Billy's Ballet's Box Office Sblitz The Oscar rumours concerning Stephen Daldry drama/musical hit, Billy Elliot are growing as fast as the number of screens it is being shown on in the US. On a tiny 37 screens it continues to draw a per screen average in the high 13,000's ($), more than twice that of Universal's current top runner, Meet The Parents. Its been another good week for the film, it just won the Grand Prize at the Cinéssone Film Festival in Paris last Sunday, while Jamie Bell was named best actor.
Billy's (also) Singin' in the Rain-dance The 8th Raindance film festival ended in London's Metro cinema late on Thursday night with Billy Elliot winning another 4 awards. These included Best Film, Best Director for Stephen Daldry, Best Screenplay for Lee Hall and Best On Screen Newcomer for the 14 year old Jamie Bell. Andrew Eaton won Producer of the Year for Michael Winterbottom's, Wonderland, the Special Jury figure was Mike Figgis and this year's Lifetime Achievement Award went to Colin Young. US Burn Wicker At Both Ends Since the distressing rumours of US remakes of: The Third Man, The Prisoner TV series, Colditz, and the release of an American 'version' of Get Carter, the Book of Shadows: Blair Witch Project 2 director, Joe Berlinger now plans to remake TheWicker Man. Robin Hardy's classic British horror film maintains a cult following after 27 years and a US remake would surely infuriate a largely international audience in the wake of the above films. Berlinger seemed apathetic to this, "I originally saw The Wicker Man about 18 years ago and really liked it," I thought this would be a perfect film to remake on U.S. soil, which I know will drive people crazy." In response to that Scotland on Sunday remark, Scottish trade body, Scottish Screen replied in an interview in the Independent with "You attempt a remake of a film so beloved by so many at your peril."
Dickie Deplores Violent Film Directors British film industry trouper, Richard Attenborough has now directed his lamentations away from Hollywood at toward British filmmakers. In The Express on Monday, Attenborough lambasted Guy Ritchie for pandering to Hollywood by making films glamorising violence. He could accept Lock, Stock "because that was the first." But, he added, "to do that crap for purely commercial reasons, to succumb to the pornography of violence because it is a pre-requisite for commercial success, that I want no part of. Violence on screen is much worse than sex. It makes us lose the capacity to be shocked or moved. I don't want to be guilty of that."
Actos 'Ave Ad it with Strike The longest strike in US entertainment industry history could be over as early as Monday. The Studio Briefing news team reported on Thursday that negotiators for the actors' unions and the advertising industry reached a tentative contract agreement on Sunday. The strike will end if a joint board of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists approves the deal. The 6 month long strike will be resolved at a New York news conference on Monday when the industry officially agrees to give the unions jurisdiction over commercials made for the Internet.
Spice Factory Call Another Taxi French Taxi director, Gerard Pires is due to make his English language debut with the $12m 2-11 or Heist, starring Stephen Dorff and Natasha Henstridge, with shooting is scheduled for February. The film is being produced as part of a three-picture co-production deal between UK production company Spice Factory and Canada’s Transfilm for genre pictures up to a $15m limit. Brighton based Spice Factory also recently signed a similar deal with Copenhagen’s Zeitgeist Films.
This week... Cinemas Admit record Year >>> Euro adds to UK's film woes >>> Britfilm Investment Sinks 10% in 2001 >>> (Stewart) Till We Meet Again >>> Jean-Marie's Mess >>> Snow White & The 7 Sequels >>> Brian Cox in Good Spirit >>> And also... >>>
Billy's Ballet's Box Office Sblitz