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news.xinhuanetLOS ANGELES, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Sony Studio's third 3-D animated comedy "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" has proven that all its efforts were worthwhile with a hefty 30.1 million dollars in ticket sales over the weekend in North American theaters, dominating the box office lineup, preliminary estimates collected by North American box office authorities show Sunday.
Adapted from a children book popular in the 1980s, the movie is about a kid named Flint who decided to save his island from food crisis by creating a machine that can convert ordinary water into any food on Earth. This in turn brought about a crisis. A new effort since Sony produced "Open Season" and "Surf's up", the animation premiered on Friday with 2.5 million dollars in tickets sales being generated from the 3-D IMAX theaters, a proof that this computer-generated genre is winning over more audience.
Among the four movies debuted in top five places this weekend, Warner Bros. "The Informant" came in second with 10.5 million dollars. Mark Damon's excellent performance is a bright spot with the film, and reports that he had gained 30 lbs in weight to fit in the role won over a number of viewers. Having been shown in the Toronto International Film Festival and drew wide acclaims, it could be one of this Fall's first films that could join the Oscars competition of 2009.
The lone top-five holdover from last week was Lionsgate's "Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself". It has dropped to third place with 10 million dollars against a 57 percent drop and now stands at 38 million dollars in total domestic box office.
Rounding out the top five are: "Love Happens", a Universal romantic romp featuring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart with 8.5 million dollars; vampire flick "Jennifer's Body" from Fox with 6.8 million dollars featuring Megan Fox.
Editor: Yan
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ReutersTORONTO (Reuters) - "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire" won the top award at the Toronto International Film Festival Saturday, giving the Oprah Winfrey-produced film some early momentum heading into Oscar awards season.
The film, a gritty tale of the abuse and redemption of a teenage girl in Harlem, captured the festival's People's Choice award, which is voted on by filmgoers. Last year it went to best picture Oscar winner "Slumdog Millionaire."
Critics have roundly praised "Precious" since its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and audiences in Toronto warmly received the film, which is directed by Lee Daniels and will hit theaters in November.
"I made this film for every person out there who ever looked in the mirror and felt unsure about the person looking back," Daniels, who is traveling in Spain, said in a statement read out at an awards reception in Toronto.
In addition to "Slumdog Millionaire," past winners of the award that have gone on to win the best picture Oscar include "American Beauty" and "Chariots of Fire."
The festival, which wraps up later Saturday with a red-carpet screening of "The Young Victoria," a look at the British queen's early years, was notable this year for a lack of distribution deals signed as the independent film industry remains mired in a near two-year funk.
More than one-third of the more than 330 films screened entered the festival without distribution deals, and barely a handful were announced during the event's 10-day run.
Festival co-director Piers Handling said he expects more deals involving Toronto-screened films to soon be announced, but said the days of festival bidding wars were likely over.
"It's a combination of just an increasingly conservative marketplace in North America, the recession, as well as a glut of product," he told Reuters after the awards presentation.
"I think there will be fewer films being made."
Other winners included critics' awards for "The Man Beyond the Bridge," an Indian production featuring the little-used language of Konkani, and "Hadewijch," a French film that looks at the possibilities and consequences of a devoutly religious life.
The audience award for top documentary went to "The Topp Twins," which tells the story of a New Zealand lesbian country and western singing duo.
(Reporting by Cameron French; Editing by Xavier Briand)
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thestar.comHer growing body of work shows actress is not just another blond.Sep 18, 2009 04:30 AM
Peter Howell
Movie Critic
Amanda Seyfried doesn't have to worry about typecasting, at least for the moment. She plays polar opposites in her two movies at TIFF, the horror film Jennifer's Body and the erotic drama Chloe.
In Jennifer's Body, opening today, she's a mouse named Needy, the angelic ying to Megan Fox's devilish yang, although it's a stretch that Seyfried could ever really be a wallflower. In Atom Egoyan's Chloe, opening later this fall, Seyfried plays the title hottie, a hooker hired by Julianne Moore's jealous spouse to tempt her husband, played by Liam Neeson.
"It's an actor's dream," says the 23-year-old blond from steeltown Allentown, Penn., who first rose to prominence five years ago as a high school bitch in Mean Girls. "I get to celebrate two completely different movies with two completely different characters."
Q Do you see any parallels between Needy and Chloe?
A Oh, yes. They've both got vulnerable sides, but I think every human being does, unless they're psychotic. And they're both naive. I think they suffer from being in a limited world, especially Chloe.
Q Don't you hate it when hot girls put on glasses to pretend they're homely, the way you do in Jennifer's Body?
A It was so wonderful not being so glamorous! Because most parts you take are the big-boobed, long-legged blond-hair girl and you try to make her look glamorous. It's very easy to be typecast as a young woman with my proportions. But it's way more fun to play the characters that I've got to play in these two movies.
Q How did you manage to escape typecasting so early in your career?
A I have a really good agent who knew from the beginning that she had to be specific and careful with the roles that I chose from Mean Girls on. And a lot of scripts came my way to play dumb blonds that really didn't have much character in teen movies that I ended up not doing, because it would have really been only for money and work. Instead of being desperate I took my time. Then certain roles came and I would audition for something and I'd get it, and it would ... be the perfect movie at the time for me.
Q You also made a big impression playing Meryl Streep's daughter in Mamma Mia!
A That movie put me into a whole different realm. People all over the world know who I am because of that movie, and children all over the world idolize me, and people think I'm marketable.
Q Were you a horror fan prior to making Jennifer's Body?
A I don't enjoy being scared out of my mind. I saw The Haunting In Connecticut, because a friend was in it. I was sitting there and I kind of wanted to leave the theatre ... .
Q Were you familiar with Atom Egoyan's work before Chloe?
A Just that he is one of the most respected indie directors of all time and, of course, he was nominated for The Sweet Hereafter, which I saw right away. I knew he was really smart in a way that would have been intimidating, but I knew the way he edited the movie and the way he filmed it, it would be quite unique. He's a genius.
Q You have a nude scene in Chloe. Your first one?
A Yes. A real nude scene, that is. But then I realized, this guy (Egoyan) knows what he's doing, I trust him more with my life. I know it sounds weird, but he's a remarkable person. And a bit crazy, in the most attractive way.
Q You're on a roll. Any other film genre you want to do?
A I'd like to do a period movie. Not a movie about my period!
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english.cri.cnThe official poster and the first trailer(click source link for trailer) for adventure film "The Treasure Hunter", starring Jay Chou and Lin Chi-Ling, were released Thursday as producers gear up for its December 31 release.
Highlighting the film's treasure-hunting theme, the poster features a background that brings to mind "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" starring Angelina Jolie.
"The Treasure Hunter", formerly known by its Chinese name "Ci Ling", is the first collaboration between Jay Chou and Lin Chi-Ling, two of Taiwan's hottest stars.
Created with 400 million New Taiwan dollars (US$12 million), the action-packed film tells the adventure of Qiao Fei (Jay Chou), who strives to protect a hidden treasure with the help of Lan Ting (Lin Chi-Ling).
Former supermodel Lin makes her second big-screen appearance after she won rave reviews for her role in John Woo's "Red Cliff" last year. Pop star-turned-actor Jay Chou, also a fresh face on the silver screen, cooperates again with director Chu Yin-Ping after "Kung Fu Dunk".
"The Treasure Hunter" also co-stars Hong Kong actor Eric Tsang, as well as actor Chen Daoming and actress Miao Pu from the mainland.
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variety.comOscar nominated director Todd Phillips is set to make a road trip comedy,"Due Date". Robert Downey Jr. will be starring alongside Michelle Monaghan and Zach Galifianakis in the movie.
Phillips also co-produced the movie with Scott Budnick and Daniel Goldberg. The screenplay was written by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland and Adam Sztykiel.
The story is about a guy(Downey Jr.) whose wife(Monaghan) is pregnant. He goes on a cross country road trip with a mismatched traveling companion(Galifianakis)to arrive in time to see his child's birth.
Movie to start shooting next week, and scheduled to release on the 5th of November 2010.
Phillips will next be filming The Hangover 2. Production is expected to begin in October 2010. Zach Galifanakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms are all expected to reprise their roles in the sequel.
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Written by siewaun
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spoilertv-movies,
dc.wikia.com/wikiSpoiler TV has revealed a casting call for some of the main characters that will be appearing along side Hal Jordan(played by Ryan Reynolds) in the Green Lantern movie.
And this gives us some insight into its plot developments.
Let's take a look at the characters as mentioned in the casting call:
CAROL FERRIS - 26-32, a smart and attractive woman with an MBA. She started as a pilot and now runs Ferris Aircraft. She is a work-a-holic...FEMALE LEAD. In the comics version, Carol Ferris is the only child of aerospace mogul Carl Ferris, she hired Hal Jordan to be a test pilot for her company, and they fell in love with each other. Carol Ferris would later becomes Star Sapphire, but that's another story...
DR. HECTOR HAMMOND - 27-35, Character actor who is austere and impersonal, he is real "scummy." He is a pathologist and also the son of a Senator. In the comics, Hector Hammond exposed himself to a strange meteor fragment he found in the woods & becomes an enhanced intellect super villain with telepathy & mind controlling powers.
SINESTRO - Mid-30s to Mid-40s, he is smart, tough, intimidating and in great physical shape. The comics' Sinestro is a super villain with the ability to instill fear & overcome fear. With his Qwardian power ring, he's able to move tremendous weights far heavier than 100 tons with little effort. He was originally the greatest Green Lantern that the Corps ever had, but was later imprisoned. It was there that he got himself the yellow power ring.
ABIN SUR - Mid-30s to mid-40s, he is a great warrior. In comics, he was originally a history professor on the planet Ungar, & was later appointed Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814. When he was dying, he uses his power ring to search for a successor to wield the ring, & that person is none other than Hal Jordan. He later freed himself from Hell and assisted Jordan on several spiritual adventures and metaphysical dilemmas.
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english.cri.cnThe trailer has been released for prestigious director Tian Zhuangzhuang's new film 'The Warrior And The Wolf'.
As a departure from his previous literary genre, this one is a commercial flick adapted from Japanese writer Inoue Yasushi's mythical fantasy novel of the same name. Starring Japanese actor Odagiri Joe and Hong Kong model-actress Maggie Q, the film is set for release on October 2.
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China DailyTop chinese actress Li Bingbing will be starring in the upcoming Huayi Brothers'upcoming spy thriller, "The Message" ("Feng Sheng"), where she'll be doing her first ever nude scene.
The movie was set during China's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1937-45). It also stars another chinese top actress Zhou Xun.
The story follows the assassination of an official of the Japanese-controlled puppet government. Five suspects were imprisoned by the Japanese to flush out the planted agent.
The movie is co-directed by Taiwan's Chen Kuo-fu and China's Gao Qunshu. Chen also wrote the screenplay for the movie. Chen previously directed the very successful thriller "Double Vision".
The movie ending is kept secret until the 30th September premiere. Also, audience will have to wait till then to know which of the 7 versions produced by directors will hit the big screen. Yes, they filmed 7 versions of the movie.
But despite that, Chen says he isn't worried the first batch of viewers will spoil it for the rest. "Suspense is an important element for a spy thriller, but it isn't everything," Chen told China Daily. "Watching the film is a lot of fun. It's like, you open a pot and find out what the food is, but that won't spoil your appetite for it."
Oscar-winning designer of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" Tim Yip created all the costumes for the movie.
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hitfix.comJessica Biel and newcomer Sharlto Copley -- who just had his first acting gig in "District 9" -- may want to brush up on their "A-Team" history. The two are supposedly in final talks with 20th Century Fox for roles in the movie adaptation of the television series, according to Variety.
If they sign on, Biel and Copley will star alongside Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, with filming to start this autumn in Vancouver. Copley would play Capt. "Howling Mad" Murdock, the A-Team's helicopter pilot, while Biel would play ex to Cooper's "Faceman."
Neeson and Jackon will portray John "Hannibal" Smith and Sgt. "B.A." Baracus (originally played by Mr. T), respectively.
The original, fictional series "The A-Team" followed four ex-Army Special Forces soldiers on the run
The project is being produced by Ridley Scott and series creator Stephen J. Cannell, with director Joe Carnahan at the helm.
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hitfix.comI'm not sure who is going to acquire Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," but lord I hope someone does. Surprisingly funny and immensely entertaining, "Bad Lieutenant" is markedly different than it's 1992 predecessor (which is best known for star Harvey Keitel's full frontal nude scene), but beyond the new locale, the film really sets itself apart by Nicolas Cage's fantastic performance.
Set in a post-Katrina New Orleans, "Bad Lieutenant" follows a few days in the life of a Terence McDonagh (Cage) , a career officer in the city police force who suffers from chronic back pain that he can only tolerate by over indulging on prescription drugs, cocaine, heroin and, um, you name it. Things start to go wrong for McDonagh when he's asked to investigate the cold-blooded murder of five Sengalese immigrants. At the same time, a series of events conspire to bring McDonagh's world into a spiral including his hooker girlfriend (Eva Mendes in her element) being blackmailed by a mob thug, his bookie coming after him for $10,000 and a dangerous arrangement with the drug dealing murder suspect Big Fate (a surprising Xzibit). "Bad" man indeed. As the chips fall into place, however, it's McDonagh's crazy luck and smarts portrayed in a smart, relaxed and almost lighthearted style by Cage that makes the storyline work. And even though the tension dissipates as the outlandish events increase throughout the story, the audience still finds itself rooting for McDonagh, a man so screwed up he'll pull over a couple on false charges and then screw a man's girlfriend just to get his desperate cocaine hit. That's not an easy accomplishment for any director, but Herzog really pulls it off.
Val Kilmer, Michael Shannon and Shawn Hatosy are all solid as colleagues in the forece and Fariuza Balk is incredibly sexy in a brief cameo, but it's Cage who is the real star here. This writer tried to recall the last time the Oscar-winner came across as sympathetic, unintentionally endearing and someone you really root for. "Face/Off"? "The Rock"? Shoot, even his work in "Leaving Las Vegas" wasn't easy to watch. In any event, it's been quite a long time. And just as long since Cage has looked like he's been having such a blast on screen. If "Lieutenant" could find distribution soon to make a 2009 release, Cage would stand an excellent shot at another Oscar nomination. No matter what the outcome in that respect, his performance should grab the attention of many filmmakers and producers who may have shied away from him for edgier roles because of his recent run of flicks like "National Treasure," "Knowing" and insert lame thriller here.
"Lieutenant's" thematic point-of-view may not be for everyone, but judging by the audience reaction at the press screening this afternoon it could become a favorite of many.
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Source: news.xinhuanet
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