Combat veterans, famously, don’t tend to talk much, if at all, about their experiences of war. At least not to civilians, and maybe not even to their closest relatives. Knowing this, those of us who aren’t veterans tend to have ideas about the things they aren’t discussing. Things like violence and fear and the chaos
Movies
SPOILER ALERT: This contains major spoilers about the ending of “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” now playing in theaters. Is this the beginning of the Hasbro Cinematic Universe? After rumors of a crossover between the “Transformers” and “G.I. Joe” franchises circulated online in recent months, it seems like the ultimate ’80s action-toy mash-up is officially
After fans reported sound mixing issues in “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” Sony Pictures has sent an updated version of the film to movie theaters. The complaints were mainly targeted at low audio levels during the introductory scene in the animated Spidey sequel, which centers on Hailee Steinfeld’s Spider-Woman character, Gwen Stacy. While the sound issue
Jennifer Lawrence is ready to play the girl on fire again. The Oscar winner says she is open to returning to the “Hunger Games” franchise after she became a household name for her work as Katniss in the four movies. “Oh, my God – totally!” Lawrence told me Friday morning during a Zoom video interview
Few people lived a life as bold and controversial as Leonardo da Vinci. It’s easy to forget sometimes he was also a human being with doubts who struggled with the same things that trouble just about all of us. In animated feature “The Inventor,” writer/director Jim Capobianco, who shared an original screenplay Oscar nomination with
This article first appeared as part of Jenelle Riley’s Acting Up newsletter – to subscribe for early content and weekly updates on all things acting, visit the Acting Up signup page. In “A Soldier’s Play,” Captain Richard Davenport isn’t meant to sing. But when you cast legendary baritone Norm Lewis in the role, you take advantage
The Annecy International Animation Festival has postponed outdoor screenings until Monday after Thursday’s knife attack at a playground near the lakeside screening venue in the French mountain resort town. However, the festival will open as planned on Sunday. Six people, included four young children, were wounded in the attack, which was characterized as an isolated
Leslie Grace has a very personal reason for deciding to become what she calls an “ambassador” for “Translators,” a new documentary short about bilingual Latino children in the U.S. who become translators for their Spanish-speaking parents. “I’m first generation Dominican American,” the “In the Heights” star tells me. “My grandmother relied on her kids —
Vivendi, the parent company of Canal+ Group, has received the green light from the European Commission to proceed with the full acquisition of Lagardère, the French media, publishing and travel retail conglomerate. Vivendi previously held a 57.35% stake in Lagardere following a public tender offer held last year. This European Commission has given its approval
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. After setting a franchise record with a huge $58 million debut at the box office, “Creed 3” is finally available to stream on Prime Video. In the third installment of the sports drama series,
“Forest,” an Italian eco-themed animation film about deforestation, has scored some strong pre-sales for Rome-based True Colours at the Cannes Marché du film. The still-in-production 3-D animation feature – the protagonist of which is a young mushroom named Fey – has been picked up for roughly 20 territories by Top Film Distribution which will distribute
The Autobots are rolling out once again at the box office. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” picked up $8.8 million at the domestic box office in Thursday previews. It’s revving up to battle last week’s No. 1 movie, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” in its opening weekend. Paramount’s “Rise of the Beasts” is looking to bring
Long before Margot Robbie boarded the “Barbie” movie and got Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach to write the screenplay, it was Amy Schumer who was set to headline the project. Back in 2016, Sony Pictures had the rights to “Barbie” and cast Schumer to star in a movie based on an original idea and screenplay
French CGI studio TeamTO, one of the biggest animation studios in Europe, has initiated development on “Jade Armor” Season Two. The move comes as TeamTO has produced on a service basis third party IPs ranging from “Kiya & the Kimoja Heroes” to Netflix hit “The Creature Cases.” Progress on “Jade Armor” TeamTO is made in
Ming-Na Wen, who voiced Mulan in Disney’s animated feature of the same name, is set to narrate a new documentary titled “Pencils Vs Pixels.” Co-directed by Bay Dariz (“Hypochondriac”) and Phil Earnest, “Pencils Vs Pixels” is a celebration of 2D hand-drawn animation. The documentary, which will have its world premiere at Annecy International Animation Film
Destry Allyn Spielberg’s directorial feature debut “Don’t Feed the Children,” which stars “Downton Abbey’s” Michelle Dockery, has added three new, young actors to its central cast. Joshuah Melnick, Emma Meisel and Dean Scott Vazquez are set to join Dockery in the upcoming film, which was written by Paul Bertino, about a viral outbreak that affects
This year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival looks to break records with a wider international reach and greater studio participation than ever before. Already set to overtake last year’s attendance, the French lakeside fest, runs June 11-17 and had run up 13,300 guests by late May — among them a U.S. delegation more than 700
The Taormina Film Festival, one of Italy’s oldest movie celebrations, has undergone many makeovers through the years. Held since the mid-1950s in the Sicilian resort that recently got a promotional boost as the location of “The White Lotus” Season Two, this storied summer fest boasts an 8,000-seat open-air ancient Greek amphitheater in the shadow of
At Annecy with four features, including buzzy main competition entry “Mars Express,” Strasbourg-based Amopix will create a second studio, Amopix Annecy, located in the Route des Creuses to the west of Annecy. The move comes as Amopix, the animation studio behind Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight title “Margarethe 89,” produced by Eddy, is embarking on some 10
When we meet Ben Grady (Grant Rosenmeyer), he can barely lift himself out of the living room chair. By the end of this lo-fi indie drama, he’s soaring among the clouds like some kind of schlubby superhero — or one of those kids from “Chronicle” — having mastered what “The Secret Art of Human Flight”
HEARTFELT OBSESSION Netflix this week announced six new Korean romance titles slated for the rest of 2023. They are: “See You in my 19th Life,” “King the Land,” “Behind Your Touch,” “Destined With You,” “A Time Called You,” and “Doona!” The titles were unveiled at an in-person event called “K-romance obsession” in Seoul. Guests were
How people perceive gender and react to it lies at the heart of “Transition,” Monica Villamizar and Jordan Bryon’s documentary premiering in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival. The film follows Bryon, an Australian journalist, transitioning at the same time that he’s reporting from within Afghanistan as the country falls back under Taliban rule in
A ponderous voiceover narration sets the stage for this monster tale. The voice belongs to Vicaria, determinedly played by Laya DeLeon Hayes, who in short order tells the story of how death has befallen her family many times. Her mother died of a stray bullet, her brother a victim of street violence and her father
What superhero fatigue? “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” blasted past projections and opened to a huge $120 million. The animated multiverse epic has already earned over $230 million worldwide in less than a week of release. With the “Spider-Verse” sequel off to a massive start and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” about to cross $800
Rosario Dawson and Sam Adegoke have joined the cast of “Dark Days & the Dawn,” the latest film from “This Is Not a War Story” director Talia Lugacy. “Dark Days & the Dawn” unfolds over the course of one night and into daybreak, as Maria Del Sol (Dawson) and Samuel (Adegoke), a couple who have been
Gas up the Learjets and break out the Moncler vests, it’s time for corporate chieftains to let their hair down, as only the one percent of the one percent knows how. Meta chief Mark Zuckerberg, Warner Bros. Discovery honcho David Zaslav, Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Apple head Tim Cook, and
Curzon CEO Philip Knatchbull is set to exit Curzon after 17 years. He will remain in the role until November while a new CEO is appointed. Knatchbull’s departure comes four years after Cohen Media Group acquired Curzon in later 2019. Knatchbull became CEO of what is now Curzon when he completed the acquisition of Curzon
Set in pre-pandemic Seoul, Hong Sung-eun’s sensitive drama “Aloners” is a reflective interrogation into modern loneliness, as well as the silent brutalities of today’s urban life defined by competition, technology and nonstop productivity. The film follows a depressed young woman named Jina (Gong Seung-yeon), who works at a call center. She is currently the top
Deepak Chopra’s Beacon Media has pacted with Mexico City-based Pirexia Films to develop Spanish-language content derived from Chopra’s vast IP library. The partners plan to develop a range of Spanish-language properties, but the initial focus will be on Chopra books, starting with “The 13th Disciple,” “The Third Jesus” and “Jesus: A Story of Enlightenment.” The
More than three decades have passed since Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan — together and forever known as Milli Vanilli – took the music world by storm, and fell from grace even faster. Their six-times-platinum debut album in the U.S., “Girl You Know It’s True,” was accompanied by a marketing blitz that produced three No.