Actor and director Wayne Blair and producers Rosemary Blight, Kylie du Fresne and Darren Dale are among the Australians that have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).
Other invitees include VFX artists Genevieve Camilleri and Matt Everitt, who were nominated for an Oscar this year for their work on Love and Monsters, costume designer Margot Wilson and composer Amanda Brown.
Joining the short film and animation branch is Charles Williams, whose All These Creatures won the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d’Or in 2018.
This year the Oscars body invited 395 new members from 50 countries. Forty-six per cent of all invitees identify as women, while 39 per cent are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities. More than half (53 per cent) come from outside the United States. Some 25 are Oscar winners, and 89 nominees.
Blair has been invited to join the directing branch, recognising his work in...
Other invitees include VFX artists Genevieve Camilleri and Matt Everitt, who were nominated for an Oscar this year for their work on Love and Monsters, costume designer Margot Wilson and composer Amanda Brown.
Joining the short film and animation branch is Charles Williams, whose All These Creatures won the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Palme d’Or in 2018.
This year the Oscars body invited 395 new members from 50 countries. Forty-six per cent of all invitees identify as women, while 39 per cent are from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities. More than half (53 per cent) come from outside the United States. Some 25 are Oscar winners, and 89 nominees.
Blair has been invited to join the directing branch, recognising his work in...
- 7/2/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Sue Maslin.
Producers Anita Jacoby and Sue Maslin, writers Ray Harding and Bevan Lee, and actor Magda Szubanski were among the screen professionals who received Australia Day honours on Saturday.
Jacoby, a former managing director of ITV Studios Australia and head of development and production at Zapruder’s Other Films, was named a Member of the Order of Australia (Am) for her significant service to the broadcast and print media, and to community mental health groups.
An authority member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) and a board director of AFI | Aacta, Jacoby has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. Her extensive list of credits include The Gruen Transfer, Enough Rope, Hungry Beast, Angels and Demons, 60 Minutes, and the Today Show. She is a member of Screen Producers Australia (Spa) and a supporter of the Documentary Australia Foundation. In 2013, she established the Jacoby Walkley Scholarship, which supports young journalists.
Producers Anita Jacoby and Sue Maslin, writers Ray Harding and Bevan Lee, and actor Magda Szubanski were among the screen professionals who received Australia Day honours on Saturday.
Jacoby, a former managing director of ITV Studios Australia and head of development and production at Zapruder’s Other Films, was named a Member of the Order of Australia (Am) for her significant service to the broadcast and print media, and to community mental health groups.
An authority member of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (Acma) and a board director of AFI | Aacta, Jacoby has worked in the industry for more than 30 years. Her extensive list of credits include The Gruen Transfer, Enough Rope, Hungry Beast, Angels and Demons, 60 Minutes, and the Today Show. She is a member of Screen Producers Australia (Spa) and a supporter of the Documentary Australia Foundation. In 2013, she established the Jacoby Walkley Scholarship, which supports young journalists.
- 1/29/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Louisa Mellor Oct 31, 2017
A chat with the creators of Creeped Out, an eerie new thirteen-part collection of stories destined to be loved by geeks of all ages…
“The family who lose their mouths in The Twilight Zone.”
See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
“Oh! The candy-striper vampire one in Are You Afraid Of The Dark? And the clown, The Ghastly Grinner!”
“The magician one in Amazing Stories. Definitely.”
“There’s one about a pool and this horrible, fleshy skeleton came out of it and grabbed these kids. Still now, if you Google it, it’s one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen, I can’t believe it was ever on telly.”
“The Never-Ending Story had something called The Nothing, that was really nothing, literally and figuratively. It stuck with me and freaked me out as a kid, the idea that things were disappearing and nothing was in its place.
A chat with the creators of Creeped Out, an eerie new thirteen-part collection of stories destined to be loved by geeks of all ages…
“The family who lose their mouths in The Twilight Zone.”
See related 26 new TV shows to watch in 2017
“Oh! The candy-striper vampire one in Are You Afraid Of The Dark? And the clown, The Ghastly Grinner!”
“The magician one in Amazing Stories. Definitely.”
“There’s one about a pool and this horrible, fleshy skeleton came out of it and grabbed these kids. Still now, if you Google it, it’s one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen, I can’t believe it was ever on telly.”
“The Never-Ending Story had something called The Nothing, that was really nothing, literally and figuratively. It stuck with me and freaked me out as a kid, the idea that things were disappearing and nothing was in its place.
- 10/26/2017
- Den of Geek
So Netflix’s “Death Note” is finally available to stream around the world, and everyone is completely thrilled about it with no reservations whatsoever, the end.
Just kidding. While the release of Adam Wingard’s controversial manga adaptation has been overshadowed by everything from Hurricane Harvey to “Game of Thrones” and even a different story of Hollywood white-washing (albeit one with a happy ending, thanks to actor Ed Skrein agreeing to remove himself from the “Hellboy” remake), the movie has been kicking up a fuss ever since it was first announced that none of its major characters would be played by actors of Asian descent. The case may not be quite as cut-and-dry as it was with this year’s ill-conceived “Ghost in the Shell” remake, but the discussion around it may be even more valuable for that.
Below, IndieWire critics David Ehrlich and Hanh Nguyen dig into the issue.
Just kidding. While the release of Adam Wingard’s controversial manga adaptation has been overshadowed by everything from Hurricane Harvey to “Game of Thrones” and even a different story of Hollywood white-washing (albeit one with a happy ending, thanks to actor Ed Skrein agreeing to remove himself from the “Hellboy” remake), the movie has been kicking up a fuss ever since it was first announced that none of its major characters would be played by actors of Asian descent. The case may not be quite as cut-and-dry as it was with this year’s ill-conceived “Ghost in the Shell” remake, but the discussion around it may be even more valuable for that.
Below, IndieWire critics David Ehrlich and Hanh Nguyen dig into the issue.
- 8/31/2017
- by David Ehrlich and Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
Adam Wingard knew he was taking on a hot property when he signed on to direct an adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba’s “Death Note” — the online death threats were an early indicator. “I understand people’s passion about it,” the director recently told Yahoo Movies. “I really don’t take it personally when people send me death threats, or go tell me to go f*** myself…on Twitter.”
Read More:‘Death Note’ Review: Adam Wingard’s Netflix Adaptation Is a Whitewashed Waste of Time
Netflix’s adaptation of the 108-chapter manga was met with initial hesitation for casting no Japanese American actors, and setting the Japanese story in the United States. In his review of the film, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote of the whitewashing: “In this case, it pointed toward an inability or unwillingness to meaningfully engage with the source material.”
That blatant disregard for the material, while fans...
Read More:‘Death Note’ Review: Adam Wingard’s Netflix Adaptation Is a Whitewashed Waste of Time
Netflix’s adaptation of the 108-chapter manga was met with initial hesitation for casting no Japanese American actors, and setting the Japanese story in the United States. In his review of the film, IndieWire’s David Ehrlich wrote of the whitewashing: “In this case, it pointed toward an inability or unwillingness to meaningfully engage with the source material.”
That blatant disregard for the material, while fans...
- 8/23/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Adapting “Death Note” into a feature-length American movie was always a colossally bad idea — Tsugumi Ohba’s manga ran 108 chapters, and there’s a good reason why the only decent riff on the original was an anime series that ran 19 hours — so neglecting to include Japanese-American actors among the top-billed cast just made things that much worse. It was a bad decision on top of a festering pile of bad decisions, but it was also the kind of mistake that reveals the wrongheadedness of an entire project.
Whitewashing is never a purely aesthetic act; it’s always an indication of a deeper rot. In this case, it pointed toward an inability or unwillingness to meaningfully engage with the source material. The only reason to take such a uniquely Japanese story and transplant it to Seattle is to explore how its thorny moral questions might inspire different answers in an American context,...
Whitewashing is never a purely aesthetic act; it’s always an indication of a deeper rot. In this case, it pointed toward an inability or unwillingness to meaningfully engage with the source material. The only reason to take such a uniquely Japanese story and transplant it to Seattle is to explore how its thorny moral questions might inspire different answers in an American context,...
- 8/21/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Aside from Ryuk, the iconic Shinigami brought to life with great menace by the equally great Willem Dafoe, Netflix and writer-director Adam Wingard have overhauled Death Note to such an extent that the story, one initially conceived by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata all the way back in 2003, has been relocated to Seattle, Washington.
Not only that, but Light Yagami, the student who first encounters the all-powerful Death Note and begins targeting Tokyo’s criminal underbelly, now goes by the name of Light Turner (Aka Kira), and will be played by Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars). And therein lies the source of controversy.
Similar to Ghost in the Shell, Iron Fist, and even Matt Damon’s place in The Great Wall, thrusting a white, American actor into the midst of a Japanese story has irked longtime fans of the Death Note series, but during a recent interview with IGN,...
Not only that, but Light Yagami, the student who first encounters the all-powerful Death Note and begins targeting Tokyo’s criminal underbelly, now goes by the name of Light Turner (Aka Kira), and will be played by Nat Wolff (The Fault in Our Stars). And therein lies the source of controversy.
Similar to Ghost in the Shell, Iron Fist, and even Matt Damon’s place in The Great Wall, thrusting a white, American actor into the midst of a Japanese story has irked longtime fans of the Death Note series, but during a recent interview with IGN,...
- 7/5/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
As far as fresh ideas go, Ghost in the Shell is pretty much the de rigueur A.I. story: a cyborg conflicted about her very cybernetics must question everything she know, including the shady corporation that created her. (The latter isn't a spoiler; it's in the trailer.)
The corporation here is Hanka Industries, which exists in a far-flung future where humans regularly enhance themselves with cybernetics and where human souls (or ghosts) can be put into synthetic bodies (or shells). Such is the case for Major (Scarlett Johansson), whose brain, we're told, survived an accident her body could not so "she" was transplanted into a new one, trained to become a living weapon and enlisted to work for government counter-terrorism cell Section 9.
Exclusive: Scarlett Johansson Likes What Her 'Ghost in the Shell' Role Can Teach Her Daughter About Risk Taking
Paramount Pictures
If the ghost of the movie isn't all that new -- it was...
The corporation here is Hanka Industries, which exists in a far-flung future where humans regularly enhance themselves with cybernetics and where human souls (or ghosts) can be put into synthetic bodies (or shells). Such is the case for Major (Scarlett Johansson), whose brain, we're told, survived an accident her body could not so "she" was transplanted into a new one, trained to become a living weapon and enlisted to work for government counter-terrorism cell Section 9.
Exclusive: Scarlett Johansson Likes What Her 'Ghost in the Shell' Role Can Teach Her Daughter About Risk Taking
Paramount Pictures
If the ghost of the movie isn't all that new -- it was...
- 3/31/2017
- Entertainment Tonight
2017-03-30T07:25:03-07:00Jordan Peele Could Direct Akira Movie
There’s an interesting rumor floating out of this year’s CinemaCon that Warner Bros. has approached Get Out director Jordan Peele to step into the director’s role for the long-awaited live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, which was originally a manga before becoming an anime feature-length film in 1988. Jeff Sneider of The Tracking Board got the scoop and says that the talks between Warner Bros. and Peele have been “…encouraging.”
If this turns out to be the case, it’ll be one helluva jump for Peele! Get Out‘s budget was $4.5 million, but to do something on the level of Akira, I’m guessing at least $100-$125 million will have to be set aside. The scope of the story and the vast amount of CGI work that will be required is undeniable.
What makes...
There’s an interesting rumor floating out of this year’s CinemaCon that Warner Bros. has approached Get Out director Jordan Peele to step into the director’s role for the long-awaited live-action adaptation of Katsuhiro Otomo’s Akira, which was originally a manga before becoming an anime feature-length film in 1988. Jeff Sneider of The Tracking Board got the scoop and says that the talks between Warner Bros. and Peele have been “…encouraging.”
If this turns out to be the case, it’ll be one helluva jump for Peele! Get Out‘s budget was $4.5 million, but to do something on the level of Akira, I’m guessing at least $100-$125 million will have to be set aside. The scope of the story and the vast amount of CGI work that will be required is undeniable.
What makes...
- 3/30/2017
- by Evan Gillespie
- Yidio
Exclusive: Japanese sales outfit scores deal on historical sumo drama.
Japan’s Free Stone Productions has sold historical drama The Chrysanthemum And The Guillotine, directed by Takahisa Zeze (Heaven’s Story), to China (Bright East Films).
Based on a little-known Japanese story around the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which destroyed Tokyo in 1923, The Chrysanthemum And The Guillotine explores a romance between a professional lady sumo wrestler and a young anarchist dreaming of a classless society.
The film won the $15,000 Bright East Films award at last year’s Asian Project Market at the Busan International Film Festival. Bright East Films subsequently decided to buy all rights for China.
“This is a great kickstart for Japanese films, to have this attention from the China market. It means if the content is strong enough, we can sell titles even when they are not yet completed,” said Miyuki Takamatsu, CEO at Free Stone Productions.
Now in post-production...
Japan’s Free Stone Productions has sold historical drama The Chrysanthemum And The Guillotine, directed by Takahisa Zeze (Heaven’s Story), to China (Bright East Films).
Based on a little-known Japanese story around the time of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which destroyed Tokyo in 1923, The Chrysanthemum And The Guillotine explores a romance between a professional lady sumo wrestler and a young anarchist dreaming of a classless society.
The film won the $15,000 Bright East Films award at last year’s Asian Project Market at the Busan International Film Festival. Bright East Films subsequently decided to buy all rights for China.
“This is a great kickstart for Japanese films, to have this attention from the China market. It means if the content is strong enough, we can sell titles even when they are not yet completed,” said Miyuki Takamatsu, CEO at Free Stone Productions.
Now in post-production...
- 3/14/2017
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Considering the trend of live-action remakes, those behind a Hollywood adaptation of Masamune Shirow‘s iconic Japanese franchise Ghost in the Shell certainly have quite a hill to climb — not to mention how much pre-release talk has surrounded its casting. However, we’re at least vaguely curious as to what director Rupert Sanders has in store and today we get the first look thanks to a set of brief teasers.
“I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world. That’s why I say the international approach is, I think, the right approach to it,” producer Steven Paul tells Buzzfeed. “We’re utilizing people from all over the world. … There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it.
“I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. Ghost in the Shell was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world. That’s why I say the international approach is, I think, the right approach to it,” producer Steven Paul tells Buzzfeed. “We’re utilizing people from all over the world. … There’s Japanese in it. There’s Chinese in it. There’s English in it.
- 9/22/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
See Full Gallery Here
Section 9 is suited and booted in a new wave of photos for Paramount’s live-action Ghost in the Shell adaptation.
Casting light on the movie’s diverse cast, these leaked images were first unveiled by anime giant Crunchyroll and find Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi, while Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk assumes the role of cybernetic ninja, Batou. What leads us to believe that these pics are the real deal is the fact that the hairstyles of Johansson, Asbæk and their co-stars match up with those glimpsed across previous set photos taken on the streets of Hong Kong. We await confirmation from Paramount nonetheless.
Based on Masamune Shirow’s beloved manga series, it’s no secret that Ghost in the Shell has received a lot of flak for its casting process. Addressing those white-washing claims, producer Steven Paul noted that Paramount’s feature is...
Section 9 is suited and booted in a new wave of photos for Paramount’s live-action Ghost in the Shell adaptation.
Casting light on the movie’s diverse cast, these leaked images were first unveiled by anime giant Crunchyroll and find Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi, while Game of Thrones star Pilou Asbæk assumes the role of cybernetic ninja, Batou. What leads us to believe that these pics are the real deal is the fact that the hairstyles of Johansson, Asbæk and their co-stars match up with those glimpsed across previous set photos taken on the streets of Hong Kong. We await confirmation from Paramount nonetheless.
Based on Masamune Shirow’s beloved manga series, it’s no secret that Ghost in the Shell has received a lot of flak for its casting process. Addressing those white-washing claims, producer Steven Paul noted that Paramount’s feature is...
- 8/24/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Gillian Armstrong's 1971 student film The Roof Needs Mowing.
Secret City director Emma Freeman remembers Vca Film and Television School, where she studied for three years in the early 2000.s, .as a place where .a lot of people were really scraping things together to make their movie..
.That's what I loved about that school., Freeman says..
.It taught me about being a storyteller and it also taught me to be resourceful. Never to be limited by what you have..
Vca Film and TV is celebrating 50 years of scraping things together this year, from its opening at Swinburne in 1966 to the jump to the Vca in 1992 and beyond.
Cinematographer Ian Baker (Japanese Story, Words and Pictures) was one of the first, in 1968..
..I had no idea what I wanted to do when I completed the course,. Baker says.
.I didn't really know that I wanted to be a cinematographer, even though...
Secret City director Emma Freeman remembers Vca Film and Television School, where she studied for three years in the early 2000.s, .as a place where .a lot of people were really scraping things together to make their movie..
.That's what I loved about that school., Freeman says..
.It taught me about being a storyteller and it also taught me to be resourceful. Never to be limited by what you have..
Vca Film and TV is celebrating 50 years of scraping things together this year, from its opening at Swinburne in 1966 to the jump to the Vca in 1992 and beyond.
Cinematographer Ian Baker (Japanese Story, Words and Pictures) was one of the first, in 1968..
..I had no idea what I wanted to do when I completed the course,. Baker says.
.I didn't really know that I wanted to be a cinematographer, even though...
- 8/4/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
A new behind-the-scene photo from the set of Ghost in the Shell has been released giving us another look at Scarlett Johansson as The Major. She is joined by director Rupert Sanders and actor Adrian Nicholas Matthews Thaws, a.k.a. Tricky hanging out with three anime legends on the set of the film. Those anime legends are Mamoru Oshii, who directed the original 1995 Ghost in the Shell film, Kenji Kamiyama, who directed both seasons of the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime series, and composer Kenji Kawai, who provided the score for the Ghost in the Shell anime films.
The producer of the film, Steven Paul, recently did an interview in which he talked about the film, explaining that even though the main character in the film is caucasian the film still has a very international reach with its diverse cast and he thinks fans are...
The producer of the film, Steven Paul, recently did an interview in which he talked about the film, explaining that even though the main character in the film is caucasian the film still has a very international reach with its diverse cast and he thinks fans are...
- 7/6/2016
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Scarlett Johansson may be the highest-grossing actress of all time, but the decision to enlist the Avengers star for Ghost in the Shell caused quite the stir back in April.
That’s because Masamune Shirow’s beloved manga series is viewed as a decidedly Japanese story, leading many to decree that the addition of Johansson was nothing more than whitewashing on Paramount’s part. According to producer Steven Paul, that’s simply not the case, as Ghost in the Shell boasts a “very international story.”
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Paul leapt to the defence of Paramount’s high-profile adaptation, revealing that the studio is “utilizing people from all over the world.”
“I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. ‘Ghost In The Shell’ was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world,” he explained. “That...
That’s because Masamune Shirow’s beloved manga series is viewed as a decidedly Japanese story, leading many to decree that the addition of Johansson was nothing more than whitewashing on Paramount’s part. According to producer Steven Paul, that’s simply not the case, as Ghost in the Shell boasts a “very international story.”
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Paul leapt to the defence of Paramount’s high-profile adaptation, revealing that the studio is “utilizing people from all over the world.”
“I don’t think it was just a Japanese story. ‘Ghost In The Shell’ was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world,” he explained. “That...
- 7/5/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Since the announcement of the live-action adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s seminal manga series Ghost In The Shell, fans of the beloved manga series criticized the studio (Paramount and DreamWorks) for whitewashing Major Motoko Kusanagi who is played by Scarlett Johansson.
BuzzFeed recently interviewed producer Steven Paul to discuss Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks' "Ghost In The Shell." The producer talked about how the audience will react once they see the film saying:
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he said. “They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.”
Fans have remained optimistic since it was revealed that the production cast white actors in place of Asian actors such as actress Scarlett Johansson who is playing the main character in the film.
BuzzFeed recently interviewed producer Steven Paul to discuss Paramount Pictures and Dreamworks' "Ghost In The Shell." The producer talked about how the audience will react once they see the film saying:
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he said. “They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.”
Fans have remained optimistic since it was revealed that the production cast white actors in place of Asian actors such as actress Scarlett Johansson who is playing the main character in the film.
- 7/2/2016
- by J.B. Casas
- LRMonline.com
Ever since the first image of Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi in the upcoming “Ghost in the Shell” feature film was released, the live-action adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s manga series has received backlash with fans declaring another Hollywood whitewashing incident.
Now, Steve Paul, a producer on the film has spoken out about the criticism, telling BuzzFeed that he thinks fans will have a change of heart when they see the final product.
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he told the website. “They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.”
Read More: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Photos: Scarlett Johansson Debuts Controversial Look in Hong Kong
The original “Ghost in the Shell” story follows a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg...
Now, Steve Paul, a producer on the film has spoken out about the criticism, telling BuzzFeed that he thinks fans will have a change of heart when they see the final product.
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he told the website. “They’re going to be very, very happy with it when they see what we’ve actually done with it, and I don’t think anybody’s going to be disappointed.”
Read More: ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Photos: Scarlett Johansson Debuts Controversial Look in Hong Kong
The original “Ghost in the Shell” story follows a special ops, one-of-a-kind human-cyborg...
- 7/2/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
By now, you're probably familiar with the controversy surrounding Paramount and DreamWorks' live-action adaptation of Ghost in the Shell, which experienced a huge backlash and accusations of whitewashing the cast after the first photo hit the internet of Scarlett Johansson in the lead role. The continued practice of casting white actors in roles that are meant for Asian actors is bad enough, but there was also a report that the studio conducted CGI tests to see if they could make white actors appear more Asian on screen. Yikes.
Through all of this, the filmmakers remained quiet. But this week, one of the movie's producers, Steven Paul, spoke with Buzzfeed and somehow managed to brush past the issue while claiming fans are going to love the movie:
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he said. “They’re going to be very, very happy with...
Through all of this, the filmmakers remained quiet. But this week, one of the movie's producers, Steven Paul, spoke with Buzzfeed and somehow managed to brush past the issue while claiming fans are going to love the movie:
“I think everybody is going to end up being really happy with it,” he said. “They’re going to be very, very happy with...
- 7/1/2016
- by Ben Pearson
- GeekTyrant
“Ghost in the Shell” fans were none too happy when Scarlett Johansson was cast in the lead role of the Japanese-based story, but now a producer on the film is defending the decision. “I don’t think it was just a Japanese story,” Steven Paul told Buzzfeed. “‘Ghost in the Shell’ was a very international story, and it wasn’t just focused on Japanese; it was supposed to be an entire world. That’s why I say the international approach is, I think, the right approach to it.” Johansson will be playing a character known simply as the Major, despite the fact the character.
- 7/1/2016
- by Joe Otterson
- The Wrap
Jennifer Peedom.
The Australian Directors Guild awards will be handed out in Melbourne next Friday, and Adg executive director Kingston Anderson is feeling bullish about the work under the spotlight.
"If you look at the nominations this year, you'll notice in some categories there are five nominations", Anderson said.
"That's unusual, and that's because a lot of the judging panels said the quality of the entries was so high. They noted that over the last three years they've seen the quality go up, across television and short film particularly."
Anderson calls the trend "really exciting, and gratifying. It's clear that we're producing good people, and we're continuing to produce good people."
He sees the Adg's annual awards, presented across eighteen categories, as vital..
"You've got the opportunity to see the best of the best in directing, in anything from short films through to feature films to online content to documentary to animation.
The Australian Directors Guild awards will be handed out in Melbourne next Friday, and Adg executive director Kingston Anderson is feeling bullish about the work under the spotlight.
"If you look at the nominations this year, you'll notice in some categories there are five nominations", Anderson said.
"That's unusual, and that's because a lot of the judging panels said the quality of the entries was so high. They noted that over the last three years they've seen the quality go up, across television and short film particularly."
Anderson calls the trend "really exciting, and gratifying. It's clear that we're producing good people, and we're continuing to produce good people."
He sees the Adg's annual awards, presented across eighteen categories, as vital..
"You've got the opportunity to see the best of the best in directing, in anything from short films through to feature films to online content to documentary to animation.
- 4/28/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
Although boasting strong performances, the fling-us-here and fling-us-there structure of Sue Brooks’s family drama feels gimmicky and lacks a certain grace
Related: Looking for Grace director Sue Brooks on gender diversity in Australian film: 'They just don't get it'
In her 2003 tear-jerker Japanese Story, Australian director Sue Brooks uses sudden unexpected tragedy to transition from a pleasant cross-culture romance to an emotionally gut-punching drama. Its tale of a foreigner’s dalliance with a local in the Pilbara desert plays like a high-art equivalent of Dumb Ways to Die, but the film generated considerable acclaim and attention regardless.
Continue reading...
Related: Looking for Grace director Sue Brooks on gender diversity in Australian film: 'They just don't get it'
In her 2003 tear-jerker Japanese Story, Australian director Sue Brooks uses sudden unexpected tragedy to transition from a pleasant cross-culture romance to an emotionally gut-punching drama. Its tale of a foreigner’s dalliance with a local in the Pilbara desert plays like a high-art equivalent of Dumb Ways to Die, but the film generated considerable acclaim and attention regardless.
Continue reading...
- 1/25/2016
- by Luke Buckmaster
- The Guardian - Film News
Richard Roxburgh in Sue Brooks' Looking for Grace
Richard Roxburgh is gearing up for a busy year..
There's his starring role in the new Australian feature film Looking for Grace, directed by Sue Brooks (Japanese Story), opening on January 26, as well as a new season of Rake airing in February..
If things pan out, there's also Babyteeth, Roxburgh's next film as a director - the actor's first foray behind the lens since 2007's Romulus, My Father.
Roxburgh describes Looking for Grace, the fragmented story of parents (Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell) trying to track down their runaway daughter (Odessa Young), as one of "these little independent films [that] are such an important part of the whole diagram of our industry".
Roxburgh's also coming off a film that's at the other end of the local filmmaking spectrum (and one that has provoked grumbling in some quarters) - Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge.
Richard Roxburgh is gearing up for a busy year..
There's his starring role in the new Australian feature film Looking for Grace, directed by Sue Brooks (Japanese Story), opening on January 26, as well as a new season of Rake airing in February..
If things pan out, there's also Babyteeth, Roxburgh's next film as a director - the actor's first foray behind the lens since 2007's Romulus, My Father.
Roxburgh describes Looking for Grace, the fragmented story of parents (Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell) trying to track down their runaway daughter (Odessa Young), as one of "these little independent films [that] are such an important part of the whole diagram of our industry".
Roxburgh's also coming off a film that's at the other end of the local filmmaking spectrum (and one that has provoked grumbling in some quarters) - Mel Gibson's Hacksaw Ridge.
- 1/11/2016
- by Harry Windsor
- IF.com.au
As in in years previous, the 15th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival honors a variety of actors and filmmakers as part of their highlighting of global cinema. This year’s opening gala honored legendary comedic actor Bill Murray, who was also in attendance to promote his recent film Rock the Kasbah, which was filmed in Morocco. The ceremony began with a brief speech from director Sofia Coppola, who extolled over Murray’s virtues as an uncanny comedic force and one of her close personal friends, having directed him in her monumental film Lost in Translation and, more recently, a Netflix Christmas special A Very Murray Christmas. The actor then took the stage and gave a heartfelt speech about his gratitude but also his heavy heart, sighting the recent tragedies in Paris and San Bernardino. This led to an empowering message of how the people around the world need...
- 12/8/2015
- by Raffi Asdourian
- The Film Stage
We’ve already learned that Wes Anderson’s next film will be a stop-motion animated film based around dogs. This will be his second stop-motion film; the first one he made was Fantastic Mr. Fox, which I loved.
The Playlist is reporting that Bill Murray has joined the cast, which isn’t really a surprise because Murray seems to jump on board every Wes Anderson project that he can. The actor will join the previously cast Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, and Bryan Cranston. Murray had this to say about the film:
"I'm playing a dog. He's doing another, like a stop-motion animated kind of comedy sort of like 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.’ And it's a Japanese story and I'm playing a dog. I'm very excited."
It was previously revealed that the story would be “Japanese-inspired,” and that’s the most curious thing about it. I’m not sure what exactly that means.
The Playlist is reporting that Bill Murray has joined the cast, which isn’t really a surprise because Murray seems to jump on board every Wes Anderson project that he can. The actor will join the previously cast Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Edward Norton, and Bryan Cranston. Murray had this to say about the film:
"I'm playing a dog. He's doing another, like a stop-motion animated kind of comedy sort of like 'Fantastic Mr. Fox.’ And it's a Japanese story and I'm playing a dog. I'm very excited."
It was previously revealed that the story would be “Japanese-inspired,” and that’s the most curious thing about it. I’m not sure what exactly that means.
- 12/8/2015
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Trainspotting 2: First released in 1996, the brash British drug drama Trainspotting jump-started the careers of actor Ewan McGregor and director Danny Boyle. Now a sequel is finally on its way, with the original cast intact, including McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle; Boyle will once again direct, based on a script by John Hodge, who wrote the original. Plans are to shoot the movie next spring, aiming for a theatrical release in 2017. [THR] Wes Anderson: Bill Murray will reteam with director Wes Anderson (The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, above) for a stop-motion animated movie about dogs. Naturally, Murray will voice a dog, though the breed has not yet been revealed. He described the project as "a Japanese story." Other voices...
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- 12/7/2015
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
We've reached peak Bill Murray. In Sofia Coppola's sublimely shallow Christmas special, now streaming on Netflix, Bill Murray plays Bill Murray, a slightly altered incarnation of himself. Enveloped by a galère of sexy ladies, Murray expounds on the true meaning of Christmas and the mania of making statements. So, having become a meme manifest as man, where does Bill Murray go from here? To the dog house, of course. The Playlist reports that Murray is going to portray a dog in Wes Anderson's upcoming Japanese-inspired stop-motion movie. ("It's a Japanese story and I'm playing a dog. I'm very excited," he so eloquently intoned.) The deadpan funnyman has imbued all of Anderson's films to date with a profound sense of pathos, so one can assume that he'll do the same with this dog movie. And since Anderson's films haven't been so kind to dogs (they are felled by errant arrows,...
- 12/6/2015
- by Greg Cwik
- Vulture
Bill Murray has confirmed that once again he's set to re-team with his compatriot Wes Anderson for the filmmaker's next project.
Attending the Marrakech International Film Festival to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, he revealed at a press conference that he's a part of the film which will be a stop motion animated movie about dogs:
"I'm playing a dog. He's doing another, like a stop motion animated kind of comedy sort of like 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'.... and it's a Japanese story and I'm playing a dog. I'm very excited."
Jeff Goldblum previously called the film "Japanese-inspired," but there's no word as yet regarding what stage of production the film is at. Bob Balaban, Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton are also onboard.
Source: The Playlist...
Attending the Marrakech International Film Festival to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, he revealed at a press conference that he's a part of the film which will be a stop motion animated movie about dogs:
"I'm playing a dog. He's doing another, like a stop motion animated kind of comedy sort of like 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'.... and it's a Japanese story and I'm playing a dog. I'm very excited."
Jeff Goldblum previously called the film "Japanese-inspired," but there's no word as yet regarding what stage of production the film is at. Bob Balaban, Bryan Cranston and Edward Norton are also onboard.
Source: The Playlist...
- 12/6/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Australian actor Radha Mitchell will walk the red carpet at the Melbourne premiere of Sue Brooks. new film Looking For Grace at the Astor Theatre on November 24.
La-based Mitchell (The Waiting City, High Art, Finding Neverland) will be joined by Brooks (Japanese Story) in her home city, along with fellow cast members Odessa Young, Terry Norris and Julia Blake when the film is screened to Melbourne audiences for the first time.
In the film, Mitchell stars as Denise, the mother of eponymous Grace (Young) and wife of Dan (Richard Roxburgh), whose quiet suburban lives are thrown into turmoil when their daughter absconds with a large amount of money from their family safe.
It was only Australian film of the year to be selected In Competition for both Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, where it had its World and North American Premieres in September.
The film had its Australian premiere...
La-based Mitchell (The Waiting City, High Art, Finding Neverland) will be joined by Brooks (Japanese Story) in her home city, along with fellow cast members Odessa Young, Terry Norris and Julia Blake when the film is screened to Melbourne audiences for the first time.
In the film, Mitchell stars as Denise, the mother of eponymous Grace (Young) and wife of Dan (Richard Roxburgh), whose quiet suburban lives are thrown into turmoil when their daughter absconds with a large amount of money from their family safe.
It was only Australian film of the year to be selected In Competition for both Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals, where it had its World and North American Premieres in September.
The film had its Australian premiere...
- 11/5/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
The Australian premiere of Cate Blanchett's Carol is set to headline this year's Adelaide Film Festival.
One-hundred and eighty films will screen at the Festival - including over 40 Australian films, and 24 South Australian films - with 51 countries represented at the Festival.
Some of films' biggest names, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Jane Fonda, Michael Keaton, Richard Roxburgh, Anthony Lapaglia and Rachel McAdams.
In its eleventh year, the 2015 Adelaide Film Festival will provide the best of local, Australian and internationally produced films, with an eclectic mix of cinema, television, art and the moving image . plus the one night only reunion of Festival ambassadors Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, as they host the Ultimate Quiz night.
The Festival will feature new work from Australian directors including Scott Hicks, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Matt Saville, Sue Brooks, Stephen Page, Matthew Bate, Meryl Tankard and Rosemary Myers.
It will also include work from international filmmakers Todd Haynes,...
One-hundred and eighty films will screen at the Festival - including over 40 Australian films, and 24 South Australian films - with 51 countries represented at the Festival.
Some of films' biggest names, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Jane Fonda, Michael Keaton, Richard Roxburgh, Anthony Lapaglia and Rachel McAdams.
In its eleventh year, the 2015 Adelaide Film Festival will provide the best of local, Australian and internationally produced films, with an eclectic mix of cinema, television, art and the moving image . plus the one night only reunion of Festival ambassadors Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, as they host the Ultimate Quiz night.
The Festival will feature new work from Australian directors including Scott Hicks, Jocelyn Moorhouse, Matt Saville, Sue Brooks, Stephen Page, Matthew Bate, Meryl Tankard and Rosemary Myers.
It will also include work from international filmmakers Todd Haynes,...
- 9/8/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Following up on her 1997 comedy Road to Nhill and her 2003 drama Japanese Story, Sue Brooks's Looking for Grace, starring Richard Roxburgh, Radha Mitchell, Odessa Young, Terry Norris, Harry Richardson and Kenya Pearson, has premiered in Venice and now heads to Toronto. In the Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney finds that it "opens strongly, full of poignancy and promise, training its intimate gaze on the teenager of the title, who has run away from her family home to cross the sprawling flat wheat belt of inland Western Australia. But when the focus widens to consider the perspective of other messy lives affected by Grace's flight, the tone lurches into awkwardness, undercutting the emotional impact." We're collecting more reviews and we've got a clip. » - David Hudson...
- 9/5/2015
- Keyframe
Following up on her 1997 comedy Road to Nhill and her 2003 drama Japanese Story, Sue Brooks's Looking for Grace, starring Richard Roxburgh, Radha Mitchell, Odessa Young, Terry Norris, Harry Richardson and Kenya Pearson, has premiered in Venice and now heads to Toronto. In the Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney finds that it "opens strongly, full of poignancy and promise, training its intimate gaze on the teenager of the title, who has run away from her family home to cross the sprawling flat wheat belt of inland Western Australia. But when the focus widens to consider the perspective of other messy lives affected by Grace's flight, the tone lurches into awkwardness, undercutting the emotional impact." We're collecting more reviews and we've got a clip. » - David Hudson...
- 9/5/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
Sue Brooks is most famous for Japanese Story, which plonked Toni Colette in the harsh landscape of the Australian outback. In Looking for Grace the opening titles play out to scenes of bucolic loveliness, the colours and textures like the brushstrokes of a landscape artist thanks to the work of cinematographer Katie Milwright. The landscape
The post Venice 2015: ‘Looking for Grace’ Review – ‘A tender and bittersweet drama appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post Venice 2015: ‘Looking for Grace’ Review – ‘A tender and bittersweet drama appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 9/4/2015
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The things that happen to us do not always belong to us. Sometimes they are parts of someone else's story — our heartbreaks, our illnesses, our sudden, dumb-luck accidental deaths all might actually be the property of other people, at least partially. It's an esoteric point, perhaps, on which to build a career, but director Sue Brooks appears preternaturally interested in this notion. It turned out to be pivotal to her 2003 film, the simple but resonant "Japanese Story," in which, following the death of her unacknowledged married lover, Toni Collette rails "But I was there too! It happened to me too." And it also informs the more sprawling, looser structure of her latest "Looking For Grace," writ large by the division of the film into chapters, headed "Denise's Story," "Dan's Story" and so on. Which event, over the course of several days and nights, to "file" under whose story, since they are all closely interconnected and.
- 9/3/2015
- by Jessica Kiang
- The Playlist
Writer-director Sue Brooks' Looking for Grace will be the first film by a female Australian director to screen in competition at the Venice Film Festival since Clara Law's The Goddess Of 1967 in 2000.
Australia will have an unprecedented profile at the festival with Michael Rowe.s Early Winter and Simon Stone.s The Daughter selected for the Venice Days sidebar and Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.s Tanna screening in Venice Critics. Week.
This is the first time Australian films will be represented in all three Venice categories. That adds to the prestige of The Daughter having its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, where Jocelyn Moorhouse.s The Dressmaker will have its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section.
Wayne Blair's Us thriler Septembers Of Shiraz, which stars Salma Hayek, Adrien Brody and Shohreh Aghdashloo, will also screen in Gala Presentations.
Australia will have an unprecedented profile at the festival with Michael Rowe.s Early Winter and Simon Stone.s The Daughter selected for the Venice Days sidebar and Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.s Tanna screening in Venice Critics. Week.
This is the first time Australian films will be represented in all three Venice categories. That adds to the prestige of The Daughter having its North American premiere in the Special Presentations section of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, where Jocelyn Moorhouse.s The Dressmaker will have its world premiere in the Gala Presentations section.
Wayne Blair's Us thriler Septembers Of Shiraz, which stars Salma Hayek, Adrien Brody and Shohreh Aghdashloo, will also screen in Gala Presentations.
- 7/29/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Chicago – The power of creativity, and the risk of live theater, is all on display through Nothing Without a Company’s latest amazing journey, “Down the Moonlit Path.” The interactive stage experience refreshes the soul and realizes the joy of life.
Play Rating: 5.0/5.0
Combining nine fairy tales and legends, “Down the Moonlit Path” takes the audience through a woodland path that weaves the tales together, and spotlights both their cultural differences and astounding similarities. The audience members are free to roam (at times, depending on their own sense of adventure) about the setting, and the actors, puppeteers and production staff magically weave the elements together to manufacture a sort of blessing onto perspective and soul.
Into the Woods: The Performers Express in ‘Down the Moonlit Path’
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Audience members are asked to choose between two journeys, and there are two “voices” who guide their destinations.
Play Rating: 5.0/5.0
Combining nine fairy tales and legends, “Down the Moonlit Path” takes the audience through a woodland path that weaves the tales together, and spotlights both their cultural differences and astounding similarities. The audience members are free to roam (at times, depending on their own sense of adventure) about the setting, and the actors, puppeteers and production staff magically weave the elements together to manufacture a sort of blessing onto perspective and soul.
Into the Woods: The Performers Express in ‘Down the Moonlit Path’
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Audience members are asked to choose between two journeys, and there are two “voices” who guide their destinations.
- 4/16/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Sci-fi action thriller Edge Of Tomorrow sagged at the box office, despite glowing reviews. Was its marketing to blame, Ryan wonders...
Looking back over Edge Of Tomorrow’s brief history, and it seems clear that it was a production with something of an identity crisis. Adapted from a Japanese story called All You Need Is Kill, the movie went by that name right up until the summer of 2013, when Warner Bros abruptly changed the title to Edge Of Tomorrow.
Then, when Edge Of Tomorrow got its home release a couple of weeks ago, it seemed to have been given another name change. On its DVD and Blu-ray box, the tagline Live. Die. Repeat, is far more prominent than Edge Of Tomorrow’s title - the movie’s even listed in some online marketplaces as Live Die Repeat: Edge Of Tomorrow.
It’s the latest curious development in the life of...
Looking back over Edge Of Tomorrow’s brief history, and it seems clear that it was a production with something of an identity crisis. Adapted from a Japanese story called All You Need Is Kill, the movie went by that name right up until the summer of 2013, when Warner Bros abruptly changed the title to Edge Of Tomorrow.
Then, when Edge Of Tomorrow got its home release a couple of weeks ago, it seemed to have been given another name change. On its DVD and Blu-ray box, the tagline Live. Die. Repeat, is far more prominent than Edge Of Tomorrow’s title - the movie’s even listed in some online marketplaces as Live Die Repeat: Edge Of Tomorrow.
It’s the latest curious development in the life of...
- 10/22/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
My favorite Fantastic Fest 2014 selection easily won the audience award for best film. Studio Ghibli's latest, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, is also my pick for the best feature from the Japanese animation studio. Directed by Ghibli co-founder Isao Takahata, it is at the surface a straightforward retelling of the 10th-century folktale The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, perhaps the oldest Japanese story. That simple description, however belies a work of enormous artistic depth evoking powerful emotions.
A bamboo cutter working in the forest finds a glowing stalk of bamboo with a blossom that opens to reveal a tiny princess. He takes her home to raise her with his wife, and she grows with amazing swiftness from an infant into a girl of exceptional beauty and limitless talents. Believing her sent by the gods along with the gold he finds in the bamboo, the old man's vision of Kaguya's...
A bamboo cutter working in the forest finds a glowing stalk of bamboo with a blossom that opens to reveal a tiny princess. He takes her home to raise her with his wife, and she grows with amazing swiftness from an infant into a girl of exceptional beauty and limitless talents. Believing her sent by the gods along with the gold he finds in the bamboo, the old man's vision of Kaguya's...
- 10/1/2014
- by Mike Saulters
- Slackerwood
A week after his film Felony launched into Australian cinemas, Screen Australia has revealed that it is investing production funding in director Matt Saville’s third feature.
Comedy A Month of Sundays will be the next film from the production arm of distributor Madman.
Madman executive Nick Batzias is producing with Kirsty Stark, who worked with the company on the series Wastelander Panda.
While Felony was not written by Saville – lead actor Joel Edgerton was the writer – he will direct A Month of Sundays from his own script, which draws on personal experience: his father was a real estate agent and so is this film’s lead character, to be played by Anthony Lapaglia.
Screen Australia also confirmed that it is supporting Looking For Grace, in which Radha Mitchell and Richard Roxburgh play the on-screen mother and father of newcomer Odessa Young.
The fourth film director Sue Brooks (Japanese Story) is now in its second week of...
Comedy A Month of Sundays will be the next film from the production arm of distributor Madman.
Madman executive Nick Batzias is producing with Kirsty Stark, who worked with the company on the series Wastelander Panda.
While Felony was not written by Saville – lead actor Joel Edgerton was the writer – he will direct A Month of Sundays from his own script, which draws on personal experience: his father was a real estate agent and so is this film’s lead character, to be played by Anthony Lapaglia.
Screen Australia also confirmed that it is supporting Looking For Grace, in which Radha Mitchell and Richard Roxburgh play the on-screen mother and father of newcomer Odessa Young.
The fourth film director Sue Brooks (Japanese Story) is now in its second week of...
- 9/5/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Richard Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell are playing the parents of a 14-year-old runaway who hire a retired detective to help find her in writer-director Sue Brooks. Looking for Grace.
Formerly known as Driving Back from Dubbo, the drama starts shooting this week in Western Australia, produced by Lizzette Atkins, Sue Taylor and Alison Tilson.
Odessa Young (The Moodys, Wonderland) will play the title character who runs away with her best friend (Kenya Pearson) to see her favourite band.
The cast includes Terry Norris as the retired cop, Julia Blake as his wife and Tasma Walton. The plot follows the couple and their helper as they head off on the road to Ceduna to try to retrieve Grace.
Miranda Otto was originally in the frame to play Grace's mother and Sam Neill had been in talks to play the former detective.
The investors include Screen West, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, the...
Formerly known as Driving Back from Dubbo, the drama starts shooting this week in Western Australia, produced by Lizzette Atkins, Sue Taylor and Alison Tilson.
Odessa Young (The Moodys, Wonderland) will play the title character who runs away with her best friend (Kenya Pearson) to see her favourite band.
The cast includes Terry Norris as the retired cop, Julia Blake as his wife and Tasma Walton. The plot follows the couple and their helper as they head off on the road to Ceduna to try to retrieve Grace.
Miranda Otto was originally in the frame to play Grace's mother and Sam Neill had been in talks to play the former detective.
The investors include Screen West, Screen Australia, Film Victoria, the...
- 8/26/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Claire van der Boom and Eamon Farren are playing the leads in Love is Now, a romantic drama now shooting in Sydney and regional Nsw.
It.s the first narrative feature from writer/director Jim Lounsbury and producer Behren Schulz, who formed Eponine Films in 2009.
The plot follows experienced photographer Audrey (van der Boom) and aspiring snapper Dean (Farren) as they embark on a trip through orchard country and a passionate relationship develops.
The supporting cast includes Anna Torv, Dustin Clare, Heather Mitchell and Chris Haywood.
Schulz told If that he and Lounsbury came up with the idea on a plane trip and the first draft of the script was written in one weekend.
He raised the budget from private investors and sponsorship from Nikon and Reid Cycles. The filmmakers announced the partnership with Nikon at Tropfest last year; the film is being shot on Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses.
It.s the first narrative feature from writer/director Jim Lounsbury and producer Behren Schulz, who formed Eponine Films in 2009.
The plot follows experienced photographer Audrey (van der Boom) and aspiring snapper Dean (Farren) as they embark on a trip through orchard country and a passionate relationship develops.
The supporting cast includes Anna Torv, Dustin Clare, Heather Mitchell and Chris Haywood.
Schulz told If that he and Lounsbury came up with the idea on a plane trip and the first draft of the script was written in one weekend.
He raised the budget from private investors and sponsorship from Nikon and Reid Cycles. The filmmakers announced the partnership with Nikon at Tropfest last year; the film is being shot on Nikon cameras and Nikkor lenses.
- 7/16/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
For years America was shamed for our putrid attempt at recapturing the magic of The King Of The Monsters with Roland Emmerich's goofy and nonsensical Godzilla. But sixteen years have passed, and now Hollywood is ready to reclaim its pride with a new, more ferocious adaptation of the Japanese story, coming into theaters next month. If you're chomping at the bit to take a bite out of this reboot, then you'll salivate over these looks at the production design, courtesy of Mark Cotta Vaz. Vaz is a prolific author with twenty-one books to his name, including The Art of The Incredible, Industrial Light & Magic: Into The Digital Realm and The Twilight Saga Breaking Dawn Part 1: The Official Illustrated Movie Guide. Because of his vast experience in capturing the work and artistry that goes on behind the scenes of blockbuster movies, Vaz was chosen to give his artful eye...
- 4/8/2014
- cinemablend.com
Interview Ryan Lambie 25 Feb 2014 - 06:38
As part of our visit to the set of X-Men: Days Of Future Past last year, we sat down for a chat with Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman...
Sitting down opposite Hugh Jackman is an occasion enough in itself, yet when the Australian actor took the time to speak to Den Of Geek and a number of other film writers for a group interview last June, he happened to be dressed as the Wolverine. Having ducked out between takes to speak to us, he still had his hair sculpted into its distinctive shape, with the horn-like bits sticking up on either side of his head, and those luxuriant mutton chops growing down his jaws.
Thankfully, Wolverine's Adamantium claws are nowhere to be seen, and we found Mr Jackman in friendly, cheerful, self-effacing humour. Here he is talking about playing his signature character for the seventh time,...
As part of our visit to the set of X-Men: Days Of Future Past last year, we sat down for a chat with Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman...
Sitting down opposite Hugh Jackman is an occasion enough in itself, yet when the Australian actor took the time to speak to Den Of Geek and a number of other film writers for a group interview last June, he happened to be dressed as the Wolverine. Having ducked out between takes to speak to us, he still had his hair sculpted into its distinctive shape, with the horn-like bits sticking up on either side of his head, and those luxuriant mutton chops growing down his jaws.
Thankfully, Wolverine's Adamantium claws are nowhere to be seen, and we found Mr Jackman in friendly, cheerful, self-effacing humour. Here he is talking about playing his signature character for the seventh time,...
- 2/24/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
The Tale of Princess Kaguya Trailer. Isao Takahata‘s The Tale of Princess Kaguya / Kaguyahime no monogatari (2013) movie trailer (6 minute long) stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Shichinosuke Nakamura, Kengo Kora, Nobuko Miyamoto, and Takaya Kamikawa. The Tale of Princess Kaguya‘s plot synopsis: “The latter film adapts the Japanese story The Tale of the Bamboo [...]
Continue reading: Tale Of Princess Kaguya (2013) Movie Trailer: 6 Min from Studio Ghibli...
Continue reading: Tale Of Princess Kaguya (2013) Movie Trailer: 6 Min from Studio Ghibli...
- 11/19/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Chances are you’ve already seen some of Keanu Reeves and the roving, vengeful samurai that make up the 47 Ronin, as there have been a couple of trailers. Now here comes a clip that introduces Reeves’ character Kai. How does he fit into the story, you ask? Well, the film is based, albeit with plenty of mystical embellishment, on a true Japanese story, which sees a group of warriors in disarray. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, the leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honour to their people.Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Kai (Reeves), a half-breed they once rejected, as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors.As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform...
- 11/18/2013
- EmpireOnline
On Monday, we took you on the set of "47 Ronin," Universal's great tentpole hope for the Christmas season. Long-delayed (it was originally set for release last November) and with a troubled production history, the film tells the famous Japanese story of the 47 Ronin, former samurai who spent a year planning their revenge on the man who wronged their master, with two major twists: one is that one of their number is Kai, a "half-breed" played by Keanu Reeves, the other is that the vision of first-time director Carl Erik Rinsch was to set the film in "a dream of Japan," with fantastical creatures and heightened action. You can get the skinny on the film from our earlier extensive report, but in our day on set at Shepperton Studios back in June 2011, we had the opportunity to talk not just to Rinsch and Reeves, but also co-stars Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano and Kou Shibasaki,...
- 11/6/2013
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
He’s best known as Neo from the “Matrix” movie franchise, and now Keanu Reeves is taking his fighting skills to the next level in “47 Ronin.”
The “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” hunk stars alongside Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagwa in this high-paced, intense retelling of the classic Japanese story.
According to Reeves, the whole production was filmed first in Japanese to help the supporting cast feel comfortable with the process.
Per the synopsis, “A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.”
"47 Ronin" is slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day.
The “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure” hunk stars alongside Rinko Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tadanobu Asano, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagwa in this high-paced, intense retelling of the classic Japanese story.
According to Reeves, the whole production was filmed first in Japanese to help the supporting cast feel comfortable with the process.
Per the synopsis, “A band of samurai set out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.”
"47 Ronin" is slated to hit theaters on Christmas Day.
- 10/28/2013
- GossipCenter
With several trailers already out there for the new Keanu-Fu adventure film 47 Ronin, there’s a danger that all the promo footage might feel overly familiar. Still, this latest effort manages, thanks to freshly-finished effects shots, to dig up plenty of new moments.Based, with plenty of mystical embellishment, on a true Japanese story, 47 Ronin finds a group of warriors in disarray.After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, the leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honour to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Neo Kai (Reeves), a half-breed they once rejected, as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors.As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires the band of outnumbered rebels to seize eternity.
- 10/28/2013
- EmpireOnline
Mandahla Rose.
.
Very few Australian films in recent years have focussed on strong female characters, according to writer-director Louise Wadley.
Wadley is doing her bit to redress the gender balance with The Trouble with E, a road movie/romance/thriller with two female protagonists.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose will play E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback. An actress whose contract is being finalised will play Trish, E.s girlfriend, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonia-Hayes as her mother Nadine and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
Wadley developed the project with the assistance of Outfest Los Angeles, which picked her screenplay for its mentoring program.
.
Very few Australian films in recent years have focussed on strong female characters, according to writer-director Louise Wadley.
Wadley is doing her bit to redress the gender balance with The Trouble with E, a road movie/romance/thriller with two female protagonists.
Adelaide actress Mandahla Rose will play E, a beautiful, sexy DJ who stumbles on a stash of cash and is forced on the run into the Outback. An actress whose contract is being finalised will play Trish, E.s girlfriend, with whom she has a messy break-up.
The cast includes Brett Rodgers as Matt, E.s gay best friend who marries her to get a visa, Kim Antonia-Hayes as her mother Nadine and Simon Bolton as Johnny Rock, a villain who runs a nightclub as a front for peddling drugs.
Wadley developed the project with the assistance of Outfest Los Angeles, which picked her screenplay for its mentoring program.
- 9/30/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
As we get closer to the September 15 release date of the Platinum Games' first Wii U title, "The Wonderful 101" lots of tidbits about the game are being revealed. From its original proposal as a Nintendo crossover title, to its outspoken creator's feelings on review scores, and even quite a few profiles on the characters that are part of the Wonderful 100, but what of the inspiration for the game? You might have been able to guess that some of the biggest Japanese TV shows of the 1980s played a role, but an old Japanese story about a school of fish was what really got the ball rolling.
Speaking with the Director of "The Wonderful 101," Hideki Kamiya recently, he gave us some insight into where the ideas behind his latest creation came from, and how they were influenced by some of his favorite memories of his childhood.
He started by explaining how...
Speaking with the Director of "The Wonderful 101," Hideki Kamiya recently, he gave us some insight into where the ideas behind his latest creation came from, and how they were influenced by some of his favorite memories of his childhood.
He started by explaining how...
- 9/3/2013
- by Jason Cipriano
- MTV Multiplayer
Bucking the trend that says trailers following one another get longer, the new Japanese promo for 47 Ronin is actually shorter than the Us version that arrived last month. Take a look… Drawn from a true Japanese story, but with a lot of fantastical elements bolted on and Keanu Reeves chucked into the middle of the tale, 47 Ronin finds a group of warriors in disarray.After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind, the leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honour to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Kai (Reeves), a half-breed they once rejected, as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witches and wondrous terrors.As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires the band...
- 8/30/2013
- EmpireOnline
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