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Tag: Venice Film Festival

  • Diane Kruger, Elizabeth Banks Join Venice Film Festival Jury

    Diane Kruger and Elizabeth Banks have joined the list of huge names for the 2015 Venice Film Festival jury.

    The jury will be made up of nine members with Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron serving as president of the jury.

    Diane Kruger is a German-born actress.

    Diane Kruger is best known for her roles as Bridget von Hammersmark in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds, Abigail Chase in the National Treasure movies, and Helen in Troy.

    Elizabeth Banks is best known for her role as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games movies, but has made a move to directing.

    Dog Day Afternoon

    A photo posted by Diane Kruger (@dianekrugerperso) on

    After doing four movies with the cast of The Hunger Games, Banks became rather close with her co-stars.

    During an appearance with Jennifer Lawrence at Comic-Con this year, Banks gave her reasons for trying her hand at directing.

    Guess how many days you have to wait until the new @TheHungerGames: Mockingjay Part 2 trailer comes out?

    A photo posted by Elizabeth Banks (@elizabethbanks) on

    “Not a lot of ladies get to direct movies, and not a lot of ladies get to be in movies and I like to say that even Jennifer Lawrence, who’s the most famous actress in the world, gets not one, but two male costars,” Banks said of leading men Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

    She then told Jennifer Lawrence, “You’re a guy’s girl. Like, you basically have a penis. You have a man’s career now!”

    Elizabeth Banks added, “I started producing and directing because I knew I had more to offer an industry that clearly didn’t expect too much from me. Looks and age don’t play any part in directing a movie. It makes for a refreshing change.”

    In her directoral debut Elizabeth Banks took the helm for Pitch Perfect 2, which was a huge success.

    Definitely having a bed hair kind of morning…ugh

    A photo posted by Diane Kruger (@dianekrugerperso) on

    Diane Kruger and Elizabeth Banks will make for an outstanding addition to the jury for the Venice Film Festival. Don’t you think?

  • Viggo Mortensen Begins Venice With “Far From Men” Tomorrow, Then Off To Toronto

    Viggo Mortensen has been dominating the international film festivals this year. Already his movie The Two Faces of January, made waves at the Berlin film festival in February with an 84% critic approval according to Rotten Tomatoes, and Indiewire reported that Magnolia Pictures made a deal to distribute the movie in the United States.

    Then in May, Jauja was released at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard category and managed to claim the FIPRESCI Prize. In September, it moves on promisingly to the Toronto and New York Film Festivals. “Lisandro Alonso has created a work of immense beauty and power that will be studied and talked about and adored for years to come,” Ryan Krivoshey of Cinema Guild told Indiewire, “It’s a film that needs to be seen by as wide an audience as possible and that’s exactly what we intend to do.”

    The movie is set in the 1880s during a genocidal war in Patagonia, but you wouldn’t know that from watching the unconventional trailer:

    Tomorrow, however, marks the beginning of the Venice Film Festival. Mortensen has yet another film in the festival’s opening line up of French language movies, according to Deadline. The David Oelhoffen directed Far From Men will premiere in Venice and then move on to the Toronto International Film Festival in a Special Presentation berth.

    Will Mortensen be in an English language film ever again? The star is currently filming Captain Fantastic, which doesn’t come out until next year. With Steve Zahn, Frank Langella, Kathyrn Hahn, Missi Pyle, and Erin Moriarty, it is sure to be in English, especially since it is set in the Pacific Northwest.

    The Two Faces of January, mentioned above, also is in English. According to Magnolia Pictures’s website, Americans can expect it to be released in theaters September 26th, but you can watch it on demand with iTunes starting on Thursday.

  • Scarlett Johansson is Engaged…Again

    After having her fair share of romances with the hottest of heartthrobs in pop culture, the gorgeous, 28-year-old actress, Scar Jo, is finally getting hitched…again.

    After first being spotted kissing throughout the streets of NYC in November nearly a year ago, Scarlett Johansson is engaged to French journalist, Romain Dauriac.

    The two started seeing each other shortly after Johansson broke things off with advertising executive, Nate Naylor. And before Mr. Naylor, there was of course funny man, Ryan Reynolds.

    Reynolds and Johansson were married for a mere two years before calling it quits. But now that all parties have moved on, (Reynolds was married to actress, Blake Lively in September, 2012) Johansson is ready for something new.

    According to her interview in May’s issue of Marie Claire, she’s had time to think about her past relationships.

    “Well, it wasn’t that long ago. But I think I’ve had a fair amount of time to process the experience and be able to move forward,” said Johansson.

    She went on to say, “I continue to get to know myself better as I get older, and that helps me in my relationships.”

    Johansson had fans buzzing yesterday when she arrived at the Venice Film Festival in a breathtaking black dress and a sweet bling-ing accessory. Dauriac proposed to the blonde bombshell about a month ago with a stunning and vintage Art Deco ring.

    Johansson’s reps haven’t replied with confirmation of the engagement.

    Photo credit: Dave Bedrosian

  • Gia Coppola’s Directorial Debut in Venice

    First-time director Gia Coppola says she is trying to find her own voice as a filmmaker, therefore, she didn’t seek much help from either grandfather Francis Ford Coppola or aunt Sofia Coppola.

    “It was important for me to find my own voice and try to do it on my own,” she said in an interview Sunday before the debut of her film “Palo Alto”, an adaptation of a book by James Franco of the same name, out of the main competition at the Venice Film Festival — where Sofia walked away with the Golden Lion in 2010 for “Somewhere.” “Palo Alto” is about the vulnerability of four teenagers it follows in Palo Alto, Ca.

    Franco plays a soccer coach in the adaptation of his own book, who makes advances on a student, April, played by Emma Roberts. Val Kilmer appears in a cameo as April’s stepfather, which Coppola, 26, helps explain “why she would get entangled with her soccer coach and I think if there was something missing with her life at home.”

    Franco walked the red carpet in shaded sunglasses and signed autographs for a force of screaming female fans. But he took on a more serious tone in an interview, saying he was similar to one of the characters, Teddy, a talented artist who gets mixed up with drugs and winds up in trouble.

    “I guess I was a little like that, I was into art, I got into a bit of trouble, and yeah, that’s me,” Franco said.

    Although Palo Alto made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival towards the end of August, the flick doesn’t have a proper release date to speak of at the moment. Fans of Franco’s stories may have to wait a while before they can experience the cinematic endeavor for themselves.

    Sofia and Gia Coppola aren’t the only people in her family looking to follow in The Godfather director’s footsteps. Writer-director Roman Coppola unleashed his directorial debut “CQ” back in 2001. Unfortunately, the film remains unseen to this day. He followed up this effort with the 2012 Charlie Sheen drama “A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III”. Roman has also directed music videos for the likes of Green Day and Moby.

  • Harry Potter: Actually, My Name is Daniel.

    Harry Potter: Actually, My Name is Daniel.

    A little bit of the Harry Potter magic was in the air as British Film Star Daniel Radciffe arrived at the 70th annual Venice Film Festival, along with his parents and a posse of bodyguards, to promote his new movie, “Kill Your Darlings”. Even with the swarm of fans and the chaos that ensued, Radcliffe claims he is not intimidated. Watch here.

    “Thankfully, it’s not always like this,” he told the press conference, as a crowd outside thumped on the walls and rattled the windows trying to get in.”I’ve been dealing with it in various ways since I was 11. I don’t take it seriously, actually I think it’s funny,” said a smiling Radcliffe, sporting a blue polo shirt, rainbow socks, and pink sneakers. Radcliffe, now 24, exuded boyish charm in a blue polo shirt, rainbow socks, and pink sneakers. He may be a big-time movie star, but that didn’t deter him from bucking tradition by requesting a Karaoke party instead of the usual stuffy soiree.

    “Kill Your Darlings” is a film by John Chokidars starring Radcliffe as the Beat generation’s Allan Ginsberg. He said he thought fans would enjoy the flick, which explores themes from drug use to homosexuality.

    “I’m incredibly grateful for the swirl of support behind me. My fans seem excited by the unconventional path I am taking,” he said.

    “I love poetry and it was fantastic to get the part and have the opportunity to dive into Ginsberg’s life. The diaries he made when he was young gave me an amazing insight into his character,” he said.

    Radcliffe is also starring in “A Young Doctor’s Notebook”, based on the memoirs of a Russian doctor working during the Russian Revolution A Young Doctor’s Notebook is a four-part comedy drama based on a collection of short stories by the celebrated Russian writer and playwright Mikhail Bulgakov. The drama recounts Bulgakov’s semi-autobiographical experiences as a young doctor working in the small village of Muryovo at the dawn of the Russian Revolution in 1917

    For fans of “A Young Doctor’s Notebook”, the actor promised “series two is funnier and even darker.”

    Image via IMDb

  • Dakota Fanning transitions into a young lady

    If you are an avid chick flick fan like myself, you probably remember Dakota Fanning as Ray, from her role in Uptown Girls in 2003, or her role in War of the Worlds in 2005. This probably depends on whatever your movie genre preference.
    (image)
    Fanning, as Ray. (2003, Uptown Girls) Photo from International Movie Database.
    Look familiar?

    Now 19-year-old Dakota Fanning is showing off her more mature self, making an appearance at the 2013 Venice Film Festival at the Palazzo Del Cinema, on Saturday, August 31 in Venice, Italy. Dakota was wearing a ravishing midnight ball gown at the premiere for her role as Dena Brauer in Night Moves. Appearing with director Kelly Reichardt and her co-star, Jesse Eisenberg. Fanning wore a spectacular Elie Saab gown and Jimmy Choo shoes on the red carpet.

    Earlier on Saturday, Reichardt, Eisenberg and Fanning were out for the film’s photo call held at the Palazzo de Casino. This time, Dakota dressed in an Alexander McQueen double-layered-skirt dress with eye-catching embroidery, and Rupert Sanderson heels.

    Fanning was known for being so talented at such a young age, and taking challenging roles or that were out-of-the-box. Not just for the money. Now seeing her all grown up, Fanning viewers find it awkward seeing her, and how much she has changed from a youthful child into a young lady, in a good way.

    Her newest movie, Night Moves, has another upcoming preview date on September 8 at the Toronto International Film Festival in Canada. Fanning also has two upcoming American films, The Last of Robin Hood and Every Secret Thing, which currently have no specific release dates in the U.S. One upcoming foreign film, Effie Gray, which is due to release in October 2013 in the UK.

    If you’re like me, you will look forward to further appearances. Where some Hollywood children grow up, sometimes too fast and become not so “classy.” Fanning continues to show us that she is growing up beautifully and can hold her own.