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In July 2023, Lauren Mayberry took the first step towards building her musical identity on her own as she announced plans to move away from Chvrches for a while. What followed was a string of singles that positioned the electro-pop band’s frontwoman as a soloist for the first time. The latest is a record titled “Crocodile Tears,” which arrives alongside the announcement of Mayberry’s solo debut album Vicious Creature, out Dec. 6.

With “Crocodile Tears,” Mayberry gave herself permission to dismiss the boundaries of expected behavior. Written with Matthew Koma and Ethan Gruska,...

Lauren Mayberry, frontwoman of Chvrches, has announced details of her debut solo album: Vicious Creature will arrive in full on December 6th via Island Records. She’s also shared a new preview of the LP in the form of “Crocodile Tears,” and announced dates for a 2025 North American tour.

“Crocodile Tears” builds out the vibe established with previously released single “Something In the Air,” where Mayberry embraces catharsis. There’s a cheeky side to this new track, though: “Maybe I’m a villain, but I find it kind of thrilling when you cry,” she admits over bright synths and an upbeat drum keeping time.

In a statement about the project, Mayberry called out “the dark, physical, and subversive sides of femininity” as key influences over Vicious Creature as a whole, citing musicals like Cabaret and Chicago. “Crocodile Tears” is now the fourth track listeners can enjoy ahead of the full project in December,...

For writer/director Steve McQueen, “Blitz” is not just another war story.

The film is set during the Blitz in the 1940s, when the city of London was under the constant barrage of bombs from the German army. McQueen decided, though, to depict the horror of war through the eyes of a child named George, played by Elliot Heffernan, who was sent to the countryside for safety, by his mother, Rita, played by Saoirse Ronan.

“What was so important to me was to give a platform to things that were unseen that needed to be seen, that were true and needed to be told,” he says.

McQueen was inspired by a photo he came across while doing research for his anthology series “Small Axe,” of a small Black boy holding a suitcase. “It was just this sweet, beautiful, cute boy, and I though, Ok, I need to know your story,...

British artist-turned-filmmaker Steve McQueen is tired of being defined by other people. Since he broke out with 2008’s Irish prison drama “Hunger” — along with Michael Fassbender — each film has been completely different from the last. “Shame” (2011) was a provocative portrait of a sex addict (Fassbender), while Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave” (2013) turned Lupita Nyong’o into an Oscar-winning star and grossed $187.7 million worldwide. “Widows” (2018) was a less successful foray into an American genre picture. And back in Britain, his 2020 “Small Axe” limited TV series and 2023 documentary “Occupied City” earned raves.

“I don’t even try to be in my own box,” he told IndieWire during a Los Angeles interview. “My mother always told me, ‘Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.’ Someone blow the dust off of cinema because I don’t want to be stuffy. I want it to be entertaining in a...

For the past few years, Harridan Vodka has been celebrating Halloween with special “Paranormal Reserve” vodka, a limited edition batch of spirits aged in the real Conjuring House in 2021, the museum where the actual Annabelle doll resides in 2022, and America’s most haunted hotels last year. This year’s “Paranormal Reserve” has been announced!

On October 13, Harridan Vodka releases the fourth edition of its highly anticipated Paranormal Reserve, available at ShopHarridan.com. This year’s collection of 700 bottles rested for one month in two of America’s most haunted asylums: the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in Weston, West Virginia and Pennhurst Asylum in Spring City, Pennsylvania.

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum began construction in 1858, welcoming its first patients in 1864. Designed to hold 250 patients and offer world-class treatment, the Asylum eventually housed 2,400 patients in overcrowded and generally poor conditions – becoming the site of forced lobotomies, patient abuse, and murder.

350 bottles rested throughout the oldest wing of the hospital,...

Steve McQueen has long been upfront about his desire to make a musical; before Widows underwhelmed at the box office, it appeared likely that a passion project within that genre would be his next film. With each subsequent effort, it seems McQueen is slowly pushing himself into that wheelhouse, getting audiences to imagine what such a film in his distinctive style would look like––it’s similarly become apparent that it would be less reminiscent of the downbeat New York, New York sequence in Shame, more like the jukebox joys of his Small Axe entry Lovers Rock. For a filmmaker who was initially characterized as one obsessed with bleak character studies, he is increasingly finding an inner warmth through music, and in his large-scale WWII drama Blitz he utilizes the power of a communal sing-along in ways reminiscent of Terence Davies, cutting through the darkness with tunes wherever possible.

Music...

With their second studio album, Cool World, Chat Pile continue to channel despair and dejection through grimy guitar riffs and brutally honest lyrics, recounting the subjugation of the lower classes by the well-fixed. Throughout, the Oklahoma City fourpiece warns of a population that allows itself to be exploited. On opener “I Am Dog Now,” singer Raygun Busch reminds us that “everyone bleeds,” a sentiment that’s echoed later on “Masc,” on which he begs, “Don’t tell your friends I trust and bleed.”

Musically and lyrically, Chat Pile aggressively argues for a fairer distribution of power, to tear down the systems that perpetuate cycles of victimization. These messages can feel a bit broad, as the band eschews specificity in favor of brute force, with screeds that are driven home by Busch’s gravelly vocals and Luther Manhole’s prodding guitar.

Chat Pile’s narratives resonate most when they’re more fully developed.

Michael Fassbender has done a lot for his roles. Be it wearing a metal helmet and pretending that he could move things with his hand (in the X-Men films), or playing a British commando and former film critic who goes undercover as a German officer (Inglourious Basterds) – he has proven his excellence in it all, irrespective of however challenging the role may have been.

Michael Fassbender. | Credits: Gage Skidmore/Cca-by-sa-2.0/Wikimedia Commons.

But perhaps his most challenging role must have been that of Thomas Rongen in the 2023 comedy-sport Next Goal Wins. This is because he had to ditch his vacation plans of racing sports cars to work on the movie. But the real credit for it, perhaps, goes to filmmaker Taika Waititi, considering how he was the one to tell Fassbender about the role and convince him for it in the first place!

Taika Waititi Didn’t Have a...

Chvrches frontwoman Lauren Mayberry has shared a new solo single, “Something in the Air.” The musician previewed the anthemic track live last month before debuting it last night on BBC Radio 1.

The pop-rock number sees Mayberry crooning, “You come up with your stories/ conspiracy theories of why we’re all here/ oh, I just want to be someone/ someone who’s happy/ but why do you even care?”

“’Something in the Air’ is a song that really came out of nowhere,” Mayberry explained in a statement. “I was in...

Chvrches vocalist Lauren Mayberry is back with “Something in the Air,” her latest solo single that will appear on her forthcoming debut album Vicious Creature.

With a towering chorus and a bustling drum beat, “Something in the Air” is a cathartic, satisfying turn from Mayberry. A press release notes that in addition to ’90s icons Tori Amos, Pj Harvey, and Kathleen Hanna, Mayberry was also inspired by ’90s girl groups like All Saints and Sugababes for her solo album — “Something in the Air,” with its Britpop-adjecent arrangement, definitely feels aligned with the kind of open-hearted majesty that those girl groups boasted.

Meanwhile, Mayberry describes her frustration with conspiracy theories, rigid belief systems, and having a lack of control over the existential knowledge we crave. “You come up with your stories/ Conspiracy theories of why we’re all here/ Oh, I just want to be someone/ Someone who’s happy/ But why do you even care?...

Earlier this year, Christopher Nolan finally won Best Director at the Academy Awards. He picked up prize for helming Best Picture champ “Oppenheimer.” That victory came after five prior Oscar nominations, all of which ended in losses. Anyhow, Nolan has now finally been given the rewards his talents deserve. But there are still plenty of filmmakers who are overdue a Best Director gong. Scroll down for a list of five overdue filmmakers who could compete for the award at the 2025 Oscars.

Pedro Almodóvar

Almodóvar has five Oscar nominations and two victories to his name, so he may not seem overdue. He was nominated for Best Foreign Language Feature Film in 1989 for “Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown” and in 2000 for “All About My Mother.” He won for the latter. He was then nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay in 2003 for “Talk to Her,” winning for his writing.

Steve McQueen’s filmography will be feted at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival.

The annual festival, which will take place from October 17 through 20, will honor Academy Award winner McQueen with the Visionary Director Award. McQueen’s latest film “Blitz” will open the festival, and the auteur will participate in a post-screening conversation.

“Blitz” follows the “epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy whose mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside. George, defiant and determined to return home to Rita and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son,” per the official synopsis.

“Blitz” will screen at Middleburg as a co-presentation with the British Embassy. British Ambassador to the United States Dame Karen Pierce will introduce the feature, and also receive the Festival’s inaugural Film Diplomacy Award.

"My Mom sent me away." "She did it to keep you safe." Apple has finally unveiled the official trailer for the movie Blitz, the next cinematic creation from maestro Steve McQueen. It's set to premiere soon at the 2024 New York & London Film Festivals this fall, before opening in theaters in early November and streaming on Apple TV+ later that month. The new film follows the stories of a group of Londoners during the events of the London bombing in World War II (from 1940 to 1941). A defiant young boy goes on an adventure running around London during the war only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son. Saoirse Ronan stars as Rita, along with Elliott Heffernan as her 9-year-old son George. The full ensemble cast for this includes Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford,...

Steve McQueen is debuting his latest period piece, this time starring Saoirse Ronan.

McQueen writes and directs “Blitz,” which follows the epic journey of George (Elliott Heffernan), a 9-year-old boy in World War II London whose mother Rita (Ronan) sends him to safety in the English countryside.

Per the official synopsis, “George, defiant and determined to return home to his mom and his grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller) in East London, embarks on an adventure, only to find himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for her missing son.”

Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham also star.

Academy Award winner McQueen reunites with production designer Adam Stockhausen, costume designer Jacqueline Durran (“Small Axe”), and composer Hans Zimmer (“12 Years a Slave”) for the production. The feature is also a reunion...

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness had been one of the most celebrated Hollywood power couples for a long time. Before their surprising split in 2023, the couple were red-carpet favorites and set a high standard for every relationship. Interestingly, it was for a fortune teller’s advice, that this power couple could meet with each other.

Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness | Author: Sean Reynolds. Licensed by: Cc By. Credits: Wikimedia Commons

Deborra-Lee Furness met her ex-husband for the first time on the set of the Australian limited series Correlli. Across several interviews over the years, both stars have spoken highly about each other. It is weird to believe that one of the primary reasons behind this relationship is the eccentric advice of a psychic.

Mysterious forces of nature brought Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness together Hugh Jackman in a still from Deadpool & Wolverine | Credits: Marvel Studios

When Deborra-Lee Furness gave...

We’ve gone through Covid, we’ve weathered the strikes, we continue to have the pleasure of surviving the consolidation and financialization of our industry. No one said working in TV was easy.

But like a lighthouse on a dark stormy night, there is a beacon of stability and guidance. The Film Independent Episodic Lab is once again here with a two week in-person program with personalized feedback from experienced showrunners, workshops and pitch events, to help push these writer’s projects over the line.

Past Episodic Lab Fellows include April Shih, who has written on FX’s Fargo, Dave and struck an overall deal at FX Productions; Kimi Lee, who wrote on Amazon’s Expats, Apple’s The Morning Show, and sold her show $ugar in a four-way bidding war to Hulu; Henry “Hank” Jones, who has written on ABC’s Will Trent and Apple’s Truth Be Told.

Nach dem Eröffnungsfilm Anfang der Woche hat das New York Filmfestival jetzt den Abschlussfilm seiner 62. Ausgabe bekannt gegeben.

Abschlussfilm des New York Film Festival: Steve McQueens „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple TV+)

Mit der Nordamerikapremiere von Steve McQueens „Blitz“ wird die 62. Ausgabe des New York Filmfestival am 10. Oktober abgeschlossen. Das gab das Festival jetzt bekannt.

In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.

„‘Blitz‘ ist eine lebendige und eindringliche Darstellung des Lebens während des Krieges, ein akribischer historischer Bericht, der unmissverständlich auf unser heutiges Zeitalter des endlosen Krieges verweist.

Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan will be the Closing Night selection of the 62nd New York Film Festival

Film at Lincoln Center has announced that Steve McQueen’s Blitz (shot by Yorick Le Saux and with a score by Hans Zimmer), starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan with Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller (of The Jam and Style Council), Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, and Sally Messham will be the Closing Night selection of the 62nd New York Film Festival.

“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that I’m able to return to the New York Film Festival with Blitz,” said Steve McQueen. “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number of memorable experiences at the festival and with New York audiences, and I’m enormously grateful...

Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen is headed back to the New York Film Festival.

On Thursday, Film at Lincoln Center revealed that McQueen’s “Blitz” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan will close the 62nd edition of the New York Film Festival. The event is being billed as the Apple Original Film’s North American premiere, following the “Blitz” world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in early October. (The NYFF premiere designation all but officially rules out a potential screening at the Telluride Film Festival.)

“Blitz” is the eighth McQueen film to screen at the New York Film Festival in its history, following “Hunger,” “Shame,” Best Picture winner “12 Years a Slave,” the Amazon title “Lovers Rock” (part of McQueen’s “Small Axe” anthology), and last year’s documentary “Occupied City.” “Blitz” will land in New York on October 10.

“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that...

Steve McQueen’s World War II drama starring Saoirse Ronan, “Blitz,” will close the 62nd New York Film Festival, Film at Lincoln Center announced on Thursday. The movie will screen on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall in Manhattan, which will mark its North American premiere.

“Blitz,” which McQueen wrote, directed and produced, stars Ronan as a working-class single mother living in London during Nazi Germany’s 1941 blitzkrieg that began on September 7 and continued for 57 consecutive days and nights, killing almost 1,500 people.

The film is told from the points of view of Ronan’s Rita and her 9-year-old son George (played by newcomer Elliott Heffernan), who become separated during the air raids. According to the description offered by the festival, the film “offers a multicultural portrait of 1940s London too infrequently seen on screens” and is “Dickensian in its scope and storytelling.”

The supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clementine, Harris Dickinson,...

Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliott Heffernan, will be the closing night selection of the 62nd New York Film Festival, making its North American premiere, said the fest’s parent Film At Lincoln Center.

The re-creation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son, George (newcomer Heffernan), who become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege. Oscar-winner McQueen (12 Years a Slave), who also wrote and produced, offers an unusual multicultural portrait of 1940s London. Supporting cast includes Kathy Burke, Benjamin Clémentine, Harris Dickinson, Stephen Graham, Hayley Squires, and Paul Weller.

“It is with immense pride, gratitude, and fondness that I’m able to return to the New York Film Festival with Blitz,” said McQueen. “I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed a number...

The 2024 New York Film Festival has set Steve McQueen’s Blitz, starring Saoirse Ronan and Elliot Heffernan, as its closing night film.

The movie, set in London during the blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, will receive its North American premiere on Oct. 10 at Alice Tully Hall.

McQueen wrote, directed and produced Blitz, which is told from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Ronan) and her 9-year-old son George (Heffernan) as they become separated in the city under siege.

The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clementine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, Cj Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman and Sally Messham. In addition to McQueen, who produces through his Lammas Park banner, producers include Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, New Regency’s Arnon and Yariv Milchan and Michael Schaefer as well as Anita Overland and Adam Somner.

After just this week announcing the New York Film Festival’s opening night film (RaMell Ross’ much-anticipated Colson Whitehead adaptation “Nickel Boys”), Film at Lincoln Center has today announced the film that will close this year’s edition: Steve McQueen’s “Blitz,” starring Saoirse Ronan and newcomer Elliott Heffernan. After world premiering at the London BFI Film Festival on October 9, the film will mark its North American premiere on October 10 at Alice Tully Hall.

Per Thursday’s announcement, “Blitz” is “an authentic and astonishing recreation of London during its blitzkrieg by the Germans during World War II, pushes the artistry of Steve McQueen to ever more impressive levels. Working on a vast scale, McQueen sets things at human eye level, telling his original tale from the parallel perspectives of working-class single mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her nine-year-old son, George (newcomer Elliott Heffernan), as they become separated within the labyrinth of a city under siege.

Chat Pile have announced their new album, Cool World, out October 11th via The Flenser. The Oklahoma City noise rock band also unveiled Fall 2024 North American tour dates and the video for lead single and album opener “I Am Dog Now.”

The outing kicks off with a hometown gig in Okc on November 1st and runs through November 22nd in Nashville. A rotating cast of support acts including Agriculture, Porcelain, Mamaleek, Traindodge, and thirdface will open select dates.

Get Chat Pile Tickets Here

A Live Nation ticket pre-sale for select dates begins Thursday (July 18th) at 10 a.m. local time using the code Strum. General ticket sales start Friday (July 19th) at 10 a.m. local time via Ticketmaster.

Cool World — named after the largely forgotten 1992 Ralph Bakshi film of the same name — marks Chat Pile’s second proper full-length album and the follow-up to their acclaimed 2022 debut LP God’s Country.

More than 1,400 people have already predicted the Oscar nominations as of this writing, and as I recently wrote, the prison drama “Sing Sing” is the very early front-runner for Best Picture in our racetrack odds. But that film’s mastermind, Greg Kwedar, ranks fifth for Best Director. Instead, our early favorite for that coveted prize is Steve McQueen for “Blitz.”

“Blitz” has yet to be seen by critics or audiences, but its distributor and scheduling look mighty promising. It’s from Apple Original Films, the studio behind Best Picture winner “Coda” and Best Picture nominee “Killers of the Flower Moon.” It’s set to premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 9 ahead of a theatrical premiere on November 1 and a streaming premiere on November 22, smack dab in the middle of fall when most major film awards contenders are released.

The film’s subject matter is also typically awards-friendly.

Saoirse Ronan protagoniza este drama ambientado en la Segunda Guerra Mundial. © Apple TV+

La película “Blitz”, dirigida por el aclamado cineasta Steve McQueen, inaugurará el Festival de Cine de Londres – saltándose los Festivales de Venecia, Toronto y Telluride – y ya tiene fecha de estreno en Apple TV+.

“Blitz” sigue el épico viaje de George (Elliott Heffernan), un niño de 9 años, a través del Londres de la Segunda Guerra Mundial cuando su madre, Rita (Saoirse Ronan), lo envía a un lugar seguro en la campiña inglesa. George, desafiante y decidido a volver a casa con Rita y su abuelo Gerald (Paul Weller) en el este de Londres, emprende una aventura en la que se enfrenta a inmensos peligros, mientras una angustiada Rita busca a su hijo desaparecido.

Escrita y dirigida por Steve McQueen, la película está protagonizada por Saoirse Ronan y el debutante Elliott Heffernan, con Harris Dickinson (“El Clan de Hierro...

As any UK-based film lover knows, the opening night gala of the London Film Festival is always one to keep an eye out for. In recent years, that coveted slot has been reserved for the likes of Emerald Fennell's scandalous scandalous Saltburn, Matthew Warchus' raucous Roald Dahl romp Matilda The Musical, and Samuel Jeymes' slick neo-spaghetti western The Harder They Fall. And this year's 68th BFI London Film Festival — which will run from Wednesday 9 October to Sunday 20 October — looks to have another doozy lined up for us. As announced by the BFI earlier today, kicking things off this year will be Oscar and BAFTA award winning writer-director Steve McQueen's Apple Original WWII drama Blitz, which stars Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, and nine-year-old newcomer Elliott Heffernan.

Having opened Lff twice before — first with 2018's Widows and then again in 2020 with Small Axe anthology feature Mangrove — McQueen is no stranger...

Die Weltpremiere von Steve McQueens im Zweiten Weltkrieg angesiedeltem Drama „Blitz“ eröffnet am 9. Oktober das 68. BFI London Film Festival.

Saoirse Ronan in „Blitz“ (Credit: Apple)

Auf der Filmliste des Festival de Cannes hatte man Steve McQueens „Blitz“ vergeblich gesucht, für Venedig war es dem Vernehmen nach gar nicht erst eingereicht worden, nun hat das BFI London Film Festival die Weltpremiere des Apple Original als Eröffnungsfilm für seine von 9. bis 20. Oktober stattfindende 68. Ausgabe auserkoren. Das gab das Festival heute bekannt.

In „Blitz“ spielt Elliott Heffernan den neunjährigen George, der von seiner Mutter Rita (Saoirse Ronan) aus dem London des Zweiten Weltkrieg auf’s Land in Sicherheit gebracht wird. Doch George ist trotzig und wild entschlossen, zu seiner Mutter und seinem Großvater Gerald (Paul Weller) in den Osten Londons zurückzukehren. Also macht er sich auf den Weg, auf dem er in große Gefahr gerät, während seine Mutter verzweifelt nach ihrem vermissten Sohn sucht.

King Henry VIII is most associated with ordering the killings of two of his wives while he had his marriages to another three annulled.

Usually forgotten or rarely mentioned is sixth and final spouse Catherine Parr. But Alicia Vikander is hoping her portrayal of Parr in the new drama “Firebrand” will bring more attention to the royal widow.

“I must confess, I almost felt a bit embarrassed when I was sent the script because I think if I knew anything, it was probably more about the wives that didn’t make it,” the Oscar winner tells me on a new episode of the “Just for Variety” podcast. “I was, in one way, sad. But then I realized speaking to other people, it seemed like that was the general feel for most, that we have the least knowledge about this woman who actually did survive X amount of years living with this man,...

Let’s be honest: we all have seen at least one erotic flick in our life. Sometimes they can be really called art, for example, in the case of the South Korean hit The Housemaid (2010), Michael Fassbender’s Shame (2011), and Nicole Kidman’s The Beguiled (2017).

The majority of dramas that contain erotic elements are, unfortunately, nothing more than cringe. These include, of course, the notorious After franchise (2019 - 2023) and 365 Days (2020), but the 2015 movie we’re going to talk about is literally the perfect cringe.

Its plot revolves around an awkward college senior who once decides to replace her sick roommate to interview a powerful businessman. She is about to realize that their encounter is going to change her life completely, as her interviewee gets drawn to her.

He offers a shy woman a deal that scares, but attracts an inexperienced lover, and she plunges into an affair full of...

[This story contains major spoilers from all six episodes of Eric.]

Benedict Cumberbatch and Gaby Hoffmann liken their new Netflix limited series, Eric, to being about a parent’s worst nightmare.

“It is a fable about the cost of losing sight of what is important, and that is costly to the child within us and the children outside of us that we’re responsible for in the world,” Cumberbatch tells The Hollywood Reporter in a joint interview with Hoffman.

Created and written by Abi Morgan (Shame, The Iron Lady, The Split) and directed by Lucy Forbes (This Is Going to Hurt, The End of the F***ing World), the six-part series tells the story of Vincent Anderson (Cumberbatch), one of New York’s leading puppeteers and the creator of a hugely popular Sesame Street-esque children’s show called Good Day Sunshine, who struggles to cope with the disappearance of his 9-year-old son, Edgar (Ivan Howe).

Full of guilt and self-loathing, and prone to emotional outbursts,...

Welcome to our weekly rundown of the best new music — featuring big singles, key tracks from our favorite albums, and more. This week, The Marias return with a dreamy sophomore album, Shaboozey harmonizes with Noah Cyrus about a self-destructive romance, and Kehlani proves she can be a lover and a fighter. Plus, new music from Normani, Polo G, Carin León, and more.

The Marias, “Paranoia” (YouTube)

Shaboozey feat. Noah Cyrus, “My Fault” (YouTube)

Kehlani, “Next 2 U” (YouTube)

Normani, “Candy Paint” (YouTube)

Polo G, “Angels in the Sky” (YouTube)

Carin León,...

The real monster in Eric, the emotional thriller from playwright and screenwriter Abi Morgan, isn’t a big, blue beast. It’s something much more sinister.

The series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a puppeteer named Vincent looking for his missing young son in ’80s Manhattan, explores the scourges of structural inequity, the AIDS epidemic, white collar crime, and addiction terrorizing the city.

“This is a drama and a quest of a man who goes in search of his son and goes on that journey deep into himself, but also deep underground into the underbelly of New York’s economic underclass, which has been ignored, abused, and corrupted,” Morgan tells Tudum.

Vincent’s journey to find 9-year-old Edgar (Ivan Howe) — and face his alcoholism and deteriorating marriage to his wife, Cassie (Gaby Hoffmann) — pairs...

For the past three years, the American Cinematheque has presented “Bleak Week,” an annual festival devoted to the greatest films ever made about the darkest side of humanity. This year, the festival will not only be unspooling in Los Angeles June 1 – 7 — with special guests including Al Pacino, Lynne Ramsay, Charlie Kaufman, and Karyn Kusama — but will travel to New York for the first time with a week of screenings at the historic Paris Theater starting June 9.

“We are honored to co-present ‘Bleak Week: New York’ in partnership with one of the most beautiful movie palaces in the world,” Cinematheque artistic director Grant Moninger told IndieWire. “This year, over 10,000 people will attend ‘Bleak Week: Year 3’ in Los Angeles, proving that audiences are hungry for such powerful and confrontational cinema. Many people thought they were alone in their desire to explore films with uncomfortable truths, but the truth is that they are part of a large community,...

Eric releases on Netflix on May 30, 2024.

A six-episode limited series starring heavyweights Benedict Cumberbatch and Gaby Hoffmann will be available on Netflix at the end of May. Abi Morgan created and wrote the series. She is known for her incredible work on films like Shame and The Iron Lady and her Emmy-winning writing on The Hour. The series follows a set of parents who are struggling after their son is kidnapped on his way to school.

Set in New York, Eric replicates some of the incredible work of past crime-thrilling series from Netflix, such as Mindhunters, Griselda, and Ripley. The often dark tone of the series brings a nice twist with the introduction of Eric. Eric is a character that Vincent and Cassie’s son Edgar had drawn. The larger-than-life monster is brought to life after Edgar’s kidnapping, bringing a much-needed comedic aspect to the series.

SUGGESTEDRipley TV Series...

Netflix is throwing a last-minute Emmys contender into the already crowded limited series field with “Eric,” a psychological thriller that premieres May 30. The streaming service released a trailer for the six-episode series on Thursday.

Emmy winner Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Vincent, a puppeteer for a children’s TV show in early 1980s New York. He struggles with addiction. After his 9-year-old son, Edgar, disappears one morning while walking to school, Vincent decides to turn the boy’s drawing of a monster named Eric into a real puppet and put him on the show, in a last-ditch attempt to send a message to his son. Netflix describes the series as an “emotional crime drama.”

There’s a lot going on in the show. Here’s how creator Abi Morgan described it to Tudum: “‘Eric’ is a deep dive into the ’80s Big Apple, grappling with rising crime rates, internal corruption, endemic racism,...

From the looks of “Eric,” Abi Morgan has cooked up a stirring psychological thriller for Netflix. And for her latest limited series, the writer of Steve McQueen‘s 2011 film “Shame” returns to the Big Apple, but this is a much different NYC than that film.

Set in the 1980s New York strewn with corruption, racism, elevated crime rates, and the AIDS epidemic, “Eric” follows Benedict Cumberbatch‘s troubled puppeteer Vincent as he takes matters into his own hands to try and find his missing son, Edgar.

Continue reading ‘Eric’ Trailer: New Netflix Limited Series Starring Benedict Cumberbatch Asks Where The Real Monsters Lie at The Playlist.

"Don't give up on him" Netflix has revealed the first official trailer for a very dark, emotional drama series titled Eric, the latest creation from award-winning British writer Abi Morgan. Set for a streaming debut on Netflix later in May. Vincent, a grief-stricken father whose son goes missing, finds solace through his friendship with Eric, the monster that lives under Edgar's bed. It's set in NYC in the 1980s and features "puppets...lots of puppets." Netflix's Eric mini-series stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Gaby Hoffmann, and McKinley Belcher III. It follows the desperate search of a father when his nine year old son disappears one morning on the way to school. "As Vincent’s progressively destructive behaviour alienates his family, his work colleagues, and the detectives trying to help him, it’s Eric, a delusion of necessity, who becomes his only ally in the pursuit to bring his son home." The...

“Skam,” the groundbreaking format from Norway’s Nrk, is getting a new adaptation: “Sram,” produced by Cgm Films for Hrt in Croatia. “Skam,” which first aired in 2015, has already generated adaptations in France, Germany, the U.S., Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy.

Beta Film’s boutique label Kids & Family handles international sales and format rights.

Skam, which German newspaper Die Welt called “the biggest coming-of-age drama of our times,” follows a specific formula, with each season focusing on a different main character, while the series runs daily online and weekly as a webcast.

“Sram” will be directed by Jelena Gavrilović and written by Hana Jušić and Nikica Zdunić. The Dop will be Frane Pamić, while the show will be edited by Tomislav Stojanović. The show is produced by Bruno Mustić and Ivan Lovreček. The series is set in the capital of Croatia, Zagreb, and will be broadcast on HRT1,...

Throughout his film career, Irish actor Michael Fassbender has been unafraid to take risks, tackling a wide variety of unusual roles, from an almost-human robot and a Ira freedom fighter to a legendary psychiatrist and a musician wearing a papier-mâche head. It’s a filmography that would daunt some actors and inspire still others, and for Fassbender, it’s a film career that has only really just begun.

Along the way, Fassbender has been able to be a part of an enviable mix of breakthrough independent films, searing personal dramas, and even a few franchise moneymakers. Most importantly, he has collaborated with such premier filmmakers as Ridley Scott, Danny Boyle and Quentin Tarantino, with perhaps the most significant relationship in his career being with with filmmaker Steve McQueen, whose three-film collaboration with Fassbender have raised the bar for each man to new artistic heights.

With his recent films with Taika Waititi and David Fincher,...

“The Bachelor: The Women Tell All” stood above the rest in Live+3 for Monday, March 18, 2024 in most key demographics despite airing at a later time. “The Voice” ranked #1 among Adults 25-54 while “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” was no slouch, ranking as the third highest-rated show across the night in most demographics and placing second overall among Total Viewers, behind only the NBC singing competition series.

“Deal or No Deal Island” is quickly becoming one of the more stable performers following “The Voice,” giving NBC ample reason to continue with the show.

What follows is a breakdown of how the primetime broadcast shows performed in Live+3 among Total Viewers, Adults 18-49, Adults 25-54, Adults 18-34, Women 18-49 and Men 18-49 for Monday, March 18, 2024.

Total Viewers ShowNetworkL+Sd Viewers (000)Live+3 Viewers (000)Change (000)Dur (Minutes)1. The VoiceNBC6,2337,2169831202. Shame/Blame/Weight Loss (S)ABC4,1734,661488603. Bob Hearts AbisholaCBS3,7264,510784304. Bachelor:...

Netflix has added yet another limited series contender to the 2024 Emmys cycle.

On Friday, the streaming platform announced “Eric,” a six-episode miniseries starring Benedict Cumberbatch, will debut on May 30. “Eric” is the second major limited series Netflix added to its May lineup this week, following the news that the David E. Kelley show “A Man in Full” with Jeff Daniels will premiere on May 2.

The 2024 Emmys eligibility period ends on May 31.

Created by the acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Abi Morgan, “Eric” is described by Netflix as an “emotionally gripping story of a desperate father searching for his son in 1980s New York; an era when racism, homophobia, and classism were neglected, and prejudices surrounding the AIDS epidemic were at the cultural forefront.”

Cumberbatch stars as Vincent, a popular puppeteer and children’s show creator whose life unravels after his son disappears on the way to school. In addition to Cumberbatch,...

Cillian Murphy and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer’ (Photo © Universal Pictures)

Since Cillian Murphy just became the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor Oscar, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a list of the most notable Irish actors who have been honored by the Academy with either Oscar gold or a nomination.

1. Cillian Murphy

Murphy has played non-Irish roles so often and so well that some people may not realize or remember that he is Irish. His best Irish films include Breakfast on Pluto and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. And as noted above, he is the first Irish-born actor to take home an Academy Award in the Best Actor category.

Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ (Photo by Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)

2. Daniel Day-Lewis

Day-Lewis...

Chvrches vocalist Lauren Mayberry is back with another solo single, “Change Shapes.”

Led by a groovy, pulsating bassline, Mayberry rails against the expectations put on her as a woman, and how her efforts as a feminist are constantly undermined by those who think she’s doing both too much and not enough. “I’m preachin’ to the choir/ I’m a body for hire,” she sings, before launching into the strutting chorus: “I change shapes to get what I want from you/ It’s your game now you’re mad that I learned the rules.”

According to Mayberry, the song revolves around the idea of performance — how she’s a performer within the context of being in Chvrches, but also performing the idea of what her audience, her peers, and the music industry at large want her to be. “How do I keep people happy enough that they’ll let...

Carey Mulligan has more than lived up to her promise. The English actor was an obvious, stand-out talent early in her career, whether she was playing one of the Bennett sisters in Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” adaptation or in an acclaimed one-episode appearance in BBC’s “Doctor Who.” When 2009 saw her receive a Best Actress nomination for her role in the acclaimed drama “An Education,” it seemed to mark the emergence of a great new young actor.

And since that breakthrough, Mulligan has only continued to go from strength to strength. An actor’s actor with the ability to fully embody the complicated women she’s often cast as, Mulligan consistently picks interesting, juicy parts, in films as varied as “Never Let Me Go,” “Drive,” “Shame,” “Far from the Madding Crowd,” and “Mudbound.” As she’s gotten a little older and aged out of the young ingenue parts...

Timothée Chalamet’s Dune: Part Two is set to gross $170 million on its global debut on March 1. The film is made on a budget of $190 million, an increase from its previous film’s $165 million budget. Fans are already hailing the movie for its predicted massive box office opening despite having a lower budget than recent big Warner Bros. movies like The Flash and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.

Timothée Chalamet in a still from Dune: Part Two

Legendary Pictures largely financed Dune 2, however, Warner Bros. also had a double-digit investment in the film. The studio hopes the film will save them from their current low $8.60 share price, but their box office prediction is lower than that of other tracking services.

Timothée Chalamet’s Dune: Part Two Will Shame Other Big Budget WB Films

Timothée Chalamet’s Dune: Part Two will shame other WB flicks like The Flash and Aquaman...

The tea leaves have aligned, and industry insider Daniel Richtman sees another casting for Lionsgate‘s Highlander reboot emerging from the pattern. According to Richtman, Michael Fassbender plays the villain in the Chad Stahelski-directed reimagining of the classic action film. According to Richtman, Fassbender is in talks to star alongside Henry Cavill as a “Mongol Warrior.”

Please remember that whispers about Michael Fassbender’s involvement with Highlander are rumors. We must wait for Lionsgate to make it official.

The new rumor already has Highlander fans buzzing about Fassbender playing a version of the original Highlander villain, the Kurgan. Portrayed by Clancy Brown in the 1986 fantasy action-adventure film, the Kurgan is an immortal warrior and thorn in the side of Connor MacLeod, the Highlander (Christopher Lambert).

Lionsgate is looking to Stahelski to guide the short- and long-term creative direction, franchise strategy, and strategic growth of the Highlander and John Wick properties to ensure that quality,...

Carey Mulligan got all but inked for her “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” audition.

The Oscar-nominated actress recalled trying out for the 2011 David Fincher thriller during Variety’s Actors on Actors alongside “Shame” co-star Michael Fassbender. Mulligan was so determined to land the role that she almost changed her entire appearance to what Fassbender called a “punk sort of look.”

“I think I even, like, almost dyed my hair black or something,” Mulligan said. “I definitely wore a nose ring. And I got my friend who’s a makeup artist…” The “Maestro” star added, “I went all in. I did a Bradley [Cooper], I went all in.” She said she thinks she even “chain-smoked” before the audition.”

“It was very nice, but I obviously didn’t get the job,” said Mulligan, who is, this year, up for awards for her similarly transformative performance in Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro.”

Instead of Mulligan,...

Director Lukas Dhont is the new guest curator for Galerie, Indian Paintbrush’s digital film club.

Dhont, whose 2022 coming-of-age film “Close” was nominated for best international feature, names 18 films that influenced him the most for Galerie members.

Among the entries is the 1975 documentary “Grey Gardens.” “A teacher in film school showed us ‘Grey Gardens,’ he writes about the film, which tells the story of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’ eccentric and reclusive aunt, Edith “Big Edie” Ewing Bouvier Beale,” and cousin Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale. “I remember it made me doubt for a long time whether I wanted to continue in documentary because I saw so much of its possibilities realized in this film. The desire of being seen here is so beautifully captured. How we love to be actors sometimes.”

Also on his list are Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight,” “The Tree of Life” from Terrence Malick and “Shame,” Steve McQueen’s...

Noise auteurs The Body and electronic artist Dis Fig, aka Felicia Chen, have announced the collaborative album Orchards of a Futile Heaven, arriving February 23rd via Thrill Jockey. The lead single “Holy Lance” can be streamed now.

The mysterious track offers a glimpse into the full breadth of the collab, as Chen’s voice cuts through a haze of droning noise. The tension builds to a climactic drop of feedback squalls and pulverizing guitar, with the vocals of Chen rising to match the sonic swell. Overall, the track recalls the post-metal adjacent music of Chelsea Wolfe, Myrkur, and Big|Brave, among others.

The Body and Dis Fig found common ground in their desire to make heavy music that defies “the tropes of metal and electronic music.” As heard on “Holy Lance,” they instead merged the two genres to create something altogether their own.

“I always wanted the heavier stuff but...