NEW YORK -- Swilling cocktails, saucy language and wearing sexy outfits is the bedrock of "Sex and the City" and now the franchise's sequel transplants the four leading ladies from New York to the Middle East.
The film's leading character Carrie Bradshaw and her sidekicks -- Miranda, Charlotte and the promiscuous Samantha -- try to be respectful and demure, but the movie's makers admit that, in keeping with their characters, they sometimes fail.
Samantha, played by Kim Cattrall, gets in hot water for kissing in public. The movie jokes about women in burqas and has gossip about whether a Middle Eastern butler is gay.
The movie's director Michael Patrick King said any off-kilter notes were in keeping with the characters' normal behavior, whether they be in Abu Dhabi or New York.
"The reality is Samantha Jones is outrageous wherever she goes, whether it be Starbucks ... or Abu Dhabi," he said. "She is an unapologetic individual."
While aspects of the movie, which opens Thursday in the United States, might stir controversy in some circles in the Middle East, the movie is not slated to be shown there. Distributor Warner Bros. said it has no plans to release the film in any country in the Middle East.
Jessica Zacholl, spokeswoman for Warner Bros., noted that the original "Sex and the City" movie and many Warner movies did not play there either. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.
Looking to escape various pressures and married life, "Sex and the City 2" sees the four women take up a decadent free holiday offered to Samantha to stay in Abu Dhabi.
The characters, who have pushed boundaries in the past on what sex and dating tales are socially acceptable for women to air openly, vary in their reactions to the different setting.
Cynthia Nixon, playing lawyer Miranda who is sensitive to the local culture, said the characters' reactions were in keeping with their personalities.
"Samantha is disrespectful, but Samantha is disrespectful in New York and she is disrespectful in the Middle East and she just really doesn't care," she said.
Scenes where the four women seek to understand women wearing burqas show their curiosity, said Nixon.
"The characters are trying to make sense of that, is it their choice? Or is it men's choice and what does it make them feel?" said Nixon.
The sequel is set in the United Arab Emirates and filmed in Morocco. It pays homage to the desert scenery and romantic notions of the culture -- and features a few stinging scenes of some of the characters reacting to local traditions.
Documentary director Ahmed Ahmed, whose recent "Just Like Us" told the true story of American comedians testing out their humor in the Middle East, said the movie avoided the biggest pitfall -- joking about religion.
The first movie received mixed reviews but grossed a successful $415 million at boxoffices worldwide.
Despite the incongruous setting for the sequel, Nixon said the movie highlights the common challenges of women from New York to Abu Dhabi, noting her character has difficulty getting promoted at her Manhattan law firm and Samantha finds a shared experience with menopause.
She said the film is not trying to say, "Women have all the freedoms in America and none of the freedoms in the Middle East, it is far more nuanced and complicated than that."
Other members of the cast hope the movie can be taken for the light-hearted entertainment it is intended to be.
"We are really talking about these girls from one culture inhabiting another culture for a period of time and the antics they get into," said Kim Cattrall, who plays Samantha. "But this a road movie, not a political thriller."
joi, 27 mai 2010
"Sex" sequel will leave 'Prince of Persia' in dust (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros. is hoping its latest Memorial Day holiday tryst with female moviegoers is as satisfying as the one two years ago.
The studio opens "Sex and the City 2" on Thursday ahead of the four-day U.S. holiday weekend. The original adaptation of corporate sibling HBO's one-time series launched on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in 2008 with $57 million en route to a North American total of $152.6 million.
Opening-weekend comparisons will be difficult, with "Sex 2" scooping some box office cream off the top Thursday. But, amid high prerelease interest and advance ticketing, the ensemble romancer should ring up more than $60 million during its first five days.
Unlike some big-screen adaptations of U.S. television shows, "Sex and the City" also was popular overseas, registering foreign sales of $262.6 million. So Warners has scheduled a big simultaneous opening for the sequel this weekend in the U.K. and 19 other territories.
Reconvening the franchise's gal-pal posse for the R-rated sequel are Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Michael Patrick King again directs.
"Sex 2" looks likely to leave another tentpole in the dust. On Friday, Disney debuts the adventure fantasy "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," with tracking data suggesting a four-day bow north of $35 million.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the title role, with Gemma Arterton ("Clash of the Titans") playing the mysterious princess to his rogue prince. Co-stars in the video game adaptation include Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.
Disney opened "Persia" in many markets the previous weekend to maximize pre-World Cup playtime, and will add most others this session.
Most notably among this weekend's domestic holdovers, reigning champ "Shrek Forever After" will seek a solid second weekend after its disappointing bow. The weekend's extra day should limit the family comedy's drop, with a 40% decline reaping $42 million through Monday and perhaps the session's silver medal, barring an outsized opening by "Persia."
Among limited openers, Sony Pictures Classics will bow "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Micmacs" in two New York locations Friday ahead of a scheduled expansion June 4.
The studio opens "Sex and the City 2" on Thursday ahead of the four-day U.S. holiday weekend. The original adaptation of corporate sibling HBO's one-time series launched on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend in 2008 with $57 million en route to a North American total of $152.6 million.
Opening-weekend comparisons will be difficult, with "Sex 2" scooping some box office cream off the top Thursday. But, amid high prerelease interest and advance ticketing, the ensemble romancer should ring up more than $60 million during its first five days.
Unlike some big-screen adaptations of U.S. television shows, "Sex and the City" also was popular overseas, registering foreign sales of $262.6 million. So Warners has scheduled a big simultaneous opening for the sequel this weekend in the U.K. and 19 other territories.
Reconvening the franchise's gal-pal posse for the R-rated sequel are Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis. Michael Patrick King again directs.
"Sex 2" looks likely to leave another tentpole in the dust. On Friday, Disney debuts the adventure fantasy "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," with tracking data suggesting a four-day bow north of $35 million.
Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the title role, with Gemma Arterton ("Clash of the Titans") playing the mysterious princess to his rogue prince. Co-stars in the video game adaptation include Ben Kingsley and Alfred Molina.
Disney opened "Persia" in many markets the previous weekend to maximize pre-World Cup playtime, and will add most others this session.
Most notably among this weekend's domestic holdovers, reigning champ "Shrek Forever After" will seek a solid second weekend after its disappointing bow. The weekend's extra day should limit the family comedy's drop, with a 40% decline reaping $42 million through Monday and perhaps the session's silver medal, barring an outsized opening by "Persia."
Among limited openers, Sony Pictures Classics will bow "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Micmacs" in two New York locations Friday ahead of a scheduled expansion June 4.
Jason Sudeikis taking a whack at "Horrible Bosses"
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jason Sudeikis is in final negotiations to join the all-star cast of "Horrible Bosses," a comedy set for release next July.
Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman have already signed on to the New Line/Warner Bros. project.
Sudeikis will join Bateman and Day as a trio of friends who conspire to murder each others' bosses. Aniston and Farrell are two of the offending office tyrants, while Foxx is a colorfully named scam artist who dishes killing advice to the three regular guys. Seth Gordon is directing.
Sudeikis has been a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live," and has regularly appeared on "30 Rock." On the feature side, he appeared in "The Rocker," "What Happens in Vegas" and "Bounty Hunter."
Sudeikis recently wrapped New Line's "Hall Pass," opposite Owen Wilson, and he co-stars in the romantic comedy "Going the Distance," which the studio will release in late August.
Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Aniston, Colin Farrell, Charlie Day and Jason Bateman have already signed on to the New Line/Warner Bros. project.
Sudeikis will join Bateman and Day as a trio of friends who conspire to murder each others' bosses. Aniston and Farrell are two of the offending office tyrants, while Foxx is a colorfully named scam artist who dishes killing advice to the three regular guys. Seth Gordon is directing.
Sudeikis has been a writer and performer on "Saturday Night Live," and has regularly appeared on "30 Rock." On the feature side, he appeared in "The Rocker," "What Happens in Vegas" and "Bounty Hunter."
Sudeikis recently wrapped New Line's "Hall Pass," opposite Owen Wilson, and he co-stars in the romantic comedy "Going the Distance," which the studio will release in late August.
Meet the men who could play Spider-Man (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Director Marc Webb has been ensnaring actors in his web(b) as he searches for a new Peter Parker to star in Columbia's "Spider-Man" reboot.
He has been meeting actors quietly for several months, but the list has narrowed in the past week or two. No screen tests have been conducted at this early stage (though it will be a requirement), and insiders point out that the director and studio are still on the lookout.
The candidates for the web-slinger include:
-- Jamie Bell: The 24-year-old English actor, who made his film debut playing the title character in "Billy Elliot," has been doing the proper British actor thing in period movies such as "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Jane Eyre" (he's also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and Ed Zwick's "Defiance"). More importantly, he's already stepped into the comics world by portraying Tintin in Jackson and Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" movie, which won't hit screens until December 2011.
-- Alden Ehrenreich: The 20-year-old Los Angeles native has a juicy back story, having been "discovered" by Spielberg, who saw a comedy video starring Ehrenreich at a bat mitzvah of his daughter's friend. A couple of TV appearances followed, but the actor's next big leap came when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in 2009's "Tetro."
-- Frank Dillane: The 19-year-old Brit's main credit is last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," where he played a young Tom Riddle. Is a minor role in a "Potter" film a good springboard for a mega-franchise? It worked for Robert Pattinson.
-- Andrew Garfield: The L.A.-born actor had a short stint on a BBC TV series called "Sugar Rush," but gained notices for playing a young reporter in a gritty British TV movie trilogy titled "Red Riding." The 27-year-old appeared in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," and will be seen in David Fincher's movie about Facebook, "The Social Network."
-- Josh Hutcherson: The youngest actor of the bunch -- he turns 18 this year -- is also the one with the most experience. The past six years alone have seen the Kentucky-born kid rack up credits with key roles in Jon Favreau's "Zathura," drama "Bridge to Terabithia" and the upcoming "Red Dawn" remake. He appears in the Sundance hit "The Kids Are All Right," which insider buzz suggests could be an Oscar contender, and starred with Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
Hutcherson just signed on to star in the "Journey" sequel, and that movie could prove a fly in the ointment if the actor's schedule collides with "Spider-Man." (Though you can bet every effort would be made to make it work.)
The group of actors seems to fall in line with what Webb has been looking to do with his take on Spider-Man, which is to cast relative unknowns in a story that roots Parker back in high school. The movie will be an angst-ridden tale of a teen dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though he had the power to stop it.
Columbia wants to begin production by year's end, but Webb and the studio are taking their time choosing the actor while scribe Alvin Sargent gets the script in spider-shape.
A Columbia spokesperson did not comment on the casting process, saying "There have been a number of names floated online and almost every week, someone calls with a new rumor. We are not commenting on the casting process or rumors such as these."
He has been meeting actors quietly for several months, but the list has narrowed in the past week or two. No screen tests have been conducted at this early stage (though it will be a requirement), and insiders point out that the director and studio are still on the lookout.
The candidates for the web-slinger include:
-- Jamie Bell: The 24-year-old English actor, who made his film debut playing the title character in "Billy Elliot," has been doing the proper British actor thing in period movies such as "Nicholas Nickleby" and "Jane Eyre" (he's also appeared in Hollywood movies such as Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and Ed Zwick's "Defiance"). More importantly, he's already stepped into the comics world by portraying Tintin in Jackson and Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin" movie, which won't hit screens until December 2011.
-- Alden Ehrenreich: The 20-year-old Los Angeles native has a juicy back story, having been "discovered" by Spielberg, who saw a comedy video starring Ehrenreich at a bat mitzvah of his daughter's friend. A couple of TV appearances followed, but the actor's next big leap came when he was cast by Francis Ford Coppola in 2009's "Tetro."
-- Frank Dillane: The 19-year-old Brit's main credit is last year's "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," where he played a young Tom Riddle. Is a minor role in a "Potter" film a good springboard for a mega-franchise? It worked for Robert Pattinson.
-- Andrew Garfield: The L.A.-born actor had a short stint on a BBC TV series called "Sugar Rush," but gained notices for playing a young reporter in a gritty British TV movie trilogy titled "Red Riding." The 27-year-old appeared in "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," and will be seen in David Fincher's movie about Facebook, "The Social Network."
-- Josh Hutcherson: The youngest actor of the bunch -- he turns 18 this year -- is also the one with the most experience. The past six years alone have seen the Kentucky-born kid rack up credits with key roles in Jon Favreau's "Zathura," drama "Bridge to Terabithia" and the upcoming "Red Dawn" remake. He appears in the Sundance hit "The Kids Are All Right," which insider buzz suggests could be an Oscar contender, and starred with Brendan Fraser in "Journey to the Center of the Earth."
Hutcherson just signed on to star in the "Journey" sequel, and that movie could prove a fly in the ointment if the actor's schedule collides with "Spider-Man." (Though you can bet every effort would be made to make it work.)
The group of actors seems to fall in line with what Webb has been looking to do with his take on Spider-Man, which is to cast relative unknowns in a story that roots Parker back in high school. The movie will be an angst-ridden tale of a teen dealing with the knowledge that his uncle died even though he had the power to stop it.
Columbia wants to begin production by year's end, but Webb and the studio are taking their time choosing the actor while scribe Alvin Sargent gets the script in spider-shape.
A Columbia spokesperson did not comment on the casting process, saying "There have been a number of names floated online and almost every week, someone calls with a new rumor. We are not commenting on the casting process or rumors such as these."
"Logan's Run" back on track with new director (Reuters)
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Logan's Run" might be getting a new pair of legs with Carl Rinsch, who is in talks to direct Warner Bros.' long-in-development sci-fi movie.
Rinsch is a huge name in the commercials world who's been looking to move into features for quite some time. He was to make his debut with the "Alien" prequel before producer Ridley Scott decided he wanted to direct that himself, and is attached to direct "47 Ronin" for Universal, which has been in development for several years. But he firebranded himself into execs' foreheads in April when "The Gift," a short he made for electronics company Philips, zipped around town.
The sci-fi oriented "Gift" blended realistic robots, a Moscow setting, and a city chase and caught the attention of many execs, who wanted to adapt it into a feature. The process for an adaptation was put on pause by Rinsch as he focused on developing the story (the feature project is now called "Small").
"Logan's Run" is best remembered as the 1976 film starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Farrah Fawcett, though it was based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The premise sees a future society that demands the death of everyone upon reaching a certain age. Anyone who veers from that destiny is dubbed a "runner" and is hunted by operatives known as Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who is forced to go on the run.
The project had been set up at Warners since the mid-'90s but heated up in 2004 when Bryan Singer signed on to develop and direct with an eye toward a 2005 release. Singer had begun previsualization work on the project before he bolted to do "Superman Returns" for the studio. Other directors associated with the project included Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan"), James McTeigue ("V For Vendetta") and Joseph Kosinski ("Tron Legacy").
"Run" still has a ways to travel before getting to the screen as Warners' next step after Rinsch's hiring will be to bring on board a writer to pen a new script.
Rinsch is a huge name in the commercials world who's been looking to move into features for quite some time. He was to make his debut with the "Alien" prequel before producer Ridley Scott decided he wanted to direct that himself, and is attached to direct "47 Ronin" for Universal, which has been in development for several years. But he firebranded himself into execs' foreheads in April when "The Gift," a short he made for electronics company Philips, zipped around town.
The sci-fi oriented "Gift" blended realistic robots, a Moscow setting, and a city chase and caught the attention of many execs, who wanted to adapt it into a feature. The process for an adaptation was put on pause by Rinsch as he focused on developing the story (the feature project is now called "Small").
"Logan's Run" is best remembered as the 1976 film starring Michael York, Jenny Agutter and Farrah Fawcett, though it was based on a 1967 novel by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. The premise sees a future society that demands the death of everyone upon reaching a certain age. Anyone who veers from that destiny is dubbed a "runner" and is hunted by operatives known as Sandmen. Logan is a Sandman who is forced to go on the run.
The project had been set up at Warners since the mid-'90s but heated up in 2004 when Bryan Singer signed on to develop and direct with an eye toward a 2005 release. Singer had begun previsualization work on the project before he bolted to do "Superman Returns" for the studio. Other directors associated with the project included Robert Schwentke ("Flightplan"), James McTeigue ("V For Vendetta") and Joseph Kosinski ("Tron Legacy").
"Run" still has a ways to travel before getting to the screen as Warners' next step after Rinsch's hiring will be to bring on board a writer to pen a new script.
Jack Nicholson to wave green flag at Indy (AP)
INDIANAPOLIS - Jack Nicholson will wave the green flag at the start of this year's Indianapolis 500.
Nicholson has won three Academy Awards and has starred in acclaimed movies such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Terms of Endearment" and "A Few Good Men."
Previous celebrities who have waved the green flag include four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning and Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.
Nicholson has won three Academy Awards and has starred in acclaimed movies such as "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Terms of Endearment" and "A Few Good Men."
Previous celebrities who have waved the green flag include four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning and Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.
8 months after arrest, a serene life for Polanski (AP)
GSTAAD, Switzerland - The chalet doors and windows are wide open. Deck chairs are set up on the patio and the garden is strewn with daffodils and wild flowers.
Roman Polanski appears to be leading a charmed existence under house arrest in the luxury resort of Gstaad, as he awaits word from Swiss authorities on whether he'll be extradited to the United States for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
And he may not be going anywhere soon.
Eight months after his arrest, the Swiss Justice Ministry still won't say when it will decide whether the 76-year-old director should be sent back to Los Angeles to face sentencing for unlawful sexual intercourse. And officials won't even say what the holdup is.
For Polanski, stuck since December to his Gstaad chalet and garden, life seems to be moving on as well as could be imagined when an electronic monitoring bracelet is wrapped around your ankle.
His critically acclaimed film "The Ghost Writer" continues its global rollout, and people close to the filmmaker say he's looking into directing a movie version of the Broadway show "God of Carnage" provided his legal situation clears up.
On a recent afternoon, his home was the very picture of Alpine calm as the wind swept through two sets of open double-doors to his backyard and another to a first-floor balcony. A pair of construction workers were busy on home improvements and the jangling of cowbells could be heard in the offing. The paparazzi were long gone.
A man who answered the doorbell from an intercom said Polanski didn't want to see anyone, and the presence of a reporter prompted someone to shut the chalet's doors and windows, and draw all the curtains. It looked again like the fortress he entered six months ago when the Swiss released him from jail on $4.5 million bail.
Folco Galli, a spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry, provided no timeline for a decision that might free Polanski or confirm his transfer to U.S. authorities. The director would in any case be allowed to appeal an extradition order to the Swiss courts, setting up months more of legal wrangling.
Earlier this month, Polanski's lawyers raised the prospect for the first time of the filmmaker returning voluntarily to California to fight his case. But the statement was couched in language that suggested this remained unlikely.
Polanski also recently ended months of silence to accuse the U.S. of demanding his extradition solely to serve him "on a platter to the media."
The Oscar-winning director of "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" was accused of plying his victim with champagne and part of a Quaalude during a 1977 modeling shoot and raping her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse.
What happened after that is a subject of dispute. The defense says the now deceased judge, Laurence J. Rittenband, had agreed in meetings with attorneys to sentence Polanski to a 90-day diagnostic study and nothing more. The judge later changed his mind and summoned Polanski for further sentencing — at which time he fled to his native France, attorneys say.
Polanski was arrested Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.
Roman Polanski appears to be leading a charmed existence under house arrest in the luxury resort of Gstaad, as he awaits word from Swiss authorities on whether he'll be extradited to the United States for raping a 13-year-old girl in 1977.
And he may not be going anywhere soon.
Eight months after his arrest, the Swiss Justice Ministry still won't say when it will decide whether the 76-year-old director should be sent back to Los Angeles to face sentencing for unlawful sexual intercourse. And officials won't even say what the holdup is.
For Polanski, stuck since December to his Gstaad chalet and garden, life seems to be moving on as well as could be imagined when an electronic monitoring bracelet is wrapped around your ankle.
His critically acclaimed film "The Ghost Writer" continues its global rollout, and people close to the filmmaker say he's looking into directing a movie version of the Broadway show "God of Carnage" provided his legal situation clears up.
On a recent afternoon, his home was the very picture of Alpine calm as the wind swept through two sets of open double-doors to his backyard and another to a first-floor balcony. A pair of construction workers were busy on home improvements and the jangling of cowbells could be heard in the offing. The paparazzi were long gone.
A man who answered the doorbell from an intercom said Polanski didn't want to see anyone, and the presence of a reporter prompted someone to shut the chalet's doors and windows, and draw all the curtains. It looked again like the fortress he entered six months ago when the Swiss released him from jail on $4.5 million bail.
Folco Galli, a spokesman for the Swiss Justice Ministry, provided no timeline for a decision that might free Polanski or confirm his transfer to U.S. authorities. The director would in any case be allowed to appeal an extradition order to the Swiss courts, setting up months more of legal wrangling.
Earlier this month, Polanski's lawyers raised the prospect for the first time of the filmmaker returning voluntarily to California to fight his case. But the statement was couched in language that suggested this remained unlikely.
Polanski also recently ended months of silence to accuse the U.S. of demanding his extradition solely to serve him "on a platter to the media."
The Oscar-winning director of "Rosemary's Baby," "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" was accused of plying his victim with champagne and part of a Quaalude during a 1977 modeling shoot and raping her. He was initially indicted on six felony counts, including rape by use of drugs, child molesting and sodomy, but pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful sexual intercourse.
What happened after that is a subject of dispute. The defense says the now deceased judge, Laurence J. Rittenband, had agreed in meetings with attorneys to sentence Polanski to a 90-day diagnostic study and nothing more. The judge later changed his mind and summoned Polanski for further sentencing — at which time he fled to his native France, attorneys say.
Polanski was arrested Sept. 26 as he arrived in Zurich to receive a lifetime achievement award at a film festival.
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