Dick Van Dyke to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award

UPDATED: The 86-year-old actor-comedian will receive the performers union’s honor in January.

Dick Van Dyke will receive the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment in January.

SAG-AFTRA said Tuesday that the "beloved actor, singer, dancer, writer and comedian" will receive the performers union’s honor at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 27, 2013.

The annual award goes to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession." The awards show will air live on TNT and TBS.

Born Richard Wayne Van Dyke, the 86-year-old-star has been honored with five Emmys, one Tony Award and a Grammy.

“Dick is the consummate entertainer - an enormously talented performer whose work has crossed nearly every major category of entertainment," said SAG-AFTRA co-president Ken Howard. "From his career-changing Broadway turn in Bye Bye Birdie and his deadpan humor in the Emmy winning Dick Van Dyke Show, to his unforgettable performance as Bert in Mary Poppins, he sets a high bar for actors."

Said SAG-AFTRA co-president Roberta Reardon: "With Dick, it's so much more than the proverbial triple threat. He started his career as a radio announcer, game show host and comedian and was a spokesman for Kodak, among numerous other roles over his nearly 60-year career." She added: "His contributions to the success of the business and to his fellow performers is legendary as is his work with a number of the leading ladies of our times, including Julie Andrews and Mary Tyler Moore - both previous Life Achievement Award recipients."

The 'Ganpat' duo Mika & Vivek back with KISMET LOVE PAISA DELHI

The 'Ganpat' duo (actor Vivek Oberoi and singer Mika Singh) got back after a span of five years for the title track of Amit Chandrra's upcoming film KISMET LOVE PAISA DILLI (KLPD). The duo was seen shooting the song's music video recently at film city.

An energetic Vivek was completely clued with Brinda Master who had earlier choreographed the actor in YUVA. Looking like a typical Punjabi boy Vivek was in an animated conversation with Mika catching up on old times. The two started shooting at 9 am and wrapped up post mid night.

The movie would see Vivek playing a Punjabi munda whose a complete Tharki and Mallika gets to visit her roots as she plays a Haryanvi girl in KLPD, and the movie doesn't aim to focus only on her sensual side, but has a lot to with her bold character.

The film is out to release on 5th October 2012. 

Neil & Sonal had a ball on 3-G sets

shot entirely in the picturesque Fiji Islands, Eros International and Next Gen Film's 3-G starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan gave the cast and crew ample time to bond, having shot for a month and a half on the South Pacific islands.

Whenever time permitted, the entire team of the psychological thriller, including Sonal's sister Himani and Neil's brother Naman, who is also working as one of the assistant directors on the film, would catch up on movies, their favorite being the animated one's like THE LION KING, MONSTER HOUSE, FINDING NEMO, MADAGASCAR, ICE AGE and TOY STORY series - Apart from that, card games were another favorite pastime, not to mention, games on their tablet computers. 

Confirms a unit source, "Shooting in Fiji for about two months, gave the entire cast a crew time to bond. Everyone was like a family unit, staying up until the wee hours of the morning playing cards or watching back-to-back films. In fact, Sonal was never into animated flicks; however, we've got her addicted to them. She was also very lucky during card games and would always end up winning." 

Produced by Next Gen Films and Presented by Eros International , 3G starring Neil Nitin Mukesh and Sonal Chauhan is scheduled to release end of this year. 

No respite yet for Vivek; Clash between KLPD-JAYANTABHAI continues

Vivek Oberoi is finding himself in the middle of an unlikely situation and even though it is a happy problem to have, it still is something which is avoidable. It is a known fact since last fortnight that two of his films are being slated for release on the same day, what with Kumar Taurani and Amit Chandra hell bent on releasingJAYANTA BHAI KI LUV STORY and KISMET LOVE PAISA DILLI (KLPD) on 5th October. However trouble lies in the fact that there is no amicable solution reached yet. Things have only taken a furious turn, what with KLPD promotion on and that of JAYANTABHAI... too beginning in about a week from now.

With a state of deadlock ensuing, Taurani feels that even in the worst case scenario of the two films clashing with each other, there won't be much damage.


''I have realised that every weekend audience wants a new film to watch. Last month we saw BOL BACHCHAN, COCKTAIL as well as KYAA SUPER KOOL HAIN HUM releasing one after another and still did so well. Now look at the way EK THA TIGER is doing. Today even if both movies of Vivek come together and JAYANTABHAI... gets 15-20 crores weekend, it's okay with me. I am not looking at 50-60 crores. Moreover genre of both films is different. There he is playing a lover boy and in my film he is a gangster,'' says Kumar Taurani.

Meanwhile Amit Chandra isn't stepping aside either and though he is being polite, he is also being stern in his messaging.

''Kumarji may say that he wants to come in October but till a few days back he didn't have any confirmation in hand. He may have completed the film first but in all fairness, it was me who had started it first. Doesn't that give me the right to release first as well?'' questions Amit.

Guess this isn't the last one has heard about the two films and the uncertainty continues on whether Vivek would be in the middle of a clash or one of his producers would eventually back out. 

Aamir Khan to take his mother for Haj

The first thing Aamir Khan will do after wrapping up his shooting schedule in the USA is to take his mother, Zeenat Hussain, for Haj.


Aamir is extremely close to his mother and has become extra-protective of her after the death of his father, Tahir Hussain, in February 2010. He has even got his mother to shift from Pune to an apartment in the same building where he resides and he actually spends more time in his mum's house than he does in his own.

He recently asked her if he could get her a gift. And she expressed a desire to go on a pilgrimage. Since women can only go to Haj accompanied either by their husband, brother or a son, Aamir has promised his mother that he will make the trip to Mecca with her.

Currently Aamir Khan is busy with his shooting schedule at Chicago but as promised the first thing Aamir will be doing after returning to Mumbai is taking his mother Zeenat Hussain for Haj. 

When Yash Chopra met his CHANDNI Sridevi!

The fact that Sridevi has always been one of the favorite leading ladies of Producer director Yash Chopra is not hidden. Thus when Yashji learnt that Srideviwas shooting at Yash raj studios itself for her upcoming movie ENGLISH VINGLISH, the veteran filmmaker personally dropped by on the sets of ENGLISH VINGLISH to see her.

The two shared their warm greetings and also chit chatted about the olden days refreshing the olden memories. Yashji and Sridevi have known each other since CHANDNI (1989) the film in which he directed her. Yashji even congratulated her on her comeback film ENGLISH VINGLISH, Sridevi indeed was immensely touched by this gesture and was very happy to see him after a long time.

ENGLISH VINGLISH is set to release on 5th October, 2012. Though the film is based in America, except for the outdoor scenes, everything else has been shot at Yash Raj studios.

'Descendants' Cameraman Phedon Papamichael Gets Oldenburg Retrospective

The German film festival will also screen the world premiere of "Lost Angeles," Papamichael's new film as a director.

COLOGNE, Germany - The Oldenburg Film Festival, billed as Germany's answer to Sundance, will honor celebrated cinematographer Phedon Papamichaelwith a retrospective this year.

The Greek-born, German-educated cameraman made his career in Hollywood, where he shot such films as Gabriele Muccino's The Pursuit of Happynessstarring Will Smith and George Clooney's political drama The Ides of March. He is probably most closely associated with director Alexander Payne, having shot both The Descendantsand Sideways. Papamichael recently wrapped production on Payne's latest, the drama Nebraska starring Will Forte andBruce Dern. Papamichael has also been a regular collaborator with acclaimed directors Wim Wenders and James Mangold.

Less well know is Papamichael's own work as a director, which includes the 2008 horror film From Within and the Greek-set drama Arcadia Lost (2010).

For its retrospective, Oldenburg will screen the world premiere of Papamichael's new film as a director, the comic drama Lost Angeles, in which a homeless ex-con successfully passes himself off as a celebrity photographer. Oldenburg will also screen From Within, Wenders' Million Dollar Hotel, the 1995 drama Unstrung Heroes, which Papamichael shot and actress Diane Keaton directed, and two films lensed by Papamichael and directed by Mangold: Walk the Line and 3:10 to Yuma.

Phedon Papamichael will attend the Oldenburg festival, which runs Sept. 12-16, and present his films to the audience there.

Anita Advani: Renaming Rajesh Khanna's Aashirwad would hurt his soul

Late Rajesh Khanna's 'lady love' Anita Advani, who reportedly had a long-standing live-in relationship with the megastar at his Bandra bungalow Aashirwad, said she is extremely upset, hearing the buzz about it being renamed Vardaan.

"If the rumours are true, it would hurt Kakaji's (Rajesh Khanna's) soul," said Advani, adding, "Aashirwad is synonymous with Rajesh Khanna."


She particularly found the name-change talks upsetting, as she said, the name Aashirwad was given to the bungalow by Rajesh Khanna's father.

"Kakaji used to fondly remember and tell me how the bungalow was named Aashirwad. When they were looking for a new name for the bungalow, his father had thought for a long time and then suggested the name Aashirwad," said Advani.

"Kakaji has mentioned that his father said, 'You'll be a star and people will write letters and fan mail to you. Whenever they write your name on the letters, they will write the words - Rajesh Khanna Aashirwad. So in a way, they would always be giving you their Aashirwad (blessings).' That was the lovely thought behind the name," she reminisced.

Remembering her years with the megastar, Advani remarked, "Kakaji used to say that this (Aashirwad) was the 'most favourite' name given by his father. The bungalow was also his most prized possession, which he wished to convert into a museum and his last wish should be fulfilled."

"In fact, together, over the years, we both designed its interiors with a long-term plan to convert it into a museum."

Advani further added that she was 'perturbed by the sudden name-change talks'.

"What sense does it make? If it's true, it's a weird move and doesn't sound nice," she said.

Reacting to claims about her asking for a stake in Aashirwad, Advani's spokesperson stated, "It's false that Ms. Advani has claimed a stake in the bungalow. But she has maintained that Mr Rajesh Khanna wished to turn it into a museum for his loving fans."

Toronto 2012: Bernardo Bertolucci, Michael Winterbottom, Michael Haneke in Masters Lineup

Fourteen veteran directors, including Abbas Kiarostami, Manoel de Oliveira, Raul Ruiz and Olivier Assayas will show their latest films at TIFF as the fest unveiled its latest titles.

TORONTO – Booking the masters - the latest work by Bernardo Bertolucci, Michael Winterbottom, Michael Haneke and Abbas Kiarostami will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival next month.

 

Revealing its Masters sidebar, fest organizers on Tuesday said Winterbottom’s Everyday, which was filmed over five years, will receive a world premiere in Toronto, as will Serbian filmmakerGoran Paskaljevic’s When Day Breaks.

As Toronto makes its last lineup announcements, there’s a slew of North American premieres for Cannes titles like Bertolucci’s Me and You, the Italian director’s first film since The Dreamers,Cristian Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills, a nuns-gone-mad drama, and 103 year-old Manoel de Oliveira’s Gebo and the Shadow.

Also getting a North American bow as part of the Masters program is Haneke’s Amour, Hong Sang-soo’s In Another Country, Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love and Night Across the Street,by Raul Ruiz.

Rounding out the Masters sidebar are North American bows forKim Ki-duk’s Pieta, French director Olivier Assayas’Something in the Air and Darezhan Omirbayev’s Student, an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment novel.

Toronto has also booked 27 first and second feature titles for its Discovery sidebar, including world premieres for Pablo Berger’s Blancanieves, set in 1920s Spain, Ramaa Mosley’s The Brass Teapot, starring Juno Temple and Michael Angarano, Rola Nashef’s Detroit Unleashed, set in that city’s Arab-American community, and Dutch director Michiel ten Horn’s The Deflowering of Eva van End.

Also debuting in Toronto is Grace Lee’s Janeane from Des Moines, about a conservative housewife who confronts Republican party candidates at the Iowa caucuses like Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum.

And there’s world bows for Lonesome Solo’s Burn It Up Djassa from the Ivory Coast, Call Girl, by Swedish filmmaker Mikael Marcimain, The Color of the Chameleon, by Bulgarian director Emil Christov and Andrew Williamson’s The Land of Eb, set in Hawaii and starring Jonithen Jacksonand Hilary Monson.

Toronto also added a world premiere of Nono, the Zigzag Kid, a Belgium/Dutch co-production byVincent Bal, to its TIFF Kids sidebar.

And the festival has HBO Documentary Films president Sheila Nevins, and documentary makersKen Burns and Shola Lynch taking part in informal conversations at the TIFF Doc Conference.

The conference will also feature world premieres of Rafea: Solar Mama, by Egyptian-American filmmakers Jehane Noujaim (Control Room) and Mona Eldaief, and The Last White Knight, byPaul Saltzman.

The Toronto International Film Festival is set to run from Sept. 6 to 16.

Shirish Kunder to release high-tech second trailer of JOKER

Director Shirish Kunder's JOKER is full of visual effects, aliens and UFOs being integral to the plot. The director is now cutting a fresh of his forthcoming film to give a taste of heavy duty VFX to the audience, and has even roped in international technicians.


Shirish Kunder confirms, "I am currently making a second trailer of JOKER which will be laden with visual effects and many more things that we haven't disclosed so far."

The trailer in the making will apparently feature the much talked about UFO and aliens from the film. Shirish have hired around 30 ace international technicians to cut the trailer, which will be aired a week before release.

Adds Shirish, "Some very highly qualified technicians are working on this visually attractive trailer. Prime Focus is also working with me and they have branches in New York and London. Technicians from those centers are making sure this trailer is of international standards. The idea is to do something different and woo audiences, like what we have been doing to promote the film so far."

JOKER jointly produced by Shirish and Farah Khan's Three's Company, actorAkshay Kumar's Hari Om Productions and UTV, the sci-fi drama starring Akshay and Sonakshi Sinha is set against the backdrop of a fictitious small town called Paglapur, where UFO has landed years ago.

JOKER is set to hit the theaters on August 31. 

German Video Game Hit 'Moorhuhn' to Get Movie Makeover

The gaming franchise, originally developed as an ad for Johnny Walker whiskey, was Germany's most popular game in the early 2000s.

COLOGNE, Germany - A primitive German shoot-em-up video game, called Moorhuhn locally andCrazy Chicken internationally, is to get a movie makeover. Douglas Welbat, who co-produced local comedy hit The 7 Dwarves (2004), has teamed up with his brother Daniel to develop a big screen version of the casual game. The brothers have received $55,000 (€45,000) in script development funding from Germany's federal film board, the FFA.

Originally designed by Dutch studio Witan an advertisement for Johnny Walker whiskey, the Moorhuhn game became a massive success after it was illicitly pirated online. An official, legal version of the game sold strongly across German-speaking Europe and spawned more than 30 different games as well as merchandising spin-offs, a comic book, an animated TV series and even a comedy single on the German music charts.

There have been several previous attempts to turn Moorhuhn into a movie but none so far succeeded in translating the rather plot-less game into a full-length feature.

Sajid to have live Mahurat of HIMMATWALA on the net

The much talked about HIMMATWALA remake slated to release on 29th March 2013 is already grabbing eyeballs thanks to its innovative dhamaaka first look (The highly publicized flashback to the 80's era with the live orchestra recording of one of the songs recently) and the colorful posters.

Continuing this trend, the makers are all set to create a record by streaming the HIMMATWALA Mahurat live on the net this Wednesday!


Lion King Ajay Devgn and director Sajid Khan are geared up to start the shooting of their much awaited remake of the 70's HIMMATWALA, which is produced by UTV Motion Pictures and Vashu Bhagnani (Puja Entertainment India Ltd) and theMahurat of this magnum opus will be shown live online!

The retro themed posters of the movie have garnered so much buzz that director Sajid Khan has now decided to go a step ahead in surprising his audience. The Live event is scheduled for 22nd August, Wednesday at 1pm (IST) which will be held in the iconic Ramoji Studios in Hyderabad.

''Yes, I want to reach out to as many people as possible and want to involve them from the very first scene. This is the reason behind the team's decision to stream the Mahurat live on net. We are all very excited about the upcoming Mahurat and can't wait to kick start this film!!'' quipped Sajid.

Along with Ajay Devgn, the film stars Tamannah, Paresh Rawal, Mahesh Manjrekar, Zareena Wahab, Adhyayan Suman and Leena Jumani with music by Sajid Wajid and screenplay by Sajid Khan & Farhad Sajid.

The Mahurat will be also be attended by Producers Vashu Bhagnani and Siddharth Roy Kapur.

Well, looks like this will be one electrifying project to watch out for! 

Analysts Weigh in on DreamWorks Animation's Fox Distribution Deal

Wall Street observers say News Corp.'s film unit will get a high-margin new revenue stream, but they have different takes on the deal's financial benefits for the animation studio.

Wall Street overnight started chiming in on the late Monday distribution deal announced by DreamWorks Animation with News Corp.'s Fox, with analysts assessing the financial winners and losers.

Stifel, Nicolaus analyst Benjamin Mogil in a first investor note discussed the financial benefits for DWA. "While the deal is slightly better than the current one, and Fox is a strong partner, it does not change our view that the company will continue to see gross margin pressure amid home entertainment revenues given the continued production and [advertising] cost levels," he said in maintaining his "hold" rating on DWA's stock.

For DWA, the new Fox deal comes at the same 8 percent fee as its expiring deal with Viacom's Paramount, but "allows for the domestic television rights (pay TV, Netflix, cable, free) to be carved out from the deal," while digital distribution revenue comes at a 6 percent fee "reflecting the lower costs associated with these revenues," Mogil explained.

Most of those terms were as he had forecast, but "the lower digital fee is positive compared to our expectations," Mogil said.

But Lazard Capital Markets analyst Barton Crockett said the deal isn't quite as good as he had expected for DWA. "The terms, while improved, are not quite the step up we had assumed," he said. Combining the effects of the 6 percent and 8 percent fees, he said "the total effective fee" is about 7 percent, compared with his expectation for a 6.5 percent fee, which the analyst said slightly trims his earnings expectations going forward.

Fox will be a strong distribution partner for DWA in today's more global box office game, he also highlighted. "With the international markets, particularly the emerging ones, the key driver in global box office, the choice of Fox is strategically sound," said Mogil.

Combining the effects of the 6 percent and 8 percent fees, he said "the total effective fee" is about 7 percent, compared with his expectation for a 6.5 percent fee, which the analyst said slightly trims his earnings expectations going forward.

While DWA is paying only a 6 percent fee for emerging digital distribution opportunities, such as electronic sell-through, VOD and online rental, "DWA home video sales, aimed at kids, are mainly DVD, so the impact of the new tech exclusion is limited initially," Crockett predicted.

Meanwhile, analysts said the new distribution relationship will be positive for Fox, but could put additional pressure on Paramount to add new content to its pipeline.

"The deal, we estimate, will drive close to $75 million per year in high margin new fees for News Corp., worth about a 2 cents to 3 cents after tax lift to earnings per share," Crockett estimated.

And Mogil's Stifel, Nicolaus colleague Drew Crum said that "Paramount loses a high margin distributor's fee (8 percent of gross revenue) and may need to pursue additional cost cutting initiatives in order to maintain profitability."

But he also highlighted that Paramount is only a small contributor to Viacom's overall financials. "To put it into perspective, Paramount represents only 7 percent of Viacom's estimated fiscal year 2012 adjusted profit," he said.

Katrina Kaif comes clear on the sindoor hue and cry

While there has been speculation over the "red tilak" (alleged vermillion (sindoor) on her forehead) Katrina Kaif sported at the recent private screenings of her forthcoming film EK THA TIGER, sources close to the actress confirm that the tilakwas nothing more than a religious one, applied to her forehead during a pooja she attended. 

While various sections of the media blew these reports out of proportion, sources reiterate that.



Katrina Kaif had attended a traditional South-Indian pooja at manager Reshma Shetty's house just before the screenings. 

Putting rumors to rest confirms Katrina's spokesperson, "Katrina has always been spiritual. The tilak was applied to her forehead by her manager Reshma's mother during a religious ceremony held at their home.- It's ridiculous how a simple tilakhas been blown out of proportion." 

Katrina Kaif who proves lucky at the box office yet again is celebrating the unprecedented response her recent film EK THA TIGER is receiving, making it her 13th hit!

'Tiger' Sets Opening Day Record at Indian Box Office

Ek Tha Tiger,” which features top star Salman Khan, could beat “3 Idiots” to become the most successful Indian film ever.

NEW DELHI – The Indian box office is currently dominated by top Bollywood star Salman Khanwhose action film Ek Tha Tiger (There Was A Tiger) has set a record by hitting the coveted Rupees 1 billion ($18 million) mark in its first five days.

Tiger also set an opening day record for India by grossing Rupees 320 million ($5.8 million), beating previous record holder, January's Agneepath, which opened with about Rupees 210 million.

While Khan has had a string of earlier releases, such as Dabanggand Bodyguard that have grossed the Rupees 1 billion mark, observers are expecting Tiger's strong run to continue. This could even lead the movie to beat the highest-grossing Indian film ever, 2009's 3 Idiots, which collected about $70 million (Rupees 3.85 billion).

Tiger's strong run is also attributed to an extended weekend after the film opened on India's independence day, Aug. 15, with the holiday spirit stretching to Monday, which marked the Muslim festival of Eid.

Produced by Bollywood banner Yash Raj Films, Tiger is directed by Kabir Khan whose credits include Kabul Express and New York. Tiger stars Salman Khan as an Indian spy who is given a mission to track an Indian scientist (Roshan Seth), based in Dublin, suspected of leaking secrets to Pakistan. Along the way, Khan's character falls for the scientist's caretaker, played by actress Katrina Kaif. While Tiger was not cleared for release in Pakistan, the film opened worldwide, and industry estimates indicate that the overseas take touched $1 million in the first two days of release.

“More than box office performance, we are really happy that the audience has liked Ek Tha Tiger. There is no other criteria for the success of any film,” a spokesperson for Yash Raj Films told TheHBDb.

Mental: Melbourne Review

Australian filmmaker PJ Hogan reunites with his "Muriel’s Wedding" star Toni Collette for the Melbourne International Film Festival's closing-night film, also starring Liev Schreiber, Anthony LaPaglia and Rebecca Gibney.

MELBOURNE -- If there’s method to writer-director PJ Hogan’s madness, it’s not obvious from the unruly opening frames of Mental, a suburban comedy that celebrates mayhem and mischief-making as the correct responses to societal straightjackets.

But, aided and abetted by the rule-defying Toni Collette,whose onscreen powers have only multiplied since the two worked together on the much-loved Muriel’s Wedding in 1994, the equally dissident filmmaker soon makes it clear he’s in control of the crazy.

From the moment Collette’s knife-wielding hippie hitchhiker arrives to play nanny to a dysfunctional family of girls, the disarmingly cuckoo Australian production finds its focus, punching through the humor with moments of wrenching gravity as it challenges the stereotypes of mental illness.

Conservative audiences will find Mental’s super-vivid kitsch and salty language overstimulating. Tough luck, Hogan seems to say, and there are enough broad-minded Aussies to make his homecoming production (following big-budget Hollywood crowd-pleasers My Best Friend’s Wedding and Confessions of a Shopaholic) a modest-sized hit upon its local release Oct. 4.

Hogan’s semi-autobiographical work is unrepentantly Australian, and the accents are strident, but the presence of Collette (whose title role in TV’s United States of Tara has upped her profile internationally) and Liev Schreiber (Salt, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) may help overseas prospects. Universal Pictures will release Mental in the U.K. on Dec. 7, with a U.S. release yet to be announced.

Just as the songs of ABBA consoled the delightfully oddball title character in Muriel’s Wedding, Hogan uses The Sound of Music to play doctor to sweet Shirley Moochmore (Rebecca Gibney), a mother of five teenage daughters whose life as a doormat has driven her round the twist.

We meet her belting out “The Hills Are Alive” as she hangs out the washing in the fictional Queensland coastal town of Dolphin Heads, but soon her philandering politician husband Barry (Without a Trace’sAnthony LaPaglia) has her committed to a psychiatric hospital.

Charged with caring for a clutch of outcast girls who are each convinced they suffer from their own peculiar disorder, Barry panics and hires Shaz off the side of the road because her dog makes her look trustworthy.

So how do you solve a problem like the Moochmores?

Collette cranks the kook up to 11 as the nutty and inspiring Shaz, fashioning herself as “the avenging angel of the perpetually humiliated” and leading 16-year-old Coral (Lily Sullivan) and her sisters Michelle (Malorie O’Neill), Leanne (Nicole Freeman), Kayleen (Chelsea Bennett) and Jane (Bethany Whitmore) from town jokes toward self-esteem and happiness.

Along the way she upends social conventions -- and not a few wheelie bins -- while questioning the sanity beneath the propriety of the family’s neighbors.

Kerry Fox, as a compulsive neatnik, and Caroline Goodall, as Shirley’s jealous, doll-collecting older sister, turn in fine portrayals of women passing as normal, while national treasure Deborah Mailman (The Sapphires) is brilliant as a gleefully nonconformist lesbian.

Shaz may look like she’s traveling light but she has baggage and an agenda, personified by Coral’s leathery shark-hunter boss Trevor, played by  Schreiber nailing a flawless Australian accent.

Schreiber’s natural intensity helps to ground this restlessly eccentric film, while the pivotal role of the awkward child-woman Coral should make a star of gorgeous newcomer Lily Sullivan.

Hogan’s more-is-more credo extends to a jam-packed production design, and bright cinematography by veteran lenser Don McAlpine (Oscar-nominated for Moulin Rouge!) adds to a technically assured production boasting all the breathless ups and downs of a fun-park ride.

Venue: Melbourne International Film Festival
Production companies: Zucker Productions, Story Bridge Films
Cast: Toni Collette, Liev Schreiber, Anthony LaPaglia, Rebecca Gibney, Kerry Fox, Deborah Mailman
Writer-director: PJ Hogan
Producers: Janet Zucker, Jerry Zucker, Todd Fellman, Jocelyn Moorhouse
Executive producers: Gary Hamilton, Bryce Menzies, Lee Soon Kie
Co-producer: Sean Gesell
Director of photography: Don McAlpine
Production designer: Graham Walker
Costume designer: Tim Chappel
Music: Michael Yezerski
Editor: Jill Bilcock
Sales: Arclight
No MPAA rating, 111 minutes

Shirish is ready to amaze Akshay Kumar with JOKER

Since JOKER was largely shot in chroma with space being made for VFX being added during the post-production, it actually required a lot of scenes where actors had to shoot with non-existent entities. No wonder, at times even Akshay Kumar, who has been in the business of making movies for over two decades, used to wonder how the final product would look like.


"I actually enjoy it when an actor is left with so many questions because I know that when the final product would be out, he would be amazed," smiles Shirish Kunder, the film's director, "I remember that happening to Akshay when he was amazed at the space shuttle sequence at the beginning of JAAN-E-MANN. When we had shot that, there was just a green curtain and in the final print we had an entirely different world. I am sure when he would see what we have managed with JOKER; it would be time to get amazed all over again."


He understands that since Bollywood is seeing an advent of VFX even now, seasoned actors like Akshay are bound to ask him dozens of questions before they deliver a shot.

"These are actors who have been working with senior directors for a very long time so they are bound to doubt a newcomer like me when I try a different genre and style," smiles Shirish, "Now for a film like JOKER I can't even show them a DVD of some other film and say that 'See, here is a reference point'. Reason being that JOKER doesn't have one. The only thing that an actor can do is trust me and this is what Akshay has done."

We too would know once the film releases on 31st August. 

Farah & Boman at flash mob event of SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI

The excitement around Farah Khan & Boman Irani starrer SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI, which releases this week, is certainly high!



The patrons, who were there to make their dizzy Sunday evening eventful, were in for a pleasant surprise to witness a flash mob event of SHIRIN FARHAD KI TOH NIKAL PADI at Infiniti Mall, Malad. With the lead stars of the film Farah Khan and Boman Irani stepping in the mall, the crowd went berserk!

The two stars not only met and greeted their fans but also took a scooter ride in the premises of the gargantuan mall. The crowd cheered, clapped, danced along with the amazing duo. Farah & Boman light up the atmosphere with their sparkling presence!

Catch more pics of the promotional event.

Sagarika: Shamin's RUSH is ten years ahead of its time!

Though it is a well-known fact that Shamin Desai  Emraan Hashmi and Sagarika Ghatge starrer, RUSH (earlier titled RAFTAAR 24X7), has been in the making for a while now, but the promos look quite contemporary and in sync with current happenings.

To decipher the secret we got in touch with the leading lady of RUSH, the actress with the royal connection, Sagarika Ghatge, who put it up very simply saying, "You know Shamin Desai is a very talented director. And when he was shooting RUSH, while following his instructions, we did not understand what he actually wanted. But when we saw the results we appreciated his efforts. The film was ten years ahead of its time! So, I am not surprised that the film looks fresh and when you will see RUSH you will get my point."

Well, that sounds mighty interesting and yes, we sure will watch RUSH when it releases on 26th October 2012 all over!

Gauahar Khan to celebrate birthday in Goa

This week, Goa will experience a rise in temperature, because our Bollywood hottie Gauahar Khan  is headed there to celebrate her birthday on August 23rd.

The two-day holiday serves the dual purpose of celebrating her birthday and holiday. This would be a much needed break with some close friends after a very long time.

According to a source, 'Gauahar is really looking forward to this trip. It may be just two days, but she and her friends are sure to set the house on fire.'

Happy birthday, girl!