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Sterile Cuckoo: Fleming’s Latest a Series of Rotund Clichés

Director Andrew Fleming returns with his first film since 2008’s neglected Hamlet 2, a road trip/mental illness comedy romance called Barefoot, which happens to be a remake of a 2005 German film directed by and starring Til Schweiger. Odd, cumbersome, and chock full of awkward moments that will have you cringing in embarrassment for certain cast members, Fleming seems to be aiming to hit too many marks, tethering a painfully earnest look at vague mental illness tropes with romantic quirk.

Jay Wheeler (Scott Speedman), is a playboy on the skids. He’s about $40,000 in gambling debt and has just been arrested once again, this time for aggravated assault. A janitor in a Los Angeles mental hospital, Jay is seemingly on his last leg and is forced to reconcile with his rich and estranged parents (Treat Williams and Kate Burton) in New Orleans.

Roadside Attractions has released a poster and first trailer for their upcoming Barefoot romantic comedy drama starring Evan Rachel Wood and Scott Speedman. Here, Speedman plays the "black sheep" of a wealthy family who meets Daisy Kensington (Wood), a psychiatric patient raised in isolation her whole life, and later chooses to take her to his brother's wedding. Andrew Fleming directs from the writing by Stephen Zotnowski, while David Scharf and Lisa Demetree produce. Supporting cast members include J.K. Simmons, Treat Williams, Kate Burton and Juliet Reeves.

Bradford International Film Festival begins the screening of To Kill A Beaver with a dire fifteen minute French Portuguese short that would quite probably cure insomnia. Thankfully, tonight’s main feature is the product of established Polish Writer/Director, Jan Jakub Kolski, and despite a slow start, it runs rings around Four Hours Barefoot.

Hitman, Eric (Eryk Lubos) returns to his hometown to what appears to be his now empty childhood home, only to find it graffiti-covered and evidence of a squatter. Later while he destroys a beaver dam, a teenage girl (Agnieszka Pawelkiewicz) on a makeshift raft floats towards him. Kolski’s first close-up of her is comically presented with two sticks of gum protruding from either side of her mouth like the teeth of the animals Eric inexplicably hunts.

Director/Writer: Jan Jakub Kolski

Country: Poland

Studio: Tramway Studio Filmowe

Running Time: 99 mins

Certificate:18

Starring: Alexandra Michael, Agnieszka Pawelkiewicz,...

Almost every country in the world has a television talent competition, but very few of them have delivered a new voice that transcends geography. Until now. Introducing Yatharth Ratnum, a young singer from India who competed on the 2009 edition of L’il Champs. The show was seen in 162 countries and voters from all over the globe voted Yatharth the first runner up. His mature yet gregarious personality, polished look and bold determination, meshed with remarkable range and vocal ability, has earned Yatharth the opportunity to share his musical vision with listeners everywhere as he prepares to release his first record, Yatharth, on May 22, 2012.

Each of the songs represents facets of Yatharth’s life and interest in different genres of music. “I Love You” is Yatharth’s first written and composed song, inspired by his first love. It is infused with sweet romanticism, whereas “Tonight” is a full-on party song. “Here...

Berlin - Berlin-based rights group Eeap has taken all middle and Eastern European rights, including Russia and the Cis, to Til Schweiger's new action drama The Guardians (Schutzengel). Schweiger is directing, producing and starring in Guardians, playing an ex-special forces soldier tasked with protecting a young girl who witnessed a killing. Schweiger's Barefoot shingle is producing together with Warner Bros. Germany. Barefoot plans to begin shooting on an English-language remake of the film, which Schweiger will direct but not star in, early next year. Warner is believed to also be circling the remake. Warner Germany will bow the

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While you were slumbering in your bed, innovación was dancing a pasa doble with the Jules Rimet trophy on its head, crying tears of alegría, and wibbling about in a state of what can only described as benevolent inebriation. Way to go, España, and dos cañas por favor!

1. For the first time in its history, Spain is the proud possessor of a large-ish gold trophy, following a month of less-than-whelming football in South Africa, although Holland aimed its final two-footed tackle, this time at referee Howard Webb. After all the griping about crime and lack of infrastructure, the tournament has given the Rainbow Nation a feeling of unity, says the Nyt. Elsewhere in Africa, Islamic militants killed 64 in Uganda in two attacks.

2. How much has the Deepwater oil spill helped the cause of climate change? Not much, says the Washington Post. Bp is fitting a new cap on the leak but,...

A stray Chabrol, the next Juno and more Toni Servillo brilliance are among this year's hidden gems on the festival circuit. Hunt them down now before they're buried for ever

Home festivaling is one of the few perks of losing mobility through a back injury. What better way to cover 300+ screen events across the UK for Empire Online's Festivals & Seasons page than letting them come to you? Much festival fare falls squarely into the three-star category. But, every now and then, a disc arrives in the post containing a gem that leaves you wondering how the distributors missed it. So here's a personal selection of the festival favourites that have either failed to secure a UK release in 2009 or are not currently on the schedule for next year.

10) Let's Dance (dir. Noémie Lvovsky, France)

Festivals are invariably stuffed with quirky ensemble pieces, with Laís Bodanzky's superbly choreographed The Ballroom...

The All-American Rejects have announced they will be making a special appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight Monday, January 12th, to perform their hit single, “Gives You Hell.” Tune in at 11:35/10:35 C to catch Tyson, Nick, Chris and Mike rock NBC like never before! The All-American Rejects front man, Tyson Ritter, sings the verse to “Mona Lisa” for the 29th time. “All right, nice pass,” comments the voice behind the glass. “Some good stuff in there.” Producer Eric Valentine sits behind the console in his Barefoot Studios control room and imparts his bohemian brilliance. On the soundstage beyond the wall, the band o’ Oklahoma brothers track live [...]...

Cologne, Germany -- Uli Edel’s controversial terrorist drama “Der Baader Meinhof Komplex” is Germany’s official entry for the 2009 Foreign Language Oscar race.

“Der Baader Meinhof Komplex” traces the bloody rise and fall of left wing terror group the Red Army Faction, also known as the Baader Meinhof gang, which carried out bombings, kidnappings and assassinations in the 1970s and 80s in an attempt to topple the German state.

Produced by Bernd Eichinger (“Downfall”), the film stars a who’s who of German cinema including Martina Gedeck (“The Lives of Others”), Moritz Bleibtreu (“Adam Resurrected”), Johanna Wokalek (“Barefoot”) and Bruno Ganz (“Downfall”).

The movie hits German theaters Sept. 25 and Summit International is selling the film worldwide.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominees for Best Foreign Language film on Jan. 22, 2009. The 2009 Oscars will be held Feb. 22.

Small press efforts are being recognized in 2009 at Canada’s Space show. Previously, there had been the Day Awayrd, selected and presented by Dave Sim in recognition of the work done by the late artist Gene Day. Sim withdrew the Award for 2009 and it has been replaced with the Space award, with the 2007 winning team of Matt and Carol Dembicki and Tim Corrigan selecting the winner.

The finalists were just announced:

Birth by Michael S. Bracco

Blink: Barefoot in America by ONWARDStudio

Breathers 1 by Justin Madson

Clockwork Creature: Chapter One by Kyle Strahm and Wesley Craig Green

Concepcion by Rickey Gonzales

The Secret History of the Ineffables Part 1 by Craig Bogart

Lackluster World 5 by Eric Adams

The Serial Squad! by Paul E. Schultz and Jon Hodges

A Thorn in the Side by Bill Knapp...

Small press efforts are being recognized in 2009 at Canada’s Space show. Previously, there had been the Day Awayrd, selected and presented by Dave Sim in recognition of the work done by the late artist Gene Day. Sim withdrew the Award for 2009 and it has been replaced with the Space award, with the 2007 winning team of Matt and Carol Dembicki and Tim Corrigan selecting the winner.

The finalists were just announced:

Birth by Michael S. Bracco

Blink: Barefoot in America by ONWARDStudio

Breathers 1 by Justin Madson

Clockwork Creature: Chapter One by Kyle Strahm and Wesley Craig Green

Concepcion by Rickey Gonzales

The Secret History of the Ineffables Part 1 by Craig Bogart

Lackluster World 5 by Eric Adams

The Serial Squad! by Paul E. Schultz and Jon Hodges

A Thorn in the Side by Bill Knapp...

COLOGNE, Germany -- German boxoffice star Til Schweiger and art-house darling Oskar Roehler have secured backing for their latest projects, with Schweiger's new romantic comedy Keinohrhasen and Roehler's social drama/love story Lulu und Jimi receiving funding from regional subsidy group Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

Keinohrhasen will be Schweiger's first film as producer, director and star since local hit Barefoot in 2005. Schweiger will play a macho womanizer forced to do community service at a local kindergarten, where he locks horns with teacher Anna, played by Nora Tschirner (FC Venus).

Keinohrhasen received $1.7 million in funding from the Medienboard. Schweiger will produce the film through his Barefoot Films shingle.

Schweiger's latest film as a producer and star, director Reto Salimbeni's One Way, opened at No. 6 on the German boxoffice chart last weekend.

Lulu und Jimi will be Roehler's first since the crossover success of Elementary Particles. The new film is set in Germany in the 1950s and is a love story between the wealthy Lulu and the African-American Jimi America.

COLOGNE, Germany -- German star Til Schweiger is planning four new English-language film projects with Swiss commercials helmer Reto Salimbeni following their collaboration on action thriller One Way, which has its world premiere Saturday in Los Angeles. One Way is the first English-language film Schweiger has produced through his German-based shingle Barefoot Films. It follows the success of his German-language Barefoot. He said in an interview he plans to team with Salimbeni on his next four English-language projects, which he will both star in and produce. Schweiger said in an interview that he will both produce and star in the next four English-languge projects with Salimbeni. These include high-concept comedy Superlover, action film "KSK" and edgy romantic comedy Slide Show.

COLOGNE, Germany -- The frontrunners for this year's top local awards, the Lolas, were shut out of Germany's No. 2 film nods, the German Camera Awards. Florian Henckel-Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others and Hans-Christian Schmid's Requiem, which both scooped 10 Lola noms, failed to pick up a single German Camera mention. None of the Lola best-film nominees made this year's Camera prize shortlist, which honors excellence in cinematography and editing in film and television. In the feature film category, Carl-Friedrich Koschnik was nominated for lensing Oliver Hirschbiegel's Just an Ordinary Jew, Juergen Juerges for camera work on Sabine Michel's Take Your Life! and Christof Wahl for Til Schweiger's Barefoot. Editing noms went to Anja Neeral for Take Your Life! Barbara Gies for Tobias Hansen's No Songs of Love, Hansjoerg Weissbrich for editing Leander Haussmann's NVA and Christel Suckow for his work on Dominik Graf's The Red Cockatoo. This year's German Camera Prize winners will be announced May 23 in Cologne.

COLOGNE, Germany -- German star Til Schweiger, hot off the boxoffice success of the romantic comedy Barefoot, is tapping darker material for his next project, a psycho thriller titled Blaze. In the film, which picked up financing Tuesday from leading German regional subsidy board Filmstifftung NRW, Schweiger plays successful advertising executive Eddie Shermann. To further his career, Shermann agrees to supply an influential executive with a false alibi, allowing him to beat a rape charge. But the victim seeks revenge, killing the rapist and framing Shermann for the murder.

The foreign market is not so foreign anymore.When Warner Bros. Pictures chalked up an industry record of $2.2 billion last year in boxoffice revenue from the overseas market, $167 million of that total came from the release of foreign local-language films. Among a slew of local-language films released in 2004, Warners retrieved $31 million in boxoffice revenue from France alone for the French-language A Very Long Engagement, $20 million in Japan for the Chinese-language House of Flying Daggers, and $17 million in Turkey for the native-language G.O.R.A. Other examples of foreign-language activity by the majors saw Universal, via international distributor UIP, extract about $51 million from Germany, Austria and Switzerland for the German-language Seven Dwarfs. Buena Vista International is tabulating $8.2 million to date for Germany's Barfus and $10.5 million for Wild Bunch 2, and Sony is picking up $7 million in Brazil for the native-language Cazuza.