Neom, the Saudi Arabian region on the Red Sea that is aiming to become a major film and TV production hub, has forged a strategic partnership with the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) to set up training programs for young Saudi content creators. The full-service Saudi production hub, which is becoming a major driver of the
Movies
SAG-AFTRA has canceled pickets in New York and Los Angeles on Friday due to “potential safety concerns that are unrelated to our ongoing strike,” the guild announced Thursday night. “Stay safe and see you on the picket lines next week,” said the statement from SAG-AFTRA. The AMPTP broke off talks with the AMPTP on Wednesday
The Walt Disney Company is donating $2 million to organizations providing humanitarian relief to those affected by the Israel-Hamas war. “In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks targeting Jews in Israel this past weekend, we must all do what we can to support the innocent people experiencing so much pain, violence, and uncertainty —
The world will never know what was going through 26-year-old Christian missionary John Allen Chau’s head when he was shot and killed by arrows off the coast of North Sentinel Island. There are jokes, of course, and educated guesses, but the best most of us can do is search inside ourselves for the answer. That’s
If there’s a pop musician of the last 60 years who deserves a great documentary, it’s Antonio Carlos Jobim. Some might bristle at my description of him as “pop.” In Brazil, where Jobim, one of the prime architects of bossa nova, is considered a national treasure, he’s simply thought of as a composer, placed on
Creative Artists Agency chief executive officer Bryan Lourd shot back at eyebrow-raising comments by longtime rival agency CEO Ari Emanuel on Thursday, regarding recent litigation brought on to CAA by actor Julia Ormond. Emanuel, CEO of the parent company to WME, attended Bloomberg’s Screentime conference this week and called for Lourd and his longtime partner,
The LGBTQIA+ arts and entertainment organization Outfest has announced the postponement of the Legacy Awards to 2024 and the suspension of programming, citing struggles amid the current “financial climate” of Hollywood. Outfest’s board of directors released a statement on the decision. “To ensure that Outfest endures and thrives for the next 40 years in its
Forty-one years after “The Thing” first opened in theaters and terrified audiences, director John Carpenter is still being asked about its widely debated ending. Like Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” (Is Cobb awake or dreaming?) or Ridley Scott’s “Blade Runner” (Is Rick Deckard a human or a replicant?) Carpenter’s body horror classic ends on a massive existential
Stop reading if you’ve seen this movie before — a wooden mannequin with the face of Greta Thunberg greets a horde of kindergarteners emerging from a steampunk Trojan horse under a dome of gigantic smartphones bathing them in hot blue light. Alright, keep scrolling. That singular image is one of the many goofy but eerie
Rob Liefeld, creator of the comic book character “Deadpool,” has debuted a proof of concept trailer for a film called “Bloodstrike,” directed by stunt coordinator Philip J. Silvera. In a detailed Instagram caption, Liefeld revealed the vision for his new project and how the trailer came to be. He began by relaying the difficulties involved
The Academy Museum has canceled plans for a red carpet ahead of its annual fundraising gala “out of respect for the devastating conflict and loss of life” happening amid the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The gala itself is still set to take place on Saturday evening, with no formal press coverage of arrivals beforehand. The announcement
David Fincher is known for doing lots of takes while filming, but Michael Fassbender upped the ante while filming “The Killer” by apparently never blinking when the camera was on him. The film’s cinematography Erik Messerschmidt revealed the detail in the latest issue of Empire Magazine. Messerschmidt previously worked with Fincher on “Mindhunter” and “Mank,”
Shawn Ryan feels like he’s picked up in mid-sentence. The seasoned showrunner is back in his element, leading a writers room and juggling two series, Netflix’s “The Night Agent” and the final season of CBS’ high-octane police drama “S.W.A.T.” The end of the Writers Guild of America strike late last month unleashed a torrent of
Guess how many times cinema legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have gone head-to-head at the Oscars? With 37 nominations between them and five decades of indelible classics, such as the gangster epic “Casino” (1995) and the shark thriller “Jaws” (1975), you might assume at least half a dozen ceremonies have seen both auteurs prominently
Matthew Heineman’s moving documentary feature “American Symphony” was recently acquired by Netflix after its debut at the Telluride Film Festival, cementing itself as one of the early frontrunners for the Oscars. Its main subject, “Soul” Oscar winner Jon Batiste, will now be in the race for best original song with the track “It Never Went
He’s back, and he’s making (more) chocolate, of course. Warner Bros. has released another look at Timothée Chalamet as Willy Wonka in the new “Wonka” trailer. The second trailer gives a further glimpse into the origin story of the iconic chocolate maker, with Chalamet serving another comedic rendition of the beloved character. Alongside Chalamet, “Wonka”
Co-founder and CEO of the Newport Beach Film Festival Gregg Schwenk muses that there are several reasons the fest, which will run Oct. 12-19 this year, has grown in popularity over the last 24 years. There are, of course, the movies: over 300 films this year, including about 100 features and over 200 shorts from
Black Bear‘s management arm has signed award-winning Quebec director Sophie Dupuis for representation. Most recently, Dupuis’ third picture, “Solo,” premiered at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the award for best Canadian film. The film, which was written and directed by Dupuis, stars fellow Black Bear client Théodore Pellerin. It is set in
Paramount Global is the first major Hollywood studio to release an official statement regarding the Israel-Hamas War, condemning the deadly attacks and standing with the Jewish community. “Paramount Global condemns the terrorist attacks by Hamas. We stand with the people of Israel and the global Jewish community,” Paramount’s statement says. Hollywood leaders are also speaking
Since the dawn of cell phones, it’s been taboo to use them at the movies. But for the first time that he can remember, Marcus Theatres president Gregory Marcus is encouraging moviegoers to keep their iPhones in hand and — gasp — even use them for Taylor Swift‘s “Eras Tour” concert film, which premieres in
Lionsgate has landed U.S. rights to “The Home,” a thriller starring Pete Davidson. The movie, directed by James DeMonaco (“The Purge”), was backed by Miramax and screened for buyers outside of competition at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. It’s expected to land in theaters sometime in 2024. “The Home” follows Davidson as Max, a former
The grand-scale Biblical epics that midcentury Hollywood churned out to roaring box-office returns had many drawcards as (so to speak) mass entertainment — brawny action, transporting spectacle, then jaw-dropping effects — but a sense of humor, by and large, wasn’t one of them. That’s something British musician-turned-filmmaker Jeymes Samuel attempts to rectify in his offbeat
Eddie Murphy is going from “You People” to yuletide, following up his Netflix comedy with his first Christmas feature. Prime Video released the trailer for “Candy Cane Lane” Thursday morning, providing a first look at Murphy’s magical holiday adventure. The footage reveals Murphy playing a father in the holiday spirit who accepts a magical wish
“When will Taylor Swift’s film career take off?” has been a question lurking in the back of a lot of people’s minds ever since she started getting her feet wet with bit parts in “The Giver” and “Valentine’s Day”… and then further limited herself to keeping her toes damp with “Cats” and “Amsterdam” cameos. But
Adam Aron, the CEO of AMC Theatres, revealed that he had been the victim of an “elaborate criminal extortion.” The chief of the world’s largest cinema chain didn’t reveal details about what he described as a “blackmail attempt” other than to claim they were “related to false allegations about my personal life.” Aron says there
MALAYSIAN TIGER TO ROAR IN SINGAPORE “Tiger Stripes,” the Malaysian coming-of-age, body horror film that debuted in Cannes’ Critics Week section has been set as the opening title for this year’s Singapore International Film Festival (Nov. 30 – Dec. 10). Directed by Amanda Nell Eu, the film is a multinational coproduction that involved Singapore-based Fran
Worlds collided on Wednesday night when Beyoncé made a surprise visit to the premiere of Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert film in Los Angeles. In an Instagram post after the event, Swift detailed the importance of her fellow pop star’s support alongside a video of the two sharing popcorn inside the movie theater. “I’m so
Acclaimed Nepalese filmmaker Deepak Rauniyar has wrapped principal photography on his next feature “Rajagunj” (“The Sky is Mine”). The film is also one of nine projects to receive funding from the Norwegian Film Institute’s Sorfond. It received NOK625,000 ($57,600). Rauniyar’s first feature, “Highway,” premiered at the 2012 Berlinale and played Locarno, while his sophomore feature “White Sun”
Keith Giffen, the veteran comics author and artist who co-created characters such as DC’s Lobo and the Jamie Reyes version of the Blue Beetle as well as Marvel’s Rocket Raccoon, has died. He was 70. Giffen’s family announced his death on Facebook Wednesday via a sardonic post pre-written by the comic book writer-artist: “I told
Talks between SAG-AFTRA and the major studios have broken down, as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers said Wednesday that the gap between the sides is “too great.” The key stumbling block is a union proposal to share in streaming revenue, which the AMPTP says would cost $800 million a year. SAG-AFTRA wants