Month: December 2023

Oscar voters tend to be big-screen enthusiasts. But the reality is that not every awards contender will be seen in the cinema — and that’s especially true during the holiday season, when all the family commitments, shopping and big meals can turn even a movie theater evangelist like Christopher Nolan into a couch potato. The

Who says you can’t laugh and win Oscars, too? In a stunning year for cinema, the candidates for the coveted best picture category are overflowing with prime comedic endeavors that surpass their dramatic counterparts. From a toy doll to an author with a triumphant “Black book” to a reverse Frankenstein tale that shows a whole

When Rosamund Pike sat down to tea with Emerald Fennell to discuss “Saltburn,” the filmmaker’s follow-up to her Oscar-winning “Promising Young Woman,” she ordered coffee. Fennell asked if she was going to drink it black, to which Pike stated that she was going to add milk. Recalls Pike, “So she said, ‘Oh, thank God. I

French broadcaster France Televisions has been blamed by supporters of Gerard Depardieu, the Oscar-nominated actor of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” for contributing to the downfall of one of country’s most iconic actors with a bombshell documentary about his history of sexual abuse allegations which aired on Dec. 7. The broadcaster’s head of film and international co-production,

Leaning full-tilt into its duology structure, Tollywood action drama “Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire” has a winding, often confounding narrative aimed at building up a sequel, but its maximalist action tableaus always yield dividends. After his previous two-parter “K.G.F.” smashed Indian box-office records for Kannada-language films, director Prashanth Neel employs the talents of ultra-charismatic superstar

In a vibrant move reinforcing its commitment to Brazilian cinema, Paris-based MPM Premium has announced its acquisition of “Betânia,” prior to its Berlinale bow. The film will world premiere in the diverse Panorama strand of the festival.  The announcement marks another stride in MPM Premium’s journey of accompanying new and established Brazilian directors, having previously

As awards season ramps up and the best picture race begins to narrow, Variety staffers reflected on some of the most standout scenes from the year’s top contenders. For 2023, there’s been no shortage of imaginative and inspiring storytelling crafted by both award-winning pros and newcomers — and each one has gifted audiences memorable scenes

“Aim for excellence — Brown exellence,” actor-producer Wilmer Valderrama told this year’s graduates of the National Hispanic Media Coalition‘s Series Scriptwriters Program as the eight-week intensive came to an end earlier this week. Valderamma, the “NCIS” and “That ’70s Show” star, is a multihyphenate, activist and entrepreneur and a member of NHMC’s Visionary Alliance of

Alexander Payne’s bittersweet Christmas dramedy “The Holdovers” is hitting Peacock on Dec. 29. The movie, from Focus Features, follows three lonely people stuck at a snowy boarding school over the holidays. It debuted in theaters in October and earned rave reviews, including from Variety‘s own chief film critic Peter Debruge, who wrote that Payne’s “portrait

Dan O’Neill was 53 years ahead of his time. In 1971, he launched a countercultural attack on Mickey Mouse. In his underground comic book, “Air Pirates Funnies,” the lovable mouse was seen smuggling drugs and performing oral sex on Minnie. As O’Neill had hoped, Disney sued him for copyright infringement. He believed it was a

Muvi Studios, the production arm of Saudi Arabia’s leading exhibition chain Muvi Cinemas, is ramping up production of Arabic movies with plans to release 10 titles spawned by its own pipeline in 2024, starting with comedy “Esabet Azeema” that will bow locally on Jan. 4. “Esabet Azeema,” which toplines Egyptian icon Esaad Younis making her

Aquaman is slowly swimming his way back to theaters, but he may get washed up at the box office. The latest DC Universe movie, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” has made $4.5 million in Thursday previews at the domestic box office. The superhero sequel, which marks the final installment of the DCEU before it gets