Gatchaman!

You may know the show as Gatchaman, G-Force, Battle of the Planets or even Eagle Riders. The Japanese anime first debuted in 1972 and has gone through many edits and re-edits for U.S. syndication. In 2010 we will get a full CGI film that is being penned by Paul Dini who you may know from many Warner Bros/DC Comics animated series and more recently the ABC series Lost. The film has an estimated budget of around $100 million. Above is the first poster released.

New Astro Boy Trailer

Year One

On June 19th, 2009 we will see the release of the Judd Apatow produced comedy starring Jack Black and Michael Cera. This film is drawing comparisons to Monty Python's The Life of Brian.

DVD Pick: Milk

Penn rekindles a forgotten legacy as Milk

BY EMIL TIEDEMANN

Milk begins with real-life footage of police officers raiding gay bars in a 1970s San Francisco, and ends with actual video of a candlelight vigil of tens of thousands of mourners marching the city's night streets in honour of the film's late namesake. In between we confidently rely on director Gus Van Sant and star Sean Penn to fill in the rest of the story of Harvey Milk, a New York-born gay rights activist who subsequently became California's first openly gay man elected to public office, serving on the San Francisco Board of Members.

Spider-Man's James Franco played Cleve Jones, Milk's complacent boyfriend who assists and supports him through tireless campaigning and civic bigotry, only to bow out when Milk peeks politically, and becomes the most relevant and powerful gay rights voice in the state. Penn is at peek performance himself, shedding his own identity for an all-encompassing role as Milk, a portrayal that deservingly landed him his second Best Actor statuette from the Academy Awards (Dustin Lance Black's original screenplay also won an Oscar).

Van Sant doesn't just focus on Milk the politician, but also introduces us to the character and values of Milk, loosely based on The Times of Harvey Milk, a 1984 Oscar-winning documentary that itself was loosely based on Randy Shilt's biography The Mayor of Castro Street (referencing the same street that Milk originally resided).

Josh Brolin is, perhaps, at his best here, as Supervisor Dan White, a family man who initially accepts Milk and his ideologies, only to gradually elude his kinship. Milk's influence and White's resistance led the way to White's pre-emptive resignation, before he shot and killed both Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in November 1978. White spent just five years in prison, for manslaughter, but committed suicide two years later. But the film ended at Milk's assasination, one that forced a naive nation to examine its own behaviour towards the gay minority, and shed light on the gay movement, a cause Milk unintentionally became a martyr of.

4/5 stars

News in Film...

Knowing tops box office, Richardson is honoured on Broadway, Betsy Blair succumbs to cancer, Beatty is sued over Dick Tracy

Alex Proyas' sci-fi thriller Knowing (starring Nicolas Cage) reigned supreme at the domestic box office, pulling in an estimated $24.8 million in its opening weekend (Friday-Sunday), while the R-rated comedy I Love You, Man (starring Paul Rudd and Jason Segal) premiered as runner-up, with $18 million. Julia Roberts and Clive Owens' Duplicity debuted at #3 with $14.4 million, pushing last week's #1, Disney's Race to Witch Mountain, to the fourth spot, adding $13 million to its 10-day total of $44.7 million. Rounding out the Top 5 was Watchmen, which made just $6.7 million in week three for a total take of $98.1 million, far less than what Warner Bros. was hoping for. In just its second weekend The Last House on the Left slipped to #6 at the box office, with a 58% drop to $5.9 million, bringing its sum to $24 million. Box office numbers were down 5% from this same time frame last year.

The theaters of Broadway, in New York, dimmed their lights to pay homage to the late film and stage actress Natasha Richardson, who died last week following an accident on a Quebec ski hill. Richardson's husband, mother, and sister (actors Liam Neeson, Vanessa Redgrave, and Joely Richardson, respectively) were amongst the crowd at the rare Broadway tribute, which lasted for exactly one minute at 8:00 last Thursday evening. "Her theatrical lineage is legendary, but her own singular talent shined memorably on any stage she appeared," remembered Charlotte S. Martin, the Broadway League's executive director. The Tony-winning actress was just 45-years-old at the time of her death, which was caused by bleeding in the skull, as the result of a fall on a training hill.

New Jersey-born, London-based film and stage actress Betsy Blair died March 13th at the age of 85, following a battle with cancer. Blair (b. Elizabeth Winifred Boger) was still in her teens when she worked as a dancer at a New York nightclub, where she met choreographer (and later actor) Gene Kelly, 12 years her senior. The couple married in 1941, moved to Hollywood, and then divorced in 1957, but not before Blair earned an Oscar nod for her supporting work in 1955's Marty. Her strong left-wing beliefs eventually led to Blair being blacklisted in Hollywood, which stunted her acting opportunites almost altogether. In 1963 she wed Czech filmmaker Karel Reisz, and made her final appearance in the 1994 mini-series Scarlett.

Tribune Media Services has filed a lawsuit against Oscar-winning actor-director Warren Beatty, over the TV and film rights to the legendary Chester Gould-penned comic strip Dick Tracy. According to Delaware court documents Tribune--which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last December--claims that the rights should revert back to them, because Beatty, 71, has failed to make any "productive use" of them within a 10-year period. Beatty, who purchased the exclusive rights back in 1985, directed and starred in the 1990 motion picture Dick Tracy, which won three Academy Awards (Original Song, Makeup, Art/Set Direction) and co-starred Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman, and Madonna. Beatty initially sued Tribune last November, claiming that he was working on a Dick Tracy television special, which would render Tribune's suit uncredited.

President Obama Talks to Leno

U.S. President Barack Obama made a rare appearance on last night's episode of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the first time ever for a sitting president on any late-night program. Obama tackled some of the issues that have been making up recent headlines, including the AIG bonus fiasco, which he claimed was "a problem, but the larger problem is we've got to get back to an attitude where people know enough is enough and people have a sense of responsibility and they understand that their actions are going to have an impact on everybody. And if we can get back to those values that built America, then I think we're going to be okay."

After Leno spoke of his fears over excessive government taxing on choice individuals and/ or coporations--as in reference to tax hikes for the 400 AIG execs who receieved $185 million in bail-out cash as bonuses--Obama used a metaphor to explain how to handle the situation: "Make sure that you close the door before the horse gets out of the barn."

Obama also divulged his feelings on new Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, saying he is doing an "oustanding job," despite the challenges. "I don't think people fully appreciate the plate that we handed to him. This guy has not just a banking crisis. He's got the worst recession since the Great Depression."

"I do think in Washington it's a little bit like American idol,

except everybody is Simon Cowell"-Obama

Leno spent 35 minutes with the 44th commander-in-chief, and avoided grilling Obama like other, more serious, talk shows have, keeping the tone light and mostly positive. The mood was a little less optimistic outside the show's NBC studio, where a crowd of about 100 actors were picketing in order to raise awareness over contract disputes with SAG (Screen Actors Guild). The following morning Washington offered an apology over the faux pas Obama made during his historic appearance, after he laughingly compared his poor bowling score (129) to partaking in the Special Olympics. "He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world," commented White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton to reporters on his way back to D.C.

Obama first appeared on The Tonight Show in 2006, when he was a senator. He made another visit to the legendary late-night show when he was running for head office last year. Last night's show also featured a performance by country singer Garth Brooks, who performed his 1991 hit "Rodeo."