Movies

This demanding but highly absorbing two-hander showcases Benicio Del Toro and Mathieu Amalric at the top of their craft.

Phase 4 Films and XLrator Media have jointly acquired North American rights to crime thriller “Jamesy Boy,”  starring Mary-Louise Parker, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Taissa Farmiga and Spencer Lofranco. Deal was announced Saturday at Cannes, where Atlas International is handling international sales. “Jamesy Boy” is produced by Synergics Films and Star Thrower Entertainment. Producers are... Read more »

Scans from a rare, first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone were released online, revealing a few notes author J.K. Rowling scribbled throughout the first of series. Rowling admitted that the original animal mascot for Hufflepuff House was a bear, and not a badger as it had been written as throughout the series. That, and the origins of Quidditch, and hand-drawn art of baby Harry from the first chapter, sleeping outside Number 4, Privet Drive, can be seen here. SPOILER!!: Hi-res scans. Quote: Title page [beneath title] 'changed my life forever.' Title page 'No shield here - crest. I mean all that came in the later editions. This one's a bit wonky but you get the idea. Perhaps Hufflepuff house would have the respect it deserves from the fans if I'd stayed with my original idea of a bear to represent it?' p.18 [beneath drawing] 'Harry Potter rolled over inside his blankets without waking.' p.133 [beneath 'Quidditch'] '-was invented in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend. I had been pondering the things that hold a society together, cause it to congregate and signify its particular character and knew I needed a sport. It infuriates men, in my experience (why is the Snitch so valuable etc.), which is quite satisfying given my state of mind when I invented it.'

Scottish director Paul Wright's debut film is an extraordinary study of bereavement, writes Robbie Collin.

The jury of the CineMasters section of the 31st Munich film festival will consist of Steven Gaydos, VP and executive editor of Variety, German thesp-helmer Maria Schrader and New York publicist Peggy Siegal. The winner of the section, which is devoted to international films, will receive the ARRI/OSRAM award, which is worth E50,000 ($64,500). Last... Read more »

Star Trek Into Darkness box office: Solid or disappointing domestic debut? (Photo: Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock in Star Trek Into Darkness) J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, starring Chris Pine as Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto as Spock, has to date grossed $13.4 million in North America, including from 336 late-night Wednesday IMAX shows and all-day showtimes at 3,762 locations on Thursday. As explained by Ray Subers at Box Office Mojo, first-day figures may have been below par because Paramount Pictures changed Star Trek Into Darkness‘ release date last week — the Star Trek sequel was to have opened on Friday. For comparison’s sake: With $11.53m on Thursday proper, Star Trek Into Darkness had the 11th biggest Thursday opening ever (not adjusted for inflation). Its Thursday debut, in fact, fell way below those of other May releases, e.g., George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ($50.01 million in 2005), Andy and Lana Wachowski / Keanu Reeves’ The Matrix Reloaded ($37.5 million in 2003), Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones ($30.14 million in 2002), Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($25.04 million in 2008), and even McG / Christian Bale’s Terminator Salvation ($13.37 million in 2009) and David Fincher / Brad Pitt / Cate Blanchett’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ($11.87m in 2008). Bear in mind that none of those movies was originally released in 3D — i.e., unlike Star Trek Into Darkness they didn’t have the advantage of movie-ticket surcharges. Opening-weekend box office: Star Trek Into Darkness vs. Star Trek According to early, rough estimates found at Deadline.com, things have been looking up for Star Trek Into Darkness on Friday. The Star Trek sequel is expected to collect somewhere between $25-27 million today, which would translate into $80-90 million by Sunday evening, and a four-day cume ranging from $93-$103 million. For comparison’s sake, the original Star Trek reboot (in this case, we have an "original" reboot), without the assistance of 3D surcharges, collected $26.89 million on its opening Friday (not including Thursday night shows) — or approximately $28.5 million adjusted for inflation. Star Trek‘s opening weekend take was $79.2 million, or about $84 million today. Note: We’re comparing oranges and tangerines here, as the original Star Trek opened on Friday. In those early box-office figures are on target, Star Trek Into Darkness will be having a good, though far from outstanding — considering it’s a sequel, in 3D — opening weekend in North America. Whether it’ll ultimately be a success depends on how it’ll hold up next weekend, when it’ll face off against newcomers Fast & Furious 6 starring Dwayne Johnson, Paul Walker, and Vin Diesel, and The Hangover Part III, with Bradley Cooper and Zach Galifianakis. Star Trek Into Darkness: International box office Outside the US/Canada, Star Trek Into Darkness is reportedly running 70% ahead of the original, having already grossed $47 million in seven territories: Mexico, the UK, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Austria, and German-speaking Switzerland. Deadline.com reports that in Russia Star Trek Into Darkness took in $1.4 million on opening day this week — or about four times the amount earned by the original. And those figures help you understand why the Star Trek sequel was post-converted to 3D. Unusual for a Hollywood blockbuster, the 2009 Star Trek earned less than half of its box-office gross outside North America: $257.73 million in the US/Canada vs. $127.95 million internationally. How come? Well, Star Trek is an American television cult phenomenon; it’s considerably less popular elsewhere. Paramount had to do whatever it takes to bring in more — way more — international butts into theaters for their $190 million-budgeted spectacle. If 3D is the bait, so be it. The original Star Trek cumed at $385.6

While I've never seen Richard Franklin's Ozploitation classic Patrick, I have it on good authority that the thriller about a young man in a coma who has the power of telekinesis which he uses to kill, is pretty darn good. It certainly sounds great and I'm thinking it may be one to track down in the very near future. [Continued ...]

The duo's hip-hop song appears with other 11 tracks in the 'Fast 6' soundtrack album, which will be released by Def Jam Recordings on May 21.

Veteran Hong Kong director Peter Chan returns with a familiar rags to riches story spanning 30 years and beginning in 1980s China.read more

Spaniards David and Alex Pastor, who wrote Ryan Reynolds-starrer “Selfless,” are prepping a directorial outing, “Phoenix”. Budgeted at $15 million-$20 million, and set up at Spain’s Morena Films, “Phoenix” is an English-language action-thriller with sci-fi elements, said Pedro Uriol, who heads Morena with fellow producers Juan Gordon and Alvaro Longoria. The Pastor brothers also wrote... Read more »