Though the Criterion Collection may be taking their beloved closet on the road to celebrate their 40th anniversary, only the lucky few have been able to step foot in the actual hallowed space. Now, renaissance man Bill Hader can say he’s done so twice. The actor, writer, and director behind the hit HBO series “Barry” first entered the Criterion Closet in 2011. Dressed for the occasion with an orange shirt sporting the Kaibyō from the poster for the 1977 Japanese horror film “House,” Hader drew selections such as Federico Fellini’s “Amarcord” and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s grotesque “Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom,” which he referred to at the time as “a great date movie.”
Referencing this pick in his latest video, Hader displayed “Salò” once again and said, “It is not a good date movie. Just want to clear that up.”
After making a few jokes at the expense...
Referencing this pick in his latest video, Hader displayed “Salò” once again and said, “It is not a good date movie. Just want to clear that up.”
After making a few jokes at the expense...
- 9/29/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
One of the most common questions film critics receive is "What's your favorite movie?" And any critic will tell you that it's a difficult question to answer. Since critics speak to their taste, and gauge a film's quality based on their reaction to it, shouldn't the film they consider the best of all time be their favorite? In a 2012 essay on his website, Ebert rolled the question around in his mind, musing that his old reviewing partner, Gene Siskel, used to say that "Citizen Kane" is the "official" answer to that question. After all, many critics consider it to be the best movie ever made, so surely that means it is their favorite, right?
Of course, we all know that taste doesn't operate that way. A film can be your favorite for any number of reasons. You might consider, say, "Ikiru" to be the best movie ever made, but it...
Of course, we all know that taste doesn't operate that way. A film can be your favorite for any number of reasons. You might consider, say, "Ikiru" to be the best movie ever made, but it...
- 9/29/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
A feature adaptation of A Pale View of Hills, the debut novel of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, has begun filming in Japan.
The mystery drama is adapted and directed by Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa, whose previous feature A Man scooped eight awards including best film at the Japanese Academy Awards following its premiere at Venice in 2022.
The upcoming film is presented by U-Next, Japan’s leading local streaming company, and produced by Bunbuku, the Japanese production company founded by Hirokazu Kore-eda, in association with the UK’s Number 9 Films, led by producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen.
Ishiguro serves...
The mystery drama is adapted and directed by Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa, whose previous feature A Man scooped eight awards including best film at the Japanese Academy Awards following its premiere at Venice in 2022.
The upcoming film is presented by U-Next, Japan’s leading local streaming company, and produced by Bunbuku, the Japanese production company founded by Hirokazu Kore-eda, in association with the UK’s Number 9 Films, led by producers Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen.
Ishiguro serves...
- 8/23/2024
- ScreenDaily
“A Pale View of Hills,” the debut novel of Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, is being adapted as a feature film. The picture is now in production and being directed by Japan’s Ishikawa Kei.
The film is presented by U-Next, Japan’s leading local streaming company. Production is by Bunbuku in association with Number 9 Films, the U.K. company headed by Stephen Woolley (“The Crying Game”) and Elizabeth Karlsen.
Gaga Corporation will handle distribution in Japan after the film’s anticipated completion in summer 2025. No sales agent or international distributor has been attached.
Number Nine Films previously produced “Living,” the Ishiguro-scripted, Bill Nighy-starring adaptation of Kurosawa Akira’s classic film “Ikiru,” and earned two Oscar nominations.
Gaga describes the film as: “a mystery drama that unravels the secrets of a Japanese widow’s memories that cross over between post-war Nagasaki, Japan in 1950s and England in 1980s,...
The film is presented by U-Next, Japan’s leading local streaming company. Production is by Bunbuku in association with Number 9 Films, the U.K. company headed by Stephen Woolley (“The Crying Game”) and Elizabeth Karlsen.
Gaga Corporation will handle distribution in Japan after the film’s anticipated completion in summer 2025. No sales agent or international distributor has been attached.
Number Nine Films previously produced “Living,” the Ishiguro-scripted, Bill Nighy-starring adaptation of Kurosawa Akira’s classic film “Ikiru,” and earned two Oscar nominations.
Gaga describes the film as: “a mystery drama that unravels the secrets of a Japanese widow’s memories that cross over between post-war Nagasaki, Japan in 1950s and England in 1980s,...
- 8/23/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
One could say it’s a “by-the-numbers” summer with “Despicable Me 4,” “Inside Out 2”” and “A Quiet Place: Day One” among the top box office films. But one of the masterpieces of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai,” is back in theaters for its 70th anniversary in a limited release in a new 4K restoration. The acclaimed, influential epic is set in a 16th century Japanese village of poor farmers who hire the seven samurai to protect them from invading bandits intent on stealing their barley crop.
The film stars two members of Japanese filmmaker’s stock company — Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. “Samurai” as noted in the press notes for the new restoration “virtually redefined Japanese cinema’s sword play and period genres, proving Kurosawa a master of both visually thrilling and dramatically complex storytelling.”
Though “Seven Samurai” was released in Japan on April 26, 1954, and was...
The film stars two members of Japanese filmmaker’s stock company — Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. “Samurai” as noted in the press notes for the new restoration “virtually redefined Japanese cinema’s sword play and period genres, proving Kurosawa a master of both visually thrilling and dramatically complex storytelling.”
Though “Seven Samurai” was released in Japan on April 26, 1954, and was...
- 7/17/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
“That’s not art. A striptease isn’t art. It’s too direct. It’s more direct than art.”
That line from Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” sums up a lot of feelings people seem to have about nudity in film. The history of painting and sculpture is full of nude portraiture, which is regularly and comfortably classified as art. But the nude scene in movies is rarely discussed alongside a Canova marble statue or Manet’s “Olympia.” Movies blur the boundaries between “real life” and artistic indirection so thoroughly that people discuss nude scenes in movies as practically everything but art. It’s “content” that deserves an “advisory,” or something akin to “porn,” however the Supreme Court is classifying that these days.
As many have noted, the very nature of the actor’s job demands the audience look at them. So when nudity enters the (literal) picture, it complicates the relationship between viewer and viewed.
That line from Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” sums up a lot of feelings people seem to have about nudity in film. The history of painting and sculpture is full of nude portraiture, which is regularly and comfortably classified as art. But the nude scene in movies is rarely discussed alongside a Canova marble statue or Manet’s “Olympia.” Movies blur the boundaries between “real life” and artistic indirection so thoroughly that people discuss nude scenes in movies as practically everything but art. It’s “content” that deserves an “advisory,” or something akin to “porn,” however the Supreme Court is classifying that these days.
As many have noted, the very nature of the actor’s job demands the audience look at them. So when nudity enters the (literal) picture, it complicates the relationship between viewer and viewed.
- 7/6/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
This incredible deal on a Mubi subscription likely won’t last long, so don’t wait to sign up!
If you’ve never heard of Mubi before, there’s never been a better time to get acquainted. This streaming service specializes in high-quality movies from all over the world, and boasts hundreds of titles from auteurs like Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola and many others. Normally Mubi offers a free trial of seven days, but for a limited time new customers can get three months of the service completely free. You read that right; the cost of streaming everything in the Mubi library will be $0 for the next 90 days if you sign up now!
How to Get 3 Months of Mubi Free Click here to get the offer from Mubi. Click “Try Mubi.” Enter your email address and click “Sign Up.” Enter your credit card information and hit “Start Watching.
If you’ve never heard of Mubi before, there’s never been a better time to get acquainted. This streaming service specializes in high-quality movies from all over the world, and boasts hundreds of titles from auteurs like Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Francis Ford Coppola and many others. Normally Mubi offers a free trial of seven days, but for a limited time new customers can get three months of the service completely free. You read that right; the cost of streaming everything in the Mubi library will be $0 for the next 90 days if you sign up now!
How to Get 3 Months of Mubi Free Click here to get the offer from Mubi. Click “Try Mubi.” Enter your email address and click “Sign Up.” Enter your credit card information and hit “Start Watching.
- 6/27/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
The 1970 war epic "Tora! Tora! Tora!" takes place from August 1939 to December 1941, dramatizing the wartime events that led up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film alternately follows the American and the Japanese military during the same 29-month period, with the American sequences directed by Richard Fleischer and the Japanese sequences directed by Kinji Fukusaku (of "Battle Royale" fame) and Toshiro Masuda. 20th Century Fox ultra-producer Darryl F. Zanuck conceived of the project, as he wanted to give a proper telling of both sides of Pearl Harbor while also wanting to partially exonerate the American military (which had previously been blamed for its inability to prevent the attack).
Planning and shooting "Tora!" took an amazingly long amount of time. Pre-production wrangling lasted about three years, with principal photography taking an entire eight months. To make sure the Japanese segments would be handled by a master, Fox hired Akira Kurosawa to co-direct.
Planning and shooting "Tora!" took an amazingly long amount of time. Pre-production wrangling lasted about three years, with principal photography taking an entire eight months. To make sure the Japanese segments would be handled by a master, Fox hired Akira Kurosawa to co-direct.
- 6/15/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Few feats in filmmaking are rarer that churning out a string of classics within the span of a few years. It's the cineaste equivalent of, I dunno, whatever sports metaphor you deem fit to slot in here. John McTiernan did it by delivering "Predator," "Die Hard," and "The Hunt for Red October" back-to-back-to-back, while Francis Ford Coppola did him one better by helming "The Godfather," "The Conversation," and "The Godfather Part II" within the span of two years before returning five years later with "Apocalypse Now." But for my money, fews runs can match that of Akira Kurosawa in the '50s, a time in which the Japanese legend gifted us with "Rashōmon," "Ikiru," "Seven Samurai," "Throne of Blood," and "The Hidden Fortress," all before the decade was over.
Now, in the latest bid to boost 2024's sagging box office with an exciting theatrical re-release, Janus Films is celebrating "Seven Samurai...
Now, in the latest bid to boost 2024's sagging box office with an exciting theatrical re-release, Janus Films is celebrating "Seven Samurai...
- 6/7/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Akira Kurosawa’s classic epic “Seven Samurai” is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a 4K restoration and theatrical re-release.
“Seven Samurai” centers on 16th-century Japanese warriors who protect their village from invaders. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura lead the three-hour feature hailing from legendary auteur Kurosawa. “Seven Samurai” was his third film following “Rashomon” and “Ikiru.” “Seven Samurai” famously debuted at the 1954 Venice Film Festival, where Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Director.
The 70th anniversary 4K restoration was made possible by Toho Co. Ltd, which released the original film. The restored film debuted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival; the festival further honored Kurosawa’s contributions to cinema by incorporating a still of “Rhapsody in August” in the official Cannes poster.
The restoration of “Seven Samurai” will be released in the U.S. by Janus Films. Deadline debuted the trailer.
“Seven Samurai” infamously quadrupled its budget during production, with...
“Seven Samurai” centers on 16th-century Japanese warriors who protect their village from invaders. Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura lead the three-hour feature hailing from legendary auteur Kurosawa. “Seven Samurai” was his third film following “Rashomon” and “Ikiru.” “Seven Samurai” famously debuted at the 1954 Venice Film Festival, where Kurosawa won the Silver Lion for Best Director.
The 70th anniversary 4K restoration was made possible by Toho Co. Ltd, which released the original film. The restored film debuted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival; the festival further honored Kurosawa’s contributions to cinema by incorporating a still of “Rhapsody in August” in the official Cannes poster.
The restoration of “Seven Samurai” will be released in the U.S. by Janus Films. Deadline debuted the trailer.
“Seven Samurai” infamously quadrupled its budget during production, with...
- 6/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Although many of us consider ourselves movie experts, our knowledge is often limited to U.S. and British productions, completely ignoring creators from around the world. Knowing this, Martin Scorsese, in response to a young filmmaker named Colin Levy, created a list of 39 international films that you must see.
While 39 may seem like a lot, you can always start with 10 that other people considered the best. Here is the list of the top 10 Martin Scorsese recommendations, according to IMDb rating.
10. Ugetsu monogatari (1953) – 8.2/10
Country: Japan
Set in a rural area during Japan's civil war, this movie follows Genjuro and Tobei, two men driven by the need to make money for their families. Ignoring the signs and possessed by their greed, they make enough to feed everyone but bring devastation and destruction as their punishment.
9. Umberto D. (1952) – 8.2/10
Country: Italy
Umberto D. Ferrari is a retired government clerk living in Rome and struggling to make ends meet.
While 39 may seem like a lot, you can always start with 10 that other people considered the best. Here is the list of the top 10 Martin Scorsese recommendations, according to IMDb rating.
10. Ugetsu monogatari (1953) – 8.2/10
Country: Japan
Set in a rural area during Japan's civil war, this movie follows Genjuro and Tobei, two men driven by the need to make money for their families. Ignoring the signs and possessed by their greed, they make enough to feed everyone but bring devastation and destruction as their punishment.
9. Umberto D. (1952) – 8.2/10
Country: Italy
Umberto D. Ferrari is a retired government clerk living in Rome and struggling to make ends meet.
- 5/24/2024
- by virginia-singh@startefacts.com (Virginia Singh)
- STartefacts.com
When Akira Kurosawa, Shinobu Hashimoto, and Hideo Oguni were writing the screenplay for their 1954 epic "Seven Samurai," they couldn't have predicted its lasting influence on cinema. Not only did Kurosawa's masterful direction alter and revolutionize the way action sequences would be shot, but the premise became a reliable and lasting template that multiple other filmmakers would employ in the ensuing decades. For those unlucky enough to have never seen "Seven Samurai," the setup is simple: a remote farming village is regularly looted by passing bandits, leaving them destitute. Unable to withstand another attack, the villagers gather up their modest means and hire seven rogue samurai to protect them. The samurai know that the job won't pay, but each one has their own reasons for joining the cause. Using their cunning and limited means, the samurai repel the bandit attack.
Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.
Most recently, the "Seven Samurai" premise was transposed onto Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon.
- 5/21/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The poster for the Cannes Film Festival’s 2024 edition (May 14-25) pays tribute to Akira Kurosawa’s film Rhapsody In August.
The film played out of competition at Cannes in 1991, and follows a grandmother who lost her husband to the Nagasaki bombing in 1945 and how three generations of her family respond to the tragedy. It stars Sachiko Murase as the grandmother, with Richard Gere also among the cast.
It was the penultimate film from the renowned Japanese filmmaker behind masterpieces such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ikiru and Ran.
The festival said: “Mirroring the movie theatre, this poster celebrates the Seventh Art,...
The film played out of competition at Cannes in 1991, and follows a grandmother who lost her husband to the Nagasaki bombing in 1945 and how three generations of her family respond to the tragedy. It stars Sachiko Murase as the grandmother, with Richard Gere also among the cast.
It was the penultimate film from the renowned Japanese filmmaker behind masterpieces such as Rashomon, Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ikiru and Ran.
The festival said: “Mirroring the movie theatre, this poster celebrates the Seventh Art,...
- 4/19/2024
- ScreenDaily
Ever since his high school golf teammates realized he couldn’t hit a straight tee shot, Carter (David Krumholtz) has been saddled with a nickname that doesn’t allow much room for charitable interpretations. His days of athletic mediocrity are now far behind him, but the “Lousy Carter” moniker has followed him throughout his adult life — and frankly, it’s hard to argue he doesn’t deserve it. The question of whether his high school bullies were abnormally clairvoyant or he simply lived down to their insults is a chicken-and-egg dilemma, but the middle-aged iteration of Carter that we meet in Bob Byington’s latest film is an undeniably lousy man.
The literature professor has spent the bulk of his adult life coasting on the glimmer of promise that he showed as an animator when he released his first film 13 years ago. He parlayed those 15 seconds of fame into a...
The literature professor has spent the bulk of his adult life coasting on the glimmer of promise that he showed as an animator when he released his first film 13 years ago. He parlayed those 15 seconds of fame into a...
- 3/29/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Malaga — Antonio Chavarrías’ “Holy Mother,” Celia Rico’s “Little Loves” and Diogo Viegas’s “Alice’s Diary” play at this year’s 3rd Spanish Screenings Content, the Malaga Festival’s part of the Spanish Screenings Xxl, Spain’s biggest international industry platform in its history, featuring over March 4-7 and – when it comes to Málaga – the monumental number of 222 titles.
In production volume, Spain has never had it so good. The market screenings at Malaga’s Rosaleda Multiplex range across over 80 Spanish movie titles, taking in recent past gems such as “The Girls Are All Right, “Something Is About to Happen,” “Jokes & Cigarettes and “The Chapel,” just to mention titles on Monday’s program.
Also on offer are 11 Works in Progress, 62 Film Library titles and 65 shorts.
The Screenings come at a propitious time in many ways for Spanish cinema. Two Spanish movies – J.A. Bayona’s Andean air crash disaster...
In production volume, Spain has never had it so good. The market screenings at Malaga’s Rosaleda Multiplex range across over 80 Spanish movie titles, taking in recent past gems such as “The Girls Are All Right, “Something Is About to Happen,” “Jokes & Cigarettes and “The Chapel,” just to mention titles on Monday’s program.
Also on offer are 11 Works in Progress, 62 Film Library titles and 65 shorts.
The Screenings come at a propitious time in many ways for Spanish cinema. Two Spanish movies – J.A. Bayona’s Andean air crash disaster...
- 3/3/2024
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Actor Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee announced they are joining forces once more, the first time in 18 years, for a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller “High and Low.” The duo have collaborated four times previously, on “Mo’ Better Blues,” “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” and, most recently, “Inside Man.”
“High and Low” was originally based on the novel “King’s Ransom” by the prolific American author Ed McBain. McBain was a nom de plume for Evan Hunter, who also wrote “The Blackboard Jungle” (adapted to a popular film with a significant early turn by Sidney Poitier) and was a co-screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
The original “High and Low” starred Toshiro Mifune as an executive who faces a moral crisis during a pivotal moment of his career—just as he had intended to move a vast amount of his personal wealth for business reasons, his son...
“High and Low” was originally based on the novel “King’s Ransom” by the prolific American author Ed McBain. McBain was a nom de plume for Evan Hunter, who also wrote “The Blackboard Jungle” (adapted to a popular film with a significant early turn by Sidney Poitier) and was a co-screenwriter of Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds.”
The original “High and Low” starred Toshiro Mifune as an executive who faces a moral crisis during a pivotal moment of his career—just as he had intended to move a vast amount of his personal wealth for business reasons, his son...
- 2/9/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Watanabe reaps the benefits of his efforts to build a playground despite all the obstacles bureaucracy puts in his way, in his own distinct fashion. He walks to a playground where he sits on a swing and lingers while singing his favorite song. The thick snow that is falling does not seem to bother him and eventually, the fact that he died during this night is revealed.
“Ikiru” was the first film where Kurosawa decided to do his own editing and the result was magnificent, particularly in this scene, where his entire technical prowess is highlighted. Kurosawa magnificently combines the white snow, the dark night, the cold breath that comes out of Watanabe's mouth as he walks toward the swing, his later swinging, and the song that comes softly out of his mouth, “Gondola No Uta”.
The result is very touching, visually striking and provides a clear message regarding the...
“Ikiru” was the first film where Kurosawa decided to do his own editing and the result was magnificent, particularly in this scene, where his entire technical prowess is highlighted. Kurosawa magnificently combines the white snow, the dark night, the cold breath that comes out of Watanabe's mouth as he walks toward the swing, his later swinging, and the song that comes softly out of his mouth, “Gondola No Uta”.
The result is very touching, visually striking and provides a clear message regarding the...
- 1/7/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
This streamer is a cinephile’s delight, and it’s on sale for a fantastic price for a limited time!
Would you consider yourself a true film buff? If so, you absolutely must look into a subscription to The Criterion Channel. This on-demand streaming service is the very best place to stream restored classics and special editions of beloved movies spanning the past century.
The Criterion Channel is offering an excellent deal for Cyber Monday 2023: 25% off its annual plan using promo code “Movies.” That brings the price of a year’s worth of streaming on The Criterion Channel from $99.99 down to just $74.99, but this deal expires on Tuesday, Nov. 28!
How to Get The Criterion Channel for 25% Off for 1 Year Before Nov. 28 Click here to get the deal from The Criterion Channel. Click “Sign Up,” and select the annual plan. Enter your payment and contact information, and enter promo code Movies.
Would you consider yourself a true film buff? If so, you absolutely must look into a subscription to The Criterion Channel. This on-demand streaming service is the very best place to stream restored classics and special editions of beloved movies spanning the past century.
The Criterion Channel is offering an excellent deal for Cyber Monday 2023: 25% off its annual plan using promo code “Movies.” That brings the price of a year’s worth of streaming on The Criterion Channel from $99.99 down to just $74.99, but this deal expires on Tuesday, Nov. 28!
How to Get The Criterion Channel for 25% Off for 1 Year Before Nov. 28 Click here to get the deal from The Criterion Channel. Click “Sign Up,” and select the annual plan. Enter your payment and contact information, and enter promo code Movies.
- 11/27/2023
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
A lot of articles exist on the internet listing the movies Martin Scorsese considers to be the best films of all time, but he’s not actually in favor of such rankings. Speaking to Time magazine for a video interview (see below), the “Taxi Driver” and “The Departed” icon said he is generally against top 10 best lists.
“I’ve tried to make lists over the years of films I personally feel are my favorites, whatever that means,” Scorsese said. “And then you find out that the word ‘favorite’ has different levels: Films that have impressed you the most, as opposed to films you just like to keep watching, as opposed to those you keep watching and learning from, or experiencing anew. So, they’re varied. And I’m always sort of against ’10 best’ lists.”
Scorsese gathered his favorite films into a list as recently as last December, when he participated...
“I’ve tried to make lists over the years of films I personally feel are my favorites, whatever that means,” Scorsese said. “And then you find out that the word ‘favorite’ has different levels: Films that have impressed you the most, as opposed to films you just like to keep watching, as opposed to those you keep watching and learning from, or experiencing anew. So, they’re varied. And I’m always sort of against ’10 best’ lists.”
Scorsese gathered his favorite films into a list as recently as last December, when he participated...
- 9/13/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Luck is an elusive and intangible force that has been a subject of fascination and intrigue for humanity across cultures and time. Asian cinema, with its rich storytelling and cultural nuances, has explored the theme of luck in various intriguing and thought-provoking ways. From heartwarming tales to thrilling adventures, here are seven Asian movies that delve into the enigmatic concept of luck.
1. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Stephen Chow’s “Kung Fu Hustle” is a comedic martial arts masterpiece that weaves humor and action with elements of luck. Set in 1940s China, the film follows Sing, a small-time hustler who dreams of becoming a notorious gangster. However, his plans take an unexpected turn when he inadvertently stumbles upon a conflict between two legendary Kung Fu masters. Through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate) events, Sing discovers hidden powers within himself, transforming his luck and destiny.
2. God of Gamblers (1989)
This Hong Kong action-comedy,...
1. Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
Stephen Chow’s “Kung Fu Hustle” is a comedic martial arts masterpiece that weaves humor and action with elements of luck. Set in 1940s China, the film follows Sing, a small-time hustler who dreams of becoming a notorious gangster. However, his plans take an unexpected turn when he inadvertently stumbles upon a conflict between two legendary Kung Fu masters. Through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate) events, Sing discovers hidden powers within himself, transforming his luck and destiny.
2. God of Gamblers (1989)
This Hong Kong action-comedy,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Peter Adams
- AsianMoviePulse
With Barbie just around the corner, there’s a lot of anticipation and wiggly legs. If you’re feeling underprepared to see the new Greta Gerwig movie, she has a full watchlist on her Letterboxd to help you through her filmmaking process and her many a classic inspiration that drove this project home. Now, there are some of us who don’t have access to or maybe an interest in watching these old movies, so I’ve tried to make a compilation of movies that includes some of Greta’s picks, but also my interpretation of what other movies could fall under this category. This list has been curated with the influence of Greta’s interviews, her own watchlist, and the promotional content of Barbie. If you’re having a watch party before seeing the new film, here are some films you could choose from:
The Wizard of Oz
This...
The Wizard of Oz
This...
- 7/20/2023
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
Trio to work alongside Warner Bros. picture group co-heads Mike De Luca, Pamela Abdy.
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) appears to have been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson will help curate films under the creative oversight of Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Senior vice-president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, who had been at TCM for more than 25 years and was among several senior executives laid off earlier this month, will now return to the channel.
In a heartening development the new roles for Spielberg,...
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) appears to have been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson will help curate films under the creative oversight of Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy.
Senior vice-president of programming and content strategy Charles Tabesh, who had been at TCM for more than 25 years and was among several senior executives laid off earlier this month, will now return to the channel.
In a heartening development the new roles for Spielberg,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Warner Bros motion picture group co-heads to work alongside Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Paul Thomas Anderson.
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy will assume creative control of the channel working alongside Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson.
The three filmmakers called a meeting last week with David Zaslav, CEO of TCM parent Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd), amid fears the channel might close down after several senior executives were laid off under ongoing cost-cutting at Wbd.
Senior vice-president...
The imbroglio at Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has been resolved as it emerged on Wednesday that Warner Bros picture group co-heads Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy will assume creative control of the channel working alongside Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Paul Thomas Anderson.
The three filmmakers called a meeting last week with David Zaslav, CEO of TCM parent Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd), amid fears the channel might close down after several senior executives were laid off under ongoing cost-cutting at Wbd.
Senior vice-president...
- 6/28/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bill Nighy has finally explained why he was carrying a little toy bunny on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday (12 March).
The 73-year-old star made a point of directing photographers’ attention to the rabbit, which appeared to be from the Sylvanian Families range.
Nighy, who was nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in Living, has now revealed that the curio was his granddaughter’s.
“My granddaughter’s schedule intensified and I was charged with rabbit-sitting responsibilities,” Nighy said in a statement to Metro.
“I wasn’t prepared to leave her unattended in a hotel room. The stakes are too high. Where I go, she goes...”
Would you expect any less from Nighy?
The Guardian notes that the Love Actually star was holding a member of the Babblebrook family, “a design classic that was included in the original Sylvanian Families launch in the mid-1980s but is now...
The 73-year-old star made a point of directing photographers’ attention to the rabbit, which appeared to be from the Sylvanian Families range.
Nighy, who was nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in Living, has now revealed that the curio was his granddaughter’s.
“My granddaughter’s schedule intensified and I was charged with rabbit-sitting responsibilities,” Nighy said in a statement to Metro.
“I wasn’t prepared to leave her unattended in a hotel room. The stakes are too high. Where I go, she goes...”
Would you expect any less from Nighy?
The Guardian notes that the Love Actually star was holding a member of the Babblebrook family, “a design classic that was included in the original Sylvanian Families launch in the mid-1980s but is now...
- 3/14/2023
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Film
‘Decision To Leave’ won three and Hirokazu Kore-eda named best director.
The Asian Film Awards (Afa) celebrated its comeback edition in Hong Kong tonight (March 12) and named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car best film.
The Japanese film, which premiered at Cannes in 2021 and won best international feature at last year’s Oscars, won a further two awards at the AFAs: best editing for Azusa Yamazaki and best original music by Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave went into the night as the favourite, with a leading 10 nominations for the South Korean film,...
The Asian Film Awards (Afa) celebrated its comeback edition in Hong Kong tonight (March 12) and named Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car best film.
The Japanese film, which premiered at Cannes in 2021 and won best international feature at last year’s Oscars, won a further two awards at the AFAs: best editing for Azusa Yamazaki and best original music by Eiko Ishibashi.
Scroll down for full list of winners
Park Chan-wook’s Decision To Leave went into the night as the favourite, with a leading 10 nominations for the South Korean film,...
- 3/12/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Kazuo Ishiguro how a “eureka moment” in the back of a London taxi resulted in Oscar nominations.
The author of books including Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go adapted Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film Ikiru into a London-set drama titled Living, which was released in 2022.
Ishiguro wrote the script, which has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Oscars, which take place on Sunday (12 March).
The film follows a bureaucrat who is diagosed with terminal cancer, and is spurred on to finally embrace life after dedicating his life to his work.
For Living to succeed, he required an actor who was up to the task of playing the lead role – and he found that person in Bill Nighy.
He revealed that, one night, while in a taxi with Nighy, he had a brainwave – what if the Love, Actually star should play the role?
The...
The author of books including Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go adapted Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film Ikiru into a London-set drama titled Living, which was released in 2022.
Ishiguro wrote the script, which has been nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Oscars, which take place on Sunday (12 March).
The film follows a bureaucrat who is diagosed with terminal cancer, and is spurred on to finally embrace life after dedicating his life to his work.
For Living to succeed, he required an actor who was up to the task of playing the lead role – and he found that person in Bill Nighy.
He revealed that, one night, while in a taxi with Nighy, he had a brainwave – what if the Love, Actually star should play the role?
The...
- 3/9/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
“Women Talking” has won the USC Libraries Scripter Award for adapted screenplay in a ceremony that took place on the USC campus in Los Angeles on Saturday night.
The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of an adapted screenplay and the author of the original material on which the screenplay was based, which meant that the award was given to writer-director Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews, whose 2018 novel formed the basis for Polley’s film.
In the 34-year history of the Scripters, the winner has matched the Oscar winner 14 times, most of those in an eight-year streak between 2010 and 2017.
Other finalists were screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living,” based on Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for “She Said”; and Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based on...
The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of an adapted screenplay and the author of the original material on which the screenplay was based, which meant that the award was given to writer-director Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews, whose 2018 novel formed the basis for Polley’s film.
In the 34-year history of the Scripters, the winner has matched the Oscar winner 14 times, most of those in an eight-year streak between 2010 and 2017.
Other finalists were screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living,” based on Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich”; screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for “She Said”; and Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based on...
- 3/5/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
This year marks Sarah Polley’s second shot at an Academy Award for adapted screenplay. Her first nomination came in 2008 for “Away from Her,” when she lost to Joel and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men.” Now she’s up for “Women Talking,” which Polley adapted from the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews. The film premiered at Telluride last September and generated immediate Oscar buzz and rave reviews.
Back in those early days, Polley looked like a decent bet for her first career directing nomination, with Emmy-winners Claire Foy and Ben Whishaw and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley also seen as strong contenders in the supporting acting categories.
See‘Women Talking’s’ Sarah Polley can make it back-to-back female Oscar winners in Best Adapted Screenplay
But as the balmy hope of late summer gave way to the cold reality of winter, the “Women Talking” momentum cooled considerably. The film subsequently underperformed at the Golden Globes,...
Back in those early days, Polley looked like a decent bet for her first career directing nomination, with Emmy-winners Claire Foy and Ben Whishaw and Oscar nominee Jessie Buckley also seen as strong contenders in the supporting acting categories.
See‘Women Talking’s’ Sarah Polley can make it back-to-back female Oscar winners in Best Adapted Screenplay
But as the balmy hope of late summer gave way to the cold reality of winter, the “Women Talking” momentum cooled considerably. The film subsequently underperformed at the Golden Globes,...
- 3/3/2023
- by Stacy Henry
- Gold Derby
Morgan Wallen is paying tribute to his great-grandmother with the cover art for his new album, One Thing At A Time.
The country crooner chats to Et Canada’s Carlos Bustamante about the reason he went for the artwork, with the photo being taken on his great-grandmother’s porch.
Wallen shares, “Her name was Mama Boots, [that’s] what we called her. She just played a huge impact in my life, especially at an early age. She lived to be 91. So, I got to spend a lot of time with her, even as an adult, you know, as a young adult.
“She just meant a whole lot to me. I had a lot of fond memories at that house and I just kind of wanted to show my respect and my love for her by dedicating the cover to her.
“So I was glad that we got to get a picture I liked,...
The country crooner chats to Et Canada’s Carlos Bustamante about the reason he went for the artwork, with the photo being taken on his great-grandmother’s porch.
Wallen shares, “Her name was Mama Boots, [that’s] what we called her. She just played a huge impact in my life, especially at an early age. She lived to be 91. So, I got to spend a lot of time with her, even as an adult, you know, as a young adult.
“She just meant a whole lot to me. I had a lot of fond memories at that house and I just kind of wanted to show my respect and my love for her by dedicating the cover to her.
“So I was glad that we got to get a picture I liked,...
- 3/3/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
It is a fascinating thing to watch someone’s history of protest and addiction collide and conspire to hold a pharmaceutical company accountable and expose its parent family as reprehensible. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras profiles the renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her fight through the AIDS and opioid crisis, but this is bigger than a biographical documentary. Through slideshows, interviews, and family videos, Poitras weaves a riveting, heartbreaking interconnected story of generational pain, its influence over the blurry boundaries between life and art. – Jake K-s.
Where to Stream: VOD
Close (Lukas Dhont)
Dhont’s sophomore feature offers no narrative or stylistic fireworks, but it captures feelings so fine and true they...
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (Laura Poitras)
It is a fascinating thing to watch someone’s history of protest and addiction collide and conspire to hold a pharmaceutical company accountable and expose its parent family as reprehensible. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras profiles the renowned photographer and activist Nan Goldin and her fight through the AIDS and opioid crisis, but this is bigger than a biographical documentary. Through slideshows, interviews, and family videos, Poitras weaves a riveting, heartbreaking interconnected story of generational pain, its influence over the blurry boundaries between life and art. – Jake K-s.
Where to Stream: VOD
Close (Lukas Dhont)
Dhont’s sophomore feature offers no narrative or stylistic fireworks, but it captures feelings so fine and true they...
- 3/3/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Best Actor Oscar nominee Bill Nighy (“Living”) recently chatted with Gold Derby’s Rob Licuria on how his involvement in the Lionsgate film was a “marvelous development” and “completely unexpected.” “Living” is an adaptation of “Ikiru,” the Japanese drama film from 1952. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro wanted to “reimagine the Kurosawa movie” with an English twist, and Nighy explains in detail how he was blown away by the “completely brilliant” script.
After working in the industry for decades, this marks Nighy’s first career Oscar nomination. He was also recognized at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for his role as Rodney Williams, a bureaucrat who receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. “I don’t read anything about myself, and I don’t get out much, and I don’t watch the movies,” the actor tells us. “But I know that I am associated with a kind of Englishness.
After working in the industry for decades, this marks Nighy’s first career Oscar nomination. He was also recognized at the BAFTAs, Critics Choice, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for his role as Rodney Williams, a bureaucrat who receives a terminal cancer diagnosis. “I don’t read anything about myself, and I don’t get out much, and I don’t watch the movies,” the actor tells us. “But I know that I am associated with a kind of Englishness.
- 3/3/2023
- by Latasha Ford and Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
There are great films in the canon that cinema purists consider to be hands-off when it comes to remakes — especially anything in the filmography of the great Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. But when you have a script written by Kazuo Ishiguro, the Nobel Prize-winning author of The Remains of the Day, an English-language adaptation of the filmmaker’s 1952 drama, Ikiru, immediately becomes a prestige project rather than a regurgitation of art house IP.
Members of the Academy clearly think so too, as Sony Pictures Classics’ Living earned first-time Oscar nominations for both Ishiguro and the film’s star, Bill Nighy, for whom Ishiguro wrote his gentlemanly protagonist Mr. Williams. Set a year after Kurosawa’s original film was released, Living follows the humdrum life of a stoic London bureaucrat and widower whose life is upended when he receives a fatal diagnosis. With his time running out, Mr. Williams begins to...
Members of the Academy clearly think so too, as Sony Pictures Classics’ Living earned first-time Oscar nominations for both Ishiguro and the film’s star, Bill Nighy, for whom Ishiguro wrote his gentlemanly protagonist Mr. Williams. Set a year after Kurosawa’s original film was released, Living follows the humdrum life of a stoic London bureaucrat and widower whose life is upended when he receives a fatal diagnosis. With his time running out, Mr. Williams begins to...
- 3/2/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“I feel like a guest, but a welcome guest in both this art form and this industry,” declares author Kazuo Ishiguro about earning his first Oscar nomination. The Nobel Prize winning author of such novels as “The Remains of the Day” and “Never Let Me Go” is nominated this year for Best Adapted Screenplay of “Living.” The film stars Best Actor nominee Bill Nighy as an English bureaucrat who changes the direction of his life after receiving a life-changing diagnosis. Watch the video above for more of Gold Derby’s exclusive video chat with Ishiguro.
“Living” is adapted from the classic film “Ikiru,” directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. For Ishiguro, who was born in Japan but grew up in England, the film satiated a longing to find some exposure to Japanese culture. “It was very difficult to see Japanese movies– or anything Japanese,” he recalls. “So partly I think...
“Living” is adapted from the classic film “Ikiru,” directed by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. For Ishiguro, who was born in Japan but grew up in England, the film satiated a longing to find some exposure to Japanese culture. “It was very difficult to see Japanese movies– or anything Japanese,” he recalls. “So partly I think...
- 3/1/2023
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
Is the screenplay a director’s medium? The Academy certainly seems to think so. Of the 10 Oscar-nominated screenplays this year, eight were written (or co-written) by the film’s director.
The nominees for best original screenplay are Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once, Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans (co-written with Tony Kushner), Todd Field’s Tár and Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. All five are nominated for best picture and also earned their helmers a best director nom.
The adapted screenplay category features three scripts credited to their films’ directors: All Quiet on the Western Front (written by director Edward Berger with Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, earning his second Oscar nom) and Women Talking (Sarah Polley). The two outliers are Living, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru penned by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro,...
The nominees for best original screenplay are Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees of Inisherin, Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once, Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans (co-written with Tony Kushner), Todd Field’s Tár and Ruben Östlund’s Triangle of Sadness. All five are nominated for best picture and also earned their helmers a best director nom.
The adapted screenplay category features three scripts credited to their films’ directors: All Quiet on the Western Front (written by director Edward Berger with Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell), Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Rian Johnson, earning his second Oscar nom) and Women Talking (Sarah Polley). The two outliers are Living, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru penned by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro,...
- 2/18/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sony Pictures Classics has made many wise investments at the Sundance Film Festival over the years. Its 2022 acquisition, “Living,” just nabbed Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Bill Nighy, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Other recent Sundance titles propelled to the Oscars by the studio include “The Father” (2020), “Call Me By Your Name” (2017), “Whiplash” (2014) and “An Education” (2009). Amy Adams’ very first career bid came for “Junebug,” which the distributor picked up from Park City in 2005. That film’s writer, Angus MacLachlan, is the director of “A Little Prayer,” one of Sony Pictures Classics’ 2023 festival purchases (the other being Audience Award winner “The Persian Version”).
Starring David Strathairn as Bill Brass, the movie is about a soft-spoken North Carolina family man who, per official synopsis, “tests the limits of patriarchal interference” after discovering that his son, David (Will Pullen), has been having an extramarital affair. In breach of Southern hospitality, which prescribes minding one’s own affairs,...
Starring David Strathairn as Bill Brass, the movie is about a soft-spoken North Carolina family man who, per official synopsis, “tests the limits of patriarchal interference” after discovering that his son, David (Will Pullen), has been having an extramarital affair. In breach of Southern hospitality, which prescribes minding one’s own affairs,...
- 2/13/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
At the age of 73 and after working as an actor for nearly five decades, Bill Nighy has finally earned his first individual nomination at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. Nighy is nominated for Best Actor for his performance as government bureaucrat, Rodney Williams, in Oliver Hermanus’s film “Living.” He was nominated for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for being part of the ensemble in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” in 2012.
Like Nighy, all the other nominees in the Best Actor category are making their first appearance as individual nominees: Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Adam Sandler (“Hustle”). Fraser won a SAG Award for Best Cast as part of the ensemble of “Crash” in 2005 and Butler was also nominated in that category for “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” in 2019.
Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, “Ikiru,” “Living” tells the story of Rodney Williams,...
Like Nighy, all the other nominees in the Best Actor category are making their first appearance as individual nominees: Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Adam Sandler (“Hustle”). Fraser won a SAG Award for Best Cast as part of the ensemble of “Crash” in 2005 and Butler was also nominated in that category for “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” in 2019.
Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film, “Ikiru,” “Living” tells the story of Rodney Williams,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
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 are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2023
2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay All Quiet On The Western Front, (aka Im Westen Nichts Neues), Daniel Bruhl, 2022. ph: Reiner Bajo /© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection
Category Commentary: Netflix’s “Glass Onion” by Rian Johnson, Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” by Peter Craig, Justin Marks, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie and MGM/Uar’s “Women Talking” by Sarah Polley...
Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2023
2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Adapted Screenplay All Quiet On The Western Front, (aka Im Westen Nichts Neues), Daniel Bruhl, 2022. ph: Reiner Bajo /© Netflix /Courtesy Everett Collection
Category Commentary: Netflix’s “Glass Onion” by Rian Johnson, Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” by Peter Craig, Justin Marks, Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie and MGM/Uar’s “Women Talking” by Sarah Polley...
- 2/3/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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 are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2023
2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Actor Elvis, Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, 2022. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
Category Commentary: The next significant industry prize that will hint at who could take home the Oscar for best actor is the BAFTA Awards on Feb. 19. Final voting has been underway since Friday, Jan. 20, and will conclude on Tuesday, Feb. 14. All the Oscar nominees are on the BAFTA lineup.
Last Updated: Feb. 2, 2023
2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Actor Elvis, Austin Butler as Elvis Presley, 2022. © Warner Bros. / courtesy Everett Collection
Category Commentary: The next significant industry prize that will hint at who could take home the Oscar for best actor is the BAFTA Awards on Feb. 19. Final voting has been underway since Friday, Jan. 20, and will conclude on Tuesday, Feb. 14. All the Oscar nominees are on the BAFTA lineup.
- 2/2/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed award-winning British-Spanish actress Patsy Ferran for representation in all areas, with plans to help her secure new opportunities across film, television, theatre and more.
The signing comes off of her critically acclaimed role alongside Paul Mescal in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the hottest tickets in London which is finishing off its last week of shows at Islington’s Almeida Theatre before moving to the West End’s Phoenix for a six-week run.
This iteration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tennessee Williams play has Ferran playing the fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who is forced to endure a move into the low-rent New Orleans apartment of her younger sister Stella (Anjana Vasan) and abusive brother-in-law Stanley (Mescal) at a point when she’s already in existential crisis.
Ferran previously starred in a production of Williams’ Summer and Smoke, for which she...
The signing comes off of her critically acclaimed role alongside Paul Mescal in Rebecca Frecknall’s production of A Streetcar Named Desire, one of the hottest tickets in London which is finishing off its last week of shows at Islington’s Almeida Theatre before moving to the West End’s Phoenix for a six-week run.
This iteration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Tennessee Williams play has Ferran playing the fading Southern belle Blanche DuBois, who is forced to endure a move into the low-rent New Orleans apartment of her younger sister Stella (Anjana Vasan) and abusive brother-in-law Stanley (Mescal) at a point when she’s already in existential crisis.
Ferran previously starred in a production of Williams’ Summer and Smoke, for which she...
- 1/31/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been a rocky road for “Women Talking,” having underperformed or been overlooked completely at various precursors, but it managed to earn two Oscar nominations: Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sarah Polley. The latter category has long been predicted to be the one that the drama could win and it is currently out in front with 16/5 odds. If Polley does pull through, she’ll join a short list of not just female winners in the category but an even shorter list of female writers who’ve won individually.
As is the case with most non-gendered categories, female champs are rather infrequent in Best Adapted Screenplay. In the 94-year history of the Oscars, the award has gone to women just eight times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who prevailed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Jhabvala is one of...
As is the case with most non-gendered categories, female champs are rather infrequent in Best Adapted Screenplay. In the 94-year history of the Oscars, the award has gone to women just eight times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who prevailed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Jhabvala is one of...
- 1/30/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Most Oscar documentary nominees launch at Sundance. There are exceptions, like winners “Citizenfour,” “Free Solo,” and “My Octopus Teacher,” but it remains the festival of choice for non-fiction films.
A Sundance award doesn’t hurt, either: The 2022 documentary Oscar winner, Questlove’s “Summer of Soul,” began its journey as a 2021 Sundance double winner with an Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize. This year, the Oscar nominees include “Navalny” (U.S. Documentary audience and Festival Favorite award), “Fire of Love” (editing award), “All that Breathes,” (Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary), and “House Made of Splinters” (World Cinema Documentary Directing Award).
This year’s Sundance crop, sampled by those in Park City theaters as well as online, is just as impressive. Jury prizes didn’t always go to the buzziest titles, but Sundance award-winners get a lift toward getting seen and often acquired.
Sheila Nevins’ MTV Documentary Films grabbed Chilean...
A Sundance award doesn’t hurt, either: The 2022 documentary Oscar winner, Questlove’s “Summer of Soul,” began its journey as a 2021 Sundance double winner with an Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize. This year, the Oscar nominees include “Navalny” (U.S. Documentary audience and Festival Favorite award), “Fire of Love” (editing award), “All that Breathes,” (Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary), and “House Made of Splinters” (World Cinema Documentary Directing Award).
This year’s Sundance crop, sampled by those in Park City theaters as well as online, is just as impressive. Jury prizes didn’t always go to the buzziest titles, but Sundance award-winners get a lift toward getting seen and often acquired.
Sheila Nevins’ MTV Documentary Films grabbed Chilean...
- 1/29/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Bill Nighy gives the performance of his career in Living as a man facing impending death with the knowledge that he’s never truly lived. His work is so good that, on its own, it’s enough to justify remaking a classic. The fact that Oliver Hermanus’ resulting film isn’t too bad itself is its own sort of miracle.
Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952) has long topped many lists of the best films ever made. A moving and perceptive story about a government bureaucrat examining his life during his final days, it has much on its mind about not only the purpose of life, but also Japanese society in the 1950s. That specificity, along with Kurosawa’s masterful direction and Takashi Shimura’s compelling performance, makes it the definitive “rage against the dying of the light” movie. And while it’s inspired many other films about protagonists grappling with their mortality,...
Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru (1952) has long topped many lists of the best films ever made. A moving and perceptive story about a government bureaucrat examining his life during his final days, it has much on its mind about not only the purpose of life, but also Japanese society in the 1950s. That specificity, along with Kurosawa’s masterful direction and Takashi Shimura’s compelling performance, makes it the definitive “rage against the dying of the light” movie. And while it’s inspired many other films about protagonists grappling with their mortality,...
- 1/27/2023
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
Kazuo Ishiguro, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is one of the world’s greatest living novelists — and a newly Oscar-nominated screenwriter, as well, for his adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru into the script for Oliver Hermanus’ 2022 film Living.
A Japanese-born Brit, Ishiguro has written eight novels over the last 41 years which have collectively sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S alone, most notably 1989’s The Remains of the Day, which was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize, and 2005’s Never Let Me Go, which Time chose as one of the 100 greatest English-language novels since 1923 and the Los Angeles Times described as “probably, thus far, the most important English-language novel of the new century.” (Both were adapted, by others, into highly acclaimed films.)
In recognition of Ishiguro’s collective body of work, he was chosen as the recipient of the...
A Japanese-born Brit, Ishiguro has written eight novels over the last 41 years which have collectively sold more than 2.5 million copies in the U.S alone, most notably 1989’s The Remains of the Day, which was awarded the prestigious Booker Prize, and 2005’s Never Let Me Go, which Time chose as one of the 100 greatest English-language novels since 1923 and the Los Angeles Times described as “probably, thus far, the most important English-language novel of the new century.” (Both were adapted, by others, into highly acclaimed films.)
In recognition of Ishiguro’s collective body of work, he was chosen as the recipient of the...
- 1/26/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The novels of Kazuo Ishiguro have, as the Nobel Prize committee asserted in 2017, “Uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world.” The beloved Japanese-born British writer, 68, has gained an international reputation for his coiled, emotional works such as “The Remains of the Day,” “Never Let Me Go” and “The Buried Giant,” among others.
Ishiguro has also written a few movie scripts, including for directors Guy Maddin and James Ivory. But his screenplay of 2022’s “Living,” an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (1952), set in 1950s London, marks Ishiguro’s purest expression of his talent in the film world. The Nobel committee’s “uncovered the abyss” quote could apply to this story of a reserved bureaucrat (played by an incandescent Bill Nighy) facing his own mortality.
Also Read:
Oscar Nominations 2023: Andrea Riseborough, Brian Tyree Henry and Paul Mescal Break Into the Race (Complete List)
On Tuesday,...
Ishiguro has also written a few movie scripts, including for directors Guy Maddin and James Ivory. But his screenplay of 2022’s “Living,” an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (1952), set in 1950s London, marks Ishiguro’s purest expression of his talent in the film world. The Nobel committee’s “uncovered the abyss” quote could apply to this story of a reserved bureaucrat (played by an incandescent Bill Nighy) facing his own mortality.
Also Read:
Oscar Nominations 2023: Andrea Riseborough, Brian Tyree Henry and Paul Mescal Break Into the Race (Complete List)
On Tuesday,...
- 1/25/2023
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
The extremely small group of Nobel laureates who have earned Academy Award nominations grew today by 33. Kazuo Ishiguro, one of the world’s most feted contemporary writers, earned his first Oscar nomination for his adapted screenplay for the film “Living,” which also earned a Best Actor nomination for Bill Nighy. How many other Nobel prize winner have pulled off this feat? And will it help Ishiguro pull off a victory in this competitive category?
Ishiguro is now the fourth winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature to earn an Oscar nomination. The first was George Bernard Shaw, who received the Nobel in 1925 for, in the words of the Nobel committee, “his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty.” He won the Best Screenplay prize in 1939 for adapting his own play “Pygmalion,” sharing the Oscar with Ian Dalrymple,...
Ishiguro is now the fourth winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature to earn an Oscar nomination. The first was George Bernard Shaw, who received the Nobel in 1925 for, in the words of the Nobel committee, “his work which is marked by both idealism and humanity, its stimulating satire often being infused with a singular poetic beauty.” He won the Best Screenplay prize in 1939 for adapting his own play “Pygmalion,” sharing the Oscar with Ian Dalrymple,...
- 1/24/2023
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
First, the good news: Asian actors had the best-ever showing in the 95th Oscar nominations, with Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu (all from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Hong Chau (“The Whale”) repping one-fifth of the acting nominees this year. Yeoh is the first Asian actress nominated in the leading category since Merle Oberon in 1935 for “The Dark Angel,” and she is the second-oldest Asian acting nominee after Youn Yuh-Jung, who won a supporting actress trophy in 2021 for “Minari”.
Brian Tyree Henry scored a surprise first Oscar nomination for his affecting turn in “Causeway,” Angela Bassett scored her first nod in 29 years for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas scored one for “Blonde,” bringing the BiPOC acting nominations total to 7 out of 20 in the four performance categories, an improvement over last year.
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Brian Tyree Henry scored a surprise first Oscar nomination for his affecting turn in “Causeway,” Angela Bassett scored her first nod in 29 years for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and Cuban-Spanish actress Ana de Armas scored one for “Blonde,” bringing the BiPOC acting nominations total to 7 out of 20 in the four performance categories, an improvement over last year.
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Oscar Voters Jump Into the Multiverse by Mixing Huge...
- 1/24/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Like Qasim Basir’s last feature, “A Boy. A Girl. A Dream,” his new “To Live & Die and Live” is a questing mood piece whose characters roam a city’s highlife in a fruitless search for inner peace. Here the setting is Detroit, but the protagonist a successful filmmaker taking a forced yet needed sabbatical from the pressures of that prior film’s Los Angeles. The issues he’s dragged with him are hardly alleviated by this return to home turf, however.
As before, the writer-director’s elliptical narrative approach leaves a lot of unanswered questions. But the frustration they generate is again outweighed by the insight afforded into upwardly mobile (and in this case Muslim) African American communities, as well as the melancholy poetical drift of his cinematic style.
Burly, bearded Muhammad Abdullah (Amin Joseph) is a prodigal son whose return to Motor City should be a victory lap.
As before, the writer-director’s elliptical narrative approach leaves a lot of unanswered questions. But the frustration they generate is again outweighed by the insight afforded into upwardly mobile (and in this case Muslim) African American communities, as well as the melancholy poetical drift of his cinematic style.
Burly, bearded Muhammad Abdullah (Amin Joseph) is a prodigal son whose return to Motor City should be a victory lap.
- 1/22/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Bill Nighy as Mr. Williams in Living. Photo credit: Jamie D. Ramsay. Courtesy of Number 9 films / Sony Pictures Classics.
Bill Nighy gives a striking performance as colorless taciturn bureaucrat whose his rigid, repetitive life is transformed by a terminal diagnosis, in Living. Director Oliver Hermanus, working with a script by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (“Remains of the Day”), re-tells Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru by transporting it to 1950s London, with its armies of buttoned-down businessmen in identical conservative dark suits, bowler hats and umbrellas, moving through the same drab routines day-to-day. The change works amazing well, and is aided by a perfect script, evocative period-style photography, nice period flourishes and, of course, a remarkable performance by Bill Nighy, which certainly ranks among his best in his long career. Living is a moving drama about living a meaningful life, a film well worth seeing.
Living opens with credits that completely recreate the look of 1950s dramas,...
Bill Nighy gives a striking performance as colorless taciturn bureaucrat whose his rigid, repetitive life is transformed by a terminal diagnosis, in Living. Director Oliver Hermanus, working with a script by novelist Kazuo Ishiguro (“Remains of the Day”), re-tells Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru by transporting it to 1950s London, with its armies of buttoned-down businessmen in identical conservative dark suits, bowler hats and umbrellas, moving through the same drab routines day-to-day. The change works amazing well, and is aided by a perfect script, evocative period-style photography, nice period flourishes and, of course, a remarkable performance by Bill Nighy, which certainly ranks among his best in his long career. Living is a moving drama about living a meaningful life, a film well worth seeing.
Living opens with credits that completely recreate the look of 1950s dramas,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” has become the first animated film to be saluted at the USC Libraries Scripter Awards, an annual honor that goes to the screenwriters of a film adaptation as well as the authors of the original work on which the film is based.
“Pinocchio” was named as a finalist alongside the screenplays for “Living,” “She Said,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Women Talking.” Because the original authors are also recognized, 2023 scripter nominees include 19th century Italian writer Carlo Collodi, who wrote the original version of “Pinocchio” in 1880; Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, whose 1886 novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was adapted by Akira Kurosawa for the 1952 film “Ikiru” and by Kazuo Ishiguro for 2022’s “Living”; New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who wrote the book “She Said” about breaking the story of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and were played in the film version by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan,...
“Pinocchio” was named as a finalist alongside the screenplays for “Living,” “She Said,” “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Women Talking.” Because the original authors are also recognized, 2023 scripter nominees include 19th century Italian writer Carlo Collodi, who wrote the original version of “Pinocchio” in 1880; Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, whose 1886 novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” was adapted by Akira Kurosawa for the 1952 film “Ikiru” and by Kazuo Ishiguro for 2022’s “Living”; New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, who wrote the book “She Said” about breaking the story of Harvey Weinstein’s sexual misconduct and were played in the film version by Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Bill Nighy in Living Image: Courtesy of Number 9 films / Sony Pictures Classics When acclaimed writer Kazuo Ishiguro set about adapting Akira Kurosawa’s famed 1952 drama Ikiru for the film that would become Living, he only had one actor in mind for the lead role: Bill Nighy. The match may not...
- 1/12/2023
- by Manuel Betancourt
- avclub.com
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