Avatar and Hurt Locker tie for Oscar noms

February 4, 2010 - The Academy of Motion Pictures has announced its nominations for this year's highly anticipated Oscar awards, rewarding Avatar and The Hurt Locker with equal nods: nine each.

The two best picture nominees, directed by former husband and wife James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow respectively, are joined by eight others in the newly expanded category. Those films are The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up and Up in the Air.

Trailing Avatar and The Hurt Locker in nominations are Inglourious Basterds with eight, and Precious and Up in the Air with six each.

Joining Cameron (Golden Globe winner) and Bigelow (Directors Guild victor) in the Best Director race are Inglourious Basterds' Quentin Tarantino, Up in the Air's Jason Reitman and Precious' Lee Daniels.

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards, hosted this year by Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, are scheduled for March 7. Below is the complete list of nominees.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

* Avatar
* The Blind Side
* District 9
* An Education
* The Hurt Locker
* Inglourious Basterds
* Precious
* A Serious Man
* Up
* Up in the Air

Achievement in Directing

* James Cameron, Avatar
* Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
* Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds
* Lee Daniels, Precious
* Jason Reitman, Up in the Air

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

* Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart
* George Clooney, Up in the Air
* Colin Firth, A Single Man
* Morgan Freeman, Invictus
* Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

* Matt Damon, Invictus
* Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
* Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
* Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
* Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

* Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side
* Helen Mirren, The Last Station
* Carey Mulligan, An Education
* Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
* Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

* Penélope Cruz, Nine
* Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
* Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
* Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
* Mo'Nique, Precious

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

* Coraline
* Fantastic Mr. Fox
* The Princess and the Frog
* The Secret of Kells
* Up

Original Screenplay

* The Hurt Locker
* Inglourious Basterds
* The Messenger
* A Serious Man
* Up, Pete Docter

Adapted Screenplay

* District 9
* An Education
* In the Loop
* Precious
* Up in the Air

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

* Ajami (Israel)
* El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Argentina)
* The Milk of Sorrow (Peru)
* Un Prophète (France)
* The White Ribbon (Germany)

Original Score

* James Horner, Avatar
* Alexandre Desplat, Fantastic Mr. Fox
* Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders, The Hurt Locker
* Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes
* Michael Giacchino, Up

Actors Guild agrees

January 21, 2010 - As awards season continues, and in high anticipation of the Academy Awards come March 7, the Screen Actors Guild announces its honourees for the year.

Clear favourites Jeff Bridges and Sandra Bullock, who just last week picked up Golden Globes, took away the SAG statuettes for their respective roles in Crazy Heart and The Blind Side. The biggest nod of the evening, however, went to Inglourious Basterds, which deservedly won in the category of Ensemble Cast.

The complete list of winners are as follows:

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart *
George Clooney – Up in the Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side *
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious
Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds *

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up in the Air
Anna Kendrick – Up in the Air
Diane Kruger – Inglourious Basterds
Mo'Nique – Precious *

CAST ENSEMBLE
The Hurt Locker
Precious
Nine
An Education
Inglourious Basterds *

STUNT ENSEMBLE
Public Enemies
Star Trek *
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Golden Night

January 28, 2010 - In a glamorous night of big stars and a few surprises, the winners of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards were revealed to a captive audience.

James Cameron, whose film Avatar won the Best Picture nod and a Directing award for himself, had plenty to say both on stage and behind the scenes. "You have a genre that is critically treated like a second-class citizen," the filmmaker said. "Hopefully this will spark a trend of sci-fi movies that are seen as legitimate dramas."

The only other sci-fi film in the 59-year history of the Golden Globes to win the prize for best picture was 1982's E.T.

Other notable wins include the Best Actor – Musical or Comedy award to Robert Downey Jr for Sherlock Holmes, and Sandra Bullock picking up the Best Actress – Drama Globe for The Blind Side.

Following are the nominees in the main categories, and their respective winners.

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
Avatar *
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious
Up In The Air

BEST FEATURE - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
(500) Days Of Summer
The Hangover *
It’s Complicated
Julie & Julia
Nine

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker
James Cameron – Avatar *
Clint Eastwood – Invictus
Jason Reitman – Up In The Air
Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds

ACTOR - DRAMA
Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart *
George Clooney – Up In The Air
Colin Firth – A Single Man
Morgan Freeman – Invictus
Tobey Maguire – Brothers

ACTRESS - DRAMA
Emily Blunt – The Young Victoria
Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side *
Helen Mirren – The Last Station
Carey Mulligan – An Education
Gabourey Sidibe – Precious

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Matt Damon – The Informant!
Daniel Day Lewis – Nine
Robert Downey Jr – Sherlock Holmes *
Joseph Gordon Levitt – (500) Days Of Summer
Michael Stuhlberg – A Serious Man

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Sandra Bullock – The Proposal
Marion Cotillard – Nine
Julia Roberts – Duplicity
Meryl Streep – It’s Complicated
Meryl Streep – Julia & Julia *

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Matt Damon – Invictus
Woody Harrelson – The Messenger
Christopher Plummer – The Last Station
Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds *

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz – Nine
Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air
Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air
Mo’Nique – Precious *
Julianne Moore – A Single Man

SCREENPLAY - MOTION PICTURE
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
It’s Complicated
Up In The Air *

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs
Coraline
Fantastic Mr Fox
The Princess And The Frog
Up *

DGA nominees announced

January 14, 2010 - The Directors Guild of America recently announced its five nominations for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2009, honouring Bigelow, Cameron, Daniels, Reitman and Tarantino.

The annual award ceremony this year will take place January 30, during which the winner will be announced. Said DGA President Taylor Hackford: "The DGA award is especially meaningful to directors because it is decided solely by their peers - the men and women who have been in the same trenches and know exactly what goes into the crafting of a unique motion picture."

Prominent among the nominees is Kathryn Bigelow and her war thriller The Hurt Locker, which has already received Best Picture honours from the National Society of Film Critics and will be released in the Middle East later this year by Gulf Film. Inspired by true events, the film follows a group of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. Another frontrunner is George Clooney starrer Up in the Air, which took away the National Board of Review's Best Film of 2009.

The nominees and their films are as follows:

Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
James Cameron for Avatar
Lee Daniels for Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Jason Reitman for Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino for Inglourious Basterds

Eli booked

January 7, 2010 - New images have emerged on the web for one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the new year. Starring Denzel Washington, The Book of Eli is set to storm theatres this January.

In the not-too-distant future, across the wasteland of what was once America, a lone warrior must fight to bring civilisation the knowledge that could be the key to its redemption. Eli is a warrior by necessity. He seeks only peace but if challenged will cut his attackers down. It's not his life he guards so fiercely but his hope for the future, a hope he has carried and protected for 30 years. Driven by this commitment and guided by his belief in something greater than himself, Eli does what he must to survive - and bring his powerful message to a ravaged humanity.

The Book of Eli co-stars Gary Oldman and Mila Kunis. Watch the trailer and stay up to date at the film's official website TheBookofElimovie.com

Double reveal

December 31, 2009 - This month sees a duo of new shots revealed for two highly anticipated upcoming sequels: Iron Man 2 and Shrek Forever After.

The release of the first Iron Man 2 poster marks the final stretch to the film’s release in April 2010. In the second instalment, which reunites director Jon Favreau with leading man Robert Downey Jr, Tony Stark is under pressure from the public to share his technology with the military as he forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces. Iron Man 2 introduces Mickey Rourke as tattooed new bad guy Whiplash.

The newest Shrek instalment, set for conventional theatres and 3D next May, finds our green hero confronting what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed. That translates into Donkey being forced into cart-pulling duty and Puss in Boots trading his sword for a pink bow. According to director Mike Mitchell, Shrek Forever After will co-star Mad Men hotty Jon Hamm as “the best-looking ogre you've ever seen”.

Check out the brand new shots here at grandcinemas.com.

Big New Bang

December 24, 2009 - A brand new family has been revealed in the first images released from the upcoming Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.

In the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable, Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she's needed the most and wanted the least. This time around, Nanny McPhee arrives at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal, last seen in The Dark Knight), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. Soon Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs Green's children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who refuse to leave.

Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang is due for release in April 2010. Check out the first photos here on grandcinemas.com.

Best of 2009

December 17, 2009 - The National Board of Review has named George Clooney starrer Up In The Air the 2009 Best Film of the Year. Directed by Jason Reitman, the film is the timely odyssey of Ryan Bingham, a corporate downsizer and consummate modern business traveller who, after years of staying happily airborne, suddenly finds himself ready to make a real connection. Up in the Air also earned Clooney a Best Actor award and Anna Kendrick a Best Supporting Actress award. The film, which enjoyed a US pre-release in select theatres, hits regional screens in February.

Other award highlights include a Director nod to Clint Eastwood for Invictus, as well as Best Actor award to that film's star, Morgan Freeman. Best Ensemble Cast went to It's Complicated, starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin.

The Ten Best Films in alphabetical order are: 

AN EDUCATION
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
INVICTUS
THE MESSENGER
A SERIOUS MAN
STAR TREK
UP
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

The NBR was founded in 1909, originally established to fight government censorship of motion pictures. In 1919 the organisation first selected its “10 best movies of the year.”

First Look: The Spy Next Door

December 10, 2009 - Part spy. Part babysitter. All hero. The theatrical poster and first images have been released for the upcoming Jackie Chan movie, The Spy Next Door.

The family action comedy stars Chan as Bob Ho, an undercover CIA superspy who decides to give up his career in espionage to settle down with his girlfriend, Gillian. When Gillian suddenly has to leave town, Bob volunteers to babysit the children so he can earn their approval. But when one of the kids mistakenly downloads a top-secret formula from his computer, Bob’s archenemy, a Russian terrorist, moves in for the attack, forcing Bob to juggle the roles of spy and prospective stepfather in the most challenging mission of his career

The Spy Next Door is scheduled for regional release early 2010.

Titans clash online

December 03, 2009 - A regional release date of April 1, 2010, has been set for Clash of the Titans as the first glimpses of the Sam Worthington action epic hit the Net.

In a leap back to an ancient time, the ultimate struggle for power pits men against kings and kings against gods. In Clash of the Titans, the war between the gods themselves could destroy the world. Born of a god but raised as a man, Perseus (Worthington) leads a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from Zeus and unleash hell on earth.

Also starring Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes, Clash of the Titans has made its first appearance on the internet with the debut of its teaser trailer; an adrenaline-fueled clip is available for viewing at the film's official website, www.clash-of-the-titans.com. Stay tuned to Grand Cinemas for news on this epic war drama as it happens.

New Moon explodes onto screens

November 26, 2009 - The Twilight Saga's New Moon surpassed even the highest expectations when it exploded onto US screens this week. Fueled by its hungry female fanbase, the second installment in the series now stands as the third best US weekend opening of all time with $140.7 million.

The figure is twice that of Twilight's debut one year ago. On opening night, New Moon pulled in $26.3 million in midnight runs, leaping ahead of record-holder Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($22.2 million). The sequel's opening day wowed even more industry specialists with $72.7 million -- besting the $67.2 million earned by previous record setter The Dark Knight.

And as movie ticket sales soar, so do book sales of Stephenie Meyers' "Twilight" series, with 85 million sold to date.

New Moon is set to shine at regional theatres on November 26th.

New Moon sets record

November 19, 2009 - New Moon has broken its first record. Leading US ticketing site fandango.com reports the Twilight Saga's second installment has sold more advance tickets than both Harry Potter and The Dark Knight.

A full five days ahead of its November 20 US release date, New Moon became the top-selling pre-release in Fandango's 10-year history. The Top 5 in advance ticket sales on Fandango now rank as follows:

1. New Moon (2009)
2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)
4. The Dark Knight (2008)
5. Twilight (2008)

Continuing the vampire saga, New Moon releases in Grand Cinemas on November 26th. Advance tickets are now on sale at all GC theatres.

The Fourth Kind releases poster quartet

November 12, 2009 - A fourth poster has been released, rounding out the quartet for the upcoming fact-based thriller, The Fourth Kind.

The chilling artwork of a man levitating above his bed concludes the series aimed at explaining the film's title. In 1972, scientist J. Allen Hynek established a scale of measurement for alien encounters. When a UFO is sighted, it is called an encounter of the first kind. When evidence is collected, it’s the second kind, and when contact is made with extraterrestrials, the third (made famous by Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of Third Kind). The next level, abduction, is the fourth.

Starring Milla Jovovich and coming soon to regional theatres, The Fourth Kind is set in modern-day Nome, Alaska, where a large number of people are reported missing every year. Integrating never-before-seen archival footage, the film exposes the reports of witnesses and some of the most disturbing evidence of alien abduction ever documented.

Hopkins plays dad

November 5, 2009 - Anthony Hopkins has signed on to play Norse god Odin in Marvel Studios' upcoming production of Thor, based on the popular comic book warrior.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, Thor tells the story of the powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions re-ignite an ancient war. As punishment, Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans. Once here, he learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends dark forces of Asgard to invade Earth.

Hopkins' character, Odin, is the father of Thor, to be played by Chris Hemsworth. Taking on the role of Thor's love interest, Jane Foster, is Natalie Portman.

The film is slated for release in May 2011.

Parnassus rolls out

October 29, 2009 - The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the film that marked actor Heath Ledger's final performance, was rolled out in the UK last week - two months ahead of its US release date.

Buzz surrounding the film has been higher than expected - the trailer launch on Yahoo Movies saw more hits than The Twilight Saga's New Moon - with audiences eager to see the results of the cast's collaboration. Following Ledger's tragic death in January 2008, and as a tribute to the late actor, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell stepped in to play his character in scenes not yet filmed. The fantasy premise, and some clever rewrites, allowed the actors to play a man whose appearance changes as he travels between imaginary worlds.

A modern-day adventure, the film tells the story of Dr Parnassus, who has the gift of guiding the imaginations of others. With his travelling theatre troupe, Parnassus offers audience members the chance to transcend reality by passing through a magical mirror. Log on to the official website http://www.doctorparnassus.co.uk/ for more.

'Imaginarium' also stars Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield and Verne Troyer. It's regional roll-out will likely coincide with that of the US in December.

First Look: The Lovely Bones

October 15, 2009 - We take a break this week from our trilogy of Q&A installments to announce the release of the poster artwork for the upcoming drama from director Peter Jackson, The Lovely Bones.

In the haunting one-sheet, a girl's silhouette races across a lonely field, spiriting along above the tagline: “The story of a life and everything that came after.”

Based on the critically acclaimed best-selling novel by Alice Sebold, The Lovely Bones centres on a young girl who has been murdered and watches over her family – and her killer – from heaven. She must weigh her desire for vengeance against her desire for her family to heal.

Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon star alongside Stanley Tucci, Michael Imperioli and brilliant new talent Saoirse Ronan. The film is slated for local release in January.

Q&A: Debbie Allen

October 8, 2009 - In our second of three Q&A installments, actress, dancer and choreographer Debbie Allen tells us about bringing back the iconic film that started her career - Fame.

In the 1980s, a young actress named Debbie Allen became known the world over thanks to the film musical Fame and, most prominently, through the television series which followed in its wake. This season, Allen returns to the Fame spotlight. A dynamic reinvention of the OscarÆ-winning classic, the new Fame movie once again transports audiences to the intensely competitive world of a performing arts high school in New York where a new generation of hopefuls are given a chance to live out their dreams. Last seen as the seriesí tough-as-nails dance teacher, Lydia Grant, Allen now plays a new if somewhat familiar character - the schoolís no-nonsense principal, Angela Simms.

Q: What’s it like returning to Fame?

A: Well, I just thought it was wonderful when I heard that they were finally doing it again, because I wanted so much to revive it. We first talked about it ten years ago and we’ve been talking about it forever. I was just happy to be recalled and participate in something that is such a big part of my life and my career.

Q: I understand you’re playing a different character this time around?

A: Well, I'm the principal of the school, Angela Simms. But as far as I’m concerned, Lydia Grant got married (laughs). That's it! I play ìMrs. Simmsî in the movie. So I had them give me a wedding ring In the film, youíll hear people call her ìMrs. Simms,î and thatís all you hear. So for all the fans of Fame from years and years, theyíll see her as Lydia Grant.

Q: I'm assuming you didnít have to audition this time around?

A: No (laughs). And I didnít have to audition the last time either (laughs).

Q: What was the original shoot like?

A: Alan Parker was the director I had a big number and everything that I was going to do. But by the time they got around to shooting it, they already had a ten hour movie (laughs). So they gave me the dress and they said, ìWe love you Debbie Allen but we canít shoot your song because the movieís too long already.î You see, the movie was developing as he was shooting it. Alan Parker was an amazing director, but the way he filmed it, you didnít always know when he was actually shooting. Sometimes heíd say, ìOk, letís move on,î and you had no idea that he had shot the scene (laughs)Ö So for me, it was really about the TV series, you know, that took it to another level around the world.

Q: What did you think of the new cast, starting with your fellow teachers?

A: I thought that they were brilliant. I mean, I thought they were all really well placed. Charles Dutton is the drama teacher. Kelsey Grammer is the music teacher. Bebe Neuwirth, who actually- I actually gave her her first job in television! She played in the Fame TV series. She played an evil ballet teacher (laughs)… Now she’s back as a dance teacher.

Q: And the students?

A: Oh, the kids are just adorable. That Naturi Naughton and Denise [Panabaker] ñ they are, wow I think theyíre pretty amazing.

Q: Did they ask you for any advice or input?

A: Well, we didn't have a lot of time for that kind of thing, really. The kids were just very respectful and very happy to meet me. They made me feel really special, you know.

Q&A: Jamie Foxx

October 1, 2009 - In our first of three Q&A installments, we talk to Oscar winner Jamie Foxx about his powerful portrayal of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers in The Soloist.

Q: In The Soloist, you play the real-life character of Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, a one time Juilliard prodigy who succumbs to mental illness. Was it hard to shake this one off?

A: It was just tough. I didn‘t want to go back to my house for a long time. Luckily, I started another movie and went to Philly.

Q: Was it hard because you had formed an attachment to Nathaniel?

A: No, you want that attachment. I watched him from a distance, at first. And then when I met Nathaniel, he was like this: (starts to talk to himself in Nathaniel’s voice).

Q: Did he know who you were?

A: Yeah, he knew who I was. But it wasn’t (does Nathaniel’s voice), “Ah, you‘re Jamie Foxx!” It was more like, “I was very interested in you because I knew who you were before you knew who you were.” He says things like that, and I recorded them on my phone. And then, I would just sit and watch how interestingly complex this guy was. Then when he played his music, he was just in another place.

Q: You said before that you had some therapy during the shoot because you were a little worried about how far this was going. What did that do for you?

A: It helped because you learn that everything is going to be okay on that other side. The therapist was cool, saying things like, “Yeah, I‘ve seen this. I‘ve seen this a thousand times...” So, you learn you are not the only person suffering from certain things, whether it is paranoia or whatever else it is.

Q: How hard was it to learn new instruments for the role?

A: The cello was the main thing, and that was tough because I didn’t have any muscle memory in my fingers as far as holding down the strings. So, when I first started, I couldn’t hold down the strings. And I’m a pianist – that’s my main thing, so now I had to learn that and how to bow at the same time. It was tough – like talking and chewing gum at the same time. But I enjoyed it because if you get it right, it means everything.

Q: How good did you get?

A: Oh, I can make some noise, but I’m not going to embarrass myself.

Q: How many instruments do you have?

A: My main instrument is the piano. It’s a Yamaha, but a Steinway would be my favorite. I don’t know if I would get one. They are hard to find, and it’s hard to find the right age piano because the older the piano the richer the sound. We had one at my college, and they would lock it up. But, you could still see it when you walked by, and I thought, “Oh, man!”

But I found a way to pick the lock, and I would go in there at two in the morning and play it. And I can’t remember the guy’s name, but he was our music teacher. He found out somebody had been playing it, and he said, “Listen. I’ll tell you guys one more time. Do not play this piano because you are playing it way too hard.” I liked to pound those keys.
A Steinway would be my dream.

Q: Do you have a music studio at home?

A: Oh yeah, it’s great. We did the Unpredictable album out of there.
A lot of people have been in there. Snoop has been in there as well as Busta Rhymes. I love my studio. You had one of your front teeth chiseled down to give you a crooked, less Hollywood smile.

I went to this doctor and I said, “Listen, I have these big fake white teeth, and if I do this movie, and I‘m dressed as a homeless person, and they see these big white teeth, especially on the big screen, then it won’t work.” So, I said to him, “How can I achieve looking different?” And he said, “Well, I could chisel those down and make them a little crooked.” And I said, “Do it.” My manager was with me, and she was a little concerned. (laughs)

Q: How did you get along with Robert Downey, Jr.?

A: Oh man, he is so much better than I am. He is! (laughs) And I say this because he‘s so effortless, and... how can I put this? With Robert, there are no non-authentic moments. Everything was real. I told him, “You are the biggest star in this film!” And he was like a young kid waiting for Christmas because Iron Man was about to come out. I saw the trailer for Iron Man, and I said, “Dude, it’s going to be ridiculous for you.” But even with that going on, it was still about getting his work done.

Q: When was the last time you heard classical music? Have you ever been to a concert?

A: Yeah, I went to Disney Hall. Oh, my goodness! It‘s incredible! I recorded it on my phone so that I could hear it later, and one of the guys said, “No recording!” And I said, “But I’m working on the film.” (laughs) Nathaniel was there, and Robert was there, too. It was beautiful.

Q: Did you stay in character the whole time during the shoot?

A: I did. I didn’t want to, but I couldn‘t shake it. Even my manager told me that I do stay in character, but I didn‘t recognise it. But with this one, I did.

DJr sharpens fangs

September 24, 2009 - If the recent explosion of the Twilight franchise has taught the industry anything, it’s that fans want blood – but not just any blood.

In the 90s, Anne Rice’s finely crafted Vampire Chronicles spawned two pictures: Interview with the Vampire and Queen of the Damned. Now, Universal Pictures is rebooting the series and is in talks with Robert Downey Jr to play the vampire Lestat Du Lioncort himself.

The Iron Man will be following in the footsteps of Tom Cruise and Stuart Townsend, both of whom have taken on the devilish role. Previously unplumbed installments in the Vampire Chronicles include The Tale of the Body Thief, Memnoch the Devil, The Vampire Armand, Pandora, Merrick, Blood and Gold, Blackwood Farm and Blood Canticle.

Meet the Volturi

September 17, 2009 - It’s been a nail-biting summer for Twilight fans as one tantalising set of images after another is eeked out to a hungry public.

First, we were introduced to the bronzed and brooding Wolf Pack. Now, it’s time to meet the not-so-good guys – the Volturi, headed by Michael Sheen as Aro, and introducing the darker side of Dakota Fanning as Jane. Who would have thought?

The highly anticipated second installment in the Twilight series, and starring Kristen Stewart alongside heartthrobs James Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, New Moon is set for release on November 26. Check out the new images right here on grandcinemas.com.

Clooney stares at goats

September 3, 2009 - Log on to the film's official website to get a look at the very first - strange and hilarious - trailer for The Men Who Stare at Goats, the upcoming film starring George Clooney and Ewan McGregor.

Based on true events described in Jon Ronson's 2004 book of the same title, the movie follows a down-on-his-luck reporter, played by McGregor, as he delves into a story he could not have dreamt up himself. An encounter with a special forces agent (Clooney) leads him to uncover the existence of a secret, psychic military unit whose goal is to use paranormal powers to end war as we know it.

Watch the trailer at www.themenwhostareatgoatsmovie.com and stay tuned to grandcinemas.com for a release date later this year.

Shutter Island poster revealed

August 13, 2009 - “Someone is missing.” That's the evocative tagline that appears on the newly released poster for Shutter Island, the upcoming thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

From Oscar®-winning director Martin Scorsese, Shutter Island is the story of two U.S. marshals, Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) and Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), who are summoned to a remote and barren island off the cost of Massachusetts to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from the island’s fortress-like hospital for the criminally insane.

Keep a close watch on this page for first look photos from the anticipated feature, in theatres this October.

Barrymore Whips It into shape

August 6, 2009 - Drew Barrymore first got our attention as the round-eyed, pucker-lipped tot in Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. Now the multi-talented actress has come into her own, taking the reins on the upcoming comedy, Whip It!

Barrymore's directorial debut, Whip It stars Ellen Page (Juno) as Bliss, a rebellious Texas teen who throws in her small-town beauty pageant crown for the rowdy world of roller derby. Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River, Pollock) plays Bliss' disapproving mother, while Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis play roller-derby stars. The film also stars Eve, Jimmy Fallon, and Daniel Stern.

Whip It is slated for a fall release. Check out the first photos here, or log on to Whip-It.net for the trailer and other goodies.

Brothers trailer launched

July 30, 2009 - brothersfilm.com has debuted the trailer for Brothers, the long-awaited war drama starring Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman.

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home – with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family. Director Jim Sheridan has previously helmed such timeless dramas as My Left Foot, In the Name of the Father and In America.

Distributed regionally by Gulf Film, Brothers is set for local release end of 2009.

Iron Man 2 baddie revealed

July 23, 2009 - Here's our first look at Iron Man 2 baddie Whiplash, as gloriously portrayed by the recently resurrected Mickey Rourke.

Pictured at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Whiplash sports a power pack on his chest that looks similar to the one used by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr). “The technologies are definitely related, and that's part of the core theme of the film,” says director Jon Favreau.

Rourke prepped long and hard for the role of the terrible Ivan, aka Whiplash – Iron Man’s Russian nemesis. “I decided to do half my role in Russian,” he says, “and that's hard because the Russian language doesn't roll off the English-speaking tongue very easily. I spent three hours a day with a teacher, and after two weeks I know four sentences!”

Iron Man 2 is scheduled for an April 2010 release and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Jon Favreau, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson.

First Look: Five Killers

July 16, 2009 - Katherine Heigl and Ashton Kutcher trade love for espionage in Five Killers, the upcoming action comedy, and here's your first look.

Spencer Aimes is just your average, undercover, government-hired super-assassin. But when he meets Jen Kornfeldt, a fun-loving computer tech, he finds true love – and happily trades intrigue for domestic bliss. Three years later, Spencer and Jen are still enjoying a picture-perfect marriage – that is, until the morning after Spencer’s 30th birthday. That’s when Spencer and Jen learn he's the target of a multi-million dollar hit.

Five Killers is slated for a Spring 2010 release.

Mission: Not Impossible

July 9, 2009 - It may have seemed like the franchise was done for good when Tom Cruise ended collaborations with Paramount in 2006, but buzz has it that the star has signed on for a fourth Mission: Impossible.

Following a patch-up of relations with the studio, Cruise has joined director JJ Abrams in agreeing to co-produce the sequel, aimed at a 2011 release.

“I am incredibly honoured that Tom has invited me back as a producer on Mission: Impossible 4,” said Abrams, who directed Mission: Impossible III and is responsible for hit TV shows Fringe, Lost and Alias. “Tom and I have come up with a really cool idea we are pursuing.”

A fourth Mission: Impossible will bulk up Paramount's heady array of sequels, which will include Star Trek 2 (also guided by Abrams) and a third Transformers.

Olyphant gears up

July 2, 2009 - Timothy Olyphant, best known for his violent turns in Hitman and Live Free or Die Hard, has garnered himself a following as the dark stranger with a secret.

Coming to theatres later this year, A Perfect Getaway stars the Hawaiian born actor in one of his most sinister roles to date. Milla Jovovich and Steve Zahn play an adventurous young couple happily backpacking on a remote island - until they hear of a murderer hiding in the forest's depths. You can check out the trailer at iamrogue.com/aperfectgetaway.

And slated for a 2010 release, The Crazies is set to chill some spines. In the thriller, Olyphant stars opposite Radha Mitchell in the story of a small Pennsylvania town beset by death and insanity after a secret biological weapon makes its way into their water supply. We've got the first look photo right here on grandcinemas.com.

Bruno reveal unhinges a few jaws

June 25, 2009 - “Three years ago, Sacha Baron Cohen introduced moviegoers to a character critics called 'Vulgar... shocking... and friggin' hilarious',” begins the Bruno trailer. “That was so 2006.”

Poster, website and trailer reveals for Cohen's daring new docucomedy, distributed in the Middle East by Gulf Film, live up to the legacy left by Borat. In his follow-up to that hit, the man of many faces plays another of his comic alter egos – Bruno, a gay fashionista – so imagine the trouble he can get himself into this time.

You’ll be laughing at the screen when you check out the trailer at the official website: meinspace.com/bruno. Keep your eyes peeled for a summer release.

Scorsese sings

June 18, 2009 - Martin Scorcese has signed on to direct Sinatra, the first big_screen film about the acting/singing legend.

Best known for his musical talents, Frank Sinatra’s ties to President Kennedy as well as the Mafia made for constant media speculation and ongoing public interest. Oscar winning director Scorsese has talked of taking on the project for some time.

While no actor has yet been cast in the role, producer Cathy Schulman notes that Leanardo DiCaprio has been Scorcese’s leading man in the director’s past four films: Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed and the upcoming Shutter Island.

District 9 on the road June

June 11, 2009 - Viral marketing for the upcoming District 9 has been spreading nicely. A bench ad in L.A. was spotted carrying the warning 'Bus bench for humans only,' a segregation theme that follows on that of the movie.

Produced by Peter Jackson, and licensed for regional distribution by Gulf Film, the film takes place in a fictional world where extraterrestrials have become refugees in South Africa.

No word yet on regional release dates, but keep your eye on this space for more. And log on to D9.com for the intriguing teaser. Film stars newcomers Sharlto Copley and David James.

First Look: New Moon

June 4, 2009 - Here's your first look at the teaser poster for The Twilight Saga: New Moon, plus the first images revealed!

For those who have been living under a rock, New Moon is the highly anticipated next installment to the movie Twilight, the cultural phenomenon which has grossed $380 million globally at the box office.

In New Moon, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.

Based on the best-selling book series, The Twilight Saga: New Moon opens in theatres November 21.

Cannes gets a White Ribbon

May 28, 2009 - Bumblebee was in the house Sunday to welcome attendants of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival prize ceremony in which The White Ribbon received the Palme d'Or.

Michael Haneke took away his first Palme for the stark, black-and-white drama is set in a rural German village on the eve of WWI. "Happiness is a rare thing, but this is a moment in my life when I am truly happy," Haneke said in his acceptance speech.

The Grand Prix went to French director Jacques Audiard's tough prison drama, A Prophet. One award went to an American film - Christoph Waltz nabbed the actor prize for his multilingual tour de force as the Nazi "Jew Hunter" in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

"I owe this award to (my role as) Col. Landa," said Waltz, "and his unique and inimitable creator, Quentin Tarantino."

These are the winners in the main categories.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY PRIZES

Palme d'Or
"The White Ribbon" (Michael Haneke, Germany-France-Austria-Italy)

Grand Prix
"A Prophet" (Jacques Audiard, France)

Lifetime achievement award
Alain Resnais, "Wild Grass" (France)

Director
Brillante Mendoza ("Kinatay," France-Philippines)

Jury prize
"Fish Tank" (Andrea Arnold, U.K.), "Thirst" (Park Chan-wook, South Korea-U.S.)

Actor
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds" (U.S.-Germany)

Actress
Charlotte Gainsbourg, "Antichrist" (Denmark-Germany-France-Sweden-Italy-Poland)

Screenplay
Mei Feng, "Spring Fever" (Hong Kong-France)

Good match

May 14, 2009 - With Terminator Salvation ready to blast into theatres May 21st, and Public Enemies opposite Johnny Depp coming soon, Christian Bale has no shortage of meaty roles. The Dark Knight recently signed on to co-star opposite Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter.

The film tells the true story of Boston fighter “Irish” Mickey Ward (Wahlberg) and his path to the lightweight championship thanks to the help of his half-brother Dicky Eklund (Bale). Having once gone the distance in boxing glory, Eklund forfeited his career to drugs and crime, then redeemed himself by training Ward through to the title. Production is set to begin in July on the film, which had previously matched up Ed Norton and Brad Pitt to co-star. The two later pulled out when the picture stalled.

Bale and Wahlberg are also said to be joining forces for Prisoners. The thriller follows a small-town carpenter who captures the man he believes has kidnapped his daughter, and begins to torture him in a desperate attempt to find out what he did with the girl.

First Look: The Expendables

April 30, 2009 - The first behind the scenes images have been released for The Expendables, the Sylvester Stallone project that brings together giants in the world of action movies.

The film, which follows a team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator, has signed on Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Forest Whitaker, Eric Roberts and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Schwarzenegger will play himself as Governor in the actioner which is slated for release in 2010, permissioned for the Middle East region by movie distributors Gulf Film.

To follow the production process, log on to www.ethelmae.wordpress.com where the unit publicist is blogging directly from the set in Brazil.

McConaughey behind the wheel again

April 23, 2009 - Those wondering whatever happened to Matthew McConaughey after his heroic turn in Tropic Thunder -- he's getting behind the wheel of a Lincoln.

The sun-kissed star has signed up to headline The Lincoln Lawyer for Lakeshore Entertainment. Based on a Michael Connolly bestseller published in 2005, the legal thriller follows low-level criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller who finds himself representing a wealthy client with ties to a murder case.

This will be the third time McConaughey takes to lawyering, with previous leading roles in A Time to Kill (1996) and Amistad (1997).

In the meantime, the heartthrob returns to theatres soon in the romantic comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past alongside Jennifer Garner.

Approaching Twilight 2

April 16, 2009 - The Twilight saga's New Moon has begun shooting in Vancouver, Canada, and has added another toothy member to the cast. "Underworld" franchise star Michael Sheen returns to the world of vampires and joins the sequel to the blockbuster Twilight.

In New Moon, Sheen will play Aro, the leader of an Italian vampire clan called the Volturi. Director Chris Weitz admits having "aggressively" pursued the actor. "Michael's role is so important because he's the head of all vampires," he said. "Aro is, on the surface, a very gracious and friendly vampire, but beneath that he is a tremendous threat."

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson reprise their Twilight roles. In the follow-up, Bella is devastated by the abrupt departure of her vampire love, Edward, but her spirit is rekindled by her growing friendship with the irresistible Jacob Black. Suddenly she finds herself drawn into the world of the werewolves, ancestral enemies of the vampires, and finds her loyalties tested.

A US release date has been set for November 20.

Gulf Film Fest launches at Grand Festival City

April 9, 2009 - Launching April 9th at Grand Festival City under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, the annual Gulf Film Festival is set to wow film lovers with a selection of movies from throughout the region.

Taking place from April 10 to April 15, the Gulf Film Festival is a non-profit cultural event that aims to celebrate the highest standards of Gulf cinema. Film enthusiasts can pick up their complimentary tickets at the GFF Box Office located inside Festival Foyer. Showtimes are 3pm to 11.30pm on Friday, and midday to 11.30 pm Saturday through Wednesday.

Highlights include The Cork from Bahraini filmmaker Ayesha Al Muqla, which investigates freedom of speech; Mesopotamia from Iraqi born Fenar Ahmad, which is set in Iraq of the future; and The Half Heart from UAE director Bilal Abdulla, about a lady who commits a sin that society finds hard to forgive.

Log on to www.gulffilmfest.com for more information on this special event.

Che dates set

April 2, 2009 - In local news, management at film distribution company Gulf Film has set dates for the UAE release of the highly anticipated Che Guevara bio-pic from director Steven Soderberg.

The two halves of the epic will hit theatres two weeks apart – Che, Part 1 on April 23, and Che, Part 2 on May 7. The film stars Benicio Del Toro as the iconic revolutionary, a role that won him the Cannes prize for best actor.

On November 26, 1956, Fidel Castro sails to Cuba with eighty rebels. One of those rebels is Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who shares in the desire to overthrow the corrupt dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. As he throws himself into the struggle, Che is embraced by his comrades and the Cuban people, rising from doctor to commander to revolutionary hero.

First Look: Horsemen

March 26, 2009 - The first images have been revealed for the upcoming mystery thriller, Horsemen, starring Dennis Quaid and Ziyi Zhang. Four Horsemen. Four unrelated victims. Four painful secrets.

The intriguing new project from director Jonas Akerlund follows hardened police detective Aidan Breslin as he grows increasingly distant from his two young sons since the death of his wife. At work, he finds himself thrust into an investigation of perverse serial killings rooted in the Biblical prophecy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. As Breslin grapples with each new revelation in the case, he slowly discovers a shocking connection between himself and the four suspects.

Horsemen is scheduled for release later this year.

Blanchett joins the hood

March 19, 2009 - Cate Blanchett has signed on to play Maid Marian opposite Russell Crowe in director Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood.

Previously titled Nottingham, the film is scheduled for a Spring 2010 release and is an origin story that hews close to historical facts of the period.

Crowe stars as Robin of Loxley, “a bowman in the army of Richard Coeur de Lion," says Scott, who previously directed Crowe to heroic acclaim in Gladiator. Abandoned as a child, Robin finds community with the common people of Nottingham; however, trust issues hamper his ability to fall in love – until he meets his match in the strong, independent Marian.

Expendables expands

March 12, 2009 - Arnold Schwarzenegger is joining the cast of Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, the mammoth project that has already signed Jason Statham, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren, in addition to Stallone, as stars.

The Expendables follows a team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator.

Schwarzenegger will play himself as Governor in a role that will require only one day of shooting. Other big names reported to have joined the cast are Mickey Rourke, Forest Whitaker and Eric Roberts.

Movie distributors Gulf Film have obtained regional rights for the production which is slated for release in 2010.

New T4 trailer explodes onto the web

March 5, 2009 - The hair raising new trailer for Terminator Salvation has blasted onto the web, raising excitement to an all-time high for the May 21 release.

“My name is John Connor. If you're listening to this, you are the resistance,” says a dirt-smeared Christian Bale into a radio set of a war-time bunker. You can watch the trailer, and check out incredible new photos here.

In a powerful relaunch of the franchise, Terminator Salvation is set in post-apocalyptic 2018. Bale stars as John Connor, the man fated to lead the human resistance against Skynet and its army of Terminators. But the future Connor was raised to believe in is altered in part by the appearance of Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a stranger whose last memory is of being on death row. Connor must decide whether Marcus has been sent from the future, or rescued from the past. As Skynet prepares its final onslaught, Connor and Marcus both embark on an odyssey that takes them into the heart of Skynet's operations, where they uncover the terrible secret behind the possible annihilation of mankind.

And the Oscar goes to...

February 26, 2009 - It was a stellar night for director Danny Boyle and company at the 81st Academy Awards during which Slumdog Millionaire snagged eight Oscars, including Best Picture.

Presenter Hugh Jackman sang and danced his way into one of the most memorable performances date Sunday evening as the pride of Hollywood gathered to honour their own. Helping him out were such movie greats as Robert De Niro, Sophia Lauren and Steven Spielberg.

But the star of the night was none other than the rags-to-riches wonder, Slumdog Millionaire, which took away eight of the ten categories in which it was nominated.

Here are the results of the evening:

BEST PICTURE
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ACTOR
Sean Penn in Milk

BEST ACTRESS
Kate Winslet in The Reader

DIRECTING
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Penelope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Milk

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Slumdog Millionaire

BEST ANIMATED FILM
WALL-E

ART DIRECTION
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

COSTUME DESIGN
The Duchess

MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Inglourious reveal

February 23, 2009 - Three teaser posters have been revealed for the upcoming Brad Pitt starrer Inglourious Basterds, from director Quentin Tarantino.

“It's my bunch-of-guys-on-a-mission film... my Dirty Dozen or Where Eagles Dare or Guns of Navarone kind of thing,” says the director, describing the protagonists as “not your normal hero types”. A case in point is Brad Pitt’s character: an illiterate hillbilly from Tennessee who puts together a team of soldiers to launch a vengeful assault on the Nazis.

Set in World War II-era Europe, Inglourious Basterds tells stories of retribution, among them that of Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), who organises a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts against the Germans. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich.

Inglourious Basterds releases to UAE cinemas in September.

GC's Oscar Scorecard

February 19, 2009 - The 81st Academy Awards are set to take place on February 22nd. Guess the winners with Grand Cinemas' Oscar Scorecard.

Think you know what makes filmmakers tick? Now you can know for sure. Downloading our Oscar Scorecard and make your picks for Oscar glory. And don't forget to tune in on the special night to find out just how good you are.

Download PDF

First GI Joe footage revealed

February 5, 2009 - Action movie fans have been waiting with baited breath for a first glimpse at the G.I. Joe movie releasing this summer - and here it is. The full-throttle clip was unveiled at the US Superbowl; you can watch at the movie's official website: gijoemovie.com.

From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organisation to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, opening in theaters in August, stars Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Byung Hun Lee, Sienna Miller, Rachel Nichols, Ray Park, Said Taghmaoui, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid.

Oscar nominations 2009

January 29, 2009 - The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences have announced the Oscar nominees. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button leads the pack with 13 nominations, followed by Golden Globes favourite Slumdog Millionaire with 10, Milk with eight and The Reader with five.

The Academy Awards are set to air on February 22nd. Here are the nominations in the main categories.

BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn in Milk
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt
Kate Winslet in The Reader

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams in Doubt
Penélope Cruz in Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis in Doubt
Taraji P. Henson in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Who wants to be a Golden Globe Millionaire?

January 15, 2009 - It was an emotional night Sunday as the Golden Globe awards ceremony regained its previous glory and surprised many. The big winner of the day? A rags-to-riches tale that will have us flocking to the theatre. Slumdog Millionaire - the Mumbai based film about a poor teenager who wins India’s "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” - won all four categories in which it was nominated: Best Picture (drama), Director, Screenplay and Score.

There were more unexpected wins. Kate Winslet took away, not one, but two Globes - for Best Actress in Revolutionary Road and Best Supporting Actress in The Reader, while Mickey Rourke and Colin Farrell snagged the Best Actor (The Wrestler) and Supporting Actor (In Bruges) nods, respectively. And the late Heath Ledger received the acclaim we all hoped he would for his tantalising role in The Dark Knight; the actor was awarded Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Best Picture, comedy or musical, went to Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

HERE IS A COMPLETE LIST OF THE WINNERS (MARKED WITH A *):

Best Motion Picture - Drama
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
* Slumdog Millionaire

Best Actress - Drama
Anne Hathaway – Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie – Changeling
Meryl Streep – Doubt
Kristin Scott Thomas – I've Loved You So Long
* Kate Winslet – Revolutionary Road

Best Actor - Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio – Revolutionary Road
Frank Langella – Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn – Milk
Brad Pitt – The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
* Mickey Rourke – The Wrestler

Best Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy
Burn After Reading
Happy-Go-Lucky
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
* Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
Rebecca Hall – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* Sally Hawkins – Happy-Go-Lucky
Frances McDormand – Burn After Reading
Meryl Streep – Mamma Mia!
Emma Thompson – Last Chance Harvey

Best Actor - Musical Or Comedy
Javier Bardem – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
* Colin Farrell – In Bruges
James Franco – Pineapple Express
Brendan Gleeson – In Bruges
Dustin Hoffman – Last Chance Harvey

A taste of what's to come

January 8, 2009 - With the Academy of Motion Pictures preparing to announce its award nominees on January 22nd, industry followers are keeping an eye on the ceremonies preceding the Oscars. The Producers Guild of America - whose slates often tend to mirror those of the Oscars - recently released its nominees, lending high hopes to the top five: Frost/Nixon, Slumdog Millionaire, The Dark Knight, Milk and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Earlier, the Screen Actors Guild had announced its nominees, including a posthumous recognition of Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight.

2009 PRODUCER OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINATIONS:

Film

THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
THE DARK KNIGHT
FROST/NIXON
MILK
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE

Documentary

MAN ON WIRE
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE
TROUBLE THE WATER

Animation

BOLT
KUNG FU PANDA
WALL-E

2009 SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Male Actor in a Leading Role

RICHARD JENKINS - THE VISITOR
FRANK LANGELLA - FROST/NIXON
SEAN PENN - MILK
BRAD PITT - THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
MICKEY ROURKE - THE WRESTLER

First Look at Transformers 2!

January 1, 2009 - It's a miracle they've kept the movie under wraps for this long, but here it is - finally - our first look at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, the follow-up to the 2007 blockbuster.

Thanks to exclusive coverage from Empire magazine and USA Today, we get a sneak peak at the film that made robots cool again. There's Optimus Prime in all his glory, and some tantalising shots in Egypt, where a few key scenes were shot on location.

Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Isabel Lucas, Rainn Wilson and Jennifer Alden, Transformers 2 releases in conventional theatres and IMAX in June 2009. Check out the photos here.

Fast & Furious comes faster

December 25, 2008 - Rev up those engines - the fourth installment of the franchise built on speed was recently moved from a summer date to April, and here's a look at the brand new teaser poster!

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter in the adrenaline-fueled journey -- Fast & Furious. When a crime brings them back to L.A., fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto reignites his feud with agent Brian O'Conner. But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge: push the limits of what's possible behind the wheel.

Watch the hair-raising trailer at FastandFuriousmovie.net.

Globe nominees announced

December 18, 2008 - The nominees for the 2009 Golden Globes have been announced. Films receiving multiple kudos include the upcoming Last Chance Harvey, Frost/Nixon, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and the film that marks the return of duo Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet to the big screen - Revolutionary Road.

Closely followed, the Globes give industry watchers an idea of what to expect in next year's Oscar nominations. The winners will be announced on January 11, 2009. The complete list of nominees can be found below.

BEST FEATURE - DRAMA
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
"Frost/Nixon"
"The Reader"
"Slumdog Millionaire"

BEST FEATURE - COMEDY
"Burn After Reading"
"Happy-Go-Lucky"
"En Bruges"
"Mamma Mia!"
"Vicky Cristina Barcelona"

ACTOR - DRAMA
Leonardo DiCaprio - "Revolutionary Road"
Frank Langella - "Frost/Nixon"
Sean Penn - "Milk"
Brad Pitt - "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"
Mickey Rouke - "The Wrestler"

ACTRESS - DRAMA
Anne Hathaway - "Rachel Getting Married"
Angelina Jolie - "Changeling"
Meryl Streep - "Doubt"
Kristin Scott Thomas - "I've Loved You So Long"
Kate Winslet - "Revolutionary Road"

ACTOR - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Javier Bardem - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Colin Farrell - "In Bruges"
James Franco - "Pineapple Express"
Brendan Gleeson - "In Bruges"
Dustin Hoffman - "Last Chance Harvey"

ACTRESS - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Rebecca Hall - "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Sally Hawkins - "Happy-Go-Lucky"
Frances McDormand - "Burn After Reading"
Meryl Streep - "Mamma Mia!"
Emma Thompson - "Last Chance Harvey"

DIFF launches December 11

December 11, 2008 - The Dubai International Film Festival launches Thursday, December 11th in another star-studded event in the world of cinema. With films like Oliver Stone's W and Steven Soderberg's Che on show, this year promises to raise the bar yet again.

Not sure which film feasts to sample and how? In the latest issue of the Grand Cinemas movie guide we make it easy with our very own DIFF DIARY. You can download the issue on our Movie Guide page for all the information you'll need, plus your monthly helping of the latest film news and reviews. Don't miss our SPOTLIGHT on Twilight, and our coverage of the latest projects from cinema legends Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Clint Eastwood.

The free Grand Cinemas movie guide is also available at all Grand Cinemas theatres.

Roberts and Owen share the screen again

December 4, 2008 - A first look image has been released for the upcoming romance thriller Duplicity, starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen.

Roberts and Owen reteam for the first time since 2004’s Closer, in which they played an on-again, off-again couple. In Dupllicity, the two star as spies-turned-corporate operatives in the midst of a clandestine love affair.

CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) and MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) have left the world of government intelligence to cash in on the highly profitable cold war raging between two rival multinational corporations. Their mission? Secure the formula for a product that will bring a fortune to the company that patents it first.

For their employers — industry titan Howard Tully (Tom Wilkinson) and buccaneer CEO Dick Garsik (Paul Giamatti) — nothing is out of bounds. But as the stakes rise, the mystery deepens and the tactics get dirtier, the trickiest secret for Claire and Ray is their growing attraction. And as they each try to stay one double-cross ahead, two career loners find their schemes endangered by the only thing they can't cheat their way out of: love.

Duplicity is scheduled for a Spring release.

Wars, witches and spies

November 27, 2008 - With huge names like Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan and Tarsem Singh attached, Relativity Media has an incredible slate of upcoming movies. Watch out for these three announced features:

WAR OF GODS

Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton, producers of 300, the colossal hit that grossed more than $450 million in worldwide box office, present their next earth pounding epic. War of Gods is a mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece, where the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians. At the helm of this massive action piece is visual master Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) whose ground-breaking techniques will take the cinematic scope and beauty of War of Gods to unprecedented levels.

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Director Dominic Sena has made a few exceptional films in his career, among them Swordfish (2001) with John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry; Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000); and Brad Pitt starrer Kalifornia (1993). We have every faith that Season of the Witch, starring Nicolas Cage, will continue the roll. In this supernatural action adventure, a group of 14th-century knights transport a suspected witch to a monastery, where monks deduce her powers could be the source

THE SPY NEXT DOOR

Filming has already begun on the action-comedy The Spy Next Door. Jackie Chan stars as a man who is called to baby-sit his neighbour's children. The day takes a bizarre turn when one of the kids inadvertently downloads a secret code, forcing their babysitter to fight off a team of secret agents.

Learn more in this issue of the Grand Cinemas movie guide.

Online Guide

November 20, 2008 - For film fans, there's plenty to check out online about the biggest upcoming movies. Here's your smart guide.

TERMINATOR SALVATION

Follow the post-production process with the director on T4's official website. “Christian [Bale] and Sam [Worthington] bring power to the rolls of John Connor and Marcus Wright,” says McG. This is a story of two destinies colliding. Connor is part of a resistance comprised of the ethnicities that make up the globe. This film is so much more than just Los Angeles. It reflects the global crisis of man, all of man versus machine."

out May 2009
web TerminatorSalvation.com

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet blister on the big screen as they search for fulfillment in an age of conformity.

out January 2009
web RevolutionaryRoadmovie.com

TWILIGHT

Find trailers, TV spots and new footage, and sample tunes from the rockin' soundtrack. For more, check out our story in the November issue of the Grand Cinemas Movie Guide.

out December 2008
web thetwilightmovie.com

CHANGELING

To find her son, she did what no one else dared. True story from Clint Eastwood, starring Angelina Jolie.

out February 2009
web Changelingmovie.net

THE SPIRIT

Starring a slew of Hollywood's finest femme fatales, The Spirit is directed by the man who created 300, Frank Miller.

out TBA
web mycityscreams.com

FRIDAY THE 13TH

“Did you know a young boy drowned here? ... His name was Jason.” The chilling new teaser is now online.

out March 2009
web Fridaythe13thmovie.com

HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE

The new HP will leave jaws hanging, and the goosepimple-inducing teaser is just the beginning.

out July 2009
web HarryPotter.com

WATCHMEN

“The world will look up and shout, ‘Save us,’ and I'll whisper, ‘No’.” Watch the chilling trailer and read the biographies.

out March 2009
web watchmenmovie.com

W

Watch trailers and TV spots on the movie’s official website. We talk to visionary director Oliver Stone in the November issue of the Grand Cinemas Movie Guide.

out December 2008
web Wthefilm.com

First look: Monsters vs Aliens

November 13, 2008 - DreamWorks has released a first look image of the upcoming animated adventure Monsters vs Aliens, starring the voices of Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett, Seth Rogen, Rainn Wilson, Stephen Colbert, Kiefer Sutherland and Paul Rudd.

Slated for a spring 2009 UAE release, Monsters vs Aliens reinvents the classic '50s monster movie into an irreverent modern day action comedy. When California girl Susan Murphy is unwittingly clobbered by a meteor full of outer space gunk on her wedding day, she mysteriously grows to 49-feet-11-inches tall. Alerted to the threat of this new monster, the military jumps into action and Susan is captured and secreted away to a covert government compound. There, she is renamed Ginormica and placed in confinement with a ragtag group of other monsters. Their confinement is cut short, however, when a mysterious alien robot lands on Earth and begins storming the country. In a moment of desperation, the president enlists the motley crew to combat the Alien Robot and save the world from imminent destruction.

Click on the image to view a larger version, and find out more at the movie's official website

www.monstersvsaliens.com

New epic from makers of 300

November 6, 2008 - Relativity Media has announced the start of production on the upcoming epic War of Gods, brought to us by Gianni Nunnari and Mark Canton, producers of 300, the colossal hit that grossed more than $450 million in worldwide box office.

War of Gods is a mythological tale set in war-torn ancient Greece where the young warrior prince Theseus leads his men in a battle against evil that will see the Gods and Men fighting against the Titans and Barbarians.

At the helm of this massive action piece is visual master Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall) whose ground-breaking techniques will take the cinematic scope and beauty of War of Gods to unprecedented levels. The casting process is underway.

Twilight release announced!

October 30, 2008 - Gulf Film has announced the UAE and Lebanon release date for the highly anticipated movie Twilight; the romance thriller hits theatres in these territories on December 4th.

Based on the #1 New York Times bestselling series by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight brings to life a modern, visual and visceral Romeo & Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair - between vampire and mortal. Fans of the book series, which has taken the world by storm, eagerly await the big screen adaptation.

Check out the trailer at grandcinemas.com or visit the film's official website at twilightthemovie.com

Star Trek look revealed

October 23, 2008 - Star Trek fans worldwide have been flocking online and to newsstands for their first look at the new images from director JJ Abrams.

The stills - and an eye-catching cover shot - were revealed in the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly, which features the upcoming film and talks to its makers.

''All my smart friends liked Star Trek,'' says Abrams. ''I preferred a more visceral experience.” And so the creator of hit TV series Lost and the recent thriller Cloverfield demanded freedom to re-invent the Star Trek mythos as needed. He may have to face the ire of old fans, but so far they have been comforted by the familiar look of the characters and scenery in the reveals. Readers of the EW feature were also treated to the first synopsis to date.

Star Trek's time-travel plot is set in motion when a Federation starship, the USS Kelvin, is attacked by a vicious Romulan (Eric Bana) desperately seeking one of the film's heroes. From there, the film then brings Kirk and Spock center stage and tracks the origins of their friendship and how they became officers aboard the Enterprise.

With Star Trek, the film world may see a change in landscape, in more ways than one; for Abrams, a movie must carry a note of hope.

''In a world where a movie as incredibly produced as The Dark Knight is raking in gazillions of dollars, Star Trek stands in stark contrast,'' says the director. ''It was important to me that optimism be cool again.''

Star Trek is slated for a May 2009 release.

Transformers 2 coming to IMAX!

October 16, 2008 - Following the colossal success of The Dark Knight on the IMAX screen, IMAX, DreamWorks and Paramount recently announced that director Michael Bay will shoot key sequences of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen with IMAX cameras.

This comes as exciting news for Transformers fans, who will be looking forward to the release next spring. Bay will integrate the IMAX footage with state of the art CGI to create an unprecedented look and feel for the highly anticipated sequel to last year’s box office hit.

“The extraordinary level of detail and intensity captured by the IMAX camera creates many exciting possibilities for us with this film,” said Bay. “IMAX’s all-encompassing format will take this story to a new level, and I am once again very excited to share the IMAX Experience with Transformers fans around the world.”

UAE moviegoers will be able to catch the IMAX experience of Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen at Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall.

Pipeline

October 9, 2008 - Here's a snapshot of some of the buzz-worthy films on the horizon, including the latest from Oliver Stone, JJ Abrams, and Viggo Mortensen.

W
A LIFE MISUN_DERESTIMATED “I was fascinated with him from the get_-go, when he was governor,” says Oliver Stone of George W Bush, the man about whom he has just made a movie, starring Josh Brolin as W. “I always thought he would be presi_dent. It's an incred_ibly Capra_esque story -_ he comes from being a fail_ure at 40, and having nothing, to being the most powerful man in the world.” Stone reassures that it was not his aim to tear anyone down. We’ll see for our_ selves this fall.

STAR TREK
“Lost” creators J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof and Bryan Burk are boldly going where few dare to go. The powerhouse team bring an 11th installment of the pop_ular “Star Trek” franchise to the big screen_ due out next spring. In the run_up to the launch of StarTrekMovie.com, teaser posters were released of Captain Kirk, Uhura, Nero and Spock that form the delta emblem Trekkies know so well.

SAW V
YOU WON’T BELIEVE HOW IT ENDS In the fifth installment, Hoffman is seem_ingly the last person alive to carry on the Jigsaw legacy. But when his secret is threatened, Hoffman must go on the hunt to eliminate all loose ends.

THE HURT LOCKER
“A near_-perfect war film,” says Time magazine of The Hurt Locker following its world premiere at the recent Venice Film Festival. Telling the oft_-told story of the Iraq occupation with sharp_-edged sim_plicity, this one is not to be missed.

THE WOMEN
Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing and Jada Pinkett Smith get together for gos_ sip and treachery.

VINYAN
When a couple lose their son in the 2005 tsunami, their search plunges them into paranoia and betrayal.

APPALOOSA
“Feelings get you killed” reads the tagline of this Western in which Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen must save a town from a conniving rancher.

Sequels rule

September 25, 2008 - Dreamworks has announced plans to make follow-ups to two of its biggest animated hits. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was merely “the second chapter in one story.” He also spoke of plans for a sequel to summer smash Kung Fu Panda, hardly surprising considering the film has grossed over $550m worldwide.

As previously announced, plans are underway for a spring 2010 release of the sequel to Iron Man. Now that Tony Stark has gone public with his alter-ego, fans are eager to discover how the sage unfolds. Robert Downey Jr will soon start filming the Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes before moving on to the shoot for Iron Man 2.

The sequel explosion continues with news of re-igniting Jack Black’s School of Rock and bringing back the Ghostbusters. This was followed by an announcement of a sequel to Spike Lee's Inside Man. The first film centered on a standoff between a bank robber (Clive Owens) and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington). Lee says he foresees that the new film will continue the relationship between the two main characters but in a new high-tension situation, adding that Owens and Washington are interested in reteaming.

Friday the 13th First Look!

September 18, 2008 - "You're just not going to believe the first 12 minutes! It's a twist in itself."

That's what producer Michael Bay had to say about the upcoming remake of one of the most watched horror movies in history - Friday the 13th. Most famous for directing such mega-hits as Armageddon and Transformers, Bay knows a thrilling scene when he sees it.

First look images were recently unveiled from the spine-chilling new production, and we have them right here on grandcinemas.com. Click on the thumbnails for a larger view of your first peek at Friday the 13th.

Releasing early next year, the film follows a group of young adults who discover a boarded up Camp Crystal Lake. There they soon encounter Jason Voorhees and his deadly intentions.

Sequels rule

September 11, 2008 - There's no stopping Hollywood's sequel train - either get on or you'll miss the ride. Here's a round-up of the latest news on Iron Man, Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda, Transformers, and much more.

Dreamworks has announced plans to make follow-ups to two of its biggest animated hits. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said that Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa was merely “the second chapter in one story.” He also spoke of plans for a sequel to summer smash Kung Fu Panda, hardly surprising considering the film has grossed over $550m worldwide.

As previously announced, plans are also underway for a spring 2010 release of the sequel to Iron Man.

The sequel explosion continues with news of a follow-up to Spike Lee's Inside Man. The first film centered on a standoff between a bank robber (Clive Owens) and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington). Lee says he foresees a continuation in the relationship but in a new high-tension situation, adding that the stars are interested in re-teaming.

Other recent movies to catch the sequel bug are School of Rock (Jack Black's hilarious foray into musical education) and Ghostbusters, which will see the old heroes teach a new generation of goo-emitting criminals.

And while Shia LaBeouf's recent hand injury has been in the news, information about Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen remains top secret. When asked about the future of the franchise, director Michael Bay said: "When we were writing the script, I said to the writers, 'I hate sequels that try to make it to the third movie. Pretend like we’re never having a third movie, so let's go for broke on the second one.'"

Facebook film unfolds

September 4, 2008 - Writer/producer Aaron Sorkin has announced that he will be writing a film about the popular social networking site Facebook.

The acclaimed writer of A Few Good Men, The American President, Charlie Wilson's War and TV series The West Wing made the revelation on his newly-created Facebook page:

"I've just agreed to write a movie for Sony and producer Scott Rudin about how Facebook was invented. I figured a good first step in my preparation would be finding out what Facebook is, so I've started this page."

The film will follow the site's evolution since it was created in 2004 by Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg and how it changed the lives of the young people who built it. Facebook now has over 60 million members and is valued at $16 billion.

Much more furious

August 28, 2008 - The first trailer for Universal's Fast & Furious has blasted its way onto cinema screens and straight to your home on MySpace. Log on now and get your heart rate up to speed.

Scheduled to hit theatres next June, Fast and Furious is the fourth installment in the franchise that showed us what you can really do with a car. Vin Diesel and Paul Walker rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new highoctane action-thriller.

You can watch the trailer here: www.myspace.com/fastandfurious

Death Race

August 21, 2008 - Bone-crunching action is in store for us in the upcoming Death Race, starring Jason Statham, and you can get in the driver's seat at deathracemovie.net. Log on to watch incredible clips and take your very own "Death Race".

The film is set in the post-industrial wasteland of tomorrow, with the world's most brutal sporting event as its backdrop. A penitentiary full of felons has inspired the jailers to create a grisly pastime ripe for lucrative kickbacks. Now, adrenalized inmates, a global audience hungry for televised violence and a spectacular arena come together to form the "Death Race."

Enter ex-con Jensen Ames (Statham). He says he's innocent, but so does everyone else. In order to clear his name and get back to his daughter, Ames must survive the most brutal race ever.

While driving the tricked out cars - "we've got napalm, smoke ejector seats, General electric mini guns that fire out 4,000 rounds a minute" - was a potent experience, Statham had to make some sacrifices in order to become the beast behind the wheel. "I had to stop eating the pies and stop drinking the beers and start getting into prison shape," says the action star.

Death Race is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson and brings Statham together with Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez and Jason Clarke.

Coming soon to a theatre near you.

The real experience begins now at Grand Festival Cinemas

August 7, 2008 - A new age in digital and 3D cinema unfolds today in Dubai as Grand Cinemas, the Middle East’s most renowned cinema chain, launches its new, cutting-edge Grand Festival Cinemas. The first of its kind in the region, the new state-of-the art cinema offers movie-goers a host of Grand Services, including RealD and Digital Cinema, whilst redefining the concept of theater luxury.

Home to 12 screens, and with a capacity to seat up to 2200 moviegoers, Grand Festival Cinemas comes replete with a host of exciting new fea-tures, guaranteed to exceed expectations. In addition to RealD, which uses advanced 3D technology, and Digital Cinema, which offers unparal-leled picture quality and sound, its new features include Grand Class, the ultimate in theater luxury, and other top of the range Grand Services from ticketing to concessions. Unlike other cinemas, Grand Festival Cinemas will also be accessible to corporate entities for a wide range of events from workshops to seminars and forums.

“We are extremely happy to announce the launch of our 19th multiplex located at the square of Dubai Festival Centre. Our ongoing vertical expansion in the cinematic industry across the Middle-East is paralleled by our vision of transcending the characteristic qualities of entertainment,” said Jean Ramia, Group Operations Director, Gulf Films L.L.C / Grand Cinemas.

More movies, more choices with Digital Cinema

Grand Festival Cinemas will house the first digital cinemas in the Middle East, replete with cutting-edge digital projectors to offer unparalleled picture quality and sound, as well as the most comprehensive selection of movies and documentaries from around the world. Digital Cinema uses digital technology to distribute and project motion pictures, and because these movies can be distributed via hard drives, DVDs or satellite, rather than rely on conventional film reels, cinemas equipped with digital technology have access to a much larger selection of movies.

First Look: Terminator Salvation

July 24, 2008 - “I wanted to protect the movie and protect all of you by hiring the most credible actor of his generation: Christian Bale,” said director McG at Comic Con this week when he presented the first footage from Terminator Salvation.

Hot on the heels of a record smashing week for The Dark Knight, the T4 panel may have been preaching to the converted. Visitors were rewarded with an extended three minute trailer, which set crowds screaming and resulted in several reporters describing the visual feast as “jaw dropping”. Fans have also been treated to a first look photo of Bale squinting down his rifle at the remains of one of his cyborg enemies.

Though the Caped Crusader himself was on an international release tour for his latest blockbuster, Bale did have this to say: “Unlike Batman Begins, this would be something where we would be respecting the previous mythology. But what has ultimately made me make the choice to make it, is that I see the same potential for reinvention and for breathing new life into the mythology.”

Bale will play the adult John Connor in the post-apocalyptic world portended in the James Cameron-conceived movie series. Terminator Salvation is slated for a May 2009 release.

The T4 teaser trailer was shown in US theatres before the release of The Dark Knight. To read the director's blog and view the teaser, visit

http://rss.warnerbros.com/terminatorsalvation/

Dark Knight breaks US box office record

July 24, 2008 - In its US release this past weekend - and thanks partly to a record-breaking simultaneous IMAX release - The Dark Knight smashed previous box office highs with a jaw-dropping $158 million take in its first three days alone.

The actioner, which opens in UAE and Lebanon theatres on July 24, beat previous US record holder Spider-Man 3, which took in $153m last year. High praise went to the late Heath Ledger, whose tantalising performance as The joker has raised the possibility that he might be the first actor since Peter Finch in 1976 to receive a posthumous Academy Award nomination.

UAE and Lebanon moviegoers will be able to judge for themselves this weekend. And for IMAX fans it gets even better - The Dark Knight will be showing on the region's biggest screen in Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall.

Read the preview, check out the awesome photos and download wallpapers on your grandcinemas.com home page.

Law Abiding Gerald Butler

July 17, 2008 - Gulf Film has secured the rights to the upcoming psychological thriller Law Abiding Citizen, headlined by Gerard Butler.

The star of last year's war actioner 300 will play a successful assistant district attorney who finds himself at the centre of a vigilante plot. From his prison cell, a criminal mastermind traumatised by an unjust legal system weaves a deadly web of conspiracy that threatens the safety of the city. It's up to the assistant DA to find the culprit and end the cycle of terror.

Law Abiding Citizen is directed by Frank Darabont, who previously helmed Stephen King's The Mist, The Green Mile and the award winning prison drama The Shawshank Redemption.

In related news, Legendary Pictures has confirmed that a follow-up to war epic 300 is in the works. Frank Miller, the creator of the first outing, is currently working on the graphic novel the project will be based upon. As of yet, it is unconfirmed whether the story will be a prequel or spin-off of the original, and whether or not Butler will have a part to play.

G.I. Joe sneak peak

July 10, 2008 - Visitors to the recent Cinema EXPO in Amsterdam have spotted a G.I. Joe poster featuring Channing Tatum as Duke, and heralding the title "G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra". Could this be the film's full title? Fans are eagerly awaiting.

Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, whose previous collaboration was the worldwide blockbuster Transformers, reunite for another extraordinary action-adventure. From the Egyptian desert to deep below the polar ice caps, the elite G.I. Joe team uses the latest in next-generation spy and military equipment to fight the corrupt arms dealer Destro and the growing threat of the mysterious Cobra organisation to prevent them from plunging the world into chaos.

Check out the cool character shots from the film, which co-stars Dennis Quaid, Sienna Miller, Ray Park, Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Marlon Wayans, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arnold Vosloo and Christopher Eccleston.

G.I. Joe is directed by Stephen Sommers (The Mummy, The Mummy Returns) and is expected to storm theatres August 2009.

DiCaprio plays Atari

July 3, 2008 - Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star in Atari, a Paramount Pictures film about the godfather of the video game industry, Nolan Bushnell.

An engineering student, Bushnell worked on pinball machines before launching Atari Corp, a video game manufacturer, in the early 70s. Millions played its first product - a game called Pong. Within a few years, Bushnell sold the company to Warner Communications for $28 million.

Although the rights to Bushnell’s story have long been sought after, writers Brian Hecker and Craig Sherman persuaded the gaming pioneer that they could do his unique story justice.

DiCaprio is currently shooting Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island.

Femmes Fatales unveiled

June 26, 2008 - Lionsgate has recently unveiled four new posters revealing the Femmes Fatales of the upcoming action adventure The Spirit.

Fans of the legendary comic book series created by Will Eisner - on which the movie is based - will recognise the stunning Eva Mendes as Sand Saref, Scarlett Johansson as Silken Floss, Jaime King as Lorelai and Sarah Paulson as Ellen Dolan.

Directed by Frank Miller (creator of 300 and Sin City), the film tells the story of a former rookie cop (Gabriel Macht) who returns mysteriously from the dead as the Spirit to fight crime from the shadows of Central City. The Spirit is expected in theatres end 2008.

Sharif back to his roots

June 19, 2008 - Good news for Arabic film enthusiasts. International film star Omar Sharif has signed on to appear in a number of Arab projects in the coming months.

For starters, Sharif will star as Libyan revolutionary leader Omar Mukhtar in $50 million project Dhulm (Years of Torment) financed by Libyan president Moammar Gaddafi. The film will detail the three-decade Italian occupation of Libya from 1911-43. Mukhtar led the Libyan uprising before being executed by Italian forces in 1931. Dhulm will mark the feature film debut of Syrian director-producer Najdat Anzour, famous across the Arab world for his Ramadan shows.

“Mr Gaddafi asked me to play the part and sent his ministers to come and see me so I said OK,” said Sharif. “It’s well-written but in classical Arabic so I’m learning right now.”

The star has also teamed up with Adel Imam on Hassan and Morcoss, a comedy that pokes fun at religious bigotry. Sharif is hoping the film will help curb some of the religious tensions in the Middle East.

YOU GOT TO MOVE IT, MOVE IT

June 12, 2008 - Paramount has released first look images of the upcoming Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and we've got them!

Reteaming the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Sacha Baron Cohen, all the loveable characters are back this November. What's more, you'll be able to see them in cinemas across the emirates and on the biggest screen in the country - IMAX at Grand Megaplex, Ibn Battuta Mall.

Left marooned on the distant shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers have hatched a plan. With military precision, the penguins have repaired an old crashed plane – sort of – and the crew makes it to the wildest place of all: Africa itself. Despite long-lost relatives, romantic rivals and scheming hunters, Africa seems like a "crack-a-lackin" great place, but is it better than their Central Park home?

Diesel fuelled return

June 5, 2008 - Universal Pictures recently announced the start of production on the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed -- Fast and Furious. Heading back to the streets where it all began, Vin Diesel and Paul Walker rejoin Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster to blast muscle, tuner and exotic cars across Los Angeles and floor through the Mexican desert in the new highoctane action-thriller.

When a crime brings them back to LA, fugitive ex-con Dom Toretto (Diesel) reignites his feud with agent Brian O’Conner (Walker). But as they are forced to confront a shared enemy, Dom and Brian must give in to an uncertain new trust if they hope to outmanuever him. And from convoy heists to precision tunnel crawls across international lines, two men will find the best way to get revenge:
push the limits of what’s possible behind the wheel.

The film is scheduled for a summer 2009 release.

Cannes winners announced

May 29, 2008 - For the first time in 21 years, the French have taken away the Palme d'Or at the recently concluded 2008 Cannes Film Festival. The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro and newcomer Sandra Corveloni.

"It is an amazing, amazing film," said the head of the nine-member Cannes jury, US actor-director Sean Penn, as he announced Palme d'Or winner Entre les murs (The Class). The film, about life in a tough Parisian classroom, was based on an autobiographical novel by Francois Begaudeau about his life as a young teacher.

Benicio Del Toro won overwhelming praise for his role as "Che" Guevara in Steven Soderbergh's film on the revolutionary hero. Del Toro, 41, transforms into a larger-than-life Che in the marathon four-hours-plus movie.

"I'd like to dedicate this to the man himself, Che Guevara," he said.

Expected to be an epic ode to a much loved leader, Che has been acquired for regional distribution by Gulf Film and is due to be released in two parts.

Following are the winners of the main prizes.

PALME D'OR
- Entre Les Murs (The Class), directed by Laurent Cantet

GRAND PRIX (Runner-up prize)
- Gomorra (Gomorrah) directed by Matteo Garrone

BEST DIRECTOR
- Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Three Monkeys

JURY PRIZE
- Il Divo directed by Paolo Sorrentino

BEST ACTOR
- Benicio del Toro in Che

BEST ACTRESS
- Sandra Corveloni in Linha de Passe (Line of Passage)

BEST SCREENPLAY
- Lorna's Silence by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne

CAMERA D'OR
- Hunger, directed by Steve McQueen

A Tolkien twist

May 22, 2008 - It's finally confirmed: Guillermo Del Toro will be handling directing duties for The Hobbit.

After much speculation regarding the prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and with Peter Jackson taking the production reigns, The Hobbit is on track. The Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth director will soon be heading to New Zealand for four years to make two back-to-back Hobbit movies.

It's also confirmed that Sir Ian McKellen will return as Gandalf. “Yes, it’s true,” says the beloved actor. “I spoke to Guillermo ... and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role. Obviously, it’s not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf.”

While the script has not yet been written, it's expected that Peter Jackson and his Lord of the Rings collaborators Phillippa Boyens and Fran Walsh will be involved in the process.

Del Toro's current project, Hellboy II: The Golden Army, releases in theatres August 21st.

Gibson in front of the camera again

May 15, 2008 - Marking his first starring role in a feature film since he headlined Signs and We Were Soldiers in 2002, Mel Gibson has committed to star in Edge of Darkness.

The film will be an adaptation of the six-hour 1985 BBC miniseries; director Martin Campbell (Casino Royale) will again helm. In 'Darkness', Gibson will play a police investigator whose activist daughter is killed and who uncovers the systemic corruption that led to her death.

Gibson has continued to be offered roles after he controversially made anti-Semitic comments to a police officer during a DUI arrest. Films that Gibson starred in and directed have grossed north of $5 billion worldwide.

Iron Man smashes worldwide box office

May 8, 2008 - Robert Downey Jr and company have done it. Not only did the actor prove his superhero chops – the film reaped the rewards internationally with a worldwide take of $201 million in its opening weekend alone.

The $100.7 million gross in the US makes it the 8th best opening weekend ever. Regionally, in the UAE, admissions were an astounding 76,000, making Iron Man the biggest movie of the year so far.

Starring Downey Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard and Jeff Bridges, Iron Man is based on the iconic superhero from Marvel.

New Indiana Jones pics!

May 1, 2008 - Paramount Pictures has released fantastic new photos of the highly anticipated Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – and GC readers get a first look!

Coming to theatres May 22, the new Indiana Jones adventure stars Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett and Shia LaBeouf. Join the grandcinemas.com QUEST as we count down to this epic release, and you may be the winner of the ultimate Indy treasure!

Chan and Li break box office

April 24, 2008 - Jackie Chan and Jet Li blasted to the top of the US box office this week in their new action adventure The Forbidden Kingdom.

The film grossed a staggering USD20 million in its first weekend alone. Though it seems Chan and Li were cast from the same action hero mold, this is in fact the first time that the martial arts masters star in the same film. The pairing has been long awaited by film enthusiasts and promises to be a major attraction.

Middle East moviegoers won't have long to wait. The region's largest movie distributor, Gulf Film, has acquired rights for the film's local release and promise that it will soon reach our shores.

Definitely not the "Iron" age!

April 17, 2008 - The buzz is building - IRON MAN will be in theatres May 1st and new special effects photos have just been released. Feast your eyes on these!

Starring Robert Downey Jr as Marvel's iconic Super Hero, IRON MAN tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armour and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

City lost, Pitt found

April 10, 2008 - Paramount Pictures has bought the rights to Lost City of Z, a David Grann manuscript about the search for a lost city in the Amazon, with plans for Brad Pitt to produce and star in the feature adaptation.

Grann's forthcoming nonfiction book follows British explorer Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, who was searching for the so-called City of Z when he and his party disappeared in 1925. To this day, many explorers have tried and failed to retrace Fawcett's path, including a 1996 expedition of Brazilian adventurers. Pitt would play Fawcett.

Production is geared towards a 2010 release.

Big Brothers

April 3, 2008 - Filming recently wrapped on the upcoming war drama Brothers. Fans of Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal will be happy to see the two talented young actors share the screen. They are joined by Natalie Portman and Ray Prewitt.

Based on Susanne Bier's acclaimed film, Brothers is a beautifully crafted story about the rivalry and ultimate redemption of two brothers caught between their love for the same woman.

Rights for regional distribution have been acquired by Gulf Film. The Jim Sheridan directed epic is set for release this winter.

Wolfman unveiled

March 27, 2008 - Universal Pictures has released the first photos of Benicio Del Toro as The Wolfman. Fans of the horror classic will be happy to know that FX maestro Rick Baker (Oscar nominated for Norbit) is on lycanthrope duties and has done a 'hair-raising' job.

Like the 1941 original that starred Lon Chaney Jr, the new film will be set in Victorian England. Del Toro will play a man who returns from America to his ancestral homeland, gets bitten by a werewolf and begins a hairy moonlight existence.

Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving join Oscar winner Del Toro in the Joe Johnston directed film. The release date has been set for February 2009.

Indy goes ET?

March 20, 2008 - A new poster has been released for upcoming Harrison Ford starrer Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- and something alien is clearly afoot!

In the midst of portraits of the all-star cast -- including Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone -- is the skull of something not all human. The poster's release, in addition to a shot in the recent trailer of a crate labeled "Roswell, New Mexico 1947", has sparked a flurry of speculation and excitement regarding the film's plot.

The fourth installment of the super-popular franchise is directed by Steven Spielberg and is due in theatres May 22.

Conan set to conquer

March 13, 2008 - It has been confirmed - the big screen comeback of Conan has been secured for the Middle East. The cast and crew have yet to be announced but we do know that the return of the franchise that launched the film career of Arnold Schwarzenegger will be nothing less than HUGE!

Based on Robert E. Howard's mythical conqueror Conan the Barbarian, the action adventure promises to be more faithful to Howard's original creation than were the Schwarzenegger films. Millennium Films, which took on the Al Pacino-Robert De Niro starrer Righteous Kill and Stallone’s Rambo, aims to start production in Bulgaria in summer/fall. The film is slated for a 2009 release.

Stay tuned to grandcinemas.com for casting news as it happens.

Filling Heath Ledger’s shoes

March 6, 2008 - Following Heath Ledger's tragic death on January 22nd, 2008, questions were raised regarding the fate of the project that he had been filming – The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus. Would the show go on? Would the starring role be refilmed around another actor?

Following recent developments, those questions have been answered. Industry papers have reported that Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell will play Ledger's character in scenes not yet filmed as a tribute to the late actor. The film's fantasy premise, and some clever rewrites, will allow the actors to play a man whose appearance changes as he travels between imaginary worlds.

The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus had reunited Ledger with Brothers Grimm director Terry Gilliam, whose previous work on films such as Twelve Monkeys (which earned Brad Pitt an Oscar nod) and The Fisher King had marked him as a master of the fantasy genre. A modern-day adventure, the film tells the story of Dr Parnassus, who has the gift of guiding the imaginations of others. With his travelling theatre troupe, Parnassus offers audience members the chance to transcend reality by passing through a magical mirror.

Now filming, 'Imaginarium' also stars Christopher Plummer, Tom Waits, Lily Cole, Andrew Garfield and Verne Troyer, and is scheduled for a 2009 release.

Oscars announced

February 28, 2008 - There were a few surprises but the 80th annual Academy Awards came as a welcome relief from the strike-inhibited Hollywood of late.

Continuing last year’s streak, Europeans carried away a generous share of the statuettes, among them Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men) and Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose). The big winner of the night, however, was No Country for Old Men, which nabbed Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor and Adapted Screenplay.

And the winners are...

BEST PICTURE
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
WINNER: No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
WINNER: Ethan Coen & Joel Coen - No Country For Old Men
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Jason Reitman - Juno
Julian Schnabel - The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Julie Christie - Away from Her
WINNER: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en Rose
Laura Linney - The Savages
Ellen Page - Juno

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Cate Blanchett - I’m Not There
Ruby Dee - American Gangster
Saoirse Ronan in Atonement
Amy Ryan in Gone Baby Gone
WINNER: Tilda Swinton in Michael Clayton

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Casey Affleck - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
WINNER: Javier Bardem - No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
Tom Wilkinson in Michael Clayton

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Brad Bird - Ratatouille
WINNER: Diablo Cody - Juno
Tony Gilroy - Michael Clayton
Tamara Jenkins - The Savages
Nancy Oliver - Lars and the Real Girl

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
WINNER: Ethan & Joel Coen - No Country for Old Men
Christopher Hampton - Atonement
Ronald Harwood - The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Sarah Polley - Away from Her

COSTUME DESIGN
Across the Universe
Atonement
WINNER: Elizabeth: The Golden Age
La Vie en Rose
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

ANIMATED FEATURE
Persepolis
WINNER: Ratatouille
Surf’s Up

MAKEUP
WINNER: La Vie en Rose
Norbit
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

VISUAL EFFECTS
WINNER: The Golden Compass
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Transformers

ART DIRECTION
American Gangster
Atonement
The Golden Compass
WINNER: Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
There Will Be Blood

LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM
At Night
Il Supplente (The Substitute)
WINNER: Le Mozart des Pickpockets
Tanghi Argentini
The Tonto Woman

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
I Met the Walrus
Madame Tutli-Putli
Même Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)
My Love (Moya Lyubov)
WINNER: Peter & the Wolf

SOUND EDITING
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
There Will Be Blood
Transformers

SOUND MIXING
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum
No Country for Old Men
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma
Transformers

FILM EDITING
WINNER: The Bourne Ultimatum
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
Into the Wild
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Beaufort - Israel
WINNER: The Counterfeiters - Austria
Katyn, - Poland
Mongol - Kazakhstan
12 - Russia

ORIGINAL SONG
WINNER: Falling Slowly from Once
Happy Working Song from Enchanted
Raise It Up from August Rush
So Close from Enchanted
That’s How You Know from Enchanted

CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Atonement
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
No Country for Old Men
WINNER: There Will Be Blood

ORIGINAL SCORE
WINNER: Atonement
The Kite Runner
Michael Clayton
Ratatouille
3:10 to Yuma

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
WINNER: Freeheld
La Corona
Salim Baba
Sari’s Mother

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
No End in Sight
Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience
Sicko
WINNER: Taxi to the Dark Side
War/Dance

Royal red carpet

February 21, 2008 - A recent film screening in Amman's Grand City Mall became a royal affair when Queen Rania Al Abdullah attended the premiere of Captain Abu Raed, the first Jordanian feature in 50 years.

Crowds were delighted when her highness, joined by Prince Ali and his wife Princess Reem, mingled with moviegoers. Over 500 people attended the February 5th event, which also saw a gathering of the cast and crew of the critically acclaimed film.

Director Amin Matalqa and star Nadim Sawalha were happy to pose for photos, rounding out a momentous day for the Grand Cinemas team.

Captain Abu Raed is a universal story of friendship, inspiration and heroism set in contemporary Jordan. The film won the Sundance 2008 World Cinema Audience Award and its leading man, Nadim Sawalha, won Best Actor Award in Dubai International Film Festival 2007.

Queen Rania and Nadim Sawalha

Captain Abu Raed cast with GC team

Indy behind the scenes

February 14, 2008 - Those awaiting the upcoming release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull have a lot to keep them sated and smiling on the official website - IndianaJones.com.

Log on for an eyeful of behind the scenes clips, featurettes and trailers. In the latest addition to the site, filmmakers and stars talk about bringing back the iconic Indiana Jones Hat and Jacket.

Coming in May to theatres, the Steven Spielberg-directed fourth installment in the franchise stars Harrison Ford, Shia LaBeouf, Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, Karen Allen, John Hurt and Jim Broadbent.

Time to act

February 7, 2008 - February 4th marked UAE National Environment Day and what better time for the Middle East premiere of The 11th Hour, the Leonardo DiCaprio-produced documentary?

"The 11th Hour" is the last moment when change is possible. The film explores how we've arrived at this moment - how we live, how we impact the earth's ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course. Ongoing dialogues feature experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev and renowned scientist Stephen Hawking.

In the UAE, there will be a month-long schedule of activities in Dubai’s schools to promote awareness of climate change in the region and what can be done on a local level.

Gulf Film secures T4

January 31, 2008 - Great news for Middle East moviegoers – film distributors Gulf Film have secured the regional rights to Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins, coming to theatres next summer. The fourth installment in the blockbuster franchise promises to reinvent the cyborg saga. The Terminator Salvation storyline will be told over a three-movie span.

Rumours have been confirmed that commercial and indie favourite Christian Bale has signed up for the role of John Connor. Bale is currently wrapping up work on Batman sequel The Dark Knight.

The story will take place after the events of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines – in a post-apocalyptic world – where a new hero will be introduced. McG, director of the Charlie's Angels movies, will helm; production is set to begin April. Arnold Schwarzenegger is not expected to make a cameo in any of the three ‘Salvation’ films as long as he is a governor.

Oliver Stone aims for Bush film

January 24, 2008 - Director Oliver Stone (Alexander, World Trade Center) has announced his next project: "Bush" will focus on the life and presidency of George W. Bush, and is set to star Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) in the title role.

Should financing come about in time, the film could start production by April and may well be in theatres for the US election or the inauguration.

While Stone has made no secret of his personal distaste for Bush's political strategies, the filmmakers says he does not aim to make an anti-Bush polemic, instead focusing on the president's rise to power, using a structure comparable to "The Queen".

Of actor Josh Brolin, Stone says: "Josh is actually better looking than Bush but has the same drive and charisma that Americans identify with Bush, who has some of that old-time movie-star swagger."

Globe winners announced

January 17, 2008 – As a result of the ongoing Writers’ strike, the Golden Globes awards ceremony set to take place this month was trimmed down to an “announcement” on Sunday. There was no fanfare; there were no celebrities. Nonetheless, the best in the biz got their kudos – including Keira Knightley starrer Atonement, the upcoming No Country for Old Men, and Johnny Depp’s Sweeney Todd.

The nominees and winners follow:

MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
American Gangster
WINNER: Atonement
Eastern Promises
The Great Debaters
Michael Clayton
No Country For Old Men
There Will Be Blood

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
WINNER: Julie Christie - Away From Her
Jodie Foster - The Brave One
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart
Keira Knightley – Atonement

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - DRAMA
George Clooney - Michael Clayton
WINNER: Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
James McAvoy - Atonement
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Denzel Washington - American Gangster

MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Across The Universe
Charlie Wilson’s War
Hairspray
Juno
WINNER: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams - Enchanted
Nikki Blonsky - Hairspray
Helena Bonham Carter - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
WINNER: Marion Cotillard - La Vie en rose
Ellen Page - Juno

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE - COMEDY OR MUSICAL
WINNER: Johnny Depp - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Ryan Gosling - Lars And The Real Girl
Tom Hanks - Charlie Wilson’s War
Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Savages
John C. Reilly - Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bee Movie
WINNER: Ratatouille
The Simpsons Movie

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days (Romania)
WINNER: The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (France And USA)
The Kite Runner (USA)
Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
Persepolis (France)

Rambo busts out

January 10, 2008 - With only a few weeks to go before the release of Rambo, fans can log on to the film's official website at break.com/rambo for an eyeful of the action to come. Watch trailers and clips, check out image galleries and become acquainted with Sly's jungle locations. There's also plenty of downloads and promotions.

In the fourth installment of the war franchise, John Rambo must put aside his solitary, peaceful life to track down two kidnapped missionaries on the Thai-Burma border. Sylvester Stallone stars and directs.

Signing up

January 3, 2008 - Sienna Miller has signed up for Paramount Pictures' big-budget project G.I. Joe, in which she will play the film's female lead. The character is described as a raven-haired baroness and sexy femme fatale skilled in espionage. Stephen Sommers directs the live-actionner based on the Hasbro toys, comic book and TV series. The film is slated for release in summer 2009.

Banking on the commercial success of previous instalments, David R Ellis (Final Destination 2) has agreed to direct and develop Final Destination 4, the latest in New Line's popular horror series. While plot details for FD4 are still under wraps, the movie will stand alone – it will feature new teens facing new forms of death.

More thrills, less gore. Bruce Willis has been confirmed for The Surrogates, a sci-fi thriller that Jonathan Mostow will direct for Disney's Touchstone Pictures. Based on a graphic novel the storyline is compelling to say the least and is set in the near future, where humans live in isolation and interact vicariously through surrogate robots that are better-looking versions of themselves. Willis plays a cop who, through his surrogate, investigates the mysterious murders of others' surrogates. With no options remaining, the hardened cop is forced to venture from his own home for the first time in years to unravels the conspiracy.