http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/cinema/ en-us Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:32:05 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236962/posts Indian comedy star Ajay Kumar is world's smallest actor Indian comedy star Ajay Kumar has been officially recognised as the world's smallest actor. Last Updated: 4:20PM BST 22 Apr 2009 Kumar, who is just 2 feet 6 inches tall has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records after starring in 50 films over 13 years. "There's no point complaining about being a dwarf," said Ajay, "I am small in size but I have got the talent and can work like a normal man." Better known by his stage name Unda Pakru, the tiny star has become a household... The Daily Telegraph http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236962/posts#comment Fri, 24 Apr 2009 16:32:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2216294/posts I can’t believe I’m actually getting ready to do a movie promotion/review…. CNN/Entertainment has a story up on Nicholas Cage’s new movie, Knowing. It apparently beat out some stiff competition and surprised many that it is currently the number one film in the country. But, what grabbed my attention about it was Cage’s comments. Normally, I would brush over something like this but this made me do a double take. “I’m a huge believer of the human spirit,” he told CNN. “I think people are amazing. I think what we have accomplished is incredible. … If you think positive and... The Western Experience http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2216294/posts#comment Fri, 27 Mar 2009 18:15:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197771/posts The French film “Séraphine” won its country’s top film honors Friday, receiving seven Césars, awards akin to the Oscars, The Associated Press reported. Directed by Martin Provost, the film is based on the life of the early 20th-century painter Séraphine of Senlis, who was played by Yolande Moreau, above with Mr. Provost. She was named best actress. “Séraphine” will be shown this weekend at Lincoln Center as part of the Rendez-Vous With French Cinema series. Dustin Hoffman, 71, received a special César, just a day after he was named an honorary commander in the National Order of Arts and Letters... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2197771/posts#comment Tue, 3 Mar 2009 02:04:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2164264/posts Claude Berri, who as a director, producer, screenwriter and actor was among the most influential figures in the French film industry over the past 40 years, died Monday in Paris. He was 74 and was described after his death by President Nicolas Sarkozy as “the great ambassador of French cinema” to the world. The cause was a stroke, his agent, Dominique Segall, said in a statement. Mr. Berri had been admitted to the hospital on Saturday with a “cerebral vascular problem,” he said. Mr. Berri was, by and large, a filmmaker of mainstream sensibility who favored stories of either quirky... The New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2164264/posts#comment Wed, 14 Jan 2009 06:45:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156552/posts Calling all Bill Clinton look-alikes: an audition next month in Arlington, Va., will cast the role of the former president for a new indie flick. A room is reserved at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City for the audition, where Monica Lewinsky was interrogated by the FBI in 1998. The tentative date is the weekend before inauguration. Daniel Vovak, executive producer of The Blue Dress, calls the movie a “non-political comedy” and “even Darrell Hammond of Saturday Night Live is reading a script,” for the part of Clinton, he said. Vovak resides in Bethesda, Md., and is the executive producer and... bizjournals.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2156552/posts#comment Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:49:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2154642/posts Say what you will about Tom Cruise’s acting in other movies; in "Valkyrie," which opened yesterday, he is awful. Amid British and European actors, Cruise stands out like a sore thumb. He doesn’t even attempt a German accent, his mannerisms are all from his "Jerry Maguire" era, and his earnestness suggests at best some kind of fictional American soldier trying to infiltrate the Luftwaffe. You knew it would be bad, and it is. I’m more concerned that “Valkyrie” could represent a new trend in filmmaking: Nazi apologia. We know already what Valkyrie is about: a group of German soldiers who... foxnews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2154642/posts#comment Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:27:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153824/posts In a way, it’s harder to choose the worst films of a year rather than the best. There are so many! How many times did we walk out of a theater this year muttering, “That’s the worst thing I ever saw”? About as many times as last year. So here they are, for better or worse.Tom Cruise and wife Katie Holmes starred in two of 2008's biggest clunkers. 1. SEVEN POUNDS [Only the list is presented in this excerpt. You can read a mini-review of each film in the article.] 2. CLOVERFIELD 3. QUANTUM OF SOLACE 4. SYNECDOCHE, NEW YORK... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2153824/posts#comment Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:25:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100748/posts An American Carol, David Zucker’s unabashedly pro-American, anti-left comedy, came out Friday without being screened for critics. But movie critics pounced anyway, just a day later than normal. Some critics used turns of phrase they’d never utter in describing, say, a Michael Moore opus. Check out the Miami Herald’s Rene Rodriguez, who calls the film one of the worst movies of all time: “It is the movie’s underlying tone — its relentless hammering on its pro-war, anti-dissent, anti-liberal message — that makes watching it such a sour experience.”... Pajamas Media http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2100748/posts#comment Wed, 8 Oct 2008 20:09:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099472/posts Mpower pictures and Vivendi are starting to hear complaints about sabotage of An American Carol by employees of theaters that are carrying the movie. So far, ten theaters have been implicated in outright fraud regarding this movie. Obviously, the producers and distributors would like to get to the bottom of this and find out the extent of any fraud, but they need our help to determine whether the problem is systemic, or confined to a few theaters in a nationawide release. What we know: in at least ten theaters nationwide, customers were sold tickets they were told were for An... Little Miss Attila http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099472/posts#comment Tue, 7 Oct 2008 12:12:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097320/posts <p>The conservative stars are in it & as I was on the way to the movie I heard an interview by Kelsey Grammer by Michael Medved. The obvious question from Michael… “What do you think this will do to your Hollywood career?”. Kelsey responded, well when I saw the script & showed it to my family my wife said, YOU ARE SO DEAD”. He laughed & gave indication that it was important to be true to your convictions. Yea! Nice to hear that from OUR SIDE, isn’t it?</p> various http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097320/posts#comment Sat, 4 Oct 2008 12:27:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096524/posts You can almost picture the Hollywood studio execs scratching their heads A film that was made for $500,000, relied more on word of mouth than television and print ads, and is headlined by an actor best known for a 1980s television show, opens at No. 4 in the country and rakes in $6.8 million in ticket sales. "Where did this come from? We didn't see this on the radar," actor Kirk Cameron imagined the execs saying. "What is 'Fireproof?'" After this week, few will be left wondering. The Christian-themed film, which stars Cameron as a firefighter whose marriage is on... ABC News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096524/posts#comment Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:01:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046361/posts Pauline Kael & trash cinema Will Smith's films are the endgame of a critic's take on Bonnie and Clyde Robert Fulford, National Post Published: Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Happy as a clam, rich as a minor Rockefeller, Will Smith turned up recently on a 60 Minutes update of an item from last December. He was there to promote his current movie, Hancock, but his main theme was his huge success and the way he's engineered it. He left me thinking sad and rueful thoughts about, of all people, the late Pauline Kael, the most passionate, stimulating and argument-starting critic in... The National Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2046361/posts#comment Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:09:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043532/posts The movie industry no longer aspires to portray genuine heroism—even though that's precisely what audiences want to see. A spate of movies about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the war on terror came out last year, all of them hostile to U.S. involvement and all of them box-office flops. At the time there was a certain amount of soul-searching in the media as to why, when most Americans told pollsters they thought the Iraq war, at least, had been a mistake, they didn't seem to want to go and see movies that sought to show them just how... The American, A Magazine of Ideas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2043532/posts#comment Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:45:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987620/posts More than 20 years of data is in – and the conventional wisdom is wrong. The chances a Hollywood movie will win big at the box office are greatly enhanced by a family-friendly rating and strong moral content, defying the notion the entertainment industry is merely serving up what consumers want when they produce so many R-rated movies full of foul language, sex, drugs and immorality, shows a new study by the Christian Film and Television Commission, publishers of Movieguide. According to the study, G-rated movies averaged nearly $92.2 million, more than 438 percent better than R-rated movies, making only... World Net Daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987620/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:27:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1987542/posts Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella, who turned such literary works as "The English Patient," "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "Cold Mountain" into acclaimed movies, has died. He was 54. Minghella's death was confirmed Tuesday by his agent, Judy Daish. No other details were immediately available. "The English Patient," the 1996 World War II drama, won nine Academy Awards, including best director for Minghella, best picture and best supporting actress for Juliette Binoche. Based on the celebrated novel by Canadian writer Michael Ondaatje, the movie tells of a burn victim's tortured recollections of his misdeeds in time of war. Minghella (pronounced min-GELL'-ah)... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1987542/posts#comment Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:47:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1930207/posts IT'S hard for Hollywood pacifists like Brian De Palma to capture the hearts and minds of America if Americans won't see their movies. While the public is staying away in droves from “Rendition," “Lions for Lambs" and “In the Valley of Elah," audiences are really avoiding “Redacted," De Palma's picture about US soldiers who rape a 14-year-old Iraqi girl, then kill her and her family. NY Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1930207/posts#comment Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:31:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928945/posts A ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee sent a letter to the Chairman of the Motion Picture Association today calling the new Iraq war film "Redacted" a shameful view of American soldiers. California Republican Duncan Hunter sent a scathing letter regarding Brian DePalma's new Iraq war film to Motion Picture Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman asking that he not forget that there are heroes who have sacrificed their lives for the United States and Iraqi people. "Unfortunately, Brian De Palma's new movie "Redacted," which opened in several theaters this week, portrays American service personnel in Iraq as uncontrollable... Wash. Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928945/posts#comment Wed, 21 Nov 2007 17:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926694/posts "My books are about killing God" — Phillip Pullman.Are you concerned with the witchcraft and dark themes embodied in the Harry Potter book and film series? If you are a Christian and your answer is "Yes" then Phillip Pullman thanks you. Sort of. Identifying J.K. Rowling's stories about the boy wizard as covering fire, drawing away the ire of concerned Christians, Phillip Pullman — the author of the best-selling His Dark Materials trilogy -- has been slowly advancing what he identifies as an even more subversive philosophy: the need for children and adults alike to kill God. Of course, Pullman also... Catholic Exchange http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1926694/posts#comment Fri, 16 Nov 2007 14:47:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1923599/posts Here's your chance to make a cameo appearance in Fred's Presidential campaign. Make a video telling us why you support Fred Thompson for President and upload it using the form below. We'll share these videos with all of our supporters on Fred08.com, and allow you, and them, to pick the best one. Here's your chance to be a star. Submit your video now. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sure, Fred Thompson is an accomplished lawyer, prosecuting criminals in Tennessee before serving as counsel on the Watergate hearings. And yes, he served the people of Tennessee as a common sense, conservative Senator for eight years.... Fred08 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-gop/1923599/posts#comment Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:11:58 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911286/posts AMRITSAR, India (AFP) - Indian police said on Monday that an explosion that killed six people and injured 32 in a packed cinema hall in northern India was a "terrorist" bombing. Hundreds of people -- mainly poor migrant workers -- were crammed into the theatre in the industrial city of Ludhiana in Punjab state to watch Sunday's late-night screening of a new Bollywood comedy. "It was a bomb blast. It is a terror act. We are trying to find out the exact nature of explosives used," said a senior police official on condition of anonymity. Police have not named any... AFP via Yahoo! http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1911286/posts#comment Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:26:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1910737/posts Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) Directed by Shekhar Kapur. Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Abbie Cornish, Samantha Morton, Jordi Mollà.From a National Catholic Register review By Steven D. Greydanus A lurid sort of Christopher Hitchens vision of history pervades Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Shekhar Kapur’s sequel to his 1998 art-house hit Elizabeth. The earlier film, which made a star of Cate Blanchett as the eponymous Virgin Queen, celebrated the triumph of bright, happy Elizabethan Protestantism over the dark, unwholesome Catholic world of Bloody Mary. Even so, that film’s church-bashing was tame compared that of this sequel, in which... National Catholic Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1910737/posts#comment Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:53:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1908903/posts DEARBORN--Screen star Fred Thompson muscled into his debut 2008 presidential debate clash with Republican rivals Tuesday, vowing to repel a tide of "Islamic fascism" aimed at bringing down the West. The tough-talking ex-senator and top rivals in party nominating contests, due in three months, pledged to halt Iran's nuclear program, bickered over taxes and sparred over China's alleged trade transgressions. Thompson, 65, the star of internationally syndicated "Law & Order," faced pressure to quell mocking reviews of his performance since belatedly launching an official campaign only last month. "It is a global war -- Islamic fascism has declared it upon... Agence France-Presse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1908903/posts#comment Tue, 9 Oct 2007 23:19:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1903740/posts <p>This action/thriller could have devolved into a giant PC "can't-we-all-get-along" tolerance-fest. Fortunately, except for a line at the end (no, I won't spoil it), it does not. It brings home the lack of freedom present in Saudi Arabia, combined with the best in suspense and action. Although Jamie Foxx is clearly the star, the ensemble that includes Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Ashraf Barhoum keeps the focus on solving the terrorist attack on the U.S. compound, not on personalities.</p> self http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1903740/posts#comment Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:53:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1896663/posts Gibson, De Niro in Polish big budget film project? Friday, September 14. 2007 The most expensive ever big-budget movie is about to be made in Poland. “Victoria” retells the story of the Polish victory in the 1683 Battle of Vienna. Possible highlights include Hollywood cast and “Lord of the Rings” special effects crew. The budget for the movie is to be 200 million zloty (50 million euro). The ambitious plans for the project include asking Mel Gibson to direct and play the part of king Sobieski for 20 million dollars, casting Robert De Niro, as well as getting the famous... thenews.pl http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1896663/posts#comment Fri, 14 Sep 2007 20:24:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1893548/posts New York, NY (CNS) - Lionsgate has signed "House of Sand and Fog" director Vadim Perelman to direct the film adaptation of Ayn Rand's iconic novel "Atlas Shrugged." According to trade magazine Variety, Perelman will also rewrite a draft of the script penned by "Braveheart" writer Randall Wallace. The latter will remain involved with the project. The film follows, Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive to be played by Angelina Jolie, who strives to keep her family-owned trans-continental railroad company alive amidst worldwide strike involving industrialists and thinkers. Howard and Karen Baldwin ("Ray"), who hold the rights to Rand's most ambitious... allheadlinenews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1893548/posts#comment Sun, 9 Sep 2007 16:59:29 GMT