Bringing to India the other Hollywood

When The Tree of Life released in a handful of Indian theatres a month ago, film enthusiasts were rejoicing. They were finally getting a chance to watch, on the big screen, a film by Terrence Malick, who had made such gems as Badlands, The Thin Red Line and The New World. It had won the Palme d’Or, the highest award at the Cannes film fest, just a few months ago. That Brad Pitt top-lined the cast was just a small bonus.

But while Malick fanboys-and-girls lapped up the arthouse film, which dealt with evolution and death, the audience at theatres screening the film was sparse. And most of those who did turn up went away disappointed that it was “not like other Brad Pitt films.”

If you’re expecting a turnaround in this story, there isn’t any. The film ran to pretty much empty houses for about three weeks, before being pulled out. “We kept it running for that long, hoping that more people would come in. Such films are an acquired taste, and need time to grow on audiences,” says Deepak Sharma, head of distribution at PVR Pictures. His company has been releasing non-studio Hollywood films in India for a few years now, such as Biutiful, Warrior and Drive recently. Non-studio films are those produced outside Hollywood’s Big 4 studios — Warner Bros, Sony Pictures, Fox and Walt Disney, which have Indian branches to release their films.

Sharma says that almost all the niche films are losing propositions at the box office, many having to be discontinued after a week’s run. “Drive got four or five stars by most reviewers, but that didn’t translate into numbers. That it was a film by the award-winning Nicolas Winding Refn, and starred the noted talent Ryan Gosling, didn’t seem to matter either,” says Sharma at his Andheri office in Mumbai. Nevertheless, PVR is busily chalking out plans for their next Hollywood release, The Three Musketeers.

So how does it make business sense to release these films in India, given that there are few takers for them at present? Sharma says he has a five-year timeframe in mind for it to pay off. “The English-speaking population in the country is on the rise, and with people logging onto the Internet even in small towns now, the hunger for concept-driven films will only grow. Eventually, we will have to look at international films to satisfy this hunger,” he says, pointing out that currently Hollywood films constitute only 8% of the film market in India, and this is bound to go up considerably in the next few years.

That’s when Sharma feels PVR’s experience will stand them in good stead in relation to the competition that will try to hop on to the bandwagon. “We already have a good ten years of releasing such films and there are a number of things, like identifying the right films, costing, marketing etc, which we have got better at since we started. Others will have to start from scratch.”

Judging by the script
A few others have already started getting into the act. Ram Punjabi, who has been living in Indonesia and distributing Hollywood and Bollywood films there for the last 30 years, started Multivision Multimedia Pvt Ltd in Mumbai in 2007. The idea, says Hiren Gosar, who handles distribution at Multimedia, was to pick the best of the non-studio films. This typically meant scouting for films produced by the likes of Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment, and New Image, which are renowned production houses working outside Hollywood’s big studios.

When Multivision picked The Hurt Locker for distribution in the Indian sub-continent before it went into production, it had no clue it would go on to win the Best Film Oscar a year later. “The films mostly get picked at international festivals like Cannes, Hong Kong etc. You pick them on the strength of their scripts,” says Gosar. “Once you develop a rapport with the production house, they may start sending across scripts of their upcoming films and also give you preference over other distributors.”

A strong script sense is vital to pick the right films, and Suniel Wadhwa, who started 52 Weeks Entertainment Inc, feels he has that. Among the ‘scripts’ Wadhwa picked last year was Source Code, a moderately budgeted film which did decent business.

“Also, the Hindi version (dubbing a film in a regional language costs roughly Rs7-8 lakh, but the returns from small centres are good) titled Kaalchakra did well. I attached the tag line — ‘Har ghadi maut khadi’, which communicated the plot of the film well.

Indian audiences want to watch new concepts, which they don’t always get from Hindi films. The idea is to also make these films accessible to them in a language they can understand.”

For Wadhwa, picking a film that is commercially viable is important. His next release is a disaster film, The Impossible, which he describes as a Titanic-meets-2012.

Investing in the future
Time was when watching a non-studio film on the big screen was a rarity in India. You may have heard of Quentin Tarantino then, but you had to look for VHS cassettes, and later CDs of his films like The Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown. A couple of years ago, however, his Inglourious Basterds got a wide Indian release.

Deepak Sadarangani, senior film journalist, says that after living on a staple diet of indie films in the US for more than eight years, he found it difficult to find his fill of such films when he returned to India in 2001. But things started to change. “It was around 2003-04 when these films began to release. The number has steadily grown since, thanks to the fact that the multiplexes need more and more films to keep business going. But it’s just a fragment of the films available out there,” says Sadarangani, adding that he is optimistic about the future.

PVR for one is certainly in it for the long haul. Currently, they release roughly 30 to 40 Hollywood films in a year, some of them popular franchises like Twilight which do well at the box office and nullify the losses they make on their more avant garde films.

Multimedia has a similar outlook. “Out of the 12-odd films we release every year, only 3-4 make money. But we are in it for the long run. There will come a time when most of these films will find an audience in India. We want to use the time till then to create a strong brand,” says Gosar.

Source: DNA

Johnny Depp pays tribute to Heath Ledger, Hunter Thompson

In our latest chat with Johnny Depp, he revealed that an area in his Caribbean island was named after the late actor, Heath Ledger. We also talked about “The Rum Diary,” a film adaptation of the debut novel of another late friend of Johnny’s, Hunter S. Thompson.

Johnny found the manuscript of the unpublished novel while he was visiting Hunter, who is known as the creator of gonzo journalism. It took many years for the actor to bring Hunter’s novel to the big screen. It was inspired by the journalist’s experiences in Puerto Rico in the 1960s. Hunter shot and killed himself in 2005. Excerpts of our interview with Johnny:

Who from your acting family have visited your island?

Not many. After Heath Ledger passed into eternity, I thought that his family could use a bit of time away from the madness. There’s a place in the island that we’ve named after Heath.

Who else? Tim (Burton) has been down there a couple of times. We deciphered what “Alice in Wonderland” was going to be while we were sitting on a sand bar in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

Does Johnny Depp have it all, as your “The Rum Diary” costar, Aaron Eckhart, said?

When you have two beautiful kids who are happy and healthy, on the right path and totally together, that in itself means you have it all. When you have a woman like Vanessa, and are able to do the things you want to do, you have it all. I couldn’t wish for more.

What do you attribute it all to?

It really boils down to just being incredibly lucky. I look at my kids and see Lily Rose at 12, my boy, Jack, at 9 and look over at Vanessa and realize that it’s almost 14 years that we’ve been together. It’s always beautiful, symmetrical and asymmetrical, poetic and funny.

Personally, how does it feel to have “The Rum Diary” finally finished?

It all started in Hunter’s basement, unearthing that manuscript. After all these years, there’s an amazing sense of accomplishment. I think he would have been very happy.

Farewell

Can you talk about the fireworks farewell for Hunter?

Hunter designed his last wish in the 1970s. He wanted to be shot out of a cannon on his property. I think Hunter knew that I was probably the only one stupid enough to go through with it. It was a wonderful send-off, and it was exactly as he planned it, note for note.

How would you want your own farewell to be?

Just drop me in a vat of whiskey or something. Everybody can drink from it.

Can you describe the first time you met Hunter?

I went with my family and friends to Aspen, Colorado in December 1994. I ran into a guy whom I knew, and he said, “Would you like to meet Hunter?” I said, “Of course, just let me know.” He said, “Okay, 12:30 at the Woody Creek Tavern.”

At about one in the morning, the front doors burst open at the tavern. All I see are sparks. Then, I see people leaping out of the way, diving for cover. There was Hunter with a cattle prod and a Taser gun in his hand. He walked right up to me and stuck out his hand. He said, “How do you do? My name is Hunter.” I said, “Hi, I’m Johnny. Sit down.”

Connection

We sat and talked. Then, it was just instant connection. He invited me to his house that night. I made a comment about a beautiful nickel-plated 12-gauge shotgun that he had on the wall. He asked, “Would you like to fire it?” I said, “Sure.” It was about 2:30 in the morning. He said, “If you want to fire it, let’s build a couple of bombs.” So, we took propane tanks.

We built the bombs and went out in the backyard. I had the first crack at it, and I nailed it! It was an 80-feet fireball at three in the morning. I believe that was the moment when I passed the test.

What is your connection to Hunter’s world and his words?

I must have been 17 when I read Hunter’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” I thought that he had a unique voice. Then, I read all of his other books. What I loved about Hunter was his honesty.

I adored him as a big brother/best friend/mentor. It hasn’t stopped. I still have him.

Seduction

I have been seduced by dough. For me, the seduction started with “Jump Street” in 1986. People started offering me movies where you kiss the girl, carry a gun, get in a fight, and things blow up. I figured, if I had taken the fast cars, money and all that stuff, it would have been over in a few years, because I’d just be like everybody else.

I thought, why not be patient? I swore I would only do what I felt was right for me! —Somehow, I’m still here.

Source: Entertainment Inquirer

Amazing lyric video for "a thousand years"

Want a sneak peek of the soundtrack? Watch Christina Perri's AMAZING lyric video for "a thousand years"!

Aishwarya's sword fight inspires Milla Jovovich

Hollywood actress Milla Jovovich was so impressed with Aishwarya Rai's sword fight in 2008 blockbuster " Jodhaa Akbar" that she tried to be like her in her new movie "The Three Musketeers".

"Well I watched 'Jodhaa Akbar' and I must say that I was simply taken away by the action scenes in the movie done by gorgeous lady Aishwarya Rai," Jovovich said.

"She was simply breathtaking in the movie and did justice to the character. For my movie ('The Three Musketeers'), I just wanted to be like her and thrill my audiences with bravery, action and adventure in the movie," she added.

In the film, Jovich plays Milady de Winter and has done quite a few action scenes.

The film, which released Friday, talks about Porthos, Athos and Aramis who served the king of France as his best musketeers. After discovering an evil conspiracy to overthrow the king, the musketeers come across a young, aspiring hero, D'Artagnan, and take him under their wing. Together, the four embark on a mission to bust the plot that not only threatens the crown, but the future of Europe itself.

Source: TOI

The Three Musketeers Contest - Win Movie Tickets

Share your Friendship moments with us

Its time to remember your true friends’ contribution in your life, your love for them, their presence in your life, good times you had with your friends during the vacation, turbulent times your friendship touched rock bottom. Send in your entries to pvrpicturesofficial@gmail.com

In short the entry should be an experience of yours that made you to discover your true friend in your lifetime.

You can share photos of your friendships too! 10 lucky winners win 'The Three Musketeers' Movie tickets

Breaking Dawn Trivia

A Summit studio official and Stephenie Meyer met with Mark Waters and Gus Van Sant to discuss the possibility of directing.


Sofia Coppola was very interested in directing this project, but she was only willing to direct one part of 'Breaking Dawn', which Summit wanted to split in two parts.


Carter Burwell, composer for _'Twilight (2008)'_, returned to the franchise to score this movie and _'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012)'_ as Burwell had worked with director Bill Condon before.


According to Bella and Edward's wedding invitations, the address of the Cullen residence is listed as 420 Woodcroft Ave Forks, WA.

Source: IMDB

AP Interview: Orlando Bloom Likes Being a Bad Guy

He's been a pirate and an elf prince, but now Orlando Bloom is stepping away from the swords and leaving the swashbuckling to others in "The Three Musketeers in 3D."

After playing the good guy in both the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Lord of the Rings" film series, the British actor is getting in touch with his nastier side for the latest big screen adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' historical novel.

He plays the cunning Duke of Buckingham, an English nobleman who likes to stir things up at the French court of King Louis.

This time, Bloom was pleased to let his co-stars — Matthew Macfadyen, Ray Stevenson, Luke Evans playing Athos, Porthos and Aramis — take the glory.

"They're like the superheroes of their time and they get all the cool stuff and I get to totter around on a pair of heels, but it was exactly what I wanted to do," said Bloom.

Bloom is married to Miranda Kerr, has an 8-month-old son Flynn and claims his family is bit like the three Musketeers, whose motto is "one for all and all for one."

Paul W.S. Anderson's movie "The Three Musketeers in 3D" opens in the U.K. on Wednesday.

The Associated Press sat down with a cleanly shaven Bloom to find out how much fun he had being bad.


AP: What did you enjoy most about being the Duke of Buckingham?

Bloom: The hair, a bit of (mus)'tache twizzling, the high heels and the bloomers. The whole nine yards.

AP: Not the lines as well?

Bloom: Yeah I had a couple of dastardly lines. It was quite fun.

AP: Did you really enjoy being kind of bad?

Bloom: Kind of bad is a good way of putting it. He's a bit of a bad boy. He's a rake, he's a rogue isn't he? He's a cad. And that was a lot of fun. ... this was just a romp. Stick your tongue in your cheek and go big or go home.

AP: How do you feel about watching yourself in 3D?

Bloom: I'm wondering if the pompadour quiff is going to take anyone's eye out. I thought it was a bit of a secret weapon, I should have had a sword in there.

AP: Is this the type of film you'd want to take your son to see?

Bloom: Yes, I think so. I mean he's eight months, so not yet perhaps. I'm not sure he'd appreciate it but he might — he'd marvel at the explosions and stuff.

AP: If you could form your own Musketeers ... who would you pick?

Bloom: There's a couple of my mates, since I was like 11 or 12, we were always called The Musketeers - Mark, Gibbo and Gibbo. We are the Musketeers, see. But I've also got a family now, that's a bit like The Three Musketeers.

Source: ABCNews