“The Way, Way Back” and Other Sundance Hits Populate LA Film Festival Lineup

May 1, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 1 Comment

The Los Angeles Film Festival announced its lineup for the 2013 festival and it is filled to the brim with all those Sundance movies that made a splash in Utah back in January. Coming of age comedy “The Way, Way Back” starring newcomer Liam James opposite Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell will close the festival, while Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award winner “Fruitvale Station” with Michael B. Jordan and Octavia Spencer will be presented as a Gala. Nicolas Winding Refn’s highly anticipated “Drive” follow-up “Only God Forgives” starring Ryan Gosling will also be making its North American premiere as a Gala following its World Premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.

Over in the Summer Showcase, which purports to offer “an advanced look at this summer’s most talked about independent film releases”, films living up to that promise include more Sundance favorites – James Ponsoldt’s “The Spectacular Now” which won stars Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley a Special Jury Prize for Acting, and David Lowery’s “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints” with Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, another Sundance winner for Best Cinematography for Bradford Young – as well as SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize winner “Short Term ’12″ starring Brie Larson.

The full lineup and press release can be found below.

Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring” to Open Un Certain Regard at 2013 Cannes Film Festival

April 17, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 1 Comment

blingringcannes

Ahead of the announcement of the full competition slate tomorrow morning, the Cannes Film Festival announced today that Sofia Coppola’s highly anticipated “The Bling Ring” will open the festival’s Un Certain Regard slate.

Typically reserved for younger artists and thus a surprising slot for Coppola to land, Un Certain Regard runs parallel to the festival’s main competition lineup and Coppola’s film will not be eligible for the Palme D’Or, but will compete for Un Certain Regard’s own prize, judged by a different jury. This year Danish filmmaker Thomas Vinterberg will preside over the jury, while Steven Spielberg takes Presidential duties over the main jury. “The Bling Ring” will premiere and open Un Certain Regard on May 16th and we hope to bring you exclusive coverage straight from the Croisette.

The true life tale of affluent teens gone wild burglarizing celebrities stars Emma Watson and Taissa Farmiga along with a cast of unknowns led by newcomers Katie Chang and Isreal Broussard. The first teaser and first clip were recently released, no doubt in anticipation of today’s news, and it has a June 14th release date in the US.

Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” will kick off the Cannes Film Festival on May 15th.

Oscars 2014: Academy Awards Ceremony Set for March 2nd

March 25, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards, General News Leave a comment

academy As we are a quarter of the way into the new movie-going year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the dates for next year’s award season which will award the best of 2013. They have also announced the date for the 2015 ceremony.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the ABC Television Network today announced the dates for the 86th and 87th Oscar® presentations. The 86th and 87th Academy Awards® will air live on ABC on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, and February 22, 2015, respectively.

Key dates for the Awards season are:

Saturday, November 16, 2013: The Governors Awards

Monday, December 2, 2013: Official Screen Credits due

Friday, December 27, 2013: Nominations voting begins

Wednesday, January 8, 2014: Nominations voting ends 5 p.m. PT

Thursday, January 16, 2014: Oscar nominations announced

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Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” to Open 66th Annual Cannes Film Festival

March 12, 2013 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News Leave a comment

gatsby

Ever since it was delayed from a Christmas 2012 release to May 2013, speculation has pegged Baz Luhrmann’s splashy 3D adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” to be eyeing the Cannes Film Festival Opening Night slot, and today the festival has made it official.

Luhrmann and his all-star cast – Leonardo Dicaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke – will walk up the famed red carpeted stairs to the Grand Theatre Lumiere and kick off the 2013 festival on May 15th. The film, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic American novel set in the roaring 20s, will screen in the Out of Competition category. “It is a great honor for all those who have worked on The Great Gatsby to open the Cannes Film Festival,” said Luhrmann. “We are thrilled to return to a country, place and festival that has always been so close to our hearts, not only because my first film Strictly Ballroom was screened there 21 years ago, but also because F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote some of the most poignant and beautiful passages of his extraordinary novel just a short distance away at a villa outside Saint-Raphaël.”

Luhrmann’s 2001 musical extravaganza “Moulin Rouge” also opened Cannes. This year’s festival runs from May 15th-May 26th and once again, we hope to bring you exclusive coverage straight from the Croisette. The full lineup of films will be announced on April 18th. Meanwhile, “The Great Gatsby” will actually be released in the US theaters five days prior to its big Cannes premiere, on May 10th.

“Greetings From Tim Buckley”, “On the Road” and more added to TIFF line-up

August 14, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 1 Comment

If you thought the Toronto International Film Festival had already pulled out all the stops for its 2012 line-up, you’re in for a surprise. Even more titles were announced today, and our list of must-see films just keeps growing.

Closing out the festival will be British film “A Song for Marion”, in which Gemma Arterteron co-stars with Vanessa Redgrave. Also making its world premiere in Toronto is the first of three biopics on late singer Jeff Buckley; “Greetings From Tim Buckley” stars Penn Badgley as the crooner and Imogen Poots as his love interest. Indie ensemble drama “Disconnect” brings together the likes of Paula Patton, Andrea Riseborough, Alexander Skarsgård, and Max Theriot, while Skarsgard will also be appearing in “What Maisie Knew”, a modern retelling of the Henry James classic.

Some Cannes and Venice premieres will have a second go-round at TIFF as well, including Brian De Palma’s “Passion” starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, and Walter Salles’ “On the Road” with Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund and Kristen Stewart. Harmony Korine is bringing his ragtag team of former Disney stars and James Franco in “Spring Breakers”, while Lee Daniels’ controversial Cannes premiere “The Paperboy”, starring Zac Efron, will screen in the Great White North as well.

The full list of new additions, including Galas and Special Presentations, are below.

Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” to open New York Film Festival

August 13, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News Leave a comment

Ang Lee takes a big step into the Oscar race as it was announced today his visionary adaptation of bestselling novel “Life of Pi” will have its world premiere as the Opening Night film of the New York Film Festival on September 28th.

Based on the Yann Martel book, newcomer Suraj Sharma plays the titular Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel, who, on a journey to Canada with his family and their small zoo of exotic animals, finds himself stranded on a small lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, a hyena, an injured zebra and an orangutan. The animals inevitably begin killing and eating each other, leaving Pi with the tiger, who’s named Richard Parker. The film has been flying somewhat under the radar compared to splashier Oscar hopefuls, but has been quietly creating a buzz, especially after the first 3D footage from the film dazzled critics in attendance at CinemaCon in April.

“’Life of Pi’ is a perfect combination of technological innovation and a strong artistic vision,” said Film Society of Lincoln Center Selection Committee Chair & Program Director Richard Peña. “Ang Lee has managed to make a deeply moving, engrossing work that will delight audiences as much as it will astonish them. We’re enormously proud to have this film for our Opening Night for the 50th NYFF.”

Lee is an old friend of the New York Film Festival, having previously premiered “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” as the closing night film in 2000, and “The Ice Storm” opened the festival in 1997.

Woody Allen’s “To Rome With Love” starring Jesse Eisenberg and Ellen Page to Open LA Film Festival

April 12, 2012 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News Leave a comment

Ahead of its June 22nd US release, Woody Allen’s latest international ensemble rom-com “To Rome With Love” will open the Los Angeles Film Festival, it was announced via press release this morning. The festival will serve as the North American premiere for the film, while the world premiere will take place tomorrow in – where else? – Rome, Italy.

The film “is a story about a number of people in Italy — some American, some Italian, some residents, some visitors — and the romances and adventures and predicaments they get into.” Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Greta Gerwig and Alison Pill are joined onscreen by Allen himself, along with Alec Baldwin, Roberto Benigni, Penélope Cruz and Judy Davis.

“I can’t think of a better way to kick off this year’s festival than with the original independent filmmaker himself, Woody Allen. It’s a true honor for Los Angeles to host the North American premiere of To Rome With Love,” said Festival Director Stephanie Allain.

The full press release is below.

Seth Rogen to host the Film Independent Spirit Awards

December 13, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Awards 1 Comment

Announced via press release today, “50/50″ star Seth Rogen will provide hosting duties at 2012′s Film Independent Spirit Awards. The film itself is nominated for three awards, Best Feature, Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Anjelica Huston.

The 27th annual awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 25, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on IFC.

SETH ROGEN TO SERVE AS HOST FOR
2012 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

LOS ANGELES (December 13, 2011) – Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization that produces the Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival, announced that Seth Rogen will serve as host for the 2012 Film Independent Spirit Awards. The 27th annual awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica on Saturday, February 25, and the premiere broadcast will air later that evening at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT on IFC.

Diana Zahn-Storey, a longtime executive producer of the Film Independent Spirit Awards will be returning this year. After executive producing the show for fifteen years and the Los Angeles Film Festival for eight, Diana left Film Independent in 2009 to co-found Nuts-n-Bolts Productions. Over the past two years, Nuts-n-Bolts has produced several events including the Children Mending Hearts Peace Please Gala, Los Angeles Point Honors Gala and the treats! Magazine Launch party. In past years, Diana has worked on the PacSun Summer Solstice Beach Ballyhoo, the 2010 Glee premiere and the 2010 Entertainment Weekly Emmy Party, in conjunction with Larry Abel Designs. Diana has more than twenty-five years experience in film, television and event production.

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Hugh Jackman gives updates on “Les Miserables”; Emma Watson won’t be Cosette

September 23, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in Casting, General News 1 Comment

Those hoping to hear Hermione sing will have to wait a little longer. London’s The Daily Mail confirms that recent reports of Emma Watson being cast as Cosette in Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of “Les Miserables” are, in fact, incorrect. She will not be in the film. The only confirmed cast members thus far are Hugh Jackman as noble ex-con Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe as his arch nemesis, Inspector Javert. Hooper has also offered roles to Anne Hathaway (as Cosette’s mother Fantine) and Helena Bonham Carter (as greedy but hilarious innkeeper’s wife Mrs Thenardier), but they are not officially on board yet.

The Daily Mail’s Baz Bamigboye goes on to report that Hooper will be looking for 17 and 18 year old actors – not people in their 20s – to play the student revolutionaries, which includes Marius, Cosette’s love interest; Eponine, a streetwise friend of Marius’ who’s in unrequited love with him and sings “On My Own”, the most famous song of the show; and Enjolras, the leader of the revolutionary army. Unfortunately for us, this apparently means our dream cast has little chance of actually coming together.

Filming is set to begin in March with rehearsals starting in January and February for the main cast. Jackman spoke to Bamigboye about the music aspect of mounting a big screen musical: “There’s the option of recording live or lip-synching and I’ve been down the lip-synching route with the video of ‘Oklahoma!’” Jackman says.

“I think singing live might work better with this, but Tom won’t make a decision just yet.”

“The Amazing Spider-Man” and “The Hunger Games” sequels get release dates

August 8, 2011 | Posted by Linda Ge in General News 2 Comments

No, you haven’t missed “The Amazing Spider-Man” or “The Hunger Games” in theaters already. Despite the fact that both movies do not open until 2012, their parent studios – Sony and Lionsgate, respectively – are apparently so confident in their new franchises that both movies are already getting sequels.

“The Hunger Games”, opening on March 23, 2012, tells the story of 16 year old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in post-apocalyptic America and who volunteers herself for the Hunger Games, a nationally televised battle to the death featuring 24 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18. Will Katniss emerge victorious? Well… she is the main character in a trilogy of books, after all. The first sequel, “Catching Fire”, has been set for release on November 23, 2013. Lawrence and most of her co-stars are set to return, but Gary Ross, currently directing them in “Games” in North Carolina, has not been finalized.

Andrew Garfield will swing into action in origin tale “The Amazing Spider-Man” on July 3, 2012 and then continue the saga of Peter Parker in the sequel, now set for release on May 4, 2014. Director Marc Webb has not been confirmed to return, and while co-star Emma Stone, who plays Peter’s first love Gwen Stacey, is surely contractually obligated to return for sequels, her appearances may hinge on how closely the films follows comics lore. Dare we say it? Let the hunt for Mary Jane Watson begin!

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