If there's one thing the movie industry loves, it's a sequel. So, for the sixth year in a row, the Santa Fe Film Festival returns to the City Different. The fest will run Dec. 7-11 with a diverse slate of films from around the world, an impressive roster of guests, and a full complement of parties, panel discussions and awards.
Authors often get bent out of shape when their literary masterpieces get translated from page to screen--which is why so many books find their way to the big screen after their creators are dead. Well, it's pretty safe to say that the Chinese-born, French-based novelist Dai Sijie is pleased with the current cinematic adaptation of his international bestseller Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. After all, the film was written and directed by author-turned-filmmaker Dai Sijie.
The good news is that struggling NBC sitcom “Joey” won't have to go up against FOX juggernaut “American Idol” this January. The bad news is that the show is being yanked from the schedule for a serious “retooling.” Not good, considering the show was seriously retooled at the beginning of the season. (Perhaps now Joey will be a fry cook in Alaska?) The ejection of “Joey” from NBC's Thursday night schedule until at least March is one of the most high-profile failures of the Fall 2005 season, but it's hardly the only one.
