New Line Reboots Mortal Kombat

EXCLUSIVE: New Line Cinema is bringing back Mortal Kombat, setting up a live action reboot of the martial arts-heavy franchise that will be written by Oren Uziel and directed by Kevin Tancharoen. Both of those guys have earned the work, since it was their unauthorized viral short that breathed life into franchise. Uziel wrote and Tancharoen directed the eight-minute short film Mortal Kombat: Rebirth, which starred Michael Jai White as Jax, Jeri Ryan as Sonya Blade, Matt Mullins as Johnny Cage, Ian Anthony Dale as Scorpion and Lateef Crowder as Baraka. Tancharoen did this with the idea that he could prove himself to Warner Bros as an action director and reboot the movie franchise. Initially, Warner Games, which put out a videogame reboot in April, 2011, wasn’t amused and sought to shut down the effort. But Tancharoen’s effort created enough of a demand when it leaked online that the studio’s digital division, Warner Premiere, made a deal with him to generate a 10-episode web series. Those episodes began airing on YouTube in April 2011. New Line then went to Tancharoen and Uziel and put together the movie. Mortal Kombat premiered in 1995, and the original film grossed $122 million worldwide. Interest waned with the 1997 sequel Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, which grossed only $51.3 million worldwide. The studio is keeping the plot under wraps.

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Seven Entrepreneurs Quit of 'The Playboy Club' After PTC Requires Boycott

The Oldsters Television Council states seven companies have attracted their ads within the second episode in the Playboy Club - plus they are getting in touch with Capital One, Samsung and Chrysler to follow along with together with their lead.our editor recommends'Playboy Club': Gloria Steinem Advocates Boycott of NBC Series'Playboy Club's' Sean Maher Arrives: 'It Feels So Liberating' Stating the show's ratings, the crowd's leader Tim Winter states, "What's been apparent to everyone outdoors of NBC must easily be apparent extending its love to people inside NBC: The Playboy Club can be a commercial disaster and really should be studied from the airwaves. We demand the network to cancel this degrading and sexualizing program immediately." Kraft, Sprint, Lenovo, UPS Store, Subway, P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Campbell's Soup did not advertise inside the second episode on Monday. PHOTOS: Fall TV Dying Pool: Which Show Will Probably Be Axed First? The premiere was soft with 5 million audiences and basically single.6 rating inside the ad-coveted 18-49 demo. It sunk 19 percent within the second week, with only 3.8 million audiences together with single.3 inside the key demo. The PTC has specific the show for objectifying and degrading women since it was acquired by NBC. PHOTOS: Fall's 12 Most Anticipated Shows It vows to hold onto request people to get hold of entrepreneurs "until they cease sponsorship from the broadcast television program that's mainstreaming the pornography industry." "Just like a licensee in the public airwaves, NBC has breached everyone trust by airing what comes lower to some weekly advertisement for just about any pornographic brand. As proven with the Nielsen ratings for your Playboy Club yesteryear 2 days, anymore airing in the show not only pushes an anti-family agenda, but can be a profoundly bad business decision," added Winter. PHOTOS: Fall TV Preview: The Completely New Shows "Before program is slowly removed within the public airwaves, PTC will probably be getting in touch with its people together with other concerned people to get hold of the sponsors. Today, we request Capital One, Chrysler and Samsung if their corporate values are consistent with people in the Playboy brand," Winter ongoing. Related Subjects The Playboy Club

Trio of plays for Tricycle

A rioter throws a rock at riot police in London last month. "The Riots," a play derived from spoken evidence of the civil unrest that swept across London in August this year, will kick off the season at London's Tricycle Theater as part of a three-play slate. "Riots," by Gillian Slovo and directed by Nicolas Kent -- who is leaving the North London venue in 2012 after 28 years at the helm -- continues Kent's tradition of verbatim dramas drawn from real-life political events. Prior outings include "Guantanamo -- Honor Bound to Defend Freedom," which transferred to the West End and NY and was performed at the U.K.'s Houses of Parliament and on Capitol Hill in Washington. Slovo's play, which runs Nov. 17-Dec. 20 with a press night set for Nov. 22, draws on everything from tweets by taxi drivers to moment-by-moment accounts by riot police in order to build a real-time picture of the riots as they unfolded. Its analysis of what happened and why will be taken from interviews with politicians, teachers, lawyers and community leaders as well as victims and onlookers. Other plays in Kent's final season include the first revival of Marie Jones' comedy "Stones In His Pockets," helmed by Indhu Rubasingham. Previewing from Dec 15, it opens Dec. 20. Kent's farewell will be "The Bomb -- A Partial History in Two Parts." Running Feb. 9-April 1, it consists of two full evenings of short plays commissioned from Lee Blessing, Ryan Craig, John Donnelly, David Greig, Elena Gremina, Amit Gupta, Zinnie Harris, Ron Hutchinson, Diana Son and Colin Teevan.The first of the two parts, "First Blast (1940-1992)," looks at Britain's involvement with the building of the atomic bomb through the Cuban missile crisis to the development of India's bomb and the break-up of the Soviet Union. Latter seg, "Second Blast (1992-2012)," looks at Israel's and Iran's nuclear capability, the "axis of evil" and North Korea through to current negotiations with Iran. The Tricycle Theater's production of slapstick Hitchcock spoof "The 39 Steps" hit Broadway in 2008 and then shifted to Off Broadway a couple of years later. Last season its Aghanistan-themed marathon "The Great Game: Afghanistan" had a run Off Broadway. Contact David Benedict at benedictdavid@mac.com

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Fox Orders New Gordon Ramsay Series

Gordon Ramsay Gordon Ramsay will stir some misunderstanding once again - but this time around around it won't be in the kitchen area area. Round the heels of Hell's Kitchen's finale which attracted almost 6 000 0000 audiences, Fox introduced Wednesday it's bought another unscripted series from Ramsay's production company.Fall Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning showsThe series, tentatively titled Hotel Hell, follows Ramsay together with an organization of hospitality industry vets simply because they travel mix-country to update fighting hotels."They're tales that everyone can interact with, because virtually people have stood a bad hotel experience that's switched a holiday or business travel in to a total disaster," Ramsay mentioned. "You are prepared to put the hospitality industry for the test."Fall TV: Start to see the 17 stars as well as sturdy . eyes relating to this yearThe show's format will mimic individuals of Kitchen Bad dreams or nightmares - with Ramsay delivering business refurbishments to hotels, hotels, and bed mattress-and-breakfasts in serious demand for help.Hotel Hell will be the fourth addition to Ramsay's reality TV empire. More youthful crowd stars in Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Bad dreams or nightmares and MasterChef.

Box Office Report: 'The Lion King' Still a Champ 17 Years Later

Disney's re-release of The Lion King is mining gold at the domestic box office, where it's on course to gross $15 million or better for the weekend and win the No. 1 spot away from three new films.our editor recommends'Drive': Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan Share Passionate Kiss in an Elevator (Video)'Drive': What the Critics Are SayingDisney's 'The Lion King' to Return to Theaters in Digital 3D'Straw Dogs': What the Critics Are Saying'Straw Dogs': Is The New Movie Better Than The Original? Families are turning out in force to see the 3D conversion of the 1994 animated classic (theaters also are playing the toon on some 2D screens), which is tied to the Oct. 4 release of the Diamond Blu-Ray edition of the film. PHOTOS: Ryan Gosling's Career in Pictures Heading into the weekend, tracking suggested Lion King would gross $12 million to $13 million, but box office observers upped their estimates because of such strong sales on Friday (some believe the pic could even come in as high as $18 million, but others aren't as bullish). Elsewhere at the box office, Friday night business will determine the fate of the weekend's three new releases, but early returns suggest Ryan Gosling action-thriller Drive is in a close race with Warner Bros. holdover Contagion for the No. 2 spot at $12 to $13 million each for the weekend. STORY: 'The Lion King' Poised to Win Weekend Box Office FilmDistrict is distributing Drive in the U.S.; the critically acclaimed film and Toronto Film Festival favorite was directed byNicholas Winding Refn and also stars Carey Mulligan andBryan Cranston. Heading into the weekend, tracking pegged Drive's opening weekend gross at around $10 million. Sarah Jessica Parker comedy I Don't Know How She Does It and Rod Lurie's remake Straw Dogs - the other two new films - are off to a softer start. Early projections have I Don't Know How She Does It, from the Weinstein Co., grossing around $7 million, although the number could be higher if word-of-mouth is strong among women, the film's target demo. Screen Gems' Straw Dogs also is expected to gross around $7 million for the weekend, give or take. Box office observers cautioned that a more accurate read won't come until Friday night since Straw Dogs - like Drive - is rated R, meaning it isn't doing big matinee business. Straw Dogs stars Alexander Skarsgard, James Marsden andKate Bosworth. Related Topics Ryan Gosling Drive The Lion King Straw Dogs

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Completeness

Aubrey Dollar and Karl Miller are science students who find romance behind their nerd-speak. A Playwrights Horizons presentation of a play in two acts by Itamar Moses. Directed by Pam MacKinnon.Elliot - Karl Miller Molly - Aubrey Dollar Lauren, et al - Meredith Forlenza Don, et al - Brian AversThat deadly theatrical form, the romcom, gets a jolt of life from Itamar Moses, taking a break from his TV writing chores (on "Boardwalk Empire" and "Men of a Certain Age") to pen a romantic comedy that doesn't turn the stomach or insult the intelligence. Although "Completeness" observes the standard conventions of a cute-couple comedy, Moses ascribes a contempo sensibility to his characters, grad-school scientists who hide their personal anxieties behind torrents of surprisingly lyrical nerd-speak. As played by two appealing leads, these kids are in good hands, but their romance has a hard time surviving an awkward second act. The highly structured revolving set (by David Zinn) and the hi-tech design of the lighting (Russell H. Champa) and video projections (Rocco DiSanti) play a key role in that problematical second act, which makes a huge literal point about the way technology can both assist and impede human connections. But the only set pieces that count are the sterile computer cluster where Elliot (Karl Miller) and Molly (Aubrey Dollar) meet cute and the big warm bed where they dare to be human. Miller, a rare and true find who appears to have eluded the attention of the Hollywood studio talent bandits, is such a likable performer that Elliot, a computer science grad student at an undesignated university, wins our hearts before he even opens his mouth. The lovestruck lad is so socially tongue-tied and physically uncoordinated that Molly, the molecular biologist he's been trying to pick up, has to come to his rescue by asking for help with an experiment that's been throwing up data that is "sort of noisy and full of crap." Molly's a charmer, but she's also formidably smart and sure of herself, and Dollar gets extra credit for letting us see that fine intelligence along with her girlish insecurities. So score two for helmer Pam MacKinnon ("Clybourne Park"), who also directed the play when it preemed at South Coast Rep. Actually, score four for this helmer, because Brian Avers and Meredith Forlenza are plenty of fun to watch as the various ex-lovers and would-be lovers who serve to make the plot look more complicated than it is. Would that Moses had given these characters more to do in the second act, when Elliot and Molly have the big breakup that's pretty much obligatory in romantic comedies. For some reason, the playwright neglected the mechanical plot engineering necessary to support some plausible dramatic complications for the breakup, which feels abrupt and insufficiently motivated. In one respect, Elliot and Molly are no different from countless other lovers in countless other plays: They're wary of commitment and want some assurances they won't be hurt if they let down their guard. But Moses poses this eternal question in an original and interesting way, by making it the nub of the biology science problem that Elliot tries to solve with the data-mining algorithm he programs for Molly. So when these articulate lovers enthusiastically speak (in streams of dense but strangely musical technical language) of brute force algorithms that can organize masses of possibilities into manageable, even predictable probabilities, they are actually calculating their own odds of being hurt. The metaphors may not be on a par with the imagery in "Ode on a Grecian Urn," but every generation speaks its own poetry and Moses seems to have the ear for it.Sets and costumes, David Zinn; lighting, Russell H. Champa; original music and sound design, Bray Poor; projections and video, Rocco DiSanti; production stage manager, Charles M. Turner III. Opened Sept. 13, 2011. Reviewed Sept. 8. Running time: 2 HOURS, 20 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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FilmNation flies high with 'Sky'

FilmNation Entertainment looking to ''Eye in the Sky,'' acquiring Guy Hibbert's screenplay as a directing vehicle for Oliver Hirschbiegel (''Downfall''). FilmNation made the announcement Monday at the Toronto Film Festival and said it's ''aggressively'' putting the thriller together with the aim of starting to prep later this year. ''Sky'' follows a group of characters around the globe as they are each impacted by the decision to drop a drone missile on a house in East Africa. This will be Hibbert and Hirschbiegel's second collaboration following ''Five Minutes of Heaven,'' starring Liam Neeson. FilmNation EVP Production Karen Lunder brought in the project to the company and will produce alongside FilmNation's President of Production Aaron Ryder. Stephen Wright, who works with the BBC where the project was initially developed, will also produce. ''As a company we have been searching for a project to do with Oliver for some time,'' Ryder said. Hirschbiegel said he was drawn to the project because of the tense subject matter that examines contemporary warfare and its detachment from real life. FilmNation acquired the rights from BBC Films, in cooperation with BBC TV. Zoe Brown brokered the deal for the BBC and Alison Cohen negotiated the deal for FilmNation. Hirschbiegel is repped by UTA and by Attorney Barry Hirsch. Hibbert is repped by UTA and The Agency in London. Contact Dave McNary at dave.mcnary@variety.com

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U.S., Korea groups ink three dimensional pact

American and Korean people from the Worldwide three dimensional Society have signed a memorandum of understanding pledging mutual cooperation on content production, marketing, distribution and knowledge discussing among member companies within the two nations. Executives and government authorities expect the agreement to boost Korea's three dimensional industry. I3DS people for the reason that country include Korea Telecom, the EBS educational broadcast network and satcaster Skylife. U.S. people include The new sony, Disney and DreamWorks Animation. The signing ceremony between your two nations' I3DS sections happened at DreamWorks Animation on Friday. One of the loudspeakers was See Joong Choi, chairman from the Korea Communications Commission, the same as the FCC. He advised support for three dimensional content production and technology in Korea. KCC director Yong Su Oh pointed to lack of three dimensional content in Korea in comparison towards the U.S. and urged cooperation between your two countries' three dimensional industries to advertise the biz in Korea. Another agreement was signed between your two I3DS sections and also the Korea Radio Promotion Association to encourage educational programs and trades. Dr. Doo Hwan Choi, chairman Korea's I3DS chapter and CTO of Korea Telecom, which co-backed the ceremony, stated the society's educational programs will give you the sorts of possibilities and program development needed through the burgeoning business. Contact Peter Caranicas at peter.caranicas@variety.com

Julianne Moore Goes Back To School

With Greg Kinnear inside the British TeacherThere are a few ginormous Julianne Moore fans around these parts, so every single day when she subscribes for just about any new project seems as being a Good Day. Ideally she'd sign up for a completely new project each day but that will in all probability destroy her. Rather, we'll take tidings that she's joining Greg Kinnear inside the British Teacher and hope it gives her plenty of opportunity to flaunt her acting chops. Billed becoming an 'indie comedy', The British Teacher follows high-school British teacher Linda Sinclair (Moore) whose existence is switched upside lower with the return from the star student. Mentioned pupil has not successful just like a playwright in New You'll be able to and attended his small-town school, most most likely in a few kind of teaching capacity, where he makes things awkward for Sinclair. Whether there's an intimate position, we're not wholly sure, but they're unlikely being trading time bickering over Wally Whitman. The British Teacher marks the directorial debut of Craig Zisk. There is a good slice of offbeat TV work behind him, including cases of Puppy puppy nip/Tuck, The Big C and Weeds, that may give some clue concerning the tone of his first feature. However, may possibly not. Unsure yet on Kinnear's role in things but return for further on that.

For Stars, Pretending being Sick Pays Off

Ever play physician becoming an adult? Now you can play patient, earning money carrying it out.From New You'll be able to to Hollywood, medical schools pay stars to portray patients to have the ability to train medical students and nurses about bed room manner and the way to conduct routine exams. The calls them "standardized patients." "We uncover smart, gifted stars [to assist] us in training generation x of doctors," referred to Dr. Sondra Zabar, the director in the standardized patient program at NYU Langone Medical Center's Program for Medical Education, Innovation and Research. "We use standardized patients for that 'learners'whether they are medical students or people or facultyto practice important capabilities."In 1963, Dr. Howard Barrows at College of La was the first to coach and rehearse standardized patients (SPs). The practice is ongoing to develop to date, in line with the Association of Standardized Patients, over four dozen medical schools round the united states . States and Canada use SPs. "In the last ten to 15 years, [using SPs] has converted into a typical part of all med school training," states Zabar. "Even part of the licensure of medical students includes a standardized patient exam."Most artists try SP programs through pals, but every once in awhile an advert look on C-list or on job-hunting websites. With enough schools always looking for new stars, finding these jobs is not always tough, nevertheless it takes dedication and skill to keep booking gigs. Actress Jamie Fair has labored just like a standardized patient within the College of Pittsburgh for any very long time. To obtain the job she applied online then stood a phone interview. Next, she was introduced straight into talk to the director in the program and current standardized patients. Once hired, artists must undergo a workout program. The Western College of Health Sciences in Pomona, Calif. has intensive training periods that are spread over three visits for the college. The School of Pittsburgh requires 16 to twenty several hours of fundamental training before stars even go to a medical student. At New You'll be able to College, a mix of character and record training is important.InchWorking out itself was rigorous and intensive, but very informative," referred to actor Kamil Haque, who labored just like a standardized patient in Pomona. Most training is paid out, nevertheless the real earnings come when you start coping with student doctors and nurses. Rates may differ. At NYU, the hourly rates are $25. Brown College Mediterranean school pays $100 to $200 for that means by-depth and the way extended each simulation is. For completely new standardized patients at Western College of Health Sciences, pay tops off around $80 for just about any five- to six-hour day's work. A typical day for just about any standardized patient ranges from playing an roughed up wife to being recognized together with ailments. In one situation, actress Tischa Culver visited Barcelona for just about any doctors' association convention where she was examined for fibromyalgia syndrome syndrome. "The doctor would squeeze your elbow and ask for you to definitely certainly describe the discomfort in a single to 10,Inch Culver referred to. She'd been trained items to say based on her character. Becoming an actor, being a SP frequently means supplemental income while aiding to maintain capabilities fresh between gigs. "This certainly helps during my improvisation capabilities in addition to character development," mentioned Phyllis Lynn, an actress which has labored just like a SP at Brown College Mediterranean school. "Obtaining the SP program generates for me the opportunity to produce credible figures that are grounded the simple truth is,In . Haque added. "I've got a opportunity to do and understand that like me evaluating students doctors, I too am being examined. I buy instant feedback in my performance and where I am in a position to improve." "We learned that standardized patients, or people that do that kind of work, appreciate it since they are contributing to another generation of doctors," Dr. Zabar mentioned. "They find they study a lot themselves. Many of them condition that this is their explanation have different anticipation with how they approach their unique doctors, and they have new insight about medical health insurance and counseling."Visit the ASPE website for all of the med school programs concerning the u . s . states that look for simulated patients. CONTACT NYU Langone Medical Center's Program for Medical Education, Innovation and Research By email: premier@nyumc.org College of Pittsburgh School of Medicine's Advanced Clinical Education Center By email: acec@medschool.pitt.edu Western College of Health Sciences Brown College Alpert Med School Office of Curriculum Matters

Leonardo DiCaprio Mistaken For Jewelry Thief

SYDNEY, Australia -- A hooded, sunglasses-wearing Leonardo DiCaprio sparked a brief panic at a Sydney, Australia jewelry story on Thursday. The mistaken identify snafu went down at Sydneys The Family Jewels store where the actor turned up to check out some bling. All of a sudden these two big burly guys came into the shop, shop owner Kane Kelfkens told Splash News. We saw a hooded figure come in with dark glasses and [my sales assistant Linda] thought, Oh boy, this is serious. So, she rushed next door and said, There might be a hold up next door, he explained. [She] realized that Leo was the man under the hood. Hed taken off his glasses and she relaxed. Despite the brief tense moment, Linda kept her sense of humor about the situation. She actually had a bit of a joke with him about thinking that he might have been a thief. When he wanted to a look at one of the necklaces, she said, Dont you run out the door with that necklace, he recalled. Kane said the actor was looking at a $1600 Nepalese antique necklace adorned with lapis lazuli and coral for his mother. One of the best ones we have in the store, Kane said of the necklace. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Disney taps Chapek to head consumer products

The Walt Disney Co has tapped Robert Chapek as president of Disney Consumer Products. He has served as head of distribution of the Walt Disney Studios since November 2009. Chapek replaces Andy Mooney, who revitalized the Mouse House's licensing business over the past 12 years. He ankled unexpectantly this week. Chapek has also served as president of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. In his new role, Chapek will oversee what Disney calls a newly formed companywide consumer products organization, which will consolidate retail and licensing across Disney's lines of business including Walt Disney Studios, Pixar, Marvel, media networks, interactive media and consumer products. "Bob's vast experience, talent and proven track record will be key to implementing a consolidated approach to retail resulting in a more efficient and effective organization," said Disney chief Bob Iger, to whom Chapek reports. "As the retail market becomes more centralized, it is important to provide the consumer with an array of choices in a seamless, coordinated way." Chapek said, "I'm excited about the opportunity to lead our newly expanded team and to grow our brands, franchises and movie properties in the fast-changing retail and licensing marketplace." As a result of Chapek's move, Alan Bergman, president of the Walt Disney Studios, will assume Chapek's former responsibilities of theatrical and TV platform distribution of studio movies. Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

La-Bas. A Criminal Education (La-Bas. Educazione criminale)

An Eskimo, Figli del Bronx, Minerva Pictures Group production, together with Film Commission Regione Campania, Gesco, Fare Piu, Audioimage, About the Docks, Rai Cinema. Created by Dario Formisano, Gaetano Di Vaio, Pietro Pizzimento, Gianluca Curti. Executive producer, Gennaro Fasolino. Directed, compiled by Guido Lombardi.With: Kader Alassane, Moussa Mone, Esther Elisha, Billi Serigne Faye, Alassane Doulougou, Fatima Traore, Salvatore Ruocco. (French, British, Italian, Neapolitan dialect dialogue)Finally, a refreshing consider the problems of illegal immigration in Italia that does not only thinks outdoors this area but seems to engage in the city it's spotlighting. Newcomer helmer Guido Lombardi's "La-Bas. A Criminal Education" has some first-timer defects, but it is also got truthfulness and honesty miles prior to other large-allocated local product. The little Rome- and Naples-based shingles backing Lombardi ought to be recommended for putting gold coin right into a pic that might possibly not have great local legs but, using the right critical push, could travel the fest circuit as well as hit Euro arthouse screens. Castel Volturno is really a seaside town 18 miles from Naples having a large African population and an issue with the Camorra. Artist Yssouf (Kader Alassane) is fresh from the plane from Africa, looking for an uncle who guaranteed him employment and a nice income. Rather Yssouf only finds impoverished Africans battling to earn a living and keep a feeling of community. When he is doing locate Uncle Moses (Moussa Mone), Yssouf finds out he's a drug dealer capitalizing from an uneasy partnership having a branch from the Camorra. Enticed by the potential of generating quick dough, he joins his uncle's biz and distances themself in the encouraging, decent people he met when he first showed up. He'd want to see the incandescent Suad (Esther Elisha) again, however when he finds out she's a prostitute, are all too embarrassed to communicate. When a devout Muslim, Yssouf now drinks, skips hopes, and starts to feel progressively uncomfortable together with his participation in the uncle's shady dealings. Competition between warring Camorra factions exposes the Africans' reliance on local drug lords, and violence becomes inevitable. The murderous evening in the pic's finale is dependant on an incident from 2008, when six African males were gunned lower outdoors a tailor's shop. "La-bas," that is French for "lower there," discloses the vulnerability of people of the community who risked their lives to get at Italia, simply to be faced with deficiencies in employment and being marginalized as outsiders. Lombardi's script can use a little of tightening here along with a little expansion there, however the feeling of place is tangible, also it appears to check out the city from inside as opposed to the usual standpoint of righteous first-worlders naively wanting to prove they are concerned. The choice to shoot mostly in French and British instead of Italian increases the authenticity. Thesps are a mixture of pros and amateurs, even though the mixture works, there's one stand-in Elisha, an Afro-Italian actress who radiates confidence. Lensing is informal and simple, though color correction about the print seen seems to not be complete, and digital quality could be uneven. Editing develops toward the finish and finds precisely the right rhythm to take full advantage of the strain.Digital camera (color, HD), Francesca Amitrano editors, Annalisa Forgione, Beppe Leonetti music, Giordano Corapi production designer, Maica Rotondo costume designer, Francesca Balzano seem, Davide Mastropaolo, Leandro Sorrentino assistant director, casting, Sergio Panariello. Examined at Venice Film Festival (Critics' Week), Sept. 5, 2011. Running time: 98 MIN. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

HAMMOND: Controversial Shame Arrives, Stirring Telluride Talk And Scaring Distribs; David Cronenbergs A Dangerous Method

On the heels of their world premieres at the Venice Film Festival, David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method and Steve McQueen’s Shame had their North American premieres at Telluride on Sunday. Both films star Michael Fassbender, and in the controversial latter film, he really reveals all as does co-star Carey Mulligan. The sexually provocative scenes were enough to guarantee an NC-17 rating, which made at least three potential distributors who saw it here skittish. One told me that without the 55-plus crowd this art picture will die and the potentialNC-17 willdrive them away. But McQueenisn’t editing it evenif distribs suggest cuts. (For instance, Mulligan who plays a night club singer does a rendition of New York, New York that lasted longer than the Spanish Civil War.)Despite the film’s attributes, Shame will be a very tough sell even with sex scenes as marketing bait. McQueen was still in Venice and couldn’t make it to the Rockies. But he sent a video introduction. Reaction among the packed audiences for the first two showings of Shame today were mixed. Some hated it and some appreciated it, but no seemed to be doing cartwheels except critics in Venice. One thing is clear, however: Fassbender is a definite star, not only in McQueen’s film but also in A Dangerous Method, playing Swiss doctor Carl Jung opposite his intellectual equal, Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen). He keeps his clothes on in this one. A Dangerous Method is a film of ideas, and those are rare. It’s also a film of words. Lots of them. Cronenberg was still in Venice, but screenwriter Christopher Hampton was here explaining how he came full circle from writing a screenplay based on the John Kerr book, turning it into a play, and then back again after Cronenberg expressed interest. The play was called The Talking Cure, but apparently no one got the cure because these guys just keep talking. Fortunately, Hampton’s dialogue is in the hands of skilled actors and a filmmaker who knows how to get nice visuals on the screen. Method goes out via Sony Classics on November 23. I ran into SPC President Michael Barker, who flew in from Venice on Friday night. He told me he thinks he can get Oscar nominations for all the stars of the film. He’s also very high on his otherthree Telluride debuts, Agnieszka Holland’s Polish Oscar entry, In Darkness,Cannes BestScreenplay winner Footnote from Israel,and the Iranian film A Separation, which won raves from the fest-goers I polled as they exited the film’s first showing this morning. The provocative film should be a contender for Iran in the Foreign Language Oscar competition, barring internal politics — which is one reason the Academy should change the rules that allow each country to choose it’s entry. Barker also was still talking up Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, which became the second-most-successful film in SPC history (after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon). The film has been playing since May and was re-released on several hundred screens last weekend, just in time for Hurricane Irene which Barker admitted killed business. But he said the movie shot up dramatically this weekend, making the decision to expandmore viable for SPC. The company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and in honor of that, Barker andco-president Tom Bernard threw a dinner Saturday night at La Marmotte. However, Bernard was a no-show as other commitments kept him from Telluride for the first time in aboutthree decades, and he reportedly was very upset having to miss it. Another company throwing a party (Sunday afternoon)was Oscilloscope in honor of the Telluride tribute to Tilda Swinton. She stars in their post-Cannes pickup We Need to Talk About Kevin, which started screening here today. How Swinton lost the Cannes Best Actress award is still a head-scratcher. In Cannes I suggested to Swinton that she bring the film to Telluride, and then Itracked down fest co-directors Tom Luddy and Gary Meyer to tell them she was interested.Lo and behold, she’s here getting toasted. But even though she says she’s trying tosee other movies, she’s busy with her own and wants to come back as a guest director maybe as soon as next year. She’s very proud of her Oscar-winning performance in Michael Clayton (she gave the statuette to her agent WME’s Brian Swardstrom, and it is still his, she says). The film has been prominent here. It screened in Elks Park on Thursday night, and clips were included in both her tribute and George Clooney’s. She also praised one of the few films she has seen here, Clooney’s The Descendants. She told me it makes her want to go to the less-traveled parts of Hawaii thatthe film shows. She also said she recalls the ovation of several minutes that her film got in Cannes. That’s par for the course for Cannes, but Swinton says it is even more pronounced in Italy. She participated in the first of her two tributes here Sunday night and will do anotherMonday morning.(There are always two completetributes for each person at Telluride for some reason.) Kevin director Lynne Ramsey made the trip to Telluride, too, and told me she loves it so much she wants to skip Cannes from now on and only come to Telluride. Oscilloscope has big Oscar campaign plans for Swinton and Kevin, and have kept their relationship with awards maven Cynthia Swartz, who just ankled 42 West for her own company, Strategy PR/Consulting. Two years ago, Swartzcooked up a campaign that landed Oscilloscope’sunderdog, The Messenger, two major Oscar nominations.Exec David Finkel told me they plan to do a one-week run on December 4 in Los Angeles and then reopen at the end of January when nominations are announced. Swinton plans to be in Los Angeles doing appearances with the film for much of November. That’s a good thing because many Academy members might want to avoid the searing subject matter of this uncompromisingmovie. Finkel said the company has the money for the campaign and plans to spend it to secure awards recognition. He said they were smitten with the dark, tough film from the moment they saw it in Cannes. Meanwhile, on Day 4 of our Telluride George Clooney Watch, George did the second of his tributes this morning and was in rare comic form. Having just turned 50, he described himself as “AARP’s Sexiest Man still alive”. He also is pretty savvy about the longevity of careers in show business these days, saying his Aunt Rosemary’s up-and-down career taught him a valuable lesson. “I knew you weren’t gonna be in front for very long. There is a sell-by date,” he said. Headded that healways thought of himself as a film actor even when he was only appearingon the sitcom The Facts of Life. “Film actors look down on TV actors, and TV actorslook down on reality fuckers,” is how he described the pecking order in Hollywood. Words to live by. And with that he was off to the airport, but not before asking me if I was going to be at the Toronto Film Festival next week.The answer is “yes” as the fall fest madness continues.