Archive for the ‘Film Gossip’ Category

Spike Lee, born Shelton Jackson Lee in Atlanta Georgia and brought up primarily in New York (Brooklyn), needs no introduction. We have already provided a brief snapshot of Spike Lee’s career and of this body of work. Speaking of which, here’s the lowdown on the films we judged to be seven of his best.

Best of Spike Lee: The Top 7

Do The Right Thing (1989): This comic drama tells the story of a day in Brooklyn, when interracial tensions flare up during the hottest day of the year. Race relations would continue to be a recurring theme or backdrop in Lee’s works throughout his career. This film stars Spike Lee in the lead role, with Danny Aiello and John Turturro in key-roles.

Mo Better Blues (1990): Denzel Washington stars in one of his best roles to date as fictional jazz trumpeteer Bleek Gilliam. The film follows Gilliam’s life through a phase where he makes all the wrong decisions in his musical career as well as his personal relationships, focusing on the themes of friendship, honesty, consequences and ultimately coming-of-age.

Malcolm X (1992): Spike Lee’s somewhat controversial biopic showcases the life and times of Malcolm X. Starting from his boyhood to his rise as perhaps the most chrismatic spokesperson for the Civil Rights movement, this movie doesn’t hesitate to starkly portray the racial attitudes in mid-20th Century America.

Jungle Fever (1991): The narrative weaves itself around a poignant and ill-fated interracial love story between an African American man and an Italian-American woman. Starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra in lead roles.

Crooklyn (1994) is a semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, where Lee grew up, particularly the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. The plot is built around a young girl, Troy ( Zelda Harris), and her family. As the film progresses, Troy learns life lessons through her four brothers, her loving but stern mother (Alfre Woodard), and her father (Delroy Lindo).

Girl 6 (1996): A movie about the life of a young aspiring actress (Theresa Randle) who prefers working as a phone sex operator in order to make ends meet, rather than give in to the infamous casting couch. Guest starring Quentin Tarantino as himself.

25th Hour (2002): This Spike Lee film depicts the last 24 hours in the life of a New York drug dealer (played by Edward Norton) before his 7 year jail term begins.

Spike Lee has made several other films, and seeing as he’s yet to retire from the business, it is perhaps safe to say that we haven’t yet seen the best of Spike Lee. Keep checking this online film blog for updates on the latest industry goings-on and and film festival news.

In the veritable film factory that’s Hollywood, there have been a few film-makers who have left an indelible hand-print of a legacy spanning decades. Fewer still, of this select breed, have a body of work that’s as influential and thought provoking — yet controversial — as Spike Lee. Over the span of his career, the maverick film-maker’s movies have vividly covered topics as wide-ranging as race relations, the role played by media in contemporary life, ghetto crime and poverty, and even far-reaching political issues. Lee’s films have received widespread critical acclaim, earning him numerous awards including an Emmy; he has also been nominated for the Oscars on two occasions.

Spike Lee has made films across genres, but they have all been pioneering in their gritty approach towards issues pertaining to the sociopolitical milieu of mixed race America and offer a fresh perspective on race, class and gender stereotypes in modern-day America.

Spike Lee: The Making of a Legend

Born Shelton Jackson Lee in 1957 in Atlanta Georgia to a jazz musician and an art teacher, Lee’s parents moved base to Brooklyn when he was very young. His years growing up there have had a major impact on his movies, with Brooklyn serving as a backdrop for many of the movies made by Spike Lee. His was a precocious talent recognized as early as his sting at NYU as a film student; the short film he made for his thesis won the Student Academy Award for best director in 1983.

His lauded debut film, She’s Gotta Have It, completed its 25^th anniversary recently.  This movie, which also starred Spike Lee as a major character, was released in 1986. Shot in 12 days on a shoestring budget of USD 175,000, She’s Gotta Have It was written, produced and directed by Spike Lee.  The film stars Tracy Camilla Jones as Nora Darling, a young, confident African American career woman who is juggling three lovers, none of whom she’s able to commit to. Spike Lee himself co-starred as one of the three men in Nora’s life.

Breaking Molds & Courting Controversies, the Spike Lee way

She’s Gotta Have It, while a simple drama-comedy on the surface, was a pioneering film in its non-stereotypical portrayal of urban, intelligent African-American characters and was part of the 80s independent movie movement. The film, and Lee himself, became cause célèbre among the African-American community, who found She’s Gotta Have It to be a welcome departure from the then prevalent blaxploitation style of movies that were typically made to target the African-American viewers.  Besides accolades from moviegoers and critics alike, the film won the Prix de Jeuness at the Cannes Film Festival for the best film by a newcomer.

Even greater acclaim, however, was reserved for Malcolm X, the 1992 biopic made by Spike Lee on the legendary civil rights activist; many consider that movie to be his greatest to date. The 195 length film chronicles the rise of Malcolm X from his early childhood to the most charismatic spokesperson of the Civil Rights movement, to his assassination. Through the gritty film, Spike Lee paints a stark picture of the racially bigotry America prevalent during the 1950s and ’60s.

However, the same critics who’ve lauded Spike Lee for taking African-American cinema out of the stereotypical mold also point out that Lee has been guilty of being formulaic in his portrayal of Jews and Italians; some have even gone as far to accuse him of antisemitism and racism. His 2001 television series on the life of Black Panthers Society founder Huey P. Newton was one of his more controversial works, which nevertheless solidified his image as one of the more radical and maverick figures in the American film industry and added to the aura of the legend of Spike lee.

This was a glimpse of the remarkable career of the ground breaking career of the director and producer Spike Lee. There will be more on him and his works on this online film blog in the near future, so stay tuned.

The Growing Popularity of Home Entertainment Systems

Entertainment is something human civilization places a high premium on and indeed, everybody spends a fair share of their income on entertainment. Of course, some ways of entertainment are more expensive than others.  If price is no object and you’re ready to pay out whatever it takes to get the home entertainment system that appeals to you the most, then there is a lot of exclusive specialist gear out there for you.

Home Entertainment: It has to be Sound

The primary thing you will almost certainly want to spend money on, on your way to home entertainment nirvana, is a better sound system — audiophiles are perpetually coming up with newfangled ways to fill rooms with speakers, and get a better sound experience. If a bunch of wires running across your floor displeases you, there is no need to worry at all, wireless surround speakers for home entertainment purposes cost a lot less than they used to.

If your sound system happens to be fine, you might even want to have sound insulation put into the room the home that the home entertainment system is in, to keep the sound from getting out and worrying neighbors or even the people that are in your house. This means that you can have the volume on your home entertainment system very loud without having to be concerned about what people think.

The Whole Nine Yards: Your Own Home Entertainment System

When you get to the point of buying a separate TV  just to play films/ sports on, you might think about buying a projector instead. The main problem with projectors is that they’re not much good for normal TV viewing, but if you’re planning to keep one aside and use it just for films, then it can be much better quality, as long as you have a clear wall to point it at.

To really step it up, you might consider having a room exclusively for your home entertainment center, complete with sound proofing, a screen to act as a projector and extra-cushy cinema-hall seating. Some enthusiasts go the distance and splurge to replicate the cinema look with the whole décor: red curtains, movie posters,  popcorn machine; the whole works basically. If you go for all that, then you must show it off too! Invite friends over to enjoy a particular favorite. You could even hold screenings of rare and good films back-to-back; the makings of your own film festival. Now that’s how you take home entertainment to the next level! Keep checking this space for the latest on entertainment news, home entertainment and film festival reviews.

Jennifer Aniston has revealed that his family continues to hear rumors about her love life.

42 year old actress said she avoids reading gossip about herself, but admitted he is forced to deal with him when his family began their test.

She told Britain’s S magazine, ‘You stay as far away from it as possible and just try to deal with the emails and phone calls from your mother, saying, ‘Are you adopting?’ ‘No, Mum.’ ‘Are you dating somebody?’ ‘No, Mum.’ ‘Well, Aunt Jean thinks…’ ‘No.’ ‘Are you getting married at Oprah’s?’ ‘An eight million dollar wedding?’ ‘No. I told you. Don’t believe it.’

“So the only way I’m really dedicated to it is when I must, somehow, the issues on the ground of my family, because for some reason they still believe its true.”

Life Time Achievement Awards ninth edition Pune International Film Festival (Piff) gives the veteran actor Saira Banu and Shashikala. Noted filmmaker Subhash Ghai is given a special award for his contribution to the film industry.

It also ex post facto, Kamal Hassan is a great player, during the festival. eight-day festival will begin Thursday at Ganesh Kala Rangmanch Krid at 16:30.

Sachin Dev Burman The international award for creating music and sound, which began last year, will be conferred on the legendary music director Khayyam. The awards will be presented at the opening ceremony.

Award-winning Russian film, Silent Soul, will be the opening film.

This year, more than 200 films from all over the world will be screened. The festival will have films in various categories which will be competing for cash awards in the World Competition section, Marathi Competition section and Whistling Woods Student Competition section.

The World Competition section will have 14 films, Marathi Competition section will have 7 films and in the Student section 38 films will be screened and will be judged by an international jury.

PIFF director Jabbar Patel said, “For the World Cinema competition this year, we had got 348 entries, of them 14 films were selected. Historical cinema is the main thrust this year. Since this is the 50th year of the noted film, Mughal-e-Azam, it will be screened at the fest.’’

This year is the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and to mark the occasion, five of his films will be screened.

The country in focus this year will be Japan. More than 30 Japanese films will be screened. Film Division Division of the screen a documentary series.

The films will be screened at six locations, Ganesh Kala Krida Rangmanch, E-Square, Inox, Fame (Fatimanagar), City Pride (Kothrud) and R Deccan.



“Nicole Kidman “, Australian actress will be honored with first prize at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival early next year.

Kidman has been chosen to accept the popular Vanguard Cinema during the 10 days festival.

The award, which has earlier been given to Vera Farmiga, Christoph Waltz and Peter Sarsgaard, recognizes stars, which take artistic risks and make a significant input to film.

The festival’s executive director, Roger Durling, says Kidman has demonstrated a large range in her acting work and singled out her most recent movie Rabbit Hole, which she also co-produced.

“Her work is immensely diverse and with this year’s heart-wrenching and brilliant performance in Rabbit Hole, a project she helped develop as well, it is exactly who we should be celebrating with the 2011 Cinema Vanguard Award,” he said.

Durling added Kidman had managed to master drama, horror, comedy, romance and even the musical genre.

He described the performance of Nicole Kidman in Rabbit Hole, where she plays a woman who lost her child, as captivating. 26th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs from 27 January to 6 February

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata recently said, the 16thKolkata Film Festival (KFF) will pay tribute to Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath on his 150th birth anniversary.

The festival organized by the West Bengal Film Centre, under the central government, is the second oldest international film festival in India. It takes place in six locations in the city from 10 to 17 and total 127 films from 38 countries to be screened this year, like last year, the equivalent of 227.

This year the festival’s budget has been decreased from Rs one crore to Rs 65 lakh, out of which the state government is contributing Rs 50 lakh. The rest will be raised through sponsorships. The inaugural film would be Costa Rican filmmaker Hilda Hidalgo’s Of Love and Other Demons. Films like Khokababur Pratyabartan, Charulata, Atithi and Streer Patra, inspired by Tagore’s stories, would be screened at the festival as a mark of tribute to the bard.

Prithviraj- Indrajith film renamed Junction

Brothers Prithviraj and Indrajith are coming together once again, after a long gap. The sons of the late actor Sukumaran will be seen in Junction that was earlier titled City Of God.

Directed by Lijo Pellissery, the shooting is in full swing in and around Kochi. Pellissery, the son of late actor Jose Pellissery, made his directorial debut with Nayakan, which had Indrajith in the lead.

Actress Parvathy, who made her debut with Notebook and later acted in Vinodayathra and Flash, making a comeback as the heroine in Junction.

Shwetha Menon in Rathinirvedham remake

Shwetha Menon is set to play a key role in the remake of Rathinirvedham. Directed by the late Bharathan, the film is about an adolescent guy’s obsessive love for an elderly woman. Krishnachandran and Jayabharathi had played key roles in the original.

TKRajeev Kumar will recreate Rathinirvedham. Shwetha play the role of older women, previously played by Jayabharathi. Suresh Kumar is producing the film under the banner of Revathy Kalamandir.

The Gotham Independent Film Awards, , have nominated a number of movies with a jumping  gun on the 2010 prize season, that have actually played Charm City and/or premiered at the Maryland Film Festival. Even one of the “Best Films Not Playing at a Theater Near You” was the closing presentation at the Chesapeake Film Festival. And a couple of nominees have Baltimore or Maryland creative connections.

Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You (and they mean anywhere, including Baltimore): “Kati with an i” by Robert Greene, director; “Littlerock” by Mike Ott; “On Coal River” by Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood (the closing attraction at the Chesapeake Film Festival); “Summer Pasture” by Lynn True and Nelson Walker; “The Wolf Knife” by Laurel Nakadate.

Best Feature: Three have opened in Baltimore: “The Kids Are All Right” by Lisa Cholodenko (Baltimore-bred Bart Walker, a partner in Cinetic Media, helped get it to the screen); “Let Me In” by Matt Reeves; and “Winter’s Bone” by Debra Granik, who grew up in Maryland. “Black Swan” by Darren Aronofsky and “Blue Valentine” by Derek Cianfrance have not yet been released or shown at festivals here.

Best Documentary: “12th & Delaware” by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady played at the Maryland Film Festival and has aired on HBO; “The Oath” by Laura Poitras also played at the MFF and has aired on PBS; “Public Speaking” by Martin Scorsese and “Sweetgrass” by Lucien Castai haven’t been seen at festivals or regular screenings here; “Inside Job,” by Charles Ferguson, arrives November 5.

Best Ensemble Performance: “Tiny Furniture” played at the Maryland Film Festival; “Please Give” had a good run at the Charles; “The Kids Are All Right” (again, a Baltimore hit); “Winter’s Bone” (ditto); “Life During Wartime.”

Breakthrough Director: John Wells for “The Company Men”; Kevin Asch for “Holy Rollers”; Glenn Ficarra and John Requa for “I Love You Phillip Morris”; Tanya Hamilton for “Night Catches Us” (Hamilton came to the Maryland Film Festival with her movie); Lena Dunham for “Tiny Furniture” (Dunham also came to the MFF with her movie).

Breakthrough Actor: Prince Adu in “Prince of Broadway”; Ronald Bronstein in “Daddy Longlegs” (Bronstein came with the film to the Maryland Film Festival, along with directors Josh and Benny Safdie); Greta Gerwig in “Greenberg” (a hit in Baltimore, now on DVD — and Gerwig has been a frequent guest of the MFF, though not for this film); Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter’s Bone” (as noted, a favorite in Baltimore); John Ortiz in “Jack Goes Boating” (also played in Baltimore).

The all time sexiest singer MADONNA has desires to settle back in London.

Madonna was married with British citizen and Film director Guy Ritchie. However they get prompted their divorce on 2008 removed her British citizenship and moved back to her motherland, the United States of America.

The Material Girl Madonna herself wants to head back to Great Britain because she “feels her heart is” in London. Since she’s no longer a British citizen by virtue of marriage, Madonna has to apply for a visa to legally settle in the British country.

“Madonna has loved being back in the States since the divorce but England is where she feels her heart is now,” a source said.

“She is deliberately focusing on work that will keep her in Britain.

“She has had meetings with her London legal team, Mischon de Reya, to arrange a visa that will enable her to move back for good. Now that she is no longer a British citizen by virtue of being married to Guy, she has to apply like everyone else.”

Rocco,10 years old,Guy Ritchie’s legitimate son,is able to stay in Britain.However,his other siblings, Lourdes,13, and adopted kids David Banda,5, and Mercy James,4, will need their mother to complete all the necessary documents before they can stay and live in U.K.

“The other children will automatically gain visas as Madonna’s dependents as long as she can get past the paperwork,” the source added.

“The past couple of years have been the breath of fresh air Madonna needed after her divorce, but Madonna is now ready to hold the British lifestyle again.”

San Diego Film Festival consisted of the premiere of Leland Orser’s feature film directorial debut entitled Morning, a Q and A with Leland and company after the film and a glamorous rooftop after party at the Se hotel.  The 9th annual San Diego Film Festival kicked off to a successful start at the Gaslamp Theater in Downtown San Diego. A variety of filmmakers, actors, writers, producers, directors and fans came to mingle, and share their mutual love for the art of cinema. Robin Laatz, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the San Diego Film Festival, was also present in the midst of all the excitement. The red carpet led the way into the Gaslamp Theater lobby, where many got the opportunity to catch a glimpse of Leland Orser, whose past work consists of parts in Seven, Saving Private Ryan and the Bone collector.

Mini-Review of Morning:

At the San Diego Film Festival  Leland, as a director, takes a minimalist approach to directing this film and it looks and feels like no other director’s style.  The film explores the alienated, agonizing journey to the acceptance of death. Leland Orser throws the audience in a consuming darkness that none of us ever want to drown in, with his tragic film, Morning, about the immediate four days after a couple loses their child. As the film rolls along, the couple, as well as the audience, learns to tread in these dark waters.

Mark Munroe, Leland, and Alice Munroe, the exceptional Jeanne Tripplehorn, tear away in separate paths to drag themselves through that necessary journey alone.  Leland has very few lines of dialogue as Mark, trapping himself within his house, letting the boy inside the man grieve. His actions and mannerisms are more powerful, and cut deeper, than any dialogue would have done. Alice Munroe unsuccessfully interacts with the world, attempting to stay at her friend’s house that has experienced loss in the past, but Alice feels that she does not fit anywhere. It’s as if she is the only one of her kind, and in a way she is for temporary moments. The world contradicts the unique pain they both feel, as Leland shows us that the world never stops, making the journey of these characters a heroic feat to accomplish.

On top of Leland Orser and Jeanne Tripplehorn, the rest of the cast, which includes Laura Linney, Elliott Gould, Jason Ritter and Kyle Chandler, all give wonderful performances. The editing and cinematography, such as the notable incorporation of the blurred flashbacks to happier times with the couple and their child, both deepen the wound of the tragedy. Leland Orser has entered a fine film into the world of cinema with Morning, showing the extraordinary human capability to endure.

After the film, Leland and company did a Q & A session, answering a number of interesting questions.  The crowd responded to the film with a round of applause and Leland, sharply dressed, took center stage and light-heartedly apologized for making the audience watch a film with such a tragic story. Leland discussed how the film started out as a short and expanded into a feature film that’s a little over an hour and a half.  The director also discussed a few humorous stories during production, like how Kyle Chandler jokingly kissed him first before he had to do a scene that required aggressively kissing Leland’s wife, Jeanne Tripplehorn. He also went into how he prepared for this film, character-wise, by distancing himself from his family as much as possible so the two lives wouldn’t collide in any way.

There are many great films in store for tomorrow and the weekend, such as Nowhere Boy, Welcome to the Rileys and the inspirational documentary, My Run.  Get passes, tickets and more information at the San Diego Film Festival website. The San Diego Film Festival continues today with films such as The Rock ‘n’ Roll Dreams of Duncan Christopher, and A Little Help, starring Jenna Fischer and Chris O’Donnell.