Father denies Slumdog child sale

The father of a Slumdog Millionaire child actress has denied trying to sell her in what he called a "dirty" undercover operation by a UK newspaper.

Rafiq Qureshi said he had not accepted a deal to sell nine-year-old Rubina Ali into adoption.

The News of the World said Mr Qureshi had demanded £200,000 from its reporters, who were posing as a wealthy family from Dubai looking to adopt.

Mr Qureshi told the BBC the media had "made fun of our poverty".

"They tricked us into this fakery but we came out unscathed," said Rubina's father, who is a carpenter in Mumbai (Bombay).

Rubina portrays the youngest version of the leading lady Latika in the Oscar-laden film.

'Great temptation'

The News of the World said one of its staff had contacted Mr Qureshi and told him he was acting for a wealthy Arab sheikh who wanted to adopt Rubina and take her to live in Dubai.

It said Mr Qureshi's brother-in-law, Rajan More, who speaks better English, had talked of "around £50,000" in compensation.

The paper said that in a later meeting Mr Qureshi tried to increase this to £200,000 ($292,000).

It said Mr Qureshi was unhappy with the money received from the film and wanted an escape route out of the slums.

The newspaper published photographs of Rubina and her father in a meeting with its reporters.

Mr Qureshi agreed to speak to the BBC News website on Monday.

In a lengthy interview, he said he had been trapped into a situation of "great temptation" but he firmly denied accepting any deal to sell his daughter or agree for her to be adopted.

by the BBC, phone calls were made requesting a meeting with Rubina and her father, and the two parties met three times from Thursday to Saturday.

Mr Qureshi said: "In the phone calls they said a wealthy Arab couple had been moved to see the plight of Rubina on al-Jazeera TV. The sheikh and his wife were very upset to see their plight and decided to help them out. And then we agreed to meet them."

Mr Qureshi said he had met two men and a "memsaab", a term often used by the poor in India for a white woman.

They had three meetings, two in hotels in Mumbai and the middle one on the reporters' visit to the family's hut in the Bandra slums. The last meeting happened on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Qureshi said it was during this last meeting that he was asked to talk to someone on the phone, who thanked him for letting Rubina be adopted.

"They made a call to someone, introducing him as the memsaab's husband, the sheikh saab, and asked me to talk to him. In broken Hindi he thanked me for letting Rubina come to Dubai to live.

"It was then it occurred to me they were making a deal on my child. I put the phone down and told them we were leaving the hotel."

'Self respect'

But the family did stay to have tea. Mr Qureshi said: "At this time they went to the memsaab and came back to us with an offer of 500,000 rupees as an advance. We refused, but they kept saying if we accepted the offer the money can be arranged in five minutes."

Mr Qureshi said the family went back home after this and "when I woke up on Sunday morning the story on me was on all the TV channels".

He said he was shocked to see the three people were actually reporters.

"I switched off my mobile phone because I knew there will be calls from the media and I didn't have any faith in the media after what I went through on the weekend.

"They played dirty with us, but we didn't accept any money from them. My daughter is not for sale."

Dinesh, a middleman present at the meetings, said he had spoken to people who transpired to be undercover reporters because of Mr Qureshi's lack of English.

He denied any deal was cut to sell Rubina and also rejected accusations that he tried to convince Rubina's father to accept the deal.

He feared the story would bring a bad name to Rubina's family.

Mr Qureshi's neighbours were surprised at the media claims.

One, Mohammed Shakeel, was outraged: "We know how much he loves his daughter. We may be poor but we have a lot of self-respect. We don't sell our children no matter how big the lure is."

Priti Patkar, a director of Prerna, an NGO for child welfare, said: "Talking to Rubina was unethical on the part of the media.

"Local police and child welfare committees should immediately look into the matter and take appropriate action against whoever is guilty."

Delhi-based Save the Children official, Shireen Miller, said that child abuse and exploitation was a "major issue in this part of the country and there needs to be strict laws to protect such families from agents and middlemen".

Via bbc.co.uk

Mickey Rourke Joins "Iron Man II" Villain Cast

Mickey Rourke's "Iron Man II" role has been locked in, according to the latest reports. "The Wrestler" star has now closed a deal to play the Russian villain in the upcoming superhero flick.

According to Variety, the award-winning actor has been confirmed to appear on the film sequel after being offered a better salary. It was rumored that his involvement's uncertainty is due to the lackluster talent fee of $250,000 Marvel Entertainment originally offered him.

Rourke has apparently met with director Jon Favreau and writer Justin Theroux to develop his character, Whiplash, who will be merged with Russian agent Crimson Dynamo.

Marvel still won't confirm casting Rourke.

Also joining the baddies in the film is Scarlett Johansson, who replaces Emily Blunt for the role of Russian superspy Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. "Black Widow." Blunt was originally tapped to play the character but is already involved with her film "Gulliver's Travels."

Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as the titular superhero on the screen. "Iron Man II" will be released in May 2010.

Via allheadlinenews.com

US screaming for new Jason movie

A re-make of the classic 1980 horror film Friday the 13th has topped the North American box office in its opening weekend.

The revival of the slasher franchise took $42.2m (£29.7m) over three days according to early figures.

It sets a new record for the horror genre, topping the $39.1m (£27.5m) debut for 2004's The Grudge.

The film updates the grisly story of hockey-masked killer Jason Voorhees and his rampage at a secluded summer camp.

The Friday the 13th series has been one of the most-enduring horror franchises, spawning 10 sequels, including crossover Freddy Vs Jason, pitting Voorhees against the killer from A Nightmare on Elm Street.

The movie bumped off the previous weekend's top earner, romantic comedy He's Just Not That Into You, which fell to number two taking $19.6m (£13.8m).

Kidnap thriller Taken, starring Liam Neeson, also fell one place to three in its third week, taking $19.3m (£13.5m).

New entries in the top 10 included Isla Fisher comedy Confessions of a Shopaholic at four and Clive Owen thriller The International at seven.

The top 10's three-day overall total of $190m (£133m) helped give Hollywood its best President's Day weekend ever, beating the previous best of $157.1m (£110.2m) over the same weekend in 2007.

"Hollywood seems to be unstoppable right now. With this notion of the recession helping the box office, I guess this is just another example of that," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers.

"People want to go to the movies and just have fun and escape."

Via bbc.co.uk

Watchmen movie gets the go-ahead

Superhero movie Watchmen will be released as planned on 6 March after two Hollywood studios resolved a legal dispute over copyright.

20th Century Fox blocked the $130m (£87m) Warner Bros movie claiming it had held the film rights since 1986.

But Warner Bros argued Fox had lost the rights to the celebrated graphic novel and was owed nothing more than a right of first refusal.

The studios settled after a judge ruled Fox did have an interest.

Set in an alternative 1985 and with the world perched on the brink of nuclear war, the story follows a group of costumed crime fighters trying to solve the murder of one of their own.

The studios released a joint statement which said: "Warner Bros. and Fox, like all Watchmen fans, look forward with great anticipation to this film's 6 March release in theatres."

The novel, written by British author Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, has had a tortured course to the big screen and numerous attempts have been made to adapt the material.

The book is still considered "un-filmable" by some devoted fans .

Watchmen's director, Zack Snyder, turned another graphic novel, Frank Miller's 300, into a blockbuster in 2007.

Via bbc.co.uk

Kim Cattrall Confirms Sex and the City Sequel

Kim Catrall has confirmed that there will be a sequel to the popular ‘Sex and the City’ movie. The actress, who played Samantha Jones on the TV series and movie, appeared on the Paul O’Grady show when guest host Melanie Brown asked if there will be a sequel.

“Yes, there will,” Catrall, 52, replied.

Sex and the City opened in theaters in 2008 with the series’ original actresses-- Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Catrall – all reprising their roles. The film made $57 million its opening weekend and made a total of $408 million worldwide.

Via transworldnews.com

'The Dark Knight' Passes $500 Million Mark

The star movie of this summer movie season was definitely "The Dark Knight.” The Christopher Nolan directed superhero movie did way much better than anticipated as it passed the $500 million milestone and settled around $505 million.

As for the 2008 summer movie season, despite the fact that it included the second-biggest Hollywood movie and the ticket prices were sky-high, it wasn’t all that great. The declining attendance and the lack of a blockbuster to close the summer made Brandon Gray, president of Box Office Mojo say:

"The summer is ending with a whimper. The movies aren't there. The slate is rather weak at this point."

The ticket prices may have went up, but the demand followed the economic laws and declined 3.5%. About 580 million tickets were sold this summer season, the least in eight years. The ticket prices went up and topped $7 on nationwide average for the first time ever.

Nevertheless, a successful block-buster launched near the end of the summer would have turned the movie season into a success, but, as Exhibitor Relations' Jeff Bock said, "After The Dark Knight, it was pretty limp."

"Without it [The Dark Knight], things would have been a lot worse," Gray said.

Superhero movies such as "Hancock," "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" made about 30% of the $4.13-billion gross reported this summer season. Last year the industry cashed in $4.16 billion during the same period.

Some of this summer’s movies are still drawing crowds. Among them is, of course, “The Dark Knight,” followed by the ABBA musical "Mamma Mia!" which cashed in $132.9 million. Meanwhile, "Tropic Thunder" is still No.1 as it gathered about $14.3 million.

Via efluxmedia.com

Tropic film dethrones Dark Knight

Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder has dethroned Batman sequel The Dark Knight at the US and Canadian box office.

The spoof, about a group of actors who end up fighting in a real war, took $26m (£14m) in its first weekend.

The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as his arch-enemy The Joker, had held the top spot for four weeks.

It earned another $16.8m (£9m) to overtake Star Wars as America's second highest-grossing film of all time.

James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic remains the highest-grossing film in the US with takings of $601m (£322m).

Musical

The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars opened in third place with $15.5m (£8.3m), while the latest Hollywood remake of a cult Asian horror film, Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland, was in fourth spot with $11.1m (£6m).

Cannabis comedy Pineapple Express, from the makers of Knocked Up, was in fifth place with earnings of $10m (£5.36m).

Action-adventure The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was sixth with $8.6m (£4.6m), ahead of Abba musical Mamma Mia!, with $6.5m (£3.5m).

Rounding out the top 10 were The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, with $5.93m (£3.2m), ahead of comedy Step Brothers with $5m (£2.7m).

Woody Allen's latest film, romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, was 10th with $3.7m (£2m).

Via bbc.co.uk

Heath Ledger's family 'so proud' of new film The Dark Knight

Heath Ledger's family have said that they are "so proud" of his work on 'The Dark Knight' after attending the New York premiere of the movie.

According to People magazine, the star's father Kim said in a statement: "'The Dark Knight' is everything we hoped it would be and more.

"Heath loved the experience of creating this character and working on the film. We are so proud of our boy."

Ledger's mother, father and sister flew from Australia to New York to attend the premiere with the movie's stars earlier this week.

Via rte.ie

Speed Racer: Eye-Candy Overdose

The Wachowski brothers’ movie leaves viewers a bitter taste regarding the plot and a much too sweet one regarding image, light and colors.

The color explosion is enough to tire even a 9-year-old, but let’s say it is quite enjoyable in the first part of the movie, until you get enough and wish it would stop. But it doesn’t, for 2 hours and 9 minutes.

The adaptation of the beloved Japanese cartoon of the 1960s, “Speed Racer,” is barely similar to the old anime. It contains plenty of boring car races and quite confusing flashbacks, while being as predictable as can be.

The actors were chosen quite well, if I may say. Emile Hirsch, the star of “Into the Wild,” perfectly blends into the movie, in the role of Speed Racer, without trying to influence his character in any way, which is probably exactly what the Wachowski brothers wanted: a film where the actors do not try to outshine the film’s graphics.

So far, Hirsch has proved to be not only a Hollywood star without affectations, but also a very flexible actor who can play very different roles without being identified with any of them.

"I don't think he wants to fit into any category," says Speed co-star Susan Sarandon, who plays the racer's mom, according to USA Today. "Once you get a label, studios will try to put you into that niche."

The Wachowskis reportedly chose Hirsch to play Speed Racer after learning that, as a kid, he used to passionately watch Cartoon Network reruns of the 1960s’ anime.

Hirsch began acting when he was 8, making appearances in “NYPD Blue” and “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.” But the role that made him known in the movie industry was the 2004 sex comedy “The Girl Next Door.” Soon after that, he appeared in a very different role as a skater hooligan in “Lords of Dogtown” and as a drug dealer in “Alpha Dog,” in 2006.

For his performance in the Sean Penn directed movie, “Into the Wild,” he earned seven best-actor nominations in several film circles.

Christina Ricci, who plays Speed Racer’s girlfriend in the Wachowski film, is also very suited for her role as Trixie, as she has face features similar to the ones of anime characters, with her cute round face and her large, expressive eyes.

As for the plot…Well, Speed Racer is a young man with quite a silly obsession: that of winning a cross-country car racing rally, The Crucible, in the memory of his beloved brother Rex Racer. In his race to fulfill his goal, he is supported by his loving family, which includes a funny little brother Spritle and a chimp pet, and his girlfriend Trixie.

The maniacal owner of Royalton Industries makes an offer to Speed, who rejects it. That obviously causes Royalton to go crazy and wish to destroy Speed’s chances to win the race. Then Speed allies with some mysterious racer, called Racer X, in an attempt to reveal the cheating winning strategies of Royalton Industries. The denouement is very difficult to figure out, isn’t it?

Hitting theaters this weekend, the film could attract the younger kids, if they were familiar with any of the stars in the movie or they had ever watched the anime series, but whether it will be successful or not, it remains to be seen.


Starring: Emile Hirsch, John Goodman, Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon

Directors: Andy and Larry Wachowski

Rating: PG for sequences of action, some violence and language

Running time: 2 hours, 9 minutes

Via efluxmedia.com

Anti-Islam Film Released on the Internet Causes Controversy

An anti-Islam film by Dutch right-wing legislator Geert Wilders, depicting Islam as a ticking time bomb that endangered the West, offended several Islamic and Arab leaders, who considered it insulting to religion.

Big protests, involving more than 15,000 people, took place in Afghanistan even before the 15-minute film was released.

The film, titled “Fitna” or ordeal in Arabic, was first posted late Thursday on Wilder’s Freedom Party website, but, as the site crashed due to heavy traffic, it soon appeared on the LiveLeak website, and then on YouTube and DailyMotion and several other shared-video sites.

LiveLeak took down the video, shortly after it had been posted, saying that its staff had received worrying threats, and Muslims thanked the site for promoting tolerance on the Internet.

The controversial film is marked as mature content, containing graphic images such as beheadings, violence against women in Islam and terrorist attacks. The scenes are separated by Koran verses, which promote violence against believers from other religions. Wilders believes that Muslim holy book causes Muslims to have this intolerant attitude against Christians and Jews, who are called “apes and pigs” in “Fitna” by a young Muslim girl.

Amsterdam police expected riots from Dutch Muslim, so they carefully watched the Muslim neighborhoods in Amsterdam, but no violence was initiated. Wilders even congratulated the Muslims in Netherlands for reacting calmly.

"They were all disgusted by the film, but so far there isn't a big explosion," said police spokesman Arnold Aben, according to the Los Angeles Times. "In fact, it's quieter than usual here today. Sort of like a holiday."

Wilders said on Friday he was happy his film had not caused violent reactions. He said he had only wanted to warn Europe about the danger represented by the Islamic terrorism. It was a film that advertised freedom, he insisted.

However, Iran, Pakistan and Indonesia officially rejected and condemned the film. Iran had urged the Netherlands and the European Union to remove the film from the Internet.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said in a statement that he disapproved of Wilders’ idea. He said he regretted that the vast majority of Muslim, who are against violence, were offended by the release of the film.

Via efluxmedia.com

"Shutter" a bland horror remake

The latest disappointing Hollywood redo of a J-horror film -- in this case, Thai -- "Shutter" demonstrates that the subject of spirit photography, which has been a point of speculation for more than a century, might have passed its peak.

After all, once we've seen ghosts emerge via videotapes, cell phones, computers and nearly every other technological device known to man, seeing them appear through Polaroids feels a bit retro.

The 20th Century Fox film opened at No. 3 at the North American box office with weak sales of $10.7 million.

In an homage to its Asian roots, the film is set largely in Tokyo, where star photographer Ben (Joshua Jackson) and his new wife, Jane (Rachel Taylor), have arrived for his latest high-profile shoot. Unfortunately, they've barely gotten to town before they have a serious car crash, caused by a mysterious woman on a dark, snowy roadway who promptly disappears.

Pretty soon the same apparition -- apparently seeking revenge -- shows up repeatedly in Ben's photographs, wreaking no small havoc with his career. Things get even more serious when Bruno (David Denman), Ben's boss, and Adam (John Hensley), a sleazy models' agent, fall victim to mysterious attacks. The increasingly agitated Jane attempts to discover the identity of the malevolent ghost, but she doesn't like what she ultimately finds.

Strictly perfunctory in its concept and execution, "Shutter" presents the usual series of spooky images of a deadpan female ghost showing up at odd times and moving in the slow, jerky movements that are de rigueur for the genre. Genuine scares are few and far between, and the climactic explanation for the ghost's appearances comes as something less than a revelation. It must be said, however, that the final screen image, taking place in a mental institution, is subtly unsettling.

Jackson displays his usual likable screen presence, and Taylor manages to look absolutely gorgeous even while terrified. But despite their respectable efforts, "Shutter," like the similar remakes that have preceded it, demonstrates that Hollywood might have gone to the J-horror well a little too often.

Via reuters.com

al Kilmer To Voice Talking Car In Knight Rider

Hollywood actor Val Kilmer signed on to act in NBC’s remake of "Knight Rider" as K.I.T.T., Mike Knight’s "partner" and "America’s favorite talking car."

After Will Arnett, best known as the star of TV’s short-lived "Arrested Development," pulled out from voicing the famous crime fighting car just a couple of weeks from the pilot’s first airing, Kilmer, whose screen roles have ranged from rock superstar Jim Morrison to Batman, took on the challenge

"We feel really lucky to have Val Kilmer on board for 'Knight Rider.' Val's voice has truly elevated the character of KITT and brought a whole new level of excitement to this project for us. He completely gets the fun that can be had in the relationship between a guy and his car, it's just a perfect fit for the show," expressed executive producer David Bartis.

Arnett has a previous voice-over relationship with GMC, and Ford was apparently uncomfortable with the association.

NBC will be bringing back the action series in the form of a telepic: a 2-hour TV movie/pilot that is to test the waters and, if all goes well, transform into a bona fide series.

"Knight Rider" aired on NBC from 1982 to 1986 and starred David Hasselhoff as a curly-haired, blue-eyed, adventurous crime-fighter whose ally is a car infused with artificial intelligence – KITT. The show enjoyed great success and turned Hasselhoff into a teen heartthrob.

Doug Liman, director of movies like "The Bourne Identity" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," is producing the series. Newcomer Justin Bruening stars as the son of David Hasselhoff's original character, Michael Knight.

Via efluxmedia.com

New James Bond Film Titled Quantum of Solace

"Quantum of Solace" is the title of the new James Bond film, the 22nd Bond adventure.

The title was revealed to reporters Thursday at Pinewood Studios outside of London, where the movie is being filmed.

Producer Michael G. Wilson said the title, chosen only a few days ago, was taken from a story by Bond creator Ian Fleming that appears in the collection "For Your Eyes Only."

"We thought it was an intriguing title and referenced what happened to Bond and what is happening in the film," he said.

Daniel Craig is returning as Agent 007. He picks up where 2006's "Casino Royale" left off, with Bond contemplating revenge after his betrayal by his true love, Vesper Lynd.

"It is not a revenge movie," said co-producer Barbara Broccoli. "It's a lot more complicated than that. It has lots of action but it also deals with the inner turmoil Bond is feeling."

Filming began at Pinewood Studios earlier this month. Location shooting is planned in Austria, Italy and Panama. Judi Dench returns as the MI-6 boss M and Mathieu Amalric ("The Diving Bell and the Butterfly") plays the villain. Additions to the cast include Ukrainian actress Olga Kurylenko as mysterious Bond girl Camille.

"Quantum of Solace" is set to open in Britain and the United States on Nov. 7.

Via associatedpress

"Cloverfield" tops N American box office with new January record

Paramount's low-budget thriller "Cloverfield" opened with an estimated 41 million dollars in ticket sales this weekend in U.S. and Canadian theaters, setting a new record for January, according to preliminary box office figures released Sunday.

Mysterious advertisements, a viral marketing program and an enticing premise proved to be effective for the film, which follows a band of partygoers who capture on video an ill-fated evening in New York when a skyscraper-sized monster attacks.

The Paramount release, with a budget of 25 million dollars, went into the black on its first weekend of exhibition despite getting very-mixed reviews. It surpasses the January record of 35.9 million dollars set by "Star Wars" special edition in 1997.

According to Los Angeles-based box office tracking firm Media By Numbers, "Cloverfield" may also be the biggest Internet-driven movie release since "The Blair Witch Project" in 1999.

With TV programming largely stuck in reality mode or reruns thanks to the ongoing screenwriters' strike, Americans flocked to the movie theaters this weekend, giving Hollywood a huge lift at the box office during what is normally a sleepy time for new releases.

Romantic-comedy "27 Dresses" from 20th Century Fox, another new premiere over the weekend, also did strong in box office, taking in an estimated 22.4 million dollars.

Meanwhile, last week's box office leader "The Bucket List" and front-runner "Juno" both held on to strong weekend business, finishing third and fourth with 15.1 million and 10.3 million dollars respectively.

The season's big winner, Disney's "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," did another 8.1 million dollars this weekend. The Nicholas Cage film has amassed a five-week record of 198 million dollars in ticket sales in North America since its release before Christmas.

The dozen top-grossing films took in a combined 135 million dollars at the box office this weekend, up nearly 39 percent over that during the same period a year ago, according to the Media By Numbers.

Via xinhuanet.com

Cloverfield Sexy Starlet Odette Yustman Speaks Out on Thriller

The details of JJ Abrams's monster attack in NYC thriller, Cloverfield, are hush-hush, but they will be unveiled today in crowded movie houses everywhere as the highly anticipated film hit theaters on Friday. Now sexy starlet Odette Yustman (of ABC’s October Road) is already getting breakout buzz, not only for her looks, but for her part in the film.

The striking California native, 22, who's been dating actor Trevor Wright for nearly three years, talked to Us Weekly Magazine and dropped some hints on the film that will likely top the box office and deliver huge numbers this weekend.

Us Weekly asked the starlet what can you reveal about the top-secret film? She wasn't budging off the standard answer. "A group of friends capture this attack on film and you go through this torturous experience with them. It looks so real. The first time I saw it, I was scared!"

Next up was the obligatory child actor question. "You were in Kindergarten Cop at age 5, any memories of Arnold Schwarzenegger?" She replies, "He was really fun. There were 30 kids and he would grab 10 of us at a time to take pictures!"

Via nationalledger

Cloverfield: Mystery movie makes marketing history

It was the film without a name, and the poster with no words.

For months it had no title and a shroud of secrecy surrounded its cast and plotline, with only a few carefully leaked clues.

Now we know that Cloverfield, a horror film, has been the subject of an unusual internet marketing campaign that experts herald as the way of the future.

The lack of detail on early promos fermented the interest of people in their late teens and early 20s, whom film marketers targeted because they use the internet.

"This is a great example for marketing for the future," said Cate Smith, marketing director for Paramount Pictures in Australia.

"Usually you're given all the information up front about a film, but for the first time it has been very controlled by the producer, J.J. Abrams [the creator of Lost].

"For people who are interested in that type of film, they're obviously incredibly savvy about the worldwide web, all their information comes from online, they know about things before we do. It's been incredible running an unnamed campaign, with this response."

The first posters of the film contained an image of a headless Statue of Liberty and the release date in small print, with no details, not even the names of stars.

Since then, Australian users have logged on to 3000 different website forums about the film.

When the final trailer for Cloverfield was posted onto Australian YouTube late last year, the site was inundated with visitors. It has since been viewed by more than 500,000 people.

The success of Cloverfield's marketing campaign has emulated the phenomenal success of the shaky video images from The Blair Witch Project - an online marketing campaign that changed the nature of film promotions.

But back then everyone knew the name of the movie. This time around, the late naming of Cloverfield has come as a surprise to some fans, who were used to the film having no title.

"I certainly think that it having no name really started the conversations [among people]. It started them realising that this was a film like no other, or indeed a marketing campaign not like any other," said Lesley White, account director for Network Communications, who worked with Paramount Pictures on the web campaign.

Cloverfield will be released in Australia on Thursday, a day ahead of the US release.

Via smh.com.au

"Juno" one of 2007’s best movies, opens at local theaters

Jason Reitman’s “Juno” is just about the best movie of the year. It is very smart, very funny and very touching; it begins with the pacing of a screwball comedy and ends as a portrait of characters we have come to love. Strange, how during Juno’s hip dialogue and cocky bravado, we begin to understand the young woman inside, and we want to hug her.

Has there been a better performance this year than Ellen Page’s creation of Juno? I don’t think so. If most actors agree that comedy is harder than drama, then harder still is comedy depending on a quick mind, utter self-confidence, and an ability to stop just short of going too far. Page’s presence and timing are extraordinary. I have seen her in only two films, she is only 20, and I think she will be one of the great actors of her time.


But don’t let my praise get in the way of sharing how much fun this movie is. It is so very rare to sit with an audience that leans forward with delight and is in step with every turn and surprise of an uncommonly intelligent screenplay. It is so rare to hear laughter that is surprised, unexpected and delighted. So rare to hear it coming during moments of recognition, when characters reflect exactly what we’d be thinking, just a moment before we get around to thinking it. So rare to feel the audience joined into one warm shared enjoyment. So rare to hear a movie applauded.

Ellen Page plays Juno MacGuff, a 16-year-old girl who decides it is time for her to experience sex, and enlists her best fiend, Paulie (Michael Cera), in an experiment he is not too eager to join. Of course she gets pregnant, and after a trip to an abortion clinic that leaves her cold, she decides to have the child. But what to do with it? She believes she’s too young to raise it herself. Her best girlfriend, Leah (Olivia Thirby), suggests looking at the ads for adoptive parents in the Penny Saver: “They have ‘Desperately Seeking Spawn,’ right next to the pet ads.”

Juno informs her parents, in a scene that decisively establishes how original this film is going to be. It does that by giving us almost the only lovable parents in the history of teen comedies: Bren (Allison Janney) and Mac (J.K. Simmons). They’re older and wiser than most teen parents are ever allowed to be, and warmer and with better instincts and quicker senses of humor. Informed that the sheepish Paulie is the father, Mac turns to his wife and shares an aside that brings down the house.

Later, Bren tells him, “You know, of course, it wasn’t his idea.” How infinitely more human and civilized their response is than all the sad routine “humor” about parents who are enraged at boyfriends.

Mac goes with Juno to meet the would-be adoptive parents, Vanessa and Mark Loring (Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman). They live in one of those houses that look like Martha Stewart finished. Vanessa is consumed with her desire for a child and Mark is almost a child himself, showing Juno “my room,” where he keeps the residue of his ambition to be a rock star. What he does now, at around 40, is write jingles for commercials.

We follow Juno through all nine months of her pregnancy, which she pretends to treat as mostly an inconvenience. It is uncanny how Page shows us, without seeming to show us, the deeper feelings beneath Juno’s wisecracking exterior. The screenplay by first-timer Diablo Cody is a subtle masterpiece of construction, as buried themes slowly emerge and hidden feelings become clear.

There are moments of instinctive, lightning comedy, moments that blindside us with truth and moments that reveal.

The film has no wrong scenes and no extra scenes, and flows like running water.

Via citizensvoice.com