“The Great Debaters” is coming out on the shelves May 13^th!!!

I have a copy to giveaway!!! Please post your name; I will draw the winner Wednesday. You don’t want to miss this movie - it is inspirational to the core.

“The Great Debaters” is a wonderful and provoking film written beautifully by Robert Eisele and directed very tightly by Denzel Washington who plays the lead role.

This film sets forth the traditional values and dignity the American spirit needs, once again. Even though it’s a historical story, it has everything to do with society today.

Eisele wrote the spirit of this film and Washington brought it to life with some very young and talented actors (Nate Parker, Jurnee Smollett, Denzel Whitaker.)

Forest Whitaker also stars making this the first film were two black Oscar winners star in the same movie.

As a side note:  I had a chance to interview Robert Eisele about writing the script for “Debaters” and working with Washington.  Eisele spoke very highly of Washington’s ability to take the character to another depth, something you can only understand by watching him work on the set.

I must acknowlege Oprah Windrey for producing this film!!!

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Screenhead reported that Natalie Portman was cast as the lead in adaptation of Emily Bronte’s classic novel, “Wuthering Heights.”

However, reportedly Portman has left the production per the Hollywood Reporter.  This leaves some random financial problems and other pre-production woes. 

No word yet on who will replace Portman.

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According to Hollywood Reporter, Ron Perlman is set to play the bad guy in a hybrid martial arts movie “Bunraku,” which Guy Moshe is directing from his own script.

Japanese actors Gackt and Shun Sugata also have been cast in the international-flavored movie, which features Josh Hartnett, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Scottish actor Kevin McKidd and Spanish actor Jordi Molla. Now, that is a mixure!

The film is set in a hyperstylized universe a la “Sin City” and draws from a mixed bag of genres, including puppets, origami, comic books, video games and German expressionism. It follows a drifter (Hartnett) who teams with a samurai (Gackt) to take on an Eastern European gang lord, played by Perlman (”Hellboy”).

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Short Film Online Competition — Cannes 2008

Watch the best films premiering at this year’s Cannes Short Film Corner and vote for your favorites by rating them with 5 stars. The film with the best ratings will win a special award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival!

Check this site out and you get to vote for the winner. Some great little films: My favorite is “Struck.”  “Struck” all star cast includes Kelly Preston, Jenna Elfman, Nancy Cartwright and more.

You be the judge and enjoy.

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 “W,” the Oliver Stone-directed drama about the life and formative years of President Bush has been set for release on Oct. 17, giving the picture three weekends in theaters before the Nov. 4 presidential election.

Shooting begins May 12 Monday in Louisiana.

Josh Brolin stars as the title character, and the cast includes Elizabeth Banks (Laura Bush), James Cromwell (George H.W. Bush), Ellen Burstyn (Barbara Bush), Thandie Newton (Condoleezza Rice), Jeffrey Wright (Colin Powell), Scott Glenn (Donald Rumsfeld) and Ioan Gruffudd (Tony Blair). No one is set for Vice President Dick Cheney.

“We don’t really know much about Mr. Bush beyond the controlled images we’ve been allowed to see on TV. This movie’s taking a bold stab at looking behind that curtain,” Stone said in a statement about the release date.

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My racquetball partner told me this is a great movie.  He doesn’t usually get too excited over movies, but he sure did with “Iron Man.”

Anyway, here is the box office score for the week. No surprises. 

This weekend should be interesting with ”Speed Racer” coming into the picture.  

WEEK BOX OFFICE FINAL
May 02 - May 08, 2008
1. Iron Man

2. Made Of Honor

3. Baby Mama

4. Harold And Kumar Escape From Guantanamo

5. Forgetting Sarah Marshall

6. Forbidden Kingdom, The

7. Nim’s Island

8. Prom Night

9. 21

10. 88 Minutes

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An ancient urn chained to a coffin is unhearted by chance by some men at work along the road bordering the Viterbo’s cemetery. The urn contains an age-old tunic and some objects belonging to Mater Lacrimarum, the Third Mother (Moran Atias). The only survivor of the Three Mothers - three powerful witches who had been shedding blood and terror for aeons - Mater Lacrimarum (the Mother of Tears) has been hiding in Rome for centuries and her awakening triggers a chain of mysterious and terrible events: the Evil is back to cast its dark shadow over the city.

Sarah Mandy (Asia Argento), a young student of restoration, co-worker and love’s interest of Michael Pierce (Adam James), the curator of the Museum of Ancient Art of Rome, is involved in the escalating and increasingly frantic episodes of violence. Sarah tries to run away but she cannot: the Third Mother is looking for her and Sarah is not aware of the fact that her mother Elisa Mandy (Daria Nicolodi) was a powerful white witch brutally killed by Mater Suspiriorum, the witch from Fryeburg.

Helped by the spirit of her mother, by an eminent esoterism academic, Guglielmo De Witt (Philippe Leroy), and by the Chief Constable Marchi (Cristian Solimeno), Sarah realizes that she has no way out and that she must face the impending threat…

THE MOTHER OF TEARS awakens in theaters June 6, 2008!

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Based on the current #1 New York Times Bestselling series (30 weeks and counting) with over 5.5 million books in print by Stephenie Meyer, TWILIGHT is a cultural phenomenon, with a dedicated fanbase that eagerly awaits this movie.  There are over 100 fan sites devoted to Twilight, and it has been chosen as the New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, Amazon’s “Best Book of the Decade…So Far”, Teen People’s “Hot List” Pick, The American Library Association’s “Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults” and “Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers” and has been translated into 20 languages.   Critically acclaimed director Catherine Hardwicke brings to life this modern, visual, and visceral Romeo & Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair – between vampire and mortal. 

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The official poster from TRUMBO is here.  I am so excited about this movie.

It’s a remarkable story of Dalton Trumbo’s journey from Hollywood royalty, to blacklisted writer to Academy Award winner.  Trumbo is one of my favorite screenwriters of the Golden Era of Hollywood, ROMAN HOLIDAY is one of my favorites.

The film focuses on the writer’s own indelible words, the film features performances of some of his extraordinary letters, clips from his films and, archival and contemporary interviews with those who knew him best. Forced to write underground, letter writing became the chief repository of Trumbo’s extraordinary talents and they serve as a wonderfully entertaining testament to his boundless intellect, acerbic humor, and staggering resilience.

TRUMBO is directed by Peter Askin and is based on the play Trumbo by Christopher Trumbo. The film includes the all-star cast of Joan Allen, Brian Dennehy, Michael Douglas, Paul Giamatti, Nathan Lane, Josh Lucas, Liam Neeson, David Strathairn, and Donald Sutherland.

Here is a list of films written by Trumbo:  A MAN TO REMEMBER (voted one of the ten best films of 1938); KITTY FOYLE (ACADEMY AWARD NOMINATION); A GUY NAMED JOE (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); THIRTY SECONDS OVER TOKYO (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD); TENDER COMRADE, and OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES (BOXOFFICE MAGAZINE AWARD).The film is opening June 27th!

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Samuel L. Jackson thriller “Unthinkable” with Gregor Jordan (”The Informers”) attached to direct is set for production Sept. 2 in Michigan.

The film’s plot focuses on a major threat to the United States when the locations of three nuclear devices are shrouded in secrecy by a single terrorist. With only two days before they are deployed, a black-ops interrogator and a female FBI agent have to decide how far they will go to find them.

Jordan recently completed production on “The Informers,” starring Kim Basinger, Billy Bob Thornton, Winona Ryder and Mickey Rourke. That film will be released later this year.

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