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filmpeek - December 2007

WRITERS' STRIKE MAY CAUSE OSCARS TO BE CANCELLED

December 31st 2007 05:56
WRITERS' STRIKE MAY CAUSE OSCARS TO BE CANCELLED

It seems there is a genuine fear growing that the two-month-old Hollywood writers strike may cause the Oscars to be cancelled. This would be the first time this has happened in 80 years, after surviving industrial disputes - and even the attempted assassination of Reagan in 1981, when the ceremony was delayed by a day.


As we all know, writers represented by the Writers Guild of America, are demanding to be paid for television shows or films broadcast over the internet. The studios argue that online technology is untested, and that to agree to fees now could prevent them from experimenting with new methods of distribution. This has caused many favourite programs to be halted from production and has frustrated many fans.

If the Oscars were annulled, it wouldn’t only affect millions of viewers from around the world who wait for the February 24 event to be aired, but also film stars, studio executives, socialites who are aghast at the thought of possibly being denied the lavish celebrations of the big night.

The best indication of the possibility of continuation will happen this week, when the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will decide whether to stage its January 13 Golden Globes ceremony, which has been held every year since 1944. We will know more after this decision.

As I keep saying, it seems like all we can do it wait and see what happens next...


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Posted By: Tracy - Category: News
   


PRIDE AND GLORY - POSTER

December 20th 2007 10:04
NEW PRIDE AND GLORY - POSTER

A new poster for the upcoming Edward Norton cop drama, Pride and Glory has recently been circulating. It features blue and black side-profile shots of Norton with Colin Farrell behind him.

Pride and Glory, written by Gavin O'Connor (Tumbleweeds) and Joe Carnahan (Narc), tells the tale of a family whose lives revolve around the NYPD.

The tagline states: "The last thing you want to uncover... is the truth."

Norton will play a homicide detective assigned to investigate the precinct run by his older brother (Noah Emmerich). Farrell will star as the investigator's best friend, an officer whose integrity is ambiguous.

O'Conner is co-directing the film and told Variety magazine that the project is one he believes in. He stated: 'My father was a New York City detective, and I grew up in that world. It's a celebration of honest cops, which was everything my father was about. Though it is fictional, it is homage to my father.'

Pride and Glory is due to begin shooting in New York in January 2008.
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JESSICA SIMPSON TO STAR IN PRETTY WOMAN REMAKE

December 20th 2007 09:36
JESSICA SIMPSON WANTS TO STAR IN REMAKE OF PRETTY WOMAN

The latest word on the street according to OK! Magazine is that Jessica Simpson wants to remake the film, Pretty Woman.

According to an undisclosed source, close to Simpson, Jessica believes that: "She thinks this one's got 'hit' written all over it," and apparently her father and manager, Joe is announcing that he believes she is the next Julia Roberts.

Musically, Simpson has earned seven Billboard Top 40 hits, and has three gold and two multi-platinum RIAA-certified albums. Impressive, I guess.

Her first acting appearance was as Daisy Duke in the movie remake of The Dukes of Hazzard in 2005. In its opening weekend, it rose to number one number 1, with the only other new opening that weekend being a low-budget independent film. Ultimately, it collected $110.5 million world-wide, despite being far less financially successful outside the U.S.

Her second film, Employee of the Month, was released in 2006 and despite sub-standard reviews, merited almost $12 million in its opening weekend, debuting at number four following Open Season.

Simpson's third film, Blonde Ambition, is due to be released in 2008. Filming for The Witness, described as a spy comedy, was scheduled for the same time but has been postponed.

So, let’s see how she goes with her next venture. Jessica is certainly aiming high, seeing as Pretty Woman earned over $460 million in worldwide ticket sales, on a $14 million budget. It could be an interesting remake experiment...
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Posted By: Tracy - Category: News
   


DEPP WINS AUTOGRAPH MAGAZINE'S BEST HOLLYWOOD SIGNERS LIST

December 18th 2007 06:48
JOHNNY DEPP WINS AUTOGRAPH MAGAZINE'S BEST HOLLYWOOD SIGNERS LIST


What an award Johnny Depp has just earned. He has been named Autograph magazine's best celebrity autograph-giver for the third consecutive year.

Well, quite honestly he could autograph me anytime he likes and anywhere he likes and I don’t care about his writing.

Anthony Risi, New York autograph dealer stated: ‘Though Johnny is soft-spoken and laid-back, he likes to talk to fans and get to know them while signing.’

I wish he would talk to me. Sigh…

Here’s the list of other actiors that he beat according to Autograph magazine's Best Hollywood Signers list:

1. Johnny Depp
2. Matt Damon
3. George Clooney
4. Jack Nicholson
5. Rosario Dawson
6. John Travolta
7. Katherine Heigl
8. Jay Leno
9. Dakota Fanning
10. Russell Crowe

And here is the Worst Hollywood Signers list:

1. Will Ferrell
2. Tobey Maguire
3. Joaquin Phoenix
4. William Shatner
5. Renée Zellweger
6. John Malkovich
7. Julie Andrews
8. Bruce Willis
9. Teri Hatcher
10. Scarlett Johansson
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Posted By: Tracy - Category: News
   


THE DARK KNIGHT - TRAILER!

December 17th 2007 13:19
The Dark Knight joker
Finally here it is! The first official trailer of The Dark Knight. Batman looks as good as in the prequel, Batman Begins, and the Joker is... wow! What a character they've built! Can't wait to see more of Heath Ledger's interpretation of him.

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INDIANA JONES 4 - POSTER

December 15th 2007 23:19
Here we have it, the latest, newly-released Indiana Jones 4 and The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull picture with Harrison Ford looking pretty hot and sexy, especially for a man of forty-seven years old.

Indy has his shirt sleeves rolled up, in a classic pose of defiance looking ready for anything that may happen. He’s armed with a rope, while surrounded by various skull markings. And of course, anything may happen in his next adventure.

There’s not too long to wait before we learn more...

NEW INDIANA JONES 4 AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL - POSTER
Image courtesy of Empire Magazine


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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Posters
   


GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS 2008

December 14th 2007 12:45
golden globe 2008
The Golden Globe Awards are the biggest awards for all moving media-form, and gives a good idea of what we might see in the Academy Awards later on. Again, this year, it's nice to see that "smaller" films got the nominations, the ones with lower budgets and not as commercial.

Below you can see this year's nominations, except of few categories, and in blue are the choices I think are most suited to take the Globe. As always though, by choosing a favorite, it seems like I condemn it to not win instead.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. AMERICAN GANGSTER
2. ATONEMENT
3. EASTERN PROMISES
4. THE GREAT DEBATERS
5. MICHAEL CLAYTON
6. NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
7. THERE WILL BE BLOOD

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. CATE BLANCHETT – ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE
2. JULIE CHRISTIE – AWAY FROM HER
3. JODIE FOSTER – THE BRAVE ONE
4. ANGELINA JOLIE – A MIGHTY HEART
5. KEIRA KNIGHTLEY – ATONEMENT

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA

1. GEORGE CLOONEY – MICHAEL CLAYTON
2. DANIEL DAY-LEWIS – THERE WILL BE BLOOD
3. JAMES MCAVOY – ATONEMENT
4. VIGGO MORTENSEN – EASTERN PROMISES
5. DENZEL WASHINGTON – AMERICAN GANGSTER

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
2. CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
3. HAIRSPRAY
4. JUNO
5. SWEENEY TODD

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. AMY ADAMS – ENCHANTED
2. NIKKI BLONSKY – HAIRSPRAY
3. HELENA BONHAM CARTER – SWEENEY TODD
4. MARION COTILLARD – LA VIE EN ROSE
5. ELLEN PAGE – JUNO

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. JOHNNY DEPP – SWEENEY TODD
2. RYAN GOSLING – LARS AND THE REAL GIRL
3. TOM HANKS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
4. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – THE SAVAGES
5. JOHN C. REILLY – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

1. BEE MOVIE
2. RATATOUILLE
3. THE SIMPSONS MOVIE

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

1. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS AND 2 DAYS (ROMANIA)
2. THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (FRANCE AND USA)
3. THE KITE RUNNER (USA)
4. LUST, CAUTION (TAIWAN)
5. PERSEPOLIS (FRANCE)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. CATE BLANCHETT – I’M NOT THERE
2. JULIA ROBERTS – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
3. SAOIRSE RONAN –ATONEMENT
4. AMY RYAN – GONE BABY GONE
5. TILDA SWINTON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

10. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE

1. CASEY AFFLECK – THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD
2. JAVIER BARDEM –NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
3. PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR
4. JOHN TRAVOLTA – HAIRSPRAY
5. TOM WILKINSON – MICHAEL CLAYTON

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE

1. TIM BURTON – SWEENEY TODD
2. ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
3. JULIAN SCHNABEL – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
4. RIDLEY SCOTT – AMERICAN GANGSTER
5. JOE WRIGHT – ATONEMENT

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE

1. DIABLO CODY – JUNO
2. ETHAN COEN & JOEL COEN – NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
3. CHRISTOPHER HAMPTON – ATONEMENT
4. RONALD HARWOOD – THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY
5. AARON SORKIN – CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE

1. MICHAEL BROOK, KAKI KING, EDDIE VEDDER – INTO THE WILD
2. CLINT EASTWOOD – GRACE IS GONE
3. ALBERTO IGLESIAS – THE KITE RUNNER
4. DARIO MARIANELLI – ATONEMENT
5. HOWARD SHORE – EASTERN PROMISES

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE

1. "DESPEDIDA" – LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA
Music by: Shakira, Antonio Pinto
Lyrics by: Shakira
2. "GRACE IS GONE" – GRACE IS GONE
Music by: Clint Eastwood
Lyrics by: Carole Bayer Sager
3. "GUARANTEED" – INTO THE WILD
Music & Lyrics by: Eddie Vedder
4. "THAT’S HOW YOU KNOW" – ENCHANTED
Music By: Alan Menken
Lyrics By: Stephen Schwartz
5. "WALK HARD" – WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY
Music & Lyrics by: Marshall Crenshaw, John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, Kasdan

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA

1. BIG LOVE (HBO)
2. DAMAGES (FX NETWORKS)
3. GREY’S ANATOMY (ABC)
4. HOUSE (FOX)
5. MAD MEN (AMC)
6. THE TUDORS (SHOWTIME)

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL

1. 30 ROCK (NBC)
2. CALIFORNICATION (SHOWTIME)
3. ENTOURAGE (HBO)
4. EXTRAS (HBO)
5. PUSHING DAISIES (ABC)

As far as the production companies goes, FOCUS FEATURES and PARAMOUNT VANTAGE got the most nominations for feature films with 11 each and HBO for TV with 18.

A good year with good movies and fair Golden Globe 2008 nominations. Here's the official site where you can see the complete list.

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THE DARK KNIGHT - POSTER

December 14th 2007 10:57
Amazing buzz went around when the Joker first was revealed, and just when things are about to calm down, we get the poster of The Dark Knight. Well done, marketing people.

I like it a lot. It is a bit similar to the previous one, with the same Batman pose and all, but overall I get pretty excited to learn what he's doing in that building etc...

The Dark Knight poster
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Posted By: peeker - Category: Posters, Pictures
   


MAMMA MIA! - TRAILER

December 14th 2007 10:49
Mamma Mia!
Finally a first look into the world of Mamma Mia!, the ABBA based musical. I've been expecting this because A) it's a musical and B) pretty much all great and talented performers star in it.

Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and on... Of course then there's the main actress, Amanda Seyfried. This is one of her bigger parts, and she's crucial for the movie's success, so much pressure is currently on her shoulders. But I've seen her in some previous work, and believe there won't be a problem.

In this trailer of Mamma Mia! we see that the mood is fairytaleish, which will probably turn some people off, but exactly the opposite happens with me.



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Posted By: peeker - Category: Trailers
   


KIDMAN AND CROWE HOLLYWOOD’S MOST OVERPAID ACTORS

December 14th 2007 06:57
KIDMAN AND CROWE HOLLYWOOD’S MOST OVERPAID ACTORS
Image courtesy of smh.com.au

Aha, Forbes magazine has just named Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as Hollywood’s most overpaid celebrities. The list is compiled by comparing stars' salaries to the gross income made by their films.

Comedians Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell followed in third and fourth positions.

Apparently, Carrey is taking a huge risk on his next film Yes Man, as he’s not being paid anything upfront and will only get paid if the film makes money.

In monetary terms, American Gangster has already made $US173m worldwide; almost double the $US100m it cost to create. Kidman earned second place after earning a reported $US15m for her most recent film The Golden Compass, despite only making $US26m in its US debut weekend, compared to the $US200m it reportedly cost to make.

These amounts mean that Kidman's films earn an average return of $US8, while Angelina Jolie - who is apparently paid less than Kidman, averagely grosses $US15 per film.

Jennifer Lopez was the fifth contender. According to reports, her 2003 Gigli film did not earn as much as it cost to make.

Adam Sandler, Cameron Diaz, Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Tom Cruise also featured in the list.

I think I’ll share the Top 10 with you:

1. Russell Crowe
2. Nicole Kidman
3. Jim Carrey
4. Will Ferrell
5. Jennifer Lopez
6. Adam Sandler
7. Cameron Diaz
8. Denzel Washington
9. Will Smith
10. Tom Cruise
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Posted By: Tracy - Category: News
   


NO END YET FOR WRITERS' STRIKE

December 13th 2007 20:34
NO END YET FOR WRITERS' STRIKE
Los Angeles Writer Jim Krieg outside the gates of Paramount Pictures studios in Los Angeles, Monday, Dec. 10, 2007.

It’s official, the end of Hollywood’s writers’ strike is not in sight. Apparently it is expected to continue well into 2008 despite the contract talks between the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers earlier in the week.

As I mentioned before, the despite involves payments or non-payments for content delivered over the internet and wireless devices such as mobile phones.

Thousands of behind-the-scenes workers such as drivers and stagehands have lost their jobs and it’s looking as though this could continue.

So, I’m afraid it’s not good news at all. We just have to carry on waiting and see what happens.
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NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN - BEST FILM AWARD

December 12th 2007 00:57
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN WINS BEST FILM AWARD

No Country for Old Men, a story based on Cormac McCarthy's 2003 novel of the same name won the best film award at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards. This is the movie's second honor in the lead-up to the Oscars, after previously being named best picture by the National Board of Review, the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Washington, D.C., Area Film Critics Association.

Stephen Whitty, a film critic for The Star-Ledger of Newark and New York Film Critics Circle president, stated he thinks the film is the Coen Brorgers’ finest film since 1996's Fargo:

"It's been a couple years of fairly light movies from them and I thought this was really dark and mature and controlled and really had something to say about changing times," said Whitty. "A lot of us are Coen brothers' fans but I think this film really struck a deeper chord with most people."

Additionally, critics named the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan the title of best directors. Both appellations are impressive achievements for the directors.

This is a film I’m looking forward to seeing, especially after reading this information. This is definitely high praise and recognition that has piqued my enthusiasm.
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CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN - TRAILER

December 10th 2007 23:29
CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN TRAILER

The trailer for the film adaptation of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian has been released.

The journey is set a year after The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe episode. Narnia’s kings and queens discover that they back in that same fantasy world, except this time over 1300 Narnian years have elapsed.

During their absence, the Golden Age of Narnia is extinct and Narnia has been conquered by the Telmarines and the merciless King Miraz is now the ruler.

The same cast and production team from the previous episode are also working on this instalment.

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Posted By: Tracy - Category: Trailers
   


HOLLYWOOD WRITER'S STRIKE UPDATE

December 10th 2007 08:28
Desperate Housewives

According to smh.com.au, hundreds of film and television production workers, including florists, caterers and dry cleaners, walked through Hollywood on Sunday to urge both sides in the screenwriters strike to settle the 5-week-old stoppage.

Approximately 10,500 members of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) are currently striking. Shows which have been affected including Desperate Housewives, Ugly Betty and The Office.

The march entitled, "Strike a Deal" amalgamated about 500 people who are not actually on strike themselves but who have been laid off or are losing business because of the strike.

Christopher Griffin, a line producer for Nip/Tuck organised the march and stated, "We're not here today to take the side of either party, but rather to make ourselves seen and make ourselves heard and call for both sides to return to the table immediately."

The rally was intended to "put a face on the thousands of us adversely affected by the current strike" and "to show a united front in calling for responsible and serious negotiations," the organisers stated on their blog site.

Studio bosses and the WGA broke off contract talks again on Friday after four days of negotiations ended in acrimony, dashing hopes of a quick settlement of the worst Hollywood labor crisis in two decades.

The writers began their strike on November 5 as a result of a dispute about how much they should be paid for work used on the internet. As we all know and feel, it has stopped production on dozens of television shows as well as several movies and slowed down the process of thousands of non-writing film and TV workers.

Elizabeth Tompkins, a production controller for the 2008 movie Get Smart, stated, "They are negotiating the what-ifs while we're not even getting work, and while they're on strike the reruns are on and they're getting residuals."

While I can understand the importance of the movement, I do hope something is agreed upon soon.
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Posted By: Tracy - Category: News
   


NEW NOWHERELAND PICS

December 7th 2007 11:37
NOWHERELAND
Eddie Murphy stars as a flourishing financial executive who has more time for his blackberry and work than his seven-year-old daughter (Yara Shahidi).

Murphy can't stop his career down-spiralling and is invited into his daughter's imaginary world, where solutions to his problems await...

The release date for Nowhereland is 25th September 2008, so it’s a while away at the moment.
Nowhereland
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PUNISHER: WAR ZONE UPDATE

December 7th 2007 11:24
PUNISHER: WAR ZONE

The new Punisher: War Zone picture has just been released by Lionsgate. The picture shows Stevenson in a house, completely armed and prepared for action while wearing the well-known black shirt with the Punisher logo on it.

The film is based upon the Marvel Comics character and is directed by Lexi Alexander.

Punisher:War Zone is the sequel to the first The Punisher film where Frank Castle decides to create a one-man war on crime after his wife and daughter die in a shoot-out.

Dominic West (300) joined the cast as Punisher's archenemy known as Jigsaw. Jigsaw is a mob assassin whose earns his name after his face was ripped to shreds and sown back together like a jigsaw puzzle.
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