Protesters may target Angelina Jolie's Unbroken on belated Japanese debut

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Published on Sunday, 31 January 2016 12:40

Written by The guardian

          War biopic has drawn ire from rightwing groups who claim it lacks credibility and could undermine relations between the US and Japan.The controversial Angelina Jolie second world war epic Unbroken could be hit by protests from nationalist groups protesting against its depiction of torture in prisoner-of-war camps when it debuts in Japan next month, reports the Daily Telegraph.There are fears the film’s 6 February premier in Tokyo, as well as subsequent screenings across the country, could be targeted by campaigners. It is not clear if director Jolie – whose film was a global box-office success, with $163.2m in receipts despite middling reviews – will be in attendance.Jolie’s film was released in the US and UK in December 2014, but has had difficulty finding a distributor in Japan. Rightwing protesters say its vision of Japanese guards severely mistreating American prisoners of war is deeply misleading, and have petitioned for it to be banned on grounds of racism.Based on Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption, it tells the life story of American Olympic runner and US Air Force second lieutenant Louis Zamperini, played on screen by Britain’s Jack O’Connell. The prisoner of war, who died in July 2014, claimed he was beaten and mistreated by the Japanese navy between July 1943 and August 1945, after being captured near the Marshall Islands following the downing of the B-24 bomber he had been helping to fly, and a harrowing 47 days at sea.
         The book and film tell how the airman was tormented by prison guard Mutsuhiro Watanabe, nicknamed the Bird, who later featured in General Douglas MacArthur’s list of the 40 most wanted war criminals in Japan. Hillenbrand claims Watanabe once forced a weak and starving Zamperini to hold a heavy piece of wood above his head for 37 minutes before punching him in the stomach, and the book also accuses the Japanese of engaging in cannibalism of POWs and murderous medical experiments.However, Yoichi Shimada, a professor of international relations at Fukui Prefectural University, told the Telegraph that the book and its big-screen transfer should both be regarded as fiction.“The book and the film both unnecessarily stress violent events by the Japanese military,” he said. “Yes, there were a few atrocities during the war, but they were not only committed by the Japanese. All armies committed atrocities.“At a time when Japan and the US should be heightening their security cooperation to combat the threat posed by China, the timing of the release of this film is not at all constructive.” Tatsuya Mori, a Japanese documentary film-maker, said during a recent preview event that Jolie’s drama was particularly vulnerable to nationalist ire. “The film drew much more of a backlash in Japan than it should have just because it was directed by a foreign film-maker,” he said. “The situation casts a light on the essential problems of Japanese society.”

source: The guardian  

Angelina Jolie, Jack Black: 'Kung Fu Panda 3' is a family affair

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Published on Thursday, 28 January 2016 04:54

Written by Today

           Angelina Jolie and Jack Black aren't just A-list stars: They're parents too. So when it came time for the third installment in "Kung Fu Panda" franchise of animated family films, they decided to get their kids involved. How?  "We force them!" Black said during a joint interview with Jolie for TODAY. "It's like, 'Get out there and do your job. Earn some money for this family.'"He was kidding, of course. But if you were a kid whose dad or mom were involved in such a fun franchise, wouldn't you want to be a part of it too? So for "Panda 3," four of Jolie (and Brad Pitt's) children and Black's son Samuel got small parts in the film."What I think was so sweet about it was that they took it very seriously," Jolie said. "They came in and they said, 'I don't know if I can do this!'"  Black said that Samuel had asked directly if he could have a part once the third movie was announced. "I was like, 'We'll see what I can do,'" deadpanned the actor. "'I'll try to get you a line.' And I was able to pull some strings."  Still, both stars have mixed feelings about getting their children into the business. Jolie said she and Pitt actively discourage acting as a first career."We've always said, if they're gonna be actors, I hope they do something and then be actors," she explained.  Black says he encourages his kids to think beyond being on camera. "I try to steer 'em towards, you know, writing and directing the little things on the iPhone," he said.Still, if there are more "Panda" movies to come, the kids might have more to do down the line. Black says he thinks a trilogy is a natural way to end the series, but appeared open for more."I think there's a hunger for panda," he laughed. "People want more panda. And that's a good sign."

"Kung Fu Panda 3" opens in theaters January 28.

source: Today  

Moving to England! Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt 'will live in London for six months as he shoots his World War Z sequel'

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Published on Thursday, 21 January 2016 05:03

Written by Daily mail

            But starting in March the power couple will begin living in London, where the 52-year-old actor will be filming the sequel to his hit 2013 movie World War Z, according to UsWeekly. He both stars in and produces the science fiction extravaganza.Meanwhile, his 40-year-old wife will devote her time to humanitarian causes.The stars have yet to find a residence, however. 'They want to buy, but have yet to find a place that suits their needs,' a source told the publication. That's because the two need to have top security. 'Their wish list includes an underground drive-in entrance,' added an insider.For now, they may just rent, as they did in 2012 when they spent 15 months at the Whornes Place estate in London, which costs a reported $24,000 a month. She was in the country then to shoot Maleficent while he appeared in The Counselor.As they did last time, the actors are bringing all of their six children - Maddox, Pax, Shiloh, Zahara, Vivienne and Knox.The children will most likely attend the Ly Lycee Francais school there. The Oscar winning beauty - who's current film is Kung Fu Panda 3 - has planned to spent a lot of time helping refugees.'She plans to focus on political projects dealing with the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe,' said a source. The last film she worked on was First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers, which she has directed for Netflix. Filming took place in the fall and winter of 2015 in Cambodia and sons Maddox and Pax worked on the movie as well.The couple will also likely spent time at their estate Chateau Miraval which produces a line of their rose wines.

source: Daily mail  

Angelina Jolie looks incredibly thin in simple little black dress for solo appearance at Kung Fu Panda 3 premiere

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Published on Sunday, 17 January 2016 13:27

Written by Daily Mail

         Angelina Jolie kept her outfit simple as she arrived for the premiere of Kung Fu Panda 3 on Saturday.The actress skipped the fancy frocks usually seen at such events in favour of a little black dress and a similarly plain pair of black court shoes.The constantly busy mother-of-six looked radiant, her clear skin and bright eyes showing no sign of tiredness.However her legs and arms looked rather incredibly thin, a sign perhaps of her hectic year.It has certainly been a grueling 12 months for Angelina, who underwent invasive surgery to remove her ovaries just last March - plunging her into an early menopause.This followed a previous mastectomy, with both surgeries undertaken to reduce her risk of contracting cancer, after she discovered she had a genetic predisposition to the disease which killed her own mother.Bravely, Angelina shared details of this with the public in an effort to increase awareness. But rather than rest up, the actress has thrown herself back into work. Indeed she has only just returned from Cambodia, where she was working on her passion project First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia. The year has also seen her do the rounds promoting her film By The Sea, which she wrote, directed and starred in - however the film disappointed at the box office.
        On Saturday the actress went solo on the red carpet, with her husband Brad Pitt and their six children staying away.But she had plenty of company from her co-stars, with Lucy Liu arriving wearing a black fit and flare dress.Liu, 47, left baby son Rockwell Lloyd at home. Her first child, he was born via surrogate in August.Kate Hudson also attended, wearing a long white floral gown, with full sleeves.She brought along her sons Bingham and Ryder. Out in theatres on January 29, Kung Fu Panda 3 follows Po (Jack Black) as he reunites with his biological father (Bryan Cranston) and works to train a village of pandas to fight against an evil ancient spirit named Kai (J.K. Simmons) who is terrorizing China.The movie also features some very special cameos - from Angelina's children.Pax, 12, Zahara, 10, Shiloh, nine, and Knox, seven, all recorded animal noises for the film.'They were kind of shy,' the 40-year-old actress told Entertainment Tonight of bringing her brood into the studio.'They don't really want to be actors, but I didn't want them to miss the opportunity. They came in, and they had a lot of fun with it.'
        Also voicing an animal in the movie is Black's son Sammy.'My boy actually has a voice in it,' he told E! News. 'He plays one of the bunnies.'I wish there was only one bunny so I could say, "My boy plays the bunny," but he's like one of the bunnies. There's like a thousand bunnies.'Dustin Hoffman's grandson Gus is also heard in the movie.It's not the first time Jolie's children have been involved in a Hollywood production.Her son Maddox, 14, is also helping her research for her upcoming movie in Cambodia.The actress revealed that Maddox also did a bit of work as a production assistant for her recent collaboration with husband Brad, By The Sea.Jolie also shares seven-year-old daughter Vivienne (Knox's twin) with Pitt, 52.Vivienne starred with her mum on the set of 2014's Malificent.

source: Daily mail