Vijay Adiraj to direct Arya's brother!

Cinemimi [Friday, April 27, 2012]

Sathya, younger brother of Arya, donned the greasepaint for the first time for 'Kadhal 2 Kalyanam', a film which is in the making from a longtime now. He has now signed a new project, which will mark the directorial debut of television personality Vijay Adiraj!



Titled 'Puthagam', the movie will be produced by Dr V Ramadoss of Ram Pictures Pvt Ltd, who made 'Yuvan Yuvathi' some time back. Besides 'Puthagam', Ramadoss is simultaneously producing 'Haridas', a film starring Kishore and Sneha in the lead.

"Puthagam is a youthful entertainer with Sathya and Rakul Preet Singh in pivotal roles. It will be a mix of comedy and romance. Vijay Adiraj himself has written the script, with dialogues coming from Guhan Srinivasan," say sources.

James Vasanthan, who shares a long time friendship with Vijay Adiraj, will score the music. Na Muthukumar will be the in-charge of lyrics, while stunts are by Dhilip Subbarayan, editing by Richard Kevin and art direction by GK.

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Vijaykanth's plans for his son

Cinemimi [Friday, April 27, 2012]
Vijaykanth's son Shanmuga Pandian will be making his debut with the Tamil remake of Jr NTR's film, Brindavanam. It was a smash hit and had the Telugu star romancing Kajal Agarwal and Samantha. Vijaykanth has bought the rights to the film and will be remaking the film with a leading director in Tamil.

The search is also on for suitable leading ladies. Shanmuga Pandian is working hard in preparation for his debut film, it has been reported. He is hitting the gym regularly, preparing for fight sequences and also learning dance.

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'Viswaroopam': 30-second promo?

Cinemimi [Friday, April 27, 2012]
Come May 1, Kamal Haasan is expected to release a 30-second promo video of his forthcoming magnum opus 'Viswaroopam'. The teaser kind of material will be launched on the net. It will be also shown on cinema halls, say sources.

"Kamal, who has always been on the forefront at trying his hands at various new technologies, is planning big to use the internet to promote Viswaroopam. He will come out with innovative ideas soon," they add.

Being directed by Kamal himself, 'Viswaroopam' is jointly produced by Raaj Kamal and PVP Cinema. Pooja Kumar, Andrea Jeremiah and Shekar Kapoor among others are playing pivotal characters, with Kamal appearing in more than one role.

"One of the roles the Ulaganayagan doing is that of an Afghanistan-based terrorist. He learnt Afghan in a short span of time and he is now well versed in the language," say sources close to the unit.

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'Ram Gopal Varma has not lost the Midas touch'

Cinemimi [Friday, April 27, 2012]
The women of Ram Gopal Varma's Department are quite the sexy lot.

We've seen the gorgeous Nathalia Kaur in the item number.

Now, we take a look at the film's leading lady Madhu Shalini.

This is Madhu's first Hindi film, and she seems super excited about it.

Madhu speaks to Patcy N about her challenging gangster role in the film, starring Bollywood heavyweights like Amitabh Bachchan and Sanjay Dutt.

How did Ram Gopal Varma approach you for Department?

Ram Gopal saw my pictures on the internet and also scenes from my Tamil film Avan Ivan in which I played a simple girl-next-door.

The internet photographs were completely different from my role in Avan Ivan. He liked the contrast -- that I could look like the girl-next-door and also have the rough look that he wanted for his film.

Image: Madhu Shalini

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Movie buzz: 'Bank' on Armie Hammer

Cinemimi [Thursday April26,2012]

Photo credit: Pablo Palacios/ | A screening of the film, "Flags, Feathers and Lies: The Untold New Orleans Story of a Culture Fighting for Survival," takes place on May 2, 2012 at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, the film is produced by Julie Belafonte and directed by Pablo Palacios. Pictured: Young Big Chief (Christian Smith) in " Flags Feathersand Lies"

WHO Armie Hammer

THE MOVIE "Cut Bank"

THE DEAL The star of "J. Edgar" will join an impressive cast that includes Ben Kingsley, John Malkovich, Michael Sheen and Teresa Palmer in this indie film about a man trying to escape a small Montana town frozen in time, Variety reports. The movie, whose script landed on Hollywood's informal "Black List" of best unproduced screenplays in 2009, marks the latest in a string of high-profile roles for Hammer, a scion of the Armand Hammer dynasty. He recently appeared as the handsome prince in "Mirror Mirror" and will play the title role in Disney's upcoming "Lone Ranger," opposite Johnny Depp as Tonto.

WHO Julie Belafonte

THE MOVIE "Flags, Feathers and Lies"

THE DEAL The longtime civil rights activist and ex-wife of Harry Belafonte produced this documentary about the post-Katrina existence of the African-American Mardi Gras Indians in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward. She and director Pablo Palacios will appear at a screening of the film hosted by filmmaker Warrington Hudlin.

INFO Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington. Tickets are $13. 631-423-7611; cinemaartscentre.org

THE MOVIE "How to Die in Oregon"

THE DEAL Filmmaker Peter Richardson explores the lives of the terminally ill in this documentary set in the first U.S. state to legalize physician-

assisted suicide. The film won a Grand Jury Award at last year's Sundance Film Festival and will play next week as the last screening in the Port Jefferson Documentary Series. The guest speaker will be Fran Schindler of Final Exit Network, a right-to-die society.

INFO Monday at 7 p.m. at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson. Tickets are $5. 631-473-5220; gpjac.org

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Fast-Frame Hobbit Dangles Prospect of Superior Cinema, But Will Theaters Bite?

Cinemimi [Thursday April26,2012]

HOLLYWOOD — On a century-old studio lot, a guy juggles oranges as cameras roll, capturing test footage of the flying fruit. Then he tosses a red construction hat into the air, throws a bucket of water toward the camera and pours fizzing cola into a glass.

It might look like the kind of amateur antics featured in Thomas Edison’s 1890 film test Monkeyshines, but the juggler — Red Digital Cinema exec Ted Schilowitz — is performing his modest party tricks to show off the capabilities of his company’s next-generation 3-D movie cameras.

Cameramen film each stunt at the standard 24 frames per second before clicking a button to film a repeat performance at twice the normal rate. Then the bespectacled Schilowitz escorts his visitor into a cavernous soundstage, fires up a computer, and uploads the freshly filmed scenes for a comparison.

It’s here that the mundane demo morphs into something rather remarkable. “The regular footage looks fine until you see how much more there is” in the 48-fps version, Schilowitz points out. “There’s less blur, the colors are brighter, the image is crisper and deeper.”

And that’s just on a computer screen. When Schilowitz flicks off the lights and projects fast-frame-rate aerial demo footage onto a big movie screen, it hits like a knockout punch to the optic nerve — in a good way. Filmed by a helicopter flying over a patch of desert, the video shows grains of sand, flower petals and sparkling beads of dew popping off the screen with such smoothly rendered detail that normal movies suddenly seem blotchy, dull and herky-jerky as a Keystone Kops comedy from a century ago.

Fast-frame footage stands poised to define the future of 3-D movies. Avatar director James Cameron is pushing for higher specs, and Peter Jackson shot his highly anticipated The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey at double the 24-fps rate that ruled Hollywood for eight decades. When Bilbo Baggins and his Middle Earth pals hit select theaters in December to become history’s first 48-fps 3-D wide release, movie audiences will get a chance to see for themselves why alpha auteurs like Jackson are flipping for fast frame.

Still, widespread acceptance of the new standard is not a slam dunk. In fact, technology that flashes more images per second onto the screen to produce a smoother, crisper cinematic experience has been nixed twice before by Hollywood to save money. Now, thanks to theaters’ ongoing conversion to digital projection, upgrading to fast-frame systems is making the transition easier and far less expensive.

How many theater owners will get behind fast frame? That’s the question unfolding this week as projection vendors roll out their faster-is-better pitch to theater operators meeting in Las Vegas for their annual CinemaCon convention. Warner Bros. screened 10 minutes of The Hobbit footage Tuesday, and Variety reported that not all exhibitors were sold on the 48-fps format’s sharp visuals.

The trade publication quoted one exhibitor who saw the footage: “Some of the closeup shots looked like an old soap opera on TV. But the wide vistas were pretty breathtaking. It will take some getting used to, for sure.”
For Cameron, who plans to shoot his Avatar sequels at either 48 fps or 60 fps to clean up “artifacts” that cause a blurring effect when objects move quickly across the screen, fast frame is the obvious next step.

“People are mired in this dinosaur, last-century frame rate of 24 frames per second, which is not fast enough,” Cameron told Wired in a phone interview.

To demonstrate the point, Cameron’s team arranged a separate test screening at Burbank, California-based Cameron Pace Company, just a few miles north of Red Cinema headquarters. Splitting the screen for an A/B comparison, digital manager Derek Watro freeze-frames dueling 3-D footage of an actor swinging a stick, waving a torch and tossing a ball. Images that would normally appear adequate abruptly look fuzzy by comparison, as if the moviegoer had been wearing glasses with the wrong prescription but now could suddenly see straight.

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ArcLight Cinemas Completes Digital Conversion with Christie Solaria Series Projectors; Will Feature High Frame Rate Films Like THE HOBBIT Later This Y

Cinemimi [Thursday April26, 2012]

There are two must-see places that are on my own personal bucket list: the Alamo Drafthouse and the ArcLight Hollywood. When you are stuck with AMC/Regal/Cinemark (essentially the McDonalds of movie theaters), places like the Drafthouse and the ArcLight are welcome beacons of light in an otherwise dim cinematic world. With their recent completion of the digital conversion of all four of their locations (33 auditoriums and 61 screens), ArcLight Cinemas has entered a new era. Facilitated by the Christie Solaris Series 2K/4K digital projectors, ArcLight will be able to feature high frame rate movies, such as Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, which bows on December 14th of this year. This is my new Mecca. Hit the jump to read the press release.

Here is the press release, chock full of all sorts of technological goodies:

CINEMACON/LAS VEGAS – (April 25, 2012) – Christie®, a global leader in digital cinema projection, today announced that ArcLight Cinemas has completed the digital conversion of its four locations in California, boasting 33 auditoriums and 61 screens, with Christie Solaria® Series CP2210 2K, Christie CP4220 and Christie CP4230 4K projectors aligned to provide the best in both conventional and premier movie experiences.

The most advanced offerings in Christie’s industry-leading Solaria Series, the CP4220/30 projectors in particular provide brilliant 3D images in 4K resolution, along with the highest level of content security combined with easy operations and maintenance.

All auditoriums within the ArcLight brand are premium presentation auditoriums, focusing on a “black box” design aesthetic, which emphasizes undistracted viewing and features the best in sight and sound technology.

“Christie’s Solaria series will make it possible for us to present the latest technological advances to our patrons, such as 3D and big-screen experiences, as well as high frame rate (HFR) movies scheduled to launch later this year, beginning with epics such as Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit,” said Joe Miraglia, director of design, construction and facilities for ArcLight. “Since we offer a range of movies and theaters to suit distinct audiences, we needed digital projection that could adapt to any need, and Christie gave us the best solution.”

The projectors were installed by ACS Enterprises Inc. which chose Christie because of its winning combination of product and support excellence.

“At ACS, we care about our clients, their theaters and their continued success,” said Jose Alvarado, chief executive officer of ACS. “Christie is a partner that shares our philosophy and wanted to make sure we succeeded in our digital cinema transitions. By helping us succeed, they too succeed.

“In addition to providing first-rate technology, Christie collaborated in installation design, setup and testing though its Christie Managed Services group, which has been extremely helpful in quickly and efficiently providing the assistance we needed for ArcLight’s unique requirements,” added Alvarado.

Part of the Pacific Theatres group, the ArcLight chain includes the famous ArcLight Hollywood, which boasts the historic and unique Cinerama Dome – one of only three such theaters in the world today. In keeping with the unique architecture, and to be able to deliver a variety of enhanced movie experiences, the Dome now features
Christie Duo™ technology, a configuration of two projectors, advanced software and a space-saving frame that delivers a completely seamless, premium movie experience for the world’s largest screens.

Craig Sholder, vice president, Entertainment Solutions for Christie, said, “We offer an unparalleled range of leading-edge product, support, partnerships and financing options to make the benefits of digital projection available to all types of exhibitor in every market. It’s because of this commitment, and the loyalty of our customers, that we lead the market for digital projection solutions, and we’re pleased to have ArcLight as part of our customer family.”

ACS looks forward to many successful deployments with Christie, which dovetails with its long-range thinking to benefit clients. “It is part of our continued support cycle to monitor developments in the industry to make sure our clients are aware of the latest technology advances and what motion picture releases will implement/introduce such programs,” said Alvarado. “Our industry experiences have made us recognize that technological advances in motion pictures, with both picture and sound delivery, are usually not successful without the release of a major motion picture that demands these advances. It’s a process we consistently monitor; making sure our clients are in a position to adapt and implement when that picture is released to their patrons.”

About ArcLight Cinemas
ArcLight Cinemas, created by Pacific Theatres, represents an evolution in the movie going experience. With locations in Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Pasadena and El Segundo, the chain offers an unprecedented combination of technology, amenities, comfort, and customer service. ArcLight Cinema’s dynamic programming ranges from the newest Hollywood blockbusters to independent art house fare, cult favorites and classics and 21+ screenings, making it one of the most popular destinations for discerning moviegoers. Its signature amenities include black box auditoriums, extra-wide seats with double armrests, stadium seating, reserved seating at many locations and a wide variety of counter and café food options.

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CM inaugurates new Film Chamber offices

Cinemimi [Thursday April26,2012]
It was a special day for the South Indian Film Chamber as the newly constructed offices were inaugurated by CM J Jayalalitha through a video conference event. The event marked the inauguration of an 80,000 sq.ft block that has been completed and the foundation stone laying of a 40,000 sq.ft block. Both the blocks are situated in Anna Salai, where the Film Chamber has been there right from its inception. The event was attended by all veteran producers of the industry including S.A. Chandrashekhar, Kalaipuli S Thanu, Ibrahim Rowther, Editor Mohan among others.

The CM did the honors from her office in the Secretariat. Present along with her in the office were film chamber President C.Kalyan, secretaries Ravikottarakkra and L.Suresh, representing the Film Chamber. After the inauguration, the CM said that it was an honor for her to be able to inaugurate the new facilities because the Film Chamber was originally inaugurated by Arignar Anna many years back and that MGR too had a long association with the chamber. She said that Tamil cinema was now marching towards 100 years and wished that the journey should never come to a stop.

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Rajini's villain prefers suspense

Cinemimi [Wednesday, April 25, 2012]
Every great protagonist needs a great antagonist and for Kochadaiyaan, Jackie Shroff is going to be Rajini's villain. According to sources, the scenes between these actors will be the highlight of the film as they have come out very well. The filming took place in Pinewood Studios, London.

About working with Rajini, Jackie Shroff said it was an absolute delight and he said that despite being the biggest star in the continent, Rajini is the complete professional with no airs. He was unwilling to say too much about his role though, preferring to maintain the suspense.

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It's Vivek for Santhanam!

Cinemimi [Wednesday, April 25, 2012]
The preparations are going on full swing for Singam 2 as the shooting will begin as soon as Suriya wraps up Maatran. The lovely leading ladies are Anushka and Hansika. Vivek, Vijayakumar, Radha Ravi and Nasser will form the rest of the cast. The latest is that Santhanam will be joining the cast and he will team up with Vivek for some great comedy routines.

Vivek and Santhanam have different styles when it comes to comedy but both have proved that they have what it takes to tickle the funny bones. Expectations were already high for the high voltage sequel to the hit film Singham and now they are going to go right through the roof with the news about this dynamic duo of Vivek and Santhanam.

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Two ladies fight over Aadhi

Cinemimi [Wednesday, April 25, 2012]
Aadhi's next film is a bilingual in Tamil and Telugu with Taapsee. In Tamil it will be called Maranthein Mannithen. The story is set along the banks of the river Godavari and will follow the lives of four people who are trapped by the flooding of the river. Sundeep and Lakshmi Manchu form the rest of the cast.

Suja Varunee of Solla Solla Inikkum has been roped in for this film. She will appear as a bangle vendor from Aadhi's past while Taapsee will be in his present. Interestingly, Maranthein Mannithen will have a rustic setting. Taapsee has revealed her look in the film and she is clad in a simple sari with minimal makeup. So it seems that Suja, the bangle vendor and a deglamorized Taapsee will be vying for Aadhi's attention in MM.

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Director Shankar’s new addition

Cinemimi [Monday, April 23, 2012]

Ace director Shankar is the talk of the town and this time it’s not for his movie but for a different reason. The director known for his extravagant ways of film making has bought a Rolls Royce car. With this three crore Ghost variant of the car imported from UK, he has joined the elite league of Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. The car was recently registered at the KK Nagar West RTO office and Shankar has got it registered with the number TN09 BQ 0008.

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Sameera bats for south

Cinemimi [Monday, April 23, 2012]
A pan Indian actress that she is, Sameera Reddy's heart beats for the south. "I mostly get to play the sexy heroine in the north, whereas in the south, I get to experiment more with roles, like the one I did in Vaaranam Aayiram," she says.

Describing 'Vaaranam Aayiram' as one of the important movies in her career and Gautham Vasudev Menon as one of her favourite filmmakers, Sameera, who worked with the same director in 'Nadunisi Naaygal', says, "I love being part of his projects."

Though she has worked in some multi-heroine flicks, including her recent Tamil film 'Vettai' (in which Amala Paul is the other leading lady), Sameera says two actresses can not be best friends.

"It is an absolute myth that two actresses can be best friends. I don't believe it. I keep good to other actresses, but no one in the industry is my best friend," says the outspoken 'Vedi' heroine.

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Arulnidhi’s film in trouble

Cinemimi[Monday, April 23, 2012]
It seems actor Arulnidhi’s Ashokamitran may not see the light. Sources say that the Karu Pazhaniappan directed movie which went on floor in February has been dropped. It was supposed to be produced by Mogana Movies and Thaman was roped in as the music director. It has to be noted that last year Arulnidhi’s Mounaguru directed by Shanthakumar had gone on to become a sleeper hit.

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Udhayanidhi goes to court

Cinemimi [Monday, April 23, 2012]
Udhayanidhi Stalin's Red Giant Movies has filed a petition in the Madras High Court, seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu government to provide tax exemption to the producer's maiden heroic venture 'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi'.

According to the petition, the film has been named in Tamil and there are no scenes in the movie which would bring disrepute to the culture and tradition of the land. Hence it should be given tax exemption as per rules.

Stating that tax exemption was not granted to 'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi' due to political reasons, since Udhayanidhi is the son of former Deputy Chief Minister and DMK treasurer M K Stalin, the petition requested the court to cancel the government order in this regard.

Hearing the petition, Justice Janaradhana Raja issued a notice to the government, seeking a reply on April 24. Starring Santhanam and Hansika Motwani in key roles, 'Oru Kal Oru Kannadi' is directed by Rajesh M and is seeing a good run in the theatres.

Udhayanidhi Stalin On OKOK Tax Issue

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A record for Ajith

Cinemimi [Monday, April 23, 2012]
All of Kollywood and the fans seem to be eagerly awaiting Billa 2.

And it looks like the film's crossed its first step towards the cinema halls, as the theatrical rights of the Ajith-starrer have been sold. The film is rumoured to have fetched an amount of Rs 24 crore, which is the highest amount that any Ajith film has fetched thus far. Aascar Ravichandran's company has reportedly bought the rights for the film, which is expected to hit the cinema halls in June, after the IPL season comes to an end.

Billa was one of the bigger hits in the past decade and with Mankatha, Ajith's 50th film striking gold at the box office last year, the race for buying the various rights for this film heated up all the more. No wonder, it is rumoured that the amount spent on acquiring the theatrical rights of Billa 2 is well over what Mankatha commanded last year. It definitely seems like everyone is eager to see Thala back on the big screen!

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`Teri Meri Kahaani` will be a memorable film: Priyanka Chopra

Cinemimi [Monday, April 23, 2012]
Mumbai: Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra says that her upcoming film `Teri Meri Kahaani`, a story of eternal love, will be a memorable movie.

"The movie will be a memorable one. The story takes us through a journey of eternal love between a couple who have vowed to love each other not only in this life but in every life to follow. Their love is so strong that even destiny wants to bring them together," Priyanka said.

The film stars Shahid Kapoor in the lead opposite Priyanka and has been directed by Kunal Kohli.

"The story starts in 1960 Bombay with Govind and Ruksar, then moves ahead to present times, 2012 England with Radha and Krish and then goes back in time to Punjab, 1910 with Aradhana and Javed," said Priyanka, who was here to promote the film.

"It is three different love stories but I enjoyed the 2012 episode the most," she added.

Describing Shahid as a "really good actor", the 29-year-old actress said, "I was playing the real character of 1960s as Ruksar. It was fun to play those parts."

According to director Kunal, the film "is all about love... Thrice upon a love story... Soul mates.... The journey of love is something that has always fascinated me and all of us."

"The banter between the couple, the chemistry, the first look, the pain and anguish of separation, the fun of the meetings, the dreaminess of love songs, the thrill the hero gets while flirting with that one person who suddenly is the most important person. The joy, fun, tears and entertainment of our Hindi Cinema is at its peak in our love stories.

"This is exactly the journey that I went through while writing Teri Meri Kahaani and this is exactly the journey I want to take you through," said Kunal.

Besides acting in numerous projects, Priyanka is also
working on her first pop album. "I am working with some amazing people - trying to create Indian pop music. I want everyone who love India to relate to the music.

Answering a question, she said she trained to sing when she was in school. "I trained in western classic."

Priyanka, who won a National award for her role in `Fashion`, said that her best performance is yet to come.

"The best performance is yet to come. I am just a normal person thrown into the acting business. My acting school is my career. In every movie, I try to do a little bit more. I try act to the best of my capabilities. I am glad that the audience has given me a place in their heart."

Asked about her favourite playback singers, she said, "I love Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and Alisha Chinoy."

Asked whether she had any plans to act in Hollywood movies, she said "I don`t want to be a small part of a big movie. I am happy with Bollywood, Telugu, Tamil and Punjabi movies."

`Teri Meri Kahani` will be in cinemas on June 22, 2012. The film is produced by Sunil Lulla, Vicky Bahri and Kunal Kohli.

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