The End of Miramax

Today we officially bid farewell to Miramax, the company first founded by Harvey and Bob Weinstein with the names of their parents' Miriam and Max. Disney has officially closed the offices of the company who was responsible for introducing Quentin Tarantino, Steven Soderbergh and Kevin Smith into the mainstream. Yes, without for Miramax, they probably wouldn't have found their stay in Hollywood, at least not so soon. It is a sad day for indie films indeed, when such a renowned indie company with more than 30 years of history is made to shut down production. You can catch two of its last releases opening this week, Robert De Niro's Everybody's Fine and Clive Owen's The Boys Are Back.

Thank you, Miramax, for all those wonderful years of film.

The Latest One-Sheet for THE LAST AIRBENDER

Here's the latest one-sheet for the live-action feature film, THE LAST AIRBENDER which is based on the hugely successful Nickelodeon animated TV series AVATAR. The M. Night Shyamalan's directed fantasy action pic will be released in Singapore come 22nd July 2010.

Bodyguards and Assassins comes to Blu-Ray And DVD

With a production budget of US$25 million and the production set size of 5 football fields, Bodyguards and Assassins has exceeded RMB 90 million in total box office. Singapore alone contributed almost SGD $800,000 to the total box office within its’ four-day release. Directed by Teddy Chen (The Accidental Spy), Bodyguards and Assassins is a based on the a fictional account of an assassination attempt on revered Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat-sen and the efforts of kung fu masters who protected him before the Chinese Revolution overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. Starring Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse,, Tony Leung, Eric Tsang and Fan Bing-Bing. Coming to Blu-ray Hi-Def, DVD and VCD February 8, 2010. The DVD and Blu-ray comes with Behind the Scene bonus features and rated NC-16 (Some Violence), 7.1 DTS-HD Master Audio & 5.1 & 2.0 Dolby Digital in Mandarin Language Track.

Join Bugis Junction/Soo Kee Jewellery GLAM COUPLE 2010 & Win a HOT SUMMER Holi-DAY

The Storm Warriors On DVD and VCD

A decade ago, the comic-adapted movie The Storm Riders, starring pop idols Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng premiered in the summer of 1998. The movie was in theatre for 45 days and topped the box office chart for the year at HK$41,532.235. Today, 10 years later, computer technology has revolutionized movie production. The Storm Warriors directed by the reputable CGI-savvy directors the Pang Brothers, choreographed by veteran action director Ma Yuk-sing, who partner up with award-winning art and costume director Yee Chung-man. Based on the Fung Wan popular Japanese invasion story arc The Death Battle. Ekin Cheng and Aaron Kwok respectively reprise their roles as Wind and Cloud, who this time find themselves up against Lord Godless (Simon Yam), a ruthless Japanese warlord bent on invading China. The Storm Warriors is priced at DVD S$24.90 and will be release in time for Chinese New Year on February 11, 2010.

Liv Tyler receives a G-Star

G-Star, the famous Dutch denim label has enlisted The Incredible Hulk actress, Liv Tyler to be the face of its denim-centric campaign for Spring and Fall. “Liv is a great fit for the brand because she exudes the perfect level of sensuality,” the company said in a statement. “She’s a strong, beautiful and independent woman with an impeccable feeling for style.” Not bad for the model-turned-actress now turned model again.

Avatar is King of the World!

Whoever once said that Avatar would turn out a colossal failure should forever hold their tongue. James Cameron's rumored US$500 mil epic has now surpassed Titanic’s worldwide box office gross of $1.843 billion and as of Mon, holds the global box office record of $1.859 billion. Of course, the fact that Avatar has played extremely well in 3D screens worldwide (where ticket prices are higher) has certainly contributed greatly to its success, but it's still a phenomenal feat nonetheless.

James Cameron has said that Avatar is the first in what is to be a planned trilogy and it appears that Avatar may eventually better the "Lord of the Rings" to emerge as the highest-grossing film trilogy of all time!

Muallaf DVD to be release soon

Fans of the late Yasmin Ahmad will be glad that Muallaf will be out on DVD before Chinese New Year according to Lighthouse Pictures. The film won the 21st Tokyo International Film Festival ~ Special Mention Best Asian-Middle Eastern Film on October 2008.

THE CONCERT NABS SIX CESAR NOMINATIONS

Festive Films and Golden Village Pictures are proud to announce that Radu Mihaileanu’s THE CONCERT (Le concert) has received six nominations, including the "Best Film" category, at the French César Awards. The dramatic comedy revolves around Andrei Filipov, conductor of the Bolshoi Theater orchestra and the greatest conductor in the Soviet Union, fired at the peak of his career because he refused to part ways with his Jewish musicians. Thirty years later, Filipov is still working at the Bolshoi Theater but as a janitor, when one night, while cleaning the office of the director, he steals a fax revealing that the Russian orchestra has been invited to play at famous Pleyel Hall in Paris. He calls his former colleagues, and they decide to pass themselves off as members of the Bolshoi Orchestra. THE CONCERT is slated for release in March 2010.

Buried & Splicer from the Sundance Festival 2010

Straight from Sundance festival 2010, In Buried, Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) is a U.S. citizen working as a contract driver in Iraq. After a swift and sudden attack on his convoy, he awakens to find himself buried alive inside a coffin with nothing more than a lighter and a cell phone. Faced with limited oxygen and unlimited panic, Paul finds himself in a tension-filled race against time to escape this claustrophobic deathtrap before it's too late. The classic monster film gets a deliciously sadistic twist in Vincenzo Natali's contemporary dissection of the genetic-engineering dilemma in Splice with Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody delivering nuanced performances. We are so interested to watch both of these, some kind souls please bring them in.

Toy Story 3 International Trailer Montage

An awesome international mashup of the Toy Story 3 teaser trailer, featuring just some of the over 40 languages that the films are translated into.

DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...DVD...

Have a taste of The Hangover, Todd Phillips’ surprise comedy smash of the summer involving a Vegas bachelor party that no one would never forget. Or join Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in this wildly funny battle of the sexes, The Ugly Truth. Why hasn’t anyone thought of casting Zhang Ziyi in a comedy? As her maiden producing effort, Ziyi has chosen to star in the lightweight romantic comedy Sophie's Revenge from Chinese-American filmmaker Eva Jin. Three very different rom-coms to fill your coming weekend.

First Look at HAPPY GO LUCKY

This family comedy movie (for the first time NOT directed by Jack Neo) with its light-hearted take on the grassroot topics of gambling, fengshui and family ties stars heartlanders' favourite artistes - Fann Wong, Richard Low, Patricia Mok, Marcus Chin and Liu Lingling. The cast will be making an appearance at the Chinatown Yuan Xiao celebration event on 28th February and also be promoting the movie at malls such as AMK Hub and IMM. Happy Go Lucky is set for release on 4 March 2010 islandwide and ahem...the director's cut trailer can be found here.

The Treasure Hunter on DVD

With a huge production budget of nearly 5 hundred million NT dollars (S$22 million) combining eastern adventure, Chinese arms and treasure hunting into a roller-coaster ride of mystery, thrill and entertainment, The Treasure Hunter will be available on DVD and VCD 21st January 2010. The DVD comes with a bonus interview feature with Jay Chou.

Are You Camera Shy?

If not, do help a group of NTU students and do your part to help 'Save Our Film' as well! The 'Save Our Film' campaign is a nationwide outreach effort to raise awareness amongst those aged 15 to 35 and educate them on the importance of saving our local films for the future. It is held as a part of the 5th Anniversary celebrations of the Asian Film Archive, a local charity dedicated to collecting, conserving and sharing our local films from before the Golden Era ('50s and '60s) till today, and will launch on 30 January till the end of February.

Part of the 'Save Our Film' campaign involves a nation-wide Call for Memories where members of the public are invited to contribute video clips of themselves or their "memory-keepers" like parents and grandparents to share their recollections of Singapore film. This can include actual Singapore films and the experience of watching films in Singapore in the good old days of large hall cinemas and the like. These video clips will be amassed on the Asian Film Archive YouTube group to form an online video memories exhibition accessible to the public and our targeted audience of youths who will not have these memories of their own.

They would like to extend a warm invitation to anyone who holds and wishes to share their favourite local film memories and will arrange to interview and record you and any other friends or family you can gather for this personal sharing session. This is a wholly non-profit endeavour aimed at recreating experiences for our youths and creating conversations between the generations. Please feel free to email them at saveourfilm [at] gmail.com and do come forward to join in this very worthy but overlooked cause!

Golden Globes 2010 Winners!

And here are the winners of the Golden Globes 2010:

Best Picture (Drama) - "Avatar"

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) - "The Hangover"

Best Director - James Cameron (left with producer Jon Landau), "Avatar"

Best Actor (Drama) - Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"

Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) - Robert Downey Jr, "Sherlock Holmes"

Best Actress (Drama) - Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"

Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) - Meryl Streep, "Julie and Julia"

Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz, "Inglorious Basterds"

Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique, "Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire"

Best Screenplay - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner, "Up in the Air"

Best Animated Film - "Up"

Best Original Score - Michael Giacchino, "Up"

Next up! The Academy Awards on March 7, 2010. Nominations will be announced Feb 2.

HOT SUMMER DAYS Are Coming!

On 25 February, let 6 heart-warming stories ignite your summer and changes lives forever. Hot Summer Days stars Jacky Cheung, Nicholas Tse, Rene Liu, Vivian Hsu, Barbie Hsu, Angelababy, Jing Boran, Duan Yihong, Fu Xinbo and Daniel Wu. Catch the trailer right here on MX

A Single Man Comes to Singapore

Festive Films and Cathay Keris Films are proud to announce that Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A SINGLE MAN is slated for release on 18th March 2010. The story is an adaptation based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, featuring standout performances from Colin Firth and Brit up-and-comer Nicholas Hoult. The Golden Globe-nominated film premiered in Milan this week.

The Spy Next Door turning into Little Big Soldier

Asian action star Jackie Chan has three movies scheduled this year. First The Spy Next Door which is opening this week followed by Little Big Soldier on 11 February and The Karate Kid in June. Can Jackie Chan redeemed himself after the dismal The Spy Next Door? Stay Tune.

Foxy Armani

Transformers actress Megan Fox is the new celebrity campaigning Armani's Spring/Summer 2010 collection which have the sexy star wearing Armani Jeans and Armani Women's Underwear. Fox replaces Victoria Adam, wife of David Beckham as the face of the famous fashion label. The pictures will be made available on billboards in such big cities as New York, Tokyo, Rome, Paris and Milan in February. In other words, we should see some of her seductive bits in AJ boutiques soon.  

HACHIKO GIVES TO SINGAPORE STRAYS

Golden Village Pictures and InnoForm Media would like to announce their collaboration with popular local pet food and accessories retail chain Pets Lovers Centre to benefit Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD) and Noah’s Ark Cares. These organizations aim to improve the welfare of stray animals and decrease their numbers. Members of the public will be able to purchase tickets to exclusive preview screenings of HACHIKO: A DOG’S STORY. All proceeds from the ticket sales will be channeled to the animal rescue centers to better the facilities and provide for the animals sheltered there. Tickets can be purchased through info@asdsingapore.com, please call 6100-2737 and for more information on donations you may email to info@noahsarkcares.com or sms to: 91996247

SPIDEY 4 SCRAPPED! Sony Plans Reboot

First came the news of production delays, then the rumours that Sam Raimi did not like the script by screenwriters Jamie Vanderbilt, David Lindsay-Abaire and Gary Ross and now today, Sony has officially announced that Spiderman 4 has been scrapped. This means that both Spidey franchise director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire are now off the next instalment of Spiderman.

In their official press release, Sony said that Peter Parker would be going back to high school for a reboot of the franchise with a script by Jamie Vanderbilt. The new chapter will see Parker "grappling with contemporary human problems and amazing super-human crises" and feature a whole new cast and filmmaking team.

Spidey 4 was slated to hit cinemas in the first week of May to kick off the lucrative summer movie season of 2011. Apparently, Raimi had told Sony that he wasn't able to keep the film's creative integrity and stick to the studio's summer release date. There were also rumours that Sony wanted the film in 3D and no one on Raimi's regular team were confident enough of pulling it off. It's now confirmed that Sony would only be ready with the next Spiderman in 2012. (Meanwhile, Paramount has grabbed the opening date in 2011 for their Marvel superhero flick Thor.)

While this promises to be an exciting new beginning for the webslinging superhero, we had hoped that Raimi would have one last hurrah before the inevitable passing of the reins to another director. After all, Spiderman 3 wasn't exactly the best way to exit what had been a very good Spidey 1 and 2.

EXCLUSIVE AUTOGRAPHED HEAR ME HELMET AUCTION FOR Singapore Association for the Deaf

Festive Films have put up an auction for the autographed HEAR ME helmet to raise fund for Singapore Association for the Deaf. If you are a fan of Eddie Peng or Hear Me, do take part in this charity cause now. The link can be found here.

Is This Guy Even Working?

Stuart Townsend better known as the beau of Charlize Theron has left the production of Kenneth Branagh's Thor, in which he had been cast in the role of Fandral, one of the Warriors Three, 'over creative differences'. His role has since been replaced by virtual unknown Joshua Dallas. It's the second last minute replacement Townsend has faced, after being replaced by Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in a similar situation. The last major onscreen role for Townsend was the The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003. And if we were him, we could have just shut our mouth and go with the director and studio's vision of Thor. Not a smart move, Mr Townsend.

Marmaduke Teaser

Marmaduke (voiced by Owen Wilson), the world's most lovable Great Dane, leaps from comic strip fame (appearing in 600 newspapers in over 20 countries) to big screen stardom. In this family comedy event, the super-sized, ultra-awkward lap dog is living the good life with the Winslow family, including beleaguered dad Phil, Phil's wife Debbie, their three children, and feline pal Carlos. But when Phil uproots the clan from Kansas to California, Marmaduke finds his life turned upside-down. He must navigate the volatile Mutts vs. Pedigrees turf wars, woo the purebred of his dreams, and overcome a fall from grace from his new four-legged friends and his much put-upon family. Marmaduke opens September 2, 2010.

Resorts World® Sentosa Opens from 20 Jan 2010

Singapore’s first IR, Resorts World Sentosa, announced today that it will start its phased opening from 20 Jan 2010, beginning with its four hotels opening on the same red-letter day.

Resorts World Sentosa’s four hotels - Festive Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore (left), Crockfords Tower and Hotel Michael – offer a combined inventory of 1,350 rooms and 10 restaurant outlets at their opening. Another two hotels at the Resort, Equarius Hotel and Spa Villas will launch after 2010. Resorts World Sentosa is working closely with the authorities to obtain approvals for Universal Studios Singapore, which will open next. The opening date for the casino will be announced when it gets notice of its casino licence.

Room and restaurant reservations begin at 1000 hours on Monday, 11 Jan 2010 on hotline +65 6577 8899. Details will be posted on http://www.rwsentosa.com/

Singapore's First Film Attitudes Research Findings

Remember the survey you helped to do some time back? Well, here's the findings: More than a decade after Money No Enough smashed local box office records, Singapore's top grossing local film of all time and the fifth behind Hollywood giants, has achieved a new iconic status – it was mistakenly thought to be Singapore's oldest film. According to an online survey of over 300 respondents, Money No Enough emerged as the most cited answer when asked what the oldest local film is. In second place was yet another Jack Neo film, I Not Stupid, released in 2002. Eric Khoo's 1996 Mee Pok Man took third rank. Overall, more than half of respondents quoted a film made after the 1990s. Only a mere 16% of respondents named Malay and Chinese films from Singapore's Golden Era in the '50s and '60s. But the correct answer is either Liu Peh Jing's Xin Ke (The immigrant) thought to have been made in 1926, or B.S. Rajhan's Laila Majnun made in 1933. Only 1% of respondents got this right. While both films been lost to time owing to a lack of film preservation, its memory should not
fade into obscurity. There is a clear lack of awareness about the nation's culturally rich film heritage and its urgent need to be saved. These findings were carried out last month by a group of final-year students at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University for the Asian Film Archive, shedding new light on Singaporeans' attitudes towards their local film and its overlooked history. A series of projection bombs in the heartlands and a nationwide call for local film memories and memorabilia are planned for the guerilla campaign which will run for one and half months till the end of February. More information on the Archive's campaign and fifth anniversary will be available to the public from 15 January 2010 via the Archive's Official Website: http://www.asianfilmarchive.org/

James Cameron's Avatar Toys Augmented Reality Demo

There's nothing special about the toy figure but it does come with something called a "webcam i-tag". All what you have to do is to place the iTags in front of your webcam to see Avatar's creatures or machines appearing on your computer screen. It's pretty cool actually. For more details about the figure, click Mattel website. On a related note, James Cameron has revealed that, when making Avatar, he shot a sex scene between two Na'vi characters. "We had it in and we cut it out," said Cameron, "so that will be something for the special edition DVD, if you want to see how they have sex." Actress Zoe Saldana, who had said that she thinks Neytiri is "very sexy", went into the specifics of how the Na'vi "get their groove on", which turns out to be through the tendrils at the end of their ponytail-like tentacle. Weird but we are ready for it!