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The Latest in ShowBiz News

Jack Rico

By

2009/01/16 at 12:00am

Finally! Watchmen will be seen in March

01.16.2009 | By |

Finally! Watchmen will be seen in March

Warner Bros. and Fox have resolved their dispute over “Watchmen,” with the studios scheduled to present a settlement to Judge Gary Feess this morning and request that the case be dismissed.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but the deal is said to involve a sizable cash payment to Fox and a percentage of the film’s boxoffice grosses; Fox will not be a co-distributor on the film, nor will it co-own the “Watchmen” property, but it will share in revenue derived from it. The studios released a joint statement last night.

“Warner Bros. acknowledges that Fox acted in good faith in bringing its claims, which were asserted prior to the start of principal photography,” the statement read. “Fox acknowledges that Warner Bros. acted in good faith defending against those claims.”

Fox sued Warners in February, claiming copyright infringement based on agreements the studio had with producer Larry Gordon. Feess ruled Dec. 24 that Gordon did not secure proper rights to “Watchmen” from Fox before shopping the project and setting it up at Warners.

Feess’ decision prompted settlement talks to heat up because Warners faced the prospect of an injunction stopping its March 6 release of the $130 million comic book adaptation.

Gordon is not a party to the case, but Warners is said to be after the producer and his attorneys to reimburse the studio for costs of the settlement. During the litigation, Gordon’s then-attorney admitted that he negotiated the producer’s 1994 separation from Fox without knowing about a 1991 agreement on which Fox based its lawsuit.

The showdown between studios became particularly nasty during recent weeks, with Gordon and the film’s other producer, Lloyd Levin,  lashing out at Fox for making a claim on the film.

But with the dispute settled, the statement took a positive tone: “Warner Bros. and Fox, like all ‘Watchmen’ fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film’s March 6 release in theaters.”

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Official BAFTA nominations list

01.15.2009 | By |

Official BAFTA nominations list

This is Bafta’s best year by far, and there isn’t a major studio in the world that doesn’t know it. The British are creating the best independent films in the world, and for the first time in its long history of pure envy the British Academy can cock a snook at its far more glamorous American counterpart. You don’t need to be Barry Norman to work out that the big films fighting for the top honours at the Bafta awards on February 8 will also be walking up the aisle two weeks later in Los Angeles.

Penelope Cruz was nominated again, making her chances to be nominated at the Oscar’s even better. I did scour the internet and got the complete list of BAFTA nominees. Here you go:

 

 

 

 

BEST FILM

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTOR

  • Clint Eastwood, Changeling
  • David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon
  • Stephen Daldry, The Reader
  • Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

  • Joel and Ethan Coen, Burn After Reading
  • J. Michael Straczynski, Changeling
  • Philippe Claudel, I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Martin McDonagh, In Bruges
  • Dustin Lance Black, Milk

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

  • Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Peter Morgan, Frost/Nixon
  • David Hare, The Reader
  • Justin Haythe, Revolutionary Road
  • Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

LEADING ACTOR

  • Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon
  • Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Sean Penn, Milk
  • Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

LEADING ACTRESS

  • Angelina Jolie, Changeling
  • Kristin Scott Thomas, I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Meryl Streep, Doubt
  • Kate Winslet, The Reader
  • Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR

  • Robert Downey Jr., Tropic Thunder
  • Brendan Gleeson, In Bruges
  • Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt
  • Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight
  • Brad Pitt, Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

  • Amy Adams, Doubt
  • Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
  • Freida Pinto, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Tilda Swinton, Burn After Reading
  • Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler

MUSIC

  • Alexandre Desplat, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, The Dark Knight
  • Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Mamma Mia!
  • A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire
  • Thomas Newman, Wall-E

CINEMATOGRAPHY

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Reader
  • Slumdog Millionaire

EDITING

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Frost/Nixon
  • In Bruges
  • Slumdog Millionaire

PRODUCTION DESIGN

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Revolutionary Road
  • Slumdog Millionaire

COSTUME DESIGN

  • Changeling
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Duchess
  • Revolutionary Road

SOUND

  • Changeling
  • The Dark Knight
  • Quantum of Solace
  • Slumdog Millionaire
  • Wall-E

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
  • Iron Man
  • Quantum of Solace

MAKE UP & HAIR

  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Duchess
  • Frost/Nixon
  • Milk

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

  • Hunger
  • In Bruges
  • Mamma Mia!
  • Man on Wire
  • Slumdog Millionaire

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

  • The Baader Meinhof Complex
  • Gomorrah
  • I’ve Loved You So Long
  • Persepolis
  • Waltz With Bashir

ANIMATED FILM

  • Persepolis
  • WALL-E
  • Waltz With Bashir

SHORT ANIMATION

  • Codswallop
  • Varmints
  • Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
(For special achievement by a British director, writer or producer for their first feature film.)

  • Simon Chinn, producer; Man on Wire
  • Judy Craymer, producer; Mamma Mia!
  • Garth Jennings, writer; Son of Rambow
  • Steve McQueen, director/writer; Hunger
  • Solon Papadopoulos, Roy Boulter, producers; Of Time and the City

SHORT FILM

  • Kingsland #1 The Dreamer
  • Love You More
  • Ralph
  • September
  • Voyages D’affaires (The Business Trip)

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD

  • Michael Cera
  • Noel Clarke
  • Michael Fassbender
  • Rebecca Hall
  • Toby Kebbell
Mack Chico

By

2009/01/15 at 12:00am

Steve McQueen film in the works

01.15.2009 | By |

Steve McQueen film in the works

Producers Michael Cerenzie and Christine Peters are bringing a Steve McQueen biopic to the bigscreen.

The pair have acquired the rights to Marshall Terrill’s biography “Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel.” Project will likely land at Paramount, where Cerenzie-Peters Prods. has a first-look deal.

Project will primarily chronicle McQueen’s Hollywood career, which began in 1956 when the Indiana native got his break in the pic “Somebody Up There Likes Me.”

Cerenzie and Peters are producing alongside Brian Oliver and Chuck Rock of Arthaus Prods.

Tome, which was published in paperback in October, also delves into McQueen’s offscreen penchant for motorcycles, fast cars and drugs. Project will examine his three marriages, including his stormy relationship with Ali McGraw, as well as his battle against lung cancer.

Cerenzie has secured the cooperation of McQueen’s widow, Barbara Minty.

Cerenzie and Peters are close to attaching a director to the project.

Cerenzie, who most recently produced the Philip Seymour Hoffman starrer “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” has several films set up with Peters including the crime drama “Black Mass,” which is also being produced by Arthaus.

Peters (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”) is producing “The Friday Night Knitting Club” at Universal with Julia Roberts attached to star.

Jack Rico

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

Notorious

01.14.2009 | By |

Rated: R for pervasive language, some strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, and for drug content.
Release Date: 2009-01-16
Starring: Reggie Rock Bythewood, Cheo Hodari Coker
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country: USA
Official Website: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/notorious/

Go to our film page

Notorious

 ‘Notorious’ is an entertaining musical film that presents a crooked, yet warm life to arguably one of the greatest rappers to ever rhyme into a mic. Music fans of the old school, gangsta and pop rap will be ecstatic as they’ll be provided with 58 tracks to some head boppin’ block rocking beats.

This story takes place in the decade of 80s and 90’s as Christopher Wallace (Jamal Woolard) is seduced by the easy money being made by crack dealers in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. When his mother (Angela Bassett) finds out,  she kicks him out of the house accelerating his criminal exploits. Wallace does a quick jail bid and his demo cassette finds it way into the hands of a brash record exec named Sean “Puffy” Combs (Derek Luke), and a rap phenomenon is born.

Even though it provides a cinematic diversion, Notorious is by no means Eminem’s 8 Mile. It’s the same rags to riches story, but this one lacks a director such as Curtis Hanson to give it grit with an artistic vision.

Notorious is produced by Wallaces’ mom and Sean Combs, so it isn’t fully objective. One element that wasn’t explained very well was the puzzling rivalry between Tupac and Biggie. Even after the murder scenes, we’re still left as flummoxed about what happened as we did in real life.

Nevertheless, rap fans should have fun with this movie and the great soundtrack that accompanies it.

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

Ricardo Montalban dies at 88

01.14.2009 | By |

Ricardo Montalban dies at 88

Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV’s “Fantasy Island,” died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88.

Montalban’s death was announced at a meeting of the city council by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death.

“The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District — where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts — stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer,” Garcetti said later in a written statement.

Montalban had been a star in Mexican movies when MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. He was cast in the leading role opposite Esther Williams in “Fiesta.” He also starred with the swimming beauty in “On an Island with You” and “Neptune’s Daughter.”

A later generation knew Montalban as the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who presided over an island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams. “Fantasy Island” received high ratings for most of its 1978-1984 span on ABC television and still appears in reruns.

In a 1978 interview, he analyzed the series’ success:

“What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities.”

Mack Chico

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

IFC’s ‘Che’ hits a small screen near you!

01.14.2009 | By |

IFC's 'Che' hits a small screen near you!

Our friends over at IFC have definitely lined up 4 good movies to check out in theaters and on TV simultaneously. They are: WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES, PERRO COME PERRO, LOS APARECIDOS and on January 21st CHE at home via their remote controls at the exact same time as the film is showing theatrically in New York and Los Angeles.
 
Films from IFC IN THEATERS and IFC FESTIVAL DIRECT are available nationwide for 90 days on cable systems and satellite TV providers such as Bright House, Cablevision, Cox, Charter, Time Warner, Comcast and Direct TV which together represent more than 50 million households.  The films can be found in a special IFC IN THEATERS or IFC FESTIVAL DIRECT-branded section within each cable company’s on demand platform.

Here’s the scoop on the line-up:

WHERE GOD LEFT HIS SHOES, a wonderful new holiday-themed film which stars John Leguizamo in an exceptional performance.  Directed by Salvatore Stabile, the film is both a richly moving family drama and a testament to the difficulties faced by working class Americans during these tough economic times. Cast includes: John Leguizamo, Leonor Varela, David Castro, Samantha Rose, Dave Salerno, Jerry Ferrara, Adriane Lenox and Manny Perez.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
PERRO COME PERRO (Dog Eat Dog), a tale of double-crosses and retribution and Colombia’s official entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign-Language Film. This is the first feature from Carlos Moreno, an award-winning television and video director whose work has been featured at festivals around the world. Cast includes: Eusebio Benítez, Óscar Borda, Blas Jaramillo, Marlon Moreno, Víctor Peñarandas, Paulina Rivas y Álvaro Rodríguez.

LOS APARECIDOS (The Appeared), a road movie of terror and a trip to the dark side of the human soul. Cast includes: Ruth Díaz, Javier Pereira, Leonora Balcarce, Héctor Bidonde, Paco Cabezas, Luciano Cáceres and Pablo Cedrón.

CHE, Steven Soderbergh’s two-part film epic about the life of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, the Argentinean blue blood guerrilla leader. Cast includes: Benicio Del Toro, Santiago Santoro, Demain Bichir, Catalina sandino Moreno and Santiago Cabrera. The very talented Del Toro has already been awarded the Best Actor award at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Synopsis:
CHE – PART 1
On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, an Argentine doctor who shares a common goal with Fidel Castro – to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. Che proves indispensable as a fighter, and quickly grasps the art of guerrilla warfare. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people. the argentine tracks Che’s rise in the Cuban Revolution, from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.
 
CHE – PART 2

After the Cuban Revolution, Che is at the height of his fame and power. Then he disappears, re-emerging incognito in Bolivia, where he organizes a small group of Cuban comrades and Bolivian recruits to start the great Latin American Revolution. The story of the Bolivian campaign is a tale of tenacity, sacrifice, idealism, and of guerrilla warfare that ultimately fails, bringing Che to his death. Through this story, we come to understand how Che remains a symbol of idealism and heroism that lives in the hearts of people around the world.

Jack Rico

By

2009/01/14 at 12:00am

Shalim Ortiz’s new movie is #1 on TV

01.14.2009 | By |

Shalim Ortiz's new movie is #1 on TV

“Sssshhhhhhh…” Shalim Ortiz, an international star, and one of the bright young stars of the hit TV show, ‘Heroes’ in Season 2, was recently given some good news this week: his new TV movie “Expecting a Miracle” on the Hallmark Channel on January 10th, ranked as the #1 cable program of the night, #1 cable movie of the week, and boosted the family-friendly network to rank #1 in Prime Time for the day. As we understand it, it will air 2 more times on Friday Jan. 16 and Thursday Jan. 22 on the Hallmark Channel at 9pm.

If you want to know what Shalim is up to, check out his website:

http://www.shalim.net/

We extend our congrats to Shalim and his big ratings success!

 

 

Also, check out the cool pics form the movie:

 

Jack Rico

By

2009/01/13 at 12:00am

Appaloosa

01.13.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.5

Rated: R for some violence and language.
Release Date: 2008-09-17
Starring: Robert Knott, Ed Harris
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:USA
Official Website: http://welcometoappaloosa.warnerbros.com/

 Go to our film page

 

Appaloosa, based on the book by Bostonian writer Robert B. Parker, is not your Clint Eastwood western. It is unconventional, caustic, and dare I say, peculiar. Ed Harris, who directed, co-wrote and stars in the film missed an opportunity at creating an Oscar worthy film, if only he would have altered the novel’s story a bit.

The plot is about ruthless rancher, Bragg (Jeremy Irons), and his gang who shoot up the town of Appaloosa whenever they get the urge.  When three of the hired hands kill a man and rape his wife, the local marshal goes out to Bragg’s ranch and gets gunned down in cold blood. Virgil Cole (Ed Harris) and Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) are the exact problem solvers the town needs since they are “policemen” who do the dirty work no one else will do. The city aldermen hire them to bring Bragg to heel. Cole agrees to the job, and so the war begins. Somewhere along the way Cole falls in love with a harlot piano player (Renée Zellwegger) and tensions begin to flare amongst the men.

 Overall, Appaloosa is not a bad movie, but just like the book, it was not laid out coherently. There are moments when you do not understand the character’s decision making, thus, making you question the entertainment value.

 Nevertheless, the film’s best trait is the back and forth dialogue between Mortensen and Harris, and in some instances, Irons. The acting is sincerely superb, with the exception of Ms. Zellwegger, who just like in Clooney’s ‘Leatherheads’, brings the movie to a low. In addition, she has not been looking her best these days and is evident in close ups. I wonder if Harris has something against her, because there were a bevy of those. Coincidently, one of Parker’s most used (debatably over-used) themes is that of a good man loving a bad, feeble woman, one that Harris obviously agrees with. While juggling that theme with the war against Bragg, something does get lost. A little disinterest kicks in, as well as wariness.

Thankfully, Viggo’s presence, appearance and demeanor make up for the brief incongruous periods. To be frank, if the film dealt more with Hitch than Cole we could be talking about an Oscar candidate for best picture and actor for Mortensen. If only Harris would have adapted the novel rather than be so faithful to the book.

Jack Rico

By

2009/01/13 at 12:00am

John Leguizamo to play ‘Cantinflas’ in biopic?

01.13.2009 | By |

John Leguizamo to play 'Cantinflas' in biopic?

As soon as I heard Cantinflas was announced as a major motion picture film, I immediately thought of colombian actor John Leguizamo as the perfect lead. For those who don’t know who Cantinflas is, he was the greatest film comedian Mexico ever produced. Leguizamo would be an obvious choice and here are the 3 reasons why:

1. He physically looks like him

2. He speaks Spanish (broken Spanish, but he speaks it)

and…

3. He’s a natural comedian

One problem producers will confront from the get go would be his Spanish. He has a Nuyorican accent he can’t shake – have you heard him in Love in the Time of Cholera playing a colombian? He sounds like… you guessed it, a Puerto Rican from New York. Leguizamo, who was born in Bogota, Colombia, will have to master an authentic Mexican accent without sounding like Speedy Gonzalez. If he does that, and Alejandro Gomez Monteverde can write a formidable script, we could see a watershed moment in Leguizamo’s acting career for the better. Salma Hayek did something similar with ‘Frida’ and the results were an Oscar nomination as best actress for that role. I don’t see anyone else with a recognizable name playing the Mexican icon, unless they go with an unknown, which would be a bad business move if the producers go that route. Let’s see what happens, folks!

Here is a pic of Leguizamo with a moustache. What do you think? Leave a comment below.

Below is the Variety report about the Cantinflas biopic:

Latino comic and actor Cantinflas, his real name is Fortino Mario Alfonso Moreno Reyes, who helped usher in the golden era of Mexican filmmaking in the 1940s and ’50s, will be the focus of a biopic by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde.

Alejandro Gomez Monteverde will co-write and direct “Cantinflas,” a biopic about the comedian and actor who helped usher in a golden era of Mexican filmmaking in the ’40s and ’50s.

NBC co-chairman Ben Silverman will serve as an exec producer on the feature film with Monteverde and TV producer Jay Weisleder producing. Monteverde, whose drama “Bella” won the People’s Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto Intl. Film Festival, will co-write the script with Jose Portillo.

Despite his debut to American audiences in “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956), Cantinflas is not well known in the English-speaking world.

After pitching the idea to Silverman, Weisleder told the reluctant exec to ask any Latino about Cantinflas. “The moment he did that he called me from a restaurant and said ‘I got 10 people following me. Everybody knows who he is. We gotta do this,’ ” Weisleder said.

As the founder and former owner of Reveille, Silverman remains attached as an exec producer on several Reveille features projects, which include the Kurt Cobain biopic at Universal and “Staked Plains” at Focus.

Weisleder worked with Silverman at Reveille and has several television projects in development, including the comedy “My Problems With Women,” exec produced by Justin Timberlake. Monteverde and Weisleder secured the rights with the late actor’s son, Mario Moreno Ivanova, who will serve as an associate producer on the project.

Alex Florez

By

2009/01/12 at 12:00am

Swing Vote

01.12.2009 | By |

Rating: 2.0

Rated: PG-13 for language.
Release Date: 2008-08-01
Starring: Joshua Michael Stern, Jason Richman
Director(s):
Distributor:
Film Genre:
Country:NULL
Official Website: http://swingvote.movies.go.com/

 Go to our film page

SWING VOTE: ELECT TO SEE SOMETHING ELSE

Few would argue that Hollywood, as a whole, is a pretty ‘liberal’ industry whose star studded cast often shows its support by way of propaganda and sizable donations to left-winged presidential nominees every four years.  Nowadays, whenever filmmakers have the opportunity to chastise our republican administration in the not-so-subtle of ways, they’ve taken it and in some cases exploited it – and I’m not just talking about Michael Moore and his rattling documentaries.  Take films such as ‘The Day After Tomorrow’ and ‘Transformers’, to name a more recent one, where the political jabs are more humorous than they are sharp. 

Nevertheless, there are those, more conservative members of Hollywood, that from time to time strike back. Which is why it’s so surprising to see actor Kevin Costner, a registered republican, so decidedly neutral in this latest comedy about a middle-class american who will decide the next president of our country.  Instead, the Costner produced movie, tries to focus itself on a father-daughter relationship while only underlining the importance of our civic duty.  But that’s as much credit as I can give Swing Vote.

In it, Costner plays Bud Johnson, an apathetic, disorderly, but lovable father who is coasting through a life that has almost passed him by. The only bright spot is his overly precocious and overachieving 12-year-old daughter Molly (Madeleine Carroll) who in this case, is the one that takes care of him.  That is, until one mischievous moment on Election Day, when she attempts to vote on Bud’s behalf when he is too drunk to show up to the booth.  Later that night, when the tallies are all in, the nomination happens to come down to one final vote – Bud’s vote – which needs to be recast because of a technical error in the voting machine.  The media soon takes hold of the news and within minutes, the courtship from both campaigns are full throttle. 

But It’s that same courtship to win over Bud’s vote, that makes this film hard to watch.  The politicians in the movie, played by Kelsey Grammer and Dennis Hopper are merely stereotypical representations of the republican and democratic party respectively, and consequently, the ways in which they attempt to win over Bud’s affection are beyond predictable. 

Then there’s the media – represented by George Lopez as the local, cutthroat news director and his journalist on the rise Kate Madison (played by Paula Patton), but both come off as one-dimensional. 

Costner seems more than complaisant with the notion of letting little Madeleine Carroll carry the movie, but she is too precocious for her own good.  If she were more like a ‘kid’ then perhaps it would be easier for us to empathize with her and the situation she’s in.

Notwithstanding, the film does deliver a couple of Disneyesque moments where Costner’s character finally shows some arc.  Unfortunately, they come way too late in the story, at a time when all you want to know is who ends up being president so you can leave the theater.  However, even those curious of the outcome will be seriously disappointed.

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