Weekend Newsreel- October 7, 2005

Compiled by the FilmBuffOnLine Staff

Pasadena Film Landmark Gutted In Fire- The Tudor style mansion used as a location for such films Clue and Rocky V burned to the ground Wednesday night. You can read more about the fire, and the house’s film history here.

China To Develop Own DVD Format- As if the competition between next generation home video formats HD-DVD and Blu-Ray DVD weren’t enough, the Chinese government has announced the development of their own video format- Enhanced Versatile Disc or EVD. The new format is being developed in collaboration between the Beijing company E-World and the California firm On2. The Chinese government has stated that it wishes to “shake off their previous dependence on foreign technologies.” Although no specifications for the EVD format have been announced, it is expected that EVD will have a higher storage capacity than a standard DVD, making it a potential candidate for delivering High Definition product.

George Clooney Goes Network- While in the midst of doing the publicity rounds for his latest film Good Night, And Good Luck, actor/director George Clooney has announced that he will be heeding a remake of the 1976 Oscar-winning news satire Network, in which a starved-for-ratings network news executive encourages an aging news anchor’s raving on-air mental breakdowns for the sake of attracting an audience. Much like the 2000 television production of Fail Safe that Clooney produced and starred in, this new version of Network will air live. Clooney has stated that the film’s original script, based on the critically-acclaimed novel by Paddy Chayefsky, will not be altered significantly, with only minor cultural references to things like the radical organization the Black Panthers being brought up to date. The production is expected to air next fall.

Opening In Theaters Today-

• The Agressives (NY)

• Before The Fall (NY)

• Dandelion (NY, LA)

• Forty Shades Of Blue (LA)

• Good Night, And Good Luck (NY, LA)

• The Gospel

• In Her Shoes

• Sacred Stage (LA)

• Two For The Money

• Waiting

• Wallace & Gromit: Tale Of The Were-Rabbit (Wider)

DVD Best Bets- After last week’s large number of releases, this week comes off as rather sparse for new DVD titles. Still there are a few recommended discs- Although it is not being released in its original 3-D, John Wayne fans will still want to get their hands on Hondo, one of two Wayne films, along with Mclintock, getting Special Edition releases this week. . . Japanese horror fans will definitely want to pickup director Takashi Miike‘s non-linear Samurai flick Izo, while the documentary Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession examines the tragic life of Jerry Harvey, the brilliant but troubled programmer of a local Los Angeles movie cable outlet. You can view the complete list of this coming Tuesday’s DVD releases here.