Fan Fare

from Environment Forum:

Brad Pitt, Matt Damon give krill a star turn

There are no small parts, only small actors, or so the old show-biz saying goes. Now there are big stars -- Matt Damon and Brad Pitt -- playing two of the smallest parts ever. In a far cry from "Ocean's Eleven" (and 12 and 13) they're lending their voices to a pair of krill, small shrimp-like creatures that form the base of the Antarctic food web.

Pitt and Damon play Will and Bill, the krill, in "Happy Feet Two," the sequel to the 2006 dancing-penguins animated feature. Both films have conservation themes. The latest movie  opens  in mid-November.

These Hollywood names might help shine a spotlight on krill at a time when the species is under pressure, according to the Pew Environment Group. An international meeting under way now in Hobart, Tasmania, is expected to consider more protection for these tiny animals, which penguins, seals and whales depend on to survive.

Increasing demand for krill as feed for industrially farmed fish and for nutritional supplements has pushed the krill fishery beyond a sustainable level, the conservation group said in a statement. Krill fishing in some areas could outpace efforts to protect the well-known animals that rely on it.

“Existing efforts to regulate krill catch must be sustained and enforced, so that animals such as penguins and seals are not competing against industrial fishing vessels just to survive,” said Gerry Leape, a senior officer at the Pew group.

New fishing technologies enable fleets from multiple countries process krill continuously, bringing in much higher catches than a decade ago. An accelerating loss of sea ice that provides essential habitat for krill adds to the problem and threatens to deplete stocks in key feeding areas for penguins, seals and whales.

The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is meeting in Tasmania from October 24 through November 4, and the Pew Environment Group is asking delegates to the commission to require observers on all krill-fishing vessels, set up a dedicated fund to monitor krill predators, and maintain smaller divisions of the ocean to manage krill to prevent local depletion that will harm penguins and other animals.

from Photographers Blog:

World War Z goes to Glasgow

By David Moir

The post-apocalyptic horror novel, ‘World War Z’, by Max Brooks, has been adapted into a film starring Brad Pitt and Mireille Enos and directed by Marc Forster. It has started filming in Scotland. The set is mainly on the streets in and around George Square in Glasgow, with its open space and architecture, substituting for Philadelphia.

Road signs have been put up telling you 16th Street, J F Kennedy Boulevard and Ben Franklin Bridge are just around the corner so hopefully you feel like you are in Philly, certainly some of the tourists from the U.S. I’ve spoken to seem to give it the thumbs up.

The Brangelina bandwagon (or train as it should now be known) chartered an entire train for the journey north from London over the border to Glasgow for themselves, their children and cast and crew of the film. They arrived last week in a flurry of media attention (TV crews positioned, journalists lurking and photographers roaming) and blacked out people carriers and limousines sitting near by but with security so tight you couldn’t see a thing.

With that in mind, myself and colleagues all thought the access to the actual filming was going to be super tight, how wrong could we be?

Does director Malick exist?

Admittedly with tongue firmly in cheek, French reporters in Cannes for the film festival are pondering the unthinkable — does U.S. director Terrence Malick actually exist?

Most film makers are only too happy to share the limelight with their cast at the world’s biggest showcase, bathed in sunshine so far this year and the scene of an endless circus of screenings, press conferences and parties frequented by the beautiful people.

Not so Malick. The notoriously shy director’s “The Tree of Life”, starring Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, is in competition this year and is one of the most talked-about movies at the festival so far. Only his fifth feature film and the first for six years, anticipation was high for a picture that tackles nothing less than the question of the meaning of life. Yet the 67-year-old “The Thin Red Line” director is nowhere to be seen. Pitt took most of the questions during the post-screening press conference, and Malick did not show on the red carpet.

Presenters on the festival’s official television channel joked that he may not actually exist. One said that Malick had been caught on camera briefly on Monday by a journalist who actually thought he was Brian de Palma.

Many reporters assumed Malick was not in Cannes, but French director Luc Besson suggested that the sighting may have been genuine. “He is shy, he’s just very shy,” he said on the red carpet before the world premiere of The Tree of Life. “He’s not far from here.”

George Clooney: My Italian villa is not for sale!

Poor George. If it’s not his latest girlfriend the celebrity media is speculating about, it’s got to be his fondness for living in Italy. We can empathize, somewhat, because we spend a lot of time chasing George Clooney stories — some, not so true.

Today’s latest was that Clooney was selling his mansion at Lake Como in Italy. The story was picked up in a lot of newspapers, including here. Some sites said David Beckham was going to buy it. Read one of those, here. The problem is, it’s simply not true, says Clooney.

The Oscar-winning movie star on Wednesday answered the reports of an impending sale of his home with a statement from his Los Angeles spokesman that reads:

“A story saying that George Clooney was sellig his Italian home in Lake Como and was going to by a home in Loreto Island, which is near Lake Como, has been republished in one form or another by various outlets. According to Clooney, ‘To complete the news cycle. I’m not buying an island and am not selling my house in Italy. The story was made up…then picked up…and now denied…end of another day of false news.”

It reminded us on Fan Fare of last month’s story that Brad Pitt and Angelina were on the brink of breaking up. That bit of gossip — which by-the-way has been around almost since the day Brangelina went public with their relationship — has caused the Hollywood couple to sue the publication for printing what they claim is a false story. Read about that one here.

“Inglourious Basterds” aims for more box office glory

As we’ve said before on the Fan Fare blog, opening weekend box office is not the only predictor of a film’s success and, sometimes, can be downright misleading.

Director Quentin Tarantino’s widely-hyped “Inglourious Basterds” enters its second weekend at U.S. and Canadian box offices on Friday after claiming the No. 1 spot last weekend with a debut of  around $38 million. Tarantino has many loyal fans who can be counted on to show up on the opening weekend, but the second weekend is a bigger question. If fans liked the movie and if their “word-of-mouth” recommendations to friends are strong, then “Inglourious” may be able to retain audiences and beat newcomers “The Final Destination” and “Halloween 2.”

So far, “Inglourious” has scored fairly well with critics and fans. At review site rottentomatoes.com, it receive an 88 percent positive score among critics. At Metactric (http://www.metacritic.com), it received a score of 69 out of 100 among critics and a user rating of 7.8, based on 206 votes. We talked to a few fans who’d seen the movie and got their opinion. You can watch by clicking below.

(video by Marc Price)

Diane Kruger’s “Inglourious” reunion with Brad Pitt

Diane Kruger and Brad Pitt starred together in the 2004 movie “Troy,” and they reunite on screen in the movie “Inglourious Basterds” opening on Friday. But the reunion comes with a bloody twist, a moment more akin to a Freddy Krueger movie than a Diane Kruger’s flick, when Pitt’s U.S. Army lieutenant character sticks his finger in a fresh bullet wound in her leg.

It’s squeamish stuff, in line with the movie itself, which is high on over-the-top violence and the sometimes gruesome irony that is inherent in much of Tarantino’s work. But Kruger isn’t sore about the painful scene, and she has nothing but good things to say about Pitt and Tarantino.

“When you work with Brad, it’s a lot of fun,” Kruger told Reuters. “He’s a great playmate and you can really bounce off him.”

As for Tarantino, the actress said that she and most actors are big fans of the director. 

“All his movies are performance-driven and he writes incredibly well for women,” she said. “I loved Pam Grier in ‘Jackie Brown.’

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis: reporting by Zorianna Kit)

Who’s your daddy, Chace Crawford or Brad Pitt?

Another day; another hot, hunky Hollywood actor.

Tuesday, we brought you Vanity Fair readers’ idea of the world’s most handsome man, Robert Pattinson, 23, (see the blog post below). So today, Wednesday, we thought Fan Fare readers might want to know who was dubbed the hottest bachelor by People magazine. He is (drumrollllllllllll), “Gossip Girl” actor Chace Crawford.

At People’s website, Crawford, 23, talks about his first kiss and the perfect date, “all you need is a pool table, beer, an electric jukebox and good conversation.”

We’re thinkin’ you might want to do more than pool and beer, Chace, but hey, whatever works. (For Pattinson, it’s a pair of fangs). You can read about Chace here.

There’s definitely a sea change afoot in Hollywood where the title “hot” is concerned. It wasn’t too long ago that those monikers belonged to the likes of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon or Johnny Depp, but those guys are, well, older now (Pitt, 45; Damon, 38; Depp 46) and dads.

But wait! There’s still hope for guys who’ve transitioned into fatherhood.

Word comes from movie site Fandango.com that they have their own poll: Top 10 sexy movie star dads! Nothing wrong with being a dad, (this weekend is father’s day in the U.S., after all). We all gotta grow up sooner or later, and it’s especially good if you’re a “hot” dad.

Cannes draws to close, reactions mixed

As the Cannes film festival headed toward it’s final weekend with a few films left to play on Saturday and awards to give away on Sunday, the reactions to films screening here seemed to be mixed and the star power decidedly low, which was what had been expected going into the world’s largest film gathering.

The frontrunner for the coveted Palme d’Or, the festival’s top honor, appears to be French film “Un Prophete” (“A Prophet”) from director Jacques Audiard, telling of a 19-year-old man who learns how to survive in prison. Read more about it here. Because Cannes is considered a festival where cinematic art is explored, winning the Palme d’Or does not always translate into commercial success, especially in the Hollywood-dominated United States. But Sony Pictures Classics acquired U.S. distribution rights to the film, and they are masters at luring U.S. audiences to foreign films. Perhaps their biggest success in that arena was Oscar nominee “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

The major starpower of the festival was, as expected, the Wednesday premiere of Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds,” which brought Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie to Cannes’ red carpet. You can read about that movie here. And if you want a peak inside their premiere party, just scroll down the Fan Fare blog, and we give you some video behind the velvet rope. The other major star on the carpet was Spain’s Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodovar’s “Los Abrazos Rotos,” (“Broken Embraces”). Click here for a story on that title. Both of those movies ended up with mixed buzz from their Cannes screenings.

The big bomb was “Antichrist” from Denmark’s Lars von Trier, mostly because people considered it excessively brutal to the point of being gross. Read about it here. But But von Trier is considered an artist of cinema, and the thing about art is that it is supposed to challenge people, make them think in new ways and see the world differently. Perhaps that is what “Antichrist” eventually will do. It was picked up for distribution in the U.S. by IFC Films.

And the parties? Going into Cannes, merchants, caters, restaurateurs and others were expecting business to be down about 30 – 40 percent. That has likely proven to be true, but the real result won’t be known until after all the receipts are tallied up. But it is certain, there were fewer events, fewer invitations and fewer crowds along Cannes beachside Croisette and inside its posh hotels. That tale of low lights and dim star wattage — with the exception “Twilight” heartthrob Robert Pattinson, is here. Still, if you got in, the parties were just as fun as ever. We tried to bring you the parties here on the Fan Fare blog, and you can watch some of them by scrolling down.

Business was mixed, too. If you had a good movie, business was good. If not, it was pretty rough. That tale of haves and have-nots is here. And business can’t be frowned upon even at an art-focused, cinema-loving event like Cannes because, after all, money does make the world go around. That is as true in Cannes as it is in Hollywood.

Brad and Angie — together!! — in Cannes

As if to dispel all the rumors of discord in the relationship between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the glamour couple strolled the red carpet at the Cannes film festival premiere of Brad’s “Inglourious Basterds” on Wednesday night. They also showed up at the after party.

The party was jam packed with media on the outside and studio execs inside, and we couldn’t get anywhere near the couple at the party — security being what it was. Actually, it was more like onlookers four-deep using their peripheral vision to sneak peaks at the Hollywood couple. We didn’t want to play that game. In any case, we promised we’d take Fan Fare readers inside, so click below. You’ll see Harvey Weinstein walk across one sequence, and stay to the end where you’ll get a fan reaction to the Quentin Tarantino-directed film.

“Inglourious Basterds” bloodies Cannes

Director Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, ‘Inglourious Basterds” shot its way into the Cannes film festival on Wednesday morning for early press and public screenings ahead of its red carpet premiere and after-party in the evening, and what a blood bath it was.

Tarantino, director of movies such as “Pulp Fiction,” has created a sort of cartoonish, comic book-style nod to shoot ‘em up World War II movies such as 1967′s “The Dirty Dozen.” But it is far more graphic with its violence, which includes scalping dead soldiers’ heads, and more modern than that old war tale — using background music ranging from David Bowie to ”The Green Leaves of Summer” from the soundtrack of the motion picture “The Alamo.” In fact, the movie opens with the feel of an old Clint Eastwood spaghetti western such as ”The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” 

Brad Pitt portrays tough-as-nails American Lieutenant Aldo Raine who leads a band of Jewish soldiers with nicknames like “The Bear Jew” working behind enemy lines in France to kill Nazis in such a gruesome fashion that it strikes fear into the hearts of Hitler’s army. Diane Kruger portrays German actress Bridget von Hammersmark who is an undercover spy, and there is a cameo appearance by comic actor Mike Myers as a British military officer. The truly stand-out performance comes from Christoph Waltz as a Nazi known as “The Jew Hunter.”

The early morning press screenings were packed with journalists and an overflow room had to be opened to accomodate the crowds. Outside the Palais where the movie is screening throughout the day, Tarantino fans clamored for tickets. And click on our story with comments from Tarantino and Pitt at Wednesday’s press conference.

But we wonder, is ”Inglourious Basterds” too violent? Since the movie hits theaters starting in August, it would be hard for any of our readers to comment, specifically. But two years ago, war movies came out in significant numbers, and they flopped at box offices as battles raged in Iraq and Afghanistan. People just weren’t in the mood. Escapism, fantasy and comedy have been what’s worked in theaters, and that has carried into 2009. The interesting thing is, “Inglourious Basterds” mixes fantasy and comedy with a lot of blood and guts. Is that what people really want to see? Or, has the time for bloody violence in movies come to an end?