Gotham's 'Golden' Daze

VPage: 'Elizabeth' preems in New York -- “Are we safe?” quipped director Shekhar Kapur at the “Elizabeth: The Golden Age” screening Oct. 3, on being informed that novelist Salman Rushdie was in the audience.

Paradiso snaps up 'Sex' rights

TV News: Company nabs bigscreen adaptation -- Benelux rights for New Line/HBO’s “Sex and the City: The Movie” have been snapped up by Paradiso Filmed Entertainment. Movie is expected to be released there next summer, shortly after June debut Stateside.

'Stardust' spreads magic to U.K.

VPage: Pic preems at Leicester Square -- Leicester Square was given an enchanted forest makeover for the Oct. 3 European premiere of Matthew Vaughn’s epic fairy- tale fantasy “Stardust.”

Zurich honors Schaefer's 'Chapter'

Film News: Chapman film wins Debut Feature prize -- Helmer Jarrett Schaefer's "Chapter 27," about John Lennon's assassin Mark David Chapman, won the Debut Feature prize at the third Zurich Film Festival on Saturday.

'Crusade' corrals top Golden Calf

Film Festivals: Sombogaart's film tops Netherlands festival -- The Netherlands Film Festival's top prize, the Golden Calf for film, went to helmer Ben Sombogaart's "Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek" (Crusade in Jeans), as the fest closed on Saturday.

Russia, Chile pick Oscar entries

Film News: 'Burnt by the Sun,' '12' enter race -- Helmer Nikita Mikhalkov, whose “Burnt by the Sun” took the foreign language film Oscar in 1995, will rep Russia for the fourth time with latest pic “12,” while Colombia and Chile have selected pics from newcomers to represent them in the foreign language Oscar race.

Rio festival wraps with 'Estomago'

Film News: 'Condor' wins jury’s feature documentary award -- The ninth Rio Intl. Film Fest wrapped Oct. 4 with Marcos Jorge’s “Estomago — A Gastronomic Story,” an acid comedy about a cook, nabbing Redeemer kudos for director, actor (Joao Miguel), jury prize (for actor Babu Santana) and audience feature.

Sogecine halts film production

International News: Production unit puts hold on new movies -- Sogecine, Spain’s most successful pic producer over the last decade, has halted new film production.

Telemundo foiled again

International News: Mexico holds off on new broadcast licenses -- NBC Universal’s Spanish-language broadcaster Telemundo remains optimistic about breaking into the Mexican TV market, despite the government’s decision not to offer new licenses before the end of 2008.

Yu Nan

Variety Weekend: Actress and New Currents jury member at the Pusan Film Festival. -- Yu Nan, actress and New Currents jury member at the Pusan Film Festival.

Hello to good buys

International News: Market opening as business battles downturn -- The Asian Film Market, which kicks off today, isn't boasting headline-grabbing increases in participants or movies for sale.

Mediaplex puts plan in Motion

Film Festivals: Production unit nabs industry interest -- The launch of Motion 101, the production arm of major studio Mediaplex, has been followed with interest by many in the Korean film industry.

Schloendorff: Story trumps tricks

Film Festivals: German director passes tips to students -- German helmer Volker Schloendorff passed on insights into making movies to a group of Korean film students on Sunday, but said no matter what changes technology brings, there was no substitute for story.�

Joint has Taiwan jumping

Film Festivals: Pusan kicks off 1st specialist outfit -- The Pusan market is serving as a launch pad for Taiwan's first specialist international sales outfit.

Cigs under fire

Film Festivals: China aims to curb screen smoking -- China, the world's heaviest smoking nation with 350 million smokers, has launched a high-profile campaign to clear the silver screen of the sight of thesps lighting up.�

Korea, U.K. team for film support

Film Festivals: Film councils pair on market boost -- The Korean Film Council and the U.K. Film Council are teaming up to support each other's films in their respective markets.

Actors' Network launches with fund

Film Festivals: Conference focused on development of talent -- The first-ever Asia Pacific Actors' Network got under way Friday with launch of a $280,000 fund to help young filmmakers, and a conference focused on development of the talent sector.

'Sukiyaki' stirs protests

Film Festivals: Takashi Miike film upsets Shintoists -- A hanging scene in the Takashi Miike pic "Sukiyaki Western Django," which unspools at PIFF in the Midnight Passion section,� has stirred up a storm of protest from Shintoists, according to Japanese press reports.

French heavy medal

VPage: Kim Dong-ho honored at Pusan -- The French government Saturday named PIFF co-festival director Kim Dong-ho as an Officier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Actresses open up at Q&A

VPage: Korean thesps chat with students -- A dense crowd of mostly university students had stars in their eyes listening to Korean actresses Jeon Do-yeon and Kang Su-yeon reflect on their successful careers at this year’s Open Talk.

Milky Way Liberation Front

Film Reviews: "Milky Way Liberation Front" reveals a potential talent in Yoon Seong-ho that could cross into the mainstream industry.

Endless Night

Film Reviews: Night is not the only thing that seems eternal in dull feministic parlor game-cum-indie faux docu "Endless Night."

God Man Dog

Film Reviews: God Man Dog" unites three disparate stories of unhappy folk.

Closed Note

Film Reviews: A leftover diary provides both illumination and mystery in literary, lightwight and overlong Japanese romantic meller "Closed Note."

My Song Is. . .

Film Reviews: Digital aesthetic is shown to be just as difficult as celluloid filmmaking in South Korean movie-within-a-movie drama "My Song Is…".

The Bodyguard 2

Film Reviews: If it at first you succeed, then Thai, Thai again -- so seems the motto of slapstick martial arts action-comedy sequel “TheBodyguard 2.”

Son of a Lion

Film Reviews: "Son of a Lion" packs emotional punch and engaging political discussion into the tale of a sensitive boy.

M (En)

Film Reviews: "M" will signify murder for auds who like a little content beneath the packaging but magic for those who can groove on technical flash alone.

The Axe In the Attic

Film Reviews: Upscale auds may appreciate pic's assumption of white liberal guilt, but probably not for 110 minutes.

Hero

Film Reviews: "Hero" rocks. You don't have to have seen the hit 2001 TV series or 2006 two-hour special to appreciate this bigscreen continuation of the legal adventures of an Tokyo DA.

White Night (Hvid Nat)

Film Reviews: An accidental death digs into the soul and reveals a mother lode of hidden guilt in compelling Danish meller "White Night."

Tribe (Tribu)

Film Reviews: Drawing instant comparison to the much slicker and more broadly scoped "City of God," helmer Jim Libiran's debut feature has the raw power to make its own distinct mark.

Summer's Tail (Xiatian de Weiba)

Film Reviews: Perfectly pitched for mature-minded teens with adolescent tribulations on their mind, this effort may also seduce older auds.

The Red Awn (Hongse kangbaiyin)

Film Reviews: Impressively lensed, and with a sensitive perf by Yao Anlian as a widower trying to make a buck while dealing with his moody teen kid, pic lacks enough dramatic conflict to take it far beyond the fest circuit but remains watchable nonetheless.

Fujian Blue (Jinbi huihuang)

Film Reviews: A headlong dive into the company of tearaway Chinese youths involved in blackmail and people-smuggling, "Fujian Blue" reps an uneven yet involving debut by young helmer Robin Weng.

Feel The Noise

Film Reviews: Stock characters are choreographed to a reggaeton beat as they cover familiar territory in "Feel the Noise," a music-fueled drama with far less substance than most CD liner notes.

Assembly (Jijiehao)

Film Reviews: A PLA soldier's quest for personal honor is brought worthily but not in a consistently gripping way to the bigscreen.

Present Laughter

Legit Reviews: "I'm always acting, watching myself go by," says Garry Essendine, the aging matinee idol in "Present Laughter," Noel Coward's comedy celebrating the elegant pursuit of play and pleasures.

Sonny Rollins

Music Reviews: Sonny Rollins has approached his music the past 30 years or so with a safety net securely under him, playing with musicians whose No. 1 job is to make him look good. The last living tenor sax oracle delivered a generous concert of masterful solos Tuesday, taking a nearly two-hour stroll through his usual collection of '50s-inspired funk, ballads, standards and Caribbean flavors over steady, if unexciting, backing.

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