2012 British Independent Film Awards Nominations Announced

Created in 1998, The British Independent Film Awards, by its own description, celebrates merit and achievement in independently funded British filmmaking, honor new film talent, and promote British films and filmmaking to a wider public.

Partial Press Release:

NOMINATIONS, HOST AND JURY REVEALED FOR THE 15th ANNUAL MOËT BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

London, Monday 5 November The nominations for the 15th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced today, at St Martins Lane, London by actor and BIFA Patron, Adrian Lester.

 

Joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards’ Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 Nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year’s appointed independent Jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films.”

The Jury for 2012 includes:
Chair - Alison Owen (Producer), Adrian Hodges (Writer), Christine Bottomley (Actress), Danny Leigh (Film Critic), Iain Canning (Producer), Jamie Thraves (Director/Writer), Jina Jay (Casting Director), John Boyega (Actor), John Fletcher (Marketing Director, Paramount), Lesley Sharp (Actress), Maria Djurkovic (Production Designer), Michelle Eastwood (Producer), Nick Angel (Music Supervisor), Paul Franklin (SFX Supervisor), Tom Hiddleston (Actor), Tristan Goligher (Producer).

 

The winners will be announced at the much anticipated 15th awards ceremony which will be hosted by actor and BIFA Patron, James Nesbitt, who returns for his seventh year on Sunday, 9 December 2012 at the impressive Old Billingsgate in London.

 

The Moët British Independent Film Awards is proud to announce the following nominees for this year’s awards:

 

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM- Sponsored by Moët & Chandon

• Berberian Sound Studio
• Broken
• Sightseers
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• The Imposter

 

BEST DIRECTOR - Sponsored by AllCity & Intermission

• Bart Layton – The Imposter
• Ben Wheatley – Sightseers
• John Madden – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio
• Rufus Norris – Broken

 

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR] - Sponsored by 3 Mills Studios

• Bart Layton – The Imposter
• Ben Drew – Ill Manors
• Rowan Athale – Wasteland
• Rufus Norris – Broken
• Sally El Hosaini – My Brother the Devil

 

BEST SCREENPLAY - Sponsored by BBC Films

• Abi Morgan – The Iron Lady
• Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, Amy Jump – Sightseers
• Mark O'Rowe – Broken
• Paul Andrew Williams – Song for Marion
• Peter Strickland – Berberian Sound Studio

 

BEST ACTRESS- Sponsored by M.A.C

• Alice Lowe (Tina) – Sightseers
• Andrea Riseborough (Colette McVeigh) – Shadow Dancer
• Elle Fanning (Ginger) – Ginger & Rosa
• Judi Dench (Evelyn Greenslade) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Meryl Streep (Margaret Thatcher) – The Iron Lady

 

BEST ACTOR

• Riz Ahmed (Aaron) – Ill Manors
• Steve Oram (Chris) – Sightseers
• Terence Stamp (Arthur) – Song for Marion
• Tim Roth (Archie) – Broken
• Toby Jones (Gilderoy) – Berberian Sound Studio

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• Alice Englert (Rosa) – Ginger & Rosa
• Eileen Davies (Carol) – Sightseers
• Maggie Smith (Muriel Donnelly) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Olivia Colman (Queen Elizabeth) – Hyde Park on Hudson
• Vanessa Redgrave (Marion) – Song for Marion

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- Sponsored by Sanderson & St Martins Lane

• Billy Connolly (Wilf) – Quartet
• Cillian Murphy (Mike Kiernan) – Broken
• Domhnall Gleeson (Connor) – Shadow Dancer
• Rory Kinnear (Bob Oswald) – Broken
• Tom Wilkinson (Graham Dashwood) – The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

 

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER - Sponsored by Studiocanal

• Elliott Tittensor (Tits) – Spike Island
• Eloise Laurence (Skunk) – Broken
• James Floyd (Rashid) – My Brother the Devil
• Paul Brannigan (Robbie) – The Angels' Share
• Zawe Ashton (Joyce Vincent) – Dreams of a Life

 

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION - Sponsored by Company3

• Berberian Sound Studio
• Ill Manors
• Sightseers
• The Imposter
• The Sweeney

 

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT - Sponsored by LightBrigade Media

• Nic Knowland Bsc– Cinematography – Berberian Sound Studio
• Joakim Sundström, Stevie Haywood AMPS IPS– Sound Design – Berberian Sound Studio
• Electric Wave Bureau – Music – Broken
• Robbie Ryan – Cinematography – Ginger & Rosa
• Andrew Hulme – Editing – The Imposter

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

• Dreams of a Life
• London: The Modern Babylon
• Marley
• Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir
• The Imposter

 

BEST BRITISH SHORT- Supported by the BFI

• Friday
• Junk
• Skyborn
• Swimmer
• Volume

 

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM

• Amour
• Beasts of the Southern Wild
• Rust & Bone
• Searching For Sugar Man
• The Hunt

 

THE RAINDANCE AWARD

• Frank
• Strings
• Love Tomorrow
• City Slacker
• Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet

 

THE RICHARD HARRIS AWARD (for outstanding contribution by an actor to British Film)
To Be Announced

 

THE VARIETY AWARD
To Be Announced

 

THE SPECIAL JURY PRIZE
Announced at the Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 9th December

 

http://www.bifa.org.uk/

 

Naruto Shippuden: The Will of Fire Streams Tonight

VIZ MEDIA DEBUTS NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE ON NEON ALLEY

Third Feature Film Featuring The World’s Most Popular Teen Ninja Also Available On DVD and Blu-ray

The world’s most popular ninja returns to face a menacing new threat in the Neon Alley debut of NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE (rated TV-14) on Sunday, November 4th at 8:00pm EST / 5:00pm PST. The film will repeat at 12:00am EST November 5th / 9:00pm PST November 4th, and will air again throughout the week.

Neon Alley is VIZ Media’s new 24-hour anime channel featuring the world’s best titles (dubbed in English and uncut). For a limited time only, the subscription-based service is offering a one-week free trial, available for fans who sign up at NeonAlley.com.

NARUTO SHIPPUDEN THE MOVIE: THE WILL OF FIRE is also now available on DVD and Blu-ray with both English-subtitled and dubbed dialogue options. The film is carries a DVD MSRP of $19.98 U.S. / $24.98 CAN and a Blu-ray MSRP of $24.98 U.S. / $27.50 CAN. Bonus features include the original Japanese theatrical trailer.

In the film, four ninjas with Kekkei Genkai justsu abilities that have been guarding the Hidden Villages of Cloud, Stone, Mist and Sand mysteriously disappear from their respective villages. The Land of Fire comes under suspicion as it is the only country to have suffered no loss. Mounting suspicion among the four countries could potentially set off the 4th Great Ninja War. In the Hidden Leaf Village, Tsunade orders her men to keep strict guard and to try to find out what really happened. At the same time, it turns out that Kakashi has left the village. The bad news deeply disturbs Naruto and his friends.

Created by Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first introduced in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in Japan in 1999 and quickly became that country’s most popular ninja manga targeting tweens and teens. The manga series (rated ‘T’ for Teens, in print and digital editions) and animated counterpart (NARUTO rated ‘T’ for teens, and NARUTO Shippuden rated ‘T+’ for older teens) are some of VIZ Media’s most successful properties and have captivated millions of fans across North America, Europe and South America. NARUTO is a co-production of TV TOKYO, VIZ Media parent company Shueisha Inc., and Pierrot Co., Ltd.

In the NARUTO manga and animated series, Naruto Uzumaki wants to be the best ninja in the land. He's done well so far, but Naruto knows he must train harder than ever and leaves his village for intense exercises that will push him to his limits. NARUTO SHIPPUDEN begins two and a half years later, when Naruto returns to find that everyone has been promoted up the ninja ranks – except him. Sakura’s a medic ninja, Gaara’s advanced to Kazekage, and Kakashi…well he remains the same. But pride isn’t necessarily becoming of a ninja, especially when Naruto realizes that Sasuke never returned from his search for Orochimaru. Plus, the mysterious Akatsuki organization is still an ever-present danger. As Naruto finds out more about the Akatsuki’s goals, he realizes that nothing in his universe is as it seems. Naruto is finding that he’s older, but will he also prove wiser and stronger?

More information on NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN is available at www.Naruto.com.

Subtitled episodes of NARUTO and NARUTO SHIPPUDEN may be streamed on the company’s own VIZAnime.com and Hulu. In addition, Download-To-Own dubbed episodes are available for purchase through iTunes®, PlayStation®Network, Xbox Live®, Amazon Instant Video, and the Google Play store.

To read a free chapter 1 preview of the NARUTO manga series, please visit http://www.vizmanga.com/naruto.

Review: "Sahara" is a Solid Action-Adventure Film (Happy B'day, Matthew McConaughey)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 188 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Sahara (2005)
Running time: 124 minutes (2 hours, 4 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for action violence
DIRECTOR: Breck Eisner
WRITERS: Thomas Dean Donnelly & Joshua Oppenheimer, John C. Richards, and James V. Hart (based upon the novel by Clive Cussler)
PRODUCERS: Howard Baldwin, Karen Baldwin, Mace Neufeld, and Stephanie Austin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Seamus McGarvey, BSC
EDITOR: Andrew MacRitchie
COMPOSER: Clint Mansell

ACTION/ADVENTURE with elements of comedy

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Steve Zahn, Penelope Cruz, Lambert Wilson, Glynn Turman, with Delroy Lindo and William H. Macy, Rainn Wilson, Paulin F. Fodouop, and Lennie James

The subject of this movie review is Sahara, a 2005 comedy-adventure and action film starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Breck Eisner. The film is based on the 1992 novel of the same name by author Clive Cussler and is the eleventh book in Cussler’s Dirk Pitt book series.

Master explorer Dirk Pitt (Matthew McConaughey) is searching for a Confederate iron clad ship no else thinks exists. When he finds a fabled Confederate gold coin linked to the historical legend, his hunt takes him through some of the most dangerous regions of West Africa in the rousing adventure film, Sahara.

While searching for the long-lost Civil War battleship, the Texas, that African locals call the “Ship of Death,” Dirk and his wisecracking long-time sidekick and best pal, Al Giordino (Steve Zahn), meet Dr. Eva Rojas (Penelope Cruz), a doctor from WHO (the World Health Organization) looking for the source of a plague that is killing people in Niger. Her quest coincides with Dirk and Al’s search, and she joins their traveling party for a bit before going her separate way in Mali, a country that borders Niger. After a warlord named General Zateb Kazim (Lennie James) launches an assault on their boat in his hunt for Eva, Dirk and Al temporarily abandon their quest to find and protect Eva, endangered because her quest to learn the mysteries of the plague interferes with Kazim’s power. Together, the trio discovers an environmental catastrophe, battle Kazim and his forces, and survive the desert terrain of Northwest Africa on the way to getting to the bottom of both mysteries.

Sahara is a fun action adventure – aesthetically similar to The Mummy, but not quite as fun. The film’s hero Dirk Pitt, a charming rogue who is a scientist, but could get down in a barroom brawl, is a treasure hunter like Indiana Jones and is as resourceful as James Bond. So the film has a tone similar to a Raiders of the Lost Ark or a James Bond film. It’s a bit Die Hard, and has the buddy action vibe of a Lethal Weapon movie; it even throws in a bit of Lawrence of Arabia.

The direction by Breck Eisner (the son of former Disney head honcho Michael Eisner) is by the book, and almost, but not quite pedestrian. The film comes across as a true collaboration. The script hits the right notes. The cinematographer does a good job capturing pretty pictures. The editor does a professional job, not any more or less than any of the rest of the crew. The cast is also pleasant. Matthew McConaughey is a movie star with handsome, good looks and a good character actor – not always common in leading men. Steve Zahn is funny, but the role of Al Giordino is not like his better-known quirky, comedic parts. Penelope Cruz is just not a good actress (at least speaking English), and when she isn’t being a zombie in this film, she actually manages some good scenes. There is a nice supporting cast with Delroy Lindo and William H. Macy adding a bit of seriousness and gravity to the flick. The best supporting parts belong to Paulin F. Fodouop and Lennie James as feuding military leaders, Modibo and General Kazim, respectively.

Sahara is not a great film or even a very good film; it’s certainly not film art. However, it’s the kind of solid entertainment flick that doesn’t deliver too much to overload the senses or deliver too little, which pisses off the viewer.

6 of 10
B

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The Hobbit (Part 1) Soundtrack Due December 11 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack 2 CD Set Due December 11th from WaterTower Music

Featuring Original Music by Academy Award® Winner Howard Shore With an Original Song Performed by Neil Finn

2 CD Special Edition Soundtrack Also Available

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--WaterTower Music has announced the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack at all retailers on December 11th. The soundtrack will be available both digitally and as a 2 CD set. A Special Edition of the soundtrack, featuring six exclusive bonus tracks, seven extended score cues, and deluxe liner notes will also be available December 11. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey features original score by Academy Award® winner Howard Shore recorded at famed Abbey Road studios by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Additionally, it includes an original song entitled “Song of the Lonely Mountain,” written and performed by Neil Finn (Crowded House). The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of a trilogy of films from Oscar®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy), will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012.

One of today’s most respected, honored, and active composers and music conductors, Howard Shore previously worked with director Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy has been performed in concerts throughout the world. In 2003, Shore conducted the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the world premiere of The Lord of the Rings Symphony in Wellington, New Zealand. Since then, the work has had more than 140 performances by the world’s most prestigious orchestras, and has even been the subject of a book, Music of The Lord of the Rings Films.

“I have looked forward to returning to the imaginative world of Middle-earth for quite a while,” said Shore. “I read all of the books by Tolkien, including The Hobbit, when I was in my twenties, and his deep love of nature and all things green resonates deeply with me.”

“It’s a thrill for us to work with Howard Shore on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey soundtrack,” stated WaterTower Music head, Jason Linn. “His reputation and body of work have long inspired us, and we look forward to another successful partnership as we embark on the next chapter of our journey together.”

Shore’s music for The Lord of the Rings Trilogy stands as his most towering achievement to date. He won three Academy Awards® for his music for those films, two for Best Original Score, and one for Best Original Song. Shore has also won numerous other honors for his film work, including four Grammys and three Golden Globe Awards.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack on WaterTower Music in the United States and Decca Records outside the United States. It will be available on December 11, 2012. The track listings for the 2 CD Standard and 2 CD Deluxe versions are as follows:


THE HOBBIT SPECIAL EDITION TRACKLIST

DISC 1:
1. My Dear Frodo

2. Old Friends (Extended Version)

3. An Unexpected Party (Extended Version)

4. Blunt the Knives performed by The Dwarf Cast

5. Axe or Sword?

6. Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast

7. The Adventure Begins

8. The World is Ahead

9. An Ancient Enemy

10. Radagast the Brown (Extended Version)

11. The Trollshaws

12. Roast Mutton (Extended Version)

13. A Troll-hoard

14. The Hill of Sorcery

15. Warg-scouts

DISC 2:
1. The Hidden Valley

2. Moon Runes (Extended Version)

3. The Defiler

4. The White Council (Extended Version)

5. Over Hill

6. A Thunder Battle

7. Under Hill

8. Riddles in the Dark

9. Brass Buttons

10. Out of the Frying-Pan

11. A Good Omen

12. Song of the Lonely Mountain (Extended Version) performed by Neil Finn

13. Dreaming of Bag End

EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACKS
14. A Very Respectable Hobbit

15. Erebor

16. The Dwarf Lords

17. The Edge of the Wild

THE HOBBIT STANDARD EDITION TRACKLIST

DISC 1:
1. My Dear Frodo

2. Old Friends

3. An Unexpected Party

4. Axe or Sword?

5. Misty Mountains performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast

6. The Adventure Begins

7. The World is Ahead

8. An Ancient Enemy

9. Radagast the Brown

10. Roast Mutton

11. A Troll-hoard

12. The Hill of Sorcery

13. Warg-scouts

DISC 2:
1. The Hidden Valley

2. Moon Runes

3. The Defiler

4. The White Council

5. Over Hill

6. A Thunder Battle

7. Under Hill

8. Riddles in the Dark

9. Brass Buttons

10. Out of the Frying-Pan

11. A Good Omen

12. Song of the Lonely Mountain performed by Neil Finn

13. Dreaming of Bag End


About The Hobbit Trilogy
From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM). It is the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

The screenplay for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson & Guillermo del Toro. Jackson is also producing the film, together with Carolynne Cunningham, Zane Weiner and Fran Walsh. The executive producers are Alan Horn, Toby Emmerich, Ken Kamins and Carolyn Blackwood, with Boyens and Eileen Moran serving as co-producers.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the second and third films of the trilogy are productions of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros. Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television distribution being handled by MGM.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 3D and IMAX 3D will be released on December 14, 2012, with the second film, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, to be released December 13, 2013, and the third film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, slated for July 18, 2014.

www.thehobbit.com

"Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind" Manga Box Set Coming

VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND DELUXE MANGA BOX SET

Hayao Miyazaki’s Acclaimed Manga Fantasy Adventure Offered In A New 2-Volume Hardcover Box Set That Arrives In Time For The Start Of The 2012 Holiday Season

San Francisco, CA, November 1, 2012 – VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), the largest publisher, distributor and licensor of manga and anime in North America, is proud to announce the release of the NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND Deluxe Box Set, which collects all 7 volumes of the original celebrated manga (graphic novel) series by Hayao Miyazaki into 2 new hardcover editions packaged in a special illustrated slipcase. A full-color double-sided poster is also included and each volume features 8 full-color page inserts.

The NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND Deluxe Box Set is scheduled for release on November 6th, is rated ‘T’ for Teens, and carries an MSRP of $60.00 U.S. / $67.99 CAN. A movie adaptation is also available on DVD and Blu-ray from Walt Disney Home Entertainment.

In a long-ago war, humankind set off a devastating ecological disaster. Thriving industrial societies disappeared. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Corruption, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. At the periphery of the sea, tiny kingdoms are scattered on tiny parcels of land. Here lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens; a nation given fragile protection from the decaying sea's poisons by the ocean breezes; and home to Nausicaä.

“NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND is a true manga masterpiece, an epic fantasy story written and illustrated by legendary Studio Ghibli founder/director, Hayao Miyazaki, the creator of My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Howl’s Moving Castle,” says Masumi Washington, Senior Director, Editorial. “NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND remains one of Hayao Miyazaki’s most widely acclaimed works and delivers a powerful message of ecological conservation and preserving our fragile environment for future generations. This new Deluxe Box Set arrives just in time for the start of the 2012 Holiday shopping season and we know it will be high on many fans’ wish lists this year. We invite them to look for this newest addition to VIZ Media’s Studio Ghibli Library.”

Hayao Miyazaki is one of Japan's most beloved animation directors. In 2005 he was awarded the Venice International Film Festival's Golden Lion Award for Lifetime Achievement. His Studio Ghibli received the festival's prestigious Osella Award for overall achievement in 2004. Miyazaki's films include Spirited Away, winner of the 2002 Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film, as well as Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo, all of which have received tremendous acclaim in the U.S. Miyazaki's other achievements include the highly regarded manga series NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND and STARTING POINT: 1979-1996, a collection of essays, interviews, and memoirs that chronicle his early career and the development of his theories of animation. Both titles are available in English from VIZ Media.

For more information on NAUSICAÄ OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND, or other manga titles from VIZ Media, please visit www.VIZ.com.


About VIZ Media, LLC
Headquartered in San Francisco, California, VIZ Media distributes, markets and licenses the best anime and manga titles direct from Japan. Owned by three of Japan's largest manga and animation companies, Shueisha Inc., Shogakukan Inc., and Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions, Co., Ltd., VIZ Media has the most extensive library of anime and manga for English speaking audiences in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland and South Africa. With its popular manga anthology WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP ALPHA magazine and blockbuster properties like NARUTO, BLEACH and INUYASHA, VIZ Media offers cutting-edge action, romance and family friendly properties for anime, manga, science fiction and fantasy fans of all ages. VIZ Media properties are available as graphic novels, DVDs, animated television series, feature films, downloadable and streaming video and a variety of consumer products. Learn more about VIZ Media, anime and manga at www.VIZ.com.

Review: "Halloween H20" is a Standout in the Franchise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 82 (of 2012) by Leroy Douresseaux

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)
Running time: 86 minutes (1 hour, 26 minutes)
MPAA – R for terror violence/gore and language
DIRECTOR: Steve Miner
WRITERS: Robert Zappia and Matt Greenberg; from a story by Robert Zappia (based on the characters created by John Carpenter and Debra Hill)
PRODUCER: Paul Freeman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Daryn Okada
EDITOR: Patrick Lussier
COMPOSER: John Ottman with Marco Beltrami and Jeremy Sweet

HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, LL Cool J, Adam Hann-Byrd, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Janet Leigh, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nancy Stephens, and Chris Durand

The subject of this movie review is Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, a 1998 slasher film from director Steve Miner. Although he is only credited as one of the executive producers, Kevin Williamson, the screenwriter of the hit horror movie, Scream, contributed as a writer on Halloween H20.

Halloween H20 is also the seventh film in the Halloween horror film franchise that began in 1978 with the highly influential John Carpenter film, Halloween. Halloween H20 takes place 20 years after the events depicted in Halloween and its sequel, Halloween II (1981). Once again, the cursed brother-sister duo of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode must struggle against one another. Halloween H20 ignores the third (which did not involve Michael Myers) through the sixth installments of the franchise.

Halloween H20: 20 Years Later opens in 1998. As Halloween approaches, Michael Myers (Chris Durand) reappears. Meanwhile, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) is living in Summer Glen, Northern California under the assumed name, “Keri Tate.” She is the headmistress at the posh, secluded, private boarding school, Hillcrest Academy High School. Laurie also has a boyfriend, Will Brennan (Adam Arkin), but her life isn’t quite perfect. She is a functioning alcoholic, forever fearful that Michael will come coming looking for her. Her son, 17-year-old John Tate (Josh Hartnett), is tired of dealing with his mother’s paranoia. On Halloween night, however, John will discover that his mother has to face her fears one more time.

I have to keep it real. I really like Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. I have seen it in its entirety three times, and I still watch bit and pieces of it whenever it is shown on television. It never fails to thrill me, and it is easily the best Halloween film since the first two. I give a lot of the credit for this movie’s quality to director Steve Miner and the various screenwriters.

Miner is a veteran film director, having helmed several horror films, including House (1986), Lake Placid (1999), and two installments of the Friday the 13th franchise. Miner uses some of the techniques that Carpenter used in the original film. He builds intensity with musical cues, eschews gore in scenes of violent death, uses darkness and shadow to create an atmosphere that suggests fear and mystery, and turns every setting into a place of danger, regardless of the time of day. Halloween H20 is quiet and ominous rather than frantic and clumsy, which some of the Halloween films are.

I don’t know which writers contributed what to the screenplay, but clearly (to me at least) the respect for the original films comes first for Kevin Williamson. Halloween H20 is smooth and also stripped down to its raw essence: Michael Myers’ relentless drive to kill his sister and Laurie’s naked fear of Michael finding her and killing both her and her son.

Without John Carpenter and actress Jamie Lee Curtis, the Myers character had not been able to carry this franchise. With Myers alone, each Halloween was simply another bad slasher flick – a movie that was little more than product turned out, like a cheap fast food hamburger, to separate a sucker from his money. With Miner doing his best work, Curtis returns and makes Halloween H20: 20 Years Later one of the best horror movies of the 1990s. It is scary, thrilling, a little funny, and sometimes a nail-biter. The people that control this franchise should have stopped here.

8 of 10
A

Thursday, November 01, 2012

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Star Wars Franchise Now Belongs to Disney

[Internet issues stopped Negromancer from commenting in a timely manner on the bombshell news that The Walt Disney Company had acquired Lucasfilm Ltd. and now owned Star Wars (gasp). The following press release was released on Tuesday (October 30, 2012), so some of the time sensitive infomation has been removed.]

DISNEY TO ACQUIRE LUCASFILM LTD.

Global leader in high-quality family entertainment agrees to acquire world-renowned Lucasfilm Ltd, including legendary STAR WARS franchise.

Acquisition continues Disney's strategic focus on creating and monetizing the world's best branded content, innovative technology and global growth to drive long-term shareholder value.

Lucasfilm to join company's global portfolio of world class brands including Disney, ESPN, Pixar, Marvel and ABC.

STAR WARS: EPISODE 7 feature film targeted for release in 2015.

Burbank, CA and San Francisco, CA, October 30, 2012 – Continuing its strategy of delivering exceptional creative content to audiences around the world, The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) has agreed to acquire Lucasfilm Ltd. in a stock and cash transaction. Lucasfilm is 100% owned by Lucasfilm Chairman and Founder, George Lucas.

Under the terms of the agreement and based on the closing price of Disney stock on October 26, 2012, the transaction value is $4.05 billion, with Disney paying approximately half of the consideration in cash and issuing approximately 40 million shares at closing. The final consideration will be subject to customary post-closing balance sheet adjustments.

"Lucasfilm reflects the extraordinary passion, vision, and storytelling of its founder, George Lucas," said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company. "This transaction combines a world-class portfolio of content including Star Wars, one of the greatest family entertainment franchises of all time, with Disney's unique and unparalleled creativity across multiple platforms, businesses, and markets to generate sustained growth and drive significant long-term value."

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," said George Lucas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lucasfilm. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime. I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come. Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment, and consumer products."

Under the deal, Disney will acquire ownership of Lucasfilm, a leader in entertainment, innovation and technology, including its massively popular and "evergreen" Star Wars franchise and its operating businesses in live action film production, consumer products, animation, visual effects, and audio post production. Disney will also acquire the substantial portfolio of cutting-edge entertainment technologies that have kept audiences enthralled for many years. Lucasfilm, headquartered in San Francisco, operates under the names Lucasfilm Ltd., LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic, and Skywalker Sound, and the present intent is for Lucasfilm employees to remain in their current locations.

Kathleen Kennedy, current Co-Chairman of Lucasfilm, will become President of Lucasfilm, reporting to Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn. Additionally she will serve as the brand manager for Star Wars, working directly with Disney's global lines of business to build, further integrate, and maximize the value of this global franchise. Ms. Kennedy will serve as executive producer on new Star Wars feature films, with George Lucas serving as creative consultant. Star Wars Episode 7 is targeted for release in 2015, with more feature films expected to continue the Star Wars saga and grow the franchise well into the future.

The acquisition combines two highly compatible family entertainment brands, and strengthens the long-standing beneficial relationship between them that already includes successful integration of Star Wars content into Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris and Tokyo.

Driven by a tremendously talented creative team, Lucasfilm's legendary Star Wars franchise has flourished for more than 35 years, and offers a virtually limitless universe of characters and stories to drive continued feature film releases and franchise growth over the long term. Star Wars resonates with consumers around the world and creates extensive opportunities for Disney to deliver the content across its diverse portfolio of businesses including movies, television, consumer products, games and theme parks. Star Wars feature films have earned a total of $4.4 billion in global box to date, and continued global demand has made Star Wars one of the world's top product brands, and Lucasfilm a leading product licensor in the United States in 2011. The franchise provides a sustainable source of high quality, branded content with global appeal and is well suited for new business models including digital platforms, putting the acquisition in strong alignment with Disney's strategic priorities for continued long-term growth.

The Lucasfilm acquisition follows Disney's very successful acquisitions of Pixar and Marvel, which demonstrated the company's unique ability to fully develop and expand the financial potential of high quality creative content with compelling characters and storytelling through the application of innovative technology and multiplatform distribution on a truly global basis to create maximum value. Adding Lucasfilm to Disney's portfolio of world class brands significantly enhances the company's ability to serve consumers with a broad variety of the world's highest-quality content and to create additional long-term value for our shareholders.

The Boards of Directors of Disney and Lucasfilm have approved the transaction, which is subject to clearance under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, certain non-United States merger control regulations, and other customary closing conditions. The agreement has been approved by the sole shareholder of Lucasfilm.


About The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, interactive media, and consumer products. Disney is a Dow 30 company with revenues of over $40 billion in its Fiscal Year 2011.

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Founded by George Lucas in 1971, Lucasfilm is a privately held, fully-integrated entertainment company. In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation; and Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties and businesses. Additionally, Lucasfilm Singapore, produces digital animated content for film and television, as well as visual effects for feature films and multi-platform games. Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco, California.