MAY, 2

SEASON 7 BEGINS

ON THEATRES NEXT WEEK

1-FACTION 12

Sci-Fi / Action

The Cast: Nicholas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Gerald Butler, Thomas Haden Church, Rachel Bilson, Ron Pearlman, Ian McKellen

The Director: J.J. Abrams
The Producer: Nicholas Cage
The Screenwriter: John Daws

The Plot: In 2305 Mars is now a colonised planet. It hosts hundreds of mining facilities and is home to all convicted criminals from Earth.

A routine flight carrying the latest batch of misfits, murderers and scoundrals to Mars high security prison mine malfunctions and is brought down outside faction 12 (the largest of colonies).

The criminals escape and overpower the leaders based in faction 12. They soon take over all 24 colonies and in faction a criminal is placed as its leader. They soon make it known to Earth that if they do not supply the planet with resources to live then they will blow the mines and the vital resources it provides along with it.

Knowing the value of these mines Earths leaders agree to the demands and so sets up a trade route. Other criminals are released under the understanding they follow the Faction heads orders and they are used as a army to keep order amongst the miners who are held captive to work.

For Scott Johnson, a miner in Faction 12 he is split. His wife, Amy Johnson who was an ambassador for Faction 12 is now hostage and is vital to the Criminals further demands and his adopted daughter, Kelly, who lives on Earth requires the minerals from Mars for a medicine that keeps her alive.

Months pass and Scott grows increasingly troubled and the criminals are getting very confident. He decides he has to rescue his Wife and restore order to Mars. He along with close friend Ridley attack two Criminal guards who are now part of what the criminals have called the NWO (new world order) They gain a guns and two uniforms. They work their way to faction 12 headquarters and kill the NWO leader of the Faction thus freeing the workers. He gains the workers trust and they decide to follow his cause.

The NWO president, Marko Eagles appointed due to being the criminal with the most murders on his belt rallys all criminals together and a huge war ensues. Scott leaves the fight leaving Ridley in charge and he goes to resue the real leaders of the Mars including his wife. He battles through the guards and comes face to face with Marko and a fight takes place. Marko eventually is overthrown and he rescues the leaders. Once back in control Earth sends down and army of troops to secure the planet and stop the fighting. Order is restored and Scott and his wife return to Earth to see his daughter.

Cast
Scott Johnson - Nicholas Cage
Ridley – Gerald Butler
Amy Johnson - Nicole Kidman
Marko Eagles - Thomas Haden Church
Kelly Johnson – Rachel Bilson
Eddie Phoenix (Markos right hand man) - Ron Pearlman
President Of Earth - Ian Mckellen


Stark’s Comment: A production designed to be a blockbuster. Less than 100 millions in box office should be considered a disappointment. Abrams has the talent, the perfect material and the cast to make an entertaining and successful movie.

2-DAMNATION ROAD

Exploitation / Thriller

The Cast: Charlize Theron, Matthew Foxx, Danny Trejo, Steven Seagal

The Director: Rob Zombie
The Producer and Screenwriter: Matt Kubrick / Midnight Movies

The Plot: Jack (M.Foxx) and Karen (C.Theron) are newly wed couples on a road trip to their honeymoon destination but soon they become lost on the back roads of the country and can't find their way back. After a few hours they stop at a tavern but find it to be a home for bikers. After trying to find help they are attacked, Jack is beaten and killed and Karen is stripped naked and raped. She is then taken into the middle of nowhere and left for dead. But that isn't the end for her. She ends up meeting with a lone biker (S.Seagal) and after seducing him she beats him to death with a rock and she takes his clothes, bike and gun and begins hunting the others down one by one. In the finale it all comes down to a wild highway motorcycle chase between Karen and the surviving bikers as they weave in and out of traffic. Some of them slam into cars and wreck. Explosions, bodies skipping down the road then getting run over. She ends up finding the leader of the group (D.Trejo) who is still barely alive and he uses his own machete to cut his own head off. The last shot is of Karen wandering down the highway carrying the machete in one hand and the head in the other.


Stark’s Comment: Violence, graphic nudity… and a most peculiar cast. We promised to be more daring this Season and here we are. The first NC17 rated movie from CMP. A limited theatres release. With all that, it will be very hard to avoid some net losses.

3-WHEN DREAMS DIE

Drama

The Cast: Haley Joel Osment, Ellen Page, Tom Wilkinson, Mary-Louise Parker, Cary Elwes, Max Minghella, Emile Hirsch

The Director: Sam Mendes
The Screenwriter: Richard Franzwa

The Plot: The story follows a blue chip football quarterback (H.J.Osment) from his high school playing days where his grades are taken care of, and his behavior is excused because he's such a great athlete.

He is recruited by many big universities who promise him money, cars and various other luxuries that normal college students don't have. During this time he also begins gathering a group of 'yes' men who tell him he's so great and that he can do anything he wants.

He chooses to play for the University of Alabama and red shirts his first season, during which he is allowed by his coach (Tom Wilkinson) to do as he pleases. During that year he develops a relationship with a girl (Ellen Page) and they become a steady couple.

Things are looking up for him as he becomes a starter in his freshman year and leads Alabama to a conference title. His band of 'yes' men grows and he soon believes that this ride will never end.

The next year during a game he is tackled and blows out his knee. After surgery the doctors tell him he will never play football again. Suddenly, his so called 'friends' disappear once he has nothing to offer them anymore. His coach and his team mates don't have time for him and he grows depressed and starts using drugs to forget his troubles.

Over the year his drug use increases and his grades, which up to this point had been taken care of by a wink and a nod from the coach, begin to suffer as does his relationship with his girl.

The movie follows his downward spiral into drugs and depression and takes a hard look at what happens when an athlete pins all his dreams on a sport and then has it all taken away.

Cast

Haley Joel Osment - Brian Russell
Ellen Page - Chloe Dempsey
Tom Wilkinson - Coach Brewster
Mary-Louise Parker - Susan Russell (Brian’s mother)
Cary Elwes - John Russell (Brian’s father)
Max Minghella - as 'yes' man Philip White
Emile Hirsch - as drug dealer Stumps


Stark’s Comment: First screenplay from debutante Richard Franzwa. Sam Mendes returns after his success with ‘Carousel’. A moving drama about the rise and fall of a young sportsman. These low budget movies are always uncertain in box office.

MOVIES IN DEVELOPMENT

THE AVENGERS: The talents behind the superheroes are beginning to be known. Together with Downey Jr. / Ironman and Bloom / Hawkeye, the group of avengers will be able to count with Dwayne The Rock Johnson (‘Wild Cards: Ace In The Hole’) as Thor, Kurt Russell (‘Ace Banner: Return To Fury’, ‘Syndrome: New Eden’) as Nick Fury and Rose McGowen as the sexy and brave Valkyrie. Still a major question to be answered: who will replace Heath Ledger as Captain America?

FORTUNE CITY: CMP had not greenlighted a western since the flop of ‘Dakota North’. But Marcus Trax has decided to give the genre another chance. A western lover like Lawrence Kasdan, who has already shot westerns like ‘Silverado’ and ‘Wyatt Earp’, returns to CMP after the Star Wars’ movies. Two GMA winners, Susan Sarandon and Edward Norton, who have worked together before in the awarded ‘Deadly Sins’, will face each other as a madame and a priest trying to control an outlaw city.

CELEBUTANTES: Jennifer Tilly and Randy Quaid complete the cast of this comedy playing Michelle Trachtenberg’s parents. One of the major appeals of the movie will be the cameos in it. Matt Damon and Paris Hilton are two of them. But they are not the most surprising ones. Some very well known names from CMP will make their debut as actors in this feature. No others than Matt Kubrick, Ted Froats and Harry Stark will appear in the movie playing themselves!

SUPER BOWL: Justin Long will play the lead role of this road comedy about a group of friends travelling to attend to the Super Bowl. It is the first CMP’s movie for Long, who will have Shia Leabouf as his best friend.

LIFE AND FACTS OF A DIRTY MIND: Uma Thurman returns to CMP to play the lifetime lover of the crazed movie director played by Jack Black in this Bill Murray’s dramedy. And Robert De Niro has also accepted to be in the movie playing a powerful Hollywood’s tycoon.

FIVE THUNDERBOLTS: Jet Li plays the lead character of the Chinese mobster’s story right after his nomination as Best Villain at the last GMA’s edition. And another GMA Nominee, Chow Yun-Fat (‘Nagasaki Daydreams’) also joins the cast. Finally director Ang Lee and producer Martin Scorsese have decided that the movie will be released exclusively in Chinese, subtitled in English.

LOBO: Green light for the movie version of the DC Comics’ dark character, Lobo. Ben Tyler and Matt Kubrick have co-written the screenplay. And they have chosen Vin Diesel to transform into Lobo, something that will need a lot of make up and, specially, false hair.

TOGETHER APART: Hayden Christensen, not seen in CMP since the end of The Great War Series movies, is finally the lead star of this love story. Rory Culkin makes his debut in CMP and GMA Nominee Helen Hunt returns playing Evan Rachel Wood’s mother.

MONOLITH: This Ben Tyler’s major production is expected to have a long cast. And some members of it are starting to be known. Still hot his recent GMA, Kevin Spacey joins this shootage. And Christopher Nolan also has a starring couple for it: Hugh Jackman, not seen in CMP since the blockbuster ‘Visionaries’, and Rachel Weisz, an specialist in big sci-fi productions: she was in the Space Quest saga and also in James Cameron’s ‘Planetside’.

ONLY IN AMERICA: Here is the promised musical starred by Will Smith and written by Ted Froats. A musical parody of the US presidential elections. And another cast full of big names. Jack Nicholson, already seen in another CMP’s musical, ‘Piece Of My Heart’, will be one of them. The director of this peculiar project? Cameron Crowe, who already directed another Froats’ story, ‘Flashes Of Life’.

A LOOK AT... MIDNIGHT MOVIES

‘Damnation Road’ is the new release from Midnight Movies. But what is ‘Midnight Movies’? Matt Kubrick is the head of this independent Production Company. The Company is specialized in those horror and comic based movies Kubrick loves so much. The original idea was not looking for financial success but for freedom to develop Kubrick’s most personal projects without the usual pressure of the movie industry. CMP decided to support the Company releasing its movies as it is a brave and creative initiative that would not survive with a little help from a big Studio. The project has had an irregular activity until now, but it may all start to change. Here are the movies developed by Midnight Movies:


CROC ATTACK (Kevin Hooks): The only CMP’s movie directly released on DVD. A B-series production about a wild crocodile starred by Mira Sorvino. It can be considered as a major rarity only for fans of low, very low budget productions.

SYNDROME: PARADISE LOST (Matt Kubrick): Kubrick himself directed the first episode of the zombies’ saga. And it became a big success. Since then, CMP took control of the franchise and the second episode wasn’t released under the Midnight Movies’ label.

WILD CARDS: ACE IN THE HOLE (Alexander Aja): Alexander Aja directed this third – and last by the moment – episode of the popular franchise. And CMP accepted to let Midnight Movies to develop it. It worked in box office and increased the followers of this cult saga.

DAMNATION ROAD (Rob Zombie): The kind of movie Midnight Movies was conceived for. It may become an iconic production for the Company and the definitive launching of Midnight Movies as an obliged reference in horror movies.


DVD RELEASE: 'POMPEII. THE SPECIAL EDITION'

Finally, 'Pompeii' became the most awarded movie in the past Edition of the Golden Moon Awards. And now it seems like the perfect moment for this DVD release with the following contents:

-'POMPEII. THE SPECIAL EDITION': Director's Cut of the movie with 18 minutes added and new editing of some scenes of the city's destruction under the Vesuvius' lava. Audio comments by James Cameron.

-'POMPEII: LIFE AND DEATH OF A CITY': A documentary directed by James Cameron about how was ordinary life in Pompeii before the eruption, who were its most prominent citizens and the consequences after the natural disaster, showing the city's ruins as they are today. Hosted and narrated by Ian Holm.

-'BEHIND THE SCENES': A 'making of' about the shootage of the movie including interviews with James Cameron, James Bradley, Leonardo Di Caprio, Keira Knightley, Ian Holm and Helen Mirren.

-'DECONSTRUCTING POMPEII': A 'making of' about how the CGI and FX's Teams designed the city and then destroyed it under the lava both in real settings and on the computer.


HARRY STARK'S PRESS CONFERENCE

To present the new CMP's Season, CMP's President, Harry Stark, attended to a press conference at the Studio's Press Room. Here are some of the things that could be heard from him:

About the release schedule...
"This Season, we will release a challenger to become a major blockbuster each and every week. I think this can be the most profitable CMP's Season, as we'll have one big budget project ready to be released each week. Of course, there are also minor productions. But, if things go right, we may have quite a high number of '100 millions' movies this Season".

About the type of movies...
"As usual, screenwriters have focussed a lot in sci-fi, action and comic or pc game characters, which is almost a pattern in CMP. You know I also like drama and comedy so I will try to mix those big productions with another kind of releases. We want to attract all kind of audiences and there are a lot of people out there that are not only interested in watching big action or fx's shows".

About the screenwriters...
"This will be the CMP's Season with the highest number of screenwriters working for the Studio. I think that's great. Also, there is a certain change. Some writers that used to have a strong presence in the past, like Marcus Trax or Ted Froats, seem to have slowed down their production a little, while some newbies like Ben Tyler or David Makalaster are becoming increasingly active. Anyway, I think the two main pillars of this Season will be the works from Matt Kubrick and Josh Collins, as both will be releasing quite a bunch of pitches."

About the stars...
"We have a huge number of talents working for us this Season. And yes, there's a certain change here too. I think most of our writers are looking for a new generation of stars. Young talents like Haley Joel Osment, Ellen Page or Michelle Trachtenberg are being more and more demanded while some CMP's classics like Keira Knightley, Claire Danes or Johnny Depp are not confirmed yet to be working in any of this Season's projects."

About sequels...
"Yes, there are a few sequels coming, but not as many as other Seasons. Season 8 will return to our usual number of sequels, which is around 7 or 8. But Season 7 may be the Season with the lowest number of sequels. There are a lot of original movies waiting to be produced and we had to make room for them."

And about the future beyond Season 7...
"We have pitches enough for Season 8. But I would like to receive more, so we can choose the best ones. Lately, we are receiving a bit less screenplays than we used to. I understand that some times writers need to take some time to refresh their minds and find new ideas, so I'm not worried at all about the future of the Studio."

TALK OF THE TOWN

Who said retirement? The always prolific Marcus Trax announces his upcoming new screenplays. The awaited Dungeons and Dragons' new movie will probably be finally released on Season 8. Also, Trax announces he maintains his intention of writing a movie based on 'Captain Planet'. And, of course, he confirms that he will keep working with David Mamet in new projects. So it seems like Trax will return full of energy and, as always, mixing big and low budget movies.

'Captain Planet' for good or for bad? While Trax confirms his will to take Captain Planet to the big screen, CMP's internal sources confirms the existence of a screenplay based on the same character written by the recent GMA Winner, Ben Tyler. According to these sources, Tyler's screenplay pretends to make a parody of the character, not taking it too seriously. Although Trax expressed first his will to make a Captain Planet movie, Tyler is the only one who has already sent his screenplay and it may be greenlighted during this Season. So CMP might work with Captain Planet from two very different perspectives: seriously... and not that seriously.

And more comic based movies are on its way. This Season, Matt Kubrick will release his movie version of The Avengers and, together with Ben Tyler, he is also responsible for the screenplay of 'Lobo'. But that's not all. Kubrick is also the man behind a screenplay based on the comic character 'Preacher'. Kubrick has also said he wants to start working on the new and awaited episode of the popular CMP's franchise 'Wild Cards'. So it seems like comics will have an increasing presence in CMP mainly due to Mr. Kubrick.

Steve Connors keeps trying to make up his mind on which of his latest movies deserve a sequel. At this moment, the one with more options is 'The Caves Of Steel', conceived as a trilogy from the very beginning. Although Connors recently stated that he wanted to write a sequel for his blockbuster 'The Shrinking Man', it seems like he has changed his mind and prefers now to concentrate on the Isaac Asimov's robots books.

We have seen Princess Zelda as an animated character in the two 'Game Boy' movies. But now we'll have the chance to see the pc game character in a live action production. Josh Collins has written a movie based on the character. It is not known yet if Keira Knightley, who has been Zelda's voice in the Game Boy franchise, will also play the character in her live action version.

Have you ever heard of 'Flashman'? No, it is not another superhero. And no, it is not another comic character. No, it is not a pc game character neither. Flashman is a british soldier from the 19th century. He was created on the 1960's by novelist George McDonald Fraser. And soon he will be a movie character developed by James Bradley. Bradley, who used to say he didn't like sequels, has now announced he is considering writing at least three movies based on the funny adventures of Harry Flashman.

And another legendary character will return. John Daws has also announced that 'Hitman: Pain of Destiny' won't be the last Hitman movie. Although the prequel to the original trilogy did not work as well as expected in box office, Daws will keep betting for his most famous creation. The new Hitman's adventure is expected to be released on Season 8.

Well, and after so much writing about comic characters, pc game characters and superheroes, the big question without an answer yet is... will there ever be a 'Game Boy 3'?

SPECIAL ARTICLE: THE 6th GOLDEN MOON AWARDS
By Anne Roman

Here it was. Another edition of the popular Golden Moon Awards brought as the usual winners, losers, surprises and predictable results. So let's take a look at it all.

THE WINNERS

It was Pompeii's night, as everyone expected. The most ever nominated movie (7 nominations) became the most awarded movie of the night with 4 wins. And I honestly think this epic adventure deserved it. But Cameron's movie could not beat Carousel. Ted Froats and Sam Mendes' musical remains as the most awarded CMP's movie ever with its 5 statues.

Personally, I would have gone for Zach Braff. But finally Laurence Fishburne became the Best Actor winner. His work in 'Dream Of A King' looked as a sure winner since the very day of the movie's release. Being predictable does not necessarily mean something bad. Fishburne very much deserved his award as he made the perfect Dr. King.

And yes, Kate defeated Keira. But after all it was not that bad. Keira got a consolation award as Best Starring Couple. So both could feel satisfied at the end of the night as they both have reached the status of 'GMA winners'.

THE LOSERS

For what I've heard, Angela Bassett was defeated by Ivana Baquero in the Best Supporting Actress category for a more than narrow difference of votes.

On the other side, rumours say that Kevin Spacey won almost by a unanimous decision as Best Supporting Actor. Daniel Day Lewis and Patrick Stewart stayed very far from being a thread to Spacey's victory.

Kirsten Dunst equals Scarlett Johansson. Three nominations and no win. Poor Kirsten smiled and applauded while Ian Holm took the statue she very much wanted.

Josh Collins will also have to wait. This edition, he could have won as screenwriter with 'Blink' and also as producer with 'Dream Of A King'. But he didn't. Four nominations in only two Seasons is reason enough to feel proud. But the statue for him will have to wait.

THE SURPRISES

Not many really. 'The Holders', that strange movie that completely flopped in box office and completely succeeded in DVD sales, got the Best Production Design award. It can be considered surprising enough to be mentioned here.

And I personally was surprise watching 'Yeoman' as the Most Wanted Sequel winner competing with two tough contenders. The funny thing about it is that while the sequels of the other two candidates - 'Cell Mates 2' and 'The Caves Of Steel' - have already been announced to be developed, the winner was the only movie out of the three which nobody knows if it will have a sequel or not.

THE CEREMONY

Too many cheap jokes?

I liked the introduction. Will Ferrell surprised everyone with his Master Chief's custom and he and Steve Carrell - hey, they should have been nominated as best starring couple for 'No More Bush!' - were funny and nice.

The sexiest couple on stage? No doubt, Paul Bettany and Jessica Simpson (odd but sexy couple). The classy couple? No doubt neither: Merryl Streep and Patrick Stewart. The less glamorous? Jamie Bell and Ellen Page, who looked like two kids lost in an adult's party.

The best speech? Kevin Spacey. The worst? Oh, no, he did it again: now Cameron pretends to be a Roman Emperor...

Best dress? Winona 'Where have you been hiding those?' Ryder. Worst dress? Uma 'What’s she wearing?' Thurman


SALT AND PEPPER

SALT

CMMDB: Wonderful initiative by David Makalaster. CMP has been upgraded with this complete database of its movies, talents, awards and everything. A useful consulting tool to know everything about CMP. Makalaster, screenwriter of movies like 'Little Tin Goddess' and 'The Metal', has developed a brilliant work that expands the CMP's universe in a compilation of data easy to use and so much fun to consult.

PEPPER

CURSE OF THE GMA?: As it happens with the Oscars, winning a GMA sometimes does not mean the beginning of a successful career but the end of it. Quite a few talents have not returned to CMP after winning an award. Only a few examples could be the once multi-demanded Claire Danes, who has not been demanded anymore since she won two GMA with 'Carousel'; Russell Crowe, who has only played a minor role in 'The Guardians' after winning Best Actor with 'Cathedral'; Gong Li, who has not been cast again after her award for 'Nagasaki Daydreams', and directors like Clint Eastwood or Peter Weir who are still waiting to be back after their awards. Curse or coincidence?

WHAT HAPPENED WITH... NAOMI WATTS?

She starred one of the first CMP's blockbusters, 'Corsairs', playing a british lady who fell in love with pirate Antonio Banderas and followed him in his adventures across the Malaysian seas. Then, she returned in the sequel, 'Corsairs: The Search for Nantayalah'. And even though it looked as the beginning of a promising career in CMP, that was it for Naomi. She is both a talented and beautiful rising star, but the Studio has not ever cast her again. As it does not seem like if there will be a third Corsairs' movie, Naomi will have to look for another way to return to CMP.