Propeller.com Stories submitted by shead

Jason Reitman flies 'Up in the Air'

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:23:30 EDT

Jason Reitman will write and is attached to direct Walter Kirn's novel "Up in the Air" for Montecito. The long-gestating project teams the "Juno" helmer with his father, Ivan Reitman, who heads up Montecito along with Tom Pollock.

Channel: Movies Tags: Jason Reitman Ivan Reitman Up in the air movie

Weak dollar drives sales for U.S. pics

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:19:21 EDT

Dollar-carrying Americans in Cannes scandalized by the price of a cafe au lait ($8), a bottle of water ($5) or a short taxi ride ($17) can take solace in this: Currency devaluation can sometimes be a beautiful thing.

Channel: Movies Tags: Cannes Film Festival Movies France

From arthouse to Indiana Jones

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:18:10 EDT

Opening offering Blindness wins critical acclaim ahead of Spielberg premiere...

Channel: Movies Tags: Indiana jones cannes film festival independent film

Helen Hunt: Then She Found Me

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:16:01 EDT

Plenty of people don't care for Helen Hunt, and I can see why. As a performer, she's the opposite of relaxed or sensual:

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Helen Hunt Movie Director Then She Found Me Film

For Movies, a Summer That's Shy on Sequels

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:13:39 EDT

Hollywood's summer movies promise to be a little fresher, more original and funnier than usual. And that could be a problem for an industry that has done well lately by peddling the familiar.

Channel: Movies Tags: Get Smart Wall E Movie Summer Steve Carell

Directors team for 'My Son'

shead — Thu, 15 May 2008 07:11:59 EDT

Werner Herzog and David Lynch are teaming for "My Son, My Son," a horror-tinged murder drama based on a true story.

Channel: Movies Tags: Wener Herzog David Lynch Movie Directors My Son My Son

Film Criticism: A spectator sport

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:15:18 EDT

I guess I should head off the e-mails seeking my annual report from Cannes: It can be found this year at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Sadly, the crap economy has pretty much wiped out my freelance income since January, to the point where for the first time since 1997 I may have to go out and get myself an actual job.

Channel: Movies Tags: film criticism cannes esquire nerve film critic

indie movies vs. Indy's movie at Cannes

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:10:51 EDT

The Cannes Film Festival usually starts with a movie that's light and goes down easy. So Wednesday's dark, apocalyptic opening film seemed a puzzling choice Ã¢â;¬" even to the movie's director.

Channel: Movies Tags: Indiana jones cannes film festival independent film

5 Must-See Movies at Cannes

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:08:20 EDT

1. Changeling - Director Clint Eastwood, last represented at the festival with Mystic River in 2003, offers a period drama set in Los Angeles in 1928. Angelina Jolie stars as a mother whose young son disappears while she's at work, only to reappear mysteriously a few months later. But is this boy really is her child?

Channel: Movies Tags: changeling clint eastwood angelina jolie cannes

Massive indie studio set for Ventura

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 23:03:46 EDT

The Ventura county town off Highway 118 has been chosen as the site of the largest indie movie studio in the U.S., dubbed Commonwealth Studios. Ground will break on the $125 million project in April 2009 and construction is expected to last 18 months.

Channel: Movies Tags: movie studio moorepark independient film ventura county

Daniel Day-Lewis eyes 'Nine' role

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:59:29 EDT

Daniel Day-Lewis is in talks to star in "Nine," the musical Rob Marshall is directing for the Weinstein Co.

Channel: Movies Tags: danile day lewis actor nine musical

Plaza Hotel's famous fictitious resident returns home

shead — Wed, 14 May 2008 22:56:48 EDT

Eloise, the Plaza hotel's fictitious resident, has officially returned to the storied landmark following a $400 million renovation _ with a portrait of the mischievous 6 year old prominently displayed near its famous Palm Court dining room.

Channel: News Tags: eloise in paris Uma Thurman Park Plaza hotel new york

Uwe Boll on directing 'Grand Theft Auto'

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:22:27 EDT

Derided by some (okay, many), German-born director Uwe Boll has made ten movies in the last eight years, challenged critics to boxing matches, and inspired an online petition to ban him from cinema for eternity.

Channel: Movies Tags: uwe boll grand theft auto movie game adaptation

Director Richard Kelly on 'Donnie Darko Too'

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:18:40 EDT

Over the last couple of days, a few people have asked me what's up with "this Donnie Darko sequel." So to set the record straight, here's a few facts I'd like to share with you all...

Channel: Movies Tags: donnie darko sequel richard kelly director

Moore's 'Fahrenheit' sequel gets financing

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:12:43 EDT

Paramount Vantage and Overture Films will co-finance and distribute Oscar winner Michael Moore's next film, a searing and provocative follow up to his groundbreaking 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.

Channel: Movies Tags: michael Moore fahrenheit 911 sequel documentary

First review: Sex and the City

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:08:45 EDT

There may be a problem with a film when a narrator constantly tells you the meaning of what you have just seen, gift-wrapping each scene with a moral.

Channel: Movies Tags: Sex and the city sarah jessica parker london new york kim catrall

Cannes: Battle of the badges

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:04:38 EDT

NY Times' A.O. Scott: This hierarchical color-coding turns Cannes into a seething cauldron of class resentment and status anxiety.

Channel: Movies Tags: cannes film festival Badges independent films foreign films journalists

Nicolas Cage to star in 'Bad Lieutenant'

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:02:22 EDT

Nicolas Cage will star in Werner Herzog's remake of the 1992 cult classic "Bad Lieutenant" for financier Nu Image / Millennium Films.

Channel: Movies Tags: Nicolas cage movie actor bad leutenant werner herzog

Russian film funding in limbo

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:00:44 EDT

Question marks hung over future state funding of Russian films Tuesday after the agency for culture and cinema was disbanded amid a restructuring of the Russian government.

Channel: Movies Tags: Film Production Film Finance Russia Foreign Films

Prince Caspian And The Billionaire

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:59:10 EDT

For a man who isn't a fan of the typical Hollywood blockbuster, billionaire Philip Anschutz is building an impressive track record at the box office.

Channel: Movies Tags: Philip Anschutz Prince Caspian Narnia Billionaire Investor

Iron Man's Iranian Influences

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:55:20 EDT

One of the early blockbuster movies this year is Iron Man, a new comic book movie by Marvel Studios. It has already smashed opening weekend domestic records in the U.S. But did you know of the Iranians who play a part in this movie?

Channel: Movies Tags: Iron man robert downy jr movie marvel comics comic book

Meirelles returns to spotlight at Cannes

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:52:45 EDT

Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles returns to the Cannes film festival with opener "Blindness," his first film in competition, six years after his triumph with "City of God" in Critics' Week.

Channel: Movies Tags: Fernando Meirelles blindness city of god france

Why Warner Bros. closed its specialty divisions

shead — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:50:12 EDT

It's an open secret in Hollywood that Warner Bros. is totally clueless about the independent film business. The studio's Warner Independent Pictures division has been a perennial also-ran, having released a string of films over the last two years that has largely disappeared without a trace.

Channel: Movies Tags: warner brothers movies film production independent films

Walden Media opens new chapter

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:38:29 EDT

Walden Media, the film studio behind The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, is teaming with HarperCollins to create a children's book imprint. Known as Walden Pond Press, the imprint will acquire and publish titles for children. Walden Media will then have the option to develop and produce some projects as feature films.

Channel: Books Tags: Walden Media Harper Collins Childrens Books Walden Pond Press

Bond's New Villain: Mathieu Amalric

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:36:54 EDT

He is one of France's greatest contemporary actors, turning in a remarkable performance in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly last year. But, he insists, all this acting gets in the way of his serious love, directing. So why agree to star as the baddie in the latest Bond movie?

Channel: Movies Tags: Quantum of Solace Movie Mathieu Amalric Daniel Craig

Marvels' theatrical success, and failures

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:31:11 EDT

While publishing rival DC Comics had early success with adaptations of Superman (1978) and Batman (1989), Marvel's characters frequently struggled in low budget B-films that routinely disappointed fans Ã¢â;¬" with 1986's Howard the Duck being only the highest-profile fiasco...

Channel: Movies Tags: Marvel Comics DC Comics Movies Iron Man Howard the Duck

Roger Ebert: movie fanzines beget blogs

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:29:03 EDT

Fanzines were mimeographed magazines that were circulated by mail among science fiction fans in the days before the internet. They still are, for all I know, although now they're generated by computer printers. I first learned about them in a 1950s issue of Amazing Stories...

Channel: Movies Tags: Roger Ebert Fanzines Blogs Movie News

Muslims in the movies

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:27:30 EDT

"Whenever India lost a cricket match to Pakistan, some idiot within the community would burst crackers and I ended up bearing taunts from people. They would say, 'kya miya, bahut patake chalaye kal raat ?' That was painful. I am a diehard Indian and I can't tell you how such slurs feel," says Imtiaz Alam, 29, an MBA based in Delhi.

Channel: Movies Tags: Muslims Movies India Delhi Film production

Nude men? You must be joking

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:25:59 EDT

Much has been made of the male frontal nudity in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," and with good reason: Penis shots, even quick flashes such as those with actor Jason Segel, are rare in film.

Channel: Movies Tags: Forgetting Sarah Marshall Nudity Men Comedy

Phil Donahue, 'Body of War' battle to get into theaters

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:24:40 EDT

The former talk show host makes truth his mission, now on other side of the camera

Channel: Movies Tags: Phil Donahue Body of Water Documentary film

Five Science Fiction Movies That Get the Science Right

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:22:47 EDT

Recently we praised the latest sci-fi blockbuster Iron Man for including so many real-world technologies. So, to give credit where it's due, we have picked out five more sci-fi films that go against the grain, and contain some accurate, plausible science...

Channel: Science Tags: Science fiction Iron man technology real science

Hindus urge Censor Board to halt "The Love Guru"

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:20:58 EDT

Hindu groups have contacted Central Board of Film Certification (Censor Board) and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting of India, urging them not to distribute/screen upcoming Hollywood movie "The Love Guru" till its presenter Paramount Pictures makes necessary changes to it

Channel: Movies Tags: The Love Guru Comedy Mike Myers Censorship Hindus

A word with "Harold and Kumar's" moms

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:19:26 EDT

When Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, writers-directors of "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay" were growing up in Randolph, their mothers remember they loved creative writing courses and being members of the debating team.

Channel: Movies Tags: Harold and Kumar Interview Escape From Guantanamo Bay Mothers day

Christian-themed Narnia popular with all audiences

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:17:53 EDT

Pproducer Mark Johnson says much of the $700-plus million box office for the movie debut The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe came from surprising places. "A lot of the world certainly didn't see the film as a Christian film," he says. "It did really well in Muslim countries and it did really well in Israel. It was successful all o

Channel: Movies Tags: Narnia Prince Caspian Movie Christian C S Lewis

Morgan Freeman's had it with Mr. Gravitas

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:16:17 EDT

Morgan Freeman has returned to Broadway with one goal in mind: to try to kill the Morgan Freeman you know and love.

Channel: Celebrities Tags: Morgan Freeman Stage Francis mcdormand broadway

Special Effects From the Real World

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:14:33 EDT

In this era of digital special effects, we've become accustomed to the idea that by manipulating pixels on a computer screen, filmmakers can show us practically anything in a more or less convincing manner.

Channel: Movies Tags: special effects movies fx cgi david fincher

The tangled story of the 'Happy Birthday' song

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:12:07 EDT

It's a revenue-generating juggernaut, producing more than $2-million a year in fees for Warner Music and the offspring of Mildred and Patty Hill, the sisters who composed it in 1893.

Channel: Music Tags: Happy Birthday to you Song Copyright law

Some movies are entitled to do well

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:09:10 EDT

What a project is called can make or break it at the box office. So studios mine experts' brains in the quest...

Channel: Movies Tags: Movie titles titles consultants Hollywood film production

Sex and the City movie: will the wait be worth it?

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:06:25 EDT

London premiere suggests test screening before critical scrutiny in New York

Channel: Movies Tags: sex and the city sarah jessica parker Kim Catrall New York London

Little Pieces of Los Angeles, Done His Way

shead — Mon, 12 May 2008 14:05:00 EDT

He wrote a book but it was bad, liar bad, faker bad, it got him in trouble. A million little pieces. It was the name of the book. It was also how hard he got hit.

Channel: Books Tags: Little Pieces James Frey Bright Shiny Morning