First Five Minutes For ‘The Golden Compass’ Surface on Yahoo! in HD

The first five minutes to “The Golden Compass” just surfaced on Yahoo! in HD. The film opens nationwide on Dec. 8.

Watch the first five minutes of “The Golden Compass”!

Nicole Kidman in “The Golden Compass”.
Photo credit: IMDb

‘The Golden Compass’ to Release National Sneak One Week Early on Dec. 1

I just learned that “The Golden Compass,” which opens nationwide on Dec. 8, will have a national sneak in approximatley 800 theaters across the U.S. on Dec. 1.


Nicole Kidman in “The Golden Compass”.
Photo credit: IMDb
The high-profile film stars Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Freddie Highmore, Kristin Scott Thomas and Kathy Bates. To check if “The Golden Compass” is showing on Dec. 1 in a theater near you, click this link.

‘The Golden Compass’ to Kick Off Opening of Rockefeller Center Ice Rink on Oct. 9

I was informed on Wednesday that “The Golden Compass” will have its exclusive worldwide trailer debut on Oct. 9 in New York concurrent with the opening of the Rockefeller Center ice rink for its upcoming holiday season.


The film’s star, Sam Elliott, will host the evening’s festivities and lead a countdown to the unveiling of the worldwide trailer at 8:30 p.m. EST. The trailer will be featured on two massive screens on both sides of the celebrated rink.

Special events are also being planned for Oct. 9 in Italy, Japan, Germany and Holland with a simultaneous debut of the trailer on Yahoo.com.

Based on author Philip Pullman’s best-selling novel, the fantasy film “The Golden Compass” tells the first story in Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy.

Behind-the-Scenes Daemon Featurette Surfaces For ‘The Golden Compass’

“The Golden Compass” has released a behind-the-scenes featurette to give audiences a deeper look into the concept of a daemon. Daemons aren’t just animals. Rather, they’re more like your heart walking around with you in animal form.

Immerse yourself in medium.
Immerse yourself in big.
Immerse yourself in biggest.

The film, which stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig and is directed by Chris Weitz, is scheduled to open in the U.S. on Dec. 7.

1:32 p.m. update: I have also uploaded this video to YouTube. See below.

Sweep of the Day: Behind-the-Scenes Photos on 15 Upcoming Films, Film Release Date Changes

If you click on any film link today, click on this one.

On Tuesday, Entertainment Weekly published behind-the-scenes photos of 15 fall movies. There are new on-set photos of Russell Crowe, Jodie Foster, Denzel Washington, Ewan McGregor, Susan Sarandon, Keira Knightley and others.


Ben Affleck (left) and Casey Affleck in Ben’s directorial debut of “Gone Baby Gone”.
Photo credit: Claire Folger
Films include “3:10 to Yuma” (Sept. 7), “The Brave One” (Sept. 14), “Eastern Promises” (Sept. 14), “Silk” (Sept. 14), “The Kingdom” (Sept. 28), “Into the Wild” (Sept. 21), “Reservation Road” (Oct. 19) and “Gone Baby Gone” (Oct. 19).


Woody Allen (left) on “Cassandra’s Dream” with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell (right).
Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin.com
We also see new photos from “Run, Fat Boy, Run” (Oct. 26), “American Gangster” (Nov. 2), “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” (Nov. 16), “Enchanted” (Nov. 21), “August Rush” (Nov. 21), “The Darjeeling Limited” (Nov. 23) and “Cassandra’s Dream” (Nov. 30).

Here’s an update on upcoming film releases as sent to me this week from agency contacts. From The Weinstein Company, “The Hunting Party” is scheduled to open on Sept. 14 and “Dedication” is slated for Sept. 21 (moved from Sept. 14).

“The Comebacks” from Fox Atomic has changed to Oct. 19 (moved from Oct. 26). From the Yari Film Group, “The Final Season” is scheduled to open wide on Oct. 12 and “The Perfect Holiday” is slated to open wide on Dec. 14.

Beginning on Sept. 17 at noon PST and continuing for one week, fans may apply online to win seats on America’s most celebrated red carpet: the Academy Awards red carpet.

There are 300 seats available along the 500-foot-long carpet leading into the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center. The winners will watch the nominees as they arrive at the 80th Academy Awards on Feb. 24, 2008.

The application form will be available here. The online-only application process will close on Sept. 24 at noon PST.

On the celebrity front, Halle Berry is pregnant with a Canadian model’s baby. Tobey Maguire and Jennifer Meyer, who share a 9-month-old daughter, have quietly married in Hawaii. Nicole Kidman has revealed a miscarriage and quiet engagement.

Despite Kidman Talent, ‘The Invasion’ Whittles Down to Cliché Puking Alien Zombies

CHICAGO – “The 11th Hour,” which opens on Aug. 17, is an aggressive environmentalist portrayal of our past, present and potentially dire future.

It discusses the concept that the Earth is a living, breathing organism and humans are making it “sick”. If we continue plaguing the planet without reversing the trend, the film portends that our race could erase entirely and the Earth flourish.


Nicole Kidman in “The Invasion”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
Are we indeed the problem? In “The Invasion,” which also opens on Aug. 17, writers Jack Finney and Dave Kajganich along with director Oliver Hirschbiegel also wrangle this pickle in their new sci-fi thriller.

Washington, D.C. psychiatrist Carol Bennell (Nicole Kidman) helps unearth an alien epidemic that sweeps the planet and alters human behavior. She launches into a sleep-starved killing spree to keep her son alive in a now-emotionally barren planet.

Are we better off with such an alien disease in widespread consciousness or do we fight to save our global abode?


Nicole Kidman in “The Invasion”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
While there’s a Hollywood entertainment factor in this picture, its most redeeming quality is whittled down to Kidman’s performance. Even with her fluctuating Aussie, southern and east coast accents, she still manages to pull it off and make us stare.

Political jabs at America’s slow reaction time to humanitarian priorities are an ongoing theme in this film.

Acting like you’re not acting in a monotone, emotionless, redundant “we come from France” conehead voice but at a lower pitch sure gets old fast. Please inject my eyeball with some McDonald’s fry grease. “Sean of the Dead” had it right with comedy.


Nicole Kidman in “The Invasion”.
Photo courtesy of IMDb
The laugh-worthy sequences came purely from the sheer ridiculousness of what was intended to be dramatic, life-threatening situations that should have pulled our heartstrings. They pulled our legs instead.

If you’re into dumbed down dialogue, flaming cars, cliché “save the world” concepts and puking alien zombies, then this Bud’s for you. Personally, I wish I would have stayed home and watched TV fuzz.

By Phil Tadros, Emilie Rose Bishop
Staff Writers
HollywoodChicago.com

© 2007 Phil Tadros and Emilie Rose Bishop, HollywoodChicago.com