Movie News
If the summer box office is ever going to heat up, it’ll have to wait a while longer. In a weekend being led by holdovers, Sony’s “The Garfield Movie” looks to overtake “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” for first place on domestic charts.
The marketplace continues to be dire overall, but Sony is doing well for itself. The studio is also putting out the manga adaptation “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle” through its anime banner Crunchyroll. Playing in 1,086 locations (including showtimes in a few Imax auditoriums), the high school sports film earned $1.9 million across Friday and preview screenings and looks to take sixth place on domestic charts. It’s just the latest example of how anime has found a niche but dedicated theatrical audience in North America. Not that stateside will make or break “Haikyu!!,” which released in its native Japan back in February and stands as the second-highest...
The marketplace continues to be dire overall, but Sony is doing well for itself. The studio is also putting out the manga adaptation “Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle” through its anime banner Crunchyroll. Playing in 1,086 locations (including showtimes in a few Imax auditoriums), the high school sports film earned $1.9 million across Friday and preview screenings and looks to take sixth place on domestic charts. It’s just the latest example of how anime has found a niche but dedicated theatrical audience in North America. Not that stateside will make or break “Haikyu!!,” which released in its native Japan back in February and stands as the second-highest...
- 6/1/2024
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety - Film News
IATSE, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, announced Saturday, June 1 that it has for now concluded the second of two scheduled weeks of Area Standards Agreement (Asa) negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). While no deal was reached, both parties agreed to continue negotiations later this month.
After not initially reaching a Basic Agreement with the AMPTP following negotiations, IATSE shifted attention onto the Asa, which covers film and TV workers outside of Los Angeles and consists of another 23 locals around the country. This all comes after IATSE’s 13 individual locals reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP on issues specific to their locals.
In a statement from IATSE, International President Matthew D. Loeb stated, “I want to thank the Asa Negotiating Committee for their thorough work to prepare for these negotiations. Their contribution helped ensure we have the momentum we need at the table.
After not initially reaching a Basic Agreement with the AMPTP following negotiations, IATSE shifted attention onto the Asa, which covers film and TV workers outside of Los Angeles and consists of another 23 locals around the country. This all comes after IATSE’s 13 individual locals reached a tentative deal with the AMPTP on issues specific to their locals.
In a statement from IATSE, International President Matthew D. Loeb stated, “I want to thank the Asa Negotiating Committee for their thorough work to prepare for these negotiations. Their contribution helped ensure we have the momentum we need at the table.
- 6/2/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
The president of IATSE told members Saturday that he is hopeful that a deal will be reached “soon” with the studios on a new agreement for 23 local unions around the country.
The union has been bargaining for the last three months on two contracts — the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement — that together cover about 70,000 crew workers nationwide.
The last two weeks of talks have been focused on the Area Standards Agreement, which covers about 20,000 workers in 23 locals, including major production centers like Georgia and New Mexico. Those talks wrapped up on Saturday without a tentative agreement — but more negotiation days are expected to be added later in June.
“I want to thank the Asa Negotiating Committee for their thorough work to prepare for these negotiations,” Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, said in a statement. “Their contribution helped ensure we have the momentum we need at the table.
The union has been bargaining for the last three months on two contracts — the Basic Agreement and the Area Standards Agreement — that together cover about 70,000 crew workers nationwide.
The last two weeks of talks have been focused on the Area Standards Agreement, which covers about 20,000 workers in 23 locals, including major production centers like Georgia and New Mexico. Those talks wrapped up on Saturday without a tentative agreement — but more negotiation days are expected to be added later in June.
“I want to thank the Asa Negotiating Committee for their thorough work to prepare for these negotiations,” Matt Loeb, the international president of IATSE, said in a statement. “Their contribution helped ensure we have the momentum we need at the table.
- 6/2/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety - Film News
Michael Myers of the "Halloween" franchise is the go-to example for a faceless slasher villain. In director John Carpenter's original 1978 picture, actor Nick Castle is credited not as playing "Michael Myers" but as "The Shape" — Michael is an extension of the shadows, stretching out to kill on pure instinct before receding back into the darkness where he belongs.
In that original "Halloween," five people are murdered by the Shape:
Michael's older sister Judith (Sandy Johnson) in the movie's opening flashback.
The offscreen Christopher Hastings, who Michael kills to steal clothes after he escapes the sanitarium.
Teenager babysitter Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes), who has her throat garrotted and cut.
Bob Simms (John Michael Graham), who is dressed as a ghost for the holiday.
Lynda Van Der Klok (P.J. Soles), Bob's girlfriend who Michael ambushes by wearing his ghost costume.
Michael is a dispassionate killer; he slices Annie's neck with a quick strike,...
In that original "Halloween," five people are murdered by the Shape:
Michael's older sister Judith (Sandy Johnson) in the movie's opening flashback.
The offscreen Christopher Hastings, who Michael kills to steal clothes after he escapes the sanitarium.
Teenager babysitter Annie Brackett (Nancy Kyes), who has her throat garrotted and cut.
Bob Simms (John Michael Graham), who is dressed as a ghost for the holiday.
Lynda Van Der Klok (P.J. Soles), Bob's girlfriend who Michael ambushes by wearing his ghost costume.
Michael is a dispassionate killer; he slices Annie's neck with a quick strike,...
- 6/2/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Before she was one of America's most famous sitcom daughters, actor Sally Struthers made her primetime debut dancing on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," the variety show that's now best-remembered for featuring performances from some of the best musical acts of the '70s. The gig wasn't the flashiest thing in show biz, but it was enough to get Struthers on the radar of Norman Lear, the up and coming writer-producer who would soon take the nation by storm with "All in the Family."
In a retrospective interview with Closer Weekly in 2021, Struthers spoke about the fortuitous circumstances that eventually led to her casting in "All in the Family." As with many big breaks, it came hot on the heels of a rejection that stung. "I had just come off 'The Tim Conway Comedy Hour.' I should have been on all 13 weeks of it, but after the fifth show,...
In a retrospective interview with Closer Weekly in 2021, Struthers spoke about the fortuitous circumstances that eventually led to her casting in "All in the Family." As with many big breaks, it came hot on the heels of a rejection that stung. "I had just come off 'The Tim Conway Comedy Hour.' I should have been on all 13 weeks of it, but after the fifth show,...
- 6/2/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Australian actor tells BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs performers should be able to play any role they want
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has said the idea that “only straight actors can play straight roles and gay actors can play gay roles” is “total nonsense”.
The Pitch Perfect star, 44, spoke to radio presenter Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and was asked if women can get away with different jokes compared with men. “I’ve definitely said a lot of edgy jokes, and said them sometimes in very public places like the Baftas,” she said.
Australian actor Rebel Wilson has said the idea that “only straight actors can play straight roles and gay actors can play gay roles” is “total nonsense”.
The Pitch Perfect star, 44, spoke to radio presenter Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs and was asked if women can get away with different jokes compared with men. “I’ve definitely said a lot of edgy jokes, and said them sometimes in very public places like the Baftas,” she said.
- 6/1/2024
- by PA Media
- The Guardian - Film News
Right as generative AI was becoming the hot-button issue of last summer’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Charlie Brooker, creator of beloved Netflix television anthology series “Black Mirror,” was ready to skewer the topic with his season 6 premiere, “Joan Is Awful.” Following a woman named Joan (Annie Murphy) as her life slowly unravels due to its constant depiction on an app called Streamberry, the episode delves into the slippery slope we’ve all signed up for by signing our data away to companies and computers with potentially dubious intentions. Released a month into the 2023 strikes, “Joan Is Awful” became a touchstone for artists raising alarms on the entertainment industry’s new investment into AI programs like ChatGPT and Midjourney.
“It was really odd,” Brooker said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “So, I must have written it in June-July in 2022. When we shot it, it was September-October.
“It was really odd,” Brooker said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. “So, I must have written it in June-July in 2022. When we shot it, it was September-October.
- 6/1/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Method acting is a controversial topic, mostly due to the bad rep this kind of preparation has gotten due to the ridiculous things someone like Jared Leto does or the absurd physical transformations actors like Christian Bale go through. But not all extensive acting prep requires an actor living as their character. Sometimes, it's just weeks or months of research that get tossed out the window on a whim if the director has something different in mind.
Still, when you hear about the lengths an actor goes to in order to prepare for a role, you don't normally hear it being said about Santa Claus. It's true, though: Kurt Russell is so committed to the art of cinema he gives Santa the kind of preparation and research normally reserved for the work of William Shakespeare.
Speaking with Business Insider in 2020, "The Christmas Chronicles" director Chris Columbus said that Russell wrote...
Still, when you hear about the lengths an actor goes to in order to prepare for a role, you don't normally hear it being said about Santa Claus. It's true, though: Kurt Russell is so committed to the art of cinema he gives Santa the kind of preparation and research normally reserved for the work of William Shakespeare.
Speaking with Business Insider in 2020, "The Christmas Chronicles" director Chris Columbus said that Russell wrote...
- 6/1/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Richard Linklater and Glen Powell love movies. Making them and talking about them. In a recent promotional video posted by Netflix on X, formerly known as Twitter, the “Hit Man” screenwriting duo went through some of their favorite films for any given situation. When asked of his favorite Scorsese film, Linklater said, “‘Raging Bull’ was in that top slot for a couple decades before ‘Goodfellas’ kind of knocked it off.”
Later, when asked of films he can quote every line of, the director again referenced “Goodfellas,” saying he could recite “some version of it” and “can act every role.”
When thinking of films they’re embarrassed they hadn’t seen, Powell referenced a recent screening of their film “Hit Man.” He said, “I feel like we discovered this the other night when people were asking inspirations for the movie and they say ‘This kind of feels like ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and I was like,...
Later, when asked of films he can quote every line of, the director again referenced “Goodfellas,” saying he could recite “some version of it” and “can act every role.”
When thinking of films they’re embarrassed they hadn’t seen, Powell referenced a recent screening of their film “Hit Man.” He said, “I feel like we discovered this the other night when people were asking inspirations for the movie and they say ‘This kind of feels like ‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and I was like,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
The final episode of the third season of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was called "The Best of Both Worlds", and it is often celebrated as one of the best episodes of the series. Notably, the episode ended on a humdinger of a cliffhanger, revealing that Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) had been assimilated by the Borg. Trekkies had to wait until September 24 to see the conclusion.
This two-parter kicked off a long-standing "Star Trek" tradition of ending every season of every show with a notable cliffhanger. The remaining "Next Generation" seasons always left viewers with something to anticipate through the summer. There was an exception at the end of the first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," which ended on a usual note, but the show's second season opened with an unprecedented three-part episode, so it feels like it counts.
The finale of the first season of "Star Trek: Voyager...
This two-parter kicked off a long-standing "Star Trek" tradition of ending every season of every show with a notable cliffhanger. The remaining "Next Generation" seasons always left viewers with something to anticipate through the summer. There was an exception at the end of the first season of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," which ended on a usual note, but the show's second season opened with an unprecedented three-part episode, so it feels like it counts.
The finale of the first season of "Star Trek: Voyager...
- 6/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Martin Starger, the first president of ABC Entertainment who went on to produce such films as “Sophie’s Choice” and Robert Altman’s “Nashville,” has died. He was 92.
Starger died of natural causes Saturday in his Los Angeles home, his niece, casting director Ilene Starger, announced.
Starger was born May 8, 1932, in the Bronx, N.Y. He attended the City College of New York, where he received a degree in motion picture techniques. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 and was assigned to the Signal Corps Motion Picture Location. He served as a motion picture photographer at the U.S. Army’s film production studio. He was sent to U.S. Army Headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii, and worked there in all phases of motion picture production. He wrote, directed, photographed and edited documentary and feature films for television, the Department of Defense and newsreels.
After his service, Starger spent several...
Starger died of natural causes Saturday in his Los Angeles home, his niece, casting director Ilene Starger, announced.
Starger was born May 8, 1932, in the Bronx, N.Y. He attended the City College of New York, where he received a degree in motion picture techniques. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953 and was assigned to the Signal Corps Motion Picture Location. He served as a motion picture photographer at the U.S. Army’s film production studio. He was sent to U.S. Army Headquarters in Honolulu, Hawaii, and worked there in all phases of motion picture production. He wrote, directed, photographed and edited documentary and feature films for television, the Department of Defense and newsreels.
After his service, Starger spent several...
- 6/1/2024
- by Selena Kuznikov
- Variety - Film News
Spoiler Alert: This story discusses major plot points, including the ending for “Young Woman and the Sea,” currently playing in theaters.
While Joachim Rønning read the script for “Young Woman and the Sea,” he made little notes as he went along. When he reached the end, his first thought was, “This is amazing.” His next thought was: How could he possibly capture what he had just read on screen?
“Young Woman and the Sea” tells the story of Trudy Ederle, played by Daisy Ridley, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. But a case of measles – which nearly killed her and left her with severe hearing loss, stood in her way, along with sexism. Yet, she overcame the odds. Rønning’s challenge was balancing backstory with motivation, going on the journey with the character, and then being there as she achieves that goal.
The filmmaker...
While Joachim Rønning read the script for “Young Woman and the Sea,” he made little notes as he went along. When he reached the end, his first thought was, “This is amazing.” His next thought was: How could he possibly capture what he had just read on screen?
“Young Woman and the Sea” tells the story of Trudy Ederle, played by Daisy Ridley, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. But a case of measles – which nearly killed her and left her with severe hearing loss, stood in her way, along with sexism. Yet, she overcame the odds. Rønning’s challenge was balancing backstory with motivation, going on the journey with the character, and then being there as she achieves that goal.
The filmmaker...
- 6/1/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety - Film News
As a child actress in film and television, Gaby Hoffmann was known for roles that leaned, as she called it in a recent interview with The Independent, “punchy” and “precocious.” Being a kid of New York City in the ‘80s, surrounded by parents who were actors and their artist friends, perhaps she was always destined to have a unique sense of freedom in her presence. Starring in the recent Netflix miniseries “Eric” with Benedict Cumberbatch, which takes place in ‘80s New York City, Hoffmann plays a mother whose son has gone missing. Stepping back into the past has made Hoffmann reflect on some of the choices she’s made during her career, like giving up acting for college.
“I knew it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” she said of eventually returning to the profession. “Or something I was doing because I had done it and didn’t know what else to do,...
“I knew it wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” she said of eventually returning to the profession. “Or something I was doing because I had done it and didn’t know what else to do,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
"Enter The Dragon" may be one of the best martial arts films of all time, but the Bruce Lee-led project didn't exactly come together easily. Over 50 years after its release, the lore surrounding the movie's fraught creation is by now stacked higher than a pile of guys taken down by super-skilled fighter Lee (played by the late actor with the same last name). Among the anecdotes surrounding its production? Behind-the-scenes fights, recasts, a minuscule budget, script problems, and more.
"The whole budget was $450,000," associate producer Andre Morgan told the BBC last year, paring down the already shockingly small $850,000 number that's commonly cited. Morgan was confident in his number, saying, "Remember, you heard it from somebody that was there. I prepared the budget; I signed the budget." The shoestring budget didn't get in the way of the movie's success; in theaters, it earned over $100 million worldwide according to the BBC piece,...
"The whole budget was $450,000," associate producer Andre Morgan told the BBC last year, paring down the already shockingly small $850,000 number that's commonly cited. Morgan was confident in his number, saying, "Remember, you heard it from somebody that was there. I prepared the budget; I signed the budget." The shoestring budget didn't get in the way of the movie's success; in theaters, it earned over $100 million worldwide according to the BBC piece,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
"The Fall Guy" might have kicked off the summer box office season in disappointing fashion, but there's no doubt Ryan Gosling's latest outing is a spectacular time at the movies. Regardless of the film's commercial performance, Gosling and his co-star, Emily Blunt, delivered on the chemistry and charisma, making for a positive critical response that the pair, and director David Leitch, can be proud of.
But then, Gosling never really fails to bring the charisma. On his journey from child actor to movie star, his wry charm has never wavered. Now, his role as Ken in 2023's mega-hit "Barbie" has seemingly endeared him to a whole new generation, culminating in his standout performance of "I'm Just Ken" at the 2024 Oscars. But it's arguably when balancing his playful, roguish side with his more serious dramatic sensibilities that Gosling is at his best.
Fans of the actor might well cite his...
But then, Gosling never really fails to bring the charisma. On his journey from child actor to movie star, his wry charm has never wavered. Now, his role as Ken in 2023's mega-hit "Barbie" has seemingly endeared him to a whole new generation, culminating in his standout performance of "I'm Just Ken" at the 2024 Oscars. But it's arguably when balancing his playful, roguish side with his more serious dramatic sensibilities that Gosling is at his best.
Fans of the actor might well cite his...
- 6/1/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Rebecca Ferguson is quickly becoming a titan of the entertainment industry and she’s embracing it. She’s starred in blockbuster franchises like “Mission Impossible” and “Dune,” runaway hits like the musical “The Greatest Showman,” and is now — along with her lead role on the show — taking on the position of executive producer on the Apple TV+ smash “Silo.” In a recent interview on the “Unwrapped” podcast, Ferguson shared how her declining the role of Juliette Nichols led to her being brought on to the larger production team.
“They’re asking for a big dedication here,” Ferguson said of being offered the part. “It’s asking for me to do four seasons of a show. I need to be yearning for this. And there were a couple of things that I wasn’t really loving. So I turned it down and then they came back and they were like, what...
“They’re asking for a big dedication here,” Ferguson said of being offered the part. “It’s asking for me to do four seasons of a show. I need to be yearning for this. And there were a couple of things that I wasn’t really loving. So I turned it down and then they came back and they were like, what...
- 6/1/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Spoilers ahead for "Coherence."
There are movies often cited as being confusing or mind-melting, like "Inception" or "Memento," which really aren't that complicated. Then there's something like "Primer," which requires detailed diagrams and hours-long YouTube explainers to begin to unravel its web of twists and turns. Sitting happily in the middle is James Ward Byrkit's "Coherence," one of the best sci-fi films of the past decade and a movie that is complex and mild-melting yet not so complex that it's hard to follow.
The film begins with an alluring premise of four couples meeting at a friend's house for dinner on the night a comet is passing by the Earth. While they all have messy relationships to navigate, the comet causes quantum decoherence, creating split realities and allowing the guests' alternate selves to intrude into their reality, and vice-versa. It's a concept that allows for plenty of twists while also allowing for simplicity,...
There are movies often cited as being confusing or mind-melting, like "Inception" or "Memento," which really aren't that complicated. Then there's something like "Primer," which requires detailed diagrams and hours-long YouTube explainers to begin to unravel its web of twists and turns. Sitting happily in the middle is James Ward Byrkit's "Coherence," one of the best sci-fi films of the past decade and a movie that is complex and mild-melting yet not so complex that it's hard to follow.
The film begins with an alluring premise of four couples meeting at a friend's house for dinner on the night a comet is passing by the Earth. While they all have messy relationships to navigate, the comet causes quantum decoherence, creating split realities and allowing the guests' alternate selves to intrude into their reality, and vice-versa. It's a concept that allows for plenty of twists while also allowing for simplicity,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
It’s been nearly two years since “Industry” last aired, but the Season 3 premiere wastes no time getting the hot young bankers of London’s high finance world back into trouble. On Friday night in Austin, TX, HBO presented the first episode in its entirety at the Atx Television Festival, and the nearly full theater was whipped into a frenzy by the time the credits rolled. Multiple gasps were heard throughout the hourlong screening — the causes of which will not be spoiled here — and, especially lucky for the fans in the theater, co-creators Konrad Kay and Mickey Down were on-hand for post-show Q&a to help talk through select scenes and prepare viewers for what’s coming up next.
“We do want it to be super intense,” Kay said from the stage.
“Episode 2 is just intense, intense, intense, intense,” Down said. “Episode 3 they go to Switzerland [and take a little break], and then it’s just incredibly intense again.
“We do want it to be super intense,” Kay said from the stage.
“Episode 2 is just intense, intense, intense, intense,” Down said. “Episode 3 they go to Switzerland [and take a little break], and then it’s just incredibly intense again.
- 6/1/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Critic, podcaster, and film journalist Scott Wampler passed away on May 31 due to unknown causes, as shared by his “Kingcast” co-host Eric Vespe on Friday.
But, as sad as his passing is, we expect that Scott Wampler wouldn’t want tears. He would want you screaming. He would want you wailing in agony, convulsing in terror, blood shooting out of every orifice. He would want you laughing until you cried, thinking in ways that didn’t make your brain hurt, and engaging with one another cause he knew that it’s the only way to make sense of this silly, scary world.
He spent his professional life making genre entertainment, particularly horror, accessible to the masses and sharing his passion with not just outsized glee, but downright fervor. He loved movies and television that made you squirm and he made us love them too. He found beauty and art in...
But, as sad as his passing is, we expect that Scott Wampler wouldn’t want tears. He would want you screaming. He would want you wailing in agony, convulsing in terror, blood shooting out of every orifice. He would want you laughing until you cried, thinking in ways that didn’t make your brain hurt, and engaging with one another cause he knew that it’s the only way to make sense of this silly, scary world.
He spent his professional life making genre entertainment, particularly horror, accessible to the masses and sharing his passion with not just outsized glee, but downright fervor. He loved movies and television that made you squirm and he made us love them too. He found beauty and art in...
- 6/1/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
The story of Dave Bautista's Hollywood career is the story of him trying to prove he's not your average wrestler-turned-actor. To be fair, Bautista's best movies really do suggest he has the talent to take his acting career beyond the tough-man roles so many former grapplers come to embody. He proved that he has potential with his role as Sapper Morton in "Blade Runner 2049," and then followed through on that promising turn with his performance as Leonard in 2023's "Knock at the Cabin." But despite charting a diverse filmography and being recognized as the best wrestler-turned-actor by his "Glass Onion" director Rian Johnson, it's always seemed like Bautista has wanted more.
Though he claims to have proven himself with "Knock at the Cabin," that doesn't mean he's done demonstrating his talents. This year, we've seen him finally given more to do in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" duology...
Though he claims to have proven himself with "Knock at the Cabin," that doesn't mean he's done demonstrating his talents. This year, we've seen him finally given more to do in Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" duology...
- 6/1/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Although the current state of the "Scream" franchise is a giant mess, it's worth remembering that merely a few years ago, its future seemed as bright as ever. 2022's "Scream" was a clear-cut hit at the box office, and it successfully introduced a whole new generation of characters who could be chased around with a knife for many installments to come. "Scream 5" not only did all this while keeping Sidney and Gale in the fold, but it also set the groundwork for the return of Kirby (Hayden Panettiere).
Despite being a fan favorite in "Scream 4," Kirby was tragically left for dead near the end of the movie. How'd she die? Well, she made the tragic mistake of trusting her potential love interest Charlie (Rory Culkin), trying to save him from Ghostface when she should've been saving herself. The good news is that Kirby was soon avenged by her supportive,...
Despite being a fan favorite in "Scream 4," Kirby was tragically left for dead near the end of the movie. How'd she die? Well, she made the tragic mistake of trusting her potential love interest Charlie (Rory Culkin), trying to save him from Ghostface when she should've been saving herself. The good news is that Kirby was soon avenged by her supportive,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)
"2020 at the box office will be known as the 'year of the asterisk,' with virtually every known measure and metric for box office performance being completely rethought and recalibrated." These were the words of Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian speaking to CNN in October 2020. At that time, the industry was contending with a months-long, global shutdown, with movie theaters on life support as the pandemic raged on. Yes, every title released in 2020 will always come with an asterisk but even with that, one movie had to come out on top during Hollywood's lost year. That movie was "Bad Boys for Life."
Action director extraordinaire Michael Bay helmed 1995's "Bad Boys" and 2003's "Bad Boys II," with the first film ranking...
"2020 at the box office will be known as the 'year of the asterisk,' with virtually every known measure and metric for box office performance being completely rethought and recalibrated." These were the words of Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian speaking to CNN in October 2020. At that time, the industry was contending with a months-long, global shutdown, with movie theaters on life support as the pandemic raged on. Yes, every title released in 2020 will always come with an asterisk but even with that, one movie had to come out on top during Hollywood's lost year. That movie was "Bad Boys for Life."
Action director extraordinaire Michael Bay helmed 1995's "Bad Boys" and 2003's "Bad Boys II," with the first film ranking...
- 6/1/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Like her fellow documentarian Frederick Wiseman, Claire Simon is drawn to institutions, and the human flow that keeps them running. Where many of Wiseman’s films favor a big picture, a systemic view, Simon often works in more intimate close-up, picking out faces and personalities from a larger institutional community. That warmly sociable approach serves the veteran French filmmaker well in “Elementary,” the latest of several Simon documentaries to be set in and around a place of learning — in this case, a diversely attended public elementary school in the outer-Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine, also the backdrop for her 2018 high-school portrait “Young Solitude.”
Looking on with keen attention but little obstruction as the school’s staff and student body negotiate daily challenges of education, communication and conflict, “Elementary” is a gentle, good-humored film, but not a toothless one — making as it does an unspoken but resonant plea for France’s squeezed...
Looking on with keen attention but little obstruction as the school’s staff and student body negotiate daily challenges of education, communication and conflict, “Elementary” is a gentle, good-humored film, but not a toothless one — making as it does an unspoken but resonant plea for France’s squeezed...
- 6/1/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety - Film News
Ah, the "Saw" franchise. What started off as a tight little low-budget horror film blossomed into an entire saga that ushered in what some folks consider to be the "torture porn" era of horror movies. The "Saw" franchise is actually somehow still kicking — after the not-very-good "Spiral: From the Book of Saw," the series rebounded nicely with last year's surprisingly good "Saw X." A new sequel, "Saw XI," is on the way, due out next year. Why do they keep making these movies? The answer is simple: people keep watching them. There was a time when Lionsgate had a new "Saw" movie ready to go almost every Halloween season, and that approach brought out the crowds. It got to the point where they adopted the clumsy tagline "If it's Halloween, it must be Saw."
While audiences have continued to turn out for "Saw" and its many death traps, critics haven't...
While audiences have continued to turn out for "Saw" and its many death traps, critics haven't...
- 6/1/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
The conventional wisdom when it comes to the early days of cinema is that five major studios — Paramount, Fox, Universal, MGM, and Warner Bros. — were responsible for key innovations of Hollywood filmmaking, such as the star system, the birth of the feature film, and the creation of nationwide and international distribution networks. In fact, the now largely forgotten Vitagraph Studios did all of these things before the five majors even existed, but the company’s ultimate demise and sale to Warner Bros. in 1925 (where it was renamed Vitaphone and created as an independent unit to produce early sound shorts) led to its near erasure from mainstream film history.
While intrepid souls like film historians Andrew A. Erish and Anthony Slide have tried to raise and sustain awareness of Vitagraph’s contributions, their efforts have often been impeded by the scarcity of the films themselves — even for those of us interested in Vitagraph’s output,...
While intrepid souls like film historians Andrew A. Erish and Anthony Slide have tried to raise and sustain awareness of Vitagraph’s contributions, their efforts have often been impeded by the scarcity of the films themselves — even for those of us interested in Vitagraph’s output,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
If you thought "Loki" season 2 was confusing, you're not alone: the cast of the Marvel show probably did too, thanks to some purposeful misdirection – or, as executive producer Kevin Wright explained it to Marvel.com, outright lying – that went on behind the scenes during a key moment in production.
The lies in question related to episode 4 of the show's second season, a complicated, climactic chapter that features several key power changes and plenty of mortal peril. In it, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) "prunes" a version of himself from the past, and Brad Wolfe (Rafael Casal) is compelled to prune Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), too. The episode ends with the group of timeline-hoppers trying to enact their master plan to save the universe: Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors) steps outside of the Tva's headquarters, attempting to fix the out-of-control Temporal Loom that's threatening to destabilize. Only, it doesn't work: Timely explodes into ribbons of spaghetti-like material,...
The lies in question related to episode 4 of the show's second season, a complicated, climactic chapter that features several key power changes and plenty of mortal peril. In it, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) "prunes" a version of himself from the past, and Brad Wolfe (Rafael Casal) is compelled to prune Renslayer (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), too. The episode ends with the group of timeline-hoppers trying to enact their master plan to save the universe: Victor Timely (Jonathan Majors) steps outside of the Tva's headquarters, attempting to fix the out-of-control Temporal Loom that's threatening to destabilize. Only, it doesn't work: Timely explodes into ribbons of spaghetti-like material,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
After weeks of teasing an upcoming appearance in a mystery Marvel movie, actor Giancarlo Esposito’s role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been revealed. Well, mostly. In a new report about reshoots for the upcoming “Captain America: Brave New World,” a film starring Anthony Mackie, THR reveals that Esposito’s secret role is in that film. Not much else is known, including who the actor actually plays, but his role is said to be villainous and rumored to be something more like a cameo.
Continue reading Giancarlo Esposito’s Marvel Role Revealed: A Villain In ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Giancarlo Esposito’s Marvel Role Revealed: A Villain In ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ at The Playlist.
- 6/1/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
One weird thing that happens with long-running franchises is that they eventually reach a point where the creatives leading the new movies grew up as fans of the old ones. Sometimes this is a bad thing — it arguably leads to an increase in lazy fan-service at the expense of any bold, innovative creative decisions — but other times it just makes the whole thing feel even more exciting. To know that the new people in charge truly care about the lore can go a long way in keeping viewers on board.
Even outside the writing and the directing department, it's fun when the actors involved love the series, as was the case with "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" star Anya Taylor-Joy. Although it doesn't sound like she's a die-hard fan of the original "Mad Max" films from the '70s and '80s, she does clearly have a ton of respect for "Mad Max: Fury Road,...
Even outside the writing and the directing department, it's fun when the actors involved love the series, as was the case with "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga" star Anya Taylor-Joy. Although it doesn't sound like she's a die-hard fan of the original "Mad Max" films from the '70s and '80s, she does clearly have a ton of respect for "Mad Max: Fury Road,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Michael Boyle
- Slash Film
The indigenous Yanomami tribe living in the Amazon rainforest on the border between Brazil and Venezuela is dwindling. Only 35,000 remain. They live extraordinary lives that some might classify as primitive, as they exist primarily without any modern technology. They live off the land, so to say, hunting and gathering their food, traveling on foot, and living in houses made of natural materials, without electricity or material comforts. They essentially live as if the past 500 years of humanity, or maybe 2500 for that matter, did not happen.
Continue reading <strong>‘The Falling Sky’ Review: Documentary About An Indigenous Tribe Is An Ecological Parable [Cannes]</strong> at The Playlist.
Continue reading <strong>‘The Falling Sky’ Review: Documentary About An Indigenous Tribe Is An Ecological Parable [Cannes]</strong> at The Playlist.
- 6/1/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
Brian Levant's 1994 film version of "The Flintstones" is a classic example of how major studio blockbusters, no matter now successful, can vanish entirely from the public consciousness. "The Flintstones" is rarely regarded in 2024, often seen only as footnote in its actors' careers, or perhaps a whimsical blunder not worth remembering. Those of us alive in 1994 recall the massive advertising glut that came with "The Flintstones," as well as the toy tie-ins, the magazine covers, the Universal Studios attractions, the Williams pinball machine. "The Flintstones" was a studio tentpole writ large, boasting a beloved, decades-old IP and a dazzling cast of celebrities; John Goodman, Rick Moranis, Rosie O'Donnell, and Elizabeth Taylor appeared, while the film boasted cameos from Laraine Newman, Jay Leno, and the B-52's.
Notably, "Jurassic Park" cinematographer Dean Cundey shot the film, while "Jurassic Park" Michael Lantieri similarly served as SFX supervisor. Everything was super-slick and polished nearly to death.
Notably, "Jurassic Park" cinematographer Dean Cundey shot the film, while "Jurassic Park" Michael Lantieri similarly served as SFX supervisor. Everything was super-slick and polished nearly to death.
- 6/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Ernest Cole, the first Black freelance photographer in South Africa, is known today for his contribution to documenting the Apartheid in the 1960s and racial attitudes in America in the 1970s. Born in 1940, he grew up in segregated South Africa before moving to the United States in his youth to evade persecution for his work. He died in 1990 in New York City, in a state of near homelessness, vagrancy, and ignominy.
Continue reading ‘Ernest Cole: Lost and Found’ Review: An Engrossing Portrait Of A Norm-Shattering Photographer [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Ernest Cole: Lost and Found’ Review: An Engrossing Portrait Of A Norm-Shattering Photographer [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 6/1/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
Tom Savini. Rick Baker. Dick Smith. Rob Bottin. Ve Neill. Stan Winston.
The world of special effects makeup often feels like a dying art, with studios and streamers increasingly pursuing CGI and digital FX over practical artistry. Now, there is absolutely room for both styles and different films call for different methods, but gone are the days where the average moviegoer can recognize the name of a special effects makeup artist. Diehard fans are, of course, the exception to the rule, and there's at least one name that horror fanatics all know by heart and are stoked as hell to see on an end credits crawl: Steven Kostanski.
For the uninitiated, Steven Kostanski is one of the most fascinating voices in genre cinema working today. His films "The Void" and "Psycho Goreman" are both well-loved favorites, he finally gave the "Leprechaun" franchise a solid film with "Leprechaun Returns," and Kostanski's...
The world of special effects makeup often feels like a dying art, with studios and streamers increasingly pursuing CGI and digital FX over practical artistry. Now, there is absolutely room for both styles and different films call for different methods, but gone are the days where the average moviegoer can recognize the name of a special effects makeup artist. Diehard fans are, of course, the exception to the rule, and there's at least one name that horror fanatics all know by heart and are stoked as hell to see on an end credits crawl: Steven Kostanski.
For the uninitiated, Steven Kostanski is one of the most fascinating voices in genre cinema working today. His films "The Void" and "Psycho Goreman" are both well-loved favorites, he finally gave the "Leprechaun" franchise a solid film with "Leprechaun Returns," and Kostanski's...
- 6/1/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
"I will not waste chalk." This is the first phrase eternal troublemaker Bart Simpson wrote on an animated blackboard in the opening credits of the second-ever episode of "The Simpsons." That was in January 1990, and though the seminal cartoon sitcom's "chalkboard gags" (as they'd soon be known) have ebbed and flowed in frequency over the years, it's safe to say that Bart has, by now, written thousands of words on that same old dusty board.
The typical, classic "Simpsons" chalkboard gag is written in Bart's voice –- unapologetic and ornery, as if he's blowing a giant raspberry in the face of authority. In the decades since the visual joke caught on, though, the chalkboard gags have become more meta and at times offered knowing winks at the state of the world that clearly come directly from the show's writers' room. In "The Simpsons Movie," for example, Bart writes "I will not illegally download this movie.
The typical, classic "Simpsons" chalkboard gag is written in Bart's voice –- unapologetic and ornery, as if he's blowing a giant raspberry in the face of authority. In the decades since the visual joke caught on, though, the chalkboard gags have become more meta and at times offered knowing winks at the state of the world that clearly come directly from the show's writers' room. In "The Simpsons Movie," for example, Bart writes "I will not illegally download this movie.
- 6/1/2024
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Mike Flanagan is a fan of monologues. From his films (like “Doctor Sleep” and “Gerald’s Game”) to his TV series (including “The Haunting of Hill House” and “Midnight Mass”), many a Flanagan character has embarked on a long speech — often uncut but always meticulously edited.
But when he was in talks to direct the next iteration of “The Exorcist” franchise, the executives in charge were “concerned” about the film getting too talky.
“Part of what I said to Blumhouse and Universal when we were discussing this was I don’t think this is a monologue project,” Flanagan said while speaking on a panel at the Atx TV Festival. “The ritual itself is something of a monologue, but we’ve seen that. We’ve seen somebody shout prayers at somebody. That was scary 50 years ago, I don’t see that working here.”
Still, given Flanagan’s history, he said he understood why they would be concerned.
But when he was in talks to direct the next iteration of “The Exorcist” franchise, the executives in charge were “concerned” about the film getting too talky.
“Part of what I said to Blumhouse and Universal when we were discussing this was I don’t think this is a monologue project,” Flanagan said while speaking on a panel at the Atx TV Festival. “The ritual itself is something of a monologue, but we’ve seen that. We’ve seen somebody shout prayers at somebody. That was scary 50 years ago, I don’t see that working here.”
Still, given Flanagan’s history, he said he understood why they would be concerned.
- 6/1/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Screen is running this regularly updated page with the latest film festival and market dates from across the world.
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Docaviv, Israel - May 23-June 1
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal - May 23-June 2
Inside Out Toronto 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival, Canada - May 24-June 1
Krakow Film Festival, Poland - May 26-June 2
Nippon Connection Film Festival, Germany - May 28-June 2
Mendocino Film Festival, US - May 30-June 2
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival,...
To submit details of or alter your festival dates, please contact us here with the name, dates, country and website for the event. Screen is also running a calendar for UK-Ireland film release dates here.
Ongoing
Docaviv, Israel - May 23-June 1
IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Portugal - May 23-June 2
Inside Out Toronto 2Slgbtq+ Film Festival, Canada - May 24-June 1
Krakow Film Festival, Poland - May 26-June 2
Nippon Connection Film Festival, Germany - May 28-June 2
Mendocino Film Festival, US - May 30-June 2
Los Angeles Greek Film Festival,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
When putting together an anti-superhero crew in a world full of superheroes, "The Boys" creators Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson introduced Billy Butcher -- a character almost as deplorable as the supes he fights against. Across 72 issues, Ennis and Robertson put their lead anti-hero in tense situations that rendered morally bankrupt decisions, ending in an all-knowing Billy Butcher smile.
While Karl Urban take on Billy Butcher in the Prime Video streaming series adaptation doesn't go quite as hard as the comics, the darkness of the character remains. His mission to wipe out the evil superheroes of the world continues to be a noble and understandable venture, but arguably, the ends rarely justify the means Butcher employs.
Season 3 of "The Boys" left Butcher with a terminal diagnosis, and therefore, a set deadline to complete his life's pursuit. Karl Urban has expressed his desire of where he wants Billy Butcher to go...
While Karl Urban take on Billy Butcher in the Prime Video streaming series adaptation doesn't go quite as hard as the comics, the darkness of the character remains. His mission to wipe out the evil superheroes of the world continues to be a noble and understandable venture, but arguably, the ends rarely justify the means Butcher employs.
Season 3 of "The Boys" left Butcher with a terminal diagnosis, and therefore, a set deadline to complete his life's pursuit. Karl Urban has expressed his desire of where he wants Billy Butcher to go...
- 6/1/2024
- by Rachel Ho
- Slash Film
Actor, daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, says she rejected path of ‘changing name and getting nose job’
The Stranger Things star Maya Hawke has said she is “comfortable with not deserving” the kind of life she has.
The American actor and singer, the daughter of Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, said her relationship with them was “positive”, which “supersedes anything anyone can say about it”.
The Stranger Things star Maya Hawke has said she is “comfortable with not deserving” the kind of life she has.
The American actor and singer, the daughter of Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman, said her relationship with them was “positive”, which “supersedes anything anyone can say about it”.
- 6/1/2024
- by Sarah Haque
- The Guardian - Film News
The "Insidious" franchise shows no signs of stopping. There's both a spin-off movie and a new sequel on the way, and the most recent entry, "The Red Door," was a big hit in 2023. And for the most part, this horror series has remained strong. Not every film works, but the majority of the entries are solid scare-fests full of all sorts of spooky mayhem. The series kicked-off all the way back in 2011 with James Wan's "Insidious," and now here we are all these years later, still waiting for more. With that in mind, why don't we go back through the entire franchise so far and rank the titles, from worst to best? Come along with us into the Further and watch out for jump-scares.
Read more: 15 Must-See Horror Anime Movies, Ranked
Insidious: The Last Key
The "Insidious" franchise did a curious thing: it introduced a character, killed her off,...
Read more: 15 Must-See Horror Anime Movies, Ranked
Insidious: The Last Key
The "Insidious" franchise did a curious thing: it introduced a character, killed her off,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
This post contains spoilers for "Coherence."
One night, during the passing of Miller's comet, reality ends up branching into little dimensions. This inexplicable phenomenon creates various versions of eight friends, whose interconnected lives are altered forever with the haphazard merging of these pocket-realities. Before long, chaos descends: car windows are smashed and ominous notes wind up near the front door, all while the confused group desperately attempts to hold on to their identities. While these events form the core of James Ward Byrkit's mind-bogglingly brilliant "Coherence," the film's ending makes it clear that this is a story about one specific person in the group: Emily (Emily Foxler). After Emily goes through the harrowing experience of wandering through every pocket-reality towards the end, she stumbles upon one where she can finally be happy. However, this chain of actions demands a heavy price.
The catalyst for the confusing events in "Coherence" is a power cut,...
One night, during the passing of Miller's comet, reality ends up branching into little dimensions. This inexplicable phenomenon creates various versions of eight friends, whose interconnected lives are altered forever with the haphazard merging of these pocket-realities. Before long, chaos descends: car windows are smashed and ominous notes wind up near the front door, all while the confused group desperately attempts to hold on to their identities. While these events form the core of James Ward Byrkit's mind-bogglingly brilliant "Coherence," the film's ending makes it clear that this is a story about one specific person in the group: Emily (Emily Foxler). After Emily goes through the harrowing experience of wandering through every pocket-reality towards the end, she stumbles upon one where she can finally be happy. However, this chain of actions demands a heavy price.
The catalyst for the confusing events in "Coherence" is a power cut,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Debopriyaa Dutta
- Slash Film
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"Dune: Part Two" is a masterpiece of blockbuster cinema, a bleak spectacle of doom about the dangers of messianic myths, a grand scale story with some of the best-looking set pieces of the past year. As far as adaptations of Frank Herbert's book goes, this is the best one.
A big highlight of the film is the moment Paul Atreides finally rides his first sandworm, fully becoming one of the Fremen and unlocking a giant and intense desert Uber system. As impressive as the moment is on the screen, it only happened due to meticulous work behind the scenes. The book "The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two" by Tanya Lapointe and Stefanie Broos, details how the three-minute scene was made using over 60 shots filmed over a period of two months.
To bring the worm to life necessitated...
"Dune: Part Two" is a masterpiece of blockbuster cinema, a bleak spectacle of doom about the dangers of messianic myths, a grand scale story with some of the best-looking set pieces of the past year. As far as adaptations of Frank Herbert's book goes, this is the best one.
A big highlight of the film is the moment Paul Atreides finally rides his first sandworm, fully becoming one of the Fremen and unlocking a giant and intense desert Uber system. As impressive as the moment is on the screen, it only happened due to meticulous work behind the scenes. The book "The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two" by Tanya Lapointe and Stefanie Broos, details how the three-minute scene was made using over 60 shots filmed over a period of two months.
To bring the worm to life necessitated...
- 6/1/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The extravagant crime drama was mishandled upon release, hacked apart by Warners Bros, but time has been kind to the fuller, bleaker version
There’s no mob whacking in movie history as gruesome as the job Warner Bros did on Sergio Leone’s final feature, Once Upon a Time in America, a sumptuous crime epic that Leone tried to cut down from 269 minutes to 229 for its premiere at the Cannes film festival in 1984, only to have 90 more minutes lopped off for its US release, taking it all the way down to 139 minutes. The changes, done without Leone’s supervision or approval, had the predictable effect of alienating critics, who’d lauded the film at Cannes, while tanking the film at the box office, and it has taken decades to restore its length and reputation. Longer cuts have circulated – a 251-minute version returned to Cannes in 2012 – but the 229-minute European cut has now become the standard,...
There’s no mob whacking in movie history as gruesome as the job Warner Bros did on Sergio Leone’s final feature, Once Upon a Time in America, a sumptuous crime epic that Leone tried to cut down from 269 minutes to 229 for its premiere at the Cannes film festival in 1984, only to have 90 more minutes lopped off for its US release, taking it all the way down to 139 minutes. The changes, done without Leone’s supervision or approval, had the predictable effect of alienating critics, who’d lauded the film at Cannes, while tanking the film at the box office, and it has taken decades to restore its length and reputation. Longer cuts have circulated – a 251-minute version returned to Cannes in 2012 – but the 229-minute European cut has now become the standard,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Scott Tobias
- The Guardian - Film News
From The Brood to Crash and new film The Shrouds, the Canadian body horror pioneer has outraged the censors and inspired countless directors
In 2021, French film-maker Julia Ducournau won the Cannes Palme d’Or with her blistering, autoerotic magnum opus Titane. It was a richly deserved victory – a celebration of a bold new voice in cinema. Yet for longstanding fans of body horror – a genre pioneered decades earlier by the Canadian writer-director David Cronenberg – it also felt like karmic payback for the festival’s botched response to Crash, Cronenberg’s controversial 1996 masterpiece, to which Titane is heavily indebted.
During a career spanning six decades and more than 20 feature films, Cronenberg, 81, has inspired everyone from Japanese auteur Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man) to rising British star Rose Glass. But his brilliant Jg Ballard adaptation was denied its own Palme d’Or win thanks largely to the disdain of Cannes jury president Francis Ford Coppola.
In 2021, French film-maker Julia Ducournau won the Cannes Palme d’Or with her blistering, autoerotic magnum opus Titane. It was a richly deserved victory – a celebration of a bold new voice in cinema. Yet for longstanding fans of body horror – a genre pioneered decades earlier by the Canadian writer-director David Cronenberg – it also felt like karmic payback for the festival’s botched response to Crash, Cronenberg’s controversial 1996 masterpiece, to which Titane is heavily indebted.
During a career spanning six decades and more than 20 feature films, Cronenberg, 81, has inspired everyone from Japanese auteur Shinya Tsukamoto (Tetsuo: The Iron Man) to rising British star Rose Glass. But his brilliant Jg Ballard adaptation was denied its own Palme d’Or win thanks largely to the disdain of Cannes jury president Francis Ford Coppola.
- 6/1/2024
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
If you somehow tragically missed catching one of 2023's best films, the brilliant, moving, and Academy Award-winning "Godzilla Minus One" is Finally available outside of Japan. It was just two months ago that we were lamenting here at /Film about why we couldn't watch our favorite nuclear kaiju in his finest outing yet, but the wait is finally over. Those lil' rapscallions behind the Netflix account on X posted a little tease of Godzilla with "12am Pt" as the caption, inspiring everyone still awake to rush to the internet looking for information and motivating yours truly to hop online way after closing time to figure out if Netflix was trolling or teasing us all with the best way possible to kick off the summer months.
Well, let me be the bearer of great news — the King of the Monsters is returning to America, as "Godzilla Minus One" will be available...
Well, let me be the bearer of great news — the King of the Monsters is returning to America, as "Godzilla Minus One" will be available...
- 6/1/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Peering Eyes and Multiple Endings
Sliver really should be mandatory viewing for any “Basic Instinct” fan — or any lover of Sharon Stone noirs, for that matter. Stone reunites with “Basic Instinct” screenwriter Joe Eszterhas for this 1993 erotic thriller that feels more like a Brian De Palma-esque satire on the genre itself. Mixed with the paranoia of surveillance technology, the voyeurism of “Body Double,” and the dual campy performances from Billy Baldwin and Tom Berenger as part of a twisted love triangle, “Sliver” is the ‘90s film you’ve never heard of but will adore.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Peering Eyes and Multiple Endings
Sliver really should be mandatory viewing for any “Basic Instinct” fan — or any lover of Sharon Stone noirs, for that matter. Stone reunites with “Basic Instinct” screenwriter Joe Eszterhas for this 1993 erotic thriller that feels more like a Brian De Palma-esque satire on the genre itself. Mixed with the paranoia of surveillance technology, the voyeurism of “Body Double,” and the dual campy performances from Billy Baldwin and Tom Berenger as part of a twisted love triangle, “Sliver” is the ‘90s film you’ve never heard of but will adore.
- 6/1/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
In “The Great Lillian Hall,” Jessica Lange plays a veteran theater actress — a legend of the Broadway stage — who is always putting on airs, reciting bits from her favorite roles, and carrying on in the tradition of fabled actresses who get known for playing characters like Blanche DuBois because they’ve actually got a lot of Blanche in them. (They believe their own illusions.) Yet just because Lillian Hall is a flamboyant grand dame doesn’t mean that she’s not showing you who she is. Lange, a beauty at 75, has a face that has only grown more expressive with the years. In “The Great Lillian Hall,” that face is a map of emotion we read. Even when Lillian is being deceptive (even when she’s deceiving herself), the majesty of her feelings shines through.
There’s a moving scene in which she’s seated on a porch with her adult daughter,...
There’s a moving scene in which she’s seated on a porch with her adult daughter,...
- 6/1/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety - Film News
National Association of Broadcasters rescinds honor after actor’s comments outside ex-president’s criminal trial in New York
Film actor Robert De Niro was scheduled to accept a leadership award from the National Association of Broadcasters, but the group has rescinded the award after the celebrity spoke out against Donald Trump outside the former president’s criminal trial in New York this week, the Hill and the Huffington Post report.
The National Association of Broadcasters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Film actor Robert De Niro was scheduled to accept a leadership award from the National Association of Broadcasters, but the group has rescinded the award after the celebrity spoke out against Donald Trump outside the former president’s criminal trial in New York this week, the Hill and the Huffington Post report.
The National Association of Broadcasters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
- 6/1/2024
- by Lois Beckett and agencies
- The Guardian - Film News
Just because Celestina, the soon-to-be young wife in the “The Young Wife” told friends and family that while the honor of their presence was requested, they would be attending a party, not a wedding, doesn’t make it so. The weight of family, community and ritual aren’t so easily evaded. Or embraced.
So, on the day of her and River’s nuptials, she appears to be wrestling less with the meaning of marriage and more with the weight of the word “wife.” Warm hearts and cooling feet is nothing new for movies, of course, but Kiersey Clemons’ portrayal of Celestina — her head spinning — raises the stakes of love and liberty.
Writer-director Tayarisha Poe has populated her sophomore feature with characters of a neo-bohemian, united colors-of-who-the-fuck-cares aura. Guests arrive with sartorial flash, expressive finery, hairdos that signal independence for days and attitudes that combine and recombine the traditional with the rebellious.
So, on the day of her and River’s nuptials, she appears to be wrestling less with the meaning of marriage and more with the weight of the word “wife.” Warm hearts and cooling feet is nothing new for movies, of course, but Kiersey Clemons’ portrayal of Celestina — her head spinning — raises the stakes of love and liberty.
Writer-director Tayarisha Poe has populated her sophomore feature with characters of a neo-bohemian, united colors-of-who-the-fuck-cares aura. Guests arrive with sartorial flash, expressive finery, hairdos that signal independence for days and attitudes that combine and recombine the traditional with the rebellious.
- 6/1/2024
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety - Film News
When it comes to epic new character challenges for Chris Hemsworth, the question isn’t “Can he do it?” The question is “Does he have it in him… to make it epic?”
From “The Avengers” and “Blackhat” to more Avengers and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth has been chewing through action roles since he was first cast as Captain Kirk’s dad in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot that launched a thousand IMDb pages. He’s known across the world and throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor: an ancient god dedicated to protecting Earth and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” IP with a heart of gold and a hammer the size of Rocket Raccoon. Sometimes he’s brave. Sometimes he’s goofy. And shaggy or shaven, the man sure can make a cape and eyepatch sexy.
Although the Thor role may have made Hemsworth a household name, he...
From “The Avengers” and “Blackhat” to more Avengers and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” Hemsworth has been chewing through action roles since he was first cast as Captain Kirk’s dad in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot that launched a thousand IMDb pages. He’s known across the world and throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Thor: an ancient god dedicated to protecting Earth and the “Guardians of the Galaxy” IP with a heart of gold and a hammer the size of Rocket Raccoon. Sometimes he’s brave. Sometimes he’s goofy. And shaggy or shaven, the man sure can make a cape and eyepatch sexy.
Although the Thor role may have made Hemsworth a household name, he...
- 6/1/2024
- by Alison Foreman and Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Horror fans have reason to celebrate as a great movie that has been impossible to watch for far too long is finally getting an official, physical media release. The movie in question is Mike Flanagan's 2016 film "Hush," which previously existed as an exclusive on the streaming service. It was removed from Netflix in early 2023 and has been completely unavailable. That's all going to change soon, according to Flanagan.
Flanagan, known for his work on shows such as "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," was a guest at this year's Atx Television Festival in Austin, Texas. During a panel called The Monologue Case Study, I had the chance to ask the filmmaker about the status of "Hush" and when we might be able to see it. While he couldn't share specifics, Flanagan did confirm that the film is finally getting a physical release.
Flanagan, known for his work on shows such as "The Haunting of Hill House" and "The Fall of the House of Usher," was a guest at this year's Atx Television Festival in Austin, Texas. During a panel called The Monologue Case Study, I had the chance to ask the filmmaker about the status of "Hush" and when we might be able to see it. While he couldn't share specifics, Flanagan did confirm that the film is finally getting a physical release.
- 6/1/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
“Ezra” celebrated its premiere in New York, N.Y., on Thursday with stars Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Tony Goldwyn all in attendance.
The film is a Bleeker Street Media release that follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), who is a stand-up comedy writer (with scenes filmed at Comedy Cellar) who lives with his dad (De Niro). The comedian faces challenges when it comes to co-parenting their autistic son (William A. Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Byrne).
“Ezra” was inspired by the film writer Tony Spiridakis’s personal life, as he has a child who is on the spectrum. “I realized I didn’t know anything about autism, I thought I gotta write this down. Because of the lack of understanding that I had, I kept thinking, every day was a surprise,” Spiridakis told Variety at the film’s premiere.
“I made so many mistakes as a father, I wanted...
The film is a Bleeker Street Media release that follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), who is a stand-up comedy writer (with scenes filmed at Comedy Cellar) who lives with his dad (De Niro). The comedian faces challenges when it comes to co-parenting their autistic son (William A. Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Byrne).
“Ezra” was inspired by the film writer Tony Spiridakis’s personal life, as he has a child who is on the spectrum. “I realized I didn’t know anything about autism, I thought I gotta write this down. Because of the lack of understanding that I had, I kept thinking, every day was a surprise,” Spiridakis told Variety at the film’s premiere.
“I made so many mistakes as a father, I wanted...
- 6/1/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety - Film News
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