Star Wars to go 3D?

Following the success of James Cameron's Avatar, there are rumours that George Lucas could release Star Wars in 3D.

Speaking to Access Hollywood, Lucas said he "liked" Avatar, adding that he can appreciate what Cameron went through to make the movie.

"I'm happy it's so successful, and worked very well in 3D. Haven't been a big fan of 3D, but that movie definitely improves in the field of 3D," he noted.

He added that he has been looking "for years and years and years" at ways of trying to turn the Star War installments into 3D but had not been able to see a solution.

"Technology hasn't been there. We've been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen," he revealed.

The first installment of the franchise Star Wars was released in 1977 and was followed by Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back in 1980. Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was released in 1983.

Episode I: The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, followed by Episode II - Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Episode III – Return of the Sith in 2005. ~ LoveFilm

Prankster George Clooney targets Reitman

Geroge Clooney, renowned for playing jokes on crew and castmates, strikes again at the recent Golden Globes ceremony sending writer/director Jason Reitman into a panic.

Reitman admits he was surprised to have escaped the actor's pranks - but soon realised he had become another one of Clooney's victims at the 17 January (10) awards show when his Golden Globe went missing.

The director says, "He never pranked anybody during the shoot of Up In The Air and we all felt a little hurt to be honest, and then the other night at the Golden Globes, he hid my Golden Globe!"

Winnie Mandela angry about planned biopic

Nelson Mandela's ex-wife Winnie is furious about plans for a new biopic of her life starring Jennifer Hudson because she was "never consulted" about the project.

Dreamgirls Oscar winner was unveiled as the lead in South African filmmaker Darrell J. Roodt's new movie Winnie, documenting her life and marriage to the former South African president.

But Winnie Mandela is "extremely concerned" about the proposed movie because she has not been approached to provide input.

In a letter sent from her attorney Bowman Gilfillan to the film producers, the legal adviser expresses his client's anger and disappointment at being left out of her own story.

He writes, "It is difficult to understand how a production bearing the name of an individual who has not been consulted at all could ever be appropriate or tell the full story of that individual's life as media reports suggest this production is intended to.

"This is certainly the case here, where our client has not responded to allegations and comment which have been made about her, precisely because she has sought to protect her sphere of personal privacy as best she can in extremely difficult and turbulent times."

Roodt's film has already stirred controversy in South Africa - members of a local actors' union hit out at Hudson's casting last month (Dec09), insisting an actor from Mandela's native country should have been cast as the title character in a movie so important to South Africa's history. ~ LoveFilm

Joaquin Phoenix resurfaces with new look

Actor-turned-rapper Joaquin Phoenix has resurfaced after months in the showbiz wilderness, stunning fans with a new clean-shaven look on the set of a new charity ad.

Joaquin quit Hollywood last year (09) to embark on a new career as a rapper, and was last seen sporting a scraggly beard during a series of bizarre TV and public appearances.

But, the beard was gone on Thursday night (21Jan10), when Phoenix joined ex-girlfriend Liv Tyler to tape a promotional ad for To Write Love on Her Arms.

The non-profit movement is dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide.

Robert Pattinson spices up new film with sexy romps

Twilight hunk Robert Pattinson is set to test his sex symbol status in upcoming movie Bel Ami - his character enjoys racy romps with Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman and Kristin Scott-Thomas.

U.S. publication Life & Style has obtained a copy of the script, which leaves little to the imagination.

Pattinson, who plays journalist Georges Duroy in the film, climbs the social ladder by sleeping with a series of prominent women.

One of his sex encounters is a fiery romp with Ricci, another is a quickie with Thurman's Madeline, while Brit Scott Thomas' romp in the film is described by the publication as "rough and ravenous".

Golden Globe Awards 2010 - WINNERS

The winners of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning at a star-studded ceremony held at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, hosted by Ricky Gervais.

Click on the handy links to view the movies4africa biographies, filmographies and in-stock movies, where titles are Coming Soon! or currently available to rent. We look forward to bringing you the remaining titles as soon as they become available! 

The full list of winners below:

BEST MOVIE (DRAMA)

Avatar

ACTOR (DRAMA)

Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

ACTRESS (DRAMA)

Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side

BEST MUSICAL OR COMEDY

The Hangover

ACTOR (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Robert Downey, Jr. - Sherlock Holmes

ACTRESS (MUSICAL OR COMEDY)

Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

The White Ribbon

ANIMATED FILM

Up

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Mo'Nique - Precious

DIRECTOR

James Cameron - Avatar

SCREENPLAY

Up in the Air

ORIGINAL SCORE

Michael Giacchino - Up

ORIGINAL SONG

"The Weary Kind" - Crazy Heart

Decil B Demille (lifetime achievement) Award

Martin Scorsese

Robert Pattinson to replace Maguire in Spider-Man 4?

Actor Robert Pattinson is set to swing into action to replace Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man 4, according to reports.

The Twilight hunk is reportedly the top choice with Columbia executives to star in the film, after Maguire pulled out last week (11 Jan 10) over a reported script issue.

Daily Variety claimed movie bosses are planning to make a prequel about Spider-Man and his alter-ego, Peter Parker, as a teenager instead - and Pattinson is the hot favourite to land the role, reports the Daily Mirror.

A source tells the publication, "The buzz in Hollywood is all about R-Patz as the hot, young thing being lined up to fill Tobey Maguire's shoes. It would be a hard act to follow as fans were traumatised at the news Tobey was going.

"His mild-mannered portrayal as Peter Parker and the transformation to Spider-Man kept millions of fans in the cinemas for the box-office smash. He also had great chemistry with Kirsten Dunst, who plays love interest Mary Jane."

But Pattinson faces tough competition for the coveted role - High School Musical star Zac Efron also has his eye on playing the web-slinger.

He says, "I don't know what the chances are to be honest. I assume they're pretty slim. It's a long-shot but if it came down to it, it'd be a dream come true. What young actor wouldn't?"

Sandra Bullock donates £625,000 to Haiti

Sandra Bullock has followed in the footsteps of Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie and George Clooney, donating £625,000 to help the victims of Tuesday's (12 Jan 10) Haiti earthquake.

The Miss Congeniality star has handed over the cash to the Doctors Without Borders' emergency operations in Port-Au-Prince, after seeing news coverage of the devastation the 7.0-magnitude quake caused. In a statement, she says, "I wanted to ensure that my donation would be used immediately to meet the needs of the Haitian people affected by this catastrophic event."

Earlier this week, Pitt & Jolie personally donated the same sum, while Clooney's Not On Our Watch charity has donated another £610,000.

Actress Emily Blunt has vowed to add her support to the two-hour Hope For Haiti telethon: "I'm going to be doing the thing that George is organising; the telethon. But I think, really, it's just about everyone needs to jump in. Everyone needs to get involved in whatever way they can.

Jackie Chan planning a musical?

Jackie Chan is planning to tell his life story through song and dance - the martial arts star is writing his own musical.

The Chinese action hero admits he's been a fan of American musicals since he was a kid, and now he's eager to complete one of his own - and share his inspiring rise to the top.

He explains, "I love The Sound of Music. When I was young, I didn't know English and I saw the whole movie.

"I'm planning to do I Am Jackie Chan: The Musical. I've got a very interesting background. I will talk about how I got into the film business... and how I've come to be today. It's a very interesting, classical musical."

Chubby Matt Damon, The Informant!

The sexy Matt Damon is trying to lose the extra pounds he gained for his role in the upcoming movie The Informant by taking up boxing, according to itv.com.

The 37-year-old actor, who was named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive last year, has reportedly said: “Now I’m the Sexiest Man Alive’s chunky cousin! Losing weight is not fun; putting on weight is - because you get to eat whatever you like! For this movie I probably weighed 205 pounds, for Courage Under Fire I weighed 130 pounds.”

The Informant is a dark comedy thriller based on a true story and directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film will be available on DVD at movies4africa on the 15th February 2010.

Mamma Mia, UK's top grossing film of the decade

Musical comedy Mamma Mia was the UK's highest grossing film of the last decade, according to the Film Distributors' Association.

A report on the BBC's website shows that the big hits of the decade were adaptations of books, musicals and even a theme park ride.

Mamma Mia , based on the Abba musical, made nearly £70 million at the UK box office, with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone coming in second.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy occupied the next three spaces, with the Fellowship of the Ring coming third, followed by Return of the King and the Two Towers .

Bond film Casino Royale , starring Daniel Craig as OO7, took the sixth spot, while Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets followed in seventh place.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest occupied the eight spot, while another Bond film, Quantum of Solace followed at number nine.

Last year's summer hit Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finished off the list. ~LoveFilm

Sandra Bullock, No.1 on the top ten actors list

Hollywood star Sandra Bullock is said to have been the biggest draw at the U.S. box office in 2009, according to a survey.

The actress appeared in three movies in the past 12 months - romantic comedy The Proposal, American football drama The Blind Side and a comedy All About Steve. Of these, only the first has been released on DVD in South Africa so far.

Bullock's popularity put her ahead of actors like Johnny Depp and George Clooney in the annual list by Quigley Publishing Company, which collates various pieces of information from cinema owners across the U.S.

The news tops a stellar year for the actress - she was also recently named Entertainment Weekly magazine's Entertainer of the Year, beating stars including Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift to the top spot.

The top 10 actors in 2009 are as follows:

1) Sandra Bullock
2) Johnny Depp
3) Matt Damon
4) George Clooney
5) Robert Downey Jr
6) Tom Hanks
7) Meryl Streep
8) Brad Pitt
9) Shia LaBeouf
10) Denzel Washington

Protests over Gibson's Mexican movie

Mel Gobson's new movie is already causing controversy in Mexico - relatives of inmates at a Veracruz jail have blasted plans to move prisoners to make way for the film shoot.

The Hollywood actor-turned-director has set his sights on filming at the Ignacio Allende prison in the eastern coastal city.

Veracruz state governor, Fidel Herrera Beltran, announced earlier this month (Dec09) that prisoners would be moved out of the jail to allow the film crew to work there.

Authorities previously planned to transfer inmates to a new prison in the town next year (10) - but families fear their loved ones will be sent to facilities across the country if the jail is not built in time.

Hundreds of family members launched demonstrations outside the prison on Monday (28Dec09) in a bid to stop the transfers until the new unit is ready. The 24-hour protest reportedly came to an end on Tuesday (29Dec09) after the prison's director announced he had received no orders to transfer inmates and vowed families would be informed if any prisoners are to be moved.

Gibson previously filmed his 2006 epic Apocalypto in Veracruz and subsequently handed local authorities a £690,000 donation to help build new homes for victims of 2005's Hurricane Stan. ~LoveFilm