Cinematical

• WB Kicks Tautou's 'Chanel' Into Gear
  

  Filed under: Drama, Executive shifts

  To me Coco Chanel is the woman responsible for my grandmother's smell -- the regal Chanel No. 5. To others she's the woman who created the suit unfortunately immortalized by the assassination of John F. Kennedy. And to the younger crowd, she'll soon be that movie character performed by Audrey Tautou in Coco Avant Chanel.
  
  The Amelie actress signed on to the film last year, but then all news stopped and it looked like Coco was going to be stuck in development hell, or at least have to wait a while longer. Now Variety reports that Warner Brothers has signed on to finance...
  



• Pack Ratner Heads to Paramount
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Casting, Deals, New Releases, Executive shifts, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Box Office, Scripts, Comic/Superhero/Geek

  Love him or hate him, you've got to hand it to Brett Ratner for keeping his career in motion. Variety brings word that the hustling filmmaker plans to take his Rat Entertainment company from New Line, where it first settled in 1996, to a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. Ratner says the departure of New Line execs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne in February convinced him it was time to move on....
  



• Christal Films Declares Bankruptcy
  

  Filed under: Executive shifts, Lionsgate Films, Distribution

  Another one might be biting the dust. The Hollywood Reporter posts that the Canadian distributor Christal Films, who have distributed films like Congorama, has received bankruptcy protection with the Quebec Superior Court, and it has 30 days to get things in order. Things just aren't going smoothly for movie companies this year, both in Canada and stateside. (This comes on the heels of ThinkFilm closing its Toronto office.)
  
  Christal suffered a big blow last year when Toronto's Maple Pictures, who have Canadian rights to Lionsgate's films, took their business to Christal's competitor, Seville Pictures. Variety, meanwhile, blames "changes within the film...
  



• Capitol Films Might Want to ThinkMoney, not ThinkFilm
  

  Filed under: Deals, Executive shifts, ThinkFilm, Celebrities and Controversy, Newsstand

  If you had a slow Mother's Day weekend and were lurking around the net, you might have heard that David O. Russell's upcoming comedy Nailed hit another snag; this one much bigger than just an actor walking off set (a snag that was NOT because of Russell!). They were shut down by the Screen Actors Guild because they didn't have enough money to pay their actors.
  
  You can check out the story, as it unfolded, at Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily. Luckily, any of you who are itching to see Nailed needn't worry....
  



• Picturehouse on the Way Out?
  

  Filed under: New Releases, Executive shifts, New Line, Warner Brothers, Warner Independent Pictures, RumorMonger, Distribution, Other Festivals

  Near the end of last week, Defamerspread the rumor that Picturehouse, once the indie arm of New Line Cinema and currently dangling from the edge of the hulking entity known as Warner Bros., has its days numbered. Now that New Line is history and Warners, like many studios, has faced increasing cutbacks, it may give short shrift to the shingles responsible for handling artier fare. Along with Picturehouse, this also includes Warner Independent Pictures, whose recent release slate includes David...
  



• Discuss: Is Hollywood Misogynistic?
  

  Filed under: Action, Comedy, Casting, New Releases, Executive shifts, Celebrities and Controversy, Box Office, Fandom, Exhibition, Politics, Images

  In these supposedly progressive times, gender equality is one of those touchy issues relegated to the last paragraph of a trend piece nobody reads. When Katherine Heigl suggested to Vanity Fairthat Judd Apatow's movies were sexist, the assertion came across like an after-the-fact shrug of acceptance. Ever the galvanizing provocateur, New York Times critic Manohla Dargis confronts the issue head-on with a thorough analysis of the gender bias in this...
  



• Matt Dentler Steps Down from SXSW
  

  Filed under: SXSW, Executive shifts, Festival Reports

  

  Wow, this news threw me for a loop. According to indieWIRE, our mutual friend Matt Dentler, producer of the South By Southwest Film Festival since 2004, is leaving his post (and Austin) to move to New York City, where he will head the marketing and programming operations of Cinetic Media's new digital rights management unit. Replacing Dentler as SXSW producer will be Janet Pierson, long-time independent film producer and board member of the Austin Film Society.

  I've never met Pierson (well, that I know of ... you do get introduced to so many people at film fests, it's hard to keep track of...
  




• Buscemi and Tucci Start Their Own Production Company
  

  Filed under: Independent, Deals, Executive shifts

  First, they both took part in remakes of slain director Theo Van Gogh's Dutch films. Steve Buscemi took on Interview, which had him helming and starring with tow-headed actress Sienna Miller in a story about a jaded political journalist sent to interview a B-rated actress. Stanley Tucci took on Blind Date, the story of a married couple who roleplay a blind date -- which stars himself and Patricia Clarkson. The film was recently completed, and will have its premiere at Sundance this month. But aside from honoring Van Gogh, Variety reports that the actors have teamed up to start a...
  



• What's Become of Elizabeth Avellan?
  

  Filed under: Executive shifts, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Cinematical Indie

  Last year, along with the buzz of blood and chaos, Grindhouse brought rumors of marital difficulties. Officially, Robert Rodriguez and Elizabeth Avellan have stated that they were split well before the making of the movie, and that all was amicable. Rumors, however, have also been circulating about Rose McGowan's involvement, which quickly went from a "professional relationship," to a hand-holding appearance at Cannes. Yet another case of the long-term partner getting dumped for the younger actress -- I guess not all men can be Maxwell Caulfield. Anyhow, Avellan recently talked with the New...
  



• Hollywood Romances Bollywood & The WB is 'Made in China'
  

  Filed under: Foreign Language, Independent, Executive shifts, Disney, Warner Brothers, Box Office, Distribution, Cinematical Indie

  Being the second most populous nation, India is like this glittering Eden of box office potential -- one that Hollywood is desperately trying to break into. So far, Bollywood has stood relatively free from the foreign influence. Variety notes that Hollywood nabbed a whopping 85% of Spain's box office last year, while only 8% in India. I'd say - "Go, India!" but it looks like the tide is changing. Instead of continuing with plans for remakes and exportation, Hollywood studios are going to make Bollywood...