Nadunisi Naigal Trailer

The Mechanic' Trailer

Official BATTLE: LOS ANGELES Trailer - In Theaters 3/11

Sundance Film Festival 2011

 Wondering what's happening in Park City? Our Sundance Film Festival 2011 section is the perfect place to find all about the latest from the festival, including photos of Sundance celebs Eva Green, and Ray Liotta and Tobey Maguire, among many others. We've got a mini-guide to the festival's feature-length films, photos from screenings, the streets and parties,Sundance lists, and more. We'll also have updates via Facebook, Twitter and our blog as well as video from the festival, courtesy of Sundance Channel. It's all in our Sundance Film Festival 2011 section!

Pokiri team back!

It seems they are back to create history again. We are talking about Tollywood actor Mahesh Babu and leading director Puri Jagannath. The two are planning to come together for another wholesome entertaining film after the record-breaking previous film of their team titled Pokiri. This new movie is expected to go on to floors from this May. RR Movie Makers are the producers of this mega budget movie. A few days ago, Puri Jagannath narrated the script to Mahesh Babu and the actor was quite impressed with the script and readily agreed to star in it.

As their pervious movie together, Pokiri, was a sensational hit, the expectations are high on this project. Pokiri was remade in Kollywood with Vijay as the lead star and was directed by Prabhu Deva.  Prabhu Deva went on to make the same movie in Bollywood too with Salman Khan which also was a blockbuster hit.

Aamir’s Republic day!

While the whole nation was celebrating the Republic Day, Aamir Khan decided to celebrate it in his own style. He celebrated the Republic Day with the washermen community in Mumbai. It was almost like a promotion of his movie Dhobi Ghat produced by him and directed by his wife Kiran Rao. Dhobi Ghat is Kiran Rao’s debut directorial venture. With the limited screening of Dhobi Ghat, mostly in multiplexes alone, business is more than expected, says a source. The movie also won critical acclaim at the Toronto Film Festival.

Aamir hoisted the Indian National Flag, at the Mahalakshmi Dhobi Ghat marking the Republic Day. Some source says that this move could be a way of reaching out to the washermen, who earlier had objected to the film because they found the term, “Dhobi” in the title offensive. Aamir apologized for hurting their sentiments and was even ready to change the title of the film. Later, the Akhil Bharatiya Dhobi Mahasangh let them keep the title intact because they realized that the film was about the place in Mumbai and did not present the community in a bad way. Further, they did not want Aamir to suffer losses. The film released in India on the 21st January 2011 and so far the film has received mixed responses. While many things about the film, like its subject, the way it has captured the different moods of Mumbai and so on have been appreciated, some others have felt that the film was too slow and Aamir was uncomfortable in his role. While some critics saw melancholy and poetry in its subject, some felt that the script was an aimlessly drifting one. The film stars late Smita Patil and Raj Babbar's son Prateik Babbar, along with Monica Dogra and Kriti Malhotra.

" Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge " into its 14th year!

Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol along with debut director Aditya Chopra proved that they could make it to history with Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Yes, the film is running in its 13th year at the Maratha Mandir Cinema in Mumbai. The film entered its 679th week in on 17th October 2008, which means that it recently entered its 14th year. But since it was released at Maratha Mandir a few weeks after its premiere release, it is considered to be in its 13th year at that particular cinema theatre. And in these 13 years, eight prints of the film have been changed. DDLJ is being screened with the ninth print currently. Of course, it goes without saying that the film yields a share every week even now! The film was included in the Cinema India showcase, The Changing Face of Indian Cinema, which toured the United States in July and August 2004. Indiatimes Movies ranks the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films. It was also listed among the only two Hindi films in the 1001 Movies You Must See before You Die list (the other being Mother India).

Suriya out, Vijay in for ‘3 Idiots’

Vijay had previously walked out of Shankar’s academy of Idiots due to some creative differences and now he is back as confirmed by the confidential sources. There was some surprising news on airs that Suriya is replacing Vijay and the shoot was to begin by first week of March after the completion of ‘Ezham Arivu’.

But again, the creative difference between Shankar and Suriya seems to have popped up resulting in abrupt conclusion. Vijay is busy now shooting for the film ‘Velayudham’ and will soon schedule dates for the project.

Meanwhile, Shankar is planning to shoot the portions involving Jiiva, Srikanth, Ileana and Sathyaraj in Ooty by next week followed by a long schedule in Dehradun.

Hopkins, Statham, King George box office draws (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Theater marquees will be crowded this weekend as commercial titles "The Rite" and "The Mechanic" enter the market, and Oscar darlings "The King's Speech" and "127 Hours" capitalize on their nominations.

"The Rite," a horror picture starring Anthony Hopkins as a priest who specializes in exorcisms, should win the weekend and gross in the mid- to high-teen millions.

The New Line Cinema release should play heavily to Catholic audiences, especially those who are Hispanics. Interest among younger women is softer than expected as the film skews to older moviegoers.

A remake of "The Mechanic," with British action hero Jason Statham standing in for Charles Bronson, should gross in the high single digits or even low teens, buoyed by interest from male youngsters.

The CBS Films release could find itself in a race for No. 2 with "King's Speech," which picked up a leading 12 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, and will expand to 2,553 theaters from 1,680. The Weinstein Co. release enjoyed a hearty boost in midweek business, and finished Wednesday with a domestic haul of $60 million.

Fox Searchlight is relaunching underperformer "127 Hours" in about 600 theaters. The James Franco drama, which earned six nominations, has grossed $11.3 million since early November.

Sony Pictures Classics is taking the same approach with the documentary "Inside Job," which opened in October. The film, which has grossed about $3.7 million, boosts its theater count to 250 from 23 after landing a nomination for best documentary.

Roadside Attractions waited until now to officially open Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Biutiful," for which Javier Bardem picked up an acting nomination. It will play on 57 screens in 27 markets, a bold push for a foreign-language film.

NM committee tables anti-film incentives bill

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Supporters of New Mexico's burgeoning film industry breathed a sigh of relief Thursday as legislation aimed at wiping out tax incentives and restructuring a state loan program for film projects was stalled by a House committee.

The Labor and Human Resources Committee was the first stop for the bill, which had generated much opposition since being introduced by Rep. Dennis Kintigh, R-Roswell. The committee voted 5-4 to table the bill after hearing from a crowded room of supporters who argued that New Mexico's film incentives have resulted in thousands of new jobs, new opportunities for small businesses and educational programs for New Mexico students.

With the committee's decision, there's little hope for Kintigh's bill. However, the debate over the merits and costs of the film incentives will continue as lawmakers grapple with a suggestion by Gov. Susana Martinez to reduce the rebate on film expenditures from 25 percent to 15 percent. The governor estimates that would save $25 million and help the state plug a budget shortfall next year.

Kintigh told the committee Thursday that the film subsidies aren't good policy for New Mexico and that the millions of dollars paid out each year to the film industry would be better spent on teachers, public safety and health care. He pointed to studies done in New Mexico and elsewhere that question whether the return on the investment in the industry has been worth it.

New Mexico has paid out $180 million to film companies over the past three years as part of the tax incentives, Kintigh said.

"We're in a world of hurt. We can't continue to shell out these tax dollars," he said.

The actors, filmmakers, studio executives, small business owners and travel agents who filled the audience argued that if lawmakers were to end or even reduce the incentive program, New Mexico would be crossed off Hollywood's list and productions would start looking to other states. About 40 states offer some type of tax incentives or other assistance to filmmakers, some more lucrative than what New Mexico offers.

Supporters also talked about the notoriety that New Mexico has gained thanks to films such as "True Grit" being filmed in the state.

Committee chairman Rep. Miguel Garcia said he has seen the industry's impact in his own district in Albuquerque's South Valley. The Democratic lawmaker said he sees a film crew almost every month working, eating at restaurants and buying from local shops.

Garcia's son has even found work as an extra after being laid off from his call center job, and he said construction workers left idle by the housing bust have found jobs building sets.

Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton, D-Albuquerque, said she is concerned that doing away with the film incentives would result in more New Mexicans being out of work.

The number of jobs created by the industry has been a point of contention. Supporters say the industry is responsible for some 10,000 jobs, while critics argue the number is only a fraction of that and most of the jobs are temporary.

Committee members acknowledged that the debate has been emotional, but Kintigh said lawmakers need to be asking tough questions to ensure that taxpayers' money is being spent wisely.

"We all have lots of questions about this and that's a good thing," he said. "We want to see this discussion continued."

Rep. Candy Spence Ezzell, R-Roswell, said lawmakers are bound by the state Constitution to have a balanced budget.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have to tighten our belt in the state of New Mexico. We have to get the budget under control. It's hurting all of us," she said. Then looking at the audience, she said: "Everybody is going to have to take a hit. Don't be so set in cement that you're not willing to compromise."

The Rite - Official Trailer

Genres:	Drama and Adaptation
Running Time:	2 hr. 7 min.
Release Date:	January 28th, 2011 (wide)
MPAA Rating:	PG-13 for disturbing thematic material, violence, frightening images, and language including sexual references.
Distributors :	Warner Bros. Pictures Description : An American seminary student who attends exorcism school at the Vatican finds faith through encounters with demonic forces.

Box Office Preview: Hopkins has 'The Rite' stuff

LOS ANGELES - Having played one of the most famous movie villains of all time, Anthony Hopkins takes up priestly duties in Warner Bros.' "The Rite" on over 3,000 screens this weekend and will likely exorcise between $16 million to $18 million from audiences.

A huge marketing push for the PG-13 rated horror-thriller should help. Also, January tends to be a fairly frightful month at theaters, with scary films now a staple of the time frame. Last year, there was "Legion" and "Daybreakers," while 2009 included "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" and the "The Unborn" — all with opening weekends in the $15 million to $20 million range.

After grabbing 12 Academy Award nominations on Tuesday, The Weinstein Co.'s "The King's Speech" is perfectly primed for a so-called Oscar bump and a chance to achieve its highest chart position yet with the addition of 873 theaters. Look for the "King's" weekend ransom to be around $10 million, with a $70 million domestic total by Sunday night.

Of course, George VI will have to avoid a royal butt-kicking by ever-present man of mayhem Jason StathamBen Foster (Russell Crowe's gun-slinging sidekick in "3:10 to Yuma") brings his particular brand of psychotic intensity to the role of a junior hit man, making it tailor-made for the young males who love this type of buddy action yarn. As with "King's," the R-rated film should be on target for a gross of about $10 million. in the remake of the 1972 classic action film "The Mechanic." In this CBS Films release, 

This presents yet another pileup situation for third, fourth and fifth positions. Last weekend's leader, "No Strings Attached" from Paramount, is likely to romance a second weekend gross in the $8 million to $10 million range, with similar expectations for Sony's "The Green Hornet," Paramount's Oscar-nominated "True Grit" and even awards darling "Black Swan" from Fox Searchlight.

Overall, the industry continues to pale to the year-ago marketplace, when "Avatar" was in first place for a seventh weekend, earning a staggering $31.3 million for the three-day frame.

In awards season, movie leakers are 'Enemy Within' (AP)

LOS ANGELES - Every year around now, tens of thousands of DVDs of movies still playing in theaters are sent by Hollywood studios to Oscar, Golden Globe and other awards voters.

Every year, some of these discs are copied, and the movies end up being shared online, where they can cut into theater-ticket and DVD sales.

This time, studios are taking a new approach to prevent this kind of piracy, and technology is playing a big part.

Ahead of the Screen Actors Guild awards on Sunday, Fox Searchlight this month became the first studio to have nearly 100,000 SAG voters view new movies such as "Black Swan" through a free download from Apple Inc.'s iTunes store. Paramount Pictures, Focus Features and other studios did the same later with movies such as "The Fighter" and "The Kids Are All Right."

In all cases, downloads are set to expire 24 hours after being viewed and are not available to the public.

As an anti-piracy tool, virtual screenings are cheaper and simpler than past efforts. For one thing, they remove the risk of discs going missing or being stolen. In cases where discs get pirated, the actual uploading is typically done by someone several steps removed from the recipient, often without that person's knowledge, according to studio executives and law enforcement officials.

But digital screeners won't necessarily be a savior either. People determined to break the law will find a way, even if it comes down to recording a digital movie by pointing a standard video camera at the computer screen.

"Copying a stream is even easier than duplicating a DVD," Ernesto Van Der Sar, the founder of piracy news site TorrentFreak, said in an e-mail interview. "Moving to streaming might get the leak rate down but I can also see scenarios where it will lead to more leaks."

Nonetheless, studios believe they must try new approaches to combat piracy.

The Motion Picture Association of America estimates that $25 billion globally is lost to it every year, and it is partly responsible for U.S. DVD sales falling from a peak in 2006 at $20.2 billion to about $14 billion in 2010.

Although the industry group says most of the damage comes from handheld video camera recordings in theaters around the world, awards screeners are still a problem.

In the past, studios went as far as sending voters specialized players equipped with stronger copy protections than regular DVDs, but that system was abandoned years ago as being too troublesome.

So most studios continue to send discs to voters by mail — as many as 20,000 per movie. And the risk of leaks remains.

Oscar screeners sent out in late 2008 were the source of online bootlegs of "Slumdog Millionaire," "Australia," and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." Investigators followed the trail of unique disc identifiers called watermarks and convicted two men of felony copyright infringement.

In October, a screener of Summit Entertainment's "Red" was copied and posted online a day before the movie hit theaters. Investigators traced the leak to a copy sent to the show "LIVE! With Regis & Kelly," the second time in four months the show was responsible for a leak of a movie that was in theaters.

The Walt Disney Co., which produces the "Regis" show, has since tightened procedures, and now only a few key employees can receive screeners under tight restrictions.

The penalty for uploading movies to websites can reach up to three years in prison and a fine for first-time offenders, but the penalties get stiffer for repeat offenders or those with a profit motive.

The Justice Department convicted 207 people for intellectual property theft crimes in fiscal 2010, which ended Sept. 30, down from 287 in 2007. Cases involving awards screeners amount to "a handful every year," according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Wesley Hsu in Los Angeles. 

Kaye Cooper-Mead, an executive vice president at Summit Entertainment, aims to instill a sense of caution among recipients of awards screeners so they don't let the discs get pirated by others. They need to understand "how many millions of dollars that one DVD is worth," she said.

Studios are further along in weaning other reviewers off discs. Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures are having hoteliers, retailers and airline and cruise ship clients watch movies on secure websites before they make a decision to license the movies for guests or carry them in stores.

Sony Pictures' chief technology officer, Mitch Singer, said the studio would eliminate physical screeners for retail and hospitality clients within a year. 

But it may be some time before all awards shows go digital. Prestige and profits are attached to an awards win, especially for movies still in theaters. Some studios would rather send out DVDs and risk a leak than annoy voters by making them watch on a computer or mobile device. 

"I don't know how thrilled filmmakers would be to have their films seen on a laptop instead of a flat-screen TV," said David Kaplan, a senior vice president of anti-piracy at Warner Bros., whose movie "Inception" is up for an Oscar for best picture.

Hugh Jackman to return to the Academy Awards stage (AP)

LOS ANGELES - Former Academy Awards host Hugh Jackman is returning to the Oscar stage.

Producers say the 42-year-old actor will serve as a presenter on the 83rd Academy Awards next month.

He'll join previously announced presenters Sandra Bullock, Jeff Bridges, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry and Marisa Tomei.

Bullock and Bridges won the top acting Oscars last year. Bridges is a nominee this year for his leading role in "True Grit."

Berry won the lead actress Oscar for 2001's "Monster's Ball." Tomei won the supporting actress prize for 1992's "My Cousin Vinny." Winfrey, who appeared on last year's Academy Awards, was nominated for a supporting-actress Oscar for 1985's "The Color Purple."

The 83rd Academy Awards will be presented Feb. 27 at the Kodak Theatre and broadcast live on ABC. James Franco and Anne Hathaway are hosting.

The Matrix sequel in 3D?

Keanu Reeves has revealed that plans are underway for two more sequels to The Matrix. The actor, who appears as lead character Neo in the first three movies in the franchise, has said that he and the writers of the sci-fi franchise, Andy and Larry Wachowski, have discussed the possibility of shooting the two new sequels in 3D.  

It is believed the Wachowskis are seeking 3D filmmaking advice from Avatar creator James Cameron, who with that film helped re-popularize the medium.

Reeves said they are keen to deliver something which has "never been seen" and would "truly transform" the action movie genre. The films won't be coming any time soon. The Wachowskis are looking to complete new movie Cloud Atlas before thinking any more about continuing The Matrix series. 

Endhiran screened Tromso international film fest

Superstar Rajinikanth's Enthiran - The Robot honoured in Thromso International Film Festival recently. The film has been screened for 2 days, January 19 and 20 continuously and praised by global film critics and visitors.

Preity Zinta attempts breaking Guinness World Record

Bollywood's dimpled lass, Preity Zinta is all set to host COLORS new offering, Guinness World Records- Ab India Todega. As the host of show that promises to put Indians on the world map, Preity echoes the concept of the show and represents the spirit of new India which is willing to take on the world and prove its place under the sun. Guinness World record that has enthralled the audience across 90 countries is brought to India by Miditech Pvt Ltd. 

Guiness World Records- Ab India Todega will see the vivacious Preity donning the hat of a host and a guide as Indians try to break international records and compete with the world record holders. Preity's sense of humor and her never-say-die attitude makes her the perfect choice for bringing this unique show on to the mainstream platform. 

Speaking about the new show and the host, Ashvini Yardi, Head, Programming, COLORS said, "Preity is the perfect choice as the host for the show as both she and Guinness World Records are debuting on the Indian small screen. Guinness World Record- Ab India Todega is a fresh concept and with Priety's effervescent presence we are confident that the show will enthrall our viewers. Her enthusiasm and zing would definitely encourage the participants to go all the way in breaking the international records and make our country proud." 

Talking about her association, Preity Zinta said, "I was sure that whenever I do make a move to the small screen, it would be something I believe in. Guinness World records- Ab India Todega is the perfect platform for my television debut. The show reflects my ideology to push oneself and compete with the best. There is also a feeling of pride in hosting a show that will put India on the international pedestal and will bring fame for Indians. I am sure viewers will have a good time watching the show." 

The show certainly promises to set great standards of talent and with a host as talented as Preity Zinta; it is only going to get better.

Rahman honored with crytstal award

Internationally renowned music composer A.R. Rahman was on Wednesday honoured with the Crystal Award of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the opening ceremony of its annual meet here being attended by 2,500 global leaders from the fields of business, government, art, culture and religion. Mr. Rahman, 44, received the award, given to outstanding artists who use their talent for social and charitable work.

Ranbir cancels world tour for Rahman

Asia’s sexiest chap Ranbir Kapoor has dropped his plans of world tour for the moment as his family members insisted for the change. Ranbir Kapoor was supposed to take on his world tour that was supposed to have hotties Katrina, Bipasha Basu and Mallika Arora shaking legs for their glistering item songs – ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’, ‘Beedi Jalalaile’ and ‘Munni Badnaam’. But later Ranbir and his family members desperately started looking out for his perfect identity that will make his stage performance more enchanting. Obviously with his upcoming movie Rockstar hitting the screens this year, Ranbir feels that performing these songs (musical score of A.R. Rahman) will gain more momentum.

Rockstar brings filmmaker Imtiaz Ali (Jab We Met and Love Aaj Kal) with academy award winner A.R. Rahman for the first time.

Rahman has now completed background score for the film and audio will be launched next month. 

SRK in KJO’s next film

Finally, the speculation about Karan Johar-Shah Rukh Khan project comes to an end as interesting news has started generating huge sensation now. Karan Johar’s next film titled Student of the Year was supposed to have Shah Rukh Khan playing a cameo role. But now we hear from closer sources that the actor’s role will no more be a cameo, but a full-fledged one. The film Student of The Year marks the debut of Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter and is produced by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions in collaboration with SRK’s Red Chillies Entertainment.

Though the buzz about SRK playing cameo in this movie was high on air, Karan Johar remained tightlipped without unraveling any details pertaining to it. Gradually, it paved way for wrong presumptions that SRK is just producing the film, but hasn’t got anything to do onscreen.  

Now Karan Johar has taken a flight to overseas to shape Shah Rukh Khan’s character of a college professor. It is expected that he will make official confirmations on his return.

Why Nadunisi Naigal was certified A?

Gautham Menon’s Nadunisi Naaygal has been certified with an A certificate. The Censor Board couldn’t place their scissors anywhere in this gripping thriller and so decided to award an A certificate.

Nadunisi Naaygal, which stars Veera and Sameera Reddy, will be released on February 11^th, 2011 across the globe. The film’s Telugu version Yerra Gulabeelu is also expected to hit the screens on the same day.

The movie has garnered a lot of expectations among Gautham’s fans because it is a thriller and mystery.