Posts tagged thriller
Movie Review: ‘Source Code’ is a fun and solid thriller
Apr 3rd
If thrillers are your favorite kind of movie, there’s a new one in Carson City that more than beats most of the recent examples; it’s “Source Code” and is at the Casino Fandango Galaxy multiplex.
The movie stars Jake Gyllenhaal at Capt. Colter Stevens, who wakes up on a Chicago commuter trail sitting opposite Michelle Monaghan as Christina, a friendly woman with a pleasant smile. Stevens fumbles around until suddenly there is an explosion (the only one, although it is repeated again and again as part of the plot) and the train explodes.
Stevens finds himself in a chamber with a TV screen, where he is interrogated by Air Force Capt. Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and discovers he is part of a source code. (Don’t worry about what a source code is, though it is a command that computer programmers use in creating software.)
Seems that by the code the subject (Stevens in this case) can go back to a different body during the last eight minutes of that body’s life. So Stevens does so, trying to find the bomb that has been planted on the train. Reason the Air Force is doing this is to find out about a nuke someone is planning to set off in Chicago after the train explosion.
Stevens finally finds the train bomb but only removes one cell phone bomb trigger; he has to do it a second time and gets punched about for his troubles. He finally identifies the bomber and tips off the Army, which stops the nuke and arrests the bad guy.
But it seems that Stevens is really not quite dead in Afghanistan but is kept alive for future events. So how does this leave him with Christina, with whom he has fallen in love? Don’t worry, quantum mechanics comes to the rescue, just don’t ask questions.
This is a well-done thriller without car chases and, as mentioned, only one explosion, perfectly logical given the plot line. Direction by Duncan Jones is crisp and the cast is just right for the story. Technical execution is dazzling, as we’ve come to expect from thrillers.
There’s a neatness about this one (OK, so the science is kind of wacky and it’s best not to think about it all too deeply) that rivals that fine Clooney film “The American.” Jake and Michelle touch off sparks and Vera is a fine Air Force captain (spoken by me once upon a time).
And the photography is spectacular, showing Chicago off beautifully, including that city park next to the Art Institute. And and commuter trains were never as nifty back in the days when I was riding them. If you lived or worked in Chicago, these shots make the movie well worthwhile without the actors.
As thrillers go, this one goes well. See and enjoy.
— Sam Bauman
Cast
— Jake Gyllenhaal as Captain Colter Stevens
— Michelle Monaghan as Christina
— Vera Farmiga as Colleen Goodwin
— Jeffrey Wright as Dr. Rutledge
— Cas Anvar as Hazmi
— Russell Peters as Max Denoff
— Michael Arden as Derek Frost
— Scott Bakula as Stevens’ father (voice cameo)
Directed by: Duncan Jones
Produced by: Mark Gordon, Jordan Wynn and Philippe Rousselet
Written by: Ben Ripley
Music by: Chris P. Bacon
Cinematography: Don Burgess
Editing by: Paul Hirsch
Rated: PG-13, runs about 97 minutes
From carsonnow.org
A movie thriller in North Hanover
Mar 26th
NORTH HANOVER — Most people would be frightened at the thought of a zombie invasion. Chris Kaczor cleared out his bank account to make it happen.
Kaczor, a township resident and promising young movie producer, is putting the finishing touches on a full-length, independent horror film called “The Reunion.”
Co-written with Trenton resident Jeff Stewart, who also directed, the movie features everything from friends, violence, sex, drugs and, of course, zombies.
“It’s a cross between HBO’s hit series ‘The Wire’ and the zombie film ‘Dawn of the Dead,’ ” said Stewart, who previously lived in Wrightstown and Bordentown Township. “It’s an urban zombie flick.”
Regardless of whether you have the same taste for brains and gore as the antagonists in the movie, Kaczor said his clever creation promises a passionate display of superb acting, a thrilling plot and amazing special effects. “The Reunion” has been a longtime inspiration of the two 31-year-old Northern Burlington County Regional High School graduates and childhood buddies.
“We spent hours just having conversations on how fast the zombies should be, and we really wanted to nail down details,” Kaczor said. “In preparation, we would watch horrible zombie movies and say, ‘We don’t want to be that.’ ”
The film starts in Trenton and flows into North Hanover using two main locations in the rural community. The abandoned and disheveled Cookstown Diner on Cookstown-New Egypt Road features the first zombie encounter. Another climatic scene occurs on Kaczor’s property in his large barn, which is buried in the woods beyond a long dirt trail. Usually used as Kaczor’s personal woodshop, the barn hosts a showdown between good and evil.
“I’d say 50 to 60 percent of the movie was shot in Burlington County,” Kaczor said. “It was perfect. We wanted to have a big contrast between urban Trenton to a very rural scene here in North Hanover.”
Kaczor also saw a drastic contrast in his bank account.
After a financial backer dropped out a few weeks before production, Kaczor made a few budgetary cuts but managed to raise roughly $30,000 to fund the movie. Most of the money came from his own pocket.
“I spent all my money, used some good credit towards it, and asked family members for help,” he said. “I mean, $30,000 is a Hollywood production’s lunch budget. So we did what we could and cut luxuries out. But I didn’t want to skimp on special effects on the zombies. Some movies have people with just gray makeup on. We really went for it. We wanted it to be on point.”
Fake blood, made from a homemade mixture of pancake syrup and squid ink, was generously spread throughout the movie. In addition, Kaczor and Stewart hired Doug Sakmann of Backseat Conceptions in Philadelphia to take the lead on special effects.
“This guy is known as the ‘Zombie King of Philadelphia,’ ” Kaczor said. “He is great with effects, and he runs zombie crawls all the time. We wanted someone who really knew what they were doing.”
Next, an advertisement on Craigslist was posted for actors. Aside from the ad, the two managed to bring in a few well-known names. Joseph Gannascoli, best known for his role in “The Sopranos” as the mobster Vito, plays a small part as a police officer. Adult-film star Gina Lynn also makes an appearance and up-and-coming actor Kirk Ponton plays the lead.
Filming began last summer and final editing is now taking place.
“The Reunion” will premiere April 22 at Studio City, NJ in Trenton. Kaczor said the premiere is sold out, but DVDs should be in distribution in the near future. A video trailer can be seen on www.burlingtoncountytimes.com or on the movie’s website, www.the-reunion.com.
Stewart and Kaczor hope to kick off a film festival run later this year and begin selling DVDs once a distribution deal is reached.
“I’m pretty confident I’ll make the money back,” Kaczor said. “I believe in this movie, and it’s pretty easy to get a distribution deal for this kind of film. There has already been some interest.”
Stewart said “The Reunion” hopefully will lead to bigger things and possibly bigger film budgets.
“It’s out there now,” he said. “If people like what we have done with a small budget like $30,000, imagine what we could do with $1 million.”
Stewart said he plans to continue working with Kaczor.
“Of course,” he said. “You never forget where you came from or how you got somewhere. Filming with Chris was a lot of fun.”
Kaczor said despite the hard work, filming took on a party atmosphere.
“It was a grind,” he said. “We would be working, then all of a sudden, you would hear a rooster and realize you worked all night. But the actors were committed and had a great time with it.
“With makeup, sometimes it’s a ‘hurry up and wait’ process. Sometimes it takes three hours to get made up and people are waiting around. But the town was good about it, too. They weren’t bothered at all when we would have zombies going to the liquor store or Wawa while they were waiting for a scene.”
Mark Zimmaro can be reached at 609-871-8059 or mzimmaro@phillyBurbs.com
Follow Mark on Twitter at twitter.com/mzimmaro
Copyright 2011 phillyBurbs.com . All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From www.phillyburbs.com
Thriller ‘Limitless’ tops weak box office
Mar 21st
LOS ANGELES – Thriller “Limitless” topped North American box offices with $19 million in ticket sale over a lackluster weekend that continued Hollywood’s losing streak versus last year.
The movie, in which Bradley Cooper portrays a man who is able to exponentially increase his brainpower by taking a drug, beat animated family film “Rango,” which maintained the No. 2 spot in its third weekend in theaters with $15.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Rounding out the top three was last week’s No. 1, alien invasion flick “Battle: Los Angeles,” which saw its box office slide nearly 60 per cent from last weekend to $14.6 million.
The weekend’s two other new films were drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which claimed the No. 4 spot with $13.4 million, and road trip comedy “Paul,” rounding out the top 5 at just under $13.2 million.
Overall ticket sales in the United States and Canada were down roughly 10 per cent from the same weekend one year ago, and it was the fourth straight weekend of a decline at box offices versus 2010, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
Year-to-date ticket sales are off 20 per cent and attendance in theaters is down 21 per cent against last year when “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” captured moviegoers’ imaginations.
Box offices have been in the doldrums since November 2010, but Hollywood hopes that will change when its summer movie season starts in early May with a series of big-budget flicks.
“The first quarter of 2011 has been one we’d like to forget with comparisons to last year making things tough, week after week,” said Hollywood.com president Paul Dergarabedian. “Luckily help is on the way with a potentially huge and record-breaking summer season.”
Where this past weekend was concerned, Relativity Media was happy with the $19 million mustered by “Limitless,” given that pre-weekend forecasting had all three of the weekend’s new releases opening in the mid-teens.
“To be in the high-teens and closer to $20 (million) was a pleasant surprise,” said Kyle Davies, president of theatrical distribution for closely held Relativity. He said the movie played broadly across all age groups.
Similarly, Lions Gate distribution head David Spitz had expected an opening in the $10 million to $12 million range for adult-oriented legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” starring Matthew McConaughey. Spitz said the movie enjoyed good scores from audience polling, and given its appeal to older audiences, should enjoy a “nice long run in theaters.”
Family-oriented animated comedy “Rango,” in which Johnny Depp voices the role of a chameleon cowboy, continued to surprise box office watchers with its hold on second place with only a 32 per cent drop in ticket sales from last weekend. It now has accumulated $92.6 million in three weeks.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Disney’s animated “Mars Needs Moms!” which at a reported cost of $150 million has been an expensive flop. In its second weekend, it dropped to No. 8 on box office charts from a debut at No. 5, and now has only $15.4 million in total ticket sales.
From nbbusinessjournal.canadaeast.com
Thriller ‘Limitless’ tops movie box offices
Mar 20th
LOS ANGELES, March 20 (Reuters) – Thriller “Limitless” topped North American box offices with $19 million in ticket sale over a lackluster weekend that continued Hollywood’s losing streak versus last year.
The movie, in which Bradley Cooper portrays a man who is able to exponentially increase his brainpower by taking a drug, beat animated family film “Rango,” which maintained the No. 2 spot in its third weekend in theaters with $15.3 million, according to studio estimates on Sunday.
Rounding out the top three was last week’s No. 1, alien invasion flick “Battle: Los Angeles,” which saw its box office slide nearly 60 percent from last weekend to $14.6 million.
The weekend’s two other new films were drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” which claimed the No. 4 spot with $13.4 million, and road trip comedy “Paul,” rounding out the top 5 at just under $13.2 million.
Overall ticket sales in the United States and Canada were down roughly 10 percent from the same weekend one year ago, and it was the fourth straight weekend of a decline at box offices versus 2010, according to tracker Hollywood.com Box Office.
Year-to-date ticket sales are off 20 percent and attendance in theaters is down 21 percent against last year when “Avatar” and “Alice in Wonderland” captured moviegoers’ imaginations.
Box offices have been in the doldrums since November 2010, but Hollywood hopes that will change when its summer movie season starts in early May with a series of big-budget flicks.
“The first quarter of 2011 has been one we’d like to forget with comparisons to last year making things tough, week after week,” said Hollywood.com president Paul Dergarabedian. “Luckily help is on the way with a potentially huge and record breaking summer season.”
Where this past weekend was concerned, Relativity Media was happy with the $19 million mustered by “Limitless,” given that pre-weekend forecasting had all three of the weekend’s new releases opening in the mid-teen’s.
’PLEASANT SURPRISE’
“To be in the high-teens and closer to $20 (million) was a pleasant surprise,” said Kyle Davies, president of theatrical distribution for closely-held Relativity. He said the movie played broadly across all age groups.
Similarly, Lions Gate distribution head David Spitz had expected an opening in the $10 million to $12 million range for adult-oriented legal drama “The Lincoln Lawyer,” starring Matthew McConaughey. Spitz said the movie enjoyed good scores from audience polling, and given its appeal to older audiences, should enjoy a “nice long run in theaters.”
Family-oriented animated comedy “Rango,” in which Johnny Depp voices the role of a chameleon cowboy, continued to surprise box office watchers with its hold on second place with only a 32 percent drop in ticket sales from last weekend. It now has accumulated $92.6 million in three weeks.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is Disney’s animated “Mars Needs Moms!” which at a reported cost of $150 million has been an expensive flop. In its second weekend, it dropped to No. 8 on box office charts from a debut at No. 5, and now has only $15.4 million in total ticket sales.
“Limitless” was released by closely held Relativity Media, “Rango” by Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc, and “Battle: Los Angeles” by Columbia Pictures, a part of the media division of giant Sony Corp. “The Lincoln Lawyer” was distributed by Lions Gate, and “Paul” by Universal Pictures, which is controlled by Comcast Corp.
From www.thestarphoenix.com
Thriller ‘Yudham Sei’ is value for money (Tamil Movie Review)
Feb 6th
Comments | 
Share | 
Print | Thriller ‘Yudham Sei’ is value for money (Tamil Movie Review) 2011-02-06 19:40:00
Film: ‘Yudham Sei’; Cast: Cheran, Deepa Shah, Jayaprakash, Y. Gee Mahendran, Lakshmi Ramakrishnan and others; Director: Myshkin; Producer: Kalpathi S. Agoram; Music Director: K; Ratings: ***
Myshkin has come out with ‘Yudhdham Sei’ and the film seems similar to his earlier venture ‘Anjathay’ in the thrill department. The Cheran-starrer is the story of a CB-CID cop trying to unravel mysterious killings in the city.
The story is about how Chennai city is being rocked by a series of crime ranging from abduction of girls and gruesome attacks on people whose chopped hands are found in cardboard boxes in busy areas. Unable to solve the case, the local police refers the it to the crime branch.
J. Krishnamoorty (Cheran), a boorish cop, is entrusted with the job of solving the cases. JK starts working on the case along with his aids Tamizh (Deepa Shah) and Judas (Jayaprakash).
Being a victim of the crime as his sister is missing for few weeks, JK is determined to unmask the gangsters. He sniffs around for possible clues and in the process manages to uncover dirty secrets of rich and powerful who are treated as VIPs in the city.
JK and his team’s efforts in nabbing the real culprits (including some bad elements within the police department) has been narrated in gripping manner by Myshkin and the incidents manage to hold viewers’ interest throughout the 150-minute of the movie. There is a sense of deja vu in the second half.
The fighting sequence filmed atop a bridge has been stunningly executed. The fight looks real. However, the actual intentions of the culprits as revealed in the climax are not convincing. Myshkin’s screenplay loses its grip here.
Among the cast, Cheran, who plays the disinterested, sleepy looking cop who speaks very little, has done a wonderful job. The director-turned-actor has put in a matured performance and deserves kudos for agreeing to be part of a ‘thriller’, which is a marked deviation from his earlier films.
Comedian-turned-character actor Y. Gee Mahendran as the vigilante doctor appears to be sleep-walking through his role, while Lakshmi is very good in the climax.
Jayaprakash as Judas has put in a commendable show and seems to be improving with every film. Delhi-based model Deepa Shah has hardly anything to do other than running around as Cheran’s deputy.
The much-hyped item song featuring Neetu Chandra and Ameer is not impressive.
Sathya’s camera work, especially the night effects, is quite nice and is diametrically opposite to K’s background score, about which less said, the better.
Despite slow second-half, the films does impress as a smart and realistic detective story.
All About: National,Entertainment,–select–, Yudhdham Sei, Anjathay
Comments | Share | Print |
From www.sify.com
REVIEW: ‘The Tourist’ delivers retro thriller with 50s feel
Dec 10th
In the heyday of Hollywood’s Studio Era, there was a simple elegance to movie making. When it was at its best, talented directors would be paired with gifted screenwriters and beautiful movie stars (who also happened to be decent actors) would be filmed in glorious, exotic locales.
Given these parameters, “The Tourist” is a throwback to this bygone era down to its very core.
The plot is elementary Hitchcock, as Johnny Depp plays the classic role of the Wrong Man. He is Frank Tupelo, an American math teacher on vacation in Europe. On a train to Venice, he meets Angelina Jolie, herself playing the classic role of the Mysterious Woman.
Her name is Elise and she is going to meet up with her great love, a fugitive embezzler named Vincent. Her every move is watched by INTERPOL so to throw them off her trail she takes up with Frank in the hope of convincing those who are watching that he is the plastic-surgery-altered Vincent.
Naturally, her ruse works and manages to dupe not only the police, but the ruthless gangster (Stephen Berkoff) from whom Vincent stole an obscene amount of money.
The movie then takes off on a series of chases, captures and escapes as Frank tries to avoid being arrested or killed, all the while falling in love with the resourceful Elise.
When you boil the whole thing down, “The Tourist” is a silly little movie, where the sum of the parts is much greater than that of the whole. That said, the various parts work so well together that it is easy to forgive the movie’s lapses in cohesion and plausibility.
German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (how that name doesn’t have an umlaut I’ll never know) knows that his primary job here is to shoot beautiful people doing beautiful things in beautiful places.
He also snagged a writing credit along with screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie (“The Usual Suspects”) who helps keep the screenplay light and the plot-twists from becoming too cumbersome.
“The Tourist” is also boosted by a fine supporting cast, including Paul Bettany as the dogged Scotland Yard agent intent on bringing Vincent to justice, and Timothy Dalton as his politically fixated boss.
But let’s not beat around the bush, you’re going to be plopping down American dollars to see this movie for two reasons and two reasons only, Depp and Jolie. It’s nice to see Depp in a “normal” role, where he’s not buried behind makeup or a crazy accent. He plays the everyman well and it is his restraint in the role that makes his performance fun to watch.
As for Jolie, (bold statement alert) she has never looked more stunningly beautiful in a movie. So often in movies we are supposed to suspend disbelief in regards to the attractiveness of an actress and believe she is a poverty-stricken working mother or a shunned misfit.
It’s almost a relief to see literally every person in the movie, including the extras she passes in the streets, reacting as if she is one of the most beautiful women in the world, which, you know, Jolie actually is.
Depp and Jolie’s chemistry isn’t exactly sizzling, but fortunately the script doesn’t really demand that we be floored by their deep, abiding love, which is yet another old-fashioned convention “The Tourist” embraces.
This movie could have been released in 1954, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and no one would have batted an eye.
I suppose how well received “The Tourist” is depends on how cynical modern audiences have become to this retro form of cinema. As for myself, I’m a total sucker for this stuff and gladly soaked in every frame.
“The Tourist” is rated PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.
MOVIE REVIEW: Portman gives intense performance in thriller ‘Black Swan’
Dec 10th
Font Size: 
Black Swan (R)
3 stars out of 4
With his 1998 debut (“Pi”) and the 1999 creepy-crawly, tripped-out “Requiem for a Dream,” director Darren Aronofsky staked claim to Alfred Hitchcock’s long-vacant psychological thriller mantle. He then went all loopy with the sci-fi twaddle that was “The Fountain” but redeemed himself with the melancholy, bare-knuckle grit of “The Wrestler.”
“Black Swan” is to the world of ballet what “All About Eve” was to the movie business and makes for an excellent feminine bookend to “The Wrestler.” The lead and the three female supporting characters engage in some of the most brutal, narcissistic, mind-bending cat-fighting ever committed to film. It is amazing to watch the performers deliver the visceral material, but as the story itself unfolds you’ll get the feeling you’re watching a stream of buckling train cars slowly descending off of a cliff.
With a performance that will surely land her an Oscar nomination if not the award itself is Natalie Portman as Nina, a dancer whose drive has left her gaunt, brittle and tentative. Desperate to prove herself to both her company’s autocratic director Thomas (Vincent Cassel) and her smothering, former-dancer mother Erica (Barbara Hershey), Nina wants the lead in an upcoming production of “Swan Lake” which will be the company’s first without outgoing diva Beth (Winona Ryder) whom Thomas has summarily forced into retirement.
Thomas is a brutal taskmaster who attempts to turn his performers’ insecurities into fuel for improvement which is at best ethically questionable. He knows that Nina isn’t the most technically qualified girl for the role — that would be Lily (Mila Kunis) — but also keenly recognizes that if he pushes Nina far enough, he’ll get her to bare her soul and thus deliver a more realized, emotional performance.
Almost immediately Aronofsky sets the tone with jittery, multiple-angle camera work which amplifies Nina’s innate paranoia and also provides the audience with a dancer’s perspective. Whenever in the dance studio or on stage the filmmaker and his designers drain the sets and costumes of all color keeping everything bathed in muted blacks, grays and dull whites. It was a risky decision but ultimately adds to the overall feeling of dread and an almost dreamlike flatness.
Having already more or less experienced what Nina is going through, Erica nonetheless adds to her daughter’s woes by piling on the pressure with incessant brow beating which escalates Nina’s propensity for self-mutilation. As her only significant rival, Lily plays it smart by alternatively being naughty and nice to Nina, often at the same time. The night before an important run-through, Lily whisks Nina away from Erica’s dreary apartment for a night of drink, drugs and clubbing. This provides Nina with a much needed release valve but also delivers one whammy of a morning after thud.
As serious, driven and intense as Portman and Aronofsky are regarding the material, the movie regularly and certainly unintentionally takes on an air of camp and kitsch distantly reminiscent of “Showgirls.” It’s not cheesy by any stretch, but is highly melodramatic and more than a bit exploitative. A prime example comes at the start of the third act with a steamy lesbian sex scene that while key to the story is far more erotic than this type of film requires.
Apart from Aronofsky’s considerable cult base and those of the various performers, “Black Swan” is not something with which mainstream audiences will identify. It’s not quite gruesome or jarring enough to qualify as horror, but is also far too visceral and graphic for those expecting an art film about ballet. The dancing isn’t (by design) perfect and if you go expecting to see a full-length realization of “Swan Lake,” you’ll be disappointed.
The movie proudly defies categorization and does as good of a job at blurring fantasy and reality as any in recent memory. It more than achieves its goals and makes its point, albeit one that many might not care about in the least. (Fox Searchlight)
Haggis plays it slow in thriller
Nov 19th
Liam Neeson plays a prison-break expert who gives Brennan his first lessons at escape. But Brennan is largely self-taught, using Google to find instructions on making skeleton keys, car break-in devices out of tennis balls, etc.
All the Google criminal how-to’s were real, and tested by Haggis himself.
“It was important for me to find out how people broke out of prison, or tried to,” he says. He studied the methods of the three who’d tried to break out of the Allegheny County Jail, where The Next Three Days was partly filmed.
“No one succeeded, and two died in the attempt,” he says. “In one case, they bribed a guard for a key. I thought, ‘That’s too easy. What if I could make a key?’ So I went online, and sure enough, found out how to make a ‘bump key,’ which was kind of cool.
“Same with the car (a prison medical). In the French film, the car was unlocked. I’m, like, ‘You can’t just leave the car unlocked!’ So I went online and found the thing with the tennis ball, which works on about 10% of particular model vehicles.”
The Next Three Days is the second film Haggis has made starring actors who can best be called “irascible.” Haggis says of traveling with Crowe and playing good-cop as he gives pugnacious answers to reporters.
“I really truly enjoy him, so we have a fun time together,” Haggis says of Crowe. “We’re very different characters, but we’re both confident that when we’re on the set we can challenge each other and not, y’know, run off crying.”
In fact, Haggis is writing at least two projects with an eye to have Crowe star in them. One is a remake of the ’80s TV series The Equalizer. “Wasn’t that a cool show?” the veteran TV writers says. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it into a movie yet, but it’s a nice idea. (Original star) Edward Woodward was fabulous.
“I’ve started that one, but I’ve got two others to write first. This one I’m finishing — which I also have Russell in mind for — is called The Third Person. I hope he does it. It’s about relationships.”
The third is a remake of the acclaimed Spanish film Cell 211, about a rookie prison guard who hasn’t started work yet, but becomes embroiled in a riot and is mistaken by the inmates for a fellow prisoner.
That’s a lot of remakes, we note. “Well, 100 different filmmakers could take the same plot and make 100 different movies,” he says. “I wouldn’t want to remake a great film, a perfect film.
“But Pour Elle is not a perfect film, and mine is not a perfect film. Somebody could do a better job than I did, I think.”
More Artists
Movie thriller
Oct 28th
The fate of MGM is turning into a real cliffhanger.
MGM creditors who oppose a plan that would combine the financially troubled studio with Spyglass Entertainment are trying to reach a last-minute compromise, The Post has learned.
Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and Franklin Investments — which support a rival proposal that would merge MGM with Lionsgate — have hired high-powered lawyer Tom Lauria of White & Case to hash out a deal, a source close to the situation said.
Icahn and Lauria didn’t return calls seeking comment.
The behind-the-scenes maneuvering comes as MGM creditors are slated to vote on a plan tomorrow that would send the studio on a quick trip through the bankruptcy court to cut $4 billion of debt before Spyglass management takes it over.
If the plan is approved, MGM is expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection within days.
Yesterday, MGM creditors received a document outlining the Spyglass plan and giving them a Friday deadline to approve the deal.
But some lenders are complaining the proposal lacks key details, including who would gain control of MGM’s board when it emerges from bankruptcy.
“I think the decision is whether we go with the Spyglass deal now and hope we work through the governance issues or vote it down,” one source said.
Hedge funds Anchorage Advisors, Highland Capital and others on a steering committee that controls MGM back the Spyglass proposal, which asks creditors to swap MGM debt for 95 percent ownership of the studio. Spyglass management would get a 5 percent stake.
“Too many decisions are being left with the steering committee,” said the source, adding that since hedge funds on the committee only control about 35 percent of the $4 billion of MGM debt they should be giving other lenders more of a say.
MGM needs the majority of its 100 creditors to vote for the Spyglass deal to get the approval of a bankruptcy judge.
Meanwhile, Icahn is trying to rally support for an alternative plan that would merge MGM with Lionsgate through prepackaged bankruptcy. Icahn is one of Lionsgate’s largest shareholder and owns about 13 percent of MGM’s debt.
Still, a source said Lionsgate’s offer fails to outline who will be on the board or run the studio.
Under that proposal, MGM creditors would get a 55 percent stake of the combined business while Lionsgate shareholders would get 45 percent. Lionsgate said its plan would save the combined studio $100 million a year.
Icahn has also sweetened his offer to buy MGM debt at a guaranteed price of 50 cents on the dollar, so that he can vote those shares against the Spyglass deal.
jkosman@nypost.com
Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ to be Made into Movie
Oct 28th
Michael Jackson’s legendary music video ‘Thriller’ is to be made into a movie, the Hollywood website Deadline reported Wednesday.
The report said that the script, written by Hangover screenwriter Jeremy Garelick, has been shown to several major studios in recent weeks. High School Musical director Kenny Ortega, who also helmed the Jackson documentary This Is It, will direct the film with a reported budget of 50 million dollars.
Thriller was an epic, 14-minute music video made in 1983 by director John Landis, and is widely regarded as the most influential pop music video of all time. According to Deadline, Thriller songwriter Rod Temperton will also be involved in the movie.
News of the Thriller movie came just days after Jackson was named the world’s top-earning dead celebrity.
According to Deadline, Cirque du Soleil is negotiating with the Jackson estate to produce two shows based on the former King of Pop’s music.
