Nathan Zellner and David Zellner’s Sasquatch Sunset is stomping into circa 850 theaters this weekend after debuting in 9 with a solid opening for a film many could find weird. A tribe of Sasquatch, possibly the last of their kind, live and love in the woods of northern California, where it was shot.
“We are taking Bigfoot to America. We have high hopes that the broader market will embrace the movie,” says Kyle Davies of distributor Bleecker Street, calling it “a very different” kind of movie and “a bit of an unknown.”
“It’s a wildcard.”
Marketing was mainly through social activations. “I wouldn’t call it traditional marketing. It doesn’t really fit in that box,” Davies adds. The Sasquatch standees in theaters are fun. And Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar is displaying a baby Sasquatch sitting in a glass case with umbilical cord and placenta.
This is “a polarizing film.
“We are taking Bigfoot to America. We have high hopes that the broader market will embrace the movie,” says Kyle Davies of distributor Bleecker Street, calling it “a very different” kind of movie and “a bit of an unknown.”
“It’s a wildcard.”
Marketing was mainly through social activations. “I wouldn’t call it traditional marketing. It doesn’t really fit in that box,” Davies adds. The Sasquatch standees in theaters are fun. And Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar is displaying a baby Sasquatch sitting in a glass case with umbilical cord and placenta.
This is “a polarizing film.
- 4/19/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
So, you say you want to see something different, offbeat, out-of-the-ordinarry on your next visit to the cinema. Well, this weekend brings a true test for adventurous filmgoers. A few days ago I posted a review of the slapstick farce Hundreds Of Beavers, which is basically a silent movie “homage” since there’s almost no spoken dialogue. Much the same can be said for this new film, though it has a full soundtrack with lots of ambient background audio. Oh, and the characters do communicate, though it’s mainly via hand gestures, body language, and various grunts, growls, and groans. That’s because the four main characters are those “urban legend” icons, Bigfeet (Bigfoots just doesn’t sound right). No humans, just this quartet, romping around the forest all day until the big Sasquatch Sunset.
It all begins though, with the sunrise over a vast wooded area, perhaps in the great Northwestern US.
It all begins though, with the sunrise over a vast wooded area, perhaps in the great Northwestern US.
- 4/19/2024
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Sasquatch Sunset releases April 12th, 2024.
Do Sasquatches really exist? The answer is almost certainly “no,” but if they did, what would their day-to-day life look like? That’s the question that the Zellner Bros. set out to answer with their offbeat feature-film following an unconventional family of bigfoots (or is it bigfeet?). If you’re not quite sure what to make of that premise, don’t worry. Neither was I. I would implore anybody curious about this film to enter it with an open mind and a willingness to experience it for what it is: a one-of-a-kind blend of potty humor and poignant reflection, delivered in a way you’ve never seen before.
Sasquatch Sunset Plot Sasquatch Sunset (2024) directed by the Zellner Bros. Also Read: Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough Went Through an Absolute Nightmare For Their Bizarre Movie on Big Foots
Sasquatch Sunset follows a year in the life of a family of sasquatches.
Do Sasquatches really exist? The answer is almost certainly “no,” but if they did, what would their day-to-day life look like? That’s the question that the Zellner Bros. set out to answer with their offbeat feature-film following an unconventional family of bigfoots (or is it bigfeet?). If you’re not quite sure what to make of that premise, don’t worry. Neither was I. I would implore anybody curious about this film to enter it with an open mind and a willingness to experience it for what it is: a one-of-a-kind blend of potty humor and poignant reflection, delivered in a way you’ve never seen before.
Sasquatch Sunset Plot Sasquatch Sunset (2024) directed by the Zellner Bros. Also Read: Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough Went Through an Absolute Nightmare For Their Bizarre Movie on Big Foots
Sasquatch Sunset follows a year in the life of a family of sasquatches.
- 4/11/2024
- by Joshua Ryan
- FandomWire
They’re big, they’re hairy, they’re an urban myth that refuses to die — they’re the mythological creatures known as Sasquatches, those reclusive figures occasionally seen wandering in the woods and who may or may not rock a size 22 men’s shoe size. Some may doubt their existence, given that they tend to shun social interaction, and most evidence suggesting that they lope among us consists of grainy photos and cryptic video clips. David and Nathan Zellner have no time for such doubters, however. These filmmakers traveled deep...
- 4/11/2024
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Stars: Chuku Modu, Luna Mwezi, Iola Evans, Kit Young, Arno Lüning, Safia Oakley-Green | Written by Ruth Greenberg | Directed by Andrew Cumming
I can almost imagine Out of Darkness’ director Andrew Cumming pitching the film to potential backers as Quest for Fire meets Predator. And that would be a fairly accurate description of this Stone Age thriller about a tribe of early humans being picked off by an unseen foe. And one that makes it sound a lot less cerebral and more commercial than it might otherwise appear.
45,000 years ago, six early humans have left their tribe to find a new home. Leading the group is Adem, who also has his young son Heron and Ave who’s carrying Adem’s child along with him. Also making the trek are Geirr, Adem’s more cautious second-in-command and Odal’s who seems to be some kind of shaman and last, and certainly least,...
I can almost imagine Out of Darkness’ director Andrew Cumming pitching the film to potential backers as Quest for Fire meets Predator. And that would be a fairly accurate description of this Stone Age thriller about a tribe of early humans being picked off by an unseen foe. And one that makes it sound a lot less cerebral and more commercial than it might otherwise appear.
45,000 years ago, six early humans have left their tribe to find a new home. Leading the group is Adem, who also has his young son Heron and Ave who’s carrying Adem’s child along with him. Also making the trek are Geirr, Adem’s more cautious second-in-command and Odal’s who seems to be some kind of shaman and last, and certainly least,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Taylor Swift receives the award for Best Pop Vocal Album at The 66th Annual Grammy Awards
Women absolutely dominated the 2024 Grammys, from winning the top awards to delivering the most memorial performances of the February 4th broadcast. Miley Cyrus took home her first-ever Grammy wins, while Taylor Swift made Grammy Awards history for the most Album of the Year wins ever.
Swift also made Swifties worldwide happy by announcing she’ll release her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, 2024.
Tracy Chapman brought down the house with a stunning performance of “Fast Cars” alongside Luke Combs. Joni Mitchell earned a rousing ovation for her first performance on the Grammy stage, singing “Both Sides Now” while backed by Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Sistastrings, Lucius, Jacob Collier, and Blake Mills. And Celine Dion, who is suffering from stiff person syndrome, put in a surprise appearance as presenter of the Album of the Year award.
Women absolutely dominated the 2024 Grammys, from winning the top awards to delivering the most memorial performances of the February 4th broadcast. Miley Cyrus took home her first-ever Grammy wins, while Taylor Swift made Grammy Awards history for the most Album of the Year wins ever.
Swift also made Swifties worldwide happy by announcing she’ll release her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19, 2024.
Tracy Chapman brought down the house with a stunning performance of “Fast Cars” alongside Luke Combs. Joni Mitchell earned a rousing ovation for her first performance on the Grammy stage, singing “Both Sides Now” while backed by Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Sistastrings, Lucius, Jacob Collier, and Blake Mills. And Celine Dion, who is suffering from stiff person syndrome, put in a surprise appearance as presenter of the Album of the Year award.
- 2/5/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Movies about Stone Age life have been so few that just one past effort could be taken seriously, the rest being funny — intentionally or otherwise. Belatedly offering non-laughable companionship to Jean-Jacques Annaud’s 1981 “Quest for Fire” is “Out of Darkness,” a lean, mean adventure story on the cusp of horror that firsttime feature director Andrew Cumming imbues with tension and handsome visual atmospherics.
Titled “The Origin” when it premiered at BFI London Fest in fall 2022, since retitled (presumably to avoid confusion with Ava DuVernay’s current “Origin”), it’s a strong genre piece lent real novelty by being set approximately 45,000 years ago. Bleecker Street opens the U.K. indie production on more than 500 U.S. screens this Friday, simultaneous with a home-turf release.
We meet our protagonists around a campfire — unlike those of “Quest,” set circa 80,000 B.C., these prehistoric ancestors have figured that much out — as they air hopes...
Titled “The Origin” when it premiered at BFI London Fest in fall 2022, since retitled (presumably to avoid confusion with Ava DuVernay’s current “Origin”), it’s a strong genre piece lent real novelty by being set approximately 45,000 years ago. Bleecker Street opens the U.K. indie production on more than 500 U.S. screens this Friday, simultaneous with a home-turf release.
We meet our protagonists around a campfire — unlike those of “Quest,” set circa 80,000 B.C., these prehistoric ancestors have figured that much out — as they air hopes...
- 2/5/2024
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Today, the Recording Academy is handing out all of their 2024 Grammy Award trophies!
If you don’t know, the televised show airs tonight at 8pm Et on CBS. However, most of the awards are actually handed out throughout the day during the pre-show event.
Taylor Swift made history during the show to become the first person to ever win Album of the Year four times.
We’ve gathered up every single winner (and nominee) here for you to see.
Head inside to see the complete list of winners from the telecast and pre-show…
See the full list of winners from the 2024 Grammys below…
Record Of The Year
“Worship,” Jon Batiste
“Not Strong Enough,” boygenius
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus – Winner!
“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture Barbie], Billie Eilish
“On My Mama,” Victoria Monét
“Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift
“Kill Bill,” Sza
Album Of The Year
World Music Radio, Jon Batiste
the record,...
If you don’t know, the televised show airs tonight at 8pm Et on CBS. However, most of the awards are actually handed out throughout the day during the pre-show event.
Taylor Swift made history during the show to become the first person to ever win Album of the Year four times.
We’ve gathered up every single winner (and nominee) here for you to see.
Head inside to see the complete list of winners from the telecast and pre-show…
See the full list of winners from the 2024 Grammys below…
Record Of The Year
“Worship,” Jon Batiste
“Not Strong Enough,” boygenius
“Flowers,” Miley Cyrus – Winner!
“What Was I Made For?” [From The Motion Picture Barbie], Billie Eilish
“On My Mama,” Victoria Monét
“Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo
“Anti-Hero,” Taylor Swift
“Kill Bill,” Sza
Album Of The Year
World Music Radio, Jon Batiste
the record,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Grammy Awards 2024 Winners List ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
One of the biggest award nights in the world of music is finally happening, and yes, we are talking about the 2024 Grammys. A total of 94 categories are there, and numerous talents have their eyes on the prize. From Miley Cyrus bagging her first Grammy to Taylor Swift announcing her new album, we bring you the complete list of the winners.
This year, Sza had the maximum number of nods for her album Sos, followed by R&b singer Victoria Monet and indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers of boygenius with seven nominations. Meanwhile, Miley, Taylor, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, and Brandy Clark have secured six nmnods.
Olivia Rodrigo performed her hit song Vampire, and Miley Cyrus entertained everyone with her song Flowers. Songwriter Justin Tranter, a 2024 Grammy nominee, provided as the master of ceremonies. Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony.
Trending Dune:...
One of the biggest award nights in the world of music is finally happening, and yes, we are talking about the 2024 Grammys. A total of 94 categories are there, and numerous talents have their eyes on the prize. From Miley Cyrus bagging her first Grammy to Taylor Swift announcing her new album, we bring you the complete list of the winners.
This year, Sza had the maximum number of nods for her album Sos, followed by R&b singer Victoria Monet and indie rocker Phoebe Bridgers of boygenius with seven nominations. Meanwhile, Miley, Taylor, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Jon Batiste, and Brandy Clark have secured six nmnods.
Olivia Rodrigo performed her hit song Vampire, and Miley Cyrus entertained everyone with her song Flowers. Songwriter Justin Tranter, a 2024 Grammy nominee, provided as the master of ceremonies. Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony.
Trending Dune:...
- 2/5/2024
- by Esita Mallik
- KoiMoi
The wait is officially over: The biggest night in music is finally here! On Sunday, the top names in music gathered for the 66th Grammy Awards.
The competition is fierce this year, with Sza leading all nominees this year with nine. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Victoria Monét are also among the artists set to vie for the top prizes. Most of those artists will compete in the Album of the Year category, including Sza (Sos), Swift (Midnights), Rodrigo (Guts), Miley Cyrus (Endless Summer Vacation), boygenius (The Record), and Jon Batiste...
The competition is fierce this year, with Sza leading all nominees this year with nine. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Victoria Monét are also among the artists set to vie for the top prizes. Most of those artists will compete in the Album of the Year category, including Sza (Sos), Swift (Midnights), Rodrigo (Guts), Miley Cyrus (Endless Summer Vacation), boygenius (The Record), and Jon Batiste...
- 2/4/2024
- by Jodi Guglielmi
- Rollingstone.com
The 2024 Grammy Awards ceremony is being held this weekend and we’re predicting the winners in all of the major categories!
Sza leads the pack this year with nine nominations.
In general, women are totally crushing it: Sza, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus all dominated the biggest categories. Jon Batiste is actually the only man in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
Taylor has a chance at setting a record for most Album of the Year wins if she picks up the award for Midnights. She currently is tied for the most wins in the category with three previous wins!
Make sure to tune in on Sunday for the Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth time. The show is airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ starting at 8pm Et. Check out the full list of nominations.
Head inside...
Sza leads the pack this year with nine nominations.
In general, women are totally crushing it: Sza, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus all dominated the biggest categories. Jon Batiste is actually the only man in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
Taylor has a chance at setting a record for most Album of the Year wins if she picks up the award for Midnights. She currently is tied for the most wins in the category with three previous wins!
Make sure to tune in on Sunday for the Grammys, hosted by Trevor Noah for the fourth time. The show is airing on CBS and streaming on Paramount+ starting at 8pm Et. Check out the full list of nominations.
Head inside...
- 2/2/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 4, during two ceremonies: the afternoon Premiere Ceremony where most of the awards will be handed out, and the prime time telecast on CBS and Paramount+ hosted for the fourth year in a row by Trevor Noah. But who will win? Scroll down for our official odds in 37 categories, which are based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users who have placed their bets here in our predictions center. Our projected winners are highlighted in gold.
Sza enters these awards with the most nominations (nine), followed by R&b breakout Victoria Monet, alternative singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and engineer/mixer Serban Ghenea with seven apiece. This year’s awards also marked a number of changes and updates. The Recording Academy consolidated its categories into just 11 fields in order to give voters more flexibility as to which categories they participate in.
Sza enters these awards with the most nominations (nine), followed by R&b breakout Victoria Monet, alternative singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and engineer/mixer Serban Ghenea with seven apiece. This year’s awards also marked a number of changes and updates. The Recording Academy consolidated its categories into just 11 fields in order to give voters more flexibility as to which categories they participate in.
- 2/2/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
66th Annual Grammy Awards logo
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards is expanding its broadcast to include Las Vegas’ one-of-a-kind venue, Sphere. 22-time Grammy winners U2 will take the stage at Sphere for the first live Grammy Awards broadcast performance.
Sphere will also host a special awards presentation airing during the broadcast.
Joni Mitchell will be making history of her own during the 2024 Grammy Awards. The nine-time Grammy winner and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award winner is confirmed to make her Grammy Awards performance debut. Mitchell’s Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live) is nominated in the Best Folk Album category this year.
Joni Mitchell and U2 join previously announced performers Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Luke Combs, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and Travis Scott.
Trevor Noah will return as host for the fourth consecutive year. The awards show will be held on Sunday, February 4, 2024 and air live from Los Angeles...
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards is expanding its broadcast to include Las Vegas’ one-of-a-kind venue, Sphere. 22-time Grammy winners U2 will take the stage at Sphere for the first live Grammy Awards broadcast performance.
Sphere will also host a special awards presentation airing during the broadcast.
Joni Mitchell will be making history of her own during the 2024 Grammy Awards. The nine-time Grammy winner and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award winner is confirmed to make her Grammy Awards performance debut. Mitchell’s Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live) is nominated in the Best Folk Album category this year.
Joni Mitchell and U2 join previously announced performers Billy Joel, Burna Boy, Luke Combs, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and Travis Scott.
Trevor Noah will return as host for the fourth consecutive year. The awards show will be held on Sunday, February 4, 2024 and air live from Los Angeles...
- 1/29/2024
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Exec handled international sales for James Bond franchise as well as movies like Annie Hall, The Graduate and Platoon
Ernst Goldschmidt, the former head of international sales at United Artists and co-founder of Orion Pictures, has died aged 92.
Goldschmidt’s career in the film industry spanned over 50 years. He started in 1957 as a salesman with MGM in Zurich before joining United Artists (UA) in 1958 as general manager of its Swiss office, before taking the reins at UA/Germany.
He was promoted to European sales manager in Paris in 1968 and then named president of UA Europe two years later. UA relocated...
Ernst Goldschmidt, the former head of international sales at United Artists and co-founder of Orion Pictures, has died aged 92.
Goldschmidt’s career in the film industry spanned over 50 years. He started in 1957 as a salesman with MGM in Zurich before joining United Artists (UA) in 1958 as general manager of its Swiss office, before taking the reins at UA/Germany.
He was promoted to European sales manager in Paris in 1968 and then named president of UA Europe two years later. UA relocated...
- 1/4/2024
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
In Stuart Baird's 2002 film "Star Trek: Nemesis," Tom Hardy plays Shinzon, a human clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), grown in a lab by the dastardly spies in the Romulan Empire. When their clone plot didn't quite turn out the way that they wanted, the Romulans disavowed Shinzon's existence and sent him as a young boy to be enslaved in a Reman mine. The Remans were a cousin species of the Romulans that had been enslaved for many generations. Shinzon would grow up among the goblin-looking Remans, sharing their plight. Perhaps possessed of Picard's knack for leadership, Shizon would eventually lead a Reman uprising against the Romulans. "Nemesis" was the first time Trekkies ever caught a glimpse of the Remans. Shinzon's massive warship, the Scimitar, would be staffed entirely by Reman officers.
Most notably, Shinzon's unnamed right-hand man, a Reman Voiceroy, would be played by Ron Perlman, an...
Most notably, Shinzon's unnamed right-hand man, a Reman Voiceroy, would be played by Ron Perlman, an...
- 11/26/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
On Friday morning, nominations were revealed for the 2024 66th Grammy Awards, and Sza, Phoebe Bridgers, Victoria Monét and Taylor Swift dominated the top categories.
Sza led the nominations with nine nods in total. Sza’s extensive repertoire of songs reflects her unique blend of diverse influences, and her album Sos and its songs span pop, rap, and R&b categories. Her single “Kill Bill” is up for Song and Record of the Year.
The singer currently has won one Grammy award with 14 previous nominations.
Sza’s collaboration “Ghost in the Machine” with Bridgers was also nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Monét, Bridgers and Serban Ghenea all follow Sza with seven nominations each. Monét is also nominated for Best New Artist, alongside singers Coco Jones and Gracie Abrams.
Swift has six nominations and could set a new record as the first artist to ever win Album of the Year four times.
Sza led the nominations with nine nods in total. Sza’s extensive repertoire of songs reflects her unique blend of diverse influences, and her album Sos and its songs span pop, rap, and R&b categories. Her single “Kill Bill” is up for Song and Record of the Year.
The singer currently has won one Grammy award with 14 previous nominations.
Sza’s collaboration “Ghost in the Machine” with Bridgers was also nominated for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Monét, Bridgers and Serban Ghenea all follow Sza with seven nominations each. Monét is also nominated for Best New Artist, alongside singers Coco Jones and Gracie Abrams.
Swift has six nominations and could set a new record as the first artist to ever win Album of the Year four times.
- 11/10/2023
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
The 2024 Grammys nominations are here!
The Recording Academy announced the nominees in a YouTube livestream on Friday (November 10).
With nine nods for her hit album Sos, Sza is the most nominated artist this year. (Sos topped the Billboard 200 chart for 10 weeks.)
Keep reading to find out more…
In general, women are totally crushing it: Sza, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus all dominated the biggest categories. Jon Batiste is actually the only man in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
With an Album of the Year nomination for Midnights, Taylor has a chance to make history by becoming the first artist to ever win the category four times. She’s previously won for Fearless, 1989, and Folklore.
Her collaborator and good friend Jack Antonoff, who won Producer of the Year the last two years, is nominated in the category once again.
The 2024 Grammys...
The Recording Academy announced the nominees in a YouTube livestream on Friday (November 10).
With nine nods for her hit album Sos, Sza is the most nominated artist this year. (Sos topped the Billboard 200 chart for 10 weeks.)
Keep reading to find out more…
In general, women are totally crushing it: Sza, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus all dominated the biggest categories. Jon Batiste is actually the only man in the Record of the Year and Album of the Year categories.
With an Album of the Year nomination for Midnights, Taylor has a chance to make history by becoming the first artist to ever win the category four times. She’s previously won for Fearless, 1989, and Folklore.
Her collaborator and good friend Jack Antonoff, who won Producer of the Year the last two years, is nominated in the category once again.
The 2024 Grammys...
- 11/10/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
The 66th Annual Grammy Awards announced their nominations on Friday morning, November 10. These awards honor the best in recorded media that were released from October 1, 2022 through September 15, 2023. Scroll down for the list of contenders, updated throughout the morning.
The presentation took place at 10:45am Eastern/7:45am Pacific during a livestream on live.grammy.com and YouTube starting with the contenders in the general field and other select categories. Video announcements of the nominees in the remaining races were also published on live.grammy.com and YouTube while the event was underway, and the full list of nominees was published on Grammy.com immediately following the presentation.
Joining Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. to deliver the good news were Grammy winners Arooj Aftab, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Jimmy Jam, Jon Bon Jovi, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Cheryl Pawelski, Kim Petras, Judith Sherman, St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy, and “Weird Al” Yankovic,...
The presentation took place at 10:45am Eastern/7:45am Pacific during a livestream on live.grammy.com and YouTube starting with the contenders in the general field and other select categories. Video announcements of the nominees in the remaining races were also published on live.grammy.com and YouTube while the event was underway, and the full list of nominees was published on Grammy.com immediately following the presentation.
Joining Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. to deliver the good news were Grammy winners Arooj Aftab, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Jimmy Jam, Jon Bon Jovi, Samara Joy, Muni Long, Cheryl Pawelski, Kim Petras, Judith Sherman, St. Vincent, Jeff Tweedy, and “Weird Al” Yankovic,...
- 11/10/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Skrillex has reunited with Boys Noize for a new single, “Fine Day Anthem.” The pair recently previewed the track during a show in Berlin and it marks their first collaboration since their dual 2019 EP Turn Off The Lights.
The cover art for the single, created by digital artist Thomas Harrington Rawle using both studio photography and manual digital painting, is intended to evoke ’90’s rave photos. On Twitter, Skrillex noted that the duo have included snippets from single in their DJ sets for the past year.
“Fine Day Anthem” follows...
The cover art for the single, created by digital artist Thomas Harrington Rawle using both studio photography and manual digital painting, is intended to evoke ’90’s rave photos. On Twitter, Skrillex noted that the duo have included snippets from single in their DJ sets for the past year.
“Fine Day Anthem” follows...
- 7/7/2023
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Skrillex takes TikTok’s “Point of View” trend to a new level in the music video for his Fred Again.. and Flowdan collaboration “Rumble.” The three musicians are smaller parts of a bigger machine as the video pulls together footage of the audience at their third surprise pop-up concert with FourTet at London’s The Troxy in January.
Directed by Manu Cossu, some of the ravers captured in “Rumble” work the camera, flashing intense gazes into the lens. But most of the stars of the video couldn’t care less...
Directed by Manu Cossu, some of the ravers captured in “Rumble” work the camera, flashing intense gazes into the lens. But most of the stars of the video couldn’t care less...
- 5/1/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
In the world of reality television, no show looms larger than Survivor. The series has become a cultural touchstone and is still going strong in its 44th season. Over the years, a mythology has emerged around Survivor, with fans eager to discuss the show, its contestants, and the many challenges. Season 38 contestant Kelley Wentworth recently discussed one challenge and why longtime host Jeff Probst stepped in to stop it.
Kelley Wentworth appeared in ‘Survivor’ Season 38
Wentworth is a Survivor alum who has appeared in multiple seasons of the hit reality TV series, starting with Survivor: San Juan del Sur. Although she immediately showed strong survival and team-building skills, things began to go downhill for Wentworth when she was sent to the rival Coyopa tribe to be with her father. There, she lasted only a brief time before she was voted out.
In her exit interview, Wentworth said, “I’m impressed...
Kelley Wentworth appeared in ‘Survivor’ Season 38
Wentworth is a Survivor alum who has appeared in multiple seasons of the hit reality TV series, starting with Survivor: San Juan del Sur. Although she immediately showed strong survival and team-building skills, things began to go downhill for Wentworth when she was sent to the rival Coyopa tribe to be with her father. There, she lasted only a brief time before she was voted out.
In her exit interview, Wentworth said, “I’m impressed...
- 4/20/2023
- by Christina Nunn
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Basement Jaxx, Underworld, and Charlotte De Witte will headline Movement Music Festival, which returns to Detroit’s Hart Plaza for Memorial Day weekend, May 27 through May 29. Tickets and additional details can be found on the Movement Music Festival’s website.
“It’s been 24 years since we last danced together in Detroit. We’re obviously a million light years past excited to be back with you in May at Movement Festival,” Underworld said in a statement.
This year’s stacked lineup includes Skrillex, who just released two LPs back-to-back, Don’t...
“It’s been 24 years since we last danced together in Detroit. We’re obviously a million light years past excited to be back with you in May at Movement Festival,” Underworld said in a statement.
This year’s stacked lineup includes Skrillex, who just released two LPs back-to-back, Don’t...
- 2/28/2023
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
Skrillex has surprised fans with another new album, just a day after releasing his Quest for Fire.
The Edm-pop superstar previously revealed that a follow-up LP, dubbed Don’t Get Too Close, was on the way, and during Skrillex’s performance Saturday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, he informed the crowd that the album is out right now; the Msg gig also featured specially made “bootleg CDs” of the new album, which won’t be available anywhere else.
Like Quest for Fire, Don’t Get Too Close is a star-studded affair,...
The Edm-pop superstar previously revealed that a follow-up LP, dubbed Don’t Get Too Close, was on the way, and during Skrillex’s performance Saturday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, he informed the crowd that the album is out right now; the Msg gig also featured specially made “bootleg CDs” of the new album, which won’t be available anywhere else.
Like Quest for Fire, Don’t Get Too Close is a star-studded affair,...
- 2/19/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
It’s been nine years since Sonny Moore released Recess, his first album as the Edm mastermind Skrillex, and while Quest for Fire is technically his second album, he’s hardly been away from the spotlight. He’s kept busy, releasing a steady stream of singles and collaborative projects, and producing tracks for chart-toppers like Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran, as well as next-wave artists like PinkPantheress. He even reunited with From First to Last, the Warped Tour denizens he fronted at the height of the MySpace era.
Skrillex’s...
Skrillex’s...
- 2/17/2023
- by Maura Johnston
- Rollingstone.com
Following a string of releases in 2023 and the announcement of his upcoming album Quest For Fire, Skrillex dropped the single “Don’t Get Too Close” on Monday. The new track features his own vocals (credited as Sonny Moore) and German singer Bibi Bourelly.
The song’s video shows a singing porcupine using Bourelly’s voice and later Skrillex’s voice. “I’m on my PC/I see famous people/I think they’re like mе/So why aren’t we equal?” sings Skrillex. Soon, he’s joined by Bourelly for...
The song’s video shows a singing porcupine using Bourelly’s voice and later Skrillex’s voice. “I’m on my PC/I see famous people/I think they’re like mе/So why aren’t we equal?” sings Skrillex. Soon, he’s joined by Bourelly for...
- 2/14/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
After spending the first weeks of 2023 torridly releasing singles, Skrillex has revealed that his new album, Quest for Fire, is arriving very soon.
The producer/DJ made the surprise announcement Saturday night on Instagram, adding that the LP will be released this Friday, Feb. 17, and sharing himself performing a “basement set” of the album’s 14-song track list.
In addition to the already-unveiled singles “Rumble” with rising DJ/producer Fred Again.. and grime Mc/producer Flowdan, “Way Back” with Trippie Redd and Pink Pantheress, “Leave Me Like This” with Bobby Raps...
The producer/DJ made the surprise announcement Saturday night on Instagram, adding that the LP will be released this Friday, Feb. 17, and sharing himself performing a “basement set” of the album’s 14-song track list.
In addition to the already-unveiled singles “Rumble” with rising DJ/producer Fred Again.. and grime Mc/producer Flowdan, “Way Back” with Trippie Redd and Pink Pantheress, “Leave Me Like This” with Bobby Raps...
- 2/12/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
The American French Film Festival, formerly known as Colcoa, will kick off Oct. 10 with the North American premiere of docudrama “Notre-Dame on Fire,” from “Quest for Fire” director Jean-Jacques Annaud. The weeklong festival at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles closes with Dominik Moll’s thriller “The Night of the 12th,” about a cold case where the only certainty is the night it occurred. Moll will also be the focus of the festival’s annual “Focus on a Filmmaker.”
“Every year, The American French Film Festival presents the very best of French cinema and television, and this year is no exception. I am personally excited about the opening night selection of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s ‘Notre-Dame on Fire’ as I think it perfectly embodies the Franco-American Cultural Fund’s mission,” said Andrea Berloff, writer and board member of the Franco-American Cultural Fund.
The festival will screen 75 films and TV series and 20 shorts,...
“Every year, The American French Film Festival presents the very best of French cinema and television, and this year is no exception. I am personally excited about the opening night selection of Jean-Jacques Annaud’s ‘Notre-Dame on Fire’ as I think it perfectly embodies the Franco-American Cultural Fund’s mission,” said Andrea Berloff, writer and board member of the Franco-American Cultural Fund.
The festival will screen 75 films and TV series and 20 shorts,...
- 9/20/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Gold Derby odds-makers are betting on Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” to clean up in the below-the-line categories – as of this writing it’s projected for six wins! – but one category where it might have some stiff competition is Best Makeup and Hairstyling. As I noted in my previous piece about the category, transforming actors for biopics has often led to Oscar gold, and yet there’s also plenty of historical precedent for the academy to pick a fantasy or science-fiction epic like “Dune,” which features exemplary work by Donald Mowat and his team of artists and stylists.
This year the Makeup category turns 40 years old, with hairstylists added as award recipients in 1993, and then hairstyling was added to the name of the category in 2012. But the very first competitive winner in the category, after a couple honorary awards (for 1964’s “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” and 1968’s “Planet of the Apes...
This year the Makeup category turns 40 years old, with hairstylists added as award recipients in 1993, and then hairstyling was added to the name of the category in 2012. But the very first competitive winner in the category, after a couple honorary awards (for 1964’s “7 Faces of Dr. Lao” and 1968’s “Planet of the Apes...
- 1/26/2022
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
The Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild has its 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award winners: Oscar– and multiple Emmy-winning makeup artist Michèle Burke and Emmy-winning hairstylist Joy Zapata.
Both will be honored at the ninth annual The Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild Awards on February 19 at the Beverly Hilton. Watch video interviews with both honorees below.
2021-22 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Emmys, Grammys, Oscars & More
A double Oscar winner for makeup for Quest for Fire — becoming the first woman to will in the category — and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Burke has more than 100 films and television makeup credits. She also earned Oscar noms for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Cell, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), and The Clan of the Cave Bear. She won her Emmy for 1989’s Alien Nation and scored a nom for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in 1993.
Zapata has won four Emmys for hairstyling — including two in 2017 for Westworld and Harispray Live!
Both will be honored at the ninth annual The Make-Up & Hairstylists Guild Awards on February 19 at the Beverly Hilton. Watch video interviews with both honorees below.
2021-22 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Emmys, Grammys, Oscars & More
A double Oscar winner for makeup for Quest for Fire — becoming the first woman to will in the category — and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Burke has more than 100 films and television makeup credits. She also earned Oscar noms for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, The Cell, Cyrano de Bergerac (1990), and The Clan of the Cave Bear. She won her Emmy for 1989’s Alien Nation and scored a nom for Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman in 1993.
Zapata has won four Emmys for hairstyling — including two in 2017 for Westworld and Harispray Live!
- 12/20/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
In the course of his nearly 50-year career on the screen, the late Sean Connery portrayed many famous characters, both fictional and non-fictional. Among those were, of course, Ian Fleming’s suave spy James Bond in seven films; Daniel Druvot in 1975’s The Man Who Would Be King; King Arthur in 1995’s First Knight, Robin Hood in 1976’s Robin and Marian; Dr. Henry Jones Sr. in 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and many more.
One role Connery never got to play was Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. But he did come close, playing a character who was based at least in part on Holmes, in the 1986 movie The Name of the Rose.
Based on the best-selling 1980 novel by Italian historian, philosopher and author Umberto Eco, the book and the film are set in 1327, as a Franciscan monk named William of Baskerville (Connery) and his young...
One role Connery never got to play was Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. But he did come close, playing a character who was based at least in part on Holmes, in the 1986 movie The Name of the Rose.
Based on the best-selling 1980 novel by Italian historian, philosopher and author Umberto Eco, the book and the film are set in 1327, as a Franciscan monk named William of Baskerville (Connery) and his young...
- 11/3/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Luc Besson’s financially struggling film company, EuropaCorp, has entered into exclusive negotiations with Gaumont to sell off Roissy Films’ library, which includes more than 500 titles.
If greenlit, the pact will allow Gaumont to take over the exploitation of films from the Roissy catalogue, which boasts more than 80 award-winning films. Best-known titles include Claude Zidi’s “The Under-Gifted” (“Les sous-doués”) and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Quest for Fire” (“La guerre du feu”).
EuropaCorp had acquired Roissy Films in 2008.
EuropaCorp said the deal with Gaumont “falls within the scope of the new strategy of the company consisting in focusing on its core business activities: the production and distribution of films and series around the world.”
The company will also be looking to sell about 30 films from Roissy Films to a third party.
Within the last 18 months, EuropaCorp has taken drastic steps to cut costs, including the sale of its French TV production unit for €11 million,...
If greenlit, the pact will allow Gaumont to take over the exploitation of films from the Roissy catalogue, which boasts more than 80 award-winning films. Best-known titles include Claude Zidi’s “The Under-Gifted” (“Les sous-doués”) and Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Quest for Fire” (“La guerre du feu”).
EuropaCorp had acquired Roissy Films in 2008.
EuropaCorp said the deal with Gaumont “falls within the scope of the new strategy of the company consisting in focusing on its core business activities: the production and distribution of films and series around the world.”
The company will also be looking to sell about 30 films from Roissy Films to a third party.
Within the last 18 months, EuropaCorp has taken drastic steps to cut costs, including the sale of its French TV production unit for €11 million,...
- 9/20/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Luc Besson's financially struggling EuropaCorp is putting another asset up for sale, entering into exclusive negotiations with Gaumont for the catalog of Roissy Films.
EuropaCorp acquired the 500-film strong catalog — which includes several award winners, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire and Claude Zidi's The Under-Gifted — a decade ago. French mini-major Gaumont and Besson's EuropaCorp will engage in negotiations for the titles, though EuropaCorp said it would also explore selling around 30 unspecified films to a third party.
“This project would fall within the scope of the new strategy of the Group consisting in ...
EuropaCorp acquired the 500-film strong catalog — which includes several award winners, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire and Claude Zidi's The Under-Gifted — a decade ago. French mini-major Gaumont and Besson's EuropaCorp will engage in negotiations for the titles, though EuropaCorp said it would also explore selling around 30 unspecified films to a third party.
“This project would fall within the scope of the new strategy of the Group consisting in ...
- 9/20/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Luc Besson's financially struggling EuropaCorp is putting another asset up for sale, entering into exclusive negotiations with Gaumont for the catalog of Roissy Films.
EuropaCorp acquired the 500-film strong catalog — which includes several award winners, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire and Claude Zidi's The Under-Gifted — a decade ago. French mini-major Gaumont and Besson's EuropaCorp will engage in negotiations for the titles, though EuropaCorp said it would also explore selling around 30 unspecified films to a third party.
“This project would fall within the scope of the new strategy of the Group consisting in ...
EuropaCorp acquired the 500-film strong catalog — which includes several award winners, such as Jean-Jacques Annaud's Quest for Fire and Claude Zidi's The Under-Gifted — a decade ago. French mini-major Gaumont and Besson's EuropaCorp will engage in negotiations for the titles, though EuropaCorp said it would also explore selling around 30 unspecified films to a third party.
“This project would fall within the scope of the new strategy of the Group consisting in ...
- 9/20/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the Summer winding down, and Labor Day well in sight, are moviegoers nostalgic for an adventure set it the “good ole’ days”? Hmmm, not sure if they were all that “good”, but the emphasis is on the “ole”, er “old” in the week’s new release. We’re going way, waaay back with this epic, around 20,000 years to be exact to the “cave man” tribal days, when humans were both hunters and the hunted. It’s not fun in fur skin time as in the comic strip “B.C.” or The Flintstones, nor is it the fantasy of early man evading dinosaurs as in the One Million Years B.C. films or the comedy Caveman (loved the stoned “stop -motion” T-Rex in that). . No, it’s a bit closer to the 1980’s double bill of Quest For Fire and Clan Of The Cave Bear, though more “family friendly” but...
- 8/17/2018
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Albert Hughes’ prehistoric adventure, now on Blu-ray & DVD, is dazzling and frustrating at the same time.
It’s been a while since we had an old-fashioned caveman movie (for lack of a better term), and kudos to director Albert Hughes for conceiving of one with Alpha, the story of a prehistoric teen who makes his way back to his family across a vast, treacherous landscape with the help of a wolf he establishes a bond with. But the movie is both impressive and vexing as Hughes’ genuinely ambitious vision is hampered by stock plot points and inconsistent visuals.
Hughes isn’t afraid to genre-jump, going from urban drama (Menace II Society) to period horror (From Hell) to post-apocalyptic sci-fi (Book of Eli) with relative ease. In Alpha, he confidently asks viewers to follow Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a young member of an advanced Cro-Magnon tribe known as the Solutrean. Keda speaks...
It’s been a while since we had an old-fashioned caveman movie (for lack of a better term), and kudos to director Albert Hughes for conceiving of one with Alpha, the story of a prehistoric teen who makes his way back to his family across a vast, treacherous landscape with the help of a wolf he establishes a bond with. But the movie is both impressive and vexing as Hughes’ genuinely ambitious vision is hampered by stock plot points and inconsistent visuals.
Hughes isn’t afraid to genre-jump, going from urban drama (Menace II Society) to period horror (From Hell) to post-apocalyptic sci-fi (Book of Eli) with relative ease. In Alpha, he confidently asks viewers to follow Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee), a young member of an advanced Cro-Magnon tribe known as the Solutrean. Keda speaks...
- 8/16/2018
- Den of Geek
New York City – The actor side of Ron Perlman has made his mark in films/TV like the “Hellboy” series and “Sons of Anarchy.” But he has put on a producer’s cap for the new film “To Dust,” which features Matthew Broderick. The film made its Red Carpet premiere at the 17th Tribeca Film Festival on April 23rd, 2018.
Ron Perlman and Emily Mortimer on the Red Carpet for “To Dust” at the 17th Tribeca Film Festival
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
“To Dust” is a fascinating study of death’s finality and strangeness. When a Hasidic cantor named Shmuel (Geza Rohrig) loses his beloved wife, he becomes obsessed with the nature of her decaying body (she was buried without embalming due to religious reasons). In order to move on, he decides – against his Jewish faith – to study the process, and enlists the aid of a community college...
Ron Perlman and Emily Mortimer on the Red Carpet for “To Dust” at the 17th Tribeca Film Festival
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
“To Dust” is a fascinating study of death’s finality and strangeness. When a Hasidic cantor named Shmuel (Geza Rohrig) loses his beloved wife, he becomes obsessed with the nature of her decaying body (she was buried without embalming due to religious reasons). In order to move on, he decides – against his Jewish faith – to study the process, and enlists the aid of a community college...
- 5/1/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Cannes — Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair,” the Patrick Dempsey drama which will be showcased via a sneak peek of select scenes tonight at Canneseries, was inspired in part by advice given to a young Annaud by Alfred Hitchcock.
The French director’s first feature, the Africa-set “Black and White in Color,” won him a foreign-language Oscar, and bought him a ticket to Hollywood. Once there, he was asked if he’d like to meet Hitchcock at his chalet on the Warner Bros. lot.
“Most of all, don’t do like me; the same thing all the time. That’s very boring,” Hitchcock told him. “Crime stories bore me out of my brains.”
At a Canneseries masterclass on Friday, which was rich is such anecdote, Annaud reviewed a career which includes some of the great movies of the post Nouvelle Vague, led by “Quest for Fire...
The French director’s first feature, the Africa-set “Black and White in Color,” won him a foreign-language Oscar, and bought him a ticket to Hollywood. Once there, he was asked if he’d like to meet Hitchcock at his chalet on the Warner Bros. lot.
“Most of all, don’t do like me; the same thing all the time. That’s very boring,” Hitchcock told him. “Crime stories bore me out of my brains.”
At a Canneseries masterclass on Friday, which was rich is such anecdote, Annaud reviewed a career which includes some of the great movies of the post Nouvelle Vague, led by “Quest for Fire...
- 4/7/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
By Todd Garbarini
Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 film Silent Running celebrates its 45th anniversary with a special screening at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles. Starring Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, and Ron Rifkin, the G-rated film runs 89 minutes and is being showcased on the big screen in a rare opportunity.
Please Note: Director Douglas Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff are scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Silent Running (1972)
45th Anniversary Screening
Wednesday, December 13, at 7:30pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts
Q&A with Special Guests Director Douglas Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 45th anniversary screening of the groundbreaking sci-fi movie Silent Running which marked the directorial debut of special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull. Set 100 years in the future, the prophetic script by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochco...
Douglas Trumbull’s 1972 film Silent Running celebrates its 45th anniversary with a special screening at Laemmle's Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles. Starring Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, and Ron Rifkin, the G-rated film runs 89 minutes and is being showcased on the big screen in a rare opportunity.
Please Note: Director Douglas Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff are scheduled to appear in person for a Q & A following the screening.
From the press release:
Silent Running (1972)
45th Anniversary Screening
Wednesday, December 13, at 7:30pm at the Ahrya Fine Arts
Q&A with Special Guests Director Douglas Trumbull and Producer Michael Gruskoff
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 45th anniversary screening of the groundbreaking sci-fi movie Silent Running which marked the directorial debut of special effects wizard Douglas Trumbull. Set 100 years in the future, the prophetic script by Deric Washburn, Michael Cimino, and Steven Bochco...
- 12/7/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
My friend Rae Dawn Chong, who starred in several Hollywood studio pictures in the 1980s like “Quest for Fire” and “Commando,” claims the now-disgraced Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein “is only the tip of an ugly iceberg” regarding the industry’s treatment of women. Chong, who used to be represented by one of the most powerful agencies in town, CAA, recalled that she was once sent to an evening meeting with then-movie star Steven Seagal in the 1980s. “9:30 p.m. at the Bel Air hotel — I was shocked at the time,” she said, but the agency excused the late hour and location,...
- 10/17/2017
- by Jordan Elgrably
- The Wrap
‘A Man Called Ove’ (Courtesy: Anders Nicander)
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The Oscar race in the best makeup and hairstyling category is heating up — and there’s one potential nominee that deserves a little more attention than the others: A Man Called Ove, the Swedish submission for best foreign language film. This work has some major competition, for sure, but is poised to make history as its quite rare for non-English films to receive this honor.
A Man Called Ove — a film based on Fredrik Backman’s 2012 book of the same name that was written and directed by Hannes Holm — is a surprising contender up against superhero and sci-fi films like Deadpool, Star Trek Beyond, and Suicide Squad as well as your typical comedy-dramas such as The Dressmaker, Florence Foster Jenkins, and Hail, Caesar! now that the Academy has announced their shortlist for the category. That being said, A...
By: Carson Blackwelder
Managing Editor
The Oscar race in the best makeup and hairstyling category is heating up — and there’s one potential nominee that deserves a little more attention than the others: A Man Called Ove, the Swedish submission for best foreign language film. This work has some major competition, for sure, but is poised to make history as its quite rare for non-English films to receive this honor.
A Man Called Ove — a film based on Fredrik Backman’s 2012 book of the same name that was written and directed by Hannes Holm — is a surprising contender up against superhero and sci-fi films like Deadpool, Star Trek Beyond, and Suicide Squad as well as your typical comedy-dramas such as The Dressmaker, Florence Foster Jenkins, and Hail, Caesar! now that the Academy has announced their shortlist for the category. That being said, A...
- 12/31/2016
- by Carson Blackwelder
- Scott Feinberg
Previous | Image 1 of 19 | NextTara Reid of ‘American Pie’ series and ‘Sharknado’ series.
Chicago – The “Days of the Dead” convention is an annual event in Chicagoland and elsewhere, that brings together admirers of the horror film genre, cult movies enthusiasts, vendors and panel discussions related to it all. Several celebrities also attend the event, including Alice Cooper, Ric Flair, Judge Reinhold and Shannon Elizabeth. The 2016 convention is being held this weekend – Nov. 18-20 – at the Chicago Schaumburg Marriott in Schaumburg, Ill. (see details below).
Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com shot this Slideshow of Exclusive portraits from last year’s Days of the Dead event. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos © Joe Arce for HollywoodChicago.com.
DAYS1: Tara Reid of ‘American Pie’ series and ‘Sharknado’ series. DAYS2: Bill Moseley of ‘The Devil’s...
Chicago – The “Days of the Dead” convention is an annual event in Chicagoland and elsewhere, that brings together admirers of the horror film genre, cult movies enthusiasts, vendors and panel discussions related to it all. Several celebrities also attend the event, including Alice Cooper, Ric Flair, Judge Reinhold and Shannon Elizabeth. The 2016 convention is being held this weekend – Nov. 18-20 – at the Chicago Schaumburg Marriott in Schaumburg, Ill. (see details below).
Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com shot this Slideshow of Exclusive portraits from last year’s Days of the Dead event. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos © Joe Arce for HollywoodChicago.com.
DAYS1: Tara Reid of ‘American Pie’ series and ‘Sharknado’ series. DAYS2: Bill Moseley of ‘The Devil’s...
- 11/18/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
While the Academy has accepted 81 submissions for the foreign language Oscar, it rejected the initial would-be entry for China. The country's first swing was for China Film Co's big-budget Mongolian wilderness adventure "Wolf Totem" (Columbia Pictures, September 11), the 13th feature from French director Jean-Jacques Annaud ("Quest for Fire"), who shot in Mandarin and Mongolian. In 1976, Annaud won the foreign Oscar for France for Africa-set "Black and White in Color," which brought him as a young man to Cameroon, so he understood "Wolf Totem," which is based on a 2004 bestseller by Jiang Rong, about city dwellers discovering a strange landscape. In the film two young Beijing students are sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Read More: How Jean-Jacques Annaud Made Mongolian Survival Tale 'Wolf Totem' (Exclusive Video) China had reason to be confident in their choice, which...
- 10/12/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
In order to make his 13th movie "Wolf Totem" without CG wolves, Jean-Jacques Annaud ("Quest for Fire," "Wings of Courage"), who has made a career out of shooting with animals in exotic locations, had to grow wolf cubs--as he did with "The Bear"-- over two to three years and train them to trust humans. The production had to wrangle 480 technicians, 200 horses, nearly 1,000 sheep, and 50 trainers and handlers, including armed guards and local farmers. Annaud dreaded filming one sequence involving an aerial drone filming 200 horses and 25 wolves running together in a blizzard at night, which was more difficult and dangerous than you can imagine. "Digital can’t capture the soul or the instinct of an actor - human or animal," says Annaud, who prefers to use CG for post-production fixes. He's never happier than when he's working with his crew on remote terrain away from the comforts of home. It's when he.
- 9/23/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Animal movies aren't just for kids anymore, but nobody made one better than this French production, which stars a pair of talented Ursine thespians doing their thing amid more beautiful mountain scenery than seems decent. It's guaranteed perfect 'watch something with the kid' material, and more than intelligent enough for consenting adult fans of the great outdoors. The Bear 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition Shout! Factory Savant Blu-ray Review 1988 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 96 min. / 25th Anniversary Collector's Edition / L'ours / Street Date September 29, 2015 / 19.99 Starring Bart the Bear, Youk the Bear, Tchéky Karyo, Jack Wallace, André Lacombe. Cinematography Philippe Rousselot Film Editor Noëlle Boisson Original Music Philippe Sarde Animal specialists Dieter Krami, Steve Martin, Doug Seus, Lynne Seus, Clint Youngreen, Jean M. Simpson. Written by Gérard Brach from the novel by Jame Oliver Curwood Produced by Claude Berri Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Bear charmed big audiences...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Bear charmed big audiences...
- 9/8/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
All week long our writers will debate: Which was the greatest film year of the past half century. Click here for a complete list of our essays. How to decide in the grand scheme of things which film year stands above all others? History gives us no clear methodology to unravel this thorny but extremely important question. Is it the year with the highest average score of movies? So a year that averages out to a B + might be the winner over a field strewn with B’s, despite a few A +’s. Or do a few masterpieces lift up a year so far that whatever else happened beyond those three or four films is of no consequence? Both measures are worthy, and the winner by either of those would certainly be a year not to be sneezed at. But I contend the only true measure of a year’s...
- 4/27/2015
- by Richard Rushfield
- Hitfix
The first teaser has dropped for Steve Oram's (Sightseers) directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah!, which is billed as "Romeo & Juliet meets Planet of the Apes". Wowzers.
The high-concept film sees the film's actors favouring grunts for traditional dialogue, a la Quest for Fire. That's really all we know at this point.
Besides Oram, the film stars Alice Lowe, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt and Toyah Wilcox.
Let's just say we're extremely excited to see what
Recommended Release: Sightseers
[Continued ...]...
The high-concept film sees the film's actors favouring grunts for traditional dialogue, a la Quest for Fire. That's really all we know at this point.
Besides Oram, the film stars Alice Lowe, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Noel Fielding, Julian Barratt and Toyah Wilcox.
Let's just say we're extremely excited to see what
Recommended Release: Sightseers
[Continued ...]...
- 4/13/2015
- QuietEarth.us
As the title of Ron Perlman's memoir Easy Street (the Hard Way) implies, the actor—whose Amazon pilot, Hand of God, recently got a season order and who voices a character in the Guillermo del Toro-produced animated feature The Book of Life now in theaters—has a life story full of ups and downs. "The book is very much about how every time something really, really bad happens, there's a resolve that takes place as you heal your way out of it," he says. "One of my favorite quotes, which is really representative of the book, is that...
- 10/17/2014
- by Mandi Bierly
- EW.com - PopWatch
The giant worms known as Graboids are back to snack on unlucky surface dwellers in Tremors 5, but standing in their way as always is the indomitable Burt Gummer (Michael Gross). Filming on the latest installment in Universal’s horror franchise that began in 1990 is now underway in South Africa, with Jamie “Randy Meeks” Kennedy starring opposite Gross and Don Michael Paul in the director’s chair:
Written by Tremors 3: Back to Perfection scribe John Whelpley, Tremors 5 will come out on home media in 2016. We have the official press release with full details:
“Universal City, Calif., Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The fifth heart-pounding installment in the action-packed sci-fi comedy-adventure franchise, Tremors 5 began principal photography in South Africa on September 22, 2014. With even more deadly creatures on the loose, Tremors 5 continues the films’ hallmark combination of adrenaline-laced suspense, explosive action and tongue-in-cheek humor. Michael Gross returns for his fifth appearance in the Tremors films alongside new cast member,...
Written by Tremors 3: Back to Perfection scribe John Whelpley, Tremors 5 will come out on home media in 2016. We have the official press release with full details:
“Universal City, Calif., Oct. 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The fifth heart-pounding installment in the action-packed sci-fi comedy-adventure franchise, Tremors 5 began principal photography in South Africa on September 22, 2014. With even more deadly creatures on the loose, Tremors 5 continues the films’ hallmark combination of adrenaline-laced suspense, explosive action and tongue-in-cheek humor. Michael Gross returns for his fifth appearance in the Tremors films alongside new cast member,...
- 10/16/2014
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
This story was originally published in the February 21st, 1991 issue of Rolling Stone.
Mr. and Mrs. Robin Williams are slow dancing. The time: a winter afternoon. The place: a photographer's studio in the Chelsea section of New York. The music: high-decibel funk. Everybody else in the studio is abuzz — adjusting lights, fussing with props, running back and forth from the kitchen with sushi. Still, Williams and his wife, Marsha, keep coming together in these quick, sweet tableaux. It's strange to see the thirty-nine-year-old actor and comedian with his guard down...
Mr. and Mrs. Robin Williams are slow dancing. The time: a winter afternoon. The place: a photographer's studio in the Chelsea section of New York. The music: high-decibel funk. Everybody else in the studio is abuzz — adjusting lights, fussing with props, running back and forth from the kitchen with sushi. Still, Williams and his wife, Marsha, keep coming together in these quick, sweet tableaux. It's strange to see the thirty-nine-year-old actor and comedian with his guard down...
- 8/12/2014
- Rollingstone.com
Listening to Hollywood producer Michael Gruskoff talk about his experiences with some of the most legendary directors is an awe-inspiring learning experience. In a business so reluctant to taking chances that might represent financial loss, Gruskoff has placed it all on the line in order to support original voices and talent outside the norm. Although he admits that some of his projects were more successful than others, he remains certain that he always went with his gut in pursuit of talent. In that regard, he has undoubtedly overachieved.
The list of people he has worked with includes acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog , Jean-Jacques Annaud , Mel Brooks , and Stanley Donen. Gruskoff has always had an international taste and is unafraid of searching for stories abroad. Not surprisingly, he is a member of the Academy’s Foreign Language Film branch, to which he returned, invited by Mark Johnson, the head of the Foreign Language Committee, after serving there in the past. Once again he brings his expertise and eclectic global influences to support the Academy in its efforts to highlight World Cinema as a crucial element of the film industry.
Winner of a Cesar Award for the film Quest for Fire , and an outspoken defendant of the filmmaking craft over the cult of celebrity, Mr. Gruskoff is a humble creative person. Still fully in love with cinema despite the ups and downs the industry throws at anyone who attempts to make a living out of its unstable magic, it is incredible to see that passion for a great story is still Michael Gruskoff’s prime motivation. This writer had the privilege to talk to Mr. Gruskoff’s a couple weeks ago in Beverly Hills. Here is what he shared with us.
Carlos Aguilar: Could you tell us how you got started in the film industry?
Michael Gruskoff: I started in the N.Y. mailroom of the William Morris Agency and ended my agency career at Creative Management Associates. While at Cma I was representing Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda during Easy Rider, as well as Robert Redford, Natalie Wood ,Faye Dunaway, amongst others. I started getting the producing "bug" while representing Albert Ruddy and Irwin Winkler, having been instrumental in the packaging of some of their films. It was an exciting time in the industry, with the success of Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, and The Graduate, the studios were open to taking chances with new talent and ideas. Ned Tanen at Universal set up an independent division and asked me to run it but I opted to make an overall three picture production deal. I went into business with Douglas Trumbull, Michael Cimino, Sam Shepard and Steven Bochco and independently developed low budget scripts off the studio lot. It kicked off with Dennie Hopper's The Last Movie and Silent Running, a science fiction film dealing with environmental issues. I also developed a script called Conquering Horse with Cimino, which we were going to do in the Sioux language, a predecessor to Dances With Wolves, but it was tabled because of budget issues.
Aguilar: How did your interest in foreign cinema developed?
Gruskoff: Seeing Luis Buñuel , Ingmar Bergman , Vittorio De Sica, and Akira Kurosawa's films got me interested in foreign cinema. Another filmmaker that impressed me was Gillo Pontecorvo the director of The Battle of Algiers, which is one of the great anti-war movies. I was an agent at the time, and asked him if I could represent him. He said "Michael, I don't make that many movies, and you are not going to make any money with me because I'm not interested in working in the Hollywood system" I said, "It’s Ok, you can come to me if you're having trouble raising money for a project/" He said "That could work, but please do not send me any scripts." I was also Anouk Aimée's agent when she did A Man and a Woman with Claude Lelouch. She was responsible for me meeting many people in French and Italian cinema. She's a great lady.
Aguilar : What were your thoughts on the batch of films submitted this past year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? Were there any you consider highlights?
Gruskoff : You always look for a diamond that might be there. You have to see films from some 70 countries and many do not work, but being part of the industry I feel it's my way of supporting the Academy. You have to see four films a week, and with the addition of seeing new films. the internet, plus cable, and family etc. It's an overload of information. I did see a jewel of a film from Iceland called Of Horses and Men directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. We have been in touch and are in the process of discussing a project he is writing. He's a bold new voice.
Aguilar: How do you think this category benefits the industry and foreign filmmakers?
Gruskoff: Foreign filmmakers want us to see their films. They have stories they want to tell and we have the ability to make their dreams come through. It benefits us to see what's being made around the world because we are all part of the film community.
It's interesting talking to Bernardo Bertolucci about Italian realism and how those great Italian films and directors came together in the late 40s, 50s and 60s with Rossellini and Fellini , Visconti, etc. After Mussolini and the end of Ww 2 there was such exuberance that filmmakers ran into streets and started making movies. It was a great period in Italian Cinema.
Aguilar: Do you believe this nostalgia for those filmmakers influenced voters to choose The Great Beauty as the winner?
Gruskoff: Sorrentino is s very talented director and he carries the torch of Fellini. I liked The Great Beauty and I also loved his Il Divo
Aguilar: When watching these or any other film, as a producer do you look for something different in them from what a director or an actor might?
Gruskoff: I'm just hoping that when the lights go down I'll see a good film. I want to be entertained and have it not be a waste my time. When I saw 12 Years a Slave it blew me away. Steve McQueen is a great filmmaker because he puts all his passion on the screen and he doesn't cop out. It was real. I like movies that don't pander to the audience.
Aguilar: Would you say all of the 76 films submitted were on a level playing field, despite some of them being obscure titles and not having a festival run?
Gruskoff : I saw a real voice in Benedikt Erlingsson, Sebastian Lelio with Gloria , The Hunt , Omar , The Past , The Missing Picture , or The Broken Circle Breakdown.The directors have something to say and they know how to say it. An interesting thing is when you are seeing that many movies in an environment where the people like films, you really start getting into it. Like being at a Festival.
Aguilar: Now that you mention the Academy wants to promote foreign films, how do you perceive the role of world cinema in Hollywood today? Is it more influential?
Gruskoff: Definitely. 2/3 of the box-office comes from foreign markets. More films will be made with Asian and European talent to bolster their international box-office. Moviegoers in those countries like to see a character they can relate to as long as it's realistically part of the story.
Aguilar: On that note, can you talk about the international filmmakers you've work with throughout your career?
Gruskoff: I met Paul Verhoeven after seeing Soldier Of Orange, one of his earlier films. We developed a screenplay called Harry’s Tale. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time and the budget was too high.
After seeing The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog , I called him. He mentioned Nosferatu the Vampyre , and said he wanted to remake it and it would be a film that "the likes of which the world has never seen before", and I told him "Please be my guest" [Laughs]. I got the financing from Fox and we made it for $900,000 starring Isabelle Adjani , Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. . Werner is a tremendously innovative film director.
I briefly worked with Russian director, Andrey Konchalovskiy , we developed a story that never got to be a screenplay.
Following that, Jean-Jacques Annaud gave me the English translation of a book called “La guerre de feu”, which is Quest for Fire . The film became an international hit and it earned us 5 Cesar Awards including Best Picture. It was a great moment when Orson Welles handed me the award.
Aguilar: One of the great American directors you worked with was Mel Brooks, how did that relationship begin?
Gruskoff: I had briefly met Mel Brooks when I was working in the mail room at William Morris Agency in New York. At the time I was 22 and he was 32, and he had already achieved success in television.
Mike Medavoy worked as an agent at Cma during the early 70s and wanted me to come back and work with him. I wanted to continue producing, and he gave me the treatment for a movie called Young Frankenstein.written by Gene Wilder. I said I wanted to produce it , but Gene said that it was up to Mel Brooks to decide. Having met Mel Brooks earlier and since he actually remembered and liked me, he said "Let's do it ...get the deal." At that point in Mel's career, he made two terrific films, The Twelve Chairs and The Producers, both films did not make money and he was just starting to reignite his career with pre-production on Blazing Saddles.
I set Young Frankensteinn up at Columbia but they passed because the budget was too high and Mel, rightfully so, wanted to make it in Black & White. They were insisting that it should be in color. I gave it to my friend Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and he said yes with an even bigger budget than we had. Seven years later Mel and I did My Favorite Year based on an idea I had. The original script was written by Norman Steinberg and Mel helped develop and executive produce it.. Peter O'Toole was a dream to work with and I learned a lot about filmmaking working with him.
Aguilar: Going back to the Foreign Language Academy Award, back when the shortlist and eventually the nominees were announced, there was much talk about several films being snubbed, including Gloria and The Past. Why do you think these weren't included?
Gruskoff: Gloria probably didn’t get nominated because it wasn’t as serious as some of the other films. We will be hearing a lot from its director Sebastian Lelio. On the other hand, it's about preferential viewing, Farhadi makes very specific movies. He is a serious filmmaker, and he is a very good storyteller. He is another director that tells it how it is. His films are like reading a book with great characters, It was one of my favorite films but it was a tough movie for some people. He is what he is, take it or leave it. He just does his thing.
Aguilar: Are there any filmmakers you would like to work with in the future? Anyone who has caught your eye?
Gruskoff: Sure, David O. Russell would be great. [Laughs]. Other great directors whom I would love to work with are Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan , David Fincher, or Kathryn Bigelow ....who wouldn't!
Aguilar: Where do you think the industry is going, with all the awards campaigns and the more glamorous, less artistic, side of the business becoming so prominent?
Gruskoff: The industry has become more about celebrity. After seeing 12 Years a Slave at the Pacific Designer Center early on, I knew McQueen's work was just beginning. He was going to have to live between L.A. and N.Y.C. to attend press events and Q&As for the next six months....longer than it took to shoot the film. Fashion has also joined the fray to cross-promote films.
Just a few years ago when Sydney Pollack made a movie and the distribution people received the print, the filmmakers promotion schedule was not as arduous. Going to 2 or 3 major cities with the actors before the film opened. Now it has become so celebrity-driven with all the different outlets fighting for space, it has gotten out of hand. If you have Brad Pitt producing or Ben Affleck starring, you have an opportunity to promote your film on every talk show. It cuts your marketing costs, which are very expensive and getting even more expensive, even with the help of the internet.
Aguilar: What are your future plans? Looking back your career are there any regrets?
Gruskoff: As a producer you are always looking for a good story. I did Quest for Fire and my friends said “Don’t you have something better to do with your time? You will never get it made.” Miraculously it did get made. I’d like to do dark comedies in the vein of American Beauty or Fargo. It's about what turns you on, what gives you a rush, because it is such a difficult journey. You never know what's around the corner.
The list of people he has worked with includes acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog , Jean-Jacques Annaud , Mel Brooks , and Stanley Donen. Gruskoff has always had an international taste and is unafraid of searching for stories abroad. Not surprisingly, he is a member of the Academy’s Foreign Language Film branch, to which he returned, invited by Mark Johnson, the head of the Foreign Language Committee, after serving there in the past. Once again he brings his expertise and eclectic global influences to support the Academy in its efforts to highlight World Cinema as a crucial element of the film industry.
Winner of a Cesar Award for the film Quest for Fire , and an outspoken defendant of the filmmaking craft over the cult of celebrity, Mr. Gruskoff is a humble creative person. Still fully in love with cinema despite the ups and downs the industry throws at anyone who attempts to make a living out of its unstable magic, it is incredible to see that passion for a great story is still Michael Gruskoff’s prime motivation. This writer had the privilege to talk to Mr. Gruskoff’s a couple weeks ago in Beverly Hills. Here is what he shared with us.
Carlos Aguilar: Could you tell us how you got started in the film industry?
Michael Gruskoff: I started in the N.Y. mailroom of the William Morris Agency and ended my agency career at Creative Management Associates. While at Cma I was representing Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda during Easy Rider, as well as Robert Redford, Natalie Wood ,Faye Dunaway, amongst others. I started getting the producing "bug" while representing Albert Ruddy and Irwin Winkler, having been instrumental in the packaging of some of their films. It was an exciting time in the industry, with the success of Easy Rider, Midnight Cowboy, and The Graduate, the studios were open to taking chances with new talent and ideas. Ned Tanen at Universal set up an independent division and asked me to run it but I opted to make an overall three picture production deal. I went into business with Douglas Trumbull, Michael Cimino, Sam Shepard and Steven Bochco and independently developed low budget scripts off the studio lot. It kicked off with Dennie Hopper's The Last Movie and Silent Running, a science fiction film dealing with environmental issues. I also developed a script called Conquering Horse with Cimino, which we were going to do in the Sioux language, a predecessor to Dances With Wolves, but it was tabled because of budget issues.
Aguilar: How did your interest in foreign cinema developed?
Gruskoff: Seeing Luis Buñuel , Ingmar Bergman , Vittorio De Sica, and Akira Kurosawa's films got me interested in foreign cinema. Another filmmaker that impressed me was Gillo Pontecorvo the director of The Battle of Algiers, which is one of the great anti-war movies. I was an agent at the time, and asked him if I could represent him. He said "Michael, I don't make that many movies, and you are not going to make any money with me because I'm not interested in working in the Hollywood system" I said, "It’s Ok, you can come to me if you're having trouble raising money for a project/" He said "That could work, but please do not send me any scripts." I was also Anouk Aimée's agent when she did A Man and a Woman with Claude Lelouch. She was responsible for me meeting many people in French and Italian cinema. She's a great lady.
Aguilar : What were your thoughts on the batch of films submitted this past year for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film? Were there any you consider highlights?
Gruskoff : You always look for a diamond that might be there. You have to see films from some 70 countries and many do not work, but being part of the industry I feel it's my way of supporting the Academy. You have to see four films a week, and with the addition of seeing new films. the internet, plus cable, and family etc. It's an overload of information. I did see a jewel of a film from Iceland called Of Horses and Men directed by Benedikt Erlingsson. We have been in touch and are in the process of discussing a project he is writing. He's a bold new voice.
Aguilar: How do you think this category benefits the industry and foreign filmmakers?
Gruskoff: Foreign filmmakers want us to see their films. They have stories they want to tell and we have the ability to make their dreams come through. It benefits us to see what's being made around the world because we are all part of the film community.
It's interesting talking to Bernardo Bertolucci about Italian realism and how those great Italian films and directors came together in the late 40s, 50s and 60s with Rossellini and Fellini , Visconti, etc. After Mussolini and the end of Ww 2 there was such exuberance that filmmakers ran into streets and started making movies. It was a great period in Italian Cinema.
Aguilar: Do you believe this nostalgia for those filmmakers influenced voters to choose The Great Beauty as the winner?
Gruskoff: Sorrentino is s very talented director and he carries the torch of Fellini. I liked The Great Beauty and I also loved his Il Divo
Aguilar: When watching these or any other film, as a producer do you look for something different in them from what a director or an actor might?
Gruskoff: I'm just hoping that when the lights go down I'll see a good film. I want to be entertained and have it not be a waste my time. When I saw 12 Years a Slave it blew me away. Steve McQueen is a great filmmaker because he puts all his passion on the screen and he doesn't cop out. It was real. I like movies that don't pander to the audience.
Aguilar: Would you say all of the 76 films submitted were on a level playing field, despite some of them being obscure titles and not having a festival run?
Gruskoff : I saw a real voice in Benedikt Erlingsson, Sebastian Lelio with Gloria , The Hunt , Omar , The Past , The Missing Picture , or The Broken Circle Breakdown.The directors have something to say and they know how to say it. An interesting thing is when you are seeing that many movies in an environment where the people like films, you really start getting into it. Like being at a Festival.
Aguilar: Now that you mention the Academy wants to promote foreign films, how do you perceive the role of world cinema in Hollywood today? Is it more influential?
Gruskoff: Definitely. 2/3 of the box-office comes from foreign markets. More films will be made with Asian and European talent to bolster their international box-office. Moviegoers in those countries like to see a character they can relate to as long as it's realistically part of the story.
Aguilar: On that note, can you talk about the international filmmakers you've work with throughout your career?
Gruskoff: I met Paul Verhoeven after seeing Soldier Of Orange, one of his earlier films. We developed a screenplay called Harry’s Tale. Unfortunately, it was ahead of its time and the budget was too high.
After seeing The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser by Werner Herzog , I called him. He mentioned Nosferatu the Vampyre , and said he wanted to remake it and it would be a film that "the likes of which the world has never seen before", and I told him "Please be my guest" [Laughs]. I got the financing from Fox and we made it for $900,000 starring Isabelle Adjani , Klaus Kinski and Bruno Ganz. . Werner is a tremendously innovative film director.
I briefly worked with Russian director, Andrey Konchalovskiy , we developed a story that never got to be a screenplay.
Following that, Jean-Jacques Annaud gave me the English translation of a book called “La guerre de feu”, which is Quest for Fire . The film became an international hit and it earned us 5 Cesar Awards including Best Picture. It was a great moment when Orson Welles handed me the award.
Aguilar: One of the great American directors you worked with was Mel Brooks, how did that relationship begin?
Gruskoff: I had briefly met Mel Brooks when I was working in the mail room at William Morris Agency in New York. At the time I was 22 and he was 32, and he had already achieved success in television.
Mike Medavoy worked as an agent at Cma during the early 70s and wanted me to come back and work with him. I wanted to continue producing, and he gave me the treatment for a movie called Young Frankenstein.written by Gene Wilder. I said I wanted to produce it , but Gene said that it was up to Mel Brooks to decide. Having met Mel Brooks earlier and since he actually remembered and liked me, he said "Let's do it ...get the deal." At that point in Mel's career, he made two terrific films, The Twelve Chairs and The Producers, both films did not make money and he was just starting to reignite his career with pre-production on Blazing Saddles.
I set Young Frankensteinn up at Columbia but they passed because the budget was too high and Mel, rightfully so, wanted to make it in Black & White. They were insisting that it should be in color. I gave it to my friend Alan Ladd Jr. at Fox and he said yes with an even bigger budget than we had. Seven years later Mel and I did My Favorite Year based on an idea I had. The original script was written by Norman Steinberg and Mel helped develop and executive produce it.. Peter O'Toole was a dream to work with and I learned a lot about filmmaking working with him.
Aguilar: Going back to the Foreign Language Academy Award, back when the shortlist and eventually the nominees were announced, there was much talk about several films being snubbed, including Gloria and The Past. Why do you think these weren't included?
Gruskoff: Gloria probably didn’t get nominated because it wasn’t as serious as some of the other films. We will be hearing a lot from its director Sebastian Lelio. On the other hand, it's about preferential viewing, Farhadi makes very specific movies. He is a serious filmmaker, and he is a very good storyteller. He is another director that tells it how it is. His films are like reading a book with great characters, It was one of my favorite films but it was a tough movie for some people. He is what he is, take it or leave it. He just does his thing.
Aguilar: Are there any filmmakers you would like to work with in the future? Anyone who has caught your eye?
Gruskoff: Sure, David O. Russell would be great. [Laughs]. Other great directors whom I would love to work with are Steve McQueen, Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan , David Fincher, or Kathryn Bigelow ....who wouldn't!
Aguilar: Where do you think the industry is going, with all the awards campaigns and the more glamorous, less artistic, side of the business becoming so prominent?
Gruskoff: The industry has become more about celebrity. After seeing 12 Years a Slave at the Pacific Designer Center early on, I knew McQueen's work was just beginning. He was going to have to live between L.A. and N.Y.C. to attend press events and Q&As for the next six months....longer than it took to shoot the film. Fashion has also joined the fray to cross-promote films.
Just a few years ago when Sydney Pollack made a movie and the distribution people received the print, the filmmakers promotion schedule was not as arduous. Going to 2 or 3 major cities with the actors before the film opened. Now it has become so celebrity-driven with all the different outlets fighting for space, it has gotten out of hand. If you have Brad Pitt producing or Ben Affleck starring, you have an opportunity to promote your film on every talk show. It cuts your marketing costs, which are very expensive and getting even more expensive, even with the help of the internet.
Aguilar: What are your future plans? Looking back your career are there any regrets?
Gruskoff: As a producer you are always looking for a good story. I did Quest for Fire and my friends said “Don’t you have something better to do with your time? You will never get it made.” Miraculously it did get made. I’d like to do dark comedies in the vein of American Beauty or Fargo. It's about what turns you on, what gives you a rush, because it is such a difficult journey. You never know what's around the corner.
- 6/2/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
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.