Director Minghella dies, aged 54

Director Anthony Minghella has died of a brain haemorrhage at the age of 54.

His publicist Jonathan Rutter said he had undergone surgery for cancer of the tonsils and neck last week and the operation "seemed to have gone well". However, he suffered a fatal haemorrhage at 5am this morning and died at London's Charing Cross Hospital.

The British filmmaker and playwright, who won an Oscar for 1996 film The English Patient, recently finished work on feature-length TV pilot The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

Minghella was also nominated for an Academy Award in the adapted screenplay category for 1999's The Talented Mr Ripley and 2003's Cold Mountain.

His other acclaimed films include Truly, Madly, Deeply, which he wrote and directed in 1990.

He had been chairman of the British Film Institute since 2003 and was appointed a CBE in 2001.

Producer Lord David Puttnam described the news as "a shattering blow", telling the BBC: "He wasn't just a writer, or a writer-director, he was someone who was very well-known and very well-loved within the film community. Frankly he was far too young to have gone."

Minghella, who was born on the Isle of Wight, is survived by his wife, Hong Kong-born choreographer Carolyn Choa, and children Max and Hannah.

New Iron Man Standee

Source: BadTaste.it

BadTaste.it has posted a new promotional standee for Marvel Studios' Iron Man that would be a sight to see in theaters. Directed by Jon Favreau, the May 2 opener stars Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeff Bridges.

Harry Potter 6 Confirmed for IMAX

n an earnings call on Friday, March 14, IMAX Corporation confirmed that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince would get a simultaneous IMAX release when the movie hits theaters on November 21. The company also explained that they are trying to fill an open spot between the IMAX release of The Dark Knight on July 18 and "Half-Blood Prince."

Richard L. Gelfond, IMAX Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer, talked about the company's upcoming releases. "We are looking forward to releasing the Rolling Stones concert film 'Shine a Light' on April 4th, which is directed by Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese," he said. "A large portion of the play dates for this film will be in IMAX and it is expected to be the largest North American IMAX release ever. Then as we announced last week, on May 9th, we will be releasing 'Speed Racer' in partnership with Warner Bros. Pictures. This action-packed adventure from the Wachowski Brothers and producer Joel Silver, the creators of the 'Matrix trilogy,' is based on the hit animated series created by Tatsuo Yoshida, and is a fantastic addition to our 2008 film slate.

"As part of the Dreamworks Animation deal mentioned earlier, we are looking forward to releasing 'Kung Fu Panda' in June. We've just returned from ShoWest, the Exhibitor and Studio Trade Association Conference where the film was screened and the reaction was extremely positive. Of course, we are extremely enthusiastic about our next film the release of Dark Knight on July 1[8]th which is the next installment of Warner Bros. Pictures' Batman franchise and again stars Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader. We think the innovative sequences that director Chris Nolan has filmed using IMAX cameras are stunningly immersive and will really create a spectacular IMAX Experience.

"Our release of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' is scheduled for November, and we expect that as with 'Harry Potter 5,' certain sections of the film such as the finale will be presented in IMAX 3D. We are currently working on adding another film for release in September or October and look forward to announcing this addition to our 2008 slate."

New International Iron Man Banner

BadTaste.it has posted this new Iron Man movie banner from Thailand. The movie opens in North America on May 2.

The Incredible Hulk Trailer 2008

Pictures From The Incredible Hulk Trailer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to be Split into Two Movies

Warner Bros is expected to officially announce plans to release the adaptation of the last and final Harry Potter book, split into two separate films. This makes more than perfect sense considering the 36 chapter plus epilogue book is a whopping 759 pages long. Fans have complained that the last two movies which suffered from plot compression. That’s probably because to hardcover releases of Goblet of Fire and Order of the Phoenix ranged from 734 to 896 pages in length.

Warner Bros will release Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I in November 2010, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II six months later in May 2011. Both of the movies will be filmed concurrently. Screenwriter Steve Kloves, who wrote five of the fix films, is hard at work on both screenplays. Director David Yates, who directed both Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince (which began production in September) has already signed on for both sequels. Producer David Heyman explained to the LA Times:

“I swear to you it was born out of purely creative reasons. Unlike every other book, you cannot remove elements of this book. You can remove scenes of Ron playing quidditch from the fifth book, and you can remove Hermione and S.P.E.W. [Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare] and those subplots . . . but with the seventh, that can’t be done.” “The question will be, where do you break it? And how do you make them one but two separate and distinct stories? Do you break it with a moment of suspense or one of resolution? These are the interesting challenges. But each book has presented its challenges.”

The official book synopsis: “It all comes down to this - a final faceoff between good and evil. You plan to pull out all the stops, but every time you solve one mystery, three more evolve. Do you stay the course you started, despite your lack of progress? Do you detour and follow a new lead that may not help? Do you listen to your instincts, or your friends? Lord Voldemort is preparing for battle and so must Harry. With Ron and Hermione at his side, he’s trying to hunt down Voldemort’s Horcruxes, escape danger at every turn, and find a way to defeat evil once and for all. How does it all end?”