Month: October 2023

Since the dawn of cell phones, it’s been taboo to use them at the movies. But for the first time that he can remember, Marcus Theatres president Gregory Marcus is encouraging moviegoers to keep their iPhones in hand and — gasp — even use them for Taylor Swift‘s “Eras Tour” concert film, which premieres in

Lionsgate has landed U.S. rights to “The Home,” a thriller starring Pete Davidson. The movie, directed by James DeMonaco (“The Purge”), was backed by Miramax and screened for buyers outside of competition at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. It’s expected to land in theaters sometime in 2024. “The Home” follows Davidson as Max, a former

Eddie Murphy is going from “You People” to yuletide, following up his Netflix comedy with his first Christmas feature. Prime Video released the trailer for “Candy Cane Lane” Thursday morning, providing a first look at Murphy’s magical holiday adventure. The footage reveals Murphy playing a father in the holiday spirit who accepts a magical wish

The grand-scale Biblical epics that midcentury Hollywood churned out to roaring box-office returns had many drawcards as (so to speak) mass entertainment — brawny action, transporting spectacle, then jaw-dropping effects — but a sense of humor, by and large, wasn’t one of them. That’s something British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel attempts to rectify in his offbeat

Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theatres, revealed that he had been the victim of an “elaborate criminal extortion.” The chief of the world’s largest cinema chain didn’t reveal details about what he described as a “blackmail attempt” other than to claim they were “related to false allegations about my personal life.” Aron says there

“When will Taylor Swift’s film career take off?” has been a question lurking in the back of a lot of people’s minds ever since she started getting her feet wet with bit parts in “The Giver” and “Valentine’s Day”… and then further limited herself to keeping her toes damp with “Cats” and “Amsterdam” cameos. But

MALAYSIAN TIGER TO ROAR IN SINGAPORE “Tiger Stripes,” the Malaysian coming-of-age, body horror film that debuted in Cannes’ Critics Week section has been set as the opening title for this year’s Singapore International Film Festival (Nov. 30 – Dec. 10). Directed by Amanda Nell Eu, the film is a multinational coproduction that involved Singapore-based Fran

Acclaimed Nepalese filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar has wrapped principal photography on his next feature “Rajagunj” (“The Sky is Mine”). The film is also one of nine projects to receive funding from the Norwegian Film Institute’s Sorfond. It received NOK625,000 ($57,600). Rauniyar’s first feature, “Highway,” premiered at the 2012 Berlinale and played Locarno, while his sophomore feature “White Sun”

Worlds collided on Wednesday night when Beyoncé made a surprise visit to the premiere of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film in Los Angeles. In an Instagram post after the event, Swift detailed the importance of her fellow pop star’s support alongside a video of the two sharing popcorn inside the movie theater. “I’m so

Talks between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios have broken down, as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said Wednesday that the gap between the sides is “too great.” The key stumbling block is a union proposal to share in streaming revenue, which the AMPTP says would cost $800 million a year. SAG-AFTRA wants

Keith Giffen, the veteran comics author and artist who co-created characters such as DC’s Lobo and the Jamie Reyes version of the Blue Beetle as well as Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon, has died. He was 70. Giffen’s family announced his death on Facebook Wednesday via a sardonic post pre-written by the comic book writer-artist: “I told

UPDATED: NBCUniversal content chief Donna Langley has vowed that the top executives involved in contract negotiations with SAG-AFTRA will devote the time it takes to reach a new deal. But two hours after Langley spoke, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said it would “suspend” talks with SAG-AFTRA, saying that the sides are

Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel opened Bloomberg Media’s Screentime conference Wednesday evening with a strong condemnation of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying that he left the country vulnerable to the heinous terrorist attacks that began Oct. 7. “A morally corrupt Bibi Netanyahu exposed Israel to rape and beheadings of babies, children,” Emanuel said in measured

Jeff Burr, director of “Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III,” “From a Whisper to a Scream” and “Straight Into Darkness,” has died. He was 60. Director-writer Jim Wynorski shared the news of Burr’s death on Facebook, writing that he “passed away last night [Oct. 10] in his sleep.” Burr helmed New Line’s “Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Godfrey Reggio, creator of the Qatsi trilogy, has been down this road before. The obsessions are familiar — nature’s innocence corrupted by industry, technology and the atomic age — but the audience is presumably different. This time, it’s younger. Now in his 80s, the avant-garde filmmaker who, in collaboration with composer Philip Glass, found a

Netflix’s animation unit and the film slate in controls will undergo a restructure, resulting in job cuts and the shutdown of two films currently in pre-production. As a result of the reorg, the streamer is looking to recruit outside producers to keep its animated content volume consistent. Final headcounts on pink slips were not immediately

Taylor Swift is bringing her “Eras Tour” to the big screen a day earlier than planned. The concert film was originally scheduled to open on Friday the 13th (to coincide with her lucky number), but the singer has announced a surprise shift in release to a day earlier, with showtimes beginning Thursday at 6 p.m.

Near the beginning and near the end of Mirlan Abdykalykov‘s beautifully made but tough-minded, enraging “Bride Kidnapping” there are literally mirroring shots of the main character, 19-year-old Umut (Akak Berdibekova). At the start, she gazes at her reflection in modest pleasure as she gets dressed: a lovely young woman, with a ready, dimpled smile, looking

Horror master John Carpenter told the Los Angeles Times that he’s heard about the negative reaction to Universal and Blumhouse’s “Exorcist” reboot, which currently sits at a paltry 23% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and opened to under $30 million at the box office. Universal spent $400 million on rights to the franchise