MGM SUES TO STOP COMPLETION OF RAGING BULL 2

MGM has filed a lawsuit against 91-year-old former boxer Jake LaMotta and RB II Productions, hoping to halt further production of Raging Bull 2, a sequel to the 1980 Oscar-nominated film, directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert DeNiro. The studio contends that it has an agreement signed by LaMotta, the subject of both films, […]

PUSS IN BOOTS GETS SECOND LIFE AT NO. 1

DreamWorks Animation’s Puss in Boots dueled its way back to the top of the video sales chart last week, winning the lead for the second consecutive week. The home-video debut of Martin Scorsese’s Hugo had to settle for second place on the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert chart. Home Media magazine reported that it sold just […]

RADCLIFFE — MIFFED ABOUT ACADEMY SNUB OF HARRY

Daniel Radcliffe says that he felt disheartened when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 was not nominated for a best picture Oscar. In an interview with the BBC’s Radio Times magazine, Radcliffe said, “I never thought I’d care. But it would’ve been nice to have some recognition.” The 22-year-old actor attributed the […]

AND THE NOMINEES ARE …

Several critics described Martin Scorsese’s Hugo as his valentine to the movie business. This morning the movie business sent Scorsese one in return in the form of 11 Oscar nominations, the most for any film of the past year, including best picture and best director. Hugo edged out the apparent favorite, The Artist, which had […]

NEW YEAR’S EVE BALL FALLS WITH A THUD

Just when you thought the box office couldn’t get any worse than it got last weekend, it got worse. After recording its lowest gross of the year last week, it set a new low of $74 million, down nearly 9 percent from last weekend and the smallest total since September 2008. Then, however, it featured […]

HUGO NAMED BEST FILM BY NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW

Martin Scorsese’s Hugo has been named best film of the year by the National Board of Review. and Scorsese, best director. The organization, composed of some 100 knowledgeable film enthusiasts, filmmakers, academics, and students, selected George Clooney as best actor for his performance in The Descendants and Tilda Swinton as best actress for We Need […]

SLOW HUGO ROLLOUT “UNUSUAL,” ANALYSTS SAY

Producer/financier Graham King is making a risky move by rolling out his $150-170-million 3D production Hugo in a limited number of theaters, the Los Angeles Times observed today, noting that while such a strategy has proved successful for such relatively low-budget movies as The King’s Speech, it is “highly unusual” for a big-budget one. “I […]

CRITICS GIVE THANKS FOR 3 NEW MOVIES (Updated)

At no time in memory have three films opened on the same day with as many positive reviews as those that are opening today. Critics are virtually unanimous in their praise of The Muppets, Hugo, and Arthur Christmas, all of them family films, and the latter two carrying 3D surcharges. Only The Muppets, however, is […]

MOVIE REVIEWS: HUGO

Most critics are hailing Martin Scorsese’s Hugo with the passion of confirmed acolytes. Among all of them, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle stands out as the apostate. Scorsese, he writes, is trying to live up to his “own legend,” trying “to impress us with a deluge of 3D effects.” The result, he writes, […]

SCORSESE TAKES GANGLAND TALE TO TV

Martin Scorsese, who knows a thing or two about directing gangland dramas, has directed the pilot and has agreed to executive produce the upcoming HBO series Boardwalk Empire, set in Atlantic City, NJ during the Prohibition era. Appearing via satellite from London at the Television Critics Association gathering in Beverly Hills over the weekend to […]