KVIFF 47, AWARDS AND COMMENTS, A TALE OF FOUR WOMAN
by Alex Deleon
SUSAN SARANDON AT KARLOVY VARY
The 47th Karlovy Vary Film Festival closed shop on Saturday July 7 with the customary gala awards ceremony and a screening of Woody Allen's "To Rome With Love" in the vast 1,500 seat Grand Hall (Velky Zal) of the Thermal Hotel. This was followed by the usual swanky closing reception at the stately Hapsburg era Hotel Pupp (Pronounced "poop&quo...
by Deborah Cole
Woody Allen's latest European-inspired fairytale "Midnight in Paris" featuring French first lady Carla Bruni kicked off the Cannes festival Wednesday, drawing critics' cheers at an early preview.
Even before the light-hearted romantic comedy screened, the film generated major buzz when Bruni, who has a cameo, said she would not attend the premiere citing "personal reasons", stoking rampant media rumours that she is pregnant.
"Mi...
From left : French general delegate of the Cannes Film Festival, Thierry Fremaux, US actor Adrien Brody, the president of the Cannes Film Festival Gilles Jacob, US actor Owen Wilson, French actress Lea Seydoux, US director Woody Allen, French Culture Minister Fredferic Mitterrand, Canadian actress Rachel McAdams and British actor Michael Sheen pose on the red carpet before the opening ceremony and the screening of "Midnight in Paris" presented out-of- competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival...
Oscar® winner Matt Damon ("Good Will Hunting," "Invictus") stars in "Hereafter," directed by Academy Award® winner Clint Eastwood ("Million Dollar Baby," "Unforgiven") from a screenplay by two time Oscar® nominee Peter Morgan ("Frost/Nixon," "The Queen"). "Hereafter" tells the story of three people who are haunted by mortality in different ways. Matt Damon stars as George, a blue-collar American who has a special connection to the afterlife. On the other side of the world, Marie (Cecile de Fr...
It was "Michelle Ma Belle" on the Berlin front pages this morning announcing the arrival on day six of still fairly pretty, 49 year old Hollywood star, Michelle Pfeiffer, here to rep her competition film "Chéri" in which she plays an aging coutrtesan (French euphemism for "high class hooker") in hopeless love with a much younger debauché -- French for "degenerate profligate", of masculin gender. The classy period piece set in "Belle Epoche" France (the period from the turn of the century to W...
Going in there was every reason to expect Woody Allen's latest, "Vicki Cristina Barcelona", to be a winner -- top-notch international name cast including last years Oscar laureate for best supporting actor, Spaniard Javier Bardem, a gaggle of sexy women involved with him including dazzling blonde bombshell Scarlett Johansson, and the beautiful city of Barcelona for a backdrop. Sad to say it was highly disappointing at neary every turn and was basically a high gloss low concept loser. The pict...
In their 11th year, the Hollywood Film Festival(r) and Hollywood Awards(r), have named the panel of international judges assembled to decide on the nominations of this year's Hollywood World Awards(r). The awards will be bestowed October 22 at the Hollywood Awards(r) Gala ceremony, which takes place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.The awards have become a good predictor of international films which are set to receive kudos in the year's awards season.Last year's winner was Pedro Al...
Incredible autumn viewing awaits movie lovers - both indoors as the 29th edition of Aspen Filmfest raises its curtain, and outdoors as Mother Nature unveils her fall colors. One of Colorado's premiere film festivals, Aspen Filmfest runs Sept. 26-30, showcasing some of this year's most anticipated national and international features and documentaries, as well as undiscovered gems. As always, filmmakers and attendees enjoy mingling in Aspen's spectacular Rocky Mountain setting. A new version of ...
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 2007 THE 79th ACADEMY AWARDS -- FEW SURPRISES – and the Losers were … by Alex Deleon, Hollywood THE 79th annual edition of the Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- commonly referred to in the vulgate as "THE OSCARS" -- did not offer up many surprises this year, as most of the front runners and odds-on favorites came in first in their respective races. Of course, in some races the fix was on, as in the run for Best Director and Best Pi...
THE 79th annual edition of the Awards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- commonly referred to in the vulgate as "THE OSCARS" -- did not offer up many surprises this year, as most of the front runners and odds-on favorites came in first in their respective races. Of course, in some races the fix was on, as in the run for Best Director and Best Picture, where it would have been sheer folly to bet against Marty Scorcese, and his piss-poor but dearly beloved neo-Gangsta flick, "Th...
2007 0SCARS COMING UP -- AND THE WINNERS MIGHT BE ...by Alex Deleon, HollywoodNo self-respecting film critic can resist the temptation to try to predict who the winners will be on Oscar night, so, for better or for worse, with the big self-congratulation orgy less than a week away -- here are my predictions and conjectures.Helen Mirren(The Queen) and Forest Whitaker (The Dictator) will easily claim the Best Actress and Best Actor prizes, respectively. (The odds of anyone else upsetting the fron...
Tonight, February 25, the world will watch in baited breath to see if one of their cinematic favorites walks away with the industry's highest honor – the Oscar. Every year presents its fair share of surprises, triumphs, heartaches and snubs. What makes this Academy Award ceremony particularly exciting is the monumental year of quality films that it represents. 2006 was a sensational year at the movies, highlighted by an unprecedented number of fine roles for women. With so much great work...
Vizu Answers, (http://answers.vizu.com), the Internet's first do-it-yourself market research service, polled readers of more than 20 blogs to reveal predictions for top honors in the 79th Annual Academy Awards. Respondents have strong opinions on who will bring home a statue in the key categories. More than half of those polled think "Babel" deserves the Best Picture Oscar, while more than a one-third think Forest Whitaker should get a Best Actor nod for his role in "The Last King of Scotland." ...
On Sunday, February 25, the world will watch in baited breath to see if one of their cinematic favorites walks away with the industry's highest honor – the Oscar. Every year presents its fair share of surprises, triumphs, heartaches and snubs. What makes this Academy Award ceremony particularly exciting is the monumental year of quality films that it represents. 2006 was a sensational year at the movies, highlighted by an unprecedented number of fine roles for women. With so much...
Stephen Frears has just accepted the presidency of the jury of the 60th Festival de Cannes, which will take place between May 16-27.Revealed in 1985 with My Beautiful Laundrette, Stephen Frears presented his award-winning Prick up Your Ears in 1987 in the Official Selection at the Festival de Cannes.In 1988, Dangerous Liaisons won him international fame. He has alternated since, with equal joy, between great genre films (Accidental Hero, The Grifters) and more intimist or engaged subjects (The S...
Stephen Frears has just accepted the presidency of the jury of the 60th Festival de Cannes, which will take place between May 16-27. Revealed in 1985 with My Beautiful Laundrette, Stephen Frears presented his award-winning Prick up Your Ears in 1987 in the Official Selection at the Festival de Cannes.In 1988, Dangerous Liaisons won him international fame. He has alternated since, with equal joy, between great genre films (Accidental Hero, The Grifters) and more intimist or engaged subjects (The ...
Scorsese Wins DGA Prize At the annual DGA Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Martin Scorsese was awarded the best director of the year prize from the Directors Guild of America, for his latest feature "The Departed" Scorsese bested Bill Condon ("Dreamgirls"), Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine"), Stephen Frears ("The Queen"), and Alejandro Gonzalez-Inarritu ("Babel"), making him a front-runner for the Academy Award for best director. In the Oscar race, he is facing Frea...
Film festivals come in various shapes, sizes, formats and orientations. The currently ongoing 22nd installment of the Santa Barbara Film Festival is a bit off-beat in certain aspects. Lasting eleven days and presenting some 200 films it is certainly not small -- more like "medium to large."
In terms of importance, however, while it is not considered to be quite in the same class as the North-American majors, Sundance, Telluride, Chicago, New York, Toronto and Montreal, it can nevertheless ce...
Santa Barbara is a very upscale seaside paradise a scant 90 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, distinguished more for its socio-economic exclusivity, high rents, distinctive Spanish architecture and sprawling beachfront university than for the modest international film festival to which it has been home since 1985. Slowly building year by year and able to draw easily on Hollywood based talent because of its relative proximity to Tinseltown, the Santa Barbara fest has now come into its own and ...
MIRREN AND WHITTAKER SHINE AT S.A.G. AWARDS
by Alex Deleon, Santa Barbara
This is the jolly season of awards in Southern California -- seems like there's a different one every week somewhere in L.A. or vicinity. Following the Golden Globes (Foreign Press Awards) a couple of weeks back we now have the Screen Actors Guild (S.A.G.) awards which are similar and yet a bit different. Both sets of awards go to both film and television personalities, but the Globes recognize all kinds of categories (w...
Debuting its slate of local and international films, and welcoming filmmakers and stars to town, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival opened over the weekend to enthusiastic audiences.
Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, and director George Hickenlooper were lauded by a packed house at the Arlington Theatre on Thursday as “Factory Girl,” a film about 1960s “It Girl” Edie Sedgwick, who was born and tragically died in Santa Barbara. Also in attendance were Edie’s brother Jonathan Sedgwi...
January 25, 2007
Santa Barbara is a very upscale seaside paradise a scant 90 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, distinguished more for its socio-economic exclusivity, high rents, distinctive Spanish architecture and sprawling beachfront university than for the modest international film festival to which it has been home since 1985. Slowly building year by year and able to draw easily on Hollywood based talent because of its relative proximity to Tinseltown, the Santa Barbara fest has now c...
Santa Barbara is a very upscale seaside paradise a scant 90 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, distinguished more for its socio-economic exclusivity, high rents, distinctive Spanish architecture and sprawling beachfront university than for the modest international film festival to which it has been home since 1985. Slowly building year by year and able to draw easily on Hollywood based talent because of its relative proximity to Tinseltown, the Santa Barbara fest has now come into its own and ...
Santa Barbara is a very upscale seaside paradise a scant 90 miles up the
coast from Los Angeles, distinguished more for its high rents, distinctive
Spanish architecture and sprawling beachfront university than for the modest
international film festival to which it has been home since 1985. Slowly
building year by year and able to draw easily on Hollywood based talent
because of its relative proximity to Tinseltown, the Santa Barbara fest has
now come into its own and has staked out its claim as ...
Dame Helen Mirren will be honored with a tribute and receive the award for Outstanding Performance of the Year for her role in “The Queen” at the upcoming 22nd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.Dame Helen Mirren will be honored on Friday, January 26th in recognition of her portrayal of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in this year’s acclaimed film “The Queen,” directed by Stephen Frears. “The Queen” is an intimate behind-the-scenes glimpse at the interaction between H...
