Indie News
Exclusive: Following his massive victory against Tyson Fury to become the newly crowned Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Oleksandr Usyk has found his next opponent on the big screen as he is set to join the cast of A24’s The Smashing Machine as Mma legend Igor Vovchanchyn. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Academy Award-nominated Emily Blunt.
The pic is written and directed by Benny Safdie and produced and financed by A24. The film is based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’
The news comes after Johnson revealed the first image from the film which features an unrecognizable Johnson in the corner of the ring getting ready for a match. The...
The pic is written and directed by Benny Safdie and produced and financed by A24. The film is based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’
The news comes after Johnson revealed the first image from the film which features an unrecognizable Johnson in the corner of the ring getting ready for a match. The...
- 5/24/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
“Still Working 9 to 5,” the 2022 documentary that uses the ideas raised 1980’s “9 to 5” as a way to explore inequality in the workplace, will have its L.A. premiere May 29 at the Renberg Theatre in Hollywood in partnership with the Era.
“Still Working 9 to 5” follows the journey of women in the workplace and looks at the continuing inequality over the past 40 years. It’s directed and produced by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane.
Alyssa Milano will present the Era Coalition Trailblazer Awards to “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton at the screening. Fonda and Tomlin are confirmed to attend, while Parton will accept her award by a prerecorded video from Nashville.
A panel discussion with Tomlin and Fonda about the documentary, women’s rights and the importance of the Era passing this election year will be hosted by Zakia Thomas, the president of the Era Coalition.
“Still Working 9 to 5” follows the journey of women in the workplace and looks at the continuing inequality over the past 40 years. It’s directed and produced by Camille Hardman and Gary Lane.
Alyssa Milano will present the Era Coalition Trailblazer Awards to “9 to 5” stars Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton at the screening. Fonda and Tomlin are confirmed to attend, while Parton will accept her award by a prerecorded video from Nashville.
A panel discussion with Tomlin and Fonda about the documentary, women’s rights and the importance of the Era passing this election year will be hosted by Zakia Thomas, the president of the Era Coalition.
- 5/23/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Lexi Carson, Jack Dunn and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Exclusive: AI firm Flawless, distributor-financier XYZ Films (Mandy), and producer Tea Shop Productions (The Fall) have acquired Michel Gondry’s 2023 Cannes Directors’ Fortnight movie The Book Of Solutions for all English-speaking territories.
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
Directed and written by Gondry, the French-language comedy is the first film in seven years from the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep filmmaker.
It will be releases simultaneously in the original French language and converted to a director-approved English-language version using Flawless’ TrueSync AI technology, which became known after movies like The Fall. You can read about Flawless’ “visual translation” techniques and acquisitions strategy in our story here.
Pic stars Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin, Francoise Lebrun and Vincent Elbaz and was produced by George Bermann at Partizan.
In the film, Marc (Niney), a bipolar and paranoid filmmaker, is having trouble with his latest project. With his editor as an accomplice, he manages...
- 5/23/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Dark Star Pictures has picked up the North American rights to Brande Roderick’s directorial debut, Wineville, a horror film set for a September 2024 release.
The Celebrity Apprentice contestant also stars in the 1970s-set thriller as Tess Lott, a woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen. Now she returns as a single mother to her family’s vineyard after her father’s death to sort out her inheritance, only to discover the dark secrets and painful memories she left behind return as a murderous legacy sparking violence and death.
Roderick’s acting credits include The Nannie Diaries, Starsky & Hutch and Baywatch.
The ensemble cast for Wineville includes Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey King and Keaton Roderick Cadrez. The film was written by Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth), who also produced alongside Roderick, Robin DeMartino and Todd Slater.
Dark Star Pictures will...
The Celebrity Apprentice contestant also stars in the 1970s-set thriller as Tess Lott, a woman who escaped her abusive father as a teen. Now she returns as a single mother to her family’s vineyard after her father’s death to sort out her inheritance, only to discover the dark secrets and painful memories she left behind return as a murderous legacy sparking violence and death.
Roderick’s acting credits include The Nannie Diaries, Starsky & Hutch and Baywatch.
The ensemble cast for Wineville includes Carolyn Hennesy, Texas Battle, Casey King and Keaton Roderick Cadrez. The film was written by Richard Schenkman (Mischief Night, Abraham Lincoln vs. Zombies, The Man from Earth), who also produced alongside Roderick, Robin DeMartino and Todd Slater.
Dark Star Pictures will...
- 5/23/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Grindstone Entertainment is getting into the ring with Ving Rhames.
Grindstone has picked up all rights in North America for Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring the Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction actor as a trainer who agrees to take on a new female fighter.
The English-language debut of German writer-director Torsten Ruether, Uppercut is an adaptation of Ruether’s 2021 feature Leberhaken. Both the German and English film’s star Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress. Joanna Cassidy (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Jordan E. Cooper (Ain’t No Mo) co-star in Uppercut.
Ving Rhames and Luiii in Uppercut.
Hello Moment Productions are the lead producer on Uppercut. Sublimity Entertainment are handling world sales on the film and pitching it to buyers at the Cannes film market this year.
Set in New York City in 2014, the film follows Toni (Luiii), as she seeks out Elliott (Rhames), a former...
Grindstone has picked up all rights in North America for Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring the Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction actor as a trainer who agrees to take on a new female fighter.
The English-language debut of German writer-director Torsten Ruether, Uppercut is an adaptation of Ruether’s 2021 feature Leberhaken. Both the German and English film’s star Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress. Joanna Cassidy (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Jordan E. Cooper (Ain’t No Mo) co-star in Uppercut.
Ving Rhames and Luiii in Uppercut.
Hello Moment Productions are the lead producer on Uppercut. Sublimity Entertainment are handling world sales on the film and pitching it to buyers at the Cannes film market this year.
Set in New York City in 2014, the film follows Toni (Luiii), as she seeks out Elliott (Rhames), a former...
- 5/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The longtime coming documentary Frank Miller: American Genius is getting a one-night-only theatrical showing, announced the film’s distributor Picturehouse, which also unveiled the trailer for the feature.
Set to screen simultaneously in Cinemark theaters nationwide Monday, June 10, the event will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by actress Rosario Dawson, and all ticket holders will receive an exclusive custom collectible. It will take place in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Playa Vista at 5 p.m. Pt and will be livestreamed to all other theaters across the country.
Miller’s home base of New York gets its own screening event, being billed as a sneak preview, which will take place June 6 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. It, too, will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by author Neil Gaiman. And yes, all ticket holders will receive that exclusive custom collectible at that showing as well.
Set to screen simultaneously in Cinemark theaters nationwide Monday, June 10, the event will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by actress Rosario Dawson, and all ticket holders will receive an exclusive custom collectible. It will take place in Los Angeles at the Cinemark Playa Vista at 5 p.m. Pt and will be livestreamed to all other theaters across the country.
Miller’s home base of New York gets its own screening event, being billed as a sneak preview, which will take place June 6 at the Angelika Film Center in New York City. It, too, will feature a live introduction with Miller, moderated by author Neil Gaiman. And yes, all ticket holders will receive that exclusive custom collectible at that showing as well.
- 5/23/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Subject Matter, the nonprofit organization that supports social issues and documentary films and other nonprofits focused on the same causes, announced its grantees “I’m Your Venus” and House Lives Matter will be awarded a total of $50,000 at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.
A $25,000 grant will go to the team behind “I’m Your Venus.” Directed by Kimberly Reed and produced by Steven Cantor, Jamie Schutz and Mike Stafford, “I’m Your Venus” is “a moving and timely documentary that follows the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary ‘Paris Is Burning’ as Venus’ two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy,” reads the official logline.
An additional $25,000 grant will go to House Lives Matter, an organization addressing the issues featured in “I’m Your Venus.” The organization is led by Dr. Jennifer Lee and Jonovia Chase, who is also an executive producer for “I’m Your Venus” alongside Courtney Sexton,...
A $25,000 grant will go to the team behind “I’m Your Venus.” Directed by Kimberly Reed and produced by Steven Cantor, Jamie Schutz and Mike Stafford, “I’m Your Venus” is “a moving and timely documentary that follows the unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, star of the legendary ‘Paris Is Burning’ as Venus’ two families — biological and ballroom — come together to seek answers and celebrate her legacy,” reads the official logline.
An additional $25,000 grant will go to House Lives Matter, an organization addressing the issues featured in “I’m Your Venus.” The organization is led by Dr. Jennifer Lee and Jonovia Chase, who is also an executive producer for “I’m Your Venus” alongside Courtney Sexton,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
Kodak, which had a momentous 2023 with more than 60 movies shot on film has gotten off to a promising start in 2024 with Luca Guadignino’s “Challengers” and Jane Shoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow, which A24 released wide May 17. Upcoming releases include Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.”
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 23 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 23 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
- 5/27/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Scared of a Spider Bite Birthing a Thousand Spiders on Your Face? In ‘The Manitou,’ It’s Worse.
At a certain point in time, we lived in a world where we could wander into a movie playing on some random network (Rip Upn) and get sucked in with no knowledge of what it was, the behind-the-scenes stories it held, or even a whiff of IMDb trivia. It was a sad, bleak era. That is how I happened upon “The Manitou” one lazy summer Sunday. Everything about this oddball horror movie...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Scared of a Spider Bite Birthing a Thousand Spiders on Your Face? In ‘The Manitou,’ It’s Worse.
At a certain point in time, we lived in a world where we could wander into a movie playing on some random network (Rip Upn) and get sucked in with no knowledge of what it was, the behind-the-scenes stories it held, or even a whiff of IMDb trivia. It was a sad, bleak era. That is how I happened upon “The Manitou” one lazy summer Sunday. Everything about this oddball horror movie...
- 5/25/2024
- by Mark Peikert and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Typically, reboot film franchises don’t surpass the originals. The first films are so iconic and firmly entrenched in the popular consciousness that the reboots get dinged for any changes they make — and sometimes the changes they don’t make. But there are exceptions — just check the “Planet of the Apes.” And maybe no film series inverts this trend more than “Mad Max.”
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
- 5/25/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Jane Schoenbrun wants weirdness to know no genre boundary. Following their breakout Sundance hit film “I Saw the TV Glow” and the long publicity tour that followed, Schoenbrun is looking forward to taking a bit of a break, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have ideas in the tank, ready to go when called upon. Speaking with friend and collaborator Brigette Lundy-Paine for the A24 podcast, Schoenbrun shared some of the concepts percolating in their mind as well as some failed pitches that pushed them to explore new mediums.
“I think I’d really like to make an Apatow style comedy,” Schoenbrun said to Lundy-Paine somewhat seriously, later adding, “I want to make a stoner comedy for reals. And I feel like I’m always trying to think of a movie concept worthy of Conor O’Malley. I’ve got a couple of good ones, but here’s one.
“I think I’d really like to make an Apatow style comedy,” Schoenbrun said to Lundy-Paine somewhat seriously, later adding, “I want to make a stoner comedy for reals. And I feel like I’m always trying to think of a movie concept worthy of Conor O’Malley. I’ve got a couple of good ones, but here’s one.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Cannes – After screening “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” a world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, one has to breathe a sigh of relief that director and screenwriter Mohammad Rasoulof is safely out of Iran. A victim of a politically motivated jail sentence for supporting the 2022 Masha Amini hijab protests, Rasoulof‘s latest feature will likely anger the Iranian government even more. Especially considering how brilliant “Sacred Fig” is at deconstructing the rampant injustice in the totalitarian state.
Continue reading ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s Searing Indictment Of Modern Iran [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s Searing Indictment Of Modern Iran [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Lady Gaga has been born a star but now, she’s transforming into DC comic book character Harley Quinn for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
The Oscar and Grammy winner teased her upcoming role alongside fellow Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker.” As Phoenix reprises his titular role as Arthur Fleck Aka the Joker, Gaga will play Harley from the “Batman the Animated Series” origins, as a bit different from Margot Robbie’s version of the character.
“You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters,” Gaga told Access Hollywood. “I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”
Margot Robbie brought Harley to life first in “Suicide Squad,” followed by spinoff “Birds of Prey” and quasi-reboot “The Suicide Squad.
The Oscar and Grammy winner teased her upcoming role alongside fellow Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker.” As Phoenix reprises his titular role as Arthur Fleck Aka the Joker, Gaga will play Harley from the “Batman the Animated Series” origins, as a bit different from Margot Robbie’s version of the character.
“You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters,” Gaga told Access Hollywood. “I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”
Margot Robbie brought Harley to life first in “Suicide Squad,” followed by spinoff “Birds of Prey” and quasi-reboot “The Suicide Squad.
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Welcome to My Favorite Scene! In this series, IndieWire speaks to actors behind a few of our favorite television performances about their personal-best onscreen moment and how it came together.
IndieWire caught Lamorne Morris on the road. Headed to work on an unnamed set in Los Angeles, the “Fargo” Season 5 actor joked about an overcast day and rush-hour traffic. Asked how he was faring, he quipped on speakerphone, “Oh, I’m good! I’m in the car, just driving at high speeds recklessly. Very, veeery recklessly.”
The former “New Girl” actor may be many years entrenched in the Hollywood grind, but Morris is native to Chicago. A childhood spent in the American midwest helped him with the accent and demeanor needed for Deputy Witt Farr. The North Dakota highway patrolman has a surprise encounter in Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” with the scrappy Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) and menacing...
IndieWire caught Lamorne Morris on the road. Headed to work on an unnamed set in Los Angeles, the “Fargo” Season 5 actor joked about an overcast day and rush-hour traffic. Asked how he was faring, he quipped on speakerphone, “Oh, I’m good! I’m in the car, just driving at high speeds recklessly. Very, veeery recklessly.”
The former “New Girl” actor may be many years entrenched in the Hollywood grind, but Morris is native to Chicago. A childhood spent in the American midwest helped him with the accent and demeanor needed for Deputy Witt Farr. The North Dakota highway patrolman has a surprise encounter in Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” with the scrappy Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) and menacing...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Everyone’s talking about where the Sundance Film Festival will live in the future, but a more compelling question may be this: How do independent filmmakers plan to distribute their films and create real careers when even Sundance — wherever it may be based — is not enough?
That’s not a knock on Sundance, or on any festival; it’s recognizance that the world has changed. Many films don’t sell, even at Sundance. The decline in theatergoing, the change in streamers’ strategies, the rise of arthouse events: No one knows what the new normal is, but today putting faith in selling a movie at its premiere and living happily ever is not even a fairy tale; it’s a toxic myth.
That’s why (with Brian Newman’s kind permission) we’re reprinting his May 23 column from Newman’s weekly Sub-Genre Media Newsletter. He called it Film 101: New Rules for Distribution,...
That’s not a knock on Sundance, or on any festival; it’s recognizance that the world has changed. Many films don’t sell, even at Sundance. The decline in theatergoing, the change in streamers’ strategies, the rise of arthouse events: No one knows what the new normal is, but today putting faith in selling a movie at its premiere and living happily ever is not even a fairy tale; it’s a toxic myth.
That’s why (with Brian Newman’s kind permission) we’re reprinting his May 23 column from Newman’s weekly Sub-Genre Media Newsletter. He called it Film 101: New Rules for Distribution,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Newman
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.As part of our Cannes 2024 coverage, we asked filmmakers and critics for their notes on anything but the films at the festival.Sign up for the Weekly Edit to receive exclusive reports from the Croisette straight to your inbox.Isabel Stevens (managing editor, Sight and Sound)Overheard at the festival: (on the Croisette) “Do you have time for a photoshoot with Jean-Claude Van Damme?”; “The security guard for this party said to my friend, ‘You have to wear heels. Flat shoes are not allowed.’”; “I think I need..maybe… $50 million”; “They are spending £370 million to send people to Rwanda. Can you believe that?”; (on the beach) “Is this the Atlantic Ocean?”; (at the security gates) “Is this a Camembert?”; (at parties) “I’m not going to thank my husband. He’s shite. But he does what he’s told.”; “I’m going to get ChatGPT to write my speech.
- 5/24/2024
- MUBI
It’s been a minute since we heard from director Sam Mendes and his uber-ambitious “Beatles” film plans. Known for the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” and the Bond films, “Skyfall,” and “Spectre,” Mendes isn’t just taking the bold step of making a fictional film about the Beatles, he’s making four of them, one about each member: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Continue reading Paul Mescal Reportedly Being Eyed For Role In Sam Mendes’ ‘Beatles’ Movies at The Playlist.
Continue reading Paul Mescal Reportedly Being Eyed For Role In Sam Mendes’ ‘Beatles’ Movies at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
George Lucas returned to the Cannes Croisette for the first time since 1971 this week to receive an honorary Palme d’Or. So what did the 80-year-old director say about his career as he talked to a packed audience at the Debussy Theater after accepting the prize? Well, to the surprise of no one, THR reports that he mainly talked about “Star Wars.” Along the way, Lucas defended the prequel trilogy, his continual updates to the original trilogy, and lamented how Disney misused his ideas after he sold Lucasfilm to the company in 2012 for $4.05 billion.
Continue reading George Lucas Says His ‘Star Wars’ Ideas Were “Lost” Once Disney Took Over at The Playlist.
Continue reading George Lucas Says His ‘Star Wars’ Ideas Were “Lost” Once Disney Took Over at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
“All We Imagine As Light” opens as only a film set in Mumbai can— with the gradual unfurling of this massive metropolis at dawn. Its essential workers begin corralling the huge resources needed to maintain its creaking infrastructure and feed the tens of millions of people who will wake up and take public transport to work. The bustling local economy flickers into life as vendors set up shop by the millions to earn an honest living.
Continue reading ‘All We Imagine As Light’ Review: First Indian Competition Entry In 30 Years Earns Its Accolades [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘All We Imagine As Light’ Review: First Indian Competition Entry In 30 Years Earns Its Accolades [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
“Gremlins” director Joe Dante is spilling some secrets 40 years after the film’s release, including revealing the lengths to which studio Warner Bros. went to have one scene cut out.
Dante told Total Film that the 1984 film proved to be contentious amongst studio executives for one specific scene where Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells Billy (Zack Galligan) that she hates Christmas because her father died during the season. Well, WB execs “hated” that.
“[The scene] encapsulated the whole ethos of the picture,” Dante said. “There’s a duality of humor and horror but Warner Bros. just hated it.”
However, the sequence still stayed in the final edit in part due to producer Steven Spielberg siding with Dante. Even that endorsement didn’t stop the suits.
“I heard after it was out they were sending instructions to projectionists to see if they could cut it, which thankfully didn’t happen,” Dante said.
Chris Columbus penned the script.
Dante told Total Film that the 1984 film proved to be contentious amongst studio executives for one specific scene where Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells Billy (Zack Galligan) that she hates Christmas because her father died during the season. Well, WB execs “hated” that.
“[The scene] encapsulated the whole ethos of the picture,” Dante said. “There’s a duality of humor and horror but Warner Bros. just hated it.”
However, the sequence still stayed in the final edit in part due to producer Steven Spielberg siding with Dante. Even that endorsement didn’t stop the suits.
“I heard after it was out they were sending instructions to projectionists to see if they could cut it, which thankfully didn’t happen,” Dante said.
Chris Columbus penned the script.
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s nutty to think just how fast FX’s dysfunctional kitchen drama “The Bear” ascended and how quickly it might just all end. Premiering on Hulu in the summer of 2022, “The Bear” literally seemingly came out of nowhere, wasn’t anticipated or known about, and wasn’t exactly heavily promoted in advance. But critics who got wind of it first knew immediately that the show sizzled with intensity and bruising emotional family baggage. By the end of the summer, when audiences finally had a chance to catch up and binge it all, the series became a bonafide word-of-mouth hit.
Continue reading ‘The Bear’ Trailer: The Dysfunctional Kitchen Drama Returns For Season 3 On June 27 at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Bear’ Trailer: The Dysfunctional Kitchen Drama Returns For Season 3 On June 27 at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Film archivists, foundation workers, and more employed by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the Academy Foundation have agreed to terms on their first-ever union contract, the Academy behind the Oscars announced Friday, May 24.
The Academy Foundation Workers Union (Afwu), in conjunction with Afscme Local 126, have unanimously agreed to a three-year contract with the Academy Foundation that will win employees a minimum of 3 percent annual wage increases and regular step increases over the next three years.
The contract passed with 64 “yes” votes on May 22.
Employees will also have the contractual right to four additional weeks of paid parental leave, an extended medical leave option, job security benefits protecting against subcontracting, and more professional-development opportunities. Wage increases for workers will rise between 11-27 percent over the next three years as a result of the new contract.
The union contract is the first such deal ratified...
The Academy Foundation Workers Union (Afwu), in conjunction with Afscme Local 126, have unanimously agreed to a three-year contract with the Academy Foundation that will win employees a minimum of 3 percent annual wage increases and regular step increases over the next three years.
The contract passed with 64 “yes” votes on May 22.
Employees will also have the contractual right to four additional weeks of paid parental leave, an extended medical leave option, job security benefits protecting against subcontracting, and more professional-development opportunities. Wage increases for workers will rise between 11-27 percent over the next three years as a result of the new contract.
The union contract is the first such deal ratified...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has a lot going for it on the way to a potential Palme d’Or win: strong reviews, an anguished political call-out against Iranian oppression, and Rasoulof’s own status as an exile who just fled his home country and was finally able to attend Cannes after all. (Read our interview with the director here.)
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
“Screen Talk: went live at the American Pavilion in Cannes this year and drew a lively crowd. Anne Thompson raved about one of the big-epic Hollywood titles playing out of competition, George Miller’s prequel “Furiosa” (Warner Bros.), starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, which opens May 14, while both Thompson and cohost Ryan Lattanzio panned Kevin Costner’s old-fashioned three-hour Western “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One” (Warner Bros.).
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“The Last Of Us” Season 2 cast already had some stellar new additions, but this one may be the best of the lot. Deadline reports that Jeffrey Wright joins the ensemble cast as Isaac, the powerful leader of the Washington Liberation Front in the videogame. And that casting makes perfect sense, since Wright voiced the same character in 2020’s “The Last Of Us Part II.”
Read More: ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 First Look: HBO Releases Images From The New Season Coming In 2025
Wright joins previously announced new cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Isabel Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Catherine O’Hara for the show’s upcoming second season, currently in production. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay return as Joel and Elli as they continue their journey across a post-apocalyptic US ravaged by a fungal pandemic. Gabriel Luna will likely also return in Season 2 as Joel’s brother,...
Read More: ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 First Look: HBO Releases Images From The New Season Coming In 2025
Wright joins previously announced new cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Isabel Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Catherine O’Hara for the show’s upcoming second season, currently in production. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay return as Joel and Elli as they continue their journey across a post-apocalyptic US ravaged by a fungal pandemic. Gabriel Luna will likely also return in Season 2 as Joel’s brother,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
As Cannes nears its end, some major contenders have already found homes, while many more buzzy titles with Palme d’Or aspirations are awaiting buyers. This year’s market hasn’t been weighed down by the writers or actors strikes in the same way as last year, meaning companies like A24, Neon, Apple, and more have jumped in on exciting packages of possibly future contenders.
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Miséricorde”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Cast: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films’ third acquisition out of Cannes is for a film IndieWire has a sweet spot for, the dark comedy and genre film “Miséricorde” (aka “Misericordia”) from the director of “Stranger By the Lake.” The distributors are...
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Miséricorde”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Cast: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films’ third acquisition out of Cannes is for a film IndieWire has a sweet spot for, the dark comedy and genre film “Miséricorde” (aka “Misericordia”) from the director of “Stranger By the Lake.” The distributors are...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Fresh off his Academy Award nomination, Jeffrey Wright is returning to HBO for the highly-anticipated Season 2 of “The Last of Us.”
The Oscar-nominated “American Fiction” actor, who previously won an Emmy for “Westworld,” is set to play Isaac in the video game adaptation series. Isaac is billed as a “quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”
Wright also voiced Isaac in “The Last of Us Part II” video game, making his casting a full circle choice for the Emmy-winning series adaptation.
Wright formerly starred in fellow HBO series “Westworld.” Wright was further rumored to have a spinoff series of “The Batman” at Max; the project has since been stalled as “The Penguin” series and “The Batman: Part II” film both move forward.
The actor is repped by CAA, Strategic PR, and the...
The Oscar-nominated “American Fiction” actor, who previously won an Emmy for “Westworld,” is set to play Isaac in the video game adaptation series. Isaac is billed as a “quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”
Wright also voiced Isaac in “The Last of Us Part II” video game, making his casting a full circle choice for the Emmy-winning series adaptation.
Wright formerly starred in fellow HBO series “Westworld.” Wright was further rumored to have a spinoff series of “The Batman” at Max; the project has since been stalled as “The Penguin” series and “The Batman: Part II” film both move forward.
The actor is repped by CAA, Strategic PR, and the...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is an anguished cry from the heart of Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian filmmaker who just fled his home country for Europe after an eight-year prison sentence from the Islamic Republic. This is not the first brush with theocratic law for the dissident director, who’s been working steadily out of Iran for two decades.
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Franz Rogowski and Barry Keoghan are only in one scene together in Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” but you wouldn’t know it seeing them together at Cannes.
Rogowski, the breakout New York Film Critics-winning lead of “Passages,” and Keoghan, the Oscar-nominated “Banshees of Inisherin” star turned “Saltburn” meme machine, play roles in “Bird” that demanded a lot from the actors without much in the way of a script. The Cannes competition premiere centers on 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), coming of age and confused about her identity on the fringes in a middle-of-nowhere England, living with her father Bug (Keoghan) on the other side of town from her mother and two sisters. And on the verge of puberty.
Barely coping with life and the news that her father is about to marry a woman he’s known for only three months, Bailey meets Bird (Rogowski), a vagabond who drifts into...
Rogowski, the breakout New York Film Critics-winning lead of “Passages,” and Keoghan, the Oscar-nominated “Banshees of Inisherin” star turned “Saltburn” meme machine, play roles in “Bird” that demanded a lot from the actors without much in the way of a script. The Cannes competition premiere centers on 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), coming of age and confused about her identity on the fringes in a middle-of-nowhere England, living with her father Bug (Keoghan) on the other side of town from her mother and two sisters. And on the verge of puberty.
Barely coping with life and the news that her father is about to marry a woman he’s known for only three months, Bailey meets Bird (Rogowski), a vagabond who drifts into...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It’s been a rather dreadful year for big Netflix original sci-fi films in 2024, and “Atlas,” the big event science-fiction dystopian thriller from director Brad Peyton (2015’s “San Andreas” and “Rampage”), won’t change that narrative in the slightest. Set in a conventionally bleak dystopian future—aren’t they all?— “Atlas” is rote and routine, using the concept of sci-fi and artificial intelligence in the most obvious way: A.I.
Continue reading ‘Atlas’ Review: Jennifer Lopez’s Hackneyed Sci-Fi Thriller About A.I. Trust Is Utterly Dire & Disposable at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Atlas’ Review: Jennifer Lopez’s Hackneyed Sci-Fi Thriller About A.I. Trust Is Utterly Dire & Disposable at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Brainy political lightning rod Oliver Stone isn’t making feature films anymore. Sure, he’d love to add a 21st to his 20 films to date; he just can’t find backers. His alternate route, like many other directors today, from fellow Cannes entrant Ron Howard (“Jim Henson: Idea Man”) to Martin Scorsese, is documentaries.
Stone has churned out a career total of ten, including recent 2021 Cannes entry “JFK Revisited” (Showtime) and 2022 eco-doc “Nuclear” (Abramorama). His latest, “Lula,” marks a move to the left from his much-criticized recent portraits of right-wing leaders such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro (HBO’s “Comandante”) and Russia’s Vladimir Putin (Showtime’s four-part “The Putin Interviews”).
Since his start as a filmmaker in the 1970s, the Yale-grad-turned-Vietnam-vet, now 77, has leaned into political fiction, from “Salvador,” “Wall Street,” and “W.,” to Best Director Oscar-winners “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” His last Oscar nomination came in 1996, for “Nixon,...
Stone has churned out a career total of ten, including recent 2021 Cannes entry “JFK Revisited” (Showtime) and 2022 eco-doc “Nuclear” (Abramorama). His latest, “Lula,” marks a move to the left from his much-criticized recent portraits of right-wing leaders such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro (HBO’s “Comandante”) and Russia’s Vladimir Putin (Showtime’s four-part “The Putin Interviews”).
Since his start as a filmmaker in the 1970s, the Yale-grad-turned-Vietnam-vet, now 77, has leaned into political fiction, from “Salvador,” “Wall Street,” and “W.,” to Best Director Oscar-winners “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” His last Oscar nomination came in 1996, for “Nixon,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Would it be a Benoit Blanc mystery if the movie title wasn’t a pop-rock song? Rian Johnson continues that trend with the name of his latest “Knives Out” mystery. This time, it’s a U2 track: “Wake Up Dead Man,” from the band’s 1997 album Pop.
Read More: ‘Glass Onion’: Rian Johnson May Keep Making ‘Knives Out’ Sequels As Long As He And Daniel Craig “Are Still Having Fun”
Johnson and Netflix revealed the title this morning with an unannounced YouTube video, which doesn’t provide much intel on the upcoming movie except a brief voiceover from Daniel Craig as Blanc.
Continue reading ‘Wake Up Dead Man’: Rian Johnson & Netflix Reveal The Title For Their Next ‘Knives Out’ Mystery at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Glass Onion’: Rian Johnson May Keep Making ‘Knives Out’ Sequels As Long As He And Daniel Craig “Are Still Having Fun”
Johnson and Netflix revealed the title this morning with an unannounced YouTube video, which doesn’t provide much intel on the upcoming movie except a brief voiceover from Daniel Craig as Blanc.
Continue reading ‘Wake Up Dead Man’: Rian Johnson & Netflix Reveal The Title For Their Next ‘Knives Out’ Mystery at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
George Lucas doesn’t think “Star Wars” is colorblind. In fact, the writer/director wants to remind audiences that the space-set film franchise is dealing with robots and aliens, not race.
While receiving the honorary Palme d’Or in the closing night ceremony at Cannes 2024, Lucas called out critics who complained about the predominantly white casting of the franchise.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
In fact, Lucas pointed to how the only species discrimination is between humans, aliens, and robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
While receiving the honorary Palme d’Or in the closing night ceremony at Cannes 2024, Lucas called out critics who complained about the predominantly white casting of the franchise.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
In fact, Lucas pointed to how the only species discrimination is between humans, aliens, and robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Translating film titles for international markets can be a commercial necessity, but magic is often lost in the process. It’s hard to think of a more perfect name for Gilles Lelouche’s latest movie than “L’amour ouf,” which punchily captures the bruising nature of the love story at its heart. The clue is in the wordplay: If l’amour fou is an affliction of the mind, l’amour ouf tells us the force we’re dealing with is rather more physical, perhaps even painful.
Squint, though, and “Beating Hearts,” the anglophone title that seems sentimental by comparison, suggests not just life but flagellation. It befits a film that contains its fair share of bloody thrashings over the course of some 20 years in the lives of its star-crossed protagonists, whose love is battered at the peak of their relationship by a miscarriage of justice that goes on to change everything — and nothing — between them.
Squint, though, and “Beating Hearts,” the anglophone title that seems sentimental by comparison, suggests not just life but flagellation. It befits a film that contains its fair share of bloody thrashings over the course of some 20 years in the lives of its star-crossed protagonists, whose love is battered at the peak of their relationship by a miscarriage of justice that goes on to change everything — and nothing — between them.
- 5/24/2024
- by Arjun Sajip
- Indiewire
Rian Johnson has officially confirmed the title of Netflix’s “Knives Out 3.”
The writer/director announced the third installment as “Wake Up Dead Man” on social media Friday morning. Daniel Craig reprises his role of detective Benoit Blanc in the anthology film series, produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. Craig narrates the video, saying, “In the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold, the glass was shattered. But my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed.”
Johnson additionally tweeted, “We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
The writer/director also shared why he loves whodunits like the Agatha Christie stories that inspired the franchise.
“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,...
The writer/director announced the third installment as “Wake Up Dead Man” on social media Friday morning. Daniel Craig reprises his role of detective Benoit Blanc in the anthology film series, produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. Craig narrates the video, saying, “In the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold, the glass was shattered. But my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed.”
Johnson additionally tweeted, “We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
The writer/director also shared why he loves whodunits like the Agatha Christie stories that inspired the franchise.
“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.Throughout the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, we'll be publishing a wide variety of interviews, dispatches, capsules, ballots, and lists. Subscribe to the Weekly Edit newsletter for exclusive contributions from filmmakers, critics, and programmers on the Croisette.Interviews“A Whole World: A Conversation with Andrea Arnold” by Caitlin QuinlanThe Carrosse d’Or–winner describes her raw, lived-in films as cinematic jigsaw puzzles.Dispatches“The Center Will Not Hold” by Leonardo GoiWhile the festival maintained its routine ostrich-like stance, some of the most intriguing films dove right into our troubled times.“Final Warnings” by Daniel KasmanQuentin Dupieux’s latest and Jean-Luc Godard’s last interrogate the death and life of great cinema.Capsules“First Impressions” by Giovanni Marchini Camia, Jordan Cronk, Beatrice Loayza, Flavia Dima, Leonardo Goi, and Daniel Kasman“One Moment” by Miriam Bale, Daniel Kasman, Caitlin Quinlan, Nicolas Rapold, Hannah Strong, Adam Piron, Jon Dieringer, Illyse Singer,...
- 5/24/2024
- MUBI
“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock is dead at the age of 53 following a battle with cancer, according to a family statement provided to Deadline.
The Academy Award nominee “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock is quoted as saying.
Spurlock shot to fame with this 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which took a personality-driven approach to examining the way that corporate America incentivizes unhealthy eating as epitomized by McDonald’s then-promotion to “super size” portion sizes for french fries and soft drinks. Following in the wake of Michael Moore, Spurlock adopted a style of putting himself on camera as the host leading his viewers through an exploration of the subject. It was a stunt as well: For the documentary, he engaged in eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
That...
The Academy Award nominee “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock is quoted as saying.
Spurlock shot to fame with this 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which took a personality-driven approach to examining the way that corporate America incentivizes unhealthy eating as epitomized by McDonald’s then-promotion to “super size” portion sizes for french fries and soft drinks. Following in the wake of Michael Moore, Spurlock adopted a style of putting himself on camera as the host leading his viewers through an exploration of the subject. It was a stunt as well: For the documentary, he engaged in eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
That...
- 5/24/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
What sacrifices would you make for your job, your family, your lover…or even your sanity?
The trailer for writer/director Jordan Scott’s “A Sacrifice” propels audiences into a twisted game of untangling the motivations for a father-daughter duo caught on the periphery of a cult. Inspired by Nicholas Hogg’s 2015 novel “Tokyo Nobody,” the feature follows American social-psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events.
While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy (Jonas Dassler) who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben must race against the clock to save his family.
Sylvia Hoeks, Sophie Rois, Stephan Kampwirth, and Lara Feith co-star.
The ever-prolific auteur Ridley Scott produces the film, along with Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein,...
The trailer for writer/director Jordan Scott’s “A Sacrifice” propels audiences into a twisted game of untangling the motivations for a father-daughter duo caught on the periphery of a cult. Inspired by Nicholas Hogg’s 2015 novel “Tokyo Nobody,” the feature follows American social-psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events.
While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy (Jonas Dassler) who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben must race against the clock to save his family.
Sylvia Hoeks, Sophie Rois, Stephan Kampwirth, and Lara Feith co-star.
The ever-prolific auteur Ridley Scott produces the film, along with Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Max‘s TV remake of the “Harry Potter” series won’t hit the streamer until 2026, which gives fans of the character plenty of time to speculate about the show. For instance, beyond rehashing a successful IP in a blatant cash-grab maneuver, why should this series exist? That’s a topic for another piece, however. A milder query would be about the potential involvement of the original Warner Bros.
Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Think He’ll Be Back For Upcoming Max Series: “I Don’t Know If It Would Work To Have Us” at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Think He’ll Be Back For Upcoming Max Series: “I Don’t Know If It Would Work To Have Us” at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
There’s a moment near the end of Latvian animation director Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” that powerfully tugs at the heartstrings. It’s when the film’s central character, a black cat who you’ve come to have a profound emotional connection with, rediscovers a lost ball that he and his animal friends (especially a lemur) had been playing with earlier in the movie. He thought he’d never see it again. And suddenly he does.
Sometimes, lost things can be found again.
If you thought that emotion elicited without cloying manipulation was something lost in animation, it is found again in “Flow” as well. A movie brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, this is one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too. The anthropomorphic animal characters of 21st century U.S. animated features have nothing on the animal stars of “Flow,” who never...
Sometimes, lost things can be found again.
If you thought that emotion elicited without cloying manipulation was something lost in animation, it is found again in “Flow” as well. A movie brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, this is one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too. The anthropomorphic animal characters of 21st century U.S. animated features have nothing on the animal stars of “Flow,” who never...
- 5/24/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Streaming website Filmocracy, which hosted virtual film festivals (and their films), is shutting down after just six years in business. CEO Paul Jun made the announcement on Friday via a memo obtained by IndieWire. It was addressed to “the festivals, filmmakers, film critics, and film lovers.” Count us among that community for sure.
“It’s with great sadness that today we make the announcement that Filmocracy will be shutting down at the end of the month,” Jun wrote.
Filmocracy also prided itself on having a valid, thoughtful, and trustworthy ratings system for films from a community of tastemakers in the independent film world.
“With the direction the industry is heading, there is even less room and support for innovation,” Jun added, calling the film world “a cut-throat industry that is fractured and isolating when really everyone needs to support each other in order to survive.”
Filmocracy had three tiers: 1) a...
“It’s with great sadness that today we make the announcement that Filmocracy will be shutting down at the end of the month,” Jun wrote.
Filmocracy also prided itself on having a valid, thoughtful, and trustworthy ratings system for films from a community of tastemakers in the independent film world.
“With the direction the industry is heading, there is even less room and support for innovation,” Jun added, calling the film world “a cut-throat industry that is fractured and isolating when really everyone needs to support each other in order to survive.”
Filmocracy had three tiers: 1) a...
- 5/24/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Sounds like Daniel Radcliffe won’t be returning to Hogwarts anytime soon.
The “Harry Potter” alum, who last appeared in the title role when he closed out the film franchise with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” told E! News that he and his fellow original actors will probably not appear in the upcoming “Harry Potter” series being developed at Max.
“Like the rest of the world, [I’m] very excited to watch as an audience member,” Radcliffe said, before adding an “I don’t think so” as to whether he will make a cameo.
“I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break,” Radcliffe continued. “And I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”
Radcliffe punted on whether or not Max approached him to star in the series, which is slated to premiere in 2026.
“I’m going to be a politician...
The “Harry Potter” alum, who last appeared in the title role when he closed out the film franchise with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” told E! News that he and his fellow original actors will probably not appear in the upcoming “Harry Potter” series being developed at Max.
“Like the rest of the world, [I’m] very excited to watch as an audience member,” Radcliffe said, before adding an “I don’t think so” as to whether he will make a cameo.
“I think they very wisely want to [have] a clean break,” Radcliffe continued. “And I don’t know if it would work to have us do anything in it.”
Radcliffe punted on whether or not Max approached him to star in the series, which is slated to premiere in 2026.
“I’m going to be a politician...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Despite being set in a parallel-universe Winnipeg where the people talk in Farsi and the world around them seems as if it’s been frozen in time since the mid-1980s, the haunted but hopeful “Universal Language” is an unmistakably modern film at heart.
Described by writer-director Matthew Rankin as a piece of “autobiographical hallucination,” this wonderfully deadpan whatsit is the work of a white 43-year-old Canadian man who fell in love with the movies a time when “foreign” cinema was becoming more available to people outside major cultural hubs. He found that Kanoon-style fables like “Where Is the Friend’s House?” and “The White Balloon” spoke to him in a way that few English-language films ever had. That discovery sparked a cross-cultural dialogue that eventually compelled Rankin to visit Tehran in an effort to locate the auteurs who had inspired him and learn why their films had whispered in his ear.
Described by writer-director Matthew Rankin as a piece of “autobiographical hallucination,” this wonderfully deadpan whatsit is the work of a white 43-year-old Canadian man who fell in love with the movies a time when “foreign” cinema was becoming more available to people outside major cultural hubs. He found that Kanoon-style fables like “Where Is the Friend’s House?” and “The White Balloon” spoke to him in a way that few English-language films ever had. That discovery sparked a cross-cultural dialogue that eventually compelled Rankin to visit Tehran in an effort to locate the auteurs who had inspired him and learn why their films had whispered in his ear.
- 5/24/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Cannes – A very popular actor in his native France, Gilles Lellouche has dipped his toe into filmmaking co-directing one movie and helming another over the past 20 years. Nothing he’s directed previously would prepare anyone for the impressive visual authority he welds over the camera in “Beating Hearts,” which debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. There’s actually very little in his first collaboration with cinematographer Laurent Tangy, 2018’s “Sink or Swim,” that would hint at this level of cinematic creativity.
Continue reading ‘Beating Hearts’ Review: Gilles Lellouche’s Stylish Thriller Descends Into Clichés [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Beating Hearts’ Review: Gilles Lellouche’s Stylish Thriller Descends Into Clichés [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Japanese Girls at the Harbor.In 1924, Hiroshi Shimizu, the 21-year-old son of a wealthy businessman, dropped his studies at an agricultural school in Hokkaido and moved to Tokyo to pursue his interest in filmmaking. The Japanese industry was in a state of flux, moving away from the jidaigeki, or period dramas, and towards gendaigeki, films about contemporary life: slapstick, romantic, and sport-themed comedies; crime films; and its trademark, shōshimin-eiga, social dramas concerned with working and middle class life.One of the major forces of this change was Shochiku, the studio where Shimizu landed a job, first as an assistant director, and then in 1925 as a full-fledged director. Under the leadership of Shiro Kido, an ambitious young executive, Shochiku was establishing itself as a distinctly modern film studio within a major metropolis. Tokyo was in the midst of a growth spurt, with urban sprawl accelerating and multitudes of people migrating from the countryside.
- 5/24/2024
- MUBI
Some directors prefer a soft touch when working with their talent, but as an actor himself, Josh Brolin’s behind-the-camera demeanor has more of a no-bullshit approach. Discussing his first time in the director’s chair on his television show “Outer Range” with Esquire, Brolin outlined how directing was thrust upon him rather than asked of, but that it came from others seeing he had the skills and sensibility to take on this role.
“There were a lot of interests that I’ve had through the decades that I never really understood,” said Brolin. “When I directed, I was able to funnel it all into one place without trying to force it. My whole life made sense.…I’m not going to quit acting and just be a director. But it utilizes more of my sensibilities as a person. I’m naturally a communal person. I get excited by experimenting.
“There were a lot of interests that I’ve had through the decades that I never really understood,” said Brolin. “When I directed, I was able to funnel it all into one place without trying to force it. My whole life made sense.…I’m not going to quit acting and just be a director. But it utilizes more of my sensibilities as a person. I’m naturally a communal person. I get excited by experimenting.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Anya Taylor-Joy in “Furiosa” would give Ryan Gosling’s “The Fall Guy” a run for his money.
“Furiosa” writer/director George Miller admitted to GQ UK that while filming the sprawling “Mad Max” prequel, he sometimes got confused between Taylor-Joy and her stunt double. Turns out, Taylor-Joy did more of her own stunts than even her director realized.
It took one scene where Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) had to climb into the front seat of a war rig through its smashed windscreen for Miller to realize just how down and dirty Taylor-Joy was going.
“I was watching it and I saw her stunt double, Hayley, and thought, ‘Gee, she looks a lot like Anya,'” Miller said. “I spoke to [second unit director and stunt coordinator] Guy [Norris] and he said, ‘That wasn’t Hayley, that was Anya.’ That happened a lot.”
“I can put my body through so much that it becomes a bit frightening when you don’t crash,...
“Furiosa” writer/director George Miller admitted to GQ UK that while filming the sprawling “Mad Max” prequel, he sometimes got confused between Taylor-Joy and her stunt double. Turns out, Taylor-Joy did more of her own stunts than even her director realized.
It took one scene where Furiosa (Taylor-Joy) had to climb into the front seat of a war rig through its smashed windscreen for Miller to realize just how down and dirty Taylor-Joy was going.
“I was watching it and I saw her stunt double, Hayley, and thought, ‘Gee, she looks a lot like Anya,'” Miller said. “I spoke to [second unit director and stunt coordinator] Guy [Norris] and he said, ‘That wasn’t Hayley, that was Anya.’ That happened a lot.”
“I can put my body through so much that it becomes a bit frightening when you don’t crash,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
You ever had that moment where you go to watch a movie you put on your list or queue only to find it’s no longer there? Maybe it left the app a few months ago. Maybe only a few days. Whatever the case, for us obsessives, the feeling is crushing. Well fear not dear viewing comrades, IndieWire is here to save the day. Gathering highlights from various streamers, we’ve collected the best movies leaving every major (or minor) platform by June 2024.
Specifically we’d like to shoutout Tubi, a Fast channel that has a wide variety of modern and classic cinema, as well as Kanopy, which is available with a library card and offers an extensive and well-curated selection. In addition, we’ve also listed options from mainstream streamers like Netflix and Hulu.
Here’s what’s leaving by June 2024.
Specifically we’d like to shoutout Tubi, a Fast channel that has a wide variety of modern and classic cinema, as well as Kanopy, which is available with a library card and offers an extensive and well-curated selection. In addition, we’ve also listed options from mainstream streamers like Netflix and Hulu.
Here’s what’s leaving by June 2024.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.
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