Movies

Dubbed by Variety  senior film critic Peter Debruge as “a sincere, Southern-fried buddy movie,” “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” directed and written by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson, details the budding relationship formed between a grifter with a heart of gold named Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a man with Down Syndrome who runs away from a senior

“Tomorrow I’ll be presenting [Martin Scorsese] with the 2020 Kim Jong Un Humanitarian Award and after that the big one — the Kids’ Choice Award,” Robert De Niro quipped in his opening remarks upon receiving the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award at the Variety Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch Presented

Editor Jeff Groth worked with “Joker” director Todd Phillips on “The Hangover Part III” before landing the blockbuster drama starring Joaquin Phoenix. You cut the film as consecutively as possible so you could see the progression of the character while you were still editing. Can you talk a little bit about that? With a movie

2019 has been a reckoning, overdue and arguably well-deserved, for men in power. The ways in which this has played out in real life is, sadly, too often unsatisfying: criminals escape justice, the rich retain their wealth, and the corrupt remain in power. But on film, screenwriters can not only deliver satisfying resolutions to the

MGM film president Jonathan Glickman is stepping down from the post he has held for eight years, Variety has confirmed. Michael De Luca, the Oscar-nominated producer of “The Social Network” and a former executive at Sony and New Line, will succeed Glickman in the newly created role of chairman of MGM’s Motion Picture Group. As

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Lopez have been announced as presenters for the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 5. Additional celebrity presenters include Tim Allen, Jennifer Aniston, Ana De Armas, Christian Bale, Antonio Banderas, Jason Bateman, Cate Blanchett, Matt Bomer, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Daniel Craig, Ted Danson, Ansel Elgort, Chris

Even though there aren’t any solid plans to make a “Joker” sequel, director Todd Phillips would like to see a Batman movie from “Joker’s” Gotham City. “It’s a beautiful Gotham. What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham,” Phillips told Variety’s Marc Malkin at the Palm Springs International

Disney’s “Frozen 2” may have failed to make the Oscar short list for VFX, but the crew certainly solved its share of technical challenges, most notably in the way the film handled the look of its liquid environment. Marlon West, co-head of the film’s effects animation alongside Dale Mayeda, says while it’s flattering for audiences to

Awards season doesn’t have to mean travel headaches for industryites jetting around L.A., New York City, San Francisco, London and various spots in-between. Helicopter rides, chartered jets and private terminal services are just a few of the options for those who want to avoid as much hassle as possible and have the financial resources to

As Cynthia Erivo becomes a formidable Oscar contender for best actress and original song for her performance in the title role in “Harriet,” one thing remains clear: Diversity is good business.  In recent years, Hollywood has seen “Wonder Woman,” “Black Panther,” “Us” and “Crazy Rich Asians” all become box office successes. Focus Features’ “Harriet” — the

A Condensed Year for ContendersIt may seem insignificant, but moving up the Academy Awards two weeks has caused a ripple effect in the industry that makes this year’s nominees more difficult than ever to predict. With the exception of the PGA and SAG awards, usually held in late January,  most of the major precursors —

True stories have always had a way of getting the attention of the Academy, especially when it comes to the best picture race. Of the 2018 films that were nominated last year, only “Black Panther” and “A Star Is Born” were complete fiction. Many of this year’s contenders feature stories based on real events, but

The world of “Bombshell” is populated with familiar faces playing familiar faces; in addition to Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson, you’ll catch actors including Richard Kind playing Rudy Giuliani and John Lithgow as Fox News head Roger Ailes. But for maximum impact with minimum screen time, it’s Alanna Ubach

Forget the critics’ best of lists — what are the movies that the people who starred in and created those awards season favorites consider their personal faves? Variety’s Marc Malkin asked: “What’s the one movie you can watch over and over again?” Jennifer Lopez “West Side Story” “It was the first musical that my mom

Excellence deserves at toast, and shouldn’t those celebrating a nomination or win at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Grammys or Oscars be drinking the best? Those watching awards shows at home can also imbibe in the celebratory spirits, and Variety polled cocktail experts on the best pairings for kudocasts as well as their own inventive

Competition is fierce for showbiz largesse during event season. Venues all over compete with the latest sound systems, ultra-chic private dining rooms, of-the-moment food and drink and elevated service. Here are the latest party trends and the spots where premiere and wrap parties, product launches, celebratory dinners, meet-and-greets and award season events are welcomed year-round. 

Whether it’s playing a determined soldier in World War I, an enterprising hustler in a strip club, a polarizing television reporter, or the representative of Christ on Earth, authenticity was a crucial component in the actor’s performance. Some of the performers at the forefront of this year’s awards conversation went to extraordinary lengths to prepare

The Variety staff picks the funny, tragic, weird and wonderful (some all at once) moments from 2019 films. Spoilers to follow! “1917”Beneath the visceral tension of the immersive action in “1917” lies a contemplative character study about the horrors of war as seen through the eyes of two young soldiers on an impossible mission. Palpable

Acid attacks on women by spurned men are endemic in South Asia. Top Indian actor Deepika Padukone is debuting as a producer and headlining the cast of Disney-owned Fox Star Studios’ “Splash” (“Chhapaak”), a film that deals with the issue.  India’s Hindi-language film industry, known popularly — or pejoratively, depending on your point of view

When Tom Hanks jogged onto screen in his feature film debut in the 1980 slasher pic “He Knows You’re Alone,” one probably couldn’t have predicted he would go on to become one of the most successful and beloved actors of all time. Playing a psychology student who postulates about the appeal of fear, Hanks makes

Hollywood films had a historically unsuccessful year at the China box office in 2019, data from Chinese authorities and online ticketing platform Maoyan show, although the country’s theatrical revenues rose to a new all-time high. American titles accounted for just two of the country’s top ten grossers last year, with “Avengers: Endgame” placing third and

Celebrities really are just like us. Turns out that — like the rest of the Internet — Jennifer Lopez is a huge fan of Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The “Hustlers” star opened up about her appreciation for the judge and how she invited the 86-year-old to the Washington stop of her It’s My

With streamers such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and newcomer Apple TV Plus bringing top talent into the Globes race, this year’s red carpet is looking starrier than ever — and more vibrant. Two years after the Globes fashion “blackout,” contenders are wearing clothes as bold and groundbreaking as the characters they portray. “If

January 2, 2020 6:00PM PT A reboot of a remake of a film that wasn’t all that scary to begin with, the new version of ‘The Grudge’ conjures nothing but the dregs of J-horror. Twenty years ago, a new wave of Japanese supernatural gothic thrillers brought fresh tropes of dread to a genre that was

Despite recent reports, Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige did not intend to confirm that a transgender character will appear in an upcoming film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, two sources tell Variety. While participating in a guest lecture series for the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles in December, Feige was asked if the

Women filmmakers in key roles behind the camera, or “below the line,” saw an increase in employment in 2019, a new study from San Diego State University says. Twenty percent of directors, writers, producers, editors and cinematographers across the top 100 films of the year were women, said research out of SDSU’s Center for the

While former ESPN commentator Jemele Hill hasn’t seen “Bombshell,” she still commented on its unimpressive box office showing on Twitter Thursday. “I wouldn’t see this movie if the fate of humanity depended on it. Pains me to say that because I love the three lead actresses,” Hill tweeted on Thursday. “Fox News is a destructive,

Call it the J.J. Effect. Animatronics — along with similar techniques like puppetry, makeup effects and miniatures — is making a comeback.  The work was long responsible for some of the most iconic characters and scenes in cinema history, then shunted aside in the 1990s as CGI became cheaper and delivered ever more realistic results.

January 2, 2020 2:06PM PT Variety and PBS SoCal’s 11th edition of the Emmy award-winning series “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors” premieres Thursday on PBS SoCal at 8 p.m. PT. “Variety Studio: Actors on Actors” features one-on-one conversations between this season’s top awards contenders. All four episodes will air on PBS stations across the nation as

At the start of the decade, Disney’s film business was enfeebled. The studio ran perpetually last or nearly last for domestic market share, and its international grosses were only modestly better. Cut to the end of 2019, and Disney has hit a stunning, historic milestone, earning 33% of all domestic box office grosses for the