Mel Gibson's Maccabee Rival Producer Bruce Nash Speaks About Project (Exclusive)

APIC/Getty ImagesJudah Maccabee Sparks always fly when two or more projects telling the same story bubble up in Hollywood at the same time. Precedent shows that being second is the same as being last. But a story as cherished as that of the origin of Hanukkah comes with special sensitivities, which is why Warner Bros.' efforts to make a version with Mel Gibson have prompted nervousness and sharp criticism in certain quarters. Producer Bruce Nash, who has been working on his own version with screenwriter Scott Abbott (Introducing Dorothy Dandridge) since 2007, says his project didn't originally arise from any competitive instinct. EXCLUSIVE: Move Over, Mel Gibson: New Judah Maccabee Project in the Works "Doing this project comes from a very positive rather than a negative point of view," Nash says. "This is not just a matter of dueling Hollywood projects." Nash says he has been trying to find a way to tell the Judah Maccabee story since he entered the business in 1992, and that his personal motivation predates the news that Gibson and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas(Basic Instinct) are developing a script for Warner Bros. Just the same, Nash acknowledges that Gibson's involvement in a rival project does trigger a protective instinct, even if it isn't the underlying reason for doing his own. "I'm proud of my religion and this story is about heroism, courage and sacrifice," he says. "I thought it was an important story to share with people of all faiths. For me this project is a lifetime in the making." Mel Gibson Warner Bros.

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'George' can get West Finish reign

"The Madness of George III," the historic drama by Alan Bennett ("A History Boys") elevated for just about any U.K. tour by helmer Christopher Luscombe, will transfer for the West End's Apollo Theater for just about any limited run Jan. 18 - March 31 getting a Jan. 23 opening. Produced by Jesse Bird and lit by Oliver Fenwick, the expansion stars David Haig as George III, the next Hanoverian king from the United kingdom, in the 20-strong cast including Clive Francis, Beatie Edney and Madhav Sharma. Initially produced with the National Theater in 1991, the play was later converted to a film "The Madness of King George" helmed by Nicholas Hytner. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

Fired News around the globe Reporter Intends Murdochs in public places Memo

LONDON - Neville Thurlbeck, this news from the Worldreporter named within the key "for Neville" phone-hacking email, has stated he isn't responsible for occasions that brought to his dismissal earlier this year.our editor recommendsNews Worldwide Makes $4.7 Million Offer to Group of Killed Teen in Phone Hacking ScandalDemocrats berate Rupert MurdochRupert Murdoch and News Corp. Target of Fresh Attacks From Investors and LawmakersRelated Subjects•Rupert Murdoch Gallery: News around the globe's Top Ten Scams Within an impassioned statement launched Friday, Thurlbeck, hit out at Rupert Murdoch's News Worldwide for briefing against him, warning that "the reality will out" which the guilty could be recognized. The first kind chief reporter stated he couldn't disclose the main reason he'd been fired, for legal reasons but was adamant he'd battle to obvious his title. 9 Greatest Compensated Entertainment CEOs "I only say this most undoubtedly with certainty and confidence the allegation that brought to my dismissal will ultimately be proven to become false and individuals accountable for the experience, for which i've been unfairly ignored, will ultimately be revealed." Thurlbeck, who had been fired after 21 years in the paper, is just one of 16 former News Worldwide staff to possess been arrested on phone-hacking related charges. Although he didn't disclose the reason why for his dismissal, one interpretation from the phrasing of his letter might be he was fired to be considered to realize that phone-hacking was common in the newspaper. But he was adamant he "required no part within the matter" which he'd been accused by News Worldwide and stated have been "unfairly ignored." He further accused News Worldwide of briefing newspapers against him and stated that that act had motivated him to interrupt his silence. "This had compelled me to talk the very first time since my title grew to become connected to the phone-hacking scandal with the 'for Neville" email a lot more than 2 yrs ago." The so-known as "for Neville" email found light at News Worldwide in 2008 and demonstrated that phone-hacking around the newspaper choose to go beyond one reporter around the newspaper and was likely the practise of a variety of reporters. In the statement Friday, Thurlbeck stated there is pointless to think he'd known anything concerning the illegal practice. "In excess of 2 yrs, News Worldwide has recognized that I wasn't accountable for the [undisclosed] matter under consideration and there's no valid or reliable evidence now to aid their sudden volte face." Related Subjects Rupert Murdoch Worldwide News Worldwide Phone Hacking Scandal

Pinewood backs 'Last Passenger'

ScottLONDON -- Train thriller "Last Passenger" is just about the second project backed by U.K. studio group Pinewood Shepperton, under its plan to purchase low-budget films by new British company directors."Last Passenger," written and directed by Omid Nooshin, stars Dougray Scott like a physician caught on the runaway commuter train. The $2.5 million pic began shooting on Thursday at Shepperton Galleries.Pinewood is trading alongside Future Films, the BFI Film Fund and Japan's Fel Corp. Pathe is handling worldwide sales. Producers are Zack Winfield and Ado Yoshizaki of NDF Intl.Pinewood's first investment was "An Incredible Anxiety about Everything," a $5 million paranoid comedy starring Simon Pegg, which shot at Shepperton this summer time. It's co-directed by Crispian Mills and Chris Hopewell, with Universal taking multi-territory privileges and Indomina supplying gap finance. Pinewood's commercial director Nick Cruz continues to be inundated with scripts since announcing plans in March to begin making equity opportunities in low-budget British projects.The studio group is striving to back four films annually from first-timers, having a combined budget close to $13 million."We have always had an appetite for first-time company directors to become our clients, but we have not formerly given them the various tools to assist them to come and employ our facilities," Cruz stated. "We wish to help people looking to get their feet around the first rung from the ladder." Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com

Clancy Brown Joins Cast of Dennis Quaid-Zac Efron Film

Clancy Brown, immortalized since the Kurgan in in eighties cult classic Highlander, has grew to become an associate from the cast in the untitled Ramin Bahrani project starring Dennis Quaid and Zac Efron. Killer Films is creating the pic, formerly titled Heartland, which concentrates on a person and customers seemdman (Quaid), who tries to handle his racecar-driving boy who'll not follow within the actions. Brown may have an foe player. The pic is shooting in Illinois getting a cast that counts Louise Graham and Kim Dickens, among other stars. Brown, repped by ICM and Pop Art Management, most recently came out in Cowboys & Aliens known as the voice in the Parallax in Eco-friendly Lantern. Related Subjects Clancy Brown Dennis Quaid Zac Efron

Kevin Costner Exits Mandingo Trainer Role In Quentin Tarantinos Django Unchained

EXCLUSIVE: Kevin Costner has dropped from Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, an exit I’m told is because of a mix of arranging and private reasons. Costner had decided to take part in the supporting role of Ace Woodsy within the Sergio Leone-style Spaghetti Western. The issue could it have been might have tangled up about two several weeks of his schedule despite the fact that he’s not for the reason that many moments. Costner is playing Pa Kent within the Superman reboot Guy of Steel, and doing the miniseries The Hatfields and McCoys for History (which hes also creating) also it was a little much. It’s bad, since the role will be a real departure to have an actor that has mostly performed good men. Costner would play Woodsy, a humorless and sadistic trainer from the male fighting slaves who entertain the whitened patrons of Candyland, a hellhole which used female slaves as hookers. Candyland may be the club and ranch possessed by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), and Ace Woodsy is the one that starts the mandingo martial artists against one another, and that has little qualms about mistreating as well as killing the slaves who dont measure.Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Samuel L. Jackson star, with Foxx playing the title character, a slave-switched-fugitive hunter who will need to take on individuals villains to free his slave wife. Tarantino continues to be testing stars for your role, though Kerry Washington’s title has developed in the mix. The Weinstein Company will place the picture into production in November, with The new sony Pictures aboard for foreign.

Two on Twain: Book Review

Mark Twain is not only the most important author in American letters. During the past century, Twain himself -- the white suit, the cigar, the folksy advice -- has become an iconic character. Now, two new books -- one a memoir, the other a piece of comedy -- pick up the icon as the jumping-off point for their own stories. Nobody has done more to shape our image of Twain than the actor Hal Holbrook (All the President's Men, Wall Street), who has been playing him in a one-man show longer than Samuel Clemens did -- 57 versus 47 years. Harold: The Boy Who Became Mark Twain (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, $30) covers just the first 35 years of Holbrook's life, from his truly Dickensian childhood -- abandoned by his parents, one for the stage and the other for an insane asylum, at age 2 -- to barnstorming across the country as a young actor. The really fascinating part covers the 15 years from college graduation to stardom playing Twain on Broadway and could be subtitled "the education of an actor and a man." Holbrook not only writes insightfully about learning the craft of acting and the work that went into creating Twain but also frankly about his ambitions and the toll they took on his family. "I see now I was a crippled figure. ... My children. What a mess. I dropped the ball there ... let them drift off to sea as I was fighting it out with Harold to find out who the hell he was." That kind of vigorous self-reflection should earn Harold a place on the bookshelf of any aspiring actor. In Mark Twain's Autobiography 1910-2010, (Fantagraphics, $19.99), Adult Swim contributor and comics creator Michael Kupperman (Snake 'n' Bacon) reworks Holbrook's Twain as a Zelig-like immortal cruising through a century of life after his 1910 death. The story is told in three dozen short chapters, a few of which are illustrated comic book-style. Some of the tales are hilarious koans of absurdist comedy -- Twain as the unknown fourth astronaut on the Apollo 11 mission is fabulous. Although it sometimes has the feel of a Saturday Night Live skit stretched into a feature film -- perfect in small doses but unsustainable over a longer haul -- the premise is too good to abandon. Related Topics

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Hamptons Fest Sets The Artist As Closing-Evening Film, Constantly As Focus

EXCLUSIVE: The 19th annual Hamptons Worldwide Film Festival has set the quiet film sensation The Artist to function as closing-evening film premiere on March. 16 as well as the Drake Doremus-directed drama Constantly to function as Focus Film screening March. 15. That film won the Grand Jury Prize at 2011 Sundance, where it absolutely was acquired by Vital and Indian Paintbrush. The festival will recognition its star, Anton Yelchin, among this year’s Breakthrough Artists. You will notice other emerging stars added since the festival can get closer. HIFF already introduced that it's opening film will be the Jay and Mark Duplass-directed Rob Who Lives in your house. The Michel Hazanavicius-directed The Artist, acquired with the Weinstein Company round the eve of Cannes, won Best Actor honors within the festival for Jean Dujardin, who plays a basic-movie celebrity in the roll-out of speaking pictures, a development that will ruin his career. “The Artist is amongst the unique and charming films I’ve observed in an exceedingly very long time, which i'm able to’t wait to screen it,” mentioned HIFF Director of Programming David Nugent. “And the emotional honesty and moving performances of Constantly heralds the look of a great deal new talent both before and behind the digital camera. I am proud to discuss these special films without getting audience out east.” The festival may even award the Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for just about any film of Conflict & Resolution for the Bully Project, the Lee Hirsch-directed documentary in regards to the culture of bullying among youth in the united states. The festival grants that prize returning 12 years, but this really is really the first time it's attended a u . s . states film whose focus wasn’t by having an worldwide conflict. Hirsch will probably be readily available for any panel discussion on conflict resolution and school bullying.

Vampire Diaries' Ian Somherhalder States Damon Is, Like, So Pissed

Ian Somerhalder The Vampire Journals star Ian Somerhalder can summarize Damon Salvatore's attitude in the beginning this season in one word: Pissed. Not only is his brother around the serious volitile manner, however Damon is designated with being the only real person to guard the woman the Salvatores love, Elena. TVGuide.com checked together with Somerhalder who referred to the three things audiences need to know about Damon in Season 3.Fall Preview: Get scoop inside your favorite returning shows3. He's angry. Damon always wanted his brother to provide on humans similar to he's doing, considerably enhanced he's carrying this out, what's the large problem? Stefan's only hanging with Klaus nowadays. "He attempted for just two seasons to acquire his brother to accomplish what Damon involved: destroy all things in [their] path ... and eat and munch on every sorority girl they can achieve. He attempted for just about any really very very long time to achieve that goal without results now Stefan's experimenting doing that exact factor, though Klaus, who's a prick. Which he tried to kill Damon! That will help you see where his frustration arises from.Inch8 scoops about Glee, The Truly Amazing Wife, Vampire Journals plus much more within the Emmys red-colored-colored carpet2. He doesn't want can offer relief. Although Damon think about using any way to safeguard Elena and Stefan (and possibly a few others), he does not wish to be the resident hero. "He never saw his existence heading lower this road," Somerhalder states. "He's the anti-hero and even though he's supposed to battle this role he doesn't require it.InchCreature from the evening Diaries' Wesley: Damon can be a Puppy in comparison as to the Stefan is morphing into 1. He's forget about convinced he needs to be with Elena. Damon is deeply deeply in love with Elena and her boyfriend is on the road, it is therefore prime opportunity to swoop in, right? Under. "I realize lots of people would love for the to happen, but view of it's that he's done some pretty messed up stuff," Somerhalder states. "Even if he's doing enter her good graces he'll always take action to spoil it.Inch Also, they're polar opposites. "Sherrrd like a information on peace with no dying and he's [into] destructive killing. It's like trying to look at a lion together with a gazelle be pals, it's just not supposed to have been. They're just two different animals. The very first is a predator then one is prey." Watch our "Vampire Journals Bite" below to uncover the primary one component that Damon has over Stefan if the involves Elena:

Hysteria Appears to Have Worked Out OK for Maggie Gyllenhaal

”[Hysteria director Tanya] Wexler said she gave everybody on set a vibrator. But getting them there caused a bit of embarrassment for a security guard at a Heathrow airport luggage checkpoint. ‘The officer said, “You have 20 or 30 small electronic devices in your luggage,” and I said, “Yes, they’re vibrators,” and the guy just said, “Move along,”’ she recalled. [Maggie] Gyllenhaal said she was awash with gift vibrators from friends by the end of filming.” Yowza! So, uh, why isn’t there more post-Toronto buzz? [NYDN]

New Study Shows Kaira Pitt's 'Moneyball' Producing Oscar-Level Buzz Online (Exclusive)

The new sony Pictures I've found that BoxOffice.com, a well known and broadly reliable website that is an expert in forecasts and analysis of movie box office figures, will to produce special are accountable to its customers later today about Moneyball, the baseball drama starring Kaira Pitt which will open in theaters this Friday. Based on the release, Moneyball is producing much more buzz on social-networking sites compared to Social Networking, another Scott Rudin-created film that hit theaters almost exactly last year (Moneyball will open 1 week earlier) and ended up grossing nearly $225 million and scoring eight Oscar nominations, three which led to wins. BoxOffice.com editor Phil Contrino informs me that they have been monitoring Twitter and facebook activity since May 2010, and based its conclusions -- that they states are statistically significant -- on stats collected from monitoring the 2 sites over the past weekend prior to the films opened up. On Facebook, The Social Networking received 34,645 "likes" within that period, whereas Moneyball received 64,073. On Twitter, meanwhile, the first kind was the topic of 4,120 Tweets, whereas the second was pointed out in five,264. STORY: 'Moneyball': Exactly what the Experts Say Exactly what does everything mean? "It implies that Moneyball has genuine breakout potential," states Contrino, who forecasts the audience for your film will skew over the age of it had been for that Social Networking. "Grown ups are clearly hungry for serious-minded movies with Oscar buzz following a summer time filled with movies targeted at teens. Just take a look at how well Night time in Paris and also the Help did in the box office." FILM REVIEW: 'Moneyball' He adds, "The thought of putting Pitt inside a sports movie could turn to be considered a brilliant one. Ladies who normally wouldn't get a smart baseball flick will not get pulled to that one kicking and screaming." Kaira Pitt Moneyball

Cheers & Jeers: Can Peter Tolan Save Baywatch?

David Hasselhoff Cheers to Peter Tolan for following up Save Me by having an even more risky project: writing a large-screen version of Baywatch. Want more Cheers & Jeers? Sign up for TV Guide Magazine. The Emmy-winning scribe revealed about the stomach-busting podcast The Matthew Aaron Reveal that he's just finished penning a film for Vital loosely in line with the lengthy-running lifeguard drama. Tolan joked that his buddies had attempted to stage an intervention to convince him not to defend myself against the film, that they referred to like a non-cheesy comedy within the spirit of Stripes about two youthful men taking existence-altering jobs about the beach. Tolan, who stated he's never viewed the initial series, divulged that new roles have been written for series stars David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson, but it is unclear whether they'll participate when the movie will get a greenlight. I, for just one, hope it will: If Tolan can produce a series about publish-9/11 NY City firefighters funny, anything's possible. Can you visit a Baywatch movie? Sign up for TV Guide Magazine now!

Perhaps You Have Have the Ringer for SMG?

Sarah Michelle Gellar OK, will we be accomplished while using whole "Buffy has came back!Inch business? Because honestly, Sarah Michelle Gellar's extended-anticipated and monstrously over-blown return to TV is actually not Buffy.Last evening, the actress who slayed us and thousands of vampires of the underworld from the underworld visit the small screen after too extended away with Ringer, a completely new drama that shows some serious promise, additionally with a real room for improvement.Playing twins Body an ex-junkie abroad within the mob, another an uptight socialite - Gellar is like she's are you currently which is so sweet doing in grown-up roles that don't involve creepy dead kids (The Grudge) or CGI dogs (Scooby-Doo). Due to an out-of-left-area tragedy, compounded having a second reveal within the hour's finish, trashy twin Bridget wound up sliding straight into her high-falutin' sis Siobhan's identity and finding the glamorous existence might be much like slimy and treacherous as her past just like a stripper getting a smack problem. Girl can't win for losing. But hey, no Hellmouth, making this an advantage, right?It's soapy and twisty which we like SMG greater than existence, nevertheless it just feels as if something's missing at this time around. It may be the pilot am dour and joyless. It may be too much to consider that Siobhan would cheat on her behalf account hottie husband (Ioan Gruffud) or endure that shrill nearest friend character.Or even it's just that we're not familiar with seeing Gellar on tv without any wonderful snap of Joss Whedon's dialogue to intensify her sass. Anything, our desire to have Gellar - and the idea of two Gellars in one show - is deep enough to warrant no less than another look.How about you? Are you currently back for Ringer inside a couple of days? And the way happy are you currently to see SMG back on tv?Join TV Guide Magazine today!

'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' Taylor Armstrong Offered Grieving Advice From 'Atlanta' Housewife

Kandi Burruss knows what it's like to experience the death of a loved one while starring on a reality show. As one of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, the 35-year-old songwriter and producer was in front of the cameras weeks after her ex-fiance Ashley "A.J." Jewell died of massive head trauma in October 2009. It's one reason why she feels tremendous empathy for Beverly Hills housewife Taylor Armstrong, whose husband Russell committed suicide on August 15.our editor recommends'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' Russell Armstrong at L.A. County Coroner's OfficeBravo 'Deeply Saddened' by RHOBH Russell Armstrong's DeathIce-T Criticizes 'RHOBH' Russell Armstrong's Suicide, Slams 'Jersey Shore''Real Housewives of Beverly Hills': Bravo Family Reacts to Russell Armstrong's Death STORY: 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills'' Russell Armstrong Sober at Time of Death "It kind of brought me back to that place when A.J. passed away," Burruss tells The Hollywood Reporter. "His death was unbelievable, first and foremost, and it's sad to me that she has to be overexposed in a time when she probably just wants to be alone." Burruss says Armstrong is likely overwhelmed "with all the press and people who coming out of the woodwork trying to talk to her" and can expect that "there will be a lot of people that show concern but then there are going to be times when she sees negative things and it will probably really cut deep." STORY: 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Stars on Premiere, Russell Armstrong's Suicide As someone uniquely qualified to comment on Armstrong's situation, Burruss offers some advice: "The best thing Taylor can do is to keep pushing," she says. "I know that sounds crazy. Like, Lord forbid you be out there having lunch and someone sees you smile and passes judgment. But even though you feel like everybody's expecting you to stay in the house, you've got to keep yourself working and moving and doing things, because if she stops for a day or two, it's so easy to fall into a depression." VIDEO: 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' Premiere: Cast Members Discuss Russell Armstrong Suicide on 'Today' For the Sept. 5 season opener of Real Housewives Beverly Hills, Bravo had the ladies gather (sans Armstrong) to discuss the death and aired portions of that group discussion in advance of the first episode. Real Housewives of Atlanta just finished shooting this week, Burruss revealed. A premiere date for season 4 has yet to be announced by the network. Related Topics Reality TV Bravo The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

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'Game of Thrones' star joins del Toro's 'Mama'

"Game of Thrones" star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will star opposite Jessica Chastain in the Guillermo del Toro-produced horror pic "Mama" that Universal Pictures will distribute.Spanish helmer Andres Muschietti is directing the project, which expands on his earlier short film that he wrote and directed with his sister Barbara. The movie tells the story of a couple, played by Chastain and Coster-Waldau, who take in their long-lost young nieces and nephews. The kids were found after living in the forest for five years but now murderous events begin to unfold and it becomes clear that a supernatural force is intent on claiming the kids.Neil Cross rewrote the script based on the original draft by the Muschiettis.Miles Dale and Barbara Muschietti are producing with del Toro. Waldau currently plays Jaime Lannister on the HBO skein "Game of Thrones" and just wrapped production on the pic "Headhunters."He is repped by WME and Impression Management. Contact Justin Kroll at justin.kroll@variety.com

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'Warrior' Director Gavin O'Connor On Film's Ending: 'The Goal Was Making It Surprising'

Even though this didn't dominate el born area office in the last weekend, "Warrior" remains a film worth talking about. Furthermore for the five top reasons to notice that we stated the other day, the film is surprising in many the very best ways, one of these simple being the climactic fight which is outcome. Without beginning spoiler territory, when MTV News taken track of director and co-author Gavin O'Connor, we asked for him how he exercised crafting the ending and identifying the fates of those two primary figures (carried out by Tom Sturdy and Joel Edgerton) - because both versions team you're rooting for to win. "Well and never mention who what, one brother must win to win, another brother must lose to win," O'Connor referred to. "One brother must die and be reborn, one brother must surrender. The one thing was making it surprising, yet if you contemplate it, inevitable." O'Connor also spoken about how precisely the film is about greater than fighting and MMA. "The anticipation from the movie are, 'Oh, it's mma I'd rather not notice,A because on paper [it may look like like one factor], there's however an authentic artistry for the sport," O'Connor referred to. "There's an athleticism for the sport that's within the finest level, and there is a spirituality for the sport that we hope I taken because I recognized it, I felt it. ... With techniques, the film is not a fighting movie. It is not a MMA movie however for your part of the film, personally, it's a love letter to people males as well as the sport." Whoever else consider "Warrior?" Reveal inside the comments or on Twitter!

Samsara

A Magidson Films presentation. Produced by Mark Magidson. Directed by Ron Fricke. Written, edited by Fricke, Mark Magidson.Having scored a hit with "Baraka," which allowed its targeted New-Age crowd to globe-trot from comfy theater seats, director Ron Fricke and his team revisit much the same international turf 19 years later with "Samsara," a similar type of dialogue-free picture-postcard. The Sanskrit-language title, which translates as "cyclic existence," doesn't quite apply to what's more a large-scale travelogue, lensed in 65mm and projected in 4K HD (a Toronto fest first). Picturesque but essentially empty at the core, "Samsara" should match "Baraka's" B.O. panoramas. Fricke and his producer/co-editor/co-writer Mark Magidson venture to 26 countries, Fricke shooting with an eye for beautiful sights (such as Yosemite, Angola's Epupa Falls, the Himalayas), a few tourist attractions (such as Petra), several close-up stationary portraits of people across a range of cultures (from a gun-toting Anglo family to African tribal members), as well as key religious centers from Tibet and Mecca to Jerusalem's Wailing Wall and European cathedrals. The editing scheme conveys no particular meaning, as the film shifts from volcanoes to Tibetan monks creating mandalas to Egyptian pharaoh artifacts to various ancient settlements as far flung as Turkey and the U.S. Southwest to Gothic cathedrals and, voila, Versailles. That's just some of the opening section, and although one could reach for connective threads as "Samsara" proceeds, any thematic patterns seem obscure at best, in what much more closely parallels the effect of paging through a gigantic fine-arts coffee table book. Despite certain moments when Fricke's camera captures contemporary settings laden with political symbolism, such as the wall dividing Israel and the Palestinian Territories, the overwhelming sense -- as in "Baraka" -- is of an eye-popping bigscreen spectacle. This sense is encouraged by a mesmerizing score by Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard and Marcello de Francisci, with considerably strong additional selections from Keith Jarrett's organ album, "Hymns/Spheres" (used in William Friedkin's "Sorcerer") and cues by Steve Tibbetts. The primary interest here is Fricke's technical achievement as a roving cinematographer who seems to know no physical limits in the spaces and places he photographs, among the most resonant being massive high-angle long-shots of Mecca during Hajj when thousands of pilgrims amass and pray at the holy site. Among the humans filmed, standouts include the 1,000 Hand Goddess dancers from China for sheer expressiveness and startling beauty, and artist Olivier De Sagazan's wild act with clay, dirt and paint for grotesquerie. The two have little to do with each other except for their inclusion in a general file titled "Eye Candy." Sound in Dolby Surround 7.1 and 4K image (mastered from digitally oversampled 8K hi-res of the original 65mm-lensed film image) present the pic in its optimal condition, though 70mm fans might clamor for a celluloid projection.Camera (color, 65mm-to-HD), Fricke; music, Michael Stearns, Lisa Gerrard, Marcello de Francisci; sound (Datasat/Dolby Surround 7.1), Kaspar Hugentobler; sound designers, Stearns, Miguel Rivera; supervising sound editor, Rivera; re-recording mixer, Matthew Iadarola; line producer, Myles Connolly; associate producer, John Chandler Earle. Reviewed at Toronto Film Festival (Real to Reel), Sept. 11, 2011. No MPAA Rating. Running time: 102 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

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Marion Cotillard is probably Lounging About Her 'Dark Dark evening Rises' Character

Who's Marion Cotillard playing in 'The Dark Dark evening Increases?' The condition answer -- as well as the one she gave to MTV within the premiere of her new movie 'Contagion' -- is always that her character is certainly an authentic growth and development of director Christopher Nolan. But! Since everybody knows (or otherwise strongly suspect) that Nolan loves to mislead us about his movies, we should affiliate using the MTV News reporter who asked for her pointblank if she's lounging. Cotillard will apparently be playing Miranda Tate, a board member at Wayne Companies, but forthcoming nexus s high that she'll really play Talia Al Ghul -- the daughter of Liam Neeson's 'Batman Begins' villain Ra's Al Ghul. Word that Neeson will probably be shooting some moments for your follow-up have thinking about the truth that theory more credence. Tate might just be an appliance cover for Ghul's true identity, which enhances the question: why reveal anything about Cotillard's character whatsoever? Perhaps it would be simpler for Nolan, his leading lady and everyone involved to merely keep mother? Convey More: Movie Trailers, Movies Blog [via MTV News, Zap2It] image courtesy AP Photo/Evan Agostini