Variety.com

'FlashForward' soft in return

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 13:43:52 EST

TV News: ABC rookie drama struggles in ratings -- Flash forward several months later, and ABC is still struggling to attract young adults early on Thursday.

Google looks to leave China

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 11:04:06 EST

International News: Internet giant refuses to be part of country's censhorship -- Giant webco Google now looks set to carry out its threat to close its China website, google.cn, over web censorship by the end of this month.

'Alice' still queen of the box office

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 10:11:20 EST

Film News: Disney pic earns $34.5 million; 'Wimpy Kid' places second -- Disney's 3D juggernaut "Alice in Wonderland" grosses $34.5 million at 3,739 playdates in its third frame.

'Alice' continues to enchant auds

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 09:28:20 EST

Weekend B.O.: Disney pic wins weekend over trio of new releases -- For a third week in a row, Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" is tops at the box office.

MGM pushes back deadline on bids

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 08:32:15 EST

MGM: Assets on block include 'Hobbit,' James Bond -- Beleaguered MGM appears to have pushed back the deadline for binding offers until at least Monday.

'Glee' not going legit

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:38:16 EST

Legit News: Fox denies talk of stage pact -- Reports of a stage licensing deal for Fox skein "Glee" are incorrect.

Guadalajara fest fetes 'Portraits,' 'Perpetuum'

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:11:38 EST

Film Festivals: Pics nab jury grand prizes at 25th annual event -- The 25th edition of the Guadalajara International Film Festival feted Colombian helmer Carlos Gaviria's "Portraits in a Sea of Lies" (Retratos en un mar de Mentiras) and Nicolas Pereda's "Perpetuum Mobile" with jury grand prizes .

Buenos Aires fest set to unspool

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:09:03 EST

Film Festivals: Harmony Korine, Angela Bassett will be attending -- The 12th Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Film unspools April 7-18.

Mexico tries to lure shoots to troubled country

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:02:00 EST

Weekly: Incentives, film commission try to smooth way for easier filming -- For generations, helmers like Mel Gibson have fallen in love with Mexico as a backdrop, perhaps starting the day John Huston jumped off a boat at the Port of Veracruz in 1925.

Germany debates the value of news

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:43:38 EST

Weekly: ProSiebenSat.1 CEO's plan to cut news budgets sparks outcry -- With the economy still struggling, German commercial webs -- like their counterparts in the U.K. and elsewhere -- are wrestling with the cost of producing news and current affairs shows.

TV ads play up plays

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:41:48 EST

Weekly: Starry casts make for splashy tube presence -- Channel-surf through the roster of New York TV stations these days and you might catch commercials featuring Denzel Washington's face on one, Christopher Walken on another and Scarlett Johansson on the next.

In Italy, all the talk's about talkshows

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 18:40:32 EST

Weekly: Gag order on politics has partisans piqued in run-up to election -- With just a week to go, Italy's regional elections can't come soon enough for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Fate of Iranian director still unknown

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:39:41 EST

Weekly First Look: Jafar Pnahi believed to be in Tehran jail -- Concern is growing for the well-being of Iranian helmer Jafar Panahi, a vocal supporter of opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi. Panahi was arrested at his Tehran home March 1 along with fellow filmmakers and family members.

Predicting box office for profit or loss

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:19:17 EST

Weekend B.O.: Firms launch futures trading on movie grosses -- Guessing the weekend box office is a game played by everyone from the people who actually made the movies to the auds lining up at the local multiplex. But the launch of two movie trading exchanges will soon enable folks to back up their forecasts with real cash.

Incaa TV to highlight Argentine films

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:11:26 EST

Weekly TV: New channel will champion local directors -- Argentina's state film commission Incaa is preparing to roll out Incaa TV, a satellite channel for local and foreign films, the first of its kind in Latin America.

Indigo Films brings color to Italian production

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:06:28 EST

Weekly International: Production company gives local talent a chance -- In Italy a film production shingle doesn't get much more genuinely indie than Nicola Giuliano and Francesca Cima's Indigo Film, best known internationally for Paolo Sorrentino's "Il Divo."

Polishing 'Dragon's' sheen

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:34:36 EST

Animation: Artists work black magic on new Dreamworks critter -- When designing CG characters, "the two things you want to stay away from are pure white and pure black," says surfacing supervisor Sabrina Riegel.

Filmart kicks off in Hong Kong

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:59:12 EST

Filmart 2010: Asian confab buzzes with local momentum, looks ahead to 3D -- The galloping Chinese box office and 3D top the list of what the Asian biz will be buzzing about at Hong Kong's Filmart, which runs March 22 to 25.

Exhibs eye healthy eats

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:41:04 EST

Weekly First Look: Concession stands may offer alternatives -- Despite a recent call for healthier food in theaters from Sony topper Michael Lynton at ShoWest, such snacks may be too hard for some exhibs to digest.

'Doctor Who' braces for new world

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:37 EST

TV News: New showrunner, lead actor for long-running sci-fi hit -- Who continues to grab ratings wherever he goes? You betcha.

Babnik

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:40:34 EST

Film Reviews: Endie auteur Alejandro Adams crafts another distinctive, intriguing no-budget drama.

One Day

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:43:37 EST

Film Reviews: A (deliberately) abstruse melange of romantic memory and time-shifting elements.

Semshook

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:15:42 EST

Film Reviews: An ambitious first feature from director Siddharth Anand Kumar, his two scenarists and their production company.

My Last Five Girlfriends

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:14:40 EST

Film Reviews: A recently jilted guy sifts through the embers of his love life in the lukewarm Brit romantic comedy "My Last Five Girlfriends."

The Town of Badante Women (Gradat na jenite badante)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:00:25 EST

Film Reviews: Helmer Stephan Komandarev makes a welcome return to his docu roots.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Luftslottet som sprangdes)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:57:20 EST

Film Reviews: Bland-looking Scandi crimer benefits from edge-of-your-seat pacing.

108 (Cuchillo de palo)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:56:50 EST

Film Reviews: "108" is Renate Costa's gently probing exploration of her late gay uncle's life under the Paraguayan dictatorship.

Make Yourself at Home

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:26:20 EST

Film Reviews: More chilly than chilling.

Paulista (Quanto dura o amor?)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 21:05:42 EST

Film Reviews: A watchable ensembler about some youngish adults seeking love and/or thrills in Sao Paolo.

Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 20:17:39 EST

Legit Reviews: Prolific scribe Naomi Iizuka's latest, "Concerning Strange Devices From the Distant West," packs much food for thought into 95 intermission-less minutes: meditations on Japanese-U.S. culture clash, mutual attraction and stereotyping, the ambiguities of photography as art form and documentation, plus narrative mysteries spanning nearly 150 years.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:28:01 EST

Legit Reviews: The farcical structure of Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart's book is as sound as ever.

Alicia Keys

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:17:39 EST

Music Reviews: Alicia Keys always seems to go the extra mile when taking the stage in her hometown.

All About Me

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:15:00 EST

Legit Reviews: Barry Humphries' monstrously funny incarnation of the Aussie housewife still retains its savage wit.

Mulan (Hua Mulan)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:36:57 EST

Film Reviews: China's "response" to the Disney pic scores high on ethnic credentials.

The Killing Jar

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:35:23 EST

Film Reviews: A spectacularly boring chamber thriller from writer-director Mark H. Young.

Kirstie Alley's Big Life

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:57:57 EST

TV Reviews: Kirstie Alley is overweight and makes no excuses in her new reality series.

Ride, Rise, Roar

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 13:01:59 EST

Film Reviews: This ain't no party, this ain't no disco, this ain't no humdrum concert documentary.

Golden Slumber (Goruden suramba)

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:46:28 EST

Film Reviews: Overlong but involving conspiracy thriller that could be excavated for an international version.

Mr. Nice

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:58:40 EST

Film Reviews: Shaggy-dog story is casually cheeky and frankly celebratory.