Results tagged “romanpolanski”

Despite a U.S. judge's ruling that director Roman Polanski cannot be sentenced in absentia, his extradition from Switzerland could take up to a year, reports the LA Times: "After an extradition decision by the Swiss justice ministry, Mr. Polanski has the possibility of appealing to the Federal Criminal Court and then the Federal Supreme Court," a Swiss justice ministry official said. "It's hard to say how long [an appeal] would take, but it could be from several months to a year." Polanski was found guilty of having sex with a 13-year-old girl. more ›

"I choose to insist on the integrity of the judicial system that he appear. The motion is denied," ruled L.A. Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza today in court about a request to sentence director Roman Polanski in absentia. A lawyer for Polanski said Espinoza's ruling was media influced. "Why should he show up? For what -- a show? ... The case gets down to one question: Should a promise of a judicial officer of this court be honored?" asked Chad Hummel. more ›

Director Roman Polanski remains under house arrest in a Swiss town, having already pledged to fight his extradition to the United States to face sentencing in a 32-year-old case. Today, however, lawyers are scheduled to meet here in Los Angeles to continue discussing what "future legal moves that could resolve the marathon prosecution," according to the Daily News. This type of meeting is called a "status conference" and will be heard by Superior Court Judge Peter Espinoza. more ›

Roman Polanski's bid to have his case thrown out was rejected today by panel of judges in the Court of Appeal 2nd District. Polanski's lawyers said the case should to be dropped due to prosecutorial and judicial misconduct. "We conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in applying the fugitive disentitlement doctrine and refusing to consider dismissing the action," Justice Laurie D. Zelon wrote. The director currently awaits extradition, which will likely happen next year, in a Swiss chalet. more ›

Here in Los Angeles, the County DA's office has long-hoped to bring director Roman Polanski back to face the sentencing he evaded by fleeing the country back in 1978, however the Swiss government indicated today that they "won't begin the extradition process [...] until sometime next year," reports LA Now. more ›

Director Roman Polanski is now confined to a chalet in a Swiss resort town, having posted the $4.5 million bail to release him from prison, but the next steps in his criminal case remain undetermined. Yesterday in Los Angeles the wish to have the original charges against him of sexual misconduct dropped was discussed in court, as the lawyer representing his victim, Samantha Geimer, presented arguments in favor of dropping the 32-year-old case, according to an AP report published on CBS2.com. more ›

Director Roman Polanski is expected to be released on bail from a Swiss prison, and will be living in an Alpine chalet equipped with extensive security mechanisms, reports LA Now. The 76-year-old French citizen has been held in Switzerland since his arrest in late September on a warrant from Los Angeles associated with a 1977 rape case. more ›

E-mails obtained by the LA Times indicate that director Roman Polanski is likely to be extradited to the U.S. to face sentencing in his thirty-year-old child sex case. “While the Swiss officials cannot speak for the judge, the extradition will likely be ordered based upon the facts submitted in our papers,” read an e-mail between two employees in the district attorney's office from two weeks ago. That package may have also included information about judicial misconduct, as alleged by Polanski ad his lawyers and requested by Swiss officials. more ›

It's easy to write off Warning!!! Pedophile Released sight unseen as cheap exploitation. Besides all those exclamation marks in the title, there's the convenient release on the heels of Roman Polansky's high-profile arrest for child-rape, an appearance by porn star Joanna Angel & a lead actor coming off of Silent Night, Zombie Night and (ahem) Vaginal Holocaust. Never mind the accompanying Dakota Fanning vehicle Father Xmas (at one point rumored to be Fanning's own child-rape film Hounddog). But the film's trailer tells a different story, of disturbed teens, real tragedy & raw emotion that's more Larry Clark than Larry Cohen. Make up your own mind, and then fawn or fight with the cast and crew at the evening showings. more ›

Director Roman Polanski may be sitting in a Zurich jail cell facing extradition to the United States, but that's not stopping him from finishing his film, The Ghost. He is giving instructions so that the film will be finished by February when it will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. more ›

Yesterday, Swiss officials refused to grant a bail request for the release of notorious film director Roman Polanski, who has been detained there since late last month following his arrest in Zurich on a thirty-year-old warrant from Los Angeles County. Feeling the flee-friendly and famed French citizen was a flight-risk, the Swiss are not bowing to pressure from members of foreign governments or cinema power-players to let the septuagenarian go. more ›

A wise man was once misquoted: "Beer is proof that God loves us". May I further bastardize: "And so are horror movies!" It's no coincidence both are celebrated in October, the most wonderful month of the year. Par ejemplo: long-awaited horror anthology Trick 'r Treat. Scheduled for release years ago, the film was instead shelved in a nasty trick, despite a bankable cast (headlined by the fang-banging, award-winning Anna Paquin & all-around-awesome character actors Dylan Baker & Brian Cox) and unanimous acclaim from the few who have seen it. Which is why it's such a treat that there are two screenings this week before its descent into direct-to-DVD hell. The Cinefamily has Trick 'r Treat's writer-director Michael Dougherty as special guest on Friday, while the New Bev unearths Stephen King's Creepshow on Sunday. Be scared or be square! more ›

Director Roman Polanski remains confined in a Swiss prison following his arrest this weekend while traveling to Zurich to receive a prestigious award for his film career. The 76-year-old Polish-born French citizen has been in exile in Europe since fleeing Los Angeles following his conviction in the rape case that found him guilty of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl. more ›

Tonight and tomorrow mark the 40th anniversary of two nights of murders in Los Angeles that forever changed the cultural landscape. Instructed by the head of their "family" one young man and three young women crept onto the property of a home atop Cielo Drive, and ruthlessly initiated a bloodbath that cost the lives of all who were present: Sharon Tate, Abigal Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Steven Parent. The following night a similar group replayed a similar scene, this time on Waverly Frive in Los Feliz, taking the life of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. more ›

Like many aspiring tranny space aliens, I worked Rocky Horror shows in college, and through many, many weeks of rehearsals have probably seen the show a dozen times. That being said, even though there are two shows every weekend down here, I've yet to see it in L.A. Now might be a good time to check out Midnight Insanity's show at the Warner Grand Theatre. Yes, it's all the way out in San Pedro, but it's cast-member Bill's 20th year with the show, which means lingerie night and the ghosts of Janets past (one of whom, Danielle, is tapped to be Fangoria's next Spooksmodel)! Once/if you wake up on Sunday, the party continues at Rockystock in Huntington Central Park, wedged between the public library & the bathrooms. Oh, Brad! more ›

more ›

Considering the downward-trending turbulence of our current economic environment, now might not be the best time to release a movie that so glories in conspicuous consumption like Confessions of a Shopaholic. Then again, it has the winsome Isla Fisher so it might be worth a look. Clive Owen rules. Naomi Watts sort of rules. Considering that, why can't I get excited about The International. It just feels so...generic. Oh, great. Another classic horror film is getting raped, er, re-packaged, er, re-made for today's audiences. The new Friday the 13th "film" better have copious amounts of gore and pointless nudity. And when are they re-doing Leprechaun? more ›

There's something incredible at the corner of Olympic and La Cienega. Something shocking. And inspiring. Everything in this town traces back to the cinematic, and yet truly independent film promotion is rare (mini-majors like Fox Searchlight don't count). Which is why I'm entranced with Polanski, opening this Valentine's weekend at Laemmle's Sunset 5. Taking its cue from The Room, the brazen billboard sports writer/producer/director/actor Damian Chapa (of Street Fighter & Under Siege fame) gazing deep into the viewer's soul as he forces himself onto a little girl. It's doubtful the production will help the tragic auteur's legal situation (there's a reason this gift is wrapped with "Unauthorized"), it should make for quite the Valentine. Go with someone you love. more ›

The Oscar winning director fled to France, who does not extradite anyone for any reason, 30 years ago after admittedly having sex with a 13-year-old at Jack Nicholson's house. So he chose: jail for France? But now he wants to be back stateside as a free man, the LA Times finds: "Lawyers for Polanski, a French citizen, cited misconduct by prosecutors and a judge in papers filed in L.A. County Superior Court today. The attorneys said that a recent HBO documentary about the case, 'Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired,' 'revealed a pattern of misconduct and improper communications between the Superior Court and the district attorney’s office in violation of the rule of law and without the knowledge' of the director and his defense." more ›

more ›

Saturday is invariably both the best and worst day of the entire festival. It's the best in the sense that there is no shortage of high-profile movies, events and parties to attend. It's the worst in the sense that everyone--and I include the entire under-25 population of Salt Lake City--knows this. Saturday simply has the most intense crowds of the entire festival. It's the perfect day to avoid Main Street and hole up in press screenings. This is what I had planned to do, but fate decided otherwise. That, however, is a story for later in this column. more ›

You've heard the original version of Bonnie Tyler's "Total Eclipse of the Heart," you've heard the disco remix, now hear the 80s power ballad sung in German as a duet between an innkeeper's beautiful daughter and the king of all vampires. more ›

At left: Katie Holmes leaving Tiffany's Beverly Hills yesterday (via Just Jared) more ›