Movies

Prosecutors in New Mexico charged Alec Baldwin last week with a gun allegation that was not on the books at the time of the “Rust” shooting. Baldwin is facing a charge of involuntary manslaughter as well as a “firearm enhancement” in connection with the death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The enhancement carries an additional five-year

The Number 44, the production company co-founded by director-producer Ben Charles Edwards (“Quant”) and Goldfinch, has revealed its slate of productions due to be completed by the end of 2023. The company is currently in post-production with its previously announced project, “The Wheels of Heaven,” starring Mickey Rourke. The new slate of projects includes: “All

In January 2020, the most popular movie on Netflix was “Don’t Look Up,” a newly released disaster comedy with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence. But the second-most-popular movie was “Just Go With It,” an Adam Sandler flick from 2011 that had just started streaming on the service. Timothy Dowling, who co-wrote the screenplay for that

You’d think the movie that won the critics’ awards trifecta of Los Angeles, New York and the National Society of Film Critics would be considered one of the best picture front-runners. Still, Todd Field’s psychological drama about a lesbian conductor’s rise and fall isn’t being touted as a possibility to win the best picture Oscar

Somewhere in the multiverse, Brendan Fraser landed the role of Superman in the early 2000s when Warner Bros. recruited then-screenwriter J.J. Abrams to pen a new film about the Man of Steel. In our world, Fraser lost out on the role. The Oscar nominee recently opened up to Howard Stern about what it was like

WestEnd Films has acquired worldwide rights to Keshet Studios’ political thriller “Untitled Judo” and will introduce it to buyers at Berlin’s European Film Market (EFM). The film, currently in post-production, is co-directed by Guy Nattiv (Oscar winner for short “Skin”) and Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Cannes best actress winner for “Holy Spider,” and co-written by Elham

Visit Films has picked up worldwide sales rights for Iranian director Negin Ahmadi’s documentary “Dream’s Gate,” which depicts an all-female Kurdish militia, ahead of its Berlin Film Festival world premiere. To make “Dream’s Gate,” which will launch from Berlin’s Generation section for young audiences, Ahmadi traveled to the war zone of Northern Syria where she

The producers of Focus Features’ “Polite Society” have launched their next project with “Lollipop,” the fiction debut feature of Daisy-May Hudson, which stars Posy Sterling, TerriAnn Oudjar and newcomer Idil Ahmed. The film, which has wrapped after a five-week shoot in London, is the first major title for new sales agent and financier Architect, set

Fifteen additional work-in-progress films are set to join the Hong Kong – Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF) that takes place next month alongside the FilMart rights market. They join 28 previously announced in-development projects. The 21st edition of HAF runs March 13-15 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and will be the first

For their documentary “Food and Country,” director Laura Gabbert and renowned food writer Ruth Reichl gathered a thoughtful and strikingly personable cast of characters from across the U.S. to tell their stories in the shadow of the pandemic. Some are chefs, bakers, restaurateurs. Others are independent farmers, ranchers, even a kelp harvester. Some work in

Late in the Netflix documentary “Victim/Suspect,” a police detective sits across from a journalist. When they meet, the Center for Investigative Reporting journalist Rachel de Leon has been her working for three years on a project about women who, having reported their sexual assaults, are then arrested, charged and in some cases sentenced for “false

The double and triple-crosses pile up to preposterous heights in “Sharper,” a drama about con artists and the people they’re playing that takes the hoary adage “nothing is as it seems” to contrived extremes. A deep ensemble cast is game for this ambitiously overwrought material, but no amount of committed acting can overcome the movie’s

Brendan Fraser joined Howard Stern’s SiriusXM talk show and continued to sound off on the Golden Globes, which he did not attend this year despite being nominated for best actor in a motion picture drama thanks to his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.” Austin Butler won the category for “Elvis.” Fraser has accused Philip

Ashton Kutcher and Reese Witherspoon’s awkward red carpet photos from the premiere of their Netflix rom-com “Your Place or Mine” have been the source of viral social media memes for over a week now — so much so that Kutcher’s wife, Mila Kunis, emailed the two actors about it. What does Kutcher have to say

A message to everyone in Hollywood: Don’t tell Michelle Yeoh what she can and can’t do. Speaking on the latest episode of the Los Angeles Times’ “The Envelope” podcast, Yeoh disclosed that many people were telling her to retire from acting prior to her accepting the lead role in the Daniels’ multiverse family adventure “Everything

A producer on Eva Green’s failed film “A Patriot” has accused the project’s director Dan Pringle of being “inexperienced” and “starstruck.” Jake Seal, who was brought in by financiers Sherborne Media Finance in an apparent bid to salvage the project after funding collapsed, was on the witness stand in London’s High Court on Tuesday to

Tony winners Audra McDonald and Myles Frost have joined the cast of Academy Award nominee Ava DuVernay’s latest film, inspired by Pulitzer Prize winner Isabel Wilkerson’s “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.” McDonald is a six-time Tony Award winner, with more performance wins than any other actor and the only person to win in all

Elijah Wood is not a fan. Shortly after AMC Theatres announced that it would be charging moviegoers more money for a better view of the screen, the “Lord of the Rings” star unloaded on the cinema chain. “The movie theater is and always has been a sacred democratic space for all,” Wood wrote on Twitter.

Alec Baldwin’s lawyer filed a motion on Tuesday to disqualify the special prosecutor in the “Rust” case, arguing she cannot simultaneously serve as a prosecutor and a state legislator. Andrea Reeb was brought in last year by the First Judicial District Attorney in Santa Fe to assist on the “Rust” case. Reeb, a Republican, had

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.” “80 for Brady” has plenty for LGBTQ moviegoers to be excited about. Not only does it star icons Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno and Sally Field as friends who take a trip to see Tom Brady play in the 2017 Super Bowl, but Billy Porter plays a

Olga Kurylenko is set to lead the sci-fi action-thriller “Unify.” Directed and written by Jonathan Hopkins (“Slumber”), the film is set in a dystopian future and tells the story of a refugee mother who holds the key to humanity’s salvation in the war against A.I. but is being hunted by a technological enemy. Myriad has

Oscar-winning actor Laura Dern will be celebrated at the French Cinematheque in Paris on Feb. 20, in the run up to the French premiere of Florian Zeller’s “The Son.” She stars in the film opposite Hugh Jackman, Vanessa Kirby and Anthony Hopkins. The career tribute is being co-organized by Orange Studio, the French distributor of

The seven-week reign of Disney blockbuster “Avatar: The Way of Water” at the U.K. and Ireland box office has finally ended with Universal’s “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” usurping the throne. “Puss In Boots: The Last Wish” debuted atop the box office with £4.9 million ($5.9 million). In its eighth weekend, “Avatar: The Way

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the first Marvel franchise movie to be released in mainland China for three years, made a quiet start in Chinese cinemas. The film debuted Tuesday and grossed $3.47 million according to ticketing agency Maoyan. That represented a 17% market share and a third place slot behind Chinese-produced box office leaders “The

Indie Sales has acquired “Sidonie in Japan,” Elise Girard’s romance-laced ghost movie starring Oscar-nominated Isabelle Huppert (“Elle”) and August Diehl (“A Hidden Life”). Huppert stars Sidonie Perceval, an established French writer who mourns her deceased husband. Invited to Japan for the reedition of her first book, she is welcomed by her local editor who takes

Former Protagonist Pictures executive Luane Gauer has joined Black Bear International as SVP of international production and acquisitions. In her new role, Gauer will oversee production and lead creative on upcoming Black Bear International productions. Titles in their pipeline include Ed Berger’s “Conclave” and “Knox Goes Away,” directed by and starring Michael Keaton. She will also source and package

FESTIVAL The 37th edition of BFI Flare: London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival (March 15-26) will open with Kristen Lovell and Zackary Drucker’s Sundance-winning documentary “The Stroll,” which tells the history of New York City’s Meatpacking District from the point of view of the trans women of color who lived and worked there. Hannes Hirsch’s debut feature,

Bette Midler will be honored with the Distinguished Collaborator Award at the 25th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards) on Feb. 27th. She will be joined by Angela Bassett (receiving the Spotlight Award), Deborah L. Scott (Career Achievement Award) and costume designer Rachael M. Stanley (Distinguished Service Award). Said Midler, “In my very long career, I

Spencer Breslin, Stacey Dash and Taryn Manning are set to star in “Four,” a feature adaptation of Ashley Berry’s memoir “Waiting for Rainbows.” Meghan Carrasquillo (“What Lies Behind the Walls”) will star in the film as Berry, a woman struggling with infertility who eventually turns to adoption. Breslin (“The Santa Clause 3”) will play Berry’s

Fast building as one of Spain’s leading hotbeds for emerging producer and creative talent, the Madrid Film School’s ECAM Incubator, now on its sixth edition, has picked five promising titles for its 2023 program. Aimed at Spanish directors, screenwriters and producers, the Incubator program is open to directors’ debuts as well as second or third