Movies

Without rehearsals, Natalie Portman had a special challenge ahead of her as she took on her latest role in Todd Haynes’ latest drama, “May December.” Portman stars opposite Julianne Moore as Elizabeth Berry, an actress set to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore), a woman whose life became the subject of tabloid fodder when she began a

The resiliency of women against long odds and low expectations was the theme of the night on Thursday as Variety and Lifetime toasted four of the entertainment industry’s brightest stars at the annual Power of Women event. Fantasia Barrino, star of Warner Bros. upcoming remake of “The Color Purple,” dedicated her Power of Women kudo

Thomas “Eromose” Ikimi, director of the Tribeca Film Festival player “88,” has been tapped to write a new drama about a fierce wildlife preservationist and activist. Eromose will write the screenplay for “Manaka,” a story inspired by the organization Saving the Wild and its founder Jamie Joseph. The Zimbabwean-born South African founded the charitable foundation to

Paul Briganti describes the first week of filming “Please Don’t Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain” as “a miserable nightmare.” The movie, which follows the “Saturday Night Live” comedy trio John Higgins, Ben Marshall and Martin Herlihy as they hunt for hidden treasure, was shot primarily in North Carolina state parks — in the sweltering

Focus Features‘ upcoming title “Housekeeping for Beginners” is scheduled for a limited theatrical release on Jan. 26 and will expand to more theaters in subsequent weeks. Per the film’s synopsis, Goran Stolevski‘s latest feature “revolves around Dita, who, despite never aspiring to be a mother, finds herself compelled to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters —

Rachel Zegler is the new face of the “Hunger Games” franchise thanks to her role as Lucy Gray Baird in the prequel “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” During a recent visit to “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” Zegler recalled what it was like meeting Jennifer Lawrence for the first time. Lawrence headlined

Actors flock to work with Todd Haynes, a filmmaker with an impeccable track record who has made a habit of drawing some of the greatest performances out of actors who already boast impressive credits, but also for discovering newer talent. In films like “Far From Heaven,” “I’m Not There” and “Carol,” he’s guided Julianne Moore,

“The Kissing Booth” actor Taylor Zakhar Perez says he was surprised by co-star Jacob Elordi’s criticism of the rom-com franchise. “I thought it was a shame because to my knowledge, everybody else had such a wonderful experience,” Perez told me Thursday at the GQ Men of the Year party at Bar Marmont in West Hollywood.

Mark Ruffalo‘s name holds serious clout in Hollywood these days (no doubt helped by his ongoing role as Bruce Banner/Hulk in the Marvel Cinematic Universe), but it wasn’t always like that for the 55-year-old actor. In a new interview with High Snobiety, Ruffalo remembered the casting process for David Fincher’s acclaimed 2007 crime thriller “Zodiac”

Sean Pean says the cost in human lives of Russia’s continuing war on Ukraine is on “all of us.” Political dithering in the West has given Russia great advantages in the conflict, Penn argued, speaking to the audience Friday in Torun, Poland, after screening “Superpower,” his documentary on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Camerimage

A film about men and women, love and hate, sex and violence, “Fair Play” explores the aftermath of a promotion that comes between two hedge fund analysts, Emily Meyers (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke Edmunds (Alden Ehrenreich), who are secretly romantically involved. With her debut feature, writer-director Chloe Domont explores male-female relationships and the way they

Leading Chilean TV producer Maria Elena Wood, whose multiple credits include “News of a Kidnapping,” “Ramona” and “Dignity,” is developing a follow up to her company’s latest hit documentary “Operation Chile: Top Secret,” which, until the end of September, was the most-watched Chilean TV program that marked the 50th anniversary of the military coup d’état

Denis Villeneuve‘s “Dune: Part Two” is moving around the release calendar once again, although this time it’s being pushed up. Warner Bros. and Legendary confirm the space epic sequel will open nationwide on March 1. The new date is two weeks earlier than the March 15 date Warner Bros. set in August when it moved

Originally conceived as a phony, all-killer-no-filler trailer to be sandwiched between “Planet Terror” and “Death Proof” in Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 exploitation tribute double feature “Grindhouse,” Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving” was never meant to be a real movie. The gory, gritty clip packs more eye-popping slasher gags into its three minutes than it does

Imagine the 96th Academy Awards ceremony opening with an epic “Barbie” musical medley. According to Puck’s “What I’m Hearing” newsletter, The Academy wants it to happen. Who foots the bill on the production is another story. Typically the studios are responsible, but as Matthew Belloni writes, “Warners is selling off movies to raise money these

Over the past few years, Christmas movies have proliferated as fast as kids ripping open their holiday presents. Several streamers have rolled out slates of festive fare tailored to nearly every niche — but there’s something compulsively rewatchable about the true classics of the genre. It’s endlessly debatable whether action movies like “Die Hard” and

In 2007, Jennifer Hudson dominated awards season for her undeniable portrait of Effie White in the movie musical adaptation of “Dreamgirls.” Her show-stopping performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” had theaters around America erupting in cheers, and she deservedly took home the best supporting Oscar — becoming the first “American Idol”

“A Disturbance in the Force,” a comical behind-the-scenes documentary about the ill-fated 1978 “Star Wars Holiday Special,” will arrive from a galaxy far, far away in December. After its premiere at this year’s SXSW Film Festival, “A Disturbance in the Force” will be released on digital and Blu-Ray on Dec. 5. This announcement comes on

Over the last couple years, Please Don’t Destroy has gone from little-known comedy troupe to “Saturday Night Live” mainstays. Their pre-recorded sketches, most of which involve that week’s celebrity host, are routinely a highlight of the show — bits like “Three Sad Virgins,” “Molly Shannon 2K23” and “Hard Seltzer” are as off-the-wall as they are

Tessa Ía, who broke out heading “After Lucía,” Michel Franco’s Cannes winning first feature, is set to star in “Hyperballad,” which offers what is proving one of the most potent mixtures in cutting-edge Latin American film: Genre, ambition, and a first-feature young woman director. Directed by Alejandra Villalba García, “Hyperballad” (“Hiperbalada”) is lead produced by

Belgium’s Stenola Productions, behind Joachim Lafosse’s 2022 Cannes Competition player “The Restless” and this year’s San Sebastian’s Golden Shell contender “A Silence,” has boarded “Elena,” written by Cannes Camera d’Or winner César Díaz (“Our Mothers”) and a potential highlight at this month’s Ventana Sur Proyecta forum. Stenola, which looks set to handle part of post-production,

It took director Ariel Kuaray Ortega almost two decades to be able to tell a story he’s heard throughout his entire life: the strange tale of Canuto, a man who mysteriously transformed into a jaguar and then died a tragic death. The resulting film, “Canuto’s Transformation,” had its world premiere at the International Documentary Film

Chinese authorities have banned artist and film director Guo Zhenming from traveling to Singapore for the world premiere of his documentary film “Tedious Days and Nights.” The film is scheduled to play at the Singapore International Film Festival on Dec. 4 in the festival’s Standpoint strand. It was advertised as including a Q&A session with

Production company Camelot Films U.K. is poised for growth with the launch of Camelot Media, a new production base in Malta, and a burgeoning slate. Camelot, the company behind Amazon film “Prizefighter,” featuring Ray Winstone and Russell Crowe, has secured financial support from Malta Enterprise, who are responsible for the country’s economic development. Camelot will

Asmae El Moudir grew up in a household where photos weren’t allowed. Her grandmother Zahra, an old crone of a woman who cruelly spits out words to demean her daughter and granddaughter with little regard for their feelings, had always forbid them. No wonder she’s less than thrilled about Asmae’s decision to begin chronicling her

Dua Lipa presented the Power of Women producer of the year award to LuckyChap Entertainment, the minds behind films and TV series that celebrate women’s stories including “Barbie,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Maid.” “Since 2014, LuckyChap has been championing female filmmakers,” Lipa said Thursday night at the Variety Power of Women dinner, presented by Lifetime.

Lily Gladstone teared up giving a passionate speech honoring activists who work to protect Indigenous women at Variety’s Power of Woman event Thursday in Hollywood, presented by Lifetime. The “Killers of the Flower Moon” actor — who is one of Variety‘s honorees and cover stars this year — offered an account of how Martin Scorsese’s

Billie Eilish‘s tender speech about being a woman brought the audience to tears long before her heartrending performance of the “Barbie” ballad, “What Was I Made For?” at Variety’s Power of Women event Thursday, presented by Lifetime. The surprise speech was spurred after “Barbie” star Ariana Greenblatt shared an emotional story centered around the moment

The Ridley Scott-directed historical epic “Napoleon” is set to get a release in mainland Chinese theaters next month. The Apple Original Films and Sony Pictures’ title has received approval for import into China and release in a Dec. 1 slot, Sony said on Thursday. Per a Sony synopsis, the film “details the checkered rise and fall

Leonardo DiCaprio introduced Lily Gladstone at Variety Power of Women Presented by Lifetime, reflecting on their time shared as co-stars while filming “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and praising Gladstone’s acting abilities. DiCaprio cited several of Gladstone’s critically acclaimed performances in films such as “Fancy Dance” and “Certain Women,” but then revealed that she was