The year in Israeli movies had its ups and downs, but the ups took us very high, while the downs will never bring us back to the pre-2001 era, in which the country produced only one or two quality films a decade (if that many). It will be remembered as the year that Israel garnered its first Foreign-Language Film Oscar nomination in 24 years, for Joseph Cedar's Beaufort, as well as the year that this very serious film was the focus of a silly controversy.

WINNING WAR. 'Waltz with Bashir' brought in Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay, among its other honors.
Photo: Courtesy

The year was also notable for the release of an extremely original documentary, Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir, which generated an enormous amount of buzz at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened in the main competition. But other than Waltz with Bashir, there were few new high-quality films. The local film industry seems to be settling into a cycle of spectacular years - last year was one, in which Beaufort and Eran Kolirin's The Band's Visit garnered attention and prizes around the world, along with several other locally made gems - and simply good ones, like this year.

That's partly a function of the fact that the most celebrated local directors, such as Cedar and Kolirin, simply can't make a movie a year, as some filmmakers (although few serious ones) manage to do abroad. After their movie is released, directors here generally spend a year taking it to festivals, gathering prizes and acclaim along the way, and only then return to start their next project, which usually takes at least a couple of years to complete.

Around this time last year, the big Oscar fight kicked off, when the Ophir Award, the prize of the Israeli Academy for Film and Television, went to The Band's Visit, an audience-pleasing but still thought-provoking film about the culture clash between an Egyptian orchestra lost in the Negev and the local residents. Beaufort, a hard-hitting adaptation of Ron Leshem's novel about the last IDF soldiers stationed in Lebanon, won four Ophir awards, but only the winner of the Best Picture Ophir becomes Israel's official selection to be considered for one of the five nominee slots for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The rules in this Oscar category are rigid on one particular point: The bulk of the dialogue in the nominated films must be in a language other than English (a rule that drew criticism this year, but which is intended to give a boost to filmmakers who work outside the English-speaking film industries). The Band's Visit, in which much of the dialogue between the characters is in their one shared language, English, was disqualified, and Beaufort, the runner-up, became the country's representative and received an Oscar nomination. The sniping in the press between admirers of the two films reached a fevered pitch, although, to their credit, both directors remained above the fray.

This flap highlighted several issues, one positive, the other negative. On the plus side, it drew attention to the embarrassment of artistic riches in the local film industry: Who would have dreamed 10 years ago that two very different movies in a single year would realistically have a shot at winning an Oscar?

But the downside is the focus on a single prize. True, there would have been a national celebration if Beaufort had won an Oscar, but to focus so much on that award is simply an insult to Cedar and Kolirin. After all, both works are wonderful movies that we can all enjoy here and take pride in when they captivate audiences abroad. Both films played all over the world this past year, including the hard-to-crack US market, and, in the period since their release, won awards at dozens of major festivals, including the European Film Awards (where The Band's Visit won two prizes in December, including a Best Actor for Sasson Gabai).

THIS YEAR, one movie dominated the scene in terms of sheer quality, ambition and originality, and that was Ari Folman's Waltz with Bashir. Like the Iranian-born writer/director Marjane Satrapi, who turned her autobiographical memoir, Persepolis, into an acclaimed animated film, Folman used an animated format for his documentary.

Waltz with Bashir tells the story of Folman's and his friends' memories of their time in the First Lebanon War in 1982 and the events leading up to the massacre in the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camps of Palestinians by Phalangist militia. These memories had been haunting Folman since he served there in his early 20s, and the need to examine the experience gradually became more intense.

Folman is perhaps best known for writing the acclaimed television series In Therapy, and directing the haunting, offbeat 1996 film Saint Clara. Although he doesn't draw and had to work with an animator, he told The International Herald Tribune that "animation was the only way to tell this story; I was sure of that."

A typical talking-heads documentary would not capture the intensity of his and his friends' memories, and he had no intention of making a conventional anti-war or political film. "It doesn't deal with the other side, or what we do or don't do to them. The basic statement is: War is useless. But there's nothing you haven't seen before or that we didn't know."

The film starts off with a scary sequence that could give children (and perhaps some adults) nightmares, as a pack of wild dogs roams the Tel Aviv streets, which leads into the memories of his friend, Boaz, who was responsible for killing dogs in Lebanese villages, so they wouldn't bark and alert residents to the Israelis' presence. Twenty years later, he and his friends still cope with the absurdity of the situation into which they were thrown, and grapple with their feelings over the murders committed so close to them in the refugee camps.

In an age of 24-hour news channels and instant sound bites, there is something almost revolutionary about examining an event that took place 25 years ago, and Folman manages it with an intensity that is hard to describe.

Editor - Reader Lanny R. Middings (Letters, Aug. 3) is correct that picking the 10 best movies is subjective. He disagrees that "Vertigo" should be on the list. I'd put three Hitchcock films on the list: "Vertigo," "Psycho" and "Rear Window" (leaving off Hitch's purported favorite, "Shadow of a Doubt"). I'd include only two of Middings' 10: "High Noon" and "The Godfather."

Then, to complete the list: "Penny Serenade" (Irene Dunne, Cary Grant), "The Graduate," "The Best Years of Our Lives," "Bell, Book and Candle," "Picnic," "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" and "The Court Jester" (OK, so that's 12).

As for this century's two best films: "Waitress" and "The Devil Wears Prada." And that's leaving off a lot of excellent movies.

Pete Kossoris

Thousand Oaks

I dare you, Chronicle

Editor - I've been enjoying the reprints from your archives of some of your old columnists, and the ones by Charles McCabe are specially welcome. Now I dare you to reprint the classic from Art Hoppe, "Seven Little Words," first published Jan. 13, 1978. I've had this in my files for years, and it's worth more every time I look it up.

J.W. Larson

Hollister

One more political movie to consider

Editor - The Pink section of Aug. 24 lists some noteworthy political movies but omits "The Parallax View," one of the best political movies ever. Warren Beatty plays an investigative reporter who discovers a sinister corporation that hires out political assassins.

George Gilbert

San Francisco

Critic got it right about Chihuly

Editor - I should have written earlier, but apparently the flak is still coming (Letters, Sept. 7).

I saw the Dale Chihuly exhibition in the first couple days after the opening at the M.H. de Young Memorial Museum and was in remarkable agreement with Kenneth Baker's review.

I have seen Chihuly glass in Washington and Palm Springs and in photographs of several of his installations in Venice and Florida. Although the glass was colorful, and probably a triumph to shape, most of it was essentially bright glassware. The display is more extensive than one we could see in an expensive hotel gift shop. Whether it decorates a hallway, garden or dark room, the display of pieces was essentially decorative. To me, only the earth-tone and milky vessels, set amid the inspiration of native woven baskets and rugs, suggested thoughtful art. Were those glass shapes a dreamy rendition of a woven basket in a smooth medium?

If objects are pretty, but don't make you think, are they significant art or just artful? I appreciate the controversy initiated by Baker's article; there was nothing controversial or even questioning about most of the Chihuly glassware.

Aileen Frankel

Oakland

Let's hear it!

Readers - This is your space to tell us what you think about something you read in the Pink, or about culture, arts, entertainment and leisure at large.

Send e-mail to Sunday Datebook Editor Sue Adolphson at sadolphson@sfchronicle.com; or letters to Editor, Sunday Datebook, The San Francisco Chronicle, 901 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103. Letters may be faxed to (415) 495-2067.

Please include your name and city of residence for publication and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

AT Read or Die, we think about how to get more Filipinos reading, and reading more fiction and non-fiction written by Filipinos in particular.

Personally, I’m placing a lot of stock in the power of showbusiness in getting more people off their couches, and into bookstores.

Sounds silly? Maybe it does. After all, why would people look for a book if it’s already been made into a movie? Or, why would people want to go out and buy this particular romance novel (or series of romance novels) if a teleserye or radio drama has already been made out of it?

Well, we might be surprised. There are already numerous reports about how Hollywood drives up book sales in the United States and everywhere else in the world. Publishers of the Narnia books, for example, reported a remarkable increase in sales when the first Narnia movie, which was based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, came out in 2005 - 55 years after it was first printed!

A 2006 article in the New York Times titled "Backlist to the Future" has some interesting figures for us: "In 2004, Vintage shipped about 50,000 copies of ‘In Cold Blood’; this year, after the movie ‘Capote’ appeared, it shipped 400,000. Houghton Mifflin saw sales of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy rise 1,000 percent — to 25 million copies — when the movies were in theaters from 2001 to 2003. Surprise endorsements also help. When ‘The Letters of Abelard and Heloise,’ was mentioned in an episode of ‘The Sopranos,’ Penguin Classics saw a spike in sales of its edition."

’’One Hundred Years of Solitude’’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another example - it enjoyed a spike in sales in the United States after it was billed as a selection in Oprah’s Book Club.

So here’s my question to local movie and TV producers: if you happen to be interested in literature too, why not invest in programs or segments that would foster greater interest in literature? Why not use the power of your chosen medium to promote Filipino-made books and comics?

It may stand to reason that publishers would profit more with an arrangement like this, but that’s not to say producers won’t profit at all! It won’t be a one-way street - while movies and TV programs promote books, books can also promote movies and TV programs. Here are some of the reasons why I think movie and TV tie-ins would be profitable for publishers and producers alike.

1) In the Philippines, movies and TV are far, far more accessible than books. Or, at least, books that cost above R100 and are more often than not identified as "highbrow literature" or scholarly reading.

People are generally more interested in visual media, as well! A PCIJ article by Alecks Pabico titled "Tactile Television" cites that two out of three Filipinos watch television every day. And that the average viewing time in the Philippines is three hours - less than the four hours a day that the average British or American spends in front of the box (let it not be said that we are a nation of couch potatoes!).

Simply saying that a movie/TV program was based on a novel or a comic is its own style of marketing. It would drive up the interest of his/her viewers, who would then think, "The story must be that good, to be turned into a movie!" It’s a powerful enough pull that experts in audio-visual entertainment found a certain story interesting enough to share with their faithful audience; the chances of assured patronage may be greater.

2) People who have seen and liked a movie or TV tie-in, will want to read the source material to see how faithful the tie-in was. On the other hand, people who have read a specific book and enjoyed it, would be curious to see if its audio-visual version is true to the text. Everybody wins!

3) Books and comics are an endless supply of story material. Not that there would ever be a lack of fresh ideas from network creative teams, but still - why turn down an opportunity for a ready-made plot outline (and even storyboard, in the case of comics)?

Incidentally, the power of comics in driving up literacy should definitely not be ignored. It’s easy enough to imagine that a comic book rendition of a novel would drive more people to seek that novel out, and even help them enjoy it! I know this was certainly what happened with me and the Hunchback of Notre Dame; I read the comics first, then found it much easier to read and appreciate the English translation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel with the images in my head.

A similar principle operates with movie and tv tie-ins. A movie retelling of the "Noli" or "El Fili" would establish "visual aids" that would help readers along, when it’s time for them to read the text. A more contemporary setting, using visual and musical elements that are familiar to modern audiences, would perhaps even help younger readers better identify with the characters and situations presented in classical text!

Just think of how much a reprint of the original Darna comics would sell if the TV renditions would reference actual chapters, and not simply invent new episodes for our beloved classic superheroine! Of course, the original comics would have to be made more widely available, but this is where publishing houses come in. Publishers would be in the best position to determine the conditions that would make a reprint profitable for them, and at the same time palatable to the reading public.

Of course, it’s not as simple as it sounds. For one thing, I don’t see this arrangement working if 1) the reading materials are hard to get a hold of or too expensive for the reading public to begin with, or if 2) a production team does not respect the source text enough, thus producing an audio-visual version that is so "beefed up" to become more sensational, that the story and the original "flavor" of the text is lost. Making a successful movie/tv tie-in of an established literary work - or even a novelization of a popular movie/tv presentation! - is a risky venture if there is a lack of dedication and coordination.

Nonetheless, I sincerely believe that it’s a venture worth looking into.

Eagle Eye

If you're a 14-year-old who prefers whizzing bullets and random explosions to coherent filmmaking, here's a movie for you. The ubiquitous Shia LaBeouf plays a guy who finds himself framed for a terrorist plot, forced to follow instructions from a mysteriously omniscient female voice on his cell phone. Meanwhile, a single mom (played by Michelle Monaghan) must follow instructions from the same mystery woman in order to save her son.

The convoluted plot gets more ridiculous from there as director D.J. Caruso attempts to establish himself as a modern-day Hitchcock with obvious nods to "North by Northwest" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much."

It seems like a loose-knit collection of action sequences fueled by the cheesy device of an all-seeing, all-knowing mysterious voice. Even worse, the movie seems to think it's making a serious political statement on government surveillance.

Confusing cuts, length hinder great story

When Spike Lee publicly chastised Clint Eastwood for failing to include a single African-American face in his Iwo Jima epic, “Flags of Our Fathers,” and Eastwood told Lee, in effect, to “shut his face,” Lee did not stoop to responding in kind.

Instead, he did the right thing — he made his own World War II epic to drive home the point that plenty of black Americans fought for their country in that conflict.

Sprawling over more than 2½ hours, “Miracle at St. Anna” features a huge cast, numerous narrative switchbacks and tangents, lots of scenes with German and Italian subtitles and a mesmerizing cameo by Axis Sally (Alexandra Maria Lara).

There’s just one problem: The story, adapted from James McBride’s 2002 novel, is not epic in scale or scope; rather, it’s a tightly drawn character study that Lee strains, mightily but ineffectively, to pump up to something more.

The story focuses on four black “Buffalo Soldiers” of the 92nd Infantry Division, which went up against the Germans in Italy’s Tuscany region in 1944. The four are separated from their unit while crossing a river when their idiot white captain mucks up a fire support mission and rains artillery down on his own troops.

They are the stoic Stamps (Derek Luke), the senior soldier; Bishop (Michael Ealy), a sly, smooth-talking playa from Harlem; the low-key Hector (Laz Alfonso), a black Puerto Rican who knows just enough Italian to converse with the locals; and Train (Omar Benson Miller), a big, sweet-natured teddy bear.

Soon after they’re cut off, Train stumbles upon a traumatized Italian boy (Matteo Sciabordi) hiding alone in a barn. Against the wishes of his comrades, he insists on taking the boy to the relative safety of a nearby town.

Once there, the four become involved with an Italian family that includes grizzled patriarch Ludovico (Omero Antonutti) and his hot ’n’ spicy daughter Renata (Valentina Cervi).

As they try to figure out their next move, they ruminate on the fact that they’re fighting for the very freedom and democracy that they don’t have in their own country; get mixed up with some Italian partisans; and learn more about the boy, who just may be a wee messenger from God (not for nothing is his name Angelo).

All the actors give good performances, especially Miller as the “gigante cioccolato,” willing to go to any lengths to protect his defenseless charge.

And to be sure, the film has its interesting moments. But they’re scattered widely enough that they never gel into a satisfying whole, especially when other issues keep getting in the way.

To start with, a framing story set in 1984 at the front and back ends of the film feels seriously contrived.

Then there are the flashbacks, which fracture the narrative and stall the momentum. Case in point: After we’ve been in Tuscany for an hour, the story jumps back a year to the black soldiers getting a taste of homefront racism while training in Louisiana. Coming when it does, the scene feels misplaced.

But the ultimate off-key note is a scene featuring an atrocity by German troops against Italian civilians — warning: bayonet and baby ahead — that’s as gruesome as it is unnecessary. Is anyone still not clear about who the bad guys were in the Big One?

Unquestionably, Lee’s heart is in the right place, but the fuzzy and disjointed “Miracle at St. Anna” ends up being a film that you want to like much more than you actually do.

Source: Airforcetimes

Summit Entertainment and Imagi Studios announced today that the long wait for a CG animated take on Osamu Tezuka classic Japanese manga and anime character Astro Boy will soon be over, as Summit plans to release the movie nationwide on October 23, 2009.

Directed by David Boyers, the film features the voice of Freddie Highmore as the title character with other voices provided by Nicolas Cage, Kristin Bell, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane and more. The last animated feature film from Imagi Studios was TMNT, the most recent take on the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles."

The full press release follows:

Los Angeles, CA (September 22, 2008) – Summit Entertainment will release Astro Boy in North America on Friday, October 23, 2009, it was announced today by Rob Friedman, Co-Chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment, and Erin Corbett, President of Imagi Studios U.S. Summit and Imagi are putting together the final details on a marketing plan designed to reach both the family movie-going audience and adult fans of Astro Boy alike. Plan includes a commitment from a major fast food restaurant partner as well as alliances in the areas of toys, games, books and others, soon to be announced.

Produced by Imagi Studios, the CG-animated motion picture will bow on over 3,000 screens across North America. International release dates for the film are to be announced soon.

“We are pleased to bring the exceptional world of Astro Boy to the big screen for movie-goers in North America,” said Friedman. “We have lined up some key marketing partners for the film and our October date allows us to put the film out at the right time enabling our partners to reach their targeted audiences with on-going marketing programs tied to the film.”

“A beloved icon for over half-a-century, this marks Astro Boy’s first time on the big screen, making our film one of the most highly anticipated releases of the year,” stated Corbett. “We’re thrilled to be bringing this remarkable and enduring property to fans – both old and new – as a grand-scale action-filled adventure with cutting-edge CG technology.”

Astro Boy’s all-star cast features the voices of Academy Award®-winning actor Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy and Eugene Levy with Freddie Highmore in the title role. David Bowers (Flushed Away) is directing Astro Boy from a screenplay written by Timothy Harris (Trading Places, Kindergarten Cop), with Maryann Garger producing.

The iconic character Astro Boy has found global popularity since his creation in the early 1950s by Japan’s Osamu Tezuka, known as the “god of manga” and “father of anime”, and has been the hero of three acclaimed animated television series aired around the world.

Set in the future, Imagi Studio’s Astro Boy is a classic superhero origin story about a young robot with incredible powers, created by a brilliant scientist, and his adventure-filled journey in search of his identity and destiny, taking him into a netherworld of robot gladiators before he returns to save Metro City.

Summit Entertainment, which entered into a global alliance with Imagi Studios earlier this year, will distribute Astro Boy worldwide except for Imagi’s reserved territories of Japan, Hong Kong and China.

About Imagi Studios
Imagi International Holdings Limited (“Imagi”) is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Imagi’s principal business is the development and production of CG-animated theatrical feature films. Imagi’s first motion picture TMNT was released in March 2007, opening number one in U.S. box office revenue, only the third time in history that an Asian-made film has achieved that honor. Imagi has development operations in Los Angeles, California, and CG production studios at its Chai Wan (Hong Kong) headquarters.

About Summit Entertainment LLC
Summit Entertainment is a worldwide theatrical motion picture development, financing, production and distribution studio. The studio handles all aspects of marketing and distribution for both its own internally developed motion pictures as well as acquired pictures. Summit Entertainment, LLC also represents international sales for both its own slate and third party product. Summit Entertainment, LLC plans to release 10 to 12 films annually.

Source: ComingSoon

Los Angeles-based Harbor Light Entertainment and Tokyo-based Lotus have assembled an international consortium to remake helmer Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 classic "Rashomon."

Action will be moved from ancient Japan to contempo America, where a court must decide the facts about the rape of a woman and the murder of her husband.

Harbor Light and Lotus will be joined by L.A.’s Lexicon Filmed Entertainment and Singapore’s Upside Down Entertainment on the English-language project, "Rashomon 2010."

Harbor Light announced a "Rashomon" remake in 2001, but struggled to get the pic greenlit.

The partners are also gearing up to make "The Masque of Black Death," a feature toon based on an unproduced Kurosawa script penned in 1977.

The partners plan to have the remake and the toon in theaters in 2010 as part of a 100th anni celebration of Kurosawa’s birth.

Kurosawa planned to have Japanese anime auteur Osamu Tezuka make the pic, but the project never got off the ground before Kurosawa’s death in 1998.

Set in Russia in the early 20th century, "The Masque of Black Death" depicts a disease that kills most of the population.

Whatever you want to say about filmmaker Michael Moore, good or bad, you can't say that he's only in it for the money, because he's decided to offer his latest movie Slacker Uprising as a free download for his fans in the United States and Canada on the movie's Official Site.

The documentary covers Moore's tour of the United States during 2004 in between the release of his documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, which set all sorts of box office records, and the 2004 Presidential Election. (You may have already heard, but Moore wasn't too happy with the results.) The movie played various festivals over the last year, and is released today on DVD, which you can order on Amazon for just $9.95.

Moore gives the reasoning for offering the movie for free on the website using digital distribution methods that have been used by various bands in recent years to great success.:

As you may have heard, I've decided to make my new film, "Slacker Uprising," available for free to everyone in the United States and Canada. It is the first time ever that a major feature-length film is debuting as a free download on the internet -- legally. I am doing this for two reasons:

Next year it will be 20 years since my first film, "Roger & Me," so I'd like to give those of you who've supported my work over the years a thank you gift in the form of a brand new movie; and

I hope the release and wide distribution of this new movie will help to bring out millions of young and new voters on November 4th.

As long as you live in the U.S. or Canada, you can sign up and download the movie for yourself at Slacker Uprising right now.

Source: ComingSoon

While having a short Bond is not necessarily a bad thing, 106 minutes does sound more like a running time for a cheap comedy than it does a blockbuster hit. So it goes for Quantum of Solace, which can now be considered the shortest Bond film to date.

Quantum of Solace Short

Are no properties sacred? Just when we thought Hollywood couldn't be any more shameless in their adaptations and remakes of old classics, Universal Pictures has decided to go forward with what sounds to be a re-imagining of Herman Melville's Moby Dick.

The idea troubles me, yes, but I got to admit that I like their choice of director.

Moby Dick Remake Coming

There can never be too much Batman -– which is why Brett Ratner proposes, once Christopher Nolan’s take on the Caped Crusader runs his course, that there be a few spin-off films.

“As a kid, Batman was my thing,” Ratner said. “I’m a little jealous that I didn’t get to direct it, although Nolan did a great job. But there are so many characters in the Batman series, so many characters that I love, that the opportunities for spin-offs are endless.”

Ratner thinks that the first one should be a film just about the Joker, exploring his (possible) origin as the Red Hood. “That would be really cool,” he said. But don’t we then run into the not-so-little problem of who could possibly fill Heath Ledger’s shoes?

“Heath was great,” Ratner said. “But the Joker is a great villain. That’s why Jack Nicholson and Heath Ledger had so much to work with. And I think there will be another actor who can interpret that. It would be great to see [Robert] Downey [Jr.] as the Joker, for instance.”

Ratner doesn’t want to stop there. If the opportunities for spin-offs in the Batman universe are endless, what about the rest of comic-book-dom? For the “X-Men,” for instance, Ratner is excited about the upcoming Wolverine spin-off, but he thinks one is warranted for Halle Berry’s character, Storm, as well. “That would be great,” he said. “That would be really cool.”

Spin-offs and team-ups like “The Justice League” are the way to sustain the franchises, he said, so that minor characters can be more developed.

“You’re going to be seeing superhero movies for 50 years,” he predicted. “And it’ll be exciting to see a lot of the under-the-radar franchises like ‘Iron Man’ that could be incredible on the big screen.”

Do you think anyone else can play the Joker? Should there be a “Joker” film? What should it be about? What other spin-offs would you like to see?

Purdue University's Women's Studies program will show five films in October that highlight the struggles of women in Africa.
African Studies/Women's Studies: Making Feminist Connections through Film is part of Experience Liberal Arts, a monthlong celebration highlighting programs in the College of Liberal Arts. The film series is free and open to the public.


From Algeria to Zimbabwe, to Guinea Bissau and to South Africa, viewers will meet women who are fighting for freedom and equality, said Alicia Decker, an assistant professor of history and women's studies who organized the series.

Films will be shown at 6:30 p.m. and will be introduced by a professor, who also will lead a discussion after the showings. Showings include:

* Oct. 7. University Hall, Room 317. Valentine Moghadam, director of Women's Studies and professor of sociology, will present the film "Algeria: Women at War."

* Oct. 15. University Hall, Room 317. Ellen Gruenbaum, professor and head of the Department of Anthropology, will present the film "Mortu Nega ( Those Whom Death Refused )."

* Oct. 21. Beering Hall, Room 2290. Decker will present the film "Flame."

* Oct. 28. Beering Hall, Room 2290. Raymond Dumett, professor of history, will present the films "You Have Struck a Rock!" and "To Walk Naked."

October's Experience Liberal Arts will feature a variety of lectures, films, performances, events and exhibits that reflect the college's ongoing coursework and research in the arts, humanities, and social and behavioral sciences. Information about upcoming events is available online at http://www.cla.purdue.edu/experience


Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, ( 765 ) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu


Source: Alicia Decker, acdecker@purdue.edu


Purdue News Service: ( 765 ) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Source: Media Newswire

TEHRAN (FNA)- The film "Two Legged Horse" directed by the Iranian filmmaker Samira Makhmalbaf was acclaimed by mass media and cine critics in the 56th edition of San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain.

Shot in Afghanistan, the film is competing with other films to receive Golden Shell award during the festival.

The film tells a simple, allegorical tale about a mentally retarded boy who is hired as the professional piggy backer to a spoiled brat who had his feet blown off by a land mine, the Islamic republic news agency reported.

Samira Makhmalbaf, the daughter of acclaimed Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, has been the winner and award nominee in numerous festivals.

She was nominated twice for Golden Palm of Cannes Film Festival for Panj-e Asr (At Five in the Afternoon) (2003) and Takhte Siah (The Blackboard) (2001).

She won Prix du Jury of Cannes in 2003 and 2001 respectively.

Makhmalbaf also won UNESCO Award of Venice Film Festival in 2002 and Sutherland Trophy of London Film Festival for The Apple in 1998.

In 2003, a panel of critics at the British newspaper "The Guardian" named Makhmalbaf among the best 40 best directors at work today.

Source: Far News Agency

Didn’t make it to Sundance this year? No worries—there is the Docurama Film Festival, an event of a different sort that you don’t have to hop on a plane in order to attend. In fact, you don’t even need to leave your living room. Docurama, a leading distributor of documentaries both in digital and DVD forms, commenced its fifth annual film festival today by releasing 12 award-winning documentaries on DVD. Although you may not get the experiences of sharing your screening room with fellow cinephiles or partying with moviemakers during this fest, you do have the unique privilege of accessing the selected movies whenever you please.

MM had the opportunity to ask Docurama Films’ head programmer, Liz Ogilvie, a few questions about this nontraditional fest and the
potential future of film festivals all over.

Beth Levin (MM): The Docurama Film Fest is essentially a collection of movies put on DVD, so how does it fit the traditional “festival” model?

Liz Ogilvie (LO): The Docurama Film Festival fits the “traditional” festival model because we are bringing the most interesting and noteworthy films in the world of documentary to-date to an audience similar to Sundance, Tribeca and SXSW. The films that are in each Docurama Film Festival have been on the festival circuit and have been specially “programmed” for each release. The directors and producers also range in experience from first-time filmmakers to seasoned pros with many films under their belts. Also, there is a wide range of genres, from political to LGBT and murder-mystery to hot button social issues. Invariably, we will also pull a title from our catalog and present a classic film or a famous filmmaker and present a film as a “retrospective” or “spotlight.”

MM: By the very nature of this being a DVD-based festival, you are opening up your audience to a much wider demographic and helping the moviemakers in getting their works seen by more people. What else do you hope to achieve with this project?

LO: We hope it builds awareness about documentary film at retail [outlets] and for our buyers to be made excited about documentary and outside-of-traditional-Hollywood fare. There are great films with exceptional storytelling and bigger and better characters.

MM: Does the solitary nature of this event also take away from the true festival experience—one where moviemakers interact in a forum with screenings, panels, events, etc.? What are the benefits of allowing viewers the chance to create their own “festival experience?”

LO: The audience can pick and choose what they want to see depending on their own personal tastes, but taking into account that there are no panels or events. We created a robust Web component with forums, blogs and a podcast listening booth where the directors talk about their filmmaking experiences and the challenges they faced in the making of their films.

MM: Docurama projects the fest as being a sort of “film festival in your living room.” Do you think the traditional festival model is changing a bit, because of more innovative projects in the industry such as yours?

LO: Yes, I believe they will change due to the ever-expanding digital realm that will make films more accessible to bigger audiences… However, the interactive film festival experience will remain as part of a community-building experience and the streaming/online component will add another layer to the fun film festival experience.

Visit http://www.docurama.com for more information.

Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is well-known for her television and film roles in the Fox television series Party of Five, as Sarah Reeves, and also starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, as Julie James. Hewitt can currently be seen on the CBS television program Ghost Whisperer, as Melinda Gordon, a young newlywed who can communicate with the ghosts of the dead.

Hewitt was born in Waco, Texas, the daughter of Patricia Mae (née Shipp), a speech-language pathologist, and Herbert Daniel Hewitt, a medical technician. Hewitt grew up in Nolanville, Texas; after the divorce of her parents, Hewitt and her only sibling, Todd Hewitt, were brought up by her mother. Her first name was given to her by her brother, after a girl he was fond of as a youngster, while her middle name, "Love", was given to her by her mother after her best friend in college.

As a young girl, Hewitt was attracted to music, which led to her first encounters with the entertainment industry. At the age of three, she sang "The Greatest Love of All" at a livestock show. Just a year after that, at a restaurant-dance hall, she entertained an audience with her version of "Help Me Make It Through the Night". By the time she was five, Hewitt already had tap dancing and ballet in her portfolio. At nine, she became a member of the Texas Show Team (which also toured in the Soviet Union). At the age of ten, at the suggestion of talent scouts and winning the title of Texas Our Little Miss Talent Winner, she moved to Los Angeles, California, with her mother to pursue a career in both acting and singing.

Pamela Denise Anderson (born July 1, 1967) is a Canadian-born actor, sex symbol, glamour model, producer, author and celebrity. Anderson is best known for her roles on the television series Baywatch and V.I.P. She was chosen as Playboy 's Playmate of the Month in February 1990.
For a time, she was known as Pamela Anderson Lee after marrying Mötley Crüe drummer, Tommy Lee. She holds both American and Canadian citizenship.

Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, 90 km northwest of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the daughter of Carol, a waitress, and Barry Anderson, a furnace repairman.Her great-grandfather, Juho Hyytiäinen, was Finnish, a native of Saarijärvi, and left Finland in 1908 changing his name to Anderson when he arrived as an immigrant. Anderson has Dutch ancestry on her mother's side

The newborn Anderson won fame as Canada's "Centennial Baby", because she was thought to have been the first baby born on Canada's Centennial Day (she was born at 4:08 in the morning). However, the Campbell River Upper Islander of July 5, 1967 reported a baby born two hours earlier on the same Canada Day.The Anderson family later moved to the town of Comox.

More@Wikipedia

We heard rumblings of this last week and I was on board then, and I remain so now. We get this news of confirmation from our friends at comingsoon and movieblog:

Stephen Chow, one of Asia’s most popular box-office draws as the award-winning star and director of such films as Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7, and Shaolin Soccer, will direct Seth Rogen and star opposite him as Kato in Columbia Pictures’ The Green Hornet, set for release June 25, 2010, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The screenplay is by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, who will also executive produce. Neal H. Moritz is the producer through his Original Film production company.

I still don’t like Seth Rogen as The Green Hornet. I think someone else would be better suited for this role, but he wrote it, and can do as he pleases at this point. The drafting of Stephen Chow gives me much hope for the project. He’s a great director for this movie, and will be a fine addition as Kato.

I will be honest pre-Chow, I wasn’t feeling this project at all. Now I am looking forward to it. A Green Hornet film in the spirit of the original could be a lot of fun and having Chow on board gives me great confidence that it will be the case.

We get confirmation today from Frank Miller himself that Sin City 2 is just about ready to go. We get the scoop this morning from our friends at the movieweb and movieblog:

Miller also let slip this tidbit about the future of Sin City 2:

I cant’ talk about my projects, because I don’t believe a movie is real until I see the title on the screen. There are many things that can go wrong. But I can tell you that I’m very close to begin Sin City 2 with Robert Rodriguez. We have to arrange a few things and we’ll be back in action.

I liked Sin City and would gladly welcome another outing into that world. I just think it’ s unfortunate that the The Spirit will be wedged between the two films. It looks like a Sin City rip off, and I’m still confused why Miller chose that style for the film.

I have low expectations for The Spirit; it looks very, very bad. I am wondering if Miller’s going to shoot himself in the foot with this one. If it’s bad, I can see Spirit killing buzz for Sin City 2. Perhaps people will be able to look past the stylistic similarities and understand that the franchises are different. Maybe Spirit will have no effect. Perhaps I will be dead wrong and it will be fantastic. I certainly hope so, otherwise the whole endeavor will look very foolish.

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An insert shot is a close-up of something that exists within the basic scene. The latter is typically visible within the establishing or wide shot. (Note close-up shot above from the scene on the left)..

Insert shots add needed information, information that wouldn't otherwise be immediately visible or clear.

In our earlier example of the new $100 bill, an ECU (extreme close-up) of the bill that was being discussed would be an insert shot.

Many years ago, the Russian filmmakers Pudovkin and Kuleshov conducted an experiment in which they juxtaposed various scenes with a shot of a man sitting motionless and totally expressionless in a chair.

The scenes included a close-up of a bowl of soup, a shot of a coffin containing a female corpse, and a shot of a little girl playing. To an audience viewing the edited film, the man suddenly became involved in these scenes.

When the shot of the man was placed next to the shot of the coffin, the audience thought that the actor showed deep sorrow. When it was placed next to the close-up of the food, the audience perceived hunger in his face; and when it was associated with the shot of the little girl, the audience saw the actor as experiencing parental pride.

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The photo below was shot with so-called formula or 3-point lighting effectthree-point lighting.

Even though some lighting directors say there is no such thing as a "formula" for lighting, the formula we'll discuss will provide excellent results for most of your video work.

Later, we'll have a series of examples that shows this formula in action.

If you study this photo you may detect four light sources:

one on the left (the key light ) of the right (a much dimmer fill light )

one on the hair (a back light ),
and on the background (a background light )

Note: black and white photos and movies are often preferred when studying lighting because lighting effects are more readily apparent without the dimension of color. By the way, in case you are wondering, we call this three-point lighting, even though it involves four lights. Since the background light is not really on the subject, it doesn't count in three-point lighting.

The combination effect of these four lights (put in exactly the right place, at exactly the right intensity and with the right quality/coherence), creates an optimum over-all effect.

We'll start with the key light in this module and take up the other lights later.

Key Light Considerations

As the name implies, the key light is the main light.
" The key light highlights the forms, dimension
and surface detail of subject matter."

In terms of coherence or quality the key light should be in the middle of the hard-to-soft range. As you can see from some of the illustrations in these chapters, light that is either too hard or too soft is not desirable for most subject matter -- especially people. A "middle ground" is achieved with a Fresnel light.

key lightIn three-point (formula) lighting the key light is placed at an angle of between 30- and 45-degrees from either the left or the right of the camera.

In the photograph of the model at the start of the module the key light is on the left, just as it's shown in the drawing on the left.

Forty-five degrees off to one side is best because, among other things, it brings out more texture and form (dimension) in the subject. For the sake of consistency, the 45-degree angle will be used throughout this discussion.

This brings us to the rule we'll need to keep in mind, especially if multiple cameras and camera angles are involved in the production:

Light for the close-up camera.

In multiple-camera dramatic productions you will have to confer with the director during the camera-blocking phase of preproduction to find out which cameras will be taking most of the close-ups of each person.

Does it matter if the key is on the right or the left? Possibly. There are four things you need to think about in making this decision.

Person's best side Put the key on this side. It will emphasize the positive and downplay the negative facial characteristics.

Follow source Is there an apparent source of light in the setting such as a window or nearby table lamp? If so, be sure to key from this direction.

onsistency In most settings it will look a bit strange if two people are sitting next to each other and one is keyed from the left and one from the right.

What's most practical If there is a wall or obstruction on one side of the subject -- a possible problem when doing on-location shoots -- you will generally want to key from the side that will enable you to use a 45-degree angle.

One thing you don't want is to "put lights everywhere" in a frantic effort to wipe out every shadow from every conceivable camera angle. In a studio setting where there are multiple areas to light, you can end up with scores of lights. Three-point lighting for a close-up position will end up being 20-point lighting, which is the same as poor lighting.
" In typical studio and on-location news programming the best lighting effect is often sacrificed in favor of rather flat, shadowless lighting, which is simpler, less demanding, and holds up over more camera angles."

It's not unusual for a large set in a major dramatic setting to require more than 100 lights -- but they are grouped to light specific areas. Unless basic lighting simplicity is preserved on the major close-up talent positions, things can end up in a mess, which brings us to another lighting guideline

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The last time we had anything to report on Warner Bros' Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it was the decision by the studio to move the highly-anticipated sixth installment to next summer from its original release date in November. As disappointing as that may have been, fans who enjoyed the 17 minutes of IMAX 3-D sequences in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix should be thrilled by the fact that there will be even more 3-D for the next installment.

Last month, during the IMAX Corporation's 2008 Q2 Earnings Report conference call, Rich Gelfond, the Co-Chairman and Co-CEO of the IMAX Corporation told shareholders, "we believe this film will include approximately 25 minutes in IMAX 3-D split between the opening sequence of the film and the finale."

It'll be almost ten months before we'll see which sequences exactly will be in 3-D, but who knows? Maybe we'll even see a bit of 3D Quidditch next time.

In the meantime, you can watch the teaser for the IMAX teaser trailer which played with The Dark Knight here.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will open in IMAX and conventional theaters on July 17, 2009.

Source: ComingSoon

The principals of DreamWorks SKG have completed a long-anticipated deal with one of India's largest entertainment conglomerates to set up a new $1.2 billion film company.

The deal gives DreamWorks co-founder Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Chief Executive Stacey Snider the financial support they need to leave Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures and start their new venture.

Under the signed agreement, Mumbai-based Reliance ADA Group will invest $500 million equity and provide another $700 million in debt through J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. toward the new venture, which will produce a slate of about six films a year.

Paramount said it is releasing the DreamWorks principals and employees from their contracts. "To facilitate a timely and smooth transition, Paramount has waived certain provisions from the original deal to clear the way for the DreamWorks principals and their employees to join their new company without delay." The new company will be headed by Spielberg and Snider.

Spielberg, DreamWorks chairman David Geffen and Snider are expected as a next step to tender their resignations from Paramount.

Even after Spielberg and Snider depart Paramount, they will continue to work with the studio on a number of movies. The two parties share rights to many projects, including the upcoming Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

Source: ComingSoon

In what all is starting to sound like miscommunication, William Shatner has responded to Star Trek director J.J. Abrams' comments from last week about why the actor is not reprising the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the May 8, 2009 release.

It seems to us that someone in the film's production told Abrams that Shatner didn't want to do a cameo and wanted the movie to focus on him. As you can see from the video below, Shatner says he was never contacted by someone about taking part in the movie, but agrees that he wouldn't be up for just a cameo and suggests they resurrect him in the follow-up.

Owen Wilson has announced he will be staring in a horror comedy he intends to produce himself. Blood Brothers.

Owen has been a little hit and miss lately, but I always seem to enjoy him on screen. He has a natural talent for playing off his co-stars so that everyone is appealing.

This makes him perfect for the buddy film formula. I don’t recall him being in a horror before so this babystep of a Horror Comedy might open some doors for him or simply solidify his home in comedy movies.

Who do you think would make a good match for the Vampire? Though he works well with Jackie Chan, I just couldnt see him as a vampire playing against Wilson’s straight man. Stiller comes to mind.

What do you think?

The case filed by the Warner Brothers against Mirchi Movies over the title of the movie 'Hari Puttar-A comedy of Terrors' has been quashed by the Delhi High Court.

Justice Reva Khetrapal has allowed Mirchi Movies, the production company of the film to use the name.

If the Warner Brothers had won the case, it would have been a disaster for the soon to be released movie.

The companies that have associated in different ways with the film also would have suffered.

A Smyrna man was arrested in Bartow County Friday and charged in connection with the sale of illegally copied music and movies, reports stated.

According to the Bartow County Sheriff’s Office:

Feroz Ali Huda, 54 of Smyrna was charged with two counts of felony sale, transfer, distribution, circulation of reproduction of recorded material. He is at the Bartow County jail awaiting a bond hearing.

Huda owns Shell Short Stop at the intersection of Cassville Road and Grassdale Road. According to investigators, Huda was selling DVD’s of movies that had not yet been released on video. Sheriff’s Office investigators and industry representatives seized 191 illegal copies of music CD’s and 21 DVD’s.

Source: Rome News

Jude Law is negotiating to join Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes," the drama that Guy Ritchie will direct for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures.

Law is expected to close a deal shortly to play Watson, the super-sleuth's sidekick.

Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin are producing. Production begins early next month in London.

The film will incorporate the classic tales written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the comic book "Sherlock Holmes." Studio is still casting some of the principal roles, including the villain, Blackwood.

Law recently completed a role in the Terry Gilliam-directed "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," and stars with Forest Whitaker in the Miguel Sapochnik-directed Universal drama "Repossession Mambo."