Film News

BY JOE O'CONNELL

Somebody Tell 'Teen Beat'!

Those adorable 15-year-old twins Cole and Dylan Sprouse (The Suite Life
of Zach and Cody) are in New Braunfels to shoot Kings of Appletown, a
Tom Sawyer-esque tween flick from Bobby Moresco, co-writer of Crash.
Moresco, who co-wrote the story with his daughter Amanda, apparently has
a thing for Mark Twain. The pair recently finished a Prince and the
Pauper remake also starring the 5-foot-2-inch Sprouse boys. Why New
Braunfels? They needed a river, and the city has a fine one. Joining
them in Appletown is Victoria Justice (Zoey 101). If you're too old to
get any of this – I know I am – take note that Moresco based the
short-lived TV series The Black Donnellys on his own youth in Hell's
Kitchen.

Showtime for the Alamo at the Ritz

Tim League says to expect a celebrity guest for the secret midnight
screening as the Alamo Ritz opens its doors Thursday, Nov. 1. But if
you're reading this at the last minute and expecting to be able to buy a
ticket, don't count on it. They're assuming a sold-out house. But you
can join in the fun in the coming days with the premiere first-run film
Confessions of a Superhero or the Texas Book Festival showing of Little
Children, based on Tom Perrotta's novel, with Perrotta in attendance.
How about the return of Master Pancake Theater and, my favorite, Weird
Wednesdays? Ah, and Music Mondays. For more, see "ReReReReReopening Night."

And the Rest ...

What effect is the threatened Writers Guild of America strike having in
Texas? Bob Hudgins, director of the Texas Film Commission, says they
have been getting a few frantic calls as producers look to get film in
the can before it's too late, but most productions still seem to be
looking at early 2008. The last strike threat, which involved both
writers and actors, resulted in a whole lot of reality television... 40
Love, the tennis comedy set to star Pras, has pushed the start of
filming to December, apparently for star availability. I failed to
mention last time that Brittany Murphy is also onboard for the
project... John McLean's Z: A Zombie Musical is slated to play in Norway
this month... A trailer for Wild Man of the Navidad, the Texas Bigfoot
story from Duane Graves and Justin Meeks, is up at
www.wildmanofthenavidad.com.

Send tips to filmnews@....

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revver is revised its software & the direct link to the z trailers is now
http://one.revver.com/account/show/zombiejohn/

i've also uploaded the 3 films i was in 3 years ago that Gary Chason
shot; so far Fat Chance is online & the other 2 are in the review process.

z had its world premiere monday at the Providence Zombie Film Festival
(in RI) & i got the following note from its director

"Z sold out - 130 people. The Festival sold out 7 out of the 10 shows.-
Generally, the crowd got into Z as they seemed very interested to
experience a zombie musical. . . The Festival organizers - all four of
us - are more than satisfied with screening Z. Thanks."

the screening in Os, Norway will be at 10:55 PM on Thursday November 8
for all those who can go it then (or can forward this info to same)

more info on that festival:
Congratulations on having been selected to the IXth WT Os International
Film Festival!

Your film is among the 88 short films, documentaries, animations and
feature films we are screening at this year's festival - a long way from
our roots back in 1998 when we only screened a single feature!

This message serves as a reminder of some of the practical points of
having been selected. Read on for information about the
selections/nominations, travel and accommodation, and finally
requirements for the screening of your film.

First of all, all selected films were nominated in our contest. However,
not everyone can win, so our selection committee has nominated finalists
in our four main categories. These finalists have been notified through
withoutabox, and are also announced on our website.

This does not necessarily mean that you're going home without a prize!
Our festival is primarily an audience festival, and what is more fitting
than the audience participating in honouring great contributions?

This year we introduce an Audience Award, to be awarded after the
festival (as soon as humanly possible - meaning as soon as the arrangers
count the votes!). Obviously, the award cannot be given out during our
award ceremony, so instead we are broadcasting the announcement live via
our web tv-channel, with all the glamour we can muster.
As with all our special awards, it is an original artwork, this one by
an acclaimed local artist. The final piece is not finished, but we will
hopefully be able to present the design via our website soon.
Our regular awards are, of course, our iconic solid bronze
Appollo-statuettes, sculpted by famed local sculptor Vidar Bratlund-Mæland.

We hope that as many of you as possible will visit our festival and
present your film, and parttake in the festivities, including the award
show and galla, and the corresponding party. It is truly an event not to
miss, which is why many of our past guests return year after year.

However, there are some important issues to point out:

We do not sponsor travel or accommodation for our guests. This is a free
festival, which means it does not generate excess income, and it is not
meant to! Our funds are directly tied to the operation of the event, and
all our manpower work without any form of compensation (not counting the
great feeling of the fulfillment of the fruit of their labour, of
course!). We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Travel is best by air, the nearest airport is Bergen Flesland Airport,
approx. 30 minutes by car from Os. There are some fairly cheap fares
from certain European cities. We may be able to arrange some transport
to and from the airport by appointment.

Unfortunately, there are no budget lodgings in Os itself. We used to
have a budget alternative, but the building we utilized has sadly been
torn down since last year's festival, so we are unable to offer this
option anymore.

There are multiple alternatives in Bergen, but that is an hour away by
bus (at a fare of 55 Norwegian kroner, or approx. 7 Euro), however that
might prove inconvenient. The last bus leaves at 23:55 weekdays and
01:00 AM weekends - the latter has an additional charge.
Taxi is generally more expensive than it is worth in Norway: expect to
pay a fare of at least five hundred kroner, or approx. 65 Euro to Bergen
at night (cheaper in the day time). If you still want to check out some
Bergen-based alternatives, drop us a line and we'll send you a few
suggestions. This might mean that you will miss the after-parties,
however (and believe us, you don't want that!). The bus runs directly
past the festival, and the local bus station is about 3 minutes walking
from the venue, so it's convenient in that respect.

There are two options in Os itself: Solstrand Fjord Hotel, a very
high-class hotel, and Bjørnefjorden Gjestetun, with upscale
faux-traditional lodgings in restored old wooden farmstead buildings. It
is slightly less pricey, and has special rates for guests at the festival.

We recommend the latter, which you should contact at
info@... <mailto:info@...> /
+47 56304000 - be sure to inform them that you stay for the festival for
special rates. If you wish to indulge yourself in some luxury, contact
info for Solstrand is hotel@... <mailto:hotel@...> /
(+47)56571100. They do not have special rates for us.