Father Geek here with Robert Bernocchi our editor in Rome, Italy with the latest edition of our Euro-AICN column. There's lots of coolness below soooooooo dig in... and enjoy...
Hi people.
I have great news about the latest projects by the Italian Tolkien Society...
First, the trip to New Zealand that the ITS is organising and that will see
an 18 days tour of that wonderful country. We received a lot of requests not
only from italian fans, but from european ones too. Even if the departure is
from Rome, our travel agency is preparing special tickets for the european
people who want to arrive in Rome and join our adventure. The trip will be
between march and april of the next year. We still don't know the exact
price, but I can advance you that it will be extremely cheap (considering
that is a New Zealand tour, of course)
You can read all details by clicking here:
Do It Right Now
Most important, the ITS is organising a great event in Bruxelles to
celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of the first two
volumes of The Lord of The Rings. The event will occur in march, 2004, in
the prestigious European Parliament and it will last a week. The English
Tolkien Society expressed its enthusiasm to collaborate at the celebration
and other Tolkien Societies all over the world are giving their adhesion to
the initiative. Moreover, the ITS is also trying to obtain the collaboration
of national and european institutions, as the european Parliament and
Commission, the italian ministries, the English and New Zealand
gouvernments. It would be the first time that such important institutions
would support a Tolkien-related event.
During this week, the organisers planned important meetings and exhibitions
with the most important experts and painters of J.R.R. Tolkien coming from
every part of the world. Last but not least, the event will pay attention to
the movies directed by Peter Jackson and on the New Zealand. The ITS, thanks
also to the help and the prestige of the English Tolkien Society, hope to
have someone from the cast of LOTR as guest.
You can read the full press release here:
Just Click Now
Why Postlethwaite refused GONY?
Hi,
Though you may be interested in this.
icLiverpool have an interview on their site with Brit actor Pete
Postlethwaite describing why he turned down the chance to work with Martin
Scorsese on Gangs of New York (because the pay sucked), his theatrical tour
of Australia in Scaramouche Jones and his cameo in Paul Hogan's new film,
Strange Bedfellows.
Just Click Here to read all about it.
Regards,
Julez
A Lupin live action feature movie is in production!
Dear Roberto
You might like to know that a live action movie about the gentleman-thief "
Arsene Lupin"( who inspired the Lupin III manga character ) will begin
shooting in France next August. It's a 25 millions dollars flick ( quite
expensive for french standards ) starring Romain Duris ( star of the huge
french hit " L'auberge espagnole" ) and Kristin Scott Thomas. The helmer is
Jean-Paul Salomé (director of "Belphegor" with Sophie Marceau). The action
takes place in Paris and Normandy in 1894. The script, by myself and Salomé
is loosely based upon the 1924 Maurice Leblanc novel "La comtesse de
Cagliostro" ( The Countess of Cagliostro ). Our story focuses on Lupin's
early years and his encounter with a mysterious and dangerous con woman who
calls herself the Countess of Cagliostro ( played by Scott Thomas ).
The project was announced during the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
Love your site,
Laurent Vachaud
I mentioned Lars Von Trier before, so what is the Danish filmaker doing now?
Here's a few tidbits from the Danish press.
Lars von Trier, whose film Dogville is in competition for the Palmes D'or,
will start the shooting of his next feature "Mandalay" this fall. Nicole
Kidman has been rumored to star, but it hasn't been confirmed yet.
Thomas Vinterberg (Festen) will direct the Trier scribed "Dear Wendy", which
will possibly star Bob Hoskins. Shooting is to take place in Scotland.
Just call me Juno
Maybe someone of you has read this interview with Paolo Zeccara and Fabrizio
Storaro (respectively Visual Effects Supervisor and Digital Set Design
Supervisor of Exorcist: The Beginning) on our Italian site, but if you lost
it, I think it's a good idea to post it on AICN too. Beware, a few spoilers
below:
Paolo Zeccara - Visual Effects Supervisor
What about working on Exorcist: The Beginning? Was it hard?
Mr. Paul Schrader wasn’t interested in directing a splatter movie with a lot
of visual effects. This sequel will be very different from the first one.
Our job is more photorealistic than you can think, because we don’t want to
change Vittorio Storaro’s photography in post production. Instead we want to
develop with him the visual aspect of the movie, particularly about the
fantastic scenes which increase more and more during the movie. When the
Evil grows, everything changes, the nature becomes darker, the animals are
strange and the african landscape changes with beautiful northern lights
appearing.
What is your task in the production?
The supervisor’s job is to control the project and to find the right
solutions for the movie discussing them with the people involved. I have to
stay on the set. For example I went to Morocco for a month and a half to
decide with Mr. Schrader and the director of photography how to do the
shootings right to make the visual effects work later in post production.
Sometimes you have to shoot an empty frame, sometimes you use blue screen.
My job was to choose which visual effect tecnique was right in that moment
without wasting or disturbing the actors, which is a problem I noticed in
the last Star Wars movies. An example: there’s a scene where some hyenas
surround the main character. How did we do? We took real hyenas and we tried
to train them. We found it impossible and dangerous for the actors. Then we
took an hyena and we build a sort of leash (masked as fake coat to make it
unrecognizable), we made the hyena sleep and shot her on the set far away
from the actor. And later we multiplied her with cgi. We had some problems
because the hyena didn’t react as a ferocious animal. I think that we will
use live material in the final cut for about 20% (also for a scene in which
the hyena came back in a dream). Stellan Skarsgard faced very dangerous
situations during the shooting. He showed to be a real professional and a
very clever actor. I knew it, because the 80% of american actors are used to
visual effects and know how to work with them, acting with the eyes as
Robert De Niro in Frankenstein.
Which was the most difficult job?
Our goal was to show to be on the same level as Hollywood. American people
are demanding. We had to talk a lot with Mr. Schrader who was in New York or
Los Angeles while we worked in Rome. On the set we had to explain Mr.
Schrader what we needed without make him thinking we were trying to force
him to do what we wanted. It’s a very difficult balance. We want to realize
the director’s vision. Our job is 30% artistic and 70% technical. Americans
are searching new visual effects studios in France, England and New Zeland.
We are the first italians that they contacted. We hope that this will help
us grow up.
Which were the things you worked with more concentration?
The production designs, the African sets (which is the set for most of the
movie) and the Netherland ones. Father Merrin lost his faith when in
Netherland some Nazi forced him to choose ten men to kill just to avenge one
Nazi killed during the occupation. Then we find him three years later as an
archeologist in Africa where he meets Pazuzu, the Demon of the first movie.
Here in Cinecittà they shot the Netherland and the african sets (an
archeological site, a colonial village) in which we will see the black
culture who fights with the white culture.
How is it going now?
We’re preparing five or six versions of some scenes that Mr. Schrader is
editing now. We are waiting for the final cut, that is set to be on the
first days of May (this interview was made on April). Anyway, Mr. Schrader
doesn’t have the final cut.
Fabrizio Storaro - Digital Set Design Supervisor
Which tecniques did you use for the movie?
Two tecniques. First: the translite. We reproduced the external sets in our
facilities “OxArt” inside Cinecittà with the cgi, using some still photos we
took in Morocco when Mr. Schrader was filming in Africa. We built in
Cinecittà the Morocco sets and we used our translites as the background of
the construction. We modified the photos to obtain different quality of
light (morning, afternoon, night). Then we printed the images creating
translites of 20 x 6 metres. Once the translites are painted, now, thanks to
the computer technology, we can use images to create our new images. We used
this tecnique for Dune (the tv series). In that movie we didn’t restrict
ourselves to reproduce a real desert but we inserted same computer photos to
realize our idea of a desert.
And the other one?
The construction of the church mosaics. While the translites are basically
big sheets with thickness, in this case we transferred the mosaics colour on
the set, which was at the beginning the same white plaster walls. A painter
create a lot of pictures which represented the mosaics, then we transferred
all into the computer and then transferred all on a very particularly kind
of film that allow to insert only the colour. Then we went to the theater
sets and we attached these huge pictures on the walls opposite, with the
image faced to the wall. After a bit, when the walls absorbed the colour, we
separated the pictures from them. So the church hall is a real wall that you
can touch and it allowed Mr. Schrader to do particularly kind of shootings.
Which was the most difficult part of your job?
Working on the mosaics and the octagonal dome. A painter gave me some
pictures of an angel and many heads and we made all the eight parts of the
dome usings these heads and removing the mosaics which were used also for
the church. The painter gave us a series of elements that me and my father
(the legendary three Academy Awards winner Vittorio Storaro) used to create
different walls. There are 20-25 mosaics inside the church. I worked a lot
with my father about the colours, with Stefano Ortolani who was the art
director and with David Packard, that is the painter.
Last but not least, two more reviews by our great James Bartlett (Spoilers
included). Matrix Reloaded was released in Europe this weekend, A Mighty
Wind has to arrive in our theaters yet, so don't start the usual "I've seen
this movie a year ago" in the talkbacks, please...
A Mighty Wind
Director: Christopher Guest
Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Christopher
Guest, Bill Badalato
91 mins
Jonathan Steinbloom (Bill Badalato) is organising a concert in memory of his
father, an influential manager of folk music bands back in the 60's - he
wants to get the Main Street Singers, The Folksmen and the darlings from
that scene, Mitch and Mickey, back for the gig at New York's Town Hall..
But the 60's were a long way back and organising a gig like this in a short
time isn't as easy as everyone thinks: The Folksmen (Michael McKean, Harry
Shearer, Christopher Guest) are up for it - though all have lost their hair,
The Main Street Singers have had many personnel changes over the years and
are now the New Main Street Singers - with an ex-porn star and homeless
runaway now on board.
Trickiest of all and the main focus of this ensemble piece is Mitch and
Mickey (Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara). They are no longer a couple and
their bitter break-up pushed Mickey over the edge; now he is a bit of a
spaced out, mumbling wreck: can they all get it together in time?
Using the trademark mockumentary style that was used to such success in
Spinal Tap, Guest shows admirable restraint here and keeps from using
obvious "Tap" style histrionics or problems in the build up to the gig. The
use of "old" footage and photographs - plus the hilarious fictional album
covers - really evokes that time (and even though I'm not quite old enough
to remember it, it worked for me).
Best of all though were the songs themselves; as to be expected from such
genuine musicians, they sounded great and really could have been from that
period - a genius touch and virtually the glue that held it all together.
Also, the continued use of the same ensemble cast comes up trumps again.
Also, the Mitch and Mickey strand was moving as well and the film provided a
lot more laughs than you would have thought when you heard the subject
matter. I rate this more highly than Guest's other recent films "Waiting For
Guffman and "Best in Show".
The Matrix Reloaded
Director: The Wachowski Brothers
Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
138 mins
The Matrix Reloaded is the sequel the massive hit from 1999 and the second
in the trilogy. Its world-wide simultaneous release heralded as much
excitement as the Men In Black sequel and maybe even a Star Wars or Lord Of
The Rings film. In fact as I recall, the biggest cheer in the other recent
huge hit sequel (the limp X2) was for the Matrix Reloaded trailer.
Reloaded still sees us with Neo (Keanu Reeves), Orpheus (Laurence Fishburne)
and Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) and their never ending quest to keep their
human-inhabited "real" underground world of Zion safe, both from the
octopus-like machines who seek to destroy it and the black suited agents who
patrol the Matrix - the imaginary world that the rest of mankind lives in.
The machines are tunnelling down towards Zion and its people are gearing up
for a nasty fight, but Orpheus believes that Neo will provide the solution,
as he is "the chosen one". Many also believe this too, but others are not so
sure - including Neo himself.
When Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) confronts Neo and tells him that he is
"free" too, we're not sure what he means - whatever, he has learnt to
reproduce himself, so now Neo has another type of Agent enemy to fight.
Orpheus and the others take their ship out of Zion to try and get the
solution from The Oracle. This in turn leads them on a quest to find the Key
Maker, who can open the door at the centre of the Matrix and answer all the
questions - or can it?
When I saw The Matrix a few years back, I felt that it was a simple
schoolboy sci-fi script wrapped around some amazing effects that were
admittedly new and innovative. Now it's over four years later and the
effects we saw then are now standard - common enough to be parodied and used
in TV ads - so I thought that perhaps this film was going to blast us away
with even better effects.
Sadly, The Matrix Reloaded was a breathtaking disappointment; the script is
flawed and the dialogue is confusing "hard sci-fi," plus there's no trace of
humanity or emotion, even though there are love stories set up and we are
supposedly dealing with the end of the human race as we know it.
As for the effects - how sparse and pretty unspectacular. What you see in
the trailer is pretty much it and they hold no tension for us anymore; we
know that Neo, Trinity and Orpheus will triumph any chase or fight, so
what's the point? Sure they look great, but so what? This is an effects
movie; they should do.
As for the performances, there's not much there; Anne-Moss has little to do,
Reeves is his usual plank and Fishburne has too much cod pseudo religious
sci fi bullshit to spout. As for Weaving - a great actor - his character
Agent Smith could have been amazing; perhaps it's in the next film.
It's quite a long watch and pretty boring really - it's also essential to
see the first film before this, or you'll be lost. Nevertheless, this has
already made a fortune and the third film Revolutions is out at Christmas.
James Bartlett
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