Father Geek here in Austin at Geek World Headquarters to introduce another of our Euro-AICN columns put together by our editor in Rome, Robert Bernocchi. But as is the usual case I've got some info for you that was sent directly to the International Desk here in Central Texas...
Greetings From Tromaville!
Attached is our first PR from Troma @ Cannes 2002! We have many events going on in the French Riviera this year!!
Troma @ Cannes 2002 - May 15th-25th Troma Sales Office has moved from the Carlton to the Riviera this year! Troma Sales Office 2002 Riviera Booth # F13 - Phone- 33 (0) 4 92 99 32 40 Full Troma @ Cannes 2002 Screening Schedule Available at: Our Cannes Site.
Partie Tromatique Francais- "GIVE ART BACK TO THE PEOPLE" will be based in; Cannes Tro-media Office - Le Palais Rouaze- 16 Rue Rouaze- # 4007 (Located one block off the Croisette, between the Carlton and the Martinez) Find out more about the PTF and Tro-Media Office @ our Tromatique Site .
CANNES 2002 EXCLUSIVE WORLD PREMIERE- ALL THE LOVE YOU CANNES: AN INDIE'S GUIDE TO THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
Please let us know if you will be attending so we can keep you updated on all our parties, screenings and events!
Very Truly,
Doug Sakmann of
Troma Entertainment
Father Geek got together with the not-so-warped brain behind TOXIE, Lloyd Kaufman, a couple of three times during the SXSW Film and Music Fest here in the Texas Hill Country back in March. He brought along several of his film's characters, both male and very very female. He's a great guy, sharp as a tack (I totally endorse his plan to put art back into the hands of the people), annnnnnnd lots, no make that tons of fun, sooo take my word for it these Tromatic events he's got planned for Cannes this year are not to be missed. They WILL BE where all the REEL action is this time around...
Now, ol'Father Geek will turn you over to our man on the continent, Robert...
Hi people. Considering the not-very-large amount of mail I received this week, probably some of you have got problems sending me your E-mails, scoops, reviews, etc... Thus, as I I did last week, I suggest you to send me everything at My NEW E-Mail Account and not the old address: euroaicn@yahoo.com.
As I said above, this week there is not much stuff. But we have a complete list of movies that will be presented in all the main sections of the next Cannes Film Festival, besides notes on the next projects of Pierce Brosnan, Jeremy Irons, Natalie Portman and the upcoming star Gael Garcia Bernal (seen in Amores Perros and Y Tu Mama Tambien). So check it all out below...
Cannes Film Festival
A few Days ago were announced the movies that will be shown at the 55th Annual Cannes Film Festival. Paul Thomas Anderson, Alexander Payne, David Cronenberg, Mike Leigh, Roman Polanski and Mike Newell's latest pics will be presented at Cannes in competition. Among the other movies that will compete for the Palme d'Or, there are Le Fils by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (they won in 1999 with Rosetta), Mies vailla Menneisyyttà by Aki Kaurismaki, Bowling for Columbien by Michael Moore and 24 Hour Party People by Michael Winterbottom. Totally, 22 movies will be in competition.
Out of competition, worldwide critics will see Hollywood Ending by Woody Allen (who will open the Festival and will be personally at Cannes to introduce his work), Murder By Numbers by Barbet Schroeder and Ararat by Atom Egoyan (a great surprise for me, actually I was expecting Egoyan would have been in competition). Below, you can read a complete list of movies:
IN COMPETITION...
OUT OF COMPETITION...
UN CERTAIN REGARD...
News from Screendaily
Bernal turns revolutionary for Motorcycle Diaries
Rising Mexican star Gael Garcia Bernal is to play Che Guevara in Walter Salles' The Motorcycle Diaries.
Ken Loach, Rebecca O'Brien launch new production company
UK director Ken Loach and producer Rebecca O’Brien, whose Sweet Sixteen was confirmed for Cannes competition on Wednesday, are splitting from long-standing UK film co-operative Parallax Pictures to launch a new production company, Sixteen Films.
From our friends at ShowbizIreland (http://www.showbizireland.com/news/)
Brosnan has Another Affair...
Irish actor Pierce Brosnan may be getting into gear to make a second movie based on the movie The Thomas Crown Affair. American ShowBiz magazine Variety has reported that MGM hopes to craft a second franchise for Brosnan in the movie most hard core fans tout as his best.
Apparently the studio has drafted screenwriter Leslie Dixon to return to the fold and write a second installment of The Thomas Crown Affair, the hit remake that starred Brosnan as the dashing tycoon who steals for excitement. The original movie stared Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway.
Sources close to Brosnan have however heard nothing about the movie and the actor himself has told ShowBizIreland.com only before Christmas that he has currently no plans to step back into the bored billionaire's shoes.
There has been no confirmation yet of other characters, Rene Russo and Denis Leary, returning to their respective roles. Nor any word on another cameo of the original sex kitten Faye Dunaway.
Spike's Puckoon from Beyond the Grave...
A film based on the late Spike Milligan's Irish novel Puckoon will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival next month ShowBizIreland.com can reveal. A cult novel in many respects, Puckoon is a black comedy about life in a small Irish village. The movie stars Irish comedian Sean Hughes, Sir Richard Attenborough and Elliott Gould (Ocean's Eleven).
A source close to the production, in anticipation of the screening said: "It would have been wonderful if Spike could have been there but he wasn't well enough to travel in any case. Instead, we shall drink and drink again to his memory and hope that when the credits roll there will be a lot of cheering."
No doubt there will be a toast to the Irish genius Milligan after the screening of the film. Ex-Goon Spike Milligan died in February aged 83.
Last Call for Jeremy Irons...
Irish based Oscar winning actor Jeremy Irons will play the Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald in a film to be screened on American TV. The Lolita star , who ownes a castle in Ireland, depicts the writer in his final, troubled months as he battles with drink and delusional fantasies to try to complete his final work, The Last Tycoon.
Irons lines up beside Scream actress Neve Campbell, who plays a young aspiring writer who lands a job as secretary to Fitzgerald. In the Bedroom star Sissy Spacek also stars as the writer's institutionalised wife, Zelda.
The movie called Last Call is to be shown by cable channel Showtime on May 25 in the US and sometime after in Europe.
Portman may Sing with the Mermaid...
Star Wars heroine Natalie Portman may be heading to one of Ireland's most remote islands for her next movie. The star is rumoured to be staring alongside the legendary actress Jessica Lange in a new movie called The Mermaid's Singing. The 10 million euro movie is expected to start final castings this week with actors such as Hugh Jackman of the X-Men fame going for a part in the movie.
The film is based on Lisa Carey's best selling book of the same name and is expected to follow the book's story to about a Boston-Irish girl named Grainne. The scene for the new movie may be one of Ireland's islands off the West coast where film scouts have already been looking for locations.
Another movie set to start work soon in Ireland is the remake of Romancing the Stone which is currently getting ready to shoot in Italy - final cast list should be out this week.
Filming of part of the movie is expected to take place in Ireland later this summer.
Red Dwarf and Futurama DVD news
Well first things first Red Dwarf is coming to DVD starting from November 4th 2002 BBC Worldwide will be releasing Red Dwarf starting with series 1 with 2 disks per series 1 episodes, 1 special features in blighty no word on special features or price yet but don't take my word for it read this exclusive interview with some BBC guy from www.reddwarf.co.uk
"Because the Red Dwarf movie's happening at the moment, we thought now would be an ideal time - with lots of cast members, writers and production team around and about - to get bonus footage, commentaries and interviews in the can."
Fans will no doubt be interested to learn that the episodes will be released in their original, unremastered versions. "Two discs per series. Six episodes, with commentaries, on disc one - keep the bit-rate high, keep the quality good - and the bonus disc, on a season by season basis, could [have] anything up to 120 minutes of extras."
What can we expect from the bonus features? "Nothing is locked down - we've got eight series to do! There will be photo galleries, outtakes, deleted scenes, filmed interviews - everything you could imagine would go onto a Hollywood motion picture [DVD] and more! We'll be doing a commentary track with the cast, and a separate commentary track with Doug and - hopefully - Rob, directors and other crew members."
So why has it taken so long for production of the shiny discs to begin? "It's not that we were trying to disappoint the fans - rather the opposite, we wanted to make sure we got the best product possible out on the market. A few years ago, when Worldwide first dipped its toe in the waters of DVD, we had no experience. It was actually the first DVD we thought of doing, [but] we probably hadn't quite got our heads around how good DVD could be. Now we've won many awards - for things like Blue Planet and The League of Gentlemen - we know what we're doing."
And on a final note Futurama is rumoured to be heading for DVD again September time with a season 2 box set in gud ol' blighty will confirm rumour when I can.
Well ciao for now
Luke Nicholas
That's all for today
See you next week
Robert Bernocchi
rob.bernocchi@caltanet.it
http://www.caltanet.it/2003/?id_arg=2003&desc=CINEMA
