Movies

There’s a road less taken in art as well as life, it seems. Although “Bandersnatch” offered viewers a choose-your-own-adventure experience in its tale of a talented but tormented young video-game programmer, some story pathways wound up being trodden much less frequently, while a few others remained hidden or completely inaccessible, “Black Mirror” creator Charlie Brooker says. About 250 different

Twentieth Century Fox’s effects-heavy sci-fi action film, “Alita: Battle Angel” has secured a theatrical release in mainland China. It will play in February as the first Hollywood title to enter Middle Kingdom theaters after the Chinese New Year holidays. The Feb. 22 date is some two weeks after the film’s commercial run begins on Feb.

Lee Chang-dong’s smoldering drama “Burning” picked up the largest number of nominations Friday for the 2019 edition of the Asian Film Awards. The Korean adaptation of a Japanese short story was nominated in eight categories, including best film. Other best film nominees were Pema Tseden’s “Jinpa,” Wen Muye’s “Dying to Survive,” Rajkumar Hirani’s “Sanju,” and

For weeks, director Barry Jenkins and the department heads of his latest film, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” met at production designer Mark Friedberg’s Manhattan home, where they crafted the look of the movie, released on Christmas Day, scene by scene. Costume designer Caroline Eselin, who had worked with Jenkins on his Oscar-winning “Moonlight,” cherished

January 10, 2019 10:40PM PT Futuristic technology and exclusive services at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) are making premium air travel less crazed at the perennially jammed airport. Three exclusive lounges at LAX give select first class passengers and high profile types means to avoid the paparazzi, crowded TSA lines and major negatives of mass

January 10, 2019 10:22PM PT Rampant silliness and gaping plot holes test audience patience in Jeffrey Nachmanoff’s sci-fi thriller. How late can a thriller spring a plot twist that at least partially compensates for all the cavernous plot holes, risible dialogue, and ludicrously illogical behavior that precede it? Probably not nearly as late as the

When planning an elegant A-list dinner for 10 to gala parties for a thousand, event planners have a sophisticated mix of locations to choose from in New York and Los Angeles. Variety looks at new and updated venues that cater to gatherings during Hollywood’s awards season, and throughout the year welcome all kinds of happenings

“If Beale Street Could Talk” star Colman Domingo admires the tenacity, humor and heart of his character Joe Rivers — “an everyman with simple needs who does the extraordinary.” The playwright, director and Tony-nominated actor pushes boundaries himself, with his work and wardrobe. “I have always been a bit of a peacock,” he says. “I’ve

RaMell Ross’s debut feature, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” took the top prize at the Cinema Eye Honors Thursday night in New York, winning outstanding nonfiction feature. Bing Liu’s much-lauded skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” which tied the Cinema Eye record for most noms with seven, took home three trophies, including outstanding achievement in

“Green Book” screenwriter Nick Vallelonga has apologized for posting a tweet espousing a debunked conservative narrative that American Muslims could be seen cheering after 9/11. “I want to apologize,” Vallelonga said in a statement issued Thursday night. “I spent my life trying to bring this story of overcoming differences and finding common ground to the

In today’s film news roundup, casting directors have a new master contract, Roy Wood, Jr., is hosting the WGA Awards in New York, and the Santa Barbara Film Festival unveils its opening and closing films. CONTRACT RATIFICATION Casting directors and casting associates have ratified a three-year successor agreement to its master contract with studios and

Many twenty-somethings today have never heard of Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel. But they definitely know of Homer Simpson’s catchphrase “D’oh!,” which was inspired by a character in Laurel and Hardy films, and popular modern duos like Key and Peele. John C. Reilly, who played Hardy in Sony Classics’ comedy-drama “Stan & Ollie,” says contemporary

While awards season is consuming stylists and fashion-forward campaigners, executives, agents and other industry mavens must still figure out what to wear to the office each day, without the help of an expert. Thankfully, Hollywood is loaded with options, and these fearless designers are ones-to-watch… and to wear in the office and around town. Veronica

Filmmakers have been making message movies since the birth of the art form, as Hollywood has long embraced the notion of observing progressive social change through mass entertainment. From some of the earliest talkies to outright propaganda pieces, to the Stanley Kramer dramas of the ’50s and ’60s and the resurgence at the studio level in

Two days had passed since Kiki Layne and Stephan James had attended their first Golden Globes and the “If Beale Street Could Talk” co-stars were still trying to wrap their heads around having been there. “It was such a special night — and pretty unreal,” says James, who was also nominated for his work opposite Julia Roberts

January 10, 2019 3:40PM PT Roughly 22 people have been affected by layoffs at the Hollywood Reporter–Billboard Media Group, as well as its corporate owner Valence Media, individuals familiar with the staff reduction told Variety. Dana Miller, chief marketing officer for both the show business and music trade publications, was cut — as well as several

January 10, 2019 3:40PM PT Henry Winkler has become the latest actor to join the star-studded cast of Wes Anderson’s period project “The French Dispatch.” The ensemble includes Frances McDormand, Benicio del Toro, Jeffrey Wright, Timothee Chalamet and Lois Smith along with Anderson regulars Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Bob Balaban. Plot details

Skydance CEO David Ellison reaffirmed his company’s zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment during a series of town halls about his controversial decision to hire John Lasseter to head his animation division. Lasseter was pushed out at Disney after a long run running its animation division and transforming the company’s Pixar brand into one of

Verna Bloom, who appeared in “Animal House” and worked with the likes of Martin Scorsese, died Jan. 9 in Bar Harbor, Maine, her rep confirmed to Variety. She was 80 years old. The cause was complications of dementia, her family stated. Although Bloom appeared extensively in theater and television, she is most noted for her film

STXfilms will release its senior-citizen cheerleader comedy “Poms,” starring Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, and Pam Grier, on May 10 over Mother’s Day weekend in the U.S. STX bought domestic rights for the movie at the American Film Market in November. Zara Hayes directed from a script by Shane Atkinson, based on a story by Hayes

In “Tale of the Sea,” the drama of lyrical despair that’s the opening-night film of 1st Iranian Film Festival New York, the venerable Iranian filmmaker Bahman Farmanara (“Smell of Camphor, Fragrance of Jasmine”), who wrote and directed the movie and also stars in it, plays Taher, an esteemed novelist who has just spent three years

The premise of Paolo Genovese’s 2016 Italian hit “Perfetti sconosciuti” was simple: A group of longtime friends – three couples, and one seventh wheel – gather for an intimate dinner party, and in a sort of ill-advised parlor game, decide to spend the evening with their cell phones on the table, reading all their incoming

Sterling K. Brown is better known for his small-screen roles, such as Emmy-winning performances in “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story” and “This Is Us” than for films, but this year his role as N’Jobu in “Black Panther” started to turn the tide. Brown only had two short scenes of dialogue in “Black

January 10, 2019 10:48AM PT [embedded content] Museum goers, beware. Art has more power than meets the eye in Netflix’s upcoming horror-thriller “Velvet Buzzsaw,” in which paintings begin to come alive at night to fulfill a grizzly purpose. Debuting Feb. 1 on Netflix, the movie will make its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival

Kicking off on Jan. 17 with the world premiere of Philippe de Chauveron’s “Serial Bad Weddings 2,” the 21st edition of the UniFrance Rendez-Vous in Paris will showcase a flurry of French comedies, biopics and a raft of documentaries. The Rendez-Vous in Paris, organized by the promotion org UniFrance, will take place over five days

PLAYBACK is a Variety / iHeartRadio podcast bringing you conversations with the talents behind many of today’s hottest films. New episodes air every Thursday. Kevin Hart has had an eventful few weeks, to say the least. He was tapped to host the Oscars in December, only to pull out after first refusing to apologize for

Call it a pink wave if you must. But there’s no denying that a bunch of feminist-leaning movies are vying for Hollywood’s biggest trophies this awards season. From animated superhero mom Elastigirl, leaving her husband and kids behind to fight crime in “Incredibles 2,” to a flame-haired Saoirse Ronan leading troops into battle in “Mary

Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures is moving ahead on its Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect,” tapping stage director Liesl Tommy to direct. MGM set the project in motion a year ago when it was announced that Jennifer Hudson — who won a supporting actor Oscar for “Dreamgirls” — had been personally selected for the role by Franklin.

The Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) has announced nominees in film and television categories for 2018. A slew of films picked up multiple nominations, including “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Stan & Ollie,” “A Star Is Born” and “Vice.” On the television side, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” led the way with four

New films by Agnieszka Holland, Agnes Varda and Isabel Coixet have been added to the official lineup of the upcoming Berlin Film Festival, along with special screenings of directorial debuts by British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor and “Narcos” star Wagner Moura of Brazil. The Berlinale added 11 titles to its competition slate Thursday, representing countries including