OTHER FILMS IN THE NEWS

The Cell Locks in Top Spot
The Cell was the top film in the US this past week, followed by Spike Lee's The Original Kings of Comedy and Clint Eastwood's Space Cowboys (which will open the Venice Film Festival). They were followed by The Replacements and What Lies Beneath. Across the Atlantic, Bryan Singer's X-Men was the top film in the UK, making it the number 1 film there this year. Elsewhere in Europe, The Perfect Storm from Wolfgang Petersen was the top film in Spain and Gone in 60 Seconds was the top in Germany. In South Korea, Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon drew the biggest crowds while Scary Movie was the number one film in Hong Kong.

Vancouver "Surrounded by" Cannes
Films from the Cannes Festival will open and close the 19th Annual Vancouver International Film Festival, announced Festival Director Alan Franey. The festival will open with Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on 21 September, and will close with Danish director Lars von Trier's Palme d'Or winner Dancer in the Dark. In addition, the fest will feature a Canadian sidebar with 8 features from British Columbia, which will include three world premieres. This year's festival will also feature four other international sidebars: Dragons and Tigers; The Cinemas of East Asia; Nonfiction Features of 2000, a major 40-film focus celebrating recent innovations in the documentary form; Cinema of Our Time, presenting the best new films from around the world; and Walk on the Wild Side, the popular series of midnight movies. This year's Cinema of our Time will be dedicated to the cinema of France and Iran.

Gere Says "Oui" to Unfaithful
American actor Richard Gere is set to star in a remake of Claude Chabrol's 1969 thriller La Femme Infidele. The new version, dubbed Unfaithful, will be directed by Adrian Lyne (Fatal Attraction) and shooting is scheduled to begin in December. Gere will star as a husband who murders his wife's lover.

San Sebastian Film Fest Announces Line-Up
This year's San Sebastian "Festivals' Top" section will open with Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon on 21 September. The film is among 11 titles (of the 16 announced so far) that was also screened at Cannes. San Sebastian has split into two parts: Festivals' Top, which features films screened at other festivals, and the New Directors Section, which will be revealed later this week. Other titles in the Top section include Nana Djordjadze's Summer Or 27 Missing Kisses, Mark Herman's Purely Belter, Stephen Hopkins' Under Suspicion, Tran Anh Hung's A La Verticale De L'Ete, Neil LaBute's Nurse Betty, Fina Torres' Woman On Top and Liv Ullmann's Faithless (Trolosa).

Here Comes the A Team
Fans of the 1980s TV show will be delighted to know that Fox 2000 is planning a film version of "The A Team." The original series, which ran from 1983 to 1987, followed a group of Army commandos who returned from Vietnam. The 2000 version is expected to follow suit, but fans of Mr. T, who starred in the show, will be dismayed to learn that the remake will feature a much younger cast.

Gilligan's Island: The Movie
ABC is planning a TV movie about the making of Gilligan's Island, based on the book of the same title by Sherwood Schwartz, who created the sitcom. The film will not focus on Gilligan and the Skipper, but rather the behind-the-scenes drama between Sherwood and his wife Mildred. "Gilligan's Island" is one of the longest-running TV shows in history, and it has been on the air for more than 35 years.

Fiennes Joins "Killing"
Actor Joseph Fiennes, who starred in the hit Shakespeare in Love has signed to star in the upcoming film Killing Me Softly from Chen Kaige. The film, which stars Heather Graham, is based on a novel by Nicci French about a young woman who risks everything when she meets a mysterious stranger. It will be Kaige's English feature debut.

Bill Murray Presses His Luck
Comedian Bill Murray (who starred recently in the hit Rushmore) has signed to star in Press Your Luck. The film is based on a true story about a man who loses his job as a truck driver and soon becomes a hero of a game show. He will next be seen in Ocean's Eleven from Steven Soderbergh starring Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts.

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