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An Indian court has ruled in favour of a Bollywood film company over a film entitled Hari Puttar - A Comedy of Terrors.
Hollywood studio Warner Bros had sued Mirchi Movies, claiming the film’s name was too similar to that of the Harry Potter franchise.
And while the legal wranglings had caused the postponement of the Hari Puttar let go, a Delhi court has now rejected the Warner Bros lawsuit.
Mirchi Movies stressed that their film had no connection to JK Rowling’s tales of the teenage wizard and explained that Puttar means "son" in Hindi and Punjabi.
And the Delhi high court ruled that readers would have no difficulty distinguishing between Hari Puttar and the Harry Potter series of books.
"The cause has been dismissed," Mirchi Movies’ lawyer Pratibha Singh was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.
"The court said that Warner Bros had known the title of the film since 2005 and had delayed bringing the case to court until the last moment."
Hari Puttar - A Comedy of Terrors, tells of a ten-year-old boy who moves to England with his parents and becomes involved in a plot concerning a secret microchip.
It was set for a September 12th release in India and will now hit the screen on September 26th.
Warner Bros, meanwhile, recently confirmed that the release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, the sixth film in the franchise, has been delayed by dint of. eight months until July 2009.
The movie will now spearhead Warner Bros’ lineup of summer films.
Archive for September, 2008
Enlarge MGM Studio Little evil-doers: Igor, left, gets help from sidekicks Scamper, left, and Brain. ABOUT THE MOVIE
Igor
* * 1/2 (out of four)
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Opens Friday nationwide
This story of a world of mad scientists and their Igor lab assistants has more inspired lunacy as it spoofs classic horror films, though sometimes the jokes grow belabored.
John Cusack engagingly voices one of those Igors, a little guy with big dreams of being a scientist. He gets his chance to submit his malevolent invention — with a little help from his friends, a brain in a jar (Sean Hayes) and a bunny who just missed being roadkill (Steve Buscemi) — to the Evil Science Fair. But something goes horribly awry, and his creation, Eva, turns out to be a gentle, kindly creature. On top of that, he must fend off more monstrous nemeses.
While this is no WALL·E, or Ratatouille, it does bring to mind Monsters, Inc. and some of the visual flair of Burton’s The Corpse Bride. The dialogue is amusing, and the voices — what one. take in John Cleese, Jennifer Coolidge, Jay Leno, Molly Shannon, Eddie Izzard (as the hilariously named Dr. Schadenfreude) and Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton — are a quirky highlight.
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. concerning publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
Enlarge Warner Bros. Pictures Viggo Mortensen plays a lawman for pay. ABOUT THE MOVIE
Appaloosa
* * 1/2 (out of four)
Stars: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger, Timothy Spall
Director: Ed Harris
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Rating: R for some violence and language
Running time: 1 hour, 55 minutes
Opens Friday in chosen cities
The dialogue, based on Robert B. Parker’s novel and co-written by director and star Ed Harris, is a major asset in a film that is entertaining but somewhat unfocused and occasionally badly cast.
CLIP: Catch a preview of ‘Appaloosa’
The movie’s undeniable highlight is the chemistry and camaraderie between Harris and Viggo Mortensen, who are lawmen for wages, called in to clean up a lawless town being run by a ruthless, well-spoken outlaw, played by means of Jeremy Irons.
If that casting sounds odd, it is. It’s hard to see Irons, with his lean, almost effete grace, as an intimidating villain and trigger-happy hothead. He doesn’t seem to have the rough-hewn charisma or overbearing quality that would inspire the fierce loyalty of his band of rough characters. Also, his character may be highly connected (he’s believed to be friendly with President Chester Arthur), but there is no indication he is supposed to be British. His English accent creeps into his Western-speak, creating an unusual patois.
Another questionable casting choice was Renee Zellweger as a piano-playing widow who comes into town, parses who the powerbroker is and makes a play for Harris. Then she makes an send toward Mortensen. And on it goes. But we don’t have any idea of her motivations. She doesn’t do much to fill in the blanks in the script and comes across as a naught in a woman’s skirt. The film’s funniest line, though unprintable, is one in which Harris’ character puzzles over her free-loving ways, while judiciously complimenting her cleanliness and ability to “chew her bread critical.”
Appaloosa’s greatest appeal is being of the class who a buddy picture. Harris and Mortensen seem like Butch Cassidy and his pal the Sundance Kid, fused with a good-natured, long-married couple. They understand each other in the absence of speaking, though Mortensen often provides the right word for Harris when he’s at a loss. It’s a pleasure to watch such gifted actors interact in a classic genre.
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An upstart group of actors has won a majority of Hollywood seats up for re-election on the national board of the Screen Actors Guild.
The Unite for Strength group, led by actor Ned Vaughn, won six of 11 Hollywood seats up for grabs, breaking the incumbent Membership First majority on the 71-member board.
Membership First, which had controlled 39 of 71 seats, won just five of the 11 Hollywood seats it once commanded.
The make some change in. could impact stalled talks between the guild and major Hollywood studios over a contract on film and prime-time TV show production that expired June 30.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights incommunicative. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To give an account of corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
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Enlarge Paramount Vantage Royal seconds: Georgiana, the Duchess of Devonshire (Keira Knightley, right), and her friend Bess (Hayley Atwell), who later becomes the duke’s lover. ABOUT THE MOVIE
The Duchess
* * * (out of four)
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Opens Friday in select cities
Had paparazzi existed in the late 18th century, their lenses would doubtless have been trained on her. Her story is entertainingly and sumptuously told in The Duchess. While more star-studded than a Masterpiece Theatre lengthening, it has similarly grand production values. The cinematography is stunning, with gorgeous costumes and a sweeping score. All of this is capped by compelling key performances.
The best of the group is Ralph Fiennes as William Cavendish, the confoundingly taciturn and womanizing Duke of Devonshire. He is a complex character, not very likable, however as played by Fiennes, deeply intriguing. Keira Knightley plays the duchess winningly with a convincing zest for life. Pride & Prejudice established her talents of the same kind with a period-piece heroine, and she seems the visionary choice for the clever fashionista character. Dominic Cooper (Mamma Mia!) is appropriately cast as her smolderingly ardent peasant.
The duke is persuaded by Georgiana’s upwardly mobile mother (a frightful Charlotte Rampling) to marry her spirited and cultured 17-year-old, the daughter of the first Earl of Spencer. Georgiana quickly adapts to life as a royal and charms the more worldly courtiers with her wit and beauty, as well as her ability to discuss politics and gamble as a man would. In addition to being adored by the masses, according to this tale, Georgiana is instrumental in effecting change in the Whig Party.
The more the public fawns over his wife, the more distant the duke grows, publicly taking a live-in lover (Hayley Atwell). Frustrated through her husband’s inattention, Georgiana falls into the arms of a handsome childhood loved (Cooper), now a politician.
Though it does have occasional elements of a bodice-ripper romance, the engaging story is distinguished by sharp writing and strong acting. This is a highbrow and elegant chick flick that outstrips the likes of The Women or other insipid movies targeted to females.
The Duchess explores the nature of celebrity and charisma. Most compellingly, it chronicles the saga of a vibrant and forward-thinking woman hampered by the constraints of a rigid society.
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state because verification.
Enlarge By Claire Folger, Lionsgate Films You go, girlfriend: Kate Hudson pushes the buttons of an enamored womanizer. By Claudia Puig, USA TODAY (not screened for critics)
Tank (Dane Cook) is a rebound specialist, a womanizer hired by freshly dumped guys to take their exes out on the date from hell. In the process, the ex-girlfriends depart running back to their guys. At least that’s the plan. But Tank meets his match in Alexis (Kate Hudson). (Rated R for strong language and sexual content throughout, including graphic dialogue and more nudity. In theaters nationwide.)
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication serious thought in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
Enlarge By Tory Zimmerman for USA TODAY “Something I want to see”: Guy Ritchie’s fresh gangster film is screening in Toronto. By Donna Freydkin, USA TODAY TORONTO — Crime pays for Guy Ritchie.
The British director has returned to his seedy-movie roots with the gangster flick RocknRolla, which is screening at the Toronto Film Festival. After last year’s flop Revolver, Ritchie is hoping he has scored a hit in the vein of 1998’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and 2000’s Snatch.
MORE FROM TORONTO: Check out all the news in our blog
In RocknRolla, Tom Wilkinson’s Mob boss scuffles by shady Russians over a land divide and deals with his wayward stepson. Ritchie feels optimistic about how RocknRolla is being received. “So far, it feels like in that place’s a warm breeze blowing, doesn’t it?”
He insists he doesn’t feel trapped by the British-gangster genre. “At least it will always bestow me a job,” he says. “I enjoy doing them. I made it as much for me as I did for an audience. It’s an indulgence of mine because it’s something I want to see at the movies.”
Says producer Susan Downey, who’s too working with Ritchie on Sherlock Holmes: “This is what Guy does well. It was a great story, great character, fantastic conversation.”
The film is driven by the ugly relationship between Wilkinson’s gangster and his stepson. And no, it wasn’t inspired by the agency of Ritchie’s own relationship with his sons, Rocco, 8, and David, almost 3, with his famous wife, Madonna, or his stepdaughter, Lourdes, 11.
“I’m trying to fancy where I got that idea from,” Ritchie says. “I liked the complexity of the relationship. By the way, Part 2 deals quite a lot with this issue. Gangsters similar the idea of sending their sons to posh English schools, and that tickles me.”
Yes, Ritchie even now has written the sequel, which he hopes to make if RocknRolla, in theaters Oct. 8, does well. He says he doesn’t read reviews but does care how his films do at the box office. “If (a movie) doesn’t make money, I slip on’t make another movie, so it’s significant.”
Ritchie isn’t much of a talker, answering questions with as few dispute as possible.
What does he do when he’s at home? “I like a beer. Beer and Jiu-Jitsu. I love the kids.”
He’s certainly not eager to discuss his spouse, who’s on her Sticky & Sweet world tour. “She’s in Italy,” he says.
If he has time, he’ll meet up with her. First, he’ll fly domestic to London. Rocco and Lourdes are on tour with their mom, so “it will probably be me and young David (at home). Me and young David may go to the countryside together.”
How do husband and wife balance two big careers in one household? “Try to make time for one any other, I reckon.”
To report corrections and clarifications, close union Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to learning@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
Enlarge By Jack Gruber, USA TODAY The Coen brothers (Joel, left, and Ethan) will shoot their next movie, A Serious Man, in their native Minnesota. They also shot Fargo in that place. BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (AP) — The Oscar-winning Coen brothers are returning to their home condition of Minnesota to shoot their next movie.
Joel and Ethan Coen are scheduled to start shooting A Serious Man on Monday in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
The movie — about a professor whose life is falling apart — is set in 1967 in an unspecified suburb similar to St. Louis Park, where the Coens grew up.
It’s the principal time the Coens have filmed in Minnesota since 1996’s Fargo.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
NEW YORK (AP) — A lawsuit claims Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures Corp. ripped off Rear Window when they made the movie Disturbia.
The 2007 thriller Disturbia stars Shia LaBeouf as a kid who spies on neighbors, including a man he suspects is a serial killer.
The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed Monday in Manhattan, says Disturbia copied a short story Cornell Woolrich wrote in 1942 and the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock movie that starred James Stewart and Grace Kelly and was based on the story.
Woolrich died in 1968. The rights to Rear Window were sold to Sheldon Abend, who died in 2003. His estate brought the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified forfeiture.
Representatives for Spielberg, DreamWorks and Paramount reported they don’t make comments on pending litigation.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.
Enlarge Lionsgate Films Josh Brolin stars as George Bush in W. By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY The Academy Awards race at this stage is all about who’s in it, who’s making it, who’s marketing it, and does it have a history of acclaim? USA TODAY examines some films that are building anticipation among movie lovers.
•W. (Oct. 17), Oliver Stone’s comedic-drama starring Josh Brolin, around President Bush’s rise from youth to the White House. Stone has a history of Oscar attention when he deals with recent history (JFK, Born on the Fourth of July). “It could be the Doctor Strangelove that we haven’t seen in a long time,” says Dave Poland of MovieCityNews.com. Frost/Nixon (below) and this film could object in compensation for each other, he warns, unless the academy has enough appetite by reason of two political sagas. “the one and the other could have being great and get in,” he says. “But at least one of the two will.”
STORY: Oscar talk begins
•TheChangeling (Oct. 24) and Gran Torino (December). Clint Eastwood directs both dramas, the former starring Angelina Jolie and the latter himself. “Clint Eastwood never lets us from the top to the bottom of,” says Sasha Stone, who runs the Oscar blog AwardsDaily.com. She adds that anticipation is particularly high on account of Gran Torino, about a classic-car owner who confronts his own prejudices when an immigrant family moves next door. “That’s being kept under wraps, and when he does that, that’s when you’ve got to pay courtship,” Stone says, noting the come-from-nowhere momentum of the filmmaker’s Letters From Iwo Jima two years past.
•Australia (Nov. 28), the epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and directed by Moulin Rouge’s Baz Luhrmann. It may all come down to Luhrmann. “The furniture about him is, he is absolute pass or absolute fail. It’s not going to exist just an OK movie. It’ll either be really bad or really, really good,” Stone says.
•Milk (Nov. 26), starring Sean Penn as the San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk, the trailblazing, openly gay politician who was gunned down by Dan White (Josh Brolin), a rival city supervisor. “Milk is one of the locked-in most likely films” for best picture, says Poland. “It looks like a political movie with a strong human story. That combination is unbeatable.”
•Frost/Nixon (Dec. 5), based on the Broadway play, with Ron Howard behind it. Tony winner Frank Langella reprises his role as the disgraced former president, confronted in a famous, combative television interview with his own record. “People have seen the play and kind of know what to expect, and with Ron Howard directing, I’d put it in the top three,” Stone says.
•Defiance (Dec. 12), the Daniel Craig World War II saga about a group of refugee Jews who form a guerrilla force to war the Nazis. Ed Zwick is the director, known for making acclaimed movies that fall shy of Oscar victory (The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond). “It seems like a good, strong bet,” Poland says. “Holocaust films have a leg up at the Oscar race. They strike a nerve there since a large percentage of the academy is Jewish.”
•The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Dec. 25), a drama based on an unusual fantasy story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It stars Brad Pitt as a man who ages disinclined. It’s directed by Seven’s David Fincher. “It’s a romantic, weird tale,” Poland says. “But it has to play more as metaphor and not as a gimmick.”
•Revolutionary Road (Dec. 26), directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty), a reunion for Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet — their first pairing since Titanic. Set in the 1950s, it’s the story of a young family’s slow collapse as various dreams and ambitions fall into two parts. “It has all the presumed prestige, but is it a story we have seen before?” Poland says. “What makes it different will be the deciding factor in whether it’s an Oscar movie.”
To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification.