1. The Hollywood Reporter says Antonio Banderas is set to play Hernán Cortés (or Hernando Cortez, if you prefer) in Conquistador — a historical epic, written by Nicholas Kazan and directed by Andrucha Waddington, about the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire in present-day Mexico. Naturally, I can’t help wondering what sort of double-bill it would make with Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto — which, granted, concerns Mayans, not Aztecs. 2. FilmStew.com reports that Indian director T. Rajeevnath wants Paris Hilton to... Read more

1. You may have heard that The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe came out on DVD today. I haven’t had time to check out more than one or two bonus features so far, but I must say I do like the wardrobe-themed packaging. Plus I love Georgie “Lucy” Henley’s Linda Blair impression, above. 2. Paul Verhoeven, who directed the original Basic Instinct (1992) but not its considerably tamer sequel — which flopped when it opened... Read more

Here are the figures for the past weekend, arranged from those that owe the highest percentage of their take to the Canadian box office to those that owe the lowest. She’s the Man — CDN $3,282,504 — N.AM $26,622,732 — 12.3%Eight Below — CDN $8,974,298 — N.AM $79,172,307 — 11.3%V for Vendetta — CDN $6,124,529 — N.AM $56,659,439 — 10.8%Basic Instinct 2 — CDN $342,386 — N.AM $3,201,420 — 10.7%The Shaggy Dog — CDN $5,446,509 — N.AM $53,554,291 — 10.2%Inside... Read more

It is estimated that Ice Age: The Meltdown will rake in $70.5 million before the weekend is over. Seventy point five. Yowch. Not only does that beat every Disney opening weekend ever — the highest they’ve ever gone is $40.9 million for The Lion King, back in 1994 — but it also ties Pixar’s record of $70.5 million for The Incredibles (2004), and it easily beats every DreamWorks cartoon except Shrek 2 (2004), which opened with $108 million. So, bottom... Read more

The newest issue of BC Christian News is now online, and with it, my film column, which looks mostly at the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner Tsotsi and fellow nominees Joyeux Noël and Paradise Now, with additional brief mentions of the Jewish Film Festival, Nativity, Son of Man, Color of the Cross and Mary. APR 3 UPDATE: An alternate version of the first part of this column is now up at the ChristianWeek website, too. Read more

Six months ago, I noted that an animated film about the Hindu god Hanuman — the first full-length cartoon produced in India — was on its way. Today, Reuters reports that Hanuman was “a surprise hit” and a significant milestone in Indian animation; until now, the industry “has grown so far on the back of an explosion in outsourcing of animated computer images,” but now, major figures in the industry are “moving away from outsourcing to claim ownership of their... Read more

Just a couple new items here. 1. From IndieWIRE‘s report on the Cleveland International Film Festival, which just wrapped a few days ago: Although the film did not pick up an official prize, Kirk Marcolina and Larry Grimaldi‘s delightful doc “Camp Out” was an unqualified hit with our jury. The film chronicles a group of gay Christian youth as they attend a camp in rural Minnesota. The first of its kind in the United States, the camp is a retreat... Read more

My review of Ice Age: The Meltdown is now up at CT Movies. FWIW, I reviewed the original film for ChristianWeek four years ago, and since that review is not available online, I’ll reprint it below. I also rather like Mark Steyn’s review of the original film, which he re-posted on his website yesterday. Also, click here for a brief analysis of the film that I whipped up as research for that essay on “anthropomorphic munchies” that I hope to... Read more

The Associated Press reports: Authorities say they are holding a Chinese filmmaker because he committed a crime, but they refuse to give any details or allow visitors, his sister said Thursday. Wu Hao, a Beijing-based documentary filmmaker, has been in police custody in the capital since Feb. 22. His sister, Wu Na, has demanded his release and an explanation for his detention, but police have said his case is “secret.” She said she went to Beijing’s Public Security Bureau on... Read more

Just a reminder to the Vancouverites reading this blog that the Vancouver Jewish film festival begins tonight, and continues until Sunday, April 9. I plan to see Sophie Scholl: The Final Days this weekend, and perhaps a few others. See you there, perhaps? Read more