plus 2, Filmmaker sues Showtime over 'Hills Have Thighs' porn mix-up - Trentonian

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• Filmmaker sues Showtime over 'Hills Have Thighs' porn mix-up - Trentonian
• Movie review: Playwright Conor McPherson brings his ghosts to the screen in `The Eclipse' - Washington Examiner
• Predators – Full Movie Trailer - BSCreview

Filmmaker sues Showtime over 'Hills Have Thighs' porn mix-up - Trentonian Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:45 PM PDT Click to enlarge James "Bubba" Cromer, a former South Carolina lawmaker, is suing cable TV channels HBO and Showtime, claiming they promoted his low-budget comedy about Appalachia called "The Hills Have Thighs" only to instead show a soft-core pornographic movie with the same title. Cromer said the mix-up defamed him and caused emotional distress, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/James "Bubba" Cromer) COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — A former South Carolina lawmaker is suing cable TV channels HBO and Showtime, claiming they promoted his low-budget comedy about Appalachia called "The Hills Have Thighs" only to instead show a soft-core pornographic movie with the same title. James "Bubba" Cromer said the mix-up defamed him and caused emotional distress, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Los Angeles. He accuses HBO and Showtime of negligence and is seeking unspecified damages. How the legal action came about is its own Hollywood story. It started as Cromer and his father surfed the TV listings on March 1 as they waited for his mother to finish her bridge game. The Columbia lawyer saw "The Hills Have Thighs" was set to make its television debut on The Movie Channel, which is owned by Showtime. He said the listing included the description of his movie and the names of its actors. It was the first Cromer had heard about it, but he had recently hired a talent agent to promote his work. And the 1:30 a.m. premiere was just hours away. So he called the cast of the film, his friends and family to tell them to set their digital recorders. He wrote to his more than 4,000 friends on Facebook: "The Hills Have Thighs is on The Movie Channel all month!!!" Cromer said he stayed up late even though he had to be in court at 8:30 a.m. and in the South Carolina House a few hours later, where he serves as reading clerk. Before the movie came on, Cromer said he heard a voiceover: "Bubba Cromer later tonight does it again with his second feature film 'The Hills Have Thighs.' Deliverance in reverse." "All my words," Cromer told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "I got on my floor and I crossed myself because that was a dream come true." Then the appointed hour arrived, with a surprising plot twist: "I saw a set of thighs and realized instantly that wasn't my movie." Instead of his "hysterical Appalachian comedy," it showed the film directed by Jim Wynorski, a longtime cult favorite and director of exploitation films with plenty of skin and risque turns on popular movie titles, such as the "The Da Vinci Coed" and "The Witches of Breastwick." The plot is pretty straightforward for its genre, according to its current Showtime listing: "A group searches the desert for a missing friend but instead find a trio of crazed, sex-starved mutant women." Cromer said he spent a long, sleepless night answering phone calls, e-mails and text messages. Some were from Cromer's colleagues in the House, whom he had told to watch. Several rebuked him, asking if he had lost his mind and accusing him of embarrassing the chamber. "It's been the most disturbing and frightening thing that has happened to me," Cromer said. Cromer said the movie also showed later in the month with the wrong listing on Cinemax, which is owned by HBO, though HBO disputes that. HBO spokesman Jeff Cusson said all references on Cinemax were to Wynorski's film, not Cromer's. Officials at Showtime didn't immediately responded to a message seeking comment. Cromer, a 46-year-old attorney, spent the first couple of years of his law career in Los Angeles with a writing sample under his arm, then got homesick and came back home to South Carolina. He was the first independent elected to the South Carolina House since Reconstruction. He stepped aside after eight years to become the chamber's reading clerk. But there was another itch he needed to scratch. So he made a fictional documentary called "The Long Way Home: A Bigfoot Story" and a year later he directed his second film, "The Hills Have Thighs," financing the movie himself. The film's Web site said it is the story of the disappearance of "a local hillbilly icon named Daniel Boone Owen, who vanishes one night after a corn liquor-induced stupor." It pokes fun at Appalachian stereotypes, including the invasion of "limousine liberals" from outside the state. Cromer has not spoken with the makers of the 2010 version of "The Hills Have Thighs." He referred questions about why he didn't sue the people involved with the other film to his lawyer, Patricia Millett, who didn't immediately respond to a message. A phone listing for Wynorski was not immediately found and he did not immediately respond to messages left on his Facebook and MySpace pages. The agitation in Cromer's voice was evident as he talked about the lawsuit Tuesday. "Associating my name with pornography is the last thing I would ever do," Cromer said. "That's just nuts. I could care less about marketing. I want my name back." Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Movie review: Playwright Conor McPherson brings his ghosts to the screen in `The Eclipse' - Washington Examiner Posted: 24 Mar 2010 09:35 AM PDT In "The Eclipse," the acclaimed Irish playwright Conor McPherson has crafted a film every bit as affecting and haunting as his plays. It's a small, humble gem of a movie that in less than 1 1/2 hours proves McPherson's talents for character and atmosphere fit the screen as much as they do the stage. The 38-year-old playwright of "The Weir" and "The Seafarer" has trafficked in movies before. He directed "Saltwater" (2000) and "The Actors" (2003), both little-seen and poorly reviewed. McPherson has said "The Eclipse" — which more thoroughly bears his imprint — is for all intents and purposes his first proper film. It stars Ciaran Hinds ("There Will Be Blood," HBO's "Rome") as Michael Farr, a father of a 14-year-old and a 10-year-old. Widowed for two years by his wife's death from cancer, he has continued a quiet life as a woodworking teacher in the Irish coastal city of Cobh. During "The Eclipse," he is also volunteering at the city's annual literary festival, driving around a visiting writer of ghost stories, Lena Morelle (Iben Hjejle). Michael, himself, is haunted. He sees realistic, horrifying visions, including a premonition of his father-in-law's death. Lena, a soulful writer from London (her book is the film's title), is badgered by a former fling, best-selling novelist Nicholas Holden (Aidan Quinn). Quinn plays the character expertly: A liar, drunk and adulterer, Nicholas is brashly arrogant but so insecure that he challenges Michael — whom he sees as a threat to his pursuit of Lena — to a late-night boxing match. Michael bonds with Lena, someone who understands his visions. Hinds, a gifted actor who's clearly capable of being a leading man more frequently, was deservedly named best actor for his performance at last year's Tribeca Film Festival. He has a resonating gravity as Michael, a gentle man trying — and failing — to hide the weight of his demons. McPherson has made the supernatural something of a trademark. "The Eclipse" is adapted from a short story by the playwright Billy Roche, with whom McPherson co-wrote the script. One of McPherson's biggest changes was turning Michael into a widower, not unlike the protagonist of his play "Shining City," who was also a ghost-seeing widower, played by Hinds on Broadway. It's a key revision. Grief hangs over Michael and his visions are directly related to his wife's memory — he's terrified of forgetting her. They come like eruptions, jolting Michael — as well as the audience. The sudden appearances of these ghosts — very much in the flesh — are played like horror-movie frights, complete with shrieking music. What's curious about the supernatural elements of "The Eclipse" is that their appearances feel more like ugly cameos of reality: In McPherson's world, life is the dream from which the ghosts wake you. The misty shore of Cobh, a quiet cigarette in the dark — these moments are no less "real" than Michael's supernatural visits. Healing is at the heart of "The Eclipse." Warm choral music, arranged by McPherson and composer Fionnuala Ni Chiosain, creeps over the film, promising brighter days. By the final, frozen image of "The Eclipse" — an unburdened Michael strolling down the beach with his dog — it's clear what the film means: that grief can haunt like a ghost, and that it passes. "The Eclipse," a Magnolia Pictures release, is rated R for language and some disturbing images. Running time: 88 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four. ___ Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions: G — General audiences. All ages admitted. PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children. PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children. R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Predators – Full Movie Trailer - BSCreview Posted: 19 Mar 2010 04:57 PM PDT Predators – Full Movie Trailer Movies | Jay Tomio | March 20, 2010 at 6:28 am Last week we showed you a teaser (since pulled) for the Robert Rodriguez produced and Nimrod Antal helmed Predators, which debuted at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Later released for attendants were clips and the full trailer, the latter of which is now available online via IGN. Predators stars Starring Adrien Brody and Alice Braga, who are joined by Topher Grace, Danny Trejo, and Laurence Fishburne among others. The film hits theaters this Summer with a scheduled July 7th release. Film Synopsis - A bold new chapter in the Predator universe, Predators was shot on location under Rodriguez's creative auspices at the filmmaker's Austin-based Troublemaker Studios, and is directed by Nimród Antal. The film stars Adrien Brody as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they've been brought together on an alien planet… as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human "predators" that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators. Related Entries Tags: Nimrod Antal, Robert Rodriguez, Science Fiction, Trailer Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

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