Movie News

LOS ANGELES - Vampires and werewolves continue to howl at the box office with a $42.5 million weekend for "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." Full Story »

GSTAAD, Switzerland - Security experts on Saturday started preparing Roman Polanski's Alpine chalet for the movie director's house arrest while Swiss authorities consider whether to extradite him to the United States. Full Story »

VENTURA, Calif. - "Pulp Fiction" co-screenwriter Roger Avary has been removed from a prison work furlough program and locked up, authorities say. Full Story »

DAYTON, Ohio - The Arabian Horse Foundation has established a scholarship in honor of the late actor Patrick Swayze and his wife. Full Story »

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In a year full of surprise hits without stars, "District 9" stands out as an even more unlikely box office champion than the crowd-pleasing comedy "The Hangover" or the supernatural thriller "Paranormal Activity." Full Story »

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Movie flops aren't just about losing money. Yes, big budgets that go bust are one consideration. But flops are also about lofty expectations dashed and high profiles brought low. They trigger embarrassing catcalls from the peanut gallery and a general whoever-thought-that-was-a-good-idea-in-the-first-place bewilderment. Full Story »

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - French film director Luc Besson, known worldwide for blockbusters like "The Big Blue" and "The Fifth Element," says his movies face the toughest criticism at home where they are seen as not quite "French enough." Full Story »

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When organizers for the independent film world's Spirit Awards unveil nominees for its honors this coming Tuesday, they will be doing more than just singling out top movies in the low-budget, art house arena. Full Story »

LOS ANGELES - James Cameron was thinking beyond the big screen when he created the alien world of Pandora. The "Titanic" director worked in tandem with video game developer Ubisoft Montreal on the game based on his upcoming sci-fi epic "Avatar." Full Story »

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Summit Entertainment's vampires-and-werewolves phenomenon "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" shrugged off three new wide releases to top the daily box-office rankings Wednesday with domestic grosses of $14.3 million. Full Story »

BANCIAO, Taiwan - Taiwanese social drama "No Puedo Vivir Sin Ti" won Chinese cinema's top honor on Saturday — a rare victory for an industry that has been overshadowed by big-budget blockbusters from rival mainland China. Full Story »

BANCIAO, Taiwan - A list of winners in the major categories at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, announced Saturday night in Banciao: Full Story »

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Precious: Based on the novel 'Push' by Sapphire," directed by Lee Daniels, is generating a large amount of Oscar buzz this season and getting a push from executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry. Full Story »

TAIPEI (AFP) - Taiwanese director Leon Dai's low budget family drama on Saturday swept the Golden Horse Film Awards, considered the Chinese-language "Oscars," bagging the best picture and best director gongs. Full Story »

HONG KONG - An Australia-based director's romance, a Taiwanese family drama and the story of a Chinese peasant guarding a cow are the unlikely trio of top contenders at the Chinese-language equivalent of the Oscars to be announced on Saturday. Full Story »

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian movie highlighting the desperate state of many Aboriginal communities won top prize at the third annual Asia Pacific Screen Awards on Thursday in which 37 films from 16 countries were competing. Full Story »

NEW YORK - "Up in the Air" has undergone the rarest of flights: It was delayed for a long time and its course was altered, yet it has arrived right on time. Full Story »

LONDON (Reuters) - Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf won the Freedom to Create Prize on Wednesday, and dedicated his award to leading cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri and the popular opposition movement he supports. Full Story »