Key representatives of Italian media joined with their American counterparts in Rome Sunday morning to usher a call for greater inclusion in the local entertainment industry. During a panel on the final day of MIA hosted by Women in Film, TV & Media Italia, the group presented the tools of ReFrame, the American organization promoting
Movies
Stan Laurel, the slimmer British half of Hollywood double act Laurel and Hardy, was not one to wax lyrical about the art or mystique of comedy: “You have to learn what people will laugh at, then proceed accordingly,” he said, making vaudeville performance sound altogether as methodical and prosaic as shopping for groceries. No matter
Six of the ten titles in Morelia’s 2018 Mexican feature competition are directed by women, likewise two of Mexican filmmakers’ five movies at Toronto. In Mexico, as Chile or Catalonia, women are finally coming to the fore as directors and screenwriters, and making movies and TV series which position their female characters in a very
Tricia Tuttle will take over the BFI London Film Festival, and other BFI festivals, following Clare Stewart’s decision not to return after a sabbatical. Tuttle stepped in as artistic director for this year’s LFF, which came to a close Sunday with a world premiere screening of “Stan and Ollie.” Tuttle’s new permanent role is director,
“Venom” remains a force to be reckoned with overseas as the Tom Hardy superhero movie topped the foreign box office for the third weekend in a row. Sony’s “Venom” secured the No. 1 spot abroad with $32 million from 65 markets, taking its international total to $290.7 million. It earned $18.1 million in North America for
It’s dispiriting, if more true than not, to keep hearing that the two sides of America have no more overlap, that we’re at fundamental odds, plugged into different news streams, different cultural-ideological values, different realities. And a pivotal way this degrades our discourse is that neither side feels like it has the luxury to look
In the spring of 1975, long before he became one of the U.K.’s most respected producers, Paul Webster got his first job in the film industry working as a dispatch clerk in the basement of the Gate Cinema in Notting Hill, checking celluloid reels for damage before they could be fed into the projector. For
A band of young street performers and pickpockets in Athens find an unlikely refuge in an abandoned shopping mall. But when their former leader is released from prison, his return threatens the delicate balance of their makeshift family. In “Broadway,” director Christos Massalas creates a colorful world of cast-offs and hustlers, set on the fringes
When the matriarch of a British-Iranian family goes missing in London, her loved ones find themselves on an offbeat spiritual journey to track her down, setting their old world traditions on a collision course with their new world surroundings. Inspired by her own Iranian roots, “Mercy” is the feature debut of British-Iranian director Mandi Riggi.
“Halloween” made a killing in North America, earning $77.5 million when the slasher film launched in 3,928 locations. David Gordon Green’s “Halloween,” a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 classic, obliterated the franchise record opening of $26 million, previously held by the 2007 Rob Zombie reboot. “Halloween” also notched the second-best start for an R-rated horror film
Scott Wilson, an acting veteran of half a century who was a high-profile member “The Walking Dead” cast, was remembered warmly at memorial ceremonies Saturday at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Wilson died at the age of 76 after a battle with leukemia on Oct. 6. The premiere episode of the ninth season of “The Walking
Four female Italian bandits known as “Le Drude” are the protagonists of “My Body Will Bury You” a Sicily-set revenge drama/Western set in 1860 that is among standout titles presented to prospective buyers and sales agents during the Rome MIA market’s What’s Next Italy showcase. This second feature by Alessandro La Parola, whose bittersweet comedy
Starring “La casa de papel’s” Ursula Corberó, “The Tree of Blood,” the latest movie from Spain’s Julio Medem, is being brought onto the international market at Rome’s MIA market by FilmSharks Intl., which has acquired world sales rights. FilmSharks Intl. will continue introducing the film to buyers at the American Film Market, which opens Oct.
Danny Leiner, a film and television director whose feature films included “Dude, Where’s My Car” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle,” died Thursday. He was 57. Leiner’s collaborator Ross Putman confirmed his death in a Facebook post, and described its cause as a long illness. “If there’s one thing I can say about
Sex-trafficking drama “Joy,” from Austrian-Iranian director Sudabeh Mortezai, has won the award for Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival. “Joy” was one of 10 films in the official competition lineup, half of which were directed or co-directed by women, including Mortezai. The winning picture is a “vital, beautifully made film,” said Lenny Abrahamson, president
Like “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” which successfully combined fresh new material with a plethora of nostalgic nods to the past, Universal’s “Halloween” reboot manages to pick up where John Carpenter’s 1978 classic left off while paying sly homage to the original film and several of the sequels it otherwise ignores. Overflowing with inside jokes,
October 20, 2018 9:08AM PT Tinge Krishnan’s upbeat, London-set musical romance is a mixed bag galvanized by Michaela Coel and Arinzé Kene’s star chemistry. Michaela Coel plays a character called Simone in Tinge Krishnan’s neon-bright urban musical “Been So Long” — and whether that’s coincidental, or intended to humor internet fan calls for the up-and-comer
“Halloween” will not only take home the box office crown in its debut weekend, but may also break “Venom’s” recently-set record for best October opening of all time. Universal’s reboot, starring Jamie Lee Curtis, is heading for an estimated $80 million from 3,928 North American locations in its first weekend. It’ll have to outpace “Venom’s”
At France’s 10th Lumière Film Festival, Jane Fonda received on Friday night a Lumière Award, presented by filmmaker Costa-Gavras. Earlier, she gave a masterclass to a packed house at Lyon’s Théâtre des Célestins, speaking with Institut Lumiere director and Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux. Here are some of the highlights, translated from French, which Fonda speaks
LYON, France – Attending the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon for the first time this week, Charles S. Cohen, chairman and CEO of Cohen Media Group, praised the event and its International Classic Film Market (MIFC). A producer and distributor of independent and arthouse films and the biggest distributor of French films in the U.S.,
At Lyon’s Lumière Festival to present “Walkover,” and “The Departure,” Jerzy Skolimowski will be the subject of a five-film tribute at the Cinématheque Française’s Toute La Mémoire du Monde Festival as event distribution emerges ever more as one of the biggest hopes for the classic film business. Titles screening at the Toute La Mémoire du
Jean-Luc Godard, the subject of a film showcase at this year’s Lumière Film Festival in Lyon that includes his latest film, “The Image Work,” remains a hot commodity for Paris-based sales group Wide. The company, which is attending the fest’s International Classic Film Market with a strong heritage film lineup, recently signed a number of
It’s no trick for even the most ham-fisted global action thriller to achieve a ripped-from-the-headlines “topicality.” Just throw in a terrorist from the right enemy nation, or an American president with the right haircut. So it’s a weird and musty Twilight Zone indeed that one enters to watch “Hunter Killer,” a grindingly ponderous and bombastic
October 19, 2018 6:36PM PT UPDATE – Bruce Dern has suffered a possible fractured hip after collapsing while jogging in Los Angeles and has been released after being hospitalized. The news was first reported late Friday afternoon by TMZ, which reported that the incident took place at 3:45 p.m. The site posted a photo taken
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” writer-producer Audrey Wauchope has accused the Directors Guild of America of bias against female directing teams. Wauchope leveled the assertions Friday in the wake of longtime partner Rachel Specter not receiving directing credit for co-directing Friday’s segment with Wauchope. The DGA had no comment Friday, citing its policy of not commenting on internal
Cinepolis Distribution, the distribution arm of Mexican exhibition giant Cinepolis, has picked up all Latin American rights to “Chicuarotes,” the second feature helmed by award-winning multi hyphenate Gael Garcia Bernal. The film, described as a dark comedy, is produced by Garcia Bernal via his new shingle with partner Diego Luna, La Corriente del Golfo, along with Marta
Let’s say you come across gritty desperadoes-on-the-run thriller “Galveston,” maybe flipping channels or because you decided to take a gamble and buy the Ben Foster–Elle Fanning drama on-demand. Watching the tough, Gulf of Mexico road movie unfold — burning slow and even from Louisiana to its title Texas destination like a lit cigarette in a dead
Jamie Lee Curtis’ “Halloween” is looking to slice up an opening weekend of as high as $75 million at 3,928 North American locations, early estimates showed Friday. Universal’s R-rated slasher film is on its way to posting the second-highest October launch of all time, bested only by the $80 million opening of Tom Hardy’s “Venom”
Animator Nina Paley’s wit and imagination provide such unique delights that it seems almost churlish to complain that her second feature feels more like a tray of hors d’oeuvres than a full meal — even if it’s inspired by the traditional ritual feast of Passover Seder. But “Seder-Masochism” plays as considerably less of an organic
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Scandinavia, South Africa, and India from Participant Media to Victor Kossakosvky’s water-themed documentary “Aquarela.” The film had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival and also screened at the London Film Festival. Sony Classics is planning to release