Spielberg to direct film for Anil Ambani

2009-09-03T03:04:00.000-07:00

As far as the Indian entertainment business goes, it doesn’t get bigger than this one.!!

Reliance ADAG will get cult Hollywood director Michael , of the super hit "Transformers" franchise that grossed over US $700 million worldwide, to direct a film for them. This will be followed by two more films in which Steven Spielberg will be actively involved and the legendary director will even wield the megaphone for one.

Earlier this year, Reliance Big Entertainment (RBE) and Steven Spielberg’s Dream-Works Studios entered into a much-publicised US $825 million deal. The Michael Bayhelmed film "I Am Number Four is the first instalment of that venture. Spielberg excited about film based on Crichton book.
Reliance ADAG in association with Steven Spielberg’s DreamWorks Studios has roped in Michael Bay to direct a film. Says Stacey Snider, co-chair and CEO of DreamWorks Studios, “With the backing of Reliance, we are able to continue developing our slate and producing films for worldwide movie-going audiences...and with 'I Am Number 4', we’ll continue our successful partnership with Michael Bay who truly delivers movies that have mass global appeal.’’The two other films on the anvil are 'Pirate Latitudes' and 'Harvey'.

Pirate Latitudes, an adventure story being developed out of a posthumously published novel by the late Michael Crichton who died last year of cancer, is a film that Spielberg plans to produce and may direct himself. Screenwriter David Koepp, who adapted Crichton’s novels for Jurassic Park and The Lost World, will write the script for the film which centres around a daring plan to infiltrate Port Royal, one of the world’s richest and most notorious cities, and raid a Spanish galleon filled with treasure.

“Michael Crichton was one of our greatest storytellers who expanded all of our imaginations with his books, films, and television,’’ says Spielberg. “With the ‘ER’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ series, I enjoyed one of the best collaborations of my career. Now with ‘ Latitudes’, I am excited about bringing this new Michael Crichton work to the screen.’’

I Am Number 4 is based on a novel co-written by A Million Little Pieces author James Frey and Jobie Hughes. Al Gough and Miles Millar, the duo credited with scripting Spiderman 2, The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor, Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights, will adapt it for the screen. The storyline follows a group of teenage alien refugees assimilating into high school on Earth when they discover that their home planet’s enemy is now hunting them on their new turf.
As for Harvey, Spielberg has committed to direct this one. The film will be an adaptation of the Mary Chase Pulitzer Prize-winning play Harvey, which will be done as a co-production between 20th Century Fox and DreamWorks. The play won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944, and was previously turned into the 1950 Universal film that starred Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull. Now the project will be produced by Spielberg and Don Gregory, with Elizabeth Gabler and Carla Hacken overseeing for Fox 2000, which acquired the rights in 2008.

Rock On - Movie Review

2008-08-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I've been seeing a lot of Bollywood movies from the time I was born, but know the kind of girl I am, but I never identified with too many of them. Then one day I see a slick trailer of a movie which features something of my interest - Rock. Yes and I was so influenced by the movie I thought I'll blog about it and let everyone out there know, what a superb movie it is.
Probably, if there are other movies like this, then you'll be lucky to read about it on my blog :).
So, go ahead, read my blog and yes, don't forget to watch the movie and ofcourse, if its not too much to ask, come back and send me your comments.
Happy Reading :)

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Four Stars to Rock On -- Very strongly recommended movie

Is ROCK ON!! DIL CHAHTA HAI 2, one is tempted to ask. DIL CHAHTA HAI was a trendsetter when you look back, paving way for storytellers who wanted a new story to tell. Now, the DIL CHAHTA HAI team of Ritesh Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar with director Abhishek Kapoor deliver ROCK ON!!, a film that makes you understand the true meaning of friendship.

Put your hands together for one of the finest films of our times. Put your hands together for a director who pulls off a challenging subject with élan. Put your hands together for the actors who pitch in superlative performances.

ROCK ON!! is not just about music. It's about relationships. And relationships can get really complicated and messy as all of us would agree. ROCK ON!! captures it so beautifully, so sensitively, so effectively on celluloid.

Everything is in sync here, everything is just perfect. Flaws? Perhaps, the slow pacing. But come to think of it, you can't play with the edit in a film like this. ROCK ON!! also works because you can relate to the characters, you can relate to the moods, the egos, the highs and the lows.

In a nutshell, here's a film you just can't afford to miss. We've had our share of masala films week after week. Now have a look at a film that India can proudly showcase to the West. ROCK ON!! simply rocks!

ROCK ON!! is the story of four friends [Farhan Akhtar, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny] who put together the greatest band this country has ever seen, Magic, but never make it. Years later, fate conspires to bring them together again and set them on a journey back to where they left off... a soul-searching pilgrimage into their past.

ROCK ON!! bears some resemblance to the Hollywood film THAT THING YOU DO [Tom Hanks], but it could be a mere coincidence. Director Abhishek Kapoor sets it in the Indian milieu efficiently. Watch the bonding shatter into pieces for no fault of anyone in particular actually. It's the circumstances that play the villain here and Abhishek captures it on lens so beautifully. The fragile relationships, how piece after piece is put together and the journey to the climax… the narrative is so compelling, it makes you feel you're witnessing all of it first-hand.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is perfect. It's completely in sync with the mood of the film. Connoisseurs of music have already showered the music with rave reviews and rightly so! Jason West's cinematography is fantastic. The screenplay and dialogues are commendable.

Every performance in the film deserves brownie points. Farhan Akhtar makes his debut as an actor and he displays rare maturity for a first-timer. Known as an accomplished director all along, Farhan will now be acknowledged as a mature actor as well. Arjun Rampal delivers his finest performance to date. Watch him emote those tough emotional moments and also as a failed person in the latter parts and you'd realize that he has only grown with the passage of time. Superb is the word!

Purab Kohli is tremendous and so is Luke Kenny. Purab has always delivered fine performances, but he's touched a new high this time. Luke is equally charged.

Prachi Desai scores in her very first feature. She has a challenging role and footage-wise too, it's substantial. Prachi brings in a lot of freshness and poise. Plus, she's a competent actor. Shahana Goswami is a talent to watch out for. Her performance is one of the most difficult ones for a newcomer and the confidence with which she carries it deserves to be lauded. Koel Purie has a brief role and she enacts it quite well.

On the whole, ROCK ON!! is an amazing experience. The highpoint is the emotional quotient, the skilful performances and the superb execution of the subject. At the box-office, this urban film holds tremendous appeal for metros and mini-metros. Business at multiplexes of Mumbai, Pune, Delhi and NCR, Kolkata and South in particular should be excellent.