In 1928, Pabst brought to Hollywood Louise Brooks for two films: Pandora's Box and Diary of a Lost Girl. For the first film, Pabst chose not to cast the then unknown Marlene Dietrich as Lulu, because he felt she lacked the look of innocence essential to avoid making a burlesque out of the film's sensual atmosphere. The collaboration between Pabst and Brooks resulted in a powerful portrayal of a detached and passive Lulu, who unknowingly brings about her victims' downfall. Brooks again portrayed an innocent caught up in an outwardly respectable but inwardly base and evil society in Diary of a Lost Girl. This film was another of Pabst's indictments of Weimar Germany and, like Pandora's Box, another of his films to be attacked by the censors.

James Whitmore, the veteran Tony and Emmy-winning actor who played such American icons as Will Rogers, Harry Truman and Theodore Roosevelt, died Friday, Feb 6, at age 87.

It was with Nosferatu the Vampire (1922) that Murnau made his initial impact on world cinema. An unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Nospferatu was shot on real locations rather than on stylized studio sets (like most Expressionist films) and derived its horror and sense of mystery from setting its story in familiar surroundings among everyday people and events.

Brillante Ma. Mendoza's new film SERBIS (“Service”) premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Fest in competition and later played at the New York Film Festival.  Regency is relasing the film theatrically in the U.S.  Mendoza was born in San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines.  He was a Fine Arts major who studied advertising at the University of Santo Tomas in Manila.  He started his career as a production designer in feature films, television, and theater and eventually in television advertising.  His production design work was featured in acclaimed local films such as TAKAW TUKSO (FLIRTING WITH TEMPTATION, 1986), PRIVATE SHOW (1986), OLONGAPO (THE GREAT AMERICAN DREAM, 1987), and many others.