Focus Features recently premiered another awesome clip from the upcoming film, Thirst, directed by award-winning auteur, Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance)! Make sure to check it out – it’s another cool clip from this highly anticipated film!
Thirst Clip: “VAMPIRES ARE CUTER THAN I THOUGHT”
I’m not really surprised by this news… From Yahoo! News via Reuters:
ROME (Reuters) - The Italian Catholic Church has refused to let a new movie based on a Dan Brown novel be filmed in churches in Rome after the author’s “The Da Vinci Code” novel and film outraged the Vatican.
“Angels and Demons,” starring Tom Hanks and Ewan McGregor, is the prequel to Brown’s best-selling novel. The book is set mostly in Rome and the Vatican.Filming began this month at some of the capital’s most famous sights including Piazza Navona and Piazza del Popolo, but entry was denied to the churches of Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria.
The two famous Rome churches are among around 700 places of worship that are owned by the Italian interior ministry and run by Italy’s Church.
Archdiocese spokesman Rev. Marco Fibbi said the interior ministry had received a request from the film’s producers to use the churches. The interior ministry asked the archdiocese for its opinion and it was negative.
“I don’t think they would have asked us directly because they knew what the answer would be,” Fibbi told Reuters.
“The Da Vinci Code” outraged the Vatican and some Catholics because of its storyline that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, creating a royal blood line that Church officials kept secret for centuries.
Christians are taught that Jesus never married, was crucified and rose from the dead.
Santa Maria del Popolo is home of two masterpieces by Caravaggio — “The Crucifixion of St. Peter” and “The Conversion of St. Paul.”
Fibbi said permission to film in Italian churches is granted in exceptional circumstances and usually if the production is compatible with religious sentiment or if it is a documentary about religion or art.
This movie got a lot of buzz and was well received at Sundance and the Indie movie circles. Check it out when it heads to DVD on June 17th:
A beautifully told story about the power of family and courage, Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna) arrives on DVD June 17 from Fox Home Entertainment. Starring world-class Latino talent including Adrian Alonso (The Legend of Zorro), Telenova superstars Kate del Castillo (“El Derecho de nacer”) and Eugenio Derbez, (“Los Perplejos”), Jesse Garcia (The Comebacks), Carmen Salinas (Man on Fire) and Golden Globe-winner America Ferrara (“Ugly Betty”) in a “beautifully rendered…warm hearted” (Richard Roeper) feature from first-time director Patricia Wiggins, Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna) portrays the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos (Alonso) and his mother, Rosario (Del Castillo). In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the U.S. while her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again. Touted for its colorful characters and an inspirational tale of self-discovery, Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna) is “a timely and energetic crowd-pleaser that allows the viewer to share the bond between mother and son” (Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald). Under The Same Moon (La Misma Luna) is presented in widescreen format and includes commentary, deleted scenes and two featurettes.
Official Site:
Vote for your favorite Babelgum Online Film Festival video entry now! Babelgum, the new interactive web TV portal, is proud to announce its first Babelgum Online Film Festival judged by director Spike Lee and a professional panel!!
Babelgum Official Site:
http://www.babelgum.com/boff/?referrer=bab-0002
Hurry Hurry Hurry!!
Still time to Vote!!
Best post wins an all expenses paid trip to meet Spike Lee at next month’s Cannes Film Festival and a ticket to the first BOFF Awards Ceremony
BABELGUM ONLINE FILM FESTIVAL/News Update
Top rated films this week are from Italy, France, Norway and the USA
London, 22nd.April 2008 – Voting fever reigns at the first Babelgum Online Film Festival (BOFF) on Babelgum, the new interactive web TV portal. Over a thousand entries from 86 countries are available to anyone with broadband, reaching a potential global audience of 360 million.
The Babelgum Online Film Festival is the first of its kind, and provides a unique distribution opportunity for the newest filmmaking talent. A number of entries have been created specifically for the festival, proving that it is also generating new and original content.
Top Films of the week April 14/20: Get a grip on your life…..and enjoy!! That seems to be the message from this week’s most popular films in the Babelgum Online Film Festival, the first BOFF. We can allow ourselves a little more pleasure, be brave in the face of adversity, move onwards and upwards even after we’ve been rejected and have faith. We can make a difference too – either by crossing a border on a rocket or, on a serious note, looking for alternatives to oil. Sure, we can take it too far, but as the top of the music category shows, true friends will always forgive us our excesses.
Animation - ITALY
Clito - This excellent piece of Italian cheekiness needs a little warning before you watch. First, make sure your mother isn’t standing behind you. Or your boss. Clear? Now, you’re ready to enjoy a hilarious and possibly educational film about the life and love life of our nether regions.
Documentary - ITALY
GREATER – Defeating Aids – This film pulls together various stories about a group of Ugandan women who are HIV positive, but this is anything but a mainstream piece of work. Inspiring characters, full of zest for life, tell us their stories, and show us their dances.
Looking for Genius - USA
Jilted – The Puppini Sisters – In this sumptuous 5 minute film (a budget of $4000? Impossible no?) we are told a story about a woman who’s been dumped and takes her revenge on all the men who have ever left her. Duel by Popcorn is just one of the original ideas here but the message is an old one: hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Be warned.
Music - NORWAY
Sondre Lerche – this is quirky and fun, just what you expect from the Norwegian music scene, but here we have a snappy tune and an engaging video to boot. Sondre Lerche is the singer who manages to control the camera with his hands but the power goes to his head and he doesn’t want to share the limelight with his band. They turn into a horse-headed gang who chase him but it all works out fine in the end. Scandinavian diplomacy in action.
Short Film - USA
Officer Down – Holding on to first place in this category, this is a compelling story about a bad cop turned good, or about faith working miracles. This film just keeps on scoring highly with Babelgum audiences – it’s a praise fest. Strong writing, acting and direction.
Social/Environment - ITALY
Fill – A man fills up his car at a lonely petrol station and is haunted by the voices and sounds of all the suffering caused in the name of oil. A single drop of blood drips as he replaces the pump. This one appealed to Italian BOFFers in particular but anyone on this planet will appreciate its simplicity in conveying an important message.
Spot/Advertising - FRANCE
The Pocket Crossborder – An ad for the quickest and easiest way of crossing a border – be a human cannonball. Only don’t try this at home or on a border you can legitimately get across because helmet and armour are not included, ok? This film rocketed in the Babelgum audience’s views – no less than Charlie Kaufman wrote a post and George Lucas commented “may the force be with you”. Who said Babelgum doesn’t have friends among Hollywood’s royalty!
The Categories:
• The Babelgum Short Film Award
• The Babelgum Looking For Genius Award
• The Babelgum Animation Award
• The Babelgum Music Video Award
• The Babelgum Social / Environment Award
• The Babelgum Spot / Advertising Award
• The Babelgum Documentary Award
The Judging Process:
• Babelgum users are now voting in their thousands and having their say on who will become the next big filmmaking talent. A shortlist of films will be reached through a combination of factors: users’ votes, the amount of times a film is viewed, the amount of posts and comments and the number of times a film is linked
• The shortlist will then be judged by the BOFF Jury, led by renowned director Spike Lee. The other jurors consist of film experts from across the globe, including the directors of established film festivals, film schools and film industry associations:
About Babelgum
Babelgum is a new interactive web TV portal. Babelgum uses peer-to-peer technology to provide the immersive viewing experience and picture quality of traditional TV combined with the interactivity and personalization enabled by the Internet.
Babelgum allows users to enjoy free, on-demand and personalized channels, using both niche and mainstream content to satisfy individuals’ needs for tailored entertainment. Instead of user-generated clips, it features only professionally produced content spanning film, news, sports, documentaries, music videos, concerts, lifestyle and trends, animation and scripted programs.
Babelgum provides independent content owners with a protected platform on which to gain global exposure of their work and a unique model to monetise their content online. Babelgum’s content partners include 3DD, the Associated Press, Shine Limited, BBC Motion Gallery, Reuters, Entertainment Rights, Gong Anime, IMG, Ministry of Sound TV, Zed and Off the Fence, among others. Founded in 2005, Babelgum is a privately held company, with headquarters in Ireland and offices in the U.K., France, Italy and soon the U.S.
For further information on Babelgum please contact:
Charles McDonald/PPR
+44 207 292 8330
charles.mcdonald@premierpr.com
Babelgum’s Press Office
Andrea Giannotti
+44 20 7268 2490
+44 7825 892 640
andrea.giannotti@babelgum.com
We are pleased to present four new clips for the romantic comedy PRICELESS, starring Audrey Tautou. PRICELESS is a sexy and thoroughly charming romantic comedy, and a fresh re-imagining of the cinema classic, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S.
“Watch”
“Training”
“Seduce Me”
“Baloncy”
“A CHARMER! The theft is ingenious and Demi Moore is fascinating, doing some of her best work ever.” Elle
“Caine is utterly charming…Demi Moore is back for real.” Hollywood Reporter
“A polished and lustrous exercise in ’60s nostalgia.” Variety
Synopsis:
From director Michael Radford (THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, IL POSTINO) comes FLAWLESS, a clever diamond-heist thriller set in swinging 1960s London. Demi Moore plays Laura Quinn, a bright, driven and beautiful executive at the London Diamond Corporation who finds herself frustrated by a glass ceiling after years of faithful employment, as man after man is promoted ahead of her despite her greater experience. Michael Caine is Hobbs, the nighttime janitor at London Diamond who is virtually invisible to the executives that work there, but over the years has amassed a startling amount of knowledge about how the company runs. Hobbs has his own bone to pick with London Diamond. Observing Laura’s frustration, he convinces her to help him execute an ingenious plan to steal a hefty sum in diamonds. But unbeknownst to Laura, Hobbs plans go even farther than he’s let on, and together they set in motion a thrilling heist of dizzying proportions, the likes of which London has never seen.
Trailer:
HERE is the link to find the sneak peek of the Trailer for Lust, Caution from Amazon.com. Below you’ll find some more info on the film.
Synopsis: Director Ang Lee’s new film, following his Academy Award win for directing “Brokeback Mountain,” is an espionage thriller set in WWII-era Shanghai. Asian cinema icon Tony Leung (“Hero,” “In the Mood for Love”) stars as Mr. Yee, a powerful political figure in 1940s Shanghai. Tang Wei, a rising star in mainland China, makes her feature film debut as Wang Jiazhi, a young woman who gets swept up in a dangerous game of emotional intrigue with Mr. Yee.
Director: Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”)
Writer: Wang Hui Ling, James Schamus; Based on the short story by Eileen Chang
Cast: Tony Leung, Tang Wei, Joan Chen, Wang Leehom
Official Website: http://www.focusfeatures.com/lustcaution
The Host is a movie from South Korea that was released this summer and broke box office records in its domestic run. It’s been getting great buzz in the states and is considered by some to be one of the best monster movies ever made. Go to the official site to check out the trailer and see for yourself…
The talk of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival and the latest film from critically acclaimed visionary director BONG Joon-ho, THE HOST has already garnered a substantial amount of international buzz. Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects, courtesy of a creative partnership between Weta Workshop (King Kong, The Lord of the Rings) and The Orphanage (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sin City), THE HOST is both a creature-feature thrill ride and a poignant human drama.
Synopsis:
Gang-du (SONG Kang-ho) works at a food-stand on the banks of the Han River. Dozing on the job, he is awakened by his daughter, Hyun-seo ( KO A-sung), who is angry with him for missing a teacher-parent meeting at school. As Gang-du walks out to the riverbank with a delivery, he notices that a large crowd of people have gathered, taking pictures and talking about something hanging from the Han River Bridge. The otherwise idyllic landscape turns suddenly to bedlam, when a terrifying creature climbs up onto the riverbank and begins to crush and eat people. Gang-du and his daughter run for their lives, but suddenly the being grabs Hyun-seo and disappears back into the river. The government announces that the monstrous thing apparently is the Host of an unidentified virus. Having feared the worst, Gang-du receives a phone call from his daughter who is frightened, but very much alive. Gang-du soon makes plans to infiltrate the forbidden zone near the Han River to rescue his daughter from the clutches of the horrifying Host…
The Official Site:
Monsters Are Real:
LOS ANGELES, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — September 01, 2006 — Iranian/American filmmaker Kayvan Mashayekh offers an alternative perspective to the “death and destruction” images so prevalent in today’s media.Armed with unbridled passion for the culturally rich stories passed down to him by his father, Mashayekh quit his law practice in Texas and devoted seven years to making his first film, “The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam.” In only 37 days of actual filming in five cities and three continents, this epic adventure was shot almost entirely on location in Ancient Iran (now Uzbekistan), where Director Mashayekh was able to utilize impressive settings and 1000-year old structures. The film played in U.S. Theaters in limited release in 14 Cities last year for nearly one year. It will launch its DVD amid a storm of controversy over the future of the Middle East. The PG rated film resonates extremely well with families and with “The Oprah Winfrey crowd,” women over the age of 35 with children.
The film is about a present day American boy of Persian descent whose dying brother relates the story of their family’s ancestor, the 11th Century Poet and Scientist, Omar Khayyam. As the story is told, the young boy realizes that his family history is fading. He becomes the keeper of that story and embarks on a quest to preserve the story for future generations.
“Omar Khayyam is a revered figure throughout the World, especially in the Middle East, because Khayyam was the father of the philosophy of reason above faith,” said Mashayekh. Mashayekh lost his own father to brain cancer 12 years ago, and wants the world to know there is more to Iran than what the media portrays. His film has raised over $181,000 for Children’s and Cancer charities in Texas, New York and London and he hopes to do more by “showing people that the dialogue of peace starts by giving to those most in need, absent ethnic divisions.”
“The Keeper: The Legend of Omar Khayyam” is an English language, epic feature film which was an Official Selection at the 2005 Moscow International Film Festival. This year, it has also received two prestigious International Awards for Best Directing and Costume Design from the World Academy of Art, Literature and Media. The film was also hailed by Mayor Bill White of Houston for its cultural value to the city. “Keeper Day” was officially proclaimed in a public ceremony at Houston’s City Hall on July 26th, 2005. Additional information, including a trailer and images can be accessed at the film’s official website, www.KeeperMovie.com
This might be the coolest movie of the year… and it was made in France!!! Definitely check this out.
DISTRICT B-13:
Paris, 2010. An isolation wall surrounds the ghetto cities. Without rules or laws, gangs reign here as absolute masters, and he who does not die first wins a reprieve, while awaiting his turn. Damien is a member of the police elite task force. Special intervention unit officer and expert in martial arts, he is a past master in the field of infiltration, and well versed in successfully completing his operations through rapid, precise and often strong-arm actions. This time, the government has assigned him the most extreme expedition of his entire career: a weapon of mass destruction has been stolen by the most powerful gang of District B13. Assigned to infiltrate the sector to defuse the bomb, Damien must join hands with Leïto, whose sole goal is to save his sister, who has fallen into the hands of the same gang. He is, moreover, the only one who knows District B13 like the back of his hand. But the story is not so simple. Who exactly works for whom? Where are those who really pull the strings hiding? And above all, who profits from the use of this bomb?
Catch the trailer here in WatchMojo’s Guide to Summer Movies
OFFICIAL SITE:
PLAY
