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Quentin Tarantino has said that he only just managed to finish editing new movie Inglourious Basterds in time for the Cannes film festival.

The director told CNN that he worked faster than usual to make sure the flick was ready for the event where he won the Palm d'Or for Pulp Fiction in 1994.

Tarantino revealed: "We worked at a really accelerated pace. Digging deep - and not just saying, 'Manana, Manana'. Saying: 'No! We're gonna get it done in three days, one way or the other we're gonna get it done'.

"I think there's an energy that you can feel on the screen; that you can feel us reaching to do that."

He added that Cannes was unlike anywhere else and "almost like a cinematic Olympics".

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Michael Bay has revealed that Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen has a darker tone than the first film.

The director told the Los Angeles Times that the sequel is "less quippy" than its 2007 forerunner.

He said: "There are other benefits from doing it a second time. Movies do take a life. Things spark and take a life, things you thought would be important drop away and a tone is set.

"With the sequels, you know the tone. That’s a huge thing."

The Bad Boys helmer added that the action sequences are more intense and that the warring robots' special effects are more realistic this time around.

He also praised Megan Fox’s acting abilities as "vastly improved over the last one" and said that Shia LaBeouf is "more charismatic".

Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen opens on June 24.

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Terminator Salvation' grosses $13.4 mil at the box office on Thursday

Terminator Salvation, the fourth movie in the Terminator series, opened to $13.4 million on Thursday, according to Box Office Mojo. The tally puts the apocalyptic action film, which stars Christian Bale, on pace for a five-day gross of more than $70 million. Over the four-day holiday weekend, Terminator Salvation will be fighting for box-office victory against the family comedy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which opens Friday.



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'Night at the Museum' attracts $15.3 mil at the box office on Friday

In the battle between enchanted museums and explosive machines, museums attracted a larger crowd on Friday according to box-office estimates. The family comedy Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian claimed the No. 1 spot Friday, grossing $15.3 mil. Smithsonian's opening-day total was star Ben Stiller's best live-action debut ever, and the movie surpassed the opening-day result of its predecessor, Night at the Museum, which opened to $12.1 million in December 2006. Closely behind Smithsonian was Terminator Salvation with $14.8 million. When combined with its $13.4 million take on Thursday, Terminator's two-day total stands at $28.2 million. The weekend's other notable debut, the dancing-movie spoof Dance Flick, flipped into fifth place with just less than $4 million. Friday's rankings are below, and be sure to check back here on both Sunday and Monday for additional updates and a full holiday weekend recap.

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian -- $15.3 mil

2. Terminator Salvation -- $14.8 mil

3. Angels and Demons -- $6.1 mil

4. Star Trek -- $5.8 mil

5. Dance Flick -- $3.9 mil


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Tarantino calls Cannes 'cinematic Olympics'

Quentin Tarantino has described the Cannes Film Festival as the "cinematic Olympics."

The writer-director premiered his latest film Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt at the acclaimed festival.

Before the picture screened on Wednesday, Tarantino told Variety: "I'm expecting this to be one of the high moments of my career."

The filmmaker went on to say that he would rather continue to present his movies at Cannes than to be nominated for more Academy Awards.

"This is the cinematic Olympics. If you've done a movie you're proud of, that you might be defined by, then to me the dream is not necessarily to be there at Oscar time. That's wonderful. But my dream is to always go to present the film at Cannes."


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'Night at the Museum 2' expands its box-office lead with an additional $20 mil on Saturday

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian widened its first place lead by grossing $20 million on Saturday, according to box-office estimates. This brings its three-day weekend estimate to $53.5 million. By comparison, the original Night at the Museum opened to a three-day weekend tally of $30.4 million in December 2006, and then showed incredible stamina during the following months. As for Terminator Salvation, the future may be looking bleak. Salvation grossed $14.8 million on Saturday -- a small drop from its estimated Friday harvest of $15 million. Nearly all of the movies in the Top 10 saw Friday-to-Saturday boosts of at least 20%, so the fact that Salvation's numbers are actually dropping is cause for concern. Salvation is on track for a three-day weekend total of $43 million. The last Terminator movie, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, opened to $44 million during Independence Day weekend in 2003. Saturday's figures are below, and check back here on Monday for a full four-day holiday weekend recap.

1. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian -- $20 mil

2. Terminator Salvation -- $14.8 mil

3. Star Trek -- $8.4 mil

4. Angels and Demons -- $8.1 mil

5. Dance Flick -- $3.9 mil


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McCord explains 'New Moon' passing

AnnaLynne McCord has revealed why she decided to pass on New Moon.

The 90210 star insisted that she would have "loved" to be apart of the Twilight series but had to give up the role due to scheduling conflicts.

McCord told MTV News: "I am obsessed with vampires. I'm a True Blood and Twilight fan all the way.

"There were scheduling conflicts and I really just needed a break. I worked two years, I came straight off Nip/Tuck and on to 90210 and it's wonderful to work, but I needed some R&R."

She added: "I was upset because I really love the film, all of them, the books and I have a lot of friends on the movies.

"But in the end, I got to go to Europe for two months...so I can't say that I'm too pissed."


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'Museum' beats 'Terminator' at US BO

Ben Stiller's Night At The Museum sequel has won the Memorial Day weekend box office.

The family comedy holds off competition from eagerly-awaited sci-fi action film Terminator Salvation to win the blockbuster battle. Museum pulls in $53.5 million, while Terminator's $43 million take, marginally less than the $44 million opening haul for 2003's Rise Of The Machines, leaves it in second place.

Star Trek is at number three, with its US earnings now passing $180 million. Last week's chart topper Angels & Demons drops to four, while new entry Dance Flick debuts at five.

The US top ten in full:

1. (-) Night At The Museum 2 - $53,500,000

2. (-) Terminator Salvation - $43,010,000

3. (2) Star Trek - $21,951,000

4. (1) Angels & Demons - $21,400,000

5. (-) Dance Flick - $11,113,000

6. (3) X-Men Origins: Wolverine - $7,800,000

7. (4) Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past - $3,720,000

8. (5) Obsessed - $2,000,000

9. (7) Monsters Vs. Aliens - $1,345,000

10. (6) 17 Again - $1,005,000


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Box Office Report: 'Night at the Museum' opens with $70 mil

Ben Stiller had no problem handling Christian Bale and an army of robots this Memorial Day weekend. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian cruised to an easy first-place finish of $70 million over the four-day weekend, according to early estimates by Hollywood.com Box Office. The total marks Stiller's biggest opening ever, as the PG-rated comedy clearly caught the attention of families looking for non-violent (and just a wee bit educational) entertainment. Smithsonian's tally also demolishes its predecessor, Night at the Museum, which opened its doors to a $42.2 million gross over a four-day Christmas weekend in 2006.

Settling for No. 2 was Terminator Salvation, which earned $53.8 million over the four-day weekend (plus $13.4 million from its debut on Thursday, bringing its five-day gross to $67.2 million). Warner Bros. will boast about Salvation representing the Terminator series' best opening, beating Terminator 3: Rise of the Machine's three-day tally of $44 million in July 2003. But as impressive as Salvation's earnings may be, it could have trouble in the forthcoming weeks. The film's numbers dropped from Friday to Saturday, a rarity that could signal disappointing word of mouth.

Both Star Trek (No. 3 with $29.4 million) and Angels and Demons (No. 4 with $27.7 million) registered solid results, dropping only 47 percent and 53 percent, respectively, from last weekend. Trek, in particular, is holding up extremely well -- the sci-fi reboot is closing in on $200 million and should take over Monsters vs. Aliens this week to become 2009's top moneymaker.
Dance Flick rounded out the top five with $13.1 million, which is a respectable outcome for the modestly budgeted spoof movie from the Wayans family.

On the indie scene, Steven Soderbergh's The Girlfriend Experience, starring the adult-film actress Sasha Grey, scored an okay $200,000 from 30 theaters. Easy Virtue, the 1920s-era romantic comedy featuring Jessica Biel, roared to $146,000 from just 10 theaters for a healthy average of $14,600 per theater. Also, the con-film The Brothers Bloom expanded to 52 theaters, stealing $528,000 and averaging just more than $10,000 per theater.

Overall, the box office was up 2% compared to last year's Memorial Day weekend, when Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, despite nuking the fridge, managed to whip up a staggering $126.9 million.


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Woody Allen casts Anupam Kher

Anupam Kher has been lined up to star in Woody Allen's next film, alongside Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts.

The Hindi actor has described being hired by the director as a "dream come true", and will be joined in the movie by fellow Indian Freida Pinto.

Kher will play Pinto's father in the flick, which is yet to be officially named.

"Last year I worked with another international filmmaking legend, Ang Lee. Now, Woody Allen. What more could any actor ask for in his 25th year in the business?" said Kher.

Allen has informed the 54-year-old that his character and the plotline will only be fully revealed to him immediately before filming.


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'Buffy' movie planned without Whedon

A new version of Buffy The Vampire Slayer is being planned for the big screen, claims The Hollywood Reporter.

Fran Rubel Kuzui, who holds the rights to the franchise, has announced that she is hoping to resurrect the character with Vertigo Entertainment without the involvement of creator Joss Whedon.

"It was [Vertigo's] interest in taking Buffy into a new place that grabbed us," she explained.

"Everything has its moment. Every movie takes on a life at some point and this seems like the moment to do this."

Kuzui added that she has not ruled out the possibility of inviting Whedon to participate, but confirmed that the movie will have no connection to the TV series and that supporting players including Angel, Willow, Xander and Spike will not be involved in the plot.

Whedon, who wrote the script for the 1992 movie starring Kristy Swanson, later revived the character for the highly successful cult series of the same name. The show, which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar, ran from 1997 until 2003.


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Aykroyd: Girl will lead new 'Ghostbusters'

Dan Aykroyd has revealed that a girl ghosthunter will lead the new Ghostbusters team.

The actor, who co-wrote and starred in the '80s sci-fi comedies, told The Guardian: "There'll be a whole new generation that has to be trained and a leader that you'll all love when you meet her."

The 56-year-old recently disclosed his wish to see Eliza Dushku and Alyssa Milano, who lends her voice to the new Ghostbusters video game, suit up in the upcoming sequel.

According to Aykroyd, Ghostbusters 3 will involve the new recruits "learning how to use the neuron splitter and the inter-planet interceptor - new tools to enable them to slip from dimension to dimension".

The Office duo Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky are working on the script for Ghostbusters 3, with actor and filmmaker Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler in the first two movies) linked to the director's chair.

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Bale: 'I fall asleep on set all the time'

Christian Bale has admitted that he often dozes off while on the set of his movies.

Speaking to GQ, the Terminator Salvation star said that he fell asleep during a scene with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman on Batman Begins.

"I've done it in the middle of scenes where they've had to shake me because I've missed my cues. In Batman Begins, in the first scene I had with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, I fell asleep," Bale explained.

"In the scene, I was meant to be waking up, so I laid down and just fell asleep. And I didn't hear 'action'. So Michael and Morgan were talking, and I was supposed to join in. I woke up with Michael Caine poking me in the ribs and going, 'Look at that! He's bloody fallen asleep, hasn't he? He's bloody fallen asleep!'"

Terminator Salvation is out in US cinemas now. It is released in the UK on June 3.

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Deleted 'Slumdog' scene released

A deleted scene from Slumdog Millionaire has been released on the DVD of the Oscar-winning film.

Anil Kapoor stars alongside Dev Patel in the clip, set on the stage of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, reports The Sun.

Kapoor's character, the quiz show's host Prem Kumar, is seen advising Patel's Jamal to take the money and run, reminding him "you're from the Jehu slum".

Prem then delivers a monologue about his experience of poverty before he found fame.

Slumdog Millionaire took more than $200 million (£140 million) at the worldwide box office and picked up eight Academy Awards.

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Brosnan 'saves Thurman on filmset'

Pierce Brosnan rescued Uma Thurman from a runaway van while shooting Percy Jackson.

The actors were filming the fantasy flick on location when the Die Another Day actor spotted the vehicle careening towards his co-star, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"No one was aboard the runaway van as it barrelled towards a grassy area where Uma was relaxing with cast and crew," a source told the newspaper. "Pierce yelled, 'Get out of the way!'

"He raced after the van, wrenched open the driver's side door, jumped in and slammed on the brakes."

The vehicle hit a curb, crashed into several rubbish bins and sent the cast and crew scurrying in numerous directions before Brosnan brought it to a halt.

"Everyone scattered out of harm's way. Pierce got kudos and hero 007 jokes from Uma. The transportation crew were in trouble for not setting the van's emergency brake," the insider added.

Percy Jackson, directed by Chris Columbus, also stars Sean Bean.

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Pacino to play Kevorkian in HBO film

Al Pacino has been lined up to play Dr Jack Kevorkian in an upcoming HBO film.

The as-yet-untitled movie will be helmed by Barry Levinson, Variety reports.

The script, written by Adam Mazer, centres on the construction of Kevorkian's 'Mercy Machine' and the first assisted suicide he performed using it.

The doctor served eight years of a 10 to 25-year sentence for second-degree murder. He was released from prison in 2007.


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Rogen, Bateman join Pegg's 'Paul'

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost's alien comedy Paul has added five new actors to its cast.

Seth Rogen, Jason Bateman, Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader and Jane Lynch have all boarded the Universal/Working Title project, reports Variety.

Hot Fuzz duo Pegg and Frost, who wrote the script for Paul, will star as two sci-fi geeks who encounter an alien near Area 51 while on a road trip across the US. Rogen will voice the eponymous extraterrestrial.

Greg Mottola (Superbad) will direct the movie, which is scheduled to go into production next month.


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Dustin Hoffman joins 'Barney's Version'

Dustin Hoffman will star opposite Paul Giamatti in indie drama Barney's Version, according to Variety.

Hoffman will play a reckless cop and father-of-two who is named as a "person of interest" in the disappearance of his friend. The film is based on Mordecai Richler's final novel.

Veteran TV director Richard J. Lewis (CSI) will helm the project from a script by Michael Konyves.

Hoffman can next be seen in romantic drama Last Chance Harvey, released in the UK on June 5.


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Stiller beats Hanks at UK box office

Ben Stiller comedy Night At The Museum 2 has gone straight to number one at the UK box office.

The sequel knocks Tom Hanks's Angels & Demons into second place, while Star Trek slips to number three. X-Men Origins: Wolverine holds its place at four, in front of CG-animated fantasy Coraline at five.

Elsewhere, UK horror film Tormented, starring Alex Pettyfer and Skins's April Pearson, enters the chart at number eight.

The UK box office top ten:

1. (-) Night At The Museum 2 - £4,160,496

2. (1) Angels & Demons - £2,453,169

3. (2) Star Trek - £1,645,238

4. (4) X-Men Origins: Wolverine - £459,405

5. (3) Coraline - £458,178

6. (5) Hannah Montana: The Movie - £413,218

7. (6) Fighting - £299,196

8. (-) Tormented - £284,757

9. (7) Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past - £162,926

10. (8) State Of Play - £88,895


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Renny Harlin discusses new 'Cliffhanger'

Having steered high-octane action flicks Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger and Deep Blue Sea, Finnish director Renny Harlin ranks as one of the top-grossing filmmakers of all time. With news recently surfacing that a 'reboot' of his biggest box office smash Cliffhanger is in the works, we asked the 12 Rounds director how he feels about the idea and how the original almost led to a date with 007.

What do you think of the news that they're going to reboot Cliffhanger?
"It's interesting, I talked to the producers at StudioCanal and I don't know if I'll be involved in any way or not. It wasn't that long ago that the movie was made - 16 years ago - so it's interesting that they're already remaking it."

Why do you think it's happening so soon?
"I guess the reason is that it's such a well-known title and I'm curious how they'll remake it. Will it be one man against these villains or a group of climbers? Will they be younger people? Is it a completely new story? It's an interesting challenge because Cliffhanger was done just before digital filmmaking [became popular]. We did pretty much everything for real in that movie and now you can create anything, an avalanche
or snow storms - it can be all digital."

Did the producers mention Sylvester Stallone coming back?
"They didn't strongly suggest this way or that way. Would he do a cameo in it maybe or something like that? That comes to mind but I really don't know."

What was your reaction to the Ace Ventura sequel parodying Cliffhanger's opening with a raccoon?
"I think that is one of the greatest honours when your movie reaches that kind of pop culture status, that somebody will parody it and people will actually know what they're parodying. So I thought it was a great honour and I thought it was hysterically funny and really great."

Is it true that after Cliffhanger's success you turned down GoldenEye?
"To be completely honest I don't even remember which one that was, but there was a time right after Cliffhanger that I was offered a Bond movie that I turned down. At that point, the problem was that it wasn't about rebooting the franchise - it was about continuing it. It was with an actor that I didn't feel was viable anymore as Bond. I felt like it was just more of the same. While I was a fan of the franchise, it didn't feel at the time that I could do something new with it."


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