Movie News: Friday, October 20

Al Pacino to receive AFI lifetime honor (AP)
   AP - Al Pacino can add another acting accolade to his collection.

Feds seeking Snipes should check Namibia (AP)
   AP - Where in the world is Wesley Snipes?

Climates - Trailer
   During a sweltering summer vacation on the Aegean coast, the relationship between middle-aged professor Isa (played by Ceylan himself) and his younger, television producer girlfriend Bahar (the luminous Ebru Ceylan, Ceylans real-life wife) brutally implodes. Back in Istanbul thatfall, Isa rekindles a torrid affair with a previous lover.

Jonestown - Trailer
   On November 18, 1978, over 900 members of Peoples Temple died in the largest mass suicide/murder in history. What drew so many people across racial and class lines to the People’s Temple? How could a diverse group of 900 people be convinced to drink the poisoned Flavor Aid that caused their deaths?

Halo Gets Dumped By Universal and Fox
   

The Halo movie has been simultaneously dropped by both studios that were co-financing the project. Universal and Fox studios announced that they were both backing out of the project. This is actually really unexpected, at least from an outsiders point of view. I talked to a person at Universal this morning who just said "this has been coming for a while now", but didn't offer any other explanations.

There are a few primary SPECULATIVE reasons floating around right now about why Universal and Fox both dumped Halo now and at the same time:

1) Microsofts demands were too high taking $5 million upfront and 10% of the take

3) The studios were uncomfortable with the selection of Neil Blomkamp, a guy who has never worked on any movie in any capacity, as the director.

There are conflicting reports about the validity of one or all of the above "reasons", but it's obvious to me that something SIGNIFICANT must have occurred for both studios to back out at the same time, and I have a feeling a combination of the above reasons, as well as one or two others we probably don't know about, are at the heart of it.

Now, don't worry too much. Yes, it's a REALLY BAD sign that both studios dumped Halo at the same time... BUT... don't doubt for a second that this project will get made. Too much money has already been sunk into it, and the profile is too high. Someone will step up to the plate to fill the massive shoes of Universal and Fox. I have no idea who that will be... but it'll happen. But I'll guarantee you something significant will change... either the budget, or Microsofts cut, or the script or the director... but if there were reasons big enough for Universal and Fox to ditch at this point, other studios will probably be hesitant to step in without those issues being addressed. But Halo, one way or another, WILL happen. To much is at stake for it not too.

Wesley Snipes filming/hiding out in Namibia
   

When the tax man comes you had better have your check book ready or be out of the country. Wesley Snipes chose the latter msnbc.com gives us this:

Actor Wesley Snipes, indicted by U.S. authorities for tax fraud this week, is filming a movie in the African country of Namibia which has no extradition treaty with Washington, officials said on Friday. The indictment alleges that Snipes failed to file federal income tax returns from 1999 through 2004 and conspired with two accomplices to file two amended returns for Snipes for 1996 and 1997, fraudulently claiming tax refunds of almost $12 million.

Snipes, the star of the ?Blade? movie series, is the lead actor in a new movie entitled ?Gallowwalker? filming in the Namibian desert near the town of Swakopmund ? the same coastal resort where Hollywood superstars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had their first child in May.

I like Wesley Snipes, he is always a very watchable character in movies, likeable always and he seems like a cool guy. But everyone tries to screw the government and hardly anyone ever gets away with it. I don't feel sorry that Snipes got caught, it was bound to happen. I feel bad that he thought he could do it in the first place.

It is possible for Snipes to get jail time over this, 16 years at the most. I don't think anyone deserves to go to jail for that long over money. It always angers me when I see people who are charged with violent crimes such as assault or rape getting a few years while people who are yes, doing wrong by cheating the government but not physically harming anyone get ten or more years. I?m curious to see if Snipes does jail time over this, it may happen, after all Martha Stewart did time just last year.

Jail or not nobody gets away with tax fraud clean. Poor Willie Nelson lost everything in 1990, he owed 16 million in back taxes, and the government took his houses, his recording studios (if it weren't for his successful album The IRS tapes: Who'll buy my memories?" he may still be broke).

In life there are two things you can always count on, death and taxes. If Snipes is smart he will pay back what he owes and let the loss motivate him to be more discerning on whos advice he takes in the future.

One good thing for Wesley Snipes fans; he will probably be doing a lot of movies in the next few years.

Hong Kong lends financial support to gay film fest
   

There's a first time for everything and apparently Hong Kong is becoming open to experimentation with their support of the Gay and Lesbian Film fest. The good folks over at monstersandcritics.com give us this:

Hong Kong - A gay film festival has received government backing for the first time in Hong Kong as part of a push to raise awareness of AIDS in the territory, a health official said Friday.

The Health Department's Red Ribbon Centre has provided 8,000 US dollars in sponsorship to the Gay and Lesbian Film and Video Festival, which is to be held over two weeks beginning November 2. It has also produced a 30-second advert promoting the use of condoms that will be screened before each film, published AIDS-awareness articles in the festival programme and will distribute condoms to the audience at the 50 films on show during the festival.

The move is part of a push to increase awareness of AIDS prevention among the gay community in Hong Kong, which has witnessed a rise in the number of HIV infections among men who have sex with men.

But that's not to say we shouldn't celebrate alternative films. They are so nessesary in times like these. When everything is SO in or SO out the fact that gay and lesbian film fests continue to show movies about AIDS after the newpapers have moved on is yet another reason for them to be supported.

Also I know I've said it before but I really feel strongly that the more walks of life people get to see the better, it helps us understand each other, not be afraid, and see beyond labels and stereotypes. Just like I don't like to be judged as a white girl from Canada I don't want to be making assumptions about my neighbors based on their ethnic background or sexuality.

Good movies are compelling stories about people and life. It will be great when there is no need for alternative festivals, when everything is just judged by the quality of the film. Philadelphia is an example of a movie that broke through commercial cinema barriers and took us beyond the lifestyle choices of the characters to communicate a story and a message that even if you are dying of AIDS you still have the right to be treated with respect and die with dignity.

But until movies like Brokeback Mountain and Philadelphia become more common place, alternative film festivals need to exist.

I'm glad to see a conservative nation putting aside its personal beliefs to financially assist a Gay and Lesbian film fest. And while they aren?t they helping them out because they agree with their values they are doing it for an almost as honorable reason: Because they care about the health of the attendees. That's a pretty good start.

Frank Darabont to adapt Stephen King's "The Mist"
   

Oscar award nominated writer Frank Darabont is hard at work adapting "The Mist", a Stephen King story. The good folks over at cinemablend.com give us this:

At last, Frank's getting back to making his own movies. Variety says he's adapting yet another Stephen King novella into a film script, and then directing it. The novel in question is The Mist, which Frank will make into a horror film.

Doing a horror movie is something of a departure from his previous movies. Darabont says, "It's time to get down and dirty and make a nasty little character-driven gut-punch horror movie." Apparently, The Mist is a project he and King have been kicking around together for years, but it got shelved in favor of what he calls "classier" work like Shawshank.

"The Mist" was published in 1985 as part of a collection of King short stories. In it, a thick fog or mist engulfs a small town and kills anyone caught up in it. Survivors take refuge in a supermarket, where they end up under siege by murderous beasties trying to get in.

Darabont is just as skilled at giving us the costume jewels as he is at showing real gems. On the gem side he wrote The Green Mile and has now been given the honor of being the writer for the new movie version of the amazing Ray Bradbury's Farenheit 451.

As for some fun horrors he's done we can look at The Fly II, The Blob and remember A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 Dream Warriors? It was the movie that made me like the Freddy series again, Darabont penned that one just for the kids I bet. One of his first adapting and directing was for The Woman in the Room; part of Stephen King's Night Shift Collection (how interesting that he's getting back to horror directing and writing with another one of King's creations).

This is exciting, I'm always up to see what a good writer can do with a creepy Stephen King story. How about everyone out there?

"Fraggle" to rock big screen with Ahmet Zappa (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Jim Henson's "Fraggle Rock" is coming to the big screen.

Trachtenberg, Preston catch "Fireflies" roles (Reuters)
   Reuters - Kelly Preston and Michelle Trachtenberg have sparked to "The Possibility of Fireflies."

"Die" casts Olyphant as villain (Reuters)
   

Reuters - "Deadwood" star Timothy Olyphant will play Bruce Willis' nemesis in "Live Free or Die Hard," the fourth installment of the "Die Hard" action series.

Be loyal, kind and don't steal movies (AP)
   AP - A Boy Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, etc., etc. He is also respectful of copyrights.

Indian film-maker brings culture clash to Rome fest (Reuters)
   

Reuters - Director Mira Nair says she drew on her own experience as an Indian living in America to shoot her latest film, "The Namesake," the saga of an immigrant family spanning two generations and their clashing lifestyles.

Ford says he's fit to play Indiana Jones (AP)
   

AP - Harrison Ford says he feels "fit to continue" to play Indiana Jones despite growing older. Ford, 64, said at the inaugural Rome Film Festival on Friday that he was delighted to team up again with directors Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for the film. Lucas co-wrote and executive produced the earlier films, which Spielberg directed.

Wanna direct? Get out your cell phone (AP)
   AP - "Silence on the set," ordered movie director Xavier Mussel as he grabbed his cell phone — not to make a call but to film another scene for his short film.