Will Lust, Caution Break NC-17 Taboo?

Ratings group slaps 'Brokeback' director's new flick with NC-17

(NEWSER) - Focus Features says it will stand by Ang Lee and his racy new war flick “Lust, Caution,” even though a movie trade group branded the film NC-17. The film industry's Scarlet Letter could cost the pic audiences, ad dollars, and theater distribution, but Focus CEO James Schamus said he won’t “change a frame” to satisfy the MPAA—or even appeal its decision. More»

Animated feature is strong, if generic, hyper: critics

(NEWSER) - Critics agree that French studio Illumination Entertainment has made a strong first entry into feature animation with Despicable Me, featuring Steve Carrell voicing a cartoon baddy who adopts three little girls. But it has the misfortune to premiere within weeks of Pixar's beloved Toy Story 3.

• Despicable Me "cannot be faulted for lack of trying," AO Scott writes in the New York Times . "If anything, it tries much too hard, stuffing great gobs of second-rate action, secondhand humor and warmed-over sentiment into every nook and cranny of its relentlessly busy 3-D frames. It tries so hard to be likable that you may hate yourself for hating it."

(NEWSER) - In many ways, the life of a porn screenwriter is a breeze compared to Hollywood, Christopher Beam writes for Slate. “Your average 90-minute porn film will have between five and seven sex scenes,” he explains. “At five to 10 minutes each, that leaves only about a half-hour for dialogue,” and porn writers tend not to script the sex scenes. Of course, they get paid accordingly: only about $1,000, “even for big productions.” More»

(NEWSER) - The Cannes Film Festival unveiled this year’s roster today, and it’s packed with regulars like Ang Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Terry Gilliam, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Among the most buzzed-about selections is Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino’s violent World War II pic. Anticipation is also high for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus; Heath Ledger’s last film, directed by Gilliam, will screen out of competition. More»

6,800 movies will be posted for viewing, recording

(NEWSER) - Film fans, rejoice! Warner Bros. is dusting off its archive and making 6,800 films that never made it to DVD available for purchase online. Warnerarchive.com launched yesterday with an initial 150 titles—ranging from the 1923 silent Souls for Sale to the more recent Wisdom with Emilio Estevez. Downloads are $15 and custom-made DVDs, shrink wrap and all, are $20, USA Today reports. More»