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Paramount Plans Oliver Stone Film On Sept. 11 Attacks By William Booth
LOS ANGELES -- Paramount Pictures announced Friday that it will finance and distribute an as-yet-unmade film about the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, to be directed by Oliver Stone, no stranger to controversy, and starring Nicolas Cage. If the movie does get made -- always a big if in this
town -- it might be the first major-studio, high-dollar Hollywood
production about 9/11 to find its way to the multiplex. Nicolas Cage, above, has been signed to star in a Paramount
Pictures film about the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Oliver
Stone, below, will direct. (By Tobin Grimshaw -- Canadian Press Via
Associated Press) Paramount rushed out its announcement of the deal after the Hollywood trade paper Variety reported on it Friday, linking it to the terror attacks in London, which Variety said came "at a time when Hollywood seems ready -- finally -- to tell the tale of Sept. 11." The Paramount movie will focus on the true story of the rescue of two Port Authority police officers trapped in the rubble of the World Trade Center. "The film," the studio promised in its statement, "is a portrayal of how the human spirit rose above the tragic events of that day." A number of smaller films, TV shows and documentaries -- Michael Moore's wildly successful "Fahrenheit 9/11" being the most notable -- have addressed the attacks on New York and the Pentagon specifically, and terrorism in general. The FX network television show "Rescue Me," starring Denis Leary and now in its second season, deals with a New York Fire Department crew struggling to overcome its losses that day. The subject of terrorists running amok informs the story line on the popular Fox series "24," starring Kiefer Sutherland. In June, NBC scrapped plans for a 9/11 miniseries, but ABC still has one in the works. On the big screen, Sigourney Weaver starred in the indie film "The Guys" in 2002, which dealt with a fire captain's eulogy for eight of his lost men. But there has not been a major Hollywood release. Part of the reason is logistics -- it can take several years to produce a feature film. And part has been the reluctance of studio executives to jump into the emotions of that day. "The thinking is that the movies have to be very responsible because we're all feeling destabilized, still," says Mark Urman, head of ThinkFilm Theatrical, an independent film distributor based in New York. Urman says it makes sense that a major studio release would focus on the heroic actions of the police and fire departments. "It will likely not alarm or distress. It won't make people feel uncomfortable," because the point is to make an entertainment that makes money at the box office, "and does not send audiences screaming from the theaters." There are rumors of dozens of other 9/11 films in development in Hollywood. Columbia Pictures bought the rights for the best-selling book "102 Minutes" by New York Times reporters Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn, which re-creates the panic and bravery at the twin towers as office workers were trapped or fled and rescuers poured into the buildings to bring as many people as possible to safety. But a Columbia studio executive Friday said that the film has not been given the green light, no star or director is attached to the project, and they are only in the earliest stages of drafting screenplays. The Paramount project doesn't yet have a co-star to pair with Cage, who will play Sgt. John McLoughlin, one of the two Port Authority officers. The studio released no timetable for shooting the film. Hollywood films still in development have a long tradition of stopping and starting production, as directors and actors come aboard or drop out of projects. Stone, who was traveling from Europe to the United States and could not be reached for comment, was quoted in the Paramount press release emphasizing that the screenplay is "an exploration of heroism in our country -- but is international at the same time in its humanity." Qobadi's 'Turtles Can Fly' wins award
at Melbourne Fest
Iranian director Bahman Qobadi's award-winning film "Turtles Can Fly" won the audience's best choice award at the Melbourne International Film Festival (July 20-August 7). The Australian movie "Look Both Ways" by Sarah Watt finished in second place and "The Kung Fu Hustle" by Stephan Chow was third in the audience's best choice section. The movie has already been screened in 38 countries, including France, Spain, the United States, Turkey, and Iraq. "Turtles Can Fly" won the Golden Shell and the Jury Award for Best Screenplay at the 52nd San Sebastian Film Festival last year. It also took home the Silver Hugo of the 40th Chicago Film Festival in 2004 and was the Iranian entry in the category of Best Foreign Language Film at the 77th Annual Academy Awards. "Turtles Can Fly" tells the story of people from a village in Iraqi Kurdistan bordering Iran and Turkey who are desperately searching for a satellite dish in order to keep updated on the imminent U.S. attack on Iraq. Then a boy and his sister with her wounded child arrive from another village, indicating that the war is getting closer and closer. http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_8994.shtml Shohreh Agdashloo part of upcoming cast of X Men
IGN has been on a roll this week with their news about the expanded cast for X-Men 3. "Stax" has informed us that the latest confirmed actor for the three-quel is Iranian actress Shohreh Aghdashloo, who was nominated for an Oscar as a supporting actress for the 2003 drama House of Sand and Fog (she also guest-starred in several episodes of 24, Day 4 as Dina Araz - TGL). Aghdashloo will be playing Doctor Kavita Rao, who was introduced in Joss Whedon's recent run on "Astonishing X-Men" as a geneticist that created a serum called Hope to try to rid mutants of their mutations, essentially "curing" them. The controversial serum created waves within the X-Men, particularly with Hank McCoy AKA The Beast, who will be played by Kelsey Grammer in the upcoming film. Ironically, Aghdashloo also plays a doctor in the upcoming The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Iran's "We Are All Good" wins Locarno's Silver Leopard TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (Mehr News Agency) -- The Iranian film "We Are All Good" directed by Bijan Mir-Baqeri has won a Silver Leopard at the 58th Locarno International Film Festival. The festival was opened with "We Are All Good" in the southern Swiss town on August 3. The film is about a family whose son Jamshid lives abroad. The family decides to make a film about their life situation to send to Jamshid. Omid, the younger son, rents a camera and records scenes of family members talking to the camera. Ahu Kheradmand, Mohsen Qazimorad, Parviz Shahinkhu, Leyla Zareh, Melika Emami, and Ali Rashvand star in the film. "We Are All Good" won the Best Film Editing and Best Supporting Actress Crystal Simorghs at the 23rd Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran last February. The Locarno festival, which ended on August 13, awarded Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami the Leopard of Honor for the poetic elegance and powerful moral philosophy of his works. Following is the list of the main prizes awarded at the 10-day Locarno International Film Festival in southern Switzerland which ended on Saturday. * Official selection: * GOLDEN LEOPARD: "Nine Lives" directed by Rodrigo Garcia (United States) * JURY'S SPECIAL PRIZE: "Un Couple Parfait" ("A Perfect Couple") by Noburohiro Suwa (France/Japan) * SILVER LEOPARD (second best film): "Fratricide" by Yilmaz Arslan (Germany/France/Luxembourg) * SILVER LEOPARD (best first and second feature film): "3 Grad Kaelter" ("3 Degrees Colder") by Florian Hoffmeister (Germany) and "We Are All Good" by Bijan Mir-Baqeri (Iran) * BEST ACTRESS (joint): Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Sissy Spacek, Robin Wright Penn, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Elpidia Carrilo, Lisa Gay Hamilton and Armanda Seyfried in "Nine Lives" * BEST ACTOR: Patrick Drolet in "La Neuvaine" ("The Novena") * SPECIAL MENTION: "The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes" by the Quay brothers (Britain/Germany/France) * Overall: * PUBLIC'S PRIZE: "Zaina, cavaliere de l'Atlas" (Zaina, Rider of the Atlas) by Bourlem Guerdjou (France/Germany) * INTERNATIONAL PRESS (FIPRESCI) JURY'S PRIZE: "A Perfect Day" by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige (France/Lebanon/Germany) * ECUMENICAL JURY'S PRIZE: "La Neuvaine" by Bernard Edmond (Canada) * VIDEO COMPETITION GOLDEN LEOPARD: "Les Etats Nordiques" ("The Nordic States") by Denis Cote (Canada) and "Masahista" by Brilliante Mendoza (Philippines). Michael Pena To Join Nicolas Cage In Oliver Stone's 9/11 Film Pair will portray policemen trapped in wreckage of World Trade Center. Nicolas Cage now has a co-star to join him in Oliver Stone's upcoming film about 9/11: Michael Pena, who also appeared in "Million Dollar Baby" and "Crash." The untitled project will star Cage as well as Pena depicting real-life policemen who became trapped during rescue efforts after the collapse of the World Trade Center and were among the last rescued from the site. Cage will play Sgt. John McLoughlin, while Pena will play officer William J. Jimeno. Their supporting cast includes Maria Bello as Donna, McLoughlin's wife, and Maggie Gyllenhaal as Jimeno's wife, Allison. "[Andrea Berloff's script] walloped me — and many others — with its emotion and simplicity," Stone said in a statement. "It's a work of collective passion, a serious meditation on what happened, and carries within [it] a compassion that heals. It's an exploration of heroism in our country, but it's international at the same time in its humanity." The film's producers paired up the actors with their real-life counterparts so they could get a sense of each other during the casting process "I was really impressed when I met Will [Jimeno]," Pena said in a separate statement. "The police motto, 'protect and serve,' really means something to him. All he ever wanted to do is be a cop. It's one thing to read that on the page, but another thing to hear him say it. It feels great to be making a movie about great cops." "As a survivor of 9/11 I want people never to forget those that died," Jimeno said. "It will also be a tribute to all those who gave everything they had to bring people home to their loved ones." Paramount Pictures said the movie is expected to be released next year. Interview of Actors and Director of The Keeper (HPR) http://www.kuhf.org/upload/arts_interviews/050623Keeper.m3u
Film-maker Kayvan Mashayekh and actor Christopher Simpson chatted with Dean Dalton about the new film The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayam. It's open for the next two weeks at Angelika Film Center in downtown Houston. *** The story, briefly Kamran (Adam Echahly) is a 12-year-old boy who discovers his ancestor is the 11th Century mathematician, astronomer and poet of Persia: Omar Khayyam. Although the story of his great ancestor has survived in his family's lore for generations, the tale is now at the risk of extinction. It is Kamran's job to keep it alive. As he hears the story, he visualizes an epic past. Meanwhile, we are introduced to significant historical figures such as the brilliant Omar Khayyam (Bruno Lastra), the diabolical Hassan Sabbah (Christopher Simpson) and the powerful Sultan Malikshah (Moritz Bleibtreu). Through the story of Khayyam, Kamran learns about love, loss and loyalty. First City Film Festival to be held in Tehran Tehran Times Art Desk ?Several short, feature-length, and animated films as well as documentaries will be screened at the festival. Documentaries on old Tehran will also be shown in a special section of the festival,? Alireza Sajjadpur explained. In addition, the festival will be holding a retrospective on the late Ali Hatami?s work, he said. ?The festival will focus on several themes, including the city, its citizens, the transportation system, economics, religion, and the environment, he added. He went on to say that awards will be presented to the best director, screenwriter, cameraman, stage designer, actor, and actress at the end of the festival and that films should be submitted to the festival?s secretariat by August 23. ?The event could have been held in the sideline section of the Fajr International Film Festival, but we decided to hold it separately in order to put the event in the spotlight, he said in conclusion. http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=8/18/2005&Cat=10&Num=4 KAVOSHGARAN AKA THE PERSUADERS REMAKE SOON http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464147/
The Famous series with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis which is so popular to this day as a cult series on An American Millionaire and British Lord both full time playboys and part time detectives will be the subject of a film with Ben Stiller as Danny Wilde and Steve Coogen as Lord Bret Sainclair. I am afraid the film would dissapoint many of the cult fans since the remake of the other British Cult Series The Avengers with Ralph Feins and Uma Thurman was a Box Office Flop despite a good cast. Lets hope that this film adaptation will be more inspiring. DVD Features
On the second disc are three documentaries (80 minutes total) collecting behind-the-scenes footage, interviews (mostly with the crew), and some effects notes. They're rather indistinguishable from each other and might have been edited into a shorter, tighter single unit. There's also a four-minute featurette of composer Vangelis at his keyboard and discussing his craft. Leopard of Honour delivered to Abbas Kiarostami
The Locarno International Film Festival (3-13 August 2005) will award the Leopard of Honour to three great directors all illustrious representatives of diverse but complementary ways of making films and perfect representatives of the kind of filmmaking Locarno has been striving for throughout its history: (left to right) Abbas Kiarostami, Terry Gilliam, Wim Wenders >>> See http://jahia.pardo.ch/jahia/Jahia/site/pardosite/cache/offonce/lang/en/pid/19?cnid=428
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