Weekend Newsreel- October 14, 2005

 

Aardman History Up In Smoke- A fire swept through Aardman Animations’ Bristol, England warehouse, destroying almost all of the studio’s accumulated sets, props, storyboards and other ephemera from their 30 year history. You can read more here.

 

 

Bond Creator To Get Bio-Pic- While speculation continues to swirl around the casting of James Bond for the long running spy franchise’s next installment, Ian Fleming, the superspy’s creator, is set to be the subject of a bio-pic from Warner Brothers titled simply Fleming. The film, written by Damian Stevenson, will tell the story of how Fleming’s career as a journalist led to him spying on the Soviet Union for England’s Foreign Office and how he romanticized much of experiences when he began writing the James Bond novels. The film will be produced by Andrew Lazar, who is also producing an adaptation of the 1960s television spy spoof Get Smart with Steve Carell set to star.

 

 

Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao to reunite?- Jackie Chan has announced that he will be reuniting with his former fellow co-stars Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao in his upcoming film Project BB. The film is set to begin production soon in Hong Kong and will be directed by Benny Chan, who helmed Jackie Chan’s New Police Story (2004). Chan, Hung and Biao all attended the same Chinese Opera school as children, where they were trained in acrobatics and martial arts. As their separate film careers started to rise, they teamed for several popular action films, most recently 1988’s Dragons Forever.

 

 

ASC To Honor Woody Omens- Sherwood “Woody” Omens has been announced as the 2006 recipient of the American Society of Cinematographers’ Presidents Award for his “exceptional contributions to advancing the art and craft of filmmaking,” according to a press release released by the ASC. Omens served as cinematographer on such films as History Of The World, Part 1 (1981), Coming To America (1988) and Harlem Nights (1989). In addition, he has served on the faculty of University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. The award will be presented during the 20th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 26, 2006 in Los Angeles.

 

 

In Remembrance

 

Louis A. Garfinkle- The writer who shared an Academy Award nomination for contributing to the screenplay of The Deer Hunter (1978) has passed away at age 77.

 

 

Opening This Week

 

October 14

  • Domino

  • Good Night, And Good Luck (DC, SF, Chicago, Boston)

  • Elizabethtown

  • The Fog

  • Innocent Voices (limited)

  • Loggerheads (limited)

  • Nine Lives (NY, LA)

  • The President's Last Bang (NY)

 

October 18

  • The President's Last Bang (LA)

 

October 19

  • Three Of Hearts (NY)

  • Ushpizin