Movies

After 27 years, the follow-up to “Heat” is almost here. Writer-director Michael Mann is releasing a continuation of his beloved crime epic on August 9 in the form of a novel, titled “Heat 2.” The book will trace the lives of master criminal Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) and obsessive detective Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al

They were all so incredibly young. Caetano Veloso opened Salvador’s Vila Velha Theater, a milestone event for the city, at the age of 21. Pianist Francisco Tenório Jr., the subject of Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal’s “They Shot the Piano Player,” recorded one record as band leader, in March 1964, when he was 23 years

Having already topped its pre-pandemic heights, the massive attendance at this year’s Annecy edition is indicative of the flourishing post-pandemic boom that the whole audiovisual industry is feeling. Amidst this promising landscape, Colombian animation has made a strong appearance in both Annecy’s Official Selection and its MIFA market alongside an event presented by BAM –

HBO Max’s animated prequel series “Gremlins: Spirit of the Mogwai,” which world premiered on June 16 at France’s Annecy Animation Festival, begins with a hint of “The Sound of Music.” A young Gizmo stands in his bucolic grassy homeland, hidden down a huge hole in snowbound high Himalayas, chanting from a circular stone dias, replete

Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist”) has unveiled his first-ever animation film project at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival. Entitled “The Most Precious of Cargos,” it is an adaptation of the eponymous best-selling book by acclaimed French playwright and children’s books author Jean-Claude Grumberg, who is co-writing the film with Hazanavicius. Told in the form of a classic fairy tale in

Swiss animator and director Raphaëlle Stolz (“Le Salsifis du Bengale”) has debuted her new short film “Miracasas” at Annecy, where it is in competition with 37 other animated short films as part of the official selection. Stolz employs a flowing and impressionist animation style to tell the story of Ernesto, an almost-dead soldier carried to

The enthralling documentary “Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb” opens with white-on-black credits accompanied by the staccato pecks of a typewriter, which will be music to some viewers’ ears. Robert Caro, the author at the center of the documentary, writes towering books of nonfiction — “The Power Broker,” his 1,280-page

Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis” is far from being just about Elvis, when it comes to the music in the film and on a forthcoming soundtrack album. Besides the vintage Presley cuts included, the movie is providing the opportunity for the most high-profile multi-artist soundtrack in years. The lineup of participating artists was announced in May —

Roberta Whiteman, a longtime editor for Variety who specialized in international coverage, died June 17 at a hospice facility near Vero Beach, Fla., where she lived. She was 62. Known as Bobbie, the British native was a skilled copy editor and news editor who was an unfailingly sunny presence in Variety‘s newsroom for nearly 13

Guy Ritchie, who directed Disney’s “Aladdin” in 2019, is set to direct the upcoming live-action adaptation of the 1997 film “Hercules,” Variety has confirmed. As Variety previously reported, “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo’s AGBO is producing the film being developed by Disney, which hired action specialist Dave Callaham to write a first draft.

The title of Rose Troche’s film, “My Fake Boyfriend,” may be clunky, but it captures the outrageous premise of this latest gay romantic comedy. When stuntman Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale, of “Love, Simon” fame) is stuck in a toxic relationship with a self-absorbed narcissist, his best friend Jake and his girlfriend Kelly (Dylan Sprouse and Sarah

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump commanded the attention of the audience inside the New World Center Performance Hall in Miami Beach for the kickoff to the 2022 American Black Film Festival on Wed. June 15, where he took the stage to introduce “Civil,” the upcoming Netflix documentary about his life and work. “I keep getting

A cheering crowd at France’s Annecy Festival got a sneak peek at the hugely anticipated sequel to French family hit “Ernest and Célestine” on Thursday. It was not disappointed- “Ernest and Célestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” is slated for release in France in December, nearly a decade after the multi-prized original, which scored an Academy

ESPN Films has acquired worldwide rights to the documentary “Fate of a Sport,” Variety has learned exclusively. The deal was struck ahead of the film’s world premiere on Wednesday at the annual Tribeca Film Festival. Directed by Michael Doneger and written by Dan Crane, the expansive sports story was produced by Matt Tolmach (of the “Jumanji”

For a film featuring bloody interspecies warfare, rampant murder and mutilation, a pessimistic treatise on environmental pollution and (maybe) the end of the world — all crammed into just 77 minutes — “Smoking Causes Coughing” feels both rather jaunty and entirely inconsequential. That would be surprising if it came from anyone but Quentin Dupieux, the

French film great Jean-Louis Trintignant, best known for his roles in “A Man and a Woman,” “Z,” and “The Conformist,” died Friday. He was 91. Trintignant died at his home in southern France, his wife, Marianne, and agent told the Agence France-Presse. Trintignant was more recently known for roles in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “Red” and for

Many in Hollywood value golden statues, but some put more value into the golden rule: treat others as you want to be treated. The folks who run the Motion Picture Television Fund take the notion of caring for their colleagues to heart, lending a helping hand to industry members who need extra assistance during difficult

In the reboot of “Father of the Bride,” now streaming on HBO Max, costume designer Caroline Eselin knew that she wasn’t going to emulate either of the previous incarnations of the film when it came to creating the wedding dress worn by Sofia (Adria Arjona). Instead, she drew inspiration from the new movie’s Miami setting

The Motion Picture & Television Fund, celebrating its 100th anniversary, might be the most active, admired — and most misunderstood — organization in Hollywood. Silent screen star Mary Pickford started the philanthropic org under the name Motion Picture Relief Fund (it was renamed in 1971). Over the century, entertainment’s biggest heavyweights gave support. In 1965,

“Top Gun: Maverick” has roared past the $800 million mark at the global box office, and by crossing that milestone it now ranks as the highest-grossing film in Tom Cruise’s storied career. The long-gestating sequel to “Top Gun,” the 1986 aeronautics action flick that solidified Cruise’s place on the A-list, has now passed “Mission: Impossible

Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” blasted off with a respectable $5.2 million in Thursday previews. The film, a spinoff of the “Toy Story” franchise, looks at the fictional astronaut character who was in a movie that inspired the Buzz Lightyear action figure who enchanted Andy and who later became BFFs with Woody (got that?). But this

Dennis Quaid,  Lucy Liu, Gabrielle Union and Jaboukie Young-White have joined the key voice cast of “Strange World,” the upcoming adventure film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and scheduled to be released on Nov. 23. Directed by “Big Hero 6” helmer Don Hall, rolling off the success of “Raya and the Last Dragon,” and written

Indian actor Anil Kapoor, known globally for his roles in “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” has a raft of projects lined up. First up is Viacom18 Studios and Dharma Productions’ “Jug Jugg Jeeyo,” directed by Raj Mehta (“Good Newwz”), which is due a June 24 release. The film follows a father and

James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson are being accorded BFI Fellowships, the highest honor bestowed by the British Film Institute. The fellowships will be presented at the BFI chair’s dinner, hosted by BFI chair Tim Richards, on June 28. For Eon Productions, Broccoli and Wilson have overseen the Bond franchise for nearly

The ongoing situation in Ukraine, international co-productions and an examination of post-COVID audience tastes are on the agenda at the 33rd Sunny Side of the Doc. The international marketplace for documentary and narrative experiences held annually at La Rochelle, France, is back as an in-person event this year following two pandemic-caused online editions. With Russia’s

France’s animation industry is thriving, according to the latest figures published by the country’s national film center, the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée), during the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival. The country’s animation production levels in 2021 were the second highest ever, at 357 hours of programs, surpassed only by 2006, which reported 395 hours. French

Studiocanal has signed a film output deal with Scanbox Entertainment, one of the Nordics’ leading all-rights distribution banner. The pact will see Studiocanal’s current slate of films released in the Nordics, including Cédric Klapisch’s “Rise” (pictured), Claude Zidi Jr.’s comedy “Tenor,” Eric Lartigau’s coming-of-age story “This One Summer” based on the New York Times bestseller

Beta Cinema will handle international sales on “The Fox,” a drama about an Austrian soldier and his friendship with a wounded fox cub, set during World War II. Alamode Filmverleih will release the film in German-speaking territories in early 2023. The film is directed by Adrian Goiginger, whose directorial debut “The Best of All Worlds”

What happens when you want to go back to nature, only to find that nature is not at all welcoming? If you’re the midlife-crisis-beset Martin (Rasmus Bjerg), the hangdog protagonist of “Wild Men,” you might figure that after 10 days of trying to rough it in the wild as a landlocked Viking, it would be

The VIEW Conference will host a virtual talk with the filmmakers behind Pixar’s “Lightyear” on Tuesday, June 28, and has announced the first speakers for its largely in-person event in Turin, Italy, from Oct. 16-21. The free PreVIEW online event features director Angus MacLane, producer Galyn Susman, animation supervisor David DeVan and simulation and tailoring