Skip to main content

Posts

Tarantino tells Cannes digital screenings have killed cinema

Screening films in digital is like forcing audiences to watch television in public, cult director Quentin Tarantino told the Cannes film festival on Friday, adding that the lush 35-millimetre cinema he grew up with was "dead". Tarantino is not competing in this year's event, but he spoke to journalists and film critics before a 35mm screening of his hit "Pulp Fiction" on the beach on Friday night. "The fact that most films now are not presented in 35mm means that the war is lost," said the director of the cult hit "Reservoir Dogs".   true       Digital formats and distribution have swept the world of cinema, largely because of cost - most of the films in Cannes are now projected that way. But aficionados still sing the praises of the old-school film reels - in the same way that music buffs hold on to their vinyl LPs over compact discs. Fans obsess about the warmth and fineness of the 35mm grain and its ability to record the darkest of s

Kim Kardashian, Kanye West dazzle guests in Versailles

U.S. television personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West toured the Chateau de Versailles in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> France on Friday with hundreds of guests ahead of their wedding in Florence this weekend, the visit's organizer said. _0"> The couple were due to host an informal dinner and concert in Paris after visiting the palace, Omar Cherif told Reuters TV. The two had hoped to marry at Versailles, which King Louis XIV transformed from a hunting lodge into the dazzling heart of an absolutist state but were told in January that would not be possible.   true       Kardashian and West will celebrate their wedding in the 16th century Belvedere Fort in Florence on Saturday. An official at Florence mayor's office said last week that the couple were renting the Belvedere Fort for 300,000 euros ($411,100) for the occasion, which will be presided over by a Protestant pastor. However, as the castle is not an authorized site for weddings, there

Stars draw public, but market brings money to Cannes

While attention in Cannes is focused on film premieres and stars on the red carpet, movie sales and deals struck by high rollers and bit players are what keep the Mediterranean seaside town awash in money. Eighteen film titles ranging from 83-year-old French director Jean-Luc Godard's "Adieu au Langage" (Goodbye to Language) to 25-year-old Canadian director Xavier Dolan's "Mommy" are competing for the top Palme d'Or prize that will be announced on Saturday night. But that is just a drop in the bucket compared to what festival officials estimate are some 5,000 films shown here, in complete form or as trailers, to potential buyers or investors.   true       There were fewer big-budget Hollywood titles in the Cannes market this year, but Jerome Paillard, chief executive of the Marche du Film (Film Market), sees that as cyclical. "It's not necessarily a short-term threat because most of the class="mandelbrot_refrag"> business we

Wedding day in Florence for Kim Kardashian, Kanye West

Television personality Kim Kardashian and rapper Kanye West celebrate their wedding on Saturday in a 16th century castle overlooking the historic city of Florence. City authorities have confirmed the event, overseen by a Protestant pastor, is taking place in the Forte di Belvedere, set on a hill overlooking the city which the couple have hired for the night for 300,000 euros ($408,900). But few other details have leaked out ahead of the lavish festivities. A private security firm has kept curious fans, paparazzi and television cameras from getting too close to the site, a Renaissance stronghold with high sloping walls that have been boosted by specially erected privacy screens.   true       West, 36, a rapper, entrepreneur and self-declared romantic, proposed to 33-year-old reality TV star Kardashian in an empty baseball stadium with a specially hired orchestra, the event shown during an episode of the TV show "Keeping up with the Kardashians". The couple, known collect

Turkey's harrowing 'Winter Sleep' takes top prize at Cannes

Turkish film "Winter Sleep" examining the huge divide between rich and poor and the powerful and powerless in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Turkey won the Palme d'Or award for best film for director Nuri Bilge Ceylan on Saturday at the 67th Cannes International Film Festival. Ceylan's three-hour-plus dark and atmospheric film was only the second Turkish movie to win the top award at the world's most prestigious film festival, and the director noted that it came on the 100th anniversary year of Turkish film. He dedicated the honor to "those who lost their lives during the last year", adding that he was referring to the youth of his country and to unrest in class="mandelbrot_refrag"> Turkey .   true       "These young people actually taught us a lot of things. Some of them sacrificed their lives in a way for us," Ceylan said later at a news conference. "Le Meraviglie" (The Wonders) by Italian director Ali

'X-Men' overpowers 'Godzilla' on way to holiday weekend win

The "X-Men" mutant superheroes smashed into U.S. and Canadian theaters and collected $90.7 million in ticket sales through Sunday, keeping monster hit "Godzilla" at bay and heading toward a decisive win over a long holiday weekend. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" was expected to bring in $110 million by the end of the U.S. Memorial Day holiday on Monday, distributor 20th Century Fox said. The movie has already earned a global total of $261.8 million after opening at No. 1 in all 119 countries around the world. Last week's winner, monster movie remake "Godzilla", dropped to second place with $31.4 million through Sunday, according to estimates from box office tracking firm Rentrak. Its sales were projected to reach $39 million by Monday.   true       Romantic comedy "Blended" claimed the No. 3 spot, taking in $14.2 million and on pace for about $17 million through Monday. "X-Men: Days of Future Past" is the seventh movi

Coldplay album 'Ghost Stories' tops British music charts

British band Coldplay's new album "Ghost Stories" went straight to number one in the charts on Sunday, the Official Charts Company said, becoming the fastest-selling album of the year. _0"> The group's sixth studio album and sixth successive British number one album, it sold 168,000 copies since going on sale on May 19, a figure the Charts Company called "staggering". "A new Coldplay album always makes a huge impact, and Ghost Stories is no exception," Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company, said in a statement. "The boys have made it a perfect six Number 1s out of six albums today. That is some achievement!"   true       Coldplay knocked last week's number one album, "Xscape", a collection of previously unreleased songs by the late U.S. singer Michael Jackson, off the top perch into second place. In the singles chart, "Stay With Me", a new track by English singer-songwriter Sam