Month: November 2023

Bradley Cooper had a problem. The Oscar-nominated actor was gearing up to play Leonard Bernstein, the musical genius behind “West Side Story” and “Candide” and one of the driving cultural forces of the 20th century. Except, Cooper looked nothing like the distinctive composer and conductor. Enter Guillermo del Toro. The two men discussed Cooper’s predicament
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Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, DC and R.J. Cutler’s production hub This Machine are developing a documentary about the iconic Mad magazine. Oscar-and Emmy-winning director Jessica Yu (“Fosse/Verdon,” “Quiz Lady”) will direct the untitled docu about the 71-year-old humor brand. The feature-length doc will explore the origins of the magazine, as well as its irreverent, independent,
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Jeremy Renner marked 10 months of recovery since his near fatal snow plow accident by posting a video of him running up and down his inclined driveway, which he says was his “first attempt at any of this activity.” Renner was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries on Jan. 1 after his Sno-Cat,
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Life is made up of a series of individual moments, woven together to create a tapestry entirely unique to you. Some of these events and memories, however, are more profound than others. In any given calendar year, these can take the form of a graduation ceremony or a well-deserved work promotion, the blessing of becoming
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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav‘s name graced many a picket sign during the Writers Guild of America’s 148-day strike, with everything from his exec comp to content-cutting choices called out in writers’ anti-Hollywood studios jokes. Now that the work stoppage is over, the writers might consider reexamining their opinion of Zaslav, who concedes the
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Reps heading a special committee of the U.S. House of Representatives are questioning Apple CEO Tim Cook about whether the tech giant’s decision to cancel Jon Stewart‘s Apple TV+ talk show was because the host may have been planning an upcoming episode about China. “While companies have the right to determine what content is appropriate
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As part of this year’s industry program at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), producer Ted Hope sat down with the festival’s artistic director Orwa Nyrabia for an in-depth conversation about his career in U.S. independent film, the future of the industry, and the ways in which filmmakers and audiences are “trained by major
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Ke Huy Quan just wrapped his debut run in the Marvel Cinematic Universe thanks to his role as Ouroboros (aka O.B.) in “Loki” Season 2. While it’s undetermined if he’ll pop up in the MCU again, the actor is already eyeing a jump to another massive Disney-owned franchise: “Star Wars.” In an interview with Collider,
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As 2023 hits its final straights, Spain’s “Nowhere,” a mother-baby survival thriller, rates as the most-viewed non-English title – film or series – of 2023, with 77.9 million views. It also ranks as Netflix’s second most-watched non-English movie of all time, currently punching 141.6 million hours, bettered only by Norway’s “Troll.” “Nowhere” also has legs:
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The BBC has apologized after a news anchor misreported a Reuters news story to suggest the Israeli army was “targeting” medical staff. The BBC newsreader, believed to be Monica Miller, a senior broadcast journalist and BBC anchor based in Singapore, was reading from a Reuters report when she twice stated the Israeli military was “targeting
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The Edinburgh International Film Festival has tapped Picturehouse Entertainment head of acquisitions Paul Ridd as its new director. Ridd will join in December. His first festival, the event’s 77th anniversary, will take place in August 2024, with specific dates to be announced. The festival returned for its 76th edition earlier this year following financial difficulties. It
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Matteo Garrone’s “Io Capitano” is getting a special screening on Wednesday in Brussels, where hundreds of EU parliament members will watch the timely immigration drama on which Pathè has announced a slew of sales. The film, which is Italy’s Oscar candidate for best international feature film, world premiered to strong reviews in September at Venice
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More than 800 film industry professionals in Germany and Austria have signed an open letter opposing antisemitism, with the number of signatories continuing to grow. The signatories include a wide range of directors, writers, producers and other film industry professionals. Those signing the letter include directors Caroline Link, whose “Nowhere in Africa” won an Oscar;
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German TV giant RTL Deutschland has named Stephan Schmitter as CEO, effective Jan. 1, 2024. In addition to his current role of chief content officer, Schmitter will take on responsibility for streaming service RTL+ and the reorganized publishing business Gruner + Jahr (G+J) as CEO of RTL Deutschland. As of Jan. 1 2024, the management board
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STREAMING “Sherlock” Seasons 1-4, “Death in Paradise” Seasons 1-11, “Unforgotten” Seasons 1-4 and “Life Below Zero” Seasons 1-9 are among the series that will be available as part of BBC Studios‘ new content agreement with Lemino, a Japanese video-on-demand streaming service operated by NTT DoCoMo. The deal, which comes into effect Nov. 15 will also
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Beta Cinema has sold the North American rights for “Adios Buenos Aires” to Outsider Pictures, which plans to release the charming comedy drama in spring 2024 throughout the U.S. and Canada. The multiple audience award winner has also sold to Argentina (Cinetren), South Korea (Challan), Israel (Nachshon Films), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Switzerland (Xenix Film
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Tatino Films, a French production and consultancy company involved in industry events in Asia and Europe, has teamed with Kazakhstan-based Alternativa Film Project and the Philippines’ QCinema Project Market for three film residencies. The partnership will yield two Pop Up film residencies called the Pop Up Alternativa Awards for filmmakers from Central Asia and one
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“Deep Sea,” an innovative Chinese-made animation film that has played the international festival circuit throughout this year, will release in North American theaters later this month. Theatrical rights were acquired by Viva Films from Netherlands-China sales outfit Fortissimo Films. Viva plans an outing on Nov. 24 with Chinese and English-dubbed versions and a PG13 certificate.
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It was “Whitney Houston Night” on “Dancing With the Stars” — and every couple pulled out every stop. Last week, Xochitl Gomez and Val Chmerkovskiy struggled after she suffered an ankle injury and a wardrobe malfunction. But they were determined to come back stronger than ever this week — and did just that. After their
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A chyron that appears at the end of “Napoleon,” after two and a half hours of turgid spectacle and grime-encrusted showmanship, informs that France’s self-anointed emperor oversaw 61 battles, listing the six that director Ridley Scott opted to stage for our benefit … or for his own glory. The director’s motives are unclear, much like
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AMC Networks has released a teaser trailer for the upcoming action drama “Parish,” debuting on AMC and AMC+ in 2024. Giancarlo Esposito, no stranger to AMC viewers thanks to “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” stars and executive produces. The series’ synopsis reads, “Esposito stars as Gracian ‘Gray’ Parish, a family man and proud owner
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