"Edge of Tomorrow" #1 at the Worldwide Box Office

“Edge of Tomorrow” Clocks in as the Weekend’s #1 Film Worldwide

Doug Liman’s Critically Acclaimed Sci-fi Thriller, Starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt, Takes in $111.1 Million For the Weekend

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow” grossed $111.1 million, making it the weekend’s #1 film internationally and worldwide. The announcement was made today by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

Internationally, the film has been in limited release for 12 days, including Wednesday openings, and debuted in an additional 36 countries over the weekend, earning an impressive $82 million, including outstanding returns in Russia with $8.6 million, China with $25 million, and Korea at $16.6 million. The international cumulative gross now stands at $111 million. On the domestic side, in its first three days of release, “Edge of Tomorrow” has grossed $29.1 million, bringing the worldwide total to $140.1 million and counting.

In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has received terrific critical acclaim, which has been echoed by audiences who have responded to the film and the fantastic performances of Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Word-of-mouth is extremely strong, which should continue to drive moviegoers to the theatre, either for the first time or to enjoy the film again.”

Kwan Vandenberg stated, “‘Edge of Tomorrow’ has risen above the crowded summer marketplace and continues to gain momentum, from our massive opening in Korea to the incredible results we’ve seen in Russia and China. We congratulate Doug Liman, Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt and the remarkable filmmakers, cast and crew on reaching this terrific benchmark.”

Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.

Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

The Motion Picture Academy Celebrates "Arab Cinema Classics"

The Academy Presents Top Arab Films From Dubai International Film Festival's “100 Greatest” List

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in partnership with the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF), will present “Arab Cinema Classics,” a two-day screening series of the best in Arab film on Friday, June 13, and Saturday, June 21, at the Bing Theater in Los Angeles.

With input from nearly 500 prominent film critics, writers, novelists, academics and other arts professionals, DIFF in 2013 compiled a tally of the 100 greatest Arab films of all time. The Academy will screen three selections from DIFF’s Top 10:

“The Night of Counting the Years” (“Al-Mummia,” 1970)
Friday, June 13, at 7:30 p.m.
Director Shadi Abdel Salam’s film is based on the true story of the Horabat tribe’s 1881 plundering of pharaohs’ tombs in the ancient city of Thebes.  Long unavailable for exhibition, the film was restored in 2009 by Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation.

“Cairo Station” (“Bab el Hadid,” 1958)
Friday, June 13, at 9:20 p.m.
Directed by the internationally renowned Egyptian auteur Youssef Chahine, the film takes place at Cairo’s main railroad station, commonly referred to as the Iron Gate, and offers a tense portrait of life at the margins of Egyptian society.

“West Beirut” (“West Beyrouth,” 1998)
Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m.
With special guest writer/director Ziad Doueiri
This directorial debut of Ziad Doueiri is set in the tumultuous spring of 1975, as the Lebanese Civil War unfolds.  Following the lives of two teenagers from the Muslim section of Beirut, the film blends the personal and the historical into a vibrant coming-of-age drama.

The screening series is part of the Academy’s International Outreach initiative, which brings together Academy members representing a range of cinematic crafts with filmmakers and film lovers from around the world.

“The vibrancy of Arab cinema today owes much to the rich legacy and proud history of Arab filmmaking,” said Sid Ganis, chair of the International Outreach Committee.  “The Academy is pleased to embrace some of the region’s most influential films and artists through this Los Angeles presentation.”

Tickets for each evening of Arab Cinema Classics is $5 general admission and $3 for Academy members, LACMA Film Club members and students with a valid ID. Tickets may be purchased starting June 3 online at www.oscars.org.  The Bing Theater is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus.  For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

ABOUT DIFF
The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) is the leading film festival in the region. Since its inception in 2004, the festival has served as an influential platform for Arab filmmakers and talent at an international level, by spearheading the cinema movement in the region. The 11th edition of DIFF will take place from December 10 – 17, 2014. For more and updated information about DIFF, please visit www.diff.ae.

Review "Excalibur" is Epic, Unforgettable (Happy B'day, Liam Neeson)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 77 (of 2005) by Leroy Douresseaux

Excalibur (1981)
Running time:  140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes)
MPAA – R
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER:  John Boorman
WRITERS:  Rospo Pallenberg and John Boorman; from an adaptation by Rospo Pallenberg of Le Morte d’Arthur by Thomas Malory
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alex Thomson
EDITOR:  John Merritt with Donn Cambern (no screen credit)
COMPOSER:  Trevor Jones
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/FANTASY/WAR

Starring:  Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicholas Clay, Cherie Lunghi, Paul Geoffrey, Nicol Williamson, Robert Addie, Gabriel Byrne, Keith Buckley, Katrine Boorman, Liam Neeson, Corin Redgrave, Niall O’Brien, Patrick Stewart, and Clive Swift

The subject of this movie review is Excalibur, a 1981 drama and fantasy film from producer-director John Boorman.  The film is mostly based on Le Morte d’Arthur, the 15th century Arthurian romance written by Thomas Malory.  Excalibur focuses on Merlin the magician, King Arthur, and Morgana Le Fey.  It depicts how Arthur unites a land, creates the Round Table, and builds Camelot, while forces conspire to destroy it all.

John Boorman’s Excalibur is the acclaimed director’s lushly filmed take on the Arthurian legend as adapted from Sir Thomas Malory’s Le Morte d’Arthur.  Early in the film, we see Arthur’s illicit conception when his father, King Uther Pendragon (Gabriel Byrne), use magical trickery to seduce, Igrayne (Katrine Boorman), another man’s wife, and impregnates her with the child that would become Arthur.  Later, Merlin (Nicol Williamson) claims the infant Arthur as the price Uther must pay Merlin for providing the magical disguise Arthur used to seduce Igrayne.

Later, young Arthur (Nigel Terry) pulls the sword of kings, Excalibur, from a stone, which makes him King Arthur.  The film tells the story of the rise of Arthur’s kingdom and the righteous birth of The Knights of the Round Table.  Then, things go bad when Arthur’s wife, Guenevere (Cherie Lunghi), takes Arthur’s best, bravest, and most favored knight, Lancelot (Nicholas Clay), as her lover.  Arthur’s sister, Morgana (Helen Mirren), a crafty sorceress, connives until the balance of power shifts from Merlin to her.  The film concludes with Arthur’s final battle, this against his son, Mordred (Robert Addie), whom Arthur fathered with Morgana.

Boorman, his screenwriting partner Rospo Pallenberg, cinematographer Alex Thomson (who earned an Oscar nomination for his work here), composer Trevor Jones, and costume designer Bob Ringwood (who earned a BAFTA Award nomination for his work in this film) came together to create an exquisite rendition of the tale of King Arthur and Camelot.  The film is full of Christian symbolism, in particularly dealing with Christianity supplanting the old gods and necromancy in favor of men.  There is also a lot of sexual subtext, much of it is surprisingly gay; there is lots of man love and admiration of the virility, honor, bravery, and skill of men.  Men really admire and love great men in this story, and women, for the most part, are trouble in this film.

Boorman wanted to emphasize the story over the characters in his take on the Arthurian myth, and he uses the stunning visuals to evoke feelings, but to also get the viewer to think about the things for which the stories of King Arthur and his kingdom stand.  However, the actors really don’t surrender and play the role of puppets.  They play up to the symbolism and imagery.  They don’t treat their roles as figurative, but as interpreters of the things that this myth teaches us about the better parts of human nature – humility, charity, bravery, and sacrifice, and an understanding to forgive the trespasses our friends, loved ones, countrymen, and fellow humans make against us and we against them.

In Excalibur, John Boorman composes his scenes and photographic shots as if each were a giant painting, a series of representational works meant to tell a powerful tale about universal ideals.  There is something grand in Excalibur, and in spite of its faults:  some poor dialogue, the tendency for the film to suddenly take big leaps forward in the narrative time, and Boorman’s assumption that we should be familiar with these characters and their motivations, it succeeds.

8 of 10
A

Monday, May 23, 2005

Updated:  Saturday, June 07, 2014

NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Cinematography” (Alex Thomson)

1982 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Costume Design” (Bob Ringwood)

1981 Cannes Film Festival:  1 win: “Best Artistic Contribution (John Boorman) and 1 nomination: “Palme d'Or” (John Boorman)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for June 1 to June 7, 2014 UPDATED #2

News and Miscellaneous:

TMZ has a suite of photos from the Abu Dhabi set of Star Wars: Episode VII.  Huffington Post posted all of them in one article, including the following

----------------------------

The Business Insider at Yahoo has a nice article on the children of Jack Kirby and their attempt to get the Supreme Court to here their copyright case against Marvel/Disney.

---------------------------

Variety has news that Will Smith will star in a drama about the NFL's concussion problem.  Ridley Scott is one of the film's producer.  Peter Landesman will write and direct.

----------------------------

Jared Leto as Doctor Strange a/k/a Stephen Strange in Marvel's Dr. Strange movie?  Sinister director Scott Derrickson to direct?  Go to Collider.  What happened to Johnny Depp as Strange?

----------------------------

"12 Years a Slave" came out in America and that sucked up all the guilt about black people that was available. They were so exhausted feeling guilty about slavery that I don't think there was much left over to be nice about our film. So our film didn't do as well as we'd hoped, which was a bit heartbreaking.

Yes, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, William Nicholson, actually said that. [From Hitfix]

----------------------------

How did James Cameron write three sequels to Avatar simultaneously?  Find out at this Slash Film article.

----------------------------

Slash Film also has an exclusive article on Jurassic World.  It concerns plot leaks about the film, the latest installment of the Jurassic Park franchise.

Obits:

Ann B. Davis, the actress who played the housekeeper, Alice, on the television series, "The Brady Bunch," died on Sunday, June 1, 2014 at the age of 88.  In the 1950s, Davis won two supporting actress Emmys for her role on "The Bob Cumming Show."

Review: "47 Ronin" Lacks Magic

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

47 Ronin (2013)
Running time:  119 minutes (1 hour, 59 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some disturbing images, and thematic elements
DIRECTOR:  Carl Rinsch  
WRITERS:  Chris Morgan and Hossein Amini; from a screen story by Chris Morgan and Walter Hamada
PRODUCERS:  Pamela Abdy, Eric McLeod, and Scott Stuber
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  John Mathieson  
EDITOR:  Stuart Baird
COMPOSER:  Ilan Eshkeri

HISTORICAL/MARTIAL ARTS/DRAMA/FANTASY

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Ko Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano, Rinko Kikuchi, Min Tanaka, Jin Akanishi, Masayoshi Haneda, Hiroshi Sogabe, Takato Yonemoto, Shu Nakajima, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa

47 Ronin is a 2013 samurai action movie and historical fantasy.  The film is a fantasy-based, fictional account of the legendary “forty-seven Ronin” and an incident in which they were involved that took place in the early 1700s in Japan.

47 Ronin tells the story through Kai (Keanu Reeves), a half-Japanese, half-English outcast.  He lives in the domain of Ako, which is ruled by the benevolent daimyo (lord), Takumi no Kami Asano Naganori (Min Tanaka).  Lord Asano found Kai, when he was a child, lost in the forest.  Despite being scorned by most people in Ako, including Asano’s samurai, Kai finds deep kinship with Asano’s daughter, Mika (Ko Shibasaki), who loves the half-breed.

Asano is tasked with hosting the Shogun Tokugawa Tsunayoshi (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa).  Lord Kira Yoshinaka (Tadanobu Asano) is also invited, but Kira wants Ako to be merged with his domain, Nagato.  Joined by a conniving Witch (Rinko Kikuchi), Kira masterminds a series of events that ruins Asano.  The Shogun orders Asano to die with honor though seppuku (ritual suicide).

Lord Asano’s samurai are cast out and become Ronin (samurai without a master).  Oishi (Hiroyuki Sanada), the leader of Asano’s men, finds Kai, whom he once despised, and together they plot revenge against Lord Kira.  The duo gathers Asano’s former samurai, and soon there are 47 Ronin on a mission to kill Kira.  But the ruthless daimyo is more crafty and cunning than these Ronin imagine.

47 Ronin was not exactly a box office bomb, but it reportedly was a money-loser for Universal Pictures.  I think Universal Pictures spent around $175 million on a movie that does not know what it wants to be.  47 Ronin looks like an American version of an epic samurai period drama (a “jidaigeki”).  At the same time, the film is filled with fantasy and supernatural elements such as yokai (creatures of Japanese folklore) and magic.

I think that at one point, Universal wanted to make 47 Ronin a kind of epic fantasy franchise like the Lord of the Rings films.  What the movie studio ended up with was a samurai movie with supernatural elements awkwardly tacked onto it.

47 Ronin is not a bad movie, nor is it a particularly good movie.  There are characters, scenes, and sections of the plot that I really enjoyed and even found riveting.  One actor I really liked was Hiroyuki Sanada who played Oishi, Lord Asano’s chief counselor.  This is really Oishi’s movie; Sanada gives a nice performance filled with delicacy and grace.  Keanu Reeves is Keanu Reeves – intense presence, but wooden delivery of dialogue.  So I can recommend 47 Ronin to people who like samurai films, knowing that viewers may have a mixed reaction towards it.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, June 05, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

"Edge of Tomorrow" Earns Big in Early International Openings

“Edge of Tomorrow” Rises Early in International Openings

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Edge of Tomorrow,” starring Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt and directed by Doug Liman, has earned an outstanding $33 million at the box office in early international openings ahead of its June 6 worldwide debut. The announcement was made today by Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”

“Edge of Tomorrow” had a spectacular opening in Korea, with an estimated KRW 3.9b ($3.8m) on 681 screens, including sneak preview showings. Its Wednesday debut marked the biggest opening of all time for Warner Bros. Pictures in Korea, as well as the fourth biggest opening industry-wide, for that market. The film also opened yesterday at #1 in Denmark and Norway, as well as France, where it was #1 in both admissions and box office even amid strong competition from U.S. product and a popular local comedy.

Kwan Vandenberg said, “The sensational results on Wednesday, coupled with the film’s excellent playability in territories where it debuted last weekend, give us great momentum as we launch in 36 additional countries this weekend, including such major markets as Russia, Australia, Mexico and China.”

The early box office results come on the heels of the film’s groundbreaking worldwide event when, for the first time ever, three fan premieres were held in three different cities—London, Paris and New York—in just one day, “resetting” the red carpet as Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt raced the clock to make each event before time ran out.

Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures President, Worldwide Marketing and International Distribution, noted, “Tom is a huge star globally and has been a phenomenal partner as we’ve introduced this exciting and original adventure to audiences everywhere. The film has been enthusiastically embraced by critics and consumers alike. Tom has gone above and beyond to support the film, traveling all over the world to share it with fans, and these incredible efforts have made a tremendous impact as we gear up to release ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ worldwide.”

Oscar® nominee Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Village Roadshow Pictures’ sci-fi thriller “Edge of Tomorrow,” under the direction of Doug Liman.

The epic action of “Edge of Tomorrow” unfolds in a near future in which an alien race has hit the Earth in an unrelenting assault, unbeatable by any military unit in the world.

Major William Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously dropped into what amounts to a suicide mission. Killed within minutes, Cage now finds himself inexplicably thrown into a time loop—forcing him to live out the same brutal combat over and over, fighting and dying again…and again.

But with each battle, Cage becomes able to engage the adversaries with increasing skill, alongside Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Blunt). And, as Cage and Rita take the fight to the aliens, each repeated encounter gets them one step closer to defeating the enemy.

The international cast also includes Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Noah Taylor, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Franz Drameh, Masayoshi Haneda and Tony Way.

Liman directed “Edge of Tomorrow” from a screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Jez Butterworth & John-Henry Butterworth, based on the novel entitled All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Erwin Stoff produced, along with Tom Lassally, Jeffrey Silver, Gregory Jacobs and Jason Hoffs. The executive producers are Doug Liman, David Bartis, Joby Harold, Hidemi Fukuhara and Bruce Berman, with Tim Lewis and Kim Winther serving as co-producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a 3 Arts Production, in association with Viz Productions, a Doug Liman Film, “Edge of Tomorrow.” The film is distributed in 2D and 3D in select theatres and IMAX by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow. www.edgeoftomorrowmovie.com

This movie has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

--------------------

"Mad Men" Creator Matthew Weiner to Be Honored at 2014 Austin Film Festival

Matthew Weiner to Receive “Outstanding Television Writer” Award at 2014 Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference

“The Writers Festival” announces Panelists for 21st Anniversary, featuring Neil LaBute, Terry George, Cary Fukunaga, William Broyles, Whit Stillman, Michelle Ashford, and more

AFF Screenplay and Film Competitions to include jurors hailing from AMC, The Black List, The Weinstein Company, Oscilloscope, and FilmBuff

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Austin Film Festival (AFF), the premier film festival that recognizes the writers’ and filmmakers’ impact on film and television is thrilled to announce accomplished creator, Executive Producer, writer, and director of Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, as the 2014 recipient of the “Outstanding Television Writer” Award. In addition to his television credits, Weiner has written and directed the feature film, Are You Here, which stars Owen Wilson, Zach Galifianakis and Amy Poehler. The film will open in theaters on Friday, August 22.

Weiner has been nominated for a total of 11 Emmys for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. He won the award for the series pilot, as well as for the Second Season episode, “Meditations in an Emergency”, with Kater Gordon, and for the Third Season episode, “Shut the Door. Have a Seat.” with Erin Levy. Most recently, Weiner won the WGA Award for Best Episodic for the Season Five episode, “The Other Woman,” with Semi Chellas.

Austin Film Festival annually recognizes an Outstanding Television Writer for their contribution to the culture of television. Previous recipients include Vince Gilligan, David Simon, Chris Carter, David Milch, Mike Judge, David Chase, and Mitch Hurwitz.

Weiner joins Distinguished Screenwriter honoree, Jim Sheridan, along with a strong roundup of Panelists confirmed to speak at the 21st annual Austin Film Festival & Screenwriters Conference such as Neil LaBute (writer/director The Shape of Things), Terry George (writer/director Hotel Rwanda), Whit Stillman (writer/director Metropolitan), Richard Kelly (writer/director Donnie Darko), Emma Tillinger Koskoff (President of Production at Sikelia Productions), Cary Fukunaga (director True Detective), screenwriters behind American Hustle, The Fault in Their Stars, Saving Mr. Banks, and the creators of Fargo, Masters of Sex, Halt and Catch Fire, TURN, and Better Call Saul.

Additional Conference participants include select jurors from AFF’s Film and Screenplay Competitions. Jurors include representatives from AMC, The Weinstein Company, FilmBuff, Sundance Institute, Oscilloscope, The Black List, P.O.V., and Frank Darabont’s production company, Darkwoods Productions.

For a list of confirmed 2014 Panelists, visit www.austinfilmfestval.com. Austin Film Festival and Conference takes place October 23rd through 30th, 2014. Badges and Passes are available for purchase online 24 hours a day at www.austinfilmfestival.com or at 1-800-310-FEST from 10am to 6pm CST.

ABOUT AUSTIN FILM FESTIVAL:
Austin Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to furthering the art, craft, and business of filmmakers and screenwriters and is funded and supported in part by a grant from the Texas Commission on the Arts, City of Austin Economic Growth & Redevelopment Services Office/Cultural Arts Division believing an investment in the Arts is an investment in Austin’s future.