Father Geek here with our new Euro-AICN editor Robert Bernocchi's second column. He may be new in this position, but he isn't new to long time Euro-AICN readers. Just Click Right Here ,or... This Location ,or... Here To See a Few of His Previous Interviews, Festival Reports, and Scoops for This Column He's also been a featured Writer/Reporter for the fine Italian Entertainment site Caltanet Cinema for years. Buuuuuut before we get to Robert's column here's something of interest that ol' Father Geek found on his computer screen at Geek Headquarters in Austin, Texas this morning...
Horseflesh again
They let me out of darkest Exmoor to see moving pictures in London again and last Friday it was Jan Svankmajer's latest - Little Otik aka Greedy Guts aka Otesánek
In case you've necer come accross him before Svankmajer is the surrealist Animator That Time Forgot. Continuing to make incredibly dark twisted surrealism behind the Iron curtain while the rest of the art world moved on. His version of Alice in Wonderland is an absolute classic and many of the recent darker takes on the subject can be attributed to him.
He is known for surrealist short movies but Little Otick looks like a real stab at a proper movie. Its 2 hours long for a start and most of it has no animation at all. The plot is suprisingly linear and has a childless couple adopt a hideous treestump. In the manner of an ancient Czech fairytale often referenced in flashback the treestump comes to life with a voracious appetite and a taste for meat not normally seen outside North Devon.
Svankmajer handles the actors and the various goings on amid the Prague townhouse with surprising skill and the first half is much like a more sincere versiion of DELICATESSEN. The couple themselves are very sympathetic with the wife (Veronika Zilková) particulaly pitiful and her increasingly distrubing behaviour is a real highlight..
For most of the movie the events are centered around the couple and their atempts to feed their grotesque adopted offspring and for a while the events have a real Clive Barker-esque feel. Linear if surreal events told with real feeling against a grim background. However - once the action moves away from the couple in the last quarter of the movie it begins to bog down seriously and the real Svankmajer buff with me informs that it becomes another variation on an earlier movie DO PIVINCI (DOWN TO THE CELLAR). The end is a disappointment and comes as very lttle surprise.
The fairytale flashbacks are conventional animation and seem more 2nd rate Terry Gillam than the hideously grisley "Shockheaded Peter" tales they should be (in case you've never come accross the stage based version of the nightmarish german Dr. Seuss you should see - http://www.shockheadedpeter.com/) Svankmajer's obviously enjoying himself in the background - some of the adverts seen on TV in the couples room are quite amusing - but the end is such a let-down I'd have to say Svankmajer completists only. --
Chris Hodgson;
http://ams.castlelink.co.uk/ ;
01271 340 724
Father Geek back again with this... Here's Roooooobert...
Robert Bernocchi here, with my second Euro AICN column.
Accepting this job, I didn’t expect to receive so many contributions by readers as it’s happening. Thanks to readers such as Vojnovi, Portman Blue, Grozilla, Schnorbitz, Ratbert, Horseflesh, Ian Findley, Jonathan Ashley, Phil Markel, and Ethan (please forgive me if I’ve forgotten someone) this duty of mine is becoming very funny and interesting and a delightful opportunity to meet.
I’m just a bit disappointed by my compatriots here in Italy. As a matter of fact, I didn’t receive any reports from my own country. Is it possible that no one in Italy is a AICN reader? Or, as I suppose, our italian pals are just a bit lazy, too laidback? I’m looking forward to receiving your tidbits and snippets (en english, please), guys…
Thus, let’s start with some information about the two most expected blockbusters of the year…
Harry Potter vs…
Harry Potter already beated The Phantom Menace. At least in the advance records count, as reported by Screendaily. UGC Cinemas reported that, with two weeks still to go before the release, bookings have equalled total advance sales on Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, the previous record holder. The exhibitor said that bookings for Harry Potter were now 250% higher than Toy Story 2. The numbers will buoy distributor Warner Bros, which said that the picture will go out on "a record breaking number of sites and prints." According to industry speculation, the film could go out on as many as 1,000 prints, although the previous record for sites was Toy Story 2, which screened at 496 sites and on 768 screens. Richard Segal, chief executive of Odeon Cinemas, expects advance bookings to intensify even further as the release date of November 16 nears and publicity from the film’s November 4 London premiere kicks in. "There is a huge, pent up demand for this movie," he said. "We are on track to beat records”. By Wednesday afternoon, Odeon had taken around 148,000 advance bookings since it started selling tickets on October 22. Ster Century Cinemas is selling around 500 advance tickets per site every 24 hours, while Warner Village Cinemas has sold more than 90,000 tickets since advance tickets went on sale last weekend. UCI has sold more than 70,000 tickets since October 19.
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. strongly denied the reports appeared on british tabloid The Sun, which revealed that Daniel Ratcliffe had to be dubbed over in two scenes because his voice broke before the end of filming (thanks to Ratbert for passing me this story)
..LOTR
Horseflesh passed me an article which appeared on the Irish Times last week regarding LOTR You can find the three different pages here: Click Now... and here: Click Right Here... and also here: Just This One More Click...
Our french pal Grozilla sent us this brief report on what’s happening in France
As a matter of fact, LOTR will be released here on dec.19th. Metropolitan Filmexport, the society who bought it for France is getting amok about it. They're currently doing screenings for showing to the french presse the footage seen in Cannes. At the entrance of these screenings, it's like entering the White house : each viewer is inspected, any tape and MD recorder holded until the end of the show, just because they fear that some Journalist might stole these images and put'em on the Internet.
I found this reaction out of mind, but I can't blame Metropolitan : they're betting their life (which is worth 90 millions $., that's what they paid for the trilogy) on this...
Milan at the center of the world
With many of the big US and Japanese players absent, 2001 was never going to be a vintage year for MIFED. The market corridors of the Fiera in Milan were visibly quieter than in previous years and a number of exhibitor booths were paid for but remained empty. As a result, high profile market deals were thin on the ground. Some of the most interesting deals, as in the case of Miramax and Good Machine, even took place by phone. Anyway, there were announced a few interesting projects.
Italian Eagle Pictures has picked up Blackberry White from writer Joanne Harris (Chocolat). The main character of the novel is the thirty-five year old Jay, a writer who is in crisis of inspiration. Thus, he decides to buy a farm in France and to move there. He’ll meet the ghost of a crazy man who, in his past life, produced wine without grapes. Eagle Picturesis in negotians with Nicolas Cage, Bruce Willis and Richard Gere for the role of Jay. Moreover, Eagle announced an animated feature based on acclaimed french writer Daniel Pennac Cabot Caboché (a.k.a. Perro Perrito).
Andrea Occhipinti’s Lucky Red was very active. It announced more investements in Spain (including a feature with Penelope Cruz) and the new movie directed by Peter Mullan.
In Milan it was also given birth to Celluloid Dreams, an international sales company formed by eight european indipendent distributors: Cinelibre/Cineart from Belgium, Fu Works of The Netherlands, Frenetic Films of Switzerland and Haut Et Court from France, EyeScreen/Lucky Red and BIM Distribuzione from Italy and Golem and Alta Films from Spain.
From ShowBizIreland.com (thanks to our contributor Horseflesh)
The world's biggest Kung Fu star Jackie Chan is coming back to Ireland ShowBizIreland.com can confirm. Sources close to Ireland's Ardmore studious have told us that the Hong Kong star is set to film Shanghai Nights in the County Wicklow studio with filming starting on April 2002, which will also be the month the star celebrates his 48th birthday. The film is the follow up to Chan's 2000 hit movie Shanghai Noon in which he starred with Owen Wilson and Lucy Liu. The sequel of the movie is being made by Spyglass entertainment who also made two other multi-million pound movies in Ireland, such as The Count of Monte Cristo and Reign of Fire. This year Chan has already been in Ireland with the British comedian Lee Evans filming Highbinders, which was mainly shot in Dublin
Brosnan stops Holding Fire...
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan and his partner and his production company Irish Dreamtime came clean to ShowBizIreland.com about the rumours surrounding the movie Holding Fire.
The Irish production company (who did the remake of the Thomas Crown Affair) and Brosnan have both, for the first time, talk about the gossip attacking their company for being involved in the film version of the book Holding Fire.
The book tells a story of Fireman in New York and critics have said that the company is profiting from the events of September 11th which is completely untrue ShowBizIreland.com can exclusively reveal. Speaking exclusively to us in Dublin about the movie Beau St Claire explained, "Holding Fire was being made by the executive in Hollywood who oversaw Bond and Thomas Crown and we were supporting him on developing the script for over a year now."
He went on, "this was long before September 11th. We are in early days - we were creatively getting the book into a script. It's too early to know if Pierce is going to star in it. Whoever started those rumors going even shocked us. It's all rumors on the Internet. It's something we have not started to even work on yet. It's a great fireman story and Denis Leary, who starred in Thomas Crown, is really pro-fireman and we are really interested in that world. But what happened is horrible. It is way to early to say anything and that's why we are flabbergasted. But, you are the first guys to clear up those rumors so thank you."
Brosnan also spoke of the film by saying, "This has been floating around for a long time and is something I know little about. It came to my company through an executive in Hollywood. I have read an article that was not that negative but I don't know if we are going to make it or not."
Margulies talks about Evelyn...
ShowBizIreland.com got invited onto the set of "Evelyn" yesterday. The new Irish film starring Pierce Brosnan, Aiden Quinn and Julianna Margulies. With a guided tour of the set on Dublin's Castleknock College by Julianna who even posed for some special pictures.
Speaking about the film she told ShowBizIreland.com all about the script of the movie and the role she plays in it, "My character is totally different to the one I played in ER. It is nice to be playing someone who was a real person. It's different to ER cause now I have to learn 13 pages of dialogue in just one night. Bruce Beresford the director and I have worked together before on a film called Paradise Road. So I had already read the script and fell in love with it but when he called I would have said yes no matter what. I'm finding the Irish accent GRAND. I can't do it on demand but have a voice coach to help me."
She went on, "my character is called Bernadette and she is a sort of feisty woman that sets Pierce's character on the straight and narrow path. She gets him to stop drinking and gets him going in the right direction. I'm playing Stephen Rae's sister and he is the lawyer that helps Pierce and then she steals his heart and he steals hers. It is a love story that's turns into a love triangle. Choosing between Aiden Quinn and Pierce Brosnan is my biggest problem. I'm sorry if every women in Ireland is jealous of me now. But, I'll give them back after.
The site has also two exclusive pics, which you can see by : Clicking Here and then by: Just Clicking Right Here to see the second one.
News
During an english screening of A.I., which was followed by a Q&A, Jude Law revealed his next projects. First, he’ll join Robert De Niro ("We're just waiting for De Niro to stop being a movie star," Law said. "He's doing all these sequels - Analyze This, Meet The Parents) in a secret movie regarding the birth of CIA. About the expected Marlowe, Law was very pessimistic, due to the continous delays of the movie (“When they say a film goes into 'development hell', it really is hell," said Law. "You get inches away from starting and then…"). Last but not least, Law speaked about Sam Mendes The Road to Perdition. “We shot in Chicago. Sam [Mendes] was working with these two 70-year-olds - Paul Newman and [cinematographer] Conrad Hall but he hasn't let anyone off the hook. He drove us all really hard". Read the full report on Empire (http://www.empireonline.co.uk/news/news.asp?3507)
Tom Tykwer’s "Heaven" will open the 52th edition of Berlin Film Festival. Heaven is part of a trilogy (the next episodes will be Hell and Purgatory) written by lamented polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski just before his death occurred in 1996. Starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, the movie, was shooted in Germany and Italy in english and italian.
· The young italian helmer Egidio Eronico will direct Charlton Heston in upcoming Rua Alguem 555. Heston will star as the nazi doctor Josef Mengele, known for his cruel experiments on Auschwitz. The project, budgeted at around $10 millions, is based on the german journalist Peter Schneider's book "Father". It tells the true story of Josef Mengele’s son, Rolf, and his visit to his father in 1977. The movie, which is produced by italian Gam Film, will be ready for the next festival of Cannes.
· Gam Film will also finance Peter Greenway’s "The Tulse Luper Suitcase", a multimedial project composed, besides the movie itself, by a 16 episodes television series, a web site, a DVD and a few Cd Rom. The story, focused on a writer who has spent a large part of his life in the jails of different countries as USA, Soviet Union, Italy, Romania and China, will start with the discovery of uranium in 1928 and will conclude with the fall of Berlin wall in 1989. Besides the announced Kathy Bates, Vincent Gallo, Deborah Harry, Madonna, Amanda Plummer, Isabella Rossellini and David Thewlis, the producers are trying to persuade Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, Morgan Freeman and Roberto Benigni to be part of it.
· Very well received by critics worldwide and winner at this year's Cannes Film Festival for best screenplay, No Man's Land was a natural choice as Bosnia's official candidate for the foreign language Oscar. This is the first time Bosnia has submitted a film for Academy consideration. No Man’s Land was very well written and directed (also considering it’s a debut feature) by Danis Tanovic and tells the story of two soldiers (a bosnian and a serbian) trapped together in a trench.
· Donald Sutherland could star in a movie dedicated to former italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who was killed by terrorist group Brigate Rosse in 1978. Renzo Martinelli (who has directed the recent Vajont, which boasts a french-italian great cast, formed by Laura Morante, Daniel Auteuil, Leo Gullotta, Michel Serrault and Philippe Leroy) is writing the screenplay and will direct the feature. Sutherland could star as an elder magistrate who, at the end of his career, will run into the mysteries of Aldo Moro’s death. Curiously, Marco Bellocchio (internationally known for his audacious 1965 debut Fist in His Pocket) is working on an analogous movie on Moro.
Jonathan Ashley passed me this tidbit on Irish DJ David Holmes from his webpage (http://oblivion.accessus.net/~jon/news.html)
David Holmes has finished working on the soundtrack to the Hollywood movie Ocean's Eleven. The film, a remake of the old Sinatra Rat Pack caper, will premiere in Los Angeles on December 5 and stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia and Elliott Gould. David has been responsible for putting some of his own music around the movie ('69 Police', 'Rodney Yates' and 'Gritty Shaker'will be present and 'My Mate Paul' is licensed for the trailer of the film), as well as soundtracking music from the likes of Elvis ('A Little Less Conversation'), Quincey Jones, Handsome Boy Modelling School and Perry Como. David spent several months in Los Angeles, holed up at the Sunset Marquis, writing new music for the film, which includes 34 original Holmes pieces and reprises. As well as his core team of musicians (engineer Hugo Nicholson, programmer Steve Hilton, guitarist Chris Dawkings, drummer Zac Danzinger, keyboard players Tim Watson and Scott Kenzie), David has hooked up with some legendary players including Pharaoh Sanders' bass player Bobby Hurst and Sly Stone's old horn player Steve T."
Reviews and reports
Just a review this week (I apologize, but I’m working hard on a few scoops that you’ll discover in the next days, and I wasn’t able to write anything) by Portman Blue and a Jugoslavian , thanks to our great contributor Ethan.
Shiner review
Well I saw Shiner last night - Michael Caine's new film set in London which is due to be released early next year in the UK. He plays a boxing promoter who tries to hunt down the people that have killed his son. It's a very gritty film directed by John Irvin (Hamburger Hill / City Of Industry). While Michael Caine's performance is great, the film feels a bit too flat and bleak to really make it watchable like similar 'London' films Snatch and Croupier. if anything it feels a bit like Get Carter 25 years on. One for the video collection maybe.
Belgrade Student Film Festival
The report must begin with the resume on the freshly finished Belgrade Student Film Festival. It lasted for six days and the audience had a chance to see around 200 movies from all around the world. Presented schools include Israel, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Great Britain, Switzerland, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and of course Serbia that defended the homecourt. The Festival favourites were German movies Who Is Who and Czezch animated features Velky Kychac and Prasavci. I personally participated in the so-called Antipirat jury that awarded Who Is Who. Antipirat is Serbian independent movie magazine that is constituted of bright Faculty of Dramatic Arts students. We decided that Marc Malze`s Who Is Who is by far the best narrative picture of the festival with the smart use of form and perceptive shaping of the statement. Sadly, Malze didn`t come to Belgrade to receive the award. Audience award went to Serbian documetary Gandor. Official awards went to Slovenian Film, Theatre, Television and Radio School for the overall selection of prsented features while the Grand Prix went to Israeli film Babcha made by Mickey Zilbertein. It is a scandalous decision to give the award to Babcha since we are talking about a disgusting and dumb short that feels like a bad two-hour movie.
Sony decides not to release John Carpenter`S Ghosts Of Mars in Yugoslavia.
Yet, Sony`s official Yugoslav distributors received the print and they will make a couple of special screenings for the fans. Probably at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. Amelie was released on video this week. But the greatest European flick to hit Serbian videostores today is Mateo Gil`s Nadie Conoce A Nadie, the movie made by Amenabar`s faithful collaborator. This is the true example of a smart mainstream thriller.
