The Top Tens from The Times

You know its top ten season once The New York Times weighs in...Writers of the most important daily film criticism in this country, the paper's critics offer their top tens in Sunday's edition. Lead critic A.O. Scott, on his top ten list, named Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima" his top film of the year, while Manohla Dargis singled out Jean-Pierre Melville's 1969 film, "Army of Shadows," which was finally released in U.S. theaters this year, as her top movie of 2006. Finally, from Stephen Holden, "Babel" takes his top spot. 
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Oscar Nomination Ballots to be Mailed December 26

Nomination ballots for the 79th Academy Awards will be mailed today Tuesday, December 26 to the 5,830 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Completed ballots must be returned to PricewaterhouseCoopers by 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 13, 2007. Ballots received after the deadline will not be counted. The Reminder List of Eligible Releases--the list of 2006 motion pictures eligible for Oscar consideration--will be mailed along with the nomination ballots. Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, at 5:30 a.m. PST in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater. [Brian Brooks] 
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AFP: Japan's Avex to invest in China's priciest film

Japanese entertainment group Avex Group Holdings has said it will invest in John Woo's "Battle of Red Cliff," which is set to be China's most expensive ever film. Avex, a music label that has expanded its business to movies, said it would invest 20 million dollars with China's Chengtian Entertainment International in the latest film by Woo. "Battle of Red Cliff" will narrate the fiercest battle of the Three Kingdoms, the turbulent era in the third century AD that was turned into a classic of Chinese literature. AFP reports. 
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AP: Southeast critics: "Departed" best film

"The Departed" and its director, Martin Scorsese, won top honors from the Southeastern Film Critics Association. Roles as rulers brought the best actor award to Forest Whitaker, who portrays Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland," and the best actress award to Helen Mirren, who plays Elizabeth II in "The Queen." "An Inconvenient Truth," the global-warming documentary featuring Al Gore, won best documentary. There were 47 film critics from nine states who cast ballots for the 15th annual awards released Tuesday. AP reports. 
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Lazarescu Tops indieWIRE Critics Poll

A total of 107 film critics were surveyed and the complete results of the indieWIRE Critics Poll were released this morning here at indieWIRE.com. As Dennis Lim writes in his lead article:

The chatter in film circles this year seemed repeatedly to touch on the relative dearth of truly exciting films, or--since those in our profession are not exactly immune to hyperbole--on the irreversible decline and looming death of film culture, film criticism, film distribution, and even film viewing. It's only fitting then that our No. 1 movie is about a decrepit old timer's grim passage into oblivion. "The Death of Mr. Lazarescu," Romanian director Cristi Puiu's virtuosic second feature...

 
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AP: EU approves German movie subsidies

The European Union on Thursday approved German subsidies totaling 180 million euros ($240 million) for its movie industry, officials said. The subsidies will back feature length movies, documentaries and cartoons. The aid is approved until 2010. AP reports. 
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Reuters: Judge dismisses suit against Michael Moore

A U.S. federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit by an Iraq war veteran who claimed filmmaker Michael Moore used the veteran's image without permission in the anti-war documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11." The film showed Iraq war veteran Sgt. Peter Damon, who had lost his right arm near the shoulder and much of his left arm, lying in a hospital gurney at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, saying that he feels pain but that pain-killers given him "take a lot of the edge" off of it. Reuters reports. 
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Globe and Mail: Toronto Critics Love "The Queen"

Stephen Frears' "The Queen" took five in the annual Toronto Film Critics Association awards, announced yesterday, taking honors for best picture, best female performance (Helen Mirren), best supporting male performance (Michael Sheen) and best screenplay (Peter Morgan). The film looks to be a surefire Oscar contender, and is already a best-dramatic-picture nominee for the Golden Globes. Guy Dixon reports on the Toronto Critics' choices. 
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Academy to Honor Richard Edlund with Bonner Medal

Richard Edlund, a visual effects expert who won Oscars for his work on "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Return of the Jedi," has been voted the John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation by the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Bonner medallion will be presented at the Scientific and Technical Awards dinner on Saturday, February 10, at the Regent Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles. [Brian Brooks] 
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Cate Blanchett and Philip Glass on Tap for Palm Springs Nods

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett will receive the Career Achievement Award, while Academy Award nominee Philip Glass will receive the Frederick Loewe Award for Film Composing during the 18th Palm Springs International Film Festival, taking place January 4 - 15. These are the final honorees expected to be announced for the festival. [Brian Brooks] 
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LA Times: There's no place like hell for the holidays

As imagined by British novelist P.D. James in "The Children of Men," the very near future isn't a place you'd ever want to visit. A worldwide infertility crisis threatens the human race, terrifying gangs prey upon the dwindling populace, and the desperate and elderly queue up for government-sponsored euthanasia. Yet as bleak as James' vision might be, it can't compare to the horrors dreamed up by filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron in adapting her novel for the screen. And that's when Cuaron and his collaborators found that the more suffering they invented, the more credible they believed their movie became. "We didn't want to do a science fiction movie," says Cuaron, the director of "Y Tu Mama Tambien" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." "We wanted to do a movie about the state of things." John Horn reports. 
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Sundance Unveils Native Forum Line up

The Sundance Institute revealed plans for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival's presentation of films by Native American and indigenous filmmakers in its Native Forum. The 2007 festival includes work from filmmakers in the United States, New Zealand and the Philippines. Titles screening in the Native Forum include: Taika Waititi's "Eagle Vs. Shark" (New Zealand), Sterlin Harjo's "Four Sheets to the Wind" (USA), "Miss Navajo" (USA) by Billy Luther, "Tuli" by Auracus Solito (Philippines), "Conversion" (USA) by Nanobah Becker, and "Move Me" (USA) by Jonathan Pulley. The Native Forum also has slated panels and other special events. For more information and details on films, visit the Sundance Institute's website. [Brian Brooks] 
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36th International Film Festival Rotterdam Reveals Some Titles; Tributes

The 36th International Film Festival Rotterdam has added five new films to its Tiger Awards competition. The films are "La Marea" by Diego Martinez Vignatti (Belgium), "Fourteen" by Hirosue Hiromasa (Japan), "Die Unerzogenen" by Pia Marais (Germany), "Does It Hurt? The First Balkan Dogma" by Aneta Lesnikovska (Macedonia), and "Bog of the Beasts" by Claudio Assis (Brazil). IFFR also announced Abderrahmane Sissako and Johnnie To will serve as its "Filmmakers in Focus" with tributes. The festival takes place in the Dutch city January 24 - February 4. [Brian Brooks] 
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Jennifer Hudson to Receive Palm Springs Accolades

Golden Globe nominee Jennifer Hudson will be honored by the 18th Palm Springs International Film Festival with their Breakthrough Performance Award at a gala hosted by the event January 13. "Jennifer Hudson's performance in 'Dreamgirls' is phenomenal and is truly the breakthrough role of this year in cinema," commented festival chairman Earl Greenburg in a statement. "From all the critical praise she has received and will continue to receive, we're proud to bestow this honor upon her at our festival." PSIFF is scheduled for January 4 - 15. [Brian Brooks] 
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AP: Visual-effects pioneer to receive Oscar

Visual-effects pioneer Ray Feeney will receive an Oscar for his contributions to film. The Gordon E. Sawyer Award, which honors technological advances that benefit the movie industry, was established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1981. Feeney will receive the Oscar at the Scientific and Technical Awards dinner Feb. 10 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel. He is the 20th recipient of the prize. AP reports. 
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Reuters: Director Lynch produces film that puzzles critics

David Lynch is not like other directors. Critics say his films make no sense and even he admits they are difficult. But he also adds to his air of mystery by doing things like taking a cow for a walk on a busy Los Angeles intersection or deciding to become a coffee merchant so moviegoers can drink his coffee while watching his films. Lynch says he walked the cow on a leash because everyone likes a cow. When a young woman the other day asked the cow's handler if she could pet it, he said, "No, the cow's working." Arthur Spiegelman reports. 
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Chinese Cash for "Curse of the Golden Flower"

Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower" broke box office records in China last weekend, opening to a four day total of RMB 96 million ($12.5 M U.S.) on 826 screens. Previous successful openings are "Hero" opened to RMB 35 million ($4.5 million), "House of Flying Daggers" to RMB 61 million ($7.9 million), "The Promise" to RMB 75 million ($9.7 million) and "The Banquet" to RMB 45 million ($5.8 million). The film, which tells the story of an imperial family's slow decline stars Gong Li and Chow Yun Fat, and is China's submission for Oscar consideration for Best Foreign Film. Sony Pictures Classics will release the film this Thursday, December 21st, in New York, and December 22nd in Los Angeles and other select cities. [Brian Brooks] 
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indieWIRE Critics Poll 2006: coming soon...

Results from the first indieWIRE Critics Poll, surveying more than 100 U.S. film critics, will be announced this week on indieWIRE.com. The survey (edited by Dennis Lim and Anthony Kaufman) includes ranked votes in categories including: Best Film, Best Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best First Film, Best Documentary, Best Cinematography, and Best Undistributed Film. All films released theatrically in the United States during 2006 are eligible for all categories (except best undistributed film, which includes those films not shown commercially in theaters this year). indieWIRE will announce the results on Thursday, December 21 at 9 a.m. ET. 
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INDUSTRY MOVES: Zak Heading West at Technicolor

Technicolor's Christian Zak is heading to Los Angeles, from the company's New York office, to serve as VP, Digital Film Services in a new role overseeing the business development of feature film services targeting indie filmmakers, according to an announcement. Technicolor said in the announcement that the move supports a commitment to an increased focus on the independent film community, including work on dailies, digital previews, DI and on-set services. 
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Hollywood Trade Paper to Honor SPC's Barker and Bernard

Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND.

The Hollywood Reporter announced on Monday that it would honor Sony Pictures Classics' co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard with the inaugural Indie Mogul Award, to be presented at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.  
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Berlinale To Showcase Films From Okamoto Kihachi

The Forum section at the 2007 Berlinale will feature 9 films by Okamoto Kihachi, according to an announcement. The work, from the 1950s and '60s, will showcase a pioneer of Japanese cinema who is largely unknown internationally, according to the announcement. In the words of a press release:

He was lastingly influenced by his experiences in World War II, like many others of his generation, and concern with violence and conflicts is a theme running through much of his cinematic oeuvre. Okamoto's stylistic spectrum thereby ranges from monumental commissioned works to idiosyncratic low-budget productions, from serious historical dramas through fast-paced action to comedies reminiscent of musicals. As a big John Ford fan, Okamoto inserted elements of the western in almost all of his films. Today, his often humorous stories, breathtaking camerawork, and rapid, rhythmic montage enjoy cult status as the "Kihachi touch".

 
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Reuters: Herzog in Antarctica: An easy place to make a film

Werner Herzog, who has made movies about grizzly bears in Alaska and a downed fighter pilot in Laos, just finished filming in Antarctica and one thing he wants to make clear: it was easy. Herzog, 64, filmed at Mount Erebus, home of a live volcano, in the Antarctic spring. "It's a perpetuated sort of image since the days of 1903 or 1910 or 1911, when Scott and Amundsen and Shackleton were out here," he said. "Now you have got a cafeteria, you have got the barber shop and the TV station. You've got the ATM machine, so what else can you ask for?" Deborah Zabarenko reports. 
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SF360: James T. Hong on Heidegger, Hitler, and his new film

There's no middle ground with San Francisco artist James T. Hong: he's got strong opinions and he's not afraid to share 'em. His work is smart, often darkly witty, provocative, and has--on at least one occasion, after a Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival screening of "Taipei 101: A Travelogue of Symptoms (Sensitive Version)"--nearly incited audience violence. But meet Hong in person, and he's a pretty damn friendly guy, even when discussing topics that might prickle more average company: Hitler; race ("Taipei 101" jabs at Asian girl-white guy couples); and his appreciation for the controversial, be it Mel Gibson's latest public outburst or North Korea's nuclear program. Cheryl Eddy reports. 
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AFP: "Alatriste," "Volver" among Spanish Goya prize nominations

"Alatriste" by Agustin Diaz Yanes, Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" and "El laberinto del fauno" (Pan's Labyrinth) by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro have taken the lion's share of nominations for Goya prizes, the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars. "Alatriste", the story of a 17th century soldier-turned-mercenary starring Viggo Mortensen, headed the list with 15 nominations, with "Volver" (Return), starring Penelope Cruz, taking 14 and "El laberinto del fauno" garnering 13. AFP reports. 
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Palm Springs Fest Unveils Huge '07 Line up

The 18th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival has announced its extensive '07 roster of 254 films that will screen from 73 countries for the upcoming event set for January 4 - 15. This year's selection includes 79 premieres (three World, 47 U.S. and 29 North American). Also on tap are, 55 of the 61 films submitted for consideration in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the Academy Awards in addition to seven gala screenings and special presentations. John Jeffcoat's U.S. premiere "Outsourced" will open the event, while the North American debut of "The Tiger's Tail" (Ireland/U.K.) by writer/directr John Boorman will close the festival. indieWIRE will have extensive line up coverage prior to the festival's opening. [Brian Brooks] 
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