Month: November 2019

Czech filmmaker Vojtech Jasny, director of “All My Good Countrymen,” which won the best director prize at Cannes in 1969, has died. He was 93. According to the Associated Press, Slovacke divadlo, a theatre he frequently visited, said that Jasny died Friday, and a family representative confirmed his death to the CTK news agency. Jasny

What do you get when you toss together Christmas cheer, Christmas kitsch, a fish-out-of-the-North-Pole setup swiped from “Elf,” and a plot that turns on whether Kris Kringle’s daughter, played as a perky naïf by Anna Kendrick, has what it takes to step into her dad’s snow boots? You get a plastic icicle like “Noelle,” a

When grocery store shoppers snag a copy of Weekly World News (the rag responsible for the refuses-to-die “Bat Child” hoax), they know they’re getting fake news. But when they pick up the National Enquirer, it’s a far more ambiguous prospect. Enquirer headlines are deliberately provocative, shouting details of the private lives of real people —

Before Cynthia Erivo went on to become a Tony and Grammy winner, she nearly gave up singing to be a spinal surgeon. In her “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors” conversation with Alfre Woodard, the “Harriet” star said she had been singing since she was toddler. Her mother noticed she’d hum while eating her food when

Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”) and Alfre Woodard (“Clemency”) sat down for a chat for “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors.” For more, click here. Cynthia Erivo and Alfre Woodard are at the forefront of this year’s awards conversation for two prestige films directed by black women. In Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” a movie that won the Sundance Grand

Hair and make-up artist Lizzie Yianni-Georgiou sums up “Rocketman” as the story “of a great icon who hits rock bottom. You see the great things happen and he hits rock bottom. By the end, he’s pulled himself together and he’s still standing.” For the viewer, it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotion, but as Yianni-Georgiou says,

Christian Bale and Matt Damon’s racing drama “Ford v Ferrari” is set to win the weekend box office by a long shot with an esimated $29 million from 3,528 domestic locations. Elizabeth Banks’ “Charlie’s Angels” reboot could land in a distant second in its debut weekend with about $8.2 million, but the second frame of

November 15, 2019 6:39PM PT Love is a many splendored and agonizing thing in this polished Chinese romatic drama. A woman’s 30-year longing for the man she can’t stop loving is chronicled in “Somewhere Winter,” a rewarding adaptation of the novel by prolific author and screenwriter Rao Xueman. Fashioned along the lines of a classical

November 15, 2019 6:28PM PT Cop Aaron Eckhart races to rescue a kidnapping victim in this high-energy if low-credibility action thriller. High on energy if low on credibility, “Line of Duty” stars Aaron Eckhart as a cop from Birmingham, Ala., whose day gets a lot more hectic when he’s caught up in a kidnapping whose

In today’s film news roundup, “Roma” is getting a DVD release, Joaquin Phoenix backs an animal rights documentary, Humanitas announces nominations and “The Wretched” finds a home. ROMA DVD Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma” has become the first Netflix movie to get a Blu-Ray and DVD release, thanks to the Criterion Collection launching a special edition in

November 15, 2019 6:07PM PT A grizzled LAPD vet shepherds a rookie through his first patrol shift in Joel Souza’s uneven but effective indie drama. Definitely the more sober-sided of two new films involving cops and cop-killers, “Crown Vic” juggles slice-of-life observation and thriller elements as a grizzled LAPD veteran shepherds a newbie through his

Early in “The Warrior Queen of Jhansi,” there’s a scene that feels like something you’d find in a Bollywood take on “Wonder Woman,” during which Rani Lakshmibai, the feisty monarch of the title, takes time from serving as drill instructor for a unit of female troops to deal with the harrumphing skepticism of a male

In one of the first major greenlights since acquiring Fox, Disney is moving forward with Ridley Scott’s period drama “The Last Duel,” dating the film for Dec. 25, 2020, a prime spot for next year’s award season. The film stars Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodi Comer and Ben Affleck with Scott directing. The script is

November 15, 2019 4:27PM PT Shanghai Rich Culture Media, The Nakodo Group and Bullseye Pictures have signed a three-project co-production, co-financing and co-distribution deal for Asia and Hollywood at the American Film Market. Projects involved include films “My Name is Mars” and “The Blind Bastards Club,” and a historical TV drama series. Sacha Baron-Cohen’s cousin

November 15, 2019 3:37PM PT Oscar-nominated producer Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain will produce the 92nd Oscars on Feb. 9. Academy president David Rubin made the announcement Friday. “The combined producing talents of Lynette and Stephanie will bring dynamism and excitement to the 92nd Oscars show,” said Rubin. “Their vast production experience ranges from

Nicolas Cage Heading for ‘Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ – Variety You will be redirected back to your article in seconds November 15, 2019 3:09PM PT Lionsgate is in final negotiations to buy the Nicolas Cage movie project “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” The “Unbearable” package includes Tom Gormican attached to direct from a

“Yesterday’s” Sophia Di Martino is in talks to join Tom Hiddleston in Disney Plus and Marvel’s “Loki” limited series. Hiddleston is reprising the role of the antihero with “Sex Education” and “Daybreak” director Kate Herron helming the series. “Rick & Morty” scribe Michael Waldron penned the pilot and will act as show creator and exec

“Parasite” is a global hit and an Oscar contender, which means many audiences will be seeing actor Song Kang Ho for the first time. But in fact, he’s had a terrific career in Korean films for more than 20 years. Song was first mentioned in Variety on Nov. 23, 1998, in a review of the

Sharp, current political and social satire lies at the heart of Lionsgate’s “Knives Out,” a darkly comedic whodunnit that often aims to upend Hollywood’s cultural conventions. One key player in the shift is Ana de Armas, who portrays a caretaker for Christopher Plummer’s character in the film. With a fully formed, fleshed-out character, de Armas