Movie News
Ari Aster and his producing partner Lars Knudsen have boarded Chile’s Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña’s new film “Hansel & Gretel” as executive producers through their company, Square Peg.
The Chilean duo’s feature “The Hyperboreans” forms part of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
The story is expected to twist the fairy tale into inimitable shapes. “It’s our very personal adaptation of the classic fairy tale, with the main difference that Hansel and Gretel are both boys in this version, at least at the beginning of the story,” Cristóbal León told Variety. In this telling, “the story itself gets lost,” León added.
León and Cociña worked with Aster on “Beau is Afraid,” having come to his attention via their feature “The Wolf House,” a winner at Annecy described by Variety as “a jaw-dropping marriage of various animation techniques.”
“Cociña and León are among the true originals working in animation right now.
The Chilean duo’s feature “The Hyperboreans” forms part of Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight.
The story is expected to twist the fairy tale into inimitable shapes. “It’s our very personal adaptation of the classic fairy tale, with the main difference that Hansel and Gretel are both boys in this version, at least at the beginning of the story,” Cristóbal León told Variety. In this telling, “the story itself gets lost,” León added.
León and Cociña worked with Aster on “Beau is Afraid,” having come to his attention via their feature “The Wolf House,” a winner at Annecy described by Variety as “a jaw-dropping marriage of various animation techniques.”
“Cociña and León are among the true originals working in animation right now.
- 5/20/2024
- by Callum McLennan
- Variety - Film News
Not exactly the opening weekend that dreams are made of.
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
Director John Krasinski’s “If,” a fantasy-comedy that promises your imaginary friends from childhood are real, fell slightly short of box office expectations with $35 million. Heading into the weekend, “If” was expected to bring in at least $40 million in its first weekend of release. Based on Friday’s turnout, it looked like “If” would open to $30 million but projections were revised up after Saturday’s strong showing. Ticket sales were enough for first place, but it’s a wobbly start for a PG family film that cost $110 million to make and many millions more to market. It collected an additional $20 million overseas for a global total of $55 million.
The good news for Paramount Pictures, which distributed “If,” is that audiences dug the film, giving it an “A” CinemaScore. Ideally, it’ll have staying power like recent original kid-friendly movies, including “Migration” and “Elemental,...
- 5/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
As the longest running reality television series, “Survivor” has become a household name. Just think of the famous catchphrases. Who hasn’t said they wanted to vote an irritating person “off the island” or used “the tribe has spoken” at one punny point in their life? After three decades of filming, this year’s Season 46 is proving that changes to this season’s unique gameplay combining social, mental, and physical elements is the key to keeping the series exciting, highly discussable, and popular with viewers.
New aspects of the game introduced after the pandemic have earned the last five seasons the fan-dubbed moniker “New Era Survivor” for good reason. Instead of 39 days, “Survivor” is now played in a shorter and more intense 26 days. Forget those lavish days of “Survivor’s” past with building supplies, canned food and rice, and comfy hammocks. Contestants are no longer given any food to start,...
New aspects of the game introduced after the pandemic have earned the last five seasons the fan-dubbed moniker “New Era Survivor” for good reason. Instead of 39 days, “Survivor” is now played in a shorter and more intense 26 days. Forget those lavish days of “Survivor’s” past with building supplies, canned food and rice, and comfy hammocks. Contestants are no longer given any food to start,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Brigid Misselhorn
- Indiewire
Award-winning Malaysian filmmaker Woo Ming Jin has wrapped principal photography on his latest film, “The Fox King,” the producers revealed at the Cannes Film Festival.
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
Set in a coastal Malaysian town in the early 2000s, “The Fox King” tells the story of Ali and Amir, inseparable fraternal twins with a telepathic bond. The brothers are forced to fend for themselves when their father abandons them after remarrying a younger bride. The arrival of a new teacher, Lara, tests their brotherly bond.
The film is headlined by Indonesian star Dian Sastrowardoyo (Netflix’s “Cigarette Girl”) alongside Idan Aedan (“Blood Flower”), Amerul Affendi (“I.D.”), Chew Kin Wah (“Rain Town”) and newcomer Hadi Putra.
“The Fox King” participated in the Tokyo gap financing market and the QCinema project market in 2023. The film is a Sunstrong Entertainment (Venice selection “Snow in Midsummer”) production in collaboration with fellow Malaysian companies Greenlight Pictures and Da Huang Pictures...
- 5/21/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran and Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Dressed like an extra from The Crow, the actor plays a tragicomic supporting character in this drama that feels like a TV pilot show
Set in New York City and filmed in Manchester, England, here is a film that aims to play like a feature-length episode of The Wire or The Sopranos. Naturally, that is not an easy target to hit, and the result, while decent enough, falls somewhat short but is still watchable.
Luke Evans plays Adam, a nice guy who made a terrible mistake in his youth: shooting another young man and going to prison for 16 years. His partner, Donna (Stephanie Leonidas), has brought up their son Jimmy to believe his dad simply skipped town and abandoned them, so she’s none too chuffed to find Adam back in the neighbourhood and desperate to reconnect with a now-teenaged Jimmy (Rudy Pankow).
Set in New York City and filmed in Manchester, England, here is a film that aims to play like a feature-length episode of The Wire or The Sopranos. Naturally, that is not an easy target to hit, and the result, while decent enough, falls somewhat short but is still watchable.
Luke Evans plays Adam, a nice guy who made a terrible mistake in his youth: shooting another young man and going to prison for 16 years. His partner, Donna (Stephanie Leonidas), has brought up their son Jimmy to believe his dad simply skipped town and abandoned them, so she’s none too chuffed to find Adam back in the neighbourhood and desperate to reconnect with a now-teenaged Jimmy (Rudy Pankow).
- 5/21/2024
- by Catherine Bray
- The Guardian - Film News
AGC International has closed major territory sales here in Cannes on Eden, Ron Howard’s all-star survival thriller and potential awards season contender which is tipped to land a Venice world premiere slot.
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
AGC International has closed major territory sales here in Cannes on Eden, Ron Howard’s all-star survival thriller and potential awards season contender which is tipped to land a Venice world premiere slot.
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
AGC International has closed major territory sales here in Cannes on Eden, Ron Howard’s all-star survival thriller and potential awards season contender which is tipped to land a Venice world premiere slot.
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
A multi-territory deal with Amazon Prime Video includes the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, France, Scandinavia, Spain, Latin America, Japan, South Korea, South Africa, India, Turkey, West Indies, and Asia pay-tv.
Jude Law, Ana de Armas, Sydney Sweeney, Vanessa Kirby, and Daniel Brühl star in the story based on an unsolved mystery in the Galapagos which explores the lengths people go in pursuit of happiness.
Rights...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Erke Dzhumakmatova and Emil Atageldiev’s gritty drama Kurak is set to be the first official France-Kyrgyzstan co-production, following an agreement signed between Cnc and Kyrgyzstan’s Cinema Department in Cannes.
Through Oymo Studio, director Dzhumakmatova is also the main producer of Kurak, an international collaboration co-produced with France’s Johann Chapelan of Girelle Production, along with Kairat Birimkulov from Switzerland’s Kbp and Katerina Tarbo-Ignatenko from Serbia’s Spirito Libero.
Based on true events, the film touches on the disempowerment of women against the background of the patriarchal society of modern-day Kyrgyzstan. It is set in the capital Bishkek,...
Through Oymo Studio, director Dzhumakmatova is also the main producer of Kurak, an international collaboration co-produced with France’s Johann Chapelan of Girelle Production, along with Kairat Birimkulov from Switzerland’s Kbp and Katerina Tarbo-Ignatenko from Serbia’s Spirito Libero.
Based on true events, the film touches on the disempowerment of women against the background of the patriarchal society of modern-day Kyrgyzstan. It is set in the capital Bishkek,...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Mongolia’s film industry is on the rise, with a momentum that began at Cannes in 2023.
Zoljargal Purevdash’s If Only I Could Hibernate was the first Mongolian film to be shown in Cannes’ official selection when it played in Un Certain Regard last year, going on to win a jury prize at Tokyo FilmEx and scoring box-office success both at home and internationally.
It was followed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City Of Wind, the first feature from the Asian country to play Toronto and Venice.
Both features followed the introduction of a film law in January 2022 to promote production in Mongolia,...
Zoljargal Purevdash’s If Only I Could Hibernate was the first Mongolian film to be shown in Cannes’ official selection when it played in Un Certain Regard last year, going on to win a jury prize at Tokyo FilmEx and scoring box-office success both at home and internationally.
It was followed by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir’s City Of Wind, the first feature from the Asian country to play Toronto and Venice.
Both features followed the introduction of a film law in January 2022 to promote production in Mongolia,...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Amid a generally positive market the familiar gripe of high asking prices has sent a clear message that buyers and sellers are finding it increasingly tough to reconcile their respective financial models.
The tension remains particularly acute on A-list market packages, where independent producers have fought (and paid) to attract and hold on to talent in a post-strike world where hefty offers from studios and streamers, driven by talent agents, have been hard to resist.
The ripple effect has forced sales agents to push up their asks in order to recoup financiers’ investments. Sales estimates set more than a year ago,...
The tension remains particularly acute on A-list market packages, where independent producers have fought (and paid) to attract and hold on to talent in a post-strike world where hefty offers from studios and streamers, driven by talent agents, have been hard to resist.
The ripple effect has forced sales agents to push up their asks in order to recoup financiers’ investments. Sales estimates set more than a year ago,...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Iran’s independent filmmakers are making their presence felt in Cannes, despite the challenges they face at home or in exile abroad.
A key focus is the premiere of Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig which premieres at Cannes on May 24. The dissident filmmaker fled Iran earlier this month after receiving an eight-year prison sentence.
It is understood that some 70 independent Iranian films were submitted to Cannes this year, while the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (Iifa) has a stand in the Market.
Also making an impact in Cannes is the Woman Life Freedom Project with billboard posters...
A key focus is the premiere of Mohammad Rasoulof’s The Seed Of The Sacred Fig which premieres at Cannes on May 24. The dissident filmmaker fled Iran earlier this month after receiving an eight-year prison sentence.
It is understood that some 70 independent Iranian films were submitted to Cannes this year, while the Iranian Independent Filmmakers Association (Iifa) has a stand in the Market.
Also making an impact in Cannes is the Woman Life Freedom Project with billboard posters...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Agathe Riedinger’s debut feature Wild Diamond has dazzled buyers following its premiere in Cannes Competition, with France’s Pyramide International selling the film to key territories.
The film has been scooped up by Wild Bunch Germany for German-speaking territories, Caramel in Spain, Filmcoopie in Switzerland, September Film in Benelux, Academy Two in Italy, Beta Film in Bulgaria and Mars Production in Turkey. Deals with Latin America, Portugal, Sweden, Cis and ex-Yugoslavia are also in the works.
The film is about a 19 year-old girl in southern France, played by newcomer Malou Khebizi, obsessed with beauty and the quest for fame...
The film has been scooped up by Wild Bunch Germany for German-speaking territories, Caramel in Spain, Filmcoopie in Switzerland, September Film in Benelux, Academy Two in Italy, Beta Film in Bulgaria and Mars Production in Turkey. Deals with Latin America, Portugal, Sweden, Cis and ex-Yugoslavia are also in the works.
The film is about a 19 year-old girl in southern France, played by newcomer Malou Khebizi, obsessed with beauty and the quest for fame...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine As Light , the first Indian film to play in Cannes competition in 30 years, has lit up the market with sales to a slew of territories.
Paris-based sales house Luxbox has sold the film ahead of its Thursday (May 23) Cannes premiere to Atalante in Spain, Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Lev Cinemas in Israel, DDDReam in China, Lighthouse in Singapore, Gutek Film in Poland, Cinobo in Greece, Green Narae Media in South Korea, Trigon-Film in Switzerland, Kino Pavasaris for the Baltics, and McF Megacom for former Yugoslavia.
Set and shot in Mumbai, All We Imagine As Light...
Paris-based sales house Luxbox has sold the film ahead of its Thursday (May 23) Cannes premiere to Atalante in Spain, Leopardo Filmes in Portugal, Lev Cinemas in Israel, DDDReam in China, Lighthouse in Singapore, Gutek Film in Poland, Cinobo in Greece, Green Narae Media in South Korea, Trigon-Film in Switzerland, Kino Pavasaris for the Baltics, and McF Megacom for former Yugoslavia.
Set and shot in Mumbai, All We Imagine As Light...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Mathias Holtz has been elected as the new president of European exhibition network Europa Cinemas, with Metka Dariš confirmed as vice-president.
Holtz is programming manager for Swedish exhibitor Folkets Hus och Parker and was previously VP of the organisation, and he replaces outgoing president Nico Simon. Dariš is the director of the cinema Kinodvor in the Slovenian capital Lublijana.
Europa Cinemas comprises a network of 1,263 cinemas and 3,121 screens in 39 countries, providing financial, training and networking support to cinemas that devote significant part of their screenings to non-national European films. It is headed by CEO Fatima Djoumer who took over last year from founder Claude-Eric Poiroux.
Holtz is programming manager for Swedish exhibitor Folkets Hus och Parker and was previously VP of the organisation, and he replaces outgoing president Nico Simon. Dariš is the director of the cinema Kinodvor in the Slovenian capital Lublijana.
Europa Cinemas comprises a network of 1,263 cinemas and 3,121 screens in 39 countries, providing financial, training and networking support to cinemas that devote significant part of their screenings to non-national European films. It is headed by CEO Fatima Djoumer who took over last year from founder Claude-Eric Poiroux.
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
French actress Kim Higelin will lead the cast of Earl Grey, a UK-French co-production by debut director Ornella Pacchioni.
Earl Grey is adapted from Pacchioni’s 2022 novel Londres a beau etre une ville laide. It is a co-production between France’s Master Movies and UK company Candid Broads Productions, with backing from French network France2.
The film follows the story of a French girl living in London who, on the day of her 23rd birthday, allows herself 24 hours before ending her life; until she meets an enigmatic stranger.
Production will begin this autumn, with UK casting underway for the role of the stranger.
Earl Grey is adapted from Pacchioni’s 2022 novel Londres a beau etre une ville laide. It is a co-production between France’s Master Movies and UK company Candid Broads Productions, with backing from French network France2.
The film follows the story of a French girl living in London who, on the day of her 23rd birthday, allows herself 24 hours before ending her life; until she meets an enigmatic stranger.
Production will begin this autumn, with UK casting underway for the role of the stranger.
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chilean producer Tomas Gerlach Mora of A Simple Vista has struck a deal in the Cannes Marché for Colombia’s Rhayuela Films to join as co-producer on the upcoming genre film Dog Legs (Patas De Perro) starring Chilean A-lister Alfredo Castro.
Matías Rojas Valencia will direct and established his reputation with San Sebastián Horizontes Latinos 2013 selection Root and Tallinn 2021 entry A Place Called Dignity.
Based on the 1960 novel by Chilean literary giant Carlos Droguett, Dog Legs follows a lonely man who adopts a child born with the legs of a dog and is met with escalating violence when he tries...
Matías Rojas Valencia will direct and established his reputation with San Sebastián Horizontes Latinos 2013 selection Root and Tallinn 2021 entry A Place Called Dignity.
Based on the 1960 novel by Chilean literary giant Carlos Droguett, Dog Legs follows a lonely man who adopts a child born with the legs of a dog and is met with escalating violence when he tries...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Los Angeles-based Concourse Media has reported brisk pre-sales here on its action thriller Raider starring Aaron Eckhart as the US president and Danny Huston as the head of the Secret Service.
Rights have closed in Germany (Constantin Film), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto), Spain (Second Gen Pictures), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Eastern Europe (MediaSquad), Cis (Paradise), Indonesia, (Pt Prima), Middle East (Grant Entertainment), and Israel (Shoval Film).
Talks are underway on a North American sale and production is scheduled to begin in Spain in autumn.
Raider tells the story of the recently elected US president who sweeps into power...
Rights have closed in Germany (Constantin Film), Australia/New Zealand (Rialto), Spain (Second Gen Pictures), Italy (Eagle Pictures), Scandinavia (Mis Label), Eastern Europe (MediaSquad), Cis (Paradise), Indonesia, (Pt Prima), Middle East (Grant Entertainment), and Israel (Shoval Film).
Talks are underway on a North American sale and production is scheduled to begin in Spain in autumn.
Raider tells the story of the recently elected US president who sweeps into power...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Action choreographer Brahim Chab, who recently staged the action sequences for Deve Patel’s “Monkey Man,” has joined the crew of “Blood Passage.” To be directed by The Philippines’ Pedring Lopez, who recently completed the prison drama series “Sellblock.”
“Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. It s tory follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces.
The film is the first to emerge from the alliance between Lopez’s Blackops Studios Asia and Alaric Tay’s Very Tay Media.
The film will be produced by Rex Lopez for Blackops Studios Asia & Psyops8 and Tay for Very Tay Media. Fred Hedman of Evolution Pictures and Gfm Film Sales, and Christopher Shaw, scion of the Shaw Brothers legacy, will executive produce. Sonny Sisson, who provided stunts on Lopez’s “Sellblock,” will return in a similar role.
“Blood Passage” is a martial arts vampire action horror feature set in Southeast Asia. It s tory follows a rescue mission gone wrong, that pits a private military unit against relentless supernatural forces.
The film is the first to emerge from the alliance between Lopez’s Blackops Studios Asia and Alaric Tay’s Very Tay Media.
The film will be produced by Rex Lopez for Blackops Studios Asia & Psyops8 and Tay for Very Tay Media. Fred Hedman of Evolution Pictures and Gfm Film Sales, and Christopher Shaw, scion of the Shaw Brothers legacy, will executive produce. Sonny Sisson, who provided stunts on Lopez’s “Sellblock,” will return in a similar role.
- 5/21/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
As part of Variety‘s Global Conversations Summit at the Cannes 2024 Film Festival, Variety executive editor Tatiana Siegel sat down with New Zealand Film Commission CEO Annie Murray and Philippa Mossman, head of International Screen Attraction at New Zealand Film Commission, to talk about the country’s thriving film industry.
Murray’s most recent project with the New Zealand Film Commission is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now...
Murray’s most recent project with the New Zealand Film Commission is a pop-up intensive film school by writer and director Jane Campion. Campion has hand-picked a class of ten filmmakers from 300 applicants and is taking them through a two-year program where they will develop and shoot original short films.
“What’s really important to [Campion] is that all the participants are paid to attend,” Murray explained. “So that removes barriers. It’s a super diverse group and they have spent a year with Dame Jane, who is not taking a fee and so very generously giving her time. And now...
- 5/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
In 2023, Saudi Arabian film agency Film AlUla formed AlUla Creates, a local initiative that provides funding, mentorship and networking opportunities for Saudi filmmakers and fashion designers. And in just one year, AlUla Creates has exploded into a global brand, already hosting 123 international productions in the scenic valleys of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
“We call it a living museum,” said marketing director at Film AlUla Mahsa Motamedi. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
As part of the Variety Global Conversations Summit at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli sat down with Motamedi, director Maram Taibah and sister filmmakers Raneem and Dana Almohandes to discuss the impact of AlUla Creates on the Saudi Arabian film industry.
Taibah is one of the many young filmmakers who found support from AlUla Creates. After her sister sent her an Instagram ad for the program, she knew immediately she wanted to join.
“We call it a living museum,” said marketing director at Film AlUla Mahsa Motamedi. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
As part of the Variety Global Conversations Summit at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, Variety‘s Italy and Middle East correspondent Nick Vivarelli sat down with Motamedi, director Maram Taibah and sister filmmakers Raneem and Dana Almohandes to discuss the impact of AlUla Creates on the Saudi Arabian film industry.
Taibah is one of the many young filmmakers who found support from AlUla Creates. After her sister sent her an Instagram ad for the program, she knew immediately she wanted to join.
- 5/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The late, great George A. Romero didn't invent the zombie movie, but his "Dead" saga certainly helped bring it to prominence. Things began with Romero's now-classic "Night of the Living Dead," a low-budget shocker that became a monster hit when it arrived in 1968. All told, Romero would direct six "Dead" films — "Night of the Living Dead" (1968), "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), "Day of the Dead" (1985), "Land of the Dead" (2005) "Diary of the Dead" (2007), and "Survival of the Dead" (2009). While the later films have their fans, most folks agree that the original trilogy — "Night," "Dawn," and "Day" — are the best of the bunch, with "Dawn" often being hailed as the masterpiece of the series.
But it's important to remember that Romero didn't exactly map this series out from the jump. He wasn't initially planning on a whole franchise when he sat down to make "Night of the Living Dead." Indeed, after...
But it's important to remember that Romero didn't exactly map this series out from the jump. He wasn't initially planning on a whole franchise when he sat down to make "Night of the Living Dead." Indeed, after...
- 5/21/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign has threatened legal action against the makers of The Apprentice, Ali Abassi’s biographical drama that premiered in the Cannes competition on Sunday (May 19).
In a statement about the film released to the Hollywood trades on Monday, campaign chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said: “We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers. This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalises lies that have been long debunked.”
“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation,” the statement added, “should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a...
In a statement about the film released to the Hollywood trades on Monday, campaign chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said: “We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers. This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalises lies that have been long debunked.”
“This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation,” the statement added, “should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a...
- 5/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
"Minority Report" was shot before the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, but you wouldn't know it. Director Steven Spielberg's 2002 adaptation of Philip K. Dick's 1956 sci-fi novella "The Minority Report" plays almost like a direct response to the post-9/11 War on Terror, in particular the Bush doctrine of preemptive strikes. Set in a version of 2054 where three psychics known as "precogs" are used to locate and arrest people before they commit murder, "Minority Report" wrestles with the concept of free will, in the process raising big questions about due process and profiling. Even the movie's "happy" ending leaves some room for uncertainty about what's to come in the future.
At the same time, "Minority Report" is a blast and a half. Amidst its many weird, creepy moments and noir mystery plot, Spielberg serves up some of the most whiz-bang action scenes he's ever directed. From a bare-knuckle brawl in the...
At the same time, "Minority Report" is a blast and a half. Amidst its many weird, creepy moments and noir mystery plot, Spielberg serves up some of the most whiz-bang action scenes he's ever directed. From a bare-knuckle brawl in the...
- 5/21/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Star Trek: Discovery."
In its final season, "Star Trek: Discovery" has reintroduced a species of aliens that "Star Trek" fans haven't seen in live-action in decades. The Breen, a mysterious warrior race that first appeared in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," have made their surprise return in recent weeks thanks to the gooier half of ill-fated courier duo Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis).
In their original incarnation, the Breen appeared clad in metal helmets with snout-like protrusions and green laser-like eye bands. They were typically covered up in outfits featuring diagonal metal bands, and though characters on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" often made offhand comments about what the then-unseen aliens might be like, little was explained about their culture in the 20th century "Star Trek" shows. Enter "Discovery," which has a long track record of building upon and deepening existing in-universe lore.
In its final season, "Star Trek: Discovery" has reintroduced a species of aliens that "Star Trek" fans haven't seen in live-action in decades. The Breen, a mysterious warrior race that first appeared in "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," have made their surprise return in recent weeks thanks to the gooier half of ill-fated courier duo Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis).
In their original incarnation, the Breen appeared clad in metal helmets with snout-like protrusions and green laser-like eye bands. They were typically covered up in outfits featuring diagonal metal bands, and though characters on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" often made offhand comments about what the then-unseen aliens might be like, little was explained about their culture in the 20th century "Star Trek" shows. Enter "Discovery," which has a long track record of building upon and deepening existing in-universe lore.
- 5/21/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
You ever wondered what it would be like to see bug Bugs Bunny fight Wonder Woman? If so, weird, but congratulations, there’s a new game for you! Announced in 2021 and beta-tested between July 2022 and June 2023, “MultiVersus” is a free-to-play crossover fighting game in the vein of “Super Smash Bros.” but featuring characters from various Warner Bros. properties such as Tom and Jerry, Arya Stark from “Game of Thrones,” DC staples including Batman, Superman, and the Joker, and even Rick and Morty. In a recently released trailer, latest additions were revealed to include Jason Voorhees and Agent Smith from “The Matrix” franchise.
The game’s official description reads: “Step into the fray of our MultiVerse, where every match is a wild jamboree of iconic characters throwing down in wonderfully weird ways. Pair Marvin the Martian and Arya Stark, or Velma with Batman. Get ready for a rollercoaster of fun and...
The game’s official description reads: “Step into the fray of our MultiVerse, where every match is a wild jamboree of iconic characters throwing down in wonderfully weird ways. Pair Marvin the Martian and Arya Stark, or Velma with Batman. Get ready for a rollercoaster of fun and...
- 5/21/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Unfolding in the cramped corridors of Hong Kong’s Kowloon Walled City (it was one of the most dangerously dense urban areas on Earth before being demolished in 1993), Soi Cheang’s ’80s-set “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In” delivers on its blockbuster action promise. However, its martial arts spectacle is scattered across a sprawling refugees-and-triads saga that, while adequately laying foundation for the aforementioned fisticuffs, is seldom coherent or engaging on its own.
Based on the Chinese comic “City of Darkness” by Andy Seto, the film follows Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls. When he ends up double crossed by remorseless triad leader Mr. Big (legendary actor-director Sammo Hung), the desperate outsider steals a satchel of the head honcho’s cocaine and makes a run for the Walled City, which Cheang and cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung capture as a darkened citadel,...
Based on the Chinese comic “City of Darkness” by Andy Seto, the film follows Chan Lok-kwun (Raymond Lam), a mainland refugee trying to pay his way to a fake ID by winning bare-knuckle brawls. When he ends up double crossed by remorseless triad leader Mr. Big (legendary actor-director Sammo Hung), the desperate outsider steals a satchel of the head honcho’s cocaine and makes a run for the Walled City, which Cheang and cinematographer Cheng Siu-keung capture as a darkened citadel,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Siddhant Adlakha
- Variety - Film News
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in May 2023. It has since been updated with new films to crack the Cannes 5-minute mark.]
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
No matter how badly your week is going, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the fact that you’re not currently embroiled in a violent feud with a snake venom dealer who calls himself Butcher Hu. But we can’t all be so lucky.
Lang (Eddie Peng) is a changed man since coming out of prison. Emotionally callused and silent by choice, you’d never guess that he was once a beloved entertainer who played rock music and rode motorcycles in the local circus. But when he leaves the joint and returns to his small hometown in China’s Gobi Desert, there’s nothing waiting for him except bad vibes. His father is drinking himself to death at the local zoo, his neighbors resent him for his perceived crimes and assume he got a light sentence because of his celebrity, and his town is overrun with rabid dogs. To make matters worse,...
Lang (Eddie Peng) is a changed man since coming out of prison. Emotionally callused and silent by choice, you’d never guess that he was once a beloved entertainer who played rock music and rode motorcycles in the local circus. But when he leaves the joint and returns to his small hometown in China’s Gobi Desert, there’s nothing waiting for him except bad vibes. His father is drinking himself to death at the local zoo, his neighbors resent him for his perceived crimes and assume he got a light sentence because of his celebrity, and his town is overrun with rabid dogs. To make matters worse,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is hitting back following the premiere of the controversial film “The Apprentice,” which chronicles the 2024 presidential candidate’s early years as a real estate developer.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” the Trump campaign’s chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Variety. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked. As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.”
Cheung’s statement continues, “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-dvd section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.
“We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,” the Trump campaign’s chief spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement to Variety. “This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked. As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.”
Cheung’s statement continues, “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-dvd section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.
- 5/20/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
As lovely and lilting as hearing Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” over a crackly record player on a snow-flecked day, Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Okuyama’s second feature “My Sunshine” is a moving coming-of-age drama about kids facing up to the troubles of adulthood.
This gently composed story of an ice-skating coach on the island of Hokkaido, and his two young pupils, has darker dynamics under its sleeve than the emotionally generous time-to-face-the-music-of-growing-up story that’s on its surface. It’s told in furtive glances and silent pacts against a frost-dappled backdrop, the end of winter coming soon, as two adolescents form a bond on the ice rink that complicates the private life of their instructor. Japan would be wise to submit “My Sunshine,” the second feature from “Jesus” director Okuyama, for the Best International Feature Oscar. Both the glass-half-full and the glass-half-empty corners of the audience will resonate with...
This gently composed story of an ice-skating coach on the island of Hokkaido, and his two young pupils, has darker dynamics under its sleeve than the emotionally generous time-to-face-the-music-of-growing-up story that’s on its surface. It’s told in furtive glances and silent pacts against a frost-dappled backdrop, the end of winter coming soon, as two adolescents form a bond on the ice rink that complicates the private life of their instructor. Japan would be wise to submit “My Sunshine,” the second feature from “Jesus” director Okuyama, for the Best International Feature Oscar. Both the glass-half-full and the glass-half-empty corners of the audience will resonate with...
- 5/20/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Scarlett Johansson said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted her last September about voicing the current ChatGPT 4.0 system but that she declined. After the launch of “Sky” that resembles her voice, Johansson said she’s hired legal counsel to demand more information about how the company created the AI voice model, leading the company to today “pause” its usage.
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement obtained by NPR on Monday, May 20.
Johansson said Altman contacted her agents two days before the release of ChatGPT 4.0 asking her to reconsider, but the demo featuring Sky was launched before they had the chance to meet.
The statement also refers to Altman’s May 13 tweet of the word “her,...
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement obtained by NPR on Monday, May 20.
Johansson said Altman contacted her agents two days before the release of ChatGPT 4.0 asking her to reconsider, but the demo featuring Sky was launched before they had the chance to meet.
The statement also refers to Altman’s May 13 tweet of the word “her,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Before becoming one of Hollywood’s most beloved leading men, Chris Pratt lived in an apartment behind the TLC Chinese Theater. Well into the early morning, he would wander on the Walk of Fame and stare at the stars beneath his feet, wondering if his time in the spotlight would ever come.
Pratt returned to the Hollywood landmark on Sunday, not to lament over broken dreams, but to help introduce Garfield creator Jim Davis as he cemented his signature outside the TLC Chinese Theater at “The Garfield Movie” premiere.
“[He] absolutely rocked the part,” said Davis about Pratt’s performance as the lasagna-loving cat. “You laugh just listening to [his] kind of timing. He also has the ability to go over to the softer side and to sound angry and stuff like that. So, it’s not just the humor, but his ability to bring out all sides of the character.”
Starring Pratt,...
Pratt returned to the Hollywood landmark on Sunday, not to lament over broken dreams, but to help introduce Garfield creator Jim Davis as he cemented his signature outside the TLC Chinese Theater at “The Garfield Movie” premiere.
“[He] absolutely rocked the part,” said Davis about Pratt’s performance as the lasagna-loving cat. “You laugh just listening to [his] kind of timing. He also has the ability to go over to the softer side and to sound angry and stuff like that. So, it’s not just the humor, but his ability to bring out all sides of the character.”
Starring Pratt,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales has purchased Criterion and Janus Films.
The mission and leadership of the companies will not change following the private transaction.
Screen Daily was first to report the news of the sale. “We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” said Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker told the outlet. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Janus Films was founded in 1954 by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., and has since become the preeminent distributor of international classic films in the United States. Recent films include “Drive My Car,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Eo” and “The Beast.” On Monday, Sideshow and Janus films acquired...
The mission and leadership of the companies will not change following the private transaction.
Screen Daily was first to report the news of the sale. “We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” said Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker told the outlet. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Janus Films was founded in 1954 by Bryant Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., and has since become the preeminent distributor of international classic films in the United States. Recent films include “Drive My Car,” “Evil Does Not Exist,” “Eo” and “The Beast.” On Monday, Sideshow and Janus films acquired...
- 5/20/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety - Film News
Are we on the verge of a Livelaissance? Four years after her last live-action movie role, Blake Lively is returning to the big screen this year with "It Ends With Us." The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling toxic relationship novel made waves this past week with the arrival of its trailer, which even came fitted with an appropriately bleary-eyed tune by Lively's buddy Taylor Swift. It's also a reminder of just how well Livelites (which is what I'm calling Lively fans until I come up with a better name) were eating in the 2010s.
We're talking about a decade in which the "Gossip Girl" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" alum was in a marijuana-growing throuple in "Savages," played a woman who stopped aging at 29 and dated a young Harrison Ford in "The Age of Adaline," and killed a great white shark with her bare hands in "The Shallows...
We're talking about a decade in which the "Gossip Girl" and "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" alum was in a marijuana-growing throuple in "Savages," played a woman who stopped aging at 29 and dated a young Harrison Ford in "The Age of Adaline," and killed a great white shark with her bare hands in "The Shallows...
- 5/20/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Criterion and its sister distribution arm Janus Films each have a new owner: Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales.
Rales has acquired both Criterion and Janus in a private transaction, IndieWire has learned according to two individuals, giving the home for classic and art house films a new leader.
However, as Screen Daily first reported, leadership, including Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker, is expected to remain in place, and the overall mission of both companies is not expected to change, per a source.
“We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” Becker said in a statement to Screen. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Reps for Janus Films...
Rales has acquired both Criterion and Janus in a private transaction, IndieWire has learned according to two individuals, giving the home for classic and art house films a new leader.
However, as Screen Daily first reported, leadership, including Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker, is expected to remain in place, and the overall mission of both companies is not expected to change, per a source.
“We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” Becker said in a statement to Screen. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Reps for Janus Films...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” the horror auteur’s latest film about a widow who invents technology to see inside his late wife’s grave, received a 3.5-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere on Monday night.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
- 5/20/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Lionsgate has added three movies to its release calendar.
“Flight Risk,” an aviation thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, will land on Oct. 18, 2024, while Dave Bautista-led action-comedy “The Killer’s Game” will debut on Sept. 13, 2024. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler’s sequel “Den of Thieves: Pantera” will open on Jan. 10, 2025.
“Flight Risk” is scheduled to debut on the big screen alongside Paramount’s “Smile 2.” In “Flight Risk,” Wahlberg plays a balding and psychotic mob hitman who tricks a federal agent into allowing him to pilot a plane carrying an informant (Topher Grace) out of a remote area. The movie reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who worked together in the past on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
“The Killer’s Game” will open on the same day as Universal’s horror remake “Speak No Evil,” starring James McAvoy. Adapted from Jay R. Bonansinga’s book of the same name, this...
“Flight Risk,” an aviation thriller starring Mark Wahlberg and directed by Mel Gibson, will land on Oct. 18, 2024, while Dave Bautista-led action-comedy “The Killer’s Game” will debut on Sept. 13, 2024. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler’s sequel “Den of Thieves: Pantera” will open on Jan. 10, 2025.
“Flight Risk” is scheduled to debut on the big screen alongside Paramount’s “Smile 2.” In “Flight Risk,” Wahlberg plays a balding and psychotic mob hitman who tricks a federal agent into allowing him to pilot a plane carrying an informant (Topher Grace) out of a remote area. The movie reunites Gibson and Wahlberg, who worked together in the past on “Father Stu” and “Daddy’s Home 2.”
“The Killer’s Game” will open on the same day as Universal’s horror remake “Speak No Evil,” starring James McAvoy. Adapted from Jay R. Bonansinga’s book of the same name, this...
- 5/20/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety - Film News
Cannes film festival
Elaborate necrophiliac meditation on loss and longing stars Vincent Cassel as an oncologist who has founded a restaurant with a hi-tech cemetery attached
David Cronenberg’s new film is a contorted sphinx without a secret, an eroticised necrophiliac meditation on grief, longing and loss that returns this director to his now very familiar Ballardian fetishes. It’s intriguing and exhausting: a quasi-murder mystery and doppelganger sex drama combined with a sci-fi conspiracy thriller which comes very close to participating in that very xenophobia it purports to satirise. And among its exasperating plot convolutions, there is a centrally important oncologist who was having a possible affair with the hero’s dead wife and who had also been her first sexual partner as a teenager – but who never appears on camera.
Yet for all this, the film has its own creepy, enveloping mausoleum atmosphere of disquiet, helped by the...
Elaborate necrophiliac meditation on loss and longing stars Vincent Cassel as an oncologist who has founded a restaurant with a hi-tech cemetery attached
David Cronenberg’s new film is a contorted sphinx without a secret, an eroticised necrophiliac meditation on grief, longing and loss that returns this director to his now very familiar Ballardian fetishes. It’s intriguing and exhausting: a quasi-murder mystery and doppelganger sex drama combined with a sci-fi conspiracy thriller which comes very close to participating in that very xenophobia it purports to satirise. And among its exasperating plot convolutions, there is a centrally important oncologist who was having a possible affair with the hero’s dead wife and who had also been her first sexual partner as a teenager – but who never appears on camera.
Yet for all this, the film has its own creepy, enveloping mausoleum atmosphere of disquiet, helped by the...
- 5/20/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Inspired by the loss of the director’s wife, “The Shrouds” is a grief story as only David Cronenberg would ever think to shoot one: Sardonic, unsentimental, and often so cadaverously stiff that the film itself appears to be suffering from rigor mortis, as if its images died at some point along their brief journey from the projector to the screen. And really, what else would you expect? I suppose it’s possible that the story’s deeply personal context might have spurred Cronenberg to push against the tender sterility of his recent features, or even dare to expose the soft underbelly that’s always been hiding inside his tumorous body of work and its many layers of scary-beautiful new flesh. If so, it almost immediately becomes clear that he had zero interest in accepting that invitation.
A quintessentially late film from an artist who’s always been ahead of his time,...
A quintessentially late film from an artist who’s always been ahead of his time,...
- 5/20/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
The pop culture nostalgia cycle might have moved on to the early 2000s, but for many filmmakers and movie fans, the '80s will never go out of style. That's certainly true for director Ti West, who returns this year with the third chapter of his horror trilogy that started with 2022's "X" and was shortly followed by a surprise prequel, "Pearl." Star Mia Goth will return for this summer's bloody conclusion, "MaXXXine," in which aspiring adult film star (and massacre survivor) Maxine Minx is now trying to break into mainstream movies with a role in horror movie "The Puritan II."
"MaXXXine" is set in 1985 Los Angeles, six years after the events of "X." West recently told Empire magazine that "the '80s aspect of it was a natural, chronological thing" -- but that it was also a great opportunity to draw inspiration from '80s movies. For many people,...
"MaXXXine" is set in 1985 Los Angeles, six years after the events of "X." West recently told Empire magazine that "the '80s aspect of it was a natural, chronological thing" -- but that it was also a great opportunity to draw inspiration from '80s movies. For many people,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Before digital tools allowed composers to simulate any instrument on a laptop, musical scores for TV were simple melodies performed by a handful of session musicians. The newer technology meant those musicians lost their jobs; so did the guy who transcribed the composer’s scores.
However: That doesn’t mean scores require fewer people, or became cheaper to produce.
Today, even the smallest TV shows employ full orchestras. Tech made things easier, but the cost to produce scores for film and TV has only increased. With greater possibilities, more advanced jobs replaced those that were lost.
That’s the analogy Matt Nix, showrunner for “Burn Notice” and the recent “True Lies,” used when describing the advent of artificial intelligence at the May 16 AI on the Lot summit at Los Angeles Center Studios. He rejected the idea that AI will become a pathway to low-cost filmmaking and TV production that uses...
However: That doesn’t mean scores require fewer people, or became cheaper to produce.
Today, even the smallest TV shows employ full orchestras. Tech made things easier, but the cost to produce scores for film and TV has only increased. With greater possibilities, more advanced jobs replaced those that were lost.
That’s the analogy Matt Nix, showrunner for “Burn Notice” and the recent “True Lies,” used when describing the advent of artificial intelligence at the May 16 AI on the Lot summit at Los Angeles Center Studios. He rejected the idea that AI will become a pathway to low-cost filmmaking and TV production that uses...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
It proved to be the most disturbing scene in a movie chock full of unflattering sequences about Donald Trump.
In Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) violently throws his then-wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) to the ground and proceeds to have nonconsensual sex with her.
In the controversial scene, Ivana playfully presents a book to her husband about the merits of a female orgasm. But the interaction between the two turns dark quickly, as an uninterested Trump tells his wife that he is no longer attracted to her. They argue, and then Trump throws her to the ground. As he angrily thrusts himself into her, an icy Trump sneers: “Is that your G spot? Did I find it?”
Heading into tonight’s premiere, insiders insisted that the scene, which Variety previously reported on, was consensual but uncomfortable. But reactions within the Palais said otherwise. One woman in her 20s called the scene,...
In Ali Abbasi’s “The Apprentice,” Trump (played by Sebastian Stan) violently throws his then-wife Ivana (Maria Bakalova) to the ground and proceeds to have nonconsensual sex with her.
In the controversial scene, Ivana playfully presents a book to her husband about the merits of a female orgasm. But the interaction between the two turns dark quickly, as an uninterested Trump tells his wife that he is no longer attracted to her. They argue, and then Trump throws her to the ground. As he angrily thrusts himself into her, an icy Trump sneers: “Is that your G spot? Did I find it?”
Heading into tonight’s premiere, insiders insisted that the scene, which Variety previously reported on, was consensual but uncomfortable. But reactions within the Palais said otherwise. One woman in her 20s called the scene,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety - Film News
John Krasinski’s “If” presents a menagerie of celebrity-voiced imaginary friends who are in search of existential purpose after their kids grow up and forget them. Enter Ryan Reynolds, who runs a matchmaking service for the “IFs,” who live in a secluded retirement home at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island.
Framestore handled the audacious fusion of live-action and CG animation and VFX (800 shots) spread across their London, Montreal, and Mumbai studios. Led by animation director Arslan Elver and VFX supervisor Chris Lawrence, the team worked closely with director-actor Krasinski to get believable performances out of the IFs on set or in post. Krasinski saw them as visceral, hyper-real puppets. The techniques included stand-ins to help the voice actors deliver full performances, placing the animated characters in the shot with VR, or the use of home-shot reference footage from the animators.
There are three hero characters: Blue (Steve Carell), a sweet,...
Framestore handled the audacious fusion of live-action and CG animation and VFX (800 shots) spread across their London, Montreal, and Mumbai studios. Led by animation director Arslan Elver and VFX supervisor Chris Lawrence, the team worked closely with director-actor Krasinski to get believable performances out of the IFs on set or in post. Krasinski saw them as visceral, hyper-real puppets. The techniques included stand-ins to help the voice actors deliver full performances, placing the animated characters in the shot with VR, or the use of home-shot reference footage from the animators.
There are three hero characters: Blue (Steve Carell), a sweet,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Farrelly brothers’ buddy comedy “Dumb and Dumber” will be celebrating its 30th anniversary in December, and star Jeff Daniels recently looked back on how his agents were quite apprehensive about him taking on the role of Harry Dunne opposite Jim Carrey as Lloyd. While the movie would go on to become a comedy classic and earn $247 million worldwide, Daniels told USA Today that the script was not in line with the “serious actor” his agents wanted him to be at the time.
“I had agents, who weren’t wrong, telling me, ‘You’re a serious actor. This is not the direction you need to be going. We’re going to stop this and get you off this movie,'” Daniels said. “But I wanted to shake it up with a comedy. And I wanted to work with Jim Carrey.”
Daniels admitted that he feared his agents might’ve been...
“I had agents, who weren’t wrong, telling me, ‘You’re a serious actor. This is not the direction you need to be going. We’re going to stop this and get you off this movie,'” Daniels said. “But I wanted to shake it up with a comedy. And I wanted to work with Jim Carrey.”
Daniels admitted that he feared his agents might’ve been...
- 5/20/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
It has been a sobering year for the movie industry, particularly when looking at the state of the box office. We entered 2024 knowing it was likely going to be a down year compared to 2023, when domestic ticket sales topped $9 billion for the first time since the pandemic began. Unfortunately, it's been worse than expected. Ticket sales are pacing more than 20% behind this same point in 2023 and there is little hope on the horizon. So, what can be done to provide hope for Hollywood? In short, people need to start going to the movies more. How we get to that point is a big, complicated question for another time. But what would it take to get the box office back to a healthy place in the pandemic era? That's a question we can at least try to tackle.
What I am about to present is an extremely rough bit of math...
What I am about to present is an extremely rough bit of math...
- 5/20/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Whether the sprawling fantasia that is Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point proves heartwarmingly reflective or personally destabilizing in its near-ethnographic study of American holiday ritual will depend, largely, on the composition and size of your own Xmas memories. It’s a strength of the film, however, that Taormina’s expansive canvas allows for — and incorporates — the whole range of emotions that the theater of Christmas can produce, from the giddiness of an overstimulated child, stomach groaning from too much pumpkin pie, gazing at all those wrapped presents, to the wearied anxiety of an adult realizing that the holiday […]
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
- 5/20/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Not to sound like a broken record but it was yet another brutal weekend at the box office as May rolls right along. Director John Krasinski's big-budget, family-friendly flick "If" topped the charts with a worse-than-expected opening. Theaters are desperate for a breakout hit given the relatively lackluster performances of other films like "The Fall Guy" in the early going. But, as has been the case so many times in the pandemic era, horror came to the rescue — sort of. Lionsgate's "The Strangers: Chapter 1" had a solid debut, but not so much that it can make up for what was lacking elsewhere. It was also an iffy start for a film that is launching an entire trilogy.
Director Renny Harlin's new take on "The Strangers" (the first part of it anyway) opened to an estimated $12 million domestically, placing at number three on the charts behind "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes...
Director Renny Harlin's new take on "The Strangers" (the first part of it anyway) opened to an estimated $12 million domestically, placing at number three on the charts behind "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes...
- 5/20/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Just over a week into Cannes, some major contenders have already found homes, while many more buzzy titles with Palme d’Or aspirations are awaiting buyers. This year’s market hasn’t been weighed down by the writers or actors strikes in the same way as last year, meaning companies like A24, Neon, Apple, and more have jumped in on exciting packages of possibly future contenders.
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Santosh”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Sandhya Suri
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 20
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
Buzz: Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, who previously won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for “I For India,” made her narrative feature directorial debut on this police procedural about a widow who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable and is brought under...
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Santosh”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Sandhya Suri
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 20
Cast: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
Buzz: Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, who previously won the World Documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for “I For India,” made her narrative feature directorial debut on this police procedural about a widow who inherits her husband’s job as a police constable and is brought under...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
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