Exclusive: Louis McCartney describes himself as “a West End baby” because before he was cast to play boyish-looking monster Henry Creel in the Stranger Things stage show The First Shadow, he’d never performed on stage in his life.
“They were coaching me how to speak properly, how to project my voice,” McCartney says of the countless recalls he endured during the auditioning process.
The key was: Could McCartney play “the sweet little by whose mum loved him” who also happens to be “a killer” who’s “psychiatric at heart.”
McCartney nails it all with one of the most breathtaking debut performances in the West End.
The show’s director, Stephen Daldry, remembers seeing McCartney out of the corner of his eye during an open casting call. The lad from Belfast was sitting quietly in a corner when Daldry remarked to casting director Jessica Ronane and dialect coach William Conacher,...
“They were coaching me how to speak properly, how to project my voice,” McCartney says of the countless recalls he endured during the auditioning process.
The key was: Could McCartney play “the sweet little by whose mum loved him” who also happens to be “a killer” who’s “psychiatric at heart.”
McCartney nails it all with one of the most breathtaking debut performances in the West End.
The show’s director, Stephen Daldry, remembers seeing McCartney out of the corner of his eye during an open casting call. The lad from Belfast was sitting quietly in a corner when Daldry remarked to casting director Jessica Ronane and dialect coach William Conacher,...
- 3/6/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Housing in America is becoming a huge issue, with astronomical housing prices beginning to eliminate a generation of potential home buyers. Monthly rents are soaring; it’s a real-life issue ripe for dramatic exploration in both features and television. Deadline reports that a new film set in Portland based on the novel “The Night Always Comes,” written Willy Vlautin, is in the works and will explore some of those grim housing/debt issues.
Continue reading ‘The Night Always Comes’: Vanessa Kirby & Director Benjamin Caron Reunite For Portland-Set Noir Drama At Netflix at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Night Always Comes’: Vanessa Kirby & Director Benjamin Caron Reunite For Portland-Set Noir Drama At Netflix at The Playlist.
- 3/5/2024
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Exclusive: Napoleon star Vanessa Kirby will reunite with The Crown’s Benjamin Caron on a movie based on Willy Vlautin’s 2021 novel The Night Always Comes, about a working-class woman in the Pacific Northwest who embarks on a 24-hour quest to call in old debts and raise enough money to keep a roof over her head.
Netflix has acquired the project for release.
Kirby portrayed Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown and many of the episodes she appeared in were directed by Caron.
Caron was also a director of Disney+ series Andor. Last year, he directed Apple Studios feature film Sharper, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton.
The Night Always Comes film is based on a screenplay by Seattle-based screenwriter Sarah Conradt whose credits include Mothers’ Instinct and 50 States of Fright. Vlautin’s 2010 book Lean on Pete was adapted and directed...
Netflix has acquired the project for release.
Kirby portrayed Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of The Crown and many of the episodes she appeared in were directed by Caron.
Caron was also a director of Disney+ series Andor. Last year, he directed Apple Studios feature film Sharper, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton.
The Night Always Comes film is based on a screenplay by Seattle-based screenwriter Sarah Conradt whose credits include Mothers’ Instinct and 50 States of Fright. Vlautin’s 2010 book Lean on Pete was adapted and directed...
- 3/5/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
The comedy-drama series ‘Succession’ is getting in the groove. The series which boasted most nominations with 27 nods, won its third award at the currently ongoing 75th edition of Primetime Emmy Awards. Mark Mylod won the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for his work on the true crime series.
His fellow nominees included Benjamin Caron for ‘Andor’, Dearbhla Walsh for ‘Bad Sisters’, Peter Hoar for ‘The Last of Us’ and Andrij Parekh for ‘Succession’.
The official handle of Television Academy took to their official handle on X, and wrote: “Mark Mylod wins the #Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for @Succession ( @HBO / @streamonmax )! #Emmys #75thEmmys.”
‘Succession’ follows the story of the Roy family, the owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards...
His fellow nominees included Benjamin Caron for ‘Andor’, Dearbhla Walsh for ‘Bad Sisters’, Peter Hoar for ‘The Last of Us’ and Andrij Parekh for ‘Succession’.
The official handle of Television Academy took to their official handle on X, and wrote: “Mark Mylod wins the #Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for @Succession ( @HBO / @streamonmax )! #Emmys #75thEmmys.”
‘Succession’ follows the story of the Roy family, the owners of global media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo, and their fight for control of the company amidst uncertainty about the health of the family’s patriarch.
The 75th Primetime Emmy Awards...
- 1/16/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
The 75th Primetime Emmys offer the biggest night in television, as the stars and creators of entertainment on the small screen gather to celebrate each other. Anthony Anderson hosted the 2024 Emmys broadcast, which honored the finest in drama and comedy on television, as well as some love for limited series, variety shows, and even reality television.
"Succession" came away as the big winner with the trophy for Drama Series, as well as a couple of major acting awards for Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook. On the comedy side, "The Bear" won the top Comedy Series prize, while stars Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all won acting awards too. Finally, in the limited series category, "Beef" walked away with the major award for Limited Series, with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong taking home acting awards. Plus, the directors and writers for all of those shows took home trophies too.
"Succession" came away as the big winner with the trophy for Drama Series, as well as a couple of major acting awards for Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook. On the comedy side, "The Bear" won the top Comedy Series prize, while stars Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach all won acting awards too. Finally, in the limited series category, "Beef" walked away with the major award for Limited Series, with Steven Yeun and Ali Wong taking home acting awards. Plus, the directors and writers for all of those shows took home trophies too.
- 1/16/2024
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
At long last, the 2023 (ahem, 2024) Emmy Awards are almost here. Six months after the nominees were first announced, the 75th annual Emmys will air live on Monday, Jan. 15 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) at 5 p.m. Pt/8 p.m. Et on Fox.
The 2024 Emmy Awards will also be available to stream on-demand on Hulu on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Cord-cutters who want to watch the star-studded ceremony live without cable can stream it online with any internet-based streaming service that carries Fox, including DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or Sling.
While many multi-season dramas and comedies (including Succession, Better Call Saul and The Crown) may be a challenge to binge-watch in their entirety ahead of the Emmys (kudos if you do!), there’s plenty of time to catch up on the debut seasons of buzzy Emmy-nominated shows and limited series such as The Last of Us, The Bear, The Curse and Beef,...
The 2024 Emmy Awards will also be available to stream on-demand on Hulu on Tuesday, Jan. 16. Cord-cutters who want to watch the star-studded ceremony live without cable can stream it online with any internet-based streaming service that carries Fox, including DirecTV, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV or Sling.
While many multi-season dramas and comedies (including Succession, Better Call Saul and The Crown) may be a challenge to binge-watch in their entirety ahead of the Emmys (kudos if you do!), there’s plenty of time to catch up on the debut seasons of buzzy Emmy-nominated shows and limited series such as The Last of Us, The Bear, The Curse and Beef,...
- 1/5/2024
- by Danielle Directo-Meston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Weekly Commentary: Official commentary coming soon.
The final Emmy voting rounds open on Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. Pt and close on Aug. 28 at 10 p.m. Pst.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Creative Arts predictions in all categories.
2022 category...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2023 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Weekly Commentary: Official commentary coming soon.
The final Emmy voting rounds open on Aug. 17 at 9 a.m. Pt and close on Aug. 28 at 10 p.m. Pst.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Creative Arts predictions in all categories.
2022 category...
- 8/3/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
May the Force be with… Emmy voters? Disney Plus amassed an impressive 40 Emmy nominations this year (up from 34 last year) thanks to its stable of “Star Wars” saga hits, which accounted for more than half of the mouse house’s total haul of 23 bids — nine for “The Mandalorian,” eight for “Andor,” five for “Obi-Wan Kenobi” and one for docuseries “Light & Magic.”
Although “Mandalorian” nabbed nine bids, the real success story this year is “Andor,” scoring a Best Drama Series nomination for its debut season plus writing and directing bids and five Creative Arts noms. The latest live-action series in the Disney-era “Star Wars” franchise, “Andor” serves as a prequel to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016) and also by extension to the original Oscar-winning classic “Star Wars” (1977).
Diego Luna reprises his “Rogue One” role as the titular interplanetary thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor and also serves as an executive producer on the series,...
Although “Mandalorian” nabbed nine bids, the real success story this year is “Andor,” scoring a Best Drama Series nomination for its debut season plus writing and directing bids and five Creative Arts noms. The latest live-action series in the Disney-era “Star Wars” franchise, “Andor” serves as a prequel to “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016) and also by extension to the original Oscar-winning classic “Star Wars” (1977).
Diego Luna reprises his “Rogue One” role as the titular interplanetary thief-turned-Rebel spy Cassian Andor and also serves as an executive producer on the series,...
- 7/30/2023
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Star Wars won over the Television Academy once again, with major category Primetime Emmy noms for Tony Gilroy’s Andor in outstanding drama series, and Obi Wan Kenobi in the outstanding limited series.
It was the first season for both shows, Andor being a spinoff of the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story while Obi-Wan Kenobi took place in the aftermath of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Episode III. Andor scored eight Emmy noms, while Obi-Wan Kenobi nabbed five. Andor is from Gilroy who did last minute shoots and wrote on Rogue One, the series talking place before that pre-Episode IV movie following the early days of Rebel warrior Cassian Andor played by Diego Luna who is also an EP on the show.
It’s the fourth time in the Disney+ streaming era that the Lucasfilm sci-fi IP has scored top program Emmy noms after Mandalorian‘s drama...
It was the first season for both shows, Andor being a spinoff of the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story while Obi-Wan Kenobi took place in the aftermath of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith – Episode III. Andor scored eight Emmy noms, while Obi-Wan Kenobi nabbed five. Andor is from Gilroy who did last minute shoots and wrote on Rogue One, the series talking place before that pre-Episode IV movie following the early days of Rebel warrior Cassian Andor played by Diego Luna who is also an EP on the show.
It’s the fourth time in the Disney+ streaming era that the Lucasfilm sci-fi IP has scored top program Emmy noms after Mandalorian‘s drama...
- 7/12/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Elias Koteas (Shutter Island) and Briana Middleton (The Tender Bar) have been set to topline Silent Planet, a sci-fi thriller written and directed by Jeffrey St. Jules (Bang Bang Baby), which has wrapped production in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, and been picked up for worldwide distribution by Quiver Distribution.
Produced by Andrew Bronfman’s Good Movies, Jonathan Bronfman’s JoBro Productions and Mark O’Neill’s St. John’s-based Panoramic Pictures, the film follows two prisoners in the near future who are sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor on a distant planet. As things unravel, they become increasingly paranoid and start to lose a sense of who they are and their past lives.
Pic was produced in association with Telefilm Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, Canada Media Fund, New Tang Dynasty and Vigilante Productions. Allan Ungar and Jason Jallet exec produced alongside Quiver’s Jeff Sackman and Berry Meyerowitz,...
Produced by Andrew Bronfman’s Good Movies, Jonathan Bronfman’s JoBro Productions and Mark O’Neill’s St. John’s-based Panoramic Pictures, the film follows two prisoners in the near future who are sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor on a distant planet. As things unravel, they become increasingly paranoid and start to lose a sense of who they are and their past lives.
Pic was produced in association with Telefilm Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Film Development Corporation, Canada Media Fund, New Tang Dynasty and Vigilante Productions. Allan Ungar and Jason Jallet exec produced alongside Quiver’s Jeff Sackman and Berry Meyerowitz,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Deep Dive” is an in-depth podcast and video essay series featuring interviews with the stars and creative team behind an exceptional piece of filmmaking. For this edition, the IndieWire Crafts and Special Projects team partnered with Disney+ to take a closer look at the “Andor” Season 1 finale, Episode 12 (“Rix Road”), with costume designer Michael Wilkinson, production designer Luke Hull, composer Nicholas Britell, editor Yan Miles, executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg, and executive producer/actor Diego Luna.
Related Stories ‘Hijack’ Ends Not with a Whimper but with a Bang — Here’s How They Created That Tense Landing ‘Oppenheimer’ Isn’t the Only Christopher Nolan Film Playing in 70mm This Summer
It’s one of the most stirring and beautifully crafted season finales in recent memory. With the death of Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), her son, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) — followed by the Isb and rebellion forces hunting him — returns to the planet Ferrix,...
Related Stories ‘Hijack’ Ends Not with a Whimper but with a Bang — Here’s How They Created That Tense Landing ‘Oppenheimer’ Isn’t the Only Christopher Nolan Film Playing in 70mm This Summer
It’s one of the most stirring and beautifully crafted season finales in recent memory. With the death of Maarva Andor (Fiona Shaw), her son, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) — followed by the Isb and rebellion forces hunting him — returns to the planet Ferrix,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Chris O'Falt and Sarah Shachat
- Indiewire
With three “Star Wars” series competing for the first time in the same Emmy season — especially in the craft races — how can the critically acclaimed yet underperforming “Andor” hold its own against “The Mandalorian” (which has amassed 14 craft wins in two seasons), let alone the Jedi-infused “Obi-Wan Kenobi” limited series?
Simple: By touting its strengths as one of the top 10 shows of 2022 (per IndieWire’s Ben Travers), as well as the best “Star Wars” since “Rogue One,” which first introduced Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as part of the daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. In the “Andor” prequel, created by Tony Gilroy (who co-wrote “Rogue One”), we find out how Cassian went from world-weary scavenger to conniving Rebel spy.
Beyond sci-fi, it’s a gritty spy thriller that emphasizes politics more than any other “Star Wars” show, slowly filing in the details of this complex loner, who...
Simple: By touting its strengths as one of the top 10 shows of 2022 (per IndieWire’s Ben Travers), as well as the best “Star Wars” since “Rogue One,” which first introduced Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as part of the daring mission to steal the Death Star plans. In the “Andor” prequel, created by Tony Gilroy (who co-wrote “Rogue One”), we find out how Cassian went from world-weary scavenger to conniving Rebel spy.
Beyond sci-fi, it’s a gritty spy thriller that emphasizes politics more than any other “Star Wars” show, slowly filing in the details of this complex loner, who...
- 4/20/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
This is turning into a banner year for movies shot on Kodak film, led by such Oscar hopefuls as Christopher Nolan’s IMAX’d “Oppenheimer” biopic, Martin Scorsese’s first Western, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein film, “Maestro,” Wes Anderson’s latest, “Asteroid City,” and Yorgos Lanthimos’ subversive “Frankenstein” re-imagining “Poor Things.”
And those are just the prestige films.
Likewise, Cannes Film Festival boasted 29 features and shorts shot on Kodak film, including such Oscar hopefuls as Martin Scorsese’s first Western “Killers of the Flower Moon,” (shot by Rodrigo Prieto), Wes Anderson’s ’50s sci-fi comedy-drama, “Asteroid City” (shot by Robert Yeoman) Ken Loach’s “The Old Oak,” about a pub in tension-filled Northeast England, (shot by Robbie Ryan), and Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City,” a documentary about Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II (shot by Lennert Hillege).
Four on-film entries compete for the Palme d’Or.
And those are just the prestige films.
Likewise, Cannes Film Festival boasted 29 features and shorts shot on Kodak film, including such Oscar hopefuls as Martin Scorsese’s first Western “Killers of the Flower Moon,” (shot by Rodrigo Prieto), Wes Anderson’s ’50s sci-fi comedy-drama, “Asteroid City” (shot by Robert Yeoman) Ken Loach’s “The Old Oak,” about a pub in tension-filled Northeast England, (shot by Robbie Ryan), and Steve McQueen’s “Occupied City,” a documentary about Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II (shot by Lennert Hillege).
Four on-film entries compete for the Palme d’Or.
- 4/7/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Set in a shadowy world of scam artists and grifters, Sharper follows four characters through interlocking stories set in a modern-day noir version of New York City. From Park Avenue penthouses to abandoned warehouses, director Benjamin Caron builds a dangerous world filled with betrayals and double-crosses. Justice Smith plays Tom, manager of a used bookstore. A chance meeting with Sandra (Briana Middleton) leads to Max (Sebastian Stan), a self-professed con man. Max will encounter Madeline Phillips (Julianne Moore), a wealthy widow with designs on corporate titan Richard Hobbes (John Lithgow). Sharper is the feature debut for Caron, best known for his […]
The post “To Shoot on the 48th Floor is a Dp’s Nightmare”: Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen on Sharper first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “To Shoot on the 48th Floor is a Dp’s Nightmare”: Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen on Sharper first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/29/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Set in a shadowy world of scam artists and grifters, Sharper follows four characters through interlocking stories set in a modern-day noir version of New York City. From Park Avenue penthouses to abandoned warehouses, director Benjamin Caron builds a dangerous world filled with betrayals and double-crosses. Justice Smith plays Tom, manager of a used bookstore. A chance meeting with Sandra (Briana Middleton) leads to Max (Sebastian Stan), a self-professed con man. Max will encounter Madeline Phillips (Julianne Moore), a wealthy widow with designs on corporate titan Richard Hobbes (John Lithgow). Sharper is the feature debut for Caron, best known for his […]
The post “To Shoot on the 48th Floor is a Dp’s Nightmare”: Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen on Sharper first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “To Shoot on the 48th Floor is a Dp’s Nightmare”: Dp Charlotte Bruus Christensen on Sharper first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 3/29/2023
- by Daniel Eagan
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
A number of recent releases have flown under the radar due to the hustle and bustle of Oscar season, and Benjamin Caron’s Sharper is among those titles that warrants your attention.
Released last month on Apple TV+, Caron’s feature directorial debut stars Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, as well as John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton. And while it’s best to go into the thriller completely blind, it chronicles a New York City-based confidence game that affects a number of interconnected characters. The story’s underbelly hit somewhat close to home for the filmmaker as he was able to draw on experiences from his childhood in the Midlands of England.
Because the film is most rewarding without the foreknowledge of con artists being involved, Caron was rather protective of the film’s marketing campaign. In fact, he even suggested a trailer that would include misdirection in the form of a rom-com.
Released last month on Apple TV+, Caron’s feature directorial debut stars Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, as well as John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton. And while it’s best to go into the thriller completely blind, it chronicles a New York City-based confidence game that affects a number of interconnected characters. The story’s underbelly hit somewhat close to home for the filmmaker as he was able to draw on experiences from his childhood in the Midlands of England.
Because the film is most rewarding without the foreknowledge of con artists being involved, Caron was rather protective of the film’s marketing campaign. In fact, he even suggested a trailer that would include misdirection in the form of a rom-com.
- 3/20/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Potential spoilers follow.
Director Benjamin Caron's new feature, "Sharper," certainly takes several pages from the great mystery and heist films of past decades, but manages to make its own story feel fresh and new.
/Film's Ben Pearson spoke with Caron about the project's influences, and interestingly enough, he cited "Seven" as a major tentpole, especially for the thriller's famous ending:
"[There was] even a bit of 'Seven.' The very end of 'Seven,' when they go out to the desert. What I loved about that film is that you were so claustrophobic for such a long period of time. You were held in that city. It was all mainly shot at night and it was [raining], but then right at the very end of the film, you suddenly had this big desert expanse where there was nothing else. There was nowhere else to hide. And I loved the idea...
Director Benjamin Caron's new feature, "Sharper," certainly takes several pages from the great mystery and heist films of past decades, but manages to make its own story feel fresh and new.
/Film's Ben Pearson spoke with Caron about the project's influences, and interestingly enough, he cited "Seven" as a major tentpole, especially for the thriller's famous ending:
"[There was] even a bit of 'Seven.' The very end of 'Seven,' when they go out to the desert. What I loved about that film is that you were so claustrophobic for such a long period of time. You were held in that city. It was all mainly shot at night and it was [raining], but then right at the very end of the film, you suddenly had this big desert expanse where there was nothing else. There was nowhere else to hide. And I loved the idea...
- 2/27/2023
- by Lex Briscuso
- Slash Film
Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.
For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmaker’s Podcast #324: ‘Andor’ and ‘The Crown’ director Ben Caron talks pitching,...
For those unfamiliar with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors.
The Filmmaker’s Podcast #324: ‘Andor’ and ‘The Crown’ director Ben Caron talks pitching,...
- 2/27/2023
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Do you feel a disturbance in the Force? That’ll be courtesy of young Grogu – about to make his long-awaited return along with his space-dad Din Djarin, as The Mandalorian Season 3 takes a world-exclusive deep-dive into the show with its stars and creators – and it’s about to hit shelves on Thursday 16 Feb.
While it’s nearly ready to make its way into the world – become an Empire member now to access the issue in full on launch day.
The Mandalorian Season 3
Kicking off our epic 20-page blowout on The Mandalorian’s glorious return, we go under the helmet with the Mandalorians themselves, speaking to Pedro Pascal, Emily Swallow and more – talking about their experiences donning the iconic armour and stepping into the Star Wars galaxy.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni
The combined might of filmmaker Jon Favreau brought us the magic of The Mandalorian – and with more adventures in the ‘Mando-verse’ on the way,...
While it’s nearly ready to make its way into the world – become an Empire member now to access the issue in full on launch day.
The Mandalorian Season 3
Kicking off our epic 20-page blowout on The Mandalorian’s glorious return, we go under the helmet with the Mandalorians themselves, speaking to Pedro Pascal, Emily Swallow and more – talking about their experiences donning the iconic armour and stepping into the Star Wars galaxy.
Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni
The combined might of filmmaker Jon Favreau brought us the magic of The Mandalorian – and with more adventures in the ‘Mando-verse’ on the way,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Sharper,” a new film from A24 and Apple TV+ featuring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and John Lithgow in a film about deception and circumstances. Currently in select theaters (see local listings) and streaming on Apple TV+ beginning February 24th.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film opens with a burgeoning relationship between Tom (Justice Smith) and Sandra (Briana Middleton). As their love grows, Tom is sucked into the conflict between Sandra and her horrible brother Max (Sebastian Stan), but Tom insists he can make it right. This is a set-up for a larger circumstance, involving Julianne Moore’s character Madeline, in a relationship with Tom’s father Richard (John Lithgow) and a situation that goes from fuzzy to sharper as the story unfolds.
”Sharper” is currently in select theaters and streams on Apple TV+ beginning February 24th. Featuring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film opens with a burgeoning relationship between Tom (Justice Smith) and Sandra (Briana Middleton). As their love grows, Tom is sucked into the conflict between Sandra and her horrible brother Max (Sebastian Stan), but Tom insists he can make it right. This is a set-up for a larger circumstance, involving Julianne Moore’s character Madeline, in a relationship with Tom’s father Richard (John Lithgow) and a situation that goes from fuzzy to sharper as the story unfolds.
”Sharper” is currently in select theaters and streams on Apple TV+ beginning February 24th. Featuring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith,...
- 2/20/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Stars: Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, John Lithgow | Written by Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka | Directed by Benjamin Caron
A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.
I have to respect Sharper, the latest psychological thriller from Benjamin Caron, even though it didn’t completely blow me away. It’s definitely the kind of movie we rarely get to see these days. It has a convoluted plot that only expands and gets crazier as the movie goes along with each new scene.
It all begins with a man named Tom who runs a modest bookstore with a homey atmosphere. One day, a young woman approaches and asks for assistance finding a book as he’s working. Tom assists her in finding it, and the two soon click. He finally asks her out on a date.
A small, wealthy family in New York City gets progressively torn apart by secrets, lies, and the theft that orchestrates all of it.
I have to respect Sharper, the latest psychological thriller from Benjamin Caron, even though it didn’t completely blow me away. It’s definitely the kind of movie we rarely get to see these days. It has a convoluted plot that only expands and gets crazier as the movie goes along with each new scene.
It all begins with a man named Tom who runs a modest bookstore with a homey atmosphere. One day, a young woman approaches and asks for assistance finding a book as he’s working. Tom assists her in finding it, and the two soon click. He finally asks her out on a date.
- 2/20/2023
- by Caillou Pettis
- Nerdly
To celebrate the release of Sharper, we celebrated by talking to the stars and director of the film.
Sharper revolves around a young bookshop owner who falls in love with a customer, only to find she may not be who she seems.
We spoke with lead Brianna Middleton and Justice Smith about keeping the film secrets and building the chemistry with one another.
We also spoke with director Benjamin Caron about building the layers of this film and working with composer Clint Mansell.
Sharper arrives Friday, February 17, 2023 in select cinemas and globally on Apple TV+
The post Sharper Interviews – Justice Smith, Briana Middleton & more on the secrets their characters keep appeared first on HeyUGuys.
Sharper revolves around a young bookshop owner who falls in love with a customer, only to find she may not be who she seems.
We spoke with lead Brianna Middleton and Justice Smith about keeping the film secrets and building the chemistry with one another.
We also spoke with director Benjamin Caron about building the layers of this film and working with composer Clint Mansell.
Sharper arrives Friday, February 17, 2023 in select cinemas and globally on Apple TV+
The post Sharper Interviews – Justice Smith, Briana Middleton & more on the secrets their characters keep appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 2/17/2023
- by Sarah Cook
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Before diving into a new role, Briana Middleton prepares her suit of armor. Metaphorically speaking, of course.
“I love prep and research,” the actress says of her process. “I don’t like this analogy, but it feels like ammo or armor going into a project. If I have all of this stuff surrounding me, and then I go into the chaos that is filming, I don’t go crazy.”
In Benjamin Caron’s A24 psychological thriller Sharper, Middleton plays Sandra, a young woman who finds herself wrapped up in the ruthless world of New York City con artists. What begins as a picture-perfect love story between Sandra and Tom (Justice Smith) slowly unravels, as the story reveals its characters are not who they appear to be.
Upon reading the script, the New Orleans-based actress says she immediately was won over by her character. “I fell in love with her heart,...
“I love prep and research,” the actress says of her process. “I don’t like this analogy, but it feels like ammo or armor going into a project. If I have all of this stuff surrounding me, and then I go into the chaos that is filming, I don’t go crazy.”
In Benjamin Caron’s A24 psychological thriller Sharper, Middleton plays Sandra, a young woman who finds herself wrapped up in the ruthless world of New York City con artists. What begins as a picture-perfect love story between Sandra and Tom (Justice Smith) slowly unravels, as the story reveals its characters are not who they appear to be.
Upon reading the script, the New Orleans-based actress says she immediately was won over by her character. “I fell in love with her heart,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Sydney Odman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Benjamin Caron’s Sharper, Apple TV+’s sleek but unsatisfying new thriller, needed to be a little smarter to work. It’s more plain than titillating, more predictable than mysterious. But its opening stretch is pleasurably deceptive. Sandra (Briana Middleton) is a grad student at NYU who walks into a humble indie bookstore on the hunt for a copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. Tom (Justice Smith), who owns the store, is a depressive bookworm who isn’t looking for love only because he seems...
- 2/17/2023
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
Sharper is a thriller movie directed by Benjamin Caron with Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton and John Lithgow.
An elegant and very classic thriller you can enjoy this Friday on Apple TV+.
This movie knows how to balance a slow technique, brilliant actors and classic plot which is totally familiar.
Movie Review
A paused rhythm for this movie about tricksters that is totally predictable and yet manages to fool us from its direct title and its “film noir” look, studied and elegant: it does not bring us anything new and does not promise to do so either, but the entire setting, the characters and its giddy calm rhythm knows how to work with precision to do the exact thing it needs to do at each moment, without getting lost or trying to invent something new.
Needless to say that this movie would not be anything if Julianne...
An elegant and very classic thriller you can enjoy this Friday on Apple TV+.
This movie knows how to balance a slow technique, brilliant actors and classic plot which is totally familiar.
Movie Review
A paused rhythm for this movie about tricksters that is totally predictable and yet manages to fool us from its direct title and its “film noir” look, studied and elegant: it does not bring us anything new and does not promise to do so either, but the entire setting, the characters and its giddy calm rhythm knows how to work with precision to do the exact thing it needs to do at each moment, without getting lost or trying to invent something new.
Needless to say that this movie would not be anything if Julianne...
- 2/17/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
With this film’s release so close to the big “hearts and flowers” holiday, you might think that it’s a modern twist on the old romantic stories of boy meets girl. And you’d be mistaken, except for the “twist” angle. Yes, it does begin with a “meet cute”, but soon the filmmakers take us down a road of deception and devious designs, full of, yes, twists and turns. Now it’s not another thriller built on that cybercrime of “catfishing” as in the very recent Missing. This tale owes much more to the previous “con capers” like The Sting, Body Heat, and, naturally The Grifters. Ah, but these “players” are aiming for much larger stakes as they go after their NYC high-society “marks”. That’s why they have to aspire to be Sharper.
Oh, as I mentioned this story takes place in Manhattan and opens on a quaint...
Oh, as I mentioned this story takes place in Manhattan and opens on a quaint...
- 2/17/2023
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In today’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo sits down to talk about con man movies with director Benjamin Caron (“The Crown,” “Andor,” “Wallander”). The director is currently promoting his film, “Sharper,” which follows multiple con men and women in New York City who are all searching for the perfect mark and the biggest take.
Continue reading ‘Sharper’: Benjamin Caron On His New Con Man Film, Julianne Moore, ‘The Battle Of Algiers’ Influence On ‘Andor’ & More [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Sharper’: Benjamin Caron On His New Con Man Film, Julianne Moore, ‘The Battle Of Algiers’ Influence On ‘Andor’ & More [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.
- 2/16/2023
- by Mike DeAngelo
- The Playlist
Benjamin Caron applies Derren Brown experience to direct stylish swindler yarn set in Manhattan with Julianne Moore and John Lithgow leading the way
Movies about confidence-trickery put a spin on the old rule about playing poker: look around the table and if you can’t see the chump … then it’s you. Watch a film about swindlers and you may well think you can see the person who’s being conned. But the film’s entire narrative procedure, and its pleasure, rely on you, the audience, repeatedly submitting to being played, even while in theory you are the one with the wised-up crook’s-eye-view of what is going on.
Screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka have had big successes in the world of comedy and satire; now they have crafted this delectably enjoyable caper about fraudsters and Manhattan’s super-rich. It’s a little like something by David Mamet – though...
Movies about confidence-trickery put a spin on the old rule about playing poker: look around the table and if you can’t see the chump … then it’s you. Watch a film about swindlers and you may well think you can see the person who’s being conned. But the film’s entire narrative procedure, and its pleasure, rely on you, the audience, repeatedly submitting to being played, even while in theory you are the one with the wised-up crook’s-eye-view of what is going on.
Screenwriters Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka have had big successes in the world of comedy and satire; now they have crafted this delectably enjoyable caper about fraudsters and Manhattan’s super-rich. It’s a little like something by David Mamet – though...
- 2/15/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail has been working on a TV series adaptation of Fritz Lang’s classic sci-fi movie Metropolis for some time, and now he finally has a star. It was reported today that Briana Middleton is set to star in the Metropolis TV series, which Esmail is developing for Apple.
Plot details for the Metropolis TV series continue to be kept under wraps, but Briana Middleton will be playing a character named Finnie Polito. Based on the novel by Thea Von Harbou, the original 1927 film was set in a futuristic urban dystopia and followed the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, and Maria, a saintly figure to the workers, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with Joh Fredersen, the city master. We’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the movie in just a few short years.
Plot details for the Metropolis TV series continue to be kept under wraps, but Briana Middleton will be playing a character named Finnie Polito. Based on the novel by Thea Von Harbou, the original 1927 film was set in a futuristic urban dystopia and followed the attempts of Freder, the wealthy son of the city master, and Maria, a saintly figure to the workers, to overcome the vast gulf separating the classes in their city and bring the workers together with Joh Fredersen, the city master. We’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the movie in just a few short years.
- 2/14/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
"Sharper" is a new Apple Original comedy feature, directed by Benjamin Caron from a screenplay by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton and John Lithgow, opening in theaters February 10, 2023 and streaming February 17, 2023 on AppleTV+:
"...'Sharper' follows a con artist (Moore), working her way through Manhattan's billionaire echelon, along with another slick fraudster (Stan), known for setting up and carrying out elaborate cons that typically net large sums of money..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...'Sharper' follows a con artist (Moore), working her way through Manhattan's billionaire echelon, along with another slick fraudster (Stan), known for setting up and carrying out elaborate cons that typically net large sums of money..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 2/14/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
For all the twists and turns in Sharper, what stands out the most is the film’s aesthetic: often beautiful to observe but also diverse in its rendering of different sections of its New York setting. Director Benjamin Caron and cinematographer Charlotte Bruus Christensen tap into the labyrinthian quality of the space. There are secrets in alleys and skyscrapers alike.
What a pleasure it was, then, to speak with Caron about the decisions behind these choices. Not to mention the challenges of directing an A-list cast of actors while maintaining the illusions inherent in a confidence game.
The Film Stage: How does this movie come together? How do you find yourself directing all these great people in this cool movie?
Benjamin Caron: I was finishing working on Andor and I had a film that that we were going to make in the [United Kingdom] with Vanessa Kirby, but because of the pandemic...
What a pleasure it was, then, to speak with Caron about the decisions behind these choices. Not to mention the challenges of directing an A-list cast of actors while maintaining the illusions inherent in a confidence game.
The Film Stage: How does this movie come together? How do you find yourself directing all these great people in this cool movie?
Benjamin Caron: I was finishing working on Andor and I had a film that that we were going to make in the [United Kingdom] with Vanessa Kirby, but because of the pandemic...
- 2/14/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Bill Nighy is set to be honored with an Icon Award at Newport Beach Film Festival’s U.K. honors on Thursday.
Nighy has been selected as the recipient of the annual event’s highest accolade this year in light of his accomplished and vast portfolio of work across film and television, including recent performances in “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and feature film “Living,” for which he is in the running this year for an Oscar and BAFTA for best actor. He is also known for his turns in “Love Actually,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and West End play “Skylight,” for which he scored a Tony nomination.
The Newport Beach Film Festival U.K. honors, hosted in partnership with Variety, will take place on Feb. 16 in central London and will be presented by Edith Bowman.
As well as honoring recipients in three separate categories – “Breakout Stars,” which...
Nighy has been selected as the recipient of the annual event’s highest accolade this year in light of his accomplished and vast portfolio of work across film and television, including recent performances in “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and feature film “Living,” for which he is in the running this year for an Oscar and BAFTA for best actor. He is also known for his turns in “Love Actually,” “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and West End play “Skylight,” for which he scored a Tony nomination.
The Newport Beach Film Festival U.K. honors, hosted in partnership with Variety, will take place on Feb. 16 in central London and will be presented by Edith Bowman.
As well as honoring recipients in three separate categories – “Breakout Stars,” which...
- 2/13/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Emma Corrin, the award-winning star of The Crown, My Policeman and Lady Chatterley’s Lover, is joining the cast of Robert Eggers’ vampire movie Nosferatu.
Corrin, who made their name portraying Princess Diana in Netflix’s Royal Family drama, will star in the filmmaker’s reimagining of the story of the alluring and horrifying, blood-sucking creature. Corrin’s role has not been disclosed.
Eggers has already set Lily Rose-Depp, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Defoe for the Focus Features project, which is due to shoot on locations in Europe from next month. Skarsgård will play the ancient, nocturnal Transylvanian count who desires Depp’s haunted young woman.
The film reunites the director with Defoe following their work together on The Lighthouse and The Northman.
Eggers is writer and director on Nosferatu, while Jeff Robinson, John Graham, Eggers, Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus are producing.
Nosferatu is inspired by F. W. Murnau...
Corrin, who made their name portraying Princess Diana in Netflix’s Royal Family drama, will star in the filmmaker’s reimagining of the story of the alluring and horrifying, blood-sucking creature. Corrin’s role has not been disclosed.
Eggers has already set Lily Rose-Depp, Bill Skarsgård, Nicholas Hoult and Willem Defoe for the Focus Features project, which is due to shoot on locations in Europe from next month. Skarsgård will play the ancient, nocturnal Transylvanian count who desires Depp’s haunted young woman.
The film reunites the director with Defoe following their work together on The Lighthouse and The Northman.
Eggers is writer and director on Nosferatu, while Jeff Robinson, John Graham, Eggers, Chris Columbus and Eleanor Columbus are producing.
Nosferatu is inspired by F. W. Murnau...
- 2/13/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Sharper Review — Sharper (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Benjamin Caron, written by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka and starring Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton, Hannah Dunne, Giullian Yao Gioiello, Phillip Johnson Richardson, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Tom White, Patrick Cooley, Blaise Corrigan, Samara Joy and Doris McCarthy. Director Benjamin [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Sharper (2023): Benjamin Caron’s Film is Interesting and Has Plenty of Surprises and Tricks Up Its Sleeve...
Continue reading: Film Review: Sharper (2023): Benjamin Caron’s Film is Interesting and Has Plenty of Surprises and Tricks Up Its Sleeve...
- 2/12/2023
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Director Benjamin Caron says that he was “yearning to flex a different muscle” and go from the “historical period drama” that is The Crown to the thrills and spills of Andor and on to the delicious deceit at the heart of his accomplished first feature film Sharper, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton, giving a star-in-the-making performance.
Related Story ‘Sharper’ Review: Julianne Moore & Sebastian Stan In A Deliciously Twisty New York Noir Full Of Secrets And Lies Related Story Ben Foster, Justice Smith, Katherine Waterston & Maria Bakalova Set For 'Floodplain' Thriller From Topic Studios – EFM Related Story Gaspar Noé's 'Irréversible: Straight Cut' In Theaters, Distributor "Extremely Aware This Is An Extremely Tough Film" – Specialty Preview
His excitement over Sharper, which is highly praised in a review by my Deadline colleague Pete Hammond, is palpable when we meet for a cuppa tea, which he prepares,...
Related Story ‘Sharper’ Review: Julianne Moore & Sebastian Stan In A Deliciously Twisty New York Noir Full Of Secrets And Lies Related Story Ben Foster, Justice Smith, Katherine Waterston & Maria Bakalova Set For 'Floodplain' Thriller From Topic Studios – EFM Related Story Gaspar Noé's 'Irréversible: Straight Cut' In Theaters, Distributor "Extremely Aware This Is An Extremely Tough Film" – Specialty Preview
His excitement over Sharper, which is highly praised in a review by my Deadline colleague Pete Hammond, is palpable when we meet for a cuppa tea, which he prepares,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
I was thinking the other day about the kinds of movies I used to love that they just don’t make enough of anymore. I’m thinking in particular of “Body Heat,” the 1981 neo-noir erotic thriller from writer-director Lawrence Kasdan that starred William Hurt and Kathleen Turner. It had a bundle of twists and turns that kept us in thrall and off balance. I had no idea where it was going, but I knew I wanted to travel wherever it was. I was rewarded with an enormously satisfying story and a scintillating climax I never saw coming.
“Body Heat” was what came racing to mind while I watched “Sharper,” a new feature that has a limited theatrical release on Friday before settling in as a streamer on Apple TV+ starting February 17. It’s a slick drama that ensnared me in its web and left me grasping at straws (in a...
“Body Heat” was what came racing to mind while I watched “Sharper,” a new feature that has a limited theatrical release on Friday before settling in as a streamer on Apple TV+ starting February 17. It’s a slick drama that ensnared me in its web and left me grasping at straws (in a...
- 2/10/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Diverse festival notables from Hannah Ha Ha to The Blue Caftan join a spattering of specialty horror titles led by Consecration, and the U.S. theatrical debut of Gaspar Noé’s controversial Irréversible: Straight Cut.
The last is presented by Altered Innocence, whose owner Frank Jaffe spoke with Deadline about why he wanted to give Noe’s unusual 2019 director’s cut — of the Argentinian/French director’s disturbing 2002 film Irreversible — a release Stateside. “It’s a film that needs to be seen. Or made available,” he said. StudioCanal approached him twice. “They said, ‘No one is brave enough to take on this film. Will you?’” And “there is an audience for it…Tickets are selling.”
Jaffe said he first watched Irreversible, or tried to, via Netflix mail order DVD when he was 14. “My dad made me turn it off halfway through.”
It had a big impact on him. He...
The last is presented by Altered Innocence, whose owner Frank Jaffe spoke with Deadline about why he wanted to give Noe’s unusual 2019 director’s cut — of the Argentinian/French director’s disturbing 2002 film Irreversible — a release Stateside. “It’s a film that needs to be seen. Or made available,” he said. StudioCanal approached him twice. “They said, ‘No one is brave enough to take on this film. Will you?’” And “there is an audience for it…Tickets are selling.”
Jaffe said he first watched Irreversible, or tried to, via Netflix mail order DVD when he was 14. “My dad made me turn it off halfway through.”
It had a big impact on him. He...
- 2/10/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a tricky proposition to talk to director Benjamin Caron about his new movie “Sharper.” Not because it doesn’t elicit conversation — there is so much in the wickedly smart thriller to discuss, from the plot that keeps you guessing to the fantastic cast, to Caron himself, who never expected to be a film director. But the movie, opening in U.S. theaters this weekend before hitting Apple TV+ and U.K. theaters on Feb. 17, is best experienced when one goes in knowing as little as possible.
Suffice to say that the script, by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, centers on a group of individuals in New York City who may or may not be conning one another at any given time. The film is divided into sections that give the audience time to get to know all the different characters — from young lovers Sandra and Tom (Briana Middleton...
Suffice to say that the script, by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, centers on a group of individuals in New York City who may or may not be conning one another at any given time. The film is divided into sections that give the audience time to get to know all the different characters — from young lovers Sandra and Tom (Briana Middleton...
- 2/9/2023
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
I love a good con film. "The Crown" and "Andor" director Benjamin Caron has delivered a new one as his feature directorial debut in the form of "Sharper," a twisty Apple TV+ neo-noir about a bunch of people in New York City who are angling to get what they want. Con men, billionaires, gold diggers, and victims collide in this fascinating examination of the lengths people will go for greed, and it has a killer cast: Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, and the stellar Briana Middleton, who not only hangs with these relative veterans, but practically leaps off the screen. In a movie full of theft, the most impressive one of all is how Middleton steals this movie with her performance.
I had the chance to speak with Caron in the lead-up to his film's release, and ask him about his influences, how he kept the audience surprised,...
I had the chance to speak with Caron in the lead-up to his film's release, and ask him about his influences, how he kept the audience surprised,...
- 2/9/2023
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
Plot: Unfolds within the secrets of New York City, from the penthouses of Fifth Avenue to the shadowy corners of Queens. Motivations are suspect and expectations are turned upside down when nothing is as it seems.
Review: Con artists and thieves always make for intriguing movie plots. With a long legacy of such films to choose from, from classic noir to contemporary indies, filmmakers have to rely on solid casting and unique twists to try and entice audiences. The new film Sharper, starring a small cast of talented performers, almost delivers on both despite getting a bit too confident in a story that ends up being more familiar than the trailers suggest. But, thanks to five solid performances from the ensemble cast, Benjamin Caron’s twisty thriller is good enough to warrant some attention this weekend. After a brief theatrical run, Sharper will premiere on AppleTV+, giving it even more...
Review: Con artists and thieves always make for intriguing movie plots. With a long legacy of such films to choose from, from classic noir to contemporary indies, filmmakers have to rely on solid casting and unique twists to try and entice audiences. The new film Sharper, starring a small cast of talented performers, almost delivers on both despite getting a bit too confident in a story that ends up being more familiar than the trailers suggest. But, thanks to five solid performances from the ensemble cast, Benjamin Caron’s twisty thriller is good enough to warrant some attention this weekend. After a brief theatrical run, Sharper will premiere on AppleTV+, giving it even more...
- 2/9/2023
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
Gordon Willis is considered by many to be one of the greatest cinematographers in the history of cinema, with his work on films like "The Godfather" trilogy, "Annie Hall," "Manhattan," and "Klute" hailed as the definitive cinematic look of the late 1970s. Willis was given the nickname "The Prince of Darkness" by fellow cinematographer Conrad Hall, a reference to Willis' sophisticated use of shadow and underexposed film. Think of Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather," often cloaked in shadow just as dark as his pitch-black tuxedo jacket.
Willis' skills were on another level, and in our current era where everything seems to be plagued by a curse of darkness, it's a shame that more cinematographers aren't looking toward his example. Fortunately, director Benjamin Caron of "Andor" fame specifically wanted to channel the work of Gordon Willis for his upcoming A24 thriller with Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, "Sharper.
Willis' skills were on another level, and in our current era where everything seems to be plagued by a curse of darkness, it's a shame that more cinematographers aren't looking toward his example. Fortunately, director Benjamin Caron of "Andor" fame specifically wanted to channel the work of Gordon Willis for his upcoming A24 thriller with Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, "Sharper.
- 2/8/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
The double and triple-crosses pile up to preposterous heights in “Sharper,” a drama about con artists and the people they’re playing that takes the hoary adage “nothing is as it seems” to contrived extremes. A deep ensemble cast is game for this ambitiously overwrought material, but no amount of committed acting can overcome the movie’s manipulative artifice.
Things begin simply, with a title card introducing the first of the ensemble’s characters, “Tom.” Played by the likable Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Dominion”), Tom owns a small bookshop in lower Manhattan, where Sandra (Briana Middleton), a graduate college student working on her thesis, comes looking for a copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
The couple hit it off and go out on a date, which soon leads to an intimate relationship. They bond over their mutual love of Fellini and their shared fluency in Italian.
Things begin simply, with a title card introducing the first of the ensemble’s characters, “Tom.” Played by the likable Justice Smith (“Jurassic World: Dominion”), Tom owns a small bookshop in lower Manhattan, where Sandra (Briana Middleton), a graduate college student working on her thesis, comes looking for a copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”
The couple hit it off and go out on a date, which soon leads to an intimate relationship. They bond over their mutual love of Fellini and their shared fluency in Italian.
- 2/8/2023
- by Rene Rodriguez
- Variety Film + TV
Seeing the nifty grifter drama Sharper reminded me how rarely we encounter this kind of clever cat-and-mouse game that might fall into the noirish genre but really relies on diving into a world filled with characters who reveal slices of their lives that keep changing moment to moment. It is the kind of movie I find enormously difficult to review because its ultimate success for a viewer is just watching it unfold, beat by beat, never quite knowing exactly where it is heading but still glued to the screen to find out.
Related Story Gun Control Campaigner Julianne Moore Holds A Firearm On Screen For First Time In 15 Years In ‘Sharper’ Related Story 'The Backrooms' Horror Film Based On Viral Shorts By 17-Year-Old Kane Parsons In Works At A24, Atomic Monster, Chernin & 21 Laps Related Story Apple Falls Short Of Wall Street Quarterly Targets But Surpasses 2 Billion Active Devices
Almost any...
Related Story Gun Control Campaigner Julianne Moore Holds A Firearm On Screen For First Time In 15 Years In ‘Sharper’ Related Story 'The Backrooms' Horror Film Based On Viral Shorts By 17-Year-Old Kane Parsons In Works At A24, Atomic Monster, Chernin & 21 Laps Related Story Apple Falls Short Of Wall Street Quarterly Targets But Surpasses 2 Billion Active Devices
Almost any...
- 2/7/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The opening credits of Benjamin Caron’s — con artist drama “Sharper” tell us all we need to know about what’s coming. They’re slick, a little mean, and definitely kind of silly. In fact, “credits” is too generous a term, because Caron opens his feature film debut with a single word: “Sharper.” Flash to its textbook definition, wonderfully simple in its information: “one who lives by their wits.”
Isn’t that everybody? Not like this, not like these people. God, you’d hope to not be like these people.
Based on Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka’s Blacklist script, “Shaper” slices and dices a classic con story and refashions it as its own kind of whodunit, one where everyone is some degree of guilty or culpable or just damn deserving of being tricked, and delights in piling on the just plain mean twists for the hell of it. Told...
Isn’t that everybody? Not like this, not like these people. God, you’d hope to not be like these people.
Based on Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka’s Blacklist script, “Shaper” slices and dices a classic con story and refashions it as its own kind of whodunit, one where everyone is some degree of guilty or culpable or just damn deserving of being tricked, and delights in piling on the just plain mean twists for the hell of it. Told...
- 2/7/2023
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Sharper, an A24 and Apple TV+ psychological thriller starring Julianne Moore and Sebastian Stan, opens with a love story. A graduate student named Sandra (Briana Middleton) walks into a used bookstore in New York searching for a first edition copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. The man working the counter, Tom (Justice Smith), is immediately smitten. He clumsily asks her on a date. She rejects him. Later that evening, Sandra returns to the store and timidly announces she’s changed her mind.
They fall into an easy romance: Mornings at the bookstore in Soho, afternoon walks in Washington Square Park, evenings spent cooking in Sandra’s apartment somewhere downtown. Tom and Sandra are a perfect match — a couple whose story would make for a great season of HBO’s Love Life. When Sandra vanishes, both Tom and the viewer are left to ask: What went wrong?...
They fall into an easy romance: Mornings at the bookstore in Soho, afternoon walks in Washington Square Park, evenings spent cooking in Sandra’s apartment somewhere downtown. Tom and Sandra are a perfect match — a couple whose story would make for a great season of HBO’s Love Life. When Sandra vanishes, both Tom and the viewer are left to ask: What went wrong?...
- 2/7/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Sharper” opens with a fake out—in its own title. A dictionary definition fades up on the screen, declaring “sharper” as a noun that means “one who lives by their wits.” This little bit of cheeky word play is a harbinger for the never-ending rug pulls and elaborate deceptions to come in this con artist thriller, directed by longtime TV director Benjamin Caron and written by the team of Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka. Things are never what they seem in “Sharper.”
The film is a slickly-executed piece, an enjoyable but almost unbearably twisty puzzle box of narrative fun, but once everything slots together the box is unfortunately empty. Just like the characters in the film who seem to con, grift, and scam just because they can, it feels a bit like the filmmakers tied the narrative up in knots just so they could untangle it in front of us with a flourish,...
The film is a slickly-executed piece, an enjoyable but almost unbearably twisty puzzle box of narrative fun, but once everything slots together the box is unfortunately empty. Just like the characters in the film who seem to con, grift, and scam just because they can, it feels a bit like the filmmakers tied the narrative up in knots just so they could untangle it in front of us with a flourish,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Katie Walsh
- The Wrap
In Greek filmmaker Argyris Papadimitropoulos' romantic drama film "Monday," Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough ("Andor") play two thirty-something ex-pats who enter a whirlwind relationship over a weekend. When the excitement of the fling settles down, the pair try to extend their chemistry into a real relationship back at home. "Monday" is a look at how messy love can be — it's about living in the moment no matter the consequences, and shows how deeply love and life are interconnected.
In depicting an intense, passionate relationship that blossoms from a drunken fling, the actors engaged in a fair bit of nudity. To Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough, every scene in the film needed to be meaningful and earned. Gough was excited to work with Papadimitropoulos because she felt she was in "really safe hands" (via The Wrap). For Stan, it was about the collaborative experience and ensuring every scene in "Monday" earned its rightful place.
In depicting an intense, passionate relationship that blossoms from a drunken fling, the actors engaged in a fair bit of nudity. To Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough, every scene in the film needed to be meaningful and earned. Gough was excited to work with Papadimitropoulos because she felt she was in "really safe hands" (via The Wrap). For Stan, it was about the collaborative experience and ensuring every scene in "Monday" earned its rightful place.
- 2/4/2023
- by Fatemeh Mirjalili
- Slash Film
Everyone and their mother has an opinion on "Star Wars," but nobody ever accused the franchise of being a simple and easy sandbox to play in. From George Lucas to Irvin Kershner to J.J. Abrams to Jon Favreau and the extended group of directors who've made their marks on the immensely successful property in movies or shows, none can claim that these talents had anything less than a universe of pressure and expectations foisted upon them. The long and winding road to Hollywood immortality is littered with ill-advised productions and overmatched filmmakers who floundered along the way, with "Star Wars" providing quite the cautionary tale -- whether as a result of an overambitious filmmaker or studio interference or, well, simply lackluster storytelling instincts.
Putting one's own personal stamp on the galaxy far, far away is far from a sure thing ... but amid some high-profile failures, there are success stories like "Andor.
Putting one's own personal stamp on the galaxy far, far away is far from a sure thing ... but amid some high-profile failures, there are success stories like "Andor.
- 2/1/2023
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
"Sharper" is a new Apple Original comedy feature, directed by Benjamin Caron from a screenplay by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Briana Middleton and John Lithgow, opening in theaters February 10, 2023 and streaming February 17, 2023 on AppleTV+:
"...'Sharper' follows a con artist (Moore), working her way through Manhattan's billionaire echelon, along with another slick fraudster (Stan), known for setting up and carrying out elaborate cons that typically net large sums of money..."
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"...'Sharper' follows a con artist (Moore), working her way through Manhattan's billionaire echelon, along with another slick fraudster (Stan), known for setting up and carrying out elaborate cons that typically net large sums of money..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 1/26/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Sharper Trailer — Benjamin Caron‘s Sharper (2023) movie trailer has been released by Apple TV+. The Sharper trailer stars Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith, Brianna Middleton, Darren Goldstein, and John Lithgow. Crew Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka wrote the screenplay for Sharper. “It’s produced by Erik Feig, Jessica Switch, Julianne Moore, Bart Freundlich, Brian Gatewood, [...]
Continue reading: Sharper (2023) Movie Trailer: Julianne Moore & John Lithgow star in Benjamin Caron’s Family Crime Thriller...
Continue reading: Sharper (2023) Movie Trailer: Julianne Moore & John Lithgow star in Benjamin Caron’s Family Crime Thriller...
- 1/22/2023
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
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