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The 63rd Venice Film Festival kicks off with Scarlett Johansson steaming up the silver screen in “The Black Dahlia.” It is said to be one of the heavy hitters of the year and up for the Golden Lion. With sex, murder, and beautiful actresses it is a recipe for box office gold. The fact that it is based on James Ellroy’s novel surrounding the real murder of Elizabeth Short doesn’t hurt either.

You know its going to be good when a critic complained about too much sex appeal thanks to Scarlett and Josh Hartnett. The critic felt that it could be too distracting from the plot. The world premiere of the film is this evening and sets the stage for several other films based on real events.

More photos from “The Black Dahlia” photocall at the 63rd Venice Film Festival are after the jump.

Written by Cara Harrington

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