Movies

MADRID — New York-based independent distributor Monument Releasing, founded by Visit Film’ Ryan Kampe, has secured North American distribution rights to “Our Time,” from Mexico’s Carlos Reygadas, winner of Cannes Jury (“Still Light”) and Director (“Light After Darkness”) prizes. Monument Releasing will open “Our Time” in cinema theaters in North America in June 2019, followed

Gretchen Carlson’s new two-hour Lifetime documentary, “Gretchen Carlson: Breaking the Silence,” focuses not on her $20 million settlement in 2016 against the late Roger Ailes and Fox News, but on the everyday occurrences of sexual harassment that American women experience in the workplace. The A+E Originals-produced special, which airs Monday at 8 p.m., examines several

January 14, 2019 3:21AM PT James Bond producer Barbara Broccoli and casting director Lucinda Syson will collect Artios Awards in London after the Casting Society of America joined forces with the British Independent Film Awards to add a U.K. component to its prize proceedings for the first time. The accolades will be handed out Jan.

Paramount’s “Transformers” spin-off “Bumblebee” far outstripped local competitors at China’s weekend box office to bring in $25.8 million, according to figures from consulting firm Artisan Gateway. Yet despite strong praise from audiences about the film’s more character-focused storytelling and the cuteness of its eponymous Autobot, the new origin story has still under-performed compared to the

January 13, 2019 3:24PM PT Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took to Instagram Friday to speak out about an interview published by a British tabloid that quoted the actor as “smacking down snowflakes,” stating that it never took place. “I can’t believe I have to do this again and set the record straight on something again,”

A few weeks ago, Lars von Trier’s “The House That Jack Built,” starring Matt Dillon as a Pacific Northwest serial killer with a pushy manner and a twisted smile, opened on 32 screens and grossed just $34,000 — a little over $1,000 per screen. That is, by any standard, an abysmal opening, but it’s a

Paramount’s “Transformers” spinoff “Bumblebee” led the international box office again, generating $35.6 million in 64 markets. The autobot origin story, starring Hailee Steinfeld, has now earned $256.3 million overseas for a worldwide haul of $364 million. While ticket sales are way below even the worst reviewed installments in the sci-fi franchise (“Transformers: The Last Knight”

Inclusion was the big winner at the L.A. Film Critics Association Awards, which was held Saturday night at the InterContinental in Century City. “This year’s winners are the most diverse in LAFCA’s 43-year history,” announced its president, Claudia Puig, adding that 14 out of their 18 awards were won by women and people of color.

In a surprise box office victory, STX’s “The Upside” doubled expectations with its $19.5 million debut, enough to defeat “Aquaman’s” three-week reign in North America. Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart co-star in “The Upside,” which marks the studio’s first No. 1 opening. It also ranks as STX Film’s second-best start behind “Bad Moms,” which launched

January 13, 2019 3:49AM PT UPDATED: Rajkumar Hirani, one of India’s most successful filmmakers, has been accused of sexual harassment. His accuser is a woman assistant director who worked on Hirani’s 2018 blockbuster “Sanju.” Hirani has denied all accusations. The alleged harassment took place during the post production process of “Sanju.” The film was released

January 12, 2019 3:53PM PT Death forces a reunion between estranged rural Pennsylvania father and son in this atmospheric if sketchy indie drama. If not for a cell phone that’s promptly taken away from our juvenile protagonist, you might think “Buck Run” takes place in the late ’70s or early ’80s. Evidently, it was that

Phase 1 of awards season wraps Monday, Jan. 14, when Oscar-nomination voting ends. So before Phase 2 (Jan. 22 nominations through the Feb. 24 ceremony), it’s time to reflect on the lessons of Phase 1 (though “lessons” may be misleading, since it implies everyone has learned something). 1. It’s an annual tradition to stir up

The 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival announced the winners of its juried prizes Saturday, with critical darling “Shoplifters” taking the award for best foreign language film of the year. The festival, held from Jan. 3-14, 2019, screened 226 films from 78 countries. Juried awards had five categories, including New Voices New Visions Award for unique viewpoints from

Jo Andres, Steve Buscemi’s wife of 31 years and a prominent filmmaker and choreographer, has died. She was 64. Buscemi was photographed participating in her funeral, which included a wicker casket, Wednesday morning in Brooklyn, New York. Buscemi’s “Big Lebowski” co-star, John Turturro, and his cousin, “Sopranos” star Aida Turturro, were seen paying visits to the

A likable enough, Amblin-esque update to the classic Arthurian legend, “The Kid Who Would Be King” is hardly the first time a group of adolescents have saved England from supernatural harm in a Joe Cornish movie. That said, much of the attitude and originality that drew fans to the irreverent writer-director’s inner-city alien-invasion debut “Attack

In  today’s film news roundup, “Coming to America 2” gets a director, Quincy Jones and James Blum get an honor and production begins on the Julia Louis-Dreyfus-Will Ferrell’s comedy-drama “Downhill.” DIRECTOR ATTACHED Paramount Pictures has hired “Hustle & Flow” helmer Craig Brewer to direct its sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy “Coming to America.”

CBS Films will be folded into CBS Entertainment Group over the next 12 months, Variety has learned. Before that change takes place, the company is committed to releasing its next four scheduled films in theaters. They include “Five Feet Apart,” “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark,” “Pavarotti,” and “Lexi.” Several of these movies are

Is it possible to disrupt yourself? That’s a question that’s been on my mind a lot as Netflix, hoping to court filmmakers and garner awards recognition for them, has stumbled, reluctantly, haltingly into exclusive theatrical distribution. Film festivals and the streaming company have traded barbs, Netflix has suggested that movie theaters are killing cinema, pundits

Making any movie is hard, but nothing is more challenging than creating a film that looks fun and effortless — and original. Warner Bros.’ “Crazy Rich Asians” succeeds on all three counts, and the film’s popularity proves that it struck a nerve with filmgoers. “From the start, we wanted more than a romantic comedy,” director

January 11, 2019 2:24PM PT New Line is reviving its “Final Destination” franchise, which has been dormant since 2011, and has tapped “Saw” screenwriters Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan to write the sixth installment. The five films grossed nearly $700 million worldwide between 2000 and 2011. Unlike most horror franchises, the antagonist was Death as

Kevin Hart-Bryan Cranston’s “The Upside” is showing surprising strength in its opening weekend by narrowly topping “Aquaman” for the No. 1 spot at the North American box office, early estimates showed Friday. STX’s “The Upside” is launching with as much $7 million on Friday, including $1.1 million from previews, and could wind up the weekend

January 11, 2019 12:30PM PT Art Marcum and Matt Holloway have been tapped to pen Sony Pictures and Mattel Films’ “Master of Universe” reboot with brothers Adam and Aaron Nee still directing. Mattel Films is partnering with Sony Pictures on the feature film, which is based on Mattel’s beloved toy-line that spawned a successful animated

David Ellison and his company Skydance Media reached out to advocacy group Time’s Up before hiring John Lasseter, Variety has learned. The overtures were made in November through an intermediary. An insider depicted them as information gathering in nature. Lasseter was ousted from his job running Pixar and overseeing Disney’s animation empire after he was

January 11, 2019 11:33AM PT Fox 2000 has hired 25-year-old Hannah Marks to direct the film adaptation of John Green’s bestselling young adult novel “Turtles All the Way Down.” Marks is one of the youngest female studio directors in history. She will direct from a screenplay by Elizabeth Berger and Isaac Aptaker. Temple Hill’s Isaac Klausner and Marty Bowen

If you were wondering, that was Adam Lambert wearing a trucker hat in “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The “American Idol” alum took to Twitter to confirm the highly speculated cameo Friday. “Who is he?” the pop star joked, plugging the movie’s digital release next week. In the brief scene, Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) is talking to his girlfriend

January 11, 2019 11:07AM PT Billy Zane will produce and take the lead role in “Waltzing With Brando,” playing Marlon Brando in a film based on a memoir by the iconic actor’s architect, Bernard Judge. The memoir tells the story of how Brando plucked Judge, an obscure but idealistic Los Angeles architect from his stable existence

Almost a year after “Black Panther” first hit theaters, stars Michael B. Jordan and Lupita Nyong’o — nominated for the Screen Actors Guild’s Best Ensemble award — sat down for Variety‘s Screening Series to discuss the film’s incredible impact. After Jordan joked that he knew it had become a genuine phenomenon once he “started seeing the memes,”

January 11, 2019 10:45AM PT Peter Sollett has been brought on to write and direct Warner Bros.’ long-anticipated film adaptation of the popular video game “Minecraft.” The pic will be produced by Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Jon Berg. Jill Messick, who died last February, is also still credited as a producer. The video game developer

STX Entertainment and China’s Alibaba Pictures are partnering to co-produce and co-finance projects in the UglyDolls universe, including the upcoming “UglyDolls” animated movie. The deal, announced Friday, includes a previously announced animated TV series with Hulu, digital and print publishing, mobile and educational games, soundtrack and music, and merchandising and licensing programs covering toys, dolls,

The publisher of the “Choose Your Own Adventure” book series sued Netflix in federal court on Friday, alleging that the film “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch” infringes on its trademarks. The film debuted last month on the streaming service. Like the “Choose Your Own Adventure” books, the film allows viewers to direct the character’s action, leading to