'Inception' Opens in Theatres and IMAX® Today!

Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in Inception, an original sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible--inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime.

But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

This summer, your mind is the scene of the crime.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures, a Syncopy Production, a film by Christopher Nolan, Inception.

The film stars three-time Academy Award® nominee Leonardo DiCaprio ("Blood Diamond," "The Aviator"), Academy Award® nominee Ken Watanabe ("The Last Samurai"), Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("500 Days of Summer"), Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard ("La Vie en Rose"), Academy Award® nominee Ellen Page ("Juno"), Tom Hardy ("RocknRolla," "Bronson"), Cillian Murphy ("Batman Begins"), Academy Award® nominee Tom Berenger ("Platoon"), Dileep Rao ("Avatar"), and two-time Oscar® winner Michael Caine ("Hannah and Her Sisters," "The Cider House Rules").

Inception was written and directed by Oscar® nominee Christopher Nolan ("Memento," "The Dark Knight"), who also produced the film with Emma Thomas. Chris Brigham and Thomas Tull served as executive producers, with Jordan Goldberg co-producing.

Nolan's behind-the-scenes collaborators included three-time Oscar®-nominated director of photography Wally Pfister ("The Dark Knight," "The Prestige," "Batman Begins"), production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas ("Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), two-time Oscar®-nominated editor Lee Smith ("The Dark Knight," "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"), Oscar®-nominated costume designer Jeffrey Kurland ("Bullets Over Broadway," "Collateral"), and Oscar®-nominated special effects supervisor Chris Corbould ("The Dark Knight"). The music is by Academy Award®-winning composer Hans Zimmer ("The Dark Knight," "The Lion King").

Concurrently with the film's nationwide theatrical release, Inception: The IMAX Experience will be released in select IMAX® theatres. Inception will be digitally re-mastered into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience® through proprietary IMAX DMR® technology. With crystal clear images, laser-aligned digital sound and maximized field of view, IMAX provides the world's most immersive movie experience.

Inception has been rated PG-13 by the MPAA for sequences of violence and action throughout.

In Theatres and IMAX® Friday, July 16th.

Watch the Inception Premiere & Live Performance with Hans Zimmer & Johnny Marr (after jump).

Official Site: www.inceptionmovie.com
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Inception: Mind Crime
IMBD

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Support the 'Humanitarian Lion' at Cannes

Help convince the Cannes Lions Festival to create the Humanitarian Lion category. The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival is the world's only truly global meeting place for professionals in the communications industry.

Spread the idea and support it on your site. Watch the videos after the jump.

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'The Sorcerer´s Apprentice' World Premiere & Red Carpet Presentation in NYC

Walt Disney Studios, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub present The Sorcerer’s Apprentice -- an innovative and epic comedy adventure about a sorcerer and his hapless apprentice who are swept into the center of an ancient conflict between good and evil.

Balthazar Blake (Nicholas Cage) is a master sorcerer in modern-day Manhattan trying to defend the city from his arch-nemesis, Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina). Balthazar can't do it alone, so he recruits Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel), a seemingly average guy who demonstrates hidden potential, as his reluctant protege. The sorcerer gives his unwilling accomplice a crash course in the art and science of magic, and together, these unlikely partners work to stop the forces of darkness. It'll take all the courage Dave can muster to survive his training, save the city and get the girl as he becomes The Sorceror's Apprentice.

WORLD PREMIERE TUESDAY, JULY 6, 2010
New Amsterdam Theatre

A special red-carpet event was held in New York City recognizing July 6, 2010, as Sorcerer’s Apprentice Day.

Stars in attendance included: Nicolas Cage, Dave Stutler, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Omar Benson Miller, Gregory Woo, Jake Cherry, Peyton List, Jon Turteltaub (Director), Jerry Bruckheimer (Producer)

Special musical performances by OneRepublic and Alpha Rev in celebration of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Day. This "free" and open to the public concert event was held at Bryant Park after the screening.

FEATURETTE

In order of appearance:
Jerry Bruckheimer (producer)
Nicholas Cage "Balthazar Blake"
Jon Turtletaub (director)
Jay Baruchel "Dave Stutler"
Alfred Molina "Maxim Horvath"
Theresa Palmer "Becky"
George Marshall Ruge (Stunt Coordinator)

“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” is rated PG and magically materializes in theatres July 14, 2010.

OFFICIAL SITE

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IMDB

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Tilda Swinton and Udo Kier to Star in Ulrike Ottinger's 'The Blood Countess' [Die Blutgräfin]

According to Director Ulrike Ottinger's website, Tilda Swinton (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Chronicles of Narnia) will be the latest actress to star as the psychotic (yet lovely) Countess Elizabeth (Erzsebeth) Bathory in The Blood Countess (Die Blutgrafin). She'll star alongside Isabelle Huppert, Udo Kier (Keyhole, Suspiria), Sophie Rois, Udo Samel, Irm Hermann, and Nicholas Ofczarek.

Elisabeth Bathory was a Hungarian countess whose legendary exploits as a serial murderer of young women in the 16th century have become a prominent figure in popular culture. Often considered the "female Dracula" for her practice of bathing in the blood of the young women she killed to preserve her youth, her story is set to hit the big screen again.

"Impatiently awaiting the arrival of her devoted maid Hermine, the countess Erzsébeth Báthory, also known as La Comtesse Sanglante, a tigress in human disguise, ascends into the open daylight. At breathtaking speed, the two women race through a Vienna of ghoulish beauty. This is a cracked journey to the roots of a myth that has lost nothing of its appeal: to the Vampyre Empire!"

Their entourage: Báthorys nephew Bubi, a vegetarian vampire who refuses to follow family traditions, his therapist, two wacky vampirologists, some members of the duelling fraternity "Vampiria", an all-female music ensemble, and many more.

"Wiener Blut", Viennese blood is shed by the buckets while the hearts of the present Habsburgians and Viennese beat high. Naturally, the showdown takes place at Vienna´s "Prater" - during a midnight supper on that fair´s famous Ferris wheel."

The inclusion of "whacky vampirologists" makes one wonder if the film will take a more comedic slant, or simply be some crazy experimental film.

Udo Kier is currently in Winnipeg filming Guy Maddin's latest ambitious feature film/webisode project titled Keyhole. Later this month he's off to Sweden to work on Melancholia, a film written and directed by Lars von Trier. The film deals with a variety of people trying to cope with the death of the planet. Plot details are being kept extremely quiet. Trier stated that there would be "no more happy endings! Also starring are Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alexander Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Stellan Skarsgård and John Hurt.

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Source: UlrikeOttinger.com

The Legendary Udo Kier Celebrates Canada Day in 'My Winnipeg' with 'Keyhole' Cast

Yours truly with legendary actor Udo Kier and Lorraine James (R)

Celebrating Canada Day at "The Esterhaus", July 1, 2010
Winnipeg, Canada

It's not everyday you get to celebrate Canada Day in my Winnipeg with the incomparable cult fav Udo Kier, star of such films as: Blood For Dracula, Flesh For Frankenstein, and My Own Private Idaho.

Jonathan and Danishka Esterhazy
"The Esterhaus", Winnipeg, Canada

I attended the annual Esterhaus Canada Day Party hosted by Winnipeg's coolest couple -- rising-star filmmaker Danishka Esterhazy (Black Field, Infectious, The Snow Queen) and web developer Jonathan Esterhazy.

Upon my arrival I spotted a rooftop patio filled with beautiful people and a very distinguished guest wearing a dapper red Canada Day bowler hat. OMG...it was the charming and ubercool Udo Kier! I was thrilled! I met the Palm Springs resident a couple of years ago at Helen Hunt's Then She Found Me Red Carpet Premiere at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Kier is currently in Winnipeg playing the lead in beloved cult filmmaker Guy Maddin's latest film Keyhole which features a cast of old-school and new Maddin collaborators. After wrapping for the day, Kier and Montreal actor Louis Negin (My Winnipeg, Pontypool, The Saddest Music in the World) headed down to the exclusive (by invitation only) Esterhaus Par-tay which attracts a mix of artsy beautiful people -- local and international intellectuals, and creative types.

Actors Louis Negin (Montreal) and Lorraine James (Winnipeg)
"The Esterhaus", Winnipeg, Canada July 1, 2010

Actors, filmmakers, film crew, new media geeks and assorted arts types gather at the Esterhazys' trendy Artspace loft during the holidays -- to party, network and indulge in tasty vegan delights and trendy cocktails. Keyhole cast members Lorraine James (You Kill Me), Tyhr Trubiak (Faces in the Crowd; Fancy, Fancy Being Rich), the film's production manager Polly Washburn (Black Field), and filmmaker Aaron Floresco were spotted schmoozin' at rooftop and ground zero (hot tub) levels Thursday night. Danishka, is a former Maddin collaborator and worked as an associate producer on Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary.

Actor Tyhr Trubiak (Winnipeg)
"The Esterhaus", July 1, 2010
Winnipeg, Canada

With films like Brand Upon The Brain and Pages From A Virgin’s Diary (currently available on Netflix Watch Instantly), Guy Maddin has become one of today’s most globally recognized filmmakers with a huge following on both sides of the pond. Oh, and he's Telluride Film Festival's darling too. His last film, My Winnipeg, was one of his most beloved films.

It is a boom year for the local film and television industry here in Winnipeg. You can't walk far without bumping into a member of the film industry. Last week I ran into Maddin while he was picking up one of his cast members. He informed me that Keyhole would be his most ambitious project to date. He wasn't exaggerating!

After chatting at length with actors Kier and Negin I came to the quick conclusion that Maddin's project is an "epic event" and not a "feature film." Keyhole is an interactive choose-your-own adventure movie labyrinth. The feature length film is being shot concurrently with 120 short parallel "webisodes" which will be streamed online to pique interest. According to Negin, they are being shot on the same set and the same studio using some of the same actors.

"I'm remaking a lot of lost movies," Maddin told the Free Press. "All those directors from the first generation that straddled the silents and talkie period have one and sometimes 10 lost films," Maddin says.

"It's been haunting me my whole life and I figured the only way I'd ever get to see these things was if I just made my own versions of them," he says. "So a bunch of us are getting together and making, oh, about 1,028 lost films, some of them extremely short but some of them in the five- to 15-minute range.

The film also stars his long-time muse Isabella Rossellini, American actor Jason Patric (Speed 2, My Sister's Keeper) and Kids In The Hall alum Kevin McDonald.

Written by Maddin and his long-time collaborator George Toles, the screenplay is an Odyssian tale set within the confines of a house. Patric is Ulysses Pick, a gangster returning to his home after a long absence. Naturally, he is carrying a drowned girl, Denny, who has now come back to life and a bound-and-gagged hostage, who is actually his own teenage son. His odyssey is through his own house one room at a time until he arrives in the boudoir of his wife, Rossellini's Hyacinth.

"I've been haunted for years by dreams almost exclusively about architecture, buildings completely devoid of people. George and I figured out a way to make a film about the residents of a house that's every bit as much about the house itself, a movie in which setting and character are completely inseparable, ... each of these halves are in a constant state of haunting each other," Maddin told Playback Daily.

Asked how he came to cast Patric, Maddin said the two met at an Edward Hopper-esque diner in Illinois after a screening of James Foley's After Dark My Sweet. Both the film and the actor left a powerful impression on Maddin.

Maddin decided he would one day create a role for Patric. He added, "Given the right role, this guy can carry a movie, and its crew and all the picture vehicles and trailers behind him. Just harness him up and let him haul!"

The $1.2 million film is executive produced by Phyllis Laing of Buffalo Gal Pictures (Amreeka, The Stone Angel, The Saddest Music in the World) and distributed in Canada by E1 Entertainment. The project reunites Maddin with producer Jody Shapiro (My Winnipeg, Brand Upon the Brain).

If you happen to be visiting my Winnipeg this afternoon, Saturday July 3rd, be on the lookout for Udo Kier and Louis Negin. They'll be taking in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Winnipeg. You may spot the duo near the Government House, the Canadian Museum for Human Rights and the Scotia Bank Stage at The Forks where Her Majesty will deliver an address at the 'Manitoba Homecoming 2010 Concert for Human Rights' celebrating Manitoba's ethnocultural diversity and Her Majesty's visit.

Happy Canada Day and 4th of July! Have a fun and safe long weekend!

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Source: WinnipegFreePress, PlaybackDaily

Virgin Celebrates New California-Toronto Route | Cheeky 'Toronto Provocateur' Contest

Sir Richard Branson poses with members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
in front of 'Air Drake' to celebrate Virgin America's first international flight to Toronto
at Toronto Pearson International Airport on June 29, 2010. Getty Images


HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Virgin America is now offering daily flights from Toronto to California’s west coast. The flights on the airline (a brainchild of British billionaire Sir Richard Branson, though mostly owned by Americans) began June 23, departing from Pearson and making stops in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

“Toronto is one of the largest cities in North America and a world-class travel destination with strong ties to California—most notably in the entertainment and high-tech sectors,” Virgin America president and CEO David Cush said Tuesday.

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), Virgin Group Founder
Richard Branson (C), and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newson
celebrate Virgin America's first International destination to Toronto.
Announce airline's next new locations, Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
SFO, June 29, 2010.

On Tuesday, Branson hopped on a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to Toronto, the first international destination to be added by the San Francisco-based airline. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom turned out to give kudos for bringing more jobs to the state, according to media reports.

Richard Branson, left, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
at San Francisco International Airport where a celebratory Virgin America flight
to Toronto took off, Tuesday June 29, 2010.
Photo credit: PRNewsFoto / Virgin America

Sir Richard Branson (L) and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the
main cabin of Virgin America's first international flight to Toronto
on June 29, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty Images

Virgin America brings some sweet flying perks to the table, including mood-lit cabins, Wi-Fi, in-seat power outlets and personal touch-screen entertainment systems. The airline’s Red™ touch-screen entertainment platform offers 25 films, live TV, Google Maps, music videos, videogames, and an on-demand menu that allows guests to order what they want, when they want it. Virgin America offers standard power outlets at every seat. In May 2009, Virgin America became the first airline to offer in-flight WiFi service on every flight.

Virgin America guests are among the first in the world to have the ability to offset their own flight footprint as they fly.

Sir Richard Branson shows Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger how travellers can
offset their carbon footprint on Virgin America flights right from their seat.
In-flight in Los Angeles, CA, June 29, 2010.

Airfares for the new route from Los Angeles start at $187 each way, based on a seven-day advance purchase. The introductory pricing is good for travel Tuesdays through Thursdays from July 6 to Nov. 17, but you must book by 11:59 p.m. PDT July 6.

Since its launch in August 2007, Virgin America has won a list of industry best-in-class awards for its topnotch service and fun, tech-savvy amenities. Virgin America offers more than 100 flights a day with service to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Orange County and Fort Lauderdale. The airline currently offers daily flights from: SFO to LAX, SFO to JFK, SFO to SAN, SFO to IAD, SFO to LAS, LAX to JFK, LAX to IAD, SFO to SEA, SEA to LAX, JFK to LAS, BOS to LAX, BOS to SFO, SFO to SNA and LAX to FLL and SFO to FLL.

Fabulous fares to fly by! Let the airline price competitions begin!

Actor Eric Roberts (L) attends the launch of Virgin America's first international
destination to Toronto at the Thompson Hotel on June 29, 2010 in Toronto.


VIRGIN AMERICA
'TORONTO PROVOCATEUR' CONTEST

Seeking one cheeky rabble-rouser with requisite skills to lead the charge and ensure Toronto is riled and ready to rock the world's loudest and sexiest airline. Be among the first to submit your video and show us why you deserve to be the Virgin America Toronto Provocateur. Who knows? You might WIN IT ALL, including free flights for a year on Virgin America. The search is on.

Your challenge is to create a video that proves you have the creativity, talent and vision to hold the coveted position of Toronto Provocateur. As Virgin America’s brand ambassador, you’ll be charged with spreading the Virgin gospel to let the great city of Toronto know how we deliver a travel experience unlike any other. You'll be given the proverbial soapbox to stand on and some helpful communication tools, but how you showcase yourself and the Virgin America message to the entire city will be largely up to you and your creativity. Our only requirements are that you love flying, entertaining and generally raising a little hell. Because, just like Virgin America itself, they want you to stir things up. And make some noise.

The Promotion ends on August 31, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. PT (the "Promotion Period"). See Official Contest Rules for more details.

Good luck!

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Source: VirginAmericaProvocateur, LATimes.com, DayLife.com