Movies

In 2017, investigative journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor exposed Harvey Weinstein’s numerous sexual assault scandals and the Hollywood system that enabled him. Five years later, the story behind the influential New York Times report is being told on screen. At the worldwide premiere of “She Said” at the New York Film Festival, director Maria

Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, which runs Oct. 25-30, has unveiled Opus Bonum, its international competition section. The 16-strong lineup includes eight world premieres. Andrea Kleine’s “The End Is Not What I Thought It Would Be,” from the U.S., is set during the pandemic. Kleine, the author of novels “Calf” and “Eden,” is seen performing

Dustin Lance Black is opening up about his recovery from a head injury he suffered earlier this year.  While the Oscar-winning screenwriter hasn’t detailed what happened to him, he told Variety at Thursday’s premiere of “Mama’s Boy,” HBO’s new documentary adaptation of his 2019 memoir, that doctors expect a full recovery. “What’s been really challenging

Janelle Monáe reflected on her multifaceted career at a Screen Talk hosted by BFI London Film Festival programmer Grace Barber-Plentie. The conversation, which took place ahead of the European premiere of “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” included the musician-actor citing Johnny Depp’s career as one she’d like to emulate given the “transformative” characters he

Daniel Radcliffe has issued a statement after the death of his “Harry Potter” co-star Robbie Coltrane, calling the late actor “one of the funniest people I’ve met.” Coltrane, who died at the age of 72, starred as Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” film franchise and shared dozens of scenes with Radcliffe across the films.

Pathé and Chapter 2, a Mediawan company, are set to reteam with “Three Musketeers” director Martin Bourboulon on a riveting thriller set in the backdrop of the fall of Kabul and the takeover by the Taliban. The film is an adaptation of “13 days, 13 Nights, in the Hell of Kabul,” a sprawling real-life account

Since 1998, Variety has honored rising stars on its 10 Actors to Watch list, a group of thespians who are experiencing a major breakthrough on screen. The alumni group include more than 35 Oscar winners and nominees including Mahershala Ali, Adam Driver, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Lupita Nyong’o. This year’s honorees will be feted

Cargo Film & Releasing has acquired domestic and international rights to director Violet Du Feng’s feature documentary “Hidden Letters.” The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. It won Best Documentary and the Audience Award at the Austin Asian American Film Festival.

Who can forget Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal,” that cheeky work of early-18th-century satire in which the author had the nerve to suggest cannibalism as a means of keeping Ireland’s unwanted kids “from being a burden on their parents or country, and for making them beneficial to the publick”? In “Plan 75,” debuting director Chie

This October, Variety has enlisted some our favorite spooky content creators to share their scary movie essentials. Matt Gourley and Paul Rust, whose podcast “With Gourley and Rust” analyzes horror franchises film by film since 2018, shared their picks for Coziest Horror Movies of All Time. Although slashers are traditionally known for getting heart rates

Robbie Coltrane, who played the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” franchise, has died, his agency WME confirmed to Variety on Friday. He was 72. Coltrane featured in every “Harry Potter” movie, from “Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001 to “Death Hallows -Part 2” in 2011, and was much beloved for bringing the character from

Cate Blanchett’s performance in “Tár” is riveting, playing the EGOT-winning German composer Lydia Tár. The Todd Field film centers around themes of art, lust, obsession and power. Cinematographer Florian Hoffmeister delivers Field’s vision and Blanchett’s portrayal of a complicated character who falls from grace through long takes and intense close-ups. Audiences are first introduced to

Mark Rylance-led thriller “Inland” has been picked up for international sales by Paris-based sales agent Wide ahead of its BFI London Film Festival premiere. Produced by Black Twist Films, the film stars Rory Alexander, Mark Rylance and Kathryn Hunter and plays in the official selection of the U.K. festival. “Inland” is a modern folktale that

In “The Same Storm,” it’s a welcome surprise to see Elaine May appear as one of the faces in writer-director Peter Hedges’ impressively diverse and starry ensemble, who take turns contributing scenes about the challenges of life during lockdown. May portrays spiky Ruth Lipsman Berg, who hops on a teleconference with a new doctor and

“Halloween Ends” is just beginning — the final installment in the long-lived horror franchise picked up $5.4 million at the box office in Thursday night previews. From Universal, Blumhouse and Miramax, it opened in 3,200 theaters and will expand to 3,901 locations on Friday, in addition to launching on NBC’s streaming service Peacock. The film

Ke Huy Quan took a break from his continued “Everything Everywhere All at Once” awards tour to visit the Warner Bros. soundstage where he filmed scenes for “The Goonies” over three decades ago. It turned out to be an emotional reunion, as Quan revealed he had not been to the film’s set in the just-over

Iranian filmmaker Mani Haghighi had his passport confiscated at the airport as he was about to board a flight to attend the BFI London Film Festival. Haghighi was expected to present there the U.K. premiere of his latest film, “Subtraction.” In a filmed video statement, which will be played before his film screens on Saturday

Cinemed, the Mediterranean Cinema Film Festival, is partnering up with Lebanese film org Aflamuna / Beirut DC to launch a new co-production and co-financing initiative aimed at high-profile projects from the Arab world. The new program, which is also backed by France’s National Film Board and is part of the festival’s industry showcase Cinemed Meetings,

Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media has partnered with Singapore’s Momo Film Co on Nelson Yeo’s “Dreaming & Dying” and Duong Dieu Linh’s “Don’t Cry Butterfly,” it was revealed at this week’s Asian Contents & Film Market, held on the sidelines of the Busan International Film Festival. “Dreaming & Dying,” about three middle aged individuals who are forced to

The 14th edition of the Lumière Film Festival, a week-long celebration of classic films that’s one of the world’s leading heritage cinema events, will take place Oct. 15-23 in the host city of Lyon, birthplace of the brothers and filmmaking pioneers who lend the festival its name. The event, which is headed by Cannes chief

Eric Welbers, who served as managing director of the production company NDF until the end of March, has set up the internationally focused content company Bravado Media, with headquarters in Munich. Bravado has acquired all of NDF’s shares in Italy’s Viola Film (an 80% stake), headed by Alessandro Passadore, and Belgium-based Bravado Fiction (also an

Mike Schank, guitarist, actor, friend and beloved subject of the 1999 documentary “American Movie,” died on Thursday morning, according to the Milwaukee Record. He was 56. The exceedingly gifted screamer was a highlight from the cult classic directed by Chris Smith. The film followed Wisconsin director Mark Borchardt as he attempted to film his fraught

Korean film “A Wild Roomer” and India’s “Shivamma” have been announced as the joint winners of the New Currents competition, the prestige discovery section of the Busan International Film Festival. “We were particularly sensitive to the lightness and subtlety of the director’s view of his characters. Through his innovative cinematography, he creates original circulations between

Whoopi Goldberg has high hopes for “Sister Act 3.” In this week’s episode of Comedy Central’s “Hell of A Week with Charlamagne Tha God,” “The View” host reveals her top picks for cast members in the upcoming film and admits she’s got her eyes on Keke Palmer, Lizzo, and Nicki Minaj to potentially star. “I’m

If, like me, you consider “All the President’s Men” to be one of the most exciting movies ever made, it’s remarkable to consider that it came out in 1976, just four years after the Watergate break-in. The saga of Richard Nixon’s corruption and downfall had saturated the culture, yet every moment in “All the President’s

Scarlett Johansson revealed on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast (via IndieWire) that her orgasm recordings for the movie “Her” resulted in Joaquin Phoenix fleeing the set. Phoenix starred in the Spike Jonze-directed drama as a man who falls in love with his phone’s operating system, a Siri-like female voice named Samantha, played by Johansson. The two have

Not much is known about Nintendo’s upcoming “Super Mario Bros.” movie, but Keegan-Michael Key revealed to Variety that his character Toad has a musical moment in the film. When asked if Toad shows off his singing chops in the animated movie, Key said, “He does. I got to improvise a song in ‘Super Mario Bros.,’

Rick Caruso is confident that he’s going to be the next mayor of Los Angeles.  “I’m getting the job,” he says with a grin before sitting down to detail his vision for the future of the entertainment industry in Los Angeles in an interview with Variety‘s “Strictly Business.”  The real estate developer who is behind such retail

Winter is coming, but not at Netflix, as the streamer will be launching its reality show “Summer Job” – produced by Banijay Italia – before the end of the year. “I am proud, because it’s an original show made for Italy,” said Tinny Andreatta, VP of content for Italy, at MIA Market on Wednesday. Netflix

SPOILER ALERT: This story references a major reveal that is included in the end-credits scene for “Black Adam.” As often happens, footage from Dwayne Johnson’s “Black Adam” — specifically, the DC superhero movie’s end-credits scene with a very spolier-y reveal — has been leaked onto social media platforms. There’s a bit of “dog bites man”