Movies

As far as titles go, you can’t accuse Jeremy Elkin’s “All the Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip-Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997)” of false advertising. Tracing the two youth cultures as they dance around one another and finally intersect on the streets of New York City throughout the decade, the director gathers an astonishing amount

The Oscar season may not have officially begun, but three talented leading men — Nicolas Cage (“Pig“), Matt Damon (“Stillwater“) and Winston Duke (“Nine Days“) — are all delivering awards-worthy performances in three very unconventional movies. Likely to face an uphill battle on the awards circuit, the right campaign and support from critics could help

The first import to break through China’s nearly two-month political moratorium on foreign films apparently won’t be “Black Widow” or “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Instead, Beijing is opening its doors to an unlikely contender for August: a little-known British Christmas film about a cat. “A Christmas Gift From Bob” — a seasonal, feel-good sequel

According to a source familiar with the matter, a Lionsgate documentary about Bill Cosby is not moving forward. The documentary had been in the works for years, and gained attention since Cosby’s release from prison in late June. But now, the company has killed it. A spokesperson for Lionsgate did not respond to Variety’s request

Gerard Butler filed a lawsuit on Friday alleging he is owed at least $10 million in backend compensation for the 2013 action film “Olympus Has Fallen.” Butler sued Nu Image/Millennium Films, claiming that the producer had understated domestic and foreign receipts by tens of millions of dollars and had failed to report $8 million that

The Walt Disney Company is requiring that their salaried and non-union U.S. employees get vaccinated before returning to work. “At The Walt Disney Company, the safety and well-being of our employees during the pandemic has been and continues to be a top priority,” the company said in a statement. “Toward that end, and based on

Tom Hanks will enter the jewel-box world of Wes Anderson. The Oscar-winning “Forest Gump” star will play a cameo role in the director’s next, as-yet untitled effort. He will play an unspecified minor role, joining a cast of heavyweights that includes Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray and Adrian Brody. It marks the first collaboration between Hanks

Composer James Newton Howard is no stranger to action films. He’s done dozens of them, from “The Fugitive” and “King Kong” to “The Hunger Games” and “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” But it’s probably safe to say he’d never faced a challenge quite like Disney’s “Jungle Cruise,” opening July 30. With Dwayne Johnson

Epic legal battles almost never get this massive. But on Thursday, one of the biggest stars in Hollywood sued the biggest entertainment company on the planet, sending shockwaves across an entertainment landscape already reeling from months of disruptions and shifting paradigms. In one corner, Scarlett Johansson, who claims that the Walt Disney Company has cheated

Not all films are tested with audiences, but when the process is effective, it can help filmmakers clarify and hone a movie’s message. That was the case with Tom McCarthy’s “Stillwater,” which utilized audience feedback to help editor Tom McArdle shape the opening moments of the drama, which opens July 30 in theaters. Matt Damon

Of his many accomplishments, Benedict Wong can be credited with making librarians cool. As the character of Wong in “Doctor Strange” and other Marvel movies, he perfectly embodies the smart, sly Master of the Mystic Arts. Soon audiences can catch the actor in “Nine Days,” a sci-fi offering from Edson Oda, set to hit theaters

Even Val Kilmer doesn’t consider the movie he produced about his life to be a documentary. “Val,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival this month and begins streaming on Amazon Prime Video Aug. 6, traces his career from his “Top Gun” breakthrough to recent health struggles, incorporating footage from Kilmer’s vast personal archive into

Variety will bestow its Intl. Achievement in Film Award on Alberto Barbera and La Biennale di Venezia at a ceremony at the Venice Film Festival next month. It is the first time that Variety is honoring an organization with this laurel. Barbera, who has been the topper of the festival since 2012, extended his contract

Amanda Knox, an American exchange student who spent nearly four years in Italian prison for the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher before being acquitted in 2015, was the inspiration for the just-released “Stillwater,” starring Matt Damon and directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy. Although “Stillwater” spins a fictitious story, McCarthy has not been

“Authenticity” is the holy grail for a certain type of narrative filmmaking. Specifically, films that make a virtue of depicting poor people and the “issues” they face. Quite often, an improvisational, doc-style aesthetic helps cement the idea that we’re just peering in. Gaining a privileged insight into “real lives.” But it bears stating that such

The legal and public relations battle between Scarlett Johansson and the Walt Disney Company escalated on Friday morning as the actress’ talent agency rose to her defense and slammed the media conglomerate for leaking her salary in “an attempt to weaponize her success as an artist and businesswoman.” The move comes less than 24 hours

No man is an island, but for 29 years, until his final surrender in 1974, Hiroo Onoda came as close as any man could. Leading an ever-dwindling band of Japanese holdouts who refused to believe their nation had lost the war, Onoda continued to carry out minor guerrilla attacks on the residents of the small

Russell Crowe has taken the reins as director of upcoming thriller “Poker Face.” Applying strict COVID-safe Guidelines, filming is now taking place on location around Sydney, Australia, and at the city’s Fox Studios. Set in the world of high stakes poker and international finance, Crowe stars as a tech billionaire caught in a risky card

An unfortunate incident involving a sick dog sparks a heated confrontation on a Bucharest subway, setting off an increasingly bizarre series of events when a cellphone video of the argument goes viral. Before long a well-meaning bank worker has her life turned upside-down, as the growing hostility on social media spills over into the real

Marseille-based Films de Force Majeure has boarded “Blue Banks,” the buzzy feature debut from Romania’s Andreea Cristina Borțun, whose latest short film “When Night Meets Dawn” premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight section, Variety can reveal. Pic is the story of a single mother trying to raise her son in a poor Romanian

Fernando León de Aranoa’s “The Good Boss,” starring Javier Bardem, Alejandro Amenábar’s first drama series “La Fortuna,” and Carlos Saura’s “Rosa Rosae. A Civil War Elegy” head a robust Spanish presence at September’s San Sebastian Film Festival. Also in the mix are new films from Jonás Trueba, Iciar Bollaín and Paco Plaza, all playing in

STREAMING “Schumacher,” a documentary on champion German Formula 1 racing driver Michael Schumacher, will stream on Netflix from Sept. 15. The film follows his journey from his humble beginnings to the top of Formula 1 where he dominated with seven world championship titles and a total of 91 victories. In addition to his father and

If Patricia Highsmith had ever written a coming-of-age story set on the rocky, clear-watered Croatian coastline, it might have looked a lot like Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović’s bright, brooding debut, “Murina,” which quietly, with a sinister Adriatic sparkle, makes the compelling case that even without labyrinthine murder plots or hard-bitten private eyes, a young girl’s passage

Following the opening of all their cinemas in June 2021, Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld has revealed that it has secured $200 million of incremental loans maturing in May 2024 from a group of its existing lenders. “The New Debt Facility does not have a material impact on the group’s weighted average cost of debt,” the

“This Sceptred Isle” star Greta Bellamacina has been cast as the lead in Italian-U.K. film “Commedia,” produced by Cane Pezzato. Helmed by Italian film and theater director Riccardo Vannuccini, the feature is intended as an homage to renowned Italian filmmaker Marco Ferreri (“Storie di ordinaria follia,” “The House of Smiles”). Set as a “film within

Matthew D. Loeb was re-elected to a fourth full term as international president of IATSE on Thursday, winning the post without opposition after a tumultuous year for the entertainment union. Loeb has held the post for 13 years. He was re-elected by acclamation along with a slate of officers, including General Secretary-Treasurer James B. Wood

Adam Driver and Lady Gaga shine as Mr. and Mrs. Gucci in the trailer for “House of Gucci,” hitting theaters on Nov. 24. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, details the assassination of Maurizio Gucci (Driver) and the downfall of the Gucci family fashion dynasty. Gaga plays socialite Patrizia Reggiani, Maurizio’s ex-wife who was tried

Entertainment One announced that Jillian Share will join the company as co-president of production in the film division on Aug. 2.  Share will work with current president of film production Zev Forman to oversee the division’s day to day activities and expand the studio’s development and production of films based on IP from Hasbro brands,

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year

“What difference can one song make?” asks “Vivo,” a super-saturated, instant-classic musical cartoon from Kirk DeMicco, director of “The Croods,” featuring a whole bunch of catchy new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda — a man who’s spent his career proving just how impactful clever music can be. In fact, it was Miranda who made Disney’s “Moana”