Weekend Newsreel- October 28, 2005

Compiled by the FilmBuffOnLine Staff

 

     Foreign Language Film Oscar Hopefuls- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that a record number 58 films that have been submitted to the Academy for Best Foreign Language Feature Film Oscar consideration. You can read more about the nominees here.

 

 

     Iran Bans Foreign Films- In a mirror image of the loosening of film exhibition rules in Saudia Arabia (See last week’s Newsreel), a committee of hardline Muslim clerics, led by president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have banned the showing and possession of all foreign films in an effort to wipe out the influence of what they have called “corrupt Western culture,” specifically such elements as drugs and alcohol, secularists, liberals, anarchists and feminists. The ban is a direct reversal of policies instituted by former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami who had encouraged cultural coexistence.

 

 

     Turner Classic Movies To Launch Database- Turner Classic Movies has announced plans to launch an interactive movie database on January 1st which the cable channel is boasting will be bigger than current heavyweight Internet Movie DataBase (us.imdb.com). In addition to information on over 130,000 films and 1.25 million actors and crew, the site will contain box-office statistics, movie trailers, photographs, movie scripts and in-depth articles.

 

 

 

In Remembrance

William Hootkins- The character who appeared in Star Wars (2977) and Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) has passed away at age 58.

Tony Adams- Director Blake Edwards' producing partner has passed away at age 52.

Gordon Lee- The former child actor who played Porky in the Our Gang series has passed away at age 71.

 

 

Opening This Week-

October 28

  • Before The Fall (LA)

  • Blackmail Boy (NY)

  • Guarding Eddy (limited)

  • The Legend Of Zorro

  • New York Doll (NY)

  • Paradise Now (NY)

  • The Passenger (1975, rerelease, NY)

  • Prime

  • Saw II

  • Three... Extremes (NY, LA, Austin)

  • The Weather Man

  • Where The Truth Lies (NY, LA)