FEBRUARY, 8

ON THEATRES NEXT WEEK

1-HF

Action

The Cast: Will Smith, Milla Jovovich, Ralph Fiennes, Josh Brolin, Jeremy Davies

The Director and Producer: Michael Bay
The Screenwriter: Marcus Trax

The Plot: An average day for Detective Luke Miller (WSmith), L.A.P.D, but it soon gets out of control when a tanker carrying Hydrogen Fluroide (HF), one of the most corrosive chemicals known to man, that dissolves everything in its path, is hijacked when it stops off at a secure refueling depot. Now the hijackers (J.Brolin and J.Davies), terrorists press ganged into joining the cause, are taking the tanker into L.A to attack city hall and if anyone stops them in a manner that will cause its destruction many people will die. Det Miller teams up with chemical expert Dr. Natalie Clifton (M.Jovovich) to figure out a way to stop the terrorists and soon Det. Miller is tracking down the terrorist cell in L.A.P.D to find the man (R.Fiennes) responsible and stop the terrorists before they complete their task while Dr. Clifton is finding a solution.

After a race against secrets and desperate people Det. Miller and Dr. Clifton eventually stop the threat. Miller hunting down the cell leader and taking him out, while Dr. Clifton risks her life to get the tanker to crash into a large body of water where the dangerous chemical will explode. To do this she has to systematically flood the streets though.

Stark’s Comment: Here is a major action show. It has it all to become a blockbuster and, after all, the Studio needs money, you know…


2-DREAM OF A KING

Biography

The Cast: Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett, Robert De Niro, Dylan Baker, Regina Hall, Edward Norton

The Director: Spike Lee
The Producer and Screenwriter: Josh Collins

The Plot: Never has there been a feature film in the style of many other biopics detailing the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Dream of a King is that film. From his youth to his untimely death, the film covers the most memorable Dr. King moments from Clergyman, his influences from Rosa Parks, the criticism from all walks of life, meeting Coretta, marrying her and having a family. The march that drew 200,000 people on Washington D.C. for people demanding equal rights for minorities where he delivered his most famous and powerful speech of which the title of the film is inspired.

The end of the film is both horrifying and inspirational. The audience knows it's going to happen, but you just don't want it to. While his final speech 'I've been to the mountain top' is overheard, scenes of the end of his life are shown and flipped back and forth with him speaking the speech to a public audience and as he stands out on the balcony of the hotel in Tennessee and is assassinated. As his final speech continues the events that follow after his death unfold. Scenes of his funeral, Lyndon Johnson signing legislature to ban racial discrimination, etc.

Dr. King's dream came true.

Cast of Characters
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: Laurence Fishburne
Coretta Scott King: Angela Bassett
Vice President Lyndon Johnson: Robert DeNiro
President John Kennedy: Dylan Baker
Rosa Parks: Regina Hall
James Earl Ray: Edward Norton

Stark’s Comment: A biopic in black and white is quite a risky bet. But it is worthy. We are talking of one of the biggest men from the past century here. The Studio needs money but money is not the only thing we look for at CMP.


3-GOTHS: A LOVE STORY

Romance

The Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Emma Roberts, Bob Hoskins, Timothy Hutton, Laura Dern

The Director: Norman Jewison
The Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick

The Plot: The world rejected them, two teenagers (Osment & Roberts) find each other one night at a local club. Two lonly souls who believe that no one understands them and what they have to go through in life Soon they embark on a cross country road trip that will take them on a long jounry across america where they discover themselves along the way and find out that the world is just as strange as they are, when they meet up with intresting and unique people along their journy. Along they way they'll meet an old man (Hoskins) who claims he can speak with god through his cat, witness a car accident where a girl dies in their arms, stop by a roadside attraction the sells oddities from all over the world, pick up a stranded couple on the highway that are hippies (Hutton & Dern). After their long journey, they find themselves on a beach in each others arms just as the sun is setting.

Stark’s Comment: Each generation has its own love story. Remember movies like ‘Love Story’, ‘Endless Love’ or ‘Ghost’. Here is the love story for this generation.


MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

THE TOWERING INFERNO: Three ladies complete the cast of this remake from the 1974’s classic. GMA Winner Sharon Stone (‘Entertaining Mrs Sullivan’, ‘The Tempting Diamond’ and Wild Cards 2 & 3), GMA Nominee Ariel Gade (‘No Evil’, ’72 Hours’) and Jessica Biel, absent from CMP since the first Ace Banner’s movie.


POMPEII: James Cameron already has his female star. No other than one of CMP’s favourite stars: Keira Knightley Her last work for CMP after the ‘Hitman’ and ‘Uncommon Valour’ sagas’ was lending her voice to Princess Zelda in the smashing hit ‘Game Boy’. Also in the cast, Helen Mirren, in her first work for the Studio.

YEOMAN: Viggo Mortensen never got to be He-Man. But now he’ll have the chance to recreate a legendary character becoming Yeoman. Mortensen replaces Samuel L Jackson, who played the character in the first and second Wild Cards movies.

NO MORE BUSH!: The creative team behind ‘Lieutenant USA’, leaded by John Daws, has reunited again in this crazy project: a fake documentary about the ‘relationship’ between US President and Great Britain’s Prime Minister (!!). Will Ferrel and Steve Carrell, who worked together in ‘Lieutenant USA’, meet again for this one. And yes, Ferrel plays Bush while Carrell will be Tony Blair. Rob Reiner directs this wild story far, very far away from political correction…

THE LOLLIPOP MAN: Ben Stiller (‘The Perfect Candidate’, ‘LOL’, ‘The Shrinking Man’) returns to CMP in this children oriented movie. Stiller is still deciding if directing the movie or not. He already directed for CMP the comedy ‘Eureka!’ and results were not too happy then.

OMEGA: Everything is ready to release this political drama. Finally, it will be Katie Holmes (the Star Wars saga, ‘Parody of Arts’) the one to play the lead female character. Tommy Lee Jones (‘The Tempting Diamond’, ‘Casual Day’, 'The Greatest Show On Earth', ‘An American Stroll’) and Kevin Spacey (‘Sam & Twitch’, ‘The Passion Beneath’) will also appear on screen. Paul Greengrass works behind the cameras.

LITTLE TIN GODDESS: First screenplay by David Makalaster. A peculiar fantasy story about a man and his relationship with a goddess statue. Steve Buscemi (‘Checkmate’, ‘The Greatest Show On Earth’, ’22:01’) is the man. David Lynch is the director. The actress to play the goddess has not been decided yet by Lynch.

T.Y.M.: THE INFERNO REVENGE: Thomas Haden Church, seen in ‘Syndrome: Paradise Lost’, plays the villain in this action comedy: a demon decided to take control of the world.

BLINK: Difficulties to set up the cast for the new Collins’ drama. Christian Bale, seen in sagas like The Heirs or The Great War Series, and Hillary Swank (‘Taurus 3’, ‘Home’, ‘Visionaries’) are in. Steve Buscemi and Claire Danes rejected the offer to be in the movie due to previous commitments in other CMP’s productions.

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES: First story from Ted Froats this Season: a sentimental drama with the background of September 11th attacks. Patrick Dempsey (‘Singles’) and Famke Jansen (’72 Hours’) play the starring married couple. Joel Schumacher (‘Red Light’) directs.


MAKING OF… ‘DREAM OF A KING’

Hello movie buffs! We have a fresh sit down interview with the writer of his next upcoming film, Dream of the King with a star studded cast including Angela Bassett, Robert DeNiro, Edward Norton, and of course the man who brings Dr. Martin Luther King back to life, Laurence Fishburne with Spike Lee offering his directorial vision.

Josh, we have got to ask what inspired this idea?
It's an amazing story of one man's journey to achieve something he strongly believed in. We've all read the stories and many of us were actually there to see it. Few people have been able to do the things Dr. King did in his life. It's a beautiful movie filled with inspiration, hope, and reminds us that white, black, brown, green we're all in this crazy world together. It's kind of a shame that his story has been told at this caliber, a major motion picture. It accurately portrays the life we knew and didn't know of this great man of history.

How was it like finding the right man for the job?
Oh man you wouldn't believe how many fine actors' dreams are to play an American legend like Dr. King and how many of those actors are intimidated to play the kind of role fearing they wouldn't be able to do the man justice. I don't blame them, you really have to have "it" to play a man like Dr. King. It was either Jeffrey Wright or Laurence Fishburne. I remember Jeffrey getting to play the role a few years ago in a made for TV movie so he did have an advantage but the studio used their incredible vision for Laurence and said "no doubt, he's your man" Laurence is a brilliant actor and I feel this is his moment to really. He's always been one of my favorite actors so it was a great experience to work with him. He has that amazing strength that the real Dr. King had.

What made you decide Spike Lee as the director?
I trust his directorial experiences after his highly acclaimed biographical film, Malcolm X, among his other great films. Fortunately it was easier than I thought to work with him. Usually a director of a film changes so many ideas that it becomes less the writer's idea and more the director's. But I threw up some suggestions of how I saw the film and it helped get the wheels turning. He liked that it would be viewed in black and white.

What do you want to achieve by writing this?
I hope audiences will leave with a feeling of inspiration, that they can take on any big challenge through hard work and their own effort. I also would like to make this the film people think of when they hear about Martin Luther King Jr. To use this film as a reminder of who he was.

Thanks for your time, Mr. Collins!

A LOOK AT… ROBERT DE NIRO

Can be defined as an ‘all-terrain actor’. De Niro can be the lead star or just play a supporting role, can appear both in comedy or drama, can be the good guy or a villain… But one thing is for sure: he is an acting genius, one of the last masters. That’s why many of CMP’s authors (Stark, Bradley, Kubrick, Trax, Collins) have wanted him in their movies. Let’s take a look at his career in CMP.

THE HEIRS (Martin Scorsese, B.O.: 158 mill.): It had to be him. The boss of a mafia imperium. Everything looked good for him. Business were going so well. He had a beautiful lover (Nicole Kidman). But his ambitious son, Sean Penn, and his two best friends – Colin Farell and Christian Bale – decided it was time for him to retire. His answer? Both Farell and Bale died under mysterious circumstances and his son had to renounce to his two main wills: leading the family business and dad’s lover.

THE HEIRS – PART 2 (Martin Scorsese, B.O.; 303): Things were getting worse for the family. Disappointed by his son, De Niro turned his eyes to his nephew, Leo Di Caprio, as his new heir. Bad idea. Penn got so jealous and it all ended up the worst way possible: both Di Caprio and Penn’s wife, Robin Wright, ended up in the graveyard this time.

SAM & TWITCH (Matt Kubrick, B.O.: 14 mill.): Only a cameo in this failed attempt to turn a comic novel into a live action movie. De Niro just enjoyed himself playing an eccentric character.

THE TOYMAKER (Francis Coppola, B.O:: 62 mill.): His friends Coppola, director, and Scorsese, producer, couldn’t make it without him. So there was De Niro, playing a pretty fanatic priest decided to condemn Dustin Hoffman to death just because he had invented a little flying toy. First GMA nomination for De Niro as best supporting actor.

THE HEIRS – PART 3 (Martin Scorsese, B.O:: 63 mill.): The end of the epic family drama. Michael Douglas finally put De Niro behind the bars of the county jail while Penn fell on a hell of drugs and self-destruction. De Niro got two GMA nominations this time: Best Actor and Best Starring Couple together with Penn. More than deserved. But it was not the time to win the award yet for him.

22:01 (Quentin Tarantino, B.O.: 46 mill.): Pacino and De Niro reunited for the second time after ‘Heat’. Once again, De Niro leaded a mobsters gang. An appealing and violent gunfight Tarantino’s style but a cold response from audiences. Anyway, watching Pacino and De Niro together is always a pleasure.

DREAM OF A KING (Spike Lee, awaiting release): De Niro is also a great transformer. He can change his appearance if the character demands it. And here he is characterized as Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. A quality work for a quality movie. No doubt, a don’t miss. And maybe his fourth chance at the GMA.

THE PREMIERE PIC

Here they are at the photo call during the premiere in LA of Michael Bay’s new movie, ‘HF’. The starring couple, Will Smith and Milla Jovovich, together with the villain Ralph Fiennes, and their director and producer were there to celebrate the release of their new movie. They all looked very confident that the movie will become the newest CMP’s blockbuster.


TALK OF THE TOWN

The first movie was pretty controversial. The author of the screenplay, Ted Froats, didn’t conceive the story as a comedy. But directors and producers of the film, Joel and Ethan Cohen, decided to intensify some comedy and parody aspects of the plot against his will. The poster of the movie, with a plant of marijuana on front, also created controversy, being considered as an apology of drugs. Yes, we are talking about ‘Cell Mates’. Now, as he has started to work on writing the sequel, Froats has asked Harry Stark to hire a different director from the Cohen brothers, somebody willing to take more seriously his story.

Barry Sonnenfeld, director of ‘T.Y.M.: The Second Chance’, was originally hired by CMP to direct the upcoming new episode of the franchise. But when he had the first meetings with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jessica Alba and noticed the ‘more than tense’ relationship between them, Sonnenfeld lost his interest in getting involved in the movie and decided to quit. Ivan Reitman (‘The Mogulers’, ‘The Tempting Diamond’) was urgently hired to replace him behind the cameras.

Kate Beckinsale and Michael Bay didn’t have a good relationship during the pre-production of ‘HF’ either. Bay called her to co-star the movie with Will Smith. But after a few unpleasant arguments between them, Bay decided to replace her with Milla Jovovich. Now Beckinsale has demanded CMP to pay her the salary agreed although she won’t appear in the movie.

‘Goths: A Love Story’ won’t be the only chance to see on screen Emma Roberts this Season. The young actress is expected to star another movie pretty soon.

An inside story: internal sources from CMP have revealed that some of the Studio’s screenwriters do not use English as their working language. Harry Stark not only manages the Studio but he also has to translate to English their texts. Stark has avoided confirming if this rumour is true or not.

Up to 8 sequels have been greenlighted by CMP for this Season. Some of the Studio’s most popular – and successful – franchises will have a new episode in the upcoming weeks.

SALT AND PEPPER

SALT

LAURENCE FISHBURNE: He has already been in three CMP’s movies: the hits ‘Bullit’ and ‘Deep Silence’ and the flop ‘The Cure’. But without doubt ‘Dream of a King’ is his big chance to show his talent. Fishburne has stated that he feels both responsibility and pride playing such a man like Dr.King. One thing is for sure: Laurence had to go on a deep physical transformation trying to look as Dr. King.


PEPPER

ELI ROTH: Matt Kubrick has regularly teamed up with different directors during his career. Michael Bay, either as director or producer, was his partner in both the complete ‘Robotech’ saga and the first ‘Wild Cards’ movie. Quentin Tarantino joined him also in the second Wild Cards’ episode and the third Ace Banner’s movie. And Eli Roth has worked with him not only in ‘Blood Beach’ but also in ‘Vorhees The Bloody Years’. According to box office’s results of these two movies, it seams like Roth does not bring luck to Kubrick.