The British Film Institute has partnered with film animation studio Laika to start its event series Stop Motion: Celebrating Hand-Crafted Animation On The Big Screen, which will offer free screenings for children under 16 and include Laika’s five films to date: “Coraline” (2009), “Paranorman” (2012), “The Boxtrolls” (2014), “Kubo and the Two Strings” (2016) and “Missing Link” (2019), all of which were nominated for the Academy Award for outstanding animated feature.
The season, curated by BFI Southbank Lead Programmer Justin Johnson, will take place from Aug. 1 through Oct. 9. Additional titles playing on the big screen throughout the season will include “King Kong” (1933), “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963), “Chicken Run” (2001), “Corpse Bride” (2005), “Coraline” (2009), “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009) and “Anomalisa” (2015).
A free exhibition at BFI Southbank, Laika: Frame x Frame, will also run and showcase the art, science and innovation of the studio’s films. The exhibition will allow visitors an exclusive look at puppets, sets and artifacts from...
The season, curated by BFI Southbank Lead Programmer Justin Johnson, will take place from Aug. 1 through Oct. 9. Additional titles playing on the big screen throughout the season will include “King Kong” (1933), “Jason and the Argonauts” (1963), “Chicken Run” (2001), “Corpse Bride” (2005), “Coraline” (2009), “Fantastic Mr. Fox” (2009) and “Anomalisa” (2015).
A free exhibition at BFI Southbank, Laika: Frame x Frame, will also run and showcase the art, science and innovation of the studio’s films. The exhibition will allow visitors an exclusive look at puppets, sets and artifacts from...
- 5/15/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Lexi Carson, Jack Dunn and Selena Kuznikov
- Variety Film + TV
The year 2023 was an embarrassment of riches when it came to animation. Movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” became massive commercial successes and crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office, while movies like “Nimona” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” hit big with audiences and critics. There were films that boasted wildly different aesthetics and showed the power of the animation medium, like “Blue Giant” and “The First Slam Dunk.” We also saw the return of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, who gave us his most personal film to date with “The Boy and the Heron.”
That’s a lot for 2024 to live up to — luckily, it seems the year will bring with it a healthy mix of big studio franchises and more grown-up animated fare. There are still big and highly anticipated animated movies slated to be released in 2024. Here is a rundown of 2024 animated releases with updates to come.
That’s a lot for 2024 to live up to — luckily, it seems the year will bring with it a healthy mix of big studio franchises and more grown-up animated fare. There are still big and highly anticipated animated movies slated to be released in 2024. Here is a rundown of 2024 animated releases with updates to come.
- 4/25/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Luis Pineiro, formerly a lit agent at A3 Artists Agency, is transitioning to management, having joined management and finance firm The Cartel as a manager and producer, co-founder Jeff Holland announced on Thursday.
Repping writers and directors for TV while at A3, Pineiro has over the course of his career worked extensively with showrunners and producers to help staff televisions shows as well as helping represent several pilot and episodic directors. Prior to A3, he worked at Buchwald, Zero Gravity Management, and Atlas Entertainment, having started his career as an assistant in the Media Rights department at ICM Partners.
Clients joining Pineiro at The Cartel include Jacob Pinion (Fear the Walking Dead), Simon Oré Molina, Michael Cruz (Fatal Attraction) and Luke Groneman (Fatal Attraction), to name a few. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Producing from the AFI Conservatory, where he co-wrote and produced his thesis film,...
Repping writers and directors for TV while at A3, Pineiro has over the course of his career worked extensively with showrunners and producers to help staff televisions shows as well as helping represent several pilot and episodic directors. Prior to A3, he worked at Buchwald, Zero Gravity Management, and Atlas Entertainment, having started his career as an assistant in the Media Rights department at ICM Partners.
Clients joining Pineiro at The Cartel include Jacob Pinion (Fear the Walking Dead), Simon Oré Molina, Michael Cruz (Fatal Attraction) and Luke Groneman (Fatal Attraction), to name a few. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in Producing from the AFI Conservatory, where he co-wrote and produced his thesis film,...
- 4/4/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s hard to imagine anyone other than John Malkovich as the title character in Spike Jonze’s Being John Malkovich, for obvious reasons. While he wasn’t always inclined to star in the film, following its title, which Charlie Kaufman refused to change, Malkovich eventually agreed to lead the comedy.
Recounting his experience filming the bizarre comedy, spearheaded by director Spike Jonze, Malkovich recalled one strange note he received from the debutant director.
John Malkovich Received Cues on How He Would Act by Spike Jonze Being John Malkovich (1999)
Thoroughly impressed by Kaufman’s screenplay, despite being hesitant about starring in a film named after himself, John Malkovich eventually agreed, thanks to Francis Ford Coppola. While the future of the Anomalisa creator’s screenplay was uncertain, after Coppola got his hands on Kaufman’s work, he passed it on to Spike Jonze, who was engaged to Sofia Coppola at the time.
Recounting his experience filming the bizarre comedy, spearheaded by director Spike Jonze, Malkovich recalled one strange note he received from the debutant director.
John Malkovich Received Cues on How He Would Act by Spike Jonze Being John Malkovich (1999)
Thoroughly impressed by Kaufman’s screenplay, despite being hesitant about starring in a film named after himself, John Malkovich eventually agreed, thanks to Francis Ford Coppola. While the future of the Anomalisa creator’s screenplay was uncertain, after Coppola got his hands on Kaufman’s work, he passed it on to Spike Jonze, who was engaged to Sofia Coppola at the time.
- 3/16/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Studio Ghibli, like Western counterparts Disney, Pixar and the UK’s Aardman, is one of the most important animation studios in movie history. Since its first feature film, “Castle in the Sky” in 1986, Studio Ghibli has delivered two dozen thought-provoking tales beautifully rendered in a unique brand of animation. To date, its output has racked up have a lucky seven Oscar bids for Best Animated Feature.
“Spirited Away” was the first Studio Ghibli movie to break into the Academy Awards conversation and did so with aplomb in 2003. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (Miyazaki the recipient) over “Ice Age,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” and “Treasure Planet.”
In 2006, Miyazaki was again nominated — this time for “Howl’s Moving Castle” alongside “Corpse Bride” and “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” with the latter movie, an Aardman creation, reigning victorious.
Miyazaki and Suzuki were the nominees...
“Spirited Away” was the first Studio Ghibli movie to break into the Academy Awards conversation and did so with aplomb in 2003. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature (Miyazaki the recipient) over “Ice Age,” “Lilo & Stitch,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” and “Treasure Planet.”
In 2006, Miyazaki was again nominated — this time for “Howl’s Moving Castle” alongside “Corpse Bride” and “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” with the latter movie, an Aardman creation, reigning victorious.
Miyazaki and Suzuki were the nominees...
- 2/16/2024
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Plot: An 11-year-old boy with an active imagination confronts his fears when a giant, smiling creature of the night, Dark, invites him on a transformative journey through the hours of darkness.
Review: During a time when mental health awareness in young people is more important than ever, we must address the fragility of the mind in as many arenas as possible. Most children don’t respond well to an adult who isn’t their parent telling them what to do. You must circumvent the awkward exchange and introduce them to something unique to get through to them. One way to do this is through the power of storytelling. The right story can create a sense of comfort, regardless of how far-fetched the plot or characters appear. In Orion and the Dark, director Sean Charmatz and writer Charlie Kaufman present a powerful tale about confronting fear and how the right story...
Review: During a time when mental health awareness in young people is more important than ever, we must address the fragility of the mind in as many arenas as possible. Most children don’t respond well to an adult who isn’t their parent telling them what to do. You must circumvent the awkward exchange and introduce them to something unique to get through to them. One way to do this is through the power of storytelling. The right story can create a sense of comfort, regardless of how far-fetched the plot or characters appear. In Orion and the Dark, director Sean Charmatz and writer Charlie Kaufman present a powerful tale about confronting fear and how the right story...
- 2/6/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
As DreamWorks Animation shifts to a new production-sharing model with Sony Pictures Imageworks (“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”), we get a taste of the studio’s indie vibe at its best with “Orion and the Dark” (co-produced with Netflix and currently streaming). It’s an imaginative fantasy-adventure about confronting adolescent fears, thanks to the mind-bending script by Charlie Kaufman (“Anomalisa“).
“I think Kaufman’s whimsy and humor are brilliant for this family film space,” producer Peter McCown told IndieWire. “I think it’s a great match and I hope that he continues in this space.”
Kaufman spent about a year adapting Emma Yarlett’s 2014 children’s picture book about a fear-conquering adventure involving the titular adolescent and Dark, his nemesis, setting it in ’90s Philadelphia and making Orion (Jacob Tremblay) a neurotic, artistic fifth grader and Dark (Paul Walker Hauser) a hulking, insecure figure with an existential crisis. Dark invites Orion...
“I think Kaufman’s whimsy and humor are brilliant for this family film space,” producer Peter McCown told IndieWire. “I think it’s a great match and I hope that he continues in this space.”
Kaufman spent about a year adapting Emma Yarlett’s 2014 children’s picture book about a fear-conquering adventure involving the titular adolescent and Dark, his nemesis, setting it in ’90s Philadelphia and making Orion (Jacob Tremblay) a neurotic, artistic fifth grader and Dark (Paul Walker Hauser) a hulking, insecure figure with an existential crisis. Dark invites Orion...
- 2/2/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Taking a page out of the Pixar playbook and animating entities turned into characters, DreamWorks Animation’s latest feature Orion and the Dark recalls ‘toons like Inside Out and Elemental as it tells the story of a young kid and his encounters with his greatest fear, the Dark.
Fortunately for adults who will likely have to sit through this with their kids, Dwa was smart enough to hire Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman to take on the task of bringing Emma Yarlett’s book to the screen. Basically the premise is intact, but Kaufman has expanded this world into Pixar territory where instead of Inside Out’s gang of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety and Disgust we get entities like Dark, Light, Insomnia, Quiet, Sleep, Unexplained Noises, and Dreams to help tell the tale of Orion, a kid full of neuroses and unchecked fears...
Fortunately for adults who will likely have to sit through this with their kids, Dwa was smart enough to hire Oscar winner Charlie Kaufman to take on the task of bringing Emma Yarlett’s book to the screen. Basically the premise is intact, but Kaufman has expanded this world into Pixar territory where instead of Inside Out’s gang of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, Anxiety and Disgust we get entities like Dark, Light, Insomnia, Quiet, Sleep, Unexplained Noises, and Dreams to help tell the tale of Orion, a kid full of neuroses and unchecked fears...
- 2/1/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The best animated movies are entertaining enough for kids while providing rewarding diversions for older viewers. This Netflix premiere from DreamWorks Animation hits just that sweet spot. Hilariously and movingly tapping into typical childhood anxieties, it’s infused with ample wit of both the visual and verbal variety for adults, the latter courtesy of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) in his return to feature-length animation, nine years after Anomalisa. Much like the streamer’s recent Nimona, Orion and the Dark proves the sort of sophisticated animated project that outshines many recent big-screen toons.
Based on the illustrated children’s book by Emma Yarlett, the story revolves around Orion (Jacob Tremblay, Room), a fifth-grader with an inordinate number of fears that he dutifully chronicles in a vividly illustrated sketchbook.
Many of them are typical for an early adolescent, from being afraid to talk to a classmate...
Based on the illustrated children’s book by Emma Yarlett, the story revolves around Orion (Jacob Tremblay, Room), a fifth-grader with an inordinate number of fears that he dutifully chronicles in a vividly illustrated sketchbook.
Many of them are typical for an early adolescent, from being afraid to talk to a classmate...
- 1/29/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Husband-and-wife filmmaking team Sam and Andy Zuchero have loftily described their debut feature, Love Me, as “Kubrick meets YouTube.” But what comes to mind while experiencing the increasingly stultifying sci-fi odyssey is closer to a mashup, filtered through the prism of social media, of Spike Jonze’s Her and Charlie Kaufman’s Anomalisa, without the imagination or depth of reflection that fuels either of those films. Taking two of the most magnetic actors on the planet, Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, and transforming them into emotionally stunted virtual avatars for more than half the running time is the least of the miscalculations.
Mixing live action, animation, animatronics and game engine architecture, the movie starts amusingly enough, with a sped up space view of Earth covering more than five million years as it evolves and eventually reaches cataclysm point with a sputter of explosions. That’s curtains for humanity.
A solar-powered...
Mixing live action, animation, animatronics and game engine architecture, the movie starts amusingly enough, with a sped up space view of Earth covering more than five million years as it evolves and eventually reaches cataclysm point with a sputter of explosions. That’s curtains for humanity.
A solar-powered...
- 1/20/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After his uncredited studio work on Kung Fu Panda 2‘s script and his independent feature Anomalisa, Charlie Kaufman is expanding his animation resume. He’s scripted the new DreamWorks animation Orion and the Dark, which is directed by Sean Charmatz and arrives on Netflix in just a few weeks. With a voice cast featuring Jacob Tremblay, Paul Walter Hauser, Angela Bassett, Colin Hanks, Natasia Demetriou, Golda Rosheuvel, Nat Faxon, Aparna Nancherla, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gugino, and, yes, even Werner Herzog, the first trailer has now arrived today.
Here’s the synopsis: “Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid –– shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, even falling off a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he...
Here’s the synopsis: “Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid –– shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, even falling off a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he...
- 1/12/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Esoteric screenwriter Charlie Kaufman turns his hand to family filmmaking with Orion And The Dark. Here’s the trailer.
Charlie Kaufman is synonymous with the surreal. Whether it’s the astonishingly original plot of Being John Malkovich, or the novel structure of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Kaufman’s films aren’t easy to categorise. We described his most recent film, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, as ‘a bit odd’.
In 2020, he penned his first novel, Antkind, a sprawling absurdist epic about a man who is slowly driven insane by the memory of a three month long film only he has seen, and attempts to convince the world of its existence.
One thing he’s not known for, it’s fair to say, is family films. However, his latest screenplay is the surprisingly friendly-looking Orion And The Dark, an animated film which lands on Netflix next month. The last time Kaufman dabbled in animation,...
Charlie Kaufman is synonymous with the surreal. Whether it’s the astonishingly original plot of Being John Malkovich, or the novel structure of Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, Kaufman’s films aren’t easy to categorise. We described his most recent film, I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, as ‘a bit odd’.
In 2020, he penned his first novel, Antkind, a sprawling absurdist epic about a man who is slowly driven insane by the memory of a three month long film only he has seen, and attempts to convince the world of its existence.
One thing he’s not known for, it’s fair to say, is family films. However, his latest screenplay is the surprisingly friendly-looking Orion And The Dark, an animated film which lands on Netflix next month. The last time Kaufman dabbled in animation,...
- 1/12/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Charlie Kaufman‘s work normally provides for some very dynamic and interesting visuals. However, he has only dipped his toe into an animated feature film only once before with the stop-motion animated movie Anomalisa. Now, the writer of such films as Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind looks to be trying his hand at a traditional family-friendly animated comedy with Orion and the Dark. Sean Charmatz is in the director’s chair. Netflix has just released the trailer.
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid –– shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, even falling off a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he’s the most afraid...
The official synopsis from Netflix reads,
“Orion seems a lot like your average elementary school kid –– shy, unassuming, harboring a secret crush. But underneath his seemingly normal exterior, Orion is a ball of adolescent anxiety, completely consumed by irrational fears of bees, dogs, the ocean, cell phone waves, murderous gutter clowns, even falling off a cliff. But of all his fears, the thing he’s the most afraid...
- 1/11/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Following part one of our 2024 preview, we’re counting down our 50 most-anticipated films of the year.
50. The Actor (Duke Johnson)
Duke Johnson, one half of the directing duo behind Anomalisa, makes his solo directorial (and live-action) debut with The Actor. For being based on the posthumously published novel from Donald E. Westlake, a synopsis points towards an amnesia thriller with André Holland as a New York City actor beaten and stranded in 1950s Ohio. Gemma Chan and Toby Jones co-star. As a state native I’m intrigued how they shot Budapest for small-town Ohio––the two don’t exactly scream perfect matches, but I won’t doubt the movie magic before I see it. Anomalisa was a wholly original stop-motion feature; we’re intrigued how Johnson continues that creativity in the live-action realm. – Caleb H.
49. Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh has flirted with horror before––2018’s Unsane in particular nearly...
50. The Actor (Duke Johnson)
Duke Johnson, one half of the directing duo behind Anomalisa, makes his solo directorial (and live-action) debut with The Actor. For being based on the posthumously published novel from Donald E. Westlake, a synopsis points towards an amnesia thriller with André Holland as a New York City actor beaten and stranded in 1950s Ohio. Gemma Chan and Toby Jones co-star. As a state native I’m intrigued how they shot Budapest for small-town Ohio––the two don’t exactly scream perfect matches, but I won’t doubt the movie magic before I see it. Anomalisa was a wholly original stop-motion feature; we’re intrigued how Johnson continues that creativity in the live-action realm. – Caleb H.
49. Presence (Steven Soderbergh)
Steven Soderbergh has flirted with horror before––2018’s Unsane in particular nearly...
- 1/8/2024
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
2023 may not have been an excellent year for movies, but in spite of everything stacked against it (read: greedy conglomerates run amok), it turned out to be an excellent year of movies. While the fallout of the recent work stoppages will be felt for time to come, some of 2023’s losses will prove to be 2024’s gains, as much-anticipated but strike-delayed films like “Dune: Part Two,” “Drive-Away Dolls,” and Luca Guadagnino’s horny tennis drama “Challengers” have all secured fresh release dates in the first half of the new year.
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
Those titles will be joined by some of the most promising Hollywood blockbusters in recent memory, must-see work from some of the world’s greatest auteurs, and huge swings from essential artists ranging from new voices like Jane Schoenbrun (“I Saw the TV Glow”) and Duke Johnson (“The Actor”) to venerated masters like Francis Ford Coppola (“Megalopolis”) and Mike Leigh...
- 12/29/2023
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
Combining the rounded, comical visuals of Aardman and Wes Anderson with the emotional density of Charlie Kaufman, Ryan Oligmueller’s graduate short Creature Comfort is a rich stop motion treat. The story follows a lonely creature, who spends their time wandering through the woods looking for clues about who they may have been in a past life with each secret they uncover sparking a vision of a human who is facing tough mental struggles. Don’t be blindsided by the intricately crafted cute visuals, Oligmueller’s work highlights how animation can be a powerful tool in conveying the melancholy of the human condition. With the short recently arriving online, Dn caught up with Oligmueller to go over the time-intensive journey of making it, the collaborators he brought on board to create the distinctive character models, and the overwhelming feeling of seeing those first few frames come to life.
I read...
I read...
- 11/10/2023
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
This is one of those titles that could fit a bit anywhere in terms of major film festival premiere — it all depends on how the Neon folks see the film in the awards rally. A book to film adaptation of the 2010 novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake was taken on by Duke Johnson as his first solo directing gig (his previous film was 2015’s stick figure existentialism-filled dramedy Anomalisa). The Actor stars André Holland (who replaced Ryan Gosling) toplines the ensemble comprised of Gemma Chan, May Calamawy, Toby Jones, Tracey Ullman, Olwen Fouéré, Joe Cole, Tanya Reynolds, Asim Chaudhry, Youssef Kerkour, Simon McBurney and Edward Hogg.…...
- 11/6/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Though the SAG and WGA strikes are seemingly going strong without much of an end in sight, that doesn’t mean all of Hollywood has come to a halt. There are still films being produced thanks to interim agreements, which allow independent studios to continue to film as long as they agree to the demands made by SAG. This means Andre Gaines is set to begin production on his newest film, “The Dutchman.”
Read More: André Holland & Gemma Chan Star In ‘Anomalisa’ Helmer Duke Johnson’s Neon Film ‘The Actor,’ Which Has Completed Production
According to Deadline, Andre Gaines is set to direct “The Dutchman,” a film based on the acclaimed stage play from playwright Amiri Baraka.
Continue reading ‘The Dutchman’: André Holland, Kate Mara & Zazie Beetz To Star In Andre Gaines’ Adaptation Of Acclaimed Play at The Playlist.
Read More: André Holland & Gemma Chan Star In ‘Anomalisa’ Helmer Duke Johnson’s Neon Film ‘The Actor,’ Which Has Completed Production
According to Deadline, Andre Gaines is set to direct “The Dutchman,” a film based on the acclaimed stage play from playwright Amiri Baraka.
Continue reading ‘The Dutchman’: André Holland, Kate Mara & Zazie Beetz To Star In Andre Gaines’ Adaptation Of Acclaimed Play at The Playlist.
- 9/19/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
Believe it or not, Charlie Kaufman has been in the business for 40 years, so the guy has seen a lot. As it turns out, he is far from pleased with how the industry has developed since the 1980s.
In a new installment of the Zoom workshop Word by Word, which is presented by The Black List, writer/director/Nicolas Cage Charlie Kaufman said (via The Hollywood Reporter), “I think that the business is in a very, very bad place, and it needs to change into something where people who have idiosyncratic voices can make movies because I think we need that, as a society and as a culture. And I think it is a very difficult road for people who are trying to do that.” Still, he added that his words aren’t mean to limit outsiders from coming into the industry but rather pull them in to change the tide.
In a new installment of the Zoom workshop Word by Word, which is presented by The Black List, writer/director/Nicolas Cage Charlie Kaufman said (via The Hollywood Reporter), “I think that the business is in a very, very bad place, and it needs to change into something where people who have idiosyncratic voices can make movies because I think we need that, as a society and as a culture. And I think it is a very difficult road for people who are trying to do that.” Still, he added that his words aren’t mean to limit outsiders from coming into the industry but rather pull them in to change the tide.
- 9/7/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
The Chi is a coming-of-age drama series created by Lena Waithe. The Showtime series focuses on the story of a few residents living in a dangerous neighborhood on the Southside of Chicago, a fateful turn of events connects the lives of Emmett, Brandon, Ronnie, and Kevin. If you love The Chi here are some similar shows you could check out next.
All American (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW
Synopsis: Spencer James is a rising high school football player and A student at South Crenshaw High. Compton is the place he calls home. But when Beverly High School’s football coach Billy Baker recruits him to join his team in Beverly Hills, Spencer’s mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, convince Spencer it’s an opportunity he must seize. Spencer navigates two worlds, the south side neighborhood that he knows and the affluent Beverly Hills world that...
All American (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – The CW
Synopsis: Spencer James is a rising high school football player and A student at South Crenshaw High. Compton is the place he calls home. But when Beverly High School’s football coach Billy Baker recruits him to join his team in Beverly Hills, Spencer’s mother, Grace, and his best friend, Coop, convince Spencer it’s an opportunity he must seize. Spencer navigates two worlds, the south side neighborhood that he knows and the affluent Beverly Hills world that...
- 8/23/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Kaufman was in town as a filmmaker amid the WGA and SAG-Aftra strrikes.
US writer-director Charlie Kaufman blasted the Hollywood studio system while making some sharply pointed observations about Artificial Intelligence (AI) amid the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes in a fiery masterclass presentation at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Monday.
Asked the difference between art and entertainment, Kaufman replied: “If by entertainment you mean conventional Hollywood fare, I would say that it is the difference between truth and bullshit. If the agenda is to sell a product and that product is the movie…then that can’t be art.
US writer-director Charlie Kaufman blasted the Hollywood studio system while making some sharply pointed observations about Artificial Intelligence (AI) amid the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes in a fiery masterclass presentation at the Sarajevo Film Festival on Monday.
Asked the difference between art and entertainment, Kaufman replied: “If by entertainment you mean conventional Hollywood fare, I would say that it is the difference between truth and bullshit. If the agenda is to sell a product and that product is the movie…then that can’t be art.
- 8/15/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
Sporting a grey WGA-branded “strike” t-shirt, writer-director Charlie Kaufman led a packed-out masterclass this morning in the main hall of the Bosnian Cultural Center at the Sarajevo Film Festival.
The Being John Malkovich writer is in town to receive the Bosnian festival’s career achievement award, and during his masterclass, he offered a strong condemnation of the current Hollywood studio system and urged filmmakers to find new ways to create work.
“At this point, the only thing that makes money is garbage. It’s just fascinating. It makes a fortune, and that’s the bottom line,” Kaufman said. “It’s very seductive to the studios but also to the people who engage and become the makers of that garbage, especially if they’re lauded for the garbage because they don’t have to look inward or think long about what they’re doing.”
Kaufman, who has writing credits on pics...
The Being John Malkovich writer is in town to receive the Bosnian festival’s career achievement award, and during his masterclass, he offered a strong condemnation of the current Hollywood studio system and urged filmmakers to find new ways to create work.
“At this point, the only thing that makes money is garbage. It’s just fascinating. It makes a fortune, and that’s the bottom line,” Kaufman said. “It’s very seductive to the studios but also to the people who engage and become the makers of that garbage, especially if they’re lauded for the garbage because they don’t have to look inward or think long about what they’re doing.”
Kaufman, who has writing credits on pics...
- 8/14/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Charlie Kaufman is receiving the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the Sarajevo Film Festival. The ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless’ mind screenwriter, 64, is getting the gong in recognition of his contribution to the art of filmmaking at the 29th annual event, which will run from 11 to 18 August. It will also hold an open-air screening of 2002’s ‘Adaptation’, also written by Kaufman and directed by his long-time collaborator Spike Jonze, 53. Jovan Marjanović, the festival’s director, said: “We are thrilled that, after 15 years, we are welcoming back to the (festival) one of the most significant, world-renowned screenwriters and directors, and honour him for his work and dedication to the art of filmmaking. “Charlie Kaufman is an extraordinary filmmaker whose films, though filled with biting humour, compel us to contemplate existential depths of the human experience.” Charlie was previously a guest of the festival in 2008 when he presented his directorial debut ‘Synecdoche,...
- 8/3/2023
- by BANG Showbiz Reporter
- Bang Showbiz
The festival will host a special screening of ‘Adaptation’.
US writer and filmmaker Charlie Kaufman will receive the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival next month (August 11-18).
The festival will host a special screening of Oscar-winning feature Adaptation, which was written by Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, as part of its Open Air strand.
Kaufman previously attended the festival in 2008 with his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York.
As a writer, Kaufman has been Oscar-nominated for Adaptation, Jonze’s Being John Malkovich and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, winning the...
US writer and filmmaker Charlie Kaufman will receive the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival next month (August 11-18).
The festival will host a special screening of Oscar-winning feature Adaptation, which was written by Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze, as part of its Open Air strand.
Kaufman previously attended the festival in 2008 with his directorial debut, Synecdoche, New York.
As a writer, Kaufman has been Oscar-nominated for Adaptation, Jonze’s Being John Malkovich and Michel Gondry’s Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind, winning the...
- 7/31/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Screenwriter and director Charlie Kaufman will receive the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award at the 29th Sarajevo Film Festival, in recognition of his contribution to the art of filmmaking.
The festival will also hold an open-air screening of 2002’s “Adaptation,” which was written by Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze.
Jovan Marjanović, the festival’s director, said: “We are thrilled that, after 15 years, we are welcoming back to the [festival] one of the most significant, world-renowned screenwriters and directors, and honor him for his work and dedication to the art of filmmaking. Charlie Kaufman is an extraordinary filmmaker whose films, though filled with biting humor, compel us to contemplate existential depths of the human experience.”
Kaufman was previously a guest of the festival in 2008 when he presented his directorial debut “Synecdoche, New York.”
Kaufman’s writing career began on the early ‘90s cult classic sitcom “Get a Life,” and he spent...
The festival will also hold an open-air screening of 2002’s “Adaptation,” which was written by Kaufman and directed by Spike Jonze.
Jovan Marjanović, the festival’s director, said: “We are thrilled that, after 15 years, we are welcoming back to the [festival] one of the most significant, world-renowned screenwriters and directors, and honor him for his work and dedication to the art of filmmaking. Charlie Kaufman is an extraordinary filmmaker whose films, though filled with biting humor, compel us to contemplate existential depths of the human experience.”
Kaufman was previously a guest of the festival in 2008 when he presented his directorial debut “Synecdoche, New York.”
Kaufman’s writing career began on the early ‘90s cult classic sitcom “Get a Life,” and he spent...
- 7/31/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Don’t tell me “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” is merely a cartoon. It’s a visionary work that redefines what the animation medium can achieve, sitting alongside the handful of sequels such as “The Dark Knight” and “The Empire Strikes Back” that elevate their franchises by pushing them in surprising new directions.
On a personal level, this animated second installment of the web-slinging superhero is the closest I’ve ever come to seeing an accurate depiction of my life and culture on a movie screen – well, with a few fantastic elements added into the mix. That’s invaluable.
“Across the Spider-Verse” takes place a year after the events of the previous film with Miles Morales (a.k.a. Spider-Man) facing a new threat. Unfortunately, it’s one that causes him to interact with a new group of Spider-People from across the multiverse.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscar predictions in all categories.
On a personal level, this animated second installment of the web-slinging superhero is the closest I’ve ever come to seeing an accurate depiction of my life and culture on a movie screen – well, with a few fantastic elements added into the mix. That’s invaluable.
“Across the Spider-Verse” takes place a year after the events of the previous film with Miles Morales (a.k.a. Spider-Man) facing a new threat. Unfortunately, it’s one that causes him to interact with a new group of Spider-People from across the multiverse.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscar predictions in all categories.
- 6/2/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Writer-director Duke Johnson has signed with WME in all areas for representation. He is best known for co-directing the critically acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film Anomalisa with Charlie Kaufman.
He is currently in post-production for his live-action film The Actor, which stars Andre Holland, Gemma Chan, May Calamawy, Toby Jones, and Joe Cole. Neon will distribute the film later this year. Johnson continues to serve as Creative Director for the animation studio Starburns Industries of which he’s also a Founding Partner.
He continues to be managed by Paul Young’s Make Good Content.
He is currently in post-production for his live-action film The Actor, which stars Andre Holland, Gemma Chan, May Calamawy, Toby Jones, and Joe Cole. Neon will distribute the film later this year. Johnson continues to serve as Creative Director for the animation studio Starburns Industries of which he’s also a Founding Partner.
He continues to be managed by Paul Young’s Make Good Content.
- 5/11/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Bruce Berman, a senior executive who was previously chairman and CEO of Los Angeles-based Village Roadshow Pictures, has come out of retirement to board the recently-founded film studio Through the Lens Entertainment.
The company, founded by producer Aditya Chand, is headquartered in Singapore with operations in the U.S. and Japan. It aims to combine the opportunities of the East and the power and experience of the studio systems in the West, “to offer a new studio ecosystem out of Asia, that is built for the digital age.”
Two film projects are already underway and a third with “Slumdog Millionaire” star Frieda Pinto is in development.
Berman is taking the title of president and co-chairman and will join the board of the company that was incorporated in 2021. Another Vrp alumnus, Robert Corbin is joining the company as its chief financial officer. Corbin was previously Vrp’s executive director of finance...
The company, founded by producer Aditya Chand, is headquartered in Singapore with operations in the U.S. and Japan. It aims to combine the opportunities of the East and the power and experience of the studio systems in the West, “to offer a new studio ecosystem out of Asia, that is built for the digital age.”
Two film projects are already underway and a third with “Slumdog Millionaire” star Frieda Pinto is in development.
Berman is taking the title of president and co-chairman and will join the board of the company that was incorporated in 2021. Another Vrp alumnus, Robert Corbin is joining the company as its chief financial officer. Corbin was previously Vrp’s executive director of finance...
- 5/11/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Ryan Gosling, previously attached as lead, serves as EP.
Production has wrapped on Neon’s The Actor from Anomalisa co-director Duke Johnson as the company confirmed André Holland and Gemma Chan star.
Holland replaced Ryan Gosling, who had been attached to star and withdrew due to scheduling issues. He remains on board as an executive producer alongside Anomalisa director Charlie Kaufman
Tracey Ullman, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and Joe Cole round out the cast on the 1950’s-set story about the man suffering from memory loss after an attack in Ohio who struggles to find his way back to his life in New York.
Production has wrapped on Neon’s The Actor from Anomalisa co-director Duke Johnson as the company confirmed André Holland and Gemma Chan star.
Holland replaced Ryan Gosling, who had been attached to star and withdrew due to scheduling issues. He remains on board as an executive producer alongside Anomalisa director Charlie Kaufman
Tracey Ullman, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and Joe Cole round out the cast on the 1950’s-set story about the man suffering from memory loss after an attack in Ohio who struggles to find his way back to his life in New York.
- 4/4/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Ryan Gosling, previously attached as lead, serves as EP.
Production has wrapped on Neon’s The Actor from Anomalisa co-director Due Johnson as the company confirmed André Holland and Gemma Chan star.
Holland replaced Ryan Gosling, who had been attached to star and withdrew due to scheduling issues. He remains on board as an executive producer alongside Anomalisa co-director Charlie Kaufman
Tracey Ullman, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and Joe Cole round out the cast on the 1950’s-set story about the man suffering from memory loss after an attack in Ohio who struggles to find his way back to his life in New York.
Production has wrapped on Neon’s The Actor from Anomalisa co-director Due Johnson as the company confirmed André Holland and Gemma Chan star.
Holland replaced Ryan Gosling, who had been attached to star and withdrew due to scheduling issues. He remains on board as an executive producer alongside Anomalisa co-director Charlie Kaufman
Tracey Ullman, Toby Jones, Simon McBurney and Joe Cole round out the cast on the 1950’s-set story about the man suffering from memory loss after an attack in Ohio who struggles to find his way back to his life in New York.
- 4/4/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
You may recall many moons ago, “Anomalisa” animator and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Duke Johnson—he co-directed the film with writer/director Charlie Kaufman—had a new live-action film in the works called “The Actor.” The film was to star Ryan Gosling, who was also producing; it was a big screen take on Donald E. Westlake’s novel “Memory.”
Read More: ‘The Actor’: Neon To Distribute The New Film From Ryan Gosling & ‘Anomalisa’ Director Duke Johnson
Gosling was to play the role of Paul Cole, a man who must deal with his damaged memory as he struggles to rebuild his life after being left for dead and hospitalized in 1950s Ohio.
Continue reading André Holland & Gemma Chan Star In ‘Anomalisa’ Helmer Duke Johnson’s Neon Film ‘The Actor,’ Which Has Completed Production at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Actor’: Neon To Distribute The New Film From Ryan Gosling & ‘Anomalisa’ Director Duke Johnson
Gosling was to play the role of Paul Cole, a man who must deal with his damaged memory as he struggles to rebuild his life after being left for dead and hospitalized in 1950s Ohio.
Continue reading André Holland & Gemma Chan Star In ‘Anomalisa’ Helmer Duke Johnson’s Neon Film ‘The Actor,’ Which Has Completed Production at The Playlist.
- 4/4/2023
- by The Playlist
- The Playlist
André Holland (Passing) and Gemma Chan (Don’t Worry Darling) will top Neon‘s The Actor, the second feature (and first in live-action) from Oscar-nominated Anomalisa helmer Duke Johnson, which has wrapped production. Holland takes over the male lead from Ryan Gosling, who was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts but remains aboard the project as an executive producer.
André Holland behind the scenes of The Actor
The film scripted by Johnson and Stephen Cooney is based on the bestselling novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake and tells the story of actor Paul Cole (Holland), who finds himself stranded in 1950s Ohio, suffering from severe memory loss after a brutal attack, struggling to find his way back to his life in New York and reclaim what he has lost.
Additional cast set for the film includes Tracey Ullman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Toby Jones (Empire of Light), Simon McBurney (Wolfwalkers...
André Holland behind the scenes of The Actor
The film scripted by Johnson and Stephen Cooney is based on the bestselling novel Memory by Donald E. Westlake and tells the story of actor Paul Cole (Holland), who finds himself stranded in 1950s Ohio, suffering from severe memory loss after a brutal attack, struggling to find his way back to his life in New York and reclaim what he has lost.
Additional cast set for the film includes Tracey Ullman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Toby Jones (Empire of Light), Simon McBurney (Wolfwalkers...
- 4/4/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
On Oscar night, “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” will almost certainly win the Academy Award for feature animation. For many of those following along at home, it will look as though the director of “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “The Shape of Water” is being rewarded for some kind of secondary passion, as if del Toro had scaled Everest and then set his sights on a smaller peak on which to plant his flag. But that’s not how it happened at all.
Way back in Mexico, del Toro started his filmmaking career doing animated shorts: Obsessed with Ray Harryhausen, the amateur future auteur built rudimentary armatures, painstakingly repositioning the puppets one frame at a time. Decades later, once established in Hollywood, del Toro accepted a side gig at DreamWorks Animation, serving as a story consultant on films such as “Megamind” and “Kung Fu Panda 2” as a pretext for teaching himself the trade.
Way back in Mexico, del Toro started his filmmaking career doing animated shorts: Obsessed with Ray Harryhausen, the amateur future auteur built rudimentary armatures, painstakingly repositioning the puppets one frame at a time. Decades later, once established in Hollywood, del Toro accepted a side gig at DreamWorks Animation, serving as a story consultant on films such as “Megamind” and “Kung Fu Panda 2” as a pretext for teaching himself the trade.
- 3/2/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Charlie Kaufman, who penned the Writers Guild Award and Academy Award-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2023 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement, the Wgaw announced on Wednesday.
This lifetime achievement award is presented to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”
The career of the writer, director, producer and author began in the early ’90s with the cult classic sitcom Get a Life, and he spent time after that working in comedy and sketch TV before transitioning into film projects. He was nominated for a Writers Guild Award, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1999 for his screenplay Being John Malkovich, for which he also won the Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay. Adaptation earned Kaufman his second Writers Guild and Academy Awards, and 2004’s The...
This lifetime achievement award is presented to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter.”
The career of the writer, director, producer and author began in the early ’90s with the cult classic sitcom Get a Life, and he spent time after that working in comedy and sketch TV before transitioning into film projects. He was nominated for a Writers Guild Award, an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award in 1999 for his screenplay Being John Malkovich, for which he also won the Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay. Adaptation earned Kaufman his second Writers Guild and Academy Awards, and 2004’s The...
- 2/8/2023
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Charlie Kaufman will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2023 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. The prize recognizes members of the WGA who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter,” according to a statement released by the guild.
The recognition comes 23 years after Kaufman’s first WGA Awards nomination, for “Being John Malkovich” — a groundbreaking surrealist classic directed by Spike Jonze that also earned Kaufman his first Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nod and an Independent Spirit Award win for Best First Screenplay.
Also Read:
‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Women Talking,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Land Writers Guild Nominations
Reteaming with Jonze, he turned his own painful writer’s block while adapting Susan Orlean’s book “The Orchid Thief” into the mind-bending film “Adaptation,” which again earned him nominations from the WGA and the Academy. He won both awards...
The recognition comes 23 years after Kaufman’s first WGA Awards nomination, for “Being John Malkovich” — a groundbreaking surrealist classic directed by Spike Jonze that also earned Kaufman his first Academy Award nomination, a Golden Globe nod and an Independent Spirit Award win for Best First Screenplay.
Also Read:
‘The Fabelmans,’ ‘Women Talking,’ ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Land Writers Guild Nominations
Reteaming with Jonze, he turned his own painful writer’s block while adapting Susan Orlean’s book “The Orchid Thief” into the mind-bending film “Adaptation,” which again earned him nominations from the WGA and the Academy. He won both awards...
- 2/8/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman will be this year’s recipient of the WGA West’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. The lifetime achievement award, which goes to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter,” will be presented March 5 during the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
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“A true visionary, Kaufman’s legacy is undeniable,” the guild said.
He won an Oscar and a WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay for 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and received Oscar and WGA nominations for...
Related Story WGA Awards Film Nominations: ‘Everything Everywhere’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘The Menu’, ‘Nope’ & More Related Story Penelope Koechl To Receive WGA East's Richard B. Jablow Award For Devoted Service Related Story 'Living Single' Creator Yvette Lee Bowser Set For WGA West's Top TV Honor
“A true visionary, Kaufman’s legacy is undeniable,” the guild said.
He won an Oscar and a WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay for 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and received Oscar and WGA nominations for...
- 2/8/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since Henry Selick’s last film, “Coraline.” In the time since that Neil Gaiman adaptation launched the indelible Laika stop-motion brand, the “Nightmare Before Christmas” director has worked on several features that failed to come to fruition, including the passion project, “The Shadow King,” for Disney/Pixar. But something positive still came out of that project’s cancellation: The partnership with Jordan Peele (“Nope”) that led to Selick’s stop-motion comeback, “Wendell & Wild,” the first trailer for which premiered today.
The first 30-minute sneak peek footage of “Wendell & Wild” — in which Black teenage orphan Kat (Lyric Ross) becomes an afro-punk hell maiden who makes a bargain with demon siblings Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele) — proves that the wait for a new Selick film was worth it. The director has made a summary statement about rebellion and creativity,...
It’s hard to believe that it’s been 13 years since Henry Selick’s last film, “Coraline.” In the time since that Neil Gaiman adaptation launched the indelible Laika stop-motion brand, the “Nightmare Before Christmas” director has worked on several features that failed to come to fruition, including the passion project, “The Shadow King,” for Disney/Pixar. But something positive still came out of that project’s cancellation: The partnership with Jordan Peele (“Nope”) that led to Selick’s stop-motion comeback, “Wendell & Wild,” the first trailer for which premiered today.
The first 30-minute sneak peek footage of “Wendell & Wild” — in which Black teenage orphan Kat (Lyric Ross) becomes an afro-punk hell maiden who makes a bargain with demon siblings Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele) — proves that the wait for a new Selick film was worth it. The director has made a summary statement about rebellion and creativity,...
- 9/6/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The Imitation Game outfit Black Bear Pictures is bolstering the senior ranks of its fledgling management division with the hire of respected former ICM Partners and William Morris agent Joanne Roberts Wiles.
While a partner at ICM, Wiles represented filmmakers including Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth), the Duplass Brothers (Cyrus), Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets), Duke Johnson (Anomalisa), Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader (Windfall), Gregg Araki (Now Apocalypse), Jamie Dack (Palm Trees and Power Lines), Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley (Jockey), So Yong Kim (Lovesong), David Siegel and Scott McGehee (Montana Story), and David Lachapelle (Rize).
She also represented talent in front of the camera including Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of The Dog), Hannah Gross (Mindhunter), Garance Marillier (Titane), Théodore Pellerin (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Dree Hemingway (Starlet), Chris Klein (American Pie), and Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike).
Wiles will be a Partner in Black Bear’s newly formed management division,...
While a partner at ICM, Wiles represented filmmakers including Cooper Raiff (Cha Cha Real Smooth), the Duplass Brothers (Cyrus), Karyn Kusama (Yellowjackets), Duke Johnson (Anomalisa), Charlie McDowell and Justin Lader (Windfall), Gregg Araki (Now Apocalypse), Jamie Dack (Palm Trees and Power Lines), Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley (Jockey), So Yong Kim (Lovesong), David Siegel and Scott McGehee (Montana Story), and David Lachapelle (Rize).
She also represented talent in front of the camera including Oscar nominee Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of The Dog), Hannah Gross (Mindhunter), Garance Marillier (Titane), Théodore Pellerin (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Dree Hemingway (Starlet), Chris Klein (American Pie), and Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike).
Wiles will be a Partner in Black Bear’s newly formed management division,...
- 8/9/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Spoiler Alert: The following review contains spoilers.
In “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland’s latest, “Men,” the leaves are so green, the tone is so ominous, and the men are so … Rory Kinnear-y that audiences are all but guaranteed to leave this folk-horror bizart-house offering feeling disturbed, even if no two viewers can agree on what bothered them about it. There’s that shocker of an ending, of course, but we’ll postpone discussion of that till the penultimate paragraph of this review, so as not to spoil the fun — even if, by the time you see it, “Men” is already likely to be defined by its over-the-top finale.
Kinnear, who comes across as a chummy enough fellow — albeit one who might chase you into a back alley and murder you if given the chance — impressively embodies eight different characters: basically, all the men, plus one particularly creepy boy,...
In “Ex Machina” director Alex Garland’s latest, “Men,” the leaves are so green, the tone is so ominous, and the men are so … Rory Kinnear-y that audiences are all but guaranteed to leave this folk-horror bizart-house offering feeling disturbed, even if no two viewers can agree on what bothered them about it. There’s that shocker of an ending, of course, but we’ll postpone discussion of that till the penultimate paragraph of this review, so as not to spoil the fun — even if, by the time you see it, “Men” is already likely to be defined by its over-the-top finale.
Kinnear, who comes across as a chummy enough fellow — albeit one who might chase you into a back alley and murder you if given the chance — impressively embodies eight different characters: basically, all the men, plus one particularly creepy boy,...
- 5/9/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam)
The cruelty of the Iranian justice system is in the spotlight again in Ballad of a White Cow, the compelling debut of directing team Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam that unfurled in competition at Berlin. Just last year, Mohamad Rasoulof won the festival’s top prize for his anti-capital punishment polemic There Is No Evil, a masterful weaving of four storylines that showed how a morally bankrupt state corrodes those forced to carry out its functions, a searing portrait of the banality of evil. – Ed F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Mubi (free for 30 days)
Bigbug (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Bigbug is set in the year 2045 and centers on a group of mismatched suburbanites who,...
Ballad of a White Cow (Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam)
The cruelty of the Iranian justice system is in the spotlight again in Ballad of a White Cow, the compelling debut of directing team Behtash Sanaeeha and Maryam Moghaddam that unfurled in competition at Berlin. Just last year, Mohamad Rasoulof won the festival’s top prize for his anti-capital punishment polemic There Is No Evil, a masterful weaving of four storylines that showed how a morally bankrupt state corrodes those forced to carry out its functions, a searing portrait of the banality of evil. – Ed F. (full review)
Where to Stream: Mubi (free for 30 days)
Bigbug (Jean-Pierre Jeunet)
Bigbug is set in the year 2045 and centers on a group of mismatched suburbanites who,...
- 2/11/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Today marks the 60th birthday of one of the finest and most underrated actors working: the great Jennifer Jason Leigh. Aside from a brief dalliance with the mainstream in the early 90s, her 40+ year career has been spent largely in independent cinema, from her beginnings elevating schlock like Eyes of a Stranger to her most recent role in Lena Dunham’s Sundance 2022 entry, Sharp Stick.
Leigh has never shown any interest in airing any part of her life offscreen in public. This is likely one of the reasons she has gone under the radar throughout her career. She has amassed huge respect in the industry, but her lack of interest in trophy chasing has meant she has just one Oscar nomination to her name and her pursuit of privacy and choice of roles that she’s never been a huge star. I get the feeling that’s exactly how she wants it.
Leigh has never shown any interest in airing any part of her life offscreen in public. This is likely one of the reasons she has gone under the radar throughout her career. She has amassed huge respect in the industry, but her lack of interest in trophy chasing has meant she has just one Oscar nomination to her name and her pursuit of privacy and choice of roles that she’s never been a huge star. I get the feeling that’s exactly how she wants it.
- 2/5/2022
- by Sam Inglis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Clean (Paul Solet)
Hard-edged, old-fashioned, and anchored by a sturdy movie star performance from Adrien Brody, Clean plays well as a socially-tinged vigilante thriller. Directed by Paul Solet (from a script he co-wrote with Brody), the film moves fast and rises above certain genre tropes. Brody plays Clean, a garbage man seeped in the sins of his past. In the opening minutes, he goes about his day: driving his early morning route before retiring to his industrial dwelling wherein he retrieves abandoned machines from a junkyard and brings them back to life. The resurrected results he sells to local pawnbroker Kurtis. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
The Fallout (Megan Park)
Quite literally saved by her little sister Amelia, school...
Clean (Paul Solet)
Hard-edged, old-fashioned, and anchored by a sturdy movie star performance from Adrien Brody, Clean plays well as a socially-tinged vigilante thriller. Directed by Paul Solet (from a script he co-wrote with Brody), the film moves fast and rises above certain genre tropes. Brody plays Clean, a garbage man seeped in the sins of his past. In the opening minutes, he goes about his day: driving his early morning route before retiring to his industrial dwelling wherein he retrieves abandoned machines from a junkyard and brings them back to life. The resurrected results he sells to local pawnbroker Kurtis. – Dan M. (full review)
Where to Stream: VOD
The Fallout (Megan Park)
Quite literally saved by her little sister Amelia, school...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
The following review was originally posted on December 2, 2021
This weekend sees the release of a new documentary concerning a subject that’s been covered extensively in the news over the last several years: the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Yes, it’s been part of the political debate, and countless reports have flooded the news outlets, not to mention feature-length and short-subjects “docs”. And yet this one feels fresh and immediate. Perhaps that’s due of the medium as this is an animated feature, proving that that said medium (it’s not a genre) can be used to tell all sorts of stories. Plus it’s a most intimate tale as it’s a coming of age saga related by a man whose later lifestyle would leave him no choice but to Flee.
This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as...
This weekend sees the release of a new documentary concerning a subject that’s been covered extensively in the news over the last several years: the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Yes, it’s been part of the political debate, and countless reports have flooded the news outlets, not to mention feature-length and short-subjects “docs”. And yet this one feels fresh and immediate. Perhaps that’s due of the medium as this is an animated feature, proving that that said medium (it’s not a genre) can be used to tell all sorts of stories. Plus it’s a most intimate tale as it’s a coming of age saga related by a man whose later lifestyle would leave him no choice but to Flee.
This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as...
- 1/28/2022
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Deadline has the first exclusive track from Carter Burwell’s Oscar-shortlisted score for The Tragedy of Macbeth, which is set for release tomorrow via Milan Records, as the film from director Joel Coen premieres globally on Apple TV+.
Coen’s take on William Shakespeare’s classic 17th century play Macbeth watches as Denzel Washington’s Scottish lord is convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, subsequently conspiring to seize power with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand).
It’s the latest project to emerge from a career-spanning partnership between Burwell and Coen, dating back to 1984, which has seen the former score almost all of the latter’s films including Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men and True Grit.
Burwell’s score for The Tragedy of Macbeth juxtaposes string-heavy instrumentation with onscreen dialogue performed throughout the film,...
Coen’s take on William Shakespeare’s classic 17th century play Macbeth watches as Denzel Washington’s Scottish lord is convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, subsequently conspiring to seize power with the help of his wife, Lady Macbeth (Frances McDormand).
It’s the latest project to emerge from a career-spanning partnership between Burwell and Coen, dating back to 1984, which has seen the former score almost all of the latter’s films including Raising Arizona, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men and True Grit.
Burwell’s score for The Tragedy of Macbeth juxtaposes string-heavy instrumentation with onscreen dialogue performed throughout the film,...
- 1/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
For our most comprehensive year-end feature we’re providing a cumulative look at The Film Stage’s favorite films of 2021. We’ve asked contributors to compile ten-best lists with five honorable mentions—a selection of those personal lists will be shared in coming days—and from tallied votes has a top 50 been assembled.
So: without further ado, check out our rundown of 2021 below, our ongoing year-end coverage here (including where to stream many of the below picks), and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2022.
50. This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)
Framed as an epic fable and shot like a myth, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is another beautiful, tragic diary entry on the history and people of his home country Lesotho. His focus shifts from the metaphorical relationship of Mother, I am Suffocating, This...
So: without further ado, check out our rundown of 2021 below, our ongoing year-end coverage here (including where to stream many of the below picks), and return in the coming weeks as we look towards 2022.
50. This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese)
Framed as an epic fable and shot like a myth, Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection is another beautiful, tragic diary entry on the history and people of his home country Lesotho. His focus shifts from the metaphorical relationship of Mother, I am Suffocating, This...
- 12/29/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
This weekend sees the release of a new documentary concerning a subject that’s been covered extensively in the news over the last several years: the refugee crisis in the Middle East. Yes, it’s been part of the political debate, and countless reports have flooded the news outlets, not to mention feature-length and short-subjects “docs”. And yet this one feels fresh and immediate. Perhaps that’s due of the medium as this is an animated feature, proving that that said medium (it’s not a genre) can be used to tell all sorts of stories. Plus it’s a most intimate tale as it’s a coming of age saga related by a man whose later lifestyle would leave him no choice but to Flee.
This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as he is interviewed by a former classmate and...
This true story of the now-adult Amin (voice of Riz Ahmed) commences in present-day Copenhagen as he is interviewed by a former classmate and...
- 12/3/2021
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“The Suicide Squad” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” director James Gunn’s Twitter account remains an endless fount of behind-the-scenes gossip, Hollywood rants, and more. His latest mic drop was the reveal this week that he almost made a cannibalistic movie version of the 1960’s sitcom “Gilligan’s Island” with none other than Charlie Kaufman.
The thread began as a response to a “pitch a movie in two pictures, no caption” challenge that Gunn accepted, sharing a picture of the “Gilligan’s Island” crew alongside a depiction of cannibalism. (Via Collider.)
“A true story: In the late 90’s screenwriting Goat Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other. Warner Bros wanted to do it — but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way,” Gunn wrote.
“After Guardians I tried to resurrect the idea & wanted to direct. It seemed Warners & Charlie were interested but,...
The thread began as a response to a “pitch a movie in two pictures, no caption” challenge that Gunn accepted, sharing a picture of the “Gilligan’s Island” crew alongside a depiction of cannibalism. (Via Collider.)
“A true story: In the late 90’s screenwriting Goat Charlie Kaufman pitched a movie version of Gilligan’s Island where the islanders, starving & desperate, started killing & eating each other. Warner Bros wanted to do it — but Sherwood Schwartz, the creator, said no way,” Gunn wrote.
“After Guardians I tried to resurrect the idea & wanted to direct. It seemed Warners & Charlie were interested but,...
- 10/14/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
This Friday, the 59th New York Film Festival kicks off, boasting one of the finest festival lineups of 2021. With highlights from Sundance, Cannes, Berlinale, Telluride, and premieres of their own, the annual event is back in person both at Film at Lincoln Center and, for the first time, across the city.
To kick off our coverage, we’ve rounded up some essential, perhaps under-the-radar (at least in relation to a certain sci-fi blockbuster) selections from the festival, ranging from new releases to restorations. If you’re in the area, one can also see all available tickets here.
A Chiara (Jonas Carpignano)
Writer-director Jonas Carpignano completes his Calabrian trilogy with A Chiara, an enthralling drama about a teenage girl coming to terms with her family’s role in the mafia, which won the Europa Cinema Label at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. With a documentary-like authenticity, this is a touching, powerful...
To kick off our coverage, we’ve rounded up some essential, perhaps under-the-radar (at least in relation to a certain sci-fi blockbuster) selections from the festival, ranging from new releases to restorations. If you’re in the area, one can also see all available tickets here.
A Chiara (Jonas Carpignano)
Writer-director Jonas Carpignano completes his Calabrian trilogy with A Chiara, an enthralling drama about a teenage girl coming to terms with her family’s role in the mafia, which won the Europa Cinema Label at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. With a documentary-like authenticity, this is a touching, powerful...
- 9/23/2021
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Aloft Strategic Communications has hired Rebecca Taylor as a partner. The boutique firm was founded by veteran publicist Michael Donkis in April.
Taylor was most recently VP, Talent at Jonesworks, and before that, a VP at Rogers & Cowan Pmk, working with Robert Downey Jr., Patty Jenkins and Christopher McQuarrie, among others. The move is a reunion of sorts for Taylor and Donkis, as both worked closely together at Prime, a boutique firm run by Donkis and Joy Fehily, which was absorbed by Pmk-bnc in 2016.
“Rebecca is one of the smartest, hardest working, ethical and caring publicists I’ve worked alongside,” Donkis tells Deadline. “She has a sterling reputation and is a perfect fit for Aloft. While I’ve enjoyed calling her ‘friend’ for some time, I’m very excited to now call her ‘partner’ as well.”
Taylor’s impressive client roster of showrunners, filmmakers, talent and authors includes Jac Schaeffer,...
Taylor was most recently VP, Talent at Jonesworks, and before that, a VP at Rogers & Cowan Pmk, working with Robert Downey Jr., Patty Jenkins and Christopher McQuarrie, among others. The move is a reunion of sorts for Taylor and Donkis, as both worked closely together at Prime, a boutique firm run by Donkis and Joy Fehily, which was absorbed by Pmk-bnc in 2016.
“Rebecca is one of the smartest, hardest working, ethical and caring publicists I’ve worked alongside,” Donkis tells Deadline. “She has a sterling reputation and is a perfect fit for Aloft. While I’ve enjoyed calling her ‘friend’ for some time, I’m very excited to now call her ‘partner’ as well.”
Taylor’s impressive client roster of showrunners, filmmakers, talent and authors includes Jac Schaeffer,...
- 7/28/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
A highlight at this year’s mostly online Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee picked up the Grand Jury Prize and now ahead of a fall release from Neon, the first trailer has arrived. The animation tells the refugee story of Amin Nawabi, as he grapples with a painful secret he has kept hidden for 20 years, one that threatens to derail the life he has built for himself and his soon-to-be husband.
Christopher Schobert said in his review, “There have, of course, been a great many animated films about deeply serious subjects, many in recent years, from Persepolis to Anomalisa to Waltz With Bashir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee can now comfortably fit on this shelf of profoundly affecting films. Indeed, this 2021 Sundance Film Festival premiere ranks as one of the most uniquely memorable animated films of the last decade. It is remarkably successful as...
Christopher Schobert said in his review, “There have, of course, been a great many animated films about deeply serious subjects, many in recent years, from Persepolis to Anomalisa to Waltz With Bashir. Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s Flee can now comfortably fit on this shelf of profoundly affecting films. Indeed, this 2021 Sundance Film Festival premiere ranks as one of the most uniquely memorable animated films of the last decade. It is remarkably successful as...
- 7/19/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
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