Movie News
Jeff Bridges is going back to the grid.
The 74-year-old actor told the Film Comment podcast (via The Playlist) that he is going to appear in “Tron: Ares,” the third film in the long-running sci-fi franchise that Bridges inaugurated with “Tron” in 1982 and reprised with “Tron: Legacy” in 2010. The new film stars Jared Leto as the titular character Ares, with Joachim Rønning (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”) directing from a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
“I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story,” Bridges said. “Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work.”
“Tron” is best known for pioneering the use of computer generated imagery, which was used to create the digital world of a video game after Bridges’ character, Kevin Flynn, is zapped inside one.
The 74-year-old actor told the Film Comment podcast (via The Playlist) that he is going to appear in “Tron: Ares,” the third film in the long-running sci-fi franchise that Bridges inaugurated with “Tron” in 1982 and reprised with “Tron: Legacy” in 2010. The new film stars Jared Leto as the titular character Ares, with Joachim Rønning (“Maleficent: Mistress of Evil”) directing from a script by Jesse Wigutow and Jack Thorne.
“I’m heading off this Saturday to play a part in the third installment of the ‘Tron’ story,” Bridges said. “Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work.”
“Tron” is best known for pioneering the use of computer generated imagery, which was used to create the digital world of a video game after Bridges’ character, Kevin Flynn, is zapped inside one.
- 4/29/2024
- by Adam B. Vary
- Variety - Film News
Game, set, now what to make of this match?
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
- 4/28/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
A pair of Warner Bros. releases have achieved some important box office milestones.
“Dune: Part Two,” the acclaimed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s monumental sci-fi novel, has passed $700 million worldwide, while “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the latest installment in the long-running monster franchise, eclipsed $500 million at the global box office. Both films were produced in partnership with Legendary Entertainment.
“We congratulate our partners at Legendary, [‘Dune’ director] Denis Villeneuve, [‘Godzilla x Kong’ director] Adam Wingard, and their casts and crews for bringing these amazing projects to life and to audiences around the world,” Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “We are also very proud of the work our global marketing and distribution teams have undertaken on behalf of ‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong’ – these box office milestones are a testament to their tremendous efforts.”
As of Friday,...
“Dune: Part Two,” the acclaimed adaptation of Frank Herbert’s monumental sci-fi novel, has passed $700 million worldwide, while “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire,” the latest installment in the long-running monster franchise, eclipsed $500 million at the global box office. Both films were produced in partnership with Legendary Entertainment.
“We congratulate our partners at Legendary, [‘Dune’ director] Denis Villeneuve, [‘Godzilla x Kong’ director] Adam Wingard, and their casts and crews for bringing these amazing projects to life and to audiences around the world,” Pam Abdy and Mike De Luca, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, said in a statement. “We are also very proud of the work our global marketing and distribution teams have undertaken on behalf of ‘Dune: Part Two’ and ‘Godzilla x Kong’ – these box office milestones are a testament to their tremendous efforts.”
As of Friday,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
After revealing behind the scenes details about how he helped bring an all-star group of musicians together to make the Grammy-winning smash hit charity single “We Are the World” in the Netflix documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” Lionel Richie recently spoke to IndieWire about which of the participants he knows have watched the movie, and are still reeling from the down-to-the-wire recording session.
“Huey Lewis sat next to me while I’m watching the premiere, and he leaned over to me, and he said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to make it,’” the “American Idol” judge said at an event celebrating the reveal of the current season’s Top 10 finalists. “I said, ‘Huey, it’s 39 years ago. It’s been a success.’ But how we set it up, he was a nervous wreck.”
Richie, who both produced the Sundance premiere directed by Bao Nguyen, and appears heavily in the film,...
“Huey Lewis sat next to me while I’m watching the premiere, and he leaned over to me, and he said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to make it,’” the “American Idol” judge said at an event celebrating the reveal of the current season’s Top 10 finalists. “I said, ‘Huey, it’s 39 years ago. It’s been a success.’ But how we set it up, he was a nervous wreck.”
Richie, who both produced the Sundance premiere directed by Bao Nguyen, and appears heavily in the film,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Last month, non-profit group Good Energy launched what it called a Bechdel Test for Climate Change, a simple set of criteria designed to determine if it was clear climate change was present in a film. The real Allison Bechdel even endorsed it.
Good Energy, in launching its “Climate Reality Check,” said just three movies nominated for Oscars this year passed the test’s two simple rules: “Climate change exists” and “a character knows it.” Now in a more extensive study, the group analyzed 250 of the top grossing movies between 2013 and 2022.
Global warming has been with us for a while now, but only 12.8 percent — 32 of the 250 films studied in that time span — even passed the first criteria saying that climate change exists. Only 24 films, or 9.6 percent, passed both criteria of the test.
Good Energy and researchers at Colby College’s Buck Lab for Climate and Environment picked 25 films from each year...
Good Energy, in launching its “Climate Reality Check,” said just three movies nominated for Oscars this year passed the test’s two simple rules: “Climate change exists” and “a character knows it.” Now in a more extensive study, the group analyzed 250 of the top grossing movies between 2013 and 2022.
Global warming has been with us for a while now, but only 12.8 percent — 32 of the 250 films studied in that time span — even passed the first criteria saying that climate change exists. Only 24 films, or 9.6 percent, passed both criteria of the test.
Good Energy and researchers at Colby College’s Buck Lab for Climate and Environment picked 25 films from each year...
- 4/30/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Italy’s TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has selected 10 projects for the 2024 edition of its FeatureLab training programme, for first or second film projects at an advanced development stage.
The 2024 edition comprises nine fiction features and one documentary feature. Seven of the projects are debut features, with three second films.
In total, FeatureLab will host 21 participants, of whom 14 are women and seven are men. They come from 11 countries - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine.
Scroll down for full list of projects
Among the 10 projects is Versorgen by Swiss writer and director Nora Longatti whose latest short...
The 2024 edition comprises nine fiction features and one documentary feature. Seven of the projects are debut features, with three second films.
In total, FeatureLab will host 21 participants, of whom 14 are women and seven are men. They come from 11 countries - Azerbaijan, Belarus, Brazil, France, Germany, Greece, India, Italy, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine.
Scroll down for full list of projects
Among the 10 projects is Versorgen by Swiss writer and director Nora Longatti whose latest short...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
In the coming months, British actors’ union Equity and producer trade body Pact are expected to kick off negotiations to thrash out new contracts that will cover the vast majority of U.K. TV and indie film. There’s going to be several major sticking points on the table, many that are near-identical to those that dominated the lengthy and fraught talks between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP in the U.S. last year, not least secondary payments and the hot-button topic of AI.
But while these may be the headline grabbers up for discussion, a group of actors have been campaigning for another issue to be part of the negotiations: hair and makeup equality.
In her 2023 documentary “Untold Stories: Hair on Set,” British actress and filmmaker Fola Evans-Akingbola brought to light how Afro hair had been shockingly overlooked by the U.K. industry in terms of on-set provisions and knowledge.
But while these may be the headline grabbers up for discussion, a group of actors have been campaigning for another issue to be part of the negotiations: hair and makeup equality.
In her 2023 documentary “Untold Stories: Hair on Set,” British actress and filmmaker Fola Evans-Akingbola brought to light how Afro hair had been shockingly overlooked by the U.K. industry in terms of on-set provisions and knowledge.
- 4/30/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety - Film News
The port explosion of 2020 damaged just about everything in the city and this painful but tender doc follows a film crew who try to resume work
‘How much bad news can you get in one day?” That’s the production manager of a Lebanese movie called Costa Brava, which is due to start shooting any day. But Beirut is in chaos. It’s 2020, just weeks after the catastrophic port explosion that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The blast destroyed the office of the production company, and cinematographer Joe Saade lost an eye. After agonised meetings, Costa Brava’s young director Mounia Akl and her crew have decided to go ahead with the shoot.
Filmed by Cyril Aris, this fly-on-the-wall study is a painful watch, with some heartbreaking moments; but it’s tender too, and funny. As the shoot date approaches, the film looks doomed. A currency crisis triggered...
‘How much bad news can you get in one day?” That’s the production manager of a Lebanese movie called Costa Brava, which is due to start shooting any day. But Beirut is in chaos. It’s 2020, just weeks after the catastrophic port explosion that killed more than 200 people and injured thousands. The blast destroyed the office of the production company, and cinematographer Joe Saade lost an eye. After agonised meetings, Costa Brava’s young director Mounia Akl and her crew have decided to go ahead with the shoot.
Filmed by Cyril Aris, this fly-on-the-wall study is a painful watch, with some heartbreaking moments; but it’s tender too, and funny. As the shoot date approaches, the film looks doomed. A currency crisis triggered...
- 4/30/2024
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
The second edition of the Cannes Market’s Investors Circle will see 10 filmmakers, including Ruben Östlund and Nadav Lapid, present their latest projects to private investors.
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
The directors and their lead producers will pitch their films, which range from €1-20m in budget, on May 19 at an invitation-only event in the Plage des Palmes.
Alongside Östlund and Lapid is Japanese filmmaker Chie Hayakawa, whose debut Plan 75 received a Camera d’Or special mention in 2022. Other directors include Irish filmmaker Lorcan Finnegan, who is already at the festival for Midnight Screenings title The Surfer, and Italian director Laura Samani who...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
"Star Trek: Enterprise" debuted on September 26, 2001, the sixth official "Star Trek" series since the debut of Gene Roddenberry's original in 1966. "Enterprise" came right at the end of a massive "Star Trek" renaissance that saw the 1987 debut of the massively successful "Star Trek: The Next Generation," the 1993 debut of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the 1995 debut of "Star Trek: Voyager," and the release of "Star Trek: Generations," "Star Trek: First Contact," and "Star Trek: Insurrection" in theaters. The glut of "Star Trek" was a dream for TV programmers who would often schedule entire blocks of the franchise merely to puff up their docket. Personally, this author recalls a time when "NextGen," "DS9," and the original series would run back-to-back-to-back on certain weeknights.
The Sci-Fi Channel, now called Syfy, also leaned heavily on "Star Trek" when it launched back in 1992. "Star Trek" reruns became part of the nascent cable station's bread and butter,...
The Sci-Fi Channel, now called Syfy, also leaned heavily on "Star Trek" when it launched back in 1992. "Star Trek" reruns became part of the nascent cable station's bread and butter,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Christian Petzold’s anticipated Miroirs No.3 and Kaouther Ben Hania’s epic love story Mimesi are among the 19 projects awarded a total funding of almost €3.5m by Germany’s Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg (Mbb) at the second funding session of 2024.
Miroirs No.3 will star Paula Beer in her fourth collaboration with Petzold after Transit, Undine and Afire. She will play a young music student who has to restructure her life when her boyfriend dies in a car crash in the countryside.
The film, which is being produced by Petzold’s production company Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser, received €500,000 in production funding from Mbb.
Miroirs No.3 will star Paula Beer in her fourth collaboration with Petzold after Transit, Undine and Afire. She will play a young music student who has to restructure her life when her boyfriend dies in a car crash in the countryside.
The film, which is being produced by Petzold’s production company Schramm Film Koerner Weber Kaiser, received €500,000 in production funding from Mbb.
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
South Korea’s M-Line Distribution has secured world sales rights to Walking In The Movies, a documentary about Korean film industry pioneer Kim Dong-ho, ahead of its premiere at Cannes.
The film, which will screen as part of the Cannes Classics strand of the upcoming festival, is a portrait of a man often called the godfather of the Korean film industry who has spent his life and career serving cinema.
Kim was a co-founder of Busan International Film Festival and spent 15 years there as festival director, helping it weather periods of political turbulence.
Filmed over a year from February 2023, the...
The film, which will screen as part of the Cannes Classics strand of the upcoming festival, is a portrait of a man often called the godfather of the Korean film industry who has spent his life and career serving cinema.
Kim was a co-founder of Busan International Film Festival and spent 15 years there as festival director, helping it weather periods of political turbulence.
Filmed over a year from February 2023, the...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Eponymous hero tackles a pooch-pinching operation by getting captured in this old-fashioned production
In some ways, the Lassie films are like the canine answer to the James Bond series. Both have literary antecedents, both have been big screen successes for MGM, and the basic formula remains essentially the same: a hero saves the day. The equivalent of Sean Connery is probably Pal, the rough collie dog who portrayed Lassie in seven feature films in the 1940s and 1950s. In Lassie: A New Adventure, Lassie is played by Bandit, who brings what is needed to the role, in a slick, handsome, functional way that suggests the Lassie franchise is perhaps in its Pierce Brosnan era, though unfortunately more Die Another Day doldrums than GoldenEye high point.
It bears mentioning at this point that the film is more properly titled Lassie – Ein Neues Abenteuer; this is a German production which has...
In some ways, the Lassie films are like the canine answer to the James Bond series. Both have literary antecedents, both have been big screen successes for MGM, and the basic formula remains essentially the same: a hero saves the day. The equivalent of Sean Connery is probably Pal, the rough collie dog who portrayed Lassie in seven feature films in the 1940s and 1950s. In Lassie: A New Adventure, Lassie is played by Bandit, who brings what is needed to the role, in a slick, handsome, functional way that suggests the Lassie franchise is perhaps in its Pierce Brosnan era, though unfortunately more Die Another Day doldrums than GoldenEye high point.
It bears mentioning at this point that the film is more properly titled Lassie – Ein Neues Abenteuer; this is a German production which has...
- 4/30/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- The Guardian - Film News
The producers of festival-winning titles Lamb, Holly and Our Mothers are among those selected for European Film Promotion’s (Efp) Producers On The Move programme, which showcases rising talent and fosters international co-productions.
Some 20 European producers have been selected for the 2024 Efp programme, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Scroll down for full list
The group will take part in a programme that aims to foster international co-productions, share experiences and create professional networks. The Pre-Festival online programme, starts today and runs until 3 May, and includes speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. The producers will then meet in...
Some 20 European producers have been selected for the 2024 Efp programme, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
Scroll down for full list
The group will take part in a programme that aims to foster international co-productions, share experiences and create professional networks. The Pre-Festival online programme, starts today and runs until 3 May, and includes speed meetings, roundtables and pitching sessions. The producers will then meet in...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
The UK’s Curzon is to relaunch its specialist UK/Ireland distribution label Artificial Eye, as a theatrical and home entertainment brand.
The first release under the banner will be Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Berlinale Competition title My Favourite Cake.
Led by Curzon managing director Louisa Dent, the acquisitions team will curate additions to the Artificial Eye catalogue, focusing on director-led world cinema and discoveries from emerging filmmakers.
Artificial Eye was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel and Pam Engel. The label released leading independent, foreign-language and arthouse titles, including films by Bela Tarr, the Dardenne brothers and Tran Anh Hung.
The first release under the banner will be Maryam Moghadam and Behtash Sanaeeha’s Berlinale Competition title My Favourite Cake.
Led by Curzon managing director Louisa Dent, the acquisitions team will curate additions to the Artificial Eye catalogue, focusing on director-led world cinema and discoveries from emerging filmmakers.
Artificial Eye was founded in 1976 by Andi Engel and Pam Engel. The label released leading independent, foreign-language and arthouse titles, including films by Bela Tarr, the Dardenne brothers and Tran Anh Hung.
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 31st edition of Sheffield DocFest will open with the world premiere of Kevin Macdonald’s Klitschko: More Than A Fight, at Sheffield City Hall on June 12.
The Sky Original film follows brothers and former heavyweight boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko as Vitali moves from the ring to political office, leading the defence of Kyiv as its mayor when Ukraine was attacked by Russian forces in February 2022.
The film combines present-day footage shot in Ukraine, the US and Germany, with personal archive material from the Klitschko family.
It is produced by Docsville Studios and Sky Studios, and will be broadcast...
The Sky Original film follows brothers and former heavyweight boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko as Vitali moves from the ring to political office, leading the defence of Kyiv as its mayor when Ukraine was attacked by Russian forces in February 2022.
The film combines present-day footage shot in Ukraine, the US and Germany, with personal archive material from the Klitschko family.
It is produced by Docsville Studios and Sky Studios, and will be broadcast...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Peter Stormare, Steven Berkoff and Matt Hookings have signed on to star in Matt Routledge’s thriller The Awakening for UK producers Camelot Media.
Julian Glover and Justin Tinto are also among the cast of the film, in which Tinto plays a man who discovers a global conspiracy and sets out to awaken the world.
Tinto wrote the original script; the film is currently in pre-production ahead of a shoot at Pinewood Studios.
Hookings and Tim Kent will produce the title for Camelot. It is fully financed through independent sources. Tinto says the film is aiming to convey a “message...
Julian Glover and Justin Tinto are also among the cast of the film, in which Tinto plays a man who discovers a global conspiracy and sets out to awaken the world.
Tinto wrote the original script; the film is currently in pre-production ahead of a shoot at Pinewood Studios.
Hookings and Tim Kent will produce the title for Camelot. It is fully financed through independent sources. Tinto says the film is aiming to convey a “message...
- 4/30/2024
- ScreenDaily
Soudade Kaadan’s second feature is a sweet-natured and beautifully photographed portrait of a grumpy middle-aged guy, his sceptical wife and their teenage daughter
Here is the second feature from Syrian film-maker Soudade Kaadan, set in a Damascus suburb during the most brutal shelling of the civil war, among the remaining traumatised residents wondering whether to stay or leave as refugees heading for the Mediterranean. The resonant title means “displacement” and her images of the city, modified with some magic-realist effects, are very striking.
A middle-aged guy, Motaz (Samer al-Masry) is grumpily asserting his authority in front of his increasingly sceptical family: his wife is Hala (Kinda Alloush) and they are parents to teen daughter Zeina (Hala Zein), who is incidentally conspiring with her mother to suppress the news that she has started her period. She also likes a certain boy who keeps coming around – budding film-maker Amer (Nizar Alani...
Here is the second feature from Syrian film-maker Soudade Kaadan, set in a Damascus suburb during the most brutal shelling of the civil war, among the remaining traumatised residents wondering whether to stay or leave as refugees heading for the Mediterranean. The resonant title means “displacement” and her images of the city, modified with some magic-realist effects, are very striking.
A middle-aged guy, Motaz (Samer al-Masry) is grumpily asserting his authority in front of his increasingly sceptical family: his wife is Hala (Kinda Alloush) and they are parents to teen daughter Zeina (Hala Zein), who is incidentally conspiring with her mother to suppress the news that she has started her period. She also likes a certain boy who keeps coming around – budding film-maker Amer (Nizar Alani...
- 4/30/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Global Screen, the Munich-based international sales outfit, has boarded worldwide sales on “The Trek,” the upcoming first feature from leading South African cinematographer and director Meekaaeel Adam. The film is a horror-Western, in which starvation, suspicion and madness plague a family as they cross the Kalahari Desert under the eyes of primeval spirits.
“The Trek” is set in 1846, when a Dutch-Afrikaans family and their British travel companion set off on a challenging journey through the Kalahari Desert. Along the way, they meet Atshumao, a stoic man of the Khoen people, one of Southern Africa’s original indigenous, nomadic population groups.
Despite Atshumao’s warning, the group attempts a shortcut through the unforgiving landscape, unaware that this will lead them to cross paths with two ancestral spirits – who will settle a centuries-old dispute by betting on the family’s lives. The group of travelers is soon plagued by misfortune, tragedy, thirst,...
“The Trek” is set in 1846, when a Dutch-Afrikaans family and their British travel companion set off on a challenging journey through the Kalahari Desert. Along the way, they meet Atshumao, a stoic man of the Khoen people, one of Southern Africa’s original indigenous, nomadic population groups.
Despite Atshumao’s warning, the group attempts a shortcut through the unforgiving landscape, unaware that this will lead them to cross paths with two ancestral spirits – who will settle a centuries-old dispute by betting on the family’s lives. The group of travelers is soon plagued by misfortune, tragedy, thirst,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Italian period drama “My Place Is Here” is being released in Italy by Adler Ent. on May 9, and is being sold at Cannes by Beta Cinema. Variety speaks to the film’s directors, Daniela Porto and Cristiano Bortone, and debuts its trailer (below).
“My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end of World War II. Women have just been given the vote in Italy, but in Calabria, a conservative rural region in Southern Italy, men still rule the roost.
An unmarried single mother, Marta, who is deemed to have brought shame on her family, has been promised to an older farmer as his wife. While making preparations for the wedding, Marta meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner. He encourages her to broaden her horizons and take typing lessons at the local Communist Party office as a means of finding work. Here she meets Communist activist Bianca,...
“My Place Is Here” is set in the years following the end of World War II. Women have just been given the vote in Italy, but in Calabria, a conservative rural region in Southern Italy, men still rule the roost.
An unmarried single mother, Marta, who is deemed to have brought shame on her family, has been promised to an older farmer as his wife. While making preparations for the wedding, Marta meets Lorenzo, the village’s openly gay wedding planner. He encourages her to broaden her horizons and take typing lessons at the local Communist Party office as a means of finding work. Here she meets Communist activist Bianca,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Berlin-based sales agency Picture Tree Intl. has acquired the supernatural crime thriller “The Osha Rule,” and will start seeking distribution partner at the Cannes Film Market. The film will start principal photography in August 2024.
“The Osha Rule” blends crime with supernatural horror and revolves around a young Latino gang member forced into a Santería ritual after recovering stolen goods from a rival gang.
Soon after, he and his little sister begin to feel the harassment of a supernatural entity. A traumatized social worker risks everything to help the siblings escape their seemingly doomed fate.
The film will star Mariela Garriga in a leading role under the direction of Ángel González, whose debut “Compulsion” premiered at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival and was licensed globally to Amazon.
Garriga is best known for her work in “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” She also stars in the film’s second instalment, currently in post-production.
“The Osha Rule” blends crime with supernatural horror and revolves around a young Latino gang member forced into a Santería ritual after recovering stolen goods from a rival gang.
Soon after, he and his little sister begin to feel the harassment of a supernatural entity. A traumatized social worker risks everything to help the siblings escape their seemingly doomed fate.
The film will star Mariela Garriga in a leading role under the direction of Ángel González, whose debut “Compulsion” premiered at the Sitges Fantastic Film Festival and was licensed globally to Amazon.
Garriga is best known for her work in “Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.” She also stars in the film’s second instalment, currently in post-production.
- 4/30/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Although aimed at very young children, the film’s cheerful little airplanes are caught up in a plot involving kidnapping social media influencers
Parents of little kids might be familiar with Super Wings, the colourful animated series about a cheery little plane called Jett who delivers packages to children all around the world. I have to admit that when my daughter got hooked aged four or so, I’d zone out three-and-a-half minutes in, after Jett chirped “On time, every time!” for the umpteenth time. Now comes a cinema spin-off that’s just as good-natured and empty-headed as the series. But if you’re a parent taking a deep breath and thinking about your kids’ smartphone use, avoid at all costs.
Because, bizarrely for movie aimed at very small children, the plot revolves around social influencers and a video sharing site called Froggle (that looks a lot like TikTok). It...
Parents of little kids might be familiar with Super Wings, the colourful animated series about a cheery little plane called Jett who delivers packages to children all around the world. I have to admit that when my daughter got hooked aged four or so, I’d zone out three-and-a-half minutes in, after Jett chirped “On time, every time!” for the umpteenth time. Now comes a cinema spin-off that’s just as good-natured and empty-headed as the series. But if you’re a parent taking a deep breath and thinking about your kids’ smartphone use, avoid at all costs.
Because, bizarrely for movie aimed at very small children, the plot revolves around social influencers and a video sharing site called Froggle (that looks a lot like TikTok). It...
- 4/30/2024
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
A distinctive, dynamic R&b vocalist who seemed on the verge of major stardom through the 1960s, Jackie Shane disappeared soon after — so completely that many fans and former associates assumed her dead. It was a riddle rendered all the more mysterious by her singular status within that field as a more-or-less “out” transperson, her persona an assertive exercise in gender-blur before that term existed. Michael Mabbott and Lucah Rosenberg-Lee’s documentary “Any Other Way” combines archival materials, interviews and animated reenactments into a compelling investigation of an elusive life, as well as a talent so striking you’ll be amazed it remained forgotten for so long.
Born in 1940 Nashville to an unmarried teenage mother who quickly abandoned the child to be raised by relatives, Shane grew up teased by peers as a “sissy,” albeit nurtured by an accepting aunt and grandmother. Jackie was still pre-adolescent when asked to sing in the adult church choir.
Born in 1940 Nashville to an unmarried teenage mother who quickly abandoned the child to be raised by relatives, Shane grew up teased by peers as a “sissy,” albeit nurtured by an accepting aunt and grandmother. Jackie was still pre-adolescent when asked to sing in the adult church choir.
- 4/30/2024
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety - Film News
He pitched slave-ship dramas to Ingmar Bergman, cast Marlon Brando as a bisexual man and wrote a Malcolm X screenplay that horrified the FBI. Why was this cinephile spurned by Hollywood?
It’s fair to say James Baldwin wasn’t a fan of The Exorcist. “It has absolutely nothing going for it,” he wrote in his 1976 memoir-meets-criticism collection The Devil Finds Work. “Except Satan, who is certainly the star.” William Friedkin’s 1973 horror hit about a possessed schoolgirl might have caused havoc in theatres, but for the African American literary giant it was a garish dud that missed the real target. “For, I have seen the devil, by day and by night, and have seen him in you and in me,” he went on. “He does not levitate beds, or fool around with little girls: we do.”
Baldwin wasn’t an opportunist critic bashing a big commercial hit – he was...
It’s fair to say James Baldwin wasn’t a fan of The Exorcist. “It has absolutely nothing going for it,” he wrote in his 1976 memoir-meets-criticism collection The Devil Finds Work. “Except Satan, who is certainly the star.” William Friedkin’s 1973 horror hit about a possessed schoolgirl might have caused havoc in theatres, but for the African American literary giant it was a garish dud that missed the real target. “For, I have seen the devil, by day and by night, and have seen him in you and in me,” he went on. “He does not levitate beds, or fool around with little girls: we do.”
Baldwin wasn’t an opportunist critic bashing a big commercial hit – he was...
- 4/30/2024
- by Lanre Bakare
- The Guardian - Film News
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" is likely not remembered by many people, except for Billy Crystal himself. The variety/talk show ran from January 30 through February 27 in 1982, lasting a grand total of five episodes. Crystal was already a successful comedian and beloved figure in the industry thanks to the popularity of his 1970s stand-up work and his role in the 1977 sitcom "Soap," so he had connections. He was able to secure guest appearances from many of his famous comedian friends, including Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Robin Williams, and John Candy for the debut episode. Subsequent guests included Morgan Fairchild, the Manhattan Transfer, Nell Carter, Shelley Duvall, Cindy Williams, Al Jarreau, and Smokey Robinson.
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" fell right in between "Soap" and "Saturday Night Live" on Crystal's professional timeline, and it might be considered something of a dip in his career. The show was canceled after only two episodes aired,...
"The Billy Crystal Comedy Hour" fell right in between "Soap" and "Saturday Night Live" on Crystal's professional timeline, and it might be considered something of a dip in his career. The show was canceled after only two episodes aired,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
“Daughter of Genghis” has been billed as a portrait of a nationalist gang leader at this year’s Hot Docs Film Festival. And while it follows Gerel Byamba, the leader of an entirely-female, ultra-nationalist Mongolian group called Gerel Khas, it is also a surprisingly poignant documentary portrait of a widow and her orphaned son trying to connect under grief. Directors Kristoffer Juel Poulsen and Christian Als (who also shot the film) follow Byamba and her son, Temuulen, for a seven-year span, capturing how sorrow can drive someone to extreme emotional states that manifest as both violence against one’s community and neglect toward those closest to you.
The doc begins with an aggressive, chaotic sequence. The first few minutes of “Daughter of Genghis” throw the audience into the throes of Gerel Khas’ “activist” work. Byamba and her comrades are shown charging into a sauna and harassing the sex workers who make a living there.
The doc begins with an aggressive, chaotic sequence. The first few minutes of “Daughter of Genghis” throw the audience into the throes of Gerel Khas’ “activist” work. Byamba and her comrades are shown charging into a sauna and harassing the sex workers who make a living there.
- 4/30/2024
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety - Film News
A film that pivots around a court case about its own making, buried treasure documentary “A Band of Dreamers and a Judge” features hints of allure that eventually wane. Shot in Iran, where unauthorized excavations remain illegal, Hesam Eslami’s chronicle of a group of treasure hunters is an occasionally intense process piece that often loses steam, especially during its attempts at intimate portraiture. The movie’s grave-robbing subjects lead full and complex lives, but it seldom depicts them with the richness they deserve.
Eslami’s framing device is unique. The story begins with his cross-examination by a female judge, who questions his motives in filming footage a year prior, of a band of middle-aged friends obsessed with finding lost antiquities in the mountains of Savadkooh. This year-old footage makes up most of the movie’s runtime, plenty of which is dedicated to the group’s personal lives. Unfortunately, the...
Eslami’s framing device is unique. The story begins with his cross-examination by a female judge, who questions his motives in filming footage a year prior, of a band of middle-aged friends obsessed with finding lost antiquities in the mountains of Savadkooh. This year-old footage makes up most of the movie’s runtime, plenty of which is dedicated to the group’s personal lives. Unfortunately, the...
- 4/30/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety - Film News
Michael Cimino's "The Deer Hunter" is a scalding experience. Over three hours, we get to know a group of Western Pennsylvania steelworkers who are plucked from their blue-collar town and thrust into the confounding hell of the Vietnam War. These are not complicated men. Left to their own devices, they'd put in their 40 hours a week, and spend their free time either throwing back beers at their local bar or tracking deer in the Appalachian Mountains.
Cimino lets us get comfortable with his characters in their natural habitat, so that, when they're captured by Viet Cong soldiers, and, among other tortures, forced to play Russian roulette for the gambling pleasure of their captors, we share their bewilderment and outright terror. This is where "The Deer Hunter" also becomes a problematic experience. Though the Viet Cong unquestionably abused prisoners of war, there is no substantial evidence that they forced American soldiers to play Russian roulette.
Cimino lets us get comfortable with his characters in their natural habitat, so that, when they're captured by Viet Cong soldiers, and, among other tortures, forced to play Russian roulette for the gambling pleasure of their captors, we share their bewilderment and outright terror. This is where "The Deer Hunter" also becomes a problematic experience. Though the Viet Cong unquestionably abused prisoners of war, there is no substantial evidence that they forced American soldiers to play Russian roulette.
- 4/30/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Martin Freeman and Jenna Ortega briefly found themselves subjected to some online backlash in January when they co-starred in “Miller’s Girl,” Jade Halley Bartlett’s film about an 18-year-old student who develops a crush on her 49-year-old English teacher and enters a romantic relationship with him. But while some fans were offended by the film’s content and the reality that the two actors had to film intimate scenes despite a 31 year age gap between them — a controversy that has been stoked by the film’s resurgence on Netflix — Freeman stands by his involvement in the film.
In a recent interview with The Times of London, Freeman lamented the fact that the film has been the subject of online ire. The British actor called it “a shame” that the film, which he described as “grown-up and nuanced,” was being interpreted as scandalous. He went on to draw a distinction between...
In a recent interview with The Times of London, Freeman lamented the fact that the film has been the subject of online ire. The British actor called it “a shame” that the film, which he described as “grown-up and nuanced,” was being interpreted as scandalous. He went on to draw a distinction between...
- 4/30/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
“Knuckles,” the live-action/animated spinoff series currently streaming on Paramount+ and featuring the titular red Echidna warrior (voiced by Idris Elba), kicks things off with an amusing ’90s throwback opening title sequence. We encounter markered animations (done by Picturemill) of the main characters, as they jump across the labels of mixed CDs in a binder and roll by the credits, to the tune of “The Warrior” by Scandal featuring Patty Smyth.
It’s all part of Knuckles getting introduced to the “earth music” of his new protégé, dim-witted deputy sheriff Wade Whipples (Adam Pally), while trying to teach him the ways of Echidna-style fighting.
This marks the first series for Knuckles, based on Sega’s popular Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, which takes place between the events of the films “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which introduced Elba. It was created by John Whittington (“Sonic the Hedgehog 2...
It’s all part of Knuckles getting introduced to the “earth music” of his new protégé, dim-witted deputy sheriff Wade Whipples (Adam Pally), while trying to teach him the ways of Echidna-style fighting.
This marks the first series for Knuckles, based on Sega’s popular Sonic the Hedgehog video game franchise, which takes place between the events of the films “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” and “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” which introduced Elba. It was created by John Whittington (“Sonic the Hedgehog 2...
- 4/30/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
It's unlikely that any of the actors who appeared on "Star Trek" in 1966 would assume they would be playing the same roles 18 years later, but "Star Trek" has had a curious habit of longevity. Each time the franchise dies out, the landscape shifts and the series is revived. That's certainly what happened in 1979 with the release of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture". After the original series was canceled in 1969, it was put into eternal syndication, allowing new audiences to find it for years thereafter. Trek conventions began in earnest in the mid-1970s, interest was renewed, and, lo, "Star Trek" returned. Sequel movies were put into production, and by 1986, the franchise released Leonard Nimoy's "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," the biggest hit in all of "Star Trek" until the release of J.J. Abrams' film in 2009.
Also by 1986, the characters had aged from their mid-30s to their mid-50s,...
Also by 1986, the characters had aged from their mid-30s to their mid-50s,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Visinema Studios, the family division of leading Indonesian entertainment company Visinema Group, is set to make its debut in live theater with “Keluarga Cemara: The Musical.”
“Keluarga Cemara” (aka “Cemara Family”) has previously existed as a classic Indonesian novel about a family facing up to financial hardship, but emerging resilient and optimistic. It has since been adapted as two feature films “Keluarga Cemara” and “Keluarga Cemara 2,” which attracted over two million theatrical admissions, and the recent “Keluarga Cemara: The Series” which played on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia.
The stage show will be presented with cultural institution Galeri Indonesia Kaya and the Teater Musikal Nusantara. The show will be executive produced by Anggia Kharisma, previously the producer for the film and series adaptations. Cristian Imanuell, head of Studio Visinema Pictures, serves as the musical’s producer alongside Billy Gamaliel from Galeri Indonesia Kaya and Chriskevin Adefrid from Teater Musikal Nusantara.
The show...
“Keluarga Cemara” (aka “Cemara Family”) has previously existed as a classic Indonesian novel about a family facing up to financial hardship, but emerging resilient and optimistic. It has since been adapted as two feature films “Keluarga Cemara” and “Keluarga Cemara 2,” which attracted over two million theatrical admissions, and the recent “Keluarga Cemara: The Series” which played on Disney+ Hotstar Indonesia.
The stage show will be presented with cultural institution Galeri Indonesia Kaya and the Teater Musikal Nusantara. The show will be executive produced by Anggia Kharisma, previously the producer for the film and series adaptations. Cristian Imanuell, head of Studio Visinema Pictures, serves as the musical’s producer alongside Billy Gamaliel from Galeri Indonesia Kaya and Chriskevin Adefrid from Teater Musikal Nusantara.
The show...
- 4/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Although “Challengers” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes and director Luca Guadagnino are no strangers to working with each other, their collaboration process on the upcoming film “Queer,” an adaptation of a William S. Burroughs novel that will star Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey, was entirely different.
The Black List alum previously told IndieWire on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers” that accepting the task of his first adapted screenplay was a “no brainer.” Elaborating on how exactly the task of making “Queer,” a film adaptation both Guadagnino and other filmmakers had been chasing, came to be, Kuritzkes later told IndieWire over Zoom, “One day, on the set of ‘Challengers,’ [Luca] just gave me this book and said, ‘Read this tonight and tell me if you want to write it for me.’”
He added, “I was so completely honored and touched that Luca would trust me with this movie. And...
The Black List alum previously told IndieWire on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of “Challengers” that accepting the task of his first adapted screenplay was a “no brainer.” Elaborating on how exactly the task of making “Queer,” a film adaptation both Guadagnino and other filmmakers had been chasing, came to be, Kuritzkes later told IndieWire over Zoom, “One day, on the set of ‘Challengers,’ [Luca] just gave me this book and said, ‘Read this tonight and tell me if you want to write it for me.’”
He added, “I was so completely honored and touched that Luca would trust me with this movie. And...
- 4/29/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
There's a certain type of actor that likes to brag about performing their own stunts. Obviously, this kind of bravado is a given — and a source of tremendous excitement — when we're talking about martial arts stars like Jackie Chan, Anita Mui, and Scott Adkins. They can make physical combat look elegant and playful, or, in the case of guys like Adkins, just flat-out brutal. But we also hear likewise about folks like Harrison Ford, Angelina Jolie and, of course, Tom Cruise — folks who like to mix it up as much as they can.
As someone who can no longer ride a rollercoaster without fainting, I envy these people for their fearlessness. What a gift — or a touch of madness — it must be willing to jump off a speeding van onto a moving car (as Michelle Yeoh did in "Police Story 3: Super Cop").
You'd think Ryan Gosling would be of...
As someone who can no longer ride a rollercoaster without fainting, I envy these people for their fearlessness. What a gift — or a touch of madness — it must be willing to jump off a speeding van onto a moving car (as Michelle Yeoh did in "Police Story 3: Super Cop").
You'd think Ryan Gosling would be of...
- 4/29/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
The three Paramount Global executives installed to run the company after Bob Bakish was removed as CEO sought to reassure employees that they have a long-term strategy.
On Monday, Paramount Global said Bakish was stepping down as CEO and leaving the board. In his place, the company established an “Office of the CEO” committee led by three divisional heads: George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
The shake-up added further fuel to the uncertainty about the media conglomerate’s future. Bakish’s exit came as the Paramount Global board and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone were working to close a deal to merge Paramount with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
The three new heads of Paramount Global’s Office of the CEO sent a memo to staff after the news was announced.
On Monday, Paramount Global said Bakish was stepping down as CEO and leaving the board. In his place, the company established an “Office of the CEO” committee led by three divisional heads: George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS; Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks; and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
The shake-up added further fuel to the uncertainty about the media conglomerate’s future. Bakish’s exit came as the Paramount Global board and controlling shareholder Shari Redstone were working to close a deal to merge Paramount with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.
The three new heads of Paramount Global’s Office of the CEO sent a memo to staff after the news was announced.
- 4/29/2024
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety - Film News
In 2003, martial arts enthusiast Lauro Chartrand-DelValle took a job as stunt coordinator on Edward Zwick‘s historical action film “The Last Samurai” and assumed it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I thought I was extremely fortunate to get a chance to do a samurai epic once in my career,” Chartrand-DelValle told IndieWire. He was thrilled, therefore, when Hiroyuki Sanada, one of the actors from “The Last Samurai,” revealed that he was working on FX’s new adaptation of James Clavell’s “Shōgun” and wanted to collaborate with Chartrand-DelValle again. “It was a dream job,” the stunt coordinator said.
Like “The Last Samurai,” “Shōgun” is a period epic filled with elaborately choreographed action and massive challenges for a stunt team, but Chartrand-DelValle felt well prepared given the series’ generous pre-production schedule. “Right out of the gate the first huge task was to train everybody as best we could prior to going in front of the camera,...
Like “The Last Samurai,” “Shōgun” is a period epic filled with elaborately choreographed action and massive challenges for a stunt team, but Chartrand-DelValle felt well prepared given the series’ generous pre-production schedule. “Right out of the gate the first huge task was to train everybody as best we could prior to going in front of the camera,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Christoph Waltz is calling out the “posthumous sanctification” of late legendary actor Marlon Brando.
According to Waltz, the revelry around Brando’s legacy is “annoying,” to not mince words.
“Now it’s Brando’s 100th birthday. I read two articles and I found them both really annoying, and this posthumous sanctification […] to make him […] a mythology,” Waltz told Interview magazine while in conversation with Caleb Landry Jones. “And it’s ridiculous, because he was a ham.”
Waltz added of Brando, “In the beginning he was fantastic. No one had ever seen anything like it.”
However, Waltz also called Brando’s performance in “The Missouri Breaks” “difficult to watch.” He added that Brando’s reputation of being “difficult” on sets, or accusations of inappropriate conduct on the set of “The Last Tango in Paris,” did not affect his perspective on Brando’s acting ability.
“I don’t care about that one bit,...
According to Waltz, the revelry around Brando’s legacy is “annoying,” to not mince words.
“Now it’s Brando’s 100th birthday. I read two articles and I found them both really annoying, and this posthumous sanctification […] to make him […] a mythology,” Waltz told Interview magazine while in conversation with Caleb Landry Jones. “And it’s ridiculous, because he was a ham.”
Waltz added of Brando, “In the beginning he was fantastic. No one had ever seen anything like it.”
However, Waltz also called Brando’s performance in “The Missouri Breaks” “difficult to watch.” He added that Brando’s reputation of being “difficult” on sets, or accusations of inappropriate conduct on the set of “The Last Tango in Paris,” did not affect his perspective on Brando’s acting ability.
“I don’t care about that one bit,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“Nuremberg,” a historical thriller set in post-war Germany, will launch its sales through WME Independent at the Cannes Film Festival next month. The film stars Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon. Richard E. Grant, Leo Woodall, John Slattery, Mark O’Brien, Colin Hanks, Lydia Peckham, Wrenn Schmidt, Lotte Verbeek and Andreas Pietschmann round out the cast.
The official logline reads: “‘Nuremberg’ chronicles the eponymous trials held by the Allies against the defeated Nazi regime. The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. Shannon will play Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials.”
James Vanderbilt is directing from the script he adapted from the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai.
The official logline reads: “‘Nuremberg’ chronicles the eponymous trials held by the Allies against the defeated Nazi regime. The film will center on American psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Malek), who is tasked with determining whether Nazi prisoners are fit to stand trial for their war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of wits with Hermann Göring (Crowe), Hitler’s right-hand man. Shannon will play Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson, the chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials.”
James Vanderbilt is directing from the script he adapted from the book “The Nazi and the Psychiatrist” by Jack El-Hai.
- 4/29/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
With the release of Zendaya's "Challengers" behind us, it's just about time to focus on the arrival of the 2024 summer movie season. That begins, in earnest, with the release of Universal's "The Fall Guy" this Friday. After a couple of particularly bad weekends at the box office that the industry can frankly ill afford, all eyes are now on summer to help turn the tide. Like it or not, the summer now has an undue amount of pressure on it as theaters look for films capable of filling seats so they can sell enough popcorn to keep the lights on. Unfortunately, the slate we have before us doesn't seem, on paper, like it can compete with what we had last year. As a result, we're doomed to be disappointed by what unfolds in the coming months.
"The Fall Guy," for example, features a pair of big stars in...
"The Fall Guy," for example, features a pair of big stars in...
- 4/29/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Home viewing charts inspire deja vu: “Anyone but You,” a hit as a PVOD release, just debuted at Netflix. It knocked out Netflix’s expensive “Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver” from first place after two weeks, falling to #6.
Similarly, “Dune: Part Two” returned for its second week as #1 at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (which calculates by revenue).
The “Dune” sequel fended off challenges by two recent theatrical releases. Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” (Universal), once intended as a Netflix original, is #2 at iTunes, third at Fandango. The family-oriented “Arthur the King” (Lionsgate) took second at Fandango, but only #6 at iTunes. Both initially are available to rent for 48 hours for $19.99.
Two new home-play debuts also made top 10 lists. “Cash Out” (Saban) is #9 at iTunes, renting at $6.99; starring John Travolta, the critically reviled title may be getting as much attention for its little-known director Ives. That’s...
Similarly, “Dune: Part Two” returned for its second week as #1 at both iTunes (ranking by transactions) and Fandango (which calculates by revenue).
The “Dune” sequel fended off challenges by two recent theatrical releases. Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” (Universal), once intended as a Netflix original, is #2 at iTunes, third at Fandango. The family-oriented “Arthur the King” (Lionsgate) took second at Fandango, but only #6 at iTunes. Both initially are available to rent for 48 hours for $19.99.
Two new home-play debuts also made top 10 lists. “Cash Out” (Saban) is #9 at iTunes, renting at $6.99; starring John Travolta, the critically reviled title may be getting as much attention for its little-known director Ives. That’s...
- 4/29/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Ethan Hawke was nominated at the 2002 Oscars for best supporting actor for his performance in Antoine Fuqua’s crime thriller “Training Day.” He lost the prize to Jim Broadbent (“Iris”), but he immediately got some much-needed perspective from his “Training Day” co-star Denzel Washington, who happened to win the Oscar that same night for best actor.
During a recent interview on Max’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” series, the host asked Hawke about a story he heard in which Washington leaned over to Hawke after the latter’s Oscar loss and whispered in his ear: “It’s better that you didn’t win. Losing was better.”
“You don’t want an award to improve your status. You want to improve the award’s status. That’s the way he thinks,” Hawke said about Washington’s advice in the moment on Oscars night. “That’s what I’m talking about playing with Babe Ruth.
During a recent interview on Max’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?” series, the host asked Hawke about a story he heard in which Washington leaned over to Hawke after the latter’s Oscar loss and whispered in his ear: “It’s better that you didn’t win. Losing was better.”
“You don’t want an award to improve your status. You want to improve the award’s status. That’s the way he thinks,” Hawke said about Washington’s advice in the moment on Oscars night. “That’s what I’m talking about playing with Babe Ruth.
- 4/29/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Paramount Global revenue in the first quarter climbed 6% year-on-year as Paramount+ added 3.7m subscriptions to reach 71m-plus and the streaming business cut losses by more than 40%.
Less than 30 minutes after the company announced the departure of CEO Bob Bakish and the establishment of a new leadership triumvirate comprising divisional heads George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, the trio led a whistlestop earnings call before signing off to the strains of Mission: Impossible without taking analysts’ questions.
Overall revenue for the period ending March 31 climbed 6% year-on-year from $7.4bn to $7.7bn, while operating loss improved 66% from $1.2bn to $417m.
Streaming losses...
Less than 30 minutes after the company announced the departure of CEO Bob Bakish and the establishment of a new leadership triumvirate comprising divisional heads George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, the trio led a whistlestop earnings call before signing off to the strains of Mission: Impossible without taking analysts’ questions.
Overall revenue for the period ending March 31 climbed 6% year-on-year from $7.4bn to $7.7bn, while operating loss improved 66% from $1.2bn to $417m.
Streaming losses...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Paramount Global revenue in the first quarter climbed 6% year-on-year as Paramount+ added 3.7m subscriptions to reach 71m-plus and the streaming business cut losses by more than 40%.
Less than 30 minutes after the company announced the departure of CEO Bob Bakish and the establishment of a new leadership triumvirate comprising divisional heads George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, the trio led a whistlestop earnings call before signing off to the strains of Mission: Impossible without taking analysts’ questions.
Overall revenue for the period ending March 31 climbed 6% year-on-year from $7.4bn to $7.7bn, while operating loss improved 66% from $1.2bn to $417m.
Streaming losses...
Less than 30 minutes after the company announced the departure of CEO Bob Bakish and the establishment of a new leadership triumvirate comprising divisional heads George Cheeks, Chris McCarthy, and Brian Robbins, the trio led a whistlestop earnings call before signing off to the strains of Mission: Impossible without taking analysts’ questions.
Overall revenue for the period ending March 31 climbed 6% year-on-year from $7.4bn to $7.7bn, while operating loss improved 66% from $1.2bn to $417m.
Streaming losses...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Jerry Seinfeld thinks that both film and TV are caput.
The “Seinfeld” co-creator, who also makes his directorial debut with Netflix’s “Unfrosted,” said during The New Yorker Radio Hour that the “extreme left” is to blame for the end of the golden era of comedy, particularly with sitcoms.
“People always need comedy,” Seinfeld said. “It used to be that you would go home at the end of the day…People would go, ‘Oh, ‘Cheers’ is on. ‘M*A*S*H’ is on. Oh, ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ is on. ‘All in the Family’ is on.’ Where is it? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
Seinfeld pointed to the new process by “committee” to create comedy, particularly with writing jokes.
“When you write a script, and it goes into four or five different hands,...
The “Seinfeld” co-creator, who also makes his directorial debut with Netflix’s “Unfrosted,” said during The New Yorker Radio Hour that the “extreme left” is to blame for the end of the golden era of comedy, particularly with sitcoms.
“People always need comedy,” Seinfeld said. “It used to be that you would go home at the end of the day…People would go, ‘Oh, ‘Cheers’ is on. ‘M*A*S*H’ is on. Oh, ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ is on. ‘All in the Family’ is on.’ Where is it? Where is it? This is the result of the extreme left and P.C. crap and people worrying so much about offending other people.”
Seinfeld pointed to the new process by “committee” to create comedy, particularly with writing jokes.
“When you write a script, and it goes into four or five different hands,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Martin Freeman recently spoke to The Times of London about the backlash that erupted over his movie “Miller’s Girl” earlier this year. The erotic thriller opened in theaters in January and caused a stir on social media due to intimate scenes between Freeman and his co-star Jenna Ortega. The movie casts the “Wednesday” favorite as an 18-year-old student who is attracted to her writing teacher (Freeman) and attempts to start an affair with him. Freeman is 31 years older than Ortega.
While some viewers were disturbed by the age gap between the actors and how the film required them to shoot some intimate moments together, Freeman stressed to The Times that “Miller’s Girl” is “grown-up and nuanced.” He also argued that just because the film shows the makings of a potential affair starting between characters who are 31 years apart doesn’t mean it is condoning such behavior.
“It’s not saying,...
While some viewers were disturbed by the age gap between the actors and how the film required them to shoot some intimate moments together, Freeman stressed to The Times that “Miller’s Girl” is “grown-up and nuanced.” He also argued that just because the film shows the makings of a potential affair starting between characters who are 31 years apart doesn’t mean it is condoning such behavior.
“It’s not saying,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
Mystery Inc. rides again! Variety is reporting that the long-running "Scooby-Doo" franchise may be making a leap back to the live-action world, this time courtesy of Netflix. Sources tell the outlet that, unlike past versions of the Hanna-Barbera-created franchise, the new series won't be a comedic mystery but a one-hour drama series. Warner Bros. Television, which has been responsible for other dark teen-centric Netflix shows like "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina" and "Dead Boy Detectives," is set to produce.
Though the deal apparently isn't set in stone yet, the untitled "Scooby-Doo" live-action project is apparently in talks to receive a script-to-series commitment, with the team from Arrowverse maestro Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions (which also helped bring the two above titles to life) set to produce. Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg, the creative duo that co-executive produced shows like Hulu's "High Fidelity" and MGM+'s underrated "From," are set to...
Though the deal apparently isn't set in stone yet, the untitled "Scooby-Doo" live-action project is apparently in talks to receive a script-to-series commitment, with the team from Arrowverse maestro Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions (which also helped bring the two above titles to life) set to produce. Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg, the creative duo that co-executive produced shows like Hulu's "High Fidelity" and MGM+'s underrated "From," are set to...
- 4/29/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Jenna Ortega's evolution from Disney princess to scream queen is about more than just a shift in the types of roles she plays. At some point during her transition from family-friendly TV to darker film roles, the actor has become a global star. Having gained widespread recognition for playing Wednesday Adams in Neftlix's "Wednesday," the now 21-year-old is set to star in the upcoming "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," where her character will fittingly represent a new generation of goth icons as the daughter of Winona Ryder's Lydia Deetz. In other words, Ortega has come a long way since her Disney Channel days. However, she hasn't quite come far enough for some, at least in terms of age.
In January 2024, "Miller's Girl" debuted in theaters. Ortega starred alongside Martin Freeman in this $4 million dollar erotic thriller, which unfortunately made just $890,000 in theaters. Critics weren't too impressed with "Miller's Girl," either, making...
In January 2024, "Miller's Girl" debuted in theaters. Ortega starred alongside Martin Freeman in this $4 million dollar erotic thriller, which unfortunately made just $890,000 in theaters. Critics weren't too impressed with "Miller's Girl," either, making...
- 4/29/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Jeff Bridges is getting digitized once again. The actor revealed that he will be returning for “Tron: Ares,” the third “Tron” movie set for release in 2015 and will star Jared Leto.
Bridges revealed the news on the Film Comment podcast on Friday, saying that he headed out over the weekend to film a part for the threequel and was even anxious about working with an actor like Leto.
“Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work,” Bridges said.
Bridges reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in 2010’s “Tron: Legacy” after he first appeared in the groundbreaking 1982 video-game movie. “Legacy” aimed to push another technical visual effects boundary by de-aging his character, with Bridges playing himself and his younger avatar. But Bridges admitted that he wasn’t quite a fan of his de-aged self, though the technology...
Bridges revealed the news on the Film Comment podcast on Friday, saying that he headed out over the weekend to film a part for the threequel and was even anxious about working with an actor like Leto.
“Jared Leto is the star of this third one. I’m really anxious to work with him. I’ve admired his work,” Bridges said.
Bridges reprised his role as Kevin Flynn in 2010’s “Tron: Legacy” after he first appeared in the groundbreaking 1982 video-game movie. “Legacy” aimed to push another technical visual effects boundary by de-aging his character, with Bridges playing himself and his younger avatar. But Bridges admitted that he wasn’t quite a fan of his de-aged self, though the technology...
- 4/29/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish is out as the company unveiled a triumvirate leadership team shortly before its Q1 earnings report on Monday, amid ongoing uncertainty over who will eventually own the company.
Paramount Global has established an Office of the CEO comprising George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
It is understood Bakish, who has worked with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone for more than 25 years since he joined Viacom in 1997, did not favour the bid...
Paramount Global has established an Office of the CEO comprising George Cheeks, president and CEO of CBS, Chris McCarthy, president and CEO, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, and Brian Robbins, president and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon.
It is understood Bakish, who has worked with controlling shareholder Shari Redstone for more than 25 years since he joined Viacom in 1997, did not favour the bid...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
In a shocking move that is shocking nobody this afternoon, Paramount Global President and CEO Bob Bakish is out. In are his (hopefully) crack replacement team. The “Office of the CEO” gang consists of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon CEO Brian Robbins, Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios President and CEO Chris McCarthy, and CBS President and CEO George Cheeks.
Paramount Global reported its quarterly earnings on Monday, hence the timing. Company executives, those who remain at least, will host a conference call with Wall Street analysts (and the media listening in) at 4:30 p.m. Et.
“Paramount Global includes exceptional assets and we believe strongly in the future value creation potential of the Company,” Shari Redstone, the chair of Paramount’s board, said in a statement. “I have tremendous confidence in George, Chris, and Brian. They have both the ability to develop and execute on a new strategic plan and to work together as true partners.
Paramount Global reported its quarterly earnings on Monday, hence the timing. Company executives, those who remain at least, will host a conference call with Wall Street analysts (and the media listening in) at 4:30 p.m. Et.
“Paramount Global includes exceptional assets and we believe strongly in the future value creation potential of the Company,” Shari Redstone, the chair of Paramount’s board, said in a statement. “I have tremendous confidence in George, Chris, and Brian. They have both the ability to develop and execute on a new strategic plan and to work together as true partners.
- 4/29/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
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