| Napoleon Dynamite to be animated series THE FOX network will air an animated series based on the 2004 indie comedy film Napoleon Dynamite next season. news.com.au |
The greatest films of all time: top 25 romantic movies The first part of the Guardian and Observer's seven-section Greatest Films of All Time series kicks off today with Romance. So ... is there love in the room for the films on our list?The first part of the Guardian and Observer's seven-section Greatest Films of All Time series kicks off today with Romance.What makes a good love story? Compared with some of the other categories, this is perhaps one of the more straightforward questions. Classic romances, that have proved themselves over time, are less likely to be superannuated by modern technological advances in cinema than films in, say, the sci-fi and fantasy section. That still doesn't mean we didn't have room for the likes of Lost in Translation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Before Sunrise, alongside All That Heaven Allows, Doctor Zhivago and Roman Holiday. Some of the suggestions were inspired: until now, I suspect no one had thought of WALL-E as a great love story.To find out what our critics voted the top 25 romantic films, you'll just have to look through the list – but we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it won't be the last word. What should be at number 26? What's in that should be out? What's out that should be in?RomanceCatherine ShoardAndrew Pulverguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
The drama and arthouse 25: the full list Just the list, no snazzy extras? You've come to the right place1) Andrei Rublev2) Mulholland Drive3) L'Atalante4) Toyko Story5) Citizen Kane6) A Clockwork Orange7) Days of Heaven8) Fanny and Alexander9) The White Ribbon10) The Gospel According to Saint Matthew11) Aguirre, Wrath of God12) Pather Panchali13) The Conformist14) Death in Venice15) The Godfather16) The Graduate17) There Will Be Blood18) Battleship Potemkin19) The Rules of the Game20) Shadows21) Distant Voices, Still Lives22) The Passion of Joan of Arc23) La Dolce Vita24) Breaking the Waves25) The Spirit of the BeehiveWorld cinemaguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
This weeks new films Easy A (15) (Will Gluck, 2010, US) Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Patricia Clarkson. 92 minsThere's always room for a smart-mouthed high-school comedy in a Juno/Mean Girls vein – it's just a pity they come along so rarely. This doesn't quite make that grade but it aims for it, tackling issues of virginity and sluttishness through the story of a nice girl who lies about who she's laid and suffers the fallout – especially from the Jesus freaks.Carlos (15) (Olivier Assayas, 2010, Fra/Ger) Edgar RamÃrez, Alexander Scheer. 159 mins/334 minsThe life of the terrorist serves as a thrilling survey of cold war-era geopolitics in Assayas's swift, stylish, serious biopic, which covers a staggering amount of ground. See feature, p10.Red (12A) (Robert Schwentke, 2010, US) Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren. 111 minsSenior-citizen assassin comedy that gets away with a lot thanks to its cast. As a ride, it's more stairmaster than a rollercoaster.Legends Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole 3D (PG) (Zack Snyder, 2010, US) Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Helen Mirren. 97 minsChildren's animation taken to bonkers extremes in a lavish, jargon-heavy fantasy adventure that's like a cross between The Lion King and Star Wars – but with owls.The Arbor (15) (Clio Barnard, 2010, UK) Manjinder Virk, Neil Dudgeon. 94 minsStriking portrait of Yorkshire playwright Andrea Dunbar, with actors lip-synching real-life interviews in surreal council estate settings.Mary & Max (12A) (Adam Elliot, 2009, Aus) Toni Collette, Philip Seymour Hoffman. 92 minsClaymation yields real emotion in this bravely bleak tale of a long-distance friendship between a lonely Aussie girl and an Asperger's-suffering New Yorker.Africa United (12A) (Debs Gardner-Paterson, 2010, UK) Eriya Ndayambaje, Roger NsengiyumvaAcceptable feelgood in which a group Rwandan kids trek to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup finals, facing wildlife, disease and other grown up obstacles.Alpha And Omega 3D (U) (Anthony Bell, Ben Gluck, 2010, US) Justin Long, Hayden Panetierre, Dennis Hopper. 88 minsAll-too-predictable (for adults, at least) animated romcom about a boy and a girl wolf from opposite ends of the pack.Ramona & Beezus (U) (Elizabeth Allen, 2010, US) Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett. 103 minsBeverly Cleary's wholesome tales of an overimaginative, chaos-prone little girl translated into an equally wholesome family movie.Paranormal Activity 2 (15) (Tod Williams, 2010, US) Katie Featherston. 91 minsSequel to the low budget hit, whose formula of CCTV shocks is sure to draw in the curious and scare hungry.The Stoning Of Soraya M (18)(Cyrus Nowrasteh, 2008, US) Shohreh Aghdashloo, James Caviezel. 114 minsA true-life Iranian incident in which an innocent woman was stoned to death is retold in broad, graphic strokes.Chasing Legends (15) (Jason Berry, 2010, US) 95 minsDoc taking to the road and the saddle with a team on 2009's Tour De France.Out from FridayBurke And HareSimon Pegg and Andy Serkis star in John Landis's comedy horror.The Kids Are All Right Lesbian moms Annette Bening and Julianne Moore lead a family drama.Involuntary Seriocomic snapshots of Swedish life.Saw (3D) More horror with torture-happy Jigsaw.Spiderhole Squatting art students in a London haunted house horror.The Hunter Minimalist chase thriller with an angle on modern day Iran.This Prison Where I Live Doc on an imprisoned Burmese comedian.Out Of The Ashes Doc on Afghanistan's fledgling national cricket team.It Happened One Night & Forbidden Reissues of 1930s Frank Capra romances.Coming soonIn two weeks ... Child-vampire remake Let Me In … Mike Leigh's middle-age study Another Year … Johnny Knoxville feels new pain in Jackass 3D …In three weeks ... Sigourney Weaver and Jamie Lee Curtis face off in You Again … Rob Reiner returns to the 1950s for teen romance Flipped …In a month ... Half of the final term in Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part I …The guideguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
British Film Institute to take over from UK Film Council BFI will distribute lottery money to film-makers, the culture minister Ed Vaizey announcesThe British Film Institute will distribute lottery money to film-makers from next year, ministers announced today, ending – they hope – an acrimonious row that even prompted Clint Eastwood to write a concerned letter to the chancellor.The government revealed its plan to abolish the 10-year-old UK Film Council in July. Even those who sympathised with the decision criticised the lack of a plan for who would take over.Today the culture minister, Ed Vaizey, tried to alleviate those worries by announcing the BFI would take on most of the UKFC's functions apart from the task of encouraging inward investment, which would be in the hands of Film London.Vaizey said the BFI would have to "change fundamentally" to be "more able to realise an exciting vision of a coherent, joined-up film industry".It will be responsible not only for heritage and education, but for helping the production, exhibition and distribution of new British films.In a speech at Bafta's headquarters in London, Vaizey said the intention was to build on the already considerable achievements of the British film industry. "Despite the success, we cannot be complacent," he said. "The goal of a sustainable, independent British film industry remains as elusive as ever."The BFI immediately announced a rise in the money available for new films in the coming year from £15m to £18m, made possible by the cut in overhead costs because of the film council's abolition.More than a year ago the Labour government planned to merge the BFI with the film council, with the BFI as junior partner. Today's announcement, a merger in all but name, puts the BFI in charge.Its chairman, Greg Dyke, said: "It makes sense for there to be a single voice for film in this country - and that's going to be us." He added: "We can certainly do it significantly cheaper ... how much cheaper, we don't know yet. The UK Film Council carried quite a large overhead."There are still lots of questions. How much bigger will the BFI have to become? How much more money will it get? How many film council staff will transfer? Vaizey said he expected a detailed transfer plan to be sorted in the new year.He reaffirmed that lottery funding for film would rise from £27m to more than £40m by 2014 and said there were no plans to change the tax credit scheme which has encouraged Hollywood studios to make films in the UK.Vaizey praised Channel 4 and the BBC for its investment in film-making but said he could not understand why Sky did not make films. "As one of the country's most innovative broadcasters, they would bring a new dynamic force to the table that would lift everybody's game."The job of attracting foreign – principally Hollywood – studios to Britain will go to Film London, but Vaizey stressed that it would be working for the whole of the UK, not just the capital.The announcements were generally welcomed by the industry. Film producer David Parfitt, incoming chairman of Film London, said: "The key thing for us is that the money is still there and there is a promise to increase it and also a guarantee of the long-term future of the tax credit."Those are the things that the industry really wanted to hear."There was a more understandably downbeat response from the UKFC as it continues to help out in its own abolition. Tim Cagney, managing director, said: "We are relieved that, after over four months of uncertainty, the government has made up its mind on where public support for UK film will sit. There are still many unresolved issues so, to benefit the industry and to protect our staff, we will continue to work with the relevant organisations on a smooth handover of film functions and expertise."Privately, ministers acknowledge that the film council's abolition was badly handled. It led to angry letters to newspapers, and the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, even travelled to Los Angeles to assert that the UK was open for business when it came to film.Since then, Vaizey has consulted widely and also announced today that he was setting up a ministerial film forum to meet every six months or so to debate issues and concerns.Vaizey also announced that the eight regional screen agencies outside London would be streamlined into a single body, Creative England.UK Film CouncilFilm industryEd VaizeyMark Brownguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |