Brosnan Learnt Bond From Connery

Current James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has revealed that he learnt how to play James Bond by watching Sean Connery.

“I learned from Connery,” Brosnan said. “He is phenomenal. He knows the camera and he knows his strengths and he plays to them. He puts the hard graft in there, working on character, studies the story. Ultimately that is all you can do. I try at least to do as good a job as Connery has.”

Seemingly, Brosnan learnt acting skills from Connery not just applicable to the role of James Bond.

BAFTA Film of the Year Nomination

Die Another Day was nominated on Thursday for an Orange Film Of The Year award.

The award is a part of the British Academy Film Awards, the British equivelant of America’s Academy Awards. While further nominations will not be announced till January 27, the Film Of The Year nominees were announced due to the categories dependency on box-office performace. Die Another Day received its nomination due to its strength at the UK box-office.

In total, ten films received a nomination;

Monsters Inc

Star Wars – Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Spider-Man

Ocean’s 11

Goldmember

Men in Black II

Scooby Doo

Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Die Another Day

The winner will be presented during the British Academy Film Awards on February 24, 2003.

If you’d like to discuss the nomination, please visit this thread of the Die Another Day Forums

Source: BBC

Die Another Day DVD & VHS

Free-Adminssion Set For Korea

In response to poor box-office performance 20th Century Fox Korea has revealed that the distributor is planning to admit viewers free of charge to see Die Another Day.

The move would be aimed to give the film extra publicity in South Korea, where the film currently holds fifth place at the box-office.

In its first two weeks Die Another Day only had 582,600 viewers in South Korea, a figure described as “below expectation” by a spokesperon for Fox Korea. However, Fox believe it “is not necessarily because of the campaign” against the film.

Student groups have continually protested about the films supposedly anti-Korean theme. One commented that he was “hurt” to see the character of Falco take control of the South Korean troops, “although it is true that the commander of the US troops stationing here has commanding control over South Korean troops in the event of war”.

It seems the film has taken the brunt of opposition to reality.

Roger Spottiswoode To Direct TV Movie

Director Roger Spottiswoode, who directed 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, is set to direct Ice Bound, a TV movie made for CBS.

Ice Bound will start Susan Sarandon as a doctor in Antartica. Based upon Dr. Jerri Nielsen’s best-selling book “Ice Bound: A Doctor’s Incredible Battle for Survival at the South Pole” the title character, Nielsen, battles with breast cancer while stranded at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

No premier date for the TV movie has been announced.

DAD Stars At Golden Globes

Three of the cast and crew from Die Another Day will be present at 2003 Golden Globe Awards.

Actors Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry will both attend, with title artist Madonna also in attendance. Madonna’s title song for Die Another Day is nominated for a Golden Globe Award in the category of Best Original Song in a Motion Picture. It is also believed that Madonna will present an award.

The 2003 Golden Globes will be held on January 19, 2003.

DAD Boosts British Film Industry

The production of Die Another Day in Britain has helped increase investment in the UK film industry to more than £500m.

In 2002 the United Kingdom had been used as a location for or been involved in the production of 115 films, a figure down on previous years. It is thought that the drop was a result of the 57% drop in 2001 due to the effects of the September 11 attacks, the foot-and-mouth crisis and threatened actors and writers’ strikes in the United States.

Despite the drop £566.88m was spent in the UK in 2002. The majority of the money came from US investment in international blockbusters such as Die Another Day and Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life, which was also filed at Pinewood Studio’s. Other films adding to the income were UK backed films including Johnny English, penned by Neil Purvis and Robert Wade, and Love Actually starring Hugh Grant and Keira Knightley.

Source: BBC News.

New Film For Halle Berry

Currently working on X-Men 2, Halle Berry is now attached to a thriller entitled Gothika.

Berry will play a psychiatrist who wakes up one day in an asylum for the criminally insane. It is the same asylum she works at, however, she is now a patient being charged with a murder that she has no recollection of committing. Of course, it’s quite possible that she never comitted the murder.

Penelope Cruz will also appear in the film, as another patient named Chloe. While no director is currently attached to Gothika it is being made for Warner Bros. Pictures and Joel Silver’s Dark Castle.

Source: Edmonton Journal

Screenings Cut Back in South Korea

In a move that protestors will be likely to claim as a victory, screenings of Die Another Day at several South Korean cinemas have reportedly been cut back.

The cinemas which reduced the screening frequency of the film are all located in South Korea’s capital, Seoul. However, only 10 of the 50 cinemas actually reduced the screening frequency. Some of the cinemas intend to finish the films playing season soon;

“We have been cutting the number of showings daily, and because of what is currently going on … we have decided to stop playing the movie soon,” said one theater manager.

Die Another Day was released in Korean on December 31, at a time when anti-American sentiments seem rife throughout the country. On Friday North Korea pulled out of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a move which hasn’t phased the small group of South Korean students protesting against Die Antoher Day. One film-goer told reporters, “I don’t feel threatened by North Korea’s nuclear program. Rather, I’m proud of North Korea, which has the guts to stand up to the United States”.

Die Another Day reportedly attracted 426,200 to its opening weekend in Korea, where some people no longer believe that “it’s just a film”.

To discuss the cut-back, please visit this thread of the Die Another Day Forums.