Month: December 2021

Joan Didion, the author revered for her coolly dispassionate essays and novels such as “Play It as It Lays,” has died, her publisher confirmed to The New York Times on Wednesday. She was 87. Knopf executive Paul Bogaards said the cause was Parkinson’s Disease. Along with her late husband John Gregory Dunne, Didion co-wrote screenplays

“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” the grand finale in Marvel’s web-slinging superhero trilogy, has crossed another major box office milestone, surpassing $800 million globally. After only 10 days on the big screen, the latest Tom Holland-led Spidey adventure has become the highest-grossing Hollywood movie of the year with $813.9 million worldwide. On Wednesday, it passed MGM’s

Penélope Cruz first met Pedro Almodóvar when she was cast in his 1997 film, “Live Flesh.” Almodóvar had originally wanted her to star in “Kika,” but Cruz was too young for the role. The director promised her he would write a character for another movie, and he did. It would mark the beginning of their

Paul Thomas Anderson has surveyed L.A.’s San Fernando Valley from every angle in films like “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “Punch-Drunk Love.” For his latest, “Licorice Pizza,” which opens wide on Dec. 25, he went back to his early memories of the sprawling suburbs, combining them with events from the life of his childhood-friend producer Gary

This year’s Oscar race is in a bio rhythm, with a huge percentage of films based upon real people and events. Merriam-Webster defines “biopic” as simply a biographical movie. That’s true, but there’s a wide range under that umbrella term, as this year’s contenders remind us. They include films that span several years, including: “A

China will be the world’s largest box office market for the second year running, overturning the decade-long rankings and staying ahead of the North American market as it did in for the first time in 2020. And, even if “Spider-Man: No Way Home” avoids becoming caught in a web of omicron-related shutdowns to become the

The U.K. government has implemented further emergency funding to tide over arts, cultural and historical organizations impacted by the rising wave of COVID-19 infections caused by the new Omicron variant. £1.5 million ($2 million) support has also been announced for creative freelancers alongside a further £1.35 million ($1.8 million) contribution from the theatre sector. The

Akshay Kumar is India’s busiest actor, working through the pandemic and delivering hits across platforms. Over the years he has proved to be Bollywood’s banker with rarely a misstep at the box office. During the pandemic era, his horror-comedy “Laxmii” debuted directly on streamer Disney Plus Hotstar and racked up big numbers for the service.

Comcast-owned Sky Studios has struck a development deal with Dorothy St Pictures, the production company behind titles including Bruce Lee documentary “Be Water” and Audible Original “Killer Book Club.” Founded by Julia Nottingham, Dorothy St Pictures describes itself as the “female-led home for filmmakers, both new and established” with an aim to approach topics from

Richard Conway, a special effects supervisor who collaborated closely with director Terry Gilliam, has died, his family announced. He was 79. Conway began working in television in the 1960s, where he began his career working alongside Gerry Anderson. He worked on shows such as “Thunderbirds,” “Captain Scarlet” and “Joe 90”.  While there, Conway met fellow

Choreographer Sherrie Silver calls Universal’s “Sing 2” a dream to work on and highlights the film’s plotline featuring Johnny (voiced by Taron Egerton), a soulful gorilla who doesn’t know how to dance but eventually finds the confidence to. Silver’s line of work often finds her collaborating with models and stars who don’t always know how

The Critics Choice Association announced Wednesday that it has postponed its in-person awards gala amid rising concerns regarding COVID-19 and the Omicron variant. The winners were set to be revealed by hosts Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer on Sunday, Jan. 9. The ceremony will still broadcast live in person on The CW and TBS at

To what lengths would you go to save your loved ones from the pain of losing you? That’s the question Cameron Turner (played by two-time Oscar winner Mahershala Ali) must answer in “Swan Song,” the Apple original drama about a terminally ill man who yearns to spare his wife Poppy (Oscar nominee Naomie Harris) and

Tony Leung Chiu-wai will follow up his turn as the controversial patriarch Wenwu in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” with a lead role in Bona Film Group’s next patriotic juggernaut: the World War II-era spy thriller “Anonymous,” which just wrapped shooting this week. The movie is the third installment of Bona’s “China

“Spider-Man: No Way Home” shows that movie theaters can still be a major power at a time when streaming services have seemingly taken over the world. The instant box office smash also launches Tom Holland, the 25-year-old British actor whose peppy, quippy and youthful take on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man gives the comic-book epic

Michael Keaton is dusting off his signature cape and cowl for “Batgirl,” the upcoming HBO Max superhero film. The actor is expected to reprise his role as Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman, the character he originated in Tim Burton’s 1989 film. He will star alongside Leslie Grace, who’s playing the lead role. Though plot details have