Spiderman Flies to the Top Once Again! Boy Ecury Picks Up Adult Award in Colorado Drive-In Movies on Big Screen Across the Water "Bloom" Blossoms For A Special Centennial Perennial Year "Love in Thoughts" Follows Footsteps of "Good-bye, Lenin" And "What the #?*! Do We Know?! (July 2004) That man with the mask and the webshooters is back!! Spiderman 2 © Columbia-Tri Star Films 2004 a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company Spiderman 2 © Columbia-Tri Star Films 2004 a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company Spiderman 2 © Columbia-Tri Star Films 2004 a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company Spider-Man® 2 has made box office history. With the largest opening day ever, it cornered an estimated $40.5 million in ticket sales and established a new industry record. Nothing for Aunt May to be upset about now, it would seem. And from the looks of it (as well as some clever planning) things should be rolling on number 3 in the near future. It would seem that congratulations are due for producer Sherman De Jesus, scenarist Arthur Japin, and director Frans Weisz for their film "Boy Ecury" which has recently won the Columbine Award for Best Feature Film at the Moondance International Film Festival 2004 in Boulder, Colorado. Fons Merkies' score for the film has already won the FIPA d'Or during the International Festival of Audiovisuals Programs (FIPA) in Biarritz as well as the Golden Calf at the Dutch Film Festival. Producer Wouter Snip's directorial debut "Uncle Jan" ("Oom Jan"), a family drama about an old man's death by euthanasia, is in final stages of preparation. The film, produced by Jura Film and the Fresian broadcasting system (Omrop Fryslan) in Holland, is scheduled for a special premiere during the Netherlands Film Festival this autumn. The story, situated on the northern island of Ameland, promises to be both a visually beautiful as well as an emotionally moving film. The roles are portrayed by actors from the vicinity and should doubtless guarantee fulfillment with a gratifying aspect of authenticity. "Dutch Light" ("Hollands Licht"), the visually stunning and intellectually stimulating documentary about the solitary influence of Dutch light and its influence upon artists directed by Pieter-Rim de Kroon & Maarten de Kroon which premiered at last year's Dutch Film Festival (and won the award for best feature length documentary), has recently won cameraman Paul van den Bos the award for Best Cinematography at the Festival di Palazzo Venezia. Further information available: www.hollandslicht.nl . Frank Scheffer's Allegri film production " A Labyrinth of Time " about composer Elliott Carter premiered last month in 15 DocuZone cinemas throughout Holland. Carter, a native New Yorker, is acclaimed as one of the greatest living composers whose life and work encompasses almost a century of music history. Carter, who became 95 years of age in December of 2003, is still busy creating new compositions. The film includes interviews with such noted figures as Daniel Barenboim, Charles Rosen and Pierre Boulez, who give their viewpoint on Carter's work. For further information: www.docuzone.nl . Sean Walsh's "Bloom", the 2003 filmed version of James Joyce's novel Ulysses, which enjoyed its debut last year at the Galway Film Fleadh, recently sprung into the limelight at Dublin cinemas for celebration on the inevitable centenary day (June 16th) during the five-month "ReJoyce 2004" festival. A work of labor, this project occupied eleven years of the filmmaker's life and had regrettably more or less vanished from sight after its Galway inauguration. The critical acclaim that it received last year found some difficulty with certain members of the public who found themselves cinematically challenged. Let's hope that this time around it will muster up some Irish staying strength as well as winning a worldwide release. The "ReJoyce" attention both among academics and regular audiences may help to see that this result is achieved. (Those who believe the film may be too intellectual or boring may still be tempted into buying a ticket by the thought of a delightful and delicious performance of Angelina Ball as Molly.) In the meantime, those of you who don't have a cinema nearby which is screening it can find further information and details at www.ulysses.ie . The Goethe Institute on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam remains one of the spots to catch the latest in new German films. Two or three times a year they arrange a short festival of films whereby, albeit screened from video, one can keep up to date on the latest in new German cinema (often with the director of the respective film in attendance). This can be extremely informative, especially when considering that several of these cinematic debuts often never reach regular distribution within Holland. On the other hand, every now and again one of these films does get scheduled for release, such as the recent "Good-bye, Lenin" and now the upcoming "Was nützt die Liebe in Gedanken" ("Love in Thoughts." (Presented in German with Dutch subtitles.) Storyline: Two young men, who have decided to pursue pleasure in their lives without suffering the determent of compromise, unexpectedly become enamoured of a girl they chance to meet (and who appears to respond positively to their attentions), only to wind up in a state of confusion when they discover she has her own private feelings to deal with. A party arranged one evening with a large group of friends ends up with mixed feelings, wild excess, and guilt for all involved. This new film is scheduled for screening on July 16th at the Uitkijk theatre (Prinsengracht 452, near the Leidsestraat) and will be followed by a reception with writer/director Achim von Borries at the Goethe Institute (Herengracht 470). (Von Borries was, coincidentally, one of the scriptwriters on the charming "Good-bye, Lenin") Born 1968 in Munich, Borrie's previous work includes the film "England!", which was accorded 15 international awards, including two at the German Film Critic 2000 (Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography for Jutta Pohlmann). Recently, he was awarded the Directing Award 2003 by the German Labor Union Ver.Di (formerly the D.A.G. TV Award in Gold). If you can't make it on the evening of July 16th, don't worry: Bright Angel will be releasing the film throughout Holland on October 14th. The trailer for Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11", winner of the Golden Palm and Fipresci-award at the 57th Cannes Film Festival 2004, is available on-line at www.michaelmoore.com . The US release took place, after much ado (about something), on June 25th and scored VERY high indeed. What Uncle Walt and Uncle Sam may not have wished to see the light of day has been rescued by the Big Brothers and couldn't, it would appear from the numbers of people flocking to the cinemas, reach the public eye quick enough! Holland will have to wait until August 5th to experience the awful truth about what's hidden behind those obscure clouds of smoke. Principle photography has begin on the Dutch action-comedy "Crazy Hard!" ("Vet Hard") starring Jack Wouterse ("Band of Brothers") and Kurt Rogiers ("Costa!") alongside Bracha van Doesburgh, who will be appearing in her debut role. Brimming with stunts and humor, this typically Dutch comedy also features Johnny de Mol and Cas Jansen with none other than Chazia Mourali, who is trading in her television personality to appearing in her first wide-screen role as the incredibly annoying sister Rita. This also marks the feature film debut of director Tim Oliehoek, who was previously nominated for a student Oscar® as a result of his work on the short film "The Champ." A remake of the Danish film "Old Men in New Cars", this Dutch/Belgian/Danish/English co-production is due for release later this year. The weird, wild and wonderful world of Evert de Beijer is under construction once again in a new production (which has, as is often the case in the world of animation, already been in various stages of development for several years now). Unfortunately, we cannot reveal the title because the new project still doesn't have one, but we can tell you that there will be no spoken dialogue in this new film. (Atmosphere is usually one of the strongest elements to be found in de Beijer's films, so that dialogue usually plays a secondary role.) It should be a stretching session for any actors who wind up lending their vocal abilities to the final product. More news when the film is ready for screening. The "Over Het IJ Festival" ("Across the Water Festival") will take place from July 6th through 17th. Located in and around the abandoned ship warehouses (NDSM werf) to the north of Amsterdam, activity will come alive once again as finishing touches are placed on the Plaza of the Unknown Hero and its accompanying production Northland. During the weekend preceding the even, the largest filmscreen in the Amsterdam will be under construction. The giant screen is for a drive-in movie theatre sponsered by Ben & Jerry's (yum-yum). Every evening at 10 PM a different movie will be screened, ranging from the Moroccan "Les Bandits" to the Dutch "Pheleine", the French hit "Amelie" and the American "Kill Bill" (parts 1 & 2). And entrance is absolutely free. On Monday afternoon, following the opening ceremonies, a ferry will begin sailing from Central Station to the location. It is at 5 PM on Tuesday, July 6th, however, that everyone will be welcomed to join the event. (The ferry is also free this year.) Live Music nightly on the podium by such groups and DJs as zZz, Behave, Mimezine en de DJ's Exex, Phil Horneman, SK1 en Chunk P&DJM. Lots of shows on offer, too, so check out the site. One of the recent additions to the schedule is Argentine Kris Niklison's Se dice de mi, a multi-media one-woman show that is best described as a mixture between popconcert and theatre solo. Niklison decided to create this performance after starring recently in a Cirque du Soleil extravaganza. City Sounds from the Music Warehouse (Stadsgeluiden van het Muziekpakhuis) is a piece that was first developed two years ago in order to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Music School in the Music Warehouse. It will only be performed twice at the Festival and both shows will take place on July 6th. And, of course, for those who want to spend some time relaxing on the terrain either before or after the performances, the restaurant kitchen will be open from 17:30 to 21:30. If you order your tickets via e-mail for Tuesday, July 6th or Wednesday, July 7th, you will not only escape reservation costs, but also receive the second ticket free. Further information on this and the entire Festival available at www.overhetij.nl . Eighty-nine countries have been invited by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to submit their top films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 77th Academy Awards®. Last year a record 56 entries were submitted for consideration in this category. Entry forms must be received at the Academy by Friday, October 1, and films must be received by Friday, October 15. Information about the Foreign Language Film Award may be obtained by contacting Awards Coordinator Patrick Stockstill at the Academy by forwarding an e-mail to pstockstill@oscars.org. According to Academy rules, to qualify for consideration for the 2004 Award, a film must have had its first public showing in a commercial theater in its home country for at least seven consecutive days between October 1, 2003, and September 30, 2004, and must have been produced with a predominantly non-English dialogue track in an official language of the submitting country. The 77th Academy Award® nominations will be announced at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Tuesday, January 25, 2004. Academy Awards® for outstanding film achievements of 2004 will be presented on Sunday, February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland®. Rules for the 77th Annual Academy Awards® were approved Tuesday, June 22nd by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The most significant rule change, said Academy President Frank Pierson, is a change in the Sound Editing Award rules that guarantees three nominations in the category. The category itself has had three names since it was first given in 1963 when it was called "sound effects." It became the "sound effects editing" category in 1976 and kept that name for 22 of the next 23 years. For the single year 1979 it was called "sound editing" and then took that name again in 2000 and has remained so named since. The board also incorporated into eligibility rule two a previously-voted provision that permits marketers to show up to ten minutes or ten percent of the running time of a film, whichever is shorter, in a nontheatrical medium prior to the film's theatrical release without jeopardizing the film's eligibility. Rules are reviewed annually by branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy's Board of Governors. Three students from New York and one from Northern California took home gold medals last month in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 31st annual Student Academy Awards® competition. The Student Academy Awards® were established by the Academy in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. In all, 13 students from the United States and one from Denmark received awards. While the U.S. students knew they would each receive an award, the level of that award ­ gold, silver or bronze ­ was not known until ceremony. Besides trophies, gold medalists received $5,000, silver medalists were awarded $3,000 and bronze medal recipients were presented with $2,000. The winners were: Alternative Gold Medal: "S.P.I.C.: The Storyboard of My Life," Robert Castillo, School of Visual Arts, New York Silver Medal: "Focus," Bill Ridlehoover and Nilanjan Lahiri, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia No Bronze Medal was awarded in this category. Animation Gold Medal: "Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher," Alexander Woo, New York University Silver Medal: "Rock the World," Sukwon Shin, School of Visual Arts, New York Bronze Medal: "Lemmings," Craig Van Dyke, Brigham Young University Documentary Gold Medal: "Cheerleader," Kimberlee Bassford, University of California, Berkeley Silver Medal: "When the Storm Came," Shilpi Gupta, University of California, Berkeley Bronze Medal: "Cuba: Illogical Temple," David Pittock and Lindsey Kealy, University of Nebraska Narrative Gold Medal: "A-Alike," Randall Dottin, Columbia University Siler Medal: "Zeke," Dana Buning, Florida State University Bronze Medal: "The Plunge," Todd Schulman, Florida State University Honorary Foreign Student Film Award "Between Us," Laurits Munch-Petersen, National Film School of Denmark The Honorary Foreign Film winner was selected from an original pool of 39 submissions ­ a record ­ from 23 countries. This is the fourth time that a student film from Denmark has won this particular award. Three-time Academy Award®-nominee Pete Docter served as presenter at the ceremony for the alternative and animation categories. Docter, also a past Student Academy Award® winner, earned his first nomination in 1995 as one of the writers of "Toy Story." Cinematographer Owen Roizman, who has earned five Oscar® nominations in his career ("The French Connection," "The Exorcist," "Network," "Tootsie" and "Wyatt Earp"), presented the awards in the narrative category. Arthur Dong, nominated in 1983 for his documentary short "Sewing Woman," served as presenter in the documentary category. Roizman and Dong also are current Academy Governors. Academy President Frank Pierson hosted the evening and presented the Honorary Foreign Student Award. A collection of costume sketches collected by the Costume Designers Guild since its inception in 1953, including sketches from Chaplin's 1940 film "The Great Dictator," have been donated by the Guild to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Margaret Herrick Library. The collection comprises almost 600 sketches, making it the largest of its kind ever donated to the library. "The Costume Designers Guild is proud to donate its priceless collection of motion picture costume sketches to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences," said Dr. Deborah Nadoolman Landis, president of the Costume Designers Guild. "This collection has been assembled during the Guild's 50 years and includes work from our many talented members, including legendary designers Orry-Kelly, Jean Louis and Edith Head. It's comforting to know that the Academy Library will safeguard these treasures, and make them available to designers and film scholars studying the central role that costume design plays in film." The Costume Designers Guild Collection contains sketches by such contemporary designers as Julie Weiss from "American Beauty" and "12 Monkeys," Judianna Makovsky from "Pleasantville" and Albert Wolsky from "Galaxy Quest." The Collection documents 60 years of filmmaking, with several drawings by Sheila O'Brien (the Costume Designers Guild's founder) for Joan Crawford in "Humoresque" and "Johnny Guitar," Edith Head for Shirley MacLaine in "Sweet Charity," Stephen Loomis for Isaac Hayes in "Escape from New York," Jean Louis for Julie Andrews in "Thoroughly Modern Millie," Arnold Scaasi for Barbra Streisand in "On a Clear Day, You Can See Forever," Howard Shoup for Natalie Wood in "Marjorie Morningstar," Michael Woulfe for Ava Gardner in "Singapore" and Jane Russell in "French Line," and a design for Kirk Douglas' loincloth in "Spartacus," by Valles. "Most of the drawings are watercolors or gouache, Coco said, "but there are some pencil-only drawings, too." Coco said the sketches won't be available for general use until the collection has been inventoried and tucked away in the appropriate archival containers, although she said she's "happy to help researchers with a serious purpose anytime." The 1934 musical "One Night of Love" will sing on the silver screen in a brand new print on Monday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. when the Best Picture nominee is presented as part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' continuing series "Great To Be Nominated." The Hearst Metrotone Newsreel "Joseph Breen on the Motion Picture Code," which features Breen detailing what the Association of Motion Picture Producers deemed permissible content for films, will be shown prior to the film. "Holiday Land," the Oscar®-nominated Cartoon Short Subject of 1934 will also be featured. The program's early-bird bonus will be "Star Night at the Cocoanut Grove," a newsreel featuring Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby and Mary Pickford enjoying an evening at the Hollywood hot spot. Tickets may be purchased by mail, in person at the Academy during regular business hours or, pending availability, the night of the screening when the doors open at 6:30 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3000, ext. 111. "What the #?*! Do We Know?!" Both documentary and fiction with the trappings of elaborate and inspiring visual effects and animations. Amanda (Marlee Matlin) finds herself in an Alice in Wonderland experience as her daily, uninspired life literally starts to unravel and reveal the uncertain world of the quantum field hidden behind what one normally considers our normal, waking reality. Plunged into chaos, this odyssey reveals the deeper, hidden knowledge she hasn't yet realized she has been looking for. Check out the website: www.whatthebleep.com . © 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett We much appreciate comments, suggestions and bug reports. Please send these to The Green Hartnett