Mena Suvari News

Source: Canada NewsWire (press release) ()

Long term deal cover new releases and image 3,000 title library

Agreement covers canadian rights in all media

TORONTO, Dec. 18 /CNW Telbec/ - Image Entertainment and Entertainment One
subsidiaries Seville Pictures and Paradox Entertainment have reached an
exclusive agreement to renew and greatly expand their output deal providing E1
the Canadian rights to upcoming Image product in the areas of theatrical, home
entertainment, television and digital through 2012. The long-term agreement
also provides Seville the Canadian rights to Image’s vast 3,000 title library
totaling more than 6,000 hours of film and television programs. The joint
announcement was made by Seville Co-President David Reckziegel and Paradox
Vice-President and General Manager, Jim Fotheringham, and Image Entertainment
COO David Borshell. E1 subsidiary Seville Pictures will handle theatrical,
television and digital distribution in Canada, while Paradox will continue to
handle the home video distribution.
The renewal and expansion of the deal builds on the strengths of both
companies and the success of their relationship thus far. The addition of
theatrical, television and digital rights to the existing home entertainment
agreement is a natural fit given Image’s recent move into acquiring films for
all-right distribution. The overall deal marks another important step in E1’s
disciplined strategy to build its distribution network and content library,
bringing the total to more than 3700 titles in Canada.
Under the new agreement, Seville will launch the first of Image’s newly
acquired features including director Stuart Gordon’s Toronto festival favorite
Stuck starring Mena Suvari and Stephen Rea and Re-Cycle, the new film from the
Pang brothers. Other titles on the upcoming slate include My Name is Bruce,
starring Bruce Campbell and a newly digitally version of The Last
Emperor. Image titles handled by Paradox under the previous agreement include
Megadeth, …

Source: Access Hollywood ()

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (November 20, 2007) – Now we know the first star to join the “G.I. Joe” movie – and knowing is half the battle.

Sienna Miller has become the first celebrity to sign on for Paramount Picture’s big screen, big budget film “G.I. Joe,” based on the popular children’s toy line and TV series, reports Variety.

Miller will play the film’s raven-haired femme fatale, the Baroness.

Stephen Sommers, whose directorial credits include “The Mummy” franchise and “Van Helsing,” will helm the project.

The film is set at a Brussels-based GIJOE (Global Integrated Joint Operating Entity) and follows a global force of operatives set out to stop Cobra, an evil organization led by a Scottish arms dealer.

Production on “G.I. Joe” is slated to begin in February 2008, with a target release date of August 7, 2009.

Miller most recently appeared opposite Ian McKellen in “Stardust.” Her upcoming projects include “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,” alongside Mena Suvari and Sarsgaard, and “The Edge of Love,” co-starring Keira Knightley and Cillian Murphy.

Video: Sienna Miller Talks ‘Interview’ (July 2007)

Source: AfterEllen.com ()

Ahhh, lesbian hair. That much-maligned
subject of punch lines everywhere. Historically, gay women’s
hairstyles haven’t always had the best reputation. And I’m not even
going to mention the dreaded M-word. While I have no problem with business
in the front, party in the back when it comes to your personal life,
I refuse to accept it on your head. But I believe we’ve turned a corner
here in the hair club for women. Why else would so many stars be rocking
the lesbian hair of late?

I’m not just talking seventh-grade-gym-teacher hair either. I speak of all the chic, often cropped
cuts the ladies of TV and film have been sporting everywhere. It’s
gotten to the point that even seemingly straight stars have started
suffering from lesbian twin syndrome. I’m dying for Women’s Murder
Club and Bionic Woman

to do a crossover episode so these two can scream: “Lesbian Twins
activate! Form of — haircut!”

So with that, let’s examine,
and of course rate, the trend of lesbian locks.

Mena Suvari: The
American Beauty and Six Feet Under
star’s short blonde crop almost begs you to rub it. Or, er, maybe
that’s just me.

Lesbian Quotient: 9
(like a fuzzy Sinead O’Connor)

Mariska Hargitay: The
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
star keeps it sensible and sleek.

Lesbian Quotient: 6
(bonus points for carrying her own groceries)

Laura Harris:
The first time I saw her hair, I did a double take — it was that gay.

Lesbian Quotient:
10 (it’s a chic version of The Rosie)

Molly Price:
Even Sarah Corvus took one look at that hair and asked if she was a
lesbian.

Lesbian Quotient:
10 (that’s some bionically lesbian hair, people)

Alana De La Garza:

The Law & A.D.A. lays down the law with her take-me-seriously
hair.

Lesbian Quotient:
7 (case closed)

Kirsten Vangsness:
The …

Source: USA Today ()

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A summary of the films competing at Sundance:

Documentary competition

•An American Soldier (director/screenwriter: Edet Belzberg). Uncle Sam really wants you! A compelling exploration of army recruitment in the USA told through the story of Louisiana Sgt. First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful recruiters in the history of the U.S. Army.

•American Teen (director/ screenwriter: Nanette Burstein). This irreverent cinéma vérité chronicles four seniors at an Indiana high school and yields a surprising snapshot of Midwestern life.

•Bigger, Stronger, Faster (director: Christopher Bell; screenwriters: Bell, Alexander Buono, Tamsin Rawady). A filmmaker explores America’s win-at-all-cost culture by examining his two brothers’ steroids use … and his own.

•Fields of Fuel (director/screenwriter: Josh Tickell). America is addicted to oil, and it is time for an intervention. Enter Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is taking on big oil, big government, and big soy to find solutions in places few people have looked.

•Flow: For Love of Water (director: Irena Salina). Water is the very essence of life, sustaining every being on the planet. Flow confronts the disturbing reality that our crucial resource is dwindling and greed just may be the cause.

•Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (director: Alex Gibney). Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true “free lance,” goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity and a steely-eyed conviction for righting Focusing on the good doctor’s heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor …

Source: Hollywood Reporter ()

Complete list:
Dramatic Competition  | 
Documentary Competition |
World Cinema Dramatic | 
World Cinema Documentary

The times they are a-changin’ for the Sundance Film Festival. While
Sundance wouldn’t feel like Sundance if at least one film didn’t
star Paul Giamatti or Patricia Clarkson, the competition lineup
unveiled by Sundance officials this week contains an awful lot of
newcomers in directing, writing and acting. No less than 51
first-time filmmakers, repping 24 nations, will debut their work at
the 2008 festival.

Geoffrey Gilmore, the festival’s longtime director, sees 2008 as a
changing of the guard. “It feels like (this festival) is another
generation’s effort to move into the film market,” he said.

Added John Cooper, director of programming, “These are filmmakers
and actors we had not seen before.”

Not that the festival lacks for stars. In dramatic competition,
where you once found mostly newcomers, such name actors as Anjelica
Huston, Winona Ryder, Ray Romano, Maria Bello, Mena Suvari, Nick
Nolte, Peter Sarsgaard, Billy Crudup, Alan Arkin, Amy Adams and Ben
Kingsley, among others, star in features. And, yes, Giamatti and
Clarkson each have a film in competition.

But actors and filmmakers seem to come out of nowhere this year.
While the Sundance staff tracks film productions all year long,
Gilmore insisted that “most of the films in the festival we hadn’t
heard about.”

Cooper cut in, saying, “I wouldn’t go that far, but even if it’s
25% that would be high.”

“I think it’s higher,” Gilmore responded.

Such was the quality of films that came over the transom that
organizers nearly broke their cardinal rule not to expand the
festival. In previous years, Gilmore said, everyone felt that the
program represented the “cream of the crop.” This year, he noted,
feels like more films could have been included in the festival.
Not that we are missing …

Source: AfterElton.com ()

The Sundance Film Festival just announced the line-up for their big annual blow-out which launches January 17th in Park City, Utah. Alas, there isn’t a whole lot of gay again this year. I checked over the listings and the only two things that popped out at me included the film adaptation of Michael Chabon’s The Mysteries of Pittsburgh and the documentary Derek about director Derek Jarman who died of AIDS in 1994. UPDATE: Our cinephiliac contributor Adam Lubitow spotted UK doc Be Like Others, which is about transgender Iranian men. Also, the U.S. doc American Teen, which follows four high school students in Indiana, has been accused of offering to pay subjects to “act gay” for the film.

As I’m neither a huge fan of documentaries or Derek Jarman, it’s Pittsburgh I’m most curious about. Jon Foster (pictured above) plays the bisexual Art Bechstein who falls into a love triangle with a married couple. It’s been years since I’ve read the book, but I recollect loving it and am very interested to see how they handle the gay plot threads.

The movie also stars Mena Suvari, Sienna Miller, and, best of all, Peters Sarsgaard, whom gay fans no doubt remember from his turn in Kinsey. It does give me a bit of pause that the film is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber who last directed Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story.

There are still some other announcements to come from Sundance and we’ll keep you posted! BTW, after the jump I’ve included the first production diary from the shooting of the film.

Not sure if you’ll recall but I first brought this to the attention of AfterElton back in March 2007…

I’m the moderator of the official MOP Film Boycott: www.myspace.com/mysteriesofpittsburgh

I’ve read the RMT screenplay adaptation of Chabon’s novel and only about 15% of the original story remains intact.  What’s most to me is RMT’s complete removal of the one truly gay character, Arthur Lecomte, in favor …

Source: NewsOK.com (subscription) ()

TODAY
BEST BET
•”The Note,” 8 p.m., Hallmark Channel. If you’re in the news business, sometimes a good story literally falls into your lap. In the case of columnist Peyton MacGruder (Genie Francis, “General Hospital”), heroine of this new heartwarmer, it falls into the water near her office. A deadly plane crash yields a scrap of paper with a heartfelt note from one of the doomed passengers to a loved one. Peyton makes it her mission to find the recipient.

WORTH A LOOK
•”American Beauty,” 7 p.m., Cinemax. Some found this 1999 comedy-drama brilliant; others found it disgusting; and the Academy found it worthy of five Oscars, including best picture. Kevin Spacey won best actor for his portrayal of a man having the granddaddy of all midlife crises. An attack of the hots for his daughter’s cheerleader friend (Mena Suvari) and a few drugs from a young neighbor (Wes Bentley) give him a new but short lease on life.
•”2007 Heisman Trophy Presentation,” 7 p.m., ESPN. Contenders for the 73rd Heisman include quarterbacks Tim Tebow of Florida, Chase Daniel of Missouri and Hawaii’s Colt Brennan, as well as Arkansas running back Darren McFadden.
•”Dave Attell: Captain Miserable,” 9 p.m., HBO. This 60-minute stand-up special — Attell’s first in more than 10 years — showcases the comic’s takes on drinking, dating, celebrities and the news of the day.
SUNDAY
BEST BET
•”Mitch Albom’s For One More Day,” 8 p.m., KOCO-5. In this new adaptation of a Mitch Albom best-seller, a suicidal, alcoholic ex-ballplayer (Michael Imperioli, “The Sopranos”) is granted one day with his late mother (Ellen Burstyn), who helps him find a way out of his despair. Imperioli’s son Vadim plays his character as a boy.
WORTH A LOOK
•”A Christmas Carol,” 7 p.m., TCM. Many consider this 1938 version their favorite screen adaptation of the Charles Dickens Count June Lockhart among them. Lockhart made her film debut at age 12 as one of …

Source: MTV.com ()

The holidays are a time when families come together. But when your own fam gets too annoying, boring and/or materialistic, it’s natural to escape into your favorite movies and dream of what it would be like to join in on their fun instead. With that in mind, and the holiday season under way, the MTV Movies team has compiled this list of fantasies featuring some of our favorite cinematic clans:

The Griswolds (from the “Vacation” films)

If spending December with Clark and Ellen as your parents wouldn’t make things exciting enough, there’s always the inevitable visit from Cousin Eddie. As a family, we’d take a ride to Wally World, hang a half-million Christmas lights on the house and leave berets for each other under the tree. Something would get set on fire; a relative would die in comedic fashion; and Clark would eventually move us all with a heartfelt, dimwitted speech. The downside is you have to dress in dorky ’80s clothes and ride around in a wood-paneled station wagon — but at least you’d get a peek at Christie Brinkley in her pinup prime. And the best part is, since the kids change in every movie, you’d fit right in!

The Whitfields (from “This Christmas̶

This is a family that likes to eat a lot, and who doesn’t want to feast at this time of year? We’d love to be among the kids Loretta Devine wants home for the holidays, even if there are a lot of scandalous secrets to be uncovered. We’d tinkle the piano keys with Idris Elba, give Columbus Short a hug, help Regina King at the family dry cleaners, and after the holiday feast, sneak out to a nightclub with Chris Brown. Sure, we’d be facing a lot of drama — but the free Baby concerts every night would more than make up for it.

The Burnhams (from “American Beauty̶

Look, not every holiday season can be filled with jolly elves and gingerbread men. Lester, Carolyn and Jane have more issues than you’d find in the “Sports Illustrated” archive, and …

Source: CNNMoney.com ()

Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. (AMEX: PAE)
(TSX: PAE), an integrated global entertainment company creating critically
acclaimed television, film and DVD content for worldwide distribution,
announced today that it has acquired exclusive Canadian distribution rights
to 32 films from First Look Studios, an independent production company
based in Los Angeles. Peace Arch will release five of the films
theatrically in Canada, followed by DVD, video-on-demand and television
distribution. The Company will distribute the remaining 27 titles on
broadcast television throughout Canada. This agreement follows the long
term output deal signed in February 2007 granting Peace Arch exclusive
Canadian DVD rights to all of First Look’s titles.

“We believe that each of these well-made films will resonate with a sizable
audience in the Canadian market,” said Berry Meyerowitz, President of Peace
Arch Home Entertainment. “We look forward to working more closely with
First Look Studios in the near future as a means to generating significant
revenues for Peace Arch Home Entertainment and Peace Arch Television.”

First Look Studios distributes films for release in theaters, on DVD and to
broadcast, cable and pay television. Its films star many of the
entertainment industry’s biggest names, including Michael Douglas, Juliette
Binoche, Ving Rhames and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

“Peace Arch’s solid distribution footprint in Canada will enable us to
fully exploit these 32 films,” said Dave Sobieraj, president of strategic
planning and television of First Look Studios. “We look forward to working
closely with Berry and to expanding our relationship with his top-notch
organization.”

Peace Arch has agreed to theatrically release the following five films:

Among the 27 titles to be released on television are:

About Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc.

Peace Arch Entertainment produces and acquires feature …

Source: Business Wire (press release) ()

CHATSWORTH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Image Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISK), a leading independent
licensee, producer and distributor of entertainment programming in North
America, today announced US distribution plans for Stuart Gordon’s,
Stuck, starring Mena Suvari (American Beauty, Rumor Has
It) and Stephen Rea (V For Vendetta, The Crying Game).

A US theatrical release through THINKFilm is currently planned for
spring which will include New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco in
addition to other top US markets and cities. Subsequent to the
theatrical release, Image Entertainment will bring the film to home
video and digital throughout the US. Co-producer of the film, Prodigy
Pictures will represent US broadcast sales.

“This is a crowd pleasing, edge-of-your-seat
film coming off of critical acclaim through exposure at several world
class film festivals. We are excited that once again, the vision of
Image Entertainment, unified with our new partners, will offer
filmmakers a platform for wide US exposure. With our companies working
together to offer a theatrical release strategy and a long life
thereafter on home video, digital and other ancillary markets, our
combined efforts will build upon and strengthen our developing business
model,” stated Martin W. Greenwald, Image’s
President and Chief Executive Officer.

“I am pleased to see the reaction Stuck
is eliciting at festival play,” commented Jay
Firestone, CEO of producing partner Prodigy Pictures. “I
look forward to seeing the picture go to the next level through the
efforts of Image Entertainment. This is very exciting.”

Writer-director Stuart Gordon (Edmond and the forthcoming House
of Re-Animator) has crafted a taut thriller inspired by true events
ripped right from the Stuck is the story of two
unlikely opponents thrown together through a macabre set of
circumstances. …