Some star-packed projects are heading to the 19th annual Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival. The just-announced lineup includes films featuring, produced or directed by the likes of Tom Hanks, Eva Longoria, Alden Ehrenreich, Queen Latifah, Tom Holland, Keke Palmer, Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, John Travolta and more.
Over 400 short films are programmed in the festival, which runs from August 10-20. It’s a hybrid event, with in-person screenings at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood complemented by a virtual program streaming on the platform Bitpix TV. It’s an Oscar-qualifying festival in four categories: Best Documentary Short (newly added this year), Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Short Animation and Best Short Live Action. Winners of those prizes automatically become eligible for Academy Award consideration.
Mindful of the actors and writers strikes, the festival issued a statement along with the lineup announcement. “HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes,...
Over 400 short films are programmed in the festival, which runs from August 10-20. It’s a hybrid event, with in-person screenings at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood complemented by a virtual program streaming on the platform Bitpix TV. It’s an Oscar-qualifying festival in four categories: Best Documentary Short (newly added this year), Best Short Film Grand Prize, Best Short Animation and Best Short Live Action. Winners of those prizes automatically become eligible for Academy Award consideration.
Mindful of the actors and writers strikes, the festival issued a statement along with the lineup announcement. “HollyShorts supports both the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Last summer Leos Carax’s long-awaited Annette was finally birthed into the world. As delightfully strange and singular as one would expect a musical written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael of the Sparks to be, it also thankfully will not be the last cinematic creation from the band.
Focus Features, who released Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, is now reuniting with the Maels for a new project titled X Crucior. While there are no specific details yet on the “musical epic,” the duo will be writing and executive producing the original project and Focus’ Kiska Higgs will oversee production on behalf of the studio. Staying as prolific as ever, Sparks will release their 27th studio album in 2023, following 2020’s A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and, of course, the Annette album.
“We think it’s a modern musical and something that has intentions of being something special and...
Focus Features, who released Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, is now reuniting with the Maels for a new project titled X Crucior. While there are no specific details yet on the “musical epic,” the duo will be writing and executive producing the original project and Focus’ Kiska Higgs will oversee production on behalf of the studio. Staying as prolific as ever, Sparks will release their 27th studio album in 2023, following 2020’s A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip and, of course, the Annette album.
“We think it’s a modern musical and something that has intentions of being something special and...
- 11/4/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
If a dead ringer for Sparks brother Ron Mael walked up to you at a shopping mall while you were sitting in a massage chair and contemplating the sad inertia of your existence and, with great excitement, announced that you had been chosen from among hundreds of millions of people to participate in a unique competition designed to “probe the very essence of mind-body articulation” — well, you’d probably be willing to entertain his sales pitch. Maria (“Goodnight Mommy” star Susanne Wuest) hangs on every word, as if she’s been waiting to hear them for her entire adult life.
Yes, “Squid Game” essentially started the same way, but the 40-something woman at the heart of Maxwell McCabe-Lokos’ “Stanleyville” doesn’t seem like she’s up to speed on the latest Netflix shows. She was born into one of those deadpan cities that filmmakers always use to satirize the absurdity...
Yes, “Squid Game” essentially started the same way, but the 40-something woman at the heart of Maxwell McCabe-Lokos’ “Stanleyville” doesn’t seem like she’s up to speed on the latest Netflix shows. She was born into one of those deadpan cities that filmmakers always use to satirize the absurdity...
- 4/20/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s animated documentary “Flee” has been named the best nonfiction film of 2021 at the 15th annual Cinema Eye Honors, which were presented on Tuesday night in New York City. “The Rescue,” about the efforts to retrieve a Thai youth soccer team from a flooded cave, won the Audience Choice Prize.
The Neon release “Flee,” which uses animation to give anonymity to a young gay man who escaped Afghanistan as a teenager and made his way to Denmark, also won the award for graphic design and animation. It is nominated for Oscars in the documentary, animated-feature and international-feature categories.
Robert Greene won the directing award for “Procession,” while Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville took the producing prize for “The First Wave.”
Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won the most Cinema Eye awards, three, taking the prizes for debut feature, cinematography and score.
Other winners included “Summer of Soul...
The Neon release “Flee,” which uses animation to give anonymity to a young gay man who escaped Afghanistan as a teenager and made his way to Denmark, also won the award for graphic design and animation. It is nominated for Oscars in the documentary, animated-feature and international-feature categories.
Robert Greene won the directing award for “Procession,” while Matthew Heineman, Jenna Millman and Leslie Norville took the producing prize for “The First Wave.”
Jessica Kingdon’s “Ascension” won the most Cinema Eye awards, three, taking the prizes for debut feature, cinematography and score.
Other winners included “Summer of Soul...
- 3/2/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
This year’s ceremony was uncharacteristically devoid of controversy after politically-charged editions in 2020 and 2021.
Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.
The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.
The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director,...
Xavier Giannoli’s costume drama Lost Illusions was the big winner at the 47th Cesar awards of France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences on Friday evening (25), winning best film, adapted screenplay, costume and supporting actor among others.
The adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s19th-century novel premiered in competition at Venice last year. It was the frontrunner at the nomination stage, making it into 15 of the 24 César categories.
The other big winner of the evening was Leos Carax’s English-language musical Annette. Carax won best director,...
- 2/25/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
The 46th César Awards took place at L’Olympia Bruno Coquatrix in Paris on Friday, February 25. The ceremony, France’s equivalent of the Academy Awards, honored the best in French cinema from 2021. The star-studded event also featured plenty of American talent, with the likes of Adam Driver and Cate Blanchett attending the ceremony. The show was hosted by French broadcaster Antoine de Caunes, marking his 10th time as emcee.
The night’s big winners were “Annette” and “Lost Illusions.” The former, a musical from director Leos Carax starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard and featuring music by Sparks, is a rock opera about a married couple whose lives change when they have a child, which is portrayed by a marionette puppet. Carax took home the trophy for Best Director, with Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks winning Best Original Score. The film also performed well in the crafts categories, winning Best Sound,...
The night’s big winners were “Annette” and “Lost Illusions.” The former, a musical from director Leos Carax starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard and featuring music by Sparks, is a rock opera about a married couple whose lives change when they have a child, which is portrayed by a marionette puppet. Carax took home the trophy for Best Director, with Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks winning Best Original Score. The film also performed well in the crafts categories, winning Best Sound,...
- 2/25/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Rolling off an unpredictable and crowded race, Xavier Giannoli’s period piece “Lost Illusions” and Leos Carax’s musical romance “Annette” scooped the top prizes at the 47th Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, on Friday evening. “Lost Illusions,” which led the nominations, won seven awards, including best film and best male newcomer. “Annette,” which world premiered on opening night at the Cannes Film Festival, won five awards, including best director and original score for Ron Mael and Russell Mael from the rock band Sparks, who performed live during the Cesar ceremony.
The glitzy in-person event took place at the Olympia theater in Paris with prestigious guests including Adam Driver, who was nominated for his performance in “Annette,” and Cate Blanchett, who received the honorary Cesar Award from the hands of Isabelle Huppert. Celebrated by a long and rowdy standing ovation, Blanchett got up on stage and gave a long hug to Huppert.
The glitzy in-person event took place at the Olympia theater in Paris with prestigious guests including Adam Driver, who was nominated for his performance in “Annette,” and Cate Blanchett, who received the honorary Cesar Award from the hands of Isabelle Huppert. Celebrated by a long and rowdy standing ovation, Blanchett got up on stage and gave a long hug to Huppert.
- 2/25/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s “Drive My Car” and Terence Davies’s “Benediction” won top prizes at the 2022 Ics Awards, which are handed out by the International Cinephile Society.
This 19th edition marked a milestone with female talents winning best picture, director, animated film, documentary, debut feature, breakthrough performance and cinematography.
“Happening,” a timely abortion drama set in 1960s France, took home best picture, while its star, Anamaria Vartolomei, won best breakthrough performance.
“Remarkable in its combination of artistic delicacy and brutal realism, yet resisting any hint of didacticism, the film quietly builds tension to a gut-wrenching emotional pitch,” stated the Ics.
Campion, meanwhile, won best director with her Western family drama “The Power of the Dog.” Runner-up for top film was Hamaguchi with “Drive My Car,” a road drama based on Haruki Murakami’s short story about guilt and grief.
This 19th edition marked a milestone with female talents winning best picture, director, animated film, documentary, debut feature, breakthrough performance and cinematography.
“Happening,” a timely abortion drama set in 1960s France, took home best picture, while its star, Anamaria Vartolomei, won best breakthrough performance.
“Remarkable in its combination of artistic delicacy and brutal realism, yet resisting any hint of didacticism, the film quietly builds tension to a gut-wrenching emotional pitch,” stated the Ics.
Campion, meanwhile, won best director with her Western family drama “The Power of the Dog.” Runner-up for top film was Hamaguchi with “Drive My Car,” a road drama based on Haruki Murakami’s short story about guilt and grief.
- 2/7/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ceremony for awards voted on by 4,363 members of the César academy will take place on February 25.
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
Xavier Giannoli’s literary adaptation Lost Illusions is the frontrunner in the nomination stage of the 47th edition of France’s César awards, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline.
France’s Academy of Cinema and Arts and Sciences unveiled the nomination list online on Wednesday morning (January 26), ahead of the ceremony scheduled to take place on February 25.
Giannoli’s adaptation of Honoré de Balzac’s eponymous 19th-century novel, which premiered in competition at Venice last year, was nominated in...
- 1/26/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Update: Xavier Giannoli’s Illusions Perdues (Lost Illusions) leads nominations for the 2022 César Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscar. The Venice premiere scored 15 mentions, followed by Leos Carax’s Annette, which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year and has 11 nominations. They are followed by Valérie Lemercier’s Aline, the musical dramedy inspired by the life of Céline Dion which also debuted in Cannes and has 10 nods. (Scroll down for the full list of nominations.)
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
Interestingly, the three films that France shortlisted for the International Feature Academy Award race came in on the lower end. Cédric Jiminez’s Bac Nord (The Stronghold) took seven nominations, while Audrey Diwan’s Venice Golden Lion winner Happening settles for four, tying Cannes Palme d’Or winner Titane.
The latter was France’s eventual entry to the Oscars, but did not make the shortlist. It was also shut out of the Best Film category at the Césars today.
- 1/26/2022
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Predicting Best Original Song at the Oscars is made more difficult by the three-stage process. In years past, many seemingly sure-fire contenders were deemed to be ineligible. Even those ditties that cleared this hurdle then have to pass muster with the nearly 400 members of the music branch of the academy. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2022 Oscar predictions for Best Original Song.)
To be even eligible for consideration, a tune must meet these criteria:
It must be an original song with words and music, both of which were original and written specifically for the film;
It must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the film; and
There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody used in the body of the movie or as...
To be even eligible for consideration, a tune must meet these criteria:
It must be an original song with words and music, both of which were original and written specifically for the film;
It must be the result of a creative interaction between the filmmaker(s) and the songwriter(s) who have been engaged to work directly on the film; and
There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody used in the body of the movie or as...
- 1/24/2022
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Why do songs play such a vital role in cinema storytelling? What is your favorite movie song of all time? When you first started out as a songwriter, what do you wish you knew about the ups and downs of songwriting for film that you know now?
These were some of the questions answered by seven world-renowned songwriters when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Oscar contenders. Watch our full group chat above with Ron Mael and Russell Mael (for the song “So May We Start” from “Annette”), Idina Menzel and Laura Veltz (for the song “Dream Girl” from “Cinderella”), Nicholai Baxter (for the song “Beyond the Shore” from “Coda”), Diane Warren (for the song “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”) and Jamie Hartman (for the song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from “Respect.”) Click on each name above to...
These were some of the questions answered by seven world-renowned songwriters when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Oscar contenders. Watch our full group chat above with Ron Mael and Russell Mael (for the song “So May We Start” from “Annette”), Idina Menzel and Laura Veltz (for the song “Dream Girl” from “Cinderella”), Nicholai Baxter (for the song “Beyond the Shore” from “Coda”), Diane Warren (for the song “Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”) and Jamie Hartman (for the song “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from “Respect.”) Click on each name above to...
- 1/21/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Eight top songwriters will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Academy Awards and guild contenders. Each person from these films is now on the Oscar shortlist. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, January 18, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Rob Licuria and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series throughout January and February. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:
“Annette:” Ron Mael, Russell Mael
Synopsis: A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a...
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series throughout January and February. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:
“Annette:” Ron Mael, Russell Mael
Synopsis: A stand-up comedian and his opera singer wife have a...
- 1/11/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for Original Song and Original Score vying for Oscars nominations consideration. As Variety reports, the next phase of voting begins on Jan. 27 and ends Feb. 1. The official nominees for all the categories will be announced on Feb. 8.
A total of 84 songs were eligible in the Original Songs category, and 15 comprise the shortlist. The Original Song category pits couple Beyoncé (“Be Alive”) against Jay-Z (“Guns Go Bang”). Billie Eilish with brother Finneas’ “No Time to Die,” Ariana Grande and...
A total of 84 songs were eligible in the Original Songs category, and 15 comprise the shortlist. The Original Song category pits couple Beyoncé (“Be Alive”) against Jay-Z (“Guns Go Bang”). Billie Eilish with brother Finneas’ “No Time to Die,” Ariana Grande and...
- 12/22/2021
- by Althea Legaspi
- Rollingstone.com
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 94th Oscars ceremony.
The shortlist voting concluded on Dec. 15, and the remaining ones will move on to the official phase one voting. Nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 27, and ends on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The official credits and nominees for all the films will be announced, with the rest of the Oscar nominations on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Check out the list of the films and categories below:
Original Song
“So May We Start?” from “Annette” (Amazon Studios)
Ron Mael, Russell Mael (Sparks) “Down To Joy” from “Belfast” (Focus Features)
Van Morrison “Right Where I Belong” from “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road” (Screen Media Films)
Brian Wilson, Jim James “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised” (Netflix)
H.E.R. (other songwriters to be added) “Dream Girl” from “Cinderella” (Amazon Studios)
Idina Menzel, Laura Veltz “Beyond The Shore” from...
The shortlist voting concluded on Dec. 15, and the remaining ones will move on to the official phase one voting. Nominations voting begins on Thursday, Jan. 27, and ends on Tuesday, Feb. 1. The official credits and nominees for all the films will be announced, with the rest of the Oscar nominations on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Check out the list of the films and categories below:
Original Song
“So May We Start?” from “Annette” (Amazon Studios)
Ron Mael, Russell Mael (Sparks) “Down To Joy” from “Belfast” (Focus Features)
Van Morrison “Right Where I Belong” from “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road” (Screen Media Films)
Brian Wilson, Jim James “Automatic Woman” from “Bruised” (Netflix)
H.E.R. (other songwriters to be added) “Dream Girl” from “Cinderella” (Amazon Studios)
Idina Menzel, Laura Veltz “Beyond The Shore” from...
- 12/21/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
by Cláudio Alves
On December 21st, the Academy will announce their shortlists in several categories, including Best Original Song. As usual, some mainstream triumphs feel like locks already, maybe not for the final lineup but certainly the roster of 15 finalists. Even before the movie was released, Billie Eilish had already won a Grammy for her Bond theme, "No Time to Die." Beyoncé seems like an inevitable nominee thanks to King Richard's "Be Alive." As for Lin-Manuel Miranda's work for Encanto, it's never a good idea to bet against Disney. In the midst of it all, the weird glory of Leos Carax's Annette may be forgotten, despite its vast score of original songs by the Sparks (Ron Mael and Russell Mael). Please, dear reader, allow me to make the case for that musical's first and best tune…...
On December 21st, the Academy will announce their shortlists in several categories, including Best Original Song. As usual, some mainstream triumphs feel like locks already, maybe not for the final lineup but certainly the roster of 15 finalists. Even before the movie was released, Billie Eilish had already won a Grammy for her Bond theme, "No Time to Die." Beyoncé seems like an inevitable nominee thanks to King Richard's "Be Alive." As for Lin-Manuel Miranda's work for Encanto, it's never a good idea to bet against Disney. In the midst of it all, the weird glory of Leos Carax's Annette may be forgotten, despite its vast score of original songs by the Sparks (Ron Mael and Russell Mael). Please, dear reader, allow me to make the case for that musical's first and best tune…...
- 12/9/2021
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Leos Carax and Sparks’ ‘Annette’ Evolution: A Failed Tim Burton Musical, 80 Original Songs, and More
[Editor’s note: This article was originally published in August 2021 and has been updated. It includes some mild spoilers about the plot of “Annette.”]
This has been a most unusual year for Sparks. The pop rock duo, comprised of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, have adapted to the strange trajectory of their fame that has followed them for 50-odd years. Despite some diehard fans in the U.S., their energetic and eclectic compositions have been far more appreciated across Europe. Needless to say, it took a few Europeans to bring Sparks back into the limelight. First came the June release of Edgar Wright’s sprawling documentary “The Sparks Brothers,” which reintroduced them to American audiences just in time for “Annette” to open the Cannes Film Festival in July. The unorthodox rock opera marks the latest undertaking by elusive French auteur Leos Carax, whose previous feature, “Holy Motors,” came out nearly a decade ago.
Carax never really stopped working. The filmmaker spent almost eight years collaborating with Sparks on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver as Henry,...
This has been a most unusual year for Sparks. The pop rock duo, comprised of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, have adapted to the strange trajectory of their fame that has followed them for 50-odd years. Despite some diehard fans in the U.S., their energetic and eclectic compositions have been far more appreciated across Europe. Needless to say, it took a few Europeans to bring Sparks back into the limelight. First came the June release of Edgar Wright’s sprawling documentary “The Sparks Brothers,” which reintroduced them to American audiences just in time for “Annette” to open the Cannes Film Festival in July. The unorthodox rock opera marks the latest undertaking by elusive French auteur Leos Carax, whose previous feature, “Holy Motors,” came out nearly a decade ago.
Carax never really stopped working. The filmmaker spent almost eight years collaborating with Sparks on “Annette,” which stars Adam Driver as Henry,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Edgar Wright has been directing scripted films, music videos and episodic television for over 25 years, but he had yet to make a documentary feature—until now.
In The Sparks Brothers, he explores two of the most talented men in popular music: brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who have been performing together since the late 1960s, first as Halfnelson and later as Sparks. They are considered simultaneously among the most influential groups in history, but one of the most overlooked.
“I thought it was interesting that Sparks had an unusual sort of following, in that different pockets of the world were into different [eras] of the music,” Wright said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “What I wanted to do was give an overview of the whole career and also just show how influential they were by interviewing the people that they influenced.”
Beck, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers,...
In The Sparks Brothers, he explores two of the most talented men in popular music: brothers Ron and Russell Mael, who have been performing together since the late 1960s, first as Halfnelson and later as Sparks. They are considered simultaneously among the most influential groups in history, but one of the most overlooked.
“I thought it was interesting that Sparks had an unusual sort of following, in that different pockets of the world were into different [eras] of the music,” Wright said during an appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary awards-season event. “What I wanted to do was give an overview of the whole career and also just show how influential they were by interviewing the people that they influenced.”
Beck, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers,...
- 11/21/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
In “The Sparks Brothers” the new documentary about their careers, Ron Mael and Russell Mael discuss the various movie musical projects that fell through over the years. They finally managed to see one to fruition with “Annette,” a dark fantasia directed by Leos Carax that opened the Cannes Film Festival and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. This newfound mainstream success is not lost on the brothers, who have performed as Sparks since the 1960s. “To have two films at the same time was strange for us, but they kind of complement each other,” says Ron in an exclusive new interview for Gold Derby. “They help each other and people can get a broader view of what we’re up to.” Watch the full interview with Ron and Russell above.
The brothers first conceived of “Annette” in the early 2010s, thinking of it as a concept album about parents who...
The brothers first conceived of “Annette” in the early 2010s, thinking of it as a concept album about parents who...
- 11/20/2021
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Variety has released this year’s list of 10 Screenwriters to Watch. A conversation with the honorees will take place on Oct. 17 at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The magazine will also honor Italian helmer-scribe Paolo Sorrentino (“Hand of God”) with the Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award.
The annual 10 to Watch program celebrates breakthrough screenwriters, actors, directors, comics, animators, producers and cinematographers. Some of the screenwriters are being honored for films that have already premiered and received critical acclaim, like “King Richard,” while others, like “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” remain highly anticipated. At least half of the selected films had their production schedules or release dates altered by the pandemic.
The class of 2021’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch includes eight solo honorees and two pairs. Interviews with those being honored in 2021 will be featured in the Oct. 6 issue of Variety.
After taking place virtually in 2020, this year 10 Screenwriters to Watch will return to...
The annual 10 to Watch program celebrates breakthrough screenwriters, actors, directors, comics, animators, producers and cinematographers. Some of the screenwriters are being honored for films that have already premiered and received critical acclaim, like “King Richard,” while others, like “Tick, Tick … Boom!,” remain highly anticipated. At least half of the selected films had their production schedules or release dates altered by the pandemic.
The class of 2021’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch includes eight solo honorees and two pairs. Interviews with those being honored in 2021 will be featured in the Oct. 6 issue of Variety.
After taking place virtually in 2020, this year 10 Screenwriters to Watch will return to...
- 9/28/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
So, may we start?
Annette premiered on Amazon Prime this weekend, and this rock opera sure is unique.
The leads sing wonderfully, which gets elevated by their star power acting.
Adam Driver plays comedian Henry McHenry, and Marion Cottilard plays opera superstar Ann.
Simon Helberg rounds out the main characters as The Conductor.
Helberg's musical talent has been no secret (as shown in Florence Foster Jenkins), and he gets to showcase some new skills for Annette.
Helberg learned to conduct for the role, to make it seem as realistic as possible.
The actors put everything into their performances despite the weak script by Russell and Ron Mael.
The story itself felt like watching a fever dream in real-time, which I would consider both good and bad.
Carax made some interesting directing choices that paid off, but the script also hurt his unique directing style.
Almost every scene from Annette could be a painting,...
Annette premiered on Amazon Prime this weekend, and this rock opera sure is unique.
The leads sing wonderfully, which gets elevated by their star power acting.
Adam Driver plays comedian Henry McHenry, and Marion Cottilard plays opera superstar Ann.
Simon Helberg rounds out the main characters as The Conductor.
Helberg's musical talent has been no secret (as shown in Florence Foster Jenkins), and he gets to showcase some new skills for Annette.
Helberg learned to conduct for the role, to make it seem as realistic as possible.
The actors put everything into their performances despite the weak script by Russell and Ron Mael.
The story itself felt like watching a fever dream in real-time, which I would consider both good and bad.
Carax made some interesting directing choices that paid off, but the script also hurt his unique directing style.
Almost every scene from Annette could be a painting,...
- 8/22/2021
- by Michael T. Stack
- TVfanatic
Irony is a word that pops up a lot in discussing the group Sparks — in their content, and in their career. And here’s an irony for you: When brothers Ron and Russell Mael created a project called “The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman” many years back, it was with the intent of it being a movie musical, with roles for 13 actors. That didn’t pan out, so it ended up as an album and nearly impossible-to-stage touring show. In reaction to that experience, they bypassed any thought of their next rock opera, “Annette,” being a movie, and kept it to four key characters so that it would work more easily as a concept album and tour. And, of course, that’s the one that became a movie musical.
French director Leos Carax’s adaptation makes its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video this weekend after opening in theaters two weeks ago.
French director Leos Carax’s adaptation makes its streaming debut on Amazon Prime Video this weekend after opening in theaters two weeks ago.
- 8/21/2021
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
My years of Sparks evangelizing found a strange wellspring in 2021. What began with Edgar Wright’s delightful, career-spanning The Sparks Brothers found its fulfillment in their Leos Carax musical Annette, about which little was known through years of anticipation until, suddenly, it was all most could talk about. A mere two weeks after its limited engagement does the film hit Amazon Prime, on the occasion of which I was fortunate to speak with Ron and Russell Mael for the second time this year—two times more than I would’ve dared dream.
This interview is an attempt to synthesize the essentials of a dizzyingly complex and ambitious project about which their contributions—paired with a voice so forceful as Carax—bear more questions and surprises the further they’re discussed.
The Film Stage: I’ve listened to “So May We Start” enough times that the rawness of Annette’s performance...
This interview is an attempt to synthesize the essentials of a dizzyingly complex and ambitious project about which their contributions—paired with a voice so forceful as Carax—bear more questions and surprises the further they’re discussed.
The Film Stage: I’ve listened to “So May We Start” enough times that the rawness of Annette’s performance...
- 8/20/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
“Annette,” the film written and scored by brothers Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks that won Leos Carax the best director at the Cannes Film festival, is unorthodox, so it may be fitting that it got its Los Angeles premiere at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Aug. 18.
The titular character of the film, a baby girl born to singer Ann (Marion Cotillard) and comedian Henry (Adam Driver), is embodied by a lifelike, uncanny puppet.
“We think we found a really modern way of doing movie musicals. That’s a talent that we feel is something special,” Russell Mael told Variety at the L.A. bow. “To be able to create, in this day and age, a movie musical done in a way that’s non-traditional.”
“[Carax] has such a strong visual sense, and such an amazing imagination, that a lot of times there were things way beyond what we would have even considered possible in a film,...
The titular character of the film, a baby girl born to singer Ann (Marion Cotillard) and comedian Henry (Adam Driver), is embodied by a lifelike, uncanny puppet.
“We think we found a really modern way of doing movie musicals. That’s a talent that we feel is something special,” Russell Mael told Variety at the L.A. bow. “To be able to create, in this day and age, a movie musical done in a way that’s non-traditional.”
“[Carax] has such a strong visual sense, and such an amazing imagination, that a lot of times there were things way beyond what we would have even considered possible in a film,...
- 8/20/2021
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Annette Amazon Prime Video Reviewed for Shockya.com by Abe Friedtanzer Director: Leos Carax Writer: Ron Mael and Russell Mael Cast: Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Devyn McDowell Screened at: Critics’ link, LA, 8/4/21 Opens: August 6th, 2021 (Theaters) / August 20th, 2021 (Amazon Prime Video) Musicals can be very creative in the way that […]
The post Annette Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Annette Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 8/19/2021
- by abe
- ShockYa
Excitement broke out in 2017 when, for a brief moment, it was reported that Rihanna was joining Adam Driver in Leos Carax’s musical drama “Annette.” Variety reported at the time that “a pitch to American distributors included Rihanna in the cast and the film’s producers told buyers at the Berlin Film Festival that the singer was attached.” Rihanna’s team quickly shot down the report, confirming to the press that the music superstar was not going to appear in the film. But she would have if Carax got his way.
In a recent interview with USA Today, Carax confirmed that he did write a part in the “Annette” script specifically for Rihanna. The part was a cameo appearance in which Rihanna would perform with the eponymous character who, as a baby, possesses the rare gift of an angelic singing voice. Rihanna declined the role.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,...
In a recent interview with USA Today, Carax confirmed that he did write a part in the “Annette” script specifically for Rihanna. The part was a cameo appearance in which Rihanna would perform with the eponymous character who, as a baby, possesses the rare gift of an angelic singing voice. Rihanna declined the role.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,...
- 8/10/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Rihanna nearly had a role opposite a puppet in Annette, the movie musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard that hit theaters Friday.
Director Leos Carax told USA Today that there was a small role written for the singer in the script by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,” Carax said. “She was supposed to play Rihanna.”
The film centers on stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and opera singer Ann (Cotillard), who wed and then welcome a child.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney described it in his review: “They marry ...
Director Leos Carax told USA Today that there was a small role written for the singer in the script by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,” Carax said. “She was supposed to play Rihanna.”
The film centers on stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and opera singer Ann (Cotillard), who wed and then welcome a child.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney described it in his review: “They marry ...
Rihanna nearly had a role opposite a puppet in Annette, the movie musical starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard that hit theaters Friday.
Director Leos Carax told USA Today that there was a small role written for the singer in the script by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,” Carax said. “She was supposed to play Rihanna.”
The film centers on stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and opera singer Ann (Cotillard), who wed and then welcome a child.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney described it in his review: “They marry ...
Director Leos Carax told USA Today that there was a small role written for the singer in the script by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
“It was a small part written specifically for her,” Carax said. “She was supposed to play Rihanna.”
The film centers on stand-up comedian Henry (Driver) and opera singer Ann (Cotillard), who wed and then welcome a child.
As The Hollywood Reporter’s chief film critic David Rooney described it in his review: “They marry ...
Video from Lin-Manuel Miranda’s wedding served as a reference for the single-take opening sequence of Leos Carax’s new film “Annette,” reveals cinematographer Caroline Champetier.
Bowing Aug. 6, “Annette” centers on Henry (Adam Driver), a standup comedian who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. It’s a rock opera of sorts, with Russell and Ron Mael of Sparks writing not only the music but the lyrics (Carax also contributes to the latter) and the original screenplay.
The number “So May We Start” serves as a preface to the movie. A close-up of drums cuts to a guitar before settling in on a tight shot of Russell Mael. As the camera zooms out to include a recording studio, we see singers moving down the connecting hallway, where they are joined by Driver and Cotillard — outside their roles in the film. Champetier explains that Carax showed her...
Bowing Aug. 6, “Annette” centers on Henry (Adam Driver), a standup comedian who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. It’s a rock opera of sorts, with Russell and Ron Mael of Sparks writing not only the music but the lyrics (Carax also contributes to the latter) and the original screenplay.
The number “So May We Start” serves as a preface to the movie. A close-up of drums cuts to a guitar before settling in on a tight shot of Russell Mael. As the camera zooms out to include a recording studio, we see singers moving down the connecting hallway, where they are joined by Driver and Cotillard — outside their roles in the film. Champetier explains that Carax showed her...
- 8/6/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm on August 5th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Annette.” In theaters on August 6th, 2021, and streaming on Amazon Prime Video beginning August 20th.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam Driver portrays comedian Henry McHenry, whose act is called the Ape Of God. His alternative stand-up act is sensational, and it allows him to meet an opera star Ann (Marion Cotillard), and their love produces a child named Annette. This event messes with Henry’s career, and his resentment spins him out of control, until he discovers that baby Annette can sing like an angel. He begins to exploit this gift – with the help of a reluctant orchestra conductor (Simon Helberg) – and Annette’s fame soars.
“Annette” is in select theaters on August 6th – including the newly re-opened Gene Siskel Film Center – and will stream on Amazon Prime Video on August 20th.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
Adam Driver portrays comedian Henry McHenry, whose act is called the Ape Of God. His alternative stand-up act is sensational, and it allows him to meet an opera star Ann (Marion Cotillard), and their love produces a child named Annette. This event messes with Henry’s career, and his resentment spins him out of control, until he discovers that baby Annette can sing like an angel. He begins to exploit this gift – with the help of a reluctant orchestra conductor (Simon Helberg) – and Annette’s fame soars.
“Annette” is in select theaters on August 6th – including the newly re-opened Gene Siskel Film Center – and will stream on Amazon Prime Video on August 20th.
- 8/6/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Over the next two weeks, we’ll see theatrical releases for two of the year’s most important specialized films. On August 6, Amazon opens the Leos Carax musical “Annette” starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard, which premiered in Cannes on opening night. Apple opens “Coda” August 13 — the most expensive Sundance acquisition ever and the festival’s top prize winner this year.
These important titles at key film festivals are now in the purview of their streaming distributors. That turns what was once a relatively straightforward proposal — promoting a film’s theatrical run — into something much more complex, even political. How does a streamer distribute a film that was made to be seen in theaters while not undermining the reason that it bought the title in the first place — i.e., to tempt the public to subscribe so they can see it at home?
It’s an awkward equation, sometimes courtesy...
These important titles at key film festivals are now in the purview of their streaming distributors. That turns what was once a relatively straightforward proposal — promoting a film’s theatrical run — into something much more complex, even political. How does a streamer distribute a film that was made to be seen in theaters while not undermining the reason that it bought the title in the first place — i.e., to tempt the public to subscribe so they can see it at home?
It’s an awkward equation, sometimes courtesy...
- 8/6/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
When the Cannes Film Festival jury of Mati Diop, Mylène Farmer, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jessica Hausner, Mélanie Laurent, Song Kang-ho, Tahar Rahim, and Kleber Mendonça Filho, led by Spike Lee (who announced Julia Ducournau’s Titane as the Palme d’Or winner first), awarded Best Director to Leos Carax for his musical Annette (the opening night selection), starring Marion Cotillard, Adam Driver, and Simon Helberg, accepting the honour (presented by Valeria Golino) were Ron Mael and Russel Mael (Sparks).
“So may we start?” asks the cast in the prologue, marching through the nightly Los Angeles (shot by the great Caroline Champetier), as though they were Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and their gang, ready to put on a show. And yet, it doesn’t feel Hollywood, but rather operatic (with costumes by the exquisite Pascaline Chavanne), and a bit Shakespearian in the way...
“So may we start?” asks the cast in the prologue, marching through the nightly Los Angeles (shot by the great Caroline Champetier), as though they were Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and their gang, ready to put on a show. And yet, it doesn’t feel Hollywood, but rather operatic (with costumes by the exquisite Pascaline Chavanne), and a bit Shakespearian in the way...
- 7/24/2021
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
So far 2021 is turning out to be quite the year for documentaries unearthing long-buried or unknown musical treasures of the ’60s. The current Summer of Soul highlights a series of Harlem-based concerts with iconic Black artists, a kind of African American Woodstock stuck in someone’s basement for half a century and now getting a much-acclaimed film directed by Questlove made from those tapes. Edgar Wright’s fascinating The Sparks Brothers, the story of the quirky band Sparks featuring brothers Russell and Ron Mael, gives this cult musical act a long-deserved place in the sun. And now, just premiered out of competition today at the Cannes Film Festival, comes director Todd Haynes’ feature documentary debut on the avant garde rock/punk band The Velvet Underground in a movie of the same name that shows why this ’60s creation from the world of Andy Warhol has made such an impact decades...
- 7/7/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
With the Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard film “Annette” premiering in Cannes, brothers Russell and Ron Mael, better known as Sparks, may have an early original song contender on hand with “So May We Start.”
Directed by Leos Carax, the film centers around Henry (Driver), a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor, who falls in love with Ann (Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. At the center of the film is its music, a rock opera of sorts. Sparks not only wrote the music for the film — with lyrics by the Maels and Carax — but also the original screenplay.
“So May We Start” — as sung by Driver, Cotillard, Sparks and Simon Helberg, who plays the musical conductor — is an ensemble number that opens the film. Says singer Russell Mael, “It’s almost a preface to the movie you’re about to see. We’re talking about issues involved with...
Directed by Leos Carax, the film centers around Henry (Driver), a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor, who falls in love with Ann (Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. At the center of the film is its music, a rock opera of sorts. Sparks not only wrote the music for the film — with lyrics by the Maels and Carax — but also the original screenplay.
“So May We Start” — as sung by Driver, Cotillard, Sparks and Simon Helberg, who plays the musical conductor — is an ensemble number that opens the film. Says singer Russell Mael, “It’s almost a preface to the movie you’re about to see. We’re talking about issues involved with...
- 7/7/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes is back, in slightly altered form. It’s hotter in July. Crowds are smaller, hotels are not full, nor are the screenings in the market; many of the usual attendees stayed home, from top critics from the New York and Los Angeles Times and IMDb chief Col Needham to Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard (his partner Michael Barker made the trip).
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
- 7/7/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Cannes is back, in slightly altered form. It’s hotter in July. Crowds are smaller, hotels are not full, nor are the screenings in the market; many of the usual attendees stayed home, from top critics from the New York and Los Angeles Times and IMDb chief Col Needham to Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard (his partner Michael Barker made the trip).
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
Supplying Tuesday’s opening-night glamour to the tapis rouge were Jessica Chastain, returning to the Croisette 10 years after “Tree of Life;” French-speaker Jodie Foster, sheathed in white with her wife on her arm, who graciously accepted a Palme d’Or life achievement award 45 years after the Cannes debut of “Taxi Driver;” and “Parasite” Palme d’Or and Oscar-winner winner Bong Joon Ho, who said, “Seeing you all here, I have the impression there hasn’t been a break; maybe the festival had a break, but cinema never stopped.
- 7/7/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Debuting on opening night of the Cannes Film Festival a full year after it was originally expected to appear, “Annette” arrives on a pedestal from which it’s too easily toppled. This latest dose of weirdness from “Holy Motors” director Leos Carax — a tortured celebrity love story set to the maddening music of Sparks and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard — would surely fare better in an underdog position than anointed from the outset. It’s not for everyone, as there’s little demand for 140-minute bummer musicals at the moment, though Carax’s grand experiment is certainly bold enough to find its share of defenders.
Maybe “Annette” is just ahead of its time, as champions of avant-garde duo Russell and Ron Mael, aka Sparks, like to say of the pair who wrote it, although Carax’s interpretation of their ironic endeavor reaches backward, braiding the sincerity of silent film with postmodern self-awareness,...
Maybe “Annette” is just ahead of its time, as champions of avant-garde duo Russell and Ron Mael, aka Sparks, like to say of the pair who wrote it, although Carax’s interpretation of their ironic endeavor reaches backward, braiding the sincerity of silent film with postmodern self-awareness,...
- 7/6/2021
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The Cannes Film Festival begins this week and one of the films that is going to debut there will be “Annette,” the movie is helmed by French filmmaker Leos Carax (“Holy Motors“) with a script penned by Carax alongside Ron Mael and Russell Mael, aka The Sparks Brothers, who will also have roles in the film. The siblings were recently the subject of a rock documentary “The Sparks Brothers” directed by Edgar Wright.
Read More: Review: ‘Holy Motors’ Is Beautiful Madness, Rabid And Resplendent
The contender has a cast consists of two-time Oscar-nominee Adam Driver (“Marriage Story,” “Logan Lucky,” “BlacKkKlansman,” “Silence,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens“), Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard (“Flesh & Bone,” “Contagion,” “Macbeth,” “La Vie en Rose,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises“), Rila Fukushima (“The Wolverine,” “Ghost In The Shell“), Simon Helberg (“A Serious Man,” “Big Bang Theory“), and the aforementioned Sparks Brothers.
Read More: ‘The Sparks Brothers’: Edgar...
Read More: Review: ‘Holy Motors’ Is Beautiful Madness, Rabid And Resplendent
The contender has a cast consists of two-time Oscar-nominee Adam Driver (“Marriage Story,” “Logan Lucky,” “BlacKkKlansman,” “Silence,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens“), Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard (“Flesh & Bone,” “Contagion,” “Macbeth,” “La Vie en Rose,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises“), Rila Fukushima (“The Wolverine,” “Ghost In The Shell“), Simon Helberg (“A Serious Man,” “Big Bang Theory“), and the aforementioned Sparks Brothers.
Read More: ‘The Sparks Brothers’: Edgar...
- 7/5/2021
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Sparks, the long-running electro-pop duo featuring brothers Russell and Ron Mael, have released another duet between Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard from their upcoming film, Annette. “We Love Each Other So Much” straddles the line between Eurodisco and the melodrama of a Phantom of the Opera outtake, as Driver sings about “scoffing at logic” and Cotillard describes their union as “counterintuitive.” As with many Sparks songs, it builds from there.
The song follows the release of “So May We Start,” another song with Driver and Cotillard, that features in Annette,...
The song follows the release of “So May We Start,” another song with Driver and Cotillard, that features in Annette,...
- 6/28/2021
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
If you watch “The Sparks Brothers,” Edgar Wright’s ultimate cult rock documentary about the Greatest Band That Almost No One Has Heard Of, you may find yourself developing a distinct affection for Sparks, the cult duo in question, and liking almost everything about them except, perhaps, for one small insignificant thing.
You’ll like the fact that Sparks — who released their first record in 1971 — have put out 25 albums, consisting of some 345 songs, and that they did it all while remaining more or less under the radar. You’ll like the way that they started off with a glam-rock vibe, then had a computer-rock moment, then went through a disco electronica phase, then an ’80s indie-rock phase, then many other phases.
You’ll like the fact that the band’s two members, Russell Mael and Ron Mael, are brothers who have an otherworldly sense of humor about themselves. You’ll...
You’ll like the fact that Sparks — who released their first record in 1971 — have put out 25 albums, consisting of some 345 songs, and that they did it all while remaining more or less under the radar. You’ll like the way that they started off with a glam-rock vibe, then had a computer-rock moment, then went through a disco electronica phase, then an ’80s indie-rock phase, then many other phases.
You’ll like the fact that the band’s two members, Russell Mael and Ron Mael, are brothers who have an otherworldly sense of humor about themselves. You’ll...
- 6/27/2021
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Annette Trailer — Leos Carax‘s Annette (2021) movie trailer has been released by Amazon Prime Video. The Annette trailer stars Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg, Rila Fukushima, Kiko Mizuhara, Natalie Mendoza, Rebecca Dyson-Smith, Russell Mael, Devyn McDowell, Kevin Van Doorslaer, John Paval, Verona Verbakel, and Silvana Damm. Crew Ron Mael and Russell [...]
Continue reading: Annette (2021) Movie Trailer: Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard’s First Born Turns Their Lives Upside Down...
Continue reading: Annette (2021) Movie Trailer: Adam Driver & Marion Cotillard’s First Born Turns Their Lives Upside Down...
- 6/27/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Los Angeles, today. Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian with a fierce sense of humor who falls in love with Ann (Marion Cotillard), a world-renowned opera singer. Under the spotlight, they form a passionate and glamorous couple. The birth of their first child, Annette, a mysterious little girl with an exceptional destiny, will turn their lives upside down.
A film by visionary director Leos Carax (Holy Motors), with Story & music by Ron & Russel Mael of The Sparks, this original musical is journey of passion, love & fame.
Annette opens in theaters August 6 and debuts August 20 on Prime Video. It is also opening the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
Annette also stars Simon Helberg and is written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
Interesting fact: Nine years after Holy Motors, presented in Competition, Leos Carax will unveil in Cannes his new feature.
The post New Trailer For Annette Stars Adam Driver And...
A film by visionary director Leos Carax (Holy Motors), with Story & music by Ron & Russel Mael of The Sparks, this original musical is journey of passion, love & fame.
Annette opens in theaters August 6 and debuts August 20 on Prime Video. It is also opening the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
Annette also stars Simon Helberg and is written by Ron Mael and Russell Mael.
Interesting fact: Nine years after Holy Motors, presented in Competition, Leos Carax will unveil in Cannes his new feature.
The post New Trailer For Annette Stars Adam Driver And...
- 6/22/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Musicals are mounting a major return to a platform near you — nearly a dozen are set to release by the end of the year. Why are there are so many lined up? It’s both flukes of timing and market forces. Some are big-budget studio efforts held back until the pandemic was “over,” others are smaller scale films, some are strictly online events. Not all will make it to theaters, especially after Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation “In the Heights”, a less-well-known Broadway musical from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, nabbed stellar reviews but disappointed in theaters after launching the Tribeca Festival. How it performed on HBO Max is less clear.
But there’s still a lot of Miranda — among other musical talents — in the 2021 pipeline. See below. Here’s what’s going on.
1. Studios are chasing pre-branded hits.
Despite the disaster of “Cats” ($75.5 million worldwide), global smashes like “Mamma Mia!...
But there’s still a lot of Miranda — among other musical talents — in the 2021 pipeline. See below. Here’s what’s going on.
1. Studios are chasing pre-branded hits.
Despite the disaster of “Cats” ($75.5 million worldwide), global smashes like “Mamma Mia!...
- 6/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Musicals are mounting a major return to a platform near you — nearly a dozen are set to release by the end of the year. Why are there are so many lined up? It’s both flukes of timing and market forces. Some are big-budget studio efforts held back until the pandemic was “over,” others are smaller scale films, some are strictly online events. Not all will make it to theaters, especially after Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation “In the Heights”, a less-well-known Broadway musical from “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, nabbed stellar reviews but disappointed in theaters after launching the Tribeca Festival. How it performed on HBO Max is less clear.
But there’s still a lot of Miranda — among other musical talents — in the 2021 pipeline. See below. Here’s what’s going on.
1. Studios are chasing pre-branded hits.
Despite the disaster of “Cats” ($75.5 million worldwide), global smashes like “Mamma Mia!...
But there’s still a lot of Miranda — among other musical talents — in the 2021 pipeline. See below. Here’s what’s going on.
1. Studios are chasing pre-branded hits.
Despite the disaster of “Cats” ($75.5 million worldwide), global smashes like “Mamma Mia!...
- 6/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show on Wssr-fm on June 18th, 2021, reviewing the new documentary “The Sparks Brothers,” opening in theaters on June 18th, 2021.
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The band called Sparks are two brothers, Russell and Ron Mael. Russell is the lead singer. Ron is the songwriter who played keyboards and looked like – for a period in the 1970s – Adolf Hitler. The film was made by comic director and über-fan Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead), and he gets perspective fellow superfans, like Mike Myers, and the Sparks brothers themselves.
“The Sparks Brothers” opened in theaters on June 18th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring the Sparks … Russell and Ron Mael. Directed by Edgar Wright. Rated “R”
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “The Sparks Brothers”
The Sparks Brothers
Photo credit: Focus Features
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s...
Rating: 5.0/5.0
The band called Sparks are two brothers, Russell and Ron Mael. Russell is the lead singer. Ron is the songwriter who played keyboards and looked like – for a period in the 1970s – Adolf Hitler. The film was made by comic director and über-fan Edgar Wright (Shaun Of The Dead), and he gets perspective fellow superfans, like Mike Myers, and the Sparks brothers themselves.
“The Sparks Brothers” opened in theaters on June 18th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring the Sparks … Russell and Ron Mael. Directed by Edgar Wright. Rated “R”
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air review of “The Sparks Brothers”
The Sparks Brothers
Photo credit: Focus Features
Click here for Patrick McDonald’s...
- 6/19/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Previously reviewed as part of our Sundance 2021 coverage. Plot: An in-depth look at the band Sparks, which consists of brother Russell and Ron Mael. Review: The first time I ever saw Sparks was in this 1977 disaster movie called Rollercoaster, which I caught on cable one day. They looked so outrageous, with Russell’s long flowing locks and Ron’s Hitler mustache…...
- 6/18/2021
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
If your typical conversation with a Sparks devotee is fannish evangelizing about why you must hear this album and that album is better than its non-existent reputation, it would follow that a Sparks superfan (hello) getting just ten minutes with his favorite working band turns that way. Which is to say I had the extreme fortune of speaking with Ron Mael, Russell Mael, and Edgar Wright about The Sparks Brothers, a new documentary as much tailored for acolytes who delight at seeing Christi Haydon as it is for the neophyte attracted by the director’s name, but I was happy to spend most of our time on minutiae.
The Film Stage: 10 or so minutes to speak with a director I greatly admire and literally my favorite working band—let’s make every second count.
Edgar Wright: Just talk to Sparks. This is why we’re all here!
I can’t...
The Film Stage: 10 or so minutes to speak with a director I greatly admire and literally my favorite working band—let’s make every second count.
Edgar Wright: Just talk to Sparks. This is why we’re all here!
I can’t...
- 6/17/2021
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
When Ron and Russell Mael, the two brothers who make up the cult band Sparks, were young, their father would take them to the movies every Saturday. He was a commercial and fine artist who didn’t bother timing these weekly excursions to any showing’s start time, and whatever film they were seeing was usually already playing by the time the family took their seats. Similarly, no matter where you start Edgar Wright’s documentary The Sparks Brothers, it’s like coming into a movie after it’s begun. This is brilliant, but you can’t exactly credit the director. It’s the subject.
According to the documentary, Sparks was the “best British group to ever come out of America.” You can look them up on Wikipedia and learn nothing. Everyone thinks they’re identical twins, but they weren’t even born in the same sunny California town. Sparks...
According to the documentary, Sparks was the “best British group to ever come out of America.” You can look them up on Wikipedia and learn nothing. Everyone thinks they’re identical twins, but they weren’t even born in the same sunny California town. Sparks...
- 6/15/2021
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
The image of the art pop group Sparks tells a story. They’re a duo, Russell and Ron Mael, who one would assume to be brothers even if they never confirmed it. The former, a dashing frontman who sings in falsetto and cavorts around the stage like an imitation Mick Jagger; the latter, an aloof keyboardist and songwriter…...
- 6/15/2021
- by Vikram Murthi
- avclub.com
True story - I'd only vaguely heard of Sparks before catching Edgar Wright's documentary, The Sparks Brothers, at Sundance (read my review). I remember seeing them in 1977's Rollercoaster on TV one afternoon and thinking they had to be a fake band, with Ron Mael's toothbrush mustache and Russell's flowing locks. But real they were, and after watching the doc I fell deep down a Sparks rabbit hole. As we've been in lockdown here in Montreal, I've…...
- 6/15/2021
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
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