Indie News
David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” the horror auteur’s latest film about a widow who invents technology to see inside his late wife’s grave, received a 3.5-minute standing ovation at its Cannes premiere on Monday night.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
The crowd showed their respect for the Cannes legend with applause after the credits rolled, but it was lackluster as audience members digested the film, which is a departure from Cronenberg’s usual out-of-the-box body horror. Instead, “The Shrouds” is a thoughtful exploration of grief and technology, and though there are several gross-out moments, the film relies on emotion more than anything.
“This is the first time I’ve seen the movie with an audience, and it’s completely different,” Cronenberg said after the clapping died down. “I’m very happy that you are all here.”
Described as an arthouse horror film, “The Shrouds” stars Vincent Cassel, Diane Kruger, Guy Pearce and Sandrine Holt.
- 5/20/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety - Film News
Justin Long waited 20 years to cop to the fact that he was too old to play a high schooler in “Dodgeball.”
Long co-starred in the 2004 sports comedy alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. During a recent “Dinner’s On Me” podcast hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Long revealed that his part was “written for a 15-year-old.” He was almost a decade older at the time.
“It was because of ‘Ed’ that I got [‘Dodgeball’] because it was an episode from ‘Ed’ that the writer, Rosson, the writer/director saw, and he wrote this part for me,” Long said. “The character’s name was Justin and…Ben and Vince Vaughn were two of my favorites. I so admired them. They were idols of mine, you know, and so it was such a fantasy and I was really nervous for the table read because I thought ‘This part is mine to lose.
Long co-starred in the 2004 sports comedy alongside Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. During a recent “Dinner’s On Me” podcast hosted by Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Long revealed that his part was “written for a 15-year-old.” He was almost a decade older at the time.
“It was because of ‘Ed’ that I got [‘Dodgeball’] because it was an episode from ‘Ed’ that the writer, Rosson, the writer/director saw, and he wrote this part for me,” Long said. “The character’s name was Justin and…Ben and Vince Vaughn were two of my favorites. I so admired them. They were idols of mine, you know, and so it was such a fantasy and I was really nervous for the table read because I thought ‘This part is mine to lose.
- 5/21/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.As part of our Cannes 2024 coverage, we invited critics, filmmakers, and programmers to share just one moment from a film they've seen at the festival so far.Sign up for the Weekly Edit to receive exclusive reports from the Croisette straight to your inbox.Miriam BaleElizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes by Nanette Burstein (co-director of The Kid Stays in the Picture) is in some ways a straightforward chronological documentary of the movie star's fascinating, tabloid-centric life. What makes the film formally interesting, though, is the separation of voice and image. Burstein’s reliance on audio recordings of Taylor made in 1964 and 1985 foregrounds her remarkable voice over her blinding beauty, seen in stills and film clips. Taylor's voice, even at ages 32 and 53, can range from girlish and flirtatious to bawdy and shrill, sometimes within the same statement. When she describes how the AIDS crisis led her...
- 5/21/2024
- MUBI
Heidi Gardner knew that “Saturday Night Live” Beavis and Butt-Head sketch was taking off after a chat with a lifelong friend.
“My friend Michelle, I’ve known her since second grade,” Gardner told IndieWire during a recent interview. “It was really cute after ‘Beavis and Butt-Head,’ she was like, ‘I loved seeing you laugh in that sketch because I know that laugh.’ And [I said], ‘Yeah, that’s because we’ve laughed like that for so many years.’ That’s what is special to me about [the sketch]. Mikey [Day] feels like a friend I’ve had since I was a kid. To get to show the world, ‘Yeah, I think this person is so funny,’ I welcome it.”
The viral sketch, which found guest host Ryan Gosling and Day as random background players who look suspiciously like the ‘90s animated comedy duo, became a standout moment on Season 49 of “SNL,” both for their ridiculous...
“My friend Michelle, I’ve known her since second grade,” Gardner told IndieWire during a recent interview. “It was really cute after ‘Beavis and Butt-Head,’ she was like, ‘I loved seeing you laugh in that sketch because I know that laugh.’ And [I said], ‘Yeah, that’s because we’ve laughed like that for so many years.’ That’s what is special to me about [the sketch]. Mikey [Day] feels like a friend I’ve had since I was a kid. To get to show the world, ‘Yeah, I think this person is so funny,’ I welcome it.”
The viral sketch, which found guest host Ryan Gosling and Day as random background players who look suspiciously like the ‘90s animated comedy duo, became a standout moment on Season 49 of “SNL,” both for their ridiculous...
- 5/21/2024
- by Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
“Bridgerton” Season 3 is off to a steamy hot start.
The third season of the Shondaland period drama drew 45.1 million views over its first four days of availability, according to Netflix, easily finishing first on the streamer’s Global Top 10 list. Take that, Tom Brady roast.
It was the biggest week — by quite a bit — for any series on Netflix since the streamer changed its core metric from hours viewed to views in mid-June 2023.
The first four “Bridgerton” Season 3 episodes reached number 1 in 78 countries and the Top 10 in 92, Netflix said. The next four episodes premiere on June 13; try not to obsess over the big cliffhanger between now and then.
The third season of “Bridgerton” also brought the first two back to (some semblance of) their former glory. “Bridgerton” Seasons 1 and 2 both returned to Netflix’s Top 10 TV (in any language) list in the week ahead of Season 3. They did even better during Season 3’s premiere week.
The third season of the Shondaland period drama drew 45.1 million views over its first four days of availability, according to Netflix, easily finishing first on the streamer’s Global Top 10 list. Take that, Tom Brady roast.
It was the biggest week — by quite a bit — for any series on Netflix since the streamer changed its core metric from hours viewed to views in mid-June 2023.
The first four “Bridgerton” Season 3 episodes reached number 1 in 78 countries and the Top 10 in 92, Netflix said. The next four episodes premiere on June 13; try not to obsess over the big cliffhanger between now and then.
The third season of “Bridgerton” also brought the first two back to (some semblance of) their former glory. “Bridgerton” Seasons 1 and 2 both returned to Netflix’s Top 10 TV (in any language) list in the week ahead of Season 3. They did even better during Season 3’s premiere week.
- 5/21/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
There are only a few people on this planet more in-demand in Hollywood as Glen Powell. After the success of “Top Gun: Maverick” and the recent “Anyone But You,” the actor has been landing gig after gig. And his latest one might be one of the biggest yet. You see, Glen Powell is set to star in a remake of the Oscar-nominated film “Heaven Can Wait.”
Read More: Glen Powell Being Eyed For Role In J.J.
Continue reading ‘Heaven Can Wait’: Glen Powell To Star In Remake Of Classic Film Written By Stephen Gaghan at The Playlist.
Read More: Glen Powell Being Eyed For Role In J.J.
Continue reading ‘Heaven Can Wait’: Glen Powell To Star In Remake Of Classic Film Written By Stephen Gaghan at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Talking to Kevin Costner after the Cannes premiere of “Horizon: An American Saga,” IndieWire’s Anne Thompson asked the filmmaker if he thought he could improve on Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone.” Costner starred as John Dutton for five seasons; he is unmentioned in the press release for the sixth, which just began production.
“No, of course not,” he said.
However, Costner noted, it could be the other way around: During the second season of “Yellowstone” in 2019, he said, Sheridan was looking for writers. He and Baird sent him the “Horizon” script. Thompson noted that both “1883” and “Horizon” share a wagon train story.
“So I don’t know if there’s any duplications there,” Costner said. “Whether he borrowed something, only he’d have to admit to.” (Reps for Sheridan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)
Vague accusations of “borrowing” aren’t new to “Yellowstone.” It’s a popular topic on fan sites,...
“No, of course not,” he said.
However, Costner noted, it could be the other way around: During the second season of “Yellowstone” in 2019, he said, Sheridan was looking for writers. He and Baird sent him the “Horizon” script. Thompson noted that both “1883” and “Horizon” share a wagon train story.
“So I don’t know if there’s any duplications there,” Costner said. “Whether he borrowed something, only he’d have to admit to.” (Reps for Sheridan did not respond to multiple requests for comment.)
Vague accusations of “borrowing” aren’t new to “Yellowstone.” It’s a popular topic on fan sites,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Dana Harris-Bridson and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
There was an eight-year gap between the release of David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” and “Crimes of the Future.” Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait that long for his newest feature, “The Shrouds.”
Read More: ‘The Shrouds’ Review: David Cronenberg Digs Into The Core Of How Messy Grief Can Be [Cannes]
With “The Shrouds” debuting at Cannes, we now have our first teaser for the sci-fi drama from director David Cronenberg.
Continue reading ‘The Shrouds’ Teaser: David Cronenberg’s Sci-Fi Drama Stars Vincent Cassel & Diane Kruger at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘The Shrouds’ Review: David Cronenberg Digs Into The Core Of How Messy Grief Can Be [Cannes]
With “The Shrouds” debuting at Cannes, we now have our first teaser for the sci-fi drama from director David Cronenberg.
Continue reading ‘The Shrouds’ Teaser: David Cronenberg’s Sci-Fi Drama Stars Vincent Cassel & Diane Kruger at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
The Cannes Film Festival is many things: A prestigious platform for the best of world cinema, a massive industry event where film acquisitions get made, a testament to the French film industry’s classism and rampant sexual abuse. But more than anything, it’s one of the world’s greatest photo opps.
Sure, sure, everyone wants the Palme D’or. But even more people would kill to get seen on the iconic Cannes red carpet, and get their picture snapped by the hordes of press that camp on the Croisette. Some of the world’s most glamorous and beautiful celebrities can be seen on the steps outside the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès every year posing for the cameras, and while it’s not quite the fashion moment that the Met Gala is, it still offers a great opportunity for us pleebs to gawk at some particularly shiny stars in all of their finery.
Sure, sure, everyone wants the Palme D’or. But even more people would kill to get seen on the iconic Cannes red carpet, and get their picture snapped by the hordes of press that camp on the Croisette. Some of the world’s most glamorous and beautiful celebrities can be seen on the steps outside the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès every year posing for the cameras, and while it’s not quite the fashion moment that the Met Gala is, it still offers a great opportunity for us pleebs to gawk at some particularly shiny stars in all of their finery.
- 5/21/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Have you ever watched “Game of Thrones” and thought, “Man, I’d love to see a version of this where there are no dragons and cosplayers take the place of kings and queens?” No? Well, HBO hopes you do, as it has a three-part documentary, titled “Ren Faire,” coming your way.
In all seriousness, “Ren Faire” is a docuseries about the largest Renaissance festival in the world and the one man who rules over it, an 86-year-old George Coulam.
Continue reading ‘Ren Faire’ Trailer: The Safdie Brothers Produce A Docuseries About The World’s Largest Renaissance Festival at The Playlist.
In all seriousness, “Ren Faire” is a docuseries about the largest Renaissance festival in the world and the one man who rules over it, an 86-year-old George Coulam.
Continue reading ‘Ren Faire’ Trailer: The Safdie Brothers Produce A Docuseries About The World’s Largest Renaissance Festival at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Sometimes a broken hip is the best thing that could happen to you. Or at least that’s the situation seen in the upcoming comedy film, “Late Bloomers.”
Read More: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch
As seen in the trailer, “Late Bloomers” tells the story of a young woman who finds herself suddenly single and with a broken hip. While recovering in the hospital, she meets an older lady and they form a bittersweet friendship.
Continue reading ‘Late Bloomers’ Trailer: Karen Gillan Breaks Her Hip & Makes A Friend In Lisa Steen’s Comedy at The Playlist.
Read More: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch
As seen in the trailer, “Late Bloomers” tells the story of a young woman who finds herself suddenly single and with a broken hip. While recovering in the hospital, she meets an older lady and they form a bittersweet friendship.
Continue reading ‘Late Bloomers’ Trailer: Karen Gillan Breaks Her Hip & Makes A Friend In Lisa Steen’s Comedy at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Of all the actors with claims to nepo baby aristocracy, few, if any, have the same pedigree as Chiara Mastroianni. An accomplished performer and winning star all on her own, the daughter of Catherine Deneuve and Marcello Mastroianni has that rare distinction of seeing both of her parents grace Cannes Film Festival posters, leaving a project that playfully interrogates that very heritage a near shoo-in for the festival spotlight. But that vaunted competition slot does little favors for Christophe Honoré’s slight and sketch-like “Marcello Mio,” which plays as an incisive photo-shoot concept in search of wider justification.
This fashion shoot concept isn’t hypothetical, as Honoré’s meta-movie doodle opens on the very same, finding Mastroianni decked out in full Anita Ekberg garb as she saunters into a pool before Paris’ Saint-Sulpice church reformatted as an ersatz Trevi Fountain. The visual folds in several layers, taking Marcello’s iconic turn in “La Dolce Vita,...
This fashion shoot concept isn’t hypothetical, as Honoré’s meta-movie doodle opens on the very same, finding Mastroianni decked out in full Anita Ekberg garb as she saunters into a pool before Paris’ Saint-Sulpice church reformatted as an ersatz Trevi Fountain. The visual folds in several layers, taking Marcello’s iconic turn in “La Dolce Vita,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Ben Croll
- Indiewire
Fred Roos, the longtime producing and casting collaborator of Francis Ford Coppola, has died at age 89.
Roos famously found Jack Nicholson and Harrison Ford, launching both actors’ respective careers, and even helped cast Carrie Fisher alongside Ford in “Star Wars.” He is credited for also boosting the careers of Kirsten Dunst, Diane Keaton, Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forest, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Jennifer Connelly, Billy Bob Thorton, Marshall Bell, and more.
Roos later served as the casting director for Coppola’s “The Godfather,” leading auteur Coppola to deem Roos “one of the great casting talents in the last 40 years of American movies” in a 2004 interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Roos produced follow-up film “The Godfather: Part II,” “Apocalypse Now,” and Coppola’s recent “Megalopolis,” for which he also helped cast the star-studded ensemble. In 1974, both Roos and Coppola earned two Oscar...
Roos famously found Jack Nicholson and Harrison Ford, launching both actors’ respective careers, and even helped cast Carrie Fisher alongside Ford in “Star Wars.” He is credited for also boosting the careers of Kirsten Dunst, Diane Keaton, Laurence Fishburne, Frederic Forest, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Richard Dreyfuss, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, Jennifer Connelly, Billy Bob Thorton, Marshall Bell, and more.
Roos later served as the casting director for Coppola’s “The Godfather,” leading auteur Coppola to deem Roos “one of the great casting talents in the last 40 years of American movies” in a 2004 interview with the Chicago Tribune.
Roos produced follow-up film “The Godfather: Part II,” “Apocalypse Now,” and Coppola’s recent “Megalopolis,” for which he also helped cast the star-studded ensemble. In 1974, both Roos and Coppola earned two Oscar...
- 5/21/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Just over a week into Cannes, 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 “The Kingdom”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Julien Colonna
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 21
Cast: Ghjuvanna Benedetti
Buzz: Metrograph’s second acquisition out of Cannes also came from Un Certain Regard, and this time the distributor picked up a very commercial mob thriller from the debut filmmaker Colonna. IndieWire’s review called it an “intense coming-of-age crime saga” and compared it to the 1980 crime classic “The Long Good Friday.
Below we’re tracking everything that gets bought throughout the festival and beyond.
Films Acquired During the Festival “The Kingdom”
Section: Un Certain Regard
Director: Julien Colonna
Buyer: Metrograph Pictures
Date Acquired: May 21
Cast: Ghjuvanna Benedetti
Buzz: Metrograph’s second acquisition out of Cannes also came from Un Certain Regard, and this time the distributor picked up a very commercial mob thriller from the debut filmmaker Colonna. IndieWire’s review called it an “intense coming-of-age crime saga” and compared it to the 1980 crime classic “The Long Good Friday.
- 5/21/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Grief is rotting Karsh’s (Vincent Cassel) teeth. It’s been four years since he lost his wife, the beautiful Becca (Diane Kruger), to a violent form of bone cancer that ate away at her body until her brittle frame could no longer sustain life. The loss changed Karsh’s life in more ways than one, the former producer of vaguely described industrial videos taking a sharp turn to become the sleek-looking CEO of the aptly named high-tech burial company GraveTech.
Continue reading ‘The Shrouds’ Review: David Cronenberg Digs Into The Core Of How Messy Grief Can Be [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Shrouds’ Review: David Cronenberg Digs Into The Core Of How Messy Grief Can Be [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- The Playlist
After making it through the worst of Covid, we might be sick and tired of seeing post-apocalyptic shows about how a virus wiped out humanity. But if you’re willing to venture into one of those worlds again, you could do a lot worse than “Sweet Tooth.”
Read More: Summer TV Preview: Over 35 Must-See Series To Watch
With its third and final season just a few weeks away, we finally have a trailer for the final episodes of “Sweet Tooth,” the acclaimed Netflix series.
Continue reading ‘Sweet Tooth’ Final Season Trailer: The Post-Apocalyptic Epic Finally Comes To An End In June at The Playlist.
Read More: Summer TV Preview: Over 35 Must-See Series To Watch
With its third and final season just a few weeks away, we finally have a trailer for the final episodes of “Sweet Tooth,” the acclaimed Netflix series.
Continue reading ‘Sweet Tooth’ Final Season Trailer: The Post-Apocalyptic Epic Finally Comes To An End In June at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
“Twisters,” set to be released July 19 and one of IndieWire’s most anticipated movies of summer 2024, arrives a whopping 28 years after the original “Twister” landed in theaters. That was the perfect amount of time for a whole fandom to spring up around the 1996 movie, with devotees obsessed with its scrappy stormchasers in it for the science, all vying with evil meteorologists only in it for the money (because meteorology is such a lucrative field!), its windblown CGI cattle, Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton’s make-the-most-of-it line readings, and Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his best early roles.
Glen Powell, the star of “Twisters,” alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, shares that fandom. During a recent interview with Powell, this writer mentioned how much I love the original film and how unique it is as a “comedy of remarriage.” It’s the specific type of screwball comedy that’s about a separated couple...
Glen Powell, the star of “Twisters,” alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones, shares that fandom. During a recent interview with Powell, this writer mentioned how much I love the original film and how unique it is as a “comedy of remarriage.” It’s the specific type of screwball comedy that’s about a separated couple...
- 5/21/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
There are still quite a few questions when it comes to the “Star Trek” franchise on the big screen. Will Paramount be able to get the reboot cast back together for a fourth film? Will the studio go in a completely different direction? What’s up with the prequel film that seems to be moving forward? Honestly, it all just seems to lack a vision. But that might be changing.
Continue reading Simon Kinberg Might Produce New ‘Star Trek’ Prequel & May Take Over As “Steward” Of Franchise at The Playlist.
Continue reading Simon Kinberg Might Produce New ‘Star Trek’ Prequel & May Take Over As “Steward” Of Franchise at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
“Industry” is turning up the heat when it comes to the high-pressure world of finance.
The eight-episode third season of the original HBO drama series revolves around the young bankers of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office. Season 3 has Pierpoint looking to the future and taking a big bet on ethical investing. Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green-tech energy company led by Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).
“Industry” is keeping it all in the HBO family, with former “Game of Thrones” star Harington and “Barry” breakout Goldberg both joining the cast,...
The eight-episode third season of the original HBO drama series revolves around the young bankers of international bank Pierpoint & Co’s London office. Season 3 has Pierpoint looking to the future and taking a big bet on ethical investing. Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green-tech energy company led by Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).
“Industry” is keeping it all in the HBO family, with former “Game of Thrones” star Harington and “Barry” breakout Goldberg both joining the cast,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession”
Despite many of his generation taking time between films, Paul Schrader is a filmmaker who has kept working quite prolifically over the decades. Since 2002, he’s directed no fewer than 11 features. That’s the kind of output that filmmakers half his age would love to match. And even though he’s just now premiering his most recent film, “Oh Canada,” at the Cannes Film Festival, he’s already got his next one lined up.
Continue reading Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession” at The Playlist.
Continue reading Paul Schrader Says His Next Film Is ‘Non Compos Mentis’ & Is A “Noir, As A Kind Of Sexual Obsession” at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
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.Capsules“First Impressions” by Giovanni Marchini Camia, Jordan Cronk, Beatrice Loayza, Flavia Dima, Leonardo Goi, and Daniel KasmanBallotsComing soon!Top TenComing soon!
- 5/21/2024
- MUBI
Cannes – The “Anora” in Sean Baker’s latest creation is actually the birth name of Ani (Mikey Madison), a private dancer who works in a pretty nice strip club in New York City. Sure, the hours ain’t ideal, and there’s that long subway ride back to the rundown duplex she shares with her sister in Brighton Beach, but she’s not complaining. She likes her job, even if one of her co-workers is a jealous b**ch (there’s always one).
Continue reading ‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s New York Cinderella Story Arrives With A Russian Twist [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s New York Cinderella Story Arrives With A Russian Twist [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
Anora — or “Ani,” as she prefers to be called — is a brassy, 23-year-old Russian-American stripper who shares a small house with her sister in Brighton Beach. Ivan — or “Vanya,” as he uses interchangeably — is the 21-year-old son of a Moscow billionaire who stays in his father’s cocaine mansion on the far side of Brooklyn whenever he’s in New York, which if it were up to him would be always. She works seven nights a week at the Manhattan strip club where she’s the only Russian-speaker. Ivan, meanwhile, has clearly never worked a day in his life. She’s the child of a mom who lives in Miami and a dad who doesn’t exist, while he’s a hyper-juvenile nepo baby who may never be mature enough to graduate into a large adult son.
There’s probably an effervescent rom-com to be made about these two wildly...
There’s probably an effervescent rom-com to be made about these two wildly...
- 5/21/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Illustrations by Maddie Fischer.For more Cannes 2024 coverage, subscribe to the Weekly Edit newsletter.In a welcome twist, the most pressing questions I heard on my way to Cannes this year didn’t concern the festival lineups but events that seemed to transcend them. In the days leading up to the opening night, Sous les écrans la dèche, a collective of festival workers, announced it would be striking over salary increases and unemployment benefits; as I type, the strikes haven’t materialized, nor has the rumored list of new sexual abuse allegations about men in the French film industry. “Last year, as you know, we had some polemics,” artistic director Thierry Frémaux told the press on the eve of the fest, hinting at the decision to open the 2023 edition with Maïwenn’s Jeanne du Barry, a film that would have been forgotten a lot faster than it was had it...
- 5/21/2024
- MUBI
Leo Tolstoy once said, “All great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.” The action genre is particularly suited for the latter plot line and the premise forms the backbone of “Trigger Warning,” a new action thriller set to premiere on the Netflix streaming service.
Read More: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch
Directed by Mouly Surya, the director of the Cannes Film Festival premiering thriller “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” “Trigger Warning” is led by Jessica Alba (“Sin City” “Fantastic Four”) in her first acting role in nearly four years.
Continue reading ‘Trigger Warning’ Trailer: Jessica Alba Cleans Up Her Hometown In New Netflix Action Thriller at The Playlist.
Read More: Summer Movie Preview: 50 Must-See Films To Watch
Directed by Mouly Surya, the director of the Cannes Film Festival premiering thriller “Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts,” “Trigger Warning” is led by Jessica Alba (“Sin City” “Fantastic Four”) in her first acting role in nearly four years.
Continue reading ‘Trigger Warning’ Trailer: Jessica Alba Cleans Up Her Hometown In New Netflix Action Thriller at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Megan Fisher
- The Playlist
David Cronenberg is a filmmaker who has created his own brands of sci-fi for quite some time. But even a filmmaker like Cronenberg, someone who has dreamed up what the future could look like, is amazed at what technology is capable of today, specifically artificial intelligence (A.I.).
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival (via Deadline), where he recently premiered his latest sci-fi feature, “The Shrouds,” David Cronenberg talked about the emergence of A.I.
Continue reading David Cronenberg Believes A.I. In The Film Industry Could Mean That “The Whole Idea Of Productions & Actors Could Be Gone” at The Playlist.
Speaking at the Cannes Film Festival (via Deadline), where he recently premiered his latest sci-fi feature, “The Shrouds,” David Cronenberg talked about the emergence of A.I.
Continue reading David Cronenberg Believes A.I. In The Film Industry Could Mean That “The Whole Idea Of Productions & Actors Could Be Gone” at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Kevin Costner feels Francis Ford Coppola’s pain. Both invested their own millions — “just shy of $100 million” for Costner, he told me, and $120 million for Coppola — in ambitious movies that no one else wanted to fund.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (which debuted out-of-competition at Cannes on May 19 to the extended standing ovation that is de rigueur these days) landed New Line/Warner Bros. as its stateside theatrical distributor in what Costner said was a “very modest” deal. He added that “Horizon” sold well to foreign territories at Cannes via K5, although it was slow going at first.
Coppola is still hoping someone will pay him to release his film. Costner is concerned that the auteur is vulnerable. “There’s people that will take advantage of you and I fear people will do that to Francis,” he said. “I’m worried about him, too. I feel they will do that to him.
“Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1” (which debuted out-of-competition at Cannes on May 19 to the extended standing ovation that is de rigueur these days) landed New Line/Warner Bros. as its stateside theatrical distributor in what Costner said was a “very modest” deal. He added that “Horizon” sold well to foreign territories at Cannes via K5, although it was slow going at first.
Coppola is still hoping someone will pay him to release his film. Costner is concerned that the auteur is vulnerable. “There’s people that will take advantage of you and I fear people will do that to Francis,” he said. “I’m worried about him, too. I feel they will do that to him.
- 5/21/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Dwayne Johnson is reminding fans of his original “The Rock” title for his indie moment in “The Smashing Machine.”
Johnson stars as Mma legend Mark Kerr, who infamously struggled with an addiction to painkillers. Benny Safdie marks his solo directorial debut with the A24 feature. Safdie penned the script based on Kerr’s real-life story and rise in the UFC. Per the initial A24 announcement, Johnson’s most dramatic project yet follows Mma fighter Kerr’s career peak during the “no-holds-barred era of the UFC” in 2000. Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion.
Kerr was previously the subject of the 2002 documentary also titled “The Smashing Machine,” which detailed his Mma career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC, and Pride.
Johnson and Safdie have been collaborators on the project since Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions acquired the rights in 2019. A24 later joined as a partner in 2023. Johnson and Dany Garcia...
Johnson stars as Mma legend Mark Kerr, who infamously struggled with an addiction to painkillers. Benny Safdie marks his solo directorial debut with the A24 feature. Safdie penned the script based on Kerr’s real-life story and rise in the UFC. Per the initial A24 announcement, Johnson’s most dramatic project yet follows Mma fighter Kerr’s career peak during the “no-holds-barred era of the UFC” in 2000. Kerr was a two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion.
Kerr was previously the subject of the 2002 documentary also titled “The Smashing Machine,” which detailed his Mma career fighting in Vale Tudo, the UFC, and Pride.
Johnson and Safdie have been collaborators on the project since Johnson’s Seven Bucks Productions acquired the rights in 2019. A24 later joined as a partner in 2023. Johnson and Dany Garcia...
- 5/21/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
You may not have liked the name of the new Netflix, Peacock, and Apple TV+ bundle, which is called StreamSaver, but perhaps the price is more enticing.
On Tuesday, Comcast announced its Xfinity StreamSaver will cost $15 per month. It is a savings of about 35 percent per month vs. subscribing to each of the three streaming-video services individually.
We’re choosing to look at it as buying Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium, and getting Netflix for free — but it’s actually still a dollar less than that. Over the course of a year, StreamSaver will stream-save you nearly $100.
StreamSaver launches next week — but it’s only for Comcast customers. Xfinity StreamSaver is only available to Xfinity Internet and TV customers. That isn’t quite as limiting as it sounds considering Comcast is the largest broadband provider in the U.S. — but it certainly isn’t available to everyone. Those in Comcast...
On Tuesday, Comcast announced its Xfinity StreamSaver will cost $15 per month. It is a savings of about 35 percent per month vs. subscribing to each of the three streaming-video services individually.
We’re choosing to look at it as buying Apple TV+ and Peacock Premium, and getting Netflix for free — but it’s actually still a dollar less than that. Over the course of a year, StreamSaver will stream-save you nearly $100.
StreamSaver launches next week — but it’s only for Comcast customers. Xfinity StreamSaver is only available to Xfinity Internet and TV customers. That isn’t quite as limiting as it sounds considering Comcast is the largest broadband provider in the U.S. — but it certainly isn’t available to everyone. Those in Comcast...
- 5/21/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
There is a subgenre that basks in the creaturely natures of girls and women. Forget the ethereal sisters of “The Virgin Suicides” for here are some hot messes. Found in the literature of Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter and Deborah Levy and in films by Josephine Decker and Luna Carmoon, this is a mode of characterisation that delights in stripping away the illusion of a “fairer sex” in order to marinate in the feminine grotesque.
Ariane Labed’s entry to this canon, her directorial feature debut “September Says,” is infused with her own history as a Greek New Wave actress. There are shades of her break-out role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ claustrophobic family drama “Dogtooth” and a callback to her animal impressions in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s sublime, underrated “Attenberg.” Otherwise, Labed follows the sketchy map laid out by Daisy Johnson’s source novel, “Sisters.”
September (Pascale Kann) is older than her...
Ariane Labed’s entry to this canon, her directorial feature debut “September Says,” is infused with her own history as a Greek New Wave actress. There are shades of her break-out role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ claustrophobic family drama “Dogtooth” and a callback to her animal impressions in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s sublime, underrated “Attenberg.” Otherwise, Labed follows the sketchy map laid out by Daisy Johnson’s source novel, “Sisters.”
September (Pascale Kann) is older than her...
- 5/21/2024
- by Sophie Monks Kaufman
- Indiewire
It’s been eight years since 2016’s “Snowden,” the last time Oliver Stone directed a narrative feature. Of course, he’s been busy since, directing documentaries. But as he gets up there in age, the question remains–will Stone direct another narrative film? Well, according to the filmmaker, he would like to direct one more, and he’d like to get it done relatively soon.
Read More: ‘Barbie’: Oliver Stone Apologizes For Saying Ryan Gosling Did “That Sh*t For Money” & Admits To “Speaking Ignorantly”
Speaking to Deadline, where he’s in Cannes promoting his new documentary, “Lula,” Oliver Stone was asked about the possibility he would direct a narrative feature.
Continue reading Oliver Stone Has One More Narrative Feature He’d Like To Make at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Barbie’: Oliver Stone Apologizes For Saying Ryan Gosling Did “That Sh*t For Money” & Admits To “Speaking Ignorantly”
Speaking to Deadline, where he’s in Cannes promoting his new documentary, “Lula,” Oliver Stone was asked about the possibility he would direct a narrative feature.
Continue reading Oliver Stone Has One More Narrative Feature He’d Like To Make at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
“Chances are you’ve never heard of Preston Thomas Tucker; dreamer, inventor, visionary — a man ahead of his time.”
Chances are you’ve never heard of the movie made about him either. Like the car he had created in his name, it came and went in nearly the same breath. And yet, also like the car, the film’s legacy and staying power lies in the strength of its parts, as well as the personal passion put into it by its maker, Francis Ford Coppola. In fact, it’s hard not to watch his 1988 film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” and discern a link between Coppola and the film’s eponymous character. Played by a still boyish Jeff Bridges with a glint in his eye and a manic energy that veers between zealous enthusiasm and fevered paranoia, Tucker is a man entwined with his dreams. Much like Coppola, he is driven by family,...
Chances are you’ve never heard of the movie made about him either. Like the car he had created in his name, it came and went in nearly the same breath. And yet, also like the car, the film’s legacy and staying power lies in the strength of its parts, as well as the personal passion put into it by its maker, Francis Ford Coppola. In fact, it’s hard not to watch his 1988 film “Tucker: The Man and His Dream” and discern a link between Coppola and the film’s eponymous character. Played by a still boyish Jeff Bridges with a glint in his eye and a manic energy that veers between zealous enthusiasm and fevered paranoia, Tucker is a man entwined with his dreams. Much like Coppola, he is driven by family,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Late last year, we were all surprised to hear that Benny Safdie was teaming up with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for a new film, “The Smashing Machine.” This marks the first time Benny Safdie directed a film without his brother, and a rare instance that The Rock was starring in a movie that doesn’t have a $200 million budget. And now, less than six months later, we have our first look at the film.
Continue reading ‘The Smashing Machine’ First Look: Dwayne Johnson Is Unrecognizable In Benny Safdie’s Upcoming Sports Drama at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Smashing Machine’ First Look: Dwayne Johnson Is Unrecognizable In Benny Safdie’s Upcoming Sports Drama at The Playlist.
- 5/21/2024
- by Martin Miller
- The Playlist
Editor’s note: This post was previously published on Thursday, May 16. It’s been updated to include more honorees, including Fisher Stevens, for this edition of IndieWire Honors.
IndieWire, the definitive outlet for creative independence in film and TV, announced on Thursday, May 16 a new edition of its IndieWire Honors event focused entirely on television. Curated and selected by IndieWire’s editorial team, IndieWire Honors is a celebration of the creators and stars responsible for some of the most stellar work of the TV season.
Hosted by “Just for Us” comedian Alex Edelman, the latest edition of the event will be celebrated at an intimate cocktail reception taking place Thursday, June 6 in Los Angeles. Exclusive editorial content, including honoree profiles, will also be featured on IndieWire beginning May 29 and will continue throughout the lead-up to the awards night, followed up video interviews and more content from the event. Other honorees...
IndieWire, the definitive outlet for creative independence in film and TV, announced on Thursday, May 16 a new edition of its IndieWire Honors event focused entirely on television. Curated and selected by IndieWire’s editorial team, IndieWire Honors is a celebration of the creators and stars responsible for some of the most stellar work of the TV season.
Hosted by “Just for Us” comedian Alex Edelman, the latest edition of the event will be celebrated at an intimate cocktail reception taking place Thursday, June 6 in Los Angeles. Exclusive editorial content, including honoree profiles, will also be featured on IndieWire beginning May 29 and will continue throughout the lead-up to the awards night, followed up video interviews and more content from the event. Other honorees...
- 5/21/2024
- by IndieWire Staff
- Indiewire
As the longest running reality television series, “Survivor” has become a household name. Just think of the famous catchphrases. Who hasn’t said they wanted to vote an irritating person “off the island” or used “the tribe has spoken” at one punny point in their life? After three decades of filming, this year’s Season 46 is proving that changes to this season’s unique gameplay combining social, mental, and physical elements is the key to keeping the series exciting, highly discussable, and popular with viewers.
New aspects of the game introduced after the pandemic have earned the last five seasons the fan-dubbed moniker “New Era Survivor” for good reason. Instead of 39 days, “Survivor” is now played in a shorter and more intense 26 days. Forget those lavish days of “Survivor’s” past with building supplies, canned food and rice, and comfy hammocks. Contestants are no longer given any food to start,...
New aspects of the game introduced after the pandemic have earned the last five seasons the fan-dubbed moniker “New Era Survivor” for good reason. Instead of 39 days, “Survivor” is now played in a shorter and more intense 26 days. Forget those lavish days of “Survivor’s” past with building supplies, canned food and rice, and comfy hammocks. Contestants are no longer given any food to start,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Brigid Misselhorn
- Indiewire
“Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” (Warner Bros.), the year’s second-biggest grossing film so far (after the same studio’s “Dune: Part Two”). The $19.99 rental was an immediate #1 on both the iTunes (transaction counting) and Fandango (revenue) VOD charts.
The release comes 46 days after its theatrical opening, a fairly standard delay if not a bit longer. Meanwhile, “Godzilla Minus One” (Toho), the sleeper Japanese success and Oscar Visual Effects winner, has now passed the five-week mark since its domestic release with no home viewing options in sight.
The timing is tied to agreements between Legendary Films (the domestic “Godzilla” licensee) and the franchise’s Japanese owner to not directly compete with each other. As the Warners film advances in its home availability ($5.99 rentals and Max streaming still to come), it remains to be seen when Toho’s film will be permitted.
At the other end of the spectrum, Netflix...
The release comes 46 days after its theatrical opening, a fairly standard delay if not a bit longer. Meanwhile, “Godzilla Minus One” (Toho), the sleeper Japanese success and Oscar Visual Effects winner, has now passed the five-week mark since its domestic release with no home viewing options in sight.
The timing is tied to agreements between Legendary Films (the domestic “Godzilla” licensee) and the franchise’s Japanese owner to not directly compete with each other. As the Warners film advances in its home availability ($5.99 rentals and Max streaming still to come), it remains to be seen when Toho’s film will be permitted.
At the other end of the spectrum, Netflix...
- 5/21/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
You ever wondered what it would be like to see bug Bugs Bunny fight Wonder Woman? If so, weird, but congratulations, there’s a new game for you! Announced in 2021 and beta-tested between July 2022 and June 2023, “MultiVersus” is a free-to-play crossover fighting game in the vein of “Super Smash Bros.” but featuring characters from various Warner Bros. properties such as Tom and Jerry, Arya Stark from “Game of Thrones,” DC staples including Batman, Superman, and the Joker, and even Rick and Morty. In a recently released trailer, latest additions were revealed to include Jason Voorhees and Agent Smith from “The Matrix” franchise.
The game’s official description reads: “Step into the fray of our MultiVerse, where every match is a wild jamboree of iconic characters throwing down in wonderfully weird ways. Pair Marvin the Martian and Arya Stark, or Velma with Batman. Get ready for a rollercoaster of fun and...
The game’s official description reads: “Step into the fray of our MultiVerse, where every match is a wild jamboree of iconic characters throwing down in wonderfully weird ways. Pair Marvin the Martian and Arya Stark, or Velma with Batman. Get ready for a rollercoaster of fun and...
- 5/21/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
[Editor’s note: this list was originally published in May 2023. It has since been updated with new films to crack the Cannes 5-minute mark.]
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
Each Cannes Film Festival is accompanied by the annual debate about whether the length of a film’s standing ovation is an accurate measure of its quality. But whether you see the practice of tracking ovation times as a fun cinephile tradition or an oversimplified waste of time, there’s no denying that it happens every year. For certain film industry observers, the number of minutes of applause that a buzzy movie receives on the Croisette is as significant as the first wave of reviews.
Cannes audiences have long been known for their bold responses to new movies. There’s virtually no such thing as a lukewarm response at the world’s biggest film festival — or at least, nothing that an American audience would recognize as lukewarm. Virtually all films receive either a standing ovation or loud boos. The over the top responses are a ritual in and of themselves,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
No matter how badly your week is going, it’s worth pausing to appreciate the fact that you’re not currently embroiled in a violent feud with a snake venom dealer who calls himself Butcher Hu. But we can’t all be so lucky.
Lang (Eddie Peng) is a changed man since coming out of prison. Emotionally callused and silent by choice, you’d never guess that he was once a beloved entertainer who played rock music and rode motorcycles in the local circus. But when he leaves the joint and returns to his small hometown in China’s Gobi Desert, there’s nothing waiting for him except bad vibes. His father is drinking himself to death at the local zoo, his neighbors resent him for his perceived crimes and assume he got a light sentence because of his celebrity, and his town is overrun with rabid dogs. To make matters worse,...
Lang (Eddie Peng) is a changed man since coming out of prison. Emotionally callused and silent by choice, you’d never guess that he was once a beloved entertainer who played rock music and rode motorcycles in the local circus. But when he leaves the joint and returns to his small hometown in China’s Gobi Desert, there’s nothing waiting for him except bad vibes. His father is drinking himself to death at the local zoo, his neighbors resent him for his perceived crimes and assume he got a light sentence because of his celebrity, and his town is overrun with rabid dogs. To make matters worse,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
As lovely and lilting as hearing Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” over a crackly record player on a snow-flecked day, Japanese filmmaker Hiroshi Okuyama’s second feature “My Sunshine” is a moving coming-of-age drama about kids facing up to the troubles of adulthood.
This gently composed story of an ice-skating coach on the island of Hokkaido, and his two young pupils, has darker dynamics under its sleeve than the emotionally generous time-to-face-the-music-of-growing-up story that’s on its surface. It’s told in furtive glances and silent pacts against a frost-dappled backdrop, the end of winter coming soon, as two adolescents form a bond on the ice rink that complicates the private life of their instructor. Japan would be wise to submit “My Sunshine,” the second feature from “Jesus” director Okuyama, for the Best International Feature Oscar. Both the glass-half-full and the glass-half-empty corners of the audience will resonate with...
This gently composed story of an ice-skating coach on the island of Hokkaido, and his two young pupils, has darker dynamics under its sleeve than the emotionally generous time-to-face-the-music-of-growing-up story that’s on its surface. It’s told in furtive glances and silent pacts against a frost-dappled backdrop, the end of winter coming soon, as two adolescents form a bond on the ice rink that complicates the private life of their instructor. Japan would be wise to submit “My Sunshine,” the second feature from “Jesus” director Okuyama, for the Best International Feature Oscar. Both the glass-half-full and the glass-half-empty corners of the audience will resonate with...
- 5/20/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Updated on Tuesday, May 21 at 11:45 a.m. Et with a statement from Sam Altman.
Scarlett Johansson said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted her last September about voicing the current ChatGPT 4.0 system but that she declined. After the launch of “Sky” that resembles her voice, Johansson said she’s hired legal counsel to demand more information about how the company created the AI voice model, leading the company to today “pause” its usage.
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement shared with IndieWire on Monday, May 20.
Johansson said Altman contacted her agents two days before the release of ChatGPT 4.0 asking her to reconsider, but the demo featuring Sky was launched before they had the chance to meet.
Scarlett Johansson said that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman contacted her last September about voicing the current ChatGPT 4.0 system but that she declined. After the launch of “Sky” that resembles her voice, Johansson said she’s hired legal counsel to demand more information about how the company created the AI voice model, leading the company to today “pause” its usage.
“When I heard the released demo, I was shocked, angered, and in disbelief that Mr. Altman would pursue a voice so eerily similar to mine that my closest friends and news outlets could not tell the difference,” Johansson said in a statement shared with IndieWire on Monday, May 20.
Johansson said Altman contacted her agents two days before the release of ChatGPT 4.0 asking her to reconsider, but the demo featuring Sky was launched before they had the chance to meet.
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Criterion and its sister distribution arm Janus Films each have a new owner: Indian Paintbrush founder Steven Rales.
Rales has acquired both Criterion and Janus in a private transaction, IndieWire has learned according to two individuals, giving the home for classic and art house films a new leader.
However, as Screen Daily first reported, leadership, including Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker, is expected to remain in place, and the overall mission of both companies is not expected to change, per a source.
“We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” Becker said in a statement to Screen. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Reps for Janus Films...
Rales has acquired both Criterion and Janus in a private transaction, IndieWire has learned according to two individuals, giving the home for classic and art house films a new leader.
However, as Screen Daily first reported, leadership, including Criterion and Janus Films president Peter Becker, is expected to remain in place, and the overall mission of both companies is not expected to change, per a source.
“We have grown our brands and audience with dedication to a set of values reflected in the films we release, the way we release them, and the way we conduct our business with our valued partners around the world,” Becker said in a statement to Screen. “We are excited to continue that legacy and pursue new opportunities now available through this relationship.”
Reps for Janus Films...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Inspired by the loss of the director’s wife, “The Shrouds” is a grief story as only David Cronenberg would ever think to shoot one: Sardonic, unsentimental, and often so cadaverously stiff that the film itself appears to be suffering from rigor mortis, as if its images died at some point along their brief journey from the projector to the screen. And really, what else would you expect? I suppose it’s possible that the story’s deeply personal context might have spurred Cronenberg to push against the tender sterility of his recent features, or even dare to expose the soft underbelly that’s always been hiding inside his tumorous body of work and its many layers of scary-beautiful new flesh. If so, it almost immediately becomes clear that he had zero interest in accepting that invitation.
A quintessentially late film from an artist who’s always been ahead of his time,...
A quintessentially late film from an artist who’s always been ahead of his time,...
- 5/20/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Before digital tools allowed composers to simulate any instrument on a laptop, musical scores for TV were simple melodies performed by a handful of session musicians. The newer technology meant those musicians lost their jobs; so did the guy who transcribed the composer’s scores.
However: That doesn’t mean scores require fewer people, or became cheaper to produce.
Today, even the smallest TV shows employ full orchestras. Tech made things easier, but the cost to produce scores for film and TV has only increased. With greater possibilities, more advanced jobs replaced those that were lost.
That’s the analogy Matt Nix, showrunner for “Burn Notice” and the recent “True Lies,” used when describing the advent of artificial intelligence at the May 16 AI on the Lot summit at Los Angeles Center Studios. He rejected the idea that AI will become a pathway to low-cost filmmaking and TV production that uses...
However: That doesn’t mean scores require fewer people, or became cheaper to produce.
Today, even the smallest TV shows employ full orchestras. Tech made things easier, but the cost to produce scores for film and TV has only increased. With greater possibilities, more advanced jobs replaced those that were lost.
That’s the analogy Matt Nix, showrunner for “Burn Notice” and the recent “True Lies,” used when describing the advent of artificial intelligence at the May 16 AI on the Lot summit at Los Angeles Center Studios. He rejected the idea that AI will become a pathway to low-cost filmmaking and TV production that uses...
- 5/20/2024
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
John Krasinski’s “If” presents a menagerie of celebrity-voiced imaginary friends who are in search of existential purpose after their kids grow up and forget them. Enter Ryan Reynolds, who runs a matchmaking service for the “IFs,” who live in a secluded retirement home at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park in Coney Island.
Framestore handled the audacious fusion of live-action and CG animation and VFX (800 shots) spread across their London, Montreal, and Mumbai studios. Led by animation director Arslan Elver and VFX supervisor Chris Lawrence, the team worked closely with director-actor Krasinski to get believable performances out of the IFs on set or in post. Krasinski saw them as visceral, hyper-real puppets. The techniques included stand-ins to help the voice actors deliver full performances, placing the animated characters in the shot with VR, or the use of home-shot reference footage from the animators.
There are three hero characters: Blue (Steve Carell), a sweet,...
Framestore handled the audacious fusion of live-action and CG animation and VFX (800 shots) spread across their London, Montreal, and Mumbai studios. Led by animation director Arslan Elver and VFX supervisor Chris Lawrence, the team worked closely with director-actor Krasinski to get believable performances out of the IFs on set or in post. Krasinski saw them as visceral, hyper-real puppets. The techniques included stand-ins to help the voice actors deliver full performances, placing the animated characters in the shot with VR, or the use of home-shot reference footage from the animators.
There are three hero characters: Blue (Steve Carell), a sweet,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Whether the sprawling fantasia that is Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point proves heartwarmingly reflective or personally destabilizing in its near-ethnographic study of American holiday ritual will depend, largely, on the composition and size of your own Xmas memories. It’s a strength of the film, however, that Taormina’s expansive canvas allows for — and incorporates — the whole range of emotions that the theater of Christmas can produce, from the giddiness of an overstimulated child, stomach groaning from too much pumpkin pie, gazing at all those wrapped presents, to the wearied anxiety of an adult realizing that the holiday […]
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Whether the sprawling fantasia that is Tyler Taormina’s Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point proves heartwarmingly reflective or personally destabilizing in its near-ethnographic study of American holiday ritual will depend, largely, on the composition and size of your own Xmas memories. It’s a strength of the film, however, that Taormina’s expansive canvas allows for — and incorporates — the whole range of emotions that the theater of Christmas can produce, from the giddiness of an overstimulated child, stomach groaning from too much pumpkin pie, gazing at all those wrapped presents, to the wearied anxiety of an adult realizing that the holiday […]
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “I Actually Feel Like the Firefly Was Caught in the Jar”: Tyler Taormina on His Cannes-Premiering Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 5/20/2024
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Welcome to It’s a Hit! In this series, IndieWire speaks to creators and showrunners behind a few of our favorite television programs about the moment they realized their show was breaking big.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
“It did feel like the Avengers assembling,” said executive producer Sam Rees-Jones of casting the first all-celebrity edition of “The Traitors” on Peacock. “We knew in Season 2 we wanted to assemble an all celebrity cast knowing that that would create a buzz as well, and would help build on the success of Season 1,” said executive producer Mike Cotton.
The pair, based in the United Kingdom, told IndieWire over Zoom that another key change for the second season of the reality competition series where “faithful” contestants try to weed out who among them are traitors before the latter steal all the money they earned from completing missions was changing the way in which the episodes were rolled out.
- 5/20/2024
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
Five years ago, Iranian-Danish filmmaker Ali Abbasi broke out internationally with the Oscar-nominated “Border,” a thorny little beast of a fable about love, complicity, and guilt. His latest prods at some of the same themes, although the thorny little beast at the center of “The Apprentice” is far from a fictional creature of fables.
Abbasi’s newest chronicles the rise of former American president Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) through his relationship with lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).
Continue reading ‘The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump? It Works! [Cannes] at The Playlist.
Abbasi’s newest chronicles the rise of former American president Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) through his relationship with lawyer and political fixer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong).
Continue reading ‘The Apprentice’ Review: Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump? It Works! [Cannes] at The Playlist.
- 5/20/2024
- by Rafa Sales Ross
- The Playlist
An hour into “Misericordia,” there is a scene so shocking that it might leave viewers’ mouths agape in disbelief. Only it is a mere conversation between two people. That exchange of words can be so profoundly disquieting and underscores Alain Guiraudie’s commitment to thrilling audiences the old-fashioned way – with ideas rather than actions. His new thriller film is overladen with mysteries and enigmas, perhaps none so confounding as its absence from the main Competition at the Cannes Film Festival.
Continue reading ‘Misericordia’ Review: Alain Guiraudie’s Nerve-Rattling Thriller Is A Dostoevskian Masterwork [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Misericordia’ Review: Alain Guiraudie’s Nerve-Rattling Thriller Is A Dostoevskian Masterwork [Cannes Review] at The Playlist.
- 5/20/2024
- by Ankit Jhunjhunwala
- The Playlist
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