Forums: Film

Just saw this film. Excellent review in World Magazine and Sundance awards. That is a combo that always work. Not an uplifing movie, but one comes out with new eyes. Worthwhile, but it is not a feel-good film. Definitely a tragedy.

LONDON (AFP) – A "big budget" porn film was shot inside a London hospital which hired out one of its unused wards in return for a substantial sum of money, a British lawmaker has revealed. The unnamed film, described by Conservative MP Penny Mordaunt as a "big budget" porn movie, was filmed in a hospital in the British capital several years ago. "When I was director of Kensington and Chelsea Council, I discovered that one of our local hospitals was hiring out one of its closed -- but fully-equipped wards -- to a film company to use as a film...

Critics who complain about his favorable depiction of Hugo Chavez and other Latin American leaders are spreading “mythologies,” director Oliver Stone said Friday night after a Santa Monica screening of his film “South of the Border.” Stone participated in a Q&A session at Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex after the screening, which was picketed by protesters who felt that his documentary’s positive look at anti-imperialist leaders in Venezuela, Bolivia, Argentina and other countries overlooked the economic ills and repressive policies of countries like Chavez’s Venezuela. Actress Maria Conchita Alonso, who earlier in the week told theWrap that Stone’s depiction of Chavez was...

....when paired with its summer 2010 remake, the two movies offer a parable on the transformation of the global economy, the end of the American century and the changing balance of power between the United States and Asia. Between Jackie Chan's sly digs about global warming and Jaden Smith's status as a refugee of the U.S. economy, you can almost feel the world's center of gravity shifting. ... you'll recall that, back then, California was still the promised land, the place where the film's teenage protagonist, Daniel LaRusso, and his mom had moved from New Jersey to start a new...

“The Lottery” Deborah Lambert, June 24, 2010 A new documentary film called “The Lottery” that takes on the topic of charter schools, is getting cheers and jeers from critics and filmgoers. Variety called it “advocacy to the point of propaganda” that creates a “virtual PSA for charter schools and New York’s celebrated Harlem Success Academy in particular.” The film focuses on founder/CEO Eva Moskowitz who has to battle with stupidity, corruption and practically has “to apologize to the New York City Council for being a white woman living in Harlem.” Madeline Sackler, a 27-year-old filmmaker, tells the story of four...

They really were "on a mission from God." In a stunning move by the Vatican, the classic Dan Aykroyd-John Belushi comedy film "The Blues Brothers" was declared a "Catholic classic" alongside more pious films such as "The Ten Commandments" and "The Passion of the Christ." The announcement was made in the Vatican's official newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, corresponding with 30th anniversary of the release of the film. "As a former altar boy from age 6 . . . but a somewhat lapsed Catholic, I was delighted with the endorsement," Aykroyd said in a message to The Post yesterday. AYKROYD & BELUSHI...

Poseidon Adventure director Ronald "Ronnie" Neame has died in hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 99. The British film-maker, who died on Wednesday, never recovered after suffering from a fall, said family friend and BBC correspondent Peter Bowes. London-born Neame also worked as a cinematographer on films including Blithe Spirit and In Which We Serve. He directed The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, starring Dame Maggie Smith. She won the best actress Oscar in 1969 for her portrayal of the inspirational teacher of six young girls. Neame also co-wrote screenplays including Great Expectations and Brief Encounter.

Film historian, author and critic Peter Brunette died Wednesday of an apparent heart attack in Italy while attending the Taormina Film Festival on behalf of The Hollywood Reporter. He was 66.

The director of the Michigan Film Office agreed with the Mackinac Center for Public Policy's report that exposed a suspect studio deal involving $10 million in tax subsidies. Janet Lockwood, director of the state's film office, stated the Hangar42 deal "looked so promising. But it's not" in an e-mail dated May 20. The Mackinac Center acquired the e-mail in a Freedom of Information Act request. Hangar42 involves a former Lear Inc. facility that was listed for $9.8 million last fall that an investor claims is now worth $40 million. That increase in value means $10 million to the investor, who...

SHANGHAI (Hollywood Reporter) - Action hero Jet Li gives a respectable turn as a terminally ill father grooming his autistic son to survive on his own in "Ocean Heaven" -- a decent, if orthodox job by Xue Xiaolu. Film Xue off-sets some of the wholesome soppiness of this genre by keeping the tone light, the story simple and steered clear of grueling ordeals. Compared with another father-son story "Together," which she co-scripted and Chen Kaige directed, it is less melodramatic and artificial. Set mostly in a marine park in Qingtao province, its interpretation of autism owes less to "Rain Man"...

A rather blistering May 16 Livingston Daily editorial asked a few simple questions of three state lawmakers about the Michigan Film Incentive and how well it's working. Two of the legislators responded in a guest column Sunday, arguably dodging the real questions raised in the original editorial and putting up a weak defense of the two-year-old subsidy program. The questions, as posed in the letter-style editorial, titled "Dear lawmakers: What can you tell us about film money?" appear common-sense, especially as they related to a production that took place in Livingston County...

The clip begins with Machete delivering a threatening message to Arizona, which recently cracked down on illegal immigrants. The script, leaked to Alex Jones, a right-wing radio talk show host, seemed to confirm conservatives' worst fears that the film... Full Article at The Australian

Tonight on TCM at 8:00 The Hasty Heart (1949) Starring Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd A patient and a nurse comfort a dying Scottish soldier in World War II Burma. click here for cast and crew, full synopsis, etc.

Oscar-winning filmmaker James Cameron and another Canadian who built submersibles for the director's 1989 thriller "The Abyss" joined talks on Tuesday in Washington on innovative ways of capping the Gulf of Mexico oil spill... Cameron made two documentaries about the wreck of the ocean liner Titanic prior to filming his 1997 blockbuster Hollywood movie "Titanic." He used a small fleet of specially designed remotely operated underwater vehicles and is regarded as an expert in the field.

Clint Eastwood, 80, 'one of the greats' Happy birthday Eastwood as acting legend turns 80Old is Gold- ‘Dirty Harry’ star Clint Eastwood turns 80 todayClint Eastwood Turns 80, But Refuses To Celebrate His Birthday IMDbWikipedia

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...Pointing out that I have made no secret about films I have issues with, she asked what films I would consider ‘acceptable’ for classroom viewing. I thought you’d never ask…

BANDUNG, Indonesia – Young Barry Obama is struggling with his pingpong shot. Or rather, 12-year-old Hasan Faruq Ali is struggling to play left-handed in imitation of the character he is portraying in a new Indonesian film, "Little Obama." ... The film tells the story of Obama's childhood in Jakarta, where he lived with his mother and Indonesian stepfather from age 6 to 10. "It's about his friendships, his hobbies, just a childhood story," said screenwriter and co-director Damien Dematra. "It's not about politics, it's just the story of a boy."

A North Texas filmmaker's documentary about the ever-changing immigration issue premieres Monday. Justin Malone, a Dallas native, shot and produced "Undocumented;" a film he hopes will ignite conversation, not controversy. "I wanted to make a documentary, not a propaganda piece," Melone said. He started shooting the 90 minute film four years ago. He said he isn't pushing a message, nor is he out to change opinions. Rather, Malone said he wanted to tackle a topic that has sparked debate from all corners of the country. "I didn't know what I was getting into, or how big it was going to...

If the title alone isn't enough to make you squirm, a brief rundown of the premise for the indie horror movie, "The Human Centipede," certainly will. Any film involving three humans sharing a single digestive tract obviously isn't aiming to be easy on the eyes. Yet director/writer Tom Six's portrayal of a crazed surgeon who takes his skills at separating conjoined twins and uses them to create his own living human insect has left some critics appalled that it was even created; venerated critic Roger Ebert didn't think his star rating system was even applicable. "No horror film I've seen...

Did anyone see the recent History Chanel production about 'Robin Hood'. I don't know what the program was called or meant to be, but it looked like a promo for the new film. The director and Crowe were interviewed during the program. It sounded like the new film is attempt to revise the traditional story.

n a move sure to provoke controversy among right-wing groups in the United States, production is set to begin on a new Indonesian movie about Barack Obama’s childhood in Jakarta. The movie is expected to include scenes of the future US president prostrating to God in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, as well as reciting from the Koran. The film is based on the novel “Obama Anak Menteng” (“Obama the Menteng Kid”), which author Damien Dematra claims to be a true account of “Barry’s” childhood in the Jakarta suburb. The novel was reportedly written in five days after...

Producer, philanthropist and computer technology pioneer Max Palevsky, who contributed to the refurbishment of the American Cinematheque's Aero Theater, died in Los Angeles Wednesday in his sleep following a heart attack. He was 85.

One of the best films ever made is Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night, starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. The 1934 comedy features an heiress on the run from her father, and the reporter who joins forces with her. The two fall in love and, alone in hotel rooms, to guard against temptation, they hang a blanket between their beds. They call it “the walls of Jericho.” When the couple finally ties the knot, the “wall” comes tumbling down. In the 1930s, a plotline that precluded premarital sex was a wise idea. Movie-makers who flouted the Motion Picture Production...

The 27th Day is a 1957 Cold War science fiction B-movie. However, don’t let the B-movie label turn you off. I think it’s quite good. It features an intelligent script and good acting. It's difficult to find it on Region 1 DVD. However, it has recently been uploaded to YouTube. I don’t know how long it will be there before it gets yanked, so you may wish to download it. The screenplay is by John Mantley, who adapted it from his novel. It stars Gene Barry. The actor with the great voice who plays the alien is Arnold Moss. He...