Movie News
The Sundance Film Festival may kick the snow off its boots once and for all.
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
The annual celebration of independent film announced on Wednesday that it is open for pitches from cities across the United States on becoming the new permanent home of the festival starting in 2027.
Sundance has taken place in the luxury mountain haven of Park City, Utah since 1981 (except for two virtual years during the pandemic). It started off as the Utah/U.S. Film Festival in Salt Lake City in 1978. It will remain the host and headquarters of Sundance for two more years, at which point Park City’s contract with the Sundance Institute is up for renewal. Utah will remain in the mix as a continued home for Sundance.
“We are in a unique moment for our festival and our global film community, and with the contract up for renewal, this exploration allows us to...
- 4/17/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety - Film News
Tribeca Festival has revealed its feature film lineup for its 2024 festival, which includes films from actors Lily Gladstone and Michael Cera and documentaries featuring Prince, Carlos Santana and Dolly Parton.
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
The opening night film is documentary “Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge,” directed by Tribeca alumna Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton.
This year’s festival, which runs from June 5-16 in New York City, has a program of 103 feature films from 114 filmmakers spanning 48 countries. The lineup features 86 world premieres, two international premieres, six North American premieres and eight New York premieres.
The final selections were chosen from a record-breaking pool of 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of all feature films are directed by Bipoc filmmakers. There are 30 films directed by first-time filmmakers and 25 directors are making their return to the annual New York film festival.
“In a year of record high submissions, despite industry-wide challenges,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety - Film News
The documentary “Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is set to premiere globally on June 18 on Netflix. The feature-length documentary, the first of its kind to address this topic, examines the history of queer stand-up comedy as — according to its logline — “an instrument for social change over the past five decades, actively reflecting and challenging cultural norms and values.”
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
The film combines stand-up performances and talking head interviews, as well as archival materials featuring LGBTQ+ comedians, and includes Lily Tomlin, Sandra Bernhard, Wanda Sykes, Suzy Izzard, Hannah Gadsby, Tig Notaro, Rosie O’Donnell, Margaret Cho, Bob The Drag Queen and Trixie Mattel.
Historians interviewed for the documentary include Dave Holmes, Roger Mason, Shar Jossell, Susan Stryker and Kate Aurthur, Variety‘s Editor-at-Large.
“Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution” is written and directed by Page Hurwitz. “I’m excited for the film to premiere, particularly at this time, because comedy has the power to unite, and...
- 4/17/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival will award legendary Japanese anime house Studio Ghibli with its honorary Palme d’Or this year, the first time Cannes has given its highest award to a company instead of an individual.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
“For the first time in our history, it’s not a person but an institution that we have chosen to celebrate,” said Cannes Festival president Iris Knobloch and general delegate Thierry Frémaux, announcing the honor on Wednesday. They praised Ghibli’s animated features as filled with characters who “populate our imaginations with prolific, colorful universes and sensitive, engaging narrations. With Ghibli, Japanese animation stands as one of the great adventures of cinephilia, between tradition and modernity.”
Founded in 1985 by Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki, and Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Studio Ghibli has in the past 40 years, “achieved what seemed to be an impossible feat: Independently producing pure masterpieces and conquering the mass market,” the festival said.
- 4/17/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Talk about nepotism. “Abigail,” a blood-sucking thriller about the daughter of Dracula, arguably the most famous vampire in history, is poised to lead at the domestic box office.
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
The R-rated movie, from Universal Pictures, is aiming for $12 million to $15 million from 3,300 North American theaters in its first weekend of release. But “Abigail” first has to fend off last weekend’s champion, A24’s “Civil War,” before taking the box office crown. The provocative thriller debuted last weekend with $25.8 million and looks to bring in $10 million to $12 million in its sophomore outing.
Based on projections, “Abigail” will, however, dance circles around two fellow newcomers, director Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” and Crunchyroll’s anime adventure “Spy x Family Code: White.” Those films are targeting $5 million to $6 million, though rivals have pegged ticket sales ever-so-slightly higher at $8 million.
“Abigail” is based on Universal’s classic 1936 monster film “Dracula’s Daughter...
- 4/17/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Pamela Anderson is dressing up for Naked Gun.
The actor has signed on to star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount Pictures’ untitled remake of Naked Gun, based on the crime spoof comedies that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Akiva Schaffer is directing the comedy, which has a script by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Schaffer. The trio were behind the popular and Emmy-winning Disney+ movie Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
The original movie, written and directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and based on their television series Police Squad! that lasted only six episodes, spoofed the tropes of police shows and films that had ingrained themselves into audience’s minds over the decades. It centered on an inept and clueless detective named Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen, who still somehow managed to solve the crime and save the day.
Plot details are...
The actor has signed on to star opposite Liam Neeson in Paramount Pictures’ untitled remake of Naked Gun, based on the crime spoof comedies that were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Akiva Schaffer is directing the comedy, which has a script by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand and Schaffer. The trio were behind the popular and Emmy-winning Disney+ movie Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
The original movie, written and directed by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker and based on their television series Police Squad! that lasted only six episodes, spoofed the tropes of police shows and films that had ingrained themselves into audience’s minds over the decades. It centered on an inept and clueless detective named Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen, who still somehow managed to solve the crime and save the day.
Plot details are...
- 4/16/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There’s a funny little citation on multi-hyphenate Melissa Barrera’s Wikipedia page. About halfway down the section entitled “acting,” we’re told that “following her roles in horror media in 2022, Barrera was crowned a scream queen.” There was not an actual coronation for this honor, but it’s hard to argue with. After starring in two “Scream” movies, the Tubi chiller “Bed Rest,” and this week’s new release “Abigail” (a biting spin on the classic “Dracula’s Daughter”), the Mexican starlet is a bonafide scream queen, even if she was never quite expecting the honor.
For Barrera, who got her start on telenovelas and was introduced to most American audiences through the big screen musical “In the Heights,” it’s another step in a career that just keeps evolving in some surprising ways. No, Barrera told IndieWire with laugh, she didn’t set out to be “scream queen,” but she loves it.
For Barrera, who got her start on telenovelas and was introduced to most American audiences through the big screen musical “In the Heights,” it’s another step in a career that just keeps evolving in some surprising ways. No, Barrera told IndieWire with laugh, she didn’t set out to be “scream queen,” but she loves it.
- 4/18/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Henry Cavill is being thrust back into the James Bond casting conversation on social media thanks to a viral fake movie trailer partially created by AI that imagines the former “Superman” actor as 007 and Margot Robbie as his Bond girl. In four days. the AI-generated trailer garnered over 2.5 million views on YouTube and further stoked fan interest in Cavill being named the new Bond following Daniel Craig’s departure in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
As fate would have it, Cavill’s next role is Gus March-Phillipps in Guy Ritchie’s “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” March-Phillipps was a real historical figure who founded the British Army’s No. 62 Commando and who some believe inspired author Ian Fleming to create James Bond. Cavill’s history with 007 dates back to “Casino Royale,” when he auditioned for the role of 007 but lost out to Craig.
During a recent appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show...
- 4/18/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
With “Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver” hitting Netflix tomorrow, Zack Snyder is making the press rounds to promote his latest film. But the most intriguing stuff he talked about on the Happy Sad Confused podcast didn’t have anything to do with “Rebel Moon” at all. Instead, Snyder talked about some of the actors he met with as he was casting Lex Luthor for “Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,” including comic book guy Leonardo DiCaprio.
Continue reading Zack Snyder Says He Talked With Leonardo DiCaprio & Adam Driver For Lex Luthor Role at The Playlist.
Continue reading Zack Snyder Says He Talked With Leonardo DiCaprio & Adam Driver For Lex Luthor Role at The Playlist.
- 4/18/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Forget trailer debuts during football game halftimes or shown through “Fortnite,” the next frontier of debuting movie trailers is watching it on a screen that happens to be orbiting the Earth.
The first trailer for “Transformers One,” Paramount Animation and Hasbro’s animated “Transformers” origin movie, was screened inside a spacecraft that an hour ago launched from the Earth and traveled 125,000 feet into outer space. Paramount, via star Chris Hemsworth’s Instagram, did a livestream of the spacecraft launch followed by the first look at the trailer.
Why do this? “The sky is the limit” for the film, Hemsworth said in announcing the stunt.
Okay, technically, we first all saw it on ground level at CinemaCon last week, 3-D glasses and all. “Transformers One” is the first animated “Transformers” movie in 40 years, and to inaugurate the 40-year anniversary of the Transformers brand, the film is an origin story for how...
The first trailer for “Transformers One,” Paramount Animation and Hasbro’s animated “Transformers” origin movie, was screened inside a spacecraft that an hour ago launched from the Earth and traveled 125,000 feet into outer space. Paramount, via star Chris Hemsworth’s Instagram, did a livestream of the spacecraft launch followed by the first look at the trailer.
Why do this? “The sky is the limit” for the film, Hemsworth said in announcing the stunt.
Okay, technically, we first all saw it on ground level at CinemaCon last week, 3-D glasses and all. “Transformers One” is the first animated “Transformers” movie in 40 years, and to inaugurate the 40-year anniversary of the Transformers brand, the film is an origin story for how...
- 4/18/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
What happens when a fake hit man blurs the lines between reality and fiction? The true story of a professor going undercover acts as a starting point for Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man” (read our review). Its premise goes well beyond the events written about by Texas Monthly’s Skip Hollandsworth. Instead, the film takes a fictional journey into what could have happened between two people under different circumstances.
Continue reading ‘Hit Man’ Trailer: Glen Powell & Adria Arjona Lead Richard Linklater’s New Romantic Action Flick at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Hit Man’ Trailer: Glen Powell & Adria Arjona Lead Richard Linklater’s New Romantic Action Flick at The Playlist.
- 4/18/2024
- by Valerie Thompson
- The Playlist
Autobots, assemble: Paramount has released a trailer for “Transformers One,” the animated prequel film led by the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson.
Hemsworth voices young Optimus Prime, when he was just known as Orion Pax. Henry is D-16, before he became Optimus’ rival Megatron. The trailer shows the two starting out as simple worker bots, unable to transform into anything. But soon they gain the ability to change into vehicles and gain weapons, as a battle against a mysterious, plant-like villain unfolds on the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron.
Other cast members include Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. Hemsworth and Henry introduced a first look at the prequel film April 11 at CinemaCon.
The franchise first hit the big screen with an animated movie in 1986 before director Michael Bay launched a live-action series...
Hemsworth voices young Optimus Prime, when he was just known as Orion Pax. Henry is D-16, before he became Optimus’ rival Megatron. The trailer shows the two starting out as simple worker bots, unable to transform into anything. But soon they gain the ability to change into vehicles and gain weapons, as a battle against a mysterious, plant-like villain unfolds on the Transformers’ home planet of Cybertron.
Other cast members include Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. Hemsworth and Henry introduced a first look at the prequel film April 11 at CinemaCon.
The franchise first hit the big screen with an animated movie in 1986 before director Michael Bay launched a live-action series...
- 4/18/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Like a macabre pilgrimage, the Overlook Film Festival summons genre film obsessives from around the country and beyond to the party-friendly streets of New Orleans, Louisiana—a city whose one-of-a-kind history with the otherworldly befits the event’s atmosphere.
Dedicated to the late Doug Jones, a longtime festival programmer and esteemed member of the Los Angeles film community, the 2024 edition featured repertory presentations from his personal wish list. Throughout the weekend (April 4-7), festival co-directors Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman paid tribute to Jones at multiple screenings, highlighting his contributions to Overlook over the years and his devotion to both film and music.
Continue reading At the 2024 Overlook Film Festival, The Past And Present Of Genre Merged at The Playlist.
Dedicated to the late Doug Jones, a longtime festival programmer and esteemed member of the Los Angeles film community, the 2024 edition featured repertory presentations from his personal wish list. Throughout the weekend (April 4-7), festival co-directors Landon Zakheim and Michael Lerman paid tribute to Jones at multiple screenings, highlighting his contributions to Overlook over the years and his devotion to both film and music.
Continue reading At the 2024 Overlook Film Festival, The Past And Present Of Genre Merged at The Playlist.
- 4/18/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Playlist
Sure, HBO series “The Deuce” may have piqued some interest in the history of classic porn cinema, but now the outrageous true story of Times Square staple Chelly Wilson is getting the spotlight.
Documentary “Queen of the Deuce” centers on Wilson’s personal history before building a porn theater in the notorious Times Square vicinity known as the Deuce. Wilson’s reign ranged from the late ’60s to the mid-’80s as she earned a reputation as one of the savviest and most enigmatic figures on the scene.
Greek-born Wilson escaped the Holocaust in WWII, emigrated to the U.S., and married a slew of men while being openly gay. Her legacy in the world of adult cinema is examined by filmmaker Valerie Kontakos (“Mana”), who has written, directed, and produced the documentary.
“Queen of the Deuce” is further produced by Ed Barreveld and Despina Pavlaki, who also co-wrote the...
Documentary “Queen of the Deuce” centers on Wilson’s personal history before building a porn theater in the notorious Times Square vicinity known as the Deuce. Wilson’s reign ranged from the late ’60s to the mid-’80s as she earned a reputation as one of the savviest and most enigmatic figures on the scene.
Greek-born Wilson escaped the Holocaust in WWII, emigrated to the U.S., and married a slew of men while being openly gay. Her legacy in the world of adult cinema is examined by filmmaker Valerie Kontakos (“Mana”), who has written, directed, and produced the documentary.
“Queen of the Deuce” is further produced by Ed Barreveld and Despina Pavlaki, who also co-wrote the...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Glen Powell is a triple threat (if you count the producing part) in Richard Linklater’s “Hit Man.” Powell co-wrote, produced, and stars in the upcoming feature from Linklater, reuniting the duo after “Everybody Wants Some!!”
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona), per the film’s synopsis. As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
In their new film, Powell portrays professor Gary Johnson, who moonlights as a fake hit man for the New Orleans Police Department. Preternaturally gifted at inhabiting different guises and personalities to catch hapless people hoping to bump off their enemies, Gary descends into morally dubious territory when he finds himself attracted to one of those potential criminals, a beautiful young woman named Madison (Adria Arjona), per the film’s synopsis. As Madison falls for one of Gary’s hit man personas — the mysteriously sexy Ron — their steamy affair sets off a chain reaction of play acting, deception, and escalating stakes.
Inspired by an unbelievable true story, the dramedy debuted at Venice last year before...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
How did friends become rivals? The Transformers venture into their past with “Transformers One.” This time, the popular franchise explores the backstories of Optimus Prime and Megatron. These legendary characters were not always enemies, instead existing side-by-side. The film takes a cue from the cult classic “The Transformers: The Movie” and opts for animation over live-action.
A first look during CinemaCon had the audience cheering.
Continue reading ‘Transformers One’ Trailer: Chris Hemsworth & Scarlett Johansson Lead A New Animated Adventure Coming In September at The Playlist.
A first look during CinemaCon had the audience cheering.
Continue reading ‘Transformers One’ Trailer: Chris Hemsworth & Scarlett Johansson Lead A New Animated Adventure Coming In September at The Playlist.
- 4/18/2024
- by Valerie Thompson
- The Playlist
What’s next for Martin Scorsese after “Killers Of The Flower Moon“? Well, it’s several things, including another Shūsaku Endō adaptation. Variety reports that Scorsese is circling the Japanese author’s 1973 novel “Life Of Jesus” as one of two films he plans to shoot back to back. The other project? Scorsese’s long-gestating Frank Sinatra biopic, which recently added Jennifer Lawrence to its cast list.
Continue reading ‘Life Of Jesus’: Martin Scorsese Eyes Andrew Garfield & Miles Teller For Roles In Upcoming Film at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Life Of Jesus’: Martin Scorsese Eyes Andrew Garfield & Miles Teller For Roles In Upcoming Film at The Playlist.
- 4/18/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
Iran-born French filmmaker Mehran Tamadon’s The Last Days Of The Hospital won the inaugural €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award at Visions du Réel’s industry awards last night (April 17).
The documentary is set in a French psychiatric hospital where patients begin taking on jobs in the ward amid a health sector crisis.
A second €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award – focused on supporting Ukrainian projects - went to Fixing The War from Vadym Ilkov and Clare Stronge, about the importance of journalists.
The Visions Sud Et Award was given to the Columbian documentary The Shadow Of Yolüja by Hanz Rippe Gabriel. The film,...
The documentary is set in a French psychiatric hospital where patients begin taking on jobs in the ward amid a health sector crisis.
A second €20,000 Eurimages co-production development award – focused on supporting Ukrainian projects - went to Fixing The War from Vadym Ilkov and Clare Stronge, about the importance of journalists.
The Visions Sud Et Award was given to the Columbian documentary The Shadow Of Yolüja by Hanz Rippe Gabriel. The film,...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Stirling is to be the location of a major new film and high-end TV studio campus set to boost Scotland’s offering as a filming destination.
Located on former Ministry of Defence land and backed by Stirling council, Stirling Studios will contain 100,000 ft2 of studio space and 110,000 ft2 for production, logistics and office space.
It is being billed as “among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland”. The capacity and flexibility of the space is expected to fill current gaps in the market for TV and film production, as well as supporting the sector’s growth in Scotland.
Meanwhile an...
Located on former Ministry of Defence land and backed by Stirling council, Stirling Studios will contain 100,000 ft2 of studio space and 110,000 ft2 for production, logistics and office space.
It is being billed as “among the biggest film studio campuses in Scotland”. The capacity and flexibility of the space is expected to fill current gaps in the market for TV and film production, as well as supporting the sector’s growth in Scotland.
Meanwhile an...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
American TV bosses obviously didn’t learn many lessons from “Episodes,” the Showtime/BBC co-production which brilliantly skewered the habit of adapting British sitcoms, and removing all nuances, subtleties, and idiosyncrasies in the process. In the 13 years since its premiere, there’s been numerous failed pilots (“Spy”), ratings disasters (“Free Agents”), and entire series considered unfit for public consumption (“Us and Them”) which originated across the pond. Now the most singular UK comedy of the 2010s is going transatlantic.
The BAFTA-nominated “Friday Night Dinner” — which served up 37 episodes from 2011-2020 —stemmed from creator Robert Popper’s real-life secular Jewish family and their weekly Shabbat meals, explaining why everything from its suburban London home to its lovable oddballs feels so wonderfully specific. Disappointingly, Amazon Freevee’s “Dinner with the Parents” is as generic as its title.
The 10-part series on Freevee does attempt to retain some of the original’s quirks.
The BAFTA-nominated “Friday Night Dinner” — which served up 37 episodes from 2011-2020 —stemmed from creator Robert Popper’s real-life secular Jewish family and their weekly Shabbat meals, explaining why everything from its suburban London home to its lovable oddballs feels so wonderfully specific. Disappointingly, Amazon Freevee’s “Dinner with the Parents” is as generic as its title.
The 10-part series on Freevee does attempt to retain some of the original’s quirks.
- 4/18/2024
- by Jon O'Brien
- Indiewire
This article contains spoilers for the latest episode of "Star Trek: Discovery."
For many Trekkies, "Star Trek: Discovery" has always felt a little like the younger brother clinging onto the franchise's back. The sky-high stakes that always seem to threaten the universe, the heavily serialized nature from episode to episode, and even the way these heart-on-their-sleeve characters carry themselves throughout their duties has all but screamed the fact that this show was meant for younger, more modern audiences.
So imagine our surprise when episode 4 of this final season suddenly dipped into its bag of tricks to unleash not one, but two classic examples of TV tropes that hearken back to the days of "The Original Series." The "time bug" kicks everything off, catching Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) in the most quintessential of Trekkian problems: a time loop. Although not unfamiliar territory for our...
For many Trekkies, "Star Trek: Discovery" has always felt a little like the younger brother clinging onto the franchise's back. The sky-high stakes that always seem to threaten the universe, the heavily serialized nature from episode to episode, and even the way these heart-on-their-sleeve characters carry themselves throughout their duties has all but screamed the fact that this show was meant for younger, more modern audiences.
So imagine our surprise when episode 4 of this final season suddenly dipped into its bag of tricks to unleash not one, but two classic examples of TV tropes that hearken back to the days of "The Original Series." The "time bug" kicks everything off, catching Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) in the most quintessential of Trekkian problems: a time loop. Although not unfamiliar territory for our...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
When Quinn Shephard (indie hit “Blame” and internet satire “Not Okay”) set out to adapt Rebecca Godfrey’s bestselling narrative non-fiction book “Under the Bridge,” about the 1997 murder of teenager Reena Virk, one key aspect of the book stood out to her beyond the crime.
“I was so struck by how gentle [the book] was,” Shephard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “And there was a real sensitivity to the way that it approached the holistic story, as well as all of the characters. It was a very beautiful book; it was very poetic. I was really shocked that a story that was so dark and so brutal could have so much tenderness. [It’s] really a story of childhood and coming of age.”
Viewers of the eight-episode miniseries, which premiered on Hulu April 17, will quickly note the horror of a group of young teens in small town British Columbia murdering their classmate in a night of rage,...
“I was so struck by how gentle [the book] was,” Shephard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “And there was a real sensitivity to the way that it approached the holistic story, as well as all of the characters. It was a very beautiful book; it was very poetic. I was really shocked that a story that was so dark and so brutal could have so much tenderness. [It’s] really a story of childhood and coming of age.”
Viewers of the eight-episode miniseries, which premiered on Hulu April 17, will quickly note the horror of a group of young teens in small town British Columbia murdering their classmate in a night of rage,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
Greg Whiteley has a new sports docuseries at Netflix that really isn’t new at all. The seven-episode (at 45-minutes apiece) “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” will premiere this summer on Netflix. The streamer first announced the series on Thursday, when it also put out a teaser (below).
Greg Whiteley… Netflix… cheerleading docuseries… Why does this all sound so familiar? Oh yeah, it’s because Whiteley is the guy behind Netflix’s two-season docuseries “Cheer” (as well as the equally excellent five-season “Last Chance U”).
Fans of “Cheer” have been not-so-patiently waiting for a third season, so… isn’t this just that? Why not call “America’s Sweethearts” what it really is: “Cheer” Season 3. That’s what we want.
There’s plenty of precedent here. While “Cheer” Seasons 1 and 2 focused on competitive collegiate cheerleading (mostly) at Navarro College (also in Texas!), Whiteley’s precursor “Last Chance U” not only changed schools — it changed sports.
Greg Whiteley… Netflix… cheerleading docuseries… Why does this all sound so familiar? Oh yeah, it’s because Whiteley is the guy behind Netflix’s two-season docuseries “Cheer” (as well as the equally excellent five-season “Last Chance U”).
Fans of “Cheer” have been not-so-patiently waiting for a third season, so… isn’t this just that? Why not call “America’s Sweethearts” what it really is: “Cheer” Season 3. That’s what we want.
There’s plenty of precedent here. While “Cheer” Seasons 1 and 2 focused on competitive collegiate cheerleading (mostly) at Navarro College (also in Texas!), Whiteley’s precursor “Last Chance U” not only changed schools — it changed sports.
- 4/18/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Variety has been granted exclusive access to the trailer (below) for Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour,” which will have its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival’s Competition section. Variety can also exclusively reveal that that distribution on “Grand Tour” will be handled in France by Tandem, and in Italy by Lucky Red, and that Gomes’ next film will be “Savagery.”
“Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.
The film stars Gonçalo Waddington and Crista Alfaiate, and the cast also includes...
“Grand Tour” kicks off in 1917 in Burma. It centers on Edward, a civil servant for the British Empire, who runs away from his fiancée Molly the day she arrives to get married. During his travels, however, panic gives way to melancholy. Contemplating the emptiness of his existence, the cowardly Edward wonders what has become of Molly… Determined to get married and amused by Edward’s move, Molly follows his trail on this Asian grand tour.
The film stars Gonçalo Waddington and Crista Alfaiate, and the cast also includes...
- 4/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Actors are asked to do a lot of potentially terrifying things in the name of their work, especially when filming horror movies. So it's not really a surprise that Irish actor Cillian Murphy was slightly scared about filming one particular scene in Danny Boyle's early 2000s film "28 Days Later," although the reasons behind his nervousness might not be what you think. Instead of panicking about filming a sequence with one of the movies' horrifying zombie extras or having to deal with some of the movie's more extreme horror aspects, Murphy was concerned about the brief nude scene that introduced his character to audiences. It's a rather brief moment, but it's honestly understandable that Murphy was a little nervous, as it's a full-frontal nude shot that shows off the uh, whole kit and caboodle.
On the DVD commentary for the movie, Boyle revealed that Murphy was worried about the scene,...
On the DVD commentary for the movie, Boyle revealed that Murphy was worried about the scene,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Like most things in Hollywood, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” began with a promise.
After years of whispered complaints about the sometimes-shady world of children’s entertainment, an investigative team set out to expose Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon and the years of alleged abuse endured by the kids who worked there from 1994 to 2018. Others had tried to tell this story, but this time serious journalists planned to expose the industry’s seamy underbelly — documenting past wrongs, giving voice to victims, and charting tangible change.
Ex-kid actors and “Quiet on Set” subjects Raquel Lee Bolleau and Alexa Nikolas told IndieWire they were presented with a plan for an honest look at the issues and suffering borne out by their childhoods. Lee Bolleau (“The Amanda Show”) talked to the “Quiet on Set” producers about her passion for healing and protecting young performers still in the industry; Nikolas (“Zoey...
After years of whispered complaints about the sometimes-shady world of children’s entertainment, an investigative team set out to expose Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon and the years of alleged abuse endured by the kids who worked there from 1994 to 2018. Others had tried to tell this story, but this time serious journalists planned to expose the industry’s seamy underbelly — documenting past wrongs, giving voice to victims, and charting tangible change.
Ex-kid actors and “Quiet on Set” subjects Raquel Lee Bolleau and Alexa Nikolas told IndieWire they were presented with a plan for an honest look at the issues and suffering borne out by their childhoods. Lee Bolleau (“The Amanda Show”) talked to the “Quiet on Set” producers about her passion for healing and protecting young performers still in the industry; Nikolas (“Zoey...
- 4/18/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
This article contains spoilers for "The Bad Batch."When "The Bad Batch" premiered, it felt like mostly an excuse to continue watching clones and hear Dee Bradley Baker be the best in the voice acting business, but not much else. Before long, however, it quickly became clear that there was more to "The Bad Batch" than first met the eye. The animated show poignantly explores the idea of veterans coming home from war and finding that there is no place for them — at least not as they expected. It also showed the transition from Republic to Empire and how clones were replaced by conscripted stormtroopers.
Like every animated "Star Wars" project before it, "The Bad Batch" grew up and became darker each season. This third and final season is the darkest of the show, doing away with the side quests that at times got in the way of the main story in past seasons,...
Like every animated "Star Wars" project before it, "The Bad Batch" grew up and became darker each season. This third and final season is the darkest of the show, doing away with the side quests that at times got in the way of the main story in past seasons,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Director Renny Harlin's career is fascinating. The Finnish filmmaker grew up loving Hollywood movies and later managed to insert himself into that very industry, making a slew of successful '80s and '90s movies from "The Long Kiss Goodnight" to "A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master." More recently, however, his output has been a little more uneven.
Last year, Harlin's Pierce Brosnan-starring film "The Misfits" made a surprise comeback on Netflix. I say a "surprise" because "The Misfits" did not fare well at the box office when it was first released in 2021, and despite Harlin's efforts to rekindle the magic of his '90s actioners, simply functioned, according to critic Chris Bumbray, as "ad for Abu Dhabi tourism." Thankfully, the man who gave us such classics as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger" has not simply been reduced to churning out streaming movies that desperately...
Last year, Harlin's Pierce Brosnan-starring film "The Misfits" made a surprise comeback on Netflix. I say a "surprise" because "The Misfits" did not fare well at the box office when it was first released in 2021, and despite Harlin's efforts to rekindle the magic of his '90s actioners, simply functioned, according to critic Chris Bumbray, as "ad for Abu Dhabi tourism." Thankfully, the man who gave us such classics as "Die Hard 2" and "Cliffhanger" has not simply been reduced to churning out streaming movies that desperately...
- 4/18/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Harry Potter star described wife, who founded dwarfism charity Little People UK, as ‘greatest love of his life’
Samantha Davis, the campaigner and wife of the Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, whom he called his “soul mate”, has died aged 53.
Davis, who founded Little People UK – the dwarfism charity known as “an essential resource for little people and their families” – was described by her husband as “the greatest love of his life”.
Samantha Davis, the campaigner and wife of the Harry Potter star Warwick Davis, whom he called his “soul mate”, has died aged 53.
Davis, who founded Little People UK – the dwarfism charity known as “an essential resource for little people and their families” – was described by her husband as “the greatest love of his life”.
- 4/18/2024
- by Lanre Bakare
- The Guardian - Film News
The BFI is investing £900,000 over two years in a BFI Skills Cluster in Wales, which will see Sgil Cymru in close partnership with Creative Wales and Screen Alliance Wales (Saw) launch the one stop shop using National Lottery good cause funding.
It becomes one of seven BFI Skills Clusters across UK nations and regions which seek to work collaboratively with local industry, education and training providers to develop clearer pathways to long-term employment in film and TV production.
The cluster will receive additional funding from Creative Wales and BBC Studios, and work as a collaborative partnership of training providers, further and higher educators,...
It becomes one of seven BFI Skills Clusters across UK nations and regions which seek to work collaboratively with local industry, education and training providers to develop clearer pathways to long-term employment in film and TV production.
The cluster will receive additional funding from Creative Wales and BBC Studios, and work as a collaborative partnership of training providers, further and higher educators,...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Chronicler of the making of her husband’s Apocalypse Now whose footage and recordings were the basis for a documentary and book
In March 1976, Eleanor Coppola arrived in the Philippines, her three young children in tow, to film behind-the-scenes footage on the set of her husband Francis Ford Coppola’s new movie Apocalypse Now, which transposed the plot of Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness to late-1960s Vietnam.
No one could have known then that production on this war epic would stretch on for more than a year, delayed by catastrophic weather, medical emergencies, military conflict, an incomplete script and plain old creative differences, making it one of the most infamously turbulent shoots in cinema history. As it rumbled on, newspaper headlines plaintively asked: “Apocalypse When?”...
In March 1976, Eleanor Coppola arrived in the Philippines, her three young children in tow, to film behind-the-scenes footage on the set of her husband Francis Ford Coppola’s new movie Apocalypse Now, which transposed the plot of Joseph Conrad’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness to late-1960s Vietnam.
No one could have known then that production on this war epic would stretch on for more than a year, delayed by catastrophic weather, medical emergencies, military conflict, an incomplete script and plain old creative differences, making it one of the most infamously turbulent shoots in cinema history. As it rumbled on, newspaper headlines plaintively asked: “Apocalypse When?”...
- 4/18/2024
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Sales and production house Film Constellation is launching world sales rights on U.S. comedy drama “Eephus,” directed by Carson Lund, set to world premiere in the Directors’ Fortnight section in Cannes in May.
In the film, as an imminent construction project looms over a beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
“Eephus” is the feature directorial debut of American filmmaker Lund, who also has a cinematography credit on another Directors’ Fortnight title, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.”
“Eephus” is produced by Lund, Tyler Taormina, Michael Basta, David Entin and Gabe Klinger for U.S.-based Omnes Films, in collaboration with executive producers Michael Tonelli, Ashish Shetty, Brian Clark and Jim Christman of Magmys.
In the film, as an imminent construction project looms over a beloved small-town baseball field, a pair of New England Sunday league teams face off for the last time over the course of a day. Tensions flare up and ceremonial laughs are shared as an era of camaraderie and escapism fades into an uncertain future.
“Eephus” is the feature directorial debut of American filmmaker Lund, who also has a cinematography credit on another Directors’ Fortnight title, “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point.”
“Eephus” is produced by Lund, Tyler Taormina, Michael Basta, David Entin and Gabe Klinger for U.S.-based Omnes Films, in collaboration with executive producers Michael Tonelli, Ashish Shetty, Brian Clark and Jim Christman of Magmys.
- 4/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Kooky kid sister, romantic lead, comic turn, cantankerous old dame … we pick out her greatest roles
An early Shirley in this epic Technicolor comedy-adventure based on Jules Verne, overstuffed with superstar cameos and produced by the impresario Mike Todd. David Niven sauntered through the role of the globe-circling gent Phileas Fogg and 22-year-old MacLaine was cast in the way Hollywood sometimes saw her in those days … as someone whose feline, gamine looks had something exotic and Asiatic about them. She was the Indian Princess Aouda, widowed after a loveless arranged marriage but rescued from the funeral pyre by the bold Fogg, whom she then joins on his travels for a while. A sweet and likable comic turn.
An early Shirley in this epic Technicolor comedy-adventure based on Jules Verne, overstuffed with superstar cameos and produced by the impresario Mike Todd. David Niven sauntered through the role of the globe-circling gent Phileas Fogg and 22-year-old MacLaine was cast in the way Hollywood sometimes saw her in those days … as someone whose feline, gamine looks had something exotic and Asiatic about them. She was the Indian Princess Aouda, widowed after a loveless arranged marriage but rescued from the funeral pyre by the bold Fogg, whom she then joins on his travels for a while. A sweet and likable comic turn.
- 4/18/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The German co-producers of 68 films including John Wick: Chapter 4, and Fallen Leaves have received a total of €9.3m in annual ‘reference’ funding from the German Federal Film Board (Ffa).
The amount for each film is calculated according to its performance at the German box office during 2023. The award can be increased if a film screens in competition at certain international festivals and wins one of their top awards, or has success at the European Film Awards, Golden Globes or Oscars.
John Wick: Chapter 4’s German co-producer Studio Babelsberg has been awarded €621,600 in reference funding based solely on its admissions of over 1.7m,...
The amount for each film is calculated according to its performance at the German box office during 2023. The award can be increased if a film screens in competition at certain international festivals and wins one of their top awards, or has success at the European Film Awards, Golden Globes or Oscars.
John Wick: Chapter 4’s German co-producer Studio Babelsberg has been awarded €621,600 in reference funding based solely on its admissions of over 1.7m,...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Berlin-based M-Appeal has taken on world sales rights to Brazilian director Marcelo Caetano’s Cannes Critics’ Week title Baby.
The film, scripted by Caetano and Gabriel Domingues, follows an 18-year-old boy who is released from a juvenile detention centre and finds himself adrift on the streets of São Paulo.
The Brazil-France-Netherlands co-production is made through Cup Filmes, Caetano’s Desbun Filmes, Plateau Produções, Still Moving, Circe Films and Kaap Holland Film. The cast is led by João Pedro Mariano, Ricardo Teodoro and Ana Flavia Cavalcanti.
M-Appeal also handled the director’s 2017 debut feature Body Electric. Vitrine Filmes will distribute Caetano’s second film in Brazil.
The film, scripted by Caetano and Gabriel Domingues, follows an 18-year-old boy who is released from a juvenile detention centre and finds himself adrift on the streets of São Paulo.
The Brazil-France-Netherlands co-production is made through Cup Filmes, Caetano’s Desbun Filmes, Plateau Produções, Still Moving, Circe Films and Kaap Holland Film. The cast is led by João Pedro Mariano, Ricardo Teodoro and Ana Flavia Cavalcanti.
M-Appeal also handled the director’s 2017 debut feature Body Electric. Vitrine Filmes will distribute Caetano’s second film in Brazil.
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
France’s mk2 Films will kick off sales in Cannes for Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel’s apocalyptic teen adventure Eat The Night, set to world premiere in Directors’ Fortnight.
The second feature from the directing duo following 2019 debut Jessica Forever is set in the French city of Le Havre and follows a small-time dealer and his teenage sister who share an obsession with an online video game. When one sibling’s reckless choices provoke the wrath of a dangerous rival gang, their virtual life and reality collide.
It is produced by Thomas Verhaeghe and Mathieu Verhaeghe of France’s Atelier de Production,...
The second feature from the directing duo following 2019 debut Jessica Forever is set in the French city of Le Havre and follows a small-time dealer and his teenage sister who share an obsession with an online video game. When one sibling’s reckless choices provoke the wrath of a dangerous rival gang, their virtual life and reality collide.
It is produced by Thomas Verhaeghe and Mathieu Verhaeghe of France’s Atelier de Production,...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
A ballooning number of repertory groups dedicated to cinema in its original medium are springing up across the UK. They explain its uphill thrills
As staff read out fire safety precautions and evacuation procedures before a 35mm nitrate print screening of Black Narcissus at the BFI, the packed crowd titter in excitement and anticipation. How often do you go to the cinema with an awareness that the film you are watching is being physically unspooled, live, with a possibility of actual combustion due to the ultra-flammable material it contains?
The desire to watch films projected on film is on the rise across the UK – and the number of repertory film clubs dedicated to analogue screenings is ballooning. Sheffield-based Reel Steel seek out rare gems – “doing the detective work to find 35mm prints in a screen-worthy condition can be a year-round task”, says founder Joseph Harris. Manchester-based Certificate X Cult Film...
As staff read out fire safety precautions and evacuation procedures before a 35mm nitrate print screening of Black Narcissus at the BFI, the packed crowd titter in excitement and anticipation. How often do you go to the cinema with an awareness that the film you are watching is being physically unspooled, live, with a possibility of actual combustion due to the ultra-flammable material it contains?
The desire to watch films projected on film is on the rise across the UK – and the number of repertory film clubs dedicated to analogue screenings is ballooning. Sheffield-based Reel Steel seek out rare gems – “doing the detective work to find 35mm prints in a screen-worthy condition can be a year-round task”, says founder Joseph Harris. Manchester-based Certificate X Cult Film...
- 4/18/2024
- by Steph Green
- The Guardian - Film News
Aurélie Godet will replace Anna Kopecká as director of programming at Ireland’s Cork International Film Festival (Ciff). She will curate the line-up for the 69th Ciff, taking place November 7-17, 2024.
Godet was previously a senior programmer for the Berlinale for five years, specialising in projects from French-speaking countries and was formerly a programmer at Locarno Film Festival. She is a member of Arte France Cinéma’s Advisory Committee and also has worked as a programmer and moderator for the French festivals La Roche-sur-Yon and 3 Continents.
In 2019 Godet co-founded the Red Balloon Alliance, an organisation that lobbies for better work-life...
Godet was previously a senior programmer for the Berlinale for five years, specialising in projects from French-speaking countries and was formerly a programmer at Locarno Film Festival. She is a member of Arte France Cinéma’s Advisory Committee and also has worked as a programmer and moderator for the French festivals La Roche-sur-Yon and 3 Continents.
In 2019 Godet co-founded the Red Balloon Alliance, an organisation that lobbies for better work-life...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Danish director Jeanette Nordahl’s sophomore feature Beginnings has been picked up by Denmark’s REinvent International Sales.
Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik lead the cast, with the shoot commencing on April 29 in Fyn, Denmark. It marks the first time Dyrholm and Dencik have reunited on screen for 18 years, after appearing together in 2006 in Pernille Fischer Christensen’s A Soap, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale.
They play a married couple, Thomas and Ane, in the grips of a divorce who have not yet told their children. Thomas is on the verge of moving in with his new...
Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik lead the cast, with the shoot commencing on April 29 in Fyn, Denmark. It marks the first time Dyrholm and Dencik have reunited on screen for 18 years, after appearing together in 2006 in Pernille Fischer Christensen’s A Soap, which won the Silver Bear at the Berlinale.
They play a married couple, Thomas and Ane, in the grips of a divorce who have not yet told their children. Thomas is on the verge of moving in with his new...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Jeanette Nordahl’s sophomore feature Beginnings has been picked up for international sales by Denmark’s REinvent International Sales.
Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik lead the cast, with the shoot commencing on April 29 in Fyn, Denmark. It marks the first time Dyrholm and Dencik have reunited on screen for 18 years, after appearing together in 2006 in Pernille Fischer Christensen’s A Soap, which won the Silver Bear the Berlinale.
They play a married couple, Ane and Thomas, who are in the grips of a divorce but haven’t told their kids yet. Thomas is on the verge of moving in with...
Trine Dyrholm and David Dencik lead the cast, with the shoot commencing on April 29 in Fyn, Denmark. It marks the first time Dyrholm and Dencik have reunited on screen for 18 years, after appearing together in 2006 in Pernille Fischer Christensen’s A Soap, which won the Silver Bear the Berlinale.
They play a married couple, Ane and Thomas, who are in the grips of a divorce but haven’t told their kids yet. Thomas is on the verge of moving in with...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Thomas Pickering blends approachable narration with well-presented information in a welcome reminder of the Michael Moore method
Here is an ebullient, confident campaign documentary from Thomas Pickering, the kind of punchy and straightforward film-making that we used to see all the time in the 00s that was effectively made popular by Michael Moore. Clear ideas, sympathetic (if choir-preaching) interviews, approachable narration and presentation, strong graphics – and all of it leading to a website on the final credits where you can go to get involved and find out more.
Pickering is a vegan who was brought up by vegans and sets out to answer the anti-vegan remarks he hears from his friends all the time; they could never go vegan because meat is too delicious, or because climate change isn’t real, or because plant-based diets don’t deliver the protein, or because these days free range or organic meat industries make animals’ lives better.
Here is an ebullient, confident campaign documentary from Thomas Pickering, the kind of punchy and straightforward film-making that we used to see all the time in the 00s that was effectively made popular by Michael Moore. Clear ideas, sympathetic (if choir-preaching) interviews, approachable narration and presentation, strong graphics – and all of it leading to a website on the final credits where you can go to get involved and find out more.
Pickering is a vegan who was brought up by vegans and sets out to answer the anti-vegan remarks he hears from his friends all the time; they could never go vegan because meat is too delicious, or because climate change isn’t real, or because plant-based diets don’t deliver the protein, or because these days free range or organic meat industries make animals’ lives better.
- 4/18/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The world premiere of Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman In Charge chronicling the life of the fashion designer will open Tribeca Festival, running June 5-16 in New York.
Some 103 features – including 86 world premieres – from 114 filmmakers in 48 countries were selected from a record 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of the selection hails from Bipoc filmmakers.
This year’s selection includes world premieres of Michael Angarano’s road movie Sacramento starring Michael Cera, Angarano, and Kristen Stewart; Andrew McCarthy’s documentary Brats in which the filmmaker catches up with fellow Brat-Packers Rob Lowe,...
Some 103 features – including 86 world premieres – from 114 filmmakers in 48 countries were selected from a record 13,016 submissions. Half of the films in competition are directed by women and 35% (36) of the selection hails from Bipoc filmmakers.
This year’s selection includes world premieres of Michael Angarano’s road movie Sacramento starring Michael Cera, Angarano, and Kristen Stewart; Andrew McCarthy’s documentary Brats in which the filmmaker catches up with fellow Brat-Packers Rob Lowe,...
- 4/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
From the moment the film was announced a year ago, “Abigail” has been marketed as a remake of “Dracula’s Daughter,” the 1936 Universal Pictures curio. So it’s no spoiler to say that the title character of “Abigail” is…Dracula’s daughter. Yet if you went in not knowing that, it might be the only real surprise in the movie, apart from what a brutally monotonous blood-vomiting genre mashup it is.
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
For a while, we think we’re watching a standard kidnap thriller. It opens with Abigail (Alisha Weir), who is 12, on the ballet stage rehearsing “Swan Lake,” a most definite vampire homage, since Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous heart-swelling score is the same music that played over the opening credits of the 1931 Bela Lugosi “Dracula.” That lyrical entré ends in about three minutes, as the kidnappers, all overstated profane synthetic crudeness, jam themselves into a van and abscond with Abigail, who they...
- 4/18/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety - Film News
The 61-year-old director, who says he will retire after his 10th film, has abandoned The Movie Critic, according to industry reports
Quentin Tarantino has reportedly abandoned his plans for The Movie Critic, the film that was to be his 10th and final project.
Deadline reported on Thursday that an anonymous source close to Tarantino had confirmed the news, reporting that Tarantino had “simply changed his mind” about making The Movie Critic and would be “going back to the drawing board to figure out what that final movie will be”.
Quentin Tarantino has reportedly abandoned his plans for The Movie Critic, the film that was to be his 10th and final project.
Deadline reported on Thursday that an anonymous source close to Tarantino had confirmed the news, reporting that Tarantino had “simply changed his mind” about making The Movie Critic and would be “going back to the drawing board to figure out what that final movie will be”.
- 4/18/2024
- by Sian Cain
- The Guardian - Film News
Clara Bow was a movie star by the age of 20 — and washed up by 28. Now she’s poised to win over a new generation of fans as the title of the last track on Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Known as the “It Girl” for both her starring role in the silent comedy “It” and her place as one of the pre-eminent sexy symbols of ’20s Hollywood, Bow wasn’t washed up because her box office slipped. She was washed up because her scandal-plagued life made her a liability, both for the studios and for her own mental health. In David Stenn’s masterful biography “Runnin’ Wild,” he sums up the tragedy of Bow’s life with two quotes from the former Brooklyn girl who found her unaffected zest for living slowly beaten out of her. “Marriage means the fulfillment of everythin’ to me,” Bow said in 1933. “This sounds like the bunk,...
Known as the “It Girl” for both her starring role in the silent comedy “It” and her place as one of the pre-eminent sexy symbols of ’20s Hollywood, Bow wasn’t washed up because her box office slipped. She was washed up because her scandal-plagued life made her a liability, both for the studios and for her own mental health. In David Stenn’s masterful biography “Runnin’ Wild,” he sums up the tragedy of Bow’s life with two quotes from the former Brooklyn girl who found her unaffected zest for living slowly beaten out of her. “Marriage means the fulfillment of everythin’ to me,” Bow said in 1933. “This sounds like the bunk,...
- 4/18/2024
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
The award-winning Turner Classic Movies podcast “The Plot Thickens” is ready to take on the Manifest Destiny of filmmaker John Ford.
The new fifth season, titled “Decoding John Ford,” centers on the legendary auteur best known for Westerns like “The Searchers.” Host Ben Mankiewicz dives into the mythology behind Ford’s filmography.
The seven-part podcast also examines Ford’s shelved WWII film that was commissioned by the U.S. military in 1944. Host Ben Mankiewicz travels to Europe to trace the mystery of whether the D-Day movie exists. The season debuts on June 6, the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The season features never-before-heard archival interviews with stars like John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Woody Strode, and director Ford himself.
“John Ford is a mercurial figure. Not surprisingly given his stature, the stereotypes about Ford are incomplete,” TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz said in a release. “This is a man defined...
The new fifth season, titled “Decoding John Ford,” centers on the legendary auteur best known for Westerns like “The Searchers.” Host Ben Mankiewicz dives into the mythology behind Ford’s filmography.
The seven-part podcast also examines Ford’s shelved WWII film that was commissioned by the U.S. military in 1944. Host Ben Mankiewicz travels to Europe to trace the mystery of whether the D-Day movie exists. The season debuts on June 6, the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
The season features never-before-heard archival interviews with stars like John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Woody Strode, and director Ford himself.
“John Ford is a mercurial figure. Not surprisingly given his stature, the stereotypes about Ford are incomplete,” TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz said in a release. “This is a man defined...
- 4/18/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
As Samuel L. Jackson's bounty hunter says in "The Hateful Eight," "Let's slow it down. Let's slow it wayyyyy down." That's the vibe right now when it comes to what was originally going to be filmmaker Quentin Tarantino's 10th and final movie, "The Movie Critic." Although it initially seemed that the film was on a smooth, steady track to getting made fairly soon, Tarantino has changed his mind and decided to drop it altogether, according to Deadline.
As reported earlier this year, "The Movie Critic" would have re-teamed Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" star Brad Pitt as well as that film's distribution studio Sony. It would've been a film about "Travis Bickle if he were a film critic," according to comments the filmmaker made last year about the script.
Even though a rewrite of the script delayed the initial production schedule, right...
As reported earlier this year, "The Movie Critic" would have re-teamed Tarantino with "Inglourious Basterds" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" star Brad Pitt as well as that film's distribution studio Sony. It would've been a film about "Travis Bickle if he were a film critic," according to comments the filmmaker made last year about the script.
Even though a rewrite of the script delayed the initial production schedule, right...
- 4/17/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
Quentin Tarantino is going back to the drawing board for what will be his 10th and final film. Tarantino is stepping away from “The Movie Critic” as his 10th feature and will no longer be making it, IndieWire has confirmed.
The news is a major shock, as the project had Brad Pitt in talks for the lead role and even rumors that Sony was circling the project to release it after previously releasing his prior film, 2019’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.” The film even secured a California tax credit to shoot in Los Angeles and was meant to begin shooting earlier this year, but was delayed due to Tarantino reportedly rewriting his script.
But a source says Tarantino has now had a change of heart and moved on from the film entirely. It’s now unclear what he intends for his next film, presumably still meant to be his last.
The news is a major shock, as the project had Brad Pitt in talks for the lead role and even rumors that Sony was circling the project to release it after previously releasing his prior film, 2019’s “Once Upon a Time In Hollywood.” The film even secured a California tax credit to shoot in Los Angeles and was meant to begin shooting earlier this year, but was delayed due to Tarantino reportedly rewriting his script.
But a source says Tarantino has now had a change of heart and moved on from the film entirely. It’s now unclear what he intends for his next film, presumably still meant to be his last.
- 4/17/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Quentin Tarantino is no longer planning to make “The Movie Critic,” which he had earlier said would be his final film as a director. It was confirmed Wednesday that the director had given the project a thumbs down.
“The Movie Critic” would have been Tarantino’s tenth feature film, but sources say he won’t be looking to rewrite the script or revive the project, instead making plans to move on to something new.
Brad Pitt had been cast in a lead role in the film. At one point, Tarantino had said the 1977-set film was abouta small-time movie critic who wrote smart reviews for a porn magazine. It was also rumored that Pitt would play some form of his “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” character Cliff Booth, who in Tarantino’s novelization of the feature was a big movie buff.
Tarantino talked briefly about “The Movie Critic” before...
“The Movie Critic” would have been Tarantino’s tenth feature film, but sources say he won’t be looking to rewrite the script or revive the project, instead making plans to move on to something new.
Brad Pitt had been cast in a lead role in the film. At one point, Tarantino had said the 1977-set film was abouta small-time movie critic who wrote smart reviews for a porn magazine. It was also rumored that Pitt would play some form of his “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” character Cliff Booth, who in Tarantino’s novelization of the feature was a big movie buff.
Tarantino talked briefly about “The Movie Critic” before...
- 4/17/2024
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety - Film News
Well, this is an interesting about-face, and so much for the rumors about the recent start dates. Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino has decided to scrap “The Movie Critic” as his final film. He’s changed his mind; he won’t make it, and what he will substitute for his supposed tenth and final film is unclear.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
According to Deadline, the rumors are true that Brad Pitt was going to star, and apparently, many of the previous members of Tarantino’s repertory company were eyeing roles, but it’s all moot now, and the film has been scrapped.
Continue reading Quentin Tarantino Scraps ’The Movie Critic’; Brad Pitt Would Have Reprised Cliff Booth Role From ‘Once Upon A Time In Hollywood’ at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
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