Father Geek here with a greatly abridged Euro-AICN column for New Years Day. Edgard is still on vacation in Denmark somewhere and Ozymandias took some well deserved time off this week also. Not much news happening in the week between Christmas and New Years, but I plucked 6 Euro stories out of my E-mail for you. Hope you enjoy them and that you all had a wonderful holiday season...
I haven't ever e-mailed you, but I've heard about a project that might be of interest (and that maybe you can find out more about)...
I was in London a while ago, at the Palladium, for an awards Ceremony called the Vivian Ellis prize. It's run by the Stage Newspaper, the Really Useful group (Andrew Lloyd Webber's Company) and Cameron Mackintosh. There was a show there that was a Finalist, being nominated for the Best Newcomer Award, called "Area 51", a sci-fi rock musical. I was there with a couple of friends from the industry, whom I trust (one a writer, the other a producer), who seemed to know a bit about the show. Rumour has it that Claudia Christian is set to appear in a film version of it, and that there are several other actors being discussed, which they didn't know, but they'd heard one is a rapper or something like that... I only read a synopsis that was in the programme, so don't know that much. My producer friend has apparently heard some of the music, and said it was very MTV-ish / kinda modern, nothing like the usual "My Fair Lady" stuff.
Anyhow, I heard from a friend that Claudia's involvement had been confirmed on the net, and was wondering if anyone else knew anything more.
Even if you don't print this, I'd still like to know if you'd heard anything, as I think it sounds pretty cool.
Best Regards,
Babs
And from the frozen Russian steps we have this news...
Just saw it on yesterday's newscast from Russia (RTR channel retranslated online by www.strana.ru): the famed Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov (foreign Oscar for Burnt by the Sun, 1994) announced a new project for 2001. To be produced by recently knighted Spielberg for 25 mln $ a sequel to the Oscar-winning movie will be filmed under the same director and with some of the cast returning.
The sequel advances - year for year - from 1936 to the time of WWII, when Nadya (the lil' girl from BbtS-1) becomes a field nurse on the Eastern frontline. The details about the script were rather sketchy but Mikhalkov said that much of plot hangs on Nadya's "blunder" when she - under artillery fire - resques a German soldier along with Russian ones.
Another snippet about the movie - Nadya's father, Revolutionary hero Kotov (played by Mikhalkov himself) was not shot by the Stalin's henchmen afterall (surprise-surprise)In the sequel he is to be sent from GULAG to the so called Stalin's penal batallion (a sorta suicide-mission troops for common and political crimimals alike to "wash away their guilt with their own blood").
Mikhalkov said that having Spielberg as a producer would ensure the highest Western technical standard and that after filming Barber of Siberia (about the demise of last Russian Emperor and Revolution of 1917) he feels confident about handling the large-scale tank assaults and other batlle scenes.
Take care,
Vovik-Slalom
Here's a report on THE WIDOW OF ST. PIERRE
Howdy !
Widow of st. pierre is a new movie by the director of "Girl On the Bridge", and starring Daniel Auteil (who was Gabor in "girl"), Juliette Binoche and possibly the best director in europe (world ?) Emir Kusturica. Kusturica is a prisoner (i`m not sure when the movie takes place, but let`s just say a long time ago) and Binoche falls in love with him. Most of the people that have any taste in movies said that it was , well, bad. Haven`t seen it though...
If I get around to seeing it, I`ll send you the review, but it`s not bloody likely... ---
The household superhero of this millennium,
x@x[CafemaN]x@x
Here's some info on a couple of British films...
when I noticed you had no 'buzz' on a couple of British films being released by USAflims, that have already seen thier time on the big screen over here. Here goes:
MAYBE BAYBE
The screen adaptation of comdien / writer / novelist Ben Elton's Inconcievable (who also directs) follows the life of Sam Bell (Hugh Larie [Stuart Little]) and Lucy Bell (Joley Richardson) who long for a baby, but after years of trying they are considering turning to the test tube to get their dreamed-for sprog. Their attempts at conception give Sam an idea for a film script, which he starts to write without Lucy's knoledge. But when the film gets the greenlight, its only a matter of time before the truth gets out.
Despite the confused mish-mash of concepts and some rather heavily underused characters, Maybe Baby still manages to be a perfectly likable if somewhat patchy little comedy, mainly thanks to the talents on show by Joely Richardson, James Purefoy and a highly enjoyable Rhys Ifans- style scene-stealing turn from Tom Hollander. Also co-starring Rowan Atkinson [Bean].
Its not going to turn any heads or get great reviews (and you'll probably hate it) but there are few moments that are generally funny, just don't take a clucky girl friend as she will be pestering you for that "precious gift" for weeks after.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO HAROLD SMITH
Is a really poor seventies set comedy by no one important with no one important in it, about a some guy who has telekenisis. Walk away, walk away!
Hope this is of help to you.
BEN
Here's a piece on what could be a fun project...
You probably already have this but according to the British newspaper The News of the World Robbie Coltraine and Robert Carlyle are to star in a movie together about Laurel and Hardy. Its seems to be a bio-pic along the lines of Robert Doweny Jnr.'s Chaplin.
If its true it would be a great movie but all I found on it is that piece from the paper.
Richard
Here's a little bit on THE OTHERS
Greetings from Spain.
Today in the newspaper "El Pais" (one of the most important in Spain) appeared an article on the new Amenabar film "The Others" with Nicole Kidman. The paper also said that the film is being edited at present, and that Amenabar is composing the score for the film right now and in he´s going to the States very soon to show the 1st cut of the film to Cruise and Kidman.
Hope you enjoy this and happy new year!
Trancos
