Movies

Motion Picture Industry Pension & Health Plans has revised eligibility rules for members of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees who are not working due to the coronavirus crisis. The plan‘s board of directors has voted to credit up to 300 hours toward the next eligibility period for members who are actively enrolled in its health plan

Universal announced Monday that “Trolls World Tour” landed the biggest debut for a digital release after the animated sequel launched last weekend on premium video on demand and in a handful of drive-in cinemas. It’s the first film from a major studio to break the traditional theatrical window and open simultaneously on home entertainment platforms

Cinemark is launching an offering of $250 million in senior secured notes. The theater chain said the debt securities will be used for “general corporate purposes,” which include enhancing its liquidity at a time when cinemas have been closed indefinitely due to the coronavirus. Cinemark, which is the third largest exhibitor, said the debt will

James Gunn, director of the upcoming third “Guardians of the Galaxy” movie and “The Suicide Squad,” said that neither movie will be affected by delays during the coronavirus pandemic. Answering fans’ questions on his Twitter account, Gunn said that the new “Suicide Squad” film for Warner Bros. and DC Comics is moving along as planned

“Big Little Lies” star Shailene Woodley opened up about a health scare that almost ended her career in her early 20s. In an interview with The New York Times, Woodley revealed that she missed out on a lot of early roles because she was “very, very sick.” “I haven’t spoken much about this yet publicly,

Kevin Smith sold his first movie, “Clerks,” to Harvey Weinstein out of the Sundance Film Festival in 1994. Weinstein, who ran Miramax at the time, shelled out $227,000 for the black-and-white movie set in a video store. But their agreement allowed for Smith to receive a backend if the movie became profitable. That fall, “Clerks”

Japanese director Nobuhiko Obayashi died Friday in Tokyo of lung cancer. He was 82. Born in Onomichi, a port on Japan’s Inland Sea, in 1938, Obayashi began making films as a child, using a projector and film owned by his physician father. A pioneering experimental filmmaker in the 1960s, Obayashi went on direct nearly 3,000 TV commercials

Coronavirus. It sounds like the title of a classic Bond movie, à la “GoldenEye,” “Moonraker” or “Octopussy.” April 10 was supposed to see the release of Bond’s latest adventure, “No Time to Die.” Instead, action fans are stuck at home, an invisible villain is threatening world domination, and 007 has done the unthinkable: He’s chickened

An earnest, over-stuffed infomercial for the potential and benefits of practicing mindfulness, multi-hypenate Rob Beemer’s “The Mindfulness Movement” demonstrates the practice, offers an abbreviated history of its growth in the U.S., and cites examples of the therapeutic, scientific, corporate, academic and athletic benefits of living a more conscious life. After kicking off with celebrity endorsements

fRequa, FicarraIn today’s film news roundup, “Salem’s Lot” and “Hellraiser” draw directors, Tara Reid and Paul Mormando find new roles and zombie pandemic thriller “16 States” lands at Lionsgate. DEALS New Line has hired “It” writer Gary Dauberman to direct its adaptation of Stephen King’s 1975 horror novel “Salem’s Lot” from his own script. Dauberman

The coronavirus pandemic has driven a 30% year-to-year jump in video on demand viewing for March, data tracker Comscore has reported. Comscore said the jump came as millions of Americans sought entertainment while complying with pandemic public health safety measures. “Further driving the March 2020 VOD viewing surge is that in reaction to this unprecedented

Netflix’s new film “Love Wedding Repeat” is exactly the kind of entertainment the world could use right now. “We wanted it to be this really light, fun romantic comedy,” star Olivia Munn says on this week’s episode of the Variety and iHeart podcast “The Big Ticket.” The wedding ensemble (available now on Netflix), directed by

Disney is in early development on a remake of its 1973 animated musical comedy “Robin Hood” for Disney Plus. “Blindspotting” director Carlos Lopez Estrada is on board to helm the movie. Kari Granlund, who wrote the script for 2019’s Disney Plus reboot of “Lady and the Tramp,” is attached to pen the new “Robin Hood.”

Justin Simien, the filmmaker behind “Bad Hair” and “Dear White People,” has signed with CAA. “Dear White People,” starring Logan Browning and Brandon Bell, is set at a predominantly white Ivy League college and follows a group of black students navigate various forms of racial and other types of discrimination.” The film was a big

German actor Dieter Laser, who played evil scientist Dr. Josef Heiter in “The Human Centipede,” died on Feb. 29 in Germany. He was 78. Laser’s death has only now come to light via an announcement posted to his Facebook page on Thursday. “We are very sorry to have to inform you that Dieter Laser passed

Quarantine viewing means seeking out old favorites and hidden gems. That means more time to explore older releases on Netflix or dive into the service’s growing volume of original programming. Josh and Benny Safdie’s “Good Time,” has arrived on the platform, while their popular “Uncut Gems” is now available for digital rental and purchase. Other

Stuck at home and looking for something fresh? Just because theaters are closed due to the coronavirus doesn’t mean there aren’t new movies to be seen. Many distributors are getting creative and releasing their films directly to home platforms — including the first major studio release do so in “Trolls World Tour,” Still, it can

Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour will direct Netflix’s upcoming film “The Selection,” based on the first entry in Kiera Cass’ popular book series. Published in 2012, the book is set in a dystopian future where 35 girls are selected to move to a royal palace and compete for a prince’s heart. America Singer is from

“It belongs to no one and everyone,” a Greenpeace spokesperson observes of Antarctica, amid several awed talking-head statements at the outset of “Sanctuary.” It’s a true enough observation of the southernmost continent, though it opens up the question driving Álvaro Longoria’s short, straightforward environmental documentary: If the unpopulated ice kingdom is above human ownership, who

Kino Lorber has acquired U.S rights to the top prize winner at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, “There Is No Evil,” directed by Iran’s Mohammad Rasoulof, who on March 4 was sentenced by Iranian authorities to one year’s imprisonment for three of his films. He was also banned from making new films fro the next

Les Films d’Ici, the production outfit behind “Waltz With Bashir” and “Funan,” has come on board “Ghostdance,” a timely animated feature shedding light on crimes committed against indigenous women in Canada. “Ghostdance” is being directed by France’s Nicolas Blies, Stephane Hueber-Blies and Canada’s Kim O’Bomsawin. Valérie Beaugrand-Champagne, the seasoned Canadian screenwriter whose credits include Denis

Self-portraits are respected, if not encouraged in virtually all artforms. Except cinema. There, when a director turns camera on themselves, it can seem indulgent, if not downright gratuitous. It’s a tricky line to walk, sharing without showing off, revealing insights no one else could while maintaining enough distance for audiences to relate. When it goes

There’s a bit of magic sprinkled into director Jay Karas’ “The Main Event.” Trouble is, adults in the audience will have to go looking for it. This kid-centric wish-fulfillment fantasy from WWE Studios centers around a bullied runt who enters a professional wrestling contest after finding a super-powered and super-stinky mask. The film represents all

Here’s the beautiful but frustrating thing about a movie as personal as Taiwanese American director Alan Yang’s “Tigertail,” which debuts on Netflix today: By drawing on specifics from his family story, Yang offers audiences — especially those with parents who were born abroad, as his were — a chance to see reflections of their own

In a romantic comedy, any good-looking British actor can probably coast along on his charm and accent and manners. But to do what Hugh Grant did in the ’90s — to make you believe that for all his cultivation and civilized sex appeal, he lives inside a spectacular thicket of self-doubt that’s even more enchanting

Reacting to the coronavirus pandemic, payroll specialist Cast & Crew has cut executive salaries, reduced staff hours and furloughed an unspecified number of employees on Thursday. “Cast & Crew and companies across all industries have been focused on the well-being of their employees and their families, as well as the ongoing financial condition of the company,” said Eric Belcher, chief

Sometimes a film contains a single scene that feels like its main reason for being. In Sonejuhi Sinha’s grimy-glamorous crime thriller feature debut “Stray Dolls,” it comes late on: Riz (Geetanjali Thapa), a newly arrived undocumented immigrant from India who is working as a maid in a dead-end motel, is in a phone booth at

Taika Waititi revealed a few details about his upcoming Marvel movie “Thor: Love and Thunder” on Instagram with a couple of his stars from “Thor: Ragnorak.” Tessa Thompson and Mark Ruffalo joined the director on Thursday night as he hosted a viewing party for “Ragnorak” on Instagram Live. Waititi’s zany “Ragnorak” took Thor to new

Mark Duplass is keeping regular office hours while self-quarantining in his Los Angeles home. “I’ve written a rewrite of a feature film that I have in development. That wasn’t too hefty. That was good. That broke the seal for me that was like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be able to write in this emotionally fragile,

There are worse things one could do than indulge in a cozy little romance these days, when we are all cooped up at home craving some meaningful human contact. If only writer-director Vicky Wight’s on-demand drama “The Lost Husband” could have filled that void by audaciously embracing some of the more syrupy, maybe even steamy