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2008-07-05T14:45:00.002-07:00

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2006-08-11T02:18:00.001-07:00

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2006-08-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

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On the trail of Lesbian Vampire Killers

2006-05-23T00:41:00.000-07:00

BBC News website readers voted for Lesbian Vampire Killers as the film in Cannes they wanted to know more about. We pick up the trail.

Two young men decide to escape their problems and head to Wales for a weekend in a small village.

They arrive to find a coach-load of Swedish females and a cursed hamlet under the spell of vampires of a specific sexual persuasion.

Welcome to Lesbian Vampire Killers, a comedy horror film project from British firm AV Pictures.

Currently, Lesbian Vampire Killers is little more than a series of glossy posters and a tag-line straight from the Carry On tradition: "Two no-hopers. A Cursed Village. One hell of a night!"

Sat on his balcony in Cannes, AV Pictures managing director Vic Bateman says: "It's a great poster."

Audience expectations

Acting talent is still being put together, but Mr Bateman promises surprises. He says the film has already done deals in Europe, with America and the UK expected to follow.

Producer Bateman has a career in film-making going back 38 years, including The Krays, Staggered and DVD hit, Dog Soldiers.

The film market is bulging at the seams with titles, but Mr Bateman says he is confident that AV Pictures knows what the audience wants.

"We keep telling our directors: 'Make films for an audience not for yourself'.

Vic Bateman
Producer Vic Bateman has worked in film for 38 years

Sky HDTV launch runs into trouble

2006-05-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Sky has delayed the installation of high-definition TV (HDTV) in 17,000 homes because its supplier has failed to deliver enough set-top boxes.

The satellite operator's HD service is launching with channels showing films, sport and entertainment.

But many subscribers have been told they must wait several weeks for installation.

Sky said "more than enough" boxes were ordered but not all had arrived, and it was "very sorry" to let people down.

Anyone requesting installation on Monday, launch day, will be told that they must wait until early August, meaning they will miss the World Cup - which begins on 9 June - in HD.

The issue has surfaced on internet discussion forums with users saying their installation date has been moved from this week to June or July.

'Supplies to double'

But Sky said all customers whose installation date was changing were being offered a new date within three weeks of the original date.

"We're working hard to resolve the situation," said Robert Fraser, Sky's head of corporate press.

"Thousands of customers will have their HD box this week and many more will be installed in time for the start of the World Cup."

Those who had ordered first would receive their equipment first, he added, saying the quantity of set-top boxes delivered to the company was expected to double in the next three weeks.

By 1730 BST on Monday about 2,500 HD installations had been carried out.

Ewan McGregor in Star Wars movie Revenge of the Sith
Sky plans to show Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in HD

Sky had previously said 40,000 advance orders were received in the first three weeks of bookings, which had opened on 13 April.

It had a total of 8.1 million subscribers in the last quarter of 2005.

HDTV promises higher quality pictures and audio through a compatible television set.

Sky is showing HD versions of its film and sports channels - Sky Movies and Sky Sports - plus the selected output of broadcasters such as the BBC.

The Star Wars movie Revenge of the Sith, US real-time drama 24 and live coverage of England's second cricket Test with Sri Lanka are planned for the first week of transmissions.

HDTV is also available on cable through the Telewest platform, and there is a limited trial through normal aerials for 500 selected Freeview users in the London area.

Jowell praises UK film at Cannes

2006-05-23T00:38:00.000-07:00

British films have doubled their share of the global box office in the last two years, according to new figures.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell,in Cannes for the annual film festival, said this was a "fantastic success story" for the industry.

In 2005, the 10 best-performing British films grossed $2,599m.

Also at the festival, director Nanni Moretti has defended his decision to release controversial film Il Caimano ahead of the recent Italian elections.

The Film Council figures show that UK films, with US co-production status, enjoyed a 15.8% market share in the US.

TOP 10 UK FILMS WORLDWIDE
1. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire
2. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3. Batman Begins
4. Kingdom of Heaven
5. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
6. Sahara
7.The Corpse Bride
8. The Phantom of the Opera
9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
10. The Brothers Grimm

However, UK projects made without US involvement had just a 0.8% share of that market.

Only one of the top 20 biggest-earning UK films of 2005 - The Constant Gardener - was funded without any money from the US.

The most successful UK film of 2005 was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which earned $808m (£431m) worldwide.

"This is, by general consent, the result of combined efforts of favourable tax regime, but also the broader efforts to promote British culture through film," said Ms Jowell.

She said she believed a "simplified" tax credit system, due to be passed into law later this year, would lead to further growth in investment in the UK in future years.

Ms Jowell would not be drawn on calls for the UK government to respond to issues raised by Palme D'Or contender The Wind That Shakes The Barley.

Darko director's follow-up falters

2006-05-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly says his latest film Southland Tales is a work of "political pop art" - but it has received a mixed reception at Cannes.

Richard Kelly (left) directed The Rock and Sarah Michelle Gellar
Richard Kelly (left) directed The Rock and Sarah Michelle Gellar
On being told that people had walked out of his movie during a press screening, the director said he hoped Southland Tales would "push people's buttons".

"I look forward to all the discussion about the film," he said.

Southland Tales imagines the impact a terrorist nuclear attack could have on the United States.

"The film is meant to be a tapestry of ideas all related to some of the biggest issues that we are facing right now -whether it is homeland security or alternative fuel or our increasing obsession with celebrity," he said.

Often surreal and mixing many different film styles, the movie is in competition for the prestigious Palme d'Or.

Southland Tales
Sarah Michelle Gellar plays a porn star in the film
It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and The Rock, who were both in Cannes with Kelly to support the movie.

Gellar, who plays a porn star in the film, said she was concerned that some of the predictions made in the film were beginning to come true.

"We thought it was the most ridiculous idea - a porn star who has a drink line and has a talk show and reality show," she said.

"I have watched specifically America change to this crazy height of celebrity. What seemed ridiculous to us three years ago has slowly evolved into something real."

Early reaction to the film has been decidedly mixed, with some critics damning Kelly's follow-up to the enormously successful Donnie Darko.

Southland Tales director Richard Kelly
It's pop art but political - it's aggressive and confrontational and we need more art like that
Richard Kelly
Kelly said he wanted the film to be confrontational and aggressive, using a lot of gallows humour.

"I tried to use humour to talk about some very serious issues we are facing as a country and a planet," he said.

"It's pop art but political. It's aggressive and confrontational and we need more art like that."

Kelly said the film was meant to be viewed like a puzzle.

"This is a film that needs to be experienced in more than one viewing to fully comprehend the intricacies of the puzzle," he added.

The film, like Donnie Darko before it, uses a lot of pop music throughout.

The success of Darko in the UK led to the film's climactic song, a version of Tears for Fears' Mad World, hitting number one at Christmas in 2003.

Pop star Justin Timberlake appears in the film as a crazed Iraq war veteran selling a spiritual drug to people in Los Angeles.

"I think you will see Justin do extraordinary work in the rest of his career as an actor," said Kelly, who said Timberlake's character was the "spiritual centre of the film".

Southland Tales
Southland Tales is in the running for the prestigious Palme d'Or
Gellar and Kelly also backed film-making in Los Angeles, where it is set.

"It is the greatest city on earth," said Kelly.

"It's an under-photographed city. We sacrificed a lot of money to shoot the film in Los Angeles. Someone told us to recreate LA in Canada - nothing against Canada but 'no'."

Gellar added: "In terms of Hollywood, it is supposed to be the epicentre of where we make films. Yet we constantly run our films out of the country and it is depressing.

"I know a lot of people I work with are losing their health insurance and benefits because we constantly recreate every American city in Canada.

"I was really proud to be able to show the LA film-making community how easy it actually it was to shoot in Los Angeles."

Cannes director urges CCTV debate

2006-05-23T00:34:00.000-07:00

The British director of CCTV movie Red Road has said the future of 24-hour surveillance of society needs to be debated.

Andrea Arnold is in Cannes with her first feature film, which is in competition for the Palme d'Or.

The film focuses on a Glasgow council official who monitors the city's CCTV network helping to crack down on crime.

Arnold said: "You can see why it is there but we should consider what it means for our future."

The depiction of a city under almost constant and blanket surveillance surprised some non-British film critics and shocked others.

Britain reportedly has 4.2 million cameras, 20% of the world's CCTV, and one camera for every 14 people.

Changed behaviour

At a press conference for the film one reporter asked if the "Orwellian" depiction of a city under constant watch was real or not.

Cast members of the film admitted they had changed their behaviour since making the film, which cost £1.2m and was funded by lottery money and BBC Films.

"It's unsettling," said lead actress Kate Dickie, whose character monitors the CCTV cameras.

"I used to find it creepy. But having spent time in a centre with the people who do the monitoring and see how much they care, and how much they help people, I am torn."

Arnold said: "There are cameras in big cities, in my local park where there are kids playing and the teenagers will go there at night and kiss.

"So I tell the teenagers not to go there because it's not a good place to kiss anymore.

"I know Britain has spent a huge amount of money on surveillance and I have been fascinated with it for some while, wondering who is behind the cameras, who is watching.

"They are amazing these cameras, they can zoom into your handbag."

Director of photography Robbie Ryan said he had been surprised by the quality of actual CCTV cameras, which could show action in high quality and were used in the film.

"They are very, very good cameras. We thought they would be black and white and fuzzy images.

"But they were high colour with good focus."

Mr Ryan admitted they had to make the CCTV footage in the film "look rough".

Linklater serves up meaty offering

2006-05-23T00:33:00.000-07:00

US director Richard Linklater is a Cannes rarity - a film-maker with two movies showing in different sections of the festival.

Richard Linklater
Ten films in, Linklater says he feels his career is "just starting"
Towards the end of Fast Food Nation, his entry in the main competition, two characters walk through the killing floor of a giant meat-packing factory, surrounded on all sides by mechanised slaughter and cattle carcasses.

It is a disturbing and emotive climax to his film; a scene which Linklater describes as the hardest filming of his life.

"It was a lot like being a soldier and seeing your buddies on either side of you being shot," he tells the BBC News website. "You can't feel at that moment."

Sat in the Grand Salon in Cannes' Carlton Hotel, he has the crumpled look of someone with jet lag who only received his wake-up call 30 minutes earlier.

But he also seems remarkably at ease for a man in Cannes for the first time and facing a gruelling day of interviews.

And he is clearly enjoying having two movies - A Scanner Darkly is in the Un Certain Regard section - to show off: "I am making up for lost time."

How to unlock the goggle box

2006-05-23T00:32:00.000-07:00

Regular columnist Bill Thompson considers the changes the net is making to how and when we watch our favourite TV shows.

More than three million people have watched episodes of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Alias and Commander-in-Chief on their computers since US television network ABC launched the service at the start of May.

The shows are free, but come with a sponsor's message at the start and three commercial breaks that can't be skipped over.

But this does not seem to have deterred US viewers who grow up watching many more ads than we get over here.

The downloads are part of an experiment by Disney, which owns the network, and complement the paid-for and ad-free versions of the same shows available from Apple's iTunes Music Store.

Just as you can choose to watch a movie with ads on ITV or without on FilmFour, so you can choose how you want to watch shows on your PC.

Watching brief

ABC is not the only ones dipping its toes into online distribution. Warner Brothers has attracted a lot of attention with its announcement that it will begin to use the BitTorrent peer-to-peer network to distribute DVD-quality movies.

This is a radical step, only spoiled by the fact that it plans to charge the same price to download as it does for a DVD even though there is no physical disc and no packaging (and, I suspect, no extras).

Bill Thompson
Perhaps ABC, Warner and the other mainstream entertainment companies can be encouraged to experiment a little with more open and flexible distribution, so that we can see what will really happen if content is freely available
In addition Warner is so worried by unauthorised copying that the movie will only be playable on the PC to which it is downloaded. So no burning it to DVD to watch on your flat-screen TV or even taking a copy to your mate's house to watch together.

Both initiatives, however flawed, show that the relationship between content - whether a movie or a TV show - and the screen is starting to change, on big and small displays.

And although take-up of TV on mobile phones has been slow it may well take off as the two great sporting contests of the modern age get under way.

With little overlap between audiences, the football World Cup and Big Brother between them could quickly establish the mobile TV habit in large numbers of people, so that by the autumn it will be commonplace to see people catching up on soaps and scorelines at bus stops.

The tension between the desire on the part of TV and film studios to find new ways to reach audiences, and their fear that their content will be copied and distributed outside their control is a serious matter, and serious people are involved in the struggle.

Star Trek props under the hammer

2006-05-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Star Trek fans are being offered a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to buy props, models and sets from the show, auction house Christie's has said.

More than 1,000 items will be sold at auction in New York in October to mark the show's 40th anniversary.

The memorabilia up for grabs includes a pair of phaser guns and a detailed model of the Starship Enterprise.

The lots, from TV company CBS and film studio Paramount, come from all six TV versions and 10 Star Trek films.

Christie's director of special collections Cathy Elkies said she was able to take her pick of props from the companies' archives.

"They really gave us the ability to go in and carve out a sale that tells the whole story of the series," she said.

Starship Enterprise
A model of the Starship Enterprise is expected to fetch $20,000
"It was one of those things where you went in there and thought 'Oh my god, I have to have this'."

The most valuable lot is a replica of Captain Kirk's chair, which was made for the series Deep Space Nine in 1996.

The chair, which featured in an episode called Trials and Tribble-ations, has an estimated price of $15,000 (£8,000).

Fans can also bid for costumes worn by Spock, Uhura and Captain Picard.

Previous items of Star Trek memorabilia to be sold at auction include a pair of Mr Spock's ears, which raised $3,290 (£1,740) at Christie's in Los Angeles in 2000.

Last year, actor William Shatner, who played Captain Kirk, sold his kidney stone for $25,000 (£14,000) to an online casino to raise money for a housing charity.

Before the auction, potential buyers can see the collection as it tours Star Trek conventions around the world this summer

The Da Vinci Code: Press views

2006-05-23T00:28:00.000-07:00

Film critics in the US and UK have delivered their verdicts on the hugely-hyped movie adaptation of Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code.

VARIETY - Todd McCarthy

A pulpy page-turner in its original incarnation as a huge international best-seller has become a stodgy, grim thing in the exceedingly literal-minded film version of The Da Vinci Code.

Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull, but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material.

[The] result is perhaps the best thing the project's critics could have hoped for.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER - Kirk Honeycutt

The movie really only catches fire after an hour, when Ian McKellen hobbles on the scene as the story's Sphinx-like Sir Leigh Teabing. Here is the one actor having fun with his role and playing a character rather than a piece to a puzzle.

Howard proves a smart choice as a director because his middlebrow tastes inspire him to go for broad strokes and forget making any real sense of these logic-busters.

But why did he allow such a solid, attractive cast to turn in such stiff, unappealing performances?

Da Vinci never rises to the level of a guilty pleasure. Too much guilt. Not enough pleasure.

LOS ANGELES TIMES - Kenneth Turan

If Brown's novel has something of the excitement of a nervy leap into the void, the script by Goldsman has some of the paint-by-numbers qualities of a Classics Illustrated comic book.

Though there has been some monkeying with plot details, especially at the end, plus some noteworthy thematic exclusions and additions, the two hour and 32 minute film is careful to be as faithful as it feels it can be to all of the book's major plot elements.

As to director Howard, he too comes off as a kind of emcee, intent on not getting in the way of this juggernaut of a story.

Loach revisits Irish struggle

2006-05-23T00:27:00.001-07:00

British film-maker Ken Loach is in Cannes to promote his movie The Wind That Shakes The Barley, which is in the running for the Palme d'Or.

"In the end this is a story we couldn't avoid," Loach says.

Facing a packed press conference in Cannes, his film is one of two UK movies in the main competition at the festival.

The film recounts the early days of the Irish Republican Army in the 1920s and the struggle for independence from Britain.

It is unashamedly one-eyed, told entirely from the perspective of the Irish who turn to armed struggle after witnessing countless acts of brutality by British soldiers, who are seen to be indiscriminately violent.

Showing Senegal's WWII heroes

2006-05-23T00:27:00.000-07:00

The star of a new film which centres on a group of Senegalese soldiers defending a family from the German army in World War II has said that he hopes the film can help "correct" French history to highlight the role African people played in the conflict.

Les Enfants Du Pays tells the story of an elderly man and his two grandchildren, who are the only three people left in a village in the Ardennes as the Germans prepare to invade France in 1940. A group of soldiers from Senegal - at the time a French colony - are sent to protect them.

Acclaimed actor William Nadylam - who plays the leader of the soldiers, known as the Tirailleurs Senegalais - told BBC World Service's On Screen programme that he felt France does not currently give enough credit to the role Africans played.

"The problem is that each black actor has to carry that burden of being a little bit of a historian," he said.

"Of course, I knew the story - it is part of my own personal story, people in my family fought in these wars, and we still live with the fact that French history doesn't mention that enough.

"It doesn't recognise us - the atrocities that were committed, and the sacrifices of these people."

Cannes opens with Da Vinci Code

2006-05-23T00:26:00.000-07:00

The Da Vinci Code director Ron Howard has told people not to see his new film if they fear it will upset them.

Howard was flanked by his cast at a press conference for the movie at the start of the Cannes film festival.

"Given the controversial nature of this story there's no question the film is likely to be upsetting to some people.

"My advice is not to see the film if you think it will upset you," said Howard, who previously directed A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13.

"Wait and speak to someone who has seen it and then form an opinion."

He added: "This is supposed to be entertainment. It is not theology. It should not be misunderstood as such.

Conspiracy theorists down but not out

2006-05-23T00:25:00.000-07:00

The release of new video pictures of the Pentagon being attacked on 9/11 will not quell the endless claims in the world of conspiracy theorists that a missile or military aircraft hit the building instead.

The theorists do not believe eyewitnesses, physical evidence, engineering studies or even the claims of Osama Bin Laden, so it is unlikely that they will be convinced by grainy video frames.

The latest pictures are the missing frames from a series taken from two cameras at a filling station.

If you look closely, you do see what could be a plane, flying very low and then hitting the building, causing a huge fireball. It is consistent with the official account.

However, the new frames do not absolutely without doubt show that this was American Airlines 77 in its final moments, so hope will spring eternal for the conspiracists that they have not been knocked out.

And even if the pictures did clearly show the doomed airliner, the theorists would probably just change their charge.

After all, in the case of the Twin Towers, they argued that the attacks were carried out by, or tolerated by, the US government. The Pentagon could easily be fitted into that category as well.

Film set to fan Da Vinci furore

2006-05-23T00:22:00.001-07:00

The eagerly awaited film of The Da Vinci Code is the most controversial Hollywood movie since Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ.

Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou in The Da Vinci Code
Tom Hanks co-stars in the film with French actress Audrey Tautou
But what can Ron Howard's adaptation add to the furore that has surrounded Dan Brown's best-selling novel since it first arrived in bookstores in 2003?

For a book revolving around a labyrinthine mystery, it is remarkable how many of its "surprise" elements have become common knowledge.

Indeed, even those who have not read the novel probably know more than they care to about its contents.

For the record, they involve a centuries-old cover-up to conceal the true nature of the Holy Grail, the clues to which are hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci.

It is these that lead Harvard professor Robert Langdon on a cryptic quest that takes him from the Louvre in Paris and Westminster Abbey in London to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

It is there the film reveals the secret behind the Code - a revelation that will already be known to many of this website's readers.

Bennett play nominated for Tonys

2006-05-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

Alan Bennett's play The History Boys is in the running for some of Broadway's biggest prizes after receiving seven Tony Award nominations.

The 1920s musical The Drowsy Chaperone is leading the field with 13 nominations, followed by Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple.

Other nominated shows include The Pajama Game and Sweeney Todd.

British actors in the running include Richard Griffiths for The History Boys and Ralph Fiennes for Faith Healer.

Lynn Redgrave and co-star Kate Burton have been nominated for best leading actress in a play for The Constant Wife, while Zoe Wanamaker and Frances de la Tour are also shortlisted.

Other actors in contention include Scot Ian McDiarmid, who found a new generation of fans in the latest Star Wars films, Cagney and Lacey actress Tyne Daly and British actor Jim Dale, best known for his Carry On movies and his role as the voice of the Harry Potter audio books in the US.

Da Vinci film protests stepped up

2006-05-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

Christian groups in many Asian nations have stepped up their protests against The Da Vinci Code film ahead of its planned global release this week.

Its release in India is likely to be delayed after a furore that has seen Islamic clerics in Mumbai (Bombay) back a call by Catholics for a boycott.

South Korea's Christian Council has unsuccessfully tried to ban the film.

And Thai censors want to cut the last 10 minutes, having been persuaded by critics that they are "blasphemous".

The film is adapted from Dan Brown's best-seller, which revolves around the theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and their descendants survive today.

The blockbuster has caused outrage among many Christian organisations, including senior officials at the Vatican.

In India, which is home to 18 million Catholics, the head of the Catholic Secular Forum has begun a "hunger strike until death".

Christian activist Joseph Dias
Activist Joseph Dias says his hunger strike will continue "until death"
Joseph Dias said he wanted others to join him and pledged to continue until the film was banned.

His organisation has described The Da Vinci Code as "offensive" because it breaches "certain basic foundations of the religion".

The Indian government has temporarily halted the film's release, saying it must address concerns before the movie is screened.

The country's information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi said he had received more than 200 complaints.

He has requested a special screening, which may delay the original release date "by a day or two", he said. The film is due to come out around the world on Friday.

"We are a secular country," he said. "On any sensitive issue, we should take action after we examine every aspect. We have to be careful."

Forty years of The Money Programme

2006-05-23T00:20:00.000-07:00

Forty years old. It's quite an age for a television programme.

In fact there's only a handful of programmes on British TV that are older - like Panorama, Horizon, Top of the Pops and the Sky at Night.

Grandstand has of course sadly just fallen at the last hurdle.

But then in the fickle world of British TV today you're lucky to make your fourth series, let alone your fortieth.

Cruise keeps grip on film chart

2006-05-23T00:19:00.001-07:00

Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible III is at the top of the UK and Ireland box office chart for a second week.

The action movie, starring Tom Cruise as secret agent Ethan Hunt, took ticket receipts of £2.75m between Friday and Sunday.

Romantic comedy Prime, starring Uma Thurman, entered the chart in second place with takings of £853,000.

Horror movie When A Stranger Calls was the other new entry in the top five, at number three, taking £494,000.

Friends TV spin-off Joey scrapped

2006-05-23T00:19:00.000-07:00

TV sitcom Joey has been cancelled by broadcaster NBC after failing to recapture the popularity of Friends.

Joey, a spin-off from the long-running TV favourite, featured Matt LeBlanc's character after a move to Hollywood.

The series was put on hold in March after just four million people tuned in - down from the 18.6 million who watched its debut in 2004.

NBC has also announced a new series from The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

It is billed as a behind-the-scenes drama about a late-night comedy show and features former friends star Matthew Perry, The West Wing's Bradley Whitford and Amanda Peet.

The Apprentice spin-off featuring "domestic goddess" Martha Stewart as the host has been axed after one series after failing to capture the audience of Donald Trump's original show.

The Da Vinci phobe's guide

2006-05-23T00:18:00.000-07:00

The Da Vinci Code is one of the greatest phenomena in the history of fiction publishing and the juggernaut rolls on with the arrival of the movie version. But why are we so profoundly obsessed with a thriller about the Church?

It has sold more than 40 million copies across the world, transforming author Dan Brown into a spectacularly wealthy man.

For the few who don't know, it is a thriller telling the story of a race to uncover a massive conspiracy engineered by the Catholic Church to obscure the feminine nature of early Christianity and a shocking secret about Jesus and the Holy Grail.

The Da Vinci Code has been assaulted in equal measures by both historians and theologians, while the critics have sought to emphasise the role of the book's clever marketing to explain the mind-boggling success of a seemingly humdrum thriller.

But as cunning as its marketing has been, Brown's real success has been to effortlessly generate a wave of press coverage and internet discussion.

As Giles Elliott, charts editor of industry magazine the Bookseller, notes, the book has benefited from the Holy Grail of publishing, word-of-mouth.

Muslims join Da Vinci criticism

2006-05-23T00:17:00.000-07:00

Roman Catholics in the Indian city of Mumbai (Bombay) have received Muslim support in protests against the release of the movie, The Da Vinci Code.

Film censors have cleared the movie for release in India on 19 May.

An umbrella organisation of Islamic clerics in Mumbai have labelled the film as "blasphemous" because it spreads "lies" about Jesus Christ.

One Roman Catholic activist has gone on what he says is a "hunger strike until death" unless the film is banned.

'Violent protests'

"The Holy Koran recognises Jesus as a prophet. What the book says is an insult to both Christians and Muslims," Maulana Mansoor Ali Khan, general secretary of the All-India Sunni Jamiyat-ul-Ulema, told the Reuters news agency.

Poseidon director judges remake

2006-05-23T00:16:00.000-07:00

Poseidon, the big-budget remake of cult 1972 hit The Poseidon Adventure, opens in the United States this weekend.

Ronald Neame
Neame's films include The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and Scrooge
Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the German film-maker behind Troy and The Perfect Storm, the film retells the story of a luxury ocean liner that capsizes under a freak wave.

The original film, which starred Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine and Shelley Winters, suffered a mauling by the critics but was a box-office sensation.

Over the decades it has endured as a classic disaster flick, thanks in part to its larger-than-life characters and campy humour.

"It's a complete mystery to me," says director Ronald Neame when asked to explain his film's appeal.

"I never believed that it was more than just an average picture."

Produced by Irwin Allen, the film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, winning one for best song.

'Codswallop'

Neame, who recently celebrated his 95th birthday, believes the film may have succeeded because it was aimed at a very young audience.

"It was directed at 10- to 15-year olds and they loved it," says the Beverly Hills resident.

Khan 'keen to film in Pakistan'

2006-05-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has said he would like to produce a film in Pakistan.

In an exclusive interview on the BBC Asian Network's show, Gagan Grewal, the actor said that he would love to act in Pakistani movies if he was offered the right script.

Gagan Grewal is a new show in Hindi and Urdu and launches on Monday.

"There's a lot of talent both in India and Pakistan," he said. "I think the talent in both these two countries should come together and entertain the world audience.

"If the right offer and opportunity comes my way, I'd love to do a movie in Pakistan," he added.

Indian films have been banned in Pakistan since 1965, but Islamabad has recently eased its stance and allowed a couple of Bollywood films to be released in cinemas.

Iconic actor

Khan was born into a film-industry family and began his career as a child-actor in his father's film Yaadon Ki Baraat (1973).

The iconic actor's career has spanned more than three decades, making him one of Bollywood's biggest and most successful actors.

Vinnie Jones in new Carry On film

2006-05-23T00:04:00.000-07:00

Former footballer Vinnie Jones and ex-EastEnders actor Shane Richie are to star in a new Carry On film - the first to be made since 1992.

Carry On London focuses on a limousine company - Lenny's Limos - which takes celebrities to a parody of the Oscars ceremony known as the Herberts.

The creators promise to revive the innuendo and slapstick humour seen in the previous 31 Carry On movies.

Production has been delayed for three years by financial problems.

Work had been scheduled to begin in 2003 but the original cast, which included former EastEnders star Danniella Westbrook and Shaun Williamson, dropped out.

A new producer, writing team and film company have now been recruited. Peter Richardson, best known for TV comedy The Comic Strip Presents..., will direct.

Charles Heads The Crue

2006-05-09T03:16:00.001-07:00

Former Seinfeld scribe Larry Charles is in negotiations to direct a biopic of Motley Crue. The project titled The Dirt will be based on the rockers' 2001 book The Dirt: Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band. As the title suggests, bandmates Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars and Vince Neil reveal all about their rise to fame and subsequent lapse into debauchery.

Charles has just wrapped on Sacha Baron Cohen comedy Borat, so we trust he'll see the funny side to incidents like Tommy Lee having a poo on a plate and leaving it in the hotel ventilation system...

Iron And Ants

2006-05-09T03:16:00.000-07:00

Zathura helmer Jon Favreau will direct Marvel Studios' live-action comic book caper Iron Man. He insists that there will be minimal CGI in this telling of the tale. "The idea of using CGI and relying solely on that to tell your story, those days are past," he says. "I think that integrating practical filmmaking and augmenting it with CGI is the key to making it an emotionally involved story."

The news comes as part of a bigger slate announced by Marvel Studios in partnership with Paramount. Under the new deal, Blighty's own Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead) has been hired to direct and co-write Ant Man about a superhero whose special ability is controlling the minds of ant. You may scoff, but it comes in very handy on a summer picnic.

Freeman & Berry Go Cuckoo

2006-05-09T03:15:00.000-07:00

Talking of Halle Berry, she's reported to be teaming up with Morgan Freeman for comedy drama The Patient. Indie filmmaker Jean-Claude La Marre penned the script and will direct the film. "It's like One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest meets K-Pax," he told MTV. "Freeman plays a mental patient at a Harlem hospital psychiatric ward who believes himself to be Santa Claus. And Halle Berry plays the psychiatrist who's evaluating him."

Apparently Freeman's character escapes the hospital and turns up at a toy store where, naturally, Berry begins to wonder whether he's telling the truth. Well, we knew she was nuts after seeing Gothika. Production is scheduled this summer with a view to release in summer 2007.

Brody & Lohan Get Talking

2006-05-09T03:14:00.000-07:00

Adrien Brody and Lindsay Lohan are set for Speechless. Indie filmmaker Brian Dannelly (Saved!) will call the shots on this romantic comedy inspired by the story of Cyrano de Bergerac. Brody will play an introverted man who is invited to give a speech at his friend's wedding so seeks coaching from an assertiveness expert played by Lohan. Of course this may be difficult to buy for anyone who saw Brody molesting Halle Berry during his 2003 Oscar acceptance speech...

Dannelly and writing partner Michael Urban are adapting the script from L Sprague De Camp's 1952 novel. Cameras will roll later this year.

Benton's Feast Of Film

2006-05-09T03:13:00.001-07:00

Even after the blot on our consciousness that was The Human Stain, director Robert Benton has been given a two-picture deal by Lakeshore Entertainment. The first project is Feast Of Love based on the novel by Charles Baxter. It's a romance revolving around a community of friends in Oregon. Kinky.

The second film will be Appointment In Samarra, adapted from the novel by John O'Hara. This centres on a glamorous couple who are the envy of everyone in their small Pennsylvania town until the husband starts to emotionally self-destruct. We're sure the Pennsylvania tourist board will love it! If they're not taken over by an army of robots first...

Alda Gets Resurrected

2006-05-09T03:13:00.000-07:00

Veteran actor Alan Alda is joining Josh Hartnett and Samuel L Jackson in Resurrecting The Champ. It's a true story focussing on an LA Times reporter who wrote about a homeless man who was once a renowned boxer. Later the journo discovered that the champ wasn't who he claimed to be, but by then the two had formed a tight father-son bond - and the reporter probably wanted to avoid a punch in the mouth.

Rod Lurie, who has directed episodes of Commander In Chief and Line Of Fire, will call the shots in Canada this June.

Hurt For President

2006-05-09T03:12:00.000-07:00

William Hurt has been elected leader of the free world. Columbia Pictures have hired him to play the US president in political thriller Vantage Point. Dennis Quaid - who also plays the big cheese in the very cheesy satire American Dreamz - is already on board the project. So is Matthew Fox, star of TV's Lost. Hmm, perhaps these aren't the people best qualified to find Iraq on a map...

Director Pete Travis, who got his first job helming TV comedy drama Cold Feet, will be on megaphone duty for this complex tale that follows the build-up to an assassination attempt from five points of view.

Brolin Vs Old Men

2006-05-09T03:11:00.000-07:00

Josh Brolin will join Tommy Lee Jones and Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. Joel and Ethan Coen are adapting the crime novel by Cormac McCarthy and will shoot the film in late spring. Brolin will play a Vietnam vet who works on the Texas plains and scoops a bundle of cash he finds at the scene of a drug deal gone awry. We expect the characters played by Jones and Bardem aren't too happy about that.

It's a lucky break for Brolin who was last seen sinking into obscurity in dodgy diving caper Into The Blue.

Myers Vs The Robots

2006-05-09T03:09:00.000-07:00

Mike Myers will star in How To Survive A Robot Uprising. The comedy is based on a manual written by Daniel H Wilson, a doctoral candidate at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Myers will play a technical administrator who has the thankless job of sounding warnings against robotic threats and researching ways to keep them from taking over. (That should put the brakes on Schwarzenegger's plans to take the White House.)

Paramount bought the book last year and hired writing partners Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant to pen the script. Their credits include Herbie: Fully Loaded about a car with artificial consciousness - hey, wait a minute...

Fraser's Fantastic Journey

2006-05-09T02:30:00.000-07:00

Brendan Fraser will top the bill for Journey 3-D. It's an update of Jules Verne's classic tome Journey To The Centre Of The Earth with Fraser playing a geologist-turned-explorer. Together with his teenage son, he discovers a message hidden in an ancient artefact, which leads them into the bowels of planet Earth and a world of dangerous prehistoric beasties. James Mason made the same journey in a tweed suit back in 1959. Toasty.

Grosse Pointe Blank scribe DV DeVincentis has tapped out the script and Eric Brevig, who won an Academy Award for his visual effects work on Total Recall, will make his feature directorial debut. (We're guessing it's going to be in 3-D.)

Howard Gets Real

2006-05-09T02:29:00.000-07:00

Schmaltzmeister Ron Howard will be on megaphone duty for The Look Of Real. He hopes that daughter Bryce Dallas Howard (The Village) will take a part in the ensemble drama following the trials and tribulations of a group of young women in the garment industry. Sounds a bit like How To Make An American Quilt, but with Howard at the helm, it'll probably be a star-spangled bedspread.

The script is by Winnie Holzman who penned TV series like The Wonder Years and My So Called Life. Apparently she's already received notes from Howard and Grazer on her first draft and is now at work on a rewrite.

Abrams Goes Star Trekkin'

2006-05-09T02:23:00.000-07:00

JJ Abrams will write, produce and direct the 11th instalment in the Star Trek movie franchise. His fellow M:Iimpossible III scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci will pen the story that focuses on the early days of James T Kirk and Mr Spock, including their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission. And presumably getting beaten up by the college football team...

The decision to re-launch Star Trek on the big screen comes less than a year after US TV bosses pulled the plug on Star Trek: Enterprise because of dismal ratings. That's the way to do it - strike while the iron is hot!

The man behind Brosnan's Matador

2006-05-08T02:58:00.000-07:00

Pierce Brosnan's latest role as a burned-out, boozy hit-man could hardly be more removed from his James Bond image.

Brosnan plays a hired killer facing a midlife crisis
For this he must thank writer-director Richard Shepard, whose black comedy The Matador gives the Irish actor his first opportunity to spread his wings since passing 007's tuxedo on to Daniel Craig.

While playing Ian Fleming's debonair spy, Brosnan never got to paint his toenails, dress as a cheerleader or stride through a hotel lobby wearing nothing but cowboy boots and underpants.

But according to Shepard, the 52-year-old welcomed the chance to experiment with darker, edgier fare.

"Pierce was aggressively looking for material that would challenge him," said the New York-born film-maker.

"He'd just done a series of studio movies that didn't push him and he was up for taking a career risk.

"Had this movie not worked he could have looked like a fool," the 38-year-old continued.

"But the great thing about Pierce is he's willing to try anything."

That included donning a cheerleader's outfit for a dream sequence that reflects his character's fractured state-of-mind.

"When we suggested it he laughed and said it sounded great," Shepard told the BBC News website.

"You can't ask for more from an actor than their ability to try good or bad ideas."

'Independent'

Shepard, whose previous films include the low-budget 1991 thriller Oxygen, had originally intended to make The Matador for $250,000 (£145,000).

But the involvement of Brosnan's Irish Dreamtime film company saw the budget balloon to $10m (£5.8m) - a vast increase, though still small for a studio feature.

Neither Kinnear nor Brosnan saw the bullfight take place
"The average Hollywood movie costs $40m (£23m), so this was significantly less," the director explained.

"And because we were making the film in Mexico it was very independent in spirit."

Indeed, although the story takes killer-for-hire Julian Noble to Vienna, Las Vegas, Moscow and Manila, the film itself was shot entirely in Mexico City.

"I wanted to go to different places because that's what hit-man movies do," Shepard continued.

"But we had great production design so I think most people can't tell."

One sequence that was set and shot in Mexico sees Noble and travelling salesman Danny Wright (played by Greg Kinnear) take in a bullfight.

The director admits the scene may upset some viewers but insists no bulls died as a result of his film.

'Humanity'

"We filmed a real bullfight several months before, then intercut that footage with actors in an empty stadium.

"No animals were harmed because we made this movie. It was an existing bullfight that would have happened whether we were there or not."

Brosnan's four-movie stint as 007 ended with 2002's Die Another Day
The fact that Brosnan was also Shepard's producer might have been a problem had director and star not seen eye to eye.

"It could have been a difficult situation," the film-maker admitted.

"But Pierce was the best type of producer. If I needed something he fought for me to get it."

Brosnan has remained vocal in his support for Shepard, describing him as "relentless in his passion for the film" on his official website.

It remains to be seen how audiences will respond to seeing the actor in such an atypical role, but as far as Shepard is concerned it was a gamble worth taking.

"There were many reasons why he was perfect for this part," he told the BBC News website. "First of all it subverted the persona we're used to seeing him as.

"But he's also a very warm man, and able to bring a humanity to the character that was maybe not there on the page."

The Matador opens in the UK on 3 March.

King Kong leads Empire award nods

2006-05-08T02:47:00.000-07:00

Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong is leading the nominations for the 2006 Empire magazine film awards.
The film will be up for five prizes - including best film - at the ceremony, to be held at the Hilton London Metropole on 13 March.

Pride & Prejudice, Crash, and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, have four nominations each.

Comedian Bill Bailey will host the ceremony, which are the only movie awards voted for by the British public.

Our show is designed to recognise movies of all genres, echoing the way ordinary filmgoers talk about movies

Colin Kennedy, Empire editor
King Kong is up against Star Wars Episode III: Revenge Of The Sith, War Of The Worlds, Crash, and Sin City for the best film honours.

Both King Kong and Revenge Of The Sith are up against Serenity, The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe and Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire for the newly introduced best sci-fi/fantasy award.

Jackson is joined in the best director category by Steven Spielberg (War Of The Worlds), Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins), Joe Wright (Pride & Prejudice), Ron Howard (Cinderella Man) and Nick Park and Steve Box (The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit).

The film is Wallace and Gromit's first feature-length movie

King Kong stars Naomi Watts and Andy Serkis receive nods in the best actress and best actor categories, as do Crash stars Thandie Newton and Matt Dillon.

Nominated alongside Newton and Watts are Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice), Renee Zellweger (Cinderella Man) and Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby).

Christian Bale (Batman Begins), Viggo Mortensen (A History Of Violence) and Johnny Depp (Charlie And The Chocolate Factory), are up against Dillon and Serkis.

Gibson to talk in Maya at Oscars

2006-05-08T02:43:00.000-07:00

Mel Gibson will give the Oscars audience a preview of the ancient language spoken in his forthcoming movie Apocalypto.
Gibson told the Time magazine website he would speak Maya when he appeared at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

"I wanted to shake up the stale action-adventure genre so we almost had to come up with something utterly different like this," he said.

His last film, The Passion of the Christ, was in Latin and Aramaic.

Apocalypto, set 3,000 years ago in central America, features dialogue spoken in an obscure Mayan dialect.

Gibson, who will not act in the film, has said Apocalypto will focus on the life of a Mayan man, touching on "civilisations and what undermines them".

Set before the conquest of Central America by Europeans, Gibson says the film will shun "European faces" to preserve authenticity.

The film is Gibson's first as a director since 2004's The Passion of the Christ, which detailed the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ leading up to a brutal depiction of his crucifixion.

The Passion took more than $600m (£337.5m) worldwide despite being filmed in the Aramaic dialect.

Like The Passion, Apocalypto is expected to be distributed with English subtitles.

Director defends his bomber movie

2006-05-08T02:40:00.000-07:00

The director of Oscar-nominated suicide bomber movie Paradise Now has said angry protesters should reply by making their own film.

Hany Abu-Assad spoke out after winning best foreign film at the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles.

Israeli relatives of victims of suicide bombers have called for the Palestinian film to be disqualified from the Academy Award shortlist.

It is one of the favourites to win the best foreign film Oscar on Sunday.

"The only answer I can give them is please go and make your own movie," he said.

"I understand the pain that some people have and I think it's not a problem to protest against a film.

"It's better than to use violence."

Petition

Abu-Assad said his movie, about the last 24 hours before a suicide bombing mission by two Palestinians, was one that allowed the audience to question things.

"We all have different opinions about it. This is why we have films - you give the right to people to judge it as they want."

He said the film was still showing in Israel to full houses every night.

Paradise Now is tipped to win the best foreign film Oscar

It is to start showing in the rest of the Middle East in a fortnight, including the Palestinian territories' one cinema in Ramallah, he added. But there were already pirate copies in circulation.

A group of Israeli bereaved parents had said more than 32,000 people signed a petition against the nomination.

The signatures were collected by the relatives of teenagers killed in a bus bombing in the northern city of Haifa three years ago, in which 17 people were killed.

They believe the film disregards the suffering experienced by the bombers' victims, and will encourage more attacks.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences declined to comment on the petition.

Razzies pluck 2005 movie turkeys

2006-05-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

The cameras were primed and the front pages were at the ready for the Golden Raspberry awards, the annual celebration of the year's worst movies.

Last year's event shot to prominence in its traditional Oscar-eve slot when Oscar-winner Halle Berry turned up to receive her award for worst actress.

Could the 26th staging of the Razzies this year in Hollywood keep the press and public interested?

Would Tom Cruise pay a surprise visit to collect his trophy for most tiresome tabloid target?

Surprises were hinted at - but in the end Cruise and his fellow nominees stayed away.

However, there were no disappointments when it came to the choice of winners.

Chairman John Wilson told the audience that 2005's poor year at the box office meant it was a bumper year for Razzie voters.

The hardest part for members was keeping their list to just five nominees in each of the categories, he said.

Water pistol

Cruise did indeed take the most tiresome tabloid target award, a suspiciously convenient new category.

Paris Hilton at the London premiere of the Razzied House of Wax

It was a joint win with fiancee Katie Holmes, for Cruise's performance on Oprah Winfrey's couch, his wedding proposal at the Eiffel Tower and the constant news on Holmes' pregnancy - all at the same time the pair had movies to promote.

The show's cast had a great time with a volley of jokes at Cruise's expense, including squirting a golden water pistol - recalling the time Cruise didn't see the funny side when he was squirted by a British TV crew at a movie premiere.

And it carried on from there.

The one-hour Razzies show at the rundown Ivar theatre in Hollywood had the deliberately cheap and amateur feel of a cheery club review atmosphere.

It was a clear contrast to the enormous glitz-fest of the Academy Awards - and the dose of healthy disrespect for Hollywood's failures was as welcome as an Alka-Seltzer after an over-rich dinner.

Each winner was entitled to a gold-spray painted model of a raspberry on top of a mangled Super 8 film reel, worth $4.97 according to Mr Wilson.

None was collected by its intended owner - although Darth Vader appeared complete with mask and light sabre to collect the worst supporting actor prize for Hayden Christensen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

Date Movie fends off Clooney film

2006-05-08T02:11:00.000-07:00

Spoof romantic comedy Date Movie has held on to the top spot at the UK box office for the second week, fending off George Clooney's Oscar-winning Syriana.
The comedy took just over £1m between Friday and Sunday - around £200,000 more than Clooney's oil drama made in its first three days on release.

Its star won a best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in the film.

The thriller Lucky Number Slevin held steady at three, while animated Disney caper Chicken Little fell to four.

Cross-dressing comedy Big Momma's House 2, starring Martin Lawrence, is in fifth place, still performing well on its fourth week of release.

TOP FIVE UK FILMS
1. Date Movie
2. Syriana
3. Lucky Number Slevin
4. Chicken Little
5. Big Momma's House 2
Source: Screen International

Indeed, it did significantly better than new comedies starring Nicolas Cage, Pierce Brosnan and Queen Latifah, all of which enjoyed disappointing debuts.

Cage's The Weather Man entered the chart in eighth place with weekend takings of £406,270 - only just ahead of Latifah's Last Holiday at nine and Brosnan's The Matador at ten.

In contrast, low-budget British drama Kidulthood had a decent opening, earning just over £100,000 from its 41 screens.

The film, starring Doctor Who actor Noel Clarke, entered the chart at 15 but still performed better than Cage and Brosnan's films on a screen-for-screen basis.

Despite featuring prominently in Sunday's Oscar ceremony, Walk the Line, Brokeback Mountain and Capote all saw their takings down on the previous week.

School's cinematic funding dream

2006-05-08T01:57:00.000-07:00

Pupils at a Borders primary have written and produced their own film to raise funds to improve their school.
The world premiere of "Eco Alert" was held at Duns Primary School to start their bid to raise up to £70,000.

The movie tells the story of Econauts who travel back in time to visit the school and see its ecological problems.

The DVD of the film is going out to potential sponsors of works to repair the playground, gardens and provide a new all-weather pitch.

Film fans get permanent downloads

2006-05-08T01:51:00.000-07:00

Film fans in the UK will soon be able to legally download and keep blockbuster movies for the first time, according to film studio Universal.
King Kong and Pride and Prejudice will be among the first films available from the new service on the AOL website.

Fans will pay £19.99 for a DVD of their chosen film plus two digital copies to keep indefinitely - one for their home computer and one for a portable device.

Universal said it could "completely revolutionise" how people watch movies.

However users will not be able to burn copies of the films to DVD themselves and the files will be compatible only with PCs and Windows software.

It's an exciting time but there are still issues that have to be addressed

Arash Amel
Screen Digest

That means they cannot be viewed on Apple iPods or Macs.

Last month, another UK website, Wippit, started offering permanent downloads - but only independent movies are currently available.

Other sites offer Hollywood movies - but only allow customers to keep the digital files for a set time, from one day to a month.

Universal Pictures UK chairman Eddie Cunningham said this would be the first of many such announcements and digital films would become available in many different ways.

"I think what you're seeing here is the beginning of a revolution in terms of how we can distribute digitally and I would expect you'll see a lot more news of this type over the next few months," he said.

He said his company just wanted to get its movies out to the widest possible audience.

Consumers felt "much more comfortable" if a DVD was included in the package as well as the downloads, he said.

"The statistics said people were three times as likely to pick up on this service if the physical copy was included as part of the bundle, and that astonished us."

The service is not compatible with iPods
Arash Amel, senior analyst at industry journal Screen Digest, told the BBC News website the Universal move was "excellent" for the consumer.

"I think download-to-own is possibly one of the most exciting developments for digital movie downloads over the PC," he said.

The UK movie download market is expected to be worth £200m by 2010, he said - with 40% of that coming from permanent downloads, he said.

The fact that films can be watched on a portable device is also a "major breakthrough", he said. "This is not the norm. This is quite a major step forward."

But studios must allow fans to burn films to DVDs themselves to allow greater flexibility and let prices come down, he added.

The joy of subtitles

2006-05-08T01:42:00.000-07:00

TV subtitles may be primarily for deaf people or those who are hard of hearing, but research has revealed they are used by six million people who have no hearing impairment. Why?

Perhaps we should blame NYPD Blue or ER or whichever TV series it was that first pioneered the shaky, handheld camera technique.

Years ago a TV drama, be it Minder, Juliet Bravo or Day of the Triffids, exuded a certain staginess. We didn't really know it at the time... it was just how TV was.

Action tended to be a tad stilted and characters' lines were delivered with Rada-like clarity, often in Received Pronunciation.

Then along came a trend that might best be described as TV Verité. Cameras rolled, jumped and jostled to intensify the on-screen drama and microphones struggled to keep up.

Key plot developments might turn on a muffled comment, or a piece of dialect indecipherable to outsiders. But no matter, in the eyes of the director - the more authentic the better.

Not so in the ears of the viewers, however. Which might explain the current vogue for subtitles.

Rapid fire ramblings

Research by Ofcom, the media regulator, has found that of the 7.5 million people who use TV subtitles, six million have no hearing impairment at all.

For those who have discovered the joy of subtitles, the idea of keeping up with the countless plot twists inflicted on 24's Jack Bauer, or Christopher Eccleston's rapid-fire ramblings as Doctor Who, would be nigh-on impossible without the aid of 888 - the Ceefax/Teletext page where subtitles live.

Why change a classic design? Subtitles from 1982
The problem with subtitles is once discovered they can be incredibly hard to let go of. Their value extends to a rich variety of TV-watching scenarios.

Tucking into a bag of crisps while slobbing on the sofa? Subtitles ensure not a word is missed as the sound gets drowned out by the head-echo of crunching.

Trying to lull a baby to sleep... cut the sound and let the subtitles do the work.

And where videos were useless, DVDs only feed one's subtitle addiction.

Diligent subtitlers - and there seem to be plenty of them out there - even go so far as to include the name of a song that is being played in the background, and the artist performing it. (How long before viewers will be able to click on the title to download the song?)

Others actually transcribe the lyrics.

The vast majority of subtitling is pre-recorded, but when watching the news with subtitles one can't help but respect the craft of the live subtitler, as they struggle to keep up with galloping newsreaders.

Sentences frequently go uncompleted. Errors are common, and entirely understandable, but that doesn't stop them eliciting a slight grin - like the subtitler who recently referred to Andrew Lloyd Wober.

Now and again, one even detects a certain recklessness in the subtitle suite, as when, during one of those celebrity-packed Christmas adverts (yes, ads get subtitled too) Marks & Spencer used to make, a line popped up declaring: "I love you Rupert" just as Rupert Everett hoved into camera.

Occasionally, though, the subtitle can be more a hindrance than a help, even to the most ardent fan. Comic timing is something subtitlers have yet to be able to replicate - with the result that punchlines tend to appear before they are actually spoken and the whole thing is ruined.

Mostly, though, subtitles tend to enhance one's viewing experience. And who knows - for all of us one day as advancing years take their toll, they will doubtless become even more indispensable.

Quick-draw artists

2006-05-08T01:23:00.000-07:00

Pixar - the iconic animation company that produced Toy Story, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo - is marking its 20th anniversary. But can digital cartoons ever have the same charm as hand-drawn characters?

Let there be light. Well, an anglepoise lamp to be precise. It's 20 years since Pixar, the mega-billion animation company, launched its first movie - a short film about a lamp with a life of its own, called Luxo Jr.

Along with iconic brands such as Google and the iPod, Pixar's computer-generated movies have become part of the digital era - with the animation firm becoming one of Hollywood's biggest players.

Marking its 20th anniversary is an exhibition at the Science Museum in London, which displays the art and the craft behind Toy Story, Bug's Life, Monsters Inc, The Incredibles and the soon-to-be released, Cars.

This is a world of movies where the images are instantly-recognisable, but there are no stars. If anyone was going to walk down a red carpet, it would have to be an anonymous army of artists, directors and software designers.

Or maybe it would be the industrial-scale "renderfarms" that provide the processing power for the computer-generated animations.

Digital Disney

Pixar's big success wasn't instant. For the first decade the company had made its living from advertising, producing animations for products such as Listerine and Kellogg's All Bran.

Finding Nemo: Pixar has grown from small fry to movie monster

But the big breakthrough came in 1995 with its first full-length movie - Toy Story. This first ever fully computer-animated feature film was the biggest grossing movie of the year - earning $362m (£208m) worldwide.

Appropriately for an animation company, Pixar had impeccable timing.

Toy Story was launched when new computer power was convincing audiences that they should become more techno-friendly.

Just as Disney created the animations for the great age of cinema, Pixar has produced some of the iconic animations of the digital age.

The movies that followed were all runaway successes. Monsters Inc reached the $100m box office benchmark quicker than any animated film in history.

But Pixar also discovered a goldmine in another side of the digital market - the arrival of DVDs - a format which showed off its crystal-clear animation to full effect. Finding Nemo shifted eight million copies on its first day of release.

Artists not anoraks

The exhibition shows how much work is involved - with a single movie requiring the efforts of 230 people and a whole load of supercomputers for four years.

Pixar movies have turned DVDs into a digital goldmine

But not everyone is convinced that the quality of computer-generated animation matches hand-drawn films.

Richard Taylor, former head of animation at the Royal College of Art, says such films might be lucrative, but "something is filtered out" in the process.

"Computer animation has less direct appeal, less charm, it's less humane - it lacks the roughness that nature gives."

But Pixar's creative boss, John Lasseter, says: "Computers don't create computer animation any more than a pencil creates pencil animation. What creates computer animation is the artist."

And the exhibition shows the creative perspiration involved. Before the computer animation process, artists will draw and paint up to 50,000 storyboards - and the exhibition includes examples of the so-called "colourscripts" which set the visual style and tone of the story.

Simpsons film confirmed for 2007

2006-05-08T01:21:00.000-07:00

Twentieth Century Fox has confirmed that popular animated TV series The Simpsons is to be made into a film.
The movie will be released in the United States in July 2007.

A 25-second trailer for the film has been shown to US audiences at screenings of Ice Age: The Meltdown, promising to introduce "the greatest hero in American history".

It then cut to Homer Simpson, wearing only his underwear, who admitted: "I forgot what I was supposed to say."

The Simpsons revolves around the antics of bald, beer-guzzling family man Homer and his spiky-haired son Bart.

International hit

It is the longest-running prime-time entertainment series on television in the US and a worldwide hit.

It is currently in its 17th season, and last month, US network Fox confirmed it had commissioned two more series.

This ensured the show would stay on screens until at least 2008.

There has long been speculation about whether it would be turned into a film.

Creator Matt Groening said last year that the animated hit would keep going as long as he and his colleagues could keep generating fresh ideas.

"That's what you're looking for in television - surprise," he added.

Online movies given release boost

2006-05-08T01:17:00.000-07:00

Film fans in the US will soon be able to download major movies on the same day the DVD of the films become available to buy in shops.
Online film services Movielink and CinemaNow will begin selling downloads such as Brokeback Mountain this week.

Up until now, both services only offered digital movie downloads for a rental period only.

The head of CinemaNow, Curt Mavis, described the move as "one giant step for digital distribution".

Movielink and CinemaNow have both signed download-to-own deals with major Hollywood studios such as Universal Pictures, Warner Brothers and Twentieth Century Fox.

Piracy

"This is an endorsement that digital delivery of high value content has finally arrived," said Jim Ramo, head of MovieLink.

Both Marvis and Ramo said they expected all major studios to sign deals with them soon if they had not done so already.

Both services will offer old titles alongside new movies.

The downloads will be software protected so they can not be burned on to DVD discs and replayed on DVD players.

In the past, major Hollywood studios have been reluctant to offer new films for sale in this way because of piracy fears.

A similar service was launched in the UK by the AOL website earlier this month and will be available from 10 April.

In February, another UK website, Wippit, started offering permanent downloads - but only independent movies are currently available.

American stardom awaits for McFly

2006-05-07T23:51:00.000-07:00

Boy band McFly talk to the BBC News website as they gear up for the US launch of their new album and their first Hollywood movie.

The McFly foursome returned from the US last weekend
In Just My Luck, a romantic comedy starring Lindsay Lohan, British foursome McFly play a young guitar band from England trying to make it big in America.

It is a fictitious scenario the boys hope will soon be transformed into reality.

A week spent in the States recently saw the group attend an early Hollywood screening of the film and meet the local media.

Between appearances, the boys spoke to the BBC News website about their ambitions and first impressions of Hollywood.

"This is like the entertainment capital, isn't it? It's really dreamy," said drummer Harry Judd.

"It's such an amazing and beautiful place. You go along the street and there's so much character with the restaurants and everything. It's quite surreal being here."

For a band still trying to find their feet in the world of showbiz, Los Angeles appears to have struck a chord.

"In England, if you just talk about yourself you come across as arrogant, but over here it's really cool," said singer Tom Fletcher.

"Everyone comes over and tells you exactly what they do and what they've done."

'Not big-headed'

McFly have had a meteoric rise since becoming the youngest group since the Beatles to debut at number one with their first album. It is an achievement that has aroused much interest in the US.

"In a lot of American interviews it's come up, so it's really nice," said vocalist Danny Jones.

Their first film sees them share the screen with Lindsay Lohan
"We're not big-headed about that kind of thing though," added Judd.

However, the boys know they have everything to prove if they are to make an impact on the US music scene.

"It's like when we were starting in England - everything's new and exciting again," said Fletcher.

"The success we've had doesn't mean anything over here, so we have to come over and work hard."

"It's a big place to crack but we'll do our best shot," added Jones.

"We're not going to just expect it'll happen," agreed bassist Dougie Paynter.

When McFly were signed to appear as themselves in Just My Luck, they did not expect to have major roles in the film.

But as the script developed, they were given speaking parts as well as an opportunity to contribute original songs to the soundtrack.

'Pretty nervous'

The Just My Luck CD - which features songs from McFly's first two UK albums - will be released next month in the US.

However, the band are quick to point out the film is more notable for their musical contribution than for their performances as actors.

First the Beatles, now McFly - but is America ready for them?
"We're not actors to be honest," said Judd. "But it's a great opportunity for us and to get our faces out there in America."

Another bonus was the chance to work with Lindsay Lohan, a star in the US thanks to such films as Freaky Friday and Mean Girls.

"We were pretty nervous about meeting her for the first time," admitted Fletcher.

"But about a week into filming she took us out to dinner with her family. It was a nice way to break the ice.

"She's just a normal girl," added Jones, who - like his bandmates - is undeterred by the prospect of courting the same media interest that has made Lohan one of the most talked-about celebrities in Hollywood.

"As much as people deny it, that's the main reason why people do it," said Judd.

"You say to kids now 'What do you want to do?' and they say 'I want to be famous'."

Just My Luck opens on 21 July in the UK.

Film promotes Da Vinci 'set-jet'

2006-05-07T23:46:00.000-07:00

A short film produced to exploit the tourism spin-offs for Scotland from the Da Vinci Code movie has been given its first screening in New York.
The Rosslyn Enigma was commissioned jointly by VisitScotland and Scottish Screen at a cost of £50,000.

In it, a US student visits the 600-year-old Rosslyn Chapel.

The chapel near Edinburgh featured in Dan Brown's blockbuster book about the Holy Grail, the film of which stars Tom Hanks and comes out next month.

Tourism officials want to cash in on the trend known as "set-jetting" where fans flock to shoot locations around the world.

The documentary was shown at the Anthology Film Archives in New York during Tartan Week.

Public invited to 'produce' movie

2006-05-07T23:42:00.000-07:00

Two young film makers are offering members of the public an opportunity to become associate producers or appear in a new movie set in Scotland.
For £50 aspiring producers can see their name in the film credits or for £100 budding actors can appear in the film called The Simulator.

The scheme aims to fund the film, which could start shooting in October.

Film makers Mark Buchanan and Gregor Barclay had the idea when they were unable to secure conventional funding.

Film making is something everybody can be a part of

Gregor Barclay

Mark, 22, and Gregor, 24, from Glasgow, are embarking on the task of making the low budget science fiction tale set in an underground geological laboratory.

Billy Connolly is among the stars they have approached to appear in the film.

Both Mark and Gregor have won awards on the film festival circuit.

Despite this, they have been unable to secure funding.

Closed doors

Mark said: "We have approached and are still approaching the big funding bodies.

"Because of our proposed low budget and relative youth, we have found a lot of doors closed to us.

"This industry is not known for taking risks with new talent."

Gregor Barclay and Mark Buchanan have had funding bids rejected

Mark and Gregor hope the public will now play their part.

Benefits of joining up include seeing your name in credits, tickets to the premiere and an appearance in the film.

Gregor said: "We wanted to show people that film making is something everybody can be a part of.

"For too long, it has been seen as an exclusive club, but new technology has shown that it's possible to make a film with high artistic standards, on a minimal budget.

"We want to make films this way. Why not let other people get involved too?"

Mark added: "We have such a great history of quality film making in the country and the talent is still present, it just needs to be encouraged."

Bollywood film upsets 'gangster'

2006-05-07T23:30:00.000-07:00

One of India's most wanted men has demanded that a Bollywood movie he says is based on his life should not be released while he is facing trial.

Lawyers for Abu Salem are appealing in a court in the western city of Mumbai (Bombay) to try to block the release of the film, Gangster.

The film's producer says it is a work of fiction not based on Salem's life.

Salem was extradited from Portugal last year and is a suspect in the Mumbai blasts of 1993 that killed 250 people.

Other cases of murder, kidnapping and extortion are also pending against him.

On Saturday, a Mumbai court rejected Salem's petition on technical grounds. But his lawyer says he will now approach the high court.

'Trial by media'

The legal move came after their client read reports that it was based on his life. Salem's lawyer, Ashok Sarogi, said if the movie were released while the trial was going on, it could adversely influence his client's case.

My client will be tried and sentenced by the masses and the media long before the court does

Lawyer Ashok Sarogi

"If something is dramatised and shown on silver screen then the masses do get affected," he told the BBC.

"Investigation in my client's case is still going on and if a movie is released then it could influence the witnesses who are to be questioned."

"My client will be tried and sentenced by the masses and the media long before the court does."

But Mr Sarogi also said he had asked the court to view the film and if it believed that it was not based on his client's life, then they should permit it to be released.

'Misinformed'

But the film's producer, Mahesh Bhatt, has denied the allegation.

I would never pass a judgement on a person before the last word is given

Director Mahesh Bhatt

Mahesh Bhatt says he has received a notice from Salem's lawyer and he has replied saying they were "misinformed".

"My film Gangster is a work of fiction and it is not a story of a gangster but a story of a bar girl who is in love with two people, one an ordinary, simple man and the other, a gangster," he told the BBC.

"The character of the gangster is not even remotely connected with Salem or any of his biographic details that are known to me or throughout the world."

Mr Bhatt also said he would be "delighted" if someone saw the film as soon as possible and put Abu Salem's fears to rest.

"I would never pass a judgement on a person before the last word is given.

"I think the man is right to be looked upon as innocent until pronounced guilty and with this belief cannot make a film that calls him a gangster. And I have not done that, this film is not about Salem."

Scary Movie 4 tops US box office

2006-05-07T23:25:00.000-07:00

Scary Movie 4, the latest film in the spoof horror series, has proved a hit with North American fans, taking $41m (£23m) at box offices over the weekend.
Six years after the first Scary Movie film, the franchise shows little sign of losing its appeal with cinemagoers.

The fourth instalment set a new Easter weekend record, beating the $30m (£17m) earned by thriller Panic Room in 2002.

Ice Age: The Meltdown was second at the weekend, taking $20m (£11.3m), according to studio estimates.

The cartoon sequel has now almost reached the $150m (£85m) mark in ticket sales in the US and Canada.

NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE TOP FIVE

1. Scary Movie 4 - $41m
2. Ice Age: The Meltdown (above) - $20m
3. The Benchwarmers - $10m
4. The Wild - $9.6m
5. Take the Lead - $6.7m
Friday-Sunday. Source: Exhibitor Relations
Third place in the box office chart went to baseball comedy The Benchwarmers, starring Rob Schneider.

But Disney's latest animal animation The Wild could only enter in fourth place, reaping $9.6m (£5.4m) in ticket sales in three days.

Hollywood's overall takings rose for the fourth weekend in a row, with the top 12 movies making $110m (£62m) - up 23% on Easter weekend last year.

Scary Movie 4 also gives Bob and Harvey Weinstein their first number one movie since they left Miramax to set up their own company last year.

"We couldn't have asked for a more impressive opening for Scary Movie 4 and are so proud to have accomplished this only six months after our company launched," Bob Weinstein said.

"This exceptional opening proves that this franchise has tremendous staying power."

New film crew arrives on island

2006-05-07T22:57:00.000-07:00

British actress Kristin Scott Thomas is among the stars to arrive on the Isle of Man for filming on a new movie.
Work on The Walker, also starring Lauren Bacall and former Cheers Actor Woody Harrelson, was due to get under way on Thursday.

It follows the story of Carter Page, a society "walker" who acts as an escort for the wives of the rich and powerful.

Filming on Miss Potter, starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor, finished on the island earlier this week.

Department of Trade and Industry minister Alex Downie said: "We're delighted to welcome such Hollywood legends to the Island and hope that they enjoy their time here.

"The calibre of actors filming on the Island is representative of the quality of our films and we are looking forward to a busy summer in terms of production."

The Walker's cast and crew are expected to be on the Isle of Man until 5 May when the production will move to Washington DC.

Stellar cast headed for Highlands

2006-05-07T22:13:00.000-07:00

Scenes for a new movie starring Robert De Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer are being shot in Wester Ross.
Members of the cast and scores of film crew are filming Stardust at an undisclosed location.

The fantasy is based on a novel by Neil Gaiman and is directed by British filmmaker Matthew Vaughn.

Scottish Screen, the national film body, said it had "worked hard" to have the Highlands used as a location for the movie.

Worked hard

The organisation's Celia Stevenson said Hollywood A-listers De Niro and Pfeiffer star in the film.

She told BBC Scotland News online: "We have worked hard to bring this film to Scotland."

The Daily Record on Friday said Sienna Miller and Rupert Everett also have leading roles and actress Clare Danes flew into Inverness Airport for filming in Wester Ross.

The film, set in an English village, follows a young man named Tristan played by Charlie Cox who goes on a quest to win the heart of his beloved, Victoria - actress Sienna Miller.

His journey leads him to a magical world where he faces the Pfeiffer's witch, Lamia,

Star Trek movie turns back time

2006-05-07T22:11:00.000-07:00

JJ Abrams, creator of TV show Lost and director of Mission Impossible III, is to produce and direct the 11th Star Trek film.
The film, produced by Paramount and set for release in 2008, will focus on the early days of Captain James T Kirk and Mr Spock.

The as-yet-untitled feature will tell of their first meeting at Starfleet Academy and first outer space mission.

The most recent Trek film, Star Trek: Nemesis, was released in 2003.

Abrams will write the film with his Mission Impossible co-writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

The film will be co-produced by Lost producers Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk.

STAR TREK FILMS
The Motion Picture (1979)
The Wrath of Khan (1982)
The Search for Spock (1984)
The Voyage Home (1986)
The Final Frontier (1989)
The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Generations (1994)
First Contact (1996)
Insurrection (1998)
Nemesis (2002)

The decision to revive the Trek franchise comes a year after the cancellation of spin-off TV series Enterprise, which was axed after four seasons due to poor ratings.

The film Star Trek: Nemesis - which starred the cast of the Next Generation series - also underperformed, making less money than any of its nine predecessors.

However, rumours that the film series would continue in a different form have been circulating since 2003.

Earlier this year, Next Generation star Patrick Stewart told ITV1's This Morning there was "interest in bringing the Next Generation cast together with actors from different Star Trek series".

Comedies head MTV movie shortlist

2006-05-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

Wedding Crashers and The 40-Year Old Virgin lead the nominations for the MTV Movie Awards, with five mentions each.
The two comedies compete in the best film category alongside Batman Begins, King Kong and Sin City.
The awards show, which takes place in California on 3 June, sets out to be more irreverent than other ceremonies.
Best kiss nominees include Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal for Brokeback Mountain, and real-life couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for Mr & Mrs Smith.
Crash, which won best picture at the Academy Awards, did not receive a nomination for the awards, whose winners are chosen by viewers.

Best kiss: Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have a nominationWedding Crashers duo Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn are up for best on-screen team, pitting them against 40-Year-Old Virgin's lead Steve Carell and co-stars Paul Rudd, Seth Rogen and Romany Malco.
A new category, sexiest performance, sees a nomination for Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo star Rob Schneider.
He competes against Beyonce Knowles, Ziyi Zhang, Jessica Alba and Jessica Simpson.
A best hero category has also been added, along with a student film-maker award.

SA 'Tsotsi' returns stolen baby

2006-05-07T05:39:00.000-07:00

In an apparent replay of the movie Tsotsi, a South Africa thief returned a baby he found in a car he had stolen.
Police contacted the man by calling a mobile phone stolen at the same time. The thief then delivered the child to an agreed place.
Tsotsi won South Africa its first Foreign Language Film Oscar and is about a young thug who finds himself in charge of a baby after stealing a car.
A policeman called the incident a "total simulation of the Tsotsi movie".
"I think this movie is playing an important role among criminals out there - maybe it encouraged him to have a soft heart," Inspector Paul Ramaloko told the BBC News website.
Phone
The theft took place when a woman in her 30s, identified in the local media as Olga Botha, left her car idling outside her Pretoria home while she opened the gate.
The unidentified man then drove off in the car, along with the baby and the woman's handbag, which contained her mobile phone.
"The police called the number - the man answered, and indicated he was waiting for the call," Inspector Ramaloko said.
"He indicated he didn't want the baby or the purse, only the car."
The thief duly dropped off the baby at a school building.
The man also said he would return the car later, as he only wanted to use it for the weekend.
By Tuesday morning, the police had not heard from him.
"We have intensified our efforts and are not relaxing," Inspector Ramaloko said.
"We are so happy the baby is back."

Film director 'sees future in 3D'

2006-05-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

Film director James Cameron has said Hollywood should release more digital 3D movies as a way of luring people back into cinemas and reducing piracy.
He told a US media conference he was considering a 3D reissue of Titanic, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
He described the format as "a powerful experience" which could be used while shooting new releases or to offer a fresh perspective on classic films.
He said he would not make movies "for people to watch on their cellphones".
Cameron added: "I don't want that grand, visionary, transporting movie experience made for the big screen to become a thing of the past."
Special filming techniques
Several forthcoming films are being produced using 3D-compatible methods.
A remake of Journey to the Centre of the Earth will be shot in live action with so-called "stereographic" cameras.
Beowulf, directed by Robert Zemeckis, will use 3D filming techniques, while Walt Disney's computer-animated Meet the Robinsons will be projected in 3D.
George Lucas plans to reissue his original Star Wars movie in the format next year to mark its 30th anniversary, while director Peter Jackson has a similar idea - at some stage - for King Kong.
Cameron told the National Association of Broadcasters' Digital Cinema Summit in Las Vegas the movie industry needed "to fight back harder, come back blazing, not wither away and die" in response to falling ticket sales in cinemas and increases in incidents of piracy.
International film box office revenues dropped by nine per cent in 2005, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
Only four films made more than $300m (£168m) outside the US, compared with seven in 2004.

New York first to see 9/11 movie

2006-05-07T05:33:00.000-07:00

The Tribeca film festival, founded by Robert De Niro, has opened with the world premiere of a movie about the 11 September terrorist attacks.
United 93 is set on the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania after its passengers fought with hijackers.
De Niro, who created the festival to help revitalise lower Manhattan after the events of 2001, said "it would seem strange" not to show the movie.
Several of the festival's 275 films also tackle the impact of that day.
These include documentaries about a fire department chaplain killed at the World Trade Center - entitled Saint of 9/11 -

Festival creator Robert De Niro said it was right to show United 93and also The Heart of Steel, about volunteers who helped victims of the attacks.
Writer-director Paul Greengrass, who made United 93, said Tribeca was "the most appropriate place for the film to play first".
He added it was "an honour and a privilege to bring this film there. It's daunting and it's humbling, but I know in my heart we all did our best to honour this subject".
'Right thing'
De Niro acknowledged that "some will be ready, and some will not be ready" for United 93.
"Not everyone is going to feel good, of course. But after four and a half years, it feels like the right thing to do," he said.

A remake of disaster movie Poseidon is among the premieres
Some cinemas in the US have already pulled trailers for United 93 after audiences became upset.
Among the 90 premieres at the festival is the first US screening of Mission: Impossible 3, which sees Tom Cruise travelling across Manhattan by helicopter, speedboat, sports car and underground train.
Other major movies include the disaster remake Poseidon, with Kurt Russell and Josh Lucas, and Lonely Hearts, which stars John Travolta and James Gandolfini as detectives tracking down two killers.
More than 4,000 productions were submitted for consideration by the organisers of the two-week festival.

9/11 film makes number two in US

2006-05-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

United 93, the first Hollywood film to deal with the terrorist attacks of 11 September, was the second most popular movie in the US on its opening weekend.
It generated ticket sales of $11.6m (£6.4m) across the country, having received its premiere last week at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
The film dramatises events on a flight which crashed when passengers fought back against hijackers.
It was beaten to number one by Robin Williams' new comedy, RV.
Williams plays the beleaguered head of a family making a cross-country trip in a recreational vehicle which has plumbing problems.
RV earned $16.4m (£9m) on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, while the teen gymnastics drama Stick It made number three, with takings of $11.3m (£6.2m).

United 93 is the first Hollywood film to tackle the attacks of 2001
United 93's sensitive subject matter had made it difficult to forecast how it would fare in US cinemas.
Some audiences watching trailers for the film had expressed concern that it was too soon to release a drama about the events of 2001.
However, Nikki Rocco, the president of domestic theatrical distribution at Universal, said: "I think Americans have spoken loud and clear, that they were ready for a film like this."
She added the studio had not made any predictions about its box office performance because it "wasn't the first and foremost aspect of producing the film".

Actor Cruise on New York mission

2006-05-07T05:24:00.000-07:00

Tom Cruise has traversed New York on a helicopter, fire truck, motorcycle and speedboat to promote his new movie, Mission: Impossible III.
The star attempted to build up buzz for his latest film by taking the unusual modes of transport to the city's premiere and two other screenings.
Followed by fans, photographers and camera crews, he also caught rides in a sports car and a subway train.
The latest adventure in his film series is released around the world this week.

Cruise took a New York fire truck through Times Square
In Manhattan, a fire truck gave the star a lift through Times Square to a local heliport, where a helicopter whisked him to a premiere.
Less than an hour later, he pulled up on a motorcycle to the first opening of the movie at the Tribeca Performing Arts Centre.
The film's publicists tried to keep his route secret to generate excitement among fans and paparazzi who hoped to catch a glimpse of him around the city.
Photographer Charles Sykes said: "It's been my own mission impossible trying to chase him down.
"I didn't get any information from the publicist or movie people. I had to get word of mouth."
One fan who did see him, 18-year-old Eleonora Bershadskaya, said: "I don't think anything is too much for him, but I might be really shallow. I love Tom Cruise."
Cruise has embarked on a global promotional tour for the blockbuster film - directed by Lost creator JJ Abrams - despite the birth of his baby daughter on 18 April.
The actor has visited Rome, Paris and London and is returning to Los Angeles on Thursday for the Hollywood premiere.
Mission: Impossible III also stars Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames and Billy Crudup.