Wattpad Webtoon Studios, the screen entertainment arm of web-based publisher of Webtoon Entertainment, and Skybound Entertainment, the banner behind The Walking Dead and Invincible, are teaming up to develop an adaptation of webcomic hit Freaking Romance.
Matthew Kic and Mike Sorce, rising scribes who have twice had scripts on the Black List, have been tapped to pen the screenplay for what is intended to be a live-action feature.
Aron Levitz, David Madden and Jason Goldberg will produce for Wattpad Webtoon. Robert Kirkman, David Alpert and Rick Jacobs are producing the film via Skybound. Skybound’s Fred D. Lee will oversee the project.
The story centers on a young woman named Lily who moves into the only place she can afford, a haunted apartment. She soon discovers that the so-called ghost occupying the house isn’t a paranormal apparition, but rather a man from another dimension, and before you know it,...
Matthew Kic and Mike Sorce, rising scribes who have twice had scripts on the Black List, have been tapped to pen the screenplay for what is intended to be a live-action feature.
Aron Levitz, David Madden and Jason Goldberg will produce for Wattpad Webtoon. Robert Kirkman, David Alpert and Rick Jacobs are producing the film via Skybound. Skybound’s Fred D. Lee will oversee the project.
The story centers on a young woman named Lily who moves into the only place she can afford, a haunted apartment. She soon discovers that the so-called ghost occupying the house isn’t a paranormal apparition, but rather a man from another dimension, and before you know it,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Her score for Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s opus helped it to Oscar glory. Now the Japanese musician has reunited with its director for a collaboration unlike any other
Whether it’s Hitchcock and Herrmann, Spielberg and Williams or latterly Villeneuve and Zimmer, film directors often get into a glorious feedback loop with a preferred composer – and the latest is a burgeoning collaboration between Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi. Her jazz-pop theme for Drive My Car in 2021 was an instant classic – wistful, generous of spirit, even a little Gallic with its touch of accordion – and her score helped to carry the Japanese film to glory at Cannes and beyond, including a best picture nomination and best international feature film award at the Oscars in 2022.
“There was a big awards rush, festivals, and I think Hamaguchi was ultimately quite fatigued from the whole experience,” Ishibashi says, elegantly wrapped up in her cold-looking recording...
Whether it’s Hitchcock and Herrmann, Spielberg and Williams or latterly Villeneuve and Zimmer, film directors often get into a glorious feedback loop with a preferred composer – and the latest is a burgeoning collaboration between Ryûsuke Hamaguchi and Eiko Ishibashi. Her jazz-pop theme for Drive My Car in 2021 was an instant classic – wistful, generous of spirit, even a little Gallic with its touch of accordion – and her score helped to carry the Japanese film to glory at Cannes and beyond, including a best picture nomination and best international feature film award at the Oscars in 2022.
“There was a big awards rush, festivals, and I think Hamaguchi was ultimately quite fatigued from the whole experience,” Ishibashi says, elegantly wrapped up in her cold-looking recording...
- 4/8/2024
- by Ben Beaumont-Thomas
- The Guardian - Film News
A camera drifts slowly beneath a canopy of wintry trees, accompanied by the orchestral strings of Eiko Ishibashi’s score, inviting us to fall into what we anticipate to be the slow and quiet rhythms of Drive My Car director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s latest film.
That is, for the most part, a good hunch, but the surprise sound of a shotgun ringing out not far into the Venice Silver Bear winner – the distance away of which the two characters who hear it disagree on – is a clue that Hamaguchi may not only be interested in the tranquillity of nature. A children’s game of green light, red light – which sees them race in spurts to a finish line in between standing stock still like statues – also hints at the way things can seem not to be moving at all, only for the shock of change to happen in a...
That is, for the most part, a good hunch, but the surprise sound of a shotgun ringing out not far into the Venice Silver Bear winner – the distance away of which the two characters who hear it disagree on – is a clue that Hamaguchi may not only be interested in the tranquillity of nature. A children’s game of green light, red light – which sees them race in spurts to a finish line in between standing stock still like statues – also hints at the way things can seem not to be moving at all, only for the shock of change to happen in a...
- 4/4/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
After being catapulted to the big time with Drive My Car, the director’s next film Evil Does Not Exist has helped him escape the pressure of his success – and is designed to retain an air of the unknown
The winter sky in the opening shot of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist is a brilliant white, seen through a tangle of spindly tree branches. Set against a radiant orchestral score, the scene looks sublime. But then a dissonant note is heard in the music. Then another. Not everything is as it seems.
“I started from a place of not knowing anything,” Hamaguchi says of his new film, which sets up a paradisal image of nature to then unsettle it. He speaks with a humility that belies his standing as one of Japan’s most celebrated auteurs. It was late 2021, he recalls; his previous film, Drive My Car, had been released.
The winter sky in the opening shot of Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist is a brilliant white, seen through a tangle of spindly tree branches. Set against a radiant orchestral score, the scene looks sublime. But then a dissonant note is heard in the music. Then another. Not everything is as it seems.
“I started from a place of not knowing anything,” Hamaguchi says of his new film, which sets up a paradisal image of nature to then unsettle it. He speaks with a humility that belies his standing as one of Japan’s most celebrated auteurs. It was late 2021, he recalls; his previous film, Drive My Car, had been released.
- 4/1/2024
- by Rebecca Liu
- The Guardian - Film News
Catch a first look at the new trailer for Evil Does Not Exist – director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s follow-up film to 2021’s critically-acclaimed Drive My Car.
Released in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was critically acclaimed, winning awards at just about every festival it was screened. The film was even nominated for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars while also taking the gong for best international picture back to Japan. Interest in Hamaguchi’s next project has remained high then, with his follow-up film, Evil Does Not Exist finally being unveiled to the world next month.
According to a synopsis, the film is said to be an ‘ecological fable’ that centres on a ‘rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo. Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a...
Released in 2021, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car was critically acclaimed, winning awards at just about every festival it was screened. The film was even nominated for Best Picture at that year’s Oscars while also taking the gong for best international picture back to Japan. Interest in Hamaguchi’s next project has remained high then, with his follow-up film, Evil Does Not Exist finally being unveiled to the world next month.
According to a synopsis, the film is said to be an ‘ecological fable’ that centres on a ‘rural alpine hamlet of Mizubiki, not far from Tokyo. Takumi and his daughter, Hana, lead a modest life gathering water, wood, and wild wasabi for the local udon restaurant. Increasingly, the townsfolk become aware of a...
- 3/27/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
Acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi wowed international audiences and critics with his drama “Drive My Car,” which earned the Best International Feature Film Oscar in 2022. The venerated director is back with “Evil Does Not Exist,” an ecological fable with genre elements about a father and daughter living in the wilderness outside Tokyo. The domestic distributors Sideshow and Janus Films have released a trailer, and the movie will open in limited release in May.
Continue reading ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Trailer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Follow-Up To Acclaimed Oscar-Winning ‘Drive My Car’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Evil Does Not Exist’ Trailer: Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Follow-Up To Acclaimed Oscar-Winning ‘Drive My Car’ at The Playlist.
- 3/26/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Evil Does Not ExistPhoto: Janus Films
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
There are few things more bone-chilling than the real-life evils set upon our planet and its people each and every day. This is the type of horror Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi is contending with in Evil Does Not Exist, the stirring and eerie follow-up to his Oscar-winning 2021 film,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi became globally known after the success of Drive My Car, which earned him three major Oscar nominations, and one win (Best International Feature). After adapting Haruki Murakami’s short story, Hamaguchi has moved on to a new project, which was presented to audiences last year in Venice, where it won five out of the six awards it was nominated for. Evil Does Not Exist is the movie we are talking about, and ahead of this year’s American premiere, an official trailer for the movie has been released.
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
The movie is based on an original screenplay by Hamaguchi and based on the success it has had so far, the movie is slated to be another big hit for the Japanese filmmaker, which might earn him several awards later this year and next year.
The film will feature Hitoshi Omika as Takumi, Ryo Nishikawa as Hana, Ryuji Kosaka as Takahashi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
"If you go overboard, you upset the balance." Janus Films has revealed an official US trailer for the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi called Evil Does Not Exist. After winning an Oscar two years ago for his highly acclaimed Drive My Car, Hamaguchi went back home and ended up making this smaller, much quieter little film that could be described as an eco thriller or even eco fable. Takumi and his daughter Hana live in Mizubiki Village, near Tokyo. One day, the village inhabitants become aware of a plan to build a glamping site near Takumi's house offering city residents a comfortable "escape" to nature. But it will disrupt the way of life for many of the local villagers, who ask for them to make changes. The film stars Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa, Ryuji Kosaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hazuki Kikuchi, and Hiroyuki Miura. This premiered at the 2023 Venice Film Festival,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
One of the best surprises in cinema this past year was the news that Ryusuke Hamaguchi, just two years after his perfect one-two punch of Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy and Drive My Car, had secretly shot and completed another film that was to premiere at the Venice Film Festival. After picking up the Grand Jury Prize there, the serene and expertly scripted Evil Does Not Exist will now roll out to kick off the summer movie season courtesy of Sideshow and Janus Films. Ahead of the U.S. release, the new trailer and poster have arrived.
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
Rory O’Connor said in his review, “A quiet, funny, confounding mystery, Evil plays out amongst the forests and streams of a remote village close to Tokyo. Tensions are raised when two representatives for the glamping company, Takahashi (Ryuji Kosaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani), arrive to talk things over. The locals, in particular a man named Takumi,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi retreated into a rural village outside of Tokyo to make “Evil Does Not Exist,” his first film following the global success of “Drive My Car,” which won the 2022 Best International Feature Oscar. The Japanese director found himself perhaps uncomfortably in the worldwide spotlight after being known for indies like “Asako I & II” and “Happy Hour,” and so “Evil Does Not Exist,” winner of the 2023 Venice Silver Lion and Fipresci prizes, is a return to minimalist basics — an ecological parable wrapped up with unexpected thriller elements, and a movie he shot in secret.
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
IndieWire shares the exclusive trailer for the film, out in U.S. theaters May 3 from Sideshow and Janus Films, below. While “Evil Does Not Exist” wasn’t eligible for the International Feature Oscar due to its release date in Japan, Hamaguchi had a great run at the 2022 Academy Awards — along with the “Drive My Car” International Feature win,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s disquieting new film, is at once a major break from the Japanese director’s previous work and a distillation of the questions and anxieties around which his cinema has long orbited; it’s the film he seems to have been working toward his whole career. Anyone mildly familiar with Hamaguchi’s work will know the cardinal role dialogue plays in his films, which often double as symposiums—a proclivity evident long before Drive My Car’s meandering chats and late-night confessions. Pitted next to its talk-heavy predecessors, Evil Does Not Exist is a stark outlier; it may well be […]
The post Vulnerable Spaces first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Vulnerable Spaces first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/18/2024
- by Leonardo Goi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Evil Does Not Exist, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s disquieting new film, is at once a major break from the Japanese director’s previous work and a distillation of the questions and anxieties around which his cinema has long orbited; it’s the film he seems to have been working toward his whole career. Anyone mildly familiar with Hamaguchi’s work will know the cardinal role dialogue plays in his films, which often double as symposiums—a proclivity evident long before Drive My Car’s meandering chats and late-night confessions. Pitted next to its talk-heavy predecessors, Evil Does Not Exist is a stark outlier; it may well be […]
The post Vulnerable Spaces first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Vulnerable Spaces first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/18/2024
- by Leonardo Goi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
With four TV and film projects in as many years, few filmmakers right now are more prolific than Hirokazu Kore-eda.
The veteran Japanese filmmaker behind titles like the Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters and Still Walking continued his hot streak after landing his third directing honor from the Asian Academy Sunday night for his last feature, Monster. Last night’s win was Kore-eda’s second consecutive Best Director win at the Asian Film Awards after nabbing the gong with the Korean-language Broker in 2023.
“I’m in a really good spot right now,” Kore-eda told Deadline shortly before picking up the award on Sunday. “I’m not forcing myself at all. I’m constantly working. I have good stamina.” The filmmaker told us that he has no intentions of slowing down.
“I’m currently working on a streaming drama I shot last autumn. I’m in the editing phase for that now,...
The veteran Japanese filmmaker behind titles like the Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters and Still Walking continued his hot streak after landing his third directing honor from the Asian Academy Sunday night for his last feature, Monster. Last night’s win was Kore-eda’s second consecutive Best Director win at the Asian Film Awards after nabbing the gong with the Korean-language Broker in 2023.
“I’m in a really good spot right now,” Kore-eda told Deadline shortly before picking up the award on Sunday. “I’m not forcing myself at all. I’m constantly working. I have good stamina.” The filmmaker told us that he has no intentions of slowing down.
“I’m currently working on a streaming drama I shot last autumn. I’m in the editing phase for that now,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Eiko Ishibashi provides more than just music for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s movies, with her compositions being central to the Japanese filmmaker’s dramas, so much so that they take on the life of a supporting character.
There have been consecutive Asian Film Awards (Afa) wins for Ishibashi’s work on, first, the Oscar-winning Drive My Car and, this past Sunday night in Hong Kong, Evil Does Not Exist. In both films, the composer’s music helps drive the narrative, as much as set the mood.
Evil Does Not Exist grew out of plans for a concert Hamaguchi and Ishibashi were working on. Such was the depth and breadth of their discussions that the filmmaker started to see specific characters and situations emerging, and he then gathered them into a screenplay that deals with an environmental flashpoint in rural Japan, which is shadowed by the looming threat of violence.
The long-time...
There have been consecutive Asian Film Awards (Afa) wins for Ishibashi’s work on, first, the Oscar-winning Drive My Car and, this past Sunday night in Hong Kong, Evil Does Not Exist. In both films, the composer’s music helps drive the narrative, as much as set the mood.
Evil Does Not Exist grew out of plans for a concert Hamaguchi and Ishibashi were working on. Such was the depth and breadth of their discussions that the filmmaker started to see specific characters and situations emerging, and he then gathered them into a screenplay that deals with an environmental flashpoint in rural Japan, which is shadowed by the looming threat of violence.
The long-time...
- 3/11/2024
- by Mathew Scott
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist was named best film at the Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong on Sunday evening (March 10).
The Japanese drama, which premiered in competition at Venice where it won five awards including the grand jury prize, also picked up best original music for composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
While Hamaguchi was not at the ceremony, held in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the top prize was accepted in-person by Ishibashi, cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa and co-editor Azusa Yamzaki – presented by...
The Japanese drama, which premiered in competition at Venice where it won five awards including the grand jury prize, also picked up best original music for composer Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
While Hamaguchi was not at the ceremony, held in the Grand Theatre of the Xiqu Centre in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, the top prize was accepted in-person by Ishibashi, cinematographer Yoshio Kitagawa and co-editor Azusa Yamzaki – presented by...
- 3/10/2024
- ScreenDaily
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist won Best Film at the Asian Film Awards (AFAs) this evening in Hong Kong. Scroll down for the full list of winners.
This is the second year running that a film helmed by Hamaguchi has picked up the award. He won the top prize last year with Drive My Car. This year, however, the director was not in attendance to accept the award due to what he described as “work commitments” in a video message played at the top of the ceremony.
Evil Does Not Exist, which also picked up an award for original music, debuted at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. A plan to construct a glamping site near Takumi’s house,...
This is the second year running that a film helmed by Hamaguchi has picked up the award. He won the top prize last year with Drive My Car. This year, however, the director was not in attendance to accept the award due to what he described as “work commitments” in a video message played at the top of the ceremony.
Evil Does Not Exist, which also picked up an award for original music, debuted at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. The film follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live in Mizubiki Village close to Tokyo. Like generations before them, they live a modest life according to the cycles and order of nature. A plan to construct a glamping site near Takumi’s house,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Oscar nominees for Best Director are Jonathan Glazer (“The Zone of Interest”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), and Justine Triet (“Anatomy of a Fall”). Our odds currently show that Nolan (3/1) is most likely to win, followed in order by Lanthimos (4/1), Glazer (9/2), Triet (9/2), and Scorsese (9/2).
Three of these five filmmakers have been nominated at least once before, with Scorsese standing out as the only previous victor in the group. Now on his 10th bid (only two behind category record holder William Wyler), he initially triumphed on his sixth for “The Departed” (2007), which is also the only Best Picture winner in his filmography. He earned his remaining notices for “Raging Bull” (1981), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1989), “Goodfellas” (1991), “Gangs of New York” (2003), “The Aviator” (2005), “Hugo” (2012), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014), and “The Irishman” (2020).
Having previously ranked as the third oldest directing nominee ever...
Three of these five filmmakers have been nominated at least once before, with Scorsese standing out as the only previous victor in the group. Now on his 10th bid (only two behind category record holder William Wyler), he initially triumphed on his sixth for “The Departed” (2007), which is also the only Best Picture winner in his filmography. He earned his remaining notices for “Raging Bull” (1981), “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1989), “Goodfellas” (1991), “Gangs of New York” (2003), “The Aviator” (2005), “Hugo” (2012), “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2014), and “The Irishman” (2020).
Having previously ranked as the third oldest directing nominee ever...
- 3/7/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
With final voting complete, the 96th Oscars telecast will be broadcast on Sunday, March 10 and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt. We update predictions through awards season, so keep checking IndieWire for all our 2024 Oscar picks.
The State of the Race
As always, big-name directors with big-budget projects get a marketing and awareness lift on the road to the Oscars. But festivals offer a crucial leg up in the prestige department.
Christopher Nolan, director of the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer” (Universal), a biopic starring Cillian Murphy, has never won the Oscar for Best Directing and is front and center in the Oscar race. He also landed Globe, Cca, DGA, and BAFTA directing wins.
Cannes launched “The Departed” Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese into the race with his three-and-a-half-hour epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films), a critics’ favorite starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar nominees...
The State of the Race
As always, big-name directors with big-budget projects get a marketing and awareness lift on the road to the Oscars. But festivals offer a crucial leg up in the prestige department.
Christopher Nolan, director of the summer blockbuster “Oppenheimer” (Universal), a biopic starring Cillian Murphy, has never won the Oscar for Best Directing and is front and center in the Oscar race. He also landed Globe, Cca, DGA, and BAFTA directing wins.
Cannes launched “The Departed” Oscar-winner Martin Scorsese into the race with his three-and-a-half-hour epic “Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films), a critics’ favorite starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Oscar nominees...
- 3/5/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Superstar Japanese auteur Hamaguchi Ryusuke will unveil “Gift,” a companion piece to his recent “Evil Does Not Exist” as a one-off live performance at next month’s Hong Kong International Film Festival.
Following the success of his breakout “Drive My Car,” which won the Oscar for best international feature film, Hamaguchi initially made “Gift” as a silent film project to accompany the live performance of Ishibashi Eiko, the music composer of both “Drive” and later “Evil.”
From the same project, Hamaguchi also derived “Evil Does Not Exist,” which then went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Venice International Film Festival. With a similar narrative, both are eco-political thrillers that revolve around a man and his daughter whose peaceful rural lives are about to be disrupted by the construction of a glamping site.
A piece of highly-controlled filmmaking, “Evil” became a major talking point with its baffling and enigmatic ending.
Following the success of his breakout “Drive My Car,” which won the Oscar for best international feature film, Hamaguchi initially made “Gift” as a silent film project to accompany the live performance of Ishibashi Eiko, the music composer of both “Drive” and later “Evil.”
From the same project, Hamaguchi also derived “Evil Does Not Exist,” which then went on to win the Grand Jury Prize at last year’s Venice International Film Festival. With a similar narrative, both are eco-political thrillers that revolve around a man and his daughter whose peaceful rural lives are about to be disrupted by the construction of a glamping site.
A piece of highly-controlled filmmaking, “Evil” became a major talking point with its baffling and enigmatic ending.
- 2/28/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The Beatles’ songs from A to Z are a study of how the band changed the course of pop music. The songwriting, melodies, instrumentals, and recording technqiues established the band as among the most influential in music history. But for all their success, The Beatles remained active for a relatively short period of time.
In 10 years, The Beatles released 14 albums in what’s considered their core catalog. It includes just over 200 songs from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Some are much more memorable than others, but every Beatles song from A to Z has its own story and interesting facts to keep listeners entertained even when the music stops.
Beatles songs starting with ‘A’ “Across the Universe” The song holds a Guinness World Record that involves outer space. “Act Naturally” It replaced a “weird” Ringo Starr song initially meant for the album. “All I’ve Got...
In 10 years, The Beatles released 14 albums in what’s considered their core catalog. It includes just over 200 songs from John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Some are much more memorable than others, but every Beatles song from A to Z has its own story and interesting facts to keep listeners entertained even when the music stops.
Beatles songs starting with ‘A’ “Across the Universe” The song holds a Guinness World Record that involves outer space. “Act Naturally” It replaced a “weird” Ringo Starr song initially meant for the album. “All I’ve Got...
- 2/26/2024
- by Matt Moore
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Quo Vadis, Aida Photo: Courtesy of Venice Film Festival Quo Vadis, Aida, BBC iPlayer, streaming now
Jasmila Zbanic's measured and powerful drama considers the run-up to Srebrenica genocide, which left more than 8000 dead, from the perspective of Un interpreter Aida Selmanagic (Jasna Djuricic), her headteacher husband Nihad (Izudin Bajrovic) and their two teenage sons Hamdija (Boris Ler) and Sejo (Dino Bajrovic). We remain gripped to Aida as the crisis in her hometown looms and watch as the United Nations fails to intervene with devastating consequences. Djuricic puts in a masterful performance as a mum under increasing pressure as her panic mounts from with the chaos of a Un camp while her husband and sons are outside. Clear sighted and with an epilogue that acts as a reminder of the lasting impact of conflict, Zbanic's drama is not to be missed.
Drive My Car, midnight, Film4, Wednesday, February 27
Jennie Kermode...
Jasmila Zbanic's measured and powerful drama considers the run-up to Srebrenica genocide, which left more than 8000 dead, from the perspective of Un interpreter Aida Selmanagic (Jasna Djuricic), her headteacher husband Nihad (Izudin Bajrovic) and their two teenage sons Hamdija (Boris Ler) and Sejo (Dino Bajrovic). We remain gripped to Aida as the crisis in her hometown looms and watch as the United Nations fails to intervene with devastating consequences. Djuricic puts in a masterful performance as a mum under increasing pressure as her panic mounts from with the chaos of a Un camp while her husband and sons are outside. Clear sighted and with an epilogue that acts as a reminder of the lasting impact of conflict, Zbanic's drama is not to be missed.
Drive My Car, midnight, Film4, Wednesday, February 27
Jennie Kermode...
- 2/26/2024
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In April 2019, the Academy made a major change to the category formerly known as best foreign-language film. The following March, at the 92nd Academy Awards, Parasite made Oscar history when it became the first non-English film to take best picture — and the first movie to win the Oscar for the newly designated category of best international film.
The decision to rename the category was born out of the Academy’s efforts to diversify its membership and embrace the global filmmaking community. “We believe that ‘international feature film’ better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience,” Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, then co-chairs of the international film committee (Weyermann died in 2021), said in a statement.
The Academy has embraced more foreign-language films in its competition — since Parasite’s win in 2020, the best picture category has seen international (or largely non-English) nominees Minari,...
The decision to rename the category was born out of the Academy’s efforts to diversify its membership and embrace the global filmmaking community. “We believe that ‘international feature film’ better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience,” Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, then co-chairs of the international film committee (Weyermann died in 2021), said in a statement.
The Academy has embraced more foreign-language films in its competition — since Parasite’s win in 2020, the best picture category has seen international (or largely non-English) nominees Minari,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some apotheosis of film culture has been reached with Freddy Got Fingered‘s addition to the Criterion Channel. Three years after we interviewed Tom Green about his consummate film maudit, it’s appearing on the service’s Razzie-centered program that also includes the now-admired likes of Cruising, Heaven’s Gate, Querelle, and Ishtar; the still-due likes of Under the Cherry Moon; and the more-contested Gigli, Swept Away, and Nicolas Cage-led Wicker Man. In all cases it’s an opportunity to reconsider one of the lamest, thin-gruel entities in modern culture.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
A Jane Russell retro features von Sternberg’s Macao, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Raoul Walsh’s The Tall Men and The Revolt of Mamie Stover; streaming premieres will be held for Yuen Woo-ping’s Dreadnaught, Claire Simon’s Our Body, Ellie Foumbi’s Our Father, the Devil, the recently restored Sepa: Our Lord of Miracles, and The Passion of Rememberance.
- 2/14/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
We are about a month away from the 96th Academy Awards, which will be held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on March 10. Many categories seem to have fallen into place as to who will win, especially most of the above-the-line races — specifically Best Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, and Supporting Actress.
As our Gold Derby odds currently stand, Original Screenplay is still a red-hot race between “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Holdovers.” However, I believe this category is a safer bet than a lot of Gold Derby fans realizes. Here are five reasons why “Anatomy of a Fall” screenwriters Justine Triet and Arthur Harari will win Best Original Screenplay at the 2024 Oscars.
1. It received nominations in every important category.
On Oscar nominations morning, “Anatomy of a Fall” got into every key category necessary to indicate it has broad support across the academy. Picture, Director (Triet), Lead Actress (Sandra Hüller), Film Editing,...
As our Gold Derby odds currently stand, Original Screenplay is still a red-hot race between “Anatomy of a Fall” and “The Holdovers.” However, I believe this category is a safer bet than a lot of Gold Derby fans realizes. Here are five reasons why “Anatomy of a Fall” screenwriters Justine Triet and Arthur Harari will win Best Original Screenplay at the 2024 Oscars.
1. It received nominations in every important category.
On Oscar nominations morning, “Anatomy of a Fall” got into every key category necessary to indicate it has broad support across the academy. Picture, Director (Triet), Lead Actress (Sandra Hüller), Film Editing,...
- 2/12/2024
- by Jack Mahanes
- Gold Derby
It’s an old canard in the movie business: Never underestimate a Holocaust movie when it comes to Oscar attention. From Hungary’s Best Foreign Language winner “Son of Saul” (2016) and Oscar-winners “Judgment at Nuremberg” (1961), “Cabaret” (1973), “Sophie’s Choice” (1983), and “The Pianist” (2004) to Steven Spielberg’s Best Picture winner “Schindler’s List” (1994), many Holocaust subjects, especially shorts and documentary features, have won Oscars. Documentaries like “Anne Frank Remembered” won for 1995, “The Long Way Home” for 1997, “The Last Days” for 1998, and “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport” for 2000, and more recently, the nonfiction short “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” won for 2014 — just one week after its subject, Alice Herz-Sommer, the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor, passed away.
This season’s most decorated Holocaust film, “The Zone of Interest” (Metascore: 91) has multiple Oscar advantages. First, the film, which British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer adapted from the Martin Amis novel of the same name,...
This season’s most decorated Holocaust film, “The Zone of Interest” (Metascore: 91) has multiple Oscar advantages. First, the film, which British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer adapted from the Martin Amis novel of the same name,...
- 2/8/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Ld Entertainment will partner with Variance Films on the theatrical release for National Anthem, the queer ranching drama marking the feature directorial debut of Luke Gilford, which debuted at last year’s SXSW. Pic starring Charlie Plummer, Eve Lindley, Mason Alexander Park, Rene Rosado and Robyn Lively will be released in the U.S. on July 12.
Immersed in the world of a rural queer ranching community, and set against the exuberant, real-life International Gay Rodeo Association, National Anthem is billed as a celebration of first love and chosen family. The protagonist of the film is Dylan (Plummer), a 21-year-old working in construction in New Mexico who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in search of their own version of the American dream.
CAA Media Finance is repping worldwide rights, with Decal Releasing handling home entertainment for the film.
Said Variance’s Dylan Marchetti and Kristen Osborne: “Variance...
Immersed in the world of a rural queer ranching community, and set against the exuberant, real-life International Gay Rodeo Association, National Anthem is billed as a celebration of first love and chosen family. The protagonist of the film is Dylan (Plummer), a 21-year-old working in construction in New Mexico who joins a community of queer rodeo performers in search of their own version of the American dream.
CAA Media Finance is repping worldwide rights, with Decal Releasing handling home entertainment for the film.
Said Variance’s Dylan Marchetti and Kristen Osborne: “Variance...
- 2/7/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Rotterdam Review: Toshihiko Tanaka’s Rei is an Ambitious Directorial Debut That Draws from Hamaguchi
It was more than eight years ago that the virtually unknown Ryusuke Hamaguchi premiered Happy Hour, a five-hour narrative masterclass about four thirty-something women coming to terms with their own lives and relationship to one another. Against all odds, Hamaguchi has since become one of the biggest names in world cinema. Perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising to see him emerge as the preeminent influence on a fellow Japanese filmmaker––so appears to be the case with Toshihiko Tanaka’s Rei, the winner of the Tiger Competition at the 2024 International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Rei is a three-hour-plus, Tokyo-Hokkaido-set drama about Hikari, a thirty-something woman with a steady but unexciting job, an avid playgoing habit, and a concern that her life is a bit unexciting. She meets a favorite actor after attending a play with her friend, the mother of a nonverbal disabled child with a workaholic husband who rarely gets to go out.
Rei is a three-hour-plus, Tokyo-Hokkaido-set drama about Hikari, a thirty-something woman with a steady but unexciting job, an avid playgoing habit, and a concern that her life is a bit unexciting. She meets a favorite actor after attending a play with her friend, the mother of a nonverbal disabled child with a workaholic husband who rarely gets to go out.
- 2/7/2024
- by Forrest Cardamenis
- The Film Stage
Get ready for your next marathon with Max! This February, the streamer is saying goodbye to major award winners, camp classics, and more. Most of the platform’s exits will take place on the final day of the month, including the genre and history-changing “The Exorcist,” the recent Oscar winner “Drive My Car,” and more, but Max will remove several other major TV and film titles throughout the month.
We at The Streamable have assembled our top picks for what’s leaving Max this month— continue below to find your next thing to watch and see the full list below to plan your next movie night before they’re gone!
7-Day Free Trial $9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Max in February 2024? “Drive My Car” | Thursday, Feb. 29
A recent Oscar winner for Best International Feature Film, the Japanese drama stars Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yūsuke Kafuku,...
We at The Streamable have assembled our top picks for what’s leaving Max this month— continue below to find your next thing to watch and see the full list below to plan your next movie night before they’re gone!
7-Day Free Trial $9.99+ / month Max via amazon.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Max in February 2024? “Drive My Car” | Thursday, Feb. 29
A recent Oscar winner for Best International Feature Film, the Japanese drama stars Hidetoshi Nishijima as Yūsuke Kafuku,...
- 2/2/2024
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
The Beatles were just full of surprises. Paul McCartney said The Beatles’ “Drive My Car” (1965) contains a joke derived from a common theme in blues music. On the other hand, John Lennon barely had anything to say about the song.
Paul McCartney on The Beatles’ ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled the writing of “Drive My Car.” “It was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting in the tail like ‘Norwegian Wood’ had, which was ‘I actually haven’t got a car, but when I get one you’ll be a terrific chauffeur,'” he said. “So to me, it was LA chicks, ‘You can be my chauffeur,’ and it also meant ‘You can be my lover.
Paul McCartney on The Beatles’ ‘Drive My Car’ and ‘Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)’
In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul recalled the writing of “Drive My Car.” “It was wonderful because this nice tongue-in-cheek idea came and suddenly there was a girl there, the heroine of the story, and the story developed and had a little sting in the tail like ‘Norwegian Wood’ had, which was ‘I actually haven’t got a car, but when I get one you’ll be a terrific chauffeur,'” he said. “So to me, it was LA chicks, ‘You can be my chauffeur,’ and it also meant ‘You can be my lover.
- 2/1/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Film critic Justin Chang has joined The New Yorker.
One of the most celebrated critics in the U.S., Chang has worked for several years at the Los Angeles Times where he’s published weekly reviews as well as longer-form essays, such as a deep dive on how “omission does not mean erasure” when it comes “Oppenheimer.” Before the L.A. Times, he worked for some years at Variety.
Chang is one of the top wordsmiths in film criticism today, devoted to sentence-level beauty in his writing that makes him a perfect fit for the New Yorker. He is also the most glorious and shameless pun-meister of the critical sphere, issuing his bon mots with abandon on Twitter/X. A recent example? “No Greta Gerwig in director or Greta Lee in lead actress, re-Greta-bly.” Though his all-time best may be referring to “Mektoub” director Abdellatif Kechiche as “a gluteus maximalist,” and...
One of the most celebrated critics in the U.S., Chang has worked for several years at the Los Angeles Times where he’s published weekly reviews as well as longer-form essays, such as a deep dive on how “omission does not mean erasure” when it comes “Oppenheimer.” Before the L.A. Times, he worked for some years at Variety.
Chang is one of the top wordsmiths in film criticism today, devoted to sentence-level beauty in his writing that makes him a perfect fit for the New Yorker. He is also the most glorious and shameless pun-meister of the critical sphere, issuing his bon mots with abandon on Twitter/X. A recent example? “No Greta Gerwig in director or Greta Lee in lead actress, re-Greta-bly.” Though his all-time best may be referring to “Mektoub” director Abdellatif Kechiche as “a gluteus maximalist,” and...
- 1/30/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt and Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Marcelo Gomes’ new film “Portrait of a Certain Orient” will be represented for world sales by Brazil’s O2 Play. The deal was sealed ahead of the film’s premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where it plays as part of the Big Screen Competition.
O2 Play is the distribution arm of O2 Filmes group, a production, post-production and advertising company owned by Fernando Meirelles, the Oscar-nominated director behind “City of God,” “The Constant Gardener” and “The Two Popes.” Meirelles heads the company alongside Andrea Barata and Paulo Morelli. Founded by Igor Kupstas in 2013, O2 Play has theatrically released over a hundred films in Brazil, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and, most recently, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.”
Gomes, whose 2005 feature debut “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures” was funded by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund, returns to the festival with his eighth feature, an...
O2 Play is the distribution arm of O2 Filmes group, a production, post-production and advertising company owned by Fernando Meirelles, the Oscar-nominated director behind “City of God,” “The Constant Gardener” and “The Two Popes.” Meirelles heads the company alongside Andrea Barata and Paulo Morelli. Founded by Igor Kupstas in 2013, O2 Play has theatrically released over a hundred films in Brazil, including Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and, most recently, Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.”
Gomes, whose 2005 feature debut “Cinema, Aspirins and Vultures” was funded by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund, returns to the festival with his eighth feature, an...
- 1/27/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- Variety Film + TV
Good afternoon Insiders, Max Goldbart here bringing you all the news and analysis from another busy week, during which we have been to Spain through Argentina via Berlin. Oh, and there was the small matter of the Oscar noms. Read on, and sign up here.
Spain In The Spotlight
Secuoya’s scale and pace: Diana Lodderhose kicking things off here and I had the pleasure of going to Madrid before the holidays to take a look at the impressive Secuoya Content Group’s headquarters, which hosts Netflix’s European Production Hub, located just 17 miles north of Madrid. After a lengthy chat with its owners and founders Raul Berdonés and Pablo Jimeno as well as James Costos, president of its TV and film fiction arm Secuoya Studios, what became quickly apparent is the scale and pace at which this company is moving. “We’re not your traditional production company,” Berdonés said.
Spain In The Spotlight
Secuoya’s scale and pace: Diana Lodderhose kicking things off here and I had the pleasure of going to Madrid before the holidays to take a look at the impressive Secuoya Content Group’s headquarters, which hosts Netflix’s European Production Hub, located just 17 miles north of Madrid. After a lengthy chat with its owners and founders Raul Berdonés and Pablo Jimeno as well as James Costos, president of its TV and film fiction arm Secuoya Studios, what became quickly apparent is the scale and pace at which this company is moving. “We’re not your traditional production company,” Berdonés said.
- 1/26/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s the surprise Oscars snub that many of us saw coming. Greta Gerwig missed out on a Best Director nomination for “Barbie,” even as the film scored an impressive eight nominations: picture, adapted screenplay, supporting actor (Ryan Gosling), supporting actress (America Ferrera), costume design, song (“I’m Just Ken”), song (“What Was I Made For”) and production design.
So how did Gerwig stumble? Let’s look at the five most likely reasons.
1. “Barbie” had absolutely zero snob appeal.
The Directors Branch of the academy is notoriously highbrow, and its members like to salute what they are feel are genuine, original and unique achievements in the field of film directing. They don’t care about celebrity status or box office. Gerwig was previously cited by the branch for 2017’s “Lady Bird.” She beat out the likes of Martin McDonagh for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and Steven Spielberg for “The Post.
So how did Gerwig stumble? Let’s look at the five most likely reasons.
1. “Barbie” had absolutely zero snob appeal.
The Directors Branch of the academy is notoriously highbrow, and its members like to salute what they are feel are genuine, original and unique achievements in the field of film directing. They don’t care about celebrity status or box office. Gerwig was previously cited by the branch for 2017’s “Lady Bird.” She beat out the likes of Martin McDonagh for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and Steven Spielberg for “The Post.
- 1/23/2024
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
The Academy has confirmed to Deadline that this is the first time two international foreign-language movies have been nominated for Best Picture in the same year and the first time that two foreign-language movies have received five Oscar nominations apiece in the same year.
Justine Triet’s contemporary courtroom thriller Anatomy Of A Fall and Jonathan Glazer’s innovative holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest lead the international charge today. The former is a French-language French production, while the latter is a German-language international co-production (with some key U.S. backing).
The two features, which both debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, nabbed five Oscar noms each this morning, including showings in Best Director and their respective screenplay categories: adapted for Glazer and original for Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari.
The two films also appeared in Best Picture. When you factor in fellow Best Picture contender Past Lives, which is in English and Korean,...
Justine Triet’s contemporary courtroom thriller Anatomy Of A Fall and Jonathan Glazer’s innovative holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest lead the international charge today. The former is a French-language French production, while the latter is a German-language international co-production (with some key U.S. backing).
The two features, which both debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, nabbed five Oscar noms each this morning, including showings in Best Director and their respective screenplay categories: adapted for Glazer and original for Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari.
The two films also appeared in Best Picture. When you factor in fellow Best Picture contender Past Lives, which is in English and Korean,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) has unveiled 26 in-development projects for the 22nd Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), which will become part of the newly expanded Hkiff Industry Project Market.
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
The lineup features both veteran and rising filmmakers including Koji Fukada, Hong Khaou, Jang Kun-jae, Qiu Jiongjiong, Patiparn Boontarig, Wang Xiaoshuai, Teruhisa Yamamoto, and Zhang Lu. The projects cover comedy, horror, action, romance and family drama, including seven first features, two animations and a string of cross-country collaborations.
Scroll down for full list of projects
“The selection is a testament to the resurgence of diversity and the revitalisation of international collaborations,...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
Japanese director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi has quietly been cementing himself as one of the most interesting filmmakers currently at work, rightly earning international awards and nominations for his previous film Drive My Car. His latest venture, the environmentally conscious thriller Evil Does Not Exist, will only enhance his growing reputation.
The film takes place in a remote mountain community not far from Tokyo. Everybody knows everybody and the inhabitants are responsible for each other and for their pristine environment. The hero is Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), a taciturn widower who lives with his young daughter Hana. He is the archetypal woodsman: he knows about all the flora and fauna in the area, he chops wood, he collects the pure mountain water from the brook, he notes all the changes in his surroundings, and he imparts all this knowledge and love of nature to Hana. That pure water is an essential ingredient to...
The film takes place in a remote mountain community not far from Tokyo. Everybody knows everybody and the inhabitants are responsible for each other and for their pristine environment. The hero is Takumi (Hitoshi Omika), a taciturn widower who lives with his young daughter Hana. He is the archetypal woodsman: he knows about all the flora and fauna in the area, he chops wood, he collects the pure mountain water from the brook, he notes all the changes in his surroundings, and he imparts all this knowledge and love of nature to Hana. That pure water is an essential ingredient to...
- 1/16/2024
- by Jo-Ann Titmarsh
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s latest feature, Evil Does Not Exist, and the period action pic 12.12: The Day, from Korea, lead the nominations at this year’s Asian Film Awards.
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
Both films received six nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Directed by Kim Sung-soo, whose credits include Asura: The City Of Madness and The Flu, 12.12: The Day is set against the backdrop of the real-life military coup of 1979, which resulted in an eight-year military junta in South Korea. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min (The Wailing), Jung Woo-sung (Asura: The City Of Madness), and Lee Sung-min (The Spy Gone North). Released on November 22, the film sailed past the 12 million admissions mark at the Korean box office over the Christmas holiday period, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2023 in the market.
Hamaguchi’s Evil Does Not Exist — which debuted out of Venice — follows Takumi and his daughter Hana, who live...
- 1/12/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
A prize ceremony attended by Hamaguchi Ryusuke (“Drive My Car”), Vinod Vidhu Chopra (“3 Idiots”), Amir Naderi and Yonfan on Thursday wrapped up the final event of the debut edition of the Festival of Young Cinema in Macau.
Following a week (Jan. 6-11) of industry-only screenings and presentations of 17 partly-completed films by emerging directors and producers from the region, the prizes went to four work-in-progress films from mainland China and one from Macau.
A jury consisting of producer Jeremy Chua, the Jio Mami Mumbai festival’s artistic director Deepti DCunha, Chinese producer Wang Yang, Chinese screenwriter Wang Yixin and Hong Kong-based executive Esther Yeung determined the in-kind prizes according to the needs of the productions.
“Macau is a very small place, but people here have a big heart,” said Weng Tingting, director of “Revisit,” the tale of a reluctant care-giver which earned a special mention. “I used all the money...
Following a week (Jan. 6-11) of industry-only screenings and presentations of 17 partly-completed films by emerging directors and producers from the region, the prizes went to four work-in-progress films from mainland China and one from Macau.
A jury consisting of producer Jeremy Chua, the Jio Mami Mumbai festival’s artistic director Deepti DCunha, Chinese producer Wang Yang, Chinese screenwriter Wang Yixin and Hong Kong-based executive Esther Yeung determined the in-kind prizes according to the needs of the productions.
“Macau is a very small place, but people here have a big heart,” said Weng Tingting, director of “Revisit,” the tale of a reluctant care-giver which earned a special mention. “I used all the money...
- 1/11/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Mubi’s retrospective Takeshi Kitano: Destroy All Yakuza—featuring Violent Cop, Boiling Point, and Outrage Coda—is now showing in the United States, Canada, and select countries.Kubi.The presidential suite of the Grand Hotel Yerevan sits at the end of an amber-lit, carpeted corridor. The door comes fitted with its own CCTV camera, the concierge proudly gloats as an elevator slingshots us several floors above the ground, “so guests can feel safer.” Not that the current occupant has much to worry about. Guarding the suite on this exceptionally hot July afternoon is a small platoon of suit-clad Japanese men, looking equally stern and jet-lagged. The lucky few who get to pad in and out of the room do so in reverential silence, and even those outside speak in hushed voices, lest he should be disturbed. "He" is somewhere in the suite right now, and his name is Takeshi Kitano.
- 1/11/2024
- MUBI
It used to be just a matter of fact that only men would be nominated for Best Director at the Oscars other than very rare exceptions. That has changed in recent years, though. And now we could potentially see the academy nominate three women in the race.
SEEGreta Gerwig (‘Barbie’) will be 1st to go 3-for-3 in directing Best Picture Oscar nominees
Over the first 82 years of the Academy Awards only four women were ever nominated for the prize and only one won (Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”). Just since 2017, however, there have been four more female nominees and two more winners. The year Zhao won, Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) was also nominated, marking the first time two women contended in the same year. Naturally, the next step in Oscar history would be majority female nominees in the category.
It might just happen. There are three women in...
SEEGreta Gerwig (‘Barbie’) will be 1st to go 3-for-3 in directing Best Picture Oscar nominees
Over the first 82 years of the Academy Awards only four women were ever nominated for the prize and only one won (Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”). Just since 2017, however, there have been four more female nominees and two more winners. The year Zhao won, Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) was also nominated, marking the first time two women contended in the same year. Naturally, the next step in Oscar history would be majority female nominees in the category.
It might just happen. There are three women in...
- 1/10/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
At the end of 2021, a surprise contender zoomed toward a best picture nomination when Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car began to sweep critics groups’ awards across the country. The Japanese drama earned the prize for best film from critics in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle, besting then-frontrunners Dune and The Power of the Dog and eventual best picture winner Coda. Buoyed by critical acclaim, Drive My Car went the extra mile beyond the international feature category, which it won: It also earned Academy Award nominations for best picture, director and original screenplay, way outpacing any predictions made by prognosticators when the season had begun in earnest.
People often deride the Oscars for being about artsy films most moviegoers don’t see. But the fact remains that it’s the studio-backed movies with fat FYC budgets that typically garner Oscar nominations — making Drive My Car’s success all the more the outlier.
People often deride the Oscars for being about artsy films most moviegoers don’t see. But the fact remains that it’s the studio-backed movies with fat FYC budgets that typically garner Oscar nominations — making Drive My Car’s success all the more the outlier.
- 1/8/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“I don’t find the definition of Chinese filmmakers by generation to be a useful tool,” said Marco Mueller, introducing dark satire “The Movie Emperor” as the opening film of the first edition of his Festival of Young Cinema (Asia-Europe) in Macau on Friday. “Much more interesting is the concept of exchange between new and old and between East and West.”
“The new forces of Chinese cinema are present and participating. More than 100 young filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet and interact with names including Amir Naderi, Aleksei German Jr and Yonfan,” Mueller continued. While Macau is these days best known for its high-tech casinos, the former Portuguese colony has long been a venue for international cultural exchange and retains ambitions to restore some of that diversity.
Along with screenings of 27 films and 17 works in progress, masterclasses and on-stage dialogs are a key educational tool on offer at the...
“The new forces of Chinese cinema are present and participating. More than 100 young filmmakers will have the opportunity to meet and interact with names including Amir Naderi, Aleksei German Jr and Yonfan,” Mueller continued. While Macau is these days best known for its high-tech casinos, the former Portuguese colony has long been a venue for international cultural exchange and retains ambitions to restore some of that diversity.
Along with screenings of 27 films and 17 works in progress, masterclasses and on-stage dialogs are a key educational tool on offer at the...
- 1/5/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ning Hao’s The Movie Emperor will screen as the opening film of Macau’s Asia-Europe Young Cinema Film Festival, which is holding its inaugural edition from January 5-11. Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s 12th Fail, recently a hit in India, will screen as the closing film.
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
The event has two major sections – a programme of masterclasses and screenings aimed at young directors, film students and local audiences, and a Works-in-Progress (WiP) Lab, which will be attended by international sales agents, distributors and festival programmers.
The masterclasses will be held by leading international filmmakers including several from the Chinese-speaking world – Ning Hao, Li Dongmei, Johnnie To, Yon Fan and Lee Hong-chi – along with Japanese filmmakers Ryosuke Hamaguchi and Shinya Tsukamoto, Russia’s Aleksey German Jr, Italy’s Gabriel Menetti, India’s Anurag Kashyap, Lav Diaz from the Philippines and Iranian filmmaker Amir Naderi.
China Film Directors Association is actively involved in...
- 1/4/2024
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.
In 2023, the Berlin Film Festival saw the resignation of Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek and the ousting of Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, a move that doubled as a rejection of Chatrian’s thoughtful curation that marched to the beat of its own drum. The Toronto International Film Festival saw the loss of its major sponsor after a 28-year partnership as well as layoffs in December. The Venice Film Festival saw a change in leadership with the appointment of a far-right figure as head of the Biennale, a choice from the country’s right-wing government that already has people nervous as to what the 2024 festival might look like. Then you have various film festival cancellations, for reasons both political and financial.
As we enter the third year of wondering if “movies are back,...
In 2023, the Berlin Film Festival saw the resignation of Executive Director Mariette Rissenbeek and the ousting of Artistic Director Carlo Chatrian, a move that doubled as a rejection of Chatrian’s thoughtful curation that marched to the beat of its own drum. The Toronto International Film Festival saw the loss of its major sponsor after a 28-year partnership as well as layoffs in December. The Venice Film Festival saw a change in leadership with the appointment of a far-right figure as head of the Biennale, a choice from the country’s right-wing government that already has people nervous as to what the 2024 festival might look like. Then you have various film festival cancellations, for reasons both political and financial.
As we enter the third year of wondering if “movies are back,...
- 1/2/2024
- by C.J. Prince
- The Film Stage
The indie box office busted out this year, hitting is stride post-Covid with an eclectic string of releases that made a splash artistically and financially.
Independents and mini-majors saw $1.47 billion in box office receipts as of Dec. 27, up from $811.7 million in 2022, according to Comscore.
Focus Features had the biggest limited opening of the year with Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City (gross $28 million). Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti ($17.9 million) drew older demos, picky, yes, but finally comfortable back in theaters. Ditto for MGM’s Air, a film Amazon originally slated to go directly to Prime Video, that hit a core 45+ audience and a $52 million cume.
A24’s Past Lives, the much-nominated first film by Celine Song, made $10.9 million and its low-budget horror Talk to Me cleared $48 million. Emma Seligman’s raunchy teen comedy Bottoms from MGM topped $12 million.
That led into a fall bonanza heading into awards season with Anatomy Of A Fall,...
Independents and mini-majors saw $1.47 billion in box office receipts as of Dec. 27, up from $811.7 million in 2022, according to Comscore.
Focus Features had the biggest limited opening of the year with Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City (gross $28 million). Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers with Paul Giamatti ($17.9 million) drew older demos, picky, yes, but finally comfortable back in theaters. Ditto for MGM’s Air, a film Amazon originally slated to go directly to Prime Video, that hit a core 45+ audience and a $52 million cume.
A24’s Past Lives, the much-nominated first film by Celine Song, made $10.9 million and its low-budget horror Talk to Me cleared $48 million. Emma Seligman’s raunchy teen comedy Bottoms from MGM topped $12 million.
That led into a fall bonanza heading into awards season with Anatomy Of A Fall,...
- 1/1/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Los Angeles – December 18, 2023 – Japan House Los Angeles and Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Ssff & Asia), the largest short film festivals in Asia and Academy Award® qualifying festivals, have joined together for the second time to showcase Short Shorts Film Festival in Hollywood on January 11, 2024. The one-day film festival celebrating film and culture will screen several diverse short films created by Japanese and international filmmakers, from up-and-comers to an Academy Award-winning filmmaker.
Marking the 5th anniversary of Japan House Los Angeles, and the 25th anniversary of the Ssff & Asia, this year's theme “Unlock Cinema | Short Films, Infinite Possibilities,” celebrates the filmmakers' journey, recognizing how most filmmakers' careers begin by creating short films, unlocking their potential to create feature-length films. The festival will also include a talk event by Ssff & Asia founder and President Tetsuya Bessho, Takuma Takasaki, co-writer and producer of “Perfect Days”, and moderated by USC's Senior Director of Festival,...
Marking the 5th anniversary of Japan House Los Angeles, and the 25th anniversary of the Ssff & Asia, this year's theme “Unlock Cinema | Short Films, Infinite Possibilities,” celebrates the filmmakers' journey, recognizing how most filmmakers' careers begin by creating short films, unlocking their potential to create feature-length films. The festival will also include a talk event by Ssff & Asia founder and President Tetsuya Bessho, Takuma Takasaki, co-writer and producer of “Perfect Days”, and moderated by USC's Senior Director of Festival,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Clockwise from bottom left: Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures), Past Lives (A24), Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures), Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures), Barbie (Warner Bros.)Graphic: Karl Gustafson
Was 2023 the year that the movie theater finally made a comeback? Maybe, but it was definitely the year that brought film to the forefront of the cultural conversation again.
Was 2023 the year that the movie theater finally made a comeback? Maybe, but it was definitely the year that brought film to the forefront of the cultural conversation again.
- 12/19/2023
- by Sam Barsanti, Mary Kate Carr, Murtada Elfadl, Saloni Gajjar, Drew Gillis, Courtney Howard, Jen Lennon, Tim Lowery, and Cindy White
- avclub.com
The film marks the first original feature produced by the Japanese media platform.
Chime, the upcoming film from Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, has been set as the first original production of media platform Roadstead and will be released exclusively on the platform in 2024.
Kurosawa, who won best director at Venice in 2020 with Wife Of A Spy, shot the film in September in Tokyo. It stars Mutsuo Yoshioka as a schoolteacher whose life is disrupted by a chime that brings with it an increasing sense of dread.
It marks the first film produced by Roadstead, a media platform that was launched in December 2022 by Nekojarashi,...
Chime, the upcoming film from Japanese auteur Kiyoshi Kurosawa, has been set as the first original production of media platform Roadstead and will be released exclusively on the platform in 2024.
Kurosawa, who won best director at Venice in 2020 with Wife Of A Spy, shot the film in September in Tokyo. It stars Mutsuo Yoshioka as a schoolteacher whose life is disrupted by a chime that brings with it an increasing sense of dread.
It marks the first film produced by Roadstead, a media platform that was launched in December 2022 by Nekojarashi,...
- 12/18/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Netflix seems to follow a very specific recipe for his Korean content, movie-wise at least, with the majority of the titles being action-oriented, featuring impressive visuals and at least one star in the cast. “Ballerina”, which premiered in this year's Busan before beginning its rather successful streaming path, definitely ticks all the boxes, being a rather stylish, revenge actioner featuring Jeon Jong-seo of “Burning” and “Money Heist: Korea” in the protagonist role, and Park Yu-rim of “Drive My Car” as the reason behind the revenge.
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
After an intense introductory action scene, as seems to be the rule nowadays, the actual story behind Ok-joo, a former bodyguard and Min-hee, her ex best friend who was found murdered one day, is revealed through flashbacks, as much as the reason for the former's relentless pursuit for revenge. Another friend eventually emerges, but...
Click on the image below to follow our Tribute to Netflix
After an intense introductory action scene, as seems to be the rule nowadays, the actual story behind Ok-joo, a former bodyguard and Min-hee, her ex best friend who was found murdered one day, is revealed through flashbacks, as much as the reason for the former's relentless pursuit for revenge. Another friend eventually emerges, but...
- 12/15/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
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