Indie News
Exclusive: Following his massive victory against Tyson Fury to become the newly crowned Undisputed World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Oleksandr Usyk has found his next opponent on the big screen as he is set to join the cast of A24’s The Smashing Machine as Mma legend Igor Vovchanchyn. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Academy Award-nominated Emily Blunt.
The pic is written and directed by Benny Safdie and produced and financed by A24. The film is based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’
The news comes after Johnson revealed the first image from the film which features an unrecognizable Johnson in the corner of the ring getting ready for a match. The...
The pic is written and directed by Benny Safdie and produced and financed by A24. The film is based on the story of Mark Kerr, the legendary Mma fighter from the no-holds-barred era of the UFC at the peak of his career. He struggles with addiction, winning, love and friendship in the year 2000.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in A24’s ‘The Smashing Machine’
The news comes after Johnson revealed the first image from the film which features an unrecognizable Johnson in the corner of the ring getting ready for a match. The...
- 5/24/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Sideshow and Janus Films scooped up another buzzy title out of Cannes, acquiring It’s Not Me from French auteur Leos Carax (Holy Motors, Annette) for North America.
An autobiographical collage of old and new footage, referencing everything from silent movies and Hollywood Golden Age classics to scenes from his own work and personal home movies, It’s Not Me pays direct homage to the late, great Jean-Luc Godard in its deconstruction of the language of cinema and the treacheries of auto-fiction.
Commenting on his cinematic “self-portrait,” Carax said: “Lots of painters have done theirs, of course. I tried to make mine without any mirror. A self-portrait seen from behind. Or, like in a dream dreamed many years ago: How come I can see myself in that mirror, even though my eyes are closed?—and when I check in the mirror, my eyes are indeed closed.”
It’s Not Me...
An autobiographical collage of old and new footage, referencing everything from silent movies and Hollywood Golden Age classics to scenes from his own work and personal home movies, It’s Not Me pays direct homage to the late, great Jean-Luc Godard in its deconstruction of the language of cinema and the treacheries of auto-fiction.
Commenting on his cinematic “self-portrait,” Carax said: “Lots of painters have done theirs, of course. I tried to make mine without any mirror. A self-portrait seen from behind. Or, like in a dream dreamed many years ago: How come I can see myself in that mirror, even though my eyes are closed?—and when I check in the mirror, my eyes are indeed closed.”
It’s Not Me...
- 5/25/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kodak, which had a momentous 2023 with more than 60 movies shot on film has gotten off to a promising start in 2024 with Luca Guadignino’s “Challengers” and Jane Shoenbrun’s “I Saw the TV Glow, which A24 released wide May 17. Upcoming releases include Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu.”
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 23 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
Meanwhile, Kodak premiered 29 movies shot on film at Cannes. These include five features competing for the Palme d’Or: Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Kinds of Kindness,” Sean Baker’s “Anora,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” Karim Aïnouz’s “Motel Destino,” and Miguel Gomes’ “Grand Tour.”
Additionally, four movies are featured in Un Certain Regard, and 16 titles across Directors’ Fortnight and Critics’ Week were captured on film. Meanwhile, 16mm film continues to prove its popularity and relevance, with 23 of the on-film titles at the festival choosing it as their capture medium.
This article was first published January 27, 2024. It has been updated.
Cannes 2024 Premieres ‘Kinds...
- 5/27/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Perhaps Thor got hit in the head with his own hammer. Chris Hemsworth, speaking to Variety in the lead-up to the reveal of his Hollywood Walk of Fame this past week, the Marvel hero and “Furiosa” villain acknowledged the imposter syndrome he feels receiving this honor — especially because he thought he’d already received it in the past.
“I’ll tell you a funny story,” said Hemsworth. “At least I hope it’s funny — it might make me look like an idiot. But I’ll take the risk.”
Hemsworth recalled when he and the cast of “Avengers: Endgame” were asked to cast their handprints in cement outside Tcl Chinese Theater in Hollywood. He said of the event, “I thought that was the Walk of Fame! So when we did it, I thought, ‘Oh cool, I’m getting a star.’ And someone told me, ‘No, that’s not what this is.
“I’ll tell you a funny story,” said Hemsworth. “At least I hope it’s funny — it might make me look like an idiot. But I’ll take the risk.”
Hemsworth recalled when he and the cast of “Avengers: Endgame” were asked to cast their handprints in cement outside Tcl Chinese Theater in Hollywood. He said of the event, “I thought that was the Walk of Fame! So when we did it, I thought, ‘Oh cool, I’m getting a star.’ And someone told me, ‘No, that’s not what this is.
- 5/25/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
When Taylor Swift took over The AMC at The Grove to debut “The Eras Tour” last October, cars wrapped around the block. With the official kickoff event for what would become a $261.6 million box office hit filling auditoriums with celebrities — while outside hundreds of screaming fans swarmed the luxury mall’s towering parking deck and famed Cheesecake Factory Observational Deck — it seemed as though presidential motorcades had inconvenienced SoCal less than a single night at the movies with planet Earth’s favorite pop star.
No one is complaining about a visit from Taylor Swift, of course; least of all the film lovers who in 2023 rightly hailed her as a dark horse savior of cinema in a dire time. Still, when contrasted with Lady Gaga’s pared-down world premiere for HBO’s “Gaga Chromatica Ball” — a tidy event with an enthusiastic but small line on the sidewalk and a single-block road...
No one is complaining about a visit from Taylor Swift, of course; least of all the film lovers who in 2023 rightly hailed her as a dark horse savior of cinema in a dire time. Still, when contrasted with Lady Gaga’s pared-down world premiere for HBO’s “Gaga Chromatica Ball” — a tidy event with an enthusiastic but small line on the sidewalk and a single-block road...
- 5/25/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2024 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 13 to June 24, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 17. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 15 and ends the night of August 26. The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 15, and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
Counter to initial expectations, “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” has been submitted in the Outstanding Talk Series category rather than the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category for the 2024 Emmys. While it is not a complete shock, as scripted-variety would be...
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
Counter to initial expectations, “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” has been submitted in the Outstanding Talk Series category rather than the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series category for the 2024 Emmys. While it is not a complete shock, as scripted-variety would be...
- 5/25/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Cannes – If you were to have asked us just 48 hours ago whether we believed Cannes would be sending another Best Picture nominee to the Academy Awards we would have been hesitant to answer yes. Now, following Sean Baker’s “Anorma” winning the Palme d’Or, it looks like Cannes’ Oscar streak will continue. Especially if Neon has anything to say about it.
Read More: Sean Baker’s “Anora” wins the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival [Complete List]
The independent distributor has now secured North American distribution for five straight Palme d’Or winners beginning with “Parasite” in 2019.
Continue reading Did Another Best Picture Nominee Debut At Cannes? at The Playlist.
Read More: Sean Baker’s “Anora” wins the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival [Complete List]
The independent distributor has now secured North American distribution for five straight Palme d’Or winners beginning with “Parasite” in 2019.
Continue reading Did Another Best Picture Nominee Debut At Cannes? at The Playlist.
- 5/25/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
We will update this article throughout the season, along with all our predictions, so make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest news from the 2024 Emmys race. The nomination round of voting takes place from June 13 to June 24, with the official Emmy nominations announced Wednesday, July 17. Afterwards, final voting commences on August 15 and ends the night of August 26. The 76th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards are set to take place on Sunday, September 15, and air live on ABC at 8:00 p.m. Et/ 5:00 p.m. Pt.
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
Out goes “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” in the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series race, and in comes “The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman” (though the Netflix series not being on the streaming service’s own For Your Consideration webpage...
See our previous thoughts on what to expect at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards here.
The State of the Race
Out goes “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in L.A.” in the Outstanding Scripted Variety Series race, and in comes “The Magic Prank Show with Justin Willman” (though the Netflix series not being on the streaming service’s own For Your Consideration webpage...
- 5/25/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Ebon Moss-Bachrach may soon be a household name due to his standout supporting role as Richie Jerimovich on the hit FX (for Hulu) television series “The Bear.” And if that doesn’t do it, perhaps his recently announced casting as Ben Grimm aka The Thing in Marvel’s film version of “The Fantastic Four” will.
Of course, there are some who have been all-in on Moss-Bachrach since his performance as Desi on HBO’s “Girls.” Those playing catchup on his career should perhaps start with an even-earlier role that stands out for many now in retrospect — a brief appearance as Frederick the bellboy in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” With a mop of floppy curls under a round hotel cap, Moss-Bachrach was only 23 at the time of filming, but held his own against scene partner and legendary screen actor Gene Hackman.
“He’s a pro,” said Moss-Bachrach of Hackman during a profile in GQ.
Of course, there are some who have been all-in on Moss-Bachrach since his performance as Desi on HBO’s “Girls.” Those playing catchup on his career should perhaps start with an even-earlier role that stands out for many now in retrospect — a brief appearance as Frederick the bellboy in Wes Anderson’s “The Royal Tenenbaums.” With a mop of floppy curls under a round hotel cap, Moss-Bachrach was only 23 at the time of filming, but held his own against scene partner and legendary screen actor Gene Hackman.
“He’s a pro,” said Moss-Bachrach of Hackman during a profile in GQ.
- 5/25/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Cannes – After 12 days of screenings, the Cannes Film Festival has drawn to a close. That means it’s time for Greta Gerwig and her jury to reveal the winners of the competition section of the festival. This year, the nine jury members selected Sean Baker’s “Anora” as the winner of the prestigious Palme d’Or.
Read More: “The Seed Of The Sacred Fig” Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s searing indictment of modern Iran [Cannes]
Three of the last four Palme winners, “Parasite,” “The Triangle of Sadness,” and “Anatomy of a Fall” earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Continue reading Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ Wins Palme d’Or At 2024 Cannes Film Festival at The Playlist.
Read More: “The Seed Of The Sacred Fig” Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s searing indictment of modern Iran [Cannes]
Three of the last four Palme winners, “Parasite,” “The Triangle of Sadness,” and “Anatomy of a Fall” earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Continue reading Sean Baker’s ‘Anora’ Wins Palme d’Or At 2024 Cannes Film Festival at The Playlist.
- 5/25/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival is finally coming to a close — but not without a big splash. Crossing the Croissette one last time, stars and filmmakers alike are about to find out who’s taking home this year’s prizes.
Guessing the Palme d’Or winner has become a beloved pastime for fans and critics alike, but the best part of any Cannes Awards ceremony are the surprises. This year’s jury, led by Greta Gerwig and including Lily Gladstone, Ebru Ceylan, Eva Green, Nadine Labaki, J.A. Bayona, Pierfrancesco Favino, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Omar Sy, has been pretty tight-lipped about its preferences, but there are certainly a few standouts amongst the 22 films in competition.
“Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making passion project saw him return to Cannes after many years, but was met with a mixed response despite IndieWire’s own appreciation for the film. One of the real standouts of...
Guessing the Palme d’Or winner has become a beloved pastime for fans and critics alike, but the best part of any Cannes Awards ceremony are the surprises. This year’s jury, led by Greta Gerwig and including Lily Gladstone, Ebru Ceylan, Eva Green, Nadine Labaki, J.A. Bayona, Pierfrancesco Favino, Hirokazu Kore-eda, and Omar Sy, has been pretty tight-lipped about its preferences, but there are certainly a few standouts amongst the 22 films in competition.
“Megalopolis,” Francis Ford Coppola’s decades-in-the-making passion project saw him return to Cannes after many years, but was met with a mixed response despite IndieWire’s own appreciation for the film. One of the real standouts of...
- 5/25/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
The hype out of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, for those far-flung and on the ground, tells one story: This was among the weaker lineups in recent memory.
Sure, huge stories broke out of the festival, from Francis Ford Coppola’s distribution push for his self-funded, decades-in-the-making passion project “Megalopolis” to Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fleeing his home country after being sentenced to eight years in prison, finally making it to Cannes with his new film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” This journey inspired the jury to award him and his film a Special Prize (Prix Spécial).
Elsewhere in the official selection, Un Certain Regard already handed out its prizes on Friday from a jury led by Xavier Dolan and including Maïmouna Doucouré, Asmae El Moudir, Vicky Krieps, and Todd McCarthy. Among the top winners were Roberto Minervini (“The Damned”) and Rungano Nyoni (“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”) tying for Best Director,...
Sure, huge stories broke out of the festival, from Francis Ford Coppola’s distribution push for his self-funded, decades-in-the-making passion project “Megalopolis” to Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof fleeing his home country after being sentenced to eight years in prison, finally making it to Cannes with his new film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” This journey inspired the jury to award him and his film a Special Prize (Prix Spécial).
Elsewhere in the official selection, Un Certain Regard already handed out its prizes on Friday from a jury led by Xavier Dolan and including Maïmouna Doucouré, Asmae El Moudir, Vicky Krieps, and Todd McCarthy. Among the top winners were Roberto Minervini (“The Damned”) and Rungano Nyoni (“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”) tying for Best Director,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
For many, summer means getting outside, hittin’ the beach or the pool, and taking in some rays, but on those truly blazing-hot days, there’s nothing quite like the cool embrace of an air-conditioned movie theater with drinks and snacks delivered right to your seat. Alamo Drafthouse knows this. It also knows that taking your family to the theater nowadays isn’t cheap, so the theater chain is bringing back their $5 Alamo Kids Camp tickets. All proceeds will support nonprofits like St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“Created to provide maximum fun with maximum value, Alamo Kids Camp combines family favorite films with $5 tickets for everyone — little kids, big kids, and grown-up kids,” a statement from Alamo Drafthouse reads. “From June through August, guests can enjoy recent animated hits like the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies and ‘Minions’, live-action adventures like ‘Matilda’ and ‘Peter Pan,’ and timeless classics like...
“Created to provide maximum fun with maximum value, Alamo Kids Camp combines family favorite films with $5 tickets for everyone — little kids, big kids, and grown-up kids,” a statement from Alamo Drafthouse reads. “From June through August, guests can enjoy recent animated hits like the ‘Spider-Verse’ movies and ‘Minions’, live-action adventures like ‘Matilda’ and ‘Peter Pan,’ and timeless classics like...
- 5/25/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Demi Moore almost walked away from acting before making her Cannes debut in “The Substance.”
The iconic actress who has graced the screen since the 1980s told Entertainment Weekly that she was “questioning [her] own ability” in Hollywood for the last four years.
“It’s not like I ever officially ‘left,’ but I understand the sentiment and appreciate it because there hasn’t been a project or a role that has come along that has been this dynamic for me to really dive into and sink my teeth into,” Moore said. “I went through a period of even questioning whether this is what I should still be doing. In the last four years or so, I felt that it was a personal question that I wanted to explore and see: ‘Was this where I should be putting my energy?’ When you plant seeds, you wait to see what grows.”
She added...
The iconic actress who has graced the screen since the 1980s told Entertainment Weekly that she was “questioning [her] own ability” in Hollywood for the last four years.
“It’s not like I ever officially ‘left,’ but I understand the sentiment and appreciate it because there hasn’t been a project or a role that has come along that has been this dynamic for me to really dive into and sink my teeth into,” Moore said. “I went through a period of even questioning whether this is what I should still be doing. In the last four years or so, I felt that it was a personal question that I wanted to explore and see: ‘Was this where I should be putting my energy?’ When you plant seeds, you wait to see what grows.”
She added...
- 5/25/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In the late 1980s, Bruce Joel Rubin was a screenwriter with two interesting credits on his resume — “Brainstorm” (1983) and “Deadly Friend” (1986) — and a screenplay (“Jacob’s Ladder”) that everyone in Los Angeles agreed was terrific but which no one at the studios would green light. Rubin’s fortunes and reputation changed seemingly overnight on July 13, 1990, when his romantic thriller “Ghost” opened and became a worldwide smash. A few months later, “Jacob’s Ladder,” which had finally been brought to the screen by director Adrian Lyne, opened as well, and Rubin’s status as one of Hollywood’s top screenwriters was secure.
While “Ghost” ultimately garnered Rubin an Academy Award and went on to become a classic — one of those rare cases where personal expression seamlessly intersected with popular and artistic success — its path to the screen wasn’t always smooth. In the following exclusive excerpt from Rubin’s new memoir, “It’s Only a Movie,...
While “Ghost” ultimately garnered Rubin an Academy Award and went on to become a classic — one of those rare cases where personal expression seamlessly intersected with popular and artistic success — its path to the screen wasn’t always smooth. In the following exclusive excerpt from Rubin’s new memoir, “It’s Only a Movie,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
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: Scared of a Spider Bite Birthing a Thousand Spiders on Your Face? In ‘The Manitou,’ It’s Worse.
At a certain point in time, we lived in a world where we could wander into a movie playing on some random network (Rip Upn) and get sucked in with no knowledge of what it was, the behind-the-scenes stories it held, or even a whiff of IMDb trivia. It was a sad, bleak era. That is how I happened upon “The Manitou” one lazy summer Sunday. Everything about this oddball horror movie...
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: Scared of a Spider Bite Birthing a Thousand Spiders on Your Face? In ‘The Manitou,’ It’s Worse.
At a certain point in time, we lived in a world where we could wander into a movie playing on some random network (Rip Upn) and get sucked in with no knowledge of what it was, the behind-the-scenes stories it held, or even a whiff of IMDb trivia. It was a sad, bleak era. That is how I happened upon “The Manitou” one lazy summer Sunday. Everything about this oddball horror movie...
- 5/25/2024
- by Mark Peikert and Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Typically, reboot film franchises don’t surpass the originals. The first films are so iconic and firmly entrenched in the popular consciousness that the reboots get dinged for any changes they make — and sometimes the changes they don’t make. But there are exceptions — just check the “Planet of the Apes.” And maybe no film series inverts this trend more than “Mad Max.”
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
For decades, George Miller’s Australian apocalypse series was an iconic apocalyptic action series that helped create an entire sci-fi aesthetic in its own right. Starring Mel Gibson pre-fame, the trilogy of films from 1979 to 1985 were fondly remembered as an iconoclastic action franchise, with the second entry in particular often cracking lists of the best in the genre.
And yet, when Miller resurrected the franchise in 2015, he miraculously came back with a film that eclipsed all of them in respect and attention. “Mad Max: Fury Road” wasn...
- 5/25/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Jane Schoenbrun wants weirdness to know no genre boundary. Following their breakout Sundance hit film “I Saw the TV Glow” and the long publicity tour that followed, Schoenbrun is looking forward to taking a bit of a break, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have ideas in the tank, ready to go when called upon. Speaking with friend and collaborator Brigette Lundy-Paine for the A24 podcast, Schoenbrun shared some of the concepts percolating in their mind as well as some failed pitches that pushed them to explore new mediums.
“I think I’d really like to make an Apatow style comedy,” Schoenbrun said to Lundy-Paine somewhat seriously, later adding, “I want to make a stoner comedy for reals. And I feel like I’m always trying to think of a movie concept worthy of Conor O’Malley. I’ve got a couple of good ones, but here’s one.
“I think I’d really like to make an Apatow style comedy,” Schoenbrun said to Lundy-Paine somewhat seriously, later adding, “I want to make a stoner comedy for reals. And I feel like I’m always trying to think of a movie concept worthy of Conor O’Malley. I’ve got a couple of good ones, but here’s one.
- 5/24/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Cannes – After screening “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” a world premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, one has to breathe a sigh of relief that director and screenwriter Mohammad Rasoulof is safely out of Iran. A victim of a politically motivated jail sentence for supporting the 2022 Masha Amini hijab protests, Rasoulof‘s latest feature will likely anger the Iranian government even more. Especially considering how brilliant “Sacred Fig” is at deconstructing the rampant injustice in the totalitarian state.
Continue reading ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s Searing Indictment Of Modern Iran [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Seed Of The Sacred Fig’ Review: Mohammad Rasoulof’s Searing Indictment Of Modern Iran [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Lady Gaga has been born a star but now, she’s transforming into DC comic book character Harley Quinn for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
The Oscar and Grammy winner teased her upcoming role alongside fellow Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker.” As Phoenix reprises his titular role as Arthur Fleck Aka the Joker, Gaga will play Harley from the “Batman the Animated Series” origins, as a bit different from Margot Robbie’s version of the character.
“You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters,” Gaga told Access Hollywood. “I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”
Margot Robbie brought Harley to life first in “Suicide Squad,” followed by spinoff “Birds of Prey” and quasi-reboot “The Suicide Squad.
The Oscar and Grammy winner teased her upcoming role alongside fellow Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to 2019 Batman prequel “Joker.” As Phoenix reprises his titular role as Arthur Fleck Aka the Joker, Gaga will play Harley from the “Batman the Animated Series” origins, as a bit different from Margot Robbie’s version of the character.
“You know my version of Harley is mine and it’s very authentic to this movie and these characters,” Gaga told Access Hollywood. “I’ve never done anything like I’ve done in this movie before, so it’s all going to be completely brand new and really fun.”
Margot Robbie brought Harley to life first in “Suicide Squad,” followed by spinoff “Birds of Prey” and quasi-reboot “The Suicide Squad.
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Welcome to My Favorite Scene! In this series, IndieWire speaks to actors behind a few of our favorite television performances about their personal-best onscreen moment and how it came together.
IndieWire caught Lamorne Morris on the road. Headed to work on an unnamed set in Los Angeles, the “Fargo” Season 5 actor joked about an overcast day and rush-hour traffic. Asked how he was faring, he quipped on speakerphone, “Oh, I’m good! I’m in the car, just driving at high speeds recklessly. Very, veeery recklessly.”
The former “New Girl” actor may be many years entrenched in the Hollywood grind, but Morris is native to Chicago. A childhood spent in the American midwest helped him with the accent and demeanor needed for Deputy Witt Farr. The North Dakota highway patrolman has a surprise encounter in Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” with the scrappy Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) and menacing...
IndieWire caught Lamorne Morris on the road. Headed to work on an unnamed set in Los Angeles, the “Fargo” Season 5 actor joked about an overcast day and rush-hour traffic. Asked how he was faring, he quipped on speakerphone, “Oh, I’m good! I’m in the car, just driving at high speeds recklessly. Very, veeery recklessly.”
The former “New Girl” actor may be many years entrenched in the Hollywood grind, but Morris is native to Chicago. A childhood spent in the American midwest helped him with the accent and demeanor needed for Deputy Witt Farr. The North Dakota highway patrolman has a surprise encounter in Episode 1 “The Tragedy of the Commons” with the scrappy Dot Lyon (Juno Temple) and menacing...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Everyone’s talking about where the Sundance Film Festival will live in the future, but a more compelling question may be this: How do independent filmmakers plan to distribute their films and create real careers when even Sundance — wherever it may be based — is not enough?
That’s not a knock on Sundance, or on any festival; it’s recognizance that the world has changed. Many films don’t sell, even at Sundance. The decline in theatergoing, the change in streamers’ strategies, the rise of arthouse events: No one knows what the new normal is, but today putting faith in selling a movie at its premiere and living happily ever is not even a fairy tale; it’s a toxic myth.
That’s why (with Brian Newman’s kind permission) we’re reprinting his May 23 column from Newman’s weekly Sub-Genre Media Newsletter. He called it Film 101: New Rules for Distribution,...
That’s not a knock on Sundance, or on any festival; it’s recognizance that the world has changed. Many films don’t sell, even at Sundance. The decline in theatergoing, the change in streamers’ strategies, the rise of arthouse events: No one knows what the new normal is, but today putting faith in selling a movie at its premiere and living happily ever is not even a fairy tale; it’s a toxic myth.
That’s why (with Brian Newman’s kind permission) we’re reprinting his May 23 column from Newman’s weekly Sub-Genre Media Newsletter. He called it Film 101: New Rules for Distribution,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Newman
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.As part of our Cannes 2024 coverage, we asked filmmakers and critics for their notes on anything but the films at the festival.Sign up for the Weekly Edit to receive exclusive reports from the Croisette straight to your inbox.Isabel Stevens (managing editor, Sight and Sound)Overheard at the festival: (on the Croisette) “Do you have time for a photoshoot with Jean-Claude Van Damme?”; “The security guard for this party said to my friend, ‘You have to wear heels. Flat shoes are not allowed.’”; “I think I need..maybe… $50 million”; “They are spending £370 million to send people to Rwanda. Can you believe that?”; (on the beach) “Is this the Atlantic Ocean?”; (at the security gates) “Is this a Camembert?”; (at parties) “I’m not going to thank my husband. He’s shite. But he does what he’s told.”; “I’m going to get ChatGPT to write my speech.
- 5/24/2024
- MUBI
It’s been a minute since we heard from director Sam Mendes and his uber-ambitious “Beatles” film plans. Known for the Oscar-winning “American Beauty” and the Bond films, “Skyfall,” and “Spectre,” Mendes isn’t just taking the bold step of making a fictional film about the Beatles, he’s making four of them, one about each member: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.
Continue reading Paul Mescal Reportedly Being Eyed For Role In Sam Mendes’ ‘Beatles’ Movies at The Playlist.
Continue reading Paul Mescal Reportedly Being Eyed For Role In Sam Mendes’ ‘Beatles’ Movies at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
George Lucas returned to the Cannes Croisette for the first time since 1971 this week to receive an honorary Palme d’Or. So what did the 80-year-old director say about his career as he talked to a packed audience at the Debussy Theater after accepting the prize? Well, to the surprise of no one, THR reports that he mainly talked about “Star Wars.” Along the way, Lucas defended the prequel trilogy, his continual updates to the original trilogy, and lamented how Disney misused his ideas after he sold Lucasfilm to the company in 2012 for $4.05 billion.
Continue reading George Lucas Says His ‘Star Wars’ Ideas Were “Lost” Once Disney Took Over at The Playlist.
Continue reading George Lucas Says His ‘Star Wars’ Ideas Were “Lost” Once Disney Took Over at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
“All We Imagine As Light” opens as only a film set in Mumbai can— with the gradual unfurling of this massive metropolis at dawn. Its essential workers begin corralling the huge resources needed to maintain its creaking infrastructure and feed the tens of millions of people who will wake up and take public transport to work. The bustling local economy flickers into life as vendors set up shop by the millions to earn an honest living.
Continue reading ‘All We Imagine As Light’ Review: First Indian Competition Entry In 30 Years Earns Its Accolades [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘All We Imagine As Light’ Review: First Indian Competition Entry In 30 Years Earns Its Accolades [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
“Gremlins” director Joe Dante is spilling some secrets 40 years after the film’s release, including revealing the lengths to which studio Warner Bros. went to have one scene cut out.
Dante told Total Film that the 1984 film proved to be contentious amongst studio executives for one specific scene where Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells Billy (Zack Galligan) that she hates Christmas because her father died during the season. Well, WB execs “hated” that.
“[The scene] encapsulated the whole ethos of the picture,” Dante said. “There’s a duality of humor and horror but Warner Bros. just hated it.”
However, the sequence still stayed in the final edit in part due to producer Steven Spielberg siding with Dante. Even that endorsement didn’t stop the suits.
“I heard after it was out they were sending instructions to projectionists to see if they could cut it, which thankfully didn’t happen,” Dante said.
Chris Columbus penned the script.
Dante told Total Film that the 1984 film proved to be contentious amongst studio executives for one specific scene where Kate (Phoebe Cates) tells Billy (Zack Galligan) that she hates Christmas because her father died during the season. Well, WB execs “hated” that.
“[The scene] encapsulated the whole ethos of the picture,” Dante said. “There’s a duality of humor and horror but Warner Bros. just hated it.”
However, the sequence still stayed in the final edit in part due to producer Steven Spielberg siding with Dante. Even that endorsement didn’t stop the suits.
“I heard after it was out they were sending instructions to projectionists to see if they could cut it, which thankfully didn’t happen,” Dante said.
Chris Columbus penned the script.
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
It’s nutty to think just how fast FX’s dysfunctional kitchen drama “The Bear” ascended and how quickly it might just all end. Premiering on Hulu in the summer of 2022, “The Bear” literally seemingly came out of nowhere, wasn’t anticipated or known about, and wasn’t exactly heavily promoted in advance. But critics who got wind of it first knew immediately that the show sizzled with intensity and bruising emotional family baggage. By the end of the summer, when audiences finally had a chance to catch up and binge it all, the series became a bonafide word-of-mouth hit.
Continue reading ‘The Bear’ Trailer: The Dysfunctional Kitchen Drama Returns For Season 3 On June 27 at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Bear’ Trailer: The Dysfunctional Kitchen Drama Returns For Season 3 On June 27 at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
Film archivists, foundation workers, and more employed by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the Academy Foundation have agreed to terms on their first-ever union contract, the Academy behind the Oscars announced Friday, May 24.
The Academy Foundation Workers Union (Afwu), in conjunction with Afscme Local 126, have unanimously agreed to a three-year contract with the Academy Foundation that will win employees a minimum of 3 percent annual wage increases and regular step increases over the next three years.
The contract passed with 64 “yes” votes on May 22.
Employees will also have the contractual right to four additional weeks of paid parental leave, an extended medical leave option, job security benefits protecting against subcontracting, and more professional-development opportunities. Wage increases for workers will rise between 11-27 percent over the next three years as a result of the new contract.
The union contract is the first such deal ratified...
The Academy Foundation Workers Union (Afwu), in conjunction with Afscme Local 126, have unanimously agreed to a three-year contract with the Academy Foundation that will win employees a minimum of 3 percent annual wage increases and regular step increases over the next three years.
The contract passed with 64 “yes” votes on May 22.
Employees will also have the contractual right to four additional weeks of paid parental leave, an extended medical leave option, job security benefits protecting against subcontracting, and more professional-development opportunities. Wage increases for workers will rise between 11-27 percent over the next three years as a result of the new contract.
The union contract is the first such deal ratified...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” has a lot going for it on the way to a potential Palme d’Or win: strong reviews, an anguished political call-out against Iranian oppression, and Rasoulof’s own status as an exile who just fled his home country and was finally able to attend Cannes after all. (Read our interview with the director here.)
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
On the steps of the Palais for Friday’s premiere, Rasoulof held up photos of two of the actors — Misagh Zare and Soheila Golestani – banned from leaving Iran to attend the festival. He’s already shared how the Islamic Republic has been pressuring his crew into convincing Cannes to drop the film, which charts the breakdown of a family after a Revolutionary Court judge’s gun goes missing, from its lineup. This is Rasoulof’s first time in competition. He previously won prizes in Un Certain...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
“Screen Talk: went live at the American Pavilion in Cannes this year and drew a lively crowd. Anne Thompson raved about one of the big-epic Hollywood titles playing out of competition, George Miller’s prequel “Furiosa” (Warner Bros.), starring Anya Taylor-Joy in the title role, which opens May 14, while both Thompson and cohost Ryan Lattanzio panned Kevin Costner’s old-fashioned three-hour Western “Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One” (Warner Bros.).
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
They both agree that this vanity project makes mad genius Francis Coppola’s self-funded $120 million “Megalopolis” look brilliant by comparison. Even if the Competition title is “unhinged,” at least he’s treading new ground, unlike Costner, who has spent some $100 million so far for the first two chapters of a planned four (the second part releases August 16). Coppola still awaits a North American buyer.
Both hosts admire Jacques Audiard’s Competition title “Emilia Perez,” a Spanish-language musical shot in Mexico...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“The Last Of Us” Season 2 cast already had some stellar new additions, but this one may be the best of the lot. Deadline reports that Jeffrey Wright joins the ensemble cast as Isaac, the powerful leader of the Washington Liberation Front in the videogame. And that casting makes perfect sense, since Wright voiced the same character in 2020’s “The Last Of Us Part II.”
Read More: ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 First Look: HBO Releases Images From The New Season Coming In 2025
Wright joins previously announced new cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Isabel Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Catherine O’Hara for the show’s upcoming second season, currently in production. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay return as Joel and Elli as they continue their journey across a post-apocalyptic US ravaged by a fungal pandemic. Gabriel Luna will likely also return in Season 2 as Joel’s brother,...
Read More: ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 First Look: HBO Releases Images From The New Season Coming In 2025
Wright joins previously announced new cast members Kaitlyn Dever, Isabel Merced, Young Mazino, Ariela Barer, Tati Gabrielle, Spencer Lord, Danny Ramirez, and Catherine O’Hara for the show’s upcoming second season, currently in production. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay return as Joel and Elli as they continue their journey across a post-apocalyptic US ravaged by a fungal pandemic. Gabriel Luna will likely also return in Season 2 as Joel’s brother,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
As Cannes nears its end, some major contenders have already found homes, while many more buzzy titles with Palme d’Or aspirations are awaiting buyers. This year’s market hasn’t been weighed down by the writers or actors strikes in the same way as last year, meaning companies like A24, Neon, Apple, and more have jumped in on exciting packages of possibly future contenders.
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Miséricorde”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Cast: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films’ third acquisition out of Cannes is for a film IndieWire has a sweet spot for, the dark comedy and genre film “Miséricorde” (aka “Misericordia”) from the director of “Stranger By the Lake.” The distributors are...
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “Miséricorde”
Section: Cannes Premiere
Director: Alain Guiraudie
Buyer: Sideshow and Janus Films
Date Acquired: May 24
Cast: Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand, Jacques Develay and David Ayala
Buzz: Sideshow and Janus Films’ third acquisition out of Cannes is for a film IndieWire has a sweet spot for, the dark comedy and genre film “Miséricorde” (aka “Misericordia”) from the director of “Stranger By the Lake.” The distributors are...
- 5/24/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Fresh off his Academy Award nomination, Jeffrey Wright is returning to HBO for the highly-anticipated Season 2 of “The Last of Us.”
The Oscar-nominated “American Fiction” actor, who previously won an Emmy for “Westworld,” is set to play Isaac in the video game adaptation series. Isaac is billed as a “quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”
Wright also voiced Isaac in “The Last of Us Part II” video game, making his casting a full circle choice for the Emmy-winning series adaptation.
Wright formerly starred in fellow HBO series “Westworld.” Wright was further rumored to have a spinoff series of “The Batman” at Max; the project has since been stalled as “The Penguin” series and “The Batman: Part II” film both move forward.
The actor is repped by CAA, Strategic PR, and the...
The Oscar-nominated “American Fiction” actor, who previously won an Emmy for “Westworld,” is set to play Isaac in the video game adaptation series. Isaac is billed as a “quietly powerful leader of a large militia group who sought liberty but instead has become mired in an endless war against a surprisingly resourceful enemy.”
Wright also voiced Isaac in “The Last of Us Part II” video game, making his casting a full circle choice for the Emmy-winning series adaptation.
Wright formerly starred in fellow HBO series “Westworld.” Wright was further rumored to have a spinoff series of “The Batman” at Max; the project has since been stalled as “The Penguin” series and “The Batman: Part II” film both move forward.
The actor is repped by CAA, Strategic PR, and the...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is an anguished cry from the heart of Mohammad Rasoulof, the Iranian filmmaker who just fled his home country for Europe after an eight-year prison sentence from the Islamic Republic. This is not the first brush with theocratic law for the dissident director, who’s been working steadily out of Iran for two decades.
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
So while Iran will never, ever submit his deeply unsettling latest masterwork for the Best International Feature Oscar — often the only harbinger of anti-establishment Middle Eastern films making their way to the U.S. — this searing domestic thriller deserves the widest audience possible. With the brutal 2022 killing of Mahsa Amini by government hands as his launching point, Rasoulof crafts an extraordinarily gripping allegory about the corrupting costs of power and the suppression of women under a religious patriarchy that crushes the very people it claims to protect.
“Sacred Fig” arose...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Franz Rogowski and Barry Keoghan are only in one scene together in Andrea Arnold’s “Bird,” but you wouldn’t know it seeing them together at Cannes.
Rogowski, the breakout New York Film Critics-winning lead of “Passages,” and Keoghan, the Oscar-nominated “Banshees of Inisherin” star turned “Saltburn” meme machine, play roles in “Bird” that demanded a lot from the actors without much in the way of a script. The Cannes competition premiere centers on 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), coming of age and confused about her identity on the fringes in a middle-of-nowhere England, living with her father Bug (Keoghan) on the other side of town from her mother and two sisters. And on the verge of puberty.
Barely coping with life and the news that her father is about to marry a woman he’s known for only three months, Bailey meets Bird (Rogowski), a vagabond who drifts into...
Rogowski, the breakout New York Film Critics-winning lead of “Passages,” and Keoghan, the Oscar-nominated “Banshees of Inisherin” star turned “Saltburn” meme machine, play roles in “Bird” that demanded a lot from the actors without much in the way of a script. The Cannes competition premiere centers on 12-year-old Bailey (newcomer Nykiya Adams), coming of age and confused about her identity on the fringes in a middle-of-nowhere England, living with her father Bug (Keoghan) on the other side of town from her mother and two sisters. And on the verge of puberty.
Barely coping with life and the news that her father is about to marry a woman he’s known for only three months, Bailey meets Bird (Rogowski), a vagabond who drifts into...
- 5/24/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
It’s been a rather dreadful year for big Netflix original sci-fi films in 2024, and “Atlas,” the big event science-fiction dystopian thriller from director Brad Peyton (2015’s “San Andreas” and “Rampage”), won’t change that narrative in the slightest. Set in a conventionally bleak dystopian future—aren’t they all?— “Atlas” is rote and routine, using the concept of sci-fi and artificial intelligence in the most obvious way: A.I.
Continue reading ‘Atlas’ Review: Jennifer Lopez’s Hackneyed Sci-Fi Thriller About A.I. Trust Is Utterly Dire & Disposable at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Atlas’ Review: Jennifer Lopez’s Hackneyed Sci-Fi Thriller About A.I. Trust Is Utterly Dire & Disposable at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Brainy political lightning rod Oliver Stone isn’t making feature films anymore. Sure, he’d love to add a 21st to his 20 films to date; he just can’t find backers. His alternate route, like many other directors today, from fellow Cannes entrant Ron Howard (“Jim Henson: Idea Man”) to Martin Scorsese, is documentaries.
Stone has churned out a career total of ten, including recent 2021 Cannes entry “JFK Revisited” (Showtime) and 2022 eco-doc “Nuclear” (Abramorama). His latest, “Lula,” marks a move to the left from his much-criticized recent portraits of right-wing leaders such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro (HBO’s “Comandante”) and Russia’s Vladimir Putin (Showtime’s four-part “The Putin Interviews”).
Since his start as a filmmaker in the 1970s, the Yale-grad-turned-Vietnam-vet, now 77, has leaned into political fiction, from “Salvador,” “Wall Street,” and “W.,” to Best Director Oscar-winners “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” His last Oscar nomination came in 1996, for “Nixon,...
Stone has churned out a career total of ten, including recent 2021 Cannes entry “JFK Revisited” (Showtime) and 2022 eco-doc “Nuclear” (Abramorama). His latest, “Lula,” marks a move to the left from his much-criticized recent portraits of right-wing leaders such as Cuba’s Fidel Castro (HBO’s “Comandante”) and Russia’s Vladimir Putin (Showtime’s four-part “The Putin Interviews”).
Since his start as a filmmaker in the 1970s, the Yale-grad-turned-Vietnam-vet, now 77, has leaned into political fiction, from “Salvador,” “Wall Street,” and “W.,” to Best Director Oscar-winners “Platoon” and “Born on the Fourth of July.” His last Oscar nomination came in 1996, for “Nixon,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Would it be a Benoit Blanc mystery if the movie title wasn’t a pop-rock song? Rian Johnson continues that trend with the name of his latest “Knives Out” mystery. This time, it’s a U2 track: “Wake Up Dead Man,” from the band’s 1997 album Pop.
Read More: ‘Glass Onion’: Rian Johnson May Keep Making ‘Knives Out’ Sequels As Long As He And Daniel Craig “Are Still Having Fun”
Johnson and Netflix revealed the title this morning with an unannounced YouTube video, which doesn’t provide much intel on the upcoming movie except a brief voiceover from Daniel Craig as Blanc.
Continue reading ‘Wake Up Dead Man’: Rian Johnson & Netflix Reveal The Title For Their Next ‘Knives Out’ Mystery at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Glass Onion’: Rian Johnson May Keep Making ‘Knives Out’ Sequels As Long As He And Daniel Craig “Are Still Having Fun”
Johnson and Netflix revealed the title this morning with an unannounced YouTube video, which doesn’t provide much intel on the upcoming movie except a brief voiceover from Daniel Craig as Blanc.
Continue reading ‘Wake Up Dead Man’: Rian Johnson & Netflix Reveal The Title For Their Next ‘Knives Out’ Mystery at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
George Lucas doesn’t think “Star Wars” is colorblind. In fact, the writer/director wants to remind audiences that the space-set film franchise is dealing with robots and aliens, not race.
While receiving the honorary Palme d’Or in the closing night ceremony at Cannes 2024, Lucas called out critics who complained about the predominantly white casting of the franchise.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
In fact, Lucas pointed to how the only species discrimination is between humans, aliens, and robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
While receiving the honorary Palme d’Or in the closing night ceremony at Cannes 2024, Lucas called out critics who complained about the predominantly white casting of the franchise.
“They would say, ‘It’s all white men,'” Lucas said. “Most of the people are aliens! The idea is you’re supposed to accept people for what they are, whether they’re big and furry or whether they’re green or whatever. The idea is all people are equal.”
In fact, Lucas pointed to how the only species discrimination is between humans, aliens, and robots.
“That was a way of saying, you know, people are always discriminating against something and sooner or later, that’s what’s going to happen,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Translating film titles for international markets can be a commercial necessity, but magic is often lost in the process. It’s hard to think of a more perfect name for Gilles Lelouche’s latest movie than “L’amour ouf,” which punchily captures the bruising nature of the love story at its heart. The clue is in the wordplay: If l’amour fou is an affliction of the mind, l’amour ouf tells us the force we’re dealing with is rather more physical, perhaps even painful.
Squint, though, and “Beating Hearts,” the anglophone title that seems sentimental by comparison, suggests not just life but flagellation. It befits a film that contains its fair share of bloody thrashings over the course of some 20 years in the lives of its star-crossed protagonists, whose love is battered at the peak of their relationship by a miscarriage of justice that goes on to change everything — and nothing — between them.
Squint, though, and “Beating Hearts,” the anglophone title that seems sentimental by comparison, suggests not just life but flagellation. It befits a film that contains its fair share of bloody thrashings over the course of some 20 years in the lives of its star-crossed protagonists, whose love is battered at the peak of their relationship by a miscarriage of justice that goes on to change everything — and nothing — between them.
- 5/24/2024
- by Arjun Sajip
- Indiewire
Rian Johnson has officially confirmed the title of Netflix’s “Knives Out 3.”
The writer/director announced the third installment as “Wake Up Dead Man” on social media Friday morning. Daniel Craig reprises his role of detective Benoit Blanc in the anthology film series, produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. Craig narrates the video, saying, “In the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold, the glass was shattered. But my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed.”
Johnson additionally tweeted, “We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
The writer/director also shared why he loves whodunits like the Agatha Christie stories that inspired the franchise.
“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,...
The writer/director announced the third installment as “Wake Up Dead Man” on social media Friday morning. Daniel Craig reprises his role of detective Benoit Blanc in the anthology film series, produced by Johnson and Ram Bergman. Craig narrates the video, saying, “In the beginning, the knives came out. Then, behold, the glass was shattered. But my most dangerous case yet is about to be revealed.”
Johnson additionally tweeted, “We’re about to go into production on the 3rd one, and I’m very, very excited to share the title, which gives a little hint of where it’s going.”
The writer/director also shared why he loves whodunits like the Agatha Christie stories that inspired the franchise.
“I love everything about whodunnits, but one of the things I love most is how malleable the genre is,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.Throughout the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, we'll be publishing a wide variety of interviews, dispatches, capsules, ballots, and lists. Subscribe to the Weekly Edit newsletter for exclusive contributions from filmmakers, critics, and programmers on the Croisette.Interviews“A Whole World: A Conversation with Andrea Arnold” by Caitlin QuinlanThe Carrosse d’Or–winner describes her raw, lived-in films as cinematic jigsaw puzzles.Dispatches“The Center Will Not Hold” by Leonardo GoiWhile the festival maintained its routine ostrich-like stance, some of the most intriguing films dove right into our troubled times.“Final Warnings” by Daniel KasmanQuentin Dupieux’s latest and Jean-Luc Godard’s last interrogate the death and life of great cinema.Capsules“First Impressions” by Giovanni Marchini Camia, Jordan Cronk, Beatrice Loayza, Flavia Dima, Leonardo Goi, and Daniel Kasman“One Moment” by Miriam Bale, Daniel Kasman, Caitlin Quinlan, Nicolas Rapold, Hannah Strong, Adam Piron, Jon Dieringer, Illyse Singer,...
- 5/24/2024
- MUBI
“Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock is dead at the age of 53 following a battle with cancer, according to a family statement provided to Deadline.
The Academy Award nominee “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock is quoted as saying.
Spurlock shot to fame with this 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which took a personality-driven approach to examining the way that corporate America incentivizes unhealthy eating as epitomized by McDonald’s then-promotion to “super size” portion sizes for french fries and soft drinks. Following in the wake of Michael Moore, Spurlock adopted a style of putting himself on camera as the host leading his viewers through an exploration of the subject. It was a stunt as well: For the documentary, he engaged in eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
That...
The Academy Award nominee “passed away peacefully in New York surrounded by family and friends,” the statement read. “Morgan gave so much through his art, ideas, and generosity,” his brother Craig Spurlock is quoted as saying.
Spurlock shot to fame with this 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” which took a personality-driven approach to examining the way that corporate America incentivizes unhealthy eating as epitomized by McDonald’s then-promotion to “super size” portion sizes for french fries and soft drinks. Following in the wake of Michael Moore, Spurlock adopted a style of putting himself on camera as the host leading his viewers through an exploration of the subject. It was a stunt as well: For the documentary, he engaged in eating only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
That...
- 5/24/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
What sacrifices would you make for your job, your family, your lover…or even your sanity?
The trailer for writer/director Jordan Scott’s “A Sacrifice” propels audiences into a twisted game of untangling the motivations for a father-daughter duo caught on the periphery of a cult. Inspired by Nicholas Hogg’s 2015 novel “Tokyo Nobody,” the feature follows American social-psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events.
While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy (Jonas Dassler) who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben must race against the clock to save his family.
Sylvia Hoeks, Sophie Rois, Stephan Kampwirth, and Lara Feith co-star.
The ever-prolific auteur Ridley Scott produces the film, along with Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein,...
The trailer for writer/director Jordan Scott’s “A Sacrifice” propels audiences into a twisted game of untangling the motivations for a father-daughter duo caught on the periphery of a cult. Inspired by Nicholas Hogg’s 2015 novel “Tokyo Nobody,” the feature follows American social-psychologist Ben Monroe (Eric Bana) who is investigating a local Berlin cult connected to disturbing events.
While he immerses himself in his work, his rebellious teenage daughter, Mazzy (Sadie Sink), becomes embroiled with a mysterious local boy (Jonas Dassler) who introduces her to the city’s underground party scene. As their two worlds head toward a dangerous intersection, Ben must race against the clock to save his family.
Sylvia Hoeks, Sophie Rois, Stephan Kampwirth, and Lara Feith co-star.
The ever-prolific auteur Ridley Scott produces the film, along with Michael Pruss, Jonas Katzenstein,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Max‘s TV remake of the “Harry Potter” series won’t hit the streamer until 2026, which gives fans of the character plenty of time to speculate about the show. For instance, beyond rehashing a successful IP in a blatant cash-grab maneuver, why should this series exist? That’s a topic for another piece, however. A milder query would be about the potential involvement of the original Warner Bros.
Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Think He’ll Be Back For Upcoming Max Series: “I Don’t Know If It Would Work To Have Us” at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Harry Potter’: Daniel Radcliffe Doesn’t Think He’ll Be Back For Upcoming Max Series: “I Don’t Know If It Would Work To Have Us” at The Playlist.
- 5/24/2024
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
For decades, Paul Schrader’s taste in cinema has been widely known, particularly the Bressonian proclivities he’s repeatedly worked over—and, especially since becoming a Facebook poster, he’s provided an open invitation to make his problems ours as well. Watching Oh, Canada knowing of his recent health scares, my guess was that the topical draw of Russell Banks’s source novel Foregone was death; indeed, after several hospitalizations for long Covid, Schrader told himself, “If I’m going to make a film about death, I’d better hurry up.” Thus Oh, Canada, which reteams Schrader with his American Gigolo star Richard Gere (the writer-director jokes […]
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Cannes 2024: Oh, Canada and The Shrouds first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/24/2024
- by Vadim Rizov
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
There’s a moment near the end of Latvian animation director Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” that powerfully tugs at the heartstrings. It’s when the film’s central character, a black cat who you’ve come to have a profound emotional connection with, rediscovers a lost ball that he and his animal friends (especially a lemur) had been playing with earlier in the movie. He thought he’d never see it again. And suddenly he does.
Sometimes, lost things can be found again.
If you thought that emotion elicited without cloying manipulation was something lost in animation, it is found again in “Flow” as well. A movie brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, this is one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too. The anthropomorphic animal characters of 21st century U.S. animated features have nothing on the animal stars of “Flow,” who never...
Sometimes, lost things can be found again.
If you thought that emotion elicited without cloying manipulation was something lost in animation, it is found again in “Flow” as well. A movie brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, this is one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too. The anthropomorphic animal characters of 21st century U.S. animated features have nothing on the animal stars of “Flow,” who never...
- 5/24/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Streaming website Filmocracy, which hosted virtual film festivals (and their films), is shutting down after just six years in business. CEO Paul Jun made the announcement on Friday via a memo obtained by IndieWire. It was addressed to “the festivals, filmmakers, film critics, and film lovers.” Count us among that community for sure.
“It’s with great sadness that today we make the announcement that Filmocracy will be shutting down at the end of the month,” Jun wrote.
Filmocracy also prided itself on having a valid, thoughtful, and trustworthy ratings system for films from a community of tastemakers in the independent film world.
“With the direction the industry is heading, there is even less room and support for innovation,” Jun added, calling the film world “a cut-throat industry that is fractured and isolating when really everyone needs to support each other in order to survive.”
Filmocracy had three tiers: 1) a...
“It’s with great sadness that today we make the announcement that Filmocracy will be shutting down at the end of the month,” Jun wrote.
Filmocracy also prided itself on having a valid, thoughtful, and trustworthy ratings system for films from a community of tastemakers in the independent film world.
“With the direction the industry is heading, there is even less room and support for innovation,” Jun added, calling the film world “a cut-throat industry that is fractured and isolating when really everyone needs to support each other in order to survive.”
Filmocracy had three tiers: 1) a...
- 5/24/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.
More to explore
Cannes Film Festival Winners Announced
- 5/25/2024
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety - Film News
US Box Office Meltdown: ‘Furiosa’ or ‘Garfield Movie’ to Win Memorial Day With Worst No. 1 Opening in 40 Years
- 5/25/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Luminate Streaming Ratings: All Three ‘Bridgerton’ Seasons Were the Most-Watched Titles May 17-23
- 5/25/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety - TV News
Sia Ends Near-Decade Tradition of Dispensing ‘Survivor’ Cash Bonuses to Her Favorite Contestants
- 5/25/2024
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Jeffrey Wright Joins ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 in Video Game Role He Originated
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Sia Ends Near-Decade Tradition of Dispensing ‘Survivor’ Cash Bonuses to Her Favorite Contestants
- 5/25/2024
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Darryl Hickman, Young Actor in ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ and ‘Leave Her to Heaven,’ Dies at 92
- 5/24/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Will Demi Moore Kick Off an Awards Run, and Which Film Could Win Cannes Palme d’Or?
- 5/24/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety - Film News
Morgan Spurlock, ‘Super Size Me’ Director, Dies at 53
- 5/24/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Lily Gladstone Says ‘It’s Irrelevant Whether or Not I’ Won the Oscar and ‘Nobody Was Upset’ Back Home Over the Loss: ‘Flower Moon’ Did Its Job
- 5/24/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety - Film News
US Box Office Meltdown: ‘Furiosa’ or ‘Garfield Movie’ to Win Memorial Day With Worst No. 1 Opening in 40 Years
- 5/25/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Heavyweight Champion Boxer Oleksandr Usyk Joins Dwayne Johson In ‘The Smashing Smachine’ From A24 And Benny Safdie
- 5/24/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Demi Moore Cannes Shocker ‘The Substance’ Sells Wide
- 5/24/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Knives Out 3’ Title Revealed as ‘Wake Up Dead Man’; Rian Johnson Confirms 2025 Release
- 5/24/2024
- by Ethan Shanfeld
- Variety Film + TV
Morgan Spurlock, ‘Super Size Me’ Director, Dies at 53
- 5/24/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Luminate Streaming Ratings: All Three ‘Bridgerton’ Seasons Were the Most-Watched Titles May 17-23
- 5/25/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety - TV News
‘The Girls On The Bus’ Canceled By Max After One Season
- 5/24/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Emily in Paris’ Season 5 Role Auctioned Off in Cannes, but Netflix Denies Renewal
- 5/23/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety - TV News
Jeffrey Wright Joins ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 in Video Game Role He Originated
- 5/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Gen V Showrunner On Decision To "Re-Craft" Season 2 In The Wake Of Chance Perdomo's Tragic Death
- 5/24/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com