Joy Division Movie "Control" Wins Edinburgh Film Fest

Joy Division Movie "Control" Wins Edinburgh Film Fest

Director Anton Corbijn won the Michael Powell Award for best new British feature, and actor Sam Riley took away the award for best performance.

Riley plays Joy Division singer Ian Curtis whose personal, professional, and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23.

"Control" created a buzz at Cannes this year as a black-and-white biopic with beautifully a photographed visual scheme.

Thierry Fremaux Promoted to Delegate General

Thierry Fremaux has been promoted from artistic director of the Cannes Film Festival to delegate general for the world’s most significant film fest. As a warm and ubiquitous friendly face to the festival, Fremaux will now enjoy full reign of programming authority over all aspects of the festival.

Fremaux will also continue heading the Institut Lumiere in Lyon.

BLOODY GOOD SHOW

Lionsgate is joining the American Red Cross in late October, just before the release of "Saw IV," for a "Give Till It Hurts" blood drive to benefit the Red Cross. Lionsgate has done promotional blood drives to coincide with each of the "Saw" movies, but this is the first one in conjunction with the Red Cross.

Give some blood and see a bloody movie. What the hell, you only go around once.

Justin Theroux & Mandy Moore: "Dedication"

Actor Justin Theroux makes an auspicious directorial debut with a disarmingly funny romantic comedy full of emotional life and witty filmic textures. Henry Roth (Billy Crudup) is a children’s book writer whose illustrator and collaborator Rudy (Tom Wilkinson) is about the only person in the world patient enough to tolerate Henry’s nervous tics and angry outbursts. Rudy’s death forces Henry to attempt working with a publisher-assigned collaborator in the guise of Lucy Riley (Mandy Moore). Once Henry stops insulting Lucy long enough to apologize, he realizes the flame burning between them but battles with his grip on reality—he’s scared of driving and superstitious about everything. Billy Crudup makes us root for his confused character, and Mandy Moore is convincing and funny as the best thing to ever happen to Henry.

Furguson's Film Upsets White House

Charles Ferguson’s film NO END IN SIGHT  has finally caught the attention of the White House.  I  wanted to bring your attention to Sidney Blumenthal’s fascinating piece which was posted this morning on Salon.com in which Blumenthal says, “The release of a documentary on the administration's failures in Iraq, "No End in  Sight," directed by Charles Ferguson, has the White House spooked.  Bush's aides are not worried because the film is brilliantly shot and edited, or because it is compelling, but because of what -- or whose appearance -- it  might augur to upset their September rollout.”

Check out related artciles at:

SALON.COM
Will the real Colin Powell stand up?
The White House fears that the former secretary of state will finally tell the truth about planning for the Iraq war.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/08/09/iraq_powell/?source=whitelist

DAILYKOS.COM
Blumenthal:  No End in Sight  "has the White House spooked.''

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/9/23723/65017

Taste the Fury Babyface

And the comic book movies just keep a coming…

Variety reports that Matthew Vaughn ("Layer Cake" and "Stardust") is onboard to direct "Thor," the hammer-wielding Norse God-man, for a 2009 release.

Universal is scheduled release "The Incredible Hulk," with Edward Norton, on June 13, and Paramount is due to open "Iron Man," with Robert Downey Jr., on May 2.

As Dave Rink used to say, "Taste the fury babyface."

Jack Black to do Feature Movie Based on "The King of Kong"

I just saw a press screening of "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters," a documentary about the rivalry between video arcade game masters Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell. I enjoyed laughs galore, many at the expense of the patently absurd Billy Mitchell, and found out from my friendly publicist that Jack Black will be staring in a narrative version of the story. Sounds like a winning idea.

Check out the "King of Kong" site at: http://www.billyvssteve.com/

 

The Top & Bottom of Hollywood's Moneymakers

Ultimate Star Payback list, published by Forbes magazine, released its list of top and bottom five actors related to how their salaries correlate to earnings. The results are a bit surprising, or not, depending on your perspective. Matt Damon comes in at number one on the earnings to salary ratio, making $29 for every dollar he’s paid. At the bottom is grump master Russell Crowe.

Who could have guessed that Vince Vaughn is tied with Johnny Depp? Go Vince!

J. Lo, on the other hand--I think we all knew.

Bon appetite.

Top five

1. Matt Damon $29 box office dollars for every salary buck.

2. Brad Pitt $24

3 = Vince Vaughn $21

3 = Johnny Depp $21

5. Jennifer Aniston $17

Bottom five

Will Ferrell $8

Jim Carrey $8

Nicole Kidman $8

Jennifer Lopez $7

Russell Crowe $5

Send in Photos of Your Favorite Cinema

I'm compiling a group of photos of cinema fronts for an upcoming project that you should be able to view sometime in September. So, I'm asking you, the reader, to send in hi-res digital images of the front of your favorite local cinema. I look forward to seeing some beautiful palaces of film.