Movies

MoviePass, the long-struggling theater subscription service, finally appears to be down for the count. On Friday, MoviePass notified remaining subscribers that it would be shutting down the service effective Sept. 14, 2019, because “its efforts to recapitalize MoviePass have not been successful to date,” parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics announced. “The company is continuing

September 13, 2019 12:29PM PT Felicity Huffman plays a suicidally inclined train wreck of a mother in this sourly sentimental comedy of dysfunctional relationships. “Tammy’s Always Dying” belongs to that peculiarly Canadian school of depressing sad-sack comedies about dysfunctional relationships between generally annoying people whom we’re nonetheless meant to somehow feel warm and fuzzy about.

Amblin Partners has set a new leadership structure that welcomes longtime Hollywood player Dan Berger as executive vice president and head of communications at the Steven Spielberg content company. Last at 20th Century Fox film before Disney acquired the studio in March, Berger will oversee Amblin’s corporate communications, marketing and publicity efforts. He will also

September 13, 2019 11:10AM PT A mystery force attacks an Irish fishing trawler in this vague yet uninspired quasi-sci-fi/horror thriller. Something — we never quite figure out what, where it came from or why — menaces the crew of an Irish fishing trawler in “Sea Fever.” This underwhelming thriller has a monster of sorts but

“The Weekend,” a gentle zephyr of a romantic comedy from Canadian writer-director Stella Meghie, practically dares its audience to make Woody Allen comparisons from the very beginning, as stark white-on-black title cards usher in a muted, clarinet-led jazz score of faintly mournful whimsy. Check. It continues: Our protagonist is a dry, lovelorn standup comic, inclined

The third Animation Is Film Festival has set “Weathering With You” as its opening film on Oct. 18 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. “Weathering With You” is set in Japan during exceptionally rainy weather and tells the story of a high school boy who befriends an orphan girl who appears to be able to

There’s a moment in “Western Stars,” the rapturous new Bruce Springsteen concert film that’s also a meditation on all things Bruce, when Springsteen lifts you up and carries you off in that way that only he can do. Most of the movie was shot in the 140-year-old cavernous dark barn that sits on Springsteen’s property

Disney Channel Latin America has acquired all three seasons of the popular tween drama series “Find Me in Paris” from Federation Kinds & Family. “Find Me in Paris,” which is produced by David Michel, Zoé Carrera Allaix and Cecile Lauritano at Cottonwood Media, will roll out on Disney Channel Latin American during the first half

STX’s glitzy crime caper “Hustlers” has launched solidly with $2.5 million in Thursday night previews in North America. The preview figure is significantly higher than two comparable R-rated titles — 2017’s “Girls Trip” with $1.7 million during preview shows and STX’s “Bad Moms” with $2 million. The movie — starring Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Lili

Director Elise Duran’s “Can You Keep A Secret?” makes it clear from the very first moments the animated opening credits play over the Go-Go’s “Our Lips Are Sealed” that it’s going to be a sweet, if not satisfactory time spent in the golden-hour glow of this romantic comedy’s world. Based on Sophie Kinsella’s book, her

Though set in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, “While at War,” Movistar Plus’ first original film, “talks more about present-day Spain than the past,” says director Alejandro Amenábar. Contemporary relevance and social-issue substance are two hallmarks of Movistar Plus’ productions. Others abound in Amenábar’s movie, which plays in the main competition at the San

Character actor Larry Clarke strives to breathe fresh life into the clichés and conventions of family-reunion scenarios in “3 Days With Dad,” his first attempt at multitasking as director, screenwriter and star. As its time-twisting narrative proceeds apace, the movie makes more than a few awkward lurches between farcical exaggeration and sympathetic observation. Ultimately, however,

Five European companies are set to compete at this year’s inaugural San Sebastián Zinemaldia Startup Challenge, dedicated to recognizing entrepreneurs and new or emerging startups in the audiovisual industries. After pitching on Sept. 22, one of the five will scoop prizes of €10,000 ($11,200) cash, a year’s free access to an incubation space within the

Opening on Sept. 20 with Roger Michell’s “Blackbird,” starring Kate Winslet and Susan Sarandon, and set at a stunning Basque resort, the San Sebastián Film Festival marks the highest-profile film event in the Spanish-speaking world. Here are 10 early takes on 2019’s edition. A Festival of Discoveries “Every festival has its own personality. Venice is

Veteran actor, David Wenham (“Lion,” “The Lord of the Rings”) and rising star Ahmed Malek are set to star in “The Furnace.” The adventure drama is by first time feature director Roderick MacKay, with production by Timothy White (“I Am Mother”) and Tenille Kennedy (“H Is For Happiness”). Set in Western Australia’s 1890s gold rush, “The Furnace”

Hong Kong’s Emperor Motion Pictures has picked up international sales rights to “Only Cloud Knows,” the new romantic film by Feng Xiaogang. Now in post-production, the film is a New Zealand- and China-set romance starring Huang Xuan (“Legend of the Demon Cat”) and Yang Caiyu (from Feng’s hit “Youth”). Production is handled by Feng’s Dongyang

Jan Komasa’s “Corpus Christi,” which screened this week at the Toronto Film Festival, has been selected by Poland to be its official entry in the Best International Feature Film category of the Academy Awards. The film, which world premiered as part of Venice Days earlier this month, follows 20-year-old Daniel, who experiences a spiritual transformation

NBC’s behind-the-scenes glimpse of “Downton Abbey” is coming to the international market after Drive landed the distribution rights to the upcoming special. Focus Features and Carnival Films’ “Downton Abbey” movie premiered in London earlier this week and hits theaters Friday. NBC has scheduled a Sept. 19 air date in the U.S. for its one-hour behind-the-scenes

There’s a scene in the middle of Hal Hartley’s 1992 indie “Simple Men” where a cryptic brunette played by gamin actress Elina Löwensohn — ice-pale, with blunt black bangs — interrupts the plot with a choreographed dance number to a fuzzy track by Sonic Youth. Hartley wanted to break the fourth wall, and here comes

Director Thomas Heise was born and raised in East Berlin, and he’s been working long enough in documentaries that his earliest films were suppressed by GDR censors. His understanding of the German national character is rooted in the belief in its potential for curbing freedoms at a minimum and tipping into violent nationalism and fascism

September 12, 2019 7:47PM PT Taiwan has chosen the 2018 film “Dear Ex” as its submission to this year’s Best International Film Oscars race. Directed by newcomers Mag Hsu and Hsu Chih-yen and starring Roy Chiu, Hsieh Ying-hsuan and Chen Ru-shan, it was nominated for eight Golden Horse Awards last year and won three, including best

September 11, 2001, was the day that changed our world — but really, the day that changed our world was April 24, 1980. That was when the United States, under the leadership of President Jimmy Carter, launched Operation Eagle Claw, the Delta Force mission (it was the very first Delta Force mission) that was designed

Rootbeer Films has completed “2nd Unit: Invisible Action Stars” with James Cameron, Keanu Reeves, Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, Variety has learned exclusively. The film explores relationships between actors and stunt performers — a topic at the heart of Quentin Tarantino’s recent “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Joe Mantegna narrates “2nd Unit: Invisible Action

The conversation about gender disparity in film—which tends to crescendo around big festivals and awards season—got some fresh intel last year when a University of Southern California study, looking at the 100 top films of each year from 2007 to 2017 (1,100 titles), revealed that only 16 women worked as composers in those films (43

In today’s film news roundup, Patty Jenkins is honored, “Waves” will close the Hamptons Film Festival, Ellen Burstyn and Emma Thompson are cast, and “The Cotton Club” has been expanded. JENKINS HONORED The International Cinematographers Guild will honor “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins with its inaugural Distinguished Filmmaker Award. The award will be presented at

Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to “The Vast of Night,” an alien contact tale, Variety has learned. The pact comes ahead of the film’s Thursday premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it is featured in the Midnight Madness section. The film is said to have a distinct “Twilight Zone” vibe. It is

Gwyneth Paltrow and art dealer Larry Gagosian are set to be honored at the 2019 amfAR Gala Los Angeles. The American Foundation for AIDS Research announced that the two honorees will receive the Award of Courage for their commitment in the fight against HIV and AIDS as well as for their other humanitarian efforts. Christina

After a busy FilMart in March, at which Hong Kong’s film industry leaders promised to lobby for greater access to mainland audiences, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam was able, only a month later, to announce that the lobbying had succeeded. But the past months of political protests in Hong Kong have increasingly impacted the

China has had a roller-coaster year so far at festivals worldwide, with high-profile wins and accolades but also more instances of highly disruptive censorship than ever before. In 2019, five international film festivals around have so far ended up tangling with China’s content overlords, who are on unusually high alert ahead of a particularly sensitive

September 12, 2019 3:11PM PT While it was never explicitly stated that Richie Tozier is gay in Stephen King’s novel “It,” the movie “It: Chapter Two” heavily implies that he is. “That was something that we talked about when I arrived,” Bill Hader, who plays the adult Richie in director Andy Muschietti’s second and final