Movies

Beatrix Potter’s beloved literary character Peter Rabbit suffered from a bit of an identity crisis in his contemporized big-screen debut. In 2018’s “Peter Rabbit,” his headstrong, mischievous spirit didn’t bear more than a passing resemblance to the fundamental virtues the author had fused into her expansive children’s book series. He was reckless, arrogant and downright wicked, barely

Adam Wingard left it all on the field. Despite the challenges of setting up an epic fight between two of the most famous monsters in movie history, the “Godzilla vs. Kong” director insists that there isn’t some four-hour long, Snyder Cut version just waiting to be released. So sorry kaiju fans, the film that will

Halle Berry is set to take on “Our Man from New Jersey,” starring opposite Mark Wahlberg in the upcoming spy movie for Netflix. Wahlberg will also produce the film, working alongside Stephen Levinson, following last year’s successful launch of “Spenser Confidential” at the streamer. The film’s script comes from screenwriter David Guggenheim (“Safe House,” “Designated

Praised for its immersive approach to mapping out a drummer’s confrontation with hearing loss, writer-director Darius Marder’s “Sound of Metal,” now contending for six Academy Awards, features a singularly story-driven use of sound. Part of that sonic alchemy proudly bears a “Made in Mexico” stamp. The film is nominated for best sound, and three of

As moviegoing slowly begins to rebound in the U.S., it appears Hollywood studios aren’t yet ready to release their biggest blockbuster hopefuls on the big screen. All that is to say Disney has massively overhauled its upcoming slate and amended release plans for “Black Widow,” Emma Stone’s “Cruella,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten

Tyler Perry has found the stars for his passion project “A Jazzman’s Blues,” casting Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer in the lead roles for the film, which Perry wrote 26 years ago. “I have waited a quarter of a century to tell this story and now is the perfect time and Netflix is the perfect

A holiday-themed romantic comedy centered on gay men is coming to Netflix from Michael Mayer, the Tony Award-winning director of the Broadway sensation “Spring Awakening.” In a genre that has seen increased calls for inclusion, the ensemble project “Single All the Way” boasts beloved actors of pop culture sensations past and a pedigreed filmmaking team.

In trying to explain why 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long would walk into three Atlanta-area massage spas on March 16 and shoot eight people, including six women of Asian descent, law enforcement officials cited the shooter’s self-reported motivation as “sexual addiction,” not one of racial hatred. But amid a yearlong backdrop of anti-Asian sentiment fueled by

Producer Ted Hope will co-lead a new entertainment and creative industries program at Arizona State University. The program, which offers a Master of Arts in Global Affairs and Management in the Creative Industries (MGCI), is powered by ASU’s Thunderbird School of Global Management in collaboration with the Sidney Poitier New American Film School. The graduate

Hot Docs, one of the world’s leading documentary festivals, has unveiled its full lineup. The event, which runs online from April 29-May 9, will present 219 films from 66 countries across 12 programs, with 50% of the directors in the program being women. The opening film will be “A.rtificial I.mmortality,” in which director Ann Shin

Director Giovani Borba’s “Empty House,” produced by Tatiana Sager at Brazil’s Panda Filmes, stands out among this year’s packed Sanfic Industria Work in Progress sidebar, not so much for its unique proposition – there are at least two other films which share many of its neo-Western sensibilities – but for its execution and exceptional visuals.

“(Im)Patient” (“El Pa(de)ciente”), the Sanfic Work in Progress entry by Chile’s Constanza Fernandez, deals with a universal hot button issue, health care. The drama follows an elderly but fit doctor who is suddenly hospitalized with the little-understood Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare disorder whereby a body’s immune system attacks the nerves. He begins to record his experience

Buenos Aires-based FilmSharks Int’l has nabbed worldwide rights to Daniel Werner’s feature debut, erotic thriller “Bandit Love” (“Amor Bandido”), after it screened at Argentine indie film festival Bafici, where it garnered both audience and critical acclaim. “This slow burn thriller, disguised as an illicit romance, surprised everyone at its Bafici premiere and critics went mad.

Threatened that she has to pay off the money she owes or face the consequences, Julia, a singer, leaves the restaurant where she’s performed and drives to her former home in a leafy working class tenement block in Posadas, northern Argentina, on the sweeping Paraná river. There she plans to reclaim the stash of money

In “Darkness by Day,” Argentine Martin Desalvo‘s 2013 breakthrough, a reported rabies outbreak gradually creeps nearer to two women cousins, stuck in their isolated family home. Violence will let reign, but for most of its going, Desalvo seems more interested on building tension and the relationship between the two women. Eight years later, Desalvo returns

One of Southern Europe’s fastest growing industry events, Spain’s Malaga Festival is pushing back its industry centerpiece Spanish Screenings from June in order to be able to celebrate an on-site event. “Last year and this, we’ve learnt not to make [longterm] plans. We don’t have a definitive date but it could be this fall, though everybody’s

French multi-hyphenate Amanda Sthers (“Holy Lands”) has recruited the U.K.’s Kelly Reilly, Italy’s Pierfrancesco Favino and France’s Jean Reno for English-language romantic drama “Promises,” set in Italy and London, which started shooting in Rome on Monday. Based on Sthers’ novel by the same title, “Promises” turns on an unfulfilled love affair between Alexander, played by

Jason Kothari, Hong Kong-born entrepreneur and film producer who was an executive producer on Vin Diesel-starring  “Bloodshot,” has acquired all rights to The Silent Flute, the spiritual martial arts project co-written by martial arts icon Bruce Lee in 1970. The project is to be set up as a limited series with John Fusco (“Marco Polo”) as

A new version of the Don Quixote yarn will be tilting at U.K. box office windmills soon. London-based international sales outfit The Mise En Scène Company (MSC) has secured a U.K. distribution deal with Signature Entertainment for “The True Don Quixote.” The film is a modern adaptation of the classic Cervantes novel from 1605 but

The Cineworld Group will reopen its U.S. Regal Cinemas Apr. 2 with a limited release for “Godzilla vs. Kong,” and a wider release planned for “Mortal Kombat” from Apr. 16. The U.K., the group’s second biggest market, will reopen in May, according to government guidance. Indoor cinemas in the U.K. are due to reopen May

The New Zealand International Film Festival, normally held in mid-year, will shift to new dates later in 2021. It plans to operate as an in-cinema event in October, November and December. The move reflects an anticipated improvement in coronavirus conditions by the fourth quarter of the year. It also helps avoid a dates clash with

Ray Fisher is disputing comments made by WarnerMedia Studios CEO Ann Sarnoff regarding the investigation into Fisher’s allegations of misconduct on the “Justice League” set. Fisher has alleged that Warner Bros. executives attempted to impede the investigation of racially biased behavior regarding the film, which director Joss Whedon took over after original director Zack Snyder

Shenzhen-listed Wanda Film announced this week that its CEO and director Liu Xiaobin has resigned. The announcement was made five days after it emerged that parent company Wanda Group has given up its majority stake in U.S. cinema chain AMC Entertainment. Liu, a 20-year Wanda veteran, is also stepping down from his position as a

Seth Rogen has joined Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film based on his childhood in Arizona, Variety has confirmed. Rogen will take on the role of Spielberg’s favorite uncle in the untitled film. As previously reported, Michelle Williams is in talks to play a major part as well. The search is underway to find young actors of multiple ages

Warner Bros. has announced an October 22 release date for Clint Eastwood’s latest movie, “Cry Macho.” The Western story is based on the 1975 novel by N. Richard Nash and stars Eastwood along with Eduardo Minett and Dwight Yoakam. The screenplay is written by Nash and Nick Schenk. Set in 1978, Eastwood plays a one-time

Sean Young, best known for her roles in “Blade Runner” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” has been acting in Hollywood for over 40 years — and has seen a lot. Once branded as difficult to work with and blacklisted in Hollywood, Young revealed how her career was sabotaged by a handful of “powerful, terribly vindictive men.”

Vin Diesel’s 10-year-old son, Vincent Sinclair, will appear in “Fast & Furious 9” as the younger version of Diesel’s character, Dominic Toretto. Marking Sinclair’s first role on the big screen, Variety confirmed that the actor filmed his scenes in 2019. Previously, Alex McGee played a young Dom in flashbacks in “Furious 7” back in 2015. “Fast

IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to “The Beta Test,” a new digital-age thriller that was written, directed by and starring Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe. The film was an official selection for this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. IFC will release “The Beta Test” theatrically, on digital platforms and on demand later this fall.

Introducing the “Brzrkr” on-screen universe. “Brzrkr” co-author and co-creator Keanu Reeves will star in and produce both a live-action film and anime series adaptation of his BOOM! Studios comic series for Netflix. The new projects will be an expansion on the 12-episode limited series, which originated from an idea Reeves had been developing for a

After a brutal year of pandemic-related movie theater closures, a reprieve is coming for film lovers in Texas. Alamo Drafthouse, the cinema chain known for in-theater dining, is opening a new location in east El Paso. The venue will be open and operational for staff training on March 26 before officially welcoming customers on March