Magnolia Closing In On LFF Opener 360

EXCLUSIVE: Im hearing that Magnolia is set to close a U.S. deal for Fernando Meirelles sexual drama 360, which opened the 55th BFI London Film Festival last night. Artificial Eye is also in talks to release 360 here in the UK on March 3 2012, I understand. Co-produced by Revolution Films, the UK production company behind IFCs The Trip, the Peter Morgan-scripted feature follows a sexual circle of prostitution, infidelity and true love. Anthony Hopkins, Rachel Weisz and Jude Law star. Paris-based sales agent Wild Bunch is selling the BBC Films-backed project internationally. Reviews here this morning have been pretty muted: The Daily Telegraph summed up the film as a glossily unengaging trudge through other peoples love lives describing one moment where a character imagines a plane carrying away his lover as spectacularly stupid. The Times of London gives the film a pretty dismissive 3-star review, calling the plot improbable, and said the merry-go-round structure crushes performances into twenty-minute slots that often fail to elicit our sympathy. The Evening Standard though was much more positive, calling 360 a well-crafted package and a film of beautiful moments, elegant structure and vivid locations. Organisers of the LFF drummed up some star power with Jude Law chatting on the red carpet; Anthony Hopkins and Rachel Weisz though werent on hand. Weisz, who stars in LFF closing film The Deep Blue Sea on October 27, was busy in NY filming while Hopkins, Im told, does not enjoy travelling. Personally, I thought that Hopkins gave an amazing performance as a sober alcoholic although given his long association with Alcoholics Anonymous, you do wonder how much of one scene where he shares at an AA meeting was ad-libbed while Ben Foster was scarily unpredictable as a convicted child rapist.