Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/180800186?client_source=feed&format=rss
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
Ovarian cancer study proves drug delays disease progression, may improve survival
Ovarian cancer study proves drug delays disease progression, may improve survival
Thursday, December 29, 2011Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK.
The findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, report that the drug halted the cancer's return for two months overall. However, for women with the highest risk disease, the delay was five to six months and in this group, the findings also indicate a strong trend to improved overall survival, which is being analysed until 2013.
"This is the first new drug in ovarian cancer in 15 years to improve outcome and I believe it should be considered as a potential new standard of care," says Dr. Oza, a medical oncologist who leads the Cancer Clinical Research Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital. He is also co-director of the hospital's Bras Family Drug Development Program and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
The seven-year study began in 2004 and enrolled 1,528 women with ovarian cancer at 263 centres, including 20 in Canada. Avastin was added to chemotherapy treatment and given intravenously every three weeks for 12 months.
The drug blocks growth factors that promote new blood vessels formation in tumours, thereby "starving" the cancer. It is not a cure, explains Dr. Oza, but has a proven track record in delaying disease progression in other types of cancer including colorectal, lung, breast, kidney and brain.
"We now know that using Avastin in ovarian cancer for even this short time improves outcomes," says Dr. Oza. "The next step is to determine if giving it for a longer period would be of even greater benefit."
Similar findings from a U.S. study are also reported in this issue of the journal. Dr. Oza says the major difference between the two studies is that the women in the American study were given twice as much Avastin. "So the question now is would half the dose for double the duration improve outcomes even more? This is an area to investigate further."
###
University Health Network: http://www.uhn.on.ca/index.htm
Thanks to University Health Network for this article.
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Christmas with Canadian Troops and Civilians Abroad
(December 25, 2011 - Ottawa, Ontario) His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada, visited from December 22 to 25, 2011, Canadian troops and civilians deployed in Italy and Afghanistan. His Excellency was joined by the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff.
"It was a privilege to extend my heartfelt gratitude and support to the Canadian men and women in uniform, and the many diplomats, aid specialists and police officers deployed abroad, who are committed to making parts of the world a safer and better place. The sacrifice of troops and civilians who are away from their families and friends at this time of the year is tremendous and I wish them the best of luck in the completion of their missions," said His Excellency.
Summary of activities during the visit
Upon his arrival in Rome, the Governor General visited the HMCS Vancouver, where he met with troops and thanked them for patrolling off the Libyan coast and for successfully contributing to the NATO mission in this region, which led to the liberation of Libya in October 2011.
Following the State funeral of V?clav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, in Prague, His Excellency then proceeded to Kabul, where he met with Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, to discuss Canada?s new engagement strategy in Afghanistan and to recognize Canada?s significant investments, but as well as its losses in the country to date. His Excellency also met with Dr. Omar Zakhilwal, minister of Finance, Mr. Farooq Wardak, minister of Education, and Dr. Suraya Dalil, acting minister of Public Health, to discuss Afghanistan?s future. Furthermore, he had an opportunity to celebrate Christmas with a diverse array of Canadians making contributions in Afghanistan.?
Later on, His Excellency visited the Armed Forces Academy of Medical Sciences and engaged with Canadian Forces medical personnel who are mentoring Afghan medical staff. The Governor General concluded his trip to Afghanistan with a meet and greet with troops at Camp Alamo, Camp Black Horse and Canada House where he attended a Christmas concert put on by Canadian performers.
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Media information:
Marie-?ve L?tourneau
Rideau Hall Press Office
613-998-0287
613-302-0912 (cell.)
marie-eve.letourneau@gg.ca
Source: http://www.afghanistan.gc.ca/canada-afghanistan/news-nouvelles/2011/2011_12_25.aspx?lang=eng
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Friday, December 30, 2011
North Korea drama: Where are Kim Jong-un's brothers? (The Christian Science Monitor)
Seoul ? The two older sons of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il face uncertain fates as political exiles, while brother Kim Jong-un assumes the mantle of power in Pyongyang.
Analysts offer that view after finding no signs that either have come to visit their father???s body lying in state in a glass-enclosed coffin in Pyongyang.
In fact, say analysts, the spectacle of two blood brothers in the wings would be more than a mere distraction. It would be difficult to convince people that at least one of them wasn't waiting to take over, especially since they're both older and the "supreme leader," after all, has done little to prove he's worthy of the title.
Just how isolated is North Korea? 6 facts to consider
The eldest, Kim Jong-nam, at least a decade older than Jong-un, ?appears to have security concerns,? says Michael Breen, a long-time consultant here who?s written a biography of Kim Jong-il. ?He might be assassinated.?
The need to keep Kim Jong-nam and his brother, Kim Jong-chul, far out of sight underlines the insecurity of a regime that immediately thrust Kim Jong-il?s handpicked ?great successor? into the limelight as ?supreme leader? of the armed forces and the ruling party after his death two weeks ago.
The regime in recent days has gone to extraordinary lengths to put Kim Jong-un on display. On Thursday on North Korean State TV he was proclaimed ?supreme leader? of the ruling party and the armed forces before 200,000 people massed on Kim Il-sung square in central Pyongyang.
Then on Friday, North Korea?s national defense commission, the center of power, previously under Kim Jong-il as chairman, warned ?foolish politicians around the world not to expect any changes from us." It singled out South Korea?s President Lee Myung bak, denouncing him as a ?national traitor,? and made it clear it would not have any dealings with him.
Just how isolated is North Korea? 6 facts to consider
In a campaign designed as much for domestic politics as foreign consumption, the build-up for Kim Jong-un bears vestiges of a system that endures in the style of the Chosun dynasty that held sway over the Korean peninsula for 500 years before Japan annexed all Korea as a colony in 1910. In those days, brothers were routinely eliminated as threats to the man on the throne.
David Straub, associate director of the Korea Studies program at Stanford, makes another comparison. ?When you look at North Korea ?s situation, you need to think in terms of European monarchies and dynasties,? he says. ?This is the way dynasties in nondemocratic countries behave.?
Mr. Straub, former Korea desk chief at the State Department, believes Kim Jong-nam ?is probably safe? from state assassination attempts as long as he chooses to live quietly in Macao.
'Stuff of legend'Still, Straub compares the court drama in North Korea with that of medieval Europe in which royal rivalries and assassinations were the stuff of legend.
Kim Jong-nam, mentioned as a possible successor before Japanese immigration officials in 2001 nabbed him at Tokyo?s Narita Airport trying to enter Japan with a fake Dominican passport, has lived for years in the gambling center of Macao on the southeastern China coast. His excuse that he wanted to take his 4-year-old son to Disneyland did not impress the Japanese authorities, who finally sent him on to China after holding him for several days.
After that, Kim Jong-nam appeared to have been on the outs with his father. He was reported in the media here to have heard of his father?s death from Chinese, not North Korean, officials while visiting Beijing but was reportedly banned from flying to Pyongyang and is believed to have returned to Macao.
Just how isolated is North Korea? 6 facts to consider
Before the incident at Narita, so worried was his step mother, the mother of Jong-un and Jong-chul, that Jong-nam was a possible rival for power with her own sons that she is rumored to have wanted to have him assassinated during a trip to Europe some time before she passed away in Paris.
Kim Jong-nam may have fallen still deeper into disfavor after a Japanese newspaper early this year quoted him as saying ?hereditary succession? did not ?fit socialism and my father was against it? but it ?was done to stabilize the framework of the nation.?
?He?s talked about succession in unflattering terms,? says Michael Breen, author of a biography of Kim Jong-il. ?That regime is very unflattering to those who betray them.? He notes that a nephew of Kim Il-sung was assassinated by North Korean agents in 1997 after defecting to South Korea and writing a tell-all book about his uncle.
Eric Clapton and the other brotherThe case of Kim Jong-chul, as the full blood older brother of Kim Jong-un, is quite different. ?He definitely stays in Pyongyang,? says Baek Sung-joo, director of the security and strategy center of the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses. ?He has a close relationship with Jong-nam.
Kim Jong-chul at 30 is not known to have ever had any real job but appears in no danger of assassination.
Kim Jong-il was once believed to have had him in mind as a successor after ruling out Kim Jong-nam, but word is that he finally decided he was too effete and effeminate for the job. That judgment may have been confirmed, in the eyes of his father and those around him, after he was seen at an Eric Clapton concert in Singapore last February on top of reports that he had also attended Clapton concerts in Germany.
Aside from his love for ?decadent? western pop, Kim Jong-chul does not seem to have offended the regime. Mr. Baek assumes the reason he was not at his father?s bier is that his presence would have detracted attention from his younger brother.
?If there is no Jong-chul, the cameras will focus only on Jong-un,? he says. ?Kim Jong-chul will not show up for some time.?
But, ?he?s a free man," says Mr. Sohn, and may possibly be able to travel abroad again and attend his favorite concerts. It?s just that ?he cannot enter the power elite,? he says. ?He cannot have a position.?
Big brother Kim Jong-nam, however, raises more serious issues. ?Maybe the new power elite will make a decision how to deal with him,? says Baek. ?If he makes big trouble for the new leadership, North Korea will deal roughly with him. He has little chance ever to see his brothers again.?
North Korean agents may decide to leave Jong-nam alone if he behaves himself, and avoids the reporters who?ve been looking for him in Macao since his father?s death was reported nearly two weeks ago.
?He?s not unsafe as long as he?s not challenging the power transition,? says Choi Jin-wook, director of North Korean research at the Korea Institute of National Unification. ?He?s not in trouble if he?s not a danger.?
Just how isolated is North Korea? 6 facts to consider
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Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/nkorea/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20111230/wl_csm/442814
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WernerPatels: Can Canada get its development aid money back? China unveils ambitious program to explore space http://t.co/2Toj0dSG #roft
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Jamie Dupree's Washington Insider: Sen. Ben Nelson Retires
By Jamie Dupree
Democrats got some unwelcome election news on Tuesday, when Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska announced he would not seek re-election, giving Republicans a good opportunity to pick up a Senate seat in the 2012 elections.
"I want to thank Senator Nelson for his years of service representing the people of Nebraska," said President Obama in a written statement issued by the White House.
Mr. Obama also took time to note Nelsons's middle-of-the-road politics, which often earned him the political stink eye from fellow Democrats.
"Over the course of his career, Ben?s commitment to working with both Democrats and Republicans across a broad range of issues is a trait far too often overlooked in today?s politics," said the President.
But to most in both parties, Nelson's willingness to vote with Republicans was reason number one that many Democrats had been secretly wishing that Nelson would just stay in Omaha.
Nelson is certainly one of a dying breed, the Blue Dog Democrat, as those conservatives are almost extinct now in the Congress.
As of now, this seat would seem to favor Republicans; but a lot of that could well depend on the candidates who end up in the race.
Democrats were already trying to convince former Sen. Bob Kerrey to run again; it doesn't seem that long ago that I was covering Kerrey when he crossed swords with President Bill Clinton on budget policies.
Just as I'm dating myself a little with Kerrey, it doesn't seem that long ago that the Congress had a big chunk of conservative Democrats and more liberal Republicans.
But both parties have done a very effective job of purging those types from their party ranks.
Chalk up another one with Nelson's departure.
Source: http://www.newstalkradiowhio.com/weblogs/jamie-dupree/2011/dec/27/sen-ben-nelson-retires/
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Thursday, December 29, 2011
The Time I Planted a Pipe Bomb Under Someone's Truck [Video]
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Key dates in the life of North Korea's Kim Jong Il (AP)
Key dates in the history of North Korea and its late leader Kim Jong Il:
? April 15, 1912: North Korean founder Kim Il Sung is born in Pyongyang.
? Feb. 16, 1942: Kim Jong Il is born in a guerrilla fighters' camp on Mount Paektu, the highest peak on the Korean peninsula, according to official North Korean history. Some sources say he was born in a Siberian village, and that the year of his birth was 1941.
? Sept. 9, 1948: Kim Il Sung establishes the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in the northern half of the Korean peninsula.
? June 25, 1950: North Korea invades South Korea.
? July 27, 1953: The Korean War ends in a truce, not a peace treaty.
? September 1973: Kim Jong Il assumes the Workers Party's No. 2 post ? the secretary for the party's organization, guidance and propaganda affairs.
? February 1974: Kim Jong Il is elected to the Political Bureau of the Workers Party's Central Committee and formally becomes North Korea's future leader.
? Oct. 10, 1980: Kim Jong Il's status as the country's future leader is made public at the Workers' Party congress, where he takes up other top positions.
? Jan. 8, 1983: Kim Jong Il's third and youngest son Jong Un is believed to have been born.
? Dec. 24, 1991: Kim Jong Il is named Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army.
? April 1993: Kim Jong Il is named Chairman of the National Defense Commission.
? July 8, 1994: Kim Il Sung dies of a heart attack and Kim Jong Il inherits power.
? Oct. 8, 1997: Kim Jong Il is named General Secretary of the Workers' Party.
? August 2008: Kim Jong Il reportedly suffers a stroke.
? July 21, 2010: The U.S. imposes new sanctions on North Korea in a bid to stem Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
? Sept. 28, 2010: Kim Jong Un is promoted to four-star general and given leadership roles in the ruling Workers' Party ? moves seen as confirmation that he is likely to be the country's next leader. The announcement is North Korean state media's first mention of Kim Jong Un.
? Oct. 10, 2010: Kim Jong Un debuts to public at what is believed to be the largest military parade the communist state has ever staged. The celebration in Pyongyang marks the 65th anniversary of the ruling Workers' Party but also serves as a coming-out party for the younger Kim.
? Oct. 11, 2010: Kim Jong Nam, the casino-loving eldest son of Kim Jong Il, says he opposes a hereditary transfer of power to his youngest half-brother. Analysts say Kim Jong Nam spends so much time outside his native land that his opinion carries little weight. He spoke to Japan's TV Asahi in an interview from Beijing.
? Jan. 28, 2011: Kim Jong Nam says his father opposed continuing the family dynasty into a third generation but named his youngest son as heir to keep the country stable, according to TV Asahi.
? Feb. 16, 2011: Kim Jong Il celebrates his 69th birthday.
? April 15, 2011: North Koreans honor the country's founder, Kim Il Sung, on the 99th anniversary of his birth. It is the nation's most important holiday and known as "The Day of the Sun."
? Dec. 19, 2011: State media announce that Kim Jong Il died Dec. 17.
? Dec. 28, 2011: Tens of thousands wail and stamp their feet in grief as a hearse carries Kim Jong Il's body through Pyongyang streets.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
China's external debt hit 697 bln U.S. dollar at end of September
2011-12-27 08:43:31 GMT2011-12-27 16:43:31(Beijing Time) ?Xinhua English
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign debt totaled 697.16 billion U.S. dollars at the end of September, up from 548.9 billion U.S. dollars at the end of 2010, the country's foreign-exchange regulator said Tuesday.
Short-term debt hit 507.63 billion U.S. dollars, equivalent to 72.81 percent of the country's total foreign debt, while mid- and long-term debt amounted to 189.54 billion U.S. dollars, accounting for 27.19 percent of the total debt, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange said in a statement on its website.
Source: http://english.sina.com/china/2011/1227/426646.html
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Myriad Alien Vue brings Google TV apps to existing HDTVs, set-top boxes (video)
Continue reading Myriad Alien Vue brings Google TV apps to existing HDTVs, set-top boxes (video)
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Thursday, December 22, 2011
Larsson's partner chides 'Dragon Tattoo' marketing (AP)
STOCKHOLM ? The longtime partner of late Swedish crime writer Stieg Larsson says he wouldn't have approved of merchandise being linked to this week's release of a Hollywood adaptation of his bestselling novel, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo."
Eva Gabrielsson said Monday that Larsson would have instead used the buzz around his work to call attention to violence and discrimination against women.
"We would never have sold any rights for merchandising," Gabrielsson said. "It has nothing to do with books."
H&M has released a Dragon Tattoo Collection, created by costume designer Trish Summerville, that it says is inspired by Lisbeth Salander ? the tattooed anti-heroine of Larsson's books and the film which opens Wednesday in the United States.
Gabrielsson and Larsson were a couple for more than 30 years, but never married. Larsson didn't leave a will, so his brother and father inherited the rights to his works when he died of a heart attack at age 50 in 2004.
The two have rejected Gabrielsson's suggestions that they are using Larsson's legacy for profit, and say they will donate their earnings to causes he supported, including an anti-racism magazine that he worked for as a journalist.
Still, Gabrielsson expressed concern that the political dimension of Larsson's books, including the feminist undertones, would be overlooked by the film's hype. She claims Larsson wanted to show that gender imbalances exist even in Sweden, one of the world's most egalitarian societies.
"The oppression of women exists everywhere, this incomprehensible discrimination," she said.
In Larsson's trilogy, Salander and journalist Mikael Blomqvist team up to solve serial killings and sex trafficking scandals. Rooney Mara plays Salander and Daniel Craig plays Blomqvist in the David Fincher directed film.
Mara suggested at a news conference last month that Salander isn't a feminist, and doesn't see herself as part of any group or subculture.
"Does she know what film she has been in?" Gabrielsson said, disbelievingly. "Has she read the books? Has she not had any coaching?"
Salander doesn't fit neatly into any category, "but she is still part of a movement," Gabrielsson said. "Her entire being represents a resistance, an active resistance to the mechanisms that mean women don't advance in this world and in worst case scenarios are abused like she was."
Gabrielsson said the feminist theme had been partly lost with the creation of the English title, which she thinks sounds like "a children's book."
She said the original Swedish title is "Man som hatar kvinnor," ? men who hate women. "In his (Larsson's) world that was also the basic theme for these books," she said.
Gabrielsson published her own book last year about her life with Larsson.
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Monday, December 19, 2011
10 Great Performances in Not-So-Great 2011 Movies
Every year of movies brings with a lot of bad stuff, and when you write about movies for a living like we do, you wind up seeing a lot of garbage that you never, ever would have chosen on your own. But even when you walk into a film you know is probably going to suck, you're always hoping for some bright spot, something that means the entire two hours weren't a waste. More often than not, it's one spectacular performance that does the trick-- when one actor manages to turn in something great despite everything going wrong around them, you can feel the clouds part and the angels sing, at least until the next dumb thing happens and you remember what an awful movie you're sitting through.
#1: William Fichtner as The Accountant
Drive Angry 3D
Drive Angry 3D was a movie made of missed opportunities. Nicolas Cage as vengeful undead father Milton wasn?t nearly as crazy as we hoped he would be, it was missing an effective soundtrack, and the story was all over the place. One element that it got absolutely right, however, was the casting of William Fichtner as The Accountant. Playing an agent sent from hell to bring Cage?s character back, Fichtner is cool, calm and collected for the entire film, but he plays the demon with just the right level of smirk to make him a perfect mix of badass and wit. If only Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer had made the script about The Accountant instead of Milton it could have been a much more interesting film.
#2: Michael Parks as Abin Cooper
Red State Say what you will about Kevin Smith ? and this year, it seems we had plenty to discuss ? the indie filmmaker?s still capable of scripting a riveting monologue. And in Michael Parks, Smith found his most compelling mouthpiece since Dwight Ewell?s Hooper X (Chasing Amy). Forget the fire-and-brimstone that actors reflexively slip into when playing men of faith. Parks brings a subdued but resolute belief in the words Smith hands him. And that?s more chilling than any of the wanton violence that overwhelms Red State in time.
#3: Mark Strong as Sinestro
Green Lantern
I was so excited to see my favorite superhero finally hit the big screen and then, well, we got?that Green Lantern. As the film unfolded, misfire after misfire, I was readying?my?fiery?fanboy hatred?until?Mark Strong's Sinestro was finally?introduced. No way could he salvage?the terribly misguided script, special effects or over-acting but his commanding presence?as the greatest Green Lantern who becomes their greatest adversary was?pitch perfect. From the practical make-up to his unflinching delivery, Strong made Sinestro a character I'l remember in a film that I've been desperately trying to?forget. He even?inspires hope for a possibly great sequel, even if it's just a tiny, yellow glimmer. #4: Bruno Ganz as Ernst Jurgen
Unknown
Unknown is a deeply silly movie from beginning to end, and even when an international conspiracy plot and some rogue spies get involved in the story it's really nothing but a chance to see Liam Neeson beat up some Europeans. But there's one scene where the movie finally slows down and makes room for some acting, when mysterious characters played by Frank Langella and especially the German actor Bruno Ganz sit back and talk about their shared history and animosity. To say more would be to spoil it, but Ganz's inherent gravitas makes this the only scene in the movie worth watching, enough to make you wish you were watching a movie about him instead. #5: Anthony Hopkins as Father Lucas
The Rite
Thanks to a few dreadful scenes and some unnecessary supporting characters, The Rite doesn?t really work.? In fact, I probably should have forgotten it existed by this point, but thanks to a truly incredibly performance by Anthony Hopkins, I kind of want to watch it again.? Right now.? Beaten down by years of doubts, disappointments and demons, the Academy Award winner?s Father Lucas is riveting every time he?s on screen.? Sometimes he spews well-crafted philosophical yarns.? Sometimes he rids bodies of satanic presences, and sometimes he hits children.? There?s no guessing what he?ll do next, but when it comes, you?ll sure as hell believe it.? #6: Neil Patrick Harris as Will
Beastly
Neil Patrick Harris has suited up on CBS? How I Met Your Mother for seven seasons, meaning he?s had to be choosy about side projects. ?Which is why it?s a little surprising Harris took a small role as the protagonist?s mentor in 2011?s very forgettable Beastly. Maybe he just wanted to rock out as a blind guy with more confidence than Michael Jordan, or maybe he was just excited about hitting golf balls off of a tall building.? Either way, his character says enough funny shit that it periodically propels the movie into momentary atonement. #7: Channing Tatum as Zip
The Dilemma
A lot of moviegoers have rejected the idea of Channing Tatum as a leading man, mostly because they see him as a beefy lunkhead without two brain cells to rub together. In The Dilemma, a movie that's otherwise borderline unwatchable, Tatum is finally in on the joke, playing a wifebeater-wearing hunk of meat named Zip who mostly just wants revenge at the guy who killed his fish. In a movie where everyone else seemed to be on autopilot, Tatum threw everything he had into playing this idiot, creating the only sign of greatness in both the movie and his entire career. #8: Rosario Dawson as Kate
Zookeeper
The love interest in a Kevin James vehicle is the definition of ?thankless role.? So why is Rosario Dawson having so much fun alongside James in Zookeeper? Maybe because she?s picking and choosing her moments as the ?ordinary? girl our leading man eventually pursues. (Only in a comedy could a sparkling, charismatic beauty like Dawson play the ?other? girl, even to a stunner like Leslie Bibb.) No matter the reason, Dawson is the springboard that occasionally allows the goofy Zookeeper to soar on the wings of effervescent love.? #9: Tom Hanks as Larry Crowne
Larry Crowne
It isn?t so much that Larry Crowne is a terrible movie as it really wouldn?t be worth watching if not for Tom Hanks. The film is nothing but a series of amusing moments, but Hanks? performance stands out since it seems like it?s been an eternity since we?ve seen his lighter side. The scene where he re-programs Julia Roberts' GPS system is reminiscent of Big and makes me think, as amazing as Hanks is in dramatic roles and successful as he?s been as a producer, I hope he considers returning to comedy soon. In the meantime, Hanks (and to a lesser but notable degree, Rami Malek and George Takei) is the only reason to see Larry Crowne.? #10: Clive Owen as Spike
Killer Elite
Who knows what left turn Clive Owen took to go from classics like Children of Men to nonsense like Killer Elite, but at least he hasn't lost his dignity along the way. Paired up against Jason Statham Owen plays an erudite but still kick-ass spy who's just trying to do his job, but happens to get into a lot of fistfights along the way. He can't save the movie from being boring, but he manages to keep his head held high, and maintain the promise that maybe next time, he'll find some material that's worthy of what he's bringing to it. ?
There are plenty of actors who make bad movies while still being fairly likable-- Nicolas Cage and now Liam Neeson are making careers of this-- but only a select few who pop up out of the mess and do something great. We're kicking off our end of the year coverage, but instead of first starting with our 10 best movies of the year or anything like that, we've got the 10 best performances in movies that were otherwise terrible. Check out our picks below, and let us know who we might have forgotten in the comments below.
Drive Angry 3D
Red State
Green Lantern
Unknown
The Rite
Beastly
The Dilemma
Zookeeper
Larry Crowne
Killer Elite
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924156/news/1924156/
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Sunday, December 18, 2011
Venezuela honors Simon Bolivar with new coffin (AP)
CARACAS, Venezuela ? Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez paid tribute to 19th century independence leader Simon Bolivar on Saturday by unveiling a new coffin containing Bolivar's remains and adorned with gold, pearls and diamonds.
Soldiers lifted a flag from the mahogany coffin during a ceremony marking the anniversary of Bolivar's death in 1830. Bolivar is both a national hero in Venezuela and the namesake of Chavez's Bolivarian Revolution political movement.
"You live on in us," Chavez said in a speech, standing next to the coffin. "As the years pass, you will be more alive, father Bolivar."
Officials have said Chavez's government is spending 119 million bolivars ($27.7 million) to build a new mausoleum to house Bolivar's remains. The mausoleum is to have a soaring roof, and a metal framework has been partly erected behind the National Pantheon, where Bolivar's remains have long been entombed.
Chavez oversaw the exhumation of Bolivar's remains last year, seeking to confirm his idol's identity and investigate a theory that Bolivar could have been killed. Researchers confirmed Bolivar's identity through DNA tests but were unable to pin down the cause of his death.
The new coffin bears golden stars and the national seal, as well as Bolivar's initials and golden laurels. An announcer said the decorations on the coffin include diamonds and pearls from Venezuela.
Chavez has made Bolivar a central symbol throughout his nearly 13-year-old presidency. He often speaks below a portrait of Bolivar. In 1999, Chavez promoted the approval of a new constitution that changed the country's name to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
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Egypt's Christians Back Parties That Oppose Islamists (Time.com)
Egypt's Islamists appeared to sweep the vote in the mostly poor and rural areas of the country that voted Dec. 14 and 15 in the second round of a three-stage parliamentary election. But Egypt's minority Christians, motivated by a desire to see checks on the Islamists' power in the legislature, also turned out to vote -- mostly for liberal parties -- in the districts of Upper Egypt where the sectarian divide often runs deepest.
Even before the overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak, Christians -- who make up roughly 10% of Egypt's 85 million citizens -- had complained of heightened discrimination and sectarian violence in recent years. Then last winter's uprising unleashed a wave of radical Islamism into an unstable security environment fraught with economic despair, producing a dramatic spike in sectarian violence in the months since Mubarak's ouster. And Christians complain that the ruling military has done little to stop it. In at least one case, security forces actually joined in attacks on Christians. That was in October, when soldiers attacked a Christian protest in downtown Cairo, killing 24 people, some of whom were run over by army vehicles. (See photos of Christians under attack in Cairo.)
Many Christian voters canvassed by TIME at the polls in the country's rural center said they had voted for the liberal groups that emerged strongest after the first round of voting -- often sacrificing a vote for their preferred party in favor of backing the one most likely to succeed in preventing an Islamist sweep. "I wanted to vote for the Continuous Revolution party, but they only got 7% in the first round," said Ibram Faris, a 22-year-old Christian resident of Tizment al-Gharbia, a predominantly Muslim village about 70 miles south of Cairo. Instead, Faris gave his vote to the more popular liberal Wafd party.
The region known as Upper Egypt, which encompasses the villages south of Cairo and stretches along the Nile all the way to the Sudanese border, has long been plagued by sectarian tensions. Here, the competition for jobs and resources, coupled with a growing religious conservatism and a largely absent government, has fueled escalating outbreaks of violence in recent years. Bloody riots have erupted over religious conversions and the construction of churches and mosques -- a process far more onerous for Christians than it is for Muslims. In the months since the uprising, the region has been rocked by church burnings, small-scale riots and an Islamist sit-in that ultimately ousted the Christian governor of Qena.
With Islamists predicted to win a landslide majority in parliament, Christians fear a system even more rigidly fundamentalist and neglectful of their rights than the last one. "They'll make [Egypt] an Islamic state, and they will force us to wear certain things," said Selwa Gaber, a Christian housewife who cast her vote in the Upper Egyptian city of Beni Suef. Her daughter, Marina Magdy, said, "[The Christians] will vote for the Wafd and the stairs and the fish," citing two candidates' electoral symbols. (The symbols are part of a system to provide guidance to illiterate voters). Neither Magdy nor her mother knew who the stairs or the fish represented, but what mattered, they said, is that they were anti-Islamist. (See video of Islamists in Tahrir Square.)
Mohamed Shehata, a poll monitor for the ultraconservative Salafist Nour party, insisted that such fears were overblown: "We're all one. We're not separated by religion." He said that even though the Nour party would seek an Islamic state, it had no plans to alter the legal rights of Christians. Supporters of both the Nour party and the more moderate and popular Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), claimed many Christians had even voted for them.
But Christian voters disputed that claim. "There are very few Christians here, but I'm sure they will all vote like me," said Faris. "Christians will reject the concept of parties based on religion."
Religious intolerance is one reason Egypt's Christians and liberals fear an Islamist government, but another is the economy. Egypt's tourism revenues have already dropped by one-third this year, Reuters reported on Dec. 13. The country's ancient heritage sites -- many of them located in Upper Egypt -- have fared worse in the tourist trade than have Egypt's picturesque beach resorts.
But Christians and liberals fear that it's the beach resorts that an Islamist government would target first. A number of candidates from the Nour party and at least one from FJP have promised to ban alcohol and revealing clothing. "I personally am worried about tourism because the Salafis want to close the beaches," said Mohamed Heggo, a Muslim salesman in the town of Beni Suef, south of Cairo. Heggo said he had once visited Ras Mohamed, a marine nature reserve on Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and one of the world's prime diving locations. Though he doesn't work in tourism, Heggo said he could appreciate the spot's value. "A place like Ras Mohamed is 80% of the tourism revenue," he added, and for that reason, he would vote for a liberal party.
See photos of Egyptians heading to the polls.
See TIME's 2011 Person of the Year.
View this article on Time.com
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Video: Family in crisis gets Christmas to remember
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Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/45696285#45696285
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Saturday, December 17, 2011
Equity mutual funds: Investors pull money out
Equity mutual funds lost a net $16.1 billion in November. Foreign equity mutual funds lost $2.6 billion.?
Investors pulled cash out of stock?mutual?funds?for the seventh month in a row, as the European debt crisis continued to drive U.S. market volatility in November.
Skip to next paragraphInvestors withdrew a net $16.1 billion from U.S. stock?funds?last month, extending a string that began in May, industry consultant Strategic Insight said on Monday.
Stock?funds?attracted new cash during the first four months of this year, on the heels of strong market gains in late 2010. But the market was dominated this summer and fall by fears that Europe's debt crisis was getting impossible to contain.
As the continent's leaders struggled to come up with a debt-control plan, U.S. stocks again followed a volatile path last month. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slid about 9 percent in mid-November before recovering most of its gain to finish down less than 1 percent for the month.
"With the market still gyrating, investors still lack enthusiasm" for U.S. stock?funds, said Avi Nachmany, research director with New York-based Strategic Insight.
Through November, investors withdrew a net $65 billion from stock?funds. That exceeds the full-year total of 2010, when they pulled a net $49 billion from stock?funds. Investing has taken a more conservative turn since the financial crisis of 2008, with money consistently flowing out of stock?funds, and bond?funds?continuing to attract new cash.
Other details of how investors moved their money in November:
? Foreign stock?funds: Investors withdrew a net $2.6 billion from these?funds, as debt troubles in Europe and slowing economic growth in China continued to depress stock prices in many foreign markets. Through November, investors have deposited a net $45 billion into foreign?funds, reflecting expectations that China and other emerging markets such as India and Brazil continue to have good long-term prospects.
? Bond?funds: Investors deposited a net $11.9 billion in November. About $9 billion in new cash was added to taxable bond?funds, a category that includes corporate bonds. About $2.9 billion was deposited last month into municipal bond?funds, which buy the debt of state and local governments. Year-to-date, bond?funds?have attracted nearly $104 billion in new cash.
? Money-market?funds: A net $42 billion was deposited into these?funds?last month, marking a reversal from the $21 billion in net withdrawals in October. Strategic Insight said investors appeared to increasingly view money-market?funds?as a safety net from stock market volatility. They're designed to be safe harbors where investors can temporarily park cash and quickly access it when needed. Net withdrawals from money?fundstotal $173 billion year-to-date. Their appeal has dimmed because returns have been barely above zero since early 2009.
? Exchange-traded?funds: Investors deposited a net $5 billion into ETFs, which bundle together investments in a particular market index. Unlike?mutual?funds, they can be traded during daily sessions just like stocks. ETFs continue to grow much faster than?mutual?funds, with year-to-date net deposits of nearly $94 billion. At that rate, ETFs could end 2011 with more than $100 billion in new cash for the fifth year in row.
Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/4AUH2PqZdwo/Equity-mutual-funds-Investors-pull-money-out
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Obama admin: 2.5M young adults gain coverage (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Young adults trying to get traction in a tough economy are getting a welcome assist: the new federal health care law has markedly improved their access to health insurance.
The number of young Americans ages 19-25 lacking health insurance has shrunk by 2.5 million since President Barack Obama's health care overhaul took effect, the administration announced in an analysis released Wednesday.
That drop is 2 1/2 times as large as the decline indicated by previous government and private estimates from earlier this year, which showed about 1 million had gained coverage.
The improvement comes even as the uninsured rate stayed basically stuck for those a little older, ages 26-35.
Under the health care overhaul, adult children can stay on a parent's plan until they turn 26, a provision that has proven popular in an otherwise divisive law.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the numbers show the law is making a big difference for families with adult children.
"Many of them gained coverage earlier this spring, meaning the law was there for young people as they graduated from college or high school and began their careers," she said.
Administration officials said there are a couple of reasons for the better-than-expected result.
First, there is more data available now than earlier this year. Secondly, analysts are slicing the numbers more precisely than the government usually does.
The health care law's main push to cover the uninsured doesn't come until 2014. But the young adults' provision took effect last fall, and most workplace health plans started carrying it out Jan. 1. Since then, families have flocked to sign up adult children making the transition to work in a challenging environment.
The overall fate of Obama's law remains uncertain, with the Supreme Court scheduled to hear a constitutional challenge next year, and Republican presidential candidates vowing to repeal it. But this provision seems to have gotten a seal of approval from consumers.
"The increase in coverage among 19- to 25-year-olds can be directly attributed to the Affordable Care Act's new dependent coverage provision," said the HHS analysis.
Using unpublished quarterly statistics from the government's ongoing National Health Interview Survey, analysts in Sebelius' policy office determined that nearly 36 percent of those age 19-25 were uninsured in the third calendar quarter of 2010, before the law's provision took effect.
That translates to more than 10.5 million people.
By the second calendar quarter of 2011, the proportion of uninsured young adults had dropped to a little over 27 percent, or about 8 million people.
The difference ? nearly 2.5 million getting coverage ? can only be the result of the health care law, administration officials said, because the number covered by public programs like Medicaid went down slightly.
Overall, nearly 30 million Americans are ages 19 to 25.
"From September 2010 to June 2011, coverage rose only among those adults affect by the policy," said the HHS report.
The National Center for Health Statistics has documented a broadly similar trend in its official publications, only it's not nearly as dramatic.
Administration officials said those statistics did not focus on the change from calendar quarter to calendar quarter, as does the new HHS report. Instead, they pool data over longer time periods, and that has the effect of diluting the perceived impact of the law, officials said.
Traditionally, young adults have been more likely to be uninsured than any other age group.
Some are making the switch from school to work. Others are holding down low-wage jobs that don't usually come with health care. And some ? termed the "invincibles" ? pass up job-based health insurance because they don't think they'll use it and would rather get extra money in their paychecks.
Other early coverage expansions in the health care law have not worked as well, including a special program for people with health problems turned away by private insurers. Many applicants found the premiums unaffordable.
Young adults are less expensive to cover than people who are middle-aged, and many companies have spread the extra premiums among their workers. Benefits consultant Delloite LLP has projected additional health plan costs in the range of 1 percent to 2 percent for covering young adults.
Before the health care overhaul, families with adult children faced a hodgepodge of policies. Some health plans only covered older children while they were full-time students. Others applied an age cutoff.
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Italian govt calls confidence vote on austerity
Italian Premier Mario Monti listens to Libyan Transitional National Council chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, unseen, during a media statement at the end of their meeting in Rome's Palazzo Chigi government's headquarters, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. The Italian government on Thursday called for a vote of confidence on an austerity package aimed at persuading bond markets that the country can get it finances under control and emerge from the widening debt crisis. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italian Premier Mario Monti listens to Libyan Transitional National Council chairman Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, unseen, during a media statement at the end of their meeting in Rome's Palazzo Chigi government's headquarters, Thursday, Dec. 15, 2011. The Italian government on Thursday called for a vote of confidence on an austerity package aimed at persuading bond markets that the country can get it finances under control and emerge from the widening debt crisis. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
People wait for a tram at a tram station during a transport strike in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Dec.15, 2011. The Italian government on Thursday called for a vote of confidence on an austerity package aimed at persuading bond markets that the country can get it finances under control and emerge from the widening debt crisis. Discontent over the painful measures has been spreading. Hundreds of firefighters demonstrated outside Parliament on Thursday, as local transport called a strike. A nationwide transport strike was set to begin Thursday evening and run most of the day Friday.(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
ROME (AP) ? In Italy's high-stakes gambit for economic survival, new Premier Mario Monti is facing serious resistance from three tenacious forces: global financial markets, Italian politicians and Italian labor unions.
Monti's challengers are showing little restraint, even when facing a possible worst-case scenario of an Italian default on euro1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion) in sovereign debt, an event that would break up the 17-nation eurozone and cripple the global economy.
Monti, an economist and university chief tapped last month to lead a technocratic government, pledged Thursday to overcome any naysayers by staying his course. That plan aims to reduce public debt, cut government spending, overhaul the pension system and reform the restrictive labor market to boost growth.
"Resistance is not a novelty when you want to deploy the forces of liberalization and competition," Monti said. "This is resistance that often is not won with the first strike, but with tenacity."
Monti has already issued his austerity and growth measures as an emergency decree, but Parliament must approve it. To make sure that happens, his government of technocrats has called for a confidence vote when the measures go to the lower house Friday and then to the Senate, which is to vote by Sunday. A failure would mean his government would have to step down.
Despite widespread opposition to the measures demanded by the European Union and the European Central Bank, they are expected to pass because the alternative is unthinkable.
"I have the impression that Italians, even with little sympathy for sacrifices, are realizing that the alternative is not a life without sacrifice, but a life with even greater sacrifices," Monti said.
Italy's borrowing costs spiked again Thursday in its last bond auction of the year, forcing the debt-ridden nation to pay 6.47 percent for investors to lend it euro3 billion ($3.95 billion) over five years. Italy is expected to seek to borrow over euro300 billion ($390 billion) next year ? an enormous load as rates edge closer to the 7 percent level that forced fellow eurozone nations Greece, Ireland and Portugal into bailouts.
Italy's weakness on the bond market is not all of its own doing. The eurozone's third-largest economy has been left exposed by the failure of last week's EU summit to pledge additional liquidity to protect Italy as well as Spain.
"There is no credible firewall around Italy to allay investor concerns about its colossal funding needs next year," said Nicholas Spiro of Soiron Sovereign Strategy. "Italy's predicament is dire. It has become a proxy for eurozone risk at a time when its funding requirements are about to balloon."
Monti will face even bigger tests in January, when Italy returns to the bond markets to raise money and the government seeks another round of even tougher austerity measures. Any signs his government is buckling to political interests could blunt market confidence in Italy's ability to avoid default.
"With regard to Italy, the immediate question is whether the European authorities have done enough to prevent a liquidity crisis emerging," said Neil Mellor at the Bank of New York Mellon's Global Markets. "(With) the yield on 10-year Italian government paper having shot back above 7 percent after yesterday's auction, the outlook doesn't look good."
Facing even this, political forces in Italy have refused to bite the bullet and accept sacrifice. Instead, they have bickered for changes and won some, sparing pharmacists and taxi drivers from a first round of labor law reforms.
"In a difficult moment like this, families and enterprises are hurt, and there are those even in the most difficult moments who raise objections and bring politicians to their knees," said Emma Marcegaglia, the head of Italy's industrial lobby Confindustria.
In fact, Monti has surprised even some supporters by turning to the traditional sources of revenue ? raising the sales tax and levies on cigarettes, high-powered cars and yachts ? while shying away from confrontation with trade groups blocking rules opening up restricted professions.
"To disappoint public opinion, above all that sector most able to support the sacrifices, risks being a fatal error," said Stefano Folli, respected political analyst in Il Sole 24 Ore, the newspaper of Italy's business lobby.
Confindustria delivered the news on Thursday that Italy is heading toward recession, and projected an economic contraction of 1.6 percent in 2012 ? more than double the 0.5 percent contraction forecast by Monti's technical government. Confindustria previously had forecast growth of 0.2 percent.
Confindustria economists also predicted that unemployment would rise to 9 percent in 2013, with 800,000 more people out of work than in 2008.
"The situation is even worse than we expected," said Corrado Passera, economic development minister. "We are in a recession. If anyone had any doubts about the numbers, we can no longer hide behind 'maybe not.' "
In the lower house Thursday, the speaker suspended the session and ejected two lawmakers from the right-wing Northern League who held up banners against Monti's resurrection of a tax on primary homes. Northern League lawmakers also whistled in protest of the austerity measures.
"Shepherds whistle, not lawmakers," the clearly agitated speaker, Gianfranco Fini, said as he sought to bring order.
On Wednesday, Northern League members protested with signs saying "Enough Taxes" and calling Monti's austerity program "robbery."
Discontent has spilled over into the streets, with hundreds of firefighters demonstrating outside Parliament on Thursday. They contend Monti's measures would put some 20,000 firefighters without long-term contracts out of work in January without any safety net.
"There are colleagues here with five, ten, 15, 20 years of work experience on their shoulders, and Rome does not recognize us with a full-time position," said Luca Basso, a firefighter with temporary job. "The firefighters crew is drifting, practically collapsing, understaffed in a frightening way."
A nationwide transport strike was set to begin Thursday evening and run most of Friday.
____
Barry reported from Milan.
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Blunt wins Senate GOP leadership post (AP)
WASHINGTON ? Sen. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a supporter of Mitt Romney, won a Senate GOP leadership post Tuesday over tea party favorite Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.
The secret balloting elevated Blunt, a former House leader and Romney's chief advocate on Capitol Hill, to vice chairman of the GOP conference, the fifth-most senior position in the party's caucus.
Senate Republicans also elected Sens. John Thune of South Dakota chairman of their conference and Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming chairman of the Senate GOP policy committee, the third and fourth most senior party positions, respectively. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky heads the GOP in the Senate, followed by Minority Whip Jon Kyl of Arizona, who is retiring at the end of next year.
The Blunt-Johnson race was considered symbolically important, a test of tea party clout a year after the libertarian-leaning movement helped drive Republicans into the House majority. Blunt is one of the most established Washington Republicans and controls what is widely considered the best GOP fundraising network of anyone in the party not running for president.
The conference vice chairmanship position carries little power or responsibility other than to spread the Senate Republican leadership's message ahead of the 2012 elections. But it often is a stepping stone to higher positions in the seniority-driven chamber.
Blount was House majority whip and briefly majority leader before Republicans lost their House majority to Democrats in the 2006 election.
Johnson announced his candidacy soon after Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander said in September that he would relinquish the position at the end of the year. Johnson was endorsed by Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., a prominent figure in the tea party movement.
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Five Favorite Films with Roger Corman
Movies as we know them just wouldn't be the same without Roger Corman. Sure, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Demme, James Cameron and Joe Dante probably would have found their way into the game eventually, but the fact remains that they all got their start under the tutelage of Corman and his low-budget genre factory -- a tireless B-picture production line that also gave early breaks to unknown young actors like Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone and Jack Nicholson. Perhaps more significantly, Corman was one of the pioneers of the independent movie model, cranking out scores of exploitation and genre films (and distributing foreign titles by Truffaut, Bergman, Fellini and Kurosawa) that turned profits even as they flaunted the traditional studio system. (Not to be discounted: he also directed a handful of genuinely fine movies, like the Edgar Allan Poe adaptation The Masque of the Red Death.) This week, Corman is celebrated in Alex Stapleton's documentary Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel, a career-spanning look at his work that gathers together exultant testimonials from many of his most famous pupils. We caught up with Corman earlier this week for a chat about his career and his "graduates," his thoughts on independent film, and how the Lucas/Spielberg blockbusters spelled doom for genre pictures. First, here are Corman's five favorite films.
Well, if I were to pick my five favorites I would probably start with Battleship Potemkin, the great Russian silent film. To me, that is the greatest film ever made. It was probably the originator of a number of cutting techniques -- the "Odessa steps" sequence, with the baby carriage rolling own the steps at the same time the troops are marching down the steps, is still one of the most powerful montage sequences I've ever seen.
If I went on to number two, there it becomes more difficult. I would say probably Lawrence of Arabia. I would say simply for the epic scope; the broad expanses and deserts, and then cutting in tight from these giant long shots to Lawrence and the other characters. And the power of Peter O'Toole's performance as Lawrence.
Citizen Kane: So many people would pick that and there isn't much I could say about it. The photography is extremely good. He was using a lot of low angles, he was using covered sets; and at that time, and still, very few art directors will put a ceiling on a set because it makes it very difficult to light, but he gave it a great feeling of realism. Also, it was a brilliant script. It's well directed, well acted -- Welles himself is brilliant as Kane -- and it really stems from the script.
Did you ever meet Orson Welles?
Yes, I did meet Orson Welles. Orson and Peter Bogdanovich and I had dinner one night, and I met him a few other times. When I did The St. Valentine's Massacre at Fox I wanted classical actors for Al Capone, the leader of the South Side gang, and Bugs Moran, the leader of the North Side gang. We cast Jason Robards for Bugs Moran and I wanted Orson Welles for Al Capone. The executives at the studio said they agreed with Jason, but they said, "Roger" -- and I was fairly young at the time -- "this is your first picture for a major studio, we have to tell you nobody can work with Orson Welles. He takes over the set and does anything he wants." I told the story to Orson and Orson said, "[I'm] probably the most cooperative actor anybody ever saw! I don"t know what they're talking about. I would have been great as Capone!" [laughs]
Then each one becomes more difficult as I go along. On the Waterfront -- you go straight to Marlon Brando. It was a good picture all around, a good script, and Kazan directed it brilliantly. And the shooting on location, I would assume they would have never shot in a studio -- the look of the film gives a great sense of realism, that you are there on the waterfront, you're there in cold weather, you can see the breath coming out of the actors mouths. I would say it's probably -- probably -- Marlon's best performance, although you would have to give a nod to Godfather.
Avatar (James Cameron, 2009; 83% Tomatometer)
You know, I would pick Jim Cameron's picture, Avatar, as a fifth. It's the only new picture, I think, that can be up there in that group. Jim Cameron, one of our graduates -- who started making low-budget science fiction pictures for us -- went and jumped ahead and here's Avatar, the most expensive science fiction picture ever made. Jim's a technical genius, and the fact that he single-handedly brought back 3D -- which had been up there, in and out a few times; in the '50s and then forgotten -- and he used it beautifully and sensitively. So many times when a director's working with 3D you have the shot of the arrow coming out of the screen, shooting straight at the audience, and effects like that; he deliberately stayed away from that type of effect and just showed you the 3D world. And the use of computer graphics, green screen, motion capture and so forth for the blue-skinned people on the planet -- I just thought it all came together as a brilliant film, both technically, in the way he used 3D, and in the beauty of the picture itself.
Speaking of your graduates using 3D -- have you had a chance to see Martin Scorsese's Hugo yet?
Yes, I saw Hugo and I was very impressed with it. Again, Marty used 3D sensitively and intelligently, and once more he was restrained in the use of 3D. You had a few things coming out toward you, but primarily you became immersed in the story, and Marty filmed a great story. The story of Georges M?li?s, the old French director and one of the originators of film, and the story the young boy I thought was beautifully down. I think it's an excellent film.
Next, Corman talks about some of his famous graduates, the state of independent film, and how the Spielberg-Lucas blockbusters spelled doom for his genre movies.
Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1924152/news/1924152/
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