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Kent Sanderson has been promoted from president to CEO at Bleecker Street following the death earlier this year of Andrew Karpen.

“Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” said Sanderson. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honouring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy will always remain an inherent part of our DNA.”

Los Angeles-based Sanderson, one of the most insightful minds in the independent film sector, joined Bleecker in 2014 when...

Bleecker Street has elevated Kent Sanderson to CEO, succeeding the company’s co-founder Andrew Karpen who died in April from brain cancer.

With Sanderson’s promotion, Bleecker Street’s long-time executive Tyler Dinapoli has been named president and chief marketing officer while Rachel Allen has been upped to executive VP of publicity.

Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with Bleecker Street since its inception in 2014. Karpen, a former CEO of Focus Features, established the independent studio with a mission to make movies for adult audiences. The company has released roughly 70 films over 10 years, including “Logan Lucky,” “Captain Fantastic,” “Trumbo” and “Sasquatch Sunset.”

Sanderson was elevated to president in late 2023 and previously served as Bleecker’s head of acquisitions and ancillary distribution. In his prior role, he led the acquisition of Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace,” Steven Soderbergh’s “Logan Lucky” and Gavin Hood’s “Eye in the Sky” while overseeing...

Kent Sanderson has been elevated to Chief Executive Officer of Bleecker Street from his former role as President, succeeding Bleecker Street founder Andrew Karpen who passed away in April from glioblastoma.

Additionally, Tyler Dinapoli has been named president and Chief Marketing Officer. Both Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with the company since its inception in 2014 and, according to an official release, “have been instrumental in shaping the company’s slate and strategy.”

Meanwhile, Rachel Allen has been upped from SVP to EVP of Publicity.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” Sanderson said in a Tuesday statement. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow,...

Bleecker Street has promoted president Kent Sanderson to be its new CEO, taking the reins from Bleecker Street founder Andrew Karpen, who passed away in April from glioblastoma.

The indie distributor has also promoted Tyler Dinapoli as its new President and Chief Marketing Officer and Rachel Allen to EVP of Publicity. Both Karpen and Dinapoli have been with Bleecker Street from the very beginning when Karpen founded the company back in 2014.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” Sanderson said in a statement. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy will always remain an inherent part of our DNA.”

Sanderson had previously...

Bleecker Street said Tuesday that it has promoted president Kent Sanderson to CEO, taking on the role previously held by company founder Andrew Karpen, who died in April after a battle with brain cancer.

Tyler Dinapoli has been named President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Both Sanderson and Dinapoli have been with the company since its inception in 2014 and have been key in shaping the distributor’s slate and strategy.

Bleecker Street

In addition, Rachel Allen who has been raised to from SVP, Publicity to EVP, Publicity.

“It is my honor to lead Bleecker Street into its second decade. Andrew set a powerful example in which the filmmaker always comes first, the theatrical window is paramount, and great filmmaking is celebrated and championed,” said Sanderson. “All of us at Bleecker are committed to honoring and carrying that vision forward, and while the company will continue to evolve and grow, his legacy...

“The Last of Us” Season 2 went out with a bang, but star Bella Ramsey wants fans thinking about their upcoming indie film projects as much as the eventual return of HBO’s zombie apocalypse. Ramsey spoke positively to IndieWire about seeing themselves grow up on screen at the prestige network, having broken out at 13 years old playing the steely Lyanna Mormont for “Game of Thrones.” Now, age 21, Ramsey is a globally recognized superstar who is ready to use their clout in other corners of the industry.

“I really hope that people will stick with me throughout stuff with ‘The Last of Us’ and beyond with all the little indie films I’m going to be doing as well,” Ramsey said. “I hope that those will get as much love as amazing shows and franchises like ‘The Last of Us’ and ‘Game of Thrones.’ I feel very grateful for the support that I’ve had.

Netflix has many exciting projects coming up, and several murder mystery films on the way. One of them is The Thursday Murder Club, which comes from Harry Potter director Chris Columbus.

The film is based on British TV host and producer Richard Osman's novel of the same name. It features a star-studded cast, with Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, Pierce Brosnan, and Celia Imrie as the main characters. The film was announced in April 2024, and Netflix just released the first trailer for The Thursday Murder Club, which is set for release on Aug. 28.

The Thursday Murder Club follows a group of four friends in a retirement home. The friends' love for true crime starts as a fun hobby until they stumble upon a real case. Mirren plays ex-spy Elizabeth, Kingsley plays ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim, Brosnan portrays ex–union activist Ron, and Imrie plays Joyce, a former nurse.

The first teaser opens...

When the Academy museum first approached production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer about curating an exhibition of their work, the duo thought it was a joke.

But two and a half years later, “Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer” is set to open on May 23, providing an immersive and experiential look at their collaborative work. That same evening, the Academy Museum will screen Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” followed by a Q&a with Spencer and Greenwood.

The collection features set pieces, concept art, miniature models, sketches and an area called “Blank Space,” which shows the evolution of their production office and how ideas come to life. Theirs is a collaboration dating back over 25 years. Their work has landed them Oscar nominations for “Pride & Prejudice,” “Atonement,” “Sherlock Holmes,” “Anna Karenina,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Darkest Hour” and “Barbie.” And there...

Exclusive: Kenneth Branagh, Hiam Abbass (Succession) and Boyd Holbrook (A Complete Unknown) are teaming on a feature adaptation of 2012 New Yorker article Atonement.

Atonement, which rolls cameras this month in Jordon and Texas, is about a troubled marine who seeks to reconcile with the survivors of an Iraqi family he and his unit fired on back in 2003.

The movie is the feature directorial debut of Reed Van Dyk, who was Oscar-nominated for his 2017 short DeKalb Elementary. Based on a 911 call, that pic followed a gunman who enters an elementary school and encounters a compassionate employee.

The ensemble trio lead the movie that comes 13 years after Dexter Filkins’ resonant New Yorker article, which was also titled Atonement. Delving into the psychological and emotional aftermath of the Iraq War on both Iraqi civilians and U.S. Marines, it centered on Lu Lobello, haunted by memories of a deadly incident in Baghdad, whose journey...

In celebration of 2005’s unforgettable classic, Focus Features and The Langham Huntington in Pasadena are hosting a Pride & Prejudice20th Anniversary Ball, and ScreenRant is pleased to exclusively announce a featured performance by renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. As a soloist on Dario Marianelli's beloved original movie score, Thibaudet will bring the Regency era to life through his reprisal of the musical pieces that so moved audiences in theaters.

Marianelli received an Oscar nomination for Pride & Prejudice’s original score, which Thibaudet was instrumental in bringing to life for the film. Now, he will do the same inside a historic The Langham ballroom, playing “Dawn” and other iconic tracks that recall epic moments from the Jane Austen adaptation. In addition to the live music, the ball will host other entertainers and regale guests with immersive elements that help them step into the world of Joe Wright’s 2005 film adaptation.

Andrew Karpen, the respected CEO of Bleecker Street Media who founded the indie distribution company after spending a decade as a top executive with Focus Features, died Monday. He was 59.

He was diagnosed last year with glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer, and died in Fairfield County, Connecticut.

“Our industry has lost a giant,” Bleecker Street president Kent Sanderson said in a statement. “Andrew taught us all so much, foremost of which is the value of kindness, honesty, and family above all else. His leadership and courage will inspire all of us at Bleecker Street for the rest of our lives.”

Karpen launched New York-based Bleecker Street in 2014 with the backing of Manoj Bhargava, founder of the 5-hour Energy drink. He named his company with a nod to the old Focus headquarters at 65 Bleecker St.

“I’m looking forward to bringing the work of great filmmakers into the marketplace, and...

The Thursday Murder Club is nearly in session, as Netflix has confirmed that its star-studded new murder mystery will premiere on Aug. 28. The streamer also shared a dossier of images for the crime comedy that is set to bring Richard Osman's bestselling debut novel to the screen. The snapshots offer a first look at the movie's killer cast, including Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren, hot on the heels of their starring turn as husband-and-wife duo Conrad and Maeve Harrigan in Guy Ritchie's MobLand series.

Netflix's upcoming whodunit is a real who's who of famous faces, with Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) and Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) rounding out the core four members of The Thursday Murder Club, portraying ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif and ex-nurse Joyce Meadowcroft, respectively,alongside Brosnan's ex-union activist Ron Ritchie and Mirren's ex-spy Elizabeth Best. The senior-citizens-turned-super-sleuths will uncover a murder case on their doorstep,...

The murder mystery genre has always been popular, but in recent years, interest has skyrocketed after films like Knives Out, the new Agatha Christie adaptations Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, as well as the series Only Murders in the Building. Netflix is continuing this trend with a new murder mystery film, The Thursday Murder Club.

The upcoming film will have Harry Potter director Chris Columbus at the helm, and is based on British TV host and producer Richard Osman's bestselling novel by the same name. With a star-studded cast, the film comes from Stephen Spielberg's production company Amblin, and has a script by Katy Brand and Suzanne Heathcote. The project was originally announced in April 2024, and Netflix has just confirmed The Thursday Murder Club's release date for Aug. 28, per Tudum.

The Thursday Murder Club stars Helen Mirren as ex-spy Elizabeth, Ben Kingsley plays ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim,...

James McAvoy is rare among this new young breed of actors, as he has the ability to shift between offering heartbreaking sensitivity ("Atonement") to displaying some serious action chops ("Atomic Blonde" and "Wanted"). The ability to toggle between these two attributes in such films as "The Last King of Scotland," "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and as the young Professor X in several films in the "X-Men" series that has made him internationally one of the most in-demand actors in the world.

Not only is McAvoy versatile in the kind of projects he selects, but he delivers, having earned two BAFTA nominations for his performances in "The Last King of Scotland" and "Atonement," and a Golden Globe nom for "Atonement" as well.

Let's raise up a glass to that great Scot with our photo gallery, which ranks his 10 greatest film performances from worst to best.

Harlem’s kingpin is back, and he’s not backing down. After three fire seasons packed with mob wars, political drama, and jaw-dropping power moves, Godfather of Harlem is finally returning for Season 4, and fans are more than ready. Forest Whitaker is back in boss mode as Bumpy Johnson, the legendary crime lord trying to keep control of Harlem while chaos closes in from all sides.

Created by Chris Brancato and Paul Eckstein, with Brancato also pulling strings as showrunner, this series is a fictionalized take on the real-life Bumpy Johnson, a man who ran the streets of Harlem in the ’60s and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Malcolm X, mob bosses, and politicians alike. But this isn’t your average gangster show. Since its 2019 debut, Godfather of Harlem has mixed raw street energy with political depth, showing what happens when the fight for power and justice collide.

Forest...

Saoirse Ronan has spent much of her youth racking up Oscar nominations, scoring her first bid when she was 13 and her fourth when she was 25. Take a look back at 12 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Ronan’s parents were both actors and she was born in The Bronx, New York while her father was studying acting there and working odd jobs. Her parents returned to their native Ireland when Saoirse was three, where she developed her signature accent. She began acting herself at the age of 9 on a few different Irish television programs. Although she missed out on a role in the Harry Potter films, she bounced back with a key part in the 2007 Best Picture contender “Atonement," which brought her a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination.

She earned three Best Actress nominations for three films that all competed in Best Picture: "Brooklyn" (2015), "Lady Bird" (2017) and "Little Women...

Last week's episode of Surface season 2, episode 6, "Atonement," saw James seemingly betraying Sophie/Tess, Henry Huntley not meeting with his daughter and instead sending the family lawyer, and probably Quinn sending some men to kidnap James. He did sleep with Grace after all. Whoops. So what comes next? We find out in season 2 episode 7, "What Comes Around" on Apple TV+. Here's our review of the episode. Spoilers Below.

Courtesy: Apple TV+ Quinn threatens James

Alright so Quinn is very hot and cold in terms of how he views his family, and then the actions he ends up taking. He thinks he's not like his father and grandfather, but he has a bad streak in him too. Allegedly he tells James that he kidnapped him and drugged him to scare him off and save his life. But I feel like Quinn deep down enjoys the power a little too much. This...

The previous episode of Surface season 2, episode 6, "Atonement," on Apple TV+, moved the story along a bit, but still pretty slowly. Sophie/Tess finds surprisingly finds comfort in James and the two sleep together, of course Henry Huntley doesn't actually show up to speak to his daughter, and Eliza and Quinn are still being Eliza and Quinn basically. Meaning the two characters just doing the same thing they've been doing all season.

We're getting close to the finale, with the penultimate episode coming up next. So when can you start tuning in? Surface season 2 episode 7, "What Comes Around," premieres Friday, April 4, 2025 on Apple TV+. Since the streamer releases its content at midnight Et, that's a Thursday night release time for some of you. Check out the schedule below:

East coast: 12 a.m. Et on FridaysWest Coast: 9 p.m. Pt on ThursdaysMidwest: 11 p.m. Ct on ThursdaysMountain: 10 p.m. Mt on...

Last week's episode of Surface season 2, episode 5, "Daybreak," saw the truth about Tess/Sophie's origins come to light to the Huntley family. Especially Quinn and Eliza. So how does this move the story forward? What comes next? We find out in this week's installment. Here's our review of episode 6, "Atonement," on Apple TV+. Spoilers Below.

Courtesy: Apple TV+

It turns out Tess had no idea that she basically took another young girl's identity, remembering that it was a priest who did so. I think it's interesting that after everything they've been through, Tess is leaning on James and confiding in him. She also wants him there for support after learning the truth of who her father is. So much so that the two actually end up spending the night together. What!?!?

But seriously, James? You literally just slept with Grace as well. And of course he isn't able to tell her the truth.

Quick LinksSurface Season 2, Episode 6 Features One Big Moment - And Avoids AnotherSurface Can't Decide What It Wants With Sophie and JamesSurface Episode 6 Ends on a Dangerously Interesting Note

The following contains major spoilers from Surface Season 2, Episode 6, "Atonement," now streaming on Apple TV+.

Surface Season 2, Episode 6, "Atonement" is the episode that the Apple TV+ show has been building to. It's the one that fans have been anticipating, knowing that one way or another, Sophie Ellis would confront the Huntleys. They may not have guessed the season's big plot twist, but every "upstairs, downstairs" story has that chapter where everyone's on the same level. The problem is that everyone also comes out looking worse.

"Atonement" centers around Henry Huntley's planned meeting with Sophie, now that he's come clean to his children about their half-sibling. Of course, this dovetails with Quinn and Grace's pre-wedding party for maximum scandal and embarrassment. The best parts of the episode,...

Surface season 2 continues to move along as after this week's new episode, there will only be two more left until the season finale. And unfrotunately, at least with how things are going right now, I'm going to be happy when it's over. This season has not managed to impress me at all. Even so, we're going to stick with it until the very end. So when can we start watching?

Surface season 2 episode 6, "Atonement," premieres Friday, March 28, 2025 on Apple TV+. Most of you probably already know the release time by now, but here it is incase you need a refresher. Since the streaming service releases content at 12 a.m. Et, that means new episodes drop on Thursday nights depending on where you live. Here's a breakdown of the release times by time zone:

East coast: 12 a.m. Et on FridaysWest Coast: 9 p.m. Pt on ThursdaysMidwest: 11 p.m. Ct on ThursdaysMountain: 10 p.

Ahead of her 40th birthday next week, we look back over the 25-year big-screen career of the Oscar-nominated actor, from Atonement to Love Actually, Pride & Prejudice to Star Wars

Knightley’s first big role was in this teen thriller, about four private school kids partying in a bomb shelter, where it all goes predictably haywire. It’s a horror, and not just for the sheer dominance of low-rise bootcut jeans. Even in its more hysterical moments, Knightley brings nuance to the posh-girl stereotype.

This article touches upon some potentially sensitive and very sad subjects. Please read on with caution.

Romantic heartbreak is ever-present in media, which is why countless sad romance movies have become ingrained in the pop culture lexicon. Jack's infamous demise in Titanic, Romeo and Juliet's deaths in Shakespeare's famous play, and Jenny's succumbing to a terminal illness in 1970's Love Story represent some of the most melancholic moments in film history. Even if cinematic history has trained audiences to root for a happy ending, a properly done gut-wrenching romance can be just as satisfying.

Romance movies can be heartbreaking for several different reasons. Forbidden love, breakups, dire circumstances and tragic deaths are all significant elements in cinema's saddest romance movies. There is simply no shortage of devastating romance films that will keep viewers dabbing at their eyes for hours.

Updated on March 5, 2025, by Natasha Elder: Sometimes, a good heartbreaking...

This post contains spoilers from Long Bright River episode 8 from this point forward.

Still reeling from the news that Truman could be the killer, the Long Bright River finale opens with Mickey in disbelief. He's the one cop she hadn't considered and the one cop she doesn't believe would do this. She adamant that Truman isn't the killer. Mickey buys suboxone, which Kacey uses to stay clean, from a drug dealer and asks him about a new product Dock has been pushing. The dealer doesn't know who's behind the drug. She only learns that it's blue.

Mickey brings Kacey to her place while Thomas is with Mrs. Mahon, who agrees not to allow Thomas to come home. While getting ready for bed, Thomas hears coughing coming from his house. He's somehow ended up home and wakes Kacey up from a bad dream. He's surprised that she knows him, but she's surprised that he knows her,...

After his two Academy Award-nominated period dramas, Pride & Prejudice and Atonement, director Joe Wrightventured into the action thriller genre with his 2011 film Hanna. Directed by Wright with a screenplay by Seth Lochhead and David Farr, Hanna stars a teenage Saoirse Ronanas the titular fifteen-year-old girl raised in the remote wilderness by her father to become a cold-blooded assassin. In her second collaboration with Wright after her supporting role in Atonement, Ronan shows off her range in her first action film, turning Hannainto a badass teenage assassin with a soft side. While on the run from the CIA, Hanna discovers the beauty of the world she had been kept isolated from for her entire life, coming of age while forced to fend for herself and track down one of her father's enemies. Inspired by Grimms’ Fairy Tales, Hanna gave Ronan the opportunity to showcase her versatility at a young age,...

The 21st edition of the Glasgow Film Festival kicks into gear on Wednesday (February 26) with the world premiere of survival thriller Tornado from Scottish filmmaker John Maclean. With stars Tim Roth and Japanese actors Kōki and Takehiro Hira set to be in attendance, it’s sure to be one of the highlights of the 12-day event.

But there are also another 12 world and European premieres, 66 UK premieres and 12 Scottish premieres from 38 countries as well as In Conversation talks with stars such as James McAvoy and Jessica Lange and more on offer at the festival this year. We’ve rounded up what we think are sure to be some of the key films and events during this year’s Gff.

Tornado – Opening Night

The festival is opening with the world premiere of survival thriller Tornado from Scottish filmmaker John Maclean. The film, which stars Tim Roth, Jack Lowden, Takehiro Hira and Kōki,...

New music drops every Friday. Here are some of the noteworthy awards contenders that debuted on Feb. 21, 2025.

Sign UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions Sam Fender, People Watching

The British singer-songwriter has no previous Grammy nominations, but he’s a hit in his native country, with his two previous albums Hypersonic Missiles and Seventeen Going Under both topping the charts and going platinum in the U.K. He hasn’t quite caught on in the U.S. yet. The 30-year-old rocker peaked at No. 12 on Billboard‘s Heatseekers Albums chart for new and developing artists with Missiles, and he has placed two songs on the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs chart, but he has otherwise kept a low profile on this side of the Atlantic. That said, he has been embraced by music journalists: People Watching has a Metacritic score of 90 based on the first six reviews counted.

For years, fans have argued whether Die Hard qualifies as a Christmas movie. While some see it as a must-watch holiday film, others believe it’s just a regular action movie with some Christmas elements. Bruce Willis, who played the main character John McClane also spoke up in the past to share his opinion on the debate.

Keira Knightley in the film Misbehaviour | Credit: 20th Century Studios

However, his opinion hasn’t convinced everyone. Actress Keira Knightley, for example, still believes that Die Hard should be considered a Christmas classic, showing that the debate is far from over.

Bruce Willis settles the Die Hard Christmas debate, but Keira Knightley disagrees

The debate over whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie has been ongoing for years, with fans and critics divided on the matter. Bruce Willis, who famously plays the role of Detective John McClane in the action-packed thriller finally weighed in on the discussion.

Exclusive: Harry King TV is headed to Mip London with an antiques and collectibles-themed format after launching an unscripted division.

Harry King Unscripted will be the new wing of veteran scripted producer Nicholas Sercombe’s UK and U.S. production operation. It will focus on formats designed for digital and linear TV, using a “new talent- and format-first model” that seeks to combat the traditional commissioning slowdown.

Debuting through the unit later this month will be Curiosity, fronted by Antiques Roadshow expert Raj Bisram and comedian Henning Wehn. Set in an emporium that buys and sells outlandish collectibles and other items, Curiosity will see celebrity guests visiting to find trinkets, curios and gifts from owners Bisram and Wehn.

BAFTA- and Emmy-nominated David Meadows is attached as Dop, while Ian Bailey is the Production Designer.

Bisram is best known for TV...

In April 2015, The Hollywood Reporter noted that Warner Bros. was preparing to "flood the market" that summer with a slate of nine films designed to fill the gap left by the absence of Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy and the "Harry Potter" films. At the time, Warner's domestic distribution chief Dan Fellman told the outlet, "It will be tough work, but I think it will pay off."

In some ways, WB's approach did pay off. The Dwayne Johnson-led "San Andreas," produced on a budget of $110 million, raked in $474 million worldwide. And while "Mad Max: Fury Road" didn't fare quite as well, making $380 million worldwide on a $150 million budget, it did at least garner critical acclaim and remains one of the best movies in the "Mad Max" saga. But one big-budget Warner project failed spectacularly on both a critical and commercial front.

A Peter Pan origin story...

Atonement director Joe Wright is said to have signed up for Alignment, an AI thriller whose script was purchased for $3m last year.

Writers and filmmakers often talk about the death of the spec script market. But last year, first-time screenwriter Natan Dolan, despite limited Hollywood connections, managed to sell his AI thriller script, Alignment, for a reported $3m.

Months after that acquisition, production company Fifth Season – also behind Film Stories TV favourite, Severance – has found a director. According to Deadline, Joe Wright, perhaps best known for such movies as Atonement and Pride And Prejudice, has taken on the job, which has attracted a great deal of interest from some major names, including Damien Chazelle and Matt Damon.

Fifth Season is evidently keen to get the project going thanks to its topical subject matter. It follows Peter, 29 year-old engineer at an OpenAI-like tech company whose latest product, Lambda-4, has quietly...

Exclusive: In what turned into one of the more competitive open directing assignments of the year, sources tell Deadline Joe Wright has landed the highly-coveted directing job for the AI thriller Alignment at Fifth Season. Natan Dotan penned the spec with Makeready producing. Scott Silver will exec produce.

The story follows a cutting-edge tech company whose latest AI model begins manipulating global markets and stoking international conflict. A principled board member and an out of his depth software engineer must race to convince their profit-obsessed colleagues to shut down their creation before it triggers a globally catastrophic event.

Fifth Season landed the spec in one of 2024’s bigger spec sales following a highly competitive bidding war. Insiders say the search for a director was equally intense with half dozen directors in the mix for the job. Wright’s take eventually won over producers and now that he is on board,...

Peter Jackson is easily recognized for his stunning work on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and its spinoff prequel, The Hobbit. However, the filmmaker also had a movie that was not as universally praised.

In 2009, he directed the supernatural drama The Lovely Bones. The star-studded film was based on Alice Sebold's 2002 novel of the same name, starring Saoirse Ronan in the main role as Susie Salmon, in the aftermath of her success in 2007's Atonement. Following a disappointing box office run and negative reception, The Lovely Bones found success on Netflix, debuting at number five in the global Top 10, with 3.3 million views and 4.6 million hours viewed, Tudum reports.

RelatedMichael Douglas' 2006 Political Action Film with 34% Rt Becomes a Hit on Netflix

Even actors with two Academy Awards have some bad films.

The movie is not available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. but reached the Top 10 in...

M. Son of the Century, which premieres on Sky in the U.K. on Feb. 4, covers a span of time in the life of Benito Mussolini, the founder of fascism. It ranges from his early years, when he was still a journalist who had just left the Socialist Party, to the murder, by Mussolini’s fascist forces, of socialist politician Giacomo Matteotti, a killing that helped pave his rise to power. Italian star Luca Marinelli (The Old Guard, The Eight Mountains) embodies the infamous populist in the new series, adapted by screenwriters Stefano Bises and Davide Serino from Antonio Scurati’s historical novel. British filmmaker Joe Wright (Atonement, Darkest Hour), who knows his way around a historical epic, directs.

The dark and handsome Marinelli underwent a complete transformation, to play the brutish, balding Mussolini. He is unrecognizable. Throughout the 8-episode series, the Italian actor constantly breaks the fourth wall, speaking directly to the audience.

Exhibitions honoring the work of “Parasite” director Bong Joon Ho and the production design team behind “Barbie” and “Anna Karenina” will be featured at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures starting this spring.

The “Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho” exhibit is the first museum ever dedicated to the Oscar-winning director and will open March 23, providing rare access to his archive and personal collection, storyboards, research materials and on-set photographs.

The “Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer” exhibit will provide an immersive look into the pair’s collaboration over the last 25 years. Their nomination for “Barbie” last year marked their seventh collective Oscar nomination after “Pride & Prejudice,” “Atonement,” “Sherlock Holmes” and “Darkest Hour.” This exhibit is set to open May 23.

Friday, Jan. 31 Research Council of Makeup Artists Set to Receive Vanguard Award at Makeup and Hair Stylist Guild Awards

The Research Council...

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Thursday announced two new flagship exhibitions opening in Spring 2025.

AMPAS’ Los Angeles Museum will host both Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho, and Barbie to Anna Karenina: The Cinematic Worlds of Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, exploring the work of the Oscar-nominated production design team behind films like Barbie (2023), Anna Karenina (2012), and Beauty and the Beast (2017).

Bong Joon Ho on the set of Okja (2017)

Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho is the first museum exhibition dedicated to the internationally acclaimed, Oscar-winning film director. In a continuation of the Academy Museum’s Director’s Inspiration series, the exhibition spotlights Bong Joon Ho’s creative process, filmography, and cinematic influences.

Whether set in 1980s Korea or an imagined future time and space, Bong Joon Ho’s films address issues that are transnational and universal: class disparity, social injustice, the environmental crisis, and political and moral corruption.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is celebrating filmmaker Bong Joon Ho with a new exhibition dedicated to his creative development.

IndieWire can announce that starting March 23, the Academy Museum will exhibit Bong as part of the “Director’s Inspiration” gallery. Agnés Varda was the previous auteur honored with the museum series.

The Director’s Inspiration gallery “focuses on the filmography and cinematic influences of a director who has established a narrative and visual style that is unmistakably their own, traceable through bodies of work that become touchstones for other filmmakers,” according to the Academy Museum site.

“Director’s Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho” will highlight the “Mickey 17” director’s creative process, filmography, and cinematic influences. The exhibit will include more than 100 original objects from storyboards and research materials to film posters, concept art, creature models, props, and on-set photographs, all from Bong’s archive and personal collection.

“Whether set...

The official Oscar nominees for the Best Actress award will be announced on January 17, 2025. It had been a year of some notable performances and picking the list of five actresses for this nomination list would be no easy feat. FandomWire predictions include nine actresses who have shown promise across the award season last fall.

Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas in Maria (2024) | Credits: Netflix

Veteran drama actresses like Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman will be up against youngsters like Mikey Madison and Zendaya in the voting process for nominations. However, Oscar races, especially for Best Actor and Best Actresses, are bound to throw some surprises. We have also put in a few surprises on this list.

FandomWire’s predicted nominees for Best Actress Mikey Madison in a still from Anora | Credits: Neon

Netflix has produced a few Oscar nominees in the past few years and the Best Actress category of this year will be no exception.

Benito Mussolini, the founder of fascism, will be the subject of an eight-part series named “M. Son of the Century,” directed by the famous Joe Wright. The series, which stars Italian actor Luca Marinelli, aims to show how a political outsider became one of history’s most infamous rulers in new ways.

Based on Antonio Scurati’s best-selling “documentary novel,” the series follows Mussolini’s life from his time as a journalist to his rise to power as the leader of Italy’s fascist movement during a crucial decade. In this historical story, Wright, known for his work in period plays like “Atonement” and “The Darkest Hour,” does something different.

Wright considers how the British saw Mussolini and says, “Being British, Mussolini has always been this kind of strange, almost clown-like figure.” He sees this series as a chance to examine where fascism came from and how it relates to...

Keira Knightley recently opened up about one of the most memorable moments in her career: the intense library scene from Atonement. In the 2007 film based on Ian McEwan’s novel, Knightley played a wealthy young woman in love with her family’s housekeeper’s son, Robbie Turner, portrayed by James McAvoy.

Even over 15 years later, this scene remains unforgettable for many, and Knightley herself agrees. While promoting her new Netflix series, Black Doves, which has been getting great reviews, Knightley reflected on that steamy moment with McAvoy.

In an interview with The Times, she admitted, ‘The most famous sex scene that I’ve done, and the one that worked the best, was in Atonement. That was brilliant because it was storyboarded.’

She highlighted how carefully director Joe Wright planned every part of the scene, ensuring each frame had meaning. According to her, this attention to detail made it a standout...

Director Joe Wright signals his intent early on in M. Son of the Century, his eight-part series on the rise of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.

“Follow me,” Luca Marinelli, playing Mussolini, whispers conspiratorily to the audience early in the first episode. “Follow me, you’ll love me too. I’ll make you a fascist.”

Over the course of eight hours, the show traces a decade in Mussolini’s career, his transition from journalist and political outsider to the head of a populist movement and new political ideology —fascism— that would force itself into the mainstream and seize power. Adapted from the first volume of Antonio Scurati’s bestselling “documentary novel” of the same name, M. Son of the Century shows how Mussolini, a former editor of the Italian Socialist Party’s official newspaper, fell out with the left and used any means necessary, up to and including murder, to advance his political career.

Keira Knightley is widely considered one of the most beautiful actresses working today (in addition to being immensely talented). She's been working steadily since she was 17 years old, first skyrocketing to international fame for her performance in the film Bend It Like Beckham. Knightly became a bona fide star only a year after appearing in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and later in a few of its sequels. She's gone on to star in numerous big-name movies and TV series, most recently in the well-received Netflix spy thriller Black Doves.

And yet, one of Knightley's most enduring and beloved roles almost didn't happen. In 2005, the actress starred as Elizabeth Bennet in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice. Her performance in the film garnered significant critical praise and earned Knightley Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress, among several other accolades. Working with the film's director,...

There have been many breakout roles in modern British movies, with stand-out examples coming in the form of Tom Hardy's performance as Eames in Inception and James McAvoy in the 2007 adaptation of Atonement. John Boyega is a name many associate with one of the biggest franchises in the world, Star Wars, but, for others, he will always be Moses in the 2011 sci-fi horror Attack the Block. A laugh-a-minute 'under siege' movie featuring plenty of memorable performances, it's Boyega's that stood out above all, with his debut turn as Moses catching the eye of major production companies. Within four years, Boyega would be starring in the long-awaited return of Star Wars, with his whirlwind journey to the top all thanks to the brilliance of this low-budget romp.

One of the stars from True Detective: Night Country has a great television replacement in Netflix's spy thriller series Black Doves. Created by Joe Barton, Black Doves has opened to outstanding reviews, earning a near-perfect 94% Rotten Tomatoes critic score after its December 5, 2024 release date. Keira Knightley leads the cast of Black Doves along with Ben Whishaw of Skyfall and No Time to Die acclaim.

Black Doves follows Knightley's Helen Webb, the loving and supportive wife of Wallace Webb, a prominent British politician. Webb is also a secret agent working for the mysterious covert spy organization known as the Black Doves, which Mrs. Reed is the head of. Reed confronts Helen over an affair she was having with a civil servant named Jason (Andrew Koji), who was shockingly shot and killed in a park from long range. Suspecting that Helen could be in hot water with a powerful criminal conspiracy,...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Black Doves season 1.

Keira Knightley's Netflix espionage series Black Doves features a robust cast of secret agents, undercover spies, and lethal assassins. Created by Joe Barton, Black Doves has opened to outstanding reviews, earning a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score upon its December 5, 2024 release date. Knightley leads the cast of Black Doves along with Ben Whishaw, who is best known for playing Q in Daniel Craig's final three James Bond movies. Black Doves also features a stellar supporting cast, including Sarah Lancashire's Reed, Kathryn Hunter's Lenny, Ella Lily Hyland's Williams, and Omari Douglas's Michael.

Black Doves follows Knightley's Helen Webb, the loving and supportive wife of Andrew Buchan's Wallace Webb, a prominent British politician. Webb is also a secret agent working for the mysterious covert spy organization known as the Black Doves, which Mrs. Reed is the head of.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Black Doves season 1.

The Clarks and the Newmans are two feared and dangerous London-based crime family organizations in the Netflix espionage series Black Doves. Created by Joe Barton, Black Doves has outstanding reviews, earning a 98% Rotten Tomatoes critic score after its December 5, 2024 release date. Knightley leads the cast of Black Doves along with Ben Whishaw's Sam Young, best known for playing Q in Daniel Craig's James Bond films. Black Doves features a stellar supporting cast, including Sarah Lancashire's Reed, Kathryn Hunter's Lenny, and Ella Lily Hyland's Williams.

Black Doves follows public figure Helen Webb, the loving and supportive wife of Andrew Buchan's Wallace Webb, a prominent British politician. Webb is also a secret agent working for the mysterious covert spy organization known as the Black Doves, which Mrs. Reed is the head of. Reed confronts Helen over an affair she...

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Black Doves season 1.

Keira Knightley's Helen Webb has a complicated relationship with her assassin friend Sam, whose first kill was his own father in the Netflix espionage series Black Doves. Created by Joe Barton, Black Doves has outstanding reviews, earning a 98% Rotten Tomatoes critic score after its December 5, 2024 release date. Knightley leads the cast of Black Doves along with Ben Whishaw's Sam Young, best known for playing Q in Daniel Craig's James Bond films. Black Doves features a stellar supporting cast, including Sarah Lancashire's Reed, Kathryn Hunter's Lenny, and Ella Lily Hyland's Williams.

Black Doves follows public figure Helen Webb, the loving and supportive wife of Andrew Buchan's Wallace Webb, a prominent British politician. Webb is also a secret agent working for the mysterious covert spy organization known as the Black Doves, which Mrs. Reed is the head of.

Keira Knightley was a staple of the big screen in the early 2000s, starting with her big break role in Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003). That same year, she starred in Love Actually, which is now, for many, a Christmas classic. Knightley rounded out her 2010s with two more Pirates of the Caribbean movies, as well as Pride & Prejudice (2005) and Atonement (2007).

Knightley continued to appear regularly in movies throughout the 2010s and into the 2020s, with notable titles including The Imitation Game (2014), Everest (2015), and Boston Strangler (2023), but she was notably absent from the TV space. The actor's most recent foray into TV was as a narrator in the animated The Sound Collector, but her major push into the medium didn't actually arrive until late 2024 with the release of a spy thriller show on Netflix, a kind of project Knightley has never tackled before.

Black Doves...

Keira Knightley’s got no doubts when it comes to her reigning title as queen of the steamy screen. While MCU star Aiden Turner (T. Vanchat in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D episode The Magical Place) and crew might be bringing the heat in their latest Disney+ series Rivals, Knightley’s unapologetically confident that her most extraordinary scene of passion is still untouchable.

Keira Knightley in the film Misbehaviour | Credit: 20th Century Studios

And let’s be real — Knightley’s got some iconic bonking credits under her belt. While the actress praised the new show for its brilliant scenes, she’s staying cool, knowing her legendary scene set a bar so high, even superheroes might need a ladder.

Keira Knightley Compares Rivals to Her Iconic Atonement Scene Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement | Credits: Working Title Films

Keira Knightley is confident that Rivals, Disney+’s steamy new show, has kind...

Keira Knightley explained why she has always enjoyed acting in period piece movies. Knightley became one of the most popular actors in the world after starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean films. However, she did not partake in any major franchises after playing a pirate for many years. Instead, Knightley has preferred to star in one-off films, and has specifically shown a special interest in period piece projects. Knightley has starred in popular period piece movies such as Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, and The Imitation Game.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Knightley revealed why she has starred in so many period piece movies. She left school at 16 years old to pursue a career in Hollywood, so Knightley claimed that starring in period pieces has always been a way for her to learn more about history. Starring in period pieces also requires an actor to wear drastically different clothing,...