News

John Lithgow's upcoming Shudder original horror movie has received a streaming release date.

Based on a short story written by Owen Marshal, the upcoming James Ashcroft-directed horror film The Rule of Jenny Pen will be available for streaming on Shudder on March 28th. Per Collider, the theatrical release date is March 7th. The film will be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, and Ireland.

RelatedJohn Lithgow in Final Talks for Iconic Role in HBO's Harry Potter Reboot Series

After three other actors, a six-time Emmy-winning star is tied to the role of Dumbledore.

The film will see Lithgow take up the role of Dave Crealy, a twisted retirement home resident. The Rule of Jenny Pen's synopsis reads, "Arrogant Judge Stefan Mortensen (Geoffrey Rush), who suffers a near-fatal stroke, leaving him partially paralyzed and confined to a retirement home. There, Mortensen clashes with a...

Marin Ireland has long been a powerhouse of talent since her first onscreen role in 2003, and is best known for her roles in TV shows like Sneaky Pete (2015-2019) and The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024), movies like Eileen (2023) and Piercing (2018), and was nominated for a Tony Award for her role in the play Reasons to be Pretty. But since 2020, she’s carved out a compelling niche in contemporary indie horror. With standout performances in films like The Dark and the Wicked (2020), The Empty Man (2020), Birth/Rebirth (2023), The Boogeyman (2023), and Somewhere Quiet (2023), Ireland has become a defining presence in the genre. While her acting style is often more in-tune with stage acting, she’s able to brilliantly utilize it for the big screen to enhance her performances and emotional impact.

Heather Benson is no stranger to bringing fantastical creations to life, having worked on Insidious: The Red Door, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Birth/Rebirth, American Horror Story, and much more! On The Shade, Heather was responsible for bringing the film's "entity" to life, and we have a behind-the-scenes look at Heather's work, along with a Q&a, where Heather talks about inspirations, getting into the industry, and working on The Shade. Heather also gives advice for horror fans that want to work in the special makeup effects industry.

What movies and/or artists first got you interested in pursuing a career in makeup effects?

Heather Benson: I've always been drawn to transformative storytelling through art, and films like The Thing, Alien, The Fifth Element and Pan's Labyrinth really cemented my passion for makeup effects. Artists like Dick Smith, Rob Bottin, Bart Mixon and Guillermo del Toro, who push the...

AMC’s anthology series “The Terror” is returning to AMC with “The Terror: Devil in Silver,” starring and executive produced by Dan Stevens. Per Deadline, twelve actors have joined the cast, including Birth/Rebirth and The Dark and the Wicked star Marin Ireland and Cch Pounder (Godzilla: King of the Monsters).

The six-episode new season is based on Victor Lavalle’s novel, The Devil in Silver.

“The Terror: Devil in Silver” tells the story of Pepper – a working class moving man, who through a combination of bad luck and a bad temper, finds himself wrongfully committed to New Hyde Psychiatric Hospital – an institution filled with the people society would rather forget. There, he must contend with patients who work against him, doctors who harbor grim secrets, and perhaps even the very Devil himself.

As Pepper navigates a hellscape where nothing is as it seems, he finds that the only path to...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that it is extending invitations to 487 to join the membership ranks of the Oscar organizer. If all accept, it will bring the Academy’s total membership to 10,910, of which 9,934 would be voting members.

This year’s list across 19 branches include 2024 Oscar winners Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers; Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington and production design team James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek; 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov, War Is Over! producer Brad Booker; The Zone of Interest sound duo Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn; the Godzilla Minus One VFX team Tatsuji Nojima, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Takashi Yamazaki; American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson; and Anatomy of a Fall writing duo Justine Triet and Arthur Harari.

Jefferson and Triet are among eight names on the list who were invited to more than one branch (noted...

Judy Reyes is best known for playing Carla on the TV series Scrubs, but her nearly three-decades-long career is packed with roles on long-running shows like Devious Maids, and in movies like Birth/Rebirth, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress. Her latest is Hannah Marx’s highly anticipated screen version of John Green’s celebrated novel Turtles All The Way Down (coming to Max on May 2nd). On this episode, she takes us back to the beginning—her “dramatic” childhood household serving as a form of acting training, defying her mother when she wanted to actually be […]

The post There’s Nothing Better than Working with Talented Peers Who Give.” Judy Reyes, Back To One, Episode 289 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Judy Reyes is best known for playing Carla on the TV series Scrubs, but her nearly three-decades-long career is packed with roles on long-running shows like Devious Maids, and in movies like Birth/Rebirth, for which she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress. Her latest is Hannah Marx’s highly anticipated screen version of John Green’s celebrated novel Turtles All The Way Down (coming to Max on May 2nd). On this episode, she takes us back to the beginning—her “dramatic” childhood household serving as a form of acting training, defying her mother when she wanted to actually be […]

The post There’s Nothing Better than Working with Talented Peers Who Give.” Judy Reyes, Back To One, Episode 289 first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Arguably the biggest surprise at the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards was the small but loud protest over the ongoing Israel-Hamas war outside the ceremony, the chants from which could be heard inside the tent in Santa Monica and on the livestream on Film Independent’s YouTube channel.

The demonstration was the first to disrupt a major awards show this season.

But as host Aidy Bryant and presenters and winners forged ahead with the ceremony, some acknowledging the protest, there were still some surprises in terms of which films won which awards — or didn’t win.

After seemingly losing its awards momentum with the Screen Actors Guild and Oscar nominations last month, May December could’ve had a big day at the Spirit Awards, as the Todd Haynes film, starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, was up for five awards — the same number of nominations received by best feature and director...

Jeffrey Wright took home the award for best lead performance at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards for his role in American Fiction.

When Wright made his way to the stage to accept the award from presenter Colman Domingo, he expressed how thrilled he was to receive the honor from the actor. “Wow, thank you, thank you. And to receive this from you, Colman, man…it’s just a beautiful gift,” he gushed.

The American Fiction star had one of the most candid, heartfelt speeches of the night.

“It’s funny, you go to these awards shows, [and] you kind of grow tired of them and then you get one and uh…kind of changes the vibe,” he joked, met with raucous laughter.

He recalled attending the Independent Spirit Awards back in 1997, when he was up for best debut performance for his starring role in Basquiat. “The first time I was here at the Independent Spirit Awards,...

A lot of A-List stars are in attendance at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards!

Jessica Chastain, Andrew Scott, and Greta Lee all walked the red carpet on Sunday afternoon (February 25) at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif.

The three actors are all up for Best Lead Performance for their performances in the movies Memory, All of Us Strangers, and Past Lives, respectively.

Other nominees in the category who are pictured here include Monica‘s Trace Lysette, Birth/Rebirth‘s Judy Reyes, Passages‘ Franz Rogowski, and Past Lives‘ Teo Yoo. Also nominated for the award were May December‘s Natalie Portman, A Thousand and One‘s Teyana Taylor, and American Fiction‘s Jeffrey Wright.

Fyi: Jessica is wearing an Oscar de la Renta dress, Jimmy Choo shoes, and Simon G earrings. Andrew is wearing a custom Etro look with Christian Louboutin shoes. Greta is wearing Lii Studio. Franz is wearing Saint Laurent.

The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards took place on Sunday at the traditional Santa Monica beach tent location, with Aidy Bryant hosting. “Past Lives” took home the coveted Best Feature award, with “Beef” being honored as Best New Scripted Series. Check out the full list of winners and nominees below.

Best Feature

“Past Lives”

Producers: David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon

“All of Us Strangers”

Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey

“American Fiction”

Producers: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair

“May December”

Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon

“Passages”

Producers: Michel Merkt, Saïd Ben Saïd

“We Grown Now”

Producers: Minhal Baig, Joe Pirro

Best Lead Performance

Jeffrey Wright, “American Fiction”

Jessica Chastain, “Memory”

Greta Lee, “Past Lives”

Trace Lysette, “Monica”

Natalie Portman, “May December”

Judy Reyes, “Birth/Rebirth”

Franz Rogowski, “Passages”

Andrew Scott, “All of Us Strangers”

Teyana Taylor,...

Live from a tent on the beach in Santa Monica, California, it’s the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards! This year’s ceremony, which kicked off this afternoon, was hosted by “Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant and feted the best in indie film and TV.

This year’s pack of nominees included a slew of Oscar contenders and a number of indie gems, all competing for the biggest prizes in the indie sphere.

Celine Song’s “Past Lives” won Best Feature (which the filmmaker picked up just minutes after winning Best Director as well), while “The Holdovers” and “American Fiction” also enjoyed multiple wins, including a Best Performance win for “American Fiction” star Jeffrey Wright and Best Screenplay for writer Cord Jefferson, and a Best Supporting Performance win for “The Holdovers” standout Da’Vine Joy Randolph and a Breakthrough Performance win for newbie Dominic Sessa.

Thanks to the Spirits’ various TV categories,...

The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards are being handed out Sunday, February 25, from Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, CA in a show hosted by comedian, actress and “SNL” alumnus Aidy Bryant. On the film side, the nominations were dominated by “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “May December,” which picked up five nods apiece. Those three films are up for Best Feature along with “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.” Best Director is a contest between Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”), Todd Haynes (“May December”), William Oldroyd (“Eileen”), Ira Sachs (“Passages”) and Celine Song (“Past Lives”).

Of the nominated features, only “American Fiction” and “Past Lives” are also in the running for Best Picture at the Oscars, while none of the nominated directors are up for Academy Awards. However, on the off chance that either “American Fiction” or “Past Lives” manages to take the top prize at...

Gold Derby is backstage at the 39th Annual Indie Spirit Awards on the beach in Santa Monica, CA on Sunday, February 25, hosted by comedian, actress and “SNL” alumnus Aidy Bryant. We’ll bring you all of the up-to-date details on the presenters, nominees and winners. (See the complete winners list here.) Read on for the 2024 Spirits live blog.

The kudofest is streaming live on IMDb’s YouTube Channel as well as Film Independent’s YouTube and Twitter accounts starting at 2 p.m. Pst/5 p.m. Est.

On the film side, the nominations were dominated by “American Fiction,” “Past Lives” and “May December,” which picked up five nods apiece. Those three films are up for Best Feature along with “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.” Since 2012, Film Independent and the Spirits have forecast 7 of 12 Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards, including “The Artist” (2012), “12 Years a Slave...

The 39th Independent Spirit Awards will stream live on Film Independent and IMDb’s YouTube channels on Sunday, February 25. Scroll down to see our official odds in all 12 film categories (with our predicted winners highlighted in gold) and be sure to make or update your own predictions while there’s still time.

Heading into the ceremony, which will be hosted by comic actress Aidy Bryant, “American Fiction,” “May December,” and “Past Lives” stand as the year’s nominations leaders with five apiece. They will all face off in the top category of Best Picture, along with “Passages” (four total bids), “All of Us Strangers” (three), and “We Grown Now” (three).

Last year’s Spirit Awards previewed the Oscars success of “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which left both ceremonies with seven wins including Best Picture. Over the years, only eight recipients of the academy’s highest honor have first clinched the corresponding Spirit Award,...

New adaptation Lisa Frankenstein receives a 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating mixed reviews. Directed by Zelda Williams, the movie tells a love story between a girl and a reanimated corpse. Starring Cole Sprouse and Kathryn Newton, Lisa Frankenstein is set for release on February 9.

Lisa Frankenstein’s Rotten Tomatoes score is in, revealing the reception of the latest adaptation of Frankenstein. Directed by Zelda Williams, Lisa Frankenstein is a love story about a teenage girl and her crush, who is a reanimated corpse. Lisa Frankenstein is set for release on February 9 and stars a leading cast of Cole Sprouse, Kathryn Newton, Liza Soberano, Jenna Davis, and Trina Lafargue.

Now, the Rotten Tomatoes score for Lisa Frankenstein has been revealed. The film currently holds a 54% on the site. At the time of writing, Lisa Frankenstein does not yet have an audience score, as the film is just before release.

How Lisa...

The Casting Society (CSA) has announced the film nominees for the 39th Artios Awards, presented by the Casting Society of America. “The Color Purple,” “Saltburn,” “Maestro,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Oppenheimer” are among the nominated films in big budget drama.

The awards honor casting directors’ contributions to film, television and theatre. Among the casting directors with multiple nominations are Avy Kaufman and Jessica Sherman. Also nominated are the casting directors behind “Barbie” and “The Iron Claw.”

The winners will be revealed on March 7, with celebrations being held in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in New York City at the Edison Ballroom and in London, England.

As previously announced, Ava DuVernay is this year’s recipient of the Lynn Stalmaster Award Career Achievement.

The full list of nominees is below.

Feature Animation

“Elemental”

Natalie Lyon, Kevin Reher, Kate Hansen-Birnbaum (Associate Casting Director)

“Leo”

Danielle Aufiero, Amber Horn...

Sundance turns 40 this year and AMC Networks is celebrating the film festival’s big 4-0 with the release of a curated lineup of dozens of movies that previously debuted at the event, including “Birth/Rebirth,” “Sleeping with Other People,” “Savage Grace” and “Heathers,” for streamer AMC+.

A long-time sponsor of the Sundance Film Festival with roots in indie films through IFC Films and now horror-focused streamer Shudder, whcih is debuting Chris Nash’s “In A Violent Nature” at the fest this year, AMC Networks will be offering the compilation of Sundance movies all through January, in connection with the 2024 edition of the film festival running Jan. 18-28.

“This collection is such a great way to honor the history of the legacy of Sundance bring AMC+ subscribers, who are not going to be in Park City, virtually to the event through this portfolio of such unforgettable films,” chief commercial officer for AMC Networks Kim Kelleher told Variety.

“It goes without saying: congratulations on your work.” So said Film Independent President, at the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award nominee brunch on January 6. Held for the second consecutive year at Santa Monica’s beachfront Casa Del Mar hotel, the purpose of the annual gathering was twofold: to celebrate our current cohort of Spirit Award nominees, and to hand out the three Emerging Filmmaker Awards, each carrying with it a $25,000 unrestricted cash grant for its recipient. Welsh added, “The excellence you’ve brought this year has enlivened and inspired us at a critical time.”

The awards portion of the Saturday gathering–grand ballroom windows giving way to a spectacular beach view–was hosted by two of Hollywood’s buzziest performers and past Spirit Award nominees, Colman Domingo and Lily Gladstone. “It really feels incredible to be here and see all of you,” said Domingo, enthusiastically.

The sentiment was shared by Brenda Robinson,...

Here on Bloody Disgusting we’ve published several articles (find them all here) covering *our* favorite horror movies of last year, but it’s always interesting to take a look at year-in-review roundups from other places as well. Letterboxd, for example, kicks off each new year by spotlighting the previous year’s top hits, and their full 2023 Year in Review is now live.

As always, films are broken up into various categories based on highest user ratings, including the 10 Highest Rated Horror Movies of 2023. It’s hardly surprising that the list is topped by horror hits including Talk to Me, When Evil Lurks, and Scream VI, but there are also several films on the list that you probably wouldn’t expect – and maybe haven’t even heard of.

Here are Letterboxd’s 10 Highest Rated Horror Movies of 2023…

10) Huesera: The Bone Woman 9) The Passenger 8) Birth/Rebirth 7) Vincent Must Die 6) Scream VI 5) Romancham...

"She's slaying, He's decaying." Arriving in theaters for Valentine's Day. Focus Features has unveiled their main official trailer for a dark horror comedy titled Lisa Frankenstein. The first teaser from last October was pretty good, this full trailer is even better with more jokes. This is from a new script written by Diablo Cody, directed by the newcomer Zelda Williams. Set in 1989, an unpopular high school girl named Lisa accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams by using the broken tanning bed in her garage. Yet another spunky new take on Frankenstein, after Birth/Rebirth and The Angry Black Girl & Her Monster last year. Kathryn Newton co-stars as Lisa, with Cole Sprouse as her monster, plus Carla Gugino, Liza Soberano, Joe Chrest, and Henry Eikenberry. This looks like wicked, twisted fun! I really dig the neon colors and vintage vibe.

Following The Film Stage’s collective top 50 films of 2023, as part of our year-end coverage, our contributors are sharing their personal top 10 lists.

It’s been a great year to be a strange little guy. We’ve rolled on from Everything Everywhere All at Once sweeping the Oscars to the auspicious release of Yorgos Lanthimos’ sexy baby drama Poor Things. Our culture’s ever-increasing appetite for horror fueled hype for blockbusters about killer robot girls and homicidal animatronics. Genres were blended and transcended on and off the festival circuit, as major distributors embraced weirdness in films like Bottoms, May December, and the aforementioned Poor Things.

This has also been a year of extremes. In January Skinamarink, a $15,000 indie horror, made $2.1 million at the box office. Every favorite for Best Picture is at least 100 minutes long. Barbenheimer… happened. New heights of camp were achieved on larger scales than ever before. Casting...

Great horror never gets old. The genre was as alive as ever in 2023, with the year's buzziest titles ranging from the large-scale devastation of "Godzilla Minus One" (yeah, sci-fi monsters bring horror too!) to the gnarly indie frisson of "Talk to Me," from the franchise-galvanizing prowess of "Evil Dead Rise" to the surprising earnestness of "Saw X" (and the whatever-the-heck-that-was of "Infinity Pool"). However, many of the year's best horror offerings did not achieve the levels of buzz generated by the aforementioned flicks.

This list compiles 15 exercises in fear and dread from 2023 which were grossly underrated, in that they received mixed or poor responses from critics and/or audiences. We've honed in on the ones that failed to garner the amount of attention or acclaim that their efforts deserved. Some have a lot in common with each other, and some are wildly different, but all of them are worth watching if you're a horror enthusiast.

Exclusive: Former Mosaic manager Cullen Conly has joined Anonymous Content’s literary department as a manager and producer, based out of the company’s New York office.

Conly started his career in the mailroom at WME before holding positions at Paramount Vantage, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program and at ICM Partners, where he was a Motion Picture Literary agent in the company’s New York office. At Mosaic, he was based in LA.

His client list of filmmakers and TV writers includes Oscar-winning filmmaker Sian Heder (Coda), Emmy-winning filmmaker Cory Finley (Landscape with Invisible Hand), Andrew Ahn (Fire Island), Dean Fleischer Camp (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On), Kat Candler (Queen Sugar), Laura Moss (Birth/Rebirth), Lindsey Ferrentino (National Theatre at Home: Ugly Lies the Bone), Chad Hodge (Single All the Way), Logan Kibens (The Power), Matt Lutsky (On Becoming a God In Central Florida), Michael Lannan (Looking), Rhys Ernst...

“American Fiction,” “May December” and “Past Lives” shared the spotlight with five nominations apiece to lead the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards announced Tuesday. The trio all landed bids for Best Feature along with “Passages,” “All of Us Strangers” and “We Grown Now.”

“American Fiction” was also cited for its screenplay (Cord Jefferson), for Jeffrey Wright’s lead performance and for Sterling K. Brown’s and Erika Alexander’s supporting work. “May December” also landed bids for Best Director (Todd Haynes) and Best First Screenplay (Sammy Burch) as well as for Natalie Portman’s lead performance and Charles Melton’s support. And “Past Lives” was singled out for Celine Song’s screenplay and direction and the lead performances of Greta Lee and Teo Yoo. See the full list of nominees here.

Next with four nominations apiece were “Passages” and the Alexander Payne-directed “The Holdovers.” Besides its Best Feature bid, “Passages...

Film Independent has announced the nominations for the 2024 Spirit Awards. May December, Past Lives and American Fiction lead the group with five nominations each, while on the television side The Last of Us and I’m a Virgo received four each. Among other independent films receiving nods were Showing Up, We Grown Now, birth/rebirth, Earth Mama and Passages. “This year’s exciting group of Spirit Award nominees reflect the undeniable strength and vitality of independent storytelling – this is the beating heart of film culture today,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent in a press release. “It’s especially thrilling to […]

The post May December, Past Lives and American Fiction Top 2024 Spirit Award Nominations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Film Independent has announced the nominations for the 2024 Spirit Awards. May December, Past Lives and American Fiction lead the group with five nominations each, while on the television side The Last of Us and I’m a Virgo received four each. Among other independent films receiving nods were Showing Up, We Grown Now, birth/rebirth, Earth Mama and Passages. “This year’s exciting group of Spirit Award nominees reflect the undeniable strength and vitality of independent storytelling – this is the beating heart of film culture today,” said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent in a press release. “It’s especially thrilling to […]

The post May December, Past Lives and American Fiction Top 2024 Spirit Award Nominations first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Award nominations — see the full list below — were unveiled on Tuesday, December 5, crowning the past year’s achievements in indie film. The actual awards ceremony, taking place on February 24, 2024 in the usual tent on the beach in Santa Monica, is a little less than three months away, but the films nominated today will carry new momentum into the rest of awards season, including the Oscar race. Joel Kim Booster (“Fire Island”) and Natalie Morales (“No Hard Feelings”) were the presenters of the nominees.

“American Fiction,” “May December,” and “Past Lives” led the Indie Spirits noms with five each, including each of them getting a nod for Best Feature. Todd Haynes for “May December” and Celine Song for “Past Lives” also received Best Director nods. Natalie Portman for “May December,” Greta Lee for “Past Lives,” and Jeffrey Wright for “American Fiction” also received Best Lead Performance nods.

The full list of nominations for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards has been announced!

Movies are only eligible for a Spirit Award if they have a budget of less than $30 million, so there are some awards favorites like Maestro and Killers of the Flower Moon that are not nominated here.

Aidy Bryant is set to host the 2024 awards ceremony, which will take place on February 25. The event will no longer air on television and will instead stream on YouTube.

American Fiction, May December, and Past Lives lead the pack this year with five nominations each.

Head inside to check out the full list of nominations…

Keep scrolling to see the full list of nominations…

Best Feature (Award given to the producer)

All of Us Strangers

Producers: Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Sarah Harvey

American Fiction

Producers: Cord Jefferson, Jermaine Johnson, Nikos Karamigios, Ben LeClair

May December

Producers: Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell,...

Film Independent announced the 2024 Spirit Award nominees in all the film and TV categories on Tuesday, Dec 5. Only American productions with budgets of less than $30 million were eligible for consideration in the film races. Winners will be revealed on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, at a ceremony hosted by Aidy Bryant.

Last year, these kudos eliminated the four gendered acting awards and replaced them with just two prizes: lead and supporting performances (each has 10 nominees). It also added a new category, Best Breakthrough Performance, which has five contenders.

See the full list of 2024 Spirit Awards nominations for film and TV below.

Film

Best Picture

“All of Us Strangers”

“American Fiction”

“May December”

“Passages”

“Past Lives”

“We Grown Now”

Best Director

Andrew Haigh, “All of Us Strangers”

Todd Haynes, “May December”

William Oldroyd, “Eileen”

Ira Sachs, “Passages”

Celine Song, “Past Lives”

Best Lead Performance

Jessica Chastain, “Memory”

Greta Lee, “Past Lives”

Trace Lysette, “Monica”

Natalie Portman,...

American Fiction, May December and Past Lives lead the nominations for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards, which were were announced Tuesday morning.

Each film garnered five noms, including best feature. Also nominated in that category are All of Us Strangers, Passages and We Grown Now.

The Robert Altman Award, which is given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast, will be presented to Showing Up, directed by Kelly Reichardt. The casting director is Gayle Keller, and the ensemble cast includes André Benjamin, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Heather Lawless, James Le Gros, John Magaro, Matt Malloy, Amanda Plummer, Maryann Plunkett, Denzel Rodriguez and Michelle Williams.

On the TV side, Jury Duty was tapped for the award of best ensemble in a new scripted series, an honor bestowed on one show (there are no nominees). The cast includes Alan Barinholtz, Susan Berger, Cassandra Blair, David Brown, Kirk Fox, Ross Kimball,...

“American Fiction,” “May December” and “Past Lives” dominated the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominations on Tuesday, picking up five nods apiece. The three movies are all up for best feature, where they will battle it out against “All of Us Strangers,” “Passages” and “We Grown Now.”

The annual honors recognize the best of television, as well as film. “The Last of Us,” a sci-fi epic that was a ratings hit for HBO, and “I’m a Virgo,” an absurdist miniseries from Boots Riley that was produced by Amazon, led the small screen crop, with four nominations each. Only new TV shows that have run for one season and were released between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 of this year are eligible for awards. That’s why some big-budgeted fare was deemed eligible or, in the parlance of the show, independent.

That’s not the case on the feature front, where films have to be...

Based on the hit podcast, Prime Video debuted the Amazon Original series “The Horror of Dolores Roach” this past July, and we’ve learned the series has been cancelled.

After just one season, “The Horror of Dolores Roach” is no more at Prime Video.

Justina Machado starred in the first season of “Dolores Roach.”

The eight-episode, half-hour series is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired tale, a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

In the series, “Dolores Roach is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a severely gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis, who gives her room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront, Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

One of Hollywood’s most venerated auteurs has a new movie out this weekend. Will awards season pay attention? That’s the question facing most of these films, which tackle tough topics like Alzheimer’s, the stock market, and gay twincest.

The contender to watch this week: “The Killer”

David Fincher‘s latest has divided critics, with The New York Times‘ Manohla Dargis calling it “boring” and NPR’s Justin Chang declaring it “perfectly paced.” But if you think about it, a lot of Fincher’s work has proved at least mildly polarizing. He often overcomes those divides by the time Oscar nominations are announced, yet “The Killer” might be too cold and grim even for a Fincher flick. Michael Fassbender, at his most effortlessly slick, plays a nameless hitman suffering the consequences of a rare botched job. Fassbender’s fine-tuned performance is complemented by deft editing and another banger...

The Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes led horror feature Birth/Rebirth has set the release date on Shudder for this November, the platform has announced. The feature is directed by Laura Moss, who reimagines Mary Shelley’s classic horror myth Frankenstein and gives it their own contemporary twist making it something exciting, yet terrifying. The feature debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, earlier this year and has had a short theatrical release.

"She's lonely. He's perfect... give or take a few pieces." Focus Features has revealed the first official trailer for a dark new horror comedy titled Lisa Frankenstein, set to arrive in theaters nationwide in February 2024 for Valentine's Day next year. This comes from a new script written by Diablo Cody, with newcomer Zelda Williams directing. In 1989, an unpopular high school girl named Lisa accidentally re-animates a handsome Victorian corpse during a lightning storm and starts to rebuild him into the man of her dreams by using the broken tanning bed in her garage. Another reinvention of Frankenstein, following Birth/Rebirth and The Angry Black Girl & Her Monster also from this year. Kathryn Newton co-stars as Lisa, with Cole Sprouse as her monster, plus Carla Gugino, Liza Soberano, Joe Chrest, and Henry Eikenberry. It seems quite clever and funny, though I'm not sure it is going to be a new horror cult classic like Jennifer's Body.

Finalists include Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023, Nadia Fall.

Breaking Through The Lens (Bttl), a US-based non-profit that advocates for a more equitable film industry, has named the five finalists for their Chopard x Bttl Action Grant, which gives feature film directors of marginalised genders the chance at winning €10,000 towards a project.

The finalists include Screen Star of Tomorrow 2023 Nadia Fall, who is seeking support for her feature debut, Brides. The UK-Italy co-production follows two teenage girls in search of freedom, friendship and meaning, run away from their troubled lives in an English seaside town in order to join Isis in Syria.

Tina Howe, the celebrated playwright whose works included the oft-staged Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances, died yesterday of natural causes after a short illness due to complications from a hip fracture sustained in a recent fall. The two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist was 85.

Her death was announced by her longtime agent Patrick Herold.

A New York City native, Howe attended Sarah Lawrence College, Teacher’s College at Columbia University and Chicago Teachers College and studied philosophy at Sorbonne University in Paris before her mainstream stage breakthrough in 1981 with the production of Painting Churches at Second Stage Off Broadway. Set in the Beacon Hill area of Boston, the play, about the relationship between an artist and her aging parents, was a major success, winning an Obie Award, moving to Broadway in 1983 and becoming a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

Howe had actually made her professional New York stage debut 11 years prior to Painting Churches,...

In today’s episode of The Discourse, host Mike DeAngelo is resurrected by director Laura Moss to discuss the film “Birth/Rebirth.” The thriller follows a pathologist (Marin Ireland) who is attempting to cure death and receives a chance to test her experiment on a human being, forcing multiple lives down an increasingly dark path. The movie also stars Judy Reyes, Breeda Wool, A.J.

Continue reading ‘Birth/Rebirth’: Laura Moss On Reimagining ‘Frankenstein,’ Thrilling Sundance & More [The Discourse Podcast] at The Playlist.

Plot: A morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from pregnant women. When the girl’s mother (Judy Reyes), a nurse (Marin Ireland), discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return.

Review: Any film about the death of a child is going to be a tough watch and Birth/Rebirth is certainly no walk in the park. There were moments when my mouth was agape in shock. But between the wonderful performances and stellar directing, it’s a film that will leave you enthralled from start to finish.

The story concerns a mother losing her daughter and discovering that the morgue worker has somehow raised her from the dead. The concept could have easily seemed silly or unbelievable in less capable hands. Yet...

The elements of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are so timeless and malleable that they've inspired two artistically successful yet very different variations this year. A couple of months after the release of Bomani J. Story's The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster comes director and co-writer Laura Moss' Birth/Rebirth, an even more rewarding take on Shelley's tale of scientific hubris. It's a twisted story about motherhood, with two seemingly opposite protagonists who are both invested in the resurrection of a little girl. Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes complement each other perfectly as women whose single-minded devotion to their daring experiment has devastating consequences.

Birth/Rebirth introduces the two characters in an effective sequence that cross-cuts between the two to show their divergent personalities and interests. Both work in the same Bronx hospital, but pathologist Rose (Ireland) toils mostly alone in the morgue, dispassionately cutting into cadavers and sneaking organs...

Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is more than two centuries old, but it still manages to make us cringe and our skin crawl. And that’s why Shelly’s iconic work remains a significant influence on modern filmmakers, who bring in their views on the horrifying subject of reanimating the dead. That's the case with director Laura Moss and their new film, Birth/Rebirth. The psychological thriller film is directed and co-written by Moss in their debut feature and is said to be inspired by Shelly’s Frankenstein. Birth/Rebirth follows a morgue technician who is fascinated by the idea of bringing the dead back to life. She even successfully reanimates a dead girl, but to keep her alive she must harvest body parts/organs from pregnant women. When the little girl’s mother discovers the truth about her child, she would do anything to keep her girl alive, which takes her...

"This experiment is bigger than your daughter." IFC Films + Shudder have unveiled an official trailer for an indie horror film titled Birth/Rebirth, also written all lowercase as birth/rebirth. This premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year in the Midnight section. It also played at a bunch of other film festivals over the last few months, with a release set for August in theaters before it streams on Shudder in the fall. A morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from other pregnant women. When the girl's mother, a nurse, discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return. This directorial debut from Laura Moss reimagines Mary Shelley's classic horror myth Frankenstein with such a contemporary understanding that it becomes something exciting,...

Our own Tyler Nichols gave the Frankenstein-inspired horror film Birth/Rebirth a 9/10 review after catching a Sundance screening earlier this year (you can read his review Here), and now a wider audience will have the chance to see it when it receives a theatrical release on August 18th. With that date just one month away, a trailer for Birth/Rebirth has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.

Birth/Rebirth is coming to us from IFC Films and Shudder, so we can probably expect to see the movie reach the Shudder streaming service sometime in the near future.

Judy Reyes of Scrubs stars in the film alongside Marin Ireland of The Umbrella Academy and Aj Lister of Challengers. The feature debut of director Laura Moss, who also wrote the screenplay with Brendan J. O’Brien, Birth/Rebirth has the following synopsis: Rose (Marin Ireland) is a pathologist who prefers working with corpses over social interaction.

Prime Video’s cannibal dramedy series “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” based on the hit Gimlet podcast, is available to stream now. To celebrate, they’ve released Cyndi Lauper‘s new single “Oh Dolores” for the series, for your listening pleasure.

The pop queen behind “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” didn’t just create a brand new track inspired by the Sweeney Todd-like series, Lauper also appears in the series as a private investigator named Ruthie.

Lauper’s new song for the series “Oh, Dolores” is now available on all digital platforms. Co-written by Cyndi Lauper and Ben Hopkins, and produced and performed by Lauper, the song release coincides with the series premiere

The eight-episode, half-hour series is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired tale, a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

In the series, “Dolores Roach is released from prison after...

Prime Video just unveiled a brand new trailer for the Amazon Original series “The Horror of Dolores Roach,” based on the hit Gimlet podcast, ahead of its summer debut on July 7, 2023.

Meat Dolores, played by Final Destination 2’s Justina Machado, in the trailer below.

Is it just me or is anyone else craving empanadas?

The eight-episode, half-hour series is a contemporary Sweeney Todd-inspired tale, a macabre urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, gentrification, cannibalism, and survival of the fittest.

In the series, “Dolores Roach is released from prison after 16 years and returns to a severely gentrified Washington Heights with $200 and the clothes on her back. Her boyfriend missing, her family long gone, Dolores reunites with an old stoner buddy, Luis, who gives her room and board and lets her give massages for cash in the basement under his dilapidated storefront, Empanada Loca, the only remnant of her former life.

Plot: It tells the story of teenage anti-hero, Vicaria, who is on a desperate quest to cure death.

Review: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is one of the greatest stories ever told so it’s no surprise to see it adapted in so many different ways. Whether it’s Sundance’s Birth/Rebirth or the Emma Stone-starring Poor Things, there’s clearly so much more to these tales than just “raising the dead.” And The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster is no different, providing biting social commentary, a unique twist on the story, and some truly wonderful performances.

Vicaria’s (Laya DeLeon Hayes) obsession with death may start out personal, with the death of her family members being her launching point. But it’s more than that, with her taking a deep look at the dissolution of her neighborhood, which further motivates her. Hayes is absolutely phenomenal in the role...

Exclusive: Buchwald has upped veteran talent agents Angelo Padilla and Marion Campbell Kammer to Senior Vice President of Talent and Vice President of Talent, respectively. Both are based in the agency’s Los Angeles office.

Padilla has been a rising star at the agency, where he started as an agent in 2011. Padilla began his agency career at ICM where he trained under agent Toni Howard before being promoted in 2007 in the Motion Picture Talent Department. He also had a stint at Greene & Associates Talent Agency before joining Buchwald. Padilla began his career in casting at Cfb Casting.

Padilla has built a roster of clients that includes Essence Atkins (Untitled Wayans, Marlon), Rachel Blanchard (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Neil Brown Jr., Jake Cannavale (The Offer), David Castañeda, Matt Cedeño, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Kimberly Hebert Gregory (Vice Principals), Tim Jo (Reasonable Doubt), Marvin Jones, Richard T. Jones, Poppy Liu, Louis Ozawa, Dar Salim (The Covenant), and Amanda Warren (East New York).

Kammer joined Buchwald at the top of 2021 after a 16-year run at TalentWorks, where she served as VP of Talent. Kammer began her agency career at Coast to Coast Talent Group followed by Gersh, and then eventually joined TalentWorks as an agent in 2005, two years after its launch.

Kammer’s client list includes Fernanda Andrade, Ray Cham (Sort Of, The Big Leap), Amanda Crew (Silicon Valley), Matthew Del Negro, Simone Joy Jones (Bel-Air), Parveen Kaur (Manifest), Jason Lee, Wentworth Miller (Prison Break), Ravi Patel, Tamara Podemski, Judy Reyes as well as Ted Field and his Radar Pictures.

“Angelo and Marion exemplify many of the qualities we value at Buchwald. Their promotions are a direct reflection of their consistent and ongoing commitment to hard work, collaboration, and leadership. One of the most exciting and gratifying components of our continued evolution is getting to acknowledge those who make an extraordinary contribution to our growth and success. In elevating them, we elevate the company,” said Julia Buchwald and Ryan Martin in a joint statement.

Buchwald recently upped Rob Kim to its management team as co-head of the agency’s west coast office, where he serves in this position alongside Ryan Martin and Julia Buchwald, who also serves as the agency’s president.