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Do you remember Lies of P? It was one of the surprise hits of 2023 and a game that a lot of people ended up loving despite it being Soulslike, a genre of games known for being difficult. Despite this though even some Souls fans were blindsided by just how difficult some of the game’s bosses were.

It is quite a difficult game if you’re a slow learner. | Image Credit: Neowiz

Developed by Neowiz and Round8 Studio, it takes the classic story of Pinocchio and looks at it through a dark, steampunk lens. The gameplay experience gives us complex combat mechanics as you’d expect from a Soulslike set in hauntingly beautiful environments. But it seems like one player got caught by surprise by the difficulty of one particular boss.

Lies of P is more Bloodborne than any other Soulslike Don’t get stuck comparing it to other games.

The Umbrella Academy soundtrack in season 1 is an eclectic mix of classic and modern songs that perfectly complement the show's plot and vibe. The show has gained critical acclaim and viewership over its three seasons, with the latest season introducing a new group of heroes known as "the Sparrow Academy." Each song in the soundtrack is carefully chosen to enhance key moments in the series, creating iconic scenes that resonate with viewers and fans alike.

The Umbrella Academy soundtrack in season 1 is an eclectic mix, from classic songs by The Doors and Nina Simone to modern hits like Woodkid's "Run Boy Run," with a few more obscure numbers thrown in as well. The TV show, based on the comics by Gerard Way and Gabriel B, is about a group of kids with extraordinary abilities who are collected by an obsessive scientist and trained to become a superhero team. As adults,...

Veteran director and screenwriter Paul Schrader will be honored at this year’s Lucaa Film Festival with a lifetime achievement award.

The Italian event, which runs Sept. 21-29, will also screen a retrospective of Schrader’s work, including Blue Collar, Hardcore, The Comfort of Strangers, Affliction, Auto Focus, The Walker, The Canyons, The Card Counter, Master Gardener, Mishima, and First Reformed.

On Sept. 26, Schrader will hold a public masterclass at the Cinema Astra, attended by film students from various Italian universities. The following day he will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

The director began his career as a screenwriter for Martin Scorsese with scripts to such classics as Raging Bull and Taxi Driver before stepping behind the camera for his 1978 directorial debut Blue Collar, a crime drama starring Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel. Schrader’s greatest commercial success came in the early 80s with films including American Gigolo (1980) starring Richard Gere,...

Walker fans may need to prepare themselves for some bad news. While The CW series has not been officially cancelled or renewed for a fifth season yet, the show's sets are being dismantled.

The Walker series, which stars Jared Padalecki, Ashley Reyes, Keegan Allen, Mitch Pileggi, Molly Hagan, Violet Brinson, Kale Culley, Coby Bell, Jeff Pierre, and Odette Annable, is a modern take on the classic CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger.

Read More…...

Hopes for Walker: Independence season 2 have been dashed, as the series has failed to find a new home following its cancelation at The CW. A prequel to Walker set in the late 1800s, the series follows Abby Walker, a Bostonian who winds up in the small town of Independence, Texas after her husband's death. Walker: Independence was axed by The CW in May 2023, but there were hopes the show could still find a home elsewhere.

A report from TVLine indicates Walker: Independence season 2 will not be happening, as the series was unable to find a new home after The CW canceled it. Executive producer and Walker star Jared Padalecki hoped Walker: Independence season 2 could come to fruition, helping search for a way to revive the show. However, it seems the series will not be returning elsewhere despite Padalecki and his team's best efforts.

The Future Of The Walker Franchise Explained...

Exclusive: Actor and creator Simon Kassianides, known for his portrayal of Axe Woves in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, has signed with Alchemy Entertainment for management.

Kassianides reprised his role as fan-favorite Axe Woves, who was first introduced in season 2 as an elite warrior, then returning in Season 3 as the leader of a fleet of Mandalorian mercenaries, going from mercenary to hero by the season 3 finale that just aired on April 19th.

Kassianides previously starred in USA’s Suits spinoff series Pearson, opposite Gina Torres and recurred in Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as one of the main villains. He also appeared in the Warner Bros. feature film Unforgettable opposite Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl as well as the indie feature Cliffs of Freedom opposite Christopher Plummer. Prior to that he starred in the TNT drama pilot Lumen, had a supporting role in Quantum of Solace...

Stars: Madison Willow, Lorren Cackowski, Mia Leamy, Kit Wade, Michael Robert Kessler, Idelia Mars, Farida Iskakova, Patrick Burkard, George Ross Bridgman, Corey Churchwell, Brooke Kayla | Written and Directed by Minh Collins, Ahi Black, Michael Robert Kessler, Idelia Mars, Francis Han, Fernando Tosetti

Consisting of five stories and a wraparound segment, Fables for the Witching Hour is the latest anthology film to come my way. And after watching an adaptation of De Sade’s Justine a collection of short horror stories seemed like a perfect palette cleanser.

The wraparound, written and directed by Minh Collins, introduces us to Lab Tech Tina warning us not to watch these stories alone, not to turn off the lights, etc. She’s interrupted by her co-worker Layla (Lorren Cackowski; Clown Fear) telling her she’s leaving to get ready for a date. Tina then introduces the first segment.

“The Ghost of Marilyn”, written and directed by Ahi Black,...

Johnnie Planco, a former Wma agent and co-founder of the Parseghian Planco management and production company, died on Sunday from a brain and respiratory infection. He was 68.

Planco started out in the Wma mailroom in 1972 and rose in the ranks at the talent agency before he left in 2000. He was the youngest department head and senior vice president in the company’s history, and ran both the motion picture department in New York and the William Morris talent department, which he created. Some of the clients he represented included Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, John Malkovich, Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon.

After leaving, he and Gene Parseghian formed Parseghian Planco and represented Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Schrader, Judi Dench, F. Murray Abraham and many others. The company produced two feature films, “Perfume” in 2001 with Jeff Goldblum and Peter Gallagher and Schrader’s “The Walker” in 2007 starring Woody Harrelson, plus William Mastrosimone’s...

Johnnie Planco, a former New York-based William Morris Agency (Wma) agent and co-founder of management/production company Parseghian Planco, has died. He was 68.

Planco passed away on Sunday in New York City after suffering from an infection that his brain and respiratory system.

Planco joined the Wma mailroom after he graduated from Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 1972, and he stayed at the agency until 2000. During his tenure at Wma, he became the youngest department head and senior vice president, running both the motion picture department in New York and creating the William Morris Talent Department. In his career, he represented talent like Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon, Lauren Bacall and John Malkovich, among many others.

Also Read: Tom Jennings, Former Casting Director and Talent Agent, Dies at 81

In 2000, he partnered with Gene Parseghian to create Parseghian Planco, which has represented talent like Daniel-Day Lewis, Paul Schrader and Judi Dench.

Johnnie Planco, the longtime New York-based Wma agent who partnered with Gene Parseghian in the management/production company Parseghian Planco, has died. Planco passed away on Sunday, June 2 in New York City, after struggling with an infection that quickly affected both his brain and respiratory system. He was 68.

Planco was born and raised in New York City, as was his father and grandfather, latter of whom was a Rough Rider under Teddy Roosevelt. Planco joined the famed Wma mailroom after graduating Fordham U at Lincoln Center with a BA in Theater. This was in 1972, and he would remain with that agency until 2000.

In those 28 years he became the youngest Department Head and Senior Vice President in the agency’s history, running both the Motion Picture department in New York and creating and running the William Morris Talent Department. Among the clients he represented were Tom Hanks, Richard Gere, John Malkovich,...

Film Taiwan announces that the Taiwan Film Festival is coming to the UK for the very first time. The Festival celebrates Taiwan’s long and tempestuous history and diverse cultural heritage through the uncensored lens of independent Taiwanese filmmakers.

The Festival runs from 3 – 14 April, with a programme of films shown at various prestigious locations including the Curzon Soho, DocHouse at Curzon Bloomsbury, the Starr Cinema at Tate Modern and an exciting virtual reality (Vr) pop-up cinema at Asia House in central London, in partnership with Art Cinema.

The Tag-Along 2

Inaugurated in Iceland in March 2019, this will be a trailblazing festival covering a broad range of topical issues that are both particular to Taiwan and also speak to a global audience – including Lgbtq rights, ethnicity, land rights, environment and politics. As the only Mandarin-speaking country in the world who protects freedom of speech, Taiwan has a powerful voice to tell stories others cannot.

Christine and the Queens’ Chris Letissier finds bravery in agony in the powerful new video for “The Walker.” The track appears on the group’s latest album, Chris.

Colin Solal Cardo directed the video for “The Walker,” which tracks Letissier as she walks through the countryside with a sharp scar noticeably beneath one of her eyes. The sprawling, empty fields soon give way to a small town, which Letissier troops through even as the townsfolk stare suspiciously at her. Eventually, Letissier comes face-to-face with a bull, though instead of a confrontation,...

Joseph Baxter Dec 10, 2019

Andrea Riseborough stars in a new Hollywood reboot of The Grudge, with Nicolas Pesce as writer and director.

The Grudge successfully struck when the Japanese horror genre iron was – appropriate to its ghostly threats – white-hot in the wake of the American remake of The Ring, this time starring a genre favorite in TV’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar. The 2004 film, which saw director Takashi Shimizu remake his 2002 Japanese horror flick, Ju-on: The Grudge, yielded two sequels, which arrived successively in 2006 and 2009.

Now, a reboot movie of The Grudge is coming from Ghost House Pictures from director Nicolas Pesce.

The Grudge Reboot Trailer

A new Red Band trailer for The Grudge reboot has arrived (via IGN), showcasing Lin Shaye in a creepy performance opposite star Andrea Riseborough, that, even based on what we see here, stands out as a nightmarish offering in its own right.

Joseph Baxter Sep 20, 2016

Nicolas Cage and Willem Dafoe star in Paul Schrader's new movie, Dog Eat Dog. Here's the trailer...

Based on the 1995 novel of the same name by real-life ex-criminal Edward Bunker, the Cleveland-set Dog Eat Dog centres on utterly irredeemable ne’er-do-well ex-cons Troy (Nicolas Cage), Mad Dog (Willem Dafoe) and their heavy hitter Diesel (The Walking Dead's Christopher Matthew Cook) who take on the terrible task of kidnapping a dangerous gangster’s one-year-old baby! However, unlike with Cage’s signature (also ex-con) role in the Coen Brothers’ Raising Arizona, said infant abduction does not at all go as planned, resulting in our repugnant protagonists going on the run from the law and from the gangster baby-daddy in question. What ensues is a wanton spree of brutal bloodletting and body-dropping.

In the director’s chair for Dog Eat Dog (that premiered at the Cannes Film Festival) is Paul Schrader,...

With so many streaming outlets now available, it seems everyone on the web wants to launch their own arm of original programming. And so it goes with lifestyle site Refinery29 who have rounded up a pretty starry ensemble for their webseries "The Walker" (which isn't to be confused with the Paul Schrader film of the same name). Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Gabourey Sidibe, and more feature in the show that will follow a real life celebrity bestie (apparently) Rightor Doyle, in a scripted version of what he encounters day-to-day. “'The Walker' is an exploration of how friendships can be the most loving, confounding and rewarding relationships in your life,” he told Et. “It is my love letter to women, and to New York, and to friendship in all its many wild and wonderful forms.” I dunno, sounds like "Look At My Fabulous Life: The Show," but we'll see.

Ja from Mnpp here, putting my lips together and blowing a very happy 89th birthday in the direction of the living legend Betty Joan Perske... that is, Lauren Bacall. Next year marks the 70th anniversary of her film debut in Howard Hawks' To Have and Have Not, opposite - who else - Humphrey Bogart. And she's still at it, although her last disputably notable role was in 2005 with Lars Von Trier's Manderlay. (I haven't seen The Walker - how was she in that?) It's weird but when I think of Bacall I always immediately think of her as the suitably boring straight woman opposite a trio of over-actors in Douglas Sirk's Written on the Wind. Why is that the role out of all her roles that I think of? Is it just I'd always rather be thinking about Dorothy Malone...? Tell me - what's your favorite Bacall?...

The new trailer for The Canyons, starring Lindsay Lohan has arrived. This may have worked in Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse, but here, it's just nauseating to watch. I know what they're going for, but when you see this effect applied over modern-day environment, it just doesn't sit right. The thriller directed by Paul Schrader, known for The Walker, Affliction, Touch and classics like American Gigolo and Patty Hearst, also includes Nolan Gerard Funk, Gus Van Sant, James Deen, Amanda Brooks, Tenille Houston, Lauren Shacher and Jarod Einsohn. Brett Easton Ellis (The Informers) scripts with a story focusing on youth, glamor and sex in Los Angeles, circa 2012. This is a teaser, so hopefully the next trailer will be better than what we've seen.

The new trailer for The Canyons, starring Lindsay Lohan has arrived. This may have worked in Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse, but here, it's just nauseating to watch. I know what they're going for, but when you see this effect applied over modern-day environment, it just doesn't sit right. The thriller directed by Paul Schrader, known for The Walker, Affliction, Touch and classics like American Gigolo and Patty Hearst, also includes Nolan Gerard Funk, Gus Van Sant, James Deen, Amanda Brooks, Tenille Houston, Lauren Shacher and Jarod Einsohn. Brett Easton Ellis (The Informers) scripts with a story focusing on youth, glamor and sex in Los Angeles, circa 2012. This is a teaser, so hopefully the next trailer will be better than what we've seen.

While Paul Schrader currently attempts to get financing for his next directorial effort, the Bret Easton Ellis-scripted drama The Canyons, he will also be penning another project. Coming from Cannes, The Wrap reports that the man behind Raging Bull, Taxi Driver, The Mosquito Coast, American Gigolo, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and more is set to pen a new project.

Schrader has been commissioned by the Kremlin, to script a biopic focusing on Mathilde Kschessinska, the famous Russian ballerina, who also played mistress to the country’s last tsar, Nicholas II. To attain a larger audience, the project will include an American cast and be shot in English. Check out Schrader’s comments below.

“Kschessinska’s life is a powerful metaphor for Russian culture and evokes the best of Russian arts. She was a first native prima ballerina in the country that saw the highest achievement in that art form.

Woody Harrelson became famous 30 years ago when, still in his early 20s, he joined the cast of the TV comedy series Cheers as the goofy, grinning bartender Woody Boyd from Hanover, Indiana. He seemed to be a simple, friendly small-town boy, somewhat out of his depth in the big city. During the 1990s his public and private personae rapidly changed. He became known as a reckless hard drinker and an outspoken political activist, whose father was a contract killer serving a life sentence for murdering a federal judge. On screen he played increasingly complex and darker roles, some of them bizarre variations on the Woody character (basketball hustler in White Men Can't Jump; psychotic criminal in Natural Born Killers), others reaching out in quite different directions (the pornographer with a civil rights mission in The People vs Larry Flynt; the gay Washington gigolo in The Walker). Ingratiation with popular audiences...

Bret Easton Ellis (Less Than Zero, American Psycho) has been working on two new scripts in the past couple years. One is the very tantalizing The Golden Suicides, which chronicles the fall of art-world power couple Jeremy Blake and Theresa Duncan, who trapped themselves in a bubble of paranoia that burst only with their double suicide. The other is Bait, a movie about a kid who feeds a bunch of rich people to sharks. Guess which one is getting made first, and with Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader at the tiller? THR [1] reports on this one and provides a quick synopsis, which reiterates that the film should be a particularly overt and gory class warfare tale. How so? The site says the script, ...follows a young man itching to take his revenge against the wealthy. The man, who works at a posh beach club, angles his way on to a...

Taxi Driver writer and American Psycho novelist are to join forces on a new shark horror film

The history of shark movies is littered with the corpses of failed attempts to recapture the majesty of Steven Spielberg's Jaws, but a new Hollywood combo may offer fresh hope of reviving the genre. Paul Schrader, the esteemed writer of Taxi Driver and director of such offbeat joys as American Gigolo, Cat People and The Walker is to collaborate with author Bret Easton Ellis on new psychological horror, Bait.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the story will focus on a worker at an expensive beach club who takes revenge on its wealthy and obnoxious members by steering their yacht into shark-infested waters. Schrader will direct and work with Ellis on the screenplay.

The latter has taken great pleasure in satirising the lifestyles of the vacuous rich in novels such as Less than Zero...

As much as we love Paul Schrader, it's tough to admit that the acclaimed screenwriter and director has been on a bit of a slide. It has been nearly a decade since the excellent "Auto Focus" and since then, he's directed three films: the compromised and troubled production of "Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist," the escort thriller "The Walker" and the WWII sexual fetish pic (really) "Adam Resurrected." What each of those films share is a diminishing audience and critical regard with each subsequent picture. Since his last flick in 2008, Schrader has been attached to a couple of projects--the…...

Last we heard, Paul Schrader ought to have been in post-production on The Jesuit right about now. The action thriller seems to have stalled, however, so Schrader has secured himself a new gig directing Brett Easton Ellis' Bait. He's replacing the previously-announced Jonas Pate (Caprica) behind the camera.This one is not to be confused with Bait 3D which Russell "Highlander" Mulcahy wrote and is currently finishing up in Australia. It's going to be hard not to mix them up though, given that they both involve sharks, joining an already crowded school that also includes imminent releases for Shark Night and Dark Tide.You might wonder why long-time Scorsese collaborator Schrader, most recently behind The Walker and Adam Resurrected, would be interested in Bait at all, but we're guessing Ellis is the reason. The American Psycho writer's original script seems to hit on his usual preoccupations, involving a sociopathic waiter...

Monarch Home Video will release the indie comedy-drama movie Lebanon, Pa. starring Josh Hopkins (TV’s Cougar Town) on Blu-ray and DVD on June 28.

Rachel Kitson and Josh Hopkins take it slow in Lebanon, Pa.

Written and directed by Ben Hickernell (Cellar), Lebanon, Pa. centers on thirtysomething ad executive Will (Hopkins), who heads to the titular Pennsylvania town to put his recently deceased father’s affairs in order. While there, he’s befriended by his pregnant teenage cousin C.J. (Rachel Kitson) before getting romantically involved with her married teacher (Samantha Mathis, The New Daughter). Drama and comedy then ensue…

Written and directed by Ben Hickernell and co-starring Mary Beth Hurt (The Walker) and Ian Peakes (TV’s Still Standing), Lebanon, Pa is currently enjoying a generally well-reviewed limited release in theaters in several major markets.

Bonus features have not yet been announced for the Blu-ray and DVD, which will...

Veteran filmmaker Paul Schrader signed on Willem Dafoe to play the lead in his new revenge thriller “The Jesuit.” According to “Empire,” the thriller would mark the seventh time Schrader and Dafoe have worked together on a film (counting “The last Temptation of Christ,” which Schrader co-wrote). Past collaborations included “Light Sleeper” and “Affliction.” Schrader's last film was "The Walker" starring Woody Harrelson and Lauren Bacall.

Paz Vega, who I thought was a dude while I was reading about this movie (I'm in the middle of cup of coffee number 2, the third is about where I start thinking like a normal person). Imagine my joy when I plugged her into IMDb. It was and is a crying shame that the only thing I've seen her in was "The Spirit," and I've done a lot to forget "The Spirit."Anyway, it looks like she's leading the casting charge in a new ensemble drama from Paul Schrader (director of "American Gigolo," last seen directing "The Walker" in '07) called "The Jesuit." I'll spare you the cool things I Googled about Jesuits. Let's go straight to the plot description:Storyline revolves around a man nicknamed "the Jesuit," who is imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. When his wife is murdered and his son kidnapped and taken to Mexico, he...

Exclusive From Deadline|London editor Tim Adler: Showtime just started airing the 2nd season of Toni Collette's Emmy-winning tour de force, The United States Of Tara. But she and Ioan Gruffudd star in the family film that started shooting yesterday for six weeks on location in London. Richard E Grant and Hayley Mills and Anne Reid (The Mother) round out the cast. Foster marks the second collaboration between director Jonathan Newman and producer Deepak Nayar (The Walker). Newman only finished doing pick-up shots on their first collaboration, Swinging With the Finkels, the day before Foster's filming began. Collette and Gruffudd play a married couple [...]...

Chatting With … Sri Rao

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Sri Rao, the former head writer of last year’s best soap opera on either daytime or nighttime television, General Hospital: Night Shift. In addition to discussing his work on that gay-inclusive, critically acclaimed show, Rao also shared his thoughts on the depiction of gay characters in the genre, who should write gay characters, how As the World Turns handled the Luke and Noah storyline, as well as news about a new project very close to his heart.

[While very interesting and worthwhile, this interview is five pages long. To skip directly to this week's In My Humble Opinion, Gool Newsbeat and Scoops And Spoilers click here.]

Sri Rao

Photo credit: Entwined Studio

AfterElton.com: You were the head writer for General Hospital: Night Shift. Had you written for soaps before that?

Sri Rao: No, this was my first foray into the soap opera genre. I had been watching General Hospital for my entire life. I’m a long-time fan of the show so I was very familiar with it.

Much like all of our customer call centers and engineering jobs, Hollywood is beginning to move to India. Well, that's if you consider the writer of Taxi Driver and Raging Bull to be a suitable stand-in for Hollywood. Fortunately, I do. So, to restate, Hollywood is moving to Bollywood. Paul Schrader has decided to make a Bollywood action movie in Mumbai as his next movie. According to THR, the writer/director finds Hollywood a "barren, barren place." Part of the reason he probably thinks this is that he hasn't had a hit or even released anything good in more than ten years. His last film was The Walker in 2007. Enough said. If Hollywood is a barren place, part of the reason is that guys like Schrader are making fewer Raging Bulls and more Forever Mines. Schrader thinks things will be better in India and plans to make Extreme City. It...

'People Who marry for money have the hardest job. You don't get the money. You just get to look at it!" This is a line from Paul Schrader's 2007 movie "The Walker." It's uttered by none other than the living legend Lauren Bacall. This movie played a lot of festivals last year, had a limited run in the Us last December, and its DVD has just been released in Iceland, of all places! (Hey, us regular movie-goers would like to see it.)

Woody Harrelson plays the actual "walker" in this movie,...

• The final tally and full list of films presented at this year's Tiff have been announced today and hardcore cinephiles will have many options available to them out of the 261 film selected. With a massive slate comes massive headache. What to choose? Where to begin? I’ll be examining the selections – and hopeful offer you readers some cool coverage on films that won't be popping into theaters weeks and/or months from now. Our provisional coverage begins with preview pages listed below - simply click on the links for more info (we'll be updating the list daily) - and hopefully will have every angle covered. Galas: "Across the Universe," Julie Taymor, U.S."The Days of Darkness (L'Âge des ténèbres)," Denys Arcand, Canada"Blood Brothers," Alexi Tan, Taiwan/China/Hong Kong"Caramel," Nadine Labaki, Lebanon/France"Cassandra's Dream," Woody Allen, Britain"Cleaner," Renny Harlin, U.S."Closing the Ring,

...

Related story: Three at fest headed to IFC

Related story: Christie's digital gets screen billing

TORONTO -- The Toronto International Film Festival on Wednesday unveiled its most American-friendly lineup in years, capped off with new titles from Renny Harlin, Paul Schrader and Robin Swicord.

Toronto boasts no official competition. But the Hollywood contingent booked for the twice-nightly gala screenings at Roy Thomson Hall looks set to turn the high-profile venue into an industry shindig.

Among the six new gala titles are Harlin's "Cleaner", a Sony Pictures Entertainment thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson as a cop-turned-crime scene cleaner; the Richard Attenborough-directed love story "Closing the Ring", starring Shirley MacLaine, Mischa Barton and Neve Campbell; and Schrader's "The Walker", a ThinkFilm release starring Woody Harrelson and Lauren Bacall that comes to Toronto by way of Berlin, Cannes and Sydney.

Also joining the Roy Thomson Hall party are two Sony Pictures Classics releases: Kenneth Branagh's Michael Caine-Jude Law starrer "Sleuth", which first bowed in Venice, and Swicord's "The Jane Austen Book Club", starring Jimmy Smits, Amy Brenneman and Maria Bello. Also booked for a gala is French director Alain Corneau's "Le Deuxieme Souffle", starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci.

Those titles join such earlier Roy Thomson Hall entries as Julie Taymor's "Across the Universe", Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream", Tony Gilroy's "Michael Clayton", Gavin Hood's "Rendition", Terry George's "Reservation Road" and Aristomenis Tsirbas' "Terra".

Toronto, which in recent years has stepped up efforts to make its festival more Hollywood friendly, also has included 28 U.S.-produced films in its 50-strong Special Presentations sidebar.

The latest Special Presentations titles include the Michael Moore documentary "Captain Mike Across America", Sidney Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's "Bill", Gillian Armstrong's "Death Defying Acts" and Jason Reitman's "Juno", the follow-up to "Thank You for Smoking", which was a Toronto festival breakout hit two years ago.

Also joining today are the latest works from Jonathan Demme, Alison Eastwood, Brian De Palma, Thomas McCarthy and Anand Tucker.

Toronto will unspool 352 films between Sept. 6 and 15 -- 261 features and 91 shorts. The lineup includes 101 world premieres and 108 North American premieres, many of which will bow in Venice before jumping the pond to Toronto. In addition, 71 of the films are directorial debuts.

The festival lineup promises a strong French contingent, including a dozen titles arriving in Toronto with U.S. distribution deals in hand.

High-profile French titles looking for U.S. distribution include Amos Gitai's "Disengagement", Claude Chabrol's "La Fille Coupee En Deux", which will bow in Venice, and Eric Rohmer's "Les Amours D'Astreet et De Celadon," another North American premiere by way of Venice.

John Kochman, executive director of Unifrance USA, said the strong French presence in Toronto is due primarily to festival co-directors Piers Handling and Noah Cowan remaining "unreconstructed Francophiles" eager to program French titles in their event.

Other new titles announced Wednesday include Wayne Wang's "The Princess of Nebraska" and "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers," both portraits of Chinese immigrants in the U.S. Wang will bring the two indie titles films to the festival's Masters program.

Toronto added eight more documentaries to its Real to Reel section, including films by Paul Crowder and Murray Lerner, Olga Konskaya and Andrea Nekrasov, Julian Schnabel, Ran Tal, Philippe Kholy and Grant Gee.

In addition, the previously announced "Body of War", co-directed by Ellen Spiro and talk show legend Phil Donahue, will see its premiere accompanied by a live performance by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, who wrote original songs for the Iraq documentary.

The festival has its usual complement of films about war and political protest that, according to festival co-director Noah Cowan, reflect a "seriousness of purpose and a real sense of drive to tell political stories."

"In many ways, the body of films recalls the American independent movie of the 1970s," he added.

American auteur films including Alan Ball's "Nothing Is Private", a drama about sexual politics and bigotry set against the backdrop of the 1991 Gulf War, De Palma's war drama "Redacted" and Sean Penn's "Into the Wild" reflect anti-war "provocation," Cowan said.

Toronto's lineup also includes a surprising number of crime-themed dramas, including Alexi Tan's "Blood Brothers", a drama about three friends taking on a life of big-city crime; Comeau's fugitive drama "Le Deuxieme Souffle"; Lumet's "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," a thriller about a botched robbery; Brad Furman's "The Take", about the aftermath of an armored car heist; and Ira Sachs' "Married Life", a drama about a husband who kills his wife to spare her the shame of divorce.

Cowan said that the crime-themed movies this year recall the '70s-era vigilante movies that coincided with Vietnam.

"When the U.S. is faced with wars that are frustrating in their inability to be totally understood, that comes out in their films," Toronto's top programr said.

"Just as the 1970s, there's films that reflect paranoia about government and police corruption and which come from a frustration and rage about what's happening in the world," he added.

Other Toronto highlights announced Wednesday include talks by President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn Carter, an update on Bill Maher and Larry Charles' anti-religion documentary and a briefing on the ongoing crisis in Darfur courtesy of International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Don Cheadle.

Toronto is set to open Sept. 6 with Jeremy Podeswa's "Fugitive Pieces" and close 10 days later with another Canadian film, Paolo Barzman's "Emotional Arithmetic".

A complete list of titles screening at Toronto follows:



Galas:

"Across the Universe", Julie Taymor, U.S.

"L'Age Des Tenebres", Denys Arcand, Canada

"Blood Brothers", Alexi Tan, Taiwan/China/Hong Kong

"Caramel", Nadine Labaki, Lebanon/France

"Cassandra's Dream", Woody Allen, Britain

"Cleaner", Renny Harlin, U.S.

• Cannes - ThinkFilm's head of North American distribution Mark Urman, announced that the distributor has acquired exclusive rights to the U.S. distribution of Paul Schrader's The Walker. The film stars an ensemble cast of some of the industry greats, including Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall, Willem Dafoe, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu and Mary Beth Hurt. The film marks a loose connection to Schrader's trilogy, which includes earlier films American Gigolo (1980) and Light Sleeper (1992). The debut at the Berlin International Film Festival garnered the nod of critics and whispers of potential awards, including Oscar contention. "Paul is a true artist and one of America's only authentic auteurs," Urman said. " 'The Walker' is him doing what he does best and what only he can do. It is classy, bright and beautifully acted entertainment, and I am thrilled to have it on Think's lineup.

...

CANNES -- ThinkFilm has acquired all North American rights to Paul Schrader's The Walker, the company's head of U.S. theatrical, Mark Urman, said.

The film, which had its world premiere at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, features an ensemble cast that includes Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Lauren Bacall, Willem Dafoe, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu and Mary Beth Hurt. Schrader directed from his original screenplay, which forms a loose trilogy with his earlier films American Gigolo and Light Sleeper that focus on outsider anti-heroes seeking moral redemption.

Harrelson plays a gay society walker who becomes involved in a Washington murder scandal. ThinkFilm will release the drama late this year to qualify for awards consideration.

"Paul is a true artist and one of America's only authentic auteurs," Urman said. " 'The Walker' is him doing what he does best and what only he can do. It is classy, bright and beautifully acted entertainment, and I am thrilled to have it on Think's lineup."

Added Schrader: "I am delighted that ThinkFilm will be releasing 'The Walker' domestically."...

More Berlin Film Festival news

BERLIN -- The European Film Market is bigger and brasher than ever before, but is it also better?

This year's EFM is set to break records on all fronts -- attendees, films screened, even floor space in the Martin-Gropius Bau venue. As the year's first major market kicks off today, execs agree that Berlin has earned its spot on the calendar.

"I think Berlin is becoming a must-attend event. All the buyers and sellers will be there, so you have to be there," said Samuel Hadida, co-chief of French independent distributor Metropolitan Filmexport. "All the sales companies are coming in with two or three new titles. There's definitely enough business to be done."

Said Stelios Ziannis, head of world sales at Germany's Kinowelt International: "It has definitely become the third market (after the Festival de Cannes and AFM)."

"Just one look at the buyer's list, and you can see how big Berlin has gotten," Ziannis added. "The biggest addition has probably been the Americans -- they're all there now, which wasn't the case before."

Berlin used to be about mopping up sales on smaller territories and general meet-and-greets. But the number of market premieres -- about two-thirds of the EFM screenings -- indicates that the event has become a place to launch product.

Some of the debuting titles generating heat pre-Berlin are Paul Schrader's The Walker, David Mackenzie's Hallam Foe and Gabor Cuspo's Bridge to Terabithia.

But some of the biggest deals likely will be completed in the presales market.

Summit will be hawking John Woo's The Battle of Red Cliff and will screen footage of Mike Newell's literary adaptation Love in the Time of Cholera; Filmax will show the first footage of Brad Anderson's $15 million Ben Kingsley-Woody Harrelson starrer Transsiberia; Pathe will unwrap Jan Kouenen's highly anticipated 99 Francs; and First Look International will drum up business for A Spiritual Journey, the latest comedy documentary from Borat director Larry Charles.

More Berlin Film Festival news

BERLIN -- The European Film Market is bigger and brasher than ever before, but is it also better?

This year's EFM is set to break records on all fronts -- attendees, films screened, even floor space in the Martin-Gropius Bau venue. As the year's first major market kicks off today, execs agree that Berlin has earned its spot on the calendar.

"I think Berlin is becoming a must-attend event. All the buyers and sellers will be there, so you have to be there," said Samuel Hadida, co-chief of French independent distributor Metropolitan Filmexport. "All the sales companies are coming in with two or three new titles. There's definitely enough business to be done."

Said Stelios Ziannis, head of world sales at Germany's Kinowelt International: "It has definitely become the third market (after the Festival de Cannes and AFM)."

"Just one look at the buyer's list, and you can see how big Berlin has gotten," Ziannis added. "The biggest addition has probably been the Americans -- they're all there now, which wasn't the case before."

Berlin used to be about mopping up sales on smaller territories and general meet-and-greets. But the number of market premieres -- about two-thirds of the EFM screenings -- indicates that the event has become a place to launch product.

Some of the debuting titles generating heat pre-Berlin are Paul Schrader's The Walker, David Mackenzie's Hallam Foe and Gabor Cuspo's Bridge to Terabithia.

But some of the biggest deals likely will be completed in the presales market.

Summit will be hawking John Woo's The Battle of Red Cliff and will screen footage of Mike Newell's literary adaptation Love in the Time of Cholera; Filmax will show the first footage of Brad Anderson's $15 million Ben Kingsley-Woody Harrelson starrer Transsiberia; Pathe will unwrap Jan Kouenen's highly anticipated 99 Francs; and First Look International will drum up business for A Spiritual Journey, the latest comedy documentary from Borat director Larry Charles.

COLOGNE, Germany -- The official lineup for the 57th annual Berlin International Film Festival is starting to take shape, with a raft of new titles -- including Paul Schrader's The Walker, Clint Eastwood's Letters From Iwo Jima and Gregory Nava's Bordertown -- tabbed for this year's event.

Because Schrader is serving as president of the Berlinale jury this year, The Walker, described as a pseudo sequel to his 1980 film American Gigolo, will screen in an out of competition slot. The film, which features Kristin Scott Thomas and Lauren Bacall, will have its world premiere in Berlin.

Letters From Iwo Jima also will screen out of competition, already having opened in North America and Japan.

Eastwood's Japanese-language epic will not be the only film in Berlin that looks to World War II for inspiration. The Counterfeiter, Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky's story of the Nazi effort to forge millions of British pounds in a bid prop up Hitler's failing regime, also has been chosen for competition.

French directors Jacques Rivette and Andre Techine both return to Berlin with their latest.