In production from Pulsemedia situated in Reggio Nell’ Emilia, Italy, this enticing fantasy follows a small nine year old boy on his journey and destiny.

It is directed by Lazzaro M. Ferrari, written and produced by Tara Thomson and the executive producer is Roberto Ruini, founder of Pulsemedia. Director of photography is Tobia Sempi. It was shot on state of the art HD equipment and is currently about 12 minutes long.

The story is based on a Native American Legend, where an old man has stolen the night and placed it in a vase. The villagers bake under the sun all day and cannot sleep nor dream because night never comes. The boy goes on a journey with the horse and discovers his destiny/curse restoring the balance. The imagery is modern and surreal.

A Vase Of Darkness will have two versions; one all in Italian and one with English narration and English subtitles. It will be very easy to follow as there is very little dialogue.

In process is the cutting of the back stage interviews with the director, writer and other people involved in the project. Including the animal trainer who supplied the ‘fable like’ white snow pony that is used for a major part of the film, and the head of one of the largest and oldest factories in Europe, bombed for manufacturing war planes. The village looks like an abandoned village from the past and creates an ideal backdrop for the story. A scene includes a shot in the warehouse space which holds an enormous furnace which was used to melt metals.

The soundtrack was done by Massimo Zamboni of the former CCCP and CSI. The final publicity shot selection and captions will be finalized soon and I will put them up then.

Pulsemedia are a few weeks away from the final cut and final soundtrack, hoping to meet the deadline of August 31st ready for the Torino Film Festival (if they decide to enter). Eventually they hope to submit it to top Film Festivals around the world.

BlinkBox: Beta Phase

Blinkbox lets you express yourself with great film and TV content. Blinks, as they are called, are film clips tagged with personal messages that can be sent to anyone via email or mobile, and are embeddable on blogs, sites and social network profiles. There’s already loads of SciFi (only a small part of the full content) to be blinked from.

We’re currently in the middle of ‘getting the hang of it’, so once we’ve used it in anger, we’ll be able to give you the low down. As a taster, I’ve created a most non-scifi, yet hilarious, blink from the scifi film . Unfortunately, after that I couldn’t either retrieve it via my mobile phone or actually navigate from the blink creation page - these things are to be expected on a beta system, so be patient. I’ll update you once I’ve gotten the blink to blink on.

There’s limited availability of invites for the beta phase, but anyone who signs up will receive £1 free credit. It’s free to email blinks, it only costs 25p to send to a mobile device.

Heads-up! Competition:
In addition to this for the first two weeks of the campaign we are running a competition to win one Golden Pass and two Standard Passes to the London Comicon on the 1st and 2nd September for the best Sci–Fi blink created. Click here for details.

Update: It’s now blinking, so: As a taster, I’ve created a most non-scifi, yet hilarious, blink from the scifi film A Scanner Darkly. (Minus any text, which I believe you can add at build time).

www.blinkBox.com

It works well on a mobile phone too, a lot clearer than I thought it would be, and the download speed is respectable.

P.S. Youtube is Old Skool. Well, in all fairness, BlinkBox seems to be geared around films and tv, rather than home-movies, so they’re different beasts… probably.

Inland Empire, written and directed by David Lynch

Starring Laura Dern, Jeremy Irons, Justin Theroux and Harry Dean Stanton

Will be out on DVD on 20 August 2007

David Lynch’s first film since the award-winning Mulholland Drive (and his first shot completely on digital) is a complex Hollywood mystery that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality and features an astonishing performance by Laura Dern.

Inland Empire Synopsis

Dern plays Nikki Grace, an actress preparing for her biggest role yet, a Hollywood movie from an acclaimed director (played by Jeremy Irons) opposite an amorous leading man (Justin Theroux). But when she finds herself falling for her co-star, she realizes that her life is beginning to mimic the fictional film that they’re shooting. Adding to her confusion is the revelation that the current film is a remake of a doomed polish production that was never finished due to an unspeakable tragedy…

Inland Empire DVD Extras

The release is packed with a suprising amount of extras: Guardian interview at the NFT with David Lynch / A Short Interview in London / Conversation with David Lynch by Mike Figgis / A Masterclass with David Lynch / Interview at the Cartier Foundation

Inland Empire DVD Smallprint

Cert: 15 /

Running Time: 173 mins approx /

Region 2 /

Aspect Ratio: 1.85.1 Anamorphic /

Colour PAL / Stereo 5.1 /

Cat No: OPTD0961 / English Language /

RRP: £17.99

Inland Empire Film Images

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Inland Empire 6

This isn’t really scifi, but when I saw The Bourne Identity (and The Bourne Supremacy to some extent) it reminded me of Philip K Dick (probably Paycheck) - a person struggling with his environment, not knowing who he really was, or is, and venturing to find out by learning about what’s locked in is mind.

Let’s hope it keeps the same vein as the earlier movies (and ok, I admit I’ve only read the first book, couldn’t quite get into the others).

Matt Damon returns as the trained assassin Jason Bourne for the latest showdown in The Bourne Ultimatum. In the follow-up to 2002’s The Bourne Identity and 2004’s The Bourne Supremacy—the smash hits that have earned over $500 million at the global box office—acclaimed director Paul Greengrass (United 93, The Bourne Supremacy) joins returning cast members Julia Stiles and Joan Allen and new additions David Strathairn, Paddy Considine and Edgar Ramirez.

All he wanted was to disappear. Instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was.

Now, in the new chapter of this espionage series, Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris, Madrid and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne—all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs.

The Bourne Ultimatum was shot in Morocco, Spain, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Bourne Ultimatum Teaser Trailer:

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Casting Of The Dark And Light Ones

At the heart of Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) are the supernatural creatures of both the Day Watch and the Night Watch who wage a nocturnal war when the city of Moscow is asleep. Director Timur Bekmambetov knew that a key to making his film viscerally and emotionally exciting would be finding actors who could stand clearly on opposite sides of the Good and Evil divide. This took a very special casting process.

Bekmambetov began by separating leading Russian actors into two different groups. “I felt that there are actors who look like actors and there are actors who just look like people. We cast the actors who look like actors as the Dark Ones because they are very cool, very original, interesting and proud. But those actors who look like regular people, they were cast as the Light Ones, the members of the Night Watch. So for example, there is the character of Svetlana, the woman who wherever she goes misfortune happens. To play her we cast Maria Poroshina who to me looks like a normal Russian girl from the street. On the other hand, to play the character Alisa from the Day Watch, we chose an actress, Zhanna Friske, who in real life is a famous Russian pop star.”

Taking advantage of Russia’s highly trained ranks of actors, Bekmembatov also put the emphasis on finding those who could handle not only the film’s intense action but also would probe their characters emotional and psychological worlds. He believes this sets Day Watch apart from other modern horror fantasies. “In American fantasy movies the characters aren’t usually so deep,” he comments. “But here we have access to Russian actors who have a very strong schooling in Stanislavsky. So, because of that, we could bring to the fantasy genre very deep characters and very complicated relationships and a lot of complexity of story through the performances.”

Bekmambetov cast Konstantin Khabensky, one of Russia’s most popular actors, in the lead role of Anton Gorodetsky, one of the premier Protectors of Light as a member of the Night Watch. Bekmambatov found Khabensky a perfect match for the wide-ranging role of Anton. “Konstantin is a very good dramatic actor but at the same time he has the skills of a character actor,” says Bekmambetov. “He’s like a clown, he can play funny, he can play extravagant, and it’s a good combination, because to bring the Russian audience into this world of creatures I needed an actor who would be entirely believable.”

As Boris Geser, businessman by day, leader of the Night Watch by night, Bekmambetov cast Vladimir Menshov, the star of the Oscar®-winning film Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears and a multi-talented actor, writer and director. The head of the Protectors of Light for centuries, Geser is both a father figure and a figurehead of all that is good. He is instrumental in saving his comrade Anton from a near-fatal encounter with the Warriors of Darkness.

“Boris is one of the few Russian directors to have won an Oscar, and he is a very Russian person,” notes Bekmambetov. “His image to Russian audiences is like that of political party chief or bureaucrat – so I thought he would be an interesting and a funny person to represent the leader of the Light forces.”

In contrast, as Zavulon, leader of the Day Watch, Bekmambetov called upon Victor Verzhbitskiy, a friend from art school, who appeared in both The Peshavar Waltz and Gladiatrix. A master of all that is evil and dark, Zavulon rules over the Day Watch. Though the Warriors of Darkness have maintained balance with the Protectors of Light, the vampires and shape shifters that make up the Day Watch are desperate to command the soul of the Great One – which will shift the balance of power in their favor.

Filling out the cast are a combination of Russian theatre and film actors, including Galina Tyunina as the Sorceress Olga, Aleksey Chadov as Kostya the young vampire and Valeriy Zolotukhin as Kostya’s father.

All Posts For NightWatch (Interviews, images, trailers).
Part 1: NightWatch To DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor) Introduction
Part 2: Inside The Film’s Origin: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Part 3: Casting Of The Dark And Light Ones: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Exclusive Clip: The Chalk

A Season Of South Asian Horror

17– 31 August 2007, ICA, London

Directions to the ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH.
See all ICA (Institute Of Contemporary Arts) related articles / viewings open to the public.

18 August 2007 – Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground London premiere with director Q&A

Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground / Bhoot (Ghost) / Bandh Darwaza (Closed Door) / Purana Mandir (The Old Temple) / Nagin (The Female Snake) / Mahal (The Palace) / Darna Mana Hai (Don’t Be Afraid)

Celebrate the darker side of Bollywood with a season of Bollywood Horror at the ICA including the London premiere of Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground Pakistan’s first gore movie on 18th August.

From 17 – 31 August, seven Bollyhorrors will be screened at the ICA charting the rise of the Horror genre from the south Asian movie industry. The classic ghost tale Mahal (The Palace – 1949), kicks off this season that takes us through to the 70’s and 80’s with murderous revenge thriller Nagin (The Female Snake - 1976 TBC) and the best of Bollywoods answer to Wes Craven; Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay’s films Purana Mandir (The Old Temple - 1984) unleashing Bollywood’s first homegrown monster and Bandh Darwaza (Closed Door - 1990) their homage to the Dracula stories. Demonic possessions come in the form of Bhoot (Ghost -2003) drawing inspiration from the Exorcist and Darna Mana Hai (2003). All culminating in an Exclusive preview of the first gore movie to come out of Pakistan Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground(2006).

Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground

Pakistan’s first gore film Zibahkhana – Hell’s Ground is the first modern horror film to be shot in Pakistan. Made on a shoestring budget and breaking all of the rules of local productions Hells Ground unleashes a new generation of film making talent on audiences. Five teens get lost on their way to a rock concert, are menaced by flesh eating mutations and then fall into the clutches of a family of backwoods killers. The film includes copious amounts of gore alongside a splattering of social commentary and several slices of dark humour.

Directed by Omar Ali Khan, Pakistan 2006, 90mins, English subtitles.

http://www.zibahkhana.com

Darna Mana Hai

Six friends get stranded in a dense forest after their car breaks down. They find an abandoned ruin, light a bonfire and therein begins the backdrop for each of them to share their own ghoulish stories with each other. From a husband trying to shock his wife, a schoolteacher spooked by a mysterious turnaround in an underperforming pupil to a bizarre hitchhiking experience. All these stories are underpinned by the mysterious disappearances of each of the friends throughout the night. Featuring Shilpa Shetty, Saif Ali Khan, Samira Reddy and Nana Patekar.

Directed by Prawal Rawan, India, 2003.

Bhoot

A young couple; Vishal & Swati move into their ideal home on the 12 floor of the high rise. Undeterred by the discovery that the previous tenant was a woman who killed her son and committed suicide. After a while Swati’s strange behaviour begins to change as she is slowly possessed by the malingnant spirit wanting to exact revenge. Loaded with atmospheric sound effects and some surprise scenes that definitely nod to The Exorcist the film, like Darna Mana Hai also departs from adding musical numbers in favour of tension building climaxes.

Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, India 2003, 113mins, English subtitles.

Bandh Darwaza

Ajay Agarwal returns as the Indian vision of Dracula. Living in the Black Mountains Nevla is the tall, fanged, black cloaked monster/mystic of the mountains. Asked by an infertile couple to help them conceive, Nevla agrees and a bargain is struck. If they give birth to a boy they are allowed to keep the child. If a girl is born she must be returned to live with Nevla. Their daughter Kaamya is born and the new parents refuse to give up their child. A fight ensues; Lajo the mother is poisoned and the child kidnapped. Her husband goes to the mountain with a posse to overturn the evil Nevla. They succeed and put him in an eternal slumber. 18 years later Kaamya the young starting to turn to the evil that lies in the Black Mountains…

Directed by Tulsi & Shyam Ramsay, India 1990, 145mins, English subtitles.

Purana Mandir

Spawning Bollywood’s first home grown monster in the form of Saamri (Ajay Agarwal) a cannibalistic, child murdering ghoul who lives in the Purana Mandir of the films title. The film launched the 80’s horror boom in Bollywood with the biggest ever opening weekend grosses to date. Samir curses the Rajkumar family after they capture him and put him to death. Generations later the daughter of the same household goes back to the temple to try and lift the curse. Samir is inadvertently released from his 200 years of incarceration and all hell breaks loose. Purana Mandir has all the trademark ingredients of a typical Ramsay horror the flesh, the gore, cheap double entendres, floating mists and ominous lighting, the hairy monsters and the fantastic use of atmospheric locations. A definite must for all.

Directed by Shyam and Tulsi Ramsay, India, 1984, 144mins, English subtitles.

Nagin

Featuring a star studded cast including Jatendra, Sunil Dutt, Reena Roy and Rekha Nagin was a runaway box office success. Nagin follows the bloody revenge of a female ichandani (shapeshifting) snake against a group of men who kill her mate on the night on which their love was to be consummated. Jetindra and Reena Roy play the 100 year old snakes that have the ability to take human form. With her piercing green snake eyes, Roy wreaks her revenge as seduces the men to their deaths. Nagin re-makes the western classic rape revenge thriller with a uniquely Indian twist.

Directed by Rajkumar Kholi, 1976, India.

Mahal

Arriving at his newly acquired mansion, Shanker (Ashok Kumar) learns the tragic history of the house and the mysterious death of the former owner and his lover 40 years earlier. That evening as Shanker muses over the possibility that he may be the reincarnation of the previous owner he is visited by the spirit of Kamini; the dead mistress of the house and is immediately entranced. To distract him from his growing obsession of Kamini, his good friend rushes through his marriage to Ranjana. Haunted by the voice of Kamini, Shanker moves to the country to try and find some peace. Disaster ensues, and no matter how far he goes the haunting chimes of the witching hour follows him to the farthest reaches. Featuring legendary vocals from Lata Mangeshaker’sdebut hit for the theme song Ayega Ahenwala, Mahal was an undisputed hit of its time.

Directed By Ashok Amrohi, India, 1949, 165mins, English Subtitles.

Jon Voight was attached to the project at one point but dropped out.

Nicolas Cage had to have his Ghost Rider tattoo covered with make-up in order to play Johnny Blaze (Ghost Rider).

A large group of on-lookers converged on a bridge in Melbourne to watch scenes being filmed in a nearby location. Over the four days of filming at this location, the crowds grew so large that traffic was often disrupted and public transport operators reported an unusual jump in passenger traffic to the area.

Some scenes were filmed near Flinders St Station, the busiest railway station in Melbourne. Parts of the station were closed for filming, as well as minor alterations to train services being made.

Nicolas Cage’s hairpiece required three hours to apply every day.

To create the Ghost Rider’s voice, sound designer Don Davis recorded all of Nicolas Cage’s lines as the Ghost Rider, and then filtered them through three different kinds of animal growls (played backwards, covering three separate frequencies) and then played them through a mechanical volumizer, before finally giving them a fiery crackle. Director Mark Steven Johnson compared it to “a deep, demonic, mechanical lion’s roar” and says that “one thing is for sure, his voice will shake the theatre!”

Johnny Depp’ was interested in playing the title role.

Nicolas Cage’s computer generated skull was made from a three dimensional x-ray taken of his actual skull.

Both Johnny Depp and Nicolas Cage have houses in Bath, Somerset.

One of the bridges being used in Melbourne was months away from completion, so the studio paid to have tar, lines, lights etc added to the highway for filming purposes. The work was then ripped up and redone to meet Australian Safety Standards.

The flame tank chopper Johnny Blaze rides is a modern replica of the “Captain America” chopper that Peter Fonda rides in Easy Rider.

The shotgun used in the movie is a Model 1887 Winchester lever-action shotgun.

Nicolas Cage wrote sections of the script.

There is a scene in the movie where the Ghost Rider (played by Nicolas Cage), while riding through the desert, rides past a lizard on a rock. The lizard bursts into flame. This is strongly reminiscent of a similar scene from another Nicolas Cage movie, Raising Arizona. In that movie Nicolas Cage’s character has a dream where his evil side is riding through the desert on a motorcycle, and shoots a lizard off a rock by the side of the road. The camera angles are practically identical. When both Ghost Riders (Johnny Blaze and Carter Slade) ride together to San Venganza there is a scene where Blaze is riding in the foreground with Slade just behind him and slightly in front so both can be clearly seen. This scene pays homage to a painting and its late artist David Mann. The painting was entitled appropriately Ghost Rider but had nothing to do with the Marvel character.

Flamin’, Burnin’ Hot Ghost Rider Merchandise!

The Johnny Blaze video game seen in the movie is actually a game called Crusty Demons developed by UK games company “Climax”. Climax also developed the Ghost Rider video game.

The Caretaker/Carter Slade Ghost Rider character is a tribute to the original Marvel Comics Ghost Rider (now called The Phantom Rider to avoid confusion). However, the character in the comics is simply a regular human who wears a white costume and rides a white painted horse which both covered with phosphorous for a glowing effect.

Director Mark Steven Johnson actually put forward his own money so that an action sequence where Ghost Rider battles a helicopter could be made.

When Johnny and Mack are on the tour bus and Mack is watching TV, the motorcycle rider shown is Travis Pastrana.

Ghost Rider was originally planned for a summer 2006 release. However, director Mark Steven Johnson asked for more time to complete more action shots. One of these shots is the scene in which Ghost Rider battles a helicopter.

The motorcycle crash shown in the movie where the rider falls and hits his head against the front wheel of the bike is actually real. The stunt driver lost balance during the stunt and the director decided to use that action part in the movie. The rider was not hurt

During the shoot, Nicolas Cage was the guest of Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix race.

Ghost Rider was sent to theaters under the name Costly Pact.

Sergei Lukyanenko and Vladimir Vasiliev’s novel Day Watch — and its prequel Night Watch and sequel Dusk Watch — marked a watershed in Russian literature. The book’s story of supernatural battles breaking out on the frenetic, everyday streets of modern Moscow struck a resonant chord with a whole new crowd — young Russian readers, fantasy fans and Internet users — who turned them into instant hip, cult classics, selling 500,000 copies. Since the Russian release of the feature films Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) and Night Watch (Nochnoi Dozor), the trilogy has gone on to sell another 2.5 million copies.

A prolific author who was originally trained as a psychiatrist, Sergei Lukyanenko had always wanted to write an epic tale of ancient magic set loose in our modern times. “I’d been eager to write fantasy for quite some time, but neither gnomes nor elves were of any interest to me,” explains Lukyanenko whose other books include the trilogy Line Of Reveries and Knights Of The Forty Islands. “Then, I had an intriguing notion: this idea of the Night as a battlefield for magicians who live in hiding among us ordinary people and can only fight when it won’t disturb humanity. From this came the further idea of the Night Watch, a special unit created to control the magicians. This then led to the development of the Night Watch’s antagonist, the Day Watch, and their eternal battle against one another.”

Soon, the supernatural beings who run the Night Watch and the Day Watch – beings with devastating magical powers who operate just one step away from the normal urban reality of rundown apartments and crowded subways — were captivating readers across the nation. Among those readers was leading Russian film producer Konstantin Ernst, who is also the General Director of Channel One Russia, Russia’s biggest and most successful television network. Ernst wasn’t usually drawn to works of fantasy, but when he picked up Night Watch, he found that he couldn’t put it down. Now, fueled by a passionate enthusiasm for the story’s cinematic possibilities, he immediately dove into development, along with fellow producer Anatoly Maximov. Nine months later, shooting began with a screenplay adapted by Lukyanenko himself in collaboration with Timur Bekmambetov.

To direct Lukyanenko’s tale of witches, warlocks and vampires set loose on city streets, the producers knew they would need a true visual innovator. They started looking for someone with a distinct and original sense of both story and style – and someone who could combine the powerhouse thrills of modern special-effects filmmaking with a personal understanding of the Russian soul. They found what they were looking for in Kazakhstan-born Timur Bekmambetov, an acclaimed creative powerhouse in the fields of commercials and music videos, who has helmed more than 600 ads for brands including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Apple, Microsoft, Ford and Procter & Gamble. Bekmambetov made his feature film directing debut in 1994 with The Peshavar Waltz, an art-house film about the war in Afghanistan, and his second film, Gladiatrix (2000) (also known as The Arena), was filmed in English and co-produced by the legendary Roger Corman.

“Timur is highly visual,” says producer Anatoly Maximov, “and he also goes very deep with the characters, in a Stanislavsky way. It’s from this combination that the film’s style was born.”

Konstantin Ernst first met Bekmambetov when the former was the host, producer and director of a Russian monthly arts and culture TV show called “Matador.” The two men often shared an editing suite and discussed making movies together. “One of my biggest aims has always been to recreate the Russian film industry, and we talked about that,” explains Ernst. “I explained to him that I wanted to forge a new image and get to a new level in Russian movie making that would make it a real part of the international movie arena — not just for art-houses or for festivals, but with exciting films that appeal to a mass audience. With Day Watch and Night Watch, we had that opportunity.”

Bekmambetov brought to the project a deep personal love of modern Hollywood masters of action, counting among his major influences such filmmakers as James Cameron, Ridley Scott, Roger Corman, the Wachowski brothers and Quentin Tarantino. Still, he was initially skeptical about creating a fantasy horror that would appeal to Russian audiences.

“Unlike in America, there were no fantasy movies shot in Russia before this one,” the director points out. “But in reading the book, I suddenly realized Sergei had managed to distill magic and miracles, the transcendent and the supernatural, into our way of life. I found that the story really was something special because in it, fantasy not only meets reality – but Russian reality — and it’s the first Russian movie that has this unique point of view. The story takes place in the real world, in real Russian life, but it’s also fantastical. So my idea was to make it feel as real as possible on the screen, while also finding a context for the mystical and the fantastic in contemporary Moscow life. It was a wonderful challenge.”

The more he read the more Bekmambetov was hooked on the vision of vampires roaming the often chaotic and troubled streets of current-day Moscow. “The books became poetry. They were cool. They were funny,” he says. “It woke me up because I started to think about how you could connect these things: Red Square and vampires, vampires and the Russian ballet, etcetera. It was such an interesting mix and I found that it produced in me a very personal feeling because one half of me is the filmmaker who loves vampires, Roger Corman and The Matrix. Meanwhile, the other half of my mentality is a Russian reality where there are lots of problems – where there are very bad cars, very dirty houses, very rich oil barons and very poor people. This story brought these two sides of me together: Russian reality and American movies.”

Bekmambetov began to see the film as a way to mesh all his influences together into one original entertainment – and he peppered the film not only with wild chases, hair-raising stunts, powerful explosions and other-worldly creature effects but also with that particular mix of sly humor, rich philosophy and human insight that has always marked Russian literature.

He was especially drawn to the story’s allegorical exploration of the fragile balance between good and evil in the world today. For Bekmambetov, the members of Night Watch and their opposite members in the Day Watch represent two different, competing social philosophies. “They represent two different ways to live – total freedom versus responsibility,” he comments. “The Day Watch are the Dark Ones and they represent a kind of total free independence, but the Night Watchers are all about responsibility and conscience. It’s a dualism that’s existed for a thousand years. It’s a very old idea that you must consider the consequences of your actions.”

Bekmambetov worked closely with Lukyanenko to adapt the novel to the screen – and found Lukyanenko more than willing to play with his creation, even adding in new elements to heighten the moviegoer’s experience. “We added in the subplot of Anton (Konstantin Khabensky) and his long-lost son Egor (Dima Martynov) to make it more dramatic, more emotional, more Russian,” explains Bekmambetov. “On top of the action, you have this tale of a father who lost his son, feels terribly guilty, and then spends his life trying to solve this problem that is plaguing his conscience — it’s a very Russian story.”

In preparing to shoot the epic story on a far less-than-epic budget, Bekmambetov always kept in mind what his friend and mentor Roger Corman once told him was a vital lesson in filmmaking. “He said the most important thing for the director is to think about how to imitate a bigger budget than he has,” Bekmambetov recalls. “It’s all about creativity.”

Key to Bekmambetov’s creative vision of the film was an omnipresent and intense realism laid over the pervasive and inventive special effects. Indeed, the director says he wanted the film’s hair-raising vampires, witches and warlocks to seem at once menacing . . . yet as real as a person’s next-door neighbor. “Russian audiences don’t have any experience of this kind of film, because we’ve never had any fantasy movies or comic books — it’s all new. So the only way for me to begin was to make everything very realistic, so the audience would believe in it enough to accept the fantasy,” he explains. “For me, this meant I too had to believe in a world where vampires exist, even if I know that they don’t.”

For Anatoly Maximov, Bekmembatov’s approach brought to the film an undercurrent of relevance that made it even more exciting. “The world he creates is hyper-realistic but recognizable,” he says. “The characters, the social situations and the psychological elements are all familiar to us. It becomes a movie about a man’s moral breakdown and the forces of Light and Darkness fighting for his soul — it’s big stuff.”

All Posts For NightWatch (Interviews, images, trailers).
Part 1: NightWatch To DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor) Introduction
Part 2: Inside The Film’s Origin: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Part 3: Casting Of The Dark And Light Ones: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Exclusive Clip: The Chalk

Marvel Comic’s flame-skulled spirit of vengeance burns up the screen this summer as Ghost Rider roars onto DVD in a new two disc Extended Cut on 2nd July 2007, also available to buy on UMD™ Video and Blu-ray and to rent on DVD, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (Daredevil), Ghost Rider stars Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage (Grindhouse, World Trade Center, Face/Off), Eva Mendes (Hitch, Once Upon A Time In Mexico), Wes Bentley (Weirdsville, American Beauty) and cinema legend Peter Fonda (Escape From LA, Easy Rider).

Ghost Rider Synopsis

Johnny Blaze (Cage) was only a teenaged stunt biker when he sold his soul to the devil (Fonda) to save his dying father. Years later, Mephistopheles is back to claim his part of the bargain. A world famous daredevil by day, at night Blaze is transformed into the fearsome Ghost Rider and condemned to work as the devil’s bounty hunter, bringing evil souls on earth back to hell.

When a twist of fate brings his long-lost love (Mendes) back into his life, Johnny realizes he might have a second chance at happiness - if he can defeat the devil and win back his soul. First he must face Blackheart (Bentley), the devil’s rebellious son, who threatens to usurp his father’s place and bring hell on earth. Only the Ghost Rider stands between mankind and eternal darkness!

Packed with explosive action sequences and hair-raising special effects, Ghost Rider: Extended Cut features 13 minutes of never-before-seen footage, plus unmissable added value, including a Making Of documentary, cast and crew commentaries and a featurette on the history of the Ghost Rider comic.

Ghost Rider Clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABmNAa3JR-o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR1X54FJlRo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3q_IXgQOXw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-NtGjv7_pI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=556AbJWyi60

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq3X13kgW4U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0EZ2hA2yMs

Johnny Blaze Would Probably Want One!

Product Information:

Title: Ghost Rider
Release Date: 2nd July 2007
Format: Retail DVD / Retail Blu-ray / Rental DVD
DVD RRP: DVD £19.99 / Blu-ray £24.99
Certificate: 15
Genre: Action / Comic Book Adventure
Running Time: 118 mins

Extended 1-Disc Ghost Rider DVD (trade-wide SKU)

Extended version of the film with 13 minutes of never-before seen footage
Filmmaker commentaries

Extended 2-Disc Ghost Rider DVD (HMV Exclusive)

Extended version of the film with 13 minutes of never-before seen footage

Commentary with Writer/Director Mark Steven Johnson and Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Mack
Commentary with Producer Gary Foster
3 Making of Documentaries:
. Spirit of Vengeance, Spirit of Adventure & Spirit of Execution
. Sin & Salvation: Featurettes chronicling 40 yrs of Ghost Rider
Comic Book History
Animatics

Blu-Ray Ghost Rider Disc

Extended version of the film with 13 minutes of never-before seen footage
Commentary with Writer/Director Mark Steven Johnson and Visual Effects Supervisor Kevin Mack
Commentary with Producer Gary Foster
3 Making of Documentaries:
- Spirit of Vengeance, Spirit of Adventure & Spirit of Execution

UMD

Theatrical Cut with no AV

Play Exclusive Ghost Rider I-Active Card (packaged with the standard trade-wide SKU - as above
Rider Challenges:
· “Dead Ringer” A challenging match/memory game featuring exclusive Ghost Rider images, a timer, scorekeeper and congratulatory message.
· “Resurrection” A challenging slide puzzle custom designed for the Ghost Rider iactivecard. Rearrange pieces of the exclusive image in the fewest number of “moves” to complete the puzzle. Includes three puzzles increasing in difficulty.
· “Rider Quest” Custom designed, interactive trivia game includes a video introduction, timed questions, rankings and congratulatory message.
· “Johnny Blaze Chopper Shop” Design, paint, name, print and download your own custom designed Ghost Rider Chopper.

. E-Cards: Choose from four exclusive Ghost Rider scenes and send e-cards to friends and family.
. Extras: Exclusive screensavers
. “Rider Facts” Little known facts about the production.
. “Behind the Scenes” Behind the scene stills and production notes.

Release Date: October 5 2007

Night Watch To Day Watch

Featuring the cinematic vision of cutting-edge Director/Writer Timur Bekmambetov, Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) is based on the novel by Sergei Lukyanenko and Vladimir Vasiliev. When the previous installment, Night Watch, was released in its native Russia in July 2004, it became an instant smash hit breaking all film gross records in post-Soviet history. Made for a mere $4 million, the film out-grossed both Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King and Spider-Man 2 at the Russian box office, eventually taking in more than $16 million. Day Watch has done even better, grossing over $30 million.

A dazzling mix of state-of-the-art visual effects, amazing action sequences, and nail-biting horror set in contemporary Moscow, Day Watch revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness — the result of a medieval truce between the opposing sides. This ancient war between the forces of Light and Darkness is reaching a tragic outcome. Each side has gained a powerful Great Other, who are headed for a clash, and Anton Gorodetsky is once again caught up in the midst of this conflict.

On one side is Anton’s son, Egor, who has joined the ranks of the Dark Others, while Anton’s love interest Svetlana is the hope of the Light. But that’s just the beginning of his troubles: Anton is on the run after having been accused of murder. Things are getting worse, and only the ancient Chalk of Fate can save the day. The problem is the magical Chalk was lost hundreds of years ago…

Day Watch stars Konstantin Khabensky, Maria Poroshina, Vladimir Menshov, Galina Tyunina, Victor Verzhbitskiy, Zhanna Friske, Dima Martynov, Valeriy Zolotukhin and Aleksey Chadov. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov from a screenplay by Bekmambetov, Sergei Lukyanenko and Alexander Talal, Day Watch was produced by Konstantin Ernst, the General Director of Channel One Russia, Russia’s biggest and most successful television network, and Anatoly Maximov, Deputy General Director.

The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Director of Photography Sergei Trofimov, Art Directors Valery Victorov and Mukhtar Mirzakeyev, Editor Dmitri Kiselev and Costume Designer Varia Avdiushko. The film’s music is composed by Yuri Poteyenko.

Mini Synopsis:

A man (Khabensky) who serves in the war between the forces of Light and Dark comes into possession of a device that can restore life to Moscow, which was nearly destroyed by an apocalyptic event. Set in contemporary Moscow, Day Watch (Dnevnoi Dozor) revolves around the conflict and balance maintained between the forces of light and darkness—the result of a medieval truce between the opposing sides.

Featuring the cinematic vision of cutting-edge Director/Writer Timur Bekmambetov, Day Watch” is the second installment of a trilogy based on the best-selling sci-fi novels of Sergei Lukyanenko entitled Night Watch, Day Watch and Dusk Watch.

A dazzling mix of state-of-the-art visual effects, amazing action sequences, and nail-biting horror, when Night Watch was released in its native Russia in July 2004, it became an instant smash hit breaking all film gross records in post-Soviet history.

All Posts For NightWatch (Interviews, images, trailers).
Part 1: NightWatch To DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor) Introduction
Part 2: Inside The Film’s Origin: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Part 3: Casting Of The Dark And Light Ones: DayWatch (Dnevnoi Dozor)
Exclusive Clip: The Chalk

A new print of Roger Corman’s classic The Raven (1963), adapted from Edgar Allen Poe’s tale, will be screened at the ICA on 8th, 10th and 11th July.

The Raven features three giants of 20th Century horror – Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff and introduces a young Jack Nicholson.

It is a low budget romp in the gothic horror-comedy style, and features a typically arch and showy performance from Corman’s regular Poe star, the wonderful Vincent Price.

The author and critic Kim Newman will introduce the 8th July screening.

You can book directly on the ICA site.

Directions to the ICA, The Mall, London SW1Y 5AH.

Rottentomatoes, the fables film/movie review site and just launched its Journey Through Sci-Fi: 100 Best-Reviewed Sci-Fi Movies.

It’s a little (??) controversial since it’s based on the criticical reviews and not popular opinion, but it’s a great list to peruse, and to shout loudly at when your favourite film isn’t included.

It doesn’t explicitly say whether its dynamic, or whether the positioning is fixed as of the time it was put together. (Forget that, the cutoff date is currently 11 May 2007 and it uses a weighted Bayesian formula in its calculations.)

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/features/special/2007/scifi/

Thanks to Matthew from RT for the heads up on this.

Xbox 360 is the first and only gaming console to provide HD and standard-definition TV shows and movies straight to your console’s hard drive! Every week, Xbox LIVE releases exciting new TV and film titles like Dreamgirls, Charlotte’s Web, Babel, Friends, all of your favourite
anime shows, and the Chappelle Show!

For more information, please visit:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/marketplace/moviestv

It just so happens that this week and in weeks to come, your favorite sci-fi movies are premiering including all of the Babylon 5 films, and lots of anime TV shows!

It’s simple! Purchase Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE or at retail locations and redeem them in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for your favorite movies and television shows!

This is a customer services public broadcast (AKA press release).

Movie Seals Productions is proud to announce that their latest sci-fi / action film RECON 2022: The Mezzo Incident and their critically acclaimed vigilante film Deaden will have their North American Premieres at the FanTasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada.

In Deaden, the story follows John Fallon as Rane, an ex-undercover cop forced to witness the brutal rape and murder of his pregnant wife (Anna Jaeger) by the ruthless members of a biker gang who have learned about his old policemen days. Shot through the head with a crossbow and dumped into a canal, Rane is believed to be dead… but miraculously survives the ordeal. Upon his exit from the hospital, he teams up with his old crime buddy Kersey (Deke Richards), arms himself to the teeth, and goes on a drug fueled, psychotic rampage all in the name of unapologetic retribution.

Deaden will screen on July 14th, 2007 at 7:30 PM. Producer/Director Christian Viel and actor/writer/producer John Fallon will be attending and stay for a Q&A following the movie.

About Movie Seals Productions:

Movie Seals Productions: This Montreal-based company is run by a talented director/screenwriter Christian Viel. Beside the award-winning Recon 2020: The Caprini Massacre and the critically acclaimed Deaden, this fast growing production company has recently produced a sequel to Recon 2020: Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident. They are currently in pre-production of the last chapter of the Recon trilogy.

About the Fantasia Film Festival:

Since its inception in 1996, FanTasia has been an event hell-bent on showcasing the most exciting, innovative and individualistic examples of contemporary international genre cinema, with an emphasis on unveiling films very rarely seen in North America. With its 70 000 festival-goers FanTasia can be proudly called as one of the biggest festivals in the world. This year issue happens June 5 -25.

Recon 2022 Official website:
http://www.recon2022-movie.com/

Deaden Official Website:
http://www.deaden-movie.com/

Movie Seals Productions website:
http://www.movieseals.biz/

Fantasia Film Festival site:
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007

Festival description of the films:
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007/en/films/film_detail.php?id=297

http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007/en/films/film_detail.php?id=225

Movie Seals Productions is proud to announce that their latest sci-fi / action film RECON 2022: The Mezzo Incident and their critically acclaimed vigilante film Deaden will have their North American Premieres at the FanTasia Film Festival in Montreal, Canada.

From a screenplay written by Christian Viel, John Fallon and William Alexander, the action packed story of RECON 2022: the Mezzo Incident picks up two years after the events of the first film and introduces a new cast of endearing characters as well as bringing back familiar ones. After the gruesome events on Caprini, Sharp (Anderson Bradshaw) and his elite team of tough, witty and trigger happy space Marines must now head out to the icy planet Mezzo to investigate further Ma’har activities. What they will encounter will defy their imaginations as they tackle giant man eating snow worms, an underground city of Cyborgs, a slew of murderous alien entities and maybe, finally, the ever elusive Ma’hars.

Recon 2022:The Mezzo Incident will play on July 19th, 2007 at 9:20 PM and be will be hosted by director Christian Viel and star Anderson Bradshaw.

About Movie Seals Productions:

Movie Seals Productions: This Montreal-based company is run by a talented director/screenwriter Christian Viel. Beside the award-winning Recon 2020: The Caprini Massacre and the critically acclaimed Deaden, this fast growing production company has recently produced a sequel to Recon 2020: Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident. They are currently in pre-production of the last chapter of the Recon trilogy.

About the Fantasia Film Festival:

Since its inception in 1996, FanTasia has been an event hell-bent on showcasing the most exciting, innovative and individualistic examples of contemporary international genre cinema, with an emphasis on unveiling films very rarely seen in North America. With its 70 000 festival-goers FanTasia can be proudly called as one of the biggest festivals in the world. This year issue happens June 5 -25.

Recon 2022 Official website:
http://www.recon2022-movie.com/

Deaden Official Website:
http://www.deaden-movie.com/

Movie Seals Productions website:
http://www.movieseals.biz/

Fantasia Film Festival site:
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007

Festival description of the films:
http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007/en/films/film_detail.php?id=297

http://www.fantasiafest.com/2007/en/films/film_detail.php?id=225

Elliot Russell at Parallel Futures has organised a Sci-Fi film evening entitled Parallel Futures. Specialising in independant and rare sci-fi films set in the future.

Parallel Futures are also on the look out for sci-fi films to show. So if you want to put your film forward to be showcased, then let him know.

The event has been confirmed to start on Sunday the 7th of October 2007 in the basement of the Juno bar in Shoreditch at 19:00.

Event Lineup:
19:00 The stall opens, you can buy refreshments
20:00 3021 a war in space
20:20 10 min break
20:30 Future Wars
21:00 10 min break
21:10 Cyberpunk Genre
21:13 Ariella
21:23 12 min break
21:35 Karate Ruler
21:50 Twitch
22:00 Stall re-opens, can get refreshments
23:00 Event closes

The Address For The Venuer Is:
134/135 Shoreditch High Street, Shoreditch, London, E1 6JE.

The Nearest Train Station:
Old Street.

Directions To The Event:
Once you leave the ticket barriers of the station, turn left and then follow the signs that lead you out of Exit 2.
Once you are out of Exit 2 walk straight on, crossing any roads that you come to until you come to a metal bridge.
Walk under the bridge to the other side, turn left and cross the road.
Then you walk straight on and keep looking left for a billboard that says ‘Juno Bar’. The basement to the bar will be on your left as soon as you enter the bar.
At the bottom of the stairs will be a doorman to sell entry tickets.

Pricing:
Entry on the door will be £8, or you make an advanced booking for £7 by ordering a ticket at: http://parallelfutures.moonfruit.com/ and follow the links.

Contact Info And Questions:
You can contact Parallel Futures on their website at: http://parallelfutures.moonfruit.com/.

Fraser Coull has finished the final touches to Night Is Day Episode 4.

Starring: Chris Somerville, Shian Denovan, Colin Ferguson, Steven McEwan, Tam Toye, Ashley MacFarlane (Caitlyn) and Natalie Clark (Joanne)

An angry DCI Sloan is relieved when his partner DI Mullan tracks down a connection to Mr. Philips and interrogates them outside the police station, but they aren’t going to like what they hear. Meanwhile, Jason has a lot of explaining to do when asked about his powers, and when he is forced to use his powers in public, a mysterious girl watches from a far. Will she present more danger to Jason?

I’m trying hard not to put any spoilers into the reviews for Night Is Day. Each episode is quite short, but packs a lot of punch. This episode sees more characters introduced, and some nice effects which are unexpected. The camera work and directing is, again, spot on, and you can see the crew learning with each episode. I can’t wait for it to be edited into a full length feature. The story is starting to pan out more and build up in intensity.

It’s definitely worth a watch!

You can hear a radio interview here (mp3) that Chris Somerville and Fraser Coull did for Radio Cafe, the arts programme on Radio Scotland - it’s quite funny!

Upto the minute information from nightisday.com.

Watch Episode 3 now (and 2 and 1 if you haven’t already seen them!).

Read other articles/reviews on Night Is Day.