Samsung¨s ｀Matrix¨ Phone Sold for W4 Mil. in Japanese Charity Auction

Samsung Electronics' futuristic mobile phone used by Keanu Reeves as Neo in ``The Matrix Reloaded,'' a sequel to the 1998 blockbuster ``The Matrix,'' has been sold for some 4 million won at a charity auction in Japan.
The company said one of the SPH-N270 handsets, the mobile model showcased in the Hollywood blockbuster's sequel, was bought by a bidder for 355,000 yen, or about 4 million won, at the charity auction held by Yahoo! Japan on the occasion of Samsung Electronics' 50th anniversary of entering the Japanese market. A man residing in Saitama Prefecture bought the handset.

About 100,000 people participated in the auction and all profits were donated to a charity group.

Prior to the auction in Japan, a SPH-N270 was sold for $2,325, or about 3 million won, in an public auction held by e-Bay. The successful bid was about five times higher than the $500 normal sales price when the handset was marketed after the screening of the movie in May.

Samsung Electronics' ultramodern mobile handset was manufactured as a limited edition and only 5,000 units were sold in the United States this summer.

``We improved Samsung Electronics' image in Japan through the sale of the charity auction,'' company official Kim Se-hoon said.

Keanu Reeves aims to lighten up in post-'Matrix' life

Keanu Reeves aims to lighten up in post-'Matrix' life
By David Germain
The Associated Press

BURBANK, Calif. - From featherhead to virtual-reality savior of humanity. What an odd set of bookends to the career of Keanu Reeves.

For more than a decade, no matter the far-ranging roles and genres he tried, Reeves was inescapably identified as the most-excellent but nitwitted dude Ted of 1989's "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure."

Now, Reeves, 39, faces life after Neo, the most-solemn messiah of "The Matrix" trilogy, a demigod prophesied to lead the remnants of humanity to victory against Earth's machine conquerors.

What does Reeves do for an encore? The same thing he's done all along: Mix things up.

"I love doing supporting roles, different genres, different scales of moviemaking," Reeves says. "It's important, it's a wish of mine to be able to do that."

Next month, Reeves plays second fiddle to Jack Nicholson in the romantic comedy "Something's Gotta Give," as a doctor wooing an older woman (Diane Keaton). Already completed is a role as an orthodontist in the low-budget comedy "Thumbsucker," and Reeves now is shooting the occult comic-book adaptation "Constantine."

Reeves' approach -- follow an action flick with a moody independent feature, move from a star turn to a fringe part in an ensemble film -- has fueled Keanu-bashing among critics. Despite serious turns in "Dangerous Liaisons" and "My Own Private Idaho" early in his career, Reeves was pigeonholed by "Bill & Ted" as a screen simpleton and castigated when he strayed from lunkhead parts.

Some of his performances have been called stiff and taciturn. Critics have scorned his attempts at villainous roles. For all Reeves' aloof exterior, the criticism stings.

"Yeah, I mean bad reviews suck, man," Reeves says. "It's terrible. It's a drag. But it's still just a review. It sucks to have a bad review, but it's not like after I get a bad review, I run outside and start drinking and have a kind of catastrophic depression."

Before he turned brooding into an art form with "The Matrix" movies, Reeves managed to excel mainly at playing the lovable cretin (Ron Howard's "Parenthood") or the cookie-cutter action hero ("Speed"). He handled those roles so well that he became a butt of dumb-and-dumber jokes, with critics and audiences assuming Reeves was a meathead himself.

"He plays parts and sometimes guys who were not that quick. I mean Yoda is a very smart character, but he's made of rubber. That piece of rubber isn't smart. It's a performance," says Joel Silver, producer of "The Matrix" films.

"Sometimes a lot of journalists feel that Keanu is the people that he plays. It's really not fair to say that. I don't think ("The Sopranos" star) James Gandolfini is in the Mafia. But people think that Keanu is not bright. He is very bright. He's a very good actor. Keanu's very well read, he's very conscious of the world, politics, the economy."

In conversation, Reeves is highly articulate, though he peppers his speech with dude-like "yeah, mans" and the occasional "most certainly." His demeanor is a mix of California casual and fidgety furtiveness.

His co-stars say Reeves is gracious and easygoing, but closer in spirit to the guarded Neo than the goofball Ted.

"I would never say he has the carefree Ted in him," said Carrie-Anne Moss, who plays Neo's soul mate, Trinity. "I would say he's so funny and has a great sense of humor. He's a very kind person."

A practitioner of Buddhism, Reeves carries the monkish image of the loner, the cypher, a persona that nicely complements his "Matrix" character. Neo's appeal has as much to do with the gradual uncloaking of the character's humanity as his martial-arts mastery and superpowers, Reeves says.

"It's the journey of self, I guess. You start with this kind of loner, outside guy, which a lot of people can relate to, and he goes out into the world," Reeves says. "He falls in love, he has self-doubt, he's questioning the truth, reality. He's got great bravery about him, I think.

Reeves gushes about "Matrix" creators Andy and Larry Wachowski and the film work itself, but clams up when things stray to his private life, especially to hard times he has borne.

His sister has been battling leukemia. Three years ago, Reeves and then-girlfriend Jennifer Syme had a stillborn baby. A year later, after the couple had split, Syme died in a car crash. And there was the 1993 drug-overdose death of Reeves' friend and "My Own Private Idaho" co-star River Phoenix.

Asked how he copes, Reeves turns stone-faced and glances away, muttering. When he looks back, Reeves has a pained look in his eye as he gives a slight nod for the next question. With wordless courtesy, he has managed to change the subject and make it tacitly clear that such matters are off limits.

Between 1994's "Speed" and "The Matrix," Reeves had a fitful five years that produced forgettable movies such as the action tales "Johnny Mnemonic" and "Chain Reaction," the thriller "The Devil's Advocate" and the romantic drama "A Walk in the Clouds."

Between the first and second "Matrix" movies, Reeves played lead or supporting roles in a similar run of unremarkable studio and indie pictures, among them "The Replacements," "The Gift" and "Hardball."

While reviewers savaged many of those movies, Reeves often delivered better performances than he's credited for. As an abusive husband in "The Gift," Reeves captured real menace. He delivered heartfelt humor as a gambling addict forced to coach a boys baseball team in "Hardball."

"I certainly think he's taken more than his share of unfair criticism," says Laurence Fishburne, who co-stars as Morpheus in "The Matrix" movies. "One of the qualities that makes him infinitely lovable is he can take those kinds of hits and keep moving." That's hard stuff to take, but he takes it and he manages somehow to remain compassionate about people."

"The Matrix Revolutions" leaves open the possibility of further sequels, but Reeves says the story of Neo is complete and his work is done.

He looks forward to showcasing a cheerier side in "Something's Gotta Give" and "Thumbsucker," about a teen with an oral fixation, which should help break the perception that he gravitates toward dark, somber characters.

So, Reeves is lightening up on screen. Has he lightened up in real life?

"I'm older. I'm an older guy," Reeves says. "So to answer your question, I'll just say yes."

Constantine Gets Noirish

Keanu Reeves, who stars in the upcoming comic-to-film Constantine, told SCI FI Wire that first-time director Francis Lawrence is giving the movie the right sensibility. "He's bringing a real film noir sense to it, which I think is really suitable for the character and the story," Reeves said in an interview.

Reeves said that the movie, based on the DC/Vertigo Hellblazer series, is several weeks into production and that he has already filmed in Long Beach, Calif.; downtown Los Angeles; and on the Warner Brothers studio lot in nearby Burbank. But though the movie is based on a comic, Reeves said he's basing his performance on what's in the script. "In terms of referencing the graphic novels, I've sourced them a little bit," he said. "I looked more at the shapes of the drawings and character and kind of just connected to his primal point of view." Reeves added that he's bringing anger to his character, supernatural detective John Constantine.

Should the first film be successful, Reeves is up for a franchise. "We have to make a film, and we have to tell a story," he said. "Certainly through the experience right now, I'm really enjoying the character, and hopefully we'll make a good film that's really going to dictate whether or not we continue telling stories about him, if people respond to the story." Warner Brothers will release Constantine in 2004.

Reeves Offers Constantine Hints

Keanu Reeves—who stars in Constantine, based on the DC/Vertigo comic series Hellblazer—told SCI FI Wire that his character is conflicted about his God-given mission on Earth. Constantine is entering its seventh week of principal photography in Los Angeles under director Francis Lawrence.

Reeves' character, supernatural detective John Constantine, is "a guy who's angry and ambivalent," Reeves said. "There's a line in it: 'God has a plan for all of us. Some people like it, and some people don't.' That's kind of my Constantinian take on it. Some people like it. John Constantine doesn't like it, but he likes it."

Reeves acknowledged that the character and the story are dark, but not so dark as to preclude delivering a piece of commercial entertainment. "Well, we're hoping to make a PG-13 film," he said. "I'm playing a character who is damned, and he's trying to escape hell. He goes to Gabriel [Tilda Swinton] and says, 'Come on, I'm taking demons out of little girls. Who's that for?' Gabriel says, 'Well, you don't believe.' I go, 'I believe, for Christ's sake!' He says, 'No, you don't. You know you don't have faith.' After that [encounter with Gabriel], you see my character with scratches on his back, and he's drinking some whiskey, and he's just made love with a demon. So we're trying to deliver a PG-13 film. My feet are on the floor by the bed, and she's under the covers." Warner Brothers will release Constantine, which also stars Rachel Weisz and Shia LeBeouf, in 2004.

New 'Matrix' game like a third movie

Thursday, May 15, 2003 Posted: 1:59 PM EDT (1759 GMT)

Niobe blasts her way back to Zion in 'Enter the Matrix'

'ENTER THE MATRIX'

The Matrix video game includes all the characters from the new movie, but with new plots and story lines. CNN's Daniel Sieberg reports. (May 15)

A gaming company is hoping the success of the 'Matrix' franchise will help it relaunch one of the most famous names in the video games industry. CNN's Jim Boulden reports (May 15)

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- CNN Headline News technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg caught up with the creator of the new "Enter the Matrix" video game this week at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

The game was released on Thursday, same day as the "Matrix Reloaded" movie, the highly anticipated sequel to the blockbuster "Matrix" in 1999.

SIEBERG: Fans of the series might be interested to know that the new video game is like a third movie. And, joining me now to talk about that is the president of Shiny Entertainment, David Perry, the developer of the game.

Tell me about how you've created this sort of original game and an original screenplay that's not entirely based on these movies.

PERRY: What happened with the Wachowski brothers, who are the creators, the writers, the directors of the Matrix Universe, they're hard core gamers.

And so they wanted to make a video game that would be like no other video game. And what was they did is put the full crew, which would be Keanu Reeves, Carrie Ann Moss, Lawrence Fishburn, the Oracle [actors or characters in the movie]. You've got Agent Smith who is [played by] Hugo Weaving. All of them all of them are in the video game.

But they didn't just make the game follow the movie. They wrote a new movie for the video game. So these people actual made three movies. And you're seeing one of them released today. And the other is being released today in the video game.

SIEBERG: What about elements of the movie? People who have seen the movie imagine Keanu Reeves poised in mid-air ready to kick somebody. How did you capture those special effects in the video game?

PERRY: We got to use the original kung-fu team. There is a guy called Mater Wu Ping who did "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" as well. And his whole team did the martial arts for the video game.

And we asked gamers what they wanted. So they would be jumping out of their chair and saying we want to look just like Neo [character played by Keanu Reeves] and run along walls. We put it all in the game. So, we're absolutely sure they are getting the authentic experience.

SIEBERG: Tell me about some of the unique features in the game. I noticed that there was one called hacking. That sounds awfully secretive and a little like tied into the movie.

PERRY: Again, the Matrix world is all about hacking and Neo himself was a hacker and Trinity [character played by Carrie Ann Moss] was a hacker as well.

So, we're letting you do that to. You can hack into your console, take control of it, unlock hidden levels. We've got multi-player levels We've got things from the movie in there. It's just a fun part added onto the game. So that I think it's something you'll have fun with.

Keanu's bedside manner

Last updated 26 November 2003

Keanu Reeves has traded in his trademark Matrix trench coat for a stethoscope.

It's for his role as a surgeon in the film called 'Something's Gotta Give' which also stars Jack Nicholson and Diane Keeton where they all end up in a bizarre love triangle.

Keanu went to great lengths to research playing a heart specialist - he went undercover at a New York hospital:

"It was great actually; I went to the Southampton Hospital. The people there were really gracious with their time. I went to some ER rooms, met with one cardiologist. I spoke with my GP about bedside manner and stethoscope techniques and working with the pressure cuff and stuff like that. Trying to figure out what my life would be like, bedside manner and doctoring things."

Unfortunately we have to wait til February to see 'Something's Gotta Give'.

Keanu Reeves Desperate to reconcile his mom & dying sister

By Ellen Goodstein

Keanu Reeves is desperately trying to reunite his shattered family before his beloved sister Kim loses her battle with leukemia.

The "Matrix" star has been working tirelessly to reconcile his ailing sister and his mother Patric, who sources say haven't spoken in years.

"Keanu loves his mother and his sister dearly and it tears him apart that the two most important women in his life don't talk," a source close to the family told The ENQUIRER.

"With Kim's health deteriorating, Keanu has stepped up his efforts to bring harmony back to his family.

"He doesn't have any idea how long Kim has left. Getting Kim and their mom to make up has become a priority.

"For a longtime Keanu accepted the rift between his mother and Kim. He wasn't happy about it but as much as he tried to get them to make up, he was unsuccessful. For a while, he just let things be.

"Now he's really tried to lay it on the line.

"He told both of them, 'This is really important to me. I want us to be a family again.'

"It's been very frustrating for Keanu. He finally decided to set a deadline.

"Keanu wants to have Thanksgiving dinner in his new Hollywood Hills home and is inviting both his mother and his sister. He told them he won't take no for an answer."

Kim and British-born Patric had a falling out in part over a young English woman who became like another daughter to Patric and Kim felt completely out in the cold, said the source. The situation is further complicated because Keanu and Kim aren't thrilled with Patric's current boyfriend.

"Keanu feels if he can bring about a reconciliation, both his sister and his mother will be happier for it," said the source.

'Something's Gotta Give'

As Harry Langer, Nicholson romances Amanda Peet and ends up falling for her mom, played by Oscar-winner Diane Keaton. Nicholson also gets some competition from young doctor Keanu Reeves.

But Nicholson is just about the only thing anyone wants to talk about. Keaton says, "I think it was an extremely insane, wild ride with Jack."

Peet adds, "He has this wild thing, and yet he’s also a gentleman. So it is quite an irresistible combination. If someone ever told me three years ago that I would be straddling Jack Nicholson, I would have said what do you mean? By mistake, at a party drunk?"

And while Peet can't believe Nicholson is her costar, Keaton faced the task of doing her first ever nude scene. But Keaton says that she is glad she waited until she was 57. She says, "My whole perception about my body is totally different. I see it as a functioning tool. As long as it works, I'm happy. I don't expect anything more from it."

Expect big laughs because "Something's Gotta Give" on December 12th.

The Matrix Man

New Delhi, November 23: You obviously play a pivotal role in the Matrix films. What’s your sense of conviction, especially in this, the third in the trilogy?

Laurence Fishburne (LF): I think that Morpheus has been the living embodiment of faith in action. For the three films, he takes more of a passive role; he’s more of a follower than he’s a leader. Yet, his faith is still rock solid. I mean, he’s still very much of the belief that Neo is the saviour and he’s the person who will bring about the end of the war.

What kind of special preparation and training did you do for the chase sequences?

LF: Well, there wasn’t a whole lot of training necessarily, but there was quite a bit of time we spent in a machine called a Gimble, which was this hydraulic contraption that they built—a cockpit for the spaceship. We were in there for a lot of time, bouncing around, looking over here and looking over there. It was fairly challenging, in terms of imagining what the terrain was like, because we really didn’t have any clear idea of what that mechanical pipeline was supposed to be like. But, we got through it.

That’s actually action packed. Were there any special moves for the Hell’s Club sequence?

LF: Not really. It was primarily about working with the machine guns and making sure that people were safe, so that nobody got hurt. The real work was done by the stuntman and he did all of that suspended from the ceiling.

How do you feel now that the trilogy is over. Are you satisfied, or gratified?

LF: I’m very happy with results. I think the film is beautiful, I’m very, very pleased with the way people have received the movies, and I’m honoured and blessed to have had this opportunity to work on something of this magnitude. To be associated with these movies is a gift, you know, it’s a real gift, so, I’m, just very happy.

Can you talk specifically about working with Keanu Reeves and what he’s like as a person?

LF: Keanu and I had a great time. Keanu is probably one of the most generous people I know. He’s got a great sense of humour and he’s really intelligent and sensitive. It’s been an honour and a joy to get to know him and become friends with him.

Reeves tempted by Nicholson comedy

Keanu Reeves was tempted into following up his turn as Neo in the Matrix films with a supporting role in the romantic comedy Something’s Gotta Give because of an unusual script and the cast he would be working with.

The film stars Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton as a wealthy, middle-aged couple who meet and embark on an emotional adventure neither of them expected.

“It’s refreshing and something you don’t often see in Hollywood films,” said Reeves of the older man, older woman relationship.

Reeves, who plays a young doctor who becomes the other man in the love triangle, told journalists:

“It’s a shame that in American cinema, knowledge and life experience aren’t really respected.

"Older people are either curmudgeons or overly wise or dying. It’s nice to see the vitality, the love, the search and the union that can still occur.

“And with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton in those roles, it’s funny, sexy and fun.”