Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI, and sign up for our weekly email newsletter by clicking here.NEWSMuch-loved genre filmmaker Albert Pyun (above) has died. Working mostly with low-budgets, and often making films for the direct-to-video market, Pyun’s career spanned five decades and included films such as The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), Cyborg (1989), and the popular cyberpunk film series Nemesis. Cynthia Curnan, Pyun's wife and producer, had recently requested messages from fans to pass onto the filmmaker, who had been ill for a number of years prior to his passing.It seems that Paul Thomas Anderson is planning to start shooting his next feature in July 2023. Little is yet known about the new project, but a casting call has been listed for a “15-to-16-year-old female of mixed ethnicity who is physically athletic and excels at Martial Arts.” Previous...
- 11/30/2022
- MUBI
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s sports drama “King Richard” is shaping up to have the same advantage that propelled “The Blind Side” to a best actress Oscar for Sandra Bullock. Its centerpiece is Will Smith, who’s now at the forefront of what is going to be a cutthroat best actor race. “King Richard” is the “Rocky” of tennis movies, but also the “Rocky” for every Black child that will watch this and be inspired to greatness in the future, the kind of inspiration our community doesn’t often see.
Smith is one of the most influential and successful ’90s movie stars who has yet to win an Academy Award. Along with Tom Cruise, Smith remains in the Oscar-less realm, 20 years after nabbing his first nom for Michael Mann’s “Ali” (2001), which he followed up with Gabriel Mucchino’s “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006). Showcasing some of his finest moments as an actor,...
Smith is one of the most influential and successful ’90s movie stars who has yet to win an Academy Award. Along with Tom Cruise, Smith remains in the Oscar-less realm, 20 years after nabbing his first nom for Michael Mann’s “Ali” (2001), which he followed up with Gabriel Mucchino’s “The Pursuit of Happyness” (2006). Showcasing some of his finest moments as an actor,...
- 9/4/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Bradley Cooper quickly racked up eight Oscar nominations over the course of just seven years, but he hasn’t won yet. However, this year he has two chances for acting prizes: Best Actor for Guillermo Del Toro‘s “Nightmare Alley” and Best Supporting Actor for an as yet untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film. Those happen to be our top two Oscar contenders for Best Picture according to our early odds. So could he end up with two nominations? And if so, could he win one or both of them?
See‘A Star is Born’ again at 2022 Oscars? Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper could return to lead acting races
It’s crucial to preface all this by pointing out that Del Toro and Anderson’s films haven’t screened for press or audiences yet, so everything could change once they see the light of day. But with Del Toro hot off...
See‘A Star is Born’ again at 2022 Oscars? Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper could return to lead acting races
It’s crucial to preface all this by pointing out that Del Toro and Anderson’s films haven’t screened for press or audiences yet, so everything could change once they see the light of day. But with Del Toro hot off...
- 9/3/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Elton John has announced a new album titled “The Lockdown Sessions,” which is scheduled for release on October 22 from Interscope Records. He has spent the last 18 months recording it — hence the Covid-19 pandemic-themed title — and it features a wide variety of collaborations with young artists. Sound familiar? A beloved veteran teaming up with other music superstars worked like gangbusters for Santana (“Supernatural”), Ray Charles (“Genius Loves Company”), and Tony Bennett (“Duets” and “Duets II”).
Rock legend Santana teamed with the likes of Rob Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and many more for 1999’s “Supernatural,” which went on to set a record for the most awarded album in Grammy history with nine total trophies, including Album of the Year. It was also a remarkable commercial success, certified an extraordinary 15-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
SEE2022 Grammy predictions: Record of the Year
Soul music pioneer Charles was the...
Rock legend Santana teamed with the likes of Rob Thomas, Lauryn Hill, Dave Matthews, and many more for 1999’s “Supernatural,” which went on to set a record for the most awarded album in Grammy history with nine total trophies, including Album of the Year. It was also a remarkable commercial success, certified an extraordinary 15-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
SEE2022 Grammy predictions: Record of the Year
Soul music pioneer Charles was the...
- 9/1/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Actors will love Liesl Tommy’s Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect.” Thirteen years after the Queen of Soul first approached Jennifer Hudson, who had just won her “Dreamgirls” Oscar, with the idea of playing her in a movie, “Respect” wrapped filming in February 2020, one month before lockdown. MGM decided to push back the movie from December 2020 to August 13, 2021, to give it a chance to play in theaters.
Judging from the way “Respect” played Saturday night at the Bruin Theatre in Westwood to (masked and vaccinated) members of the Screen Actors Guild nominating committee, the studio made the right choice to favor an exclusive theatrical release. Broadway director Tommy has mounted a solid crowdpleaser, written by Tracey Scott Wilson, that will satisfy generations of Franklin fans. And ageless 39-year-old singer-actress Hudson, who plays Franklin from her teens through her acclaimed 1972 gospel concert “Amazing Grace,” is on her way to a second Oscar nomination.
Judging from the way “Respect” played Saturday night at the Bruin Theatre in Westwood to (masked and vaccinated) members of the Screen Actors Guild nominating committee, the studio made the right choice to favor an exclusive theatrical release. Broadway director Tommy has mounted a solid crowdpleaser, written by Tracey Scott Wilson, that will satisfy generations of Franklin fans. And ageless 39-year-old singer-actress Hudson, who plays Franklin from her teens through her acclaimed 1972 gospel concert “Amazing Grace,” is on her way to a second Oscar nomination.
- 8/8/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The first trailer is here for King Richard.
Based on the true story that will inspire the world, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “King Richard follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith stars as Richard, under the direction of Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”).
Driven by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. The profoundly moving film shows the power of family, perseverance and unwavering belief as a means to achieve the impossible and impact the world.
Aunjanue Ellis plays the girls’ mom, Oracene “Brandi” Williams, Saniyya Sidney stars as Venus Williams, Demi Singleton...
Based on the true story that will inspire the world, Warner Bros. Pictures’ “King Richard follows the journey of Richard Williams, an undeterred father instrumental in raising two of the most extraordinarily gifted athletes of all time, who will end up changing the sport of tennis forever. Two-time Oscar nominee Will Smith stars as Richard, under the direction of Reinaldo Marcus Green (“Monsters and Men”).
Driven by a clear vision of their future and using unconventional methods, Richard has a plan that will take Venus and Serena Williams from the streets of Compton, California to the global stage as legendary icons. The profoundly moving film shows the power of family, perseverance and unwavering belief as a means to achieve the impossible and impact the world.
Aunjanue Ellis plays the girls’ mom, Oracene “Brandi” Williams, Saniyya Sidney stars as Venus Williams, Demi Singleton...
- 7/29/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Production
“The Masked Talent,” a new format from Korea’s Mbc, creators of global hit “The Masked Singer,” is currently in production.
Unlike the celebrity-driven “The Masked Singer” and spin-off “The Masked Dancer,” where the focus is on who is behind the mask, “The Masked Talent” is a non-celebrity masked audition format concentrating on singing skills and talents. Two episodes, to be broadcast on the Mbc channel during the Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving holidays, invites the audience to participate.
“The purpose of the show is to present the audience with the unique experience to become the masked hero and perform their showmanship,” said Park Jeong-Kyu, chief producer of “The Masked Singer” and “The Masked Talent.” “With prejudice and bias out of the way, the contestants will be judged solely by their genuine voice and talent.”
The show was co-developed by Mbc and France’s Herve Hubert, the production house for the French “Mask Singer,...
“The Masked Talent,” a new format from Korea’s Mbc, creators of global hit “The Masked Singer,” is currently in production.
Unlike the celebrity-driven “The Masked Singer” and spin-off “The Masked Dancer,” where the focus is on who is behind the mask, “The Masked Talent” is a non-celebrity masked audition format concentrating on singing skills and talents. Two episodes, to be broadcast on the Mbc channel during the Chuseok Korean Thanksgiving holidays, invites the audience to participate.
“The purpose of the show is to present the audience with the unique experience to become the masked hero and perform their showmanship,” said Park Jeong-Kyu, chief producer of “The Masked Singer” and “The Masked Talent.” “With prejudice and bias out of the way, the contestants will be judged solely by their genuine voice and talent.”
The show was co-developed by Mbc and France’s Herve Hubert, the production house for the French “Mask Singer,...
- 7/28/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
"Hotel Transylvania: Transformania", the new CG-animated comedy feature, is directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, starring Brian Hull, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Brad Abrell, Fran Drescher, Jim Gaffigan and Molly Shannon, now playing in theaters:
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
- 7/27/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Exclusive: Chris Gray (The Society) is set to play young Ray in Showtime’s follow-up feature-length movie Ray Donovan. The film picks up where Season 7 of the popular series left off following its surprise cancellation last year, with Mickey (Jon Voight) in the wind and Ray (Liev Schreiber) determined to find and stop him before he can cause any more carnage. Gray plays the younger version of Schreiber’s Ray Donovan. Like his older self, he is a physically imposing young man who can convey much with only a few words and is decisive and calm in times of crisis. The film is executive produced by Hollander, Schreiber, Mark Gordon, Bryan Zuriff and Lou Fusaro. Gray was recently seen in a recurring role in The Society and in the feature Almost Love. He’s repped by Sweet 180 and Cesd.
Saad Siddiqui (Seal Team) has been tapped for a recurring role...
Saad Siddiqui (Seal Team) has been tapped for a recurring role...
- 7/15/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
"Hotel Transylvania: Transformania", is the new CG-animated feature directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, starring Brian Hull, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Brad Abrell, Fran Drescher, Jim Gaffigan and Molly Shannon, opening theatrically July 23, 2021:
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
- 7/1/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
OTTNetflix's new anthology series 'Ray', based on four of Satyajit Ray’s short stories, features Manoj Bajpayee, Kay Kay Menon and Harshvardhan Kapoor among others.Geetika MantriScreengrabAn up-and-coming entrepreneur with an eidetic memory who seems to lead a charmed life. A makeup and prosthetic artist facing an identity crisis and pining for a woman actor. A poet and ghazal performer whose path crosses with a wrestler-turned-sports journalist on a train, leading to a startling realisation of a similarity between them. And a megalomaniac star obsessed with his ‘look’ and concerned by his slipping popularity, who starts to feel threatened by a religious woman leader with a rapidly expanding cult and clout. These are the themes of Netflix's new anthology series, Ray, based on four of Satyajit Ray’s short stories released last week. The stories are interesting, offbeat, and could be many-layered. However, while Hungama Kyon Hai...
- 6/28/2021
- by Geetika
- The News Minute
Exclusive: Katie Holmes has launched her new production label, Lafayette Pictures, in partnership with Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman and Jesse Korman of Yale Productions.
Holmes recently teamed with Yale on the new untitled movie she wrote, directed, produced and starred in, along with Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Melissa Leo, and Zosia Mamet. The film centers on two strangers embroiled in bad relationships, who accidentally book the same upstate New York Airbnb, where they’re forced to confront quarantine and their disdain for one another in this unexpected and unlikely love story. The pic is in post-production.
The Lafayette Pictures team is currently prepping Holmes’ third movie, Rare Objects, and developing the limited series The Watergate Girl in which Holmes will also star.
“I am very excited to embark on this journey, working to bring authentic characters and stories to the screen,” Holmes said.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering...
Holmes recently teamed with Yale on the new untitled movie she wrote, directed, produced and starred in, along with Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Melissa Leo, and Zosia Mamet. The film centers on two strangers embroiled in bad relationships, who accidentally book the same upstate New York Airbnb, where they’re forced to confront quarantine and their disdain for one another in this unexpected and unlikely love story. The pic is in post-production.
The Lafayette Pictures team is currently prepping Holmes’ third movie, Rare Objects, and developing the limited series The Watergate Girl in which Holmes will also star.
“I am very excited to embark on this journey, working to bring authentic characters and stories to the screen,” Holmes said.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering...
- 6/24/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Biopics covering iconic musicians have always been potential Oscar bait to Hollywood (see “Ray” with Jamie Foxx), but ever since the Oscar-winning Queen movie “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Straight Outta Compton, based on the iconic rap group N.W.A., became major box office hits, the trend to get new ones up and running has gone into overdrive.
Continue reading ‘What’s Going On’: Allen Hughes To Direct WB’s Marvin Gaye Biopic Coming In 2023 at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘What’s Going On’: Allen Hughes To Direct WB’s Marvin Gaye Biopic Coming In 2023 at The Playlist.
- 6/18/2021
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
"Hotel Transylvania: Transformania", the upcoming CG-animated feature directed by Jennifer Kluska and Derek Drymon, stars Brian Hull, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kathryn Hahn, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Brad Abrell, Fran Drescher, Jim Gaffigan and Molly Shannon, opening theatrically July 23, 2021:
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
"...when the 'Van Helsing' invention, the 'Monsterfication Ray', goes haywire, 'Drac' and his monster pals are all transformed into humans, and Johnny becomes a monster.
"In their new mismatched bodies, Drac, stripped of his powers, and an exuberant Johnny, loving life as a monster, must team up and race across the globe to find a cure before it's too late, and before they drive each other crazy.
"With help from 'Mavis' and the hilariously human 'Drac Pack', the heat is on to find a way to switch themselves back before their transformations become permanent..."
Click the images to enlarge.... ...
- 6/16/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
40 Actresses In Their 40s Who Are Still Conquering Hollywood (Photos)
Amy Adams (1974)
Academy Award nominated Amy Adams, is best known for playing in Disney’s “Enchanted” and “American Hustle.” She most recently starred in Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals.”
Kerry Washington (1977)
Kerry Washington broke out in films like “Ray,” two “Fantastic Four” movies and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” but really came into her own on the small screen, picking up Emmy nominations for her work in Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal” and for playing Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation.” In 2020, she starred with Reese Witherspoon in “Little Fires Everywhere.”
Katherine Heigl (1978)
After her breakout role as Izzie Stevens in “Grey’s Anatomy,” Heigl went on to star in “Knocked Up,” “27 Dresses,” and “State of Affairs.” She recently starred in Netflix’s 2021 “Firefly Lane.”
Zoe Saldana (1978)
Zoe Saldana is best known for starring in science fiction films, ranging from “Avatar...
Amy Adams (1974)
Academy Award nominated Amy Adams, is best known for playing in Disney’s “Enchanted” and “American Hustle.” She most recently starred in Tom Ford’s “Nocturnal Animals.”
Kerry Washington (1977)
Kerry Washington broke out in films like “Ray,” two “Fantastic Four” movies and Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” but really came into her own on the small screen, picking up Emmy nominations for her work in Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal” and for playing Anita Hill in the HBO film “Confirmation.” In 2020, she starred with Reese Witherspoon in “Little Fires Everywhere.”
Katherine Heigl (1978)
After her breakout role as Izzie Stevens in “Grey’s Anatomy,” Heigl went on to star in “Knocked Up,” “27 Dresses,” and “State of Affairs.” She recently starred in Netflix’s 2021 “Firefly Lane.”
Zoe Saldana (1978)
Zoe Saldana is best known for starring in science fiction films, ranging from “Avatar...
- 6/16/2021
- by Greg Gilman and Rasha Ali
- The Wrap
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