New York City officials are already teed off over Ken and Sarah Burns documentary The Central Park Five — but just wait until they see the poster for the headlines-generating film. The stark, black-and-white image simply, effectively — and immediately — communicates the idea that the scales of justice did not work for the five men who were convicted and later cleared in the racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case that rocked the city. As I reported in early October, lawyers for the city of New York have subpoenaed notes and outtakes from the documentary, which Burns directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon, in order to determine whether the material can help them fight a federal civil rights lawsuit that five men filed nine years ago as a result of their experience. (Each of the five men is seeking $50 million.) The documentary, which was shown at the Cannes, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, scrutinizes the initial convictions of the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Kharey Wise — noting, for instance that the five men did not appear to be in the area of the park where the rape occurred, that their DNA was not found on the victim and that their confessions did not jibe with one another’s. As I also reported, the filmmakers are fighting the subpoena . Sarah Burns told me, “We’re not sure the city can subpoena us because we believe we’re protected by the shield laws” that allow journalists to protect their sources and research. In 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the incident, the lawyer for the five men, Jonathan Moore called their experience “the most racist prosecution that occurred in the City of New York. The city maintains that that cops and prosecutors acted appropriately. “We believe that based on the information that the police and prosecutors had at the time, they had probable cause to proceed, and the confessions were sound,” a city spokeswoman told the New York Times. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
New York City officials are already teed off over Ken and Sarah Burns documentary The Central Park Five — but just wait until they see the poster for the headlines-generating film. The stark, black-and-white image simply, effectively — and immediately — communicates the idea that the scales of justice did not work for the five men who were convicted and later cleared in the racially charged 1989 Central Park jogger case that rocked the city. As I reported in early October, lawyers for the city of New York have subpoenaed notes and outtakes from the documentary, which Burns directed with his daughter Sarah Burns and her husband David McMahon, in order to determine whether the material can help them fight a federal civil rights lawsuit that five men filed nine years ago as a result of their experience. (Each of the five men is seeking $50 million.) The documentary, which was shown at the Cannes, Telluride and Toronto film festivals, scrutinizes the initial convictions of the Central Park Five — Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana, and Kharey Wise — noting, for instance that the five men did not appear to be in the area of the park where the rape occurred, that their DNA was not found on the victim and that their confessions did not jibe with one another’s. As I also reported, the filmmakers are fighting the subpoena . Sarah Burns told me, “We’re not sure the city can subpoena us because we believe we’re protected by the shield laws” that allow journalists to protect their sources and research. In 2009, on the 20th anniversary of the incident, the lawyer for the five men, Jonathan Moore called their experience “the most racist prosecution that occurred in the City of New York. The city maintains that that cops and prosecutors acted appropriately. “We believe that based on the information that the police and prosecutors had at the time, they had probable cause to proceed, and the confessions were sound,” a city spokeswoman told the New York Times. Follow Frank DiGiacomo on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Jonathan Dailey , 23, from Charlotte, N.C., was last seen at his Boston apartment on Oct. 2 when he ate pizza and watched TV with his roommate, Miles Smith. Smith has said he went to bed and never saw Dailey again. Boston Architectural College student Jonathan Dailey was found weighed down with a cinder block and chains in a Boston river on Tuesday, and authorities are still unsure whether his death was a suicide or a homicide. They are pursuing it as a “death investigation,” Jake Wark, a spo
‘I was the first artist Chris Lighty signed to Violator Records,’ Chi-Ali tells ‘RapFix Live’ of his fallen friend. By Rob Markman Chris Lighty Photo: Getty Images
‘Everybody knows that boy retarded, ain’t nobody taking him seriously,’ Young Jeezy tells Power 106’s Big Boy of his rival Gucci Mane on Friday. By Rob Markman Young Jeezy Photo: Prince Williams/ FilmMagic
AFI Fest is fast approaching and the event unveiled Centerpiece Gala and Special Screenings details with Ang Lee ‘s Life of Pi (3-D) and Walter Salles ‘ On the Road on tap for their West Coast debuts. Peter Ramsey’s Rise of the Guardians and Jacques Audiard ‘s Rust and Bone will also debut. Bone star Marion Cotillard will receive a tribute during the festival, taking place November 1 – 8. All galas will take place at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. A number of Toronto premieres will be presented as Special Screenings at AFI Fest. Eight titles including The Central Park Five , Ginger and Rosa , Holy Motors , The Impossible , Quartet , Room 237 , TIFF winner Silver Linings Playbook and West of Memphis will screen in the section. As previously announced, the World Premiere of Sacha Gervasi’s Hitchcock will open AFI Fest, while Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln will close out the event. For the fourth year, AFI Fest will off free tickets for all of its screenings (though packages are available to ensure reserved seats for Galas). AFI Fest 2012 Galas with descriptions provided by the event: Opening Night Gala: Hitchcock : The love story between the iconic filmmaker and his wife, Alma Reville, during the filming of PSYCHO in 1959. DIR Sacha Gervasi. SCR John J. McLaughlin. CAST Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, James D’Arcy, Michael Wincott, Richard Portnow, Kurtwood Smith. USA. World Premiere. Thursday, November 1, 7:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Centerpiece Galas: Life of Pi in 3D: Director Ang Lee ( Brokeback Mountain , Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ) creates a groundbreaking movie event about a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with another survivor – a fearsome Bengal tiger. DIR Ang Lee. SCR David Magee. CAST Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu. USA. Friday, November 2, 7:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. On the Road : Jack Kerouac’s seminal pseudo-autobiography arrives on the big screen at the intersection of fact and fiction. DIR Walter Salles. SCR Jose Rivera, Jack Kerouac. CAST Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Danny Morgan, Alice Bragga, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortenson. France/UK/USA/Brazil. Saturday, November 3, 8:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Rise of the Guardians in 3D: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman and Jack Frost are The Guardians – legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities charged with protecting children everywhere from an evil spirit’s attempt to take over the world. DIR Peter Ramsey. SCR David Lindsay-Abaire. CAST Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law. USA. Sunday, November 4, 4:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Rust and Bone (De Rouille Et D’Os) featuring A Tribute to Marion Cotillard: An unusual love story between a back alley boxer and a woman who has suffered a profound loss. DIR Jacques Audiard. SCR Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain. CAST Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Celine Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Bouli Lanners, Jean-Michel Correia. France/Belgium. Monday, November 5, 7:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Closing Night Gala: Lincoln : Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln , a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. DIR Steven Spielberg. SCR Tony Kushner. CAST Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones. USA. World Premiere. Thursday, November 8, 7:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Special Screenings: Silver Linings Playbook : When a history teacher is cuckolded by his wife and a co-worker, he goes ballistic, lands in jail, then moves in with his sports-obsessed parents. DIR David O. Russell. SCR David O. Russell, Matthew Quick. CAST Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Paul Herman, Dash Mihok, Shea Whigham. USA. Friday, November 2, 8:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian. The Central Park Five : Ken Burns’ documentary about what was known as the crime of century showcases a group of teenagers who were forced to give false confessions and were wrongfully convicted for raping and beating New York City jogger Trisha Meili. DIR/SCR Sarah Burns, Ken Burns, David McMahon. Saturday, November 3, 3:30 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian. Holy Motors : Denis Lavant plays Mr. Oscar, a shadowy figure who inhabits many roles while fulfilling assignments from inside a white limousine in Léos Carax’s beguiling work. DIR/SCR Léos Carax. CAST Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue. France/Germany. Saturday, November 3, 7:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian. The Impossible : A family is swept up in the monumental turmoil of the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami along with thousands of strangers. DIR Juan Antonio Bayona. SCR Sergio G. Sánchez. CAST Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin. Spain/USA. Sunday, November 4, 8:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Room 237 : Rodney Asher’s documentary delves into the symbols and messages hidden within Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film, THE SHINING, revealing more secrets after 30 years. DIR Rodney Ascher. CAST Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner. USA. Sunday, November 4, 9:00 p.m., Chinese 1. Quartet : A birthday concert for Verdi at a home for retired opera singers is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, a diva and former wife of one of the residents. DIR Dustin Hoffman in his directorial debut. SCR Ronald Harwood. CAST Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon. UK. Sunday, November 4, 9:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian. Ginger and Rosa : As the Cold War meets the sexual revolution in 1960s London, the lifelong friendship of two teenage girls (Elle Fanning, Alice Englert) is shattered by ideological differences and personal betrayals. DIR/SCR Sally Potter. CAST Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Annette Bening, Oliver Platt, Timothy Spall, Jodhi May. UK/Denmark. Wednesday, November 7, 8:00 p.m., Chinese 1. West of Memphis : Amy Berg’s film casts a light on the brutal murder of three young boys and the 18-year struggle to exonerate the teenagers who were convicted of the crimes. DIR Amy Berg. SCR Billy McMilin, Amy Berg. CAST Damien Echols; Lorri Davis; Jason Baldwin; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; Pam Hicks. USA. Date, time and venue TBC.
Don’t lose faith just yet, Hermione Granger fans– now that Emma Watson has reached the ripe, fully ogle-able old age of 22, she says that she’s open to onscreen nudity: “’ I’ve been saying since I was 16 that if it’s the right role and important for character development and the story, then of course I’ll do it, ” Emma tells the UK’s Hello! Magazine about stripping down on screen. In what’s become practically a rite of passage for hot Hollywood starlets, recent rumors have tied (heh) Emma to the role of budding bondage freak Anastasia in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie. And while Emma and her reps flat-out deny that she’s attached to the film, she says the attention is still flattering: ” It’s very exciting that people are starting to see me in a different way…It means that they’re allowing me the space to grow and develop and reincarnate myself , ” Emma tells Hello! Hey, that’s better than ” ewwww, NO ” right? Here’s hoping we get a glimpse inside Emma’s Chamber of Secrets soon! See more former child stars all grown up (and out) in our Childhood Actresses Grown Up playlist right here at MrSkin.com!
I’ve watched Leonardo DiCaprio die a dozen times as Jack Dawson in Titanic , each time cursing that Rose ( Kate Winslet ) for not sharing the Floating Debris of Life with her doomed lover. With every frail tweet of that rescue whistle, every whispered ” Come baaaack! ” I’ve wondered: Did Jack really have to die? Now we have our answer. The good folks on The Discovery Channel’s MythBusters must have shared my nagging concerns, because they put Jack’s Titanic death scene to the test. Could two human beings have fit on Rose’s makeshift raft, and therefore survived to live happily ever after sketching nudie pics of each other forever in Paris?? Granted, Jack was a streetwise, card-playing, jig-dancing sensitive artiste with probably zero physics training, so he probably wouldn’t have thought to tie Rose’s life jacket to the bottom of the debris to give it enough buoyancy to hold the two of them. But if he hadn’t had to shove over to let stupid Rose cling to the entire thing Jack wouldn’t have had to chill, literally, in the freezing waters, and maybe then he wouldn’t have died of sinking like a beautiful popsicle to the bottom of the ocean. Or as you fancypants science types call it, hypothermia. “With all we’ve learned, I think Jack’s death is needless,” co-host Jamie Hyneman tells James Cameron , who appears in the episode. Cameron’s response? “The script says Jack dies. He has to die.” DAMN YOU, CAMERON. [ MythBusters via Thompson on Hollywood ] Follow Jen Yamato on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
Only weeks ahead of its world premiere as the opening film at AFI Fest comes a glimpse of Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren starrer, Hitchcock . Like the festival’s closing night counterpart, Lincoln , the title will no doubt be an awards-season heavy-weight. The legendary filmmaker and his wife Alma Reville (Mirren) take the focus in the Sacha Gervasi-directed feature, which is set against the backdrop of filming Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1959. The trailer opens with Hopkins talking about violence and horror and he’s just a man “behind the scenes with a camera.” Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, Vera Miles, James D’Arcy, Danny Huston and Toni Collette also star in the film, which spans from the time of Wisconsin murder Ed Gein, the inspiration for Psycho ‘s Norman Bates character, to the release of the lauded film in 1960. Hitchcock and Reville’s marriage comes under strain due to the filmmaker’s determination to complete the film. Fox Searchlight, which will release Hitchcock beginning November 23rd, will likely have a multiple Oscar-nominated pic on its hands if the trailer is any indication. What do you think?
Your guess is as good as mine as to what the heck’s going on in new set photos from Terrence Malick’s latest picture, in which Natalie Portman and Michael Fassbender appear to be getting down to lip-locking in a field… and are interrupted by a green lizard man with “FREAK” tattoed across his chest. What’s Terry up to down in Austin? The untitled Malick film follows To The Wonder and Knight of Cups in the filmmaker’s suddenly hyperproductive recent filming tear and is about sexual obsession and lusty betrayal in the Austin, TX music scene. Or, as you might imagine, a Friday night on 6th Street during SXSW. But, more importantly ! In the new batch of set pics Portman and Fassbender get wrapped up in each others’ arms, a bit more passionately than co-stars Rooney Mara and Ryan Gosling did in their previously snapped scenes. They gaze into each others’ eyes. He dips her onto the ground. And then… The Lizardman startles PortBender out of their embrace! (He’s Austin fixture Erik Sprague , self-professed “professional freak,” and he has a split tongue. Perhaps a little local flavor to keep the Untitled Terry Malick Sexytime Picture weird?) Also in Malick’s film, formerly titled Lawless : Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Haley Bennett, and Holly Hunter. Stay tuned as the internet continues trying to figure out Malick’s secrets down in Texas. [via Daily Mail ]
