Movie News
Buzzy Glasgow Film Festival (Gff) premiere Tummy Monster has been boarded for sales by UK outfit Reason8.
The debut feature from Glasgow-based filmmaker Ciaran Lyons blends elements of dark comedy and psychological thriller and stars Bridgerton’s Lorn Macdonald alongside Orlando Norman.
Producers are Beth Allen and Josefin Bagge.
Tummy Monster was a hit at Gff, with the festival adding additional screenings to accomodate demand.
The story revolves around a self-absorbed, 20-something tattoo artist who discovers his latest client is a famous young musician. This revelation sparks an obsession with obtaining a selfie with the musician, plunging them both into...
The debut feature from Glasgow-based filmmaker Ciaran Lyons blends elements of dark comedy and psychological thriller and stars Bridgerton’s Lorn Macdonald alongside Orlando Norman.
Producers are Beth Allen and Josefin Bagge.
Tummy Monster was a hit at Gff, with the festival adding additional screenings to accomodate demand.
The story revolves around a self-absorbed, 20-something tattoo artist who discovers his latest client is a famous young musician. This revelation sparks an obsession with obtaining a selfie with the musician, plunging them both into...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Iair Said’s debut feature Most People Die On Sundays has been acquired for France by distributor Jhr Films ahead of its world premiere in Cannes’ Acid programme.
The Argentinian comedy drama is already set for release in Latin America via Star+ (Disney+) and in Spain with A Contracorriente Films.
Said’s short Present Imperfect previously competed for the short film Palme d’Or.
Most People Die On Sundays centres on an overweight 30-something who returns to his native Argentina to reconnect with his mother and his Jewish family. There he embarks on a quest across Buenos Aires to quench his anxiety via driving lessons,...
The Argentinian comedy drama is already set for release in Latin America via Star+ (Disney+) and in Spain with A Contracorriente Films.
Said’s short Present Imperfect previously competed for the short film Palme d’Or.
Most People Die On Sundays centres on an overweight 30-something who returns to his native Argentina to reconnect with his mother and his Jewish family. There he embarks on a quest across Buenos Aires to quench his anxiety via driving lessons,...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
UK director Mike Leigh will receive a lifetime achievement award at Malta’s second annual Mediterrane Film Festival (June 22-30).
The seven-time Oscar nominee will also host a masterclass and participate in an in conversation with Adrian Wootton, CEO at the British Film Commission, with whom the festival has a partnership.
Leigh began his career in theatre and TV with work including Abigail’s Party in 1977. He focused on features throughout the 1990s, winning acclaim for films such as High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies. The latter won the Palme d’Or in 1996.
His following films included Topsy-Turvy,...
The seven-time Oscar nominee will also host a masterclass and participate in an in conversation with Adrian Wootton, CEO at the British Film Commission, with whom the festival has a partnership.
Leigh began his career in theatre and TV with work including Abigail’s Party in 1977. He focused on features throughout the 1990s, winning acclaim for films such as High Hopes, Life Is Sweet, Naked and Secrets And Lies. The latter won the Palme d’Or in 1996.
His following films included Topsy-Turvy,...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Sunrise Films has acquired Luna Carmoon’s “Hoard” for the U.S. and Canada.
The film debuted at Venice in 2023, where it won three prizes. It went on to an extended festival run including at the BFI London Film Festival, Athens, Mumbai and Goteborg.
Sunrise Films is a new production and internationally focused distribution company that has been launched by Vertigo Releasing CEO Rupert Preston and chair Nigel Williams.
The “Hoard” cast includes Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Lily-Beau Leach and Deba Hekmat alongside Joseph Quinn, Hayley Squires and Samantha Spiro. The film follows a young girl (Leach) living in London in 1984 as she navigates her mother’s obsessive hoarding. Flashing forward to the girl’s teenage years, she (Lightfoot-Leon) must confront the madness and trauma of her late mother when a stranger (Quinn) arrives on her doorstep.
“Hoard” is produced by Delaval Film, Erebus Pictures and Anti-Worlds with financing from the BFI.
The film debuted at Venice in 2023, where it won three prizes. It went on to an extended festival run including at the BFI London Film Festival, Athens, Mumbai and Goteborg.
Sunrise Films is a new production and internationally focused distribution company that has been launched by Vertigo Releasing CEO Rupert Preston and chair Nigel Williams.
The “Hoard” cast includes Saura Lightfoot-Leon, Lily-Beau Leach and Deba Hekmat alongside Joseph Quinn, Hayley Squires and Samantha Spiro. The film follows a young girl (Leach) living in London in 1984 as she navigates her mother’s obsessive hoarding. Flashing forward to the girl’s teenage years, she (Lightfoot-Leon) must confront the madness and trauma of her late mother when a stranger (Quinn) arrives on her doorstep.
“Hoard” is produced by Delaval Film, Erebus Pictures and Anti-Worlds with financing from the BFI.
- 4/29/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
France’s Mediawan has acquired German group Leonine Studios.
The all-stock transaction creates a European-based production and distribution group with a presence across 13 countries, 85 labels and revenues over €1bn. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed.
Paris-based Mediawan has had a 25% stake in Munich-based Leonine since 2020, and both groups are backed by US private equity firm Kkr. Mediawan was reported to be weighing an acquisition of Leonine back in November 2023.
For Mediawan the deal bolsters its European footprint with the addition of the German-speaking market.
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton will continue to lead the group while Leonine CEO...
The all-stock transaction creates a European-based production and distribution group with a presence across 13 countries, 85 labels and revenues over €1bn. The financial terms of the deal were not revealed.
Paris-based Mediawan has had a 25% stake in Munich-based Leonine since 2020, and both groups are backed by US private equity firm Kkr. Mediawan was reported to be weighing an acquisition of Leonine back in November 2023.
For Mediawan the deal bolsters its European footprint with the addition of the German-speaking market.
Mediawan CEO Pierre-Antoine Capton will continue to lead the group while Leonine CEO...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Mike Leigh, the veteran director of “Vera Drake,” “Another Year” and “Happy-Go-Lucky,” will be honored at Malta’s Mediterrane Film Festival with its Career Achievement Golden Bee Award.
Leigh will also host a masterclass at the festival, the second edition of which is taking place June 22 to 30 in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. The director, who has earned seven Oscar nominations and won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for 1993’s “Naked,” will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.
The Mediterrane Film Festival has also revealed its first jury members, who will judge the festival’s competition section, consisting of 12 films from the region. At the festival’s Golden Bee Awards closing ceremony on June 30, prizes will be handed out for best feature film, acting performance, screenwriting, production design, creative technical performance and the special jury award.
Jury...
Leigh will also host a masterclass at the festival, the second edition of which is taking place June 22 to 30 in Malta’s capital city of Valletta. The director, who has earned seven Oscar nominations and won the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or for 1993’s “Naked,” will be in conversation with Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and the British Film Commission.
The Mediterrane Film Festival has also revealed its first jury members, who will judge the festival’s competition section, consisting of 12 films from the region. At the festival’s Golden Bee Awards closing ceremony on June 30, prizes will be handed out for best feature film, acting performance, screenwriting, production design, creative technical performance and the special jury award.
Jury...
- 4/29/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Trinity CineAsia has acquired UK and Ireland rights to Twilight Of The Warriors: Walled In, the Hong Kong period action drama that will screen at Cannes next month, in a deal with Media Asia.
Directed by Soi Cheang, the highly anticipated feature is set to be released in Hong Kong and China on May 1 before it plays in the Midnight Screenings section of Cannes. An opening date in the UK and Ireland has yet to be announced but Trinity CineAsia said it is “scheduled for release across cinemas nationwide soon after” the festival, which runs May 14-25.
Distribution deals were...
Directed by Soi Cheang, the highly anticipated feature is set to be released in Hong Kong and China on May 1 before it plays in the Midnight Screenings section of Cannes. An opening date in the UK and Ireland has yet to be announced but Trinity CineAsia said it is “scheduled for release across cinemas nationwide soon after” the festival, which runs May 14-25.
Distribution deals were...
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
Archie Yates, breakout star of Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit,” leads debutant Jordan Murphy Doidge’s coming-of-age drama “Clout | A Cautionary Tale.”
Yates scored a nomination at the Critics Choice Awards in the best young actor/actress category for “Jojo Rabbit.” In “Clout,” co-written by Tom Duthie, Tristam Thomas and Doidge, Yates plays boarding school teen Oskar who meets a tragic turn while proving himself in a bid for online fame. The script aims to be a hard-hitting social commentary that tackles hot-button issues like cyberbullying, viral obsession, and the erosion of truth in the digital sphere.
The cast also includes Nadine Marshall, Anna Wilson-Jones, Samuel Leakey (“Gretel & Hansel”) and social media influencer Kit Price.
The film is produced by Francis Chapman (Sundance winner “In The Summers”) for U.K.-based Pimlico Pictures. Principal photography has commenced and the script is being shot in both short and feature-length versions.
Doidge...
Yates scored a nomination at the Critics Choice Awards in the best young actor/actress category for “Jojo Rabbit.” In “Clout,” co-written by Tom Duthie, Tristam Thomas and Doidge, Yates plays boarding school teen Oskar who meets a tragic turn while proving himself in a bid for online fame. The script aims to be a hard-hitting social commentary that tackles hot-button issues like cyberbullying, viral obsession, and the erosion of truth in the digital sphere.
The cast also includes Nadine Marshall, Anna Wilson-Jones, Samuel Leakey (“Gretel & Hansel”) and social media influencer Kit Price.
The film is produced by Francis Chapman (Sundance winner “In The Summers”) for U.K.-based Pimlico Pictures. Principal photography has commenced and the script is being shot in both short and feature-length versions.
Doidge...
- 4/29/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety - Film News
Worldwide box office April 26-28 RankFilm (distributor)3-day (world) Cume (world)3-day (int’l)Cume (int’l)Territories 1. The Roundup: Punishment (various) $24.4m $24.6m $24.4m $24.6m 6 2. Challengers (Warner Bros) $24m $25m $9m $10m 53 3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros) $15.2m $503.5m $11.7m $318.6m 83 4. Kung Fu Panda 4 (Universal) $15.2m $15.2m $5m $5m 63 5. Civil War (A24) $15.1m $86.2m $8.1m $30m 46 6. The Fall Guy (Universal) $8.7m $8.7m $8.7m $8.7m 38 7. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) $8.3m $188m $5m $8m 61 8. Abigail (Universal) $7.9m $28.6m $2.6m $9.9m 75 9. Detective Conan: The Million Dollar Pentagram (Toho)
$7.9m $55.7m $7.9m $55.7m 105 10. Unsung Hero (Lionsgate) $7.8m $7.8m N/A N/A 1
Credit: Comscore.
$7.9m $55.7m $7.9m $55.7m 105 10. Unsung Hero (Lionsgate) $7.8m $7.8m N/A N/A 1
Credit: Comscore.
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
The film institutes of the five Nordic countries Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are relaunching their umbrella organisation as The Five Nordics, taking over from the previously-named Scandinavian Films.
There are two technical reasons for the name change. Firstly, it is to signify the work the organisation does on audiovisual projects outside of film, including series and gaming. Secondly, it is to better represent Finland and Iceland, two Nordic countries that fall outside of the boundaries of Scandinavia.
The Five Nordics is a collaboration between the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute and Swedish Film Institute.
There are two technical reasons for the name change. Firstly, it is to signify the work the organisation does on audiovisual projects outside of film, including series and gaming. Secondly, it is to better represent Finland and Iceland, two Nordic countries that fall outside of the boundaries of Scandinavia.
The Five Nordics is a collaboration between the Danish Film Institute, Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute and Swedish Film Institute.
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
“Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In,” a Hong Kong-produced action thriller, took the top spot at the mainland China box office over the latest weekend. But it was a quiet session and came ahead of a welter of new releases targeting the May Day public holiday.
The film, which is among those that have a Wednesday (May 1) official release date, earned $5.5 million (RMB38.9 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.
The nationwide weekend total was a slender $18.7 million. That was the quietest theatrical weekend in China since the end of the country’s official anti-covid policies in December 2022.
Directed by the prolific Soi Cheang, “Twilight” stars the veteran martial arts star Sammo Hung and actor-producer Louis Koo in a tale of a youngster who stumbles his way into Kowloon’s notorious Walled City and discovers a new kind of order within its seemingly criminal chaos.
The film, which is among those that have a Wednesday (May 1) official release date, earned $5.5 million (RMB38.9 million) between Friday and Sunday, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway.
The nationwide weekend total was a slender $18.7 million. That was the quietest theatrical weekend in China since the end of the country’s official anti-covid policies in December 2022.
Directed by the prolific Soi Cheang, “Twilight” stars the veteran martial arts star Sammo Hung and actor-producer Louis Koo in a tale of a youngster who stumbles his way into Kowloon’s notorious Walled City and discovers a new kind of order within its seemingly criminal chaos.
- 4/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
This idealistic feature draws parallels between the struggles of immigrant Polish workers in Norway and the homophobia faced by two young lovers, but can’t quite sew up the two seams
Director Leiv Igor Devold makes an unexpected link-up between Norway, the country where he grew up, and Poland, where he attended film school, in this idealistic but sometimes heavy-handed second feature. He also finds invigorating cross-currents in contrasting the collectivist struggles of immigrant Polish fish-processing workers with another oppressed minority: the stuttering romance, in the face of homophobia, between young wage slave Robert (Hubert Miłkowski) and his supervisor Ivar (Karl Bekele Steinland).
Robert finds himself gutting salmon in a factory on a Norwegian island in order to send money back home. But it is Ivar – the black adopted son of the factory owner Bjorn (Øyvind Brandtzæg) – who gets under his skin. A wannabe actor slumming it courtesy of dad,...
Director Leiv Igor Devold makes an unexpected link-up between Norway, the country where he grew up, and Poland, where he attended film school, in this idealistic but sometimes heavy-handed second feature. He also finds invigorating cross-currents in contrasting the collectivist struggles of immigrant Polish fish-processing workers with another oppressed minority: the stuttering romance, in the face of homophobia, between young wage slave Robert (Hubert Miłkowski) and his supervisor Ivar (Karl Bekele Steinland).
Robert finds himself gutting salmon in a factory on a Norwegian island in order to send money back home. But it is Ivar – the black adopted son of the factory owner Bjorn (Øyvind Brandtzæg) – who gets under his skin. A wannabe actor slumming it courtesy of dad,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
Filmmaker and journalist Subina Shrestha’s “Devi”—about Devi Khadka’s journey from surviving wartime rape to fighting alongside rebel guerrillas in Nepal’s civil war to working for justice in her country’s transitional justice movement—lands at Toronto’s Hot Docs as international awareness of and concern about the safety, rights, and health of women in conflict zones around the world intensifies.
Last month in the Hague, in opening remarks at the first International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (also referred to as Crsv), U.N. special representative Pramila Patten noted that the Secretary-General’s annual report for 2023 shows an increase of 49% in the number of cases of Crsv from the previous year.
In an exclusive in-person interview with Variety in advance of her film’s world premiere on April 28, Shrestha said that Devi’s story is both unique and universal. (Devi was scheduled...
Last month in the Hague, in opening remarks at the first International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (also referred to as Crsv), U.N. special representative Pramila Patten noted that the Secretary-General’s annual report for 2023 shows an increase of 49% in the number of cases of Crsv from the previous year.
In an exclusive in-person interview with Variety in advance of her film’s world premiere on April 28, Shrestha said that Devi’s story is both unique and universal. (Devi was scheduled...
- 4/29/2024
- by Jennie Punter
- Variety - Film News
Epsilon Film, the recently launched world sales company led by former Global Screen executives Julia Weber and Alice von Einem, has revealed its Cannes Market lineup.
Heading the slate is animated feature film “Mimi&Harold – Out of Frame,” produced by Ulysses Filmproduktion, the company behind international sales and box office hit “The Amazing Maurice,” as well “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights” and “Ooops! The Adventure Continues…”
The film follows Mimi, a scrappy crossbreed dog, who falls out of an old painting and is lost in the real world of a museum, the home of Harold, an art-loving but snobbish dog. Armed only with her determination and Harold’s friendship, Mimi jumps into paintings to find her beloved owner – and Harold becomes the hero he never dreamt of being.
On Friday, “Mimi&Harold – Out of Frame” won the German Animation Screenplay Award, for writers Giles New and Keiron Self, in Stuttgart,...
Heading the slate is animated feature film “Mimi&Harold – Out of Frame,” produced by Ulysses Filmproduktion, the company behind international sales and box office hit “The Amazing Maurice,” as well “Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights” and “Ooops! The Adventure Continues…”
The film follows Mimi, a scrappy crossbreed dog, who falls out of an old painting and is lost in the real world of a museum, the home of Harold, an art-loving but snobbish dog. Armed only with her determination and Harold’s friendship, Mimi jumps into paintings to find her beloved owner – and Harold becomes the hero he never dreamt of being.
On Friday, “Mimi&Harold – Out of Frame” won the German Animation Screenplay Award, for writers Giles New and Keiron Self, in Stuttgart,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety - Film News
Prolific Philippines-based Epicmedia Productions has come on board “The Passport,” a Malaysian coming of age story about a Tamil family and their punk rock daughter. Production is by Malaysia’s Sixtymac Pictures.
Currently at financing stage, the project will mark the directing debut of Ananth Subramaniam, whose short films have played at BiFan and Fantasia, and whose works explore his Tamil-ancestral identity and family within the context of a multi-layered genre.
The 1980-set narrative in “The Passport” is told from the perspective of Kalki, whose punk band is invited to perform in Europe. When her whole family decides to tag along it ignites a clash of cultural expectations, in and out of the home.
The project was previously pitched at Talent’s Tokyo, the BiFan It Project Market, Full Circle Lab and Focus Asia All Genre Project Market and won the Bucheon Award at BiFan and the grand prize at...
Currently at financing stage, the project will mark the directing debut of Ananth Subramaniam, whose short films have played at BiFan and Fantasia, and whose works explore his Tamil-ancestral identity and family within the context of a multi-layered genre.
The 1980-set narrative in “The Passport” is told from the perspective of Kalki, whose punk band is invited to perform in Europe. When her whole family decides to tag along it ignites a clash of cultural expectations, in and out of the home.
The project was previously pitched at Talent’s Tokyo, the BiFan It Project Market, Full Circle Lab and Focus Asia All Genre Project Market and won the Bucheon Award at BiFan and the grand prize at...
- 4/29/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Infinity According to Florian review - mission to save Ukraine’s extraordinary modernist masterpiece
Oleksiy Radynski chronicles the visionary architect Florian Yuriev’s drive to rescue Kyiv’s Institute of Information from destruction after he was given weeks to live
The extraordinary mind of Florian Yuriev, a visionary Ukrainian architect and artist, visualises an astonishingly holistic view of the world. His abstract paintings brim with geometric colourful shapes and patterns that also carry a sonic component, as each shade has their own tonality. On his piano, whose keys are marked with their designated colours, Yuriev played out his painterly compositions, breaking down the barrier between sound and vision. Shot towards the end of Yuriev’s life, Oleksiy Radynski’s passionate documentary follows the architect’s tireless efforts to save one of his modernist masterpieces from destruction.
Once deemed impossible to build, his design for a cultural centre that later became Kyiv’s Institute of Information reflects the utopian optimism of the space age. Nicknamed...
The extraordinary mind of Florian Yuriev, a visionary Ukrainian architect and artist, visualises an astonishingly holistic view of the world. His abstract paintings brim with geometric colourful shapes and patterns that also carry a sonic component, as each shade has their own tonality. On his piano, whose keys are marked with their designated colours, Yuriev played out his painterly compositions, breaking down the barrier between sound and vision. Shot towards the end of Yuriev’s life, Oleksiy Radynski’s passionate documentary follows the architect’s tireless efforts to save one of his modernist masterpieces from destruction.
Once deemed impossible to build, his design for a cultural centre that later became Kyiv’s Institute of Information reflects the utopian optimism of the space age. Nicknamed...
- 4/29/2024
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
Memento International has boarded “The Ugly Stepsister,” the ambitious feature debut of Norwegian director Emilie Blichfeldt. The company will kick off sales at this year’s Cannes.
Combining comedy and horror, the film is a daring and unexpected take on the world-famous tale, seen through the eyes of the Cinderella’s stepsister, Elvira.
The gory film follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister in a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business. She will go to any lengths to catch the prince’s eye.
“The Ugly Stepsister” is produced by Maria Ekerhovd in Norway for Mer Film, and is co-produced by Lizette Jonjic for Zentropa Sweden (“Another Round”), Mariusz Włodarski for Poland’s Lava Films (“The Girl with The Needle”), Theis Nørgaard for Denmark’s Motor (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”), Zefyr and Film i Väst. With support from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Polish Production...
Combining comedy and horror, the film is a daring and unexpected take on the world-famous tale, seen through the eyes of the Cinderella’s stepsister, Elvira.
The gory film follows Elvira as she battles to compete with her insanely beautiful stepsister in a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business. She will go to any lengths to catch the prince’s eye.
“The Ugly Stepsister” is produced by Maria Ekerhovd in Norway for Mer Film, and is co-produced by Lizette Jonjic for Zentropa Sweden (“Another Round”), Mariusz Włodarski for Poland’s Lava Films (“The Girl with The Needle”), Theis Nørgaard for Denmark’s Motor (“The Dead Don’t Hurt”), Zefyr and Film i Väst. With support from the Norwegian Film Institute, the Polish Production...
- 4/29/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
Greta Gerwig has her jury. This evening, the Cannes Film Festival revealed the rest of the nine-member jury filled with festival veterans and Academy members. This year’s jury includes screenwriter and director Ebru Ceylan (Turkey), actress Lily Gladstone (United States), actress Eva Green (France), director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki (Lebanon), director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona (Spain), actor Pierfrancisco Favino (Italy), director Kore-eda Hirokazu (Japan), and actor and producer Omar Sy (France).
Continue reading Lily Gladstone, J.A. Bayona, Omar Sy, Eva Green Among 2024 Cannes Film Festival Jury at The Playlist.
Continue reading Lily Gladstone, J.A. Bayona, Omar Sy, Eva Green Among 2024 Cannes Film Festival Jury at The Playlist.
- 4/29/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Vasquez Rocks is located in the northern part of Los Angeles County about 25 minutes away from Downtown L.A. via the 14 freeway. It's close enough to the city to be easily accessed by car, but far away enough to look like a remote wilderness. The park's celebrated rock formations look eerie, ancient, and alien from certain angles, making it a popular place for film and TV productions going back to the 1930s.
Trekkies likely recognize Vasquez Rocks as an oft-reused filming location, serving as a variety of alien worlds for various "Star Trek" projects. The park was featured in the "Original Series" episodes "Shore Leave", "Arena", "The Alternative Factor", and "Friday's Child". Later, Vasquez Rocks would serve as Vulcan "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," released in 1983 and 1984 respectively.
Fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" would recognize Vasquez Rocks from the episode "Who Watches the Watchers?...
Trekkies likely recognize Vasquez Rocks as an oft-reused filming location, serving as a variety of alien worlds for various "Star Trek" projects. The park was featured in the "Original Series" episodes "Shore Leave", "Arena", "The Alternative Factor", and "Friday's Child". Later, Vasquez Rocks would serve as Vulcan "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" and "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home," released in 1983 and 1984 respectively.
Fans of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" would recognize Vasquez Rocks from the episode "Who Watches the Watchers?...
- 4/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The full Cannes Film Festival competition jury has been revealed.
Joining president Greta Gerwig to award this year’s Palme d’Or will be “Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone; “The Three Musketeers” star Eva Green; “Lupin” lead Omar Sy; Ebru Ceylan, who co-wrote the 2014 Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep”; director Nadine Labaki, whose “Capernaum” won the Cannes jury prize in 2018; director Juan Antonio Bayona, whose latest film “Society of the Snow” was Oscar-nominated for best international feature; Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, who will next appear in Pablo Larraìn’s “Maria” alongside Angelina Jolie; and director Kore-eda Hirokazu, director of the 2018 Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.”
The competition lineup for the upcoming festival includes “All We Imagine as Light” by Payal Kapadia; Sean Baker’s “Anora”; Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” from Ali Abbasi; Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski; “Caught by the Tides...
Joining president Greta Gerwig to award this year’s Palme d’Or will be “Killers of the Flower Moon” Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone; “The Three Musketeers” star Eva Green; “Lupin” lead Omar Sy; Ebru Ceylan, who co-wrote the 2014 Palme d’Or winner “Winter Sleep”; director Nadine Labaki, whose “Capernaum” won the Cannes jury prize in 2018; director Juan Antonio Bayona, whose latest film “Society of the Snow” was Oscar-nominated for best international feature; Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino, who will next appear in Pablo Larraìn’s “Maria” alongside Angelina Jolie; and director Kore-eda Hirokazu, director of the 2018 Palme d’Or winner “Shoplifters.”
The competition lineup for the upcoming festival includes “All We Imagine as Light” by Payal Kapadia; Sean Baker’s “Anora”; Donald Trump biopic “The Apprentice” from Ali Abbasi; Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” starring Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski; “Caught by the Tides...
- 4/29/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled the eight jurors who will be joining jury president Greta Gerwig for the event’s 2024 edition (May 14-25).
They are American actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, French actor and producer Omar Sy, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, and Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino.
The jury will award the Palme d’Or to one of the 22 films in competition at the closing ceremony on May 25. Anatomy Of A Fall picked up the top prize last year.
They are American actress Lily Gladstone, French actress Eva Green, French actor and producer Omar Sy, Lebanese director and screenwriter Nadine Labaki, Spanish director and screenwriter Juan Antonio Bayona, Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, Turkish screenwriter and photographer Ebru Ceylan, and Italian actor Pierfrancisco Favino.
The jury will award the Palme d’Or to one of the 22 films in competition at the closing ceremony on May 25. Anatomy Of A Fall picked up the top prize last year.
- 4/29/2024
- ScreenDaily
After altering his voice to play the king of rock and roll in "Elvis," Austin Butler made a dramatic shift by portraying the heartless Harkonnen warrior Feyd-Rautha in "Dune: Part Two." It's a choice that worked out well, as even though the star's latest performance also came with an on-screen voice that demands further examination, Butler proved he was just as adept at playing cruel and cunning as he was at transforming into iconic musical figures of the 20th century.
The nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Feyd-Rautha was a big part of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel on which the "Dune" films are based. In the book, protagonist Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet in the modern films) returns to the capital of Arrakis and faces off against Feyd-Rautha in a final battle — one which was brought to life for the big screen by director Denis Villeneuve and his production team for "Dune: Part Two.
The nephew of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen, Feyd-Rautha was a big part of Frank Herbert's 1965 novel on which the "Dune" films are based. In the book, protagonist Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet in the modern films) returns to the capital of Arrakis and faces off against Feyd-Rautha in a final battle — one which was brought to life for the big screen by director Denis Villeneuve and his production team for "Dune: Part Two.
- 4/29/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Spoiler alert: the film is not "Swept Away."
Given the filmmaking tear that Guy Ritchie has been on of late, the notion of scribbling out screenplays on napkins isn't terribly wild. Since 2021, he's plopped four movies in theaters, with a fifth on the way in 2025. Okay, guys like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen have worked at a similarly furious clip for stretches of their careers, but Ritchie's flurry of films is peculiar because they're the kinds of star-studded B-movies that Hollywood doesn't make anymore. And he seems to be having a ball making them ... though audiences aren't exactly turning out in droves to watch them.
While Ritchie, like the vast majority of screenwriters, prefers to bang out his scripts on a computer, there was a time when he employed a less conventional approach. He wasn't as prolific at this point of his career, and there was a very good reason for this.
Given the filmmaking tear that Guy Ritchie has been on of late, the notion of scribbling out screenplays on napkins isn't terribly wild. Since 2021, he's plopped four movies in theaters, with a fifth on the way in 2025. Okay, guys like Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen have worked at a similarly furious clip for stretches of their careers, but Ritchie's flurry of films is peculiar because they're the kinds of star-studded B-movies that Hollywood doesn't make anymore. And he seems to be having a ball making them ... though audiences aren't exactly turning out in droves to watch them.
While Ritchie, like the vast majority of screenwriters, prefers to bang out his scripts on a computer, there was a time when he employed a less conventional approach. He wasn't as prolific at this point of his career, and there was a very good reason for this.
- 4/29/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Nicole Kidman Shredded the ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Script After Production Wrapped: ‘It Feels Like Baggage’
Nicole Kidman doesn’t take it with her. The stress of the characters she’s played. The panic, both subtle and glorious. The screams. All of that goes into the waste bin following the martini shot, along with her scripts apparently too. Ahead of her AFI Life Achievement Award gala, Kidman recently spoke with The Los Angeles Times and admitted to shredding all her scripts, including for “Eyes Wide Shut”.
“Well, it feels like baggage,” said Kidman. “It’s all just going to go sit in an attic or down in a basement. I’m a traveling actor and can live out of a suitcase. That’s how I approach life because I’ve always had to shove everything in a suitcase and move on.”
Impermanence seems to be a common thread in many of the roles she’s played throughout her career. Even her AMC ads aim to capture...
“Well, it feels like baggage,” said Kidman. “It’s all just going to go sit in an attic or down in a basement. I’m a traveling actor and can live out of a suitcase. That’s how I approach life because I’ve always had to shove everything in a suitcase and move on.”
Impermanence seems to be a common thread in many of the roles she’s played throughout her career. Even her AMC ads aim to capture...
- 4/28/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Clint Eastwood was already 30 years old when he landed his breakout role in the CBS Western "Rawhide." The actor had spent much of the 1950s getting by on bit parts in B movies (most notably the Jack Arnold monster duo of "Revenge of the Creature" and "Tarantula"), and guest roles on TV series like "Maverick" and "Death Valley Days," so you'd think he would've been thrilled. But Eastwood was displeased with his character Rowdy Yates, who, early on in the series' run, was a wet-behind-the-ears ramrod. At his age, he was eager to play a grown, capable man with enough years behind him to allow for a bit of mystery.
Eastwood's restlessness coincided with a shift in filmmakers' approach to the Western genre. Though maestros like John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, and Budd Boetticher had allowed for moral ambiguity in their movies, the vast majority of Westerns were white...
Eastwood's restlessness coincided with a shift in filmmakers' approach to the Western genre. Though maestros like John Ford, Howard Hawks, Anthony Mann, and Budd Boetticher had allowed for moral ambiguity in their movies, the vast majority of Westerns were white...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Spoilers for "Challengers" follow.
I wouldn't be the first writer to suggest that playing competitive sports and f***ing are similar activities. Both are physically exhaustive, both demand at least one partner and, when done right, both leave their players on an emotional high that uplifts their tired bodies. Sex isn't always a competition for dominance (though it certainly can be), but like when you're shooting hoops or boxing an opponent, you have to study the other's body language and react without a moment to spare. Actions speak louder than words, and when you play a game against someone, you reveal yourself almost as much as when you get naked.
That's the conceit of "Challengers," the new tennis romantic drama starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor as three tennis players who share a storied love triangle. Art Donaldson (Faist) and Patrick Zweig (O'Connor) are teenage best friends who fall for the same girl,...
I wouldn't be the first writer to suggest that playing competitive sports and f***ing are similar activities. Both are physically exhaustive, both demand at least one partner and, when done right, both leave their players on an emotional high that uplifts their tired bodies. Sex isn't always a competition for dominance (though it certainly can be), but like when you're shooting hoops or boxing an opponent, you have to study the other's body language and react without a moment to spare. Actions speak louder than words, and when you play a game against someone, you reveal yourself almost as much as when you get naked.
That's the conceit of "Challengers," the new tennis romantic drama starring Zendaya, Mike Faist, and Josh O'Connor as three tennis players who share a storied love triangle. Art Donaldson (Faist) and Patrick Zweig (O'Connor) are teenage best friends who fall for the same girl,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
It's been six movies since Gareth Edwards' "Godzilla" in 2014, and Adam Wingard seems to have finally cracked the code. Wingard's sublimely silly "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" happily abandoned all the portent and dourness of the first MonsterVerse movie, choosing instead to celebrate shallow monster mayhem and sugared-up, Saturday-morning-ready fantasy conceits that gleefully abandon logic. Kong lives in the Hollow Earth and fights jackal monsters, while Godzilla rules the surface world where he fights crabs and naps in the Colosseum. These are the basic tenets of a skewed universe lousy with monsters. There are magical stones under the earth that control gravity and miniature wormholes that monsters use to teleport around the planet. Everything is wild and nothing makes sense. And there is an integrity to that.
It seems, however, that there was some injection of actual reality into the film's production. Wingard and his crew filmed "Godzilla x Kong" in Gold Coast,...
It seems, however, that there was some injection of actual reality into the film's production. Wingard and his crew filmed "Godzilla x Kong" in Gold Coast,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
As a Tamil Indian born in Perth, Scotland, raised partially in Tamil Nadu, then educated in Liverpool and Oxford, Charithra Chandran knows a thing or two about juggling multiple identities. In many regards, it’s become a strength as proven by her breakout role as scene-stealer Edwina Sharpe on the uniquely diverse period romance “Bridgerton”. But despite the role thrusting her into the spotlight, the role has come with some unexpected drawbacks for the actress.
In a recent interview with Deadline, Chandran opened up about the difficulties of working in what she sees as an industry that tries to box artists into being one thing and forces people of color to compete for space.
“You’re so focused on fighting your own that you become distracted from the people doing the oppressing,” Chandran said. “The oppressors have imposed the idea that there’s only one seat at the table, when...
In a recent interview with Deadline, Chandran opened up about the difficulties of working in what she sees as an industry that tries to box artists into being one thing and forces people of color to compete for space.
“You’re so focused on fighting your own that you become distracted from the people doing the oppressing,” Chandran said. “The oppressors have imposed the idea that there’s only one seat at the table, when...
- 4/28/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for "Tenet."
Time inversions, palindromes, and temporal pincer movements — these are just some of the concepts that contribute to the wonderfully confusing narrative of "Tenet," which is an experience that benefits the most from repeat viewings. The moment a story defies linear comprehension and flits between different points in time, things get a bit tricky, especially within the context of a mission to preserve the past from the future, where time is being reversed for people to move backward. The events in "Tenet" are palindromic, where moments that move forward and backward in time eventually meet to form a closed temporal loop, where every character is seen participating in multiple timelines until the loop is closed.
The key to understanding "Tenet" is inversion, a process achieved when entropy is reversed, allowing a person or object to move backward in time, as opposed to traditional forward progression.
Time inversions, palindromes, and temporal pincer movements — these are just some of the concepts that contribute to the wonderfully confusing narrative of "Tenet," which is an experience that benefits the most from repeat viewings. The moment a story defies linear comprehension and flits between different points in time, things get a bit tricky, especially within the context of a mission to preserve the past from the future, where time is being reversed for people to move backward. The events in "Tenet" are palindromic, where moments that move forward and backward in time eventually meet to form a closed temporal loop, where every character is seen participating in multiple timelines until the loop is closed.
The key to understanding "Tenet" is inversion, a process achieved when entropy is reversed, allowing a person or object to move backward in time, as opposed to traditional forward progression.
- 4/28/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Does darkness run in the family? Caitlin Cronenberg isn’t quite sure, but with her new horror drama “Humane”, she earns her place in the pantheon of the macabre like her father David and brother Brandon before her. Starring Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, and Peter Gallagher, the film centers on a post-ecological disaster future and a family whose patriarch has decided to enlist in a new euthanasia program designed to deplete the population of the planet.
“I enjoyed the fact that it was a family drama set within this strange and chaotic world,” Cronenberg said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought that it was an interesting way to tell a family story, and that’s the thing that struck me the most, especially with a very unique premise. I hadn’t come across anything even close to this premise. The characters were also these very detailed...
“I enjoyed the fact that it was a family drama set within this strange and chaotic world,” Cronenberg said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “I thought that it was an interesting way to tell a family story, and that’s the thing that struck me the most, especially with a very unique premise. I hadn’t come across anything even close to this premise. The characters were also these very detailed...
- 4/28/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for "The After Hours."
The innate human fear of being lost in an unknown, empty space can never be properly explained or quantified. This fear that makes us acutely aware of our fragility, and the foreignness of the space, be it inside an abandoned building or out under the vast night sky, adds to the anxiety of being alone without ever knowing if we are truly alone. In "The After Hours," the 34th episode of "The Twilight Zone," a woman suddenly finds herself in an empty departmental store after dark, its bustling daytime charm and security evaporating and molding into deathlike silence once night falls. As a woman trapped in an indoor space with seemingly no exits, this woman, Marsha, experiences horrors beyond her comprehension, as this unwitting trip to the Twilight Zone is the key to unlocking her sense of identity and the fears attached to it.
The innate human fear of being lost in an unknown, empty space can never be properly explained or quantified. This fear that makes us acutely aware of our fragility, and the foreignness of the space, be it inside an abandoned building or out under the vast night sky, adds to the anxiety of being alone without ever knowing if we are truly alone. In "The After Hours," the 34th episode of "The Twilight Zone," a woman suddenly finds herself in an empty departmental store after dark, its bustling daytime charm and security evaporating and molding into deathlike silence once night falls. As a woman trapped in an indoor space with seemingly no exits, this woman, Marsha, experiences horrors beyond her comprehension, as this unwitting trip to the Twilight Zone is the key to unlocking her sense of identity and the fears attached to it.
- 4/28/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
Despite the parallels between both films, screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes did not mine much from his own life to write “Challengers” in the same way his wife Celine Song did for her Oscar-nominated film “Past Lives.”
“‘Challengers’ is a pure fantasy for me,” Kuritzkes recently told IndieWire over Zoom. Having gotten hooked into obsessively watching tennis after the infamous 2018 U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, he added that “‘Challengers’ really came out of this desire to have information about the matches I was watching. It was really something that I think a lot of people who watch tennis do, which is that you transpose a personality onto the player from these little crumbs that you’re given. It’s what tennis commentators do all the time. They see somebody make a little motion or something, and they go, ‘Here’s what he’s thinking. Here’s what...
“‘Challengers’ is a pure fantasy for me,” Kuritzkes recently told IndieWire over Zoom. Having gotten hooked into obsessively watching tennis after the infamous 2018 U.S. Open match between Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka, he added that “‘Challengers’ really came out of this desire to have information about the matches I was watching. It was really something that I think a lot of people who watch tennis do, which is that you transpose a personality onto the player from these little crumbs that you’re given. It’s what tennis commentators do all the time. They see somebody make a little motion or something, and they go, ‘Here’s what he’s thinking. Here’s what...
- 4/28/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for both "Challengers" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien."
It's only its first weekend in theaters, but "Challengers" has already gotten everyone talking. There's just something captivating about a love triangle where all sides touch, and it's even more captivating when all that lust and jealousy get boiled down to a single heated match of tennis. There is no greater upping-the-ante movie moment than when Patrick (Josh O'Connor) subtly signals to Art (Mike Faist) during the game that he's recently slept with his wife Tashi (Zendaya). There've been plenty of fictional sports matches where a mid-game twist got everyone on the edge of their seats, but "Challengers" casually outdid them all.
What made "Challengers" truly special is Art's reaction to Patrick's reveal: he simply says, "F**k off." It's a line that could easily have been delivered with straightforward rage, but Faist throws some bemusement into the mix,...
It's only its first weekend in theaters, but "Challengers" has already gotten everyone talking. There's just something captivating about a love triangle where all sides touch, and it's even more captivating when all that lust and jealousy get boiled down to a single heated match of tennis. There is no greater upping-the-ante movie moment than when Patrick (Josh O'Connor) subtly signals to Art (Mike Faist) during the game that he's recently slept with his wife Tashi (Zendaya). There've been plenty of fictional sports matches where a mid-game twist got everyone on the edge of their seats, but "Challengers" casually outdid them all.
What made "Challengers" truly special is Art's reaction to Patrick's reveal: he simply says, "F**k off." It's a line that could easily have been delivered with straightforward rage, but Faist throws some bemusement into the mix,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
Solitary confinement, theoretically used only when a prisoner is at high risk of harm to or from others, has long been regarded as a severe punitive measure best applied in small doses. The United Nations’ “Mandela Rules” recommend inmates be placed in such conditions for no more than 15 days, to avoid significant damage to physical or psychological health. Yet “The Strike” spotlights one U.S. correctional facility where until recently convicts were held in solitary for decades on end. JoeBill Munoz and Lucas Guilkey’s documentary, premiering at Hot Docs, provides a polished, informative overview of protests — both in and outside the prison — that eventually succeeded in changing abusive policies.
When California opened the Pelican Bay State Prison in 1989, it was considered a model of its “supermax” type, designed as a maximum security institution for “the worst of the worst.” At the time, the “War on Drugs” (then “three-strikes” laws) had greatly increased prison populations,...
When California opened the Pelican Bay State Prison in 1989, it was considered a model of its “supermax” type, designed as a maximum security institution for “the worst of the worst.” At the time, the “War on Drugs” (then “three-strikes” laws) had greatly increased prison populations,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety - Film News
In the "Star Trek" episode "Metamorphosis", an important dignitary named Commissioner Nancy Hedford (Elinor Donohue) is being transported to the U.S.S. Enterprise to undergo a complex medical procedure that can only be performed on the ship. She is afflicted with a fast-moving condition called Sukaro's Disease which, if not treated, could prove fatal within a few days, even though Commissioner Hedford has no discernible symptoms. Unfortunately for her, Hedford's shuttle is randomly attacked by a shape-shifting blob of energy and pulled down to the surface of a nearby planet. Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) have to find a way to repair the shuttle and get the Commissioner back to the Enterprise before her condition worsens.
They are not alone on the planet. Zefram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett) is living there. This is unusual, as Zefram Cochrane -- the inventor of faster-than-light travel...
They are not alone on the planet. Zefram Cochrane (Glenn Corbett) is living there. This is unusual, as Zefram Cochrane -- the inventor of faster-than-light travel...
- 4/28/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) nearly doubled any other gross in its opening weekend, taking an easy #1 with an estimated $15 million. That’s respectable for the Zendaya-starring erotic tennis drama.
However, another week with this level of a #1 film isn’t what theaters need. After a month of intriguing new releases, none of them are likely to gross as much as $75 million in the U.S./Canada. Theaters faced a double burden — too few films released, and too few perform — but May could be different: It starts the summer season next week with “The Fall Guy” (Universal).
“Challengers” was not an automatic sell. It has Zendaya and excellent reviews (83 Metacritic score). Recent R-rated, sexually charged dramas are unusual these days. “Saltburn,” also from Amazon MGM, grossed $11 million in its release — $4 million less than the “Challengers” opening. “No Hard Feelings” with Jennifer Lawrence had the same opening gross last summer.
However, another week with this level of a #1 film isn’t what theaters need. After a month of intriguing new releases, none of them are likely to gross as much as $75 million in the U.S./Canada. Theaters faced a double burden — too few films released, and too few perform — but May could be different: It starts the summer season next week with “The Fall Guy” (Universal).
“Challengers” was not an automatic sell. It has Zendaya and excellent reviews (83 Metacritic score). Recent R-rated, sexually charged dramas are unusual these days. “Saltburn,” also from Amazon MGM, grossed $11 million in its release — $4 million less than the “Challengers” opening. “No Hard Feelings” with Jennifer Lawrence had the same opening gross last summer.
- 4/28/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: The following article contains some spoilers for “Shōgun”]
There’s a scene in Episode 5 of FX’s hit show “Shōgun”, smack dab in the middle of the TV series, that acts as a microcosm for the larger narrative. The horrified English Protestant sailor, Blackthorne, wishes to give up on his mission and leave Japan and the show’s central figure of whom he’s asking permission, Toranaga, actually considers it. Then an earthquake happens. Toranaga is buried by a landslide and it’s Blackthorne who finds and pulls him out. It’s in this moment Toranaga — staring at Blackthorne who’s ripped him from death’s clutch — realizes the way towards peace despite the forces against him.
“If people know the history, they already know what Toranaga creates,” “Shōgun” star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “That was the most important thing for me about this story: Toranaga ended [the Warring States period] and...
There’s a scene in Episode 5 of FX’s hit show “Shōgun”, smack dab in the middle of the TV series, that acts as a microcosm for the larger narrative. The horrified English Protestant sailor, Blackthorne, wishes to give up on his mission and leave Japan and the show’s central figure of whom he’s asking permission, Toranaga, actually considers it. Then an earthquake happens. Toranaga is buried by a landslide and it’s Blackthorne who finds and pulls him out. It’s in this moment Toranaga — staring at Blackthorne who’s ripped him from death’s clutch — realizes the way towards peace despite the forces against him.
“If people know the history, they already know what Toranaga creates,” “Shōgun” star and producer Hiroyuki Sanada said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “That was the most important thing for me about this story: Toranaga ended [the Warring States period] and...
- 4/28/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
This post contains spoilers for "Primer."
It is tempting to describe "Primer" as a time travel film — which it very much is — but the sheer headiness of the subject matter morphs it into something undefinable and elusive, eclipsing the metaphor of a puzzle box by the time the credits roll. Crafted with a shoestring budget of roughly $7,000, Shane Carruth's debut feature demands a certain sense of discipline and meticulous attention to detail, where seemingly innocuous dialogue or subtle character expressions often prove crucial to unraveling its wildly complicated plot. To call "Primer" confusing is an understatement: it is a film that absolutely requires repeat viewings simply to be understood, but engaging intimately with it does not guarantee comprehension of every facet.
Although Carruth peppers enough clues and red herrings to help us arrive at a sound conclusion, "Primer" does not encourage the tying up of every loose end, or...
It is tempting to describe "Primer" as a time travel film — which it very much is — but the sheer headiness of the subject matter morphs it into something undefinable and elusive, eclipsing the metaphor of a puzzle box by the time the credits roll. Crafted with a shoestring budget of roughly $7,000, Shane Carruth's debut feature demands a certain sense of discipline and meticulous attention to detail, where seemingly innocuous dialogue or subtle character expressions often prove crucial to unraveling its wildly complicated plot. To call "Primer" confusing is an understatement: it is a film that absolutely requires repeat viewings simply to be understood, but engaging intimately with it does not guarantee comprehension of every facet.
Although Carruth peppers enough clues and red herrings to help us arrive at a sound conclusion, "Primer" does not encourage the tying up of every loose end, or...
- 4/28/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
“Film is forever.”
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
- 4/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
John Carpenter is a filmmaker who boasts several stone-cold classics to his resume. Not only did he more or less invent the modern slasher movie with "Halloween," but he's also responsible for titles such as "Escape From New York," "The Thing," "They Live," "Prince of Darkness," "Big Trouble in Little China," and many more. Carpenter is pretty much retired from feature filmmaking at this point, and his as-of-now final film, "The Ward," isn't so great. However, there's one later-period Carpenter movie that I consider to be one of his best works: "In the Mouth of Madness." It received mixed reviews when it opened in 1994, and it wasn't much of a box office hit, but in my humble opinion, it's pretty damn great — and scary, too.
The film tells the story of famous horror author Sutter Cane, who is like a mash-up of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. When Cane goes...
The film tells the story of famous horror author Sutter Cane, who is like a mash-up of Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft. When Cane goes...
- 4/28/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Is the nepo-baby conversation over or have we just landed in a place of acceptance? Ethan Hawke understands the challenge of perception in regards to this identifier and his upcoming collaboration with daughter, Maya Hawke, in the film “Wildcat” — but he’s still pushing audiences to give this Flannery O’Connor biopic a chance. On a recent episode of CNN’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?”, Hawke explores different aspects of his career that led him to this moment and why he hopes “Wildcat” will play as more than just a “home movie.”
“The biggest challenge is releasing the movie, giving it to the public, because I knew the dad daughter act is not cute,” the elder Hawke said of his decision to cast his daughter in the biopic, which he directs. “I love working with my daughter. That doesn’t mean somebody should pay money to spend a minute of their time watching.
“The biggest challenge is releasing the movie, giving it to the public, because I knew the dad daughter act is not cute,” the elder Hawke said of his decision to cast his daughter in the biopic, which he directs. “I love working with my daughter. That doesn’t mean somebody should pay money to spend a minute of their time watching.
- 4/28/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
European powerhouse Mediawan has acquired Leonine, a leading production and distribution group active in German-speaking markets.
With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan’s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range. The deal is an all-stock transaction; both companies have the same shareholder, the U.S. private equity fund Kkr whose stake in Mediawan will still be below 50%, according to a source close to the company.
Mediawan now has a significant footprint in all major European markets, including German-speaking territories which represent the continent’s second largest TV market. The pact positions Mediawan as one of the world’s biggest super indies with a large proportion of scripted business across prestige series and movies. Mediawan now spans 13 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the U.K.
With the acquisition of Leonine, Mediawan will boast a portfolio of 85 labels, a catalogue spanning 30,000 hours of premium content and revenues exceeding €1.3 billion ($1.4 billion). Mediawan’s worth is now believed to be in the $2-billion range. The deal is an all-stock transaction; both companies have the same shareholder, the U.S. private equity fund Kkr whose stake in Mediawan will still be below 50%, according to a source close to the company.
Mediawan now has a significant footprint in all major European markets, including German-speaking territories which represent the continent’s second largest TV market. The pact positions Mediawan as one of the world’s biggest super indies with a large proportion of scripted business across prestige series and movies. Mediawan now spans 13 countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Scandinavia, Benelux and the U.K.
- 4/28/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety - Film News
“The Roundup: Punishment,” the fourth film in the Don Lee-starring crime action franchise, earned $20.9 million between Friday and Sunday and punched out all competition at the South Korean box office.
“Challengers,” which headed the box office this weekend in North America, with $15 million, opened fourth in Korea a 0.5% market share.
Global cinema data service, Comscore reported that “Punishment” was the top-scoring film worldwide with $24.4 million earned from collections in six territories. It was narrowly ahead of “Challengers” which earned $24.0 million from 53 markets.
“Punishment” accounted for a crushing 94% market share in Korea and collected its weekend haul from 2.92 million ticket sales, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
The film opened officially on Wednesday, when it scored $4.92 million, and followed that with a $3.25 million Thursday. Including the weekday takings and a smattering of previews from the previous weekend, the film finished Sunday with a cumulative of $29.3 million,...
“Challengers,” which headed the box office this weekend in North America, with $15 million, opened fourth in Korea a 0.5% market share.
Global cinema data service, Comscore reported that “Punishment” was the top-scoring film worldwide with $24.4 million earned from collections in six territories. It was narrowly ahead of “Challengers” which earned $24.0 million from 53 markets.
“Punishment” accounted for a crushing 94% market share in Korea and collected its weekend haul from 2.92 million ticket sales, according to data from Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council (Kofic).
The film opened officially on Wednesday, when it scored $4.92 million, and followed that with a $3.25 million Thursday. Including the weekday takings and a smattering of previews from the previous weekend, the film finished Sunday with a cumulative of $29.3 million,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety - Film News
Spoiler Alert: This article contains plot details for “Challengers,” now playing in theaters.
Josh O’Connor never had a churro until he shot “Challengers.”
The British actor and his co-star Mike Faist enjoy the fried doughy treat in one of the film’s most suggestive scenes. In short, Patrick (O’Connor) is visiting his girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya) and his best friend Art (Faist) at Stanford when the two young men catch up in a cafeteria. They’re sitting face-to-face as they devour the churros.
“We actually only did two takes of that scene,” O’Connor says at the drama’s Los Angeles premiere. “They were delicious. My first churro was that day.”
So why churros? As if that even needs to be asked. “Because they’re a delicious snack,” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes says, while grinning. “They’re very popular in California – that’s why.”
Kuritzkes says O’Connor and Faist enhanced...
Josh O’Connor never had a churro until he shot “Challengers.”
The British actor and his co-star Mike Faist enjoy the fried doughy treat in one of the film’s most suggestive scenes. In short, Patrick (O’Connor) is visiting his girlfriend Tashi (Zendaya) and his best friend Art (Faist) at Stanford when the two young men catch up in a cafeteria. They’re sitting face-to-face as they devour the churros.
“We actually only did two takes of that scene,” O’Connor says at the drama’s Los Angeles premiere. “They were delicious. My first churro was that day.”
So why churros? As if that even needs to be asked. “Because they’re a delicious snack,” screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes says, while grinning. “They’re very popular in California – that’s why.”
Kuritzkes says O’Connor and Faist enhanced...
- 4/28/2024
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety - Film News
"Futurama" is no stranger to out-there stories, but sometimes, even this show needs an excuse to break the rules. That's where the anthology episodes come in: installments featuring three seven-or-so-minute-long themed segments where the status quo of the show doesn't apply.
"Futurama" inherited this formula from co-creator Matt Groening's previous series, "The Simpsons." However, "The Simpsons" developed a consistent formula for its anthology episodes: "Treehouse of Horror," where the Simpsons family (and friends) are put through parodies of horror/sci-fi stories (from "The Twilight Zone" to "Death Note"). "Treehouse of Horror" has been an annual "Simpsons" tradition since season 2, but the series isn't constrained by this. A handful of "Simpsons" episodes are anthologies of a different flavor (see "Simpsons Bible Stories" in season 10 or "Tales from the Public Domain" in season 13).
"Futurama," though? The sci-fi show doesn't have an equivalent tradition, perhaps as part of the show's efforts to not compete with "The Simpsons.
"Futurama" inherited this formula from co-creator Matt Groening's previous series, "The Simpsons." However, "The Simpsons" developed a consistent formula for its anthology episodes: "Treehouse of Horror," where the Simpsons family (and friends) are put through parodies of horror/sci-fi stories (from "The Twilight Zone" to "Death Note"). "Treehouse of Horror" has been an annual "Simpsons" tradition since season 2, but the series isn't constrained by this. A handful of "Simpsons" episodes are anthologies of a different flavor (see "Simpsons Bible Stories" in season 10 or "Tales from the Public Domain" in season 13).
"Futurama," though? The sci-fi show doesn't have an equivalent tradition, perhaps as part of the show's efforts to not compete with "The Simpsons.
- 4/28/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Oscar-winner is first Australian actor to receive honour as Meryl Streep says it is ‘impossible not to be in awe of her’
Nicole Kidman has been honoured with an American Film Institute life achievement award at a ceremony in which stars shared stories of “quite simply one of the greatest actresses”.
The Oscar-winner became the first Australian actor to receive the highest honour for a career in film at AFI, during a ceremony that featured speeches from Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Reese Witherspoon, and Kidman’s husband, Keith Urban.
Nicole Kidman has been honoured with an American Film Institute life achievement award at a ceremony in which stars shared stories of “quite simply one of the greatest actresses”.
The Oscar-winner became the first Australian actor to receive the highest honour for a career in film at AFI, during a ceremony that featured speeches from Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Reese Witherspoon, and Kidman’s husband, Keith Urban.
- 4/28/2024
- by PA Media
- The Guardian - Film News
Game, set, now what to make of this match?
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
“Challengers,” a sexy, subversive, R-rated drama set in the world of tennis, easily took first place at a sluggish domestic box office this weekend with $15 million from 3,477 locations. On one hand, it’s a respectable result for an artsy movie aimed at discerning, adult audiences, but what keeps it from being a championship performance is that “Challengers” has a hefty $55 million budget (to say nothing of its marketing costs). The Amazon MGM Studios release will need strong word-of-mouth if it’s going to keep rallying — and next week brings Universal’s “The Fall Guy,” a Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt action-comedy that marks the start of summer blockbuster season. The competition only stands to get fiercer from here.
Amazon MGM would probably argue that “Challengers” doesn’t need to be a box office phenomenon in order to be successful. The higher...
- 4/28/2024
- by Brent Lang
- Variety - Film News
"Leprechaun" is one of those horror franchises that keeps on keepin' on. It's not very good, and yet, we, the movie-watching public, return to these movies again and again, even as they grow progressively more ridiculous. One recurring element in all of the "Leprechaun" movies is a sense of humor, particularly from the titular Leprechaun, played in the majority of the movies by Warwick Davis. Like Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" sequels, the Leprechaun is a jokester; he likes to quip when he's killing.
But as silly as the series has grown, there was a point in time when the original film was going to be much different. Specifically, it was going to be something darker and more horror-forward. Things changed, and a sense of humor prevailed. But imagine an alternate timeline when the first "Leprechaun" movie was a full-blown serious horror picture designed to scare the hell out of you.
But as silly as the series has grown, there was a point in time when the original film was going to be much different. Specifically, it was going to be something darker and more horror-forward. Things changed, and a sense of humor prevailed. But imagine an alternate timeline when the first "Leprechaun" movie was a full-blown serious horror picture designed to scare the hell out of you.
- 4/28/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
It's a good thing that "Sicario" is often cited as the best Denis Villeneuve movies, seeing as the director, cast, and crew apparently risked their lives to make it. Imagine putting yourself through life-threatening situations just to witness the poor reviews roll in and the almighty Tomatometer bestow an abject splat upon your film. Thankfully, "Sicario" currently stands at a muscular 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the third highest-rated of Villeneuve's films on the website, behind "Arrival" and "Dune: Part Two."
But without "Sicario," those other two blockbusters arguably wouldn't exist. This was the movie that established Villeneuve as a director capable of balancing human drama with large-scale action and set him on a course to shepherd the big-budget movies he's now known for. As "Dune: Part Two" crosses box office milestone after box office milestone, "Sicario" still stands as the movie that made it all possible.
As such,...
But without "Sicario," those other two blockbusters arguably wouldn't exist. This was the movie that established Villeneuve as a director capable of balancing human drama with large-scale action and set him on a course to shepherd the big-budget movies he's now known for. As "Dune: Part Two" crosses box office milestone after box office milestone, "Sicario" still stands as the movie that made it all possible.
As such,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Colman Domingo never imagined he would be “a 100 of anything.”
“The fact that I’m one of the 100 most influential people in the world feels like I have a lot to live up to, and I want to because I don’t take that lightly,” Domingo told Variety on the red carpet at the Time100 Gala Thursday night. “The fact that someone in some committee believed that I’m impacting many people on this planet, I feel like now the work begins even more so. I know that I have to be even more mindful and thoughtful about how I create and the work that I do.”
Hosted by Taraji P. Henson at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, the Time100 Gala celebrated this year’s most influential figures across film, sports, music and more, including Domingo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, 21 Savage, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, Fantasia Barrino and Henson herself.
“The fact that I’m one of the 100 most influential people in the world feels like I have a lot to live up to, and I want to because I don’t take that lightly,” Domingo told Variety on the red carpet at the Time100 Gala Thursday night. “The fact that someone in some committee believed that I’m impacting many people on this planet, I feel like now the work begins even more so. I know that I have to be even more mindful and thoughtful about how I create and the work that I do.”
Hosted by Taraji P. Henson at Frederick P. Rose Hall in New York City, the Time100 Gala celebrated this year’s most influential figures across film, sports, music and more, including Domingo, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, 21 Savage, Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson, Fantasia Barrino and Henson herself.
- 4/28/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety - Film News
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