Month: August 2019

August 11, 2019 5:11PM PT Once viewers jettison narrative expectations, they’ll be able to bury themselves snugly in this moving composite vision in which Icelandic society itself is the protagonist. There are numerous magical moments in Rúnar Rúnarsson’s moving mosaic “Echo,” though perhaps none more powerful than that instant when we as viewers allow ourselves

The election for the Writers Guild of America West remains heated with dissidents attacking the  guild’s hardline stance on Hollywood agents. The latest salvo came Sunday from “Wonder Woman” writer Jason Fuchs, who’s part of the WGA Forward Together slate. His group is contending that the WGA needs to get back to the bargaining table after

“All my life is loving you,” is a line of dialogue that, on the page, looks worn thin with familiarity, a little like the trite English title of Claire Burger’s solo directorial debut, “Real Love.” But to reveal that the words are spoken not by a pining lover during the dash-to-the-airport climax of a romantic

I tend to be an absolutist when it comes to matters of censorship, and if the decision by Universal Pictures to cancel the Sept. 27 release of “The Hunt” was a case of censorship, pure and simple, then I’d be against it. But I believe, in this instance, that the word censorship would be misapplied.

Genesis Tennon is used to attending Hollywood events with mom Oscar-winner Viola Davis, but at “The Angry Birds Movie 2” premiere, it was her turn to be the star. As Davis and husband Julius Tennon looked on beaming with pride, Genesis walked the red carpet for her first screen credit and chatted animatedly with reporters.

Three winners were announced on Sunday evening for the ninth edition of Locarno’s First Look, the festival’s initiative to showcase films in post-production: Milica Tomović’s “Celts,” Filip Martinović’s “Telenovela Greyscale in Color” and Marta Popivoda’s “Resisting Landscapes.” First Look offers a potential springboard onto the international market, having previously hosted breakout projects such as Alejandro

French photojournalist Camille Lepage was just 26 when she was killed covering the armed conflict in the Central African Republic, a country riven by violence between largely Muslim rebel groups and Christian militias. A fearless and sympathetic photographer on the verge of a promising career, Lepage had spent eight months in a country where she’d

Universal’s “Hobbs & Shaw” raced back to the top of international box office charts, earning another $60 million from 66 overseas territories. The “Fast & Furious” spinoff, starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, has generated $224 million abroad and $108 million in North America. The high-octane action adventure is chugging along, however the movie needs

August 11, 2019 10:33AM PT Geena Davis is opening up about her own #MeToo moment. The “Thelma & Louise” star told USA Today she had a “million examples” of uncomfortable acting experiences, recalling how one director asked her to act out a “sexy scene” while sitting on his lap. “I was auditioning for a part

August 11, 2019 9:35AM PT A disappointing, oddly unmoving drama that keeps some of director Kôji Fukada’s ambiguous hallmarks but fails to support them with a solid enough script. The intriguing ambiguity suffusing Kôji Fukada’s “Harmonium” returns to a certain degree in “A Girl Missing,” but this time the writer-director neglects to reinforce onscreen relationships,

Despite plenty of new nationwide offerings, Universal’s blockbuster “Hobbs & Shaw” pulled ahead of the competition to maintain its reign at the domestic box office. The “Fast & Furious” spinoff — starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham — collected $25.4 million during its second weekend of release. Those ticket sales mark a 58% decline from

In a sign of its perceived attractiveness for audiences in its native Portugal, major Portuguese distributor NOS Audiovisuais and public broadcaster RTP have acquired rights to Portuguese director Bruno Gascon’s sophomore feature “Shadow.” A title worth keeping an eye on at this year’s Locarno Match Me! networking and co-production event, “Shadow” marks Gascon’s follow up

Vietnamese filmmaker Pham Ngoc Lan is all set to make his feature debut with his satirical comedy-drama “Cu Li Never Cries,” which is being presented in Locarno Festival’s Open Doors program. In the film, Lady M., a blue-collar retiree in Vietnam, returns to Berlin when she learns that her estranged German husband has died. The

Piero Tosi, a famed costume designer who worked on films such as “The Leopard” and “Death in Venice,” died Saturday in Rome, the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation announced on Facebook. He was 92. Over the course of his 50 year career, Tosi established himself as one of Hollywood’s greatest costume designers, earning five Oscar nominations for costume

Yann Gonzalez, rated as one of France’s most gifted young directors after his heartfelt Giallo homage “Knife + Heart” played in 2018’s Cannes competition, has boarded “Brasília! Brasília!” from Brazil’s Bernardo Zanotta who last year won Locarno’s Pardino d’Argento for best short film with “Heart of Hunger.” Gonzalez served as president of the Pardino d’Argento

August 10, 2019 10:25AM PT Icarus Films has acquired North American distribution rights to Tibetan director Pema Tseden’s new arthouse feature “Jinpa.” Following “Old Dog,” The Search” and “Tharlo,” it is the fourth title to be added to the firm’s dGenerate Collection, the largest grouping of independent Chinese films available in the U.S., founded and

August 10, 2019 10:14AM PT Universal Pictures has canceled the release of its upcoming thriller “The Hunt.” The film was previously set to hit theaters Sept. 27. “While Universal Pictures had already paused the marketing campaign for The Hunt, after thoughtful consideration, the studio has decided to cancel our plans to release the film, ”

LOCARNO–The breakout success of “Toni Erdmann” put Germany’s Komplizen Film on the map, earning the production house an Oscar nomination while paving the way for a remarkable string of international hits. Now the company is producing its first Netflix series, set to bow this fall, offering a glimpse of what a rapidly changing market means

One day after President Donald Trump launched an attack against “racist” Hollywood – a tirade that appeared to be inspired by the movie “The Hunt,” whose release Universal has just canceled – Hilary Swank, one of the film’s stars, told reporters at the Locarno Film Festival that it’s “important to celebrate our differences” and that

“Hobbs & Shaw” raced past its competition this weekend, taking in another $7 million in Friday’s domestic ticket sales for a projected $25 million sophomore outing. If estimates hold, the “Fast and Furious” spinoff could increase its domestic haul to around $108 million, in addition to a hefty bounty overseas. “Hobbs & Shaw” is also

In an environment where the Virgin Mary is held up as the exemplar of motherhood, how does that ideal square with the noisier, messier, considerably less virginal reality of maternal life? That question lies at the heart of “Maternal,” a moving, lively study of conflicting duties and desires in a Buenos Aires hogar — a convent-based

MADRID  —  Christian Camargo (“Hurt Locker,” “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”) and Michael Chernus (“Spiderman: Homecoming,” “Captain Phillips”) are attached to co-star in “Ona Sur,” one of the buzzed-up projects at this year’s Locarno Match Me! Brazilian actress Barbara Cohen is in preliminary talks to play Maria, one of the film’s female leads, “Ona Sur” producer

In today’s film news roundup, John Amos returns for “Coming 2 America,” Nick Thune and Cleopatra Coleman are cast and “Plácido Domingo Gala” and “Birds Without Feathers” get release dates. CASTINGS John Amos is set to reprise his role as Cleo McDowell in Eddie Murphy’s upcoming film “Coming 2 America.” “Hustle & Flow” helmer Craig