Month: July 2021

The Playmaker Munich, formerly known as ARRI Media Intl., has picked up Stefan Jäger’s “Monte Verità,” which world premieres in August in the Piazza Grande section of the Locarno Film Festival. The historical drama, written by Kornelija Naraks and based on true events, focuses on Europe’s first eco-community. Set in 1906, “Monte Verità” is centered
0 Comments
Paris-Based Loco Films has boarded “The Business Women’s Club,” the next film from Brazilian writer-director Anna Muylaert Muylaert’s “The Second Mother” won a 2015 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and a Berlin Panorama Audience Award, and it notched up fulsome sales for the Match Factory. “The Business Women’s Club” will be introduced to buyers at this
0 Comments
Na Jiazuo, one of the few Chinese directors to make it to the Cannes Film Festival this year, says he learned from the best in the business. His “Streetwise” (aka “Gaey Wa’r”) unspools in Un Certain Regard and is eligible for the Camera d’Or, reflecting Na’s status as a rookie feature director. The picture is
0 Comments
At a table in his house, Georges, an aging movie star with a reputation for uninsurable off-set shenanigans — played in a staggering coup of against-type casting by Gérard Depardieu — is running lines with his private security guard Aïssa (“Divines” breakout Déborah Lukumuena). While they rehearse, Georges cracks walnuts under heavy whomps from his
0 Comments
Americans are used to watching Americans save the day in movies. That’s the kind of hero Bill Baker wants to be for his daughter Allison — a young woman convicted of murdering her girlfriend while studying abroad — in “Spotlight” director Tom McCarthy’s not-at-all-conventional crime thriller “Stillwater.” The setup will sound familiar to anyone who
0 Comments
At a weekend getaway otherwise populated entirely by fortysomethings, 29-year-old Julie (Renate Reinsve) is subjected to some amateur analysis from a well-meaning elder. “Being young today is different,” the other woman observes, noting the increased pressure millennials face in daily life. “They have no time to think, there’s always something on the screen.” It’s the
0 Comments
Singer-songwriter Chris Isaak has partnered with Primary Wave in a deal that sees the publishing company acquiring a 50% stake in his master recordings and signing with the legendary Sun Records for future recordings (which was recently acquired by Primary Wave). He also has entered into a joint venture with the company that will allow
0 Comments
Before the last presidential election cycle, northeast Philadelphia’s Four Seasons Total Landscaping was a go-to business only for shrubbery enthusiasts and great garden maintainers. Then President Trump’s lawyer and campaign representative, Rudy Giuliani, held an oddball press conference regarding possible voter fraud, capturing the attention of the nation and raising the question of whether the
0 Comments
Chick Vennera, a voice actor in numerous Warner Bros. animated projects like “Animaniacs” and “Batman: the Animated Series,” and actor in “Thank God It’s Friday” and “The Golden Girls,” died Wednesday in Burbank, Calif. He was 74. His daughter Nicky Vennera told several media outlets he died of lung cancer. Former castmate John Mariano posted
0 Comments
Few pop songs signal their intent as brazenly as “Wannabe.” Beginning with the patter of Mel B’s footsteps as she steps up to the microphone followed by a hearty laugh, the Spice Girls’ all-conquering debut single is 2:53 minutes of pure joy. Ricocheting from girl-power declarations to vaguely suggestive rapped verses, there’s a loose zaniness
0 Comments
Dominic Monaghan, best known for portraying Merry the hobbit in “The Lord of the Rings” and Charlie Pace on the ABC supernatural drama “Lost,” has signed on to star in AMC’s sci-fi thriller series “Moonhaven,” written and executive produced by AMC dramedy “Lodge 49’s” showrunner Peter Ocko. Per the logline, “Moonhaven” is focused on a
0 Comments
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. If your shoes grant you access to the top of the Met’s status-bearing steps, then they’re a really,
0 Comments
“After Yang” takes place far enough in the future that it doesn’t seem unusual for a family to have acquired a virtual big brother for their adopted Chinese daughter. The robot — or “techno-sapien,” as such advanced appliances are politely referred to in the race-blind, android-accepting society writer-director Kogonada neatly imagines — has ceased to
0 Comments