Movies

Californian Uber driver Annette breaks down in tears at the wheel of the car she can scarcely afford to fill with gas. In Lagos, Mitchell rarely sleeps through the night for fear of missing out on one of the more lucrative online tasks listed on Mechanical Turk. In Paris, Leila tries to wrangle backpay for

“Only in our forest can you sleep in peace,” says Davi Kopenawa, a shaman and elder of the Yanomami community — the indigenous population of the rainforest terrain on the Brazilian-Venezuelan border. His words, enticing as they sound, aren’t an invitation to visitors, but a warning to his own. As the Yanomami’s unchanged, elemental way

Jessica Beshir’s mesmeric Sundance hit “Faya Dayi” won big at Visions du Réel on Saturday, scooping both its top Grand Jury Prize as well as a Fipresci International Critics Award. The prize – and Beshir’s surprised but ecstatic acceptance via Zoom from New York – brought to a climax a festival which, as director Emile

Three crew members from the production of French comedy “Serial (Bad) Weddings 3” died in a car accident on Friday night. A fourth crew member is currently in critical condition. The events were first reported by local newspaper La Nouvelle Republique. The three crew members — whose names are still unknown but who are aged

As Hollywood gears up to celebrate the best in film at this Sunday’s Oscars, another awards show — The Razzies — is honoring the worst. Sia’s feature directorial debut, “Music,” which drew backlash for its portrayal of people with autism, was the big winner — or shall we say, loser — of the night. The

This year, the Academy Awards will not allow acceptance speeches on Zoom, but that doesn’t mean you can’t virtually gather with your friends to watch the Oscars. However, before you unmute to discuss the best and worst red carpet looks and groan about what will win versus what should win, take a few minutes to

SPOILER WARNING: Do not read if you have not seen “Mortal Kombat,” available now in theaters and on HBO Max. Director Simon McQuoid’s “Mortal Kombat” builds the groundwork for what could be a gory action franchise, and star Joe Taslim already told Variety that he’s signed up for four more movies if Warner Bros. decides

Between the releases of HBO’s “Mortal Kombat” and casting hype for adaptations of “The Last of Us” and “Borderlands,” videos games adaptations are having a moment. Despite some notable missteps, recent entries into video game movie canon like “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” and “Sonic the Hedgehog” suggest Hollywood versions of beloved franchises may be leveling up.

“Mortal Kombat” and “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba” are locked in a fierce battle for box office dominance. “Demon Slayer” has a slight edge at this point, earning $9.5 million from 1,598 locations on Friday. The Funimation and Aniplex of America release is based on an anime series and enters the U.S. after enjoying huge

The unexpected Academy Award run of “My Octopus Teacher,” Netflix’s hit, heartfelt documentary about a filmmaker’s unlikely relationship with an octopus living off the coast of South Africa, marks a rare Oscar nomination for an African documentary. But perhaps it should come as no surprise. These are widely hailed as boom times for documentary filmmaking,

Novelist Michael Chabon has issued a lengthy apology for not speaking up sooner about producer Scott Rudin’s abuses, saying that he witnessed Rudin mistreat his staff but kept quiet about it because he accepted that was how Hollywood worked. “I’m ashamed,” Chabon wrote on Medium. “I regret, and I want to apologize for, my part

Cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen is used to working with non-traditional filmmaking techniques, methods and in unique environments. In fact, it’s kind of her thing. Over the last decade, the Norwegian film director and cinematographer has solved innovative tech challenges with and for David Attenborough, the rock band Queen, Apollo11’s 50th-anniversary installation for NASA and was a

Charles “Chuck” Fries, the longtime film and TV producer who helped introduce the TV movie concept and shepherded films including “Cat People,” died April 22. He was 92. Over his six decade-plus career, he participated in the production of more than 5,000 episodes of television, 140 television movies and mini-series and more than 40 theatrical

Variety and the African American Film Critics Association closed out the second edition of the Micheaux Project educational program with LAUSD’s Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) by hosting a virtual red carpet that drew comedian and “Let’s Make a Deal” host Wayne Brady, “Black Lighting” star Jordan Calloway and other actors, filmmakers and

Looks like Captain America is taking to the sky. Marvel Studios has tapped “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” head writer Malcolm Spellman to write the screenplay for a new “Captain America” movie, with “FAWS” staff writer Dalan Musson. There are no further details about the possible project, but the news comes the same day

It was a good year to run a streaming service. Netflix co-CEOs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos earned $43.2 million and $39.3 million, respectively, in 2020, representing sizable pay increases for the two men. Hastings, who also serves as the company’s chairman, earned $38.6 million in 2019 and $36 million in 2018. Sarandos, who helped

After last year’s cancellation, the Cannes Film Festival is expected to be back with a bang in July. Even with a small supply of U.S. films, the 2021 edition should be in no shortage of major auteurs, female directors and glamorous stars. In addition to the already announced fest opener “Annette,” Leos Carax’s musical romance

Chinese censors may search content obsessively for what they deem to be objectionable material, but they apparently don’t consider a film’s off-screen controversy quite as closely. At a time when China is booting major films like “Nomadland” or “Monster Hunter” from cinemas for perceived “insults to China,” its authorities have green lit Woody Allen’s troubled

With a few infamous blunders, it may seem that good video game films and TV shows are few and far between. There’s no question that these screen adaptions quickly become major events for fans, even if some veer into so-bad-it’s-good territory. However, pleasant surprises in the form of movies like “Pokémon: Detective Pikachu” have warmed

As it continues to produce highend films and TV programs that examine the wonders of the natural world, science and history, Terra Mater Factual Studios is also seeking to broaden its audience and educate viewers about the precarious state of life on Earth. Whether it’s the poaching of endangered African elephants for China’s illicit ivory

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Terra Mater Factual Studios looks back on an eventful decade that made its name synonymous with high-end nature and wildlife productions, while also embracing the ever-expanding opportunities offered by the growth of streaming platforms. The Austrian company’s productions include Kief Davidson and Richard Ladkani’s acclaimed “The Ivory Game,” which

Catherine Zeta-Jones isn’t nervous about the 93rd Academy Awards. Despite the quarantine and scaled-back festivities, the actresses thinks the 2021’s broadcast will be “a milestone.” She would know, the multi-nominated actress has not only taken home the Oscar gold, but performed for millions on the Dolby stage, twice… once while pregnant. “I was pregnant but

The worst thing actor and comedian Patti Harrison has ever done dates back to when she was 5 years old and  attempted to get a kid into trouble at school so that she could go home early to read a book that had just arrived. “If it would have worked, I would truly have become

Cartoon Saloon, the Oscar-nominated Irish independent animation studio behind Apple TV Plus’ “Wolfwalkers,” has signed with CAA. Formed by creative heads Tomm Moore, Nora Twomey and Paul Young in 1999, the five-time Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy-nominated studio will now be represented by the agency. “Wolfwalkers,” directed by Moore and Ross Stewart, is nominated

NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell took in $16.5 million in total compensation, while his boss, Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts raked in a staggering $32.7 million. The generous pay packages come despite the fact that much of NBCUniversal’s business of making and distributing movies and turning those properties into theme park rides was disrupted by

Set on a forgotten Russian island in the Caspian Sea and playing out like a window to another world, doc feature “Ostrov – Lost Island” has been acquired for world sales by London-based Taskovski Films. Premiering at Swiss doc fest Visions du Reél in its main International Feature Film Competition, the documentary chronicles a community

Sony Pictures Classics has swooped for Pedro Almodóvar’s Penelope Cruz-fronted “Madres paralelas” in North America, Australia and New Zealand. Production on the film began last month in Madrid, Spain, and sees the Spanish auteur reuniting with Cruz, a frequent collaborator who most recently starred in “Pain and Glory” opposite Antonio Banderas. Cruz will be joined

Italian directors Alice Rohrwacher (“Happy as Lazzaro”), Pietro Marcello (“Martin Eden”) and Francesco Munzi (“Black Souls”) have teamed up on high-profile doc “Futura,” a portrait of how Italy’s adolescents look at the future. “Futura,” which is being co-produced by pubcaster RAI’s RAI Cinema film unit with Marcello’s own Avventurosa shingle, is billed as a “collective

The Hindi-language film industry, popularly known as Bollywood, is displaying its resilience after being hit by yet another COVID-enforced pause. India is currently in the throes of the pandemic with 330,000 new COVID-19 cases everyday, with upward of 2,200 daily deaths. The western Indian state of Maharashtra, home to Mumbai and Bollywood, is amongst the

Copenhagen-based Final Cut for Real CEO Signe Byrge Sørensen might be unassuming and soft-spoken, but her vision, will power and fire for urgent stories have made her a world-class producer. Her documentary credits boast countless festival hits and accolades, including two Oscar-nominated films, “The Act of Killing” (2014) and “The Look of Silence” (2016), to