Lionsgate and Tyler Perry have announced the commencement of production of MADEA’S WITNESS PROTECTION. The film marks the prolific filmmaker and multi-media tycoon’s 14^th feature film production with Lionsgate in seven years. The announcement was made by Perry with Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger, co-chairs of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group.

Comic legend Eugene Levy (the AMERICAN PIE franchise, BEST IN SHOW) stars in the film as George, a high level CFO at the center of a Ponzi scheme in New York City who is enrolled in the Witness Protection program along with his family in the one place that absolutely no one will think to look for them: Madea’s house down South.  Perry wrote the script, is directing and producing the film, and will reprise three of his best loved roles – as tough talking grandma Madea, as Madea’s indelicate cousin Joe, and as plain-spoken attorney Brian, who places the family with Madea, resulting in the hilarious scenario that unfolds under her roof.

Rounding out the cast are Emmy®-winning actress Doris Roberts as George’s mother, Tom Arnold as his business associate Walter, Denise Richards as his younger wife Kate, and Danielle Campbell and Devan Leos as the family’s youngsters – for whom Madea has plenty of valuable lessons lined up. Actor and rapper Romeo also has a role in the film, playing Jake, a friend of Brian who was affected by the scam. John Amos plays Jake’s father in the film, and Marla Gibbs appears as Madea’s neighbor.

The film began principal photography on Monday, January 30^th in Atlanta,Georgia, at the filmmaker’s own 200,000 square foot studio compound, Tyler Perry Studios. Mike Paseornek, Lionsgate’s President of Motion Picture Development and Production, will oversee the project on behalf of the studio. Ozzie Areu, President of Tyler Perry Studios, and Paul E. Hall are producing the film alongside Perry.

“This is the ultimate fish out of water story, and I believe the funniest Madea story yet,” said Paseornek. “We loved the witness protection concept from the second we heard it, but whenTylercast comedy icon Eugene Levy and put him under the same roof with Madea and Uncle Joe, he took this movie to a whole new level.”

When asked for her feedback on the project, Madea herself added,”Auh hell, now they want me to work with these white folks. Next thing you know they will be asking me to go on Dancing With The Stars. I need to talk to my agent.”

The film is being produced under Perry’s ongoing first look partnership with Lionsgate. Perry’s theatrical releases for Lionsgate have grossed more than $572 million at the North American box office alone, and his films, stage plays and DVDs are all distributed by the company. GOOD DEEDS, starring Perry with Thandie Newton, will be released by Lionsgate this February 24^th, with THE MARRIAGE COUNSELOR in theaters on July 27^th, 2012.

Perry also produces two hit television shows, “Tyler Perry’s House of Payne” and its spinoff, “Meet The Browns,” which are distributed by Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury and continue to establish new standards of distribution and syndication success.  His third television show, “For Better or Worse” debuted on TBS in November.

With the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate now has the two leading young adult franchises – the blockbuster TWILIGHT SAGA, which has grossed more than $2.5 billion at the worldwide box office, and the HUNGER GAMES franchise, whose first film will be released on March 23.  Recent Summit hits include RED, LETTERS TO JULIET, KNOWING, the STEP UP franchise and the Academy Award winning Best Picture THE HURT LOCKER.

About Tyler Perry

Born into poverty and raised in a household scarred by abuse, Perry’s strength, faith and perseverance would later form the foundations of his plays, films, books and shows. A simple piece of advice from Oprah set his career in motion as a diary of his daily thoughts and experiences led to his writing of a musical, I Know I’ve Been Changed, in 1992. Five years later with no money left, sleeping in seedy motels and his car, Perry’s faith in himself and God only got stronger, allowing him to forge ahead. In 1998, his perseverance paid off when the play began a limited church run.

The community came out in droves and Perry never looked back as he began an incredible run of eight plays in eight years. Madea first debuted in 2000’s I Can Do Bad All By Myself and spawned three more plays leading to Perry’s jump to the big screen with 2005’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which debuted at #1 nationwide. He followed with Madea’s Family Reunion, Daddy’s Little Girls, Why Did I Get Married?, Meet the Browns, The Family That Preys, I Can Do Bad All by Myself, Why Did I Get Married Too?, and For Colored Girls, which were all met with massive fan support and commercial success. Madea’s Big Happy Family, which was first a stage play, opened at over $25 million this past April.  In 2006, Perry’s first book, Don’t Make A Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings: Madea’s Uninhibited Commentaries On Life and Love, shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list and claimed two Quill Book Awards.

In 2007, Perry expanded his brand to television with the series House of Payne, the highest-rated first-run syndicated cable show of all time and followed that up with Meet the Browns, the second highest debut ever on cable, after House of Payne.  In November, Perry unveiled his newest television series on TBS, “For Better or Worse,” based on the characters from the popular “Why Did I Get Married” films.

He can next be seen in the lead role in Good Deeds, and played the title character in the Rob Cohen film I, Alex Cross.  Perry recently directed the upcoming Lionsgate drama based on his stage play of the same name, The Marriage Counselor.

Perry is represented by WME and attorney Matt Johnson from Ziffren Brittenham.  Levy is represented by Anonymous Content and ICM.  Talent deals for the film were negotiated on behalf of Lionsgate by Robert Melnik, EVP of Business and Legal Affairs.

The winners of the Directors Guild of America Outstanding Directorial Achievement Awards for 2011, and the recipients of the Guild’s 2012 Career Achievement Awards were announced tonight during the 64th Annual DGA Awards Dinner at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Los Angeles. Michel Hazanavicius won the DGA’s Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for THE ARTIST. Being his first DGA Feature Film Award nomination, Hazanavicius bested veteran directors Martin Scorsese – HUGO, David Fincher – THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, Alexander Payne – THE DESCENDANTS, and Woody Allen – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS.

James Marsh won the Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Documentary for PROJECT NIM. This was Mr. Marsh’s second DGA Award nomination. He was previously nominated in this category for MAN ON WIRE in 2008.

Following the welcome by DGA President Taylor Hackford to an audience of more than 1,600 guests, director/producer/actor Kelsey Grammer hosted the ceremony.

Presenters included (in alphabetical order): DGA Secretary-Treasurer Michael Apted; Berenice Bejo (The Artist); George Clooney (The Descendants); Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad); Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men); Laura Dern (Enlightened); Jean Dujardin (The Artist); DGA President Taylor Hackford; 2010 DGA Feature Film Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech); Stana Katic (Castle); Ben Kingsley (Hugo); Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy); Kathleen Robertson (Boss); Octavia Spencer (The Help); DGA Third Vice President Betty Thomas; Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn); and Deborah Ann Woll (True Blood).

The DGA’s Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film has traditionally served as a near-perfect barometer for the Academy Award for Best Director. Only six times since the DGA Award’s inception in 1948 has the winner not gone on to receive the Academy Award for Best Director.

The six exceptions are as follows:

• 1968: Anthony Harvey won the DGA Award for The Lion in Winter while Carol Reed took home the Oscar® for Oliver!
• 1972: Francis Ford Coppola received the DGA’s nod for The Godfather while the Academy selected Bob Fosse for Cabaret.
• 1985: Steven Spielberg received his first DGA Award for The Color Purple while the Oscar® went to Sydney Pollack for Out of Africa.
• 1995: Ron Howard was chosen by the DGA for his direction of Apollo 13 while Academy voters selected Mel Gibson for Braveheart.
• 2000: Ang Lee won the DGA Award for his direction of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon while Steven Soderbergh won the Academy Award for Traffic.2002: Rob Marshall won the DGA Award for Chicago while Roman Polanski received the Academy Award for The Pianist.

Last weekend YOUNG ADULT opened on 8 screens with a solid $40k per screen average and it expands to wide release tomorrow. I recently attended a press junket for the film written by Diablo Cody & directed by Jason Reitman. Below are the highlights from the press conference with director Jason Reitman.

JASON REITMAN on Charlize Theron:  I was only going to make this movie if I could make it with Charlize. I had read the script and I thought it was phenomenal, but I knew how tricky this character was and I knew how easily it would be to misinterpret this character.  You know on the page she was written perfectly. She was nuanced and complicated and she wasn’t just some mean girl.  She was a woman with deep wounds that like anybody wanted to be loved and was searching for her place in life who really only knew how to find it by going back to high school to the last moment where things kind of made sense to her, but she was looking for an on road, you know, an on ramp to the highway. And it’s one of those things that in the hands of the wrong actress would just be a mean girl.

JASON REITMAN on Patton Oswalt:  I needed someone who was going to be the accessibility point to this movie and I think this movie works because of Patton Oswald.  I think the audience strangely sees the movie through Patton Oswald.  He says the things that everyone in the audience wants to say and his rare combination of like brilliant comedy, but also his pathos, his ability to go to these really sad places makes the whole thing work.

JASON REITMAN on Movie Night: I loved that Scorsese probably screens these great Italian films for his cast and the only thing I ever sent Charlize was season’s one of The Hills of Laguna Beach. Oh yes. Following in the footsteps of giants. I have a movie night at my house every Sunday night and it really came out of my own embarrassment of the amount of films that I had not seen and I presumed that if there were a lot of films that I had not seen that my friends perhaps had not seen them either. So what I did was every Sunday night I show a classic movie that you’re supposed to have seen that I have not seen and I just invite my friends and say hey here’s a moment for us all to stop being embarrassed and start seeing these films. And it started a couple of years ago and we watch films like and now I’m going to embarrass myself for all of you.  Cool Hand Luke, which I had never seen, Patton I had never seen, Say Anything I had never seen.  I know, that’s always the shocker.

JASON REITMAN on Casting Patton Oswalt:  When I went to do the table read for this film I called on friends at first and Patton is a friend and I said hey would you read this role?   And watching him do it was just so – - he was so perfect and then when he read it with Charlize they had this unbelievable chemistry. It was actually the moment I realized this was a romance was watching the two of them together and a heartbreaking romance.  It’s like a Romeo and Juliet because it’s a romance that cannot be.  But anyhow yeah, that’s, that was the research and that’s how I know Patton.

JASON REITMAN on Diablo Cody: I have the rights to Diablo’s life. In a deal that really benefits me more than her. I always feel and I’m not sure if directors or writers will get more upset at me for saying this, but I feel like they’re all part of the same thing.  I see my job as storytelling and that starts with simply an idea, a feeling I want the audience to have and it travels through writing, directing, shooting, cutting, post, doing this to the whole thing.  And so if I don’t write the script I get to personally skip one part of the process.  And with Diablo, I don’t know, we get along so well and we trust each other so much, there’s never been a question of whether or not she was going to be on set.  So when she could be on set it’s great.  I put her to work, you know.  I say, you know, I need this, I need a line, I need a scene and she does it.  But there’s also enough trust that if she’s not there, she knows I’m not going to screw up her script.  And I’m a writer myself and I strangely feel as a writer on set the job is to be a tailor.  It’s to, you know, and I know Sorkin would be pissed if I said this, but if an actor can’t say the lines, in my opinion it’s not the actor’s fault.  If you put on a pair of clothes that don’t fit, it’s not your fault, it’s the clothes fault.  And the clothes should be tailored and that’s how I feel about dialogue.  If I’m with an actor and they’re struggling with the words, then I tailor the words for the actor.  Very rarely would I say this is the line, you need to say the line.

JASON REITMAN on directing theater:  You know I spent last year in New York making this film from start to finish, including post. And it was a great moment for me ‘cause for the first time in my life I had seen most of the shows that were playing and it was really exciting to be able to get into a conversation and actually know what I was talking about for a very brief nano-second and certainly looking at great plays made me want to try to direct a play.  That said I know nothing about theater so it’s a little presumptuous of me to think I could do it. But yeah, although on the other hand what I love about directing movies is I have the final say, you know. I get to cut the performance and the idea that you just hand off the play to your actors, that seems insane. I mean I would literally be on stage.  Let’s do that again.  You know let’s just hold on audience and it would be a ten hour play of just me all right one more time, all right that was great, continue the scene from there.  That would be like me directing.  It would be a boring play.

JASON REITMAN on Women Behaving badly: Women behaving badly is, excuse me, I’m not trying to be rude, I think is just kind off a cheap term and look, I’ve always been interested in making movies about women. They interest me far more than men.  And I’m interested in honesty in filmmaking and I think the darker moments are far more interesting than the cheerful ones.  And I guess that’s my approach and I don’t know why they made Bride’s Maids and I don’t know why they made Bad Teacher.  That’s certainly why I made this movie.

JASON REITMAN on the film’s message: First and foremost I don’t have a message in any of my movies.  You know if I have a message and hopefully there’s a continuity of that in all my films it’s think for yourself and come up with your own opinions and I certainly don’t want to tell you what to think. That is the core theme of Thank You for Smoking and since then hopefully people draw their own conclusions and that’s always been kind of the case. On Juno pro life people thought it was their movie, pro choice thought it was there’s and I’ve certainly got a variance of opinions of where George Clooney goes at the end of Up in the Air and that makes me happy. That lets me know I’m doing my job.  I really just want to – I’d rather inspire the conversation than tell you what to think.  So on this movie I’m certainly not saying this is my message to women.

JASON REITMAN on writing: As far as how we treat her life, I thought it was a fairly true and, you know, I’m speaking to a room of writers, point view on what it’s like to write, which is it’s a really lonely existence, man or woman. Often it feels like a trip to Office Depot, makes me feel as though I accomplished something today. I did something and it’s the only – - and you do it for the pure reason of if I didn’t do this it really would feel like I did nothing, but I had an adventure.  I picked up toner. And being a writer is tricky in that your sense of accomplishment is always so varied. Is it by page count?  Is it by that you wrote something special? Will anyone ever read this? Will anyone ever see this?  And I don’t think that changes no matter how much success you have. Every time I write I feel like this is awful, no one will ever see this or if they do they’ll think it’s, you know, they’ll never hire me again.

JASON REITMAN on parental advice: There were a couple times we’re on set she would say something that was so mean that we just had to cut the line of dialogue. It was just, at that point it wasn’t even interesting anymore, it was just that’s really bitchy. I mean, you can’t, you know, the audience is just going to hate her for no reason and it all of a sudden is actually out of character and dishonest because it’s just so mean. It’s mean for no reason. All of this always goes back to a piece of advice that my father gave me and he literally gave it to me the night before I started shooting Thank You for Smoking. And he said “always remember it’s not your job to be funny. Your barometer for comedy is nowhere as good as your barometer for truth. And the only thing you’re trying to achieve on set is honesty.” You look at a performance, you look at anything the way people interact, the location, the way you’re shooting it, does it feel truthful because you’re not going to be able to tell if it’s funny. Ever once in a while it’s okay that’s hilarious, but you always know when it feels like bullshit or not. Even with people you know when they’re being truthful with you and so it’s the greatest piece of directing advice I’ve ever gotten and it plays, it feeds everything and if I’m ever unsure I can always go back to that and think about what my father told me and say all right does this feel honest. And that plays into is this too mean because if it’s so mean that it feels otherworldly then it’s not right.

JASON REITMAN on music selection:  You know one of the great parts about working with Diablo is that she’s so specific in her writing; the production design, wardrobe, specific as her dialogue seems, the description work is even stronger and the songs are there. And so the only question there is then, you know, do I agree with them or not and I usually agree with them. And on this movie, even though we love the same music and we come from the same era, there’s a few songs that I’m not a huge fan of including the Teenage Fan Club song.  But I knew it was right for the movie so that’s kind of all that mattered. [The song mentioned is The Concept]

JASON REITMAN on tone: I wanted – - to do something that I hadn’t done in my other films.  And I think as a director I try to grow with each film.  I try to do something different to the audience.   In the first movie I just wanted to make people laugh.  Second film, I wanted them to feel romance.  In the third film I wanted them to feel lonely.  And on this one, I wanted people to feel uncomfortable.  I wanted them to look at the screen and be so in the moment that they felt like they were standing there on the lawn watching Charlize break down right in front of them and they don’t know what to say because you feel sorry for her, you’re not sure if you’re part of the cause of this.

JASON REITMAN on audience reactions: I know with my films I don’t want to judge anybody. I don’t want to judge any of the characters. It’s very important to me. If the audience feels as though they know how I – - my judgment of a character that I considered, then I think I failed.  I think my job at the end of the day is to create honesty and truth and real moments that instead of telling you to think, just push you to think about something. And nothing gets me more excited than an audience arguing over what I was trying to say or having a thoughtful conversation about the film rather than walking out. I would be much more disappointed by someone walking out of my film and thinking and now I believe this because that strangely isn’t my job.

And finally, this next quote isn’t an answer to a question but rather Reitman’s response to receiving some praise prior to a question. I wanted to include it because it was so genuine & I really enjoyed seeing this reaction in personal.

JASON REITMAN: Okay. First of all, thank you for saying those really kind things.  That means a lot to me. That’s nice to hear. Sorry, I just, you know, I just did an interview earlier. I was just talking about how I became a director and I just remember a moment where I thought I’ll be lucky if I ever get to direct a commercial and that’s a really cool thing to hear. Thank you for saying that.

Check back tomorrow for highlights from the YA press conference with Diablo Cody, Charlize Theron & Patton Oswalt.

 Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) has announced that “Hugo” director Martin Scorsese will receive the Critics’ Choice Music+Film Award at the 17th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards. The show will air live for the fifth straight year on VH1 from the Hollywood Palladium on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 8:00 PM ET/PT.

Selected by the BFCA Board of Directors, the Music+Film Award honors a single filmmaker who has touched audiences through cinematic storytelling, and has heightened the impact of films through the brilliant use of source and original music. Beyond his unforgettable use of music in such classic films as “Mean Streets,” “GoodFellas,” “The Departed,” and most recently with “Hugo,” Martin Scorsese has taken his love of music even further by working with iconic artists on documentary/concert films including “The Last Waltz” with The Band, “Shine a Light” with the Rolling Stones, “No Direction Home” with Bob Dylan, and most recently the magical “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”

The Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are bestowed annually by the BFCA to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. The BFCA is the largest film critics’ organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 250 television, radio and online critics.  BFCA members are the primary source of information for today’s film going public.  The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members.

“This year’s Critics’ Choice Movie Awards marks another gratifying collaboration with the Broadcast Film Critics Association and our partners at VH1,” states Joey Berlin, BFCA President.  “With a very impressive lineup of films featuring the world’s biggest stars under consideration this year, we look forward to a truly spectacular show highlighted by the presentation of the Music+Film Award to Martin Scorsese, one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.”

Since its inception in 1995, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards has been a star-studded bellwether event of the movie awards season.  Historically, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. Last year, for example, all four of the acting category winners at the Oscars – Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo – first accepted their awards in the same categories at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.  In all, 18 of the 20 actors nominated for Oscars were first Critics’ Choice Movie Awards nominees. Quentin Tarantino received the inaugural Music+Film Award in 2011.

“The Critics Choice Movie Awards has grown into one of Hollywood’s biggest nights, often foretelling who will go on to win an Academy Award,” said Tom Calderone, President, VH1.  “We are proud to partner again with Joey Berlin and the entire BFCA to bring VH1 viewers an exclusive A-list experience that’s genuinely entertaining and high-energy as well.  We can’t wait to roll out our red carpet!”

The 17th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, honoring the finest in cinematic achievement among 2011 film releases, will announce its nominees on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. Nominating ballots went out to BFCA members on December 5, 2011 with a deadline for returning them on December 11, 2011. Once the nominees are selected, final ballots will be sent to BFCA members on January 8, 2012 with a deadline for returning final ballots on January 10, 2012.

For more information about the show visit CriticsChoice.VH1.com, “Like” VH1 on Facebook, and follow @VH1 on Twitter and use the hashtag #CCMA to talk about the awards!

On Saturday I had the pleasure of interviewing actor Brian O’Halloran. He is best known for playing the character of Dante in Kevin Smith’s CLERKS & CLERKS 2. He also recently appeared in BRUTAL MASSACRE and the upcoming CALENDAR GIRL. He was at the New York Comic Con this weekend signing autographs and agreed to an impromptu interview. We talked about the convention, theater, horror films and more. He even offered some great advice for indie filmmakers. After he interview, I ended up hanging around the booth another 15 minutes talking with him and some other fans who stopped by. Check out the full interview below!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com

Film Based on Nicholas Sparks Best-Selling Novel

(Beverly Hills, CA) June 16, 2011 – Relativity Media has closed a deal with Oscar® and DGA-nominee Lasse Hallström (The Cider House Rules, Dear John) to direct their upcoming film SAFE HAVEN, based on the latest novel from best-selling author Nicholas Sparks, announced Relativity’s President of Worldwide Production Tucker Tooley. The film is scheduled to head into production this year.

Sparks’ previous books have been made into such hit films as The Notebook, The Last Song, Nights in Rodanthe and Dear John. His latest, Safe Haven, is a gripping love story infused with suspense and discovery. When a young woman escaping her past moves to a small North Carolina town, and falls for a loving widowed father, he heals her heart, and helps her escape the danger that threatens her.

“Lasse is an incredibly gifted director,” says Tooley. “He was the obvious choice to bring Safe Haven to life, as he showed incredible talent and affinity for Nicholas’ material on Dear John.” He added, “Relativity, Nicholas, Marty and Wyck are all thrilled to be working with him again.”

Alongside Relativity’s CEO Ryan Kavanaugh and author Nicholas Sparks, the film is being produced by Temple Hill Entertainment’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey.  Relativity’s Tooley will serve as executive producer. The screenplay is written by Dana Stevens (City Of Angels).

Hallström is repped by UTA.

On Sunday, Peter Jackson revealed to everyone on his official Facebook page that, “My first video post from the set of THE HOBBIT will be landing here soon!” Today the director posted the following explanation on how the film is being shot and promised said video very soon.

Time for an update. Actually, we’ve been intending to kick off with a video, which is almost done, so look out for that in the next day or two. In the meantime, I thought I’d address the news that has been reported about us shooting THE HOBBIT at 48 frames per second, and explain to you what my thoughts are about this.

We are indeed shooting at the higher frame rate. The key thing to understand is that this process requires both shooting and projecting at 48 fps, rather than the usual 24 fps (films have been shot at 24 frames per second since the late 1920′s). So the result looks like normal speed, but the image has hugely enhanced clarity and smoothness. Looking at 24 frames every second may seem ok–and we’ve all seen thousands of films like this over the last 90 years–but there is often quite a lot of blur in each frame, during fast movements, and if the camera is moving around quickly, the image can judder or “strobe.”

Shooting and projecting at 48 fps does a lot to get rid of these issues. It looks much more lifelike, and it is much easier to watch, especially in 3-D. We’ve been watching HOBBIT tests and dailies at 48 fps now for several months, and we often sit through two hours worth of footage without getting any eye strain from the 3-D. It looks great, and we’ve actually become used to it now, to the point that other film experiences look a little primitive. I saw a new movie in the cinema on Sunday and I kept getting distracted by the juddery panning and blurring. We’re getting spoilt!

“Here’s me at our 3D video set up on the set.”

Originally, 24 fps was chosen based on the technical requirements of the early sound era. I suspect it was the minimum speed required to get some audio fidelity out of the first optical sound tracks. They would have settled on the minimum speed because of the cost of the film stock. 35mm film is expensive, and the cost per foot (to buy the negative stock, develop it and print it), has been a fairly significant part of any film budget.

So we have lived with 24 fps for 9 decades–not because it’s the best film speed (it’s not by any stretch), but because it was the cheapest speed to achieve basic acceptable results back in 1927 or whenever it was adopted.

None of this thinking is new. Doug Trumbull developed and promoted a 60 frames per second process called ShowScan about 30 years ago and that looked great. Unfortunately it was never adopted past theme park use. I imagine the sheer expense of burning through expensive film stock at the higher speed (you are charged per foot of film, which is about 18 frames), and the projection difficulties in cinemas, made it tough to use for “normal” films, despite looking amazing. Actually, if anybody has been on the Star Tours ride at Disneyland, you’ve experienced the life like quality of 60 frames per second. Our new King Kong attraction at Universal Studios also uses 60 fps.

Now that the world’s cinemas are moving towards digital projection, and many films are being shot with digital cameras, increasing the frame rate becomes much easier. Most of the new digital projectors are capable of projecting at 48 fps, with only the digital servers needing some firmware upgrades. We tested both 48 fps and 60 fps. The difference between those speeds is almost impossible to detect, but the increase in quality over 24 fps is significant.

Film purists will criticize the lack of blur and strobing artifacts, but all of our crew–many of whom are film purists–are now converts. You get used to this new look very quickly and it becomes a much more lifelike and comfortable viewing experience. It’s similar to the moment when vinyl records were supplanted by digital CDs. There’s no doubt in my mind that we’re heading towards movies being shot and projected at higher frame rates.

Warner Bros. have been very supportive, and allowed us to start shooting THE HOBBIT at 48 fps, despite there never having been a wide release feature film filmed at this higher frame rate. We are hopeful that there will be enough theaters capable of projecting 48 fps by the time The Hobbit comes out where we can seriously explore that possibility with Warner Bros. However, while it’s predicted that there may be over 10,000 screens capable of projecting THE HOBBIT at 48 fps by our release date in Dec, 2012, we don’t yet know what the reality will be. It is a situation we will all be monitoring carefully. I see it as a way of future-proofing THE HOBBIT. Take it from me–if we do release in 48 fps, those are the cinemas you should watch the movie in. It will look terrific!

Time to jump in the car and drive to Bag End for the day. Video coming soon!

THE HOBBIT films are co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM. The two films are planned for release in late 2012 and 2013, respectively.

“The Hobbit” is set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

The two films, with screenplays by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson, will be shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Check out THE HOBBIT’s Facebook page HERE, Peter Jackson’s Facebook page HERE and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Official Facebook Page HERE. Visit the official HOBBIT blog HERE.

Legendary director Roger Corman will be in St. Louis to kick of the Vincentennial Vincent Price Film Festival here in St. Louis !!! Mr.Corman has committed to being here to help St. Louis celebrate the 100th birthday of the most famous movie star to hail from our city. Roger Corman directed Vincent Price in eight classic films between 1960 and 1964, most of them based on the writings of Edgar Allen Poe: HOUSE OF USHER, TALES OF TERROR, THE PIT AND THE PENDULUM, TOWER OF LONDON, MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, TOMB OF LIGEIA, THE HAUNTED PALACE, and THE RAVEN. The Hi-Pointe Theater will reserve its single massive (seats 400) screen to host the first three days of the film festival (which will be spread out over 8 evenings) and we will present two separate evenings with Roger Corman, Saturday May 21st and Sunday May 22nd. Mr. Corman’s appearances are firm but other details are still a bit fluid. We asked him which of his Price collaborations he would like us to show and he picked MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH so that will definitely be the choice for Sunday evening. Right now the pick for Saturday’s program could change but TOMB OF LIGEIA looks like the pick. Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog Magazine and author of the book Mario Bava, All the Colors of the Dark will be in St. Louis to moderate both evenings of questions and answers with Mr. Corman
Cinema St. Louis is throwing Vincentennial which, in addition to being a very comprehensive film festival, will also include two exhibits; One of Vincent Price artifacts, memorabilia, and collectibles at the Sheldon Arts Center and the other of Vincent Price artwork at the gallery at Star Clipper Comics on the Loop. There will also be a stage production of THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES presented by The Magic Smoking Monkey Theater group to tie into the event and much more! All the details for Vincentennial can be found right here at We Are Movie Geeks.com, Cinema St. Louis website (HERE) and the Vincentennial facebook page (HERE)

Press Release From 20th Century Fox:

Twentieth Century Fox announced today that Ridley Scott will direct Prometheus, an original science fiction epic, for worldwide release on March 9, 2012. The initial draft of the script was written by Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) from Scott’s idea. Damon Lindelof (“Lost,” Star Trek) and Scott have since been working together on the current version which has expanded the story into new directions.

Story details are being closely guarded so as not to spoil surprises for moviegoers, but Scott explained the outlines of the film and its genesis as follows: “While ‘Alien’ was indeed the jumping off point for this project, out of the creative process evolved a new, grand mythology and universe in which this original story takes place. The keen fan will recognize strands of ‘Alien’s’ DNA, so to speak, but the ideas tackled in this film are unique, large and provocative. I couldn’t be more pleased to have found the singular tale I’d been searching for, and finally return to this genre that’s so close to my heart.”

“In a world flooded with prequels, sequels and reboots,” said Lindelof. “I was incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie. It’s daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects. When I sat in a movie theater as a kid, feet raised off the floor for fear that something might grab my ankles, I never dreamed in my wildest imagination I would one day get to collaborate with the man responsible for it. Working alongside him has been nothing short of a dream come true.”

Of the five major roles to be cast, Noomi Rapace is the first actor signed to star in the film. The young Swedish actress landed the role of scientist Elizabeth Shaw after Scott saw her portrayal of fictional Lisbeth Salander in the film The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo, for which she was lauded by Time magazine as a 2010 Performance of the Year. Rapace starred in all three entries of the breakout global franchise based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy of books (The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest are the other two entries), which have collectively grossed more than $212 million worldwide.

The other major roles will be cast shortly.

Source: ComingSoon.net

Dave Poland over at Movie City News recently sat down with BLACK SWAN director Darren Aronofsky. In the course of a 30 minute interview about Black Swan (up on Movie City News as of 11/23), Aronofsky talked to Poland about why THE WOLVERINE is his production company’s, Protazoa Pictures, next film and the two-year deal with both Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Fox is reportedly looking to shoot THE WOLVERINE in April 2011 with a release date of 2012 most likely.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER is reporting that APOLLO 18 has a new director.

Spanish-language director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego has stepped in to replace Trevor Cawood as the helmer of the Weinstein Co.’s sci-fi “found footage” project Apollo 18.

Cawood is the latest victim swept up in the space race to launch Apollo 18, which since its announcement at the American Film Market, has caused tremors in the burgeoning genre of “found footage” movies. It first caused Roland Emmerich to scrap his ultra-low budget sci-fi project The Zone, and then days later Warner Bros. dropped Dark Moon, a spec it bought concerning the Apollo moon missions to be directed in the found footage format by Olantunde Osunsanmi. Dark Castle then swept in to save it.

Apollo 18 is being produced by Timur Bekmambetov and was written by Brian Miller, a winner of a screenplay contest founded by the Wanted filmmaker. TWC picked up the project Nov. 7 with an ambitious plan: to shoot the project immediately, run it through post faster than a rocket traveling through a wormhole, and release it in early March in the hopes of beating Paramount sci-fi found footage movie Area 51, directed by Oren Peli of Paranormal Activity fame. That’s basically making a movie from casting the leads to delivering it to theaters in around three months.

That schedule may have proved too tight for Cawood, a visual effects guru who worked on the Matrix movies and would have been making his feature directorial debut. The pressure is now on Lopez-Gallego, the award-winning filmmaker who is best known for directing El rey de la montana (King of the Hill). The director, repped by ICM and Principato/Young Management, will be making his English-language debut with Apollo 18.

Apollo 18 is purported to be footage from a secret and covert mission to the moon which ends up in revealing evidence of new lifeforms. According to sources, the majority of the story takes place in the rocket in between the Earth and the Moon.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

The film community(especially his home town of St. Louis) was stunned to hear of the death of director George Hickenlooper. The forty seven year old was found dead of natural causes in Denver, CO where he was helping his cousin John in his run for governor.

George left behind an impressive list of films. After making Super 8 movies during his years at St. Louis University High School, he continued his studies at USC School of Cinema and Television and Yale and interned with Roger Corman. George’s debut as a professional director was the 1988 short ART,ACTING,AND THE SUICIDE CHAIR:DENNIS HOPPER.  In 1991 George had great success with two feature length documentaries: PICTURE THIS:THE TIMES OF PETER BOGDANOVICH IN ARCHER CITY, TEXAS and HEARTS OF DARKNESS:A FILMMAKER’S APOCALYPSE (with Fax Bahr). Hearts, a look at the making of APOCALYPSE NOW, has been hailed as one of the greatest behind the scenes documentaries ever made and was singled out by Gene Siskel as his favorite film of 1991. For his fiction film debut, George directed the Civil War horror tale GREY KNIGHT(AKA GHOST BRIGADE AKA THE KILLING BOX) in 1993. The next year George brought Billy Bob Thorton’s Carl Childers character to the screen in the short film SOME FOLKS CALL IT A SLING BLADE. Soon he was back to features with THE LOW LIFE, PERSONS UNKNOWN, and DOGTOWN. George was finally able to film in his hometown when he directed an unproduced Orson Welles story, THE BIG BRASS RING in 1998. After THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, George returned to feature length documentaries with a look back at early FM radio with THE MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP. His next film was a bio of Andy Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick, FACTORY GIRL. Most recently George has been taking his latest work CASINO JACK to film festivals. Morgan Spurlock profiled George and three other directors in his AMC TV documentary on the Toronto film Festival COMMITTED.

I had the great pleasure of meeting George Hickenlooper thru a mutual friend almost twenty years ago. On one of my first visits to LA, George was kind enough to allow me to visit his Semi Valley set during the last days of shooting on GREY KNIGHT. I was very impressed to be on a professional movie set with real actors(Adrian Pasdar and Corbin Bernson) and George couldn’t have been friendlier. Months later I was able to set in on a screening of the finished film and joined George and my friends for dinner afterwards. I got to see him again a few years later when THE LOW LIFE played the St. Louis Film Festival. When I took my next LA vacation my friend and I were extras on PERSONS UNKNOWN. I was chosen by the stunt co-ordinater to help in a big fight scene involving the star Joe Montegna. When George yelled cut I was lying flat on a pool table after the stunt guys knocked me over during the brawl! After DOGTOWN was shown at the St.Louis Film Festival George joined me for a lunch and I coaxed to sit for me while I drew up a caricature of him. Of course I made him the typical, temperamental director complete with megaphone, jodhpurs, ascot, beret, and light meter neck-piece(I think I had a word balloon with him yelling ,”Kviet! Und….action!!”). When he returned to town to film THE BIG BRASS RING, George told me that the cartoon was snatched up by his family immediately. Oh, I was an extra on that film, too.

Got to see George again when the film was brought back to St. Lou for a screening. I saw him next on the IFC show Dinner for Five. He got big laughs from the other guests when he told a story about GREY KNIGHT and left Molly Shannon speechless when he asked her,”Why isn’t SNL funny anymore?”. There was some talk that George would take over hosting duties once Jon Favreau left, but the show ended. Just last week I watched the AMC documentary and chuckled as he got his hair cut and styled before the big Toronto screening of CASINO JACK.

Speaking of Jack, the movie is scheduled to screen in the next couple of weeks at the St. Louis Film Festival. I’m sure the event will be bittersweet, but I hope the evening will be celebration of George’s talents. He seems to get great performances out actors : Sean Astin is heart breaking in THE LOW LIFE as is Mick Jagger in THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS (with one of James Coburn’s final roles), so I’m looking forward to see his work with Jon Lovitz in Jack. His death at such a young age is a great loss to the film making community , but an even greater tragedy for those who were fortunate to spend time with him. I’m reminded of the story of the passing of director Ernst Lubitsch. One man said,”Well, no more Lubitsch!” . The other replied,”Worse, no more Lubitsch movies!”. I’d flip that around.No more Hickenlooper movies. Much, much worse, no more George. While he’s left us many great movies, the greatest gift George may have left is to remind us all to treasure our friends and family because life can be much too short. Hope to see you all at the Fest for CASINO JACK, the final work of an exceptional filmmaker and a man who is very missed.

Well kids, it official. Here’s the press release from New Line/Warner Bros.

OSCAR WINNER PETER JACKSON TO DIRECT “THE HOBBIT” IN TWO INSTALLMENTS
Peter Jackson Set to Direct J.R.R Tolkien’s “The Hobbit,” In a Two-Part 3D Production of Extraordinary Scope

(Los Angeles, October 15, 2010) The two films based on “The Hobbit” are now greenlit and will begin principal photography in February 2011, under the direction of Peter Jackson, it was jointly announced today by Toby Emmerich, President and Chief Operating Officer, New Line Cinema, Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. and Steve Cooper, co-Chief Executive Officer of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc.

“Exploring Tolkien’s Middle-earth goes way beyond a normal film-making experience” Jackson says, “It’s an all-immersive journey into a very special place of imagination, beauty and drama. We’re looking forward to re-entering this wondrous world with Gandalf and Bilbo – and our friends at New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers and MGM”.

“Peter is a filmmaker of incomparable ability; having him return to Middle-earth to produce and direct is a dream come true. A true original, Peter is a gifted story-teller, visionary director and pioneer in film technology,” said Emmerich. “Reuniting with Peter, Fran and Philippa truly makes it feel like we are going ‘there and back again.’”

“There is no human being on the planet as qualified as Peter Jackson to direct these films,” said Horn. “Peter is incredibly talented and has the creative vision and experience to bring this beloved property to life in a way that no other filmmaker could. And the team of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens has proven through their work on the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy that no one is more skilled at transforming Tolkien’s written words into a vibrant, living language that makes the audience believe they are not merely visiting Middle-earth, but actually living in it. We couldn’t be more thrilled and look forward to seeing ‘The Hobbit’ take shape under Peter’s stewardship and the team he is putting together.”

“MGM is excited to move forward and add to the successful ‘Lord of the Rings’ franchise,” said Cooper. “Under Peter’s direction, the films will undoubtedly appeal to fans of the original ‘LOTR’ trilogy and also bring the stories to a new generation of fans.”

Jackson, who directed all three “Lord of the Rings” films, will helm the two films back-to-back, telling the story of “The Hobbit” in two parts. Jackson will utilize groundbreaking visual effects and his incomparable story-telling to bring J.R.R. Tolkien’s novel to the big screen. Both Hobbit movies will be filmed in Digital 3-D, using the latest camera and stereo technology to create a high quality, comfortable viewing experience. Jackson also co-wrote the screenplays with Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro.

“The Hobbit” is being co-produced by New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production, Warner Bros Pictures handling domestic distribution and MGM distributing internationally. Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham are producing the films, with Phillipa Boyens as co-producer and Ken Kamins as executive producer.

The Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed LOTR trilogy grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide at the box office. In 2003, “Return of the King” swept the Academy Awards, winning all of the 11 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture – the first ever Best Picture win for a fantasy film. The trilogy’s production was also unprecedented at the time.

ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA:

New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.

ABOUT PETER JACKSON/WINGNUT FILMS:

Peter Jackson is one of the world’s most successful filmmakers. His monumental achievement co-writing, co-producing and directing The Lord of the Rings trilogy (with fellow Academy Award winners and frequent collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens) earned a total of 30 Academy Award nominations and 17 Academy Awards. Jackson and Walsh received their first Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for their acclaimed film Heavenly Creatures. Jackson, through his New Zealand-based Wingnut Films banner, also was responsible for the globally successful 2005 remake of King Kong which earned over $500 million worldwide and 3 Academy Awards. Jackson most recently directed the Academy Award nominated The Lovely Bones; an adaptation of the acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, which to date has earned nearly $100 million worldwide; and produced the global sensation, District 9, which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. He is also developing a trilogy of films with Steven Spielberg based on Tintin, the world renowned comic book series by Herge. In 2010 he received a Knighthood for his services to film.

ABOUT METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. is actively engaged in the worldwide production and distribution of motion pictures, television programming, home video, interactive media, music, and licensed merchandise. The company owns the world’s largest library of modern films, comprising around 4,100 titles. Operating units include Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures Inc., United Artists Films Inc., MGM Television Entertainment Inc., MGM Networks Inc., MGM Distribution Co., MGM International Television Distribution Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC, MGM ON STAGE, MGM Music, MGM Consumer Products and MGM Interactive. In addition, MGM has ownership interests in domestic and international TV channels reaching over 130 countries. For more information, visit http://www.mgm.com/.

It looks like Warner Brothers has found a director for the next Man of Steel epic and the choice seems like a perfect fit.

From Deadline New York:

UPDATE & EXCLUSIVE: I just spoke with Zack Snyder, who confirms that as soon as he completes post on Sucker Punch, he’ll move right into Warner Bros’ long awaited next Man of Steel movie in development with Chris Nolan and David Goyer. “I’ve been a big fan of the character for a long time, he’s definitely the king of all superheroes, he’s the one,” Snyder, who directed Watchmen and 300, told me. “It’s early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I’ve always felt he was kind of awesome. I’ll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it.”….

Read the rest of the article here

The official press release from Dreamworks Animation:

DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. (Nasdaq: DWA) announced today (Sept. 27, 2010) that famed Oscar-nominated director Guillermo del Toro has named the studio his home for animated feature film projects. Del Toro will join Andrew Adamson and Michelle Raimo as Executive Producer on Puss In Boots, which is scheduled to be released on November 4, 2011.

DreamWorks Animation has acquired from del Toro Trollhunters (working title), an original project from which the Company plans to produce a 3D animated feature film, which will be written and directed by del Toro himself. The exciting new story of Trollhunters is being kept entirely under wraps at the studio. Additionally, del Toro will consult on a number of DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming feature film releases.

“Animation is a singularly unique medium in that it allows an artist to envision, articulate and manipulate whole new worlds that spark the imagination in amazing ways,” said Guillermo del Toro. “Nowhere have I found a greater concentration of spirit and creativity than at DreamWorks Animation and I cannot imagine a better place for me to pursue my ambition as a filmmaker: to tell the best possible stories that can reach the biggest number of people around the world.”

“On behalf of the entire studio, I’d like to warmly welcome Guillermo into the DreamWorks family of filmmakers; we are incredibly honored that he has chosen our studio as his home for feature animation,” said Bill Damaschke, Co-President of Production at DreamWorks Animation. “Guillermo brings a unique vision and unmatched level of inventiveness to his storytelling and we cannot wait to see what he can do together with our creative team here at DreamWorks Animation.”

Source: DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.

The Guardian is reporting that the founding father of the Nouvelle Vague movement who turned out more than 80 films for the cinema and television has died.

Claude Chabrol, the celebrated French film director and a founding father of the Nouvelle Vague movement, has died aged 80.

Christophe Girard, the deputy mayor of Paris, announced the filmmaker’s death this morning, saying: “[Chabrol] was a colossal French director: free-minded, impertinent, political and loquacious. Thank you, Claude Chabrol, thank you for the cinema.”

A compatriot of greats such as François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, Chabrol rose to acclaim in the late 1950s after the release of Le Beau Serge, which was widely considered to have triggered the New Wave of innovative French cinema.

He went on to become one of Europe’s most prolific directors, turning out more than 80 films for the cinema and television. In the late 1960s and 70s he established himself as a master of the psychologically explosive suspense thriller with works such as The Butcher and The Unfaithful Wife.

From 1978 onwards, Chabrol’s collaborations with the young actor Isabelle Huppert proved hugely successful, with both gaining critical acclaim for films including Violette Nozière, about a young murderess; Story of Women, about a Vichy-era abortionist; and Madame Bovary, an adaptation of Gustave Flaubert’s novel of adultery and bourgeois oppression in 19th-century Normandy.

Spurred on by an apparently insatiable love of film-making, Chabrol kept going until the end, with a murder mystery film, Bellamy, appearing in French cinemas last year. A playful and approachable character in his appearances before the media, he was down to earth about his achievements, admitting in retrospect that some of his efforts had fallen flat.

“It is not necessary that each of my films is considered perfect,” he once said. “But I would like my work as a whole to give a very specific idea of my own vision of things.”

In a 2007 interview, he told L’Express magazine his career was not finished. “I would like to have resolved it all in my head before stopping,” he said. “To have found my formula.”

Source: The Guardian

Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998) was one of the greatest filmmakers of all-time and yet, I’d bet most people have never even heard of him. That’s a shame, because his long and extremely accomplished career has produced some of the most beautiful, most influential films the world has ever seen. Viewing, no… experiencing Kurosawa films such as RASHOMAN, IKIRU, RAN or THRONE OF BLOOD are simply a necessity of life, something that must be done before one dies. Period.

Filmmakers across the globe have drawn endless inspiration from Kurosawa’s work, including the Hollywood remake of SEVEN SAMURAI (THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN), the spaghetti western remake YOJIMBO (FISTFUL OF DOLLARS) by Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone and even George Lucas himself has cited Kurosawa’s THE HIDDEN FORTRESS as the inspiration for his creating C3PO and R2-D2.

So, with such a powerhouse of cinematic prowess and one of my top 3 favorite filmmakers of all-time, it’s certainly a cause to celebrate Akira Kurosawa’s centennial. This is why I am proud to announce that the Webster University Film Series — right here in my hometown of Saint Louis, Missouri — will be presenting 17 of Kurosawa’s incredible films over a one month period beginning today, July 2… all on glorious new 35mm prints, some of which recently restored!

Check out this basic full schedule here, but be sure to visit the Webster Film Series’ website
for more information on tickets and short synopsis of the films.

Ran — July 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 @ 7:30 pm (1985, Japan, 160 min)

Drunken Angel — July 9 @ 7:30 pm (1948, Japan, 98 min.)

Stray Dog — July 10 @ 7:30 pm (1949, Japan, 122 min.)

Rashomon — July 11 @ 7:30 pm (1950, Japan, 88 min.)

Ikiru — July 12 @ 7:30 pm (1952, Japan, 143 min.)

The Seven Samurai — July 16 @ 7:30 pm (1954, Japan, 207 min.)

I Live In Fear — July 17 @ 7:30 pm (1955, Japan, 103 min.)

Throne Of Blood — July 18 @ 7:30 pm (1957, Japan, 107 min.)

The Lower Depths — July 19 @ 7:30 pm (1957, Japan, 125 min.)

Hidden Fortress — July 23 @ 7:30 pm (1958, Japan, 139 min.)

The Bad Sleep Well — July 24 @ 7:30 pm (1960, Japan, 150 min.)

High and Low — July 25 @ 7:30 pm (1963, Japan, 142 min)

Red Beard — July 26 @ 7:30 pm (1965, Japan, 185 min.)

Yojimbo — July 30 @ 7:30 pm (1961, Japan, 110 min.)

Sanjuro — July 31 @ 7:30 pm (1962, Japan, 96 min.)

Kagemusha — August 1 @ 7:30 pm (1980, Japan, 162 min.)

Dreams — August 2 @ 7:30pm (1990, Japan, 119 min.)

Back to the Shire….not back to the Shire? “Make up your mind, Morty!”

The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision Blog is saying its possible :

By Borys Kit and Matthew Belloni

It looks like Peter Jackson might direct the two “Hobbit” movies after all.

Jackson is in negotiations to helm the films, which were left without a captain after Guillermo del Toro parted ways on May 30. Obstacles to a deal remain, including agreeing on a schedule that will allow Jackson to fast-track the films for release in 2012 and 2013, but insiders are cautiously optimistic that a pact can be worked out.

Talks, which have been going on for a week or two, heated up in recent days between Warner Bros./New Line and Jackson’s team. Complications include the shaky financial situation of partner MGM, which owns the “Hobbit” rights and could hold up the production timetable. A significant delay would be a dealbreaker for Jackson.

Del Toro left the project over similar timing concerns. His move caught observers by surprise because the filmmaker had devoted so much time to work with Jackson drawing up plans for the movies, and working on the script with Jackson, Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens. He moved his family to New Zealand. Casting was even in the early stages.

But since his departure, Warners/New Line, which runs point on the production over partner MGM, never did a full-on search for a director, even as some names surfaced as possible contenders. Why? Because Warners/New Line was trying to woo Jackson back to Middle-earth.

Jackson has other commitments — the director has been working on secret projects — and wasn’t sure he wanted to devote another chunk of his life to the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien. But because of the complicated nature and the advanced stage of the undertaking — Middle-earth was being built from the ground up when del Toro left so unexpectedly — it wasn’t simply filling a chair with a warm body.

To Warners/New Line, Jackson is the most logical choice not only because he made the “Lord of the Rings” movies but also because he is deeply involved as a producer on the “Hobbit” films. Insiders say the next few days will be crucial in the negotiating process between Jackson’s camp and the Warners/New Line side.

On June 11th, Ian McKellen posted an update (via Twitter) on THE HOBBIT:

The “Hobbit” sets are ready, the script is ready and the movie is going to be casting this month. Fans are not to get worried. The films will get made and I suspect we’ll start shooting at the end of this year.

THE HOBBIT films have scheduled release dates of December 2012 and December 2013.

Heat Vision of The Hollywood Reporter has some exclusive news that director M. Night Shyamalan has his next script in the bag along with some A-list talent already attached.

THR says:

Shyamalan is quietly circulating a new script around town. No details are known about the project, but it comes with some major acting talent: We’ve learned that Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow and Bruce Willis are loosely attached to star in the film.

Shyamalan is famously secretive, and this project is no exception: Only top studio execs have read the script, and they were required to allow a Shyamalan assistant to supervise the process. When the execs finished reading, the assistant took the script back and left.

Right now, THE LAST AIRBENDER marketing is all over the place. Paramount Pictures has tv spots running non-stop, including The World Cup, for the July 1st release date. Much is riding on this big-tentpole, cgi extravaganza. But here’s the thing. M. Night Shyamalan’s name is still a part of all marketing campaigns and always has top billing over his film’s title.

As far as coming through with big name stars for the studios, THR smartly concluded,

with Cooper, Paltrow and Willis attached (the latter starred in the filmmaker’s breakthrough THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE), Shyamalan can still lure talent.

While I don’t classify director Sam Raimi so high as to call him one of the greatest filmmakers working today, I do consider him one of my favorites, primarily because he makes well-made films that fit within his realm of interest and makes them (in most cases) with a passion that is evident to fans holding a similar passion for film.

For roughly eight years, Sam Raimi dominated a portion of fans’ fantastical minds with his interpretation of Marvel SPIDER-MAN franchise, delivering three films before finally bowing out last year to pursue other projects. This would be the second major trilogy Raimi has helmed, the first (of course) being the EVIL DEAD trilogy, still a massively influential body of work on the horror genre.

So, hopping backwards to the previously stated truth that Raimi is moving on, the question still remains… What will he move onto next? At first, it was thought DRAG ME TO HELL was a less stressful side project for fun –a vacation film, if you will– prior to jumping into SPIDER-MAN 4, but alas… that’s not to be. Then, we found out he signed on to develop a film adaptation of the insanely popular online computer fantasy game WORLD OF WARCRAFT.

Now, according to Vulture, Raimi may end up being selected as the “man behind the curtain” of Disney’s OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL… a prequel to MGM’s 1939 immortal classic THE WIZARD OF OZ. Raimi has been rumored to be one of two primary contenders for the director’s chair, alongside Adam Shankman (director of THE PACIFIER and BEDTIME STORIES). Reports suggest that Sam Raimi has received an official offer on Friday, June 11, 2010 to helm the film that would lead us into the 1939 classic.

At this point, there’s still just too much speculation involved around which project Sam Raimi will pursue next. Currently, it appears to be a two-way race between WORLD OF WARCRAFT and OZ, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL. Then again, he may end up finding yet another project to fall in love with before it’s all said and done. Raimi is quite possibly one of the hardest working filmmakers in Hollywood, unbelievably also active as a producer on several other projects including PRIEST (currently in post-production) and projects in development such as MONSTER ZOO, THE SHADOW and 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA… to name a few.

As for my own take on this news… if this OZ prequel is to happen, I think Sam Raimi would be a great choice for bringing the vision to the big screen with an effective and creative imagination. Short of Tim Burton, who unfortunately is experiencing a lull in artistically accomplished (and unoriginal) films, Raimi is the only other filmmaker with the unique and uninhibited eye towards the playfully dark side of storytelling that would be necessary for a film such as this.

Source: Vulture