Father Geek here welcoming back Edgard as our main man on the continent... It's good to have you back at the helm of our Euro-offices.

Ol' Father Geek and the rest of our Austin Texas Headquarters' crew are deep into Quentin Tarantino's little 10 day festival of films he has collected over the past year, and tomorrow we will be treated to one of my favorite nights of the fest: ITALIAN CRIME SPREE with Sergio Sollima's brillant, twisty 1970 flick CITTA VIOLENTA (Charles Bronson, Jill Ireland, Telly Savalas); Fernando Di Leo's top-of-the-shelf hardboiled groove LA MALA ORDINA (Henry Silva in the same vein as THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY or GET CARTER); and Giuliano Montaldo's violent 1968 film GLI INTOCCABILI (John Cassavetes, Gina Rowlands, Peter Falk). Father Geek loves these late 60's thru the 70's Italian Crime motion pictures from the Giallo school, a mix of American exploitation/action, British uber cool, and Italy's neo-realism.

Friday night was Spagetti Western night and we were shown Quentin's prints of FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE; DEATH RIDES A HORSE; and DAY OF ANGER. And Tuesday night we'll be seeing a wonderful Di Leo double feature of COLPO IN CANNA and LA BESTIA UCCIDE A SANGRE FREEDO, but enough of me and on to Edgard's regular Monday morning report from Paris...

EURO AICN

Hello folks... Edgard here, back from a long long vacations - and some work too - with the Euro news...

I hope you had all a good summer, mine was grrrrreat, thank you. So anyway back to business, no unnecessary blah blah... Some Bond news today, festival info, pictures from a Tinto Brass film, a film review and a script review... just enough to get back on track...

Enjoy.

UK

* Here's a new Bond report from Her Majesty's Spy, Diamond :

As Harry scooped a few weeks ago - a website in France has just revealed what will be the plot of the next Bond film - Bond 20. However, they have now added more to their site. They reveal the main plot will be about the internet and they give us the opening sequence. Perhaps Harry will be the next Blofeld!!! I can confirm that up 2 now this news was being kept under wraps by the producers of the film as it will be the key to the success of what will be the 40th anniversary film of agent 007. The film is also about the origins of the 00 agents and the internet is the weapon that the main villian uses against the free world. The film is to be called FINAL ASSIGNMENT.

Here are the links to news section on the website (with details on the opening sequence) : Just Click Here to get the full scoop.

Keep up the British End - AICN is the best!!!!

Diamond

* From Screendaily,

Here's a report from the Edinburgh International Film Festival : Mick Jagger may be wavering, but Tim Roth paid an unexpected visit to the Edinburgh International Film Festival last night (August 15) to introduce the event's surprise film - Planet Of The Apes. The festival is now hoping that Jagger, who was to have been the star guest this weekend, changes his mind after publicists said that he is unlikely to attend. The Rolling Stones front-man was to hit the Scottish capital for the international premiere of Enigma, the first film from his production outfit Jagged Films. But the pressure of finishing off a solo album means no one will know for sure if he is coming until he arrives. Kate Winslet may, however, turn up for Enigma, which screens on Saturday. Scottish actor Dougray Scott is amongst those confirmed for the Intermedia film. Sean Penn is scheduled to arrive towards the end of the festival for The Pledge, along with Robin Wright Penn. Emma Thompson is to attend for closing film, Wit, and may give a public interview with festival artistic director Lizzie Francke. Ghost World, screening on Friday, is expected to be supported by director Terry Zwigoff and actors Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch. Kooky French hit Amelie, which opened the festival on Sunday (August 12), has so far proved the most popular film in the audience poll. UK title Gabriel And Me is next, followed by Thai western Tears Of The Black Tiger. It also emerged that Norwegian film Cool And Crazy, which opened the documentary section, was picked up for the UK in the run-up to the festival by indie distributor Artificial Eye. Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet was amongst those attending, giving a public interview. Other guests so far included Glasgow-born comedian-turned-actor Billy Connolly, in town for Gabriel And Me, apparently with his beard died green in honour of football club Celtic. Jagger fans, however, can at least rely on the Fringe arts festival which runs alongside the film event. The rock 'n' roll legend appears alongside an Edinburgh health-and-safety inspector and a camp cocaine vendor amongst the characters in the well-received comedy sketch show, Crouching Ferret, Hidden Beaver.

Then there was this, also from Edinburgh:

Hi, the site I work for, entfirst, has been covering the 55th Edinburgh International Film Festival, and has reviews of some of the festival highlights including films like Battle Royale, Storytelling, Bangkok Dangerous, Lucky Break, The Devil's Backbone, and Enigma. You can find a full list at, Our Site .

ITALY

* I attended yesterday the press conference of Senso 45. This is a new version based on the novel Senso by Camillo Boito, after the acclaimed one directed by Luchino Visconti on 1954 and starring Alida Valli and Farley Granger, a.k.a. Livia, The Wanton Contessa or The Wanton Countess.

Senso 45 will be helmed by Tinto Brass (universally known for erotic features as Salon Kitty, Caligula and The Key). The two main characters will be played by Anna Galiena (Patrice Leconte's The Hairdresser's Husband, Bigas Luna Jamòn Jamòn and The Leading Man with Jon Bon Jovi among her movies) and Gabriel Garko (who starred in italian box-office smash The Ignorant Fairies). Senso 45 will be set at the end of the WW2, when the Italian fascist regime was definetely collapsing.

We published some pictures in our site concerning the shooting. As you can see, By Clicking Here , the Tinto Brass touch is still alive.

See you and good work

Robert

FRANCE

* Here're the links to 2 future events film in France. First VIDOCQ, this period thriller with Gerard Depardieu and Guillaume Canet. First film to be entirely shot in digital (yes, before uncle Lucas) by Pitof, one of the French experts in SFX. The website is not yet in English (but will be soon). Check out absolutely the gorgeous trailer (called "bande annonce" in French). Really wonderful. Second is the second ASTERIX & OBELIX movie (called Mission Cleopatre). The site is under construction right now, but if you understand French and know Alain Chabat it is already interesting to have a look. This movie will be HUGE... I can bet on that.

Click here for VIDOCQ, and here for the ASTERIX flick. SPAIN

* From Screendaily :

Spain’s San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept 20-29) unveiled the fourteen titles which will comprise the "Pearls from Other Festivals" section of its Open Zone (Zabaltegi) line-up.Following last year’s model, "Pearls" shows a heavy emphasis on films which screened at Cannes. There are also several titles from Berlin and at least two which will show in Venice. Numbers tilt this year in favor of French productions. The films competing for the section’s Euros30m Public Prize include:

• French hit Amelie (Le Fabuleux Destin D’Amelie Poulain);
• Nanni Moretti’s Palme d’Or winner The Son’s Room (La Stanza Del Figlio);
• The Coen brothers’ Cannes best-director winner The Man Who Wasn’t There;
• Multiple Cannes award-winner The Piano Teacher (Le Pianiste) from Michael Haneke;
• Patrice Chereau’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Intimacy;
• Manoel Oliveira’s French-language I’m Going Home (Je Rentre A La Maison), starring Michel Piccoli;
• Berlin Opera winner La Cienaga from Argentine director Lucrecia Martel;
• La Chambre Des Officiers from director Francois Dupeyron Todd Solondz’s Storytelling;
• L’Emploi Du Temps from Laurent Cantet;
• Claire Peploe’s The Triumph Of Love, starring Mira Sorvino;
• Ferzan Ozpetek’s Le Fate Ignoranti;
• Wang Xiao-Shuai’s Berlin jury prize winner Shi Qu Sui De Dan Che;
• Danis Tanovic’s No Man’s Land.

Zabaltegi houses two sections – Pearls from Other Festivals (formerly known as Festivals’ Top) and New Directors (line-up to be announced next week) – and runs parallel to the festival’s Official Competition line-up and sidebar offerings such as "Made In Spanish." Two retrospectives this year are dedicated to directors Frank Borzage and Otar Iosseliani, while a thematic sidebar "It happened yesterday" will look at how the 20th century was portrayed in the movies.

FINLAND

* I know this one will disappoint Ethan, but the most debated action director in Hollywood, I named Renny Harlin, is leaving the USA for the time of one film and goes back to his native country to make a film about national WW2 resistance hero : Carl Gustaf Mannerheim. No title or casting yet (although Renny wishes to have Jude Law), and a 30 millions $ budget. And I don't want to hear any "Stay there, Renny !".

FILM REVIEW

THE PAROLE OFFICER

UK - Directed by John Duigan; With Steve Coogan, Lena Headey, Om Puri,... Review by Reg

Hello European type Harry-Knowles-a-likes,

Just to let you know that there was a sneak of the new British Comedy Film 'The Parole Officer' last night in the fair city of Birmingham, England, and I was lucky enough to be in the small but perfectly formed audience. The film stars Steve Coogan, one of the biggest television comedians in Britain, as Simon Garden, a Parole Officer, reminiscent of one of Steve Martin's early 'naive optimist' chracters. Basically, he gets framed for murder and has to enlist the help of his 4 surviving 'clients' to help him rob a bank to retrieve evidence of who actually committed the crime.

It's not a ground breaking movie by any means in terms of style or plot, but there are some very funny moments in it, and the 'heist' sequence is a lot of fun, and importantly, the audience, or at least the one last night, left the theatre in good spirits. With positive word of mouth and a wide release in the UK, this could be the 'surprise' hit of the summer in this country, what with a lot of what our American cousins have produced being a tad disappointing.

The question that the film company will be asking though is 'will it break America?', well the Britiain shown in the film is VERY VERY different from the Britain of '4 weddings and a funeral' or any one of those (IMO) god-awful costume dramas, and more akin to the Britain seen in 'The Full Monty'. But whereas 'Monty' could rely on the universal hilarity cause by men seen 'sans pantalons', it will be interesting to see whether the mass American audience will accept the very British humour contained within the film.

The performances are all very good, with Coogan occasionally slipping into his 'Alan Partridge' persona (ask a Brit, they'll tell you), special mention to Steven Waddington and to the superb Om Puri who should, by law, be in every British film ever made.

Just thought you might like to know. Keep up the good work.

Call me 'Reg'

SCRIPT REVIEW

SEXY BOYS

France - Directed by Stephane Kazandjian; Release : Christmas 2001; Review by Edgard

The last 12 months have been great for French cinema, especially for popular films with the success of CRIMSON RIVERS, BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLVES, BELPHEGOR, YAMAKASI, AMELIE IN MONTMARTRE, THE CLOSET,... even KISS OF THE DRAGON was French (lame script but great fights, 10,000 times better than ROMEO MUST DIE if you want my opinion). Prospects for the future seem good also with VIDOCQ and the second ASTERIX film (see here above the links for the websites). Will SEXY BOYS be part of this serie of French hits ?... we will see this Christmas. I haven't seen any picture or trailer for this film yet, but I had the chance (??) to have a look at the script... so here it is.

SEXY BOYS is very easy to pitch : think AMERICAN PIE, think France... and you get a "French Pie" (it would have been a more funny title than this "Sexy Boys" crap, and at least they wouldn't have to lie about ripping off American Pie's script). So basically it's a trash comedy about sex and young lads. Story doesn't really matter here, but still if you want to know : it follows 3 guys, around 18 - 20 years old, freshly out of high school... Seb, the main character, is your usual shy, nice, romantic one... he wants to fall in love and wonders if he's good in bed (well Seb, you should know better). Then comes Manu, the cool one, who wants to diversify his sexual experiences more (but dilemma : he has been with the same girlfriend for several years and she wants to live with him... geeee so dramatic here). And the final one, Frank, is - you guessed it - the intellectual one. It's text book material : 1 romantic + 1 cool + 1 intellectual = a trio we all have seen before many, many times... And of course, thrown in the middle of the trio you have the girls and - unfortunately - a romantic sublot : will Seb fall for Jenny, the gorgeous but distant girl everyone wants, or for Lucie, the cold and lonely young mother ? (yes, I'm sure you are all thrilled by this question... and I don't want to spoil it for you).

So far, not so good... BUT... BUT there's hope. And hope will really depend on how good is the director and how natural are the actors (especially because the dialogues seem to be taken from a bad French sitcom). Hope comes from a humour that could be trashier than in the American films. That's the luck to be in Europe, sex is less taboo and some of the situations seem to be taken quite far here : Seb's parents are horny and doing it all the time, his grandmother talks only about sex and his little sister keeps asking the wrong questions; Frank becomes alcoholic and a porn actor, and gets a bottle up his ass... Yes, so fresh for a Xmas movie. There're there a few jokes that COULD make this film better than it reads.

The question is : do we have in France a public for this ?... not so sure. American Pie was a decent hit, but that's about it. And the last succesful French comedies aimed at teenagers were made in the early 80's. Of course, it's hard to judge a comedy based on the script, again it will depend if the director is quite creative and dynamic, it'll depend if the actors can deliver bad dialogues without looking stupid, it'll depend if there're more jokes than pseudo romance...

Answer to all this next December...

Edgard

Well that's it for this week... don't forget to send us your comments, reviews and news to the Euro AICN offices in Paris at euroaicn@yahoo.com