When Tim Bell died in London last summer, the media response was largely, somewhat sheepishly, polite: It was hard not to envision the ruthless political spin doctor still massaging his legacy from beyond the grave. “Irrepressible” was the first adjective chosen in the New York Times obituary. “He had far too few scruples about who he
Month: February 2020
After three weeks in theaters, Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” is officially the highest-grossing installment in the action-comedy series. The Will Smith and Martin Lawrence-led threequel has made $291 million globally to date, pushing it past previous franchise record holder, 2003’s “Bad Boys II” and its $271 million haul. The first entry, 1995’s “Bad Boys,”
“1917,” Sam Mendes’ World War I survival thriller, dominated at the 73rd British Academy of Film and Television’s Film Awards with seven wins including best film and best director. “Joker,” meanwhile, which went into the BAFTAs with the most nominations, 11, won three awards including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix. “Parasite” picked up two awards,
World War I story “1917” dominated the BAFTA film awards, which were awarded Sunday evening at London’s Royal Albert Hall with Graham Norton hosting. The wins for “1917” included best film, best director for Sam Mendes and outstanding British film. The awards are broadcast on the BBC in the United Kingdom and at 5 p.m.
Every summer, more than 1,000 teens swarm the Texas capitol building to attend Boys State, the annual American Legion-sponsored leadership conference where these incipient politicians divide into rival parties, the Nationalists and the Federalists, and attempt to build a mock government from the ground up. In 2017, the program attracted attention for all the wrong
Box office newcomers “Rhythm Section” and “Gretel and Hansel” fumbled as “Bad Boys for Life” remained champions during a painfully slow Super Bowl weekend. Studios view the NFL championship as a dead zone at movie theaters, since the Super Bowl is the most-watched TV event. This year proved no exception. Overall ticket sales topped out
Ahead of tonight’s BAFTA Awards in London, Amy Gustin and Deena Wallace, co-directors of the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), discuss how they shook up their awards’ voting mechanisms to become more inclusive of a wider variety of films and filmmakers. BIFA is different from other awards bodies in its process as well as its
A wide range of Scandinavian films, including the politically-charged Danish drama “Shorta,” the supernatural Icelandic drama “Lamb” with Noomi Rapace, and the Finnish-Iranian refugee tale “Any Day Now,’ were some of the highlights at this year’s Nordic Film Market. They were presented, along with 13 other films in post-production, as part of the Work-in-Progress section.
Powered by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus, among others, the subscription video on demand market is booming. But in five years from now, it will have contracted with no single service fully dominating the landscape, according to the 7th Nostradamus Report, which forecasts trends in film and TV. The thorough
Exclusive Jesse Jane ended up in handcuffs after beating the hell out of her boyfriend following a night of drinking … at least according to cops, who arrested the porn star for domestic violence. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … the famous porn star was arrested early Wednesday in Moore, OK on suspicion of domestic
For those who have been disappointed with Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, “Saturday Night Live” has an alternative. The Feb. 1 episode of the late-night sketch comedy show kicked off with “The Trial You Wish Had Happened,” a cold open sketch featuring Kenan Thompson as Judge Mathis (yes, TV’s Judge Mathis) taking over the proceedings from
It’s going to be a busy year for the Writers Guild of America, as the org will enter negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers to finalize a new deal between writers and producers. At Saturday night’s WGA Awards, talk of negotiations — and the potential for a strike — were among
“Screenwriting saved my life.” That was the simple and heartfelt statement delivered by Richard Price, the acclaimed novelist and screenwriter behind such notable works as “Clockers,” “Mad Dog and Glory,” “The Night Of” and “The Wire,” as he collected the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for career achievement from the WGA East on Saturday night during
The Sundance Film Festival awarded its grand jury awards to Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” a semi-autobiographical glimpse into the Korean American director’s Arkansas upbringing, and “Boys State,” an immersive vérité look at an impassioned class of politically inclined Texas teens who participate in an annual mock-government competition. Ethan Hawke and his fellow U.S. dramatic competition
Filmmaker Tabitha Jackson has been named the incoming director of the Sundance Film Festival, succeeding outgoing director John Cooper. Sundance, America’s premiere festival and sales market for global independent film, elevates Jackson from her previous role as director of the Sundance Institute’s documentary film program. Cooper, who vacates the role after 11 years, has been
Damon Lindelof has been spiritually linked to NBC’s “The Good Place” since its launch in 2016. Not only did Drew Goddard, an alum of Lindelof’s “Lost,” direct the pilot and serve as an executive producer, but creator Mike Schur had turned to “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen” showrunner for advice on how to craft a serialized
The Writers Guild of America handed out its top awards of the year in concurrent ceremonies on both the East and West Coasts on Saturday night, with big winners including “Parasite” and “Jojo Rabbit” on the film side and “Barry” and “Succession” in TV. Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won took home the award
If you care about cinema, you take the Sundance Film Festival for granted at your peril. Despite some early-in-the-festival grousing, though (“Oh no! The first day has gone by without a masterpiece!”), this was the kind of year that didn’t allow you to take the festival for granted. The sheer range of vibrant filmmaking on
Exclusive TMZ.com DaBaby better get da lawyer on the phone … he’s just been slapped with a lawsuit by the guy claiming he and his crew beat him up. Concert promoter Kenneth Carey just filed suit against DB, his entertainment company and a bunch of the goons that were with him that day … alleging
GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Norwegian helmer-writer Dag Johan Haugerud’s “Beware Of Children,” a complex, almost novelistic examination of how people reveal their true colors under pressure when crisis strikes, came away the biggest winner at the 43rd Göteborg Film Festival, scoring the generously endowed ($104,000) best Nordic film prize. The film’s lead actress, Henriette Steenstrup, also nabbed the fest’s
Tracee Ellis Ross had to leave the set of “Black-ish” for a project so secret she wasn’t sure she could even tell her co-star on the show, Anthony Anderson. On Sunday, it won’t be a secret anymore. Ross is one of several handfuls of celebrities scheduled to appear in the big-budget commercials that will run
Andy Gill, guitarist and cofounder of the influential British postpunk band Gang of Four, died today after a brief respiratory illness, according to a statement from the band. He was 64. “Andy’s final tour in November was the only way he was going to bow out; with a Stratoscaster around his neck, screaming with feedback
GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Norway’s Stian Kristiansen (“Homeground”, “The Man Who Loved Yngve”) has signed on to direct “Doppler” for long-time production partners at Motlys (“Louder than Bombs”, Homeground”). Prominent Norwegian author/scriptwriter Erlend Loe, attached to HBO Nordic’s first Danish Original “Kamikaze,” is adapting from his own best-selling novel, sold to 30 territories and named Book
This year’s leading animated films take us from the crowded streets of Victorian-era London to far off lands where dragons roam. Though their storytelling and locations couldn’t be more different, many share a common attribute: the emergence of a powerful female character (or two) that’s crucial to the story. “Frozen 2” has those unforgettable sisters,
Sony’s “Bad Boys for Life” is keeping the North American box office healthy as it heads for its third weekend crown at domestic multiplexes with about $17.4 million at 3,705 sites, estimates showed Saturday. But Paramount’s spy thriller “The Rhythm Section,” starring Blake Lively, has tanked in ninth-place with a $2.9 million launch at 3,049
Check out the top new trailers released this week that you’ve gotta see! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert or Buy Movie Tickets: https://www.fandango.com?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to
Stylist Leslie Fremar kept looks fresh for Charlize Theron’s “Bombshell” tour: “The clothes don’t wear her, she really wears the clothes well.” Oct. 27 “I really thought I was watching Megyn Kelly,” says stylist Leslie Fremar of “Bombshell” star Charlize Theron. “I was impressed with just how transformative she really is.” Through the press tour,
This year’s post-Super Bowl program makes a beautiful sort of sense: It’s hard to imagine a more perfect pairing for the NFL than “The Masked Singer.” That’s true both pragmatically — it’s the biggest hit on Fox’s air right now, so why not let it and the most-watched broadcast of the year pump each other
Brittney Lee has become something of a rock star artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Joining the studio 10 years ago on the strength of a design portfolio she put together in her off-time while working as an animator on an online multiplayer game, she’s worked on most of the studio’s features and shorts since
GÖTEBORG, Sweden — Munich-based Global Screen has acquired international distribution rights to Finnish procedural series “FAST,” set up at “Nurses”’ producer Yellow Film & TV, marking the first collaboration between Telepool’s sales division and the Finnish powerhouse. A 10-part series, “FAST” centers on a special task force within the police department that tracks down fugitives.