Movies

As the days stretch on without any word of a China release for “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” there are increasingly slim odds that residents of the world’s largest film market will get to see Marvel’s first Asian superhero on the big screen. Those odds have grown slimmer still after jingoistic social

The changing of the legacy guard in Hollywood continues in a business focused on prioritizing content for streaming customers. Last week, we learned that seasoned studio chief Jim Gianopulos, who for decades has been shepherding big, successful theatrical movies, was being pushed out after four years as chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures in favor

Jaime King, Antonio Banderas and Tommy Flanagan have joined the cast of “Banshee,” an action film from director Jon Keeyes. The film follows a freelance assassin, codenamed Banshee (King), who is ambushed by Anthony Greene (Flanagan), a powerful mercenary who killed her father, and who is now seeking to collect a bounty on Caleb (Banderas),

With all due respect to the streamers who kept us distracted during the pandemic, movies were meant to be seen on the big screen, in the company of others and, ideally, debated and dissected with fellow cinephiles as we exit the theater. Cautiously reopening megaplexes have restored that experience to some degree, although film festivals

How do you make a movie about colorful televangelist and gay icon Tammy Faye Bakker without veering into caricature? That was the challenge for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” costume designer Mitchell Travers and star and producer Jessica Chastain, who were united in their vision for the look of the film. “We never wanted it

Dianne Doan has joined the cast of “Reunion.” The film centers on a murder that takes place during a high school reunion party and has already attracted a cast of comedy heavyweights and in-demand actors. Doan will appear alongside Lil Rel Howery, Billy Magnussen, Jillian Bell, Nina Dobrev, Jamie Chung, Michael Hitchcock and Chace Crawford.

Max Harwood is a self-proclaimed “theater geek” living the dream. Not long ago, he went to see one of London’s hottest musicals, “Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.” Loosely based on the documentary “Jamie: Drag Queen at 16,” the show (with music by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae) tells the story of

Prominent Italian thesps Toni Servillo (“The Great Beauty”) and Silvio Orlando, who plays Cardinal Voiello in “The Young Pope,” had never had a chance to share the screen before director Leonardo Di Costanzo cast them – respectively as a prison guard captain and an incarcerated Mafia boss – in his prison drama “The Inner Cage.”

STREAMING Netflix has unveiled a release date for its first Spanish Original reality show “Insiders,” which will premiere around the world on Oct. 21. Hosted by “Money Heist” actor Najwa Nimri (“Locked Up,” “Open Your Eyes”), the show has been billed as something completely new to the reality landscape in which its contestants believe, through

Maria Schrader’s screwball romantic comedy “I’m Your Man” (“Ich Bin Dein Mensch”) has been selected as Germany’s contender for the Academy Award for the best international feature film. The film’s premise is that of a scientist who, in order to obtain research funds, agrees to live for three weeks with a humanoid robot specifically engineered

As the end of the first decade of the Finnish Film Affair nears, the industry event’s director, Maria Pirkkalainen, who also heads Nordic Flair, notes its phenomenal growth, with more than 200 Finnish film projects showcased, more than 500 international guests brought to Helsinki, and the establishment of a major platform and networking forum for

Helsinki International Film Festival – Love & Anarchy’s return to live, in-person screenings is an occasion for national celebration, says Anna Möttölä, the executive director of the event, now marking its 34th edition. While cinemas in Helsinki must still be limited to 50% capacity for pandemic precaution reasons, screenings of hot new titles such as

Robert Pattinson and H.E.R. are helping the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures open its doors. The two are co-chairs, along with museum director and president Bill Kramer and Vanity Fair’s senior west coast editor Britt Hennemuth and , of Premiere, a party on Sept. 29 to celebrate the opening of the Los Angeles museum. Invites

Stacey Snider has run major movie studios and a very well-heeled independent production company over her long career in Hollywood. Now for the first time, she’s working for herself as a partner with Elisabeth Murdoch and producer Jane Featherstone in Sister. The executive, who has steered Universal Pictures, DreamWorks and 20th Century Fox is now

In 1985, after thousands of gay men had died of AIDS in the U.S., Tammy Faye Bakker interviewed an openly gay pastor with HIV/AIDS named Steve Pieters on a national Christian television program. “How sad that we as Christians, who are supposed to love everyone, are so afraid of an AIDS patient that we will

Since launching her YouTube channel in 2009, Claudia Sulewski has taken the digital world by storm. At 18, the then-beauty vlogger was named the host of Teen Vogue’s official YouTube channel in 2015. Since then, she’s transitioned into acting. Sulewski recently landed her biggest acting role to date, playing Becca in writer-director James Morosini’s “I

Disney’s “Shang-Chi” is heading for a box office three-peat. The Marvel superhero adventure, starring Simu Liu and Awkwafina, is projected to generate roughly $17 million between Friday and Sunday, which would represent a decline of around 50% from the weekend prior. Though two new movies — Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” and “Copshop” with Gerard Butler

Maija Isola, who died in 2001, was a Finnish designer of printed textiles. She created more than 500 patterns, including home furnishings and fashion company Marimekko’s most iconic print, “Unikko” (“Poppy”), in 1964 – ironically enough, right after the company’s founder Armi Ratia declared a ban on flower patterns. But a new Finnish-German production tries

“Boys State,” “Dick Johnson Is Dead,” The Social Dilemma,” and “76 Days” all won Emmys last weekend during the Creative Arts ceremonies, but they share another distinction: They are the last documentaries able to win a statuette from the Television Academy for the same nonfiction film that successfully qualified for Academy Award consideration. The Television

The Hamptons Intl. Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave” on Oct. 7 and buzzy titles including Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer” as the Saturday centerpiece film and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” in the additional spotlight selection. The in-person festival ends Oct. 13 with Wes Anderson’s “French

Finnish writer-director Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, born in Mogadishu, continues to enjoy his first feature’s successful festival run. Screening this week in Toronto, “The Gravedigger’s Wife” premiered at Cannes Critics’ Week in July. “We finished the shoot in 2019. We were invited to Cannes last year, but decided to wait for better times,” explains the helmer.

Negotiations between the studios and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees have reached a “critical juncture,” the union’s president told members on Wednesday. The union’s 13 West Coast locals appear to be headed toward a strike authorization vote, as negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers have dragged on with little

A who’s who of some of the most famous faces among the Hollywood’s Asian diaspora turned out to support writer, director and actor Justin Chon at the Los Angeles premiere of his buzzed-about new film “Blue Bayou,” including Awkwafina, Benedict Wong, Jimmy O. Yang, Harry Shum, Jr., Manny Jacinto and George Takei. Chong told Variety

Fresh off Juho Kuosmanen’s win at Cannes – where his “Compartment No. 6” was awarded the Grand Prix in July, sharing the prize with Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero” – Finland’s Aamu Film Company will focus its attention on Tia Kouvo’s “Family Time,” scheduled to shoot in February and March 2022. Produced by Jussi Rantamäki and

Amazon Studios has closed a first-look deal with Nnamdi Asomugha, who produced and starred in the Amazon film “Sylvie’s Love,” as well as his company iAm21 Entertainment. Asomugha will develop and produce projects for both theatrical and Amazon Prime Video premieres.  Asomugha is a former professional football player, having been a cornerback for the Oakland

LeBron James’ content company SpringHill is in advanced talks to secure a significant strategic investment from a consortium including Fenway Sports Group, RedBird Capital and Nike, insiders told Variety. While the NBA legend and his longtime business partner Maverick Carter have expressly told potential suitors they are not looking for a full acquisition, sources said

A selection of Russian films will screen in-person during the Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF) through a collaboration with the new Russian Film Festival, part of an effort by both governments to promote Russian cinema in China and cultural exchange. The Chinese festival is set to run from Sept. 17 to Sept. 30 as an

Will Smith starrer “King Richard” will close the AFI Fest on Nov. 14 at the TCL Chinese Theatre, the American Film Institute announced Wednesday. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, the film follows Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, and his life raising the champion athletes. AFI graduate Robert Elswit is cinematographer on

Bryce Dallas Howard is set to direct and produce Walt Disney Studios’ reboot of “Flight of the Navigator,” which reimagines the original 1986 film with a female lead. The new movie, which marks Howard’s feature directorial debut, is slated to premiere exclusively on Disney Plus. The original “Flight of the Navigator” was directed by Randal

Endeavor defied its critics and the odds by successfully pulling off a public offering in April, but the company — a hodgepodge of live-events brands and talent representation — is facing major obstacles navigating the global pandemic and encountering resentment among select players who feel left out in the cold. While Endeavor’s stock has overperformed