News

Plus: Warner Bros dates all-female Ocean’s 8; Vimeo’s big plans for Staff Pick channel; and more…

La La Land will open and Jackie will close the 39th Denver Film Festival, set to run in Colorado from November 2-12.

Lion is the Centerpiece screening and Lost In Paris will receive the Rare Pearl Award.

“From Damien Chazelle’s modern musical La La Land, starring the dazzling Emma Stone, to Natalie Portman’s iconic portrait of Jacqueline Kennedy in Pablo Larraín’s Jackie, these films set the bar for the entire programme of impressive work coming to our screens in November,” said Denver Film Society festival director Britta Erickson.

Organisers will announce the full programme on Monday.

Warner Bros and Village Roadshow said on Wednesday the studio will release the all-femaleOcean’s 8on June 8 2018.Vimeo on Wednesday unveiled an initiative to extend its Staff Pick channel into a year-long online film festival. An open submissions...

Stephanie Sperber, the former president of partnerships and licensing at Universal Studios, has opened up her own full-service licensing firm — White Space Entertainment — for clients who want to best capitalize on their IP. “The entertainment business has changed immensely and it isn’t enough to follow the old rules of franchise development, branding, and licensing to grow both an IP and revenue,” said White Space chairman/CEO Sperber who spent over 20 years at NBC…...

Kelly Sue Deconnick (writer), Valentine De Landro (artist), Image Comics

In Cell by Cell, I look deeply into the panels of an issue, appreciating and analyzing the story and artistic composition.

Pages 23-25 Overview

The final three pages drop the symmetrical structure because the power balance has been thrown so far askew that there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the game is entirely rigged. The double-page spread of 23-24 has no symmetry at all, instead having four panels each in entirely different sizes and layouts.

As the narrative of the final violent event plays out, the panels become more regular and more cinematic, mimicking the ratio of a theatrical widescreen. The chaotic action of the previous pages gets stripped down to reveal the horrifying realization of Meiko’s death. Once the guard does his evil deed, the story becomes entirely about the women’s responses.

Page 23

Cell...

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column (with a special year-end retrospective today) focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably.

It hasn’t been a great year for domestic movie poster design. Yes there are always a handful to admire each month, but that’s not saying much when you’re comparing them to absolute dreck.

Whereas most years I’m collecting 15-20 images and find myself exasperated trying to cull them down into a Top Ten, 2015 had me struggling to fill the #10 slot. Only maybe three or four were “musts” and the rest ended up waging a war of attrition to...

'White space' devices could potentially launch in the UK towards the end of 2013, after Ofcom announced a new framework for the next-generation technology. A 'white space' is a gap in the radio spectrum that exists between bands that have been reserved for TV broadcasting. Ofcom says that these currently dormant frequencies could be used to allow devices to transmit and receive wireless signals, potentially unlocking a range of uses. For example, utility meters in consumers' homes could wirelessly measure the latest readings and automatically update the account, or businesses could use the technology to remotely track their inventory. Alongside white space devices, the frequencies could be used to improve WiFi quality and rural broadband coverage, according to Ofcom. Compared with other wireless technologies, such as Bluetooth or WiFi, the radio waves used (more)...

Each week we ask a reader to tell us about where they go to watch films. This week, a historic cinema on the site of a 19th-century east London music hall

• Check out our Google map and flickr group

Every week we invite our readers to tell us about where they go to watch films. This week it's the turn of Tyrone Walker-Hebborn, who runs the Genesis Cinema and also has a close family attachment it to.

Location

Mile End, London

The Building

Standing on Mile End Road in Whitechapel, London E1, the Genesis Cinema is built on a site with over 150 years of tradition in entertainment. Originally opened as a music hall back in 1848, then as the Paragon Theatre of Varieties hosting acts such as Charlie Chaplin, the venue first functioned as a cinema in 1912 – making it the oldest cinema in east London – and was known as the Mile End Empire.

“Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover” is a proverb whose simple existence proves the fact that impressionable souls will do so without fail. This monthly column focuses on the film industry’s willingness to capitalize on this truth, releasing one-sheets to serve as not representations of what audiences are to expect, but as propaganda to fill seats. Oftentimes they fail miserably.

It’s sad to say, but August 2011 is a dismal month for quality poster design. I guess this shouldn’t be too big a surprise since it’s the tail end of summer and chock-full of tentpole films not needing any extra promotion. Still, though, you’d think with big budgets come creative ideas. Sometimes I wonder if studios should just open up marketing campaigns to non-professionals via contests. Cheap labor you only have to give away movie swag for? And unique, interesting art in return? Publicity...

The Walking Dead television series on AMC won’t come soon enough for many horror freaks. AMC has been posting bits of information so fans can get their fix before the show is back on air in October. Today Robert Kirkman the man behind The Walking Dead gives us a look at the set of the televsion series. He talks about what he loves about being on set. White space tubes, guns, and of course, dead people! The video is fun to watch, check it out below:...

It finally happened. Nearly a year after the FCC began enabling white space broadband Wi-Fi devices, the organization has officially made the so-called "white space spectrum"--radio frequencies previously used for analog television transmissions--available for wireless broadband. The frequencies will be both free and and unlicensed.

White space is, according to Google co-founder Larry Page, like Wi-Fi on steroids. At first, the white space spectrum may be used to expand our existing technology--turning a handful of wireless hotspots on a college campus into one giant wireless signal field, for example. But eventually, the newly available frequencies could have a number of other applications: expanding wireless coverage in rural areas that are far from cable routes, wirelessly connecting vehicles so that they can alert drivers to traffic jams, and personalized ads that pick up on signals from your smartphone.

White space also has major implications for the smart grid. Google and...

The Venice Film Festival has announced it's 2009 line-up this week, showing off the films that will make-up it's 66th annual fest. The significance of this announcement is in the fact that Venice, which takes place from September 2 to September 12, shares a lot of premieres with the Toronto Film Festival. And it takes place the week before, as Toronto doesn't get underway until September 10th. Audiences in Venice will be treated to the premieres of films such as Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Michael Moore's financial crisis documentary Capitalism: A Love Story, Joe Dante's The Hole, Steven Soderbergh's espionage comedy The Informant and Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats before their potential Toronto debuts. Also notable is the premiere of John Hillcoat's post-apocalyptic thriller The Road, which is at the top of our watch-list. See below for a full listing of films for this year's Venice...

Which films are included in the 66th Venice International Film Festival's line-up have been unveiled. On Thursday, July 30, Paolo Baratta, the President of the Venice Biennale, and Marco Muller, the Director of the Cinema section, announced the festival's selection, which included 71 world premieres, at a press conference in Rome's Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto.

Listed among the movies vying for a Golden Lion are six U.S. feature films. They are Michael Moore's global meltdown documentary "Capitalism: A Love Story", John Hillcoat's adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road", Werner Herzog's "Bad Lieutenant" remake "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans", George Romero's horror flick "Survival of the Dead", and Tom Ford's directorial debut "A Single Man".

For the out of competition section, four U.S. movies added the line-up. Steven Soderbergh's thriller comedy "The Informant!", Grant Heslov's military mind-control satire "The...

The 66th edition of the Venice Film Festival lineup includes the main festival plus the sidebar which will be playing films like Yannick Dahan's gangster zombie flick The Horde.

In competition we have the long awaited scifi awesomeness from Jaco Van Dormael, Mr. Nobody and Shinya Tsukamoto's trfiecta Tetsuo the Bulletman.

Out of competition has [Rec] 2 and the Midnight section has Nicolas Refn's long awaited Valhalla Rising which was actually made before Bronson.

Man I wish I could go! Anyone want to cover the fest for us? Use the contact link at the bottom of the page. We'd be happy to do cross-posted reviews.

Full list after the break.

66Th Annual Venice Film Festival Lineup

Competition

"36 vues du Pic Saint Loup," Jacques Rivette (France)

"Accident," Cheang Pou-Soi (China-Hong Kong)

"Baaria," Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy) – Opening Film

"Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Werner Herzog (U.S.)

"Between Two Worlds,...

The complete line-up for the 66th Annual Venice Film Festival has been announced. The big news is that Michael Moore's new film Capitalism: A Love Story will premiere at the fest, over a month before its U.S. premiere. The festival includes 71 world premieres, notable additions include: Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant, The Road, Todd Solondz's Life During Wartime, Steven Soderbergh's The Informant, Joe Dante's The Hole and Grant Heslov's The Men Who Stare at Goats. Read the full list after the jump. 66Th Annual Venice Film Festival Lineup Competition "36 vues du Pic Saint Loup," Jacques Rivette (France) "Accident," Cheang Pou-Soi (China-Hong Kong) "Baaria," Giuseppe Tornatore (Italy) – Opening Film "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans," Werner Herzog (U.S.) "Between Two Worlds," Vimukthi Jayasundara (Sri Lanka) "Capitalism: A Love Story," Michael Moore (U.S.) "La Doppia Ora," Giuseppe Capotondi (Italy) "Il Grande Sogno," Michele Placido (Italy) "Lebanon,...

Robert here, noticing that the Venice Film Festival announced the lineup for it's 66th installment on Thursday. Here's the in-competition list, with a few bits I managed to find about each film.

Baaria (Opening Film) dir. Giuseppe Tornatore

The director of Cinema Paradiso gives us a three-generation spanning epic about his Italian hometown.

Soul Kitchen dir. Fatih Akin (pictured)

Akin directed the terrific Head-On and The Edge of Heaven (if you haven't seen either or both, do now). He re teams with Birol Unel from Head-On for a comedy about culture and gender clash.

La Doppia Ora dir. Giuseppe Capotondi

It's been tough finding information on this as Venice's website (nor IMDb) has much at the moment. I can tell tell you is that it's a freshman effort, it's Italian, and it's fun to say... La Doppio Ora!

Yi ngoi (Accident) dir. Cheang Pou-Soi

A Hong Kong crime film about...

Rome -- Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story" will headline a 24-film competition lineup at September's Venice Film Festival, which is heavy on first and second films from up-and-coming directors.

The lineup includes five U.S. films, four each from Italy and France, four from Asia, two from the Middle East -- with all 23 films named Thursday as world premieres.

A 24th surprise competition pic to be announced during the fest would also be a world premiere, officials said. The fest will feature 71 world premieres.

"We are very pleased and very honored to announce this lineup," Venice artistic director Marco Mueller said in a briefing Thursday, where Fatih Akin's comedy "Soul Kitchen"; "Accident," a thriller from China's Cheang Pou; and "A Single Man," a drama from Tom Ford starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, were revealed as part of the lineup.

All told, the fest will feature 16 first works and nine second works.

• Can't say there are many surprises with today's list, we discussed possible spots for Jacques Rivette, Michael Moore, Werner Herzog, Michele Placido, Todd Solondz, Jaco van Dormael, Patrice Chereau, Fatih Akin, Claire Denis and John Hillcoat's The Road (yes, there is a Santa Clause) beforehand. No disrespect, but I'm surprised that George Romero's Survival of the Dead receives a competition slot. At first glance, what I notice are the number of works from China and Hong Kong, India and a pair from Egypt. We see where the whole 3D appreciation thing is leading towards (they announced a yearly 3D award would be given out at the festival - regardless if the film was even at the festival) and perhaps its not milan, but it makes sense that American fashion designer Tom Ford to preem his directorial debut A Single Man in Italy. One more inclusion that I'm pleased to see,

...