Interview: Denzel Washington talks American Gangster

Critically acclaimed and professionally lauded, Denzel Washington has taken home two Oscars and a stack of praise for performances in films like Training Day, Malcolm X and Remember the Titans. In 2004 he worked with Tony Scott on Man on Fire, following up with Deja Vu last year. And with the release of American Gangster he marks his first association with the other Scott brother, Ridley, in a true-to-life tale as drug-dealer Frank Lucas, pursued in 1970's America by Russell Crowe's Detective Richie Roberts. The film, released in the UK on November 16th, is Certified Fresh, and Rotten Tomatoes caught up with Washington to find out more.

This is a really big film and it's an interesting and twisted character that you play, what about him drew you to it?

Denzel Washington: Actually, it was as much about the two characters. That one man appears to be so straight and honest in his police work is so dishonest in his private life. Another man who seems to be so dishonest in his work life is so honest in his private life. And how these two guys came together and actually, to this day, are still friends. I thought it was an excellent opportunity to work with a great actor again and, actually, a great filmmaker. To be in my home town!

Frank Lucas is really a bad guy, but he has this integrity and honesty in his private life, as you say, how did you find that in yourself?

DW: As he said to me over and over, he said, "Denzel, it's a dirty business and if you choose to be in it you've got to be dirty." There are no nice heroin dealers, they don't make it, and they end up on the sidewalk. You're dealing with crooks all the time; it's just a den of thieves. As he said to me many a time, he said, "I would tell you once." I said, "What if they just slipped up?" He said, "I would tell you once." That was his reputation. You just didn't cross Frank Lucas; you didn't get the opportunity to cross him.

 

What were your scenes with Russell Crowe like?

DW: We had one big scene together and it was just like good music, you know, it's seamless. We started doing this whole business with this coffee cup. Maybe I slid it to him first, and he'd slide it back and start knocking it off the table. It was just a good chess match.

You worked with him years ago, what was it like getting to do that again?

DW: Well he's a bit more famous now! He was very eager then and he still is; still intense. He's a family man now; he has a beautiful wife and children. And just his life experience had grown, you know, he's been through a lot. Professionally, you're so in the work that none of that matters. You just get on with it.

He has a history with Ridley Scott, they've made several films together now and I would imagine they have something of a shorthand. Did you feel a bit left out when you were discussing scenes?

DW: No, not at all; It's a collaboration. All of our names are up there and I didn't feel that at all. But getting the opportunity to work with Ridley was great. Ridley's intense and he's obviously a brilliant director. He knows what he's doing, he's a great shot-maker and he knows what to do.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Twelve Features Competing for Animated Feature Film Oscar

The nominations for the 80th Academy Awards won't be announced until January 22, but the names of the films being submitted for consideration are starting to trickle in.

Variety reports that in the animated feature film category, the Academy will have 12 movies to consider -- and whittle down to three nominees. From the article:

Submitted features are: "Alvin and the Chipmunks," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters," "Bee Movie," "Beowulf," "Meet the Robinsons," "Persepolis," "Ratatouille," "Shrek the Third," "The Simpsons Movie," "Surf's Up," "Tekkonkinkreet" and "TMNT."

Yes, you read that right. Alvin and the Chipmunks. Think the voters will have problems narrowing down this list?

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Bees, Rats Among Animated Oscar Field

Rats, bees, ogres and penguins are among the stars of the 12 movies competing for the top animation prize at the 80th Academy Awards.

Contenders for the feature-length animation Oscar announced Thursday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences include the rodent story "Ratatouille," the bug tale "Bee Movie," the ogre sequel "Shrek the Third" and the penguin comedy "Surf's Up."

Also in the running are "The Simpsons Movie," "Beowulf," "Alvin and the Chipmunks, "Meet the Robinsons," "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters," "TMNT," "Tekkonkinkreet" and "Persepolis."

A committee of academy members will pick three nominees, which will be announced on Jan. 22. The entire academy membership will be eligible to vote on the winner for the Feb. 24 Oscars.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Ang Lee's 'Lust, Caution' a Hit in China

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" raked in $5.4 million in its first four days of release in China, despite cuts by censors.

Citing the film's distributor here, China Film Group Corp., the official Xinhua News Agency said the sexually explicit spy thriller already was on track to become one of the year's biggest box-office draws.

"The movie has so far had the best box-office returns of all the movies shown in our theater over the past three months," Xinhua quoted Chen Ji, a manager with the Oriental New Century Theater in Beijing, as saying.

Several minutes were cut from the film to make it palatable to Chinese censors who forbid nudity, profanity and behavior viewed as immoral or politically subversive.

"Lust, Caution" has taken in $3.4 million domestically in six weeks of U.S. release, playing in a relatively small number of theaters. (The distributor is Focus Features.)

"Lust, Caution," which took top honors at the Venice Film Festival, tells the story of a group of patriotic Chinese students who hatch a plot to assassinate the Japanese-allied intelligence chief in World War II-era Shanghai.

Lee, winner of the best-director Oscar for 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," has called it a "very Chinese" film, while its explicit sex scenes earned it the restrictive NC-17 rating in the U.S.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Roberts Dreams of Being Stay-at-Home Mom

Julia Roberts envisions a future of domestic bliss.

"My dream is to be a highly fulfilled and productive stay-at-home mom and wife," the Oscar-winning actress tells Vanity Fair magazine. "The highest high would be growing our food that I then make, and then composting and growing more that kind of circle."

Roberts, 40, says that life would involve having "my own creative outlet, even if it's silly needlework and stuff like that."

She and her husband, cinematographer Danny Moder, have 2-year-old twins, Hazel and Phinnaeus, and a son, Henry, born in June.

When asked whether she wants more children, Robert says: "No, I don't think so, because at this point I'm having so much fun with them. You only have so much energy and you want to put so much energy into each child. ... And they're a really good trio, these three."

Robert says marrying Moder in 2002 was the right thing to do.

"It's the most correct decision I've ever made in my life not that it was even a decision, because it just overtakes you. My whole body knew: `Yes.' He's just my favorite guy," she says in the magazine's December issue, on newsstands Nov. 13.

Roberts, who won an Oscar for her role in the 2000 drama "Erin Brockovich," will next be seen co-starring with Tom Hanks in "Charlie Wilson's War," slated for release Christmas Day.

The actress says she'd like to work again with Denzel Washington, her co-star in 1993's "The Pelican Brief"

"It's been way too long since that happened," she tells the magazine.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Coppola Chides 3 Oscar-Winning Actors

Everyone wants to work with Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson except Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola who directed Pacino and De Niro in "The Godfather" trilogy says the trio of Oscar-winning actors have become apathetic.

"I don't feel that kind of passion to do a role and be great coming from those guys, because if it was there, they would do it! I mean, they're all in a position to do it," the 68-year-old filmmaker tells GQ magazine in its November issue, on newsstands Tuesday.

"Pacino always wanted to do theater. He wanted to do `Peer Gynt.' He wanted to do Shakespeare. Pacino will say, `Oh, I was raised next to a furnace in New York, and I'm never going to L.A.,' but they all live off the fat of the land," Coppola says.

He calls De Niro "wealthy and powerful" and more ambitious than Nicholson.

"I think if there was a role that De Niro was hungry for, he would come after it. I don't think Jack would," he says. "Jack has money and influence and girls, and I think he's a little bit like (Marlon) Brando, except Brando went through some tough times."

Nicholson a front-row regular at the Oscars and at Los Angeles Laker games "was always kind of a joker" and a Hollywood schmooze, says Coppola.

"He's got a little bit of a mean streak," he says. "He's intelligent, always wired in with the big guys and the big bosses of the studios."

Adds Coppola: "I don't know what any of them want anymore."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Taiwan Withdraws Lee's Film From Oscars

Ang Lee's new spy thriller, "Lust, Caution," has been withdrawn as Taiwan's entry for the best foreign film category at next year's Oscars.

"An insufficient number of Taiwanese participated in the production of the film," said Oscar spokeswoman Teni Melidonian in an e-mail, violating a rule that requires foreign countries to certify that their locals "exercised artistic control" over their submission.

Taiwan has replaced "Lust, Caution" with Chen Huai-en's "Island Etude," about a university student's bicycle tour of Taiwan.

Chen Chun-jer, acting director of the Taiwanese government's movie department, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences requires that at least some of the movie's personnel in cinematography, music, recording and costume design be locals.

"We and Ang Lee are disappointed," Chen said. "Lee has a good chance of winning an Oscar. This movie was also popular in Taiwan."

Chen said the government respected the Oscar requirements.

Stanley Hung, secretary-general of Taiwan's Motion Picture and Drama Association the body that decides the island's best foreign film Oscar entry has appealed the film's rejection.

"Lust, Caution," about the sexually charged relationship between an undercover activist and the Japanese-allied intelligence chief in World War II-era Shanghai, won the top Golden Lion prize at this year's Venice Film Festival.

Lee won the best director Oscar last year for "Brokeback Mountain." His kung-fu hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," won the best foreign language film Oscar for Taiwan in 2001.

His movies also include "Hulk" and "Sense and Sensibility."

The withdrawal of "Lust, Caution" is a political blow to Taiwan, which views Lee, 52, and his Oscar win as a symbol for national success as it asserts a separate identity from mainland China.

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Welles' 'Kane' Oscar to Be Auctioned

Orson Welles' 1941 Oscar for "Citizen Kane," considered one of the greatest movies of all time, will go on the auction block in December.

Sotheby's auction house estimated Tuesday that the Academy Award for Best Screenplay will sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million.

The golden statuette, believed to have been once lost by Welles himself, resurfaced in 1994, and after an extended legal battle was returned to his estate. In 2003, it was acquired by the Dax Foundation, a Los Angeles-based charity. The proceeds will help fund the organization's worldwide efforts.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it has no plans to block the sale.

"We're never happy to see Academy Awards go on sale," said Bruce Davis, executive director of the academy.

"Citizen Kane," a story about a power hungry publishing magnate played by Welles and widely believed to be based on the life of William Randolph Hearst, was voted the number one film in history by the American Film Institute in 2007 and by the British Film Institute in 2002.

The Oscar will be sold Dec. 11 and displayed at Sotheby's in New York on Dec. 7-10.

Welles was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1970 "for superlative artistry and versatility in the creation of motion pictures."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Charlize Theron: Sexiest Woman Alive

Charlize Theron has an Oscar, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award. Now she's Esquire magazine's "sexiest woman alive."

Past winners of the title include Jessica Biel, Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johansson. The issue featuring Theron hits newsstands Oct. 16.

Theron talked with the magazine about growing up on a farm, her political interests and her work, including her latest movie, "In the Valley of Elah," a murder mystery set among U.S. troops newly returned from Iraq.

"I wanted to make the movie precisely because it evades formulas about guilt," the 32-year-old actress said. "I'm drawn to ambiguity."

Theron also candidly discussed her least favorite film, "Reindeer Games."

"That was a bad, bad, bad movie," she said. "But ... I got to work with John Frankenheimer. I wasn't lying to myself that's why I did it."

Theron won an Oscar for her role in "Monster." Her screen credits also include "North Country" and "The Cider House Rules"

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Ang Lee Says He's Shy, Socially Awkward

Ang Lee has tackled English period drama, kung fu and gay cowboy romance. Just don't expect him to make small talk at a dinner party. The Oscar-winning director says that despite his celebrity, he's extremely shy and struggles with social interaction.

"When I'm off the set, it's hard for me to carry a conversation. That's more difficult for me than making a movie," he said Saturday on CNN's "Talk Asia."

"Making a movie, I have plans in my head. Somehow one way or another I manage to roll the camera and get something in the can. But off the set, at the dining table ... it's still awkward for me," said Lee, a native of Taiwan.

He feels comfortable "momentarily" if the conversation turns to movies, the 52-year-old filmmaker said, but "that's kind of about it."

"It's hard for me to feel comfortable socially," he said. "I'm always shy, it's just part of my character."

Lee won an Oscar for "Brokeback Mountain." His Chinese-language spy thriller "Lust, Caution" won the top Golden Lion prize at this year's Venice Film Festival. His films also include "Hulk," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Sense and Sensibility."

He said being one of the most famous Chinese-speaking directors in the world is a tremendous burden.

"I'd rather be watching somebody else carry the torch," Lee said. "It's an incredible burden on my shoulder. But I'm passionate about making movies, so as far as I'm concerned, that's the duty I have."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com

Director Lee Says He's Socially Awkward

Oscar-winning director Ang Lee has tackled English period drama, kung fu and gay cowboy romance. Just don't expect him to make small talk at a dinner party. The Taiwanese native, who won a best director Oscar last year for the gay love story "Brokeback Mountain," said in a TV interview that aired Saturday despite his celebrity, he's still extremely shy and struggles with social interaction.

"When I'm off the set, it's hard for me to carry a conversation. That's more difficult for me than making a movie," Lee said on the CNN program "Talk Asia."

"Making a movie, I have plans in my head. Somehow one way or another I manage to roll the camera and get something in the can. But off the set, at the dining table ... it's still awkward for me," he said.

Lee, 52, said if the conversation turns to movies he feels comfortable "momentarily," but "that's kind of about it."

"It's hard for me to feel comfortable socially. I'm always shy, it's just part of my character," he said.

Lee said being one of the most famous Chinese-speaking directors in the world is a tremendous burden.

"It's very uncomfortable for me. I'd rather not carry the torch, I'd rather be watching somebody else carry the torch. It's an incredible burden on my shoulder. But I'm passionate about making movies, so as far as I'm concerned, that's the duty I have," he said.

Lee recently released the Chinese-language spy thriller "Lust, Caution" which won the top Golden Lion prize at the recent Venice Film Festival. His other credits include "Hulk," the kung fu hit "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Sense and Sensibility."

Source: www.cinema-pedia.com