Movies

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” producer Ted Field has boarded the Soska sisters’ new feature “Unseen.” Based on the audio-only video game “BlindSide” (which was created by Aaron Rasmussen and Michael T. Astolfi) the film will be written and directed by horror auteurs Jen and Sylvia Soska (“Vendetta”), also known as the Twisted Twins. They are

Have you heard of the movie that’s so disturbingly stomach-churning, so horrifyingly gruesome, it’s allegedly causing some audience members to vomit, faint and even need to get carried out of movie theaters? That very question (the movie, by the way, is “Terrifier 2”) is inspiring horror fiends and skeptics to go to their local cinemas

Fan casting has paid off in recent years with the likes of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka and John Krasinski as Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic, but don’t expect a similar win when it comes to Daniel Radcliffe as Wolverine. Despite fans clamoring for years on social media for the “Harry Potter” veteran to take on the role

Shekhar Kapur’s rom com “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” will open the second edition of Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival, where director Oliver Stone will preside over the main jury. The fest, which is Saudi’s first full-fledged film festival and market with international ambitions after the country in late 2017 removed

Emilia Clarke is set to star as Constance Lloyd, an Irish author who was married to Oscar Wilde, in “An Ideal Wife,” directed by “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande” helmer Sophie Hyde. The project, for which plot details are still being kept under wraps, is repped by Embankment Films (“The Father,” “The Son”) and

Azeri filmmaker Hilal Baydarov’s work has won attention for its stunning imagery, confident framing and lyrical pacing, turning landscapes into hypnotic portraits of alien but familiar worlds. His masterclass at the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival – his first ever and one he had to be thoroughly talked into, he says – offered rare insights

In the Tokyo International Film Festival’s competition section with “Tel-Aviv/Beirut,” Michale Boganim (“Odessa, Odessa,” “Land of Oblivion”) has directed a historical drama set against the backdrop of the Israeli–Lebanese conflict in 1982 and 2006. Set in Northern Israel, the film tells the journey of two families on each side of the border whose fate intertwined

It’s time to put “values into action” in the documentary field, argued professor Patricia Aufderheide at Ji.hlava Film Festival. Addressing ethical issues that doc filmmakers identify in their work, Aufderheide – who joined the conference online – offered concrete solutions, referencing DAWG’s [Documentary Accountability Working Group] framework “From Reflection to Release.” “Integrate anti-oppression practices in

The power of sound and the impacts of war dominated the 26th Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival awards, with French doc “07:15 – Blackbird” taking home both the main prize and the cinematography award. The story of a young girl’s quest to identify the call of a mysterious bird, directed by Judith Auffray and filmed

An experienced Czech cop proved to be the right man for the job when European justice officials began probing the war crimes that grew out of the breakup of Yugoslavia in the early 90s. But Viktor Portel’s film “The Investigator,” screening in the main competition at the Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, reveals Vladimír Dzuro

A new renaissance in hairstyling and makeup for Black actors appears to be on the horizon, thanks to the work of female artisans on a trio of recent period films: “The Woman King,” “Till” and “A Jazzman’s Blues.” Braiding, twists and locs were a staple for characters in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King,” set in

Unicorns are woefully underrepresented in cartoons, at least when compared with the place they hold among the toys, binder art and imaginations of children. Teddy bears, on the other hand, are practically everywhere you look in animation — not that it’s ever been a contest. “Unicorn Wars” pits these two camps against one another in

Millie Bobby Brown’s eccentric fourth wall breaks have become such a distinguishable trademark of Harry Bradbeer’s “Enola Holmes” films that in the sequel, the “Stranger Things” star tried to do it in every scene she could. “Maybe Harry can agree with me on this but I think in every scene we tried doing, we tried

Lidia Duda’s “Forest,” currently in development, emerged victorious at Ji.hlava Film Festival, picking up its first-ever New Visions Award for the most promising European project. The trophy comes with post-production services valued at €15,000 and €5,000, courtesy of UPP and Soundsquare, respectively. Polish doc – set to premiere in 2024 – also won #Docs Connect

Ukrainian director Alisa Kovalenko unveiled first-look footage of upcoming documentary “Frontline” at Ji.hlava Film Festival’s Inspiration Forum. Filmed during her four-month stint in the Ukrainian army, it will be “slow and reflective,” focusing on brief moments of calm in-between chaos. “I was filming only when there was nothing to do,” she said. When the war

The Tokyo International Film Festival puts considerable store behind its Asian programming. But defining the definition of that sector, its health and direction are all up for debate. Variety caught up with senior programmer Ichizaka Kenji for a reset. What are the standards and principals you adhere to in programming the Asian Future section? When

  Screening in the Tokyo International Film Festval’s Nippon Cinema Now section, “Remember to Breathe” is director Sugita Masakazu’s second feature, following his 2014 “Joy of Man’s Desiring,” winner of a Special Mention in the Generation Kplus section of the Berlin Film Festival.  Based on an original script by Sugita, the film stars Inoue Mao as

When the jury is dismissed each day in Harvey Weinstein’s trial, before they exit the courtroom, the judge reminds the jurors not to consume any media or read any news reports surrounding the high-profile case. On Friday, Judge Lisa B. Lench added one extra reminder to her parting words, instructing the jury not to watch

The two sides in the Paul Haggis civil rape trial haven’t agreed on much over the past week and a half, but they did reach an important consensus on Friday. Judge Sabrina Kraus said that the Oscar winner’s lawyers and the legal team of his accuser Haleigh Breest say that there is “no evidence” supporting the

Julia Roberts is still cinema’s sweetheart. With a filmography that has amassed a collective gross of more than $3.9 billion globally, which is in the top 50 of any actors of all time, she has become one of the defining actors of her generation.  After an early breakout in “Mystic Pizza” (1985), Roberts’ explosion in

James Gunn will become the co-chairman and co-CEO of DC Studios along with Peter Safran starting Nov. 1, but in no way does the director view his new job as that of a Marvel Studios rival. The filmmaker recently took to social media to shut down any notion of a rivalry between the two comic

Harvey Weinstein’s Los Angeles trial made headlines earlier this week as it got underway, with the convicted rapist’s defense team completely dismissing the #MeToo movement in its opening statement. But the women behind upcoming film “She Said” — which follows New York Times journalists Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) as they

Hard hitting social issue documentaries are getting more difficult to make and sell with each passing year. But despite the market’s fondness for true crime and celebrity-driven nonfiction content, the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program (DFP) isn’t wavering when it comes to its support of docu filmmakers telling stories dealing with social impact topics including

Archstone Entertainment announced that they have acquired the worldwide rights to late actor James Caan’s final film, the creature thriller “Dark Harvest.” The film also stars and was written by Rich Manley, and is directed by Andrew Dymond and André Gordon. Caan’s scenes for the film were shot well before his death this past July,

Sydney Sweeney will star in and produce an upcoming psychological horror film titled “Immaculate,” from Black Bear Pictures. The film reunites Sweeney with director Michael Mohan, who will direct from a script by Andrew Lobel. Sweeney and Mohan previously worked on “The Voyeurs” in 2021. Principal photography will commence in January 2023. Sweeney stars in

Jeff Goldblum is following the yellow brick road. The actor is in final talks to play the Wizard in Jon M. Chu’s upcoming “Wicked” movies, Variety has learned exclusively. The latest casting news comes just over a month since Variety first reported that Fiyero will be played by “Bridgerton” star Jonathan Bailey. Chu’s two-part feature

Since that time in his teens when he self-published the early ’90s graffiti art zine “Graphic Scenes & X-Plicit Language,” Sacha Jenkins has been about documenting hip-hop and funk culture — Black culture. Moving between print (he’s creative director at Mass Appeal), television (“Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men”) and film (“Bitchin’: The Sound and

CASTING Musician Zayn Malik, “Bridgerton” star Simone Ashley, three-time BAFTA winner Mo Gilligan (“The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan”), Sophie Okonedo (“Slow Horses”) and Dylan Llewellyn (“Derry Girls”) will lead the voice cast of CG animated family comedy “10 Lives.” “10 Lives” is the story of a pampered and selfish cat who takes for granted the

After finding an apartment in Los Angeles, Danielle Deadwyler utilized her teenage son and taped her audition scene for “Till.” The scene shows Mamie and Emmett’s final interaction in their home before being sent off to suffer an unspeakable fate and one that every parent of a Black child fears. During her interview for Variety’s

It’s widely known that Taylor Swift auditioned to star in “Les Misérables,” Tom Hooper’s 2012 adaptation of the iconic stage musical. But it wasn’t until an Oct. 28 interview on “The Graham Norton Show” (via People) that Swift opened up in detail about her “nightmare” audition process for the movie. Swift is on an international