Stanisław Lem's 1961 sci-fi novel "Solaris" had already famously been adapted to film by the masterful Andrei Tarkovsky in 1972, so there was some debate as to whether or not Steven Soderbergh's 2002 version of "Solaris" counted as a remake or simply another adaptation. Given the slow, moody, contemplative style that Soderbergh affects for his film, though, one might be tempted to say he was directly emulating Tarkovsky, a filmmaker known for his incredibly long, extended takes, paired with broad moments of silence.
"Solaris" is about a mysterious distant planet, orbited by a human-made space station. When people board the station, a strange psychic wave from the planet reaches into their minds and physically manifests their loved ones. In Soderbergh's version, George Clooney plays the lead character, and he finds himself interacting with his long-dead wife Rheya (Natasha McElhone). The duplicates, however, understand -- in a very vague sense -- that...
"Solaris" is about a mysterious distant planet, orbited by a human-made space station. When people board the station, a strange psychic wave from the planet reaches into their minds and physically manifests their loved ones. In Soderbergh's version, George Clooney plays the lead character, and he finds himself interacting with his long-dead wife Rheya (Natasha McElhone). The duplicates, however, understand -- in a very vague sense -- that...
- 6/16/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Protagonist Pictures has unveiled the new drama-thriller Press Your Luck, starring Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird, Richard Jewell, I, Tonya). The company on Thursday also unveiled a first glimpse at the project, based on the “incredible” true story of Michael Larson, an unemployed ice-cream truck driver from Ohio who steps onto the game show “Press Your Luck” harboring a secret: the key to endless amounts of money. But his winning streak gets threatened when executives in the control room start to uncover his real motivations.
The all-star ensemble cast also includes Walton Goggins (Fallout, The Righteous Gemstones, The Hateful Eight), David Strathairn (Nomadland, Good Night and Good Luck), Maisie Williams (The New Look, Game of Thrones), Haley Bennett (Swallow, The Magnificent Seven), Shamier Anderson (John Wick: Chapter 4, “Invasion”), and David Rysdahl (Fargo, Oppenheimer).
Jackass legend Johnny Knoxville, Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker, Chicago P.D.), Patti Harrison (Theater Camp,...
The all-star ensemble cast also includes Walton Goggins (Fallout, The Righteous Gemstones, The Hateful Eight), David Strathairn (Nomadland, Good Night and Good Luck), Maisie Williams (The New Look, Game of Thrones), Haley Bennett (Swallow, The Magnificent Seven), Shamier Anderson (John Wick: Chapter 4, “Invasion”), and David Rysdahl (Fargo, Oppenheimer).
Jackass legend Johnny Knoxville, Brian Geraghty (The Hurt Locker, Chicago P.D.), Patti Harrison (Theater Camp,...
- 5/9/2024
- by Lily Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Double Oscar winner George Clooney has become one of the most successful people in his profession but despite family connections (his aunt was the late singer Rosemary Clooney), he struggled for years to make it as an actor.
After dropping out of college, Clooney would try his hand at acting. He struggled for a few years until finding a part on “E/R” in 1984. This wasn’t the “ER” that would make him a star 10 years later, but instead was a short-lived sitcom with the same name. In the decade between those shows, Clooney became known mostly for his track record of starring in an incredibly large number of pilots that weren’t picked up to be made into series. He would score a few successes with recurring roles on “The Facts of Life,” “Sisters” and “Roseanne,” but he would also suffer brutal humiliations like starring in “Return to Horror High...
After dropping out of college, Clooney would try his hand at acting. He struggled for a few years until finding a part on “E/R” in 1984. This wasn’t the “ER” that would make him a star 10 years later, but instead was a short-lived sitcom with the same name. In the decade between those shows, Clooney became known mostly for his track record of starring in an incredibly large number of pilots that weren’t picked up to be made into series. He would score a few successes with recurring roles on “The Facts of Life,” “Sisters” and “Roseanne,” but he would also suffer brutal humiliations like starring in “Return to Horror High...
- 5/4/2024
- by Robert Pius, Misty Holland and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
There’s a gripping story to be told in The Boys in the Boat. Daniel James Brown’s best-seller gained acclaim for depicting how nine Depression-era boys defied the odds and inspired a nation rowing crew for the U.S. in the 1936 Olympics. It’s a tale rife with optimism and intrigue – all of which director George Clooney siphons away in this bland, rote adaptation.
It’s the middle of the Depression when Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) decides to go out for Washington’s rowing team as a way to pay for his college education. Most of the young men on the team, coached by Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), are there not because they have a passion for crew but because they simply want the paycheck. While they’re a ramshackle lot to begin with, over time the Jv crew team outshines the varsity squad and eventually wins a spot in the Olympics in Berlin,...
It’s the middle of the Depression when Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) decides to go out for Washington’s rowing team as a way to pay for his college education. Most of the young men on the team, coached by Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), are there not because they have a passion for crew but because they simply want the paycheck. While they’re a ramshackle lot to begin with, over time the Jv crew team outshines the varsity squad and eventually wins a spot in the Olympics in Berlin,...
- 12/25/2023
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
In Steven Soderbergh's sexy 1998 crime thriller, George Clooney plays the world's smoothest bank robber, Jack Foley, a man so charming that he manages to rob a bank using nothing more than a yellow highlighter. Foley begins "Out of Sight" in prison, having been busted after someone snitched on him. He bonds with imprisoned compatriots -- notably, Albert Brooks -- and the two of them arrange for Jack to get a job upon his release. When released, however, Jack is double-crossed by the Brooks character, and he is ejected from the building with no job. The rejection leads Jack, in a fit of resentment, to commit the above-mentioned robbery. He is caught, and put right back in prison.
Clooney, a handsome man sculpted out of hardened cologne, makes his yellow prison jumpsuits look downright dashing, while his silvering hair swoop and five o'clock shadow are impeccably maintained behind bars. Some...
Clooney, a handsome man sculpted out of hardened cologne, makes his yellow prison jumpsuits look downright dashing, while his silvering hair swoop and five o'clock shadow are impeccably maintained behind bars. Some...
- 12/20/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Emma Thompson holds a distinct Oscars record. She is the only person in the history of the Academy Awards to win for both acting and writing. She took home the Best Actress trophy in 1993 for “Howard’s End.” Three years later, she collected an Oscar bookend with her Best Adapted Screenplay win for bringing Jane Austen‘s 1811 novel “Sense and Sensibility” to the screen.
Prior to Thompson’s double wins, several others contended for both acting and writing. Orson Welles won Best Original Screenplay in 1942 with Herman J. Mankiewicz for “Citizen Kane.” He also picked up a Best Actor nomination for the same film. Warren Beatty has a rich history in both acting and writing awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in 1968 for “Bonnie & Clyde,” in 1979 for “Heaven Can Wait, in 1982 for “Reds,” and in 1992″ for “Bugsy.” He picked up Original Screenplay bids in 1976 for “Shampoo” (shared with...
Prior to Thompson’s double wins, several others contended for both acting and writing. Orson Welles won Best Original Screenplay in 1942 with Herman J. Mankiewicz for “Citizen Kane.” He also picked up a Best Actor nomination for the same film. Warren Beatty has a rich history in both acting and writing awards. He was nominated for Best Actor in 1968 for “Bonnie & Clyde,” in 1979 for “Heaven Can Wait, in 1982 for “Reds,” and in 1992″ for “Bugsy.” He picked up Original Screenplay bids in 1976 for “Shampoo” (shared with...
- 12/1/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Robert Downey Jr. will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 9.
The award is named after the film historian Leonard Maltin, who will lead an in-person discussion with Downey Jr. at the festival, where they will dig into the actor’s long career, including, of course, his turn in “Oppenheimer” as Lewis Strauss, the title character’s nemesis who tries to orchestrate his downfall.
“Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan said in a statement, “It’s thrilling to see audiences responding not just to Robert Downey Jr’s incredible charisma, but to a performance which, stripped of any movie star trappings, shows once again that he is one of the greatest actors.”
Downey Jr. began his screen career at age five in 1970, when he played a sick puppy in his father Robert Downey Sr.’s comedy “Pound.” He broke through in the 1980s,...
The award is named after the film historian Leonard Maltin, who will lead an in-person discussion with Downey Jr. at the festival, where they will dig into the actor’s long career, including, of course, his turn in “Oppenheimer” as Lewis Strauss, the title character’s nemesis who tries to orchestrate his downfall.
“Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan said in a statement, “It’s thrilling to see audiences responding not just to Robert Downey Jr’s incredible charisma, but to a performance which, stripped of any movie star trappings, shows once again that he is one of the greatest actors.”
Downey Jr. began his screen career at age five in 1970, when he played a sick puppy in his father Robert Downey Sr.’s comedy “Pound.” He broke through in the 1980s,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
The DC Extended Universe (Dceu) is undergoing some mammoth changes at the moment with James Gunn and Peter Safran as the new rulers of DC Studios. This means the DC cinematic universe is getting something of a reboot after a slew of films of varying quality. However, outside of the Dceu, when filmmakers get DC adaptations right, they make masterpieces. Christopher Nolan‘s “The Dark Knight” trilogy and Todd Phillips‘ “Joker” are proof of that.
Regardless of their overall quality all of these films have a crop of top-notch actors. Some were already Oscar winners or nominees when they starred in their respective DC films, some landed Oscar nominations or wins after their DC roles, and some are still in the hunt for their first Oscar bids (Cillian Murphy). Whatever the case, the list of DC movie alumni stretches far and wide — and some of them could be in the...
Regardless of their overall quality all of these films have a crop of top-notch actors. Some were already Oscar winners or nominees when they starred in their respective DC films, some landed Oscar nominations or wins after their DC roles, and some are still in the hunt for their first Oscar bids (Cillian Murphy). Whatever the case, the list of DC movie alumni stretches far and wide — and some of them could be in the...
- 9/21/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
With “American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson, best known for penning television episodes of “Succession” and “Watchmen,” helms one of the finest directorial debuts seen since Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty.” In the style that feels like an audacious blend of the screenplays of Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” and Nicole Holofcener’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” he shepherds an audacious dramedy anchored by a career-best and Oscar-worthy performance from star Jeffrey Wright. After debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s a movie that could be a contender for the coveted TIFF Audience Award, and it would be deserved.
Based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film follows author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk writes an outlandish “Black” book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and madness.
Based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film follows author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk writes an outlandish “Black” book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and madness.
- 9/9/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Good Night And Good Luck Good Night And Good Luck, streaming for free on Itvx
ITV's free streaming service continues to serve up a selection of quality films, including this black and white dissection on 1950s journalism. It marked the second time George Clooney had sat in the director's chair for a feature after Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and proved he was a force to be reckoned with, netting six Oscar nominations. The screenplay, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, charts the real-life on-air clash between Senator Joseph McCarthy and early broadcast journalist Edward R Murrow (David Strathairn). Although a historical drama the film had plenty to say about the current affairs of the period in which it was made and arguably also reflects America's recent Trumpian moment. With its impeccably presented adult themes and strong performances from a heavy-weight ensemble cast including Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jnr and Frank Langella.
ITV's free streaming service continues to serve up a selection of quality films, including this black and white dissection on 1950s journalism. It marked the second time George Clooney had sat in the director's chair for a feature after Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind and proved he was a force to be reckoned with, netting six Oscar nominations. The screenplay, written by Clooney and Grant Heslov, charts the real-life on-air clash between Senator Joseph McCarthy and early broadcast journalist Edward R Murrow (David Strathairn). Although a historical drama the film had plenty to say about the current affairs of the period in which it was made and arguably also reflects America's recent Trumpian moment. With its impeccably presented adult themes and strong performances from a heavy-weight ensemble cast including Patricia Clarkson, Robert Downey Jnr and Frank Langella.
- 8/21/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The life of a movie director isn't all glamour and red carpets. Getting movies made, particularly personal stories or passion projects, can be exceedingly difficult. Then if the movie fails to turn a profit, the director will be left more precarious and with fewer doors open than before. Oftentimes, directors will make compromises to get their movies realized — particularly financial compromises. Catherine Hardwicke, in a recent interview with Yahoo News, detailed her struggles to make her debut "Thirteen."
The film is about two (you guessed it) 13-year-old delinquents, Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Evie (Nikki Reed). According to Hardwicke, the characters' ages and the sensual subject matter meant no studio would touch it: "Every financier said, 'No, we can't make it. How could we make a movie that's gonna be R-rated with an unknown 13-year-old girl in the lead?'"
"Thirteen" was ultimately shot for $2 million (raised by Hardwicke herself with independent equity) over 24 days.
The film is about two (you guessed it) 13-year-old delinquents, Tracy (Evan Rachel Wood) and Evie (Nikki Reed). According to Hardwicke, the characters' ages and the sensual subject matter meant no studio would touch it: "Every financier said, 'No, we can't make it. How could we make a movie that's gonna be R-rated with an unknown 13-year-old girl in the lead?'"
"Thirteen" was ultimately shot for $2 million (raised by Hardwicke herself with independent equity) over 24 days.
- 8/19/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
If you read our Gold Derby combined odds for Oscar Best Picture, you see that the race is over and “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is about to be crowned at the Academy Awards on March 12. But the favorite doesn’t always win the horserace. Upsets happen. The longshot comes in. Jaws drop. Calculations go awry. Something that no one could see coming winds up coming in. Chaos reigns.
And we love it.
If there is anything we’ve learned, it’s that there are no guarantees. Films that the majority think should have won, don’t. That’s particularly true in hindsight. “Citizen Kane,” widely regarded as the finest film of the 20th century, lost. So did the film many consider to be Martin Scorsese’s best, “Raging Bull.” “Moonlight” beat “La La Land.” “Crash” upset “Brokeback Mountain.” “Shakespeare in Love” upended “Saving Private Ryan.” “Chariots of Fire” snared the trophy over “Reds.
And we love it.
If there is anything we’ve learned, it’s that there are no guarantees. Films that the majority think should have won, don’t. That’s particularly true in hindsight. “Citizen Kane,” widely regarded as the finest film of the 20th century, lost. So did the film many consider to be Martin Scorsese’s best, “Raging Bull.” “Moonlight” beat “La La Land.” “Crash” upset “Brokeback Mountain.” “Shakespeare in Love” upended “Saving Private Ryan.” “Chariots of Fire” snared the trophy over “Reds.
- 2/25/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
How many women have to die before it’s considered a story?
The haunting trailer for Hulu’s “Boston Strangler” begs the question of the cost of a life. Two-time Oscar nominee Kiera Knightley and Emmy nominee Carrie Coon star as two real-life reporters who piece together a series of deaths in the Boston area as being connected to a serial killer.
Between 1962 and 1964, more than a dozen single women in the age range of 19 to 85 were killed in the greater Boston area. The work of two trailblazing reporters led to the story of the notorious Boston Strangler being uncovered.
Per the official synopsis, af. ter the bodies of three elderly women are discovered, Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, is the first journalist to publish a story connecting the crimes. As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation...
The haunting trailer for Hulu’s “Boston Strangler” begs the question of the cost of a life. Two-time Oscar nominee Kiera Knightley and Emmy nominee Carrie Coon star as two real-life reporters who piece together a series of deaths in the Boston area as being connected to a serial killer.
Between 1962 and 1964, more than a dozen single women in the age range of 19 to 85 were killed in the greater Boston area. The work of two trailblazing reporters led to the story of the notorious Boston Strangler being uncovered.
Per the official synopsis, af. ter the bodies of three elderly women are discovered, Loretta McLaughlin (Knightley), a reporter for the Record-American newspaper, is the first journalist to publish a story connecting the crimes. As the mysterious killer claims more and more victims, Loretta attempts to continue her investigation...
- 2/21/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
I guess when you have George Clooney saying he’ll direct a new prestige drama series for you, it’s kind of hard to pass up. At least, in the case of Showtime, which just gave a straight-to-series order for a season of “The Department,” directed by the aforementioned Clooney.
Read More: ‘Good Night, And Good Luck’: George Clooney’s 2005 Film To Become A Limited Series For AMC
According to Variety, George Clooney has signed on to produce and direct the new political thriller, “The Department” for Showtime.
Continue reading ‘The Department’: George Clooney To Direct A New Political Thriller Series For Showtime at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Good Night, And Good Luck’: George Clooney’s 2005 Film To Become A Limited Series For AMC
According to Variety, George Clooney has signed on to produce and direct the new political thriller, “The Department” for Showtime.
Continue reading ‘The Department’: George Clooney To Direct A New Political Thriller Series For Showtime at The Playlist.
- 2/6/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
George Clooney will direct and executive produce a political thriller series for Showtime called “The Department,” which has been given a straight-to-series order by the network. Clooney and Grant Heslov will executive produce through their Smokehouse Pictures with MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios set to produce.
The show is based on the acclaimed French drama series “Le Bureau des Legendes,” and Showtime and Paramount Media President/CEO Chris McCarthy compared this American adaptation to the network’s Emmy-winning hit series “Homeland.”
“’The Department,’ based on the riveting and brilliant series ‘The Bureau,’ will follow in the great tradition of ‘Homeland’, one of the most successful and brand-defining shows at Showtime,” said McCarthy. “Just as ‘Homeland’ elevated global espionage to new heights, ‘The Department’ will take viewers even deeper into a world of intrigue and subterfuge with complicated characters who struggle with their own demons as they fight existential threats...
The show is based on the acclaimed French drama series “Le Bureau des Legendes,” and Showtime and Paramount Media President/CEO Chris McCarthy compared this American adaptation to the network’s Emmy-winning hit series “Homeland.”
“’The Department,’ based on the riveting and brilliant series ‘The Bureau,’ will follow in the great tradition of ‘Homeland’, one of the most successful and brand-defining shows at Showtime,” said McCarthy. “Just as ‘Homeland’ elevated global espionage to new heights, ‘The Department’ will take viewers even deeper into a world of intrigue and subterfuge with complicated characters who struggle with their own demons as they fight existential threats...
- 2/6/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
It largely speaks to how different the landscape of Hollywood used to be compared to our present that even though Harrison Ford has been immortalized in two of pop culture's biggest Blockbuster franchises, he still has had a long and fulfilling career outside of those bubbles. Maybe it's the transition into IP-driven pictures and cinematic universes, but where most actors these days often find themselves stuck typecast, Ford thrived beyond his time as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. Outside of being Spielberg and Lucas's collaborator, he's worked with many prolific directors from Ridley Scott, Peter Weir, Francis Ford Coppola, and Mike Nichols.
Though he oozes expressive, rugged charm that we tend to associate with our greatest movie stars, one thing Ford doesn't have a lot of is Academy recognition. In fact, he's been nominated for Best Actor only once for his performance in 1985's "Witness," so there's a surprising lack...
Though he oozes expressive, rugged charm that we tend to associate with our greatest movie stars, one thing Ford doesn't have a lot of is Academy recognition. In fact, he's been nominated for Best Actor only once for his performance in 1985's "Witness," so there's a surprising lack...
- 11/20/2022
- by Tyler Llewyn Taing
- Slash Film
Alongside being a movie megastar, George Clooney has always had a penchant for smaller, less commercially ambitious films. For every "Gravity" and "Ocean's Eleven" there's a "Solaris" or a "Good Night, and Good Luck." The latter of those, released in 2005, was a product of Clooney and Steven Soderbergh's Section Eight Productions — a relatively short-lived production company responsible for the "Ocean's" franchise as well as smaller productions like "Syriana".
The company was shuttered in 2006, with Clooney leaving to start his current production company, Smokehouse Pictures, with his "Good Night, and Good Luck" co-writer and producer Grant Heslov. But for a while, Clooney and Soderbergh's joint venture was churning out an impressive slate of films, some of which proved successful both commercially and critically. But it was the smaller movies that its co-founders were particularly interested in. The two struck a deal with Warner Bros. to make relatively low-budget films in exchange for,...
The company was shuttered in 2006, with Clooney leaving to start his current production company, Smokehouse Pictures, with his "Good Night, and Good Luck" co-writer and producer Grant Heslov. But for a while, Clooney and Soderbergh's joint venture was churning out an impressive slate of films, some of which proved successful both commercially and critically. But it was the smaller movies that its co-founders were particularly interested in. The two struck a deal with Warner Bros. to make relatively low-budget films in exchange for,...
- 11/14/2022
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is bringing back Oscar-nominated producer Jennifer Fox to produce the 13th Annual Governors Awards, which will present Honorary Awards to Euzhan Palcy, Diane Warren, and Peter Weir, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Michael J. Fox on Saturday, November 19, 2022, at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
The news was announced by new Academy President Janet Yang, who said via statement, “We’re thrilled to have Jennifer back at the helm to help us kick off Oscar season with a tribute fitting to these four extraordinary individuals. Her contribution in past years has only elevated this truly special and joyous event.”
This will mark the fourth time the “Michael Clayton” producer has helmed the event, having produced the Governors Awards in 2018, 2019, and this past March, which was the event’s big return after two years off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The news was announced by new Academy President Janet Yang, who said via statement, “We’re thrilled to have Jennifer back at the helm to help us kick off Oscar season with a tribute fitting to these four extraordinary individuals. Her contribution in past years has only elevated this truly special and joyous event.”
This will mark the fourth time the “Michael Clayton” producer has helmed the event, having produced the Governors Awards in 2018, 2019, and this past March, which was the event’s big return after two years off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 8/31/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Following its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival Film, Noah Baumbach’s feature take of Don DeLillo’s 1985 novel White Noise will also open the 60th New York Film Festival, making its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall on September 30.
In the Netflix movie, Adam Driver plays Jack Gladney, an ostentatious “Hitler Studies” professor and father-of-four whose comfortable suburban college town life and marriage to the secretive Babette (Greta Gerwig) are upended after a horrifying nearby accident creates an airborne toxic event of frightening and unknowable proportions. DeLillo’s novel is known for being a pop-philosophical nightmare on unbounded consumerism, ecological catastrophe, and the American obsession with death.
“In 1985 my father and I drove from Brooklyn to see Kurosawa’s Ran open the 23rd NYFF, the same year that he brought home the hardback of Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” said Baumbach. “Opening the 60th NYFF with White...
In the Netflix movie, Adam Driver plays Jack Gladney, an ostentatious “Hitler Studies” professor and father-of-four whose comfortable suburban college town life and marriage to the secretive Babette (Greta Gerwig) are upended after a horrifying nearby accident creates an airborne toxic event of frightening and unknowable proportions. DeLillo’s novel is known for being a pop-philosophical nightmare on unbounded consumerism, ecological catastrophe, and the American obsession with death.
“In 1985 my father and I drove from Brooklyn to see Kurosawa’s Ran open the 23rd NYFF, the same year that he brought home the hardback of Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” said Baumbach. “Opening the 60th NYFF with White...
- 8/2/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeff Daniels is set to play the lead role in the upcoming Netflix drama series “A Man in Full,” Variety has learned.
The series is based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. Variety exclusively reported the show had received a straight-to-series order at the streamer in November 2021. The show hails from David E. Kelley with Regina King onboard to direct and executive produce.
In the series, Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker (Daniels) faces sudden bankruptcy. Political and business interests collide as Croker defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace. Croker is further described as polarizing and robust, crude, rude, and irresponsible.
This will be the latest TV starring role for Daniels in the past several years. Most recently, he starred in the Showtime series adaptation of “American Rust” as well as the premium cabler’s limited series “The Comey Rule.
The series is based on the Tom Wolfe novel of the same name. Variety exclusively reported the show had received a straight-to-series order at the streamer in November 2021. The show hails from David E. Kelley with Regina King onboard to direct and executive produce.
In the series, Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker (Daniels) faces sudden bankruptcy. Political and business interests collide as Croker defends his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace. Croker is further described as polarizing and robust, crude, rude, and irresponsible.
This will be the latest TV starring role for Daniels in the past several years. Most recently, he starred in the Showtime series adaptation of “American Rust” as well as the premium cabler’s limited series “The Comey Rule.
- 5/2/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Some films are nearly impossible to imagine in anything other than black-and-white. For example, in the case of "Schindler's List," Steven Spielberg shot his harrowing Holocaust drama as though he were a journalist recording the movie's events for the sake of posterity, its monochrome palette inseparable from the real-life historical horrors it depicts.
The same goes for 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck," a dramatization of radio and TV journalist Edward R. Murrow's war of words with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and his Communist witch-hunts in the 1950s. George Clooney, directing for only the second time after "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," took...
The post George Clooney's Insistence On Black and White Could've Sank Good Night, and Good Luck appeared first on /Film.
The same goes for 2005's "Good Night, and Good Luck," a dramatization of radio and TV journalist Edward R. Murrow's war of words with U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and his Communist witch-hunts in the 1950s. George Clooney, directing for only the second time after "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," took...
The post George Clooney's Insistence On Black and White Could've Sank Good Night, and Good Luck appeared first on /Film.
- 4/7/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
At the 13th Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony in 2007, Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls”) made history as the first Black winner in the supporting actress category. In the time since, five of the 11 other Black women who have vied for the same award have succeeded. Ruby Dee (“American Gangster”) prevailed the very next year and was followed by Mo’Nique (2009’s “Precious”), Octavia Spencer (2011’s “The Help”), Lupita Nyong’o (2013’s “12 Years a Slave”) and Viola Davis (2016’s “Fences”). Now, having landed a nomination for her role in “Passing,” Ruth Negga could become the lucky seventh member of this group.
Negga faces Caitríona Balfe (“Belfast”), Cate Blanchett (“Nightmare Alley”), Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”). Balfe, who is also up in ensemble for “Belfast,” and DeBose stand with Negga in forming the lineup’s SAG newcomer majority. Blanchett, also an ensemble contender for “Don’t Look Up,...
Negga faces Caitríona Balfe (“Belfast”), Cate Blanchett (“Nightmare Alley”), Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Kirsten Dunst (“The Power of the Dog”). Balfe, who is also up in ensemble for “Belfast,” and DeBose stand with Negga in forming the lineup’s SAG newcomer majority. Blanchett, also an ensemble contender for “Don’t Look Up,...
- 2/17/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In 1989, Kenneth Branagh made his feature film directing debut with “Henry V,” based on the history play by William Shakespeare. He went on to compete in the next year’s Best Director Oscar race, ultimately losing to Oliver Stone (“Born on the Fourth of July”). Now, over three decades later and with 18 more directing credits under his belt, his work on “Belfast” has brought him a second bid in the category, as well as his first for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture.
With those latter two nominations, Branagh makes Oscar history as the first person to contend in seven distinct categories. He started his journey toward this singular achievement by landing a second bid for “Henry V” as its leading man. That made him the fifth person to earn acting and directing Oscar nominations for the same film, after Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, Woody Allen, and Warren Beatty. His...
With those latter two nominations, Branagh makes Oscar history as the first person to contend in seven distinct categories. He started his journey toward this singular achievement by landing a second bid for “Henry V” as its leading man. That made him the fifth person to earn acting and directing Oscar nominations for the same film, after Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, Woody Allen, and Warren Beatty. His...
- 2/9/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The Oscars returned to a hard slate of 10 Best Picture nominees this year, but ironically, for the first time in the preferential ballot era, none of the Best Actress Oscar nominees are in a Best Picture nominee.
Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”), Penelope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”), Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) and Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) made the final five on Tuesday, but none of their films are in the top 10. The Best Picture nominees were “Belfast,” “Coda,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story.”
The last time none of the Best Actress nominees were in a Best Picture nominee was 16 years ago, when the main category was still a field of five. Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for “Walk the Line” over Judi Dench (“Mrs. Henderson Presents”), Felicity Huffman...
Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”), Penelope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”), Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) and Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”) made the final five on Tuesday, but none of their films are in the top 10. The Best Picture nominees were “Belfast,” “Coda,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story.”
The last time none of the Best Actress nominees were in a Best Picture nominee was 16 years ago, when the main category was still a field of five. Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress for “Walk the Line” over Judi Dench (“Mrs. Henderson Presents”), Felicity Huffman...
- 2/8/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Oscar nomination voting started today, and George Clooney as he has often in his career, has a movie that deserves consideration in The Tender Bar which, so far, has been somewhat unfairly overlooked in critics and guild award nominations. But it’s a kind of small gem, a family dramedy and coming-of-age story, that I think is the finest directorial job Clooney has done since Good Night And Good Luck. Apparently those who have caught the film in its streaming run that began on January 7 on Amazon Prime agree.
The streamer says the movie, which is based on Jr Mohringer’s memoir of growing up in Long Island where the patrons of his Uncle Charlie’s bar basically stood in as father figures for him, had one of the best debuts of any original movie on Prime Video. It’s currently in their top 10 movie releases of all time, and...
The streamer says the movie, which is based on Jr Mohringer’s memoir of growing up in Long Island where the patrons of his Uncle Charlie’s bar basically stood in as father figures for him, had one of the best debuts of any original movie on Prime Video. It’s currently in their top 10 movie releases of all time, and...
- 1/28/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
During his 40-year career as a cinematographer, Robert Elswit has shot movies in practically every genre: “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle,” “Syriana,” “Good Night and Good Luck,” two “Mission: Impossible” films, and six with director Paul Thomas Anderson, including “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” He took home an Oscar in 2008 for PTA’s “There Will Be Blood.”
But Elswit had only worked on one sports project before lensing “King Richard,” the biopic starring Will Smith as the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble Cast (in addition to a solo nod for Smith’s performance) and the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of a Theatrical Motion Picture, both precursors for the Best Picture Oscar lineup.
TheWrap connected with Elswit from Rome, where he is filming Showtime’s limited series “Ripley,...
But Elswit had only worked on one sports project before lensing “King Richard,” the biopic starring Will Smith as the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild award for Best Ensemble Cast (in addition to a solo nod for Smith’s performance) and the Producers Guild Award for Outstanding Producer of a Theatrical Motion Picture, both precursors for the Best Picture Oscar lineup.
TheWrap connected with Elswit from Rome, where he is filming Showtime’s limited series “Ripley,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Joe McGovern
- The Wrap
Just two years after landing his first credited film role, Kenneth Branagh made his feature directing debut by helming a 1989 adaptation of William Shakespeare’s “Henry V” in which he also starred. The next year, he became the fifth person to receive acting and directing Oscar nominations for a single film, after Orson Welles, Laurence Olivier, Woody Allen, and Warren Beatty. Since then, his multifaceted talent has allowed him to compete in three additional categories: Best Live Action Short, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor.
Now, a full decade after his most recent outing, Branagh is poised to make Oscars history with “Belfast,” which chronicles the effects of The Troubles on a 1960s Northern Irish family. His work on the semi-autobiographical film is likely to earn him spots in this year’s Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay lineups. If he at least scores bids for producing and writing,...
Now, a full decade after his most recent outing, Branagh is poised to make Oscars history with “Belfast,” which chronicles the effects of The Troubles on a 1960s Northern Irish family. His work on the semi-autobiographical film is likely to earn him spots in this year’s Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay lineups. If he at least scores bids for producing and writing,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
I like George Clooney. He's a good-looking fellow, he's a dedicated philanthropist, and he's a damn fine actor. He seems like he has it all! But there's one area Clooney continues to fail in, no matter how hard he tries: filmmaking. Clooney has directed some solid flicks -- his directorial debut "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" is clever and features a killer Sam Rockwell performance, and his ode to journalism "Good Night And Good Luck" is fantastic. Beyond those two bright spots, though, Clooney has come up short in the filmmaking department. "The Ides of March" boasts an incredible cast but a...
The post The Tender Bar Review: Cool Uncle Ben Affleck Shines In George Clooney's Lifeless Drama appeared first on /Film.
The post The Tender Bar Review: Cool Uncle Ben Affleck Shines In George Clooney's Lifeless Drama appeared first on /Film.
- 12/14/2021
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Kenneth Branagh’s semi-autobiographical film “Belfast” is opening in theaters this week and has already attracted an immense amount of Oscar buzz, currently sitting as the frontrunner for best picture, director and several other categories. With honors and audience awards from various festivals, the Focus Features black-and-white drama has the famed filmmaker on a path to make Oscar history.
For “Belfast,” Branagh serves as one of the producers, which makes him eligible to be nominated for best picture, along with director and original screenplay. He’s received five nominations during his career, all across different categories – director, actor, supporting actor (“My Week with Marilyn”), adapted screenplay (“Hamlet”) and live action short (“Swan Song”).
Pending any unforeseen catastrophe, Branagh is on track to add two new categories to his arsenal (picture and original screenplay). This possibility could set a couple of records for the Ireland native. First, he would tie George Clooney,...
For “Belfast,” Branagh serves as one of the producers, which makes him eligible to be nominated for best picture, along with director and original screenplay. He’s received five nominations during his career, all across different categories – director, actor, supporting actor (“My Week with Marilyn”), adapted screenplay (“Hamlet”) and live action short (“Swan Song”).
Pending any unforeseen catastrophe, Branagh is on track to add two new categories to his arsenal (picture and original screenplay). This possibility could set a couple of records for the Ireland native. First, he would tie George Clooney,...
- 11/8/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
At the Middleburg Film Festival this month, there were two rapturous standing ovations in the main theater of the Salamander Resort, where all the prominent films screen. One was for the best picture front-runner “Belfast” from Focus Features. The other was for Clifton Collins Jr.’s heartfelt turn as an aging equestrian hoping for his final championship run in “Jockey” from Sony Pictures Classics.
With more than 70 movie credits, the Los Angeles-born actor has been a staple at the movies for two decades. From his imprisoned corporal in “The Last Castle” (2001) to his Oscar-snubbed role as convicted murderer Perry Smith in Bennett Miller’s best picture-nominated debut, “Capote” (2005), opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, Collins has been a true character actor, with no awards recognition to come his way.
“Jockey” debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which was virtual due to the pandemic. But movies often play differently in theaters.
With more than 70 movie credits, the Los Angeles-born actor has been a staple at the movies for two decades. From his imprisoned corporal in “The Last Castle” (2001) to his Oscar-snubbed role as convicted murderer Perry Smith in Bennett Miller’s best picture-nominated debut, “Capote” (2005), opposite Philip Seymour Hoffman, Collins has been a true character actor, with no awards recognition to come his way.
“Jockey” debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, which was virtual due to the pandemic. But movies often play differently in theaters.
- 10/28/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has released the official trailer and one-sheet poster for the coming-of-age drama film "The Tender Bar" from director George Clooney. While this marks the first time that Clooney has directed his fellow Batman thespian Ben Affleck, the two of them won Oscars together for producing Affleck's 2012 film "Argo." The film recently premiered at the London Film Festival where it so far has garnered mixed reviews.
Besides Affleck, the cast includes Tye Sheridan ("Ready Player One"), Emmy Award winner Christopher Lloyd ("Nobody"), Lily Rabe ("American Horror Story"), Max Martini ("Pacific Rim"), and introduces...
The post The Tender Bar Trailer: Ben Affleck Tends Bar in Long Island for Director George Clooney appeared first on /Film.
Besides Affleck, the cast includes Tye Sheridan ("Ready Player One"), Emmy Award winner Christopher Lloyd ("Nobody"), Lily Rabe ("American Horror Story"), Max Martini ("Pacific Rim"), and introduces...
The post The Tender Bar Trailer: Ben Affleck Tends Bar in Long Island for Director George Clooney appeared first on /Film.
- 10/14/2021
- by Max Evry
- Slash Film
Back in 2009, when Jeff Daniels was starring in “God of Carnage” on Broadway, TV was on the rise. Cable dramas like “Mad Men” were bringing newfound respect to the medium. Stars formerly exclusive to movie screens (like Alec Baldwin on “30 Rock”) were reinvigorating their careers with weekly roles. And Daniels, being a curious thespian who chased good parts whether they’re in movies or at the theater, whether they’re comedies (like “Dumb and Dumber” and “Something Wild”) or dramas (like “The Squid and the Whale” or “Good Night and Good Luck”), he wanted to know how to find those quality gigs on television.
Luckily, he was sharing the stage with an expert.
“[James] Gandolfini was there, god bless him,” Daniels said of his fellow Tony-nominated cast member. “And Jim… I was starting to go, ‘I want to get into TV. I want to chase whatever that is.’ So Gandolfini said,...
Luckily, he was sharing the stage with an expert.
“[James] Gandolfini was there, god bless him,” Daniels said of his fellow Tony-nominated cast member. “And Jim… I was starting to go, ‘I want to get into TV. I want to chase whatever that is.’ So Gandolfini said,...
- 10/5/2021
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The latest directorial effort from George Clooney could be a surprise awards contender this year, as Amazon Studios has just dated “The Tender Bar” for limited release on December 17, 2021 before a nationwide theatrical release on December 22 and a global rollout on Amazon Prime Video on January 7, 2022.
Written by William Monahan, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind “The Departed,” this new drama is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author J.R. Moehringer’s memoir of the same name and stars Ben Affleck as a charismatic bartender who serves as a father figure to his nephew J.R., played by Tye Sheridan and glimpsed in the first-look image released by Amazon Studios.
The story charts J.R.’s pursuit of his own romantic and professional dreams against the backdrop of his colorful family, which includes his struggling mother (Lily Rabe) and outrageous grandfather (Christopher Lloyd).
This marks Clooney’s second directorial effort to be released in...
Written by William Monahan, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind “The Departed,” this new drama is based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author J.R. Moehringer’s memoir of the same name and stars Ben Affleck as a charismatic bartender who serves as a father figure to his nephew J.R., played by Tye Sheridan and glimpsed in the first-look image released by Amazon Studios.
The story charts J.R.’s pursuit of his own romantic and professional dreams against the backdrop of his colorful family, which includes his struggling mother (Lily Rabe) and outrageous grandfather (Christopher Lloyd).
This marks Clooney’s second directorial effort to be released in...
- 9/22/2021
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Once again, Jake Gyllenhaal churns out a committed, visceral performance in Antoine Fuqua’s contained thriller “The Guilty.” The film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival brings up the fascinating question — when will Gyllenhaal get another Oscar nomination?
It’s been over 15 years since the Los Angeles-born actor was nominated for supporting actor in Ang Lee’s romantic cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) opposite Heath Ledger. The film went on to win three Oscars for directing, adapted screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana) and original score (Gustavo Santaolalla). Notwithstanding the infamous “Crash” win for best picture over “Brokeback,” the actor race was also interesting during that season: Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist missed out on a Golden Globe nomination due to HFPA moving the performance to lead status, and then was followed by a SAG nomination and a shocking BAFTA win where eventual Oscar-winner George Clooney was double nominated...
It’s been over 15 years since the Los Angeles-born actor was nominated for supporting actor in Ang Lee’s romantic cowboy drama “Brokeback Mountain” (2005) opposite Heath Ledger. The film went on to win three Oscars for directing, adapted screenplay (Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana) and original score (Gustavo Santaolalla). Notwithstanding the infamous “Crash” win for best picture over “Brokeback,” the actor race was also interesting during that season: Gyllenhaal’s Jack Twist missed out on a Golden Globe nomination due to HFPA moving the performance to lead status, and then was followed by a SAG nomination and a shocking BAFTA win where eventual Oscar-winner George Clooney was double nominated...
- 9/10/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
George Clooney’s career has evolved from a hot handyman dripping with charisma to a, well, hot Oscar-winning actor and producer dripping with charisma. But his resume isn’t all that’s changed in the past four decades – his hair has, too. Here is the long and short of it.
As a kid growing up in Kentucky, little George Timothy Clooney sported shaggy brown bangs. The hair doesn’t scream “George Clooney,” but the eyes and grin sure do.
1985 • Well into building an acting career, Clooney sat for a typical Hollywood-style photoshoot showing off his gorgeous wavy locks and fashionable (at the time) mullet.
1988 • A gig on “Roseanne” brought Clooney some notoriety… for both him and that fabulous head of hair.
1989 • Clooney hit the road to promote his new film “Red Surf” (notice the poster behind him) playing a — you guessed it — surfer who enjoys the lifestyle drug money brings him.
As a kid growing up in Kentucky, little George Timothy Clooney sported shaggy brown bangs. The hair doesn’t scream “George Clooney,” but the eyes and grin sure do.
1985 • Well into building an acting career, Clooney sat for a typical Hollywood-style photoshoot showing off his gorgeous wavy locks and fashionable (at the time) mullet.
1988 • A gig on “Roseanne” brought Clooney some notoriety… for both him and that fabulous head of hair.
1989 • Clooney hit the road to promote his new film “Red Surf” (notice the poster behind him) playing a — you guessed it — surfer who enjoys the lifestyle drug money brings him.
- 5/6/2021
- by Rosemary Rossi
- The Wrap
The films competing for the 2021 Best Production Design Oscar are “The Father,” “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Mank,” “News of the World,” and “Tenet.” Our odds currently indicate that “Mank” (31/10) will be the winner, followed in order by “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (4/1), “News of the World” (9/2), “The Father” (9/2), and “Tenet” (9/2).
Set decorator Karen O’Hara (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) previously prevailed for “Alice in Wonderland” (2011) after first receiving a bid for “The Color of Money” (1987). She has now earned a spot on the list of 12 most-nominated female set decorators, which includes last year’s champion, eight-time nominee Nancy Haigh. O’Hara could become the third of the dozen to win more than once, after Francesca Lo Schiavo and Haigh.
“Mank” production designer Donald Graham Burt is also a previous champ for his work in another David Fincher film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2009). This is also the second bid for Burt’s set-decorating partner,...
Set decorator Karen O’Hara (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) previously prevailed for “Alice in Wonderland” (2011) after first receiving a bid for “The Color of Money” (1987). She has now earned a spot on the list of 12 most-nominated female set decorators, which includes last year’s champion, eight-time nominee Nancy Haigh. O’Hara could become the third of the dozen to win more than once, after Francesca Lo Schiavo and Haigh.
“Mank” production designer Donald Graham Burt is also a previous champ for his work in another David Fincher film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2009). This is also the second bid for Burt’s set-decorating partner,...
- 4/21/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
This season’s Oscar race for production design pits David Fincher’s mighty black-and-white “Mank” (the Adg period winner) against Florian Zeller’s mind-bending “The Father,” Christopher Nolan’s time-inverted “Tenet” (the Adg fantasy winner), Paul Greengrass’ first western, “News of the World,” and the sweltering Chicago period trappings of George C. Wolfe’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
“Mank” is the favorite for meticulously recreating the world of washed up, alcoholic screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman), who struggles to churn out a first draft of “Citizen Kane.” Oscar-winning production designer Don Burt (“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) had to think in terms of black-and-white design to authentically return to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the ’30s. Fortunately, set decorator Jan Pascale used the monochromatic filter on her iPhone for shooting set dressing tests, and that helped shape the palette of warm earth tones. Unable to shoot at the...
- 4/20/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The Netflix biographical drama “Mank” has had mixed results this awards season, often scoring the most nominations thanks in large part to its lavish production values, but it hasn’t had as much luck with wins. There’s one key exception, though: Best Production Design, where the film has consistently been honored by awards groups for recreating 1930s and 1940s Hollywood. If it follows through by winning that award at the Oscars, it’ll be the first black-and-white film to do so since “Schindler’s List” (1993).
Telling lavish stories about show business is a pretty good way to win Best Production Design: it worked for colorful films like “Moulin Rouge” (2001), “Chicago” (2002), “The Aviator” (2004), “La La Land” (2016), and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019), among others. But while black-and-white production design, art direction, and set decoration have occasionally been nominated over the last 27 years, they haven’t won: the partially color, partially black-and-white “Pleasantville” (1998) lost,...
Telling lavish stories about show business is a pretty good way to win Best Production Design: it worked for colorful films like “Moulin Rouge” (2001), “Chicago” (2002), “The Aviator” (2004), “La La Land” (2016), and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” (2019), among others. But while black-and-white production design, art direction, and set decoration have occasionally been nominated over the last 27 years, they haven’t won: the partially color, partially black-and-white “Pleasantville” (1998) lost,...
- 4/19/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Participant’s Laura Kim has been promoted to executive vice president of marketing.
The seven-year-veteran of the company had previously served as a senior vice president in film marketing. She will continue to report to the company’s worldwide marketing president Christina Kounelias.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together. Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films,” said Kounelias. “Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
In her new role, Kim assumes expanded duties in independent and international film and series projects at the studio, founded with a mission to...
The seven-year-veteran of the company had previously served as a senior vice president in film marketing. She will continue to report to the company’s worldwide marketing president Christina Kounelias.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together. Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films,” said Kounelias. “Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
In her new role, Kim assumes expanded duties in independent and international film and series projects at the studio, founded with a mission to...
- 4/7/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Participant has promoted veteran executive Laura Kim to executive vice president of marketing, the company announced on Tuesday.
Kim, who first joined Participant in 2014, will focus on independent and international films and series, reporting to Christina Kounelias, Participant’s president of worldwide marketing.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together,” Kounelias said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films. Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
“I am excited to be working on films and series that move me and that challenge us to try harder and do better,...
Kim, who first joined Participant in 2014, will focus on independent and international films and series, reporting to Christina Kounelias, Participant’s president of worldwide marketing.
“Laura has become a good friend and trusted colleague for the past five years that we have worked closely together,” Kounelias said in a statement. “Her vast knowledge and deep expertise in independent, specialty and international films is second-to-none, contributing greatly to the success of our films. Her strategic thinking, great devotion to mentorship and genuine passion for impact and the issues match Participant’s core values, and on behalf of everyone at the company, we are thrilled to recognize her numerous contributions with this promotion.”
“I am excited to be working on films and series that move me and that challenge us to try harder and do better,...
- 4/6/2021
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
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 Oscars Predictions:
Best Production Design
Updated: Mar. 4, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Art Directors Guild gave momentum to “Mulan,” “Promising Young Woman” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” in the production design race. The usual suspects such as “Mank, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Production Design
Updated: Mar. 4, 2021
Awards Prediction Commentary: The Art Directors Guild gave momentum to “Mulan,” “Promising Young Woman” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7” in the production design race. The usual suspects such as “Mank, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and...
- 3/4/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Frank Langella is Stanislavsky over Strasberg (“Lee took Stanislavsky and bastardized him terribly”), acting over stardom (“I play my strong suit and try to disappear”), and old over young. “I’d hate to be a young actor starting out now,” said the 83-year-old performer; he was 32 when he earned his first film credit, in “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” which earned him a 1971 Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer-Male. “I’ve seen people write about a new young actor who is only 24 being thrown on the junk heap.”
Langella is also theater over film, usually, but he was delighted to make the exception for Aaron Sorkin, whom he compares to Shakespeare. “All the classics I’ve done, I’m safe inside these brilliant writers,” he said. “There are not many today. With Aaron, you never feel you’re being abandoned: ‘How do I play this?’ Aaron has a delicious chocolate cake,...
Langella is also theater over film, usually, but he was delighted to make the exception for Aaron Sorkin, whom he compares to Shakespeare. “All the classics I’ve done, I’m safe inside these brilliant writers,” he said. “There are not many today. With Aaron, you never feel you’re being abandoned: ‘How do I play this?’ Aaron has a delicious chocolate cake,...
- 2/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Frank Langella is Stanislavsky over Strasberg (“Lee took Stanislavsky and bastardized him terribly”), acting over stardom (“I play my strong suit and try to disappear”), and old over young. “I’d hate to be a young actor starting out now,” said the 83-year-old performer; he was 32 when he earned his first film credit, in “Diary of a Mad Housewife,” which earned him a 1971 Golden Globe nomination as Most Promising Newcomer-Male. “I’ve seen people write about a new young actor who is only 24 being thrown on the junk heap.”
Langella is also theater over film, usually, but he was delighted to make the exception for Aaron Sorkin, whom he compares to Shakespeare. “All the classics I’ve done, I’m safe inside these brilliant writers,” he said. “There are not many today. With Aaron, you never feel you’re being abandoned: ‘How do I play this?’ Aaron has a delicious chocolate cake,...
Langella is also theater over film, usually, but he was delighted to make the exception for Aaron Sorkin, whom he compares to Shakespeare. “All the classics I’ve done, I’m safe inside these brilliant writers,” he said. “There are not many today. With Aaron, you never feel you’re being abandoned: ‘How do I play this?’ Aaron has a delicious chocolate cake,...
- 2/22/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There have been a few instances in Oscar’s illustrious history that have left film fans scratching their heads. One such occurrence happened on March 5, 2006, at the end of the 78th ceremony when the Best Picture was announced. It remains one of the most controversial wins in the history of the awards show. It was also a year in which there was no big winner – in fact, Four films tied with the most wins – at just three apiece! Also unusual for the Oscars, the awards for picture, director and all four acting awards went to different productions, and there were a few anomalies in the acting categories as well. The event, which was held a week later than normal due to the Winter Olympics, was hosted by Jon Stewart for the first time (he’d host again in 2008). His opening sketch featured former Oscar hosts Billy Crystal, Steve Martin, Chris Rock,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Chris Beachum and Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
For nine months, George Clooney’s go-to production designer, James Bissell, was immersed in the end of the world for their apocalyptic film, “The Midnight Sky.” And Clooney — who knows a thing or two about sci-fi with “Gravity” and “Solaris” — wanted the visual language of their spacecraft (The Aether) to be unique yet plausible. So Bissell did his NASA research and studied where they’re headed with future designs for spacecraft.
“It was that interesting design problem of getting things that felt like they could fit in the next 30 years, but, at the same time, contained dramatic imagery that reflected the characters,” said Bissell. Clooney plays a scientist who isolates himself at The Barbeau Arctic observatory to warn active crewed space missions returning home of the global disaster on earth. He makes contact with Felicity Jones, the pregnant mission specialist of The Aether, which has just finished exploring Jupiter’s...
“It was that interesting design problem of getting things that felt like they could fit in the next 30 years, but, at the same time, contained dramatic imagery that reflected the characters,” said Bissell. Clooney plays a scientist who isolates himself at The Barbeau Arctic observatory to warn active crewed space missions returning home of the global disaster on earth. He makes contact with Felicity Jones, the pregnant mission specialist of The Aether, which has just finished exploring Jupiter’s...
- 2/16/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- 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 Oscars Predictions:
Best Supporting Actor
Updated: Feb. 11, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) bounces back with a Critics Choice nomination after missing Globes and SAG. There’s a three-horse race seemingly afoot with Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Daniel Kaluuya...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Collective
Draft>>>Pre Season>>>Regular Season>>>Post Season
2021 Oscars Predictions:
Best Supporting Actor
Updated: Feb. 11, 2021
Awards Commentary:
Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) bounces back with a Critics Choice nomination after missing Globes and SAG. There’s a three-horse race seemingly afoot with Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”), Daniel Kaluuya...
- 2/11/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Burbank, CA, February 2, 2021 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment announced today that 2014’s Godzilla will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on March 23rd. An epic action adventure directed by Gareth Edwards (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story), Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ Godzilla marked the long-awaited big screen return of the King of the Monsters.
Directed by Edwards from a screenplay by Max Borenstein and a story by David Callaham, Godzilla is based on the character “Godzilla,” owned and created by Toho Co., Ltd. Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni produced the film with Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Patricia Whitcher and Alex Garcia served as executive producers, alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.
Godzilla stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche, and Oscar® nominee Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), alongside Oscar® nominee David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.
Ultra HD* showcases...
Directed by Edwards from a screenplay by Max Borenstein and a story by David Callaham, Godzilla is based on the character “Godzilla,” owned and created by Toho Co., Ltd. Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni produced the film with Mary Parent and Brian Rogers. Patricia Whitcher and Alex Garcia served as executive producers, alongside Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira.
Godzilla stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass), Oscar® nominee Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Oscar® winner Juliette Binoche, and Oscar® nominee Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), alongside Oscar® nominee David Strathairn and Bryan Cranston.
Ultra HD* showcases...
- 2/3/2021
- by ComicMix Staff
- Comicmix.com
“Mank” set decorator Jan Pascale is no stranger to black-and-white films: She received an Oscar nomination for George Clooney‘s “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005). But those two monochrome films couldn’t be more different.
“When I first met with [‘Mank’ production designer Donald Graham Burt] about it, I said, ‘I’ve done black and white. I can do this.’ And Don said, ‘No, no, no, this is different.’ The way the images were captured was quite different,'” Pascale tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Btl Experts: Film Production Design panel (watch above). “On ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ we shot on film … and we had a really limited budget on that one — $7 million the whole movie — so I couldn’t paint anything or really paint anything, so everything was shot as is. But it sort of worked.”
“Mank,” however, was shot in black and white on a Red digital camera,...
“When I first met with [‘Mank’ production designer Donald Graham Burt] about it, I said, ‘I’ve done black and white. I can do this.’ And Don said, ‘No, no, no, this is different.’ The way the images were captured was quite different,'” Pascale tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Btl Experts: Film Production Design panel (watch above). “On ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ we shot on film … and we had a really limited budget on that one — $7 million the whole movie — so I couldn’t paint anything or really paint anything, so everything was shot as is. But it sort of worked.”
“Mank,” however, was shot in black and white on a Red digital camera,...
- 1/29/2021
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Four acclaimed film production designers will reveal details behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Btl Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Oscar contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to be published on Monday, January 25, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Joyce Eng and a group chat with Joyce and all of them together.
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Btl Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Oscar contenders:
“Mank” (Netflix): Jan Pascale
Pascale was an Oscar nominee for “Good Night, and Good Luck” and an Emmy winner for “Boston Public.
RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Btl Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Oscar contenders:
“Mank” (Netflix): Jan Pascale
Pascale was an Oscar nominee for “Good Night, and Good Luck” and an Emmy winner for “Boston Public.
- 1/18/2021
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
“Mank” is the early Oscar front-runner to win Best Cinematography, according to the combined predictions of Gold Derby users, and it’s no wonder why. Black-and-white films stand out visually in an era when the vast majority of movies are shot in color. But monochromatic movies aren’t the slam dunk you might think. In fact, only two such movies have won that award in the past 30 years, which could be good news for “Mank’s” closest challenger in our odds, “Nomadland.”
Erik Messerschmidt is the cinematographer for “Mank,” which tells the true story of the title screenwriter who clashed with the wealthy Hollywood establishment and wrote the classic film “Citizen Kane.” The David Fincher-directed biopic is stylized to resemble the films of the 1940s era it depicts, which might especially appeal to the industry insiders who vote for the Oscars. And Messerschmidt just recently broke through with his...
Erik Messerschmidt is the cinematographer for “Mank,” which tells the true story of the title screenwriter who clashed with the wealthy Hollywood establishment and wrote the classic film “Citizen Kane.” The David Fincher-directed biopic is stylized to resemble the films of the 1940s era it depicts, which might especially appeal to the industry insiders who vote for the Oscars. And Messerschmidt just recently broke through with his...
- 1/5/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
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