Oscar nominees Kodi Smit-McPhee and Djimon Hounsou are set to star in claustrophobic thriller “The Zealot.”
The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another.
“The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet. When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk. But as the realization grows that his passenger is not what he seems, Hassan finds he is trapped in a terrifying ride which he can’t escape from, knowing that to save himself might put countless others in danger.
Jib Polhemus (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “The Mechanic”) produces alongside Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo (“The Green Hornet and Kato,...
The two-hander, being introduced to buyers in Cannes by WestEnd Films, comes from director Vadim Perelman working from a screenplay by Bennett Fisher, and touches on themes involving privilege, paranoia, and the assumptions we make about one another.
“The Zealot” follows Hassan, a Somali-American airport shuttle driver in Minneapolis, who is struggling to make ends meet. When Lloyd, a stranded twentysomething at the airport, offers to pay Hassan to take him overland to Chicago, it seems worth the risk. But as the realization grows that his passenger is not what he seems, Hassan finds he is trapped in a terrifying ride which he can’t escape from, knowing that to save himself might put countless others in danger.
Jib Polhemus (“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” “The Mechanic”) produces alongside Michael Helfant and Bradley Gallo (“The Green Hornet and Kato,...
- 5/6/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in January 2024. It has since been updated with new entries.]
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
Emily Blunt’s first Oscar nomination was for the type of role the actress doesn’t normally play. Over the course of her career, the London-born actress has played badass action heroes, musical heroines, even delightfully bitchy supporting comic parts. But in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” Blunt goes into a totally different mode to play a embittered and humorless long-suffering wife type. It’s a jarring transformation; but, given her versatility, a predictably excellent one.
Born to a former actress and barrister in London, Blunt studied acting in boarding school and began her professional career at 18, when she debuted on a West End production of the play “The Royal Family.” In 2003 she transitioned to screen acting with the British miniseries “Boudica” and “Henry VIII,” before making her theatrical film debut as a haughty, arrogant rich girl in independent drama “My Summer of Love” in 2004.
2006 was her breakout year; she won...
- 5/3/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
10. Remember Me (2010)
Robert Pattinson’s Remember Me remains a serious romance drama for the vast majority of its duration. A troubled rich kid falls in love with a NYPD Detective’s daughter; they go through a lot together and admit their feelings to each other… And then, out of absolutely nowhere, he dies in the 9/11 attack. The end. Seriously?
9. Lucy (2014)
Scarlett Johansson's Lucy explores the classic “people are only using 10% of their brains” scenario. Thanks to the experimental drug, a drug mule gains access to many skills and knowledge… Fast-forward: she evaporates, meets the first human, sees the Big Bang, and stores All Knowledge Ever on a bloody Usb, of all things.
8. The Happening (2008)
Mark Wahlberg’s The Happening has an interesting approach to the apocalypse: all over the world, people start killing themselves. The situation looks serious, more and more people die by their own hands… As it turns out,...
Robert Pattinson’s Remember Me remains a serious romance drama for the vast majority of its duration. A troubled rich kid falls in love with a NYPD Detective’s daughter; they go through a lot together and admit their feelings to each other… And then, out of absolutely nowhere, he dies in the 9/11 attack. The end. Seriously?
9. Lucy (2014)
Scarlett Johansson's Lucy explores the classic “people are only using 10% of their brains” scenario. Thanks to the experimental drug, a drug mule gains access to many skills and knowledge… Fast-forward: she evaporates, meets the first human, sees the Big Bang, and stores All Knowledge Ever on a bloody Usb, of all things.
8. The Happening (2008)
Mark Wahlberg’s The Happening has an interesting approach to the apocalypse: all over the world, people start killing themselves. The situation looks serious, more and more people die by their own hands… As it turns out,...
- 5/1/2024
- by dean-black@startefacts.com (Dean Black)
- STartefacts.com
With its list of new releases for May 2024, HBO streamer Max is bringing back one of the best comedies on television.
Hacks season 3 premieres on May 2 and will continue the tortured (platonic-ish) love affair between comedy superstar Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her former joke writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). That will be followed up by Pretty Little Liars: Summer School on May 9.
Movie-lovers have more than enough to keep them occupied in May 2024 as well. The latest John Green adaptation, Turtles All the Way Down, will premiere on May 3. That will be followed by intriguing original documentary MoviePass, MovieCrash on May 30. Max is also putting its Warner Bros. origins to good use with a bunch of excellent library movies like The Iron Claw on May 10 and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice on May 26.
Here’s everything coming to HBO and Max in May.
New on HBO and Max...
Hacks season 3 premieres on May 2 and will continue the tortured (platonic-ish) love affair between comedy superstar Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her former joke writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). That will be followed up by Pretty Little Liars: Summer School on May 9.
Movie-lovers have more than enough to keep them occupied in May 2024 as well. The latest John Green adaptation, Turtles All the Way Down, will premiere on May 3. That will be followed by intriguing original documentary MoviePass, MovieCrash on May 30. Max is also putting its Warner Bros. origins to good use with a bunch of excellent library movies like The Iron Claw on May 10 and Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice on May 26.
Here’s everything coming to HBO and Max in May.
New on HBO and Max...
- 5/1/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Dune: Part Two marks Christopher Walken’s comeback to acting after a four-year break from the big screen. He last appeared in three films in 2020, then took a break from movies (though he did make an appearance in the 2022 television series Severance).
Christopher Walken as Jerry in The War with Grandpa
Now, Walken takes on the role of Shaddam IV, also known as the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, in the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel. He was drawn back from semi-retirement mainly because of the opportunity to visit a European city he likes.
Christopher Walken’s Big Screen Comeback Motivated by the Chance to Visit a European City
Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV in Dune 2
Christopher Walken recently ended his four-year acting break, and decided to return for Dune 2. Despite his hiatus, he found this project appealing for a few reasons. The 80-year-old shared in...
Christopher Walken as Jerry in The War with Grandpa
Now, Walken takes on the role of Shaddam IV, also known as the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe, in the Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel. He was drawn back from semi-retirement mainly because of the opportunity to visit a European city he likes.
Christopher Walken’s Big Screen Comeback Motivated by the Chance to Visit a European City
Christopher Walken as Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV in Dune 2
Christopher Walken recently ended his four-year acting break, and decided to return for Dune 2. Despite his hiatus, he found this project appealing for a few reasons. The 80-year-old shared in...
- 3/9/2024
- by Shreya Jha
- FandomWire
Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part Two” notably features the acting return of Christoper Walken, who hasn’t been seen on the big screen in four years. The Oscar winner had a trio of films released in 2020 and then went on a hiatus from moviemaking (he did show up in the 2022 television series “Severance.”) Now, he joins “Dune: Part Two” as Shaddam IV, aka the Padishah Emperor of the Known Universe.
Why did Walken decide to make “Dune: Part Two” his comeback? It’s a question Vanity Fair asked the Oscar winner in a new interview, to which Walken responded: “I had, of course, seen the first ‘Dune’ a number of times. I loved it, and I admired [Villeneuve’s] movies. ‘Arrival,’ I thought, was wonderful. And to be with all those terrific actors —Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and Stellan Skarsgård—and to go to Budapest,...
Why did Walken decide to make “Dune: Part Two” his comeback? It’s a question Vanity Fair asked the Oscar winner in a new interview, to which Walken responded: “I had, of course, seen the first ‘Dune’ a number of times. I loved it, and I admired [Villeneuve’s] movies. ‘Arrival,’ I thought, was wonderful. And to be with all those terrific actors —Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and Stellan Skarsgård—and to go to Budapest,...
- 3/7/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Jamie Dornan is reflecting on his acting journey while eating the Wings of Death!
The 41-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey star took on the Hot Ones challenge with Sean Evans.
As he began eating the increasingly spicy wings, Jamie spoke about his show The Tourist, real-life scares on movie sets, believing in himself, and the movie “everyone hated.”
Keep reading to find out more…
On filming after a sandstorm on The Tourist:
“…And as I was doing it with Danielle [Macdonald], who’s my co-star in The Tourist, I’m just watching her and I am trying not to react as flies were like going into her eye, up her nose and her mouth. And then I was like consuming them. When the camera came around on to me and I could see her face like trying to tell me this is happening. They spent so much money painting the flies out.
The 41-year-old Fifty Shades of Grey star took on the Hot Ones challenge with Sean Evans.
As he began eating the increasingly spicy wings, Jamie spoke about his show The Tourist, real-life scares on movie sets, believing in himself, and the movie “everyone hated.”
Keep reading to find out more…
On filming after a sandstorm on The Tourist:
“…And as I was doing it with Danielle [Macdonald], who’s my co-star in The Tourist, I’m just watching her and I am trying not to react as flies were like going into her eye, up her nose and her mouth. And then I was like consuming them. When the camera came around on to me and I could see her face like trying to tell me this is happening. They spent so much money painting the flies out.
- 3/7/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
As a film actor, Emily Blunt has become one of the jack of all trades of her generation, shining in dramas, comedies, musicals, romances, war films and even horror movies. Who can do all that? But with each new project, Blunt challenges herself to take risks into new arenas that she has never tried before, a boldness that has earned her critical respect across the board.
Although Blunt has yet to be nominated for an Academy Award (a shocking oversight that I trust will be rectified one day), she has been nominated for five Golden Globes for her film work, four BAFTA Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, including a win for her performance in “A Quiet Place.” That film, directed and co-written by her husband John Krasinski, became an unexpected smash hit and generated a sequel, appropriately named “A Quiet Place Part II.”
The year of 2023 finally brought...
Although Blunt has yet to be nominated for an Academy Award (a shocking oversight that I trust will be rectified one day), she has been nominated for five Golden Globes for her film work, four BAFTA Awards and three Screen Actors Guild Awards, including a win for her performance in “A Quiet Place.” That film, directed and co-written by her husband John Krasinski, became an unexpected smash hit and generated a sequel, appropriately named “A Quiet Place Part II.”
The year of 2023 finally brought...
- 2/17/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
Jon Hamm is the latest addition to the cast of Taylor Sheridan’s upcoming Paramount+ series “Landman.”
Hamm will appear in the series in a recurring guest star role. He joins previously announced series lead Billy Bob Thornton as well as cast members Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie, Paulina Chávez, and Demi Moore.
The series is based on the podcast “Boomtown.” The official description for the series states it is “set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas” and the world of oil rigs. It is further described as “an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”
Hamm will portray Monty Miller, described as “a titan of the Texas oil industry who has a long personal and professional relationship with Tommy Norris (Thornton).”
Hamm is best known...
Hamm will appear in the series in a recurring guest star role. He joins previously announced series lead Billy Bob Thornton as well as cast members Ali Larter, Michelle Randolph, Jacob Lofland, Kayla Wallace, James Jordan, Mark Collie, Paulina Chávez, and Demi Moore.
The series is based on the podcast “Boomtown.” The official description for the series states it is “set in the proverbial boomtowns of West Texas” and the world of oil rigs. It is further described as “an upstairs/downstairs story of roughnecks and wildcat billionaires fueling a boom so big, it’s reshaping our climate, our economy and our geopolitics.”
Hamm will portray Monty Miller, described as “a titan of the Texas oil industry who has a long personal and professional relationship with Tommy Norris (Thornton).”
Hamm is best known...
- 2/15/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The Irish accent is consistently voted one of the most attractive in the world, yet even some of the world’s finest actors have trouble with it. Leonardo DiCaprio tried, as did Julia Roberts (twice), and dare we even mention Brad Pitt?
Today (17 March) marks St Patrick’s Day, and if you have no pub and/or beer plans, why not experience the next best thing: reminiscing about the wonkiest Irish accents in film history.
Relatively new to this great lineage of bad accents is Wild Mountain Thyme, a romantic drama released in the UK in early 2021 and so inexplicable that even literal Irish actors seemed to speak with fake Irish accents in it.
Such is the evil power of this particular bit of fakery, though – Hollywood’s bastardised visions of Ireland so all-encompassing and destructive that few can survive it.
To celebrate this most Irish of days, we’ve...
Today (17 March) marks St Patrick’s Day, and if you have no pub and/or beer plans, why not experience the next best thing: reminiscing about the wonkiest Irish accents in film history.
Relatively new to this great lineage of bad accents is Wild Mountain Thyme, a romantic drama released in the UK in early 2021 and so inexplicable that even literal Irish actors seemed to speak with fake Irish accents in it.
Such is the evil power of this particular bit of fakery, though – Hollywood’s bastardised visions of Ireland so all-encompassing and destructive that few can survive it.
To celebrate this most Irish of days, we’ve...
- 3/17/2023
- by Adam White
- The Independent - Film
Rufus Wainwright has announced his upcoming album Folkocracy will arrive June 2 and released its lead single “Down in the Willow Garden” on Monday. The track features Brandi Carlile, and is described by Wainwright as a “blatantly brutal and masochistic” folk ballad.
“I chose us a cheery little number — not! The song is so blatantly brutal and masochistic that I had to sing it with a woman. Sadly, we still live in a violent world,” Wainwright said in a statement. “The amazing thing about so many folk songs is that, content wise,...
“I chose us a cheery little number — not! The song is so blatantly brutal and masochistic that I had to sing it with a woman. Sadly, we still live in a violent world,” Wainwright said in a statement. “The amazing thing about so many folk songs is that, content wise,...
- 3/7/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) is attached to star in the upcoming film Pain Hustlers, from director David Yates (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore). Pic will be introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Market by The Veterans and CAA Media Finance, going into production in late August.
Pain Hustlers is said to be tonally similar to such films as The Big Short, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street. The film centers on Liza Drake (Blunt), a high-school dropout dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter, who lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. Liza’s charm, guts and drive catapult the company and her into the high life, where she soon finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences.
Wells Tower wrote the script. Lawrence Grey will produce under his Grey Matter Productions banner,...
Pain Hustlers is said to be tonally similar to such films as The Big Short, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street. The film centers on Liza Drake (Blunt), a high-school dropout dreaming of a better life for her and her young daughter, who lands a job with a failing pharmaceutical start-up in a yellowing strip mall in Central Florida. Liza’s charm, guts and drive catapult the company and her into the high life, where she soon finds herself at the center of a criminal conspiracy with deadly consequences.
Wells Tower wrote the script. Lawrence Grey will produce under his Grey Matter Productions banner,...
- 5/11/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Ami Canaan Mann (Texas Killing Fields) is gearing up to direct the biopic Audrey’s Children for Amasia Entertainment (Wild Mountain Thyme) and Resonate Entertainment (Sitting in Bars with Cake).
The film will tell the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, the revolutionary pediatric oncologist best known as the co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities—the world-famous organization that provides housing and support to millions of families in 62 countries around the world. A rebel with a cause, Evans burst onto the scene at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1970, discovering groundbreaking treatment methods for pediatric cancer. She then put her own career on the line, in a bid to administer her new methods to dire patients, and to provide housing for out-of-town families seeking care, going to extreme lengths to save her children.
Julia Fisher Farbman (Modern Hero) wrote the screenplay, which was based on years of research and conversations with Evans,...
The film will tell the story of Dr. Audrey Evans, the revolutionary pediatric oncologist best known as the co-founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities—the world-famous organization that provides housing and support to millions of families in 62 countries around the world. A rebel with a cause, Evans burst onto the scene at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in 1970, discovering groundbreaking treatment methods for pediatric cancer. She then put her own career on the line, in a bid to administer her new methods to dire patients, and to provide housing for out-of-town families seeking care, going to extreme lengths to save her children.
Julia Fisher Farbman (Modern Hero) wrote the screenplay, which was based on years of research and conversations with Evans,...
- 5/4/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: James McArdle (Mare Of Easttown) and Fionnula Flanagan (The Others) have been set to lead the ensemble cast of Four Mothers, an Irish-set adaptation of Gianni di Gregorio’s 2008 festival and box office hit Mid-August Lunch (Pranzo Di Ferragosto).
Filming is underway in Dublin on the comedy feature which heralds from Ida producer Eric Abraham and former Working Title exec Jack Sidey’s Portobello Films and Television (Moffie) and Martina Niland for Port Pictures (Sing Street).
Dearbhla Molloy (Wild Mountain Thyme), Paddy Glynn (Cinderella) and Stella McCusker (Nowhere Special) also star.
Darren Thornton directs and co-wrote the script with his brother, Colin Thornton. They previously collaborated on their IFTA-winning debut A Date For Mad Mary.
Olivier-award nominee McArdle plays a self-sabotaging novelist, saddled with caring for his mother (Flanagan) after a stroke. After his book becomes an overnight hit, his plans for a U.S. promotional tour are thrown...
Filming is underway in Dublin on the comedy feature which heralds from Ida producer Eric Abraham and former Working Title exec Jack Sidey’s Portobello Films and Television (Moffie) and Martina Niland for Port Pictures (Sing Street).
Dearbhla Molloy (Wild Mountain Thyme), Paddy Glynn (Cinderella) and Stella McCusker (Nowhere Special) also star.
Darren Thornton directs and co-wrote the script with his brother, Colin Thornton. They previously collaborated on their IFTA-winning debut A Date For Mad Mary.
Olivier-award nominee McArdle plays a self-sabotaging novelist, saddled with caring for his mother (Flanagan) after a stroke. After his book becomes an overnight hit, his plans for a U.S. promotional tour are thrown...
- 5/3/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Paramount Pictures head Kyle Davies has joined Bleecker Street as President of Distribution. In his new role, the veteran distribution executive will be responsible for spearheading the company’s theatrical distribution strategies, planning and execution as well as managing the wider distribution team.
Upcoming wide releases from Bleecker Street that he will oversee include Infinite Storm with Naomi Watts on March 25th; Montana Story with Haley Lu Richardson on May 13th; Emma Holly Jones’ Mr. Malcolm’s List with Freida Pinto on July 1st; James Ponsoldt’s Summering on July 15th; Dale Dickey’s A Love Song on July 29th; Abi Damaris Corbin’s 892 with John Boyega on August 26th; and Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv’s Golda starring Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, which has been slated for release later this year.
Davies was previously at Paramount Pictures, where he most recently served as President of Domestic Distribution.
Upcoming wide releases from Bleecker Street that he will oversee include Infinite Storm with Naomi Watts on March 25th; Montana Story with Haley Lu Richardson on May 13th; Emma Holly Jones’ Mr. Malcolm’s List with Freida Pinto on July 1st; James Ponsoldt’s Summering on July 15th; Dale Dickey’s A Love Song on July 29th; Abi Damaris Corbin’s 892 with John Boyega on August 26th; and Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv’s Golda starring Academy Award winner Helen Mirren, which has been slated for release later this year.
Davies was previously at Paramount Pictures, where he most recently served as President of Domestic Distribution.
- 3/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
In most cases, an actor being cast as a character without a name doesn’t signal great things for the career. Nobody’s queuing up for an autograph from ‘woman in lift’ or ‘angry hot dog customer 2’. Jamie Dornan’s lead role in BBC crime thriller The Tourist bucks that trend. In the six-part series, Dornan plays “The Man”, a nameless (at least to begin with) Irishman who loses his memory when his car is forced off the road in the Australian desert. With barely a clue to go on, he has to find out who he is, what’s he doing there, and most importantly, why somebody’s trying to kill him.
Dornan is great in The Tourist – intense, funny, unpredictable and convincing at every stage of his character’s gradual discovery. It’s comfortably among his best performances so far, and one of the better received projects Dornan’s starred in.
Dornan is great in The Tourist – intense, funny, unpredictable and convincing at every stage of his character’s gradual discovery. It’s comfortably among his best performances so far, and one of the better received projects Dornan’s starred in.
- 1/6/2022
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Welcome to The B-Side, from The Film Stage. Here we talk about movie stars! Not the movies that made them famous or kept them famous, but the ones that they made in between.
Today, Conor and I get blunt. Emily Blunt! As Jungle Cruise opens in theaters and on Disney+, our Blunt B-Sides include: The Adjustment Bureau, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Arthur Newman, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Additionally, we discuss the star’s first two films which broke her through and her eventual rise to leading lady status a few years later.
There’s heavy chatter on what exactly makes Blunt so dynamic, a detour into how Gulliver’s Travels prevented her from playing Black Widow for Marvel, and how two of these B-sides recall the Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films from Hollywood past.
Other topics include Matt Damon’s criticisms of Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Ultimatum script, the...
Today, Conor and I get blunt. Emily Blunt! As Jungle Cruise opens in theaters and on Disney+, our Blunt B-Sides include: The Adjustment Bureau, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Arthur Newman, and Wild Mountain Thyme. Additionally, we discuss the star’s first two films which broke her through and her eventual rise to leading lady status a few years later.
There’s heavy chatter on what exactly makes Blunt so dynamic, a detour into how Gulliver’s Travels prevented her from playing Black Widow for Marvel, and how two of these B-sides recall the Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy films from Hollywood past.
Other topics include Matt Damon’s criticisms of Tony Gilroy’s The Bourne Ultimatum script, the...
- 7/30/2021
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
The 2021 Cannes Film Festival was a celebration. Buyers and sellers were genuinely delighted to see each other in the sunshine on the Croisette after a two-year absence, and to watch great films with their vaccinated peers in the Palais. Everyone returned with a fresh perspective; many spent time in lockdown focusing on new strategies. There’s no shortage of titles in the pipeline, thanks to increased investment in early productions — the better to compete with streamers, of course.
“Being here in this moment feels like our emergence as a community, to come together in this place to celebrate what it means for cinema,” said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who brought “Stillwater” and “Blue Bayou” to Cannes. “You feel the resurgence, a new energy around it.”
“There’s a lot to cheer about,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, who brought British costume romance “Mothering Sunday” to the festival...
“Being here in this moment feels like our emergence as a community, to come together in this place to celebrate what it means for cinema,” said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who brought “Stillwater” and “Blue Bayou” to Cannes. “You feel the resurgence, a new energy around it.”
“There’s a lot to cheer about,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, who brought British costume romance “Mothering Sunday” to the festival...
- 7/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The 2021 Cannes Film Festival was a celebration. Buyers and sellers were genuinely delighted to see each other in the sunshine on the Croisette after a two-year absence, and to watch great films with their vaccinated peers in the Palais. Everyone returned with a fresh perspective; many spent time in lockdown focusing on new strategies. There’s no shortage of titles in the pipeline, thanks to increased investment in early productions — the better to compete with streamers, of course.
“Being here in this moment feels like our emergence as a community, to come together in this place to celebrate what it means for cinema,” said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who brought “Stillwater” and “Blue Bayou” to Cannes. “You feel the resurgence, a new energy around it.”
“There’s a lot to cheer about,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, who brought British costume romance “Mothering Sunday” to the festival...
“Being here in this moment feels like our emergence as a community, to come together in this place to celebrate what it means for cinema,” said Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski, who brought “Stillwater” and “Blue Bayou” to Cannes. “You feel the resurgence, a new energy around it.”
“There’s a lot to cheer about,” said Sony Pictures Classics co-president Michael Barker, who brought British costume romance “Mothering Sunday” to the festival...
- 7/20/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Bleecker Street and ShivHans have secured U.S. rights to Golda by Oscar-winning director Guy Nattiv’s (Skin), about Israel’s legendary and only female Prime Minister, Golda Meir.
Helen Mirren (The Queen) will star as “The Iron Lady of Israel.” The film shoots in October in Europe.
Written by Nicholas Martin (Florence Foster Jenkins), Golda is a ticking-clock thriller following the intensely dramatic events and controversial decisions Meir faced during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Her blend of tough leadership, plain speech and compassion, in impossible circumstances, would ultimately decide the fate of millions of lives.
Producer Michael Kuhn of Qwerty, says; “History recalls Meir gracefully accepted her role as political scapegoat for the Yom Kippur War – and, in revisiting her story, Golda intimately draws the cinema audience up-close and personal to a globally influential woman facing the pressure of saving her people and, in never shying away from her own failings,...
Helen Mirren (The Queen) will star as “The Iron Lady of Israel.” The film shoots in October in Europe.
Written by Nicholas Martin (Florence Foster Jenkins), Golda is a ticking-clock thriller following the intensely dramatic events and controversial decisions Meir faced during the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Her blend of tough leadership, plain speech and compassion, in impossible circumstances, would ultimately decide the fate of millions of lives.
Producer Michael Kuhn of Qwerty, says; “History recalls Meir gracefully accepted her role as political scapegoat for the Yom Kippur War – and, in revisiting her story, Golda intimately draws the cinema audience up-close and personal to a globally influential woman facing the pressure of saving her people and, in never shying away from her own failings,...
- 7/14/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
From Oscar®-, Tony®- and Pulitzer Prize®-winning writer and director John Patrick Shanley, Wild Mountain Thyme captures the romance, lyricism, and transcendent beauty of the Irish countryside in an extraordinary love story between two lonely souls. To celebrate the release of Wild Mountain Thyme, we have teamed up with Lionsgate Home Entertainment UK to give three lucky winners the chance to win a copy of the film on DVD!
An epic love story with soaring lyricism, Wild Mountain Thyme is set against the breath-taking landscapes of rural Ireland, where everyone is half mad with loneliness or love, and the weather is terrible. Anthony and Rosemary are star-crossed lovers, whose families are caught up in a feud over a hotly contested patch of land that separates their two farms. Anthony (Dornan) always seems to be out in the fields working, worn down by his father’s constant belittling. But...
An epic love story with soaring lyricism, Wild Mountain Thyme is set against the breath-taking landscapes of rural Ireland, where everyone is half mad with loneliness or love, and the weather is terrible. Anthony and Rosemary are star-crossed lovers, whose families are caught up in a feud over a hotly contested patch of land that separates their two farms. Anthony (Dornan) always seems to be out in the fields working, worn down by his father’s constant belittling. But...
- 6/18/2021
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With today’s release of Ludovico Einaudi’s “Cinema,” Universal Music Group confirms its status as one of the world’s most soundtrack-friendly music companies.
Music by Einaudi, the Italian composer and pianist, was featured in recent Oscar winners “Nomadland” and”The Father.” “Cinema” collects 28 pieces featured in those films and such earlier projects as “The Water Diviner,” “The Intouchables” and the miniseries “Doctor Zhivago.”
Each of the last seven Academy Award winners for original score was released or distributed by a Umg label or composed by a Umg artist, according to a spokesperson. Umg artists Jon Batiste and Hildur Guðnadóttir were the composers of “Soul” and “Joker,” respectively. “Grand Budapest Hotel” was on Abkco, “The Hateful Eight” and “The Shape of Water” on Decca, and “La La Land” and the “Black Panther” song album on Interscope.
Similarly, the last seven Grammy-winning scores, and the last seven BAFTA winners, were also Umg-affiliated.
Music by Einaudi, the Italian composer and pianist, was featured in recent Oscar winners “Nomadland” and”The Father.” “Cinema” collects 28 pieces featured in those films and such earlier projects as “The Water Diviner,” “The Intouchables” and the miniseries “Doctor Zhivago.”
Each of the last seven Academy Award winners for original score was released or distributed by a Umg label or composed by a Umg artist, according to a spokesperson. Umg artists Jon Batiste and Hildur Guðnadóttir were the composers of “Soul” and “Joker,” respectively. “Grand Budapest Hotel” was on Abkco, “The Hateful Eight” and “The Shape of Water” on Decca, and “La La Land” and the “Black Panther” song album on Interscope.
Similarly, the last seven Grammy-winning scores, and the last seven BAFTA winners, were also Umg-affiliated.
- 6/4/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to Fran Kranz’ Mass, which made its world premiere at Sundance back in January. A fourth quarter theatrical release is currently planned.
Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward. In Fran Kranz’ writing and directing debut, he thoughtfully examines their journey of grief, anger and acceptance by coming face-to-face with the ones who have been left behind.
Kranz also wrote and produced Mass with other producers being Casey Wilder Mott, Jp Ouellette and Dylan Matlock. The deal was brokered between Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy of Bleecker Street with CAA and The Gersh Agency on behalf of the filmmakers.
Bleecker currently has the Sundance title Together Together starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison in theaters. Earlier this year,...
Years after an unspeakable tragedy tore their lives apart, two sets of parents agree to talk privately in an attempt to move forward. In Fran Kranz’ writing and directing debut, he thoughtfully examines their journey of grief, anger and acceptance by coming face-to-face with the ones who have been left behind.
Kranz also wrote and produced Mass with other producers being Casey Wilder Mott, Jp Ouellette and Dylan Matlock. The deal was brokered between Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy of Bleecker Street with CAA and The Gersh Agency on behalf of the filmmakers.
Bleecker currently has the Sundance title Together Together starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison in theaters. Earlier this year,...
- 5/7/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Theatrical release set for fourth quarter this year.
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to Sundance hit Mass, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the festival and a hot awards prospect starring Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton.
‘Mass’: Sundance Review
Fran Kranz makes his writing-directing feature debut and produced alongside Casey Wilder Mott, Jp Ouellette, and Dylan Matlock.
The 7 Eccles Street production centres on two sets of parents who, in an attempt to move on, meet after a tragic incident devastated their lives.
Bleecker Street has earmarked a fourth quarter awards season theatrical release later this year.
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to Sundance hit Mass, one of the most critically acclaimed films of the festival and a hot awards prospect starring Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton.
‘Mass’: Sundance Review
Fran Kranz makes his writing-directing feature debut and produced alongside Casey Wilder Mott, Jp Ouellette, and Dylan Matlock.
The 7 Eccles Street production centres on two sets of parents who, in an attempt to move on, meet after a tragic incident devastated their lives.
Bleecker Street has earmarked a fourth quarter awards season theatrical release later this year.
- 5/7/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jamie Dornan & Emily Blunt are interviewed for Wild Mountain Thyme, the romantic comedy about a pair of star-crossed lovers in Ireland who get caught up in their family’s land dispute. The film also stars Christopher Walken, Lydia McGuinness, Anna Weekes, Jon Hamm, Abigail Coburn, Barry McGovern, Clare Barrett, Don Wycherley and Dearbhla Molloy. John Patrick Shanley wrote and directed the film based on his play Outside Mullingar. Hayley Donaghy asks the questions.
‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ available to rent on all major UK & Irish digital retailers from Friday April 30th.
Plot:
John Patrick Shanley, who created the classic Moonstruck, brings his sweeping romantic vision to Ireland with Wild Mountain Thyme. The headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung...
‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ available to rent on all major UK & Irish digital retailers from Friday April 30th.
Plot:
John Patrick Shanley, who created the classic Moonstruck, brings his sweeping romantic vision to Ireland with Wild Mountain Thyme. The headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung...
- 4/27/2021
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Exclusive: New York-based Bleecker Street has hired Derval Whelan as its new President of Distribution.
She replaces Jack Foley, who exited his post at President of Distribution last year. A highly respected industry vet in exhibition and distribution circles, Foley was at Bleecker Street since its launch and worked with CEO Andrew Karpen for several years at Focus Features prior.
In her role, Whelan will oversee all aspects of theatrical distribution strategies, planning and execution and manage our existing distribution team.
She comes to Bleecker having been in the distribution field for over 35 years. Previously, she was the VP of Distribution for Searchlight for 14 years having worked on award-winning titles as 12 Years a Slave, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, Birdman, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire. Prior to Searchlight she held positions at Sony Pictures Classics, Miramax and MK2 USA. Whelan started her career at Orion...
She replaces Jack Foley, who exited his post at President of Distribution last year. A highly respected industry vet in exhibition and distribution circles, Foley was at Bleecker Street since its launch and worked with CEO Andrew Karpen for several years at Focus Features prior.
In her role, Whelan will oversee all aspects of theatrical distribution strategies, planning and execution and manage our existing distribution team.
She comes to Bleecker having been in the distribution field for over 35 years. Previously, she was the VP of Distribution for Searchlight for 14 years having worked on award-winning titles as 12 Years a Slave, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, The Shape of Water, Birdman, 127 Hours and Slumdog Millionaire. Prior to Searchlight she held positions at Sony Pictures Classics, Miramax and MK2 USA. Whelan started her career at Orion...
- 3/25/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights to Maria Schrader’s “I’m Your Man,” which won the Berlinale’s Silver Bear for leading performance for Maren Eggert. The film, which also stars Dan Stevens, will be released in theaters later this year with a VOD release to follow.
In the film, Eggert plays Alma, a scientist coerced into participating in an extraordinary study in order to obtain research funds for her work. For three weeks, she has to live with a humanoid robot tailored to her character and needs, whose artificial intelligence is designed to be the perfect life partner for her. Enter Tom (Stevens), a machine in human form in a class of its own, created solely to make her happy.
“Maria has created such a funny and touching story of love and connection that one questions what it means to be human,” said Andrew Karpen, CEO of Bleecker Street.
In the film, Eggert plays Alma, a scientist coerced into participating in an extraordinary study in order to obtain research funds for her work. For three weeks, she has to live with a humanoid robot tailored to her character and needs, whose artificial intelligence is designed to be the perfect life partner for her. Enter Tom (Stevens), a machine in human form in a class of its own, created solely to make her happy.
“Maria has created such a funny and touching story of love and connection that one questions what it means to be human,” said Andrew Karpen, CEO of Bleecker Street.
- 3/18/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are likely to look a lot different this year. Even with loosened restrictions on movie theaters, indoor dining, and other places frequented before the pandemic, bars have yet to return to their full glory, and if you’re the type to stay home, a movie marathon is a low-key way to spend the holiday.
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we rounded up a collection of films that are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. If you’re not already signed up with one (or more) of these streaming platforms, they all offer subscriptions at affordable prices. For example, Disney+ and Hulu have...
St. Patrick’s Day celebrations are likely to look a lot different this year. Even with loosened restrictions on movie theaters, indoor dining, and other places frequented before the pandemic, bars have yet to return to their full glory, and if you’re the type to stay home, a movie marathon is a low-key way to spend the holiday.
To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we rounded up a collection of films that are streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. If you’re not already signed up with one (or more) of these streaming platforms, they all offer subscriptions at affordable prices. For example, Disney+ and Hulu have...
- 3/17/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. Eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and will be displayed next to revision date.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been analyzed...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Golden Globe Predictions:
Best Motion Picture (Comedy Or Musical)
Updated: Feb. 24, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Golden Globes nominations were announced on Feb. 3, with Netflix’s “Mank” from David Fincher leading with six nods. As the ceremony approaches on Feb. 28, the categories have been analyzed...
- 2/24/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Jon Hamm and Tina Fey will reunite and star in the next film from director John Slattery, a dark comedy called “Maggie Moore(s).”
Hamm and Fey have starred together on “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” while Hamm and Slattery are both veterans of “Mad Men.”
“Maggie Moore(s)”, which will be Slattery’s follow-up to “God’s Pocket” from 2014, is a dark comedy about a police chief in a small town who is suddenly faced with back-to-back murders of two women with the exact same name. Paul Bernbaum (“Hollywoodland”) wrote the screenplay.
Endeavor Content is representing the film’s international sales at the European Film Market. Contentious Media is financing. Endeavor Content, Gersh and CAA Media Finance are representing domestic sales.
Slattery will also produce “Maggie Moore(s)” along with Cary Woods. Vincent Newman, Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi will executive produce.
As an actor, John Slattery most recently...
Hamm and Fey have starred together on “30 Rock” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” while Hamm and Slattery are both veterans of “Mad Men.”
“Maggie Moore(s)”, which will be Slattery’s follow-up to “God’s Pocket” from 2014, is a dark comedy about a police chief in a small town who is suddenly faced with back-to-back murders of two women with the exact same name. Paul Bernbaum (“Hollywoodland”) wrote the screenplay.
Endeavor Content is representing the film’s international sales at the European Film Market. Contentious Media is financing. Endeavor Content, Gersh and CAA Media Finance are representing domestic sales.
Slattery will also produce “Maggie Moore(s)” along with Cary Woods. Vincent Newman, Ross Kohn and Nancy Leopardi will executive produce.
As an actor, John Slattery most recently...
- 2/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Two films dominated VOD rankings last week. “Monster Hunter,” Paul W.S. Anderson’s video-game adaptation with his muse and wife Milla Jovovich, debuted on Premium VOD and “Greenland” after breakout success as a PVOD exclusive (no theaters in the U.S.) over the last two months reduced its price to $5.99 and immediately rebounded to lead in some as well.
“Monster Hunter” spent nine weekends as a theatrical exclusive and grossed $13.4 million domestically, for about $25 million worldwide. The film took a hit when Chinese officials banned it for content offensive to local sensibilities. (It would have been Sony’s first post-covid release in China.) It leads FandangoNow’s chart (based on revenue earned) and spent five days as #1 on Apple TV. It’s now #2 at Apple TV and GooglePlay, which lists by rentals.
“Greenland” is now #1 at Apple TV and GooglePlay. Considering the word-of-mouth generated since its December 25 home-only release at...
“Monster Hunter” spent nine weekends as a theatrical exclusive and grossed $13.4 million domestically, for about $25 million worldwide. The film took a hit when Chinese officials banned it for content offensive to local sensibilities. (It would have been Sony’s first post-covid release in China.) It leads FandangoNow’s chart (based on revenue earned) and spent five days as #1 on Apple TV. It’s now #2 at Apple TV and GooglePlay, which lists by rentals.
“Greenland” is now #1 at Apple TV and GooglePlay. Considering the word-of-mouth generated since its December 25 home-only release at...
- 2/23/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Amazon has set the Season 2 cast for its half-hour romantic anthology series Modern Love, based on The New York Times column. The new season was filmed in Albany, New York City, Schenectady, and Troy, New York and Dublin, Ireland, and will premiere on Prime Video later this year in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Joining the Season 2 cast are Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black), Minnie Driver (Cinderella), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Telci Huynh (God Friended Me), Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon), Aparna Nancherla (Corporate), Larry Owens (High Maintenance), Zane Pais (Room 104), Anna Paquin (Flack), Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen), Ben Rappaport (For the People), Milan Ray (Troop Zero...
Joining the Season 2 cast are Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Deuce), Susan Blackwell (Madam Secretary), Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Tom Burke (Mank), Zoe Chao (Love Life), Maria Dizzia (Orange is the New Black), Minnie Driver (Cinderella), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah), Kathryn Gallagher (Jagged Little Pill), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Telci Huynh (God Friended Me), Nikki M. James (Book of Mormon), Aparna Nancherla (Corporate), Larry Owens (High Maintenance), Zane Pais (Room 104), Anna Paquin (Flack), Isaac Powell (Dear Evan Hansen), Ben Rappaport (For the People), Milan Ray (Troop Zero...
- 2/22/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The Amazon anthology series “Modern Love” has announced its main cast for Season 2.
Season 2 of the series will feature episodes starring: Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Anna Paquin (“Flack”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You”), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl”), Lulu Wilson (“The Glorias”), Don Wycherley (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), and Jeena Yi (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”).
Variety exclusively reported last week that Minnie Driver...
Season 2 of the series will feature episodes starring: Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), newcomer Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Anna Paquin (“Flack”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You”), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl”), Lulu Wilson (“The Glorias”), Don Wycherley (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), and Jeena Yi (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”).
Variety exclusively reported last week that Minnie Driver...
- 2/22/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon has added 29 actors to the cast of “Modern Love” Season 2, which is shaping up to be as star-studded as the first season of the romantic anthology was, with names like Kit Harington, Anna Paquin and Minnie Driver, just to name a few.
Along with those three, other stars of Season 2 include Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You” S2), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl...
Along with those three, other stars of Season 2 include Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Deuce”), Susan Blackwell (“Madam Secretary”), Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), Tom Burke (“Mank”), Zoe Chao (“Love Life”), Maria Dizzia (“Orange is the New Black”), Grace Edwards, Dominique Fishback (“Judas and the Black Messiah”), Kathryn Gallagher (“Jagged Little Pill”), Garrett Hedlund (“Mudbound”), Telci Huynh (“God Friended Me”), Nikki M. James (“Book of Mormon”), Aparna Nancherla (“Corporate”), Larry Owens (“High Maintenance”), Zane Pais (“Room 104”), Isaac Powell (“Dear Evan Hansen”), Ben Rappaport (“For the People”), Milan Ray (“Troop Zero”), Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”), Miranda Richardson (“Stronger”), Marquis Rodriguez (“When They See Us”), James Scully (“You” S2), Zuzanna Szadkowski (“Gossip Girl...
- 2/22/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
John Patrick Shanley, the Oscar and Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, is best known for writing the scripts for the Cher/Nicolas Cage romance Moonstruck and for writing and directing two very different movies: 1990’s Joe Versus the Volcano and 2008’s Doubt. But Shanley re-entered the zeitgeist last year with his absolutely bonkers romantic drama Wild Mountain Thyme, […]
The post ‘The Twinkle Brothers’: ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ Director Tackling Whimsical Movie About Two Rival Restaurant Owners appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘The Twinkle Brothers’: ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ Director Tackling Whimsical Movie About Two Rival Restaurant Owners appeared first on /Film.
- 2/18/2021
- by Ben Pearson
- Slash Film
“Moonstruck” and “Wild Mountain Thyme” writer John Patrick Shanley is no stranger to complicated family dynamics.
The Oscar and Pulitzer-winning author will explore sibling rivalry with “The Twinkle Brothers.” The upcoming comedy, which Shanley will write and direct for Rivulet Media, recounts a story told by avuncular café owner Mordecai, who, when tasked with the responsibility of looking after his precocious six-year-old granddaughter Rita for an afternoon, spins her a yarn about Freddie and Miguel, two insanely competitive brothers from Puerto Rico. They move to New York and end up with rival restaurants directly across the street from one another. The brothers stop at nothing to be the best on the block, ratcheting up the competition to the delight of their neighbors who are treated to bizarrely spectacular light shows, dueling Santas, and seemingly endless plates of delicious and comforting food. Casting is underway with filming to begin in New York this fall.
The Oscar and Pulitzer-winning author will explore sibling rivalry with “The Twinkle Brothers.” The upcoming comedy, which Shanley will write and direct for Rivulet Media, recounts a story told by avuncular café owner Mordecai, who, when tasked with the responsibility of looking after his precocious six-year-old granddaughter Rita for an afternoon, spins her a yarn about Freddie and Miguel, two insanely competitive brothers from Puerto Rico. They move to New York and end up with rival restaurants directly across the street from one another. The brothers stop at nothing to be the best on the block, ratcheting up the competition to the delight of their neighbors who are treated to bizarrely spectacular light shows, dueling Santas, and seemingly endless plates of delicious and comforting food. Casting is underway with filming to begin in New York this fall.
- 2/17/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Just as the Super Bowl traditionally inhibits studios from releasing new titles to theaters, there were few fresh films available on home platforms. As a result, four titles — all previously ranked #1 on multiple charts — took the top spots again. The exception was Netflix, which debuted “Malcolm & Marie” February 5. Starring Zendaya and John David Washington, it immediately became the streamer’s most-watched film.
Long-running, still-Premium VOD titles “Greenland” and “News of the World,” along with $5.99 rentals “Tenet” and “Let Him Go,” are this week’s chart toppers. “News” and “Tenet” made all four lists (as did “The War with Grandpa”). “Let Him Go” failed to make Spectrum’s top 10, with its price reduction coming too late to impact the list.
There were a few surprises. Why is “2067,” an Australian science-fiction film starring Ryan Kwanten and Kodi Smit McPhee, available for $0.99 at Apple? (It’s more expensive elsewhere.) “Promising Young Woman,...
Long-running, still-Premium VOD titles “Greenland” and “News of the World,” along with $5.99 rentals “Tenet” and “Let Him Go,” are this week’s chart toppers. “News” and “Tenet” made all four lists (as did “The War with Grandpa”). “Let Him Go” failed to make Spectrum’s top 10, with its price reduction coming too late to impact the list.
There were a few surprises. Why is “2067,” an Australian science-fiction film starring Ryan Kwanten and Kodi Smit McPhee, available for $0.99 at Apple? (It’s more expensive elsewhere.) “Promising Young Woman,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
With continued paucity of product from the US and other international territories, Australian films remain the main event at the box office.
Showing incredible legs, Robert Connolly’s The Dry is still the no. 1 title, earning just under $1.2 million across its sixth weekend, a drop of just 18 per cent.
The mystery drama, based on the novel by Jane Harper, has now made $16.2 million in total for Roadshow Films. That figure makes The Dry the 17th highest grossing Australian film of all time (without adjusting for inflation), and the fourth highest performing local film of the last decade behind Lion, The Dressmaker and Red Dog.
Fellow Roadshow drama Penguin Bloom, directed by Glendyn Ivin and produced by the same production company as The Dry, Made Up Stories, remains in the number two spot. In its third frame, the Naomi Watts-starrer earned $729,269, a fall of 43 per cent, to bring takings to $5.2 million.
Showing incredible legs, Robert Connolly’s The Dry is still the no. 1 title, earning just under $1.2 million across its sixth weekend, a drop of just 18 per cent.
The mystery drama, based on the novel by Jane Harper, has now made $16.2 million in total for Roadshow Films. That figure makes The Dry the 17th highest grossing Australian film of all time (without adjusting for inflation), and the fourth highest performing local film of the last decade behind Lion, The Dressmaker and Red Dog.
Fellow Roadshow drama Penguin Bloom, directed by Glendyn Ivin and produced by the same production company as The Dry, Made Up Stories, remains in the number two spot. In its third frame, the Naomi Watts-starrer earned $729,269, a fall of 43 per cent, to bring takings to $5.2 million.
- 2/8/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
“The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “One Night in Miami,” “Da 5 Bloods,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Minari” are among the top nominees from AARP The Magazine’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards, which were announced on Monday.
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” led all films with six nominations in the 15 film categories, followed by Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” with five. But of those films, only “Chicago 7” and “One Night” were nominated in the top category, Best Movie for Grownups, along with “Minari,” “Nomadland” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”
The six nominations for “Da 5 Bloods” included best director for Lee, best actor for Delroy Lindo, best supporting actor for Clark Peters and best ensemble.
Other films that were conspicuously missing from the Best...
Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” led all films with six nominations in the 15 film categories, followed by Regina King’s “One Night in Miami” and George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” with five. But of those films, only “Chicago 7” and “One Night” were nominated in the top category, Best Movie for Grownups, along with “Minari,” “Nomadland” and “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.”
The six nominations for “Da 5 Bloods” included best director for Lee, best actor for Delroy Lindo, best supporting actor for Clark Peters and best ensemble.
Other films that were conspicuously missing from the Best...
- 2/8/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“Minari,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “The United States vs Billie Holiday” are vying for the Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups Award announced Monday by AARP The Magazine. AARP’s Movies for Grownups have for the past two decades promoted films for grownups by grownups, fighting for the 50-plus audience and industry ageism. The Movies for Grownups Awards also celebrate television.
“Each year at Movies for Grownups, we spotlight the films that feature today’s crucial issues and top grownup talents,” said Tim Appelo, AARP film and TV critic, in a statement. “In this pandemic year, when movies loomed larger than ever in our lives, we are excited to have a bumper crop of masterworks-and to recognize achievements on TV for the very first time.”
The Mfg Awards winners will be announced on March 4; Hodo Kotb of NBC’s “The Today Show...
“Each year at Movies for Grownups, we spotlight the films that feature today’s crucial issues and top grownup talents,” said Tim Appelo, AARP film and TV critic, in a statement. “In this pandemic year, when movies loomed larger than ever in our lives, we are excited to have a bumper crop of masterworks-and to recognize achievements on TV for the very first time.”
The Mfg Awards winners will be announced on March 4; Hodo Kotb of NBC’s “The Today Show...
- 2/8/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
An extended eligibility window and a heavy focus on streaming titles signaled for months that there would be shocks and surprises leading up to this year’s virtual Golden Globes ceremony. Scroll down for our list of the most unexpected snubs, and check out the full list of Golden Globe Awards film nominees.
The Globes are decided by the 90 or so international journalists who make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Perhaps the most shocking omission this year is the complete shut-out of “Da 5 Bloods.” The Netflix drama has performed well this awards season and was expected to pick up bids for Best Actor (Delroy Lindo) and Best Director (Spike Lee), but ultimately got nothing. Globe darling Meryl Streep was also excluded twice for her turns in “Let Them All Talk” and “The Prom,” despite the latter making her the category’s frontrunner going into the nominations.
SEE2020 Golden...
The Globes are decided by the 90 or so international journalists who make up the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Perhaps the most shocking omission this year is the complete shut-out of “Da 5 Bloods.” The Netflix drama has performed well this awards season and was expected to pick up bids for Best Actor (Delroy Lindo) and Best Director (Spike Lee), but ultimately got nothing. Globe darling Meryl Streep was also excluded twice for her turns in “Let Them All Talk” and “The Prom,” despite the latter making her the category’s frontrunner going into the nominations.
SEE2020 Golden...
- 2/3/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Meryl Streep is set to make history at the 2021 Golden Globes by extending her nominations record to a whopping 33 career bids thanks to Netflix’s “The Prom.” Streep may not stop there, though, as she’s also eligible this year for the HBO Max film “Let Them All Talk.” Will the film legend, who has a record eight Globe victories to her name, extend her nominations haul with not just one but two citations this year?
In our exclusive odds, which are based on the combined predictions of our users, Streep leads the Best Film Comedy/Musical Actress category for “The Prom.” In Ryan Murphy’s big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, Streep plays stage actress Dee Dee Allen, a hilarious narcissist who rounds up her circle of fellow fading theater stars to go to Indiana in support of high school student Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman...
In our exclusive odds, which are based on the combined predictions of our users, Streep leads the Best Film Comedy/Musical Actress category for “The Prom.” In Ryan Murphy’s big screen adaptation of the Broadway musical of the same name, Streep plays stage actress Dee Dee Allen, a hilarious narcissist who rounds up her circle of fellow fading theater stars to go to Indiana in support of high school student Emma Nolan (Jo Ellen Pellman...
- 2/3/2021
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
As the film awards season continues to take shape in this unconventional year, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 72nd annual Golden Globes will be one of the first big needle movers for contenders. For films, the voting body has an opportunity to recognize a larger group of films and performances with its comedy and drama splits among the categories.
This year, films like “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Mank,” both from Netflix, could lead the tally, currently predicted for five nominations, which would mirror the same nomination tally as last year’s “The Irishman” from Martin Scorsese.
There doesn’t seem to be one film that could dominate with a wide-open year that could dominate, as seen in previous years, or long-standing records being broken. Currently, Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the most nominations ever received with 11. Unless you’re predicting five men from Sorkin’s “Trial...
This year, films like “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and “Mank,” both from Netflix, could lead the tally, currently predicted for five nominations, which would mirror the same nomination tally as last year’s “The Irishman” from Martin Scorsese.
There doesn’t seem to be one film that could dominate with a wide-open year that could dominate, as seen in previous years, or long-standing records being broken. Currently, Robert Altman’s “Nashville” has the most nominations ever received with 11. Unless you’re predicting five men from Sorkin’s “Trial...
- 2/2/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Golden Globes announce their nominations on Wednesday morning, February 3, and we’ve been predicting who will make the cut for months. But there are a number of contenders who aren’t among our predicted nominees that I think we should watch for. Keep an eye out for these 13 potential surprises on Wednesday morning.
SEEGolden Globes will finally say ‘this is the way’ to ‘The Mandalorian’ in two key categories
Best Film Drama: “Da 5 Bloods”
(Currently ranked eighth with 44/1 odds)
We’re predicting a Best Director nomination for Spike Lee, but we’re not currently betting on the film in the top category. However, this timely film about Black soldiers returning to Vietnam decades after their service could strike a chord after year of Black Lives Matter protests. And the Globes have embraced Lee in the past, nominating him for directing “Do the Right Thing” (1989) even though the Oscars ultimately snubbed him.
SEEGolden Globes will finally say ‘this is the way’ to ‘The Mandalorian’ in two key categories
Best Film Drama: “Da 5 Bloods”
(Currently ranked eighth with 44/1 odds)
We’re predicting a Best Director nomination for Spike Lee, but we’re not currently betting on the film in the top category. However, this timely film about Black soldiers returning to Vietnam decades after their service could strike a chord after year of Black Lives Matter protests. And the Globes have embraced Lee in the past, nominating him for directing “Do the Right Thing” (1989) even though the Oscars ultimately snubbed him.
- 2/2/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Golden Globes announce their 2021 nominations on Wednesday, February 3 — later than usual, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In a normal awards cycle these prizes would’ve been handed out already, raising questions of how the pandemic and the extended awards timeline will affect the results.
But as of this writing more than 3,500 Gold Derby users have let us know here in our predictions center who they believe will be nominated and win. Scroll down to see who we’re betting on in 11 film categories with nominees ranked in order of their racetrack odds, with our projected winners highlighted in gold and dark-horse contenders for nominations in italics.
SEENetflix’s ‘I Care a Lot’ could storm the Golden Globes before its release
Among our thousands of users whose combined predictions generated our racetrack odds are Expert journalists from major media outlets, the Editors who cover awards year-round for Gold Derby, the...
But as of this writing more than 3,500 Gold Derby users have let us know here in our predictions center who they believe will be nominated and win. Scroll down to see who we’re betting on in 11 film categories with nominees ranked in order of their racetrack odds, with our projected winners highlighted in gold and dark-horse contenders for nominations in italics.
SEENetflix’s ‘I Care a Lot’ could storm the Golden Globes before its release
Among our thousands of users whose combined predictions generated our racetrack odds are Expert journalists from major media outlets, the Editors who cover awards year-round for Gold Derby, the...
- 2/2/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is a sociable group — its roughly 90 members meet for press conferences and screenings in Los Angeles, take junket trips together to movie sets around the world, attend countless receptions over the course of awards season and then celebrate at a crowded awards show surrounded by so many parties that the Los Angeles fire marshal must have nightmares for months. But they haven’t been able to do any of those things during the pandemic, which makes it much harder to predict what we’ll see when nominations for the 78th annual Golden Globe Awards are announced on Wednesday.
After a rough year in which the members met only virtually, and in which their president, Lorenzo Soria, died at the age of 68, the kind of post-screening chatter that gave some sense of what the voters were thinking has been absent. But here are our best guesses...
After a rough year in which the members met only virtually, and in which their president, Lorenzo Soria, died at the age of 68, the kind of post-screening chatter that gave some sense of what the voters were thinking has been absent. But here are our best guesses...
- 2/2/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“Soul” is in, but “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” is out: That’s the message the Academy’s music branch is sending to members who began voting today for the shortlists for both song and score.
Disney-Pixar’s “Soul” has been declared eligible for the original-score Oscar, but the song from Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was missing from the song list, indicating that the music-branch executive committee disqualified it from consideration.
Voters from the Academy’s approximately 375-member music branch will choose 15 songs and 15 scores for the shortlists (to be announced Feb. 9) that will be the basis for final voting for the five nominees in each category. The Academy qualified 105 songs and 136 scores.
The biggest question was: would “Soul” qualify for original score? It initially appeared doubtful, as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s dramatic score constituted less than the required 60 percent of total music in the film; and Jon Batiste’s jazz,...
Disney-Pixar’s “Soul” has been declared eligible for the original-score Oscar, but the song from Netflix’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was missing from the song list, indicating that the music-branch executive committee disqualified it from consideration.
Voters from the Academy’s approximately 375-member music branch will choose 15 songs and 15 scores for the shortlists (to be announced Feb. 9) that will be the basis for final voting for the five nominees in each category. The Academy qualified 105 songs and 136 scores.
The biggest question was: would “Soul” qualify for original score? It initially appeared doubtful, as Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s dramatic score constituted less than the required 60 percent of total music in the film; and Jon Batiste’s jazz,...
- 2/1/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
As voting opens for the Oscar shortlists on Feb. 1, the picture is slowly coming into focus: Academy composers and songwriters are faced with one of the most diverse batches of scores they’ve ever heard.
The approximately 350 members of the Academy music branch are sifting through dozens of films to try and single out 15 scores and 15 songs worthy of placement on its shortlists, which will be revealed Feb. 9. These preliminary choices will be narrowed down to five final nominees in each category, to be announced March 15.
Best Original Score
It’s a surprisingly competitive year, making predictions even more difficult. But the music branch likes to reward familiar names, so look for such past winners as Alexandre Desplat (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) for his alternately melancholy and hopeful score for “The Midnight Sky”; Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) for his propulsive, synth-orchestra hybrid for the intense spy thriller “Tenet”; and Howard Shore...
The approximately 350 members of the Academy music branch are sifting through dozens of films to try and single out 15 scores and 15 songs worthy of placement on its shortlists, which will be revealed Feb. 9. These preliminary choices will be narrowed down to five final nominees in each category, to be announced March 15.
Best Original Score
It’s a surprisingly competitive year, making predictions even more difficult. But the music branch likes to reward familiar names, so look for such past winners as Alexandre Desplat (“Grand Budapest Hotel”) for his alternately melancholy and hopeful score for “The Midnight Sky”; Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) for his propulsive, synth-orchestra hybrid for the intense spy thriller “Tenet”; and Howard Shore...
- 1/29/2021
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
John Patrick Shanley, who created the classic, Moonstruck, brings his sweeping romantic vision to Ireland with Wild Mountain Thyme. The headstrong farmer Rosemary Muldoon (Emily Blunt) has her heart set on winning her neighbor Anthony Reilly’s love. The problem is Anthony (Jamie Dornan) seems to have inherited a family curse, and remains oblivious to his beautiful admirer. Stung by his father Tony Reilly’s (Christopher Walken) plans to sell the family farm to his American nephew (Jon Hamm), Anthony is jolted into pursuing his dreams in this comedic, moving and wildly romantic tale.
With the purchase of Wild Mountain Thyme on disc or digital, fans are eligible to earn points towards special rewards via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. Members can redeem their points for digital movies, signed collectables, box sets, win exclusive prizes and more! For Free registration and details please visit www.MyUniversalRewards.com.
Wild Mountain Thyme...
With the purchase of Wild Mountain Thyme on disc or digital, fans are eligible to earn points towards special rewards via the Universal All-Access Rewards program. Members can redeem their points for digital movies, signed collectables, box sets, win exclusive prizes and more! For Free registration and details please visit www.MyUniversalRewards.com.
Wild Mountain Thyme...
- 1/29/2021
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Academy Award nominees Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo have entered the Oscar race with Lionsgate’s “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.” The comedic duo, along with songwriter Mark Jonathan Davis (better known as his stage name Richard Cheese), are submitting the hilarious number “I Love Boobies.” In a Variety exclusive, we have a 30-second clip of the song, details surrounding the awards campaign and its chances in the race.
The film tells the story of two best friends, Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig), who go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Fla., and find themselves in way over their heads. The movie features a lively and amusing cast that includes Jamie Dornan (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), Damon Wayans Jr (“Cherry”), Vanessa Bayer (“Wander Darkly”), Phyllis Smith (“Inside Out”), Andy Garcia (“Words on Bathroom Walls”) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Sylvie’s Love”).
With the shortlist voting opening for the Academy Awards on Monday,...
The film tells the story of two best friends, Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig), who go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Fla., and find themselves in way over their heads. The movie features a lively and amusing cast that includes Jamie Dornan (“Wild Mountain Thyme”), Damon Wayans Jr (“Cherry”), Vanessa Bayer (“Wander Darkly”), Phyllis Smith (“Inside Out”), Andy Garcia (“Words on Bathroom Walls”) and Wendi McLendon-Covey (“Sylvie’s Love”).
With the shortlist voting opening for the Academy Awards on Monday,...
- 1/27/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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