The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
- So long Mr. Potter
- Chen Kaige launches show in scenic China city
- American Black Film Festival starts in Miami Beach
| Posted: 07 Jul 2011 12:21 AM PDT LONDON (Reuters): Film farewells don't get much bigger than Harry Potter, and thousands of fans prepared Thursday to say goodbye to their beloved boy wizard at the world premiere of the final movie in the record-breaking series. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 is the eighth installment -- and first in 3D -- of a franchise that has generated more public excitement and media hype than any other in living memory. For Hollywood studio Warner Bros it has been a magic pot of gold, with the seven films released so far grossing US$6.4 billion in ticket sales and billions more from DVDs and merchandise. For a generation of Potter fans, the movies have extended the wizarding world created by British author J.K. Rowling in her seven-book saga which began in 1997 and concluded in 2007. More than 400 million copies have been sold around the globe, making Rowling the first author billionaire and providing a huge support base upon which the films built. ``We've grown up in the Harry Potter generation -- I read the first book when I was five so now it's weird that it's coming to an end ... like the end of childhood,'' said Rhys, an 18-year-old who braved the rain in London's Trafalgar Square. Die-hard fans, some in full regalia from the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, have camped out since Monday to catch a glimpse of the stars as they walk the red carpet at the official world premiere. The young actors, cast in their roles aged between nine and 11, said they too were struggling to get to grips with the post-Potter world, despite being A-list stars with huge personal fortunes. ``After we finished (filming) a year ago now I have felt a little bit lost without it, really, and not really knowing what to do with myself,'' said 22-year-old Rupert Grint, who plays Potter's main sidekick Ron Weasley. ``It's been such a constant part of my life and to suddenly have that come down to this one film, it is quite sad and I'm really genuinely going to miss it and miss everyone.'' Consistent with the gradual trend towards darker content as the franchise progressed, Deathly Hallows - Part 2 climaxes with an intense battle between good and evil fought at Hogwarts. Buildings are flattened, wizards and witches die and Harry steels himself for the final showdown with his evil nemesis Lord Voldemort, played by a snake-like Ralph Fiennes who called his character a ``high definition villain.'' Daniel Radcliffe, 21, who has played Harry Potter throughout the last decade, was enthusiastic about the conclusion. ``I think of it as being light years ahead of any of the other films in the series,'' he told a London news conference on Wednesday via videolink from New York where he is appearing in a Broadway play. ``In terms of quality this is the best film we've ever made, so I'm thrilled that we're going out on this positive note.'' Whether critics agree remains to be seen, with most reviews coming out after the premiere. The Daily Telegraph, however, featured an article by Philip Womack which described Deathly Hallows - Part 2 as ``monumental cinema, awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old: there is darkness in all of us, but we can overcome it.'' The movie opens in some territories on July 13, and in the key British and U.S. markets on July 15. It opens in Malaysia on July 14. Rowling has said she has no intention of writing another Potter novel, and David Yates, director of the last four Potter movies, told the news conference that he believed the film cycle had closed for good. Rowling's wizarding world will not disappear altogether, however. She recently unveiled Pottermore, a website allowing fans to interact with the characters and storylines, and will finally retail the stories as ebooks exclusively on the site. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| Chen Kaige launches show in scenic China city Posted: 06 Jul 2011 10:51 PM PDT HONG KONG (AP): "Farewell My Concubine" director Chen Kaige has launched a show based on a Chinese folk tale in Dali, a scenic southwestern Chinese city popular with tourists. Chen told reporters Wednesday the show that features a bridge, explosives and water effects is a tribute to China's minority Bai people who live in Dali. The show is inspired by the Bai story "Wang Fu Yun," or "Cloud of the Husband Watcher." The legend tells of a mythical princess who is reincarnated as a cloud after dying of grief over her murdered lover. The extravaganza will be a regular fixture in Dali. Chen's debut show has drawn comparisons to fellow director Zhang Yimou's shows at other tourist destinations like West Lake in eastern China and Lijiang, another southwestern city also in Yunnan province. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
| American Black Film Festival starts in Miami Beach Posted: 06 Jul 2011 06:55 PM PDT MIAMI BEACH, Florida (AP): One of the most prestigious festivals honoring black cinema returned to Miami Beach on Wednesday to promote cultural diversity and recognize the contributions of black directors, writers and actors to the American film industry. Now in its 15th year, the American Black Film Festival promotes cultural diversity within the film industry by strengthening the black filmmaking community through four days of film screenings, networking, workshops for both actors and directors and panel discussions. Jeff Friday, the festival's co-founder, said he wanted to change America's tone of African-American characters on television and films. "I had always been disturbed by images of people with color in films. There was always a level of struggle," he said of black people on the television shows he grew up watching, such as "Good Times" or "The Jeffersons." "I just didn't see enough diversity." That was decades ago, and Friday acknowledged the industry was doing a much better job now. In all, 20 independent films will be premiering during the festival that runs through Saturday, allowing for emerging filmmakers to showcase their work through short-film and documentary competitions. The films were either made or directed by an African-American, or have a focus on black culture. Opening the festival will be "In the Hive," produced by Robert Townsend and starring Michael Clarke Duncan, Loretta Devine, Vivica A. Fox and Jonathan "Lil J" McDaniel. The film is based on a true story of a woman who started an alternative school for troubled youth in North Carolina. "It's what's going on right now. At risk youths ... how do you save them?" Townsend said. "We have a lot of stories to tell. And a lot of times Hollywood hasn't really told our stories. We need a new generation of filmmakers to tell stories that reflect truths and the humanness of the people of color." In the film "Breathe," a woman's dream of becoming a mother turns into a nightmare as she is stalked by a silent killer during her pregnancy, a true story directed by Jerry Allen Davis and starring Robin Givens. "The topic doesn't really get addressed in the black community," said actress Elise Neal, who also stars in "A.N.T. Farm," a TV series on the Disney Channel. "Our race doesn't talk about complications. But having this film in the festival will resonate with women. It's about time we do more films that are topical and discuss health issues," Neal said. Singer Eric Benet makes his lead acting debut in "Trinity Goodheart" written by Rhonda Freeman-Baraka. The film centers on a 12-year-old girl who is trying to bring her mixed-race family together. "It's a great depiction of an American black family," director Joanna Hock said. "There needs to be an openness and acceptance to look at life in different ways and look at people in different ways and not be so dogmatic on we how approach relationships." The festival also includes a 30-minute documentary on the making of "Boyz n the Hood," the 1991 box office hit by director John Singleton, who was nominated for a best director Academy Award at the age of 24. He will discuss "what the vibe was of the black filmmaking community" at the time. "It was the first film that visualized what was going on in hip hop culture," Singleton said. "Nobody like me had the opportunity to make that film. I didn't water down what I had to say with the picture. I was very focused in how I wanted the picture to feel and that's what makes it so enduring." Singleton went on to direct Janet Jackson and former rapper Tupac Shakur in the 1993 film "Poetic Justice." He also directed the films "Higher Learning" and "Hustle & Flow," among dozens of others. He is currently in post- production of "Abduction," a thriller starring Taylor Lautner as a teenager who finds out that his parents aren't really his when he sees his baby picture on a missing person's website. The film is set to be released Sept. 23. Comedian and director Keenen Ivory Wayans will be honored Saturday for his achievements in television and the big screen. "He has desensitized race in films," said Jeff Friday, the festival's co-founder. "He's given us a platform to take race out of it and make it about comedy." Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price. |
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