International Film News
SWEDISH VAMPIRE FILM IS A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL HIT
23/12/2008
A Swedish film that features the unlikely relationship between a young man and a possible female vampire has emerged as one of the big international hits of the year. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN by director Tomas Alfredson has recently come up on many film critics association lists as Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, including the prestigious Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, Toronto, San Francisco and San Diego Film Critics Associations. In its previous film festival career, the film won top prizes at the Tribeca, Edinburgh, Woodstock, Sitges and Puchon film festivals after its world premiere at the Goteborg Film Festival, where it won the prestigious Nordic Film Prize.
The film tells the story of Oskar, a bullied 12-year old, who dreams of revenge and eventually falls in love with Eli, a peculiar girl whose taste for blood may actually be a result of her being a vampire. Realistic human drama mixed with vampire genre thrills make for an unusual and unique experience that has intrigued audiences and critics around the world. The film, which is distributed in the United States by specialty distributor Magnolia Pictures, has been in constant theatrical release since October, amassing close to $2 million in theatrical receipts. The recent critics accolades and the film’s growing cult status could extend its theatrical run for months to come. For more information, click on: www.lettherightoneinmovie.com.
DIRECTOR ROBERT MULLIGAN DEAD AT 83
23/12/2008
Robert Mulligan, the award-winning director of such seminal films as TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1963) and SUMMER OF ’42 (1972) died earlier this week in his home in suburban New York City. Mulligan, a director who moved from the early days of live television into feature films, received an Oscar nomination for his sensitive work on TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which won its lead actor Gregory Peck the Best Actor prize. Known for his sensitivity to actors and for character-driven films, Mulligan drew out consistently fine performances from a range of his players, including Anthony Perkins in FEAR STRIKES OUT (1958), Robert Redford in INSIDE DAISY CLOVER (1965) Sandy Dennis in UP THE DOWN STAIRCASE (1967), Jennifer O'Neill in SUMMER OF ’42 (1972), and Richard Gere in BLOOD BROTHERS (1979).
His more recent films were not as well received, including 1982’s KISS ME GOODBYE, a reworking of the Brazilian film hit DONNA FLOR AND HER TWO HUSBANDS and CLARA’S HEART (1988) starring Whoopi Goldberg. One of his more unlikely champions was French auteur Francois Truffaut, who was a vocal champion of the director who had been criticized for lacking a particular "style." He enjoyed an 8 year collaboration with producer Alan J. Pakula, making five films together. Pakula eventually became a director in his own right, with ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN, the adaptation of the Watergate scandal starring Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman his best known effort.
HUGH JACKMAN TO HOST ACADEMY AWARDS
19/12/2008
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which give out the Oscars ever February (among other things), have announced that its 2009 host will be Australian actor Hugh Jackman. This is the first time in the Academy’s history that a non-American personality has been chosen as the solo host, solidifying the Oscars as an international rather than strictly an American film industry event.
Jackman, who is currently on the big screen in Baz Luhrmman’s lavish romantic epic AUSTRALIA, was recently named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive (no arguments here). The producers of the awards telecast, which has seen a dip in the past few years in terms of viewer attention, are betting on Jackman’s status (particularly his huge international following via the X-Men series) to bring in a larger audience tune-in. The Academy Awards will be given out at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on 22 February.
A VERY MARTY HOLIDAY CELEBRATION IN NEW YORK
19/12/2008
New York’s venerable year-round cinema organization Film Society of Lincoln Center rings in the New Year with a series of films from the “ultimate New York filmmaker” Martin Scorsese. From 26 to 31 December, at the Society’s flagship Walter Reade Theater, 11 Scorsese classics will be screened to be appreciated in all their visual and aural glory on the big screen.
The film series includes such classic films as TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL, GOODFELLAS, MEAN STREETS and the produced-for-television Bob Dylan documentary NO DIRECTION HOME. The series opens with Scorsese’s debut film, the little known WHO’S THAT KNOCKING AT MY DOOR (1967), which introduced the 25-year-old director’s adventurous and distinctly American cinematic voice. Other films screening in the series include the glossy Technicolor musical NEW YORK, NEW YORK, the celebrity satire KING OF COMEDY, the Las Vegas-insider epic CASINO and three celebrated documentaries: NO DIRECTION HOME and earlier films ITALIAN AMERICAN and AMERICAN BOY: A PROFILE OF STEPHEN PRINCE. For more information on this and other upcoming events, visit: www.filmlinc.com.
