Pope Joan and John

Franka Potente’s turn as Pope Joan, directed by Volker Schlondorff, may be toppled with the departure of John Goodman from the planned cast. A lawsuit has since ensued by the producers claiming Goodman reneged on his agreement to star as Pope
The $3 million suit was filed by German company Constantin Film Produktion. The company claims Goodman agreed to $500,000 for the role, but his representatives say, while it was discussed, no agreement was ever reached. Constantin sues claiming it escalated the production schedule to accommodate Goodman and committed resources to the project, which have now been lost.
Pope Joan surrounds the legend of a woman who disguised herself as a man and became pope in the Ninth Century AD. A 1972 version of the film starred Liv Ullman.
Potente’s performance as Vera Less can be seen in the upcoming film Eichmann, which was shot at the new Stern Studios in Budapest. American audiences are familiar with Potente from Bourne Supremacy, Bourne Identity and Run Lola Run. She has five films in preproduction.

Hungarian Beauty

Hungarian beauty Kata Dobó is set to star in Madness is Catching later this year. The actress recently appeared in Sex and Nothing More which played at the AFI Dallas International Film Festival last month.
Madness is Catching is loosely modeled on the life path of Siddhartha and is billed as an adventure film and a “profound and provocative examination of the human soul's yearning for peace.”
Dobó was born Feb. 25, 1975 in in Győr, Hungary and emigrated to Los Angeles in the summer of 1999. She lives in Santa Monica, Calif.
She’s known to U.S. audiences for her role in Blood and Chocolate, Basic Instinct 2, Rollerball and modeling. She is an activist for the Hungarian Hospice Endowment for the Humanities (Cancer Center).

This Just In - DVD Releases

Godzilla Raids Again (Gojira No Gyakushu) 1955, Japan
Set down on a remote island, pilots Tsukioka (Hiroshi Koizumi) and Kobayashi (Minoru Chiaki) stumble upon the earth-shaking terror of two gigantic creatures locked in battle. When the huge reptiles are reported to Japanese government scientists, it's determined that one monster is a relative of the infamous, city-stomping Godzilla. The beasts' mighty clash takes them to Osaka, where -- not unexpectedly -- mass destruction ensues.

Kamen Rider: The First, 2005, Anime, Japanese
Set on world domination, evil terrorist organization Shocker kidnaps young college student Takeshi Hongo and turns him into one of its cyborg killing machines. Sent to assassinate a female reporter, Hongo instead ends up regaining his human awareness and resolves to use his new powers to battle Shocker. This futuristic actioner is based on the classic Japanese program "Kamen Rider," which premiered on television in 1971.

Nietzsche and the Nazis, 2006, Documentary, Germany
Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party drew upon the works of famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche to justify their World War II atrocities and quest for power. In this documentary, professor Stephen Hicks explores Nietzsche's teachings and determines whether the Nazis correctly interpreted their meaning. History buffs and philosophy enthusiasts alike will appreciate the thorough examination Hicks conducts of this controversial topic.

Romantico, 2005, Documentary, Mexico
Director Mark Becker's moving documentary follows Mexican mariachi singers Carmelo and Arturo, who pour their passion and talent into their music, performing for largely unappreciative audiences on the streets and in the watering holes of San Francisco. But despite the hardships and meager income, the two immigrants persist in pursuing their art, chasing the dream of a better future for themselves -- and their families.

Kidnapped (Cani Arrabbiati), 1974, Italy
In the wake of a horribly bungled robbery, desperate thieves in need of a clean getaway kidnap a group of hostages and drag them along for the ride. Italian filmmaker Mario Bava directs this 1970s cult classic that was never actually finished because of a major financing snag. This edition includes two versions of the movie: Bava's original film with a few newly created sequences and a version that features footage shot by Bava's son, Lamberto.

Your Big Chance

Budapest, Hungary

The Central European Pitch Forum is seeking scripts.

Twelve writers will get a one-month online consultation session with acclaimed international screenwriters and story editors, including UK writer-director Richard Kwietniowski, screenwriter and the Polish Film Institute's deputy director Maciej Karpinski, Italian writer-director and screenwriting professor Christina Kallas, writer and president of the Federation of Screenwriters in Europe.

The competition is organized by FadeIn, an independent initiative of young Hungarian screenwriters, along with the Motion Picture Public Foundation of Hungary.

Then, following a rewriting period, the writers will receive an all expenses paid trip to the Pécs International Film Festival, Sept. 27-30, 2007. The writers will receive a two-day intensive training from European coaches Jürgen Wolff, UK and Franz Rodenkirchen, Germany, and the opportunity to pitch their scripts to 15 prominent European producers.

The competition is open for screenwriters who do not yet have a producer attached to their feature film projects. The program gives preference to scripts where the writer is NOT the director of the project. When the writer/director is the same, entrants must include a cover letter explaining why they want to direct the film.

Scripts must be in English and entries are welcome from every MEDIA country and the Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYROM, Montenegro, Serbia).

In addition, the writers of the best stories will win a €10,000 cash prize.

Applications will be accepted from through May 15, 2007.

Further information: www.fadein.eu/pitchforum.

Black Book

I can’t wait to see this movie. I’m a sucker for intrigue and spy movies. I’ve always loved the Hitchcockian average man put in extreme situations theme.

Black Book (Zwartboek) appears to be a return to traditional movies by Dutch director Paul Verhoeven. After RoboCop, Basic Instinct and Showgirls, this story appears meaty, beautiful and thrilling.

It will show as part of the Magnolia at the Modern series in Fort Worth in May, and Filmies plans a group outing. So be watching.

The film stars Carice Van Houten and Sebastian Koch, whom we loved in The Lives of Others.

Here’s the synopsis from the press kit:

Holland 1944 – The final years of the Second World War find the beautiful singer Rachel Stein (Carice Van Houten) taking refuge with the Tsjempkema family in rural Holland. Once a popular and wealthy singer, Rachel has been waiting out the war like many Jews in Europe, separated from her family and a moment away from being caught by the Gestapo. Her temporary safe-house is destroyed by an Allied bomber under fire by a German fighter and Rachel is left in the arms of Rob (Michel Huisman), a sympathetic young boy, who promises to help her to safety. The next morning, Rob takes Rachel to her contact in town, who she hopes will help her find her family and escape across into liberated territory.
They arrive at the home of Mr. Smaal (Dolf de Vries) and his wife (Diana Dobbleman), a compassionate lawyer who has worked secretly to help Jews escape from Holland. Reluctantly, Mr. Smaal arranges for Rachel to join her family and cross enemy lines into Allied territory, marking her name and rendez-vous point in a little black leather notebook.
But during the dangerous crossing, the boat is ambushed by German troops. The Nazi’s ruthlessly kill the boats’ passengers and Rachel only narrowly escapes by jumping overboard into the river.
The next morning, Rachel is rescued by Gerben Kuipers, one of the leaders of the Dutch resistance. A kind and generous man, Kuipers offers Rachel a job and a safe place to stay. But embittered by the memory of the ruthless murder of her family, Rachel decides to become a resistance fighter to seek revenge against the Germans.

Goal Tending

Who says foreign films are all about crying, opera-singing clowns? Get ready for a heaping, helping of testosterone Italian and Argentine style
The controversial life of legendary Argentine soccer star Diego Maradona (photo above) makes it to the big screen by Italian director Marco Risi.
Maradona who wowed fans with his skill, was also suspended from playing in Italy in 1991 for drug use and was kicked out of the 1994 U.S. World Cup after failing a doping test. He also suffered a heart attack in 1999 following a cocaine overdose.
The film, Maradona, The Hand of God (Maradona, la mano de Dios), takes its title from the controversial World Cup goal scored by Maradona in which he illegally used his hand. The film uses a series of flashbacks to take us through Maradona’s life. It ends with a corpulent Maradona, strong out on drugs and strapped to a bed in a mental ward, followed by a tagline that says he’s slimmed back down and has not lost his will to fight.
Maradona is played by Italian actor Marco Leonardi, whom audiences will remember from Cinema Paradiso, Like Water for Chocolate and Once Upon a Time in Mexico. It was shot largely in Buenos Aires and features an Argentine cast.
The film makes its debut in Rome tomorrow. Maradona played for Napoli, but during World Cup competition played for his home country, including the 1990 World Cup, when Argentina eliminated Italy from competition.

This Just In: DVD Releases

Children of Men
Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron (below) helms this version of P.D. James's classic dystopian novel (and Oscar nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay), a futuristic drama set in a world in which humans have lost the ability to reproduce and subsequently face certain extinction. Things change when a single woman mysteriously becomes pregnant, prompting a conflicted government bureaucrat, played by Clive Owen (above) and his ex-wife, played by Julianne Moore (above) to join forces to protect her. Michael Caine co-stars.
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) – Una Lucertola con la Pelle di Donna
Deborah (Silvia Monti) has disturbing dreams about murdering her neighbor. After she relates the dreams to her therapist, her neighbor is actually murdered -- in exactly the same way Deborah's dreamed it! A police investigation ensues, along with some strange revelations, amazing chase sequences and bizarre plot twists. One of director Lucio Fulci's best films, Lizard in a Woman's Skin will keep you guessing until the end.

Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974 (1974) – Gokushiteki Erosu: Renka
In this taboo-smashing documentary by Kazuo Hara, the filmmaker turns his camera on his former lover, Miyuki Takeda. The strong-willed woman -- crusading feminist, bisexual, mother of an interracial baby with an African-American GI -- was a maverick figure, particularly in 1970s Japan. Hara captures his subject in excruciating detail over a period of several years in this keenly personal work, which caused a scandal when it was released.

Lola (1989)
Abandoned by her baby's father, reluctant young mother Lola (Leticia Huijara) struggles to get by in Mexico City. Torn between the duties of a life she didn't ask for and the freedom of the life she once enjoyed, Lola walks the delicate line between guilt and pleasure, responsibility and carelessness. Director María Novaro's debut film examines motherhood and redemption with startling honesty.

Reincarnation (2006)
A Japanese actress (Yûka) comes face to face with a slew of restless spirits when she signs on to star in a horror film -- the true story of a crazed professor's murderous rampage that left 11 victims, including his young daughter, in its wake -- being shot at the very site where the grisly killings took place. J-horror master Takashi Shimizu (The Grudge) directs this darkly mesmerizing tale of crime, punishment and redemption.