, we together with Brad encourage manifestation of their personality. That's why we have six very strong by spirit children."
About Sheila style.
"She loves to dress like a boy and she likes short haircuts. Sometimes she asks her to call John. Some kids like cloak with a hood, like Superman, and she wants to be like her brothers. For us, her preferences in dress were a big surprise, but she is so funny and cute that she had to face all these boyish pieces. And she loves neckties... "
About plastic surgery.
“I have not used the services of plastic surgeons, and do not think I ever turn them. If someone is happy with such procedures, so why not. But I have no such plans!”
About busy schedule of work.
"I love it. I like being active, busy and solve a lot of questions”.
Oscar contenders for visual effects
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American Academy published an extensive list of contenders for the Oscar in the category "Best Visual Effects." Some of the pictures presented in the following will be included in the shortlist of nominees to be announced in January 2011.
The list contains both action movies, with visual effects as a central element. Among the latter, "Shutter Island" by Martin Scorsese and "Hereafter" by Clint Eastwood.
Shortlist is as follows:
"Alice in Wonderland"
"Clash of the Titans"
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1"
"Hereafter"
"Inception"
"Iron Man 2"
"Last Airbender"
"Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief"
"Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time"
"Scott Pilgrim vs. All"
"Shutter Island"
"The Sorcerer’s Apprentice"
"Throne: The Legacy"
"The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"
"Unstoppable"
In the first half of January 2011 the list will be shortened to 7 positions, and on January 25 Academy will announce the five candidates. They will compete for the Oscar statuette.
Summing up films results of 2010
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2010 comes to an end, and we can sum up its preliminary results. Without a doubt, this year the total fees of Hollywood films in North America once again overcome a cherished mark of 10 billion dollars. The most successful projects are already known.
This is the "Toy Story 3" and "Alice in Wonderland" earned in worldwide box office for more than a billion dollars each. Closer to this result can still seventh part of "Harry Potter" and "Tron: legacy." But who has remained an outsider?
The loudest failure of the year, of course, was the film "Jonah Hex”. Being based on very cinematic and advanced materials, it nonetheless was able to earn at the box office only a quarter of its modest, by Hollywood standards, budget of 47 million dollars.
Slightly more successful was the drama "Extraordinary Measures" with Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser. The film is about the good doctor who tries to help the protagonist to save his children, did not cause much sympathy from the audience, and as a result of its global box office receipts barely exceeded 50 percent of 30-million budget.
Oddly, but in third place on the list was a fantastic movie "Repo Men," in which Jude Law and Oscar winner Forest Whitaker played the role of non-core anti-heroes, knocked out of the citizens paid for artificial organs. The film, whose potential was estimated as high enough before the premiere, earned at the box office only $18 million, that is covered 56 percent of its budget.
Going further, we have "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World". To predict the failure of this film, which is based on the popular comic book, it was virtually impossible, too great was the army of fans awaiting the film adaptation. But nevertheless, it happened. Painting hardly scraped together worldwide $46 million after failing to return 60 millionth production investments to creators.
And closes the top five - comedy "Furry Vengeance" with the same Brendan Fraser. Nature, rebelled against the greed of an enterprising businessman, worked better than others, allowing creators of the movie to earn $35 million at exactly the same budget.
Naturally, to assess the real effectiveness of certain film it should be taken into account the cost of its promotion, which sometimes make up half the production budget. In this light, the status of above mentioned films looks more pitiable.
A lot of movies released by Hollywood studios in 2010 and claimed the title of a blockbuster, could be recouped only through international release. This is the story of "Robin Hood", on the creation of which Ridley Scott somehow has managed to spend $ 200 million. The film grossed in U.S. theaters only half that amount, another 206 million picture earned through complacency foreign viewers. No better things were with the new creation of Zack Snyder's "Legends of the Guardians". With 80-million budget an animated fairy tale has failed in the U.S. box office, and only at the expense of its international duties slightly exceeded 100 million. And so on.
There is still a long and intense award season, whose results are still difficult to predict, because the number of really quality films in the past year was unusually high.
Well, then we are all waiting for that director Jon Favreau poetically called the "bloodbath." In 2011, we will be able to see a record number of potential hits, most of which have been filmed in 3D format. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2", "Transformers 3: The Other Side of the Moon", "Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides", "Green Lantern", "Thor", "The First Avenger: Captain America", "Rise of the Apes", "X-Men: First Class", "Super 8", "Kung Fu Panda 2" and many others.
Interview with Matthijs van Hejiningen
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Director of prequel movie "The Thing" Matthijs van Hejiningen in an interview with Shock Till You Drop resource has spoke about the impact that had on his work an original movie by John Carpenter (1982).
- How did you become the director of this project? You fought for it, or the studio itself offered you this position?
"I was preparing to shoot a picture "Army of the Dead" which was produced by Zack Snyder. For the three months before shooting the crisis broke out, everything fell apart and I stayed out of work. I sat in the car and thought: "Oh God, I need to re-read a bunch of scripts. That would have to find something like my favorite, "Alien" and "The Thing". Then I phoned my agent and asked him whether there is any news on "The Thing". He said: "Yes, Strike Entertainment has some ideas." I did not know it would be a prequel or sequel, but I’ve met with representatives of the studio, and they gave me to read the script. I liked it, and I said: "If you want to shoot a prequel to the film by John Carpenter, it must conform to him." As a viewer, you know who or what is something, but the main feature of the original film is that you do not have a clue about it, that is, you start paranoia. And yet, I said that in the movie should be filmed the real Norwegians. You know, this is ridiculous, if the Americans suddenly start pretending Norwegians. The studio agreed with me, here's how it started. "
- Do you remember your feelings after seeing "The Thing"?
"Oh, yes. I watched it at the cinema and it blew my mind! The end of the movie was so dark, and it was pleasant to me. Now I'm really trying to boost the same feelings in the audience after watching our film."
- How did Americans make their way into your story?
"Well, one of our main characters - the Norwegian who works in New York. When he was asked to help, he comes to the station with his team and his two assistants - the Americans. In general so artful way the Americans made their way to the station. "
- Most of the actors, who starred in your movie, are from Norway, and they had never worked in such big-scale projects. How do they cope with this task, and one more, do you speak Norwegian?
"No (laughs). Norwegian, of course, like the Dutch, and our cultures have much in common. I found the person that you rarely see on the screen, and I think it adds credibility to our pattern. I worked a bit with the guys over their images otherwise they would be either blurred or deliberately. With all the actors it was very nice to work. "
- What kind of other movies, except for “The Thing” in 1982, has inspired you to progress?
"Alien", it is for me the standard in the horror genre. The way it was filmed, actors, the appearance of monsters in the frame ... All these moments I keep in mind. This movie and "The Thing" - are two of my favorite horror films, they are both a source of inspiration for me."
- It so happened that your first work in cinema - the expected event of "The Thing" fans, and given them a legitimate interest in the film, which turned out at you, are you willing to meet with them face to face?
"Oh, no (laughs). You know, I love that movie, and that when I was offered the director position, I agreed without hesitation. And I’ve tried as I could and stayed true to myself and my feelings."
- How do you think, what moments in the film fans care about most of all? What issues are you ready to hear from them?
"Well, I guess, that the monsters look different, not as they could be..."
Brothers Coen will open the next Berlin Film Festival
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New tape by Coen brothers' “True grit” will open Berlinale 2011. The film will be shown during the non-competitive program. This movie is a new adaptation of the book by Charles Portis, had already incarnated on screen by Henry Hathaway. Version in 1969 became the only tape, for the work in which John Wayne has gotten an Oscar in the category "Best Actor".
In the center of the story the young Mattie Ross, seeking the killers of his father. Her companion is an assistant county sheriff (marshal) named Rooster Cogburn. In a tape also stars Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and country singer Glen Campbell. Later, the film got a continuation of the "Rooster Cogburn" “Stuart Millar and True Grit: A Further Adventure”, where the main role has played Marshal Warren Oates. In the film of Coens will act Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin.
Berlin Film Festival director Dieter Kosslick, commenting on the choice of the jury: "Joel and Ethan are in the front row of American independent cinema. With their penchant for irony and an unusual characters and stories these directors can always capture the imagination of the audience. "
"True grit" not so long ago was awarded by the American National Board of Review of the ten best films of 2010.
Berlinale 2011 will take place from 10 to 20 February.