South African filmmakers are shocked, angry and disappointed after the country failed to submit a film for the international feature Oscar race for the first time in 15 years, with one producer slamming the selection committee for what he says are unfounded concerns about his film’s depiction of marginalized groups, and comparing the opaque selection
Movies
Indonesian comedy action movie “The Big 4” is the second most watched non-English-language film of the past week, new data shows. Directed by Timo Tjahjanto, “The Big 4” tells the story of a by-the-book female detective who investigates the death of her father and follows a clue to a remote tropical island, only to find
For 10 days, the jurors on the Harvey Weinstein trial debated issues of consent, morality, the casting couch and power imbalances in Hollywood. At the end of their deliberations Monday, they reached a mixed verdict. They found the disgraced producer guilty of raping a woman known as Jane Doe #1, but acquitted him of a
A star maestro. Multiverse dwellers. Fearless journalists who historically propelled the #MeToo movement. 2022 has supplied an embarrassment of riches when it comes to complex roles written for women, brought to life by a diverse array of actresses. In separate conversations with Variety, several of the names leading the awards conversation offered insights into their
The jury in Harvey Weinstein’s L.A. trial deadlocked on Tuesday on two sentencing factors that could have led to a longer prison term on rape and sexual assault charges. Because the jurors could not reach a unanimous decision on those factors, Weinstein will face no more than 18 years in prison on the L.A. case.
Harvey Weinstein was convicted of rape and sexual assault in his two-month Los Angeles trial on Monday, but the former producer is vowing to prove his innocence on appeal. In a statement obtained by Variety, Weinstein’s spokesperson says he is “disappointed” in the verdict. A jury convicted Weinstein on three charges, but, in a split
Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” had “no agenda” when it came to the casting of Ariel, director Rob Marshall told Entertainment Weekly. The “Chicago” and “Into the Woods” director said his team auditioned “every ethnicity” for the role and that singer Halle Bailey was by far the perfect choice. While Bailey’s casting has been widely
“Twisters,” a sequel to the 1996 disaster epic “Twister,” will wreak havoc on movie theaters in the summer of 2024. Universal, which is backing the film, set “Twisters” to release theatrically on July 19, 2024. On its current release date, “Twisters” will open on the big screen alongside Paramount’s “Transformers: A New Generation” and one
British director Mike Hodges, known for directing “Get Carter,” “Croupier” and “Flash Gordon,” died in Dorset, England on Dec. 17. He was 90. His death was announced by Mike Kaplan, longtime friend and producer of “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.” Hodges’ crime dramas came at the beginning of his career — “Get Carter” (1971)
Black Adam has been buried, but he isn’t (quite) dead. Dwayne Johnson says that after talking with DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, Johnson’s DC anti-hero Black Adam “will not be in their first chapter of storytelling.” But Johnson added a statement posted to social media that DC and his production company, Seven Bucks, “have agreed
Known for starring role in “Lupin,” French actor Omar Sy is also a politically-minded producer. Before becoming a global star with “Lupin,” Sy started developing “Father and Soldier” with Mathieu Vadepied, a cinematographer-turned-director he met on the shoot of “Intouchables.” The passion project, written by Vadepied and Olivier Demangel (“Atlantics”), sheds light on the Senegalese
Joseph Kosinski’s first meeting with Tom Cruise about directing a sequel to the 1986 blockbuster “Top Gun” was in 2017. Five years later, “Top Gun: Maverick” finally opened, after the pandemic led Paramount to delay its 2020 release until May of this year, when it could play to a global theatrical audience — and did it
Brendan Fraser will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor for his performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” at the Palm Springs International Film Awards. Based on the play by Samuel D. Hunter, “The Whale” follows Charlie (Fraser), an obese and reclusive English teacher who tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink). So far,
“The Terminator” franchise just won’t die…maybe. James Cameron revealed on the “Smartless” podcast (via The Playlist) that discussions are taking place about him continuing the long-running action franchise, which kicked off in 1984 on a high but has since experienced one box office flop (“Terminator Genisys”) after another (“Terminator: Dark Fate”). “Dark Fate” was a
German director Robert Schwentke’s drama “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” starring John Malkovich as the Roman-era Stoic philosopher, Alex Gibney’s untitled Boris Becker doc, and high-end European TV series “The Swarm” are set for Berlin Film Festival world premiers. The Berlinale on Tuesday announced several titles that will screen out-of-competition across various sections, most
Hugh Jackman is gearing up for his return as Wolverine in “Deadpool 3,” the news of which shocked fans in September considering Jackman’s character died at the end of 2017’s “Logan.” That film, directed by James Mangold, was heavily touted as Jackman’s swan song as Wolverine. Jackman recently told SiriusXM that his Wolverine return was
After 25 years, Kate Winslet is finally speaking out against the “Titanic” body shamers who have used the film’s ending to mock her weight. Viewers have long debated if there was enough room on the floating door for Winslet’s Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack to both survive the freezing Atlantic water. Only Rose used the
Fremantle has released the first teaser, a clip from part of a key scene, for Sofía Auza’s “Adolfo,” produced by The Immigrant. Recently presented at MipCancun, the U.S.-Mexican feature will soon celebrate its world premiere at the Generation 14plus section of February’s Berlin Film Festival. “My dream has always been to make movies, but it
Berlin-based sales company Picture Tree Intl. has boarded Robert Schwentke’s historical drama “Seneca – On the Creation of Earthquakes,” which has its world premiere in the Berlinale Special Gala section of the Berlin Film Festival. The teaser (below) for the film, which stars John Malkovich, Geraldine Chaplin, Tom Xander, “Dark’s” Louis Hofmann and Mary-Louise Parker,
Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi took to social media to protest against the arrest of Taraneh Alidoosti, the beloved actor of his Oscar-winning film “The Salesman.” Alidoosti, who starred in three other films directed by Farhadi, was jailed on Saturday after taking part in demonstrations to fight against the oppressive Iranian regime. She was also
Four winning pitches were announced on Tuesday from the Mekong Region Netflix x Purin Pictures Short Film Camp. The winning projects were revealed as: “Ponay” from Thailand, “The Witness,” from Laos, “Termite Life,” from Thailand, and “Sad Diva Lands on the Moon,” from Myanmar. The 10-day workshop was held this year for the second time
One of the more delightful surprises in “Avatar: The Way of Water” is when Edie Falco pops up as General Frances Ardmore, a new military commander on Pandora. Ardmore is on a mission to make Pandora hospitable for the human race, as Earth is dying and the human population will soon need a new permanent
Of all the crazy stories from the making of James Cameron’s “Titanic,” none come close to that of the crew being drugged with PCP. All hell broke loose Aug. 9, 1996 on the film’s set in Halifax, Nova Scotia when craft services provided clam chowder that happened to be spiked with the drug. Halifax was
James Mangold returned to Twitter after a short break to once again battle “Indiana Jones” trolls. Mangold, director of “Indiana Jones 5,” officially titled “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” previously shut down claims that his movie hands over the role of Indiana Jones to Harrison Ford’s new co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Mangold is now
The jury in the Harvey Weinstein rape trial has reached a verdict, court officials announced Monday. The verdict is expected to be read shortly in the courtroom in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center. “The jury has concluded deliberations in the case of People v. Harvey Weinstein (Case Number BA484270),” a court spokesperson said.
James Cameron has to laugh when it comes to Matt Damon turning down a role in “Avatar.” Damon went viral in 2021 after he revealed at the Cannes Film Festival that Cameron not only courted him to star in the 2009 epic, but also offered him a deal in which Damon would get 10% of
It was lightning in a bottle. The 70th Academy Awards in 1998 served as a high-water mark for the annual telecast that the Oscars have struggled to match for over two decades. And it wasn’t only because of the “king of the world” moment. With an estimated 87.5 million viewers tuning in for part or all
Netflix is not moving forward with “Ember,” a hand-drawn animated film from director Sergio Pablos. It’s the latest animated title at the streamer to get the axe, following executive producer Ava DuVernay’s “Wings of Fire,” the toddler-friendly “Antiracist Baby” and “With Kind Regards From Kindergarten” earlier this year. With “Ember,” as well as the previously
Just a few days after James Gunn announced that Henry Cavill will not return as Superman in his plan for the DC Universe’s future, he has addressed the “uproarious and unkind” backlash to the recasting. “We were aware there would be a period of turbulence when we took this gig, and we knew we would
“Black Adam” was invulnerable with Twitter users in its streaming service debut on HBO Max this past weekend, landing at the top of Variety’s Trending movies chart, presented by Samsung, for the week of Dec. 12 to 18. The Warner Bros. film generated nearly half-a-million engagements online with fans and critics alike. The streaming debut