Movies

When an accomplishment onscreen seems effortless, it reflects true mastery of a craft. For five costume designers of potential Oscar contenders, the weight of their undertaking — wrestling with ensemble casts and specific periods — remains undetectable on the screen. Donna Berwick’s work on director Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” about four Vietnam veterans returning

Lionsgate is laying off 15% of its motion picture group, citing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Joe Drake, chairman of the motion picture group, informed employees of the cuts on Thursday. A source said the layoffs will impact about 15% of the department. Lionsgate has about 450 employees. “While our business remains fundamentally strong,

Police arrested a man on Wednesday who is suspected of murdering actor Eddie Hassell in a robbery on Nov. 1. D’Jon Antone, 18, was arrested without incident by a fugitive task force in North Texas and police in Grand Prairie, Tex., for capital murder, according to the Grand Prairie Police Department. Antone is being held

In late August, DC Comics and Warner Bros. held a virtual convention to showcase superhero content for fans across the globe, all presented by live-stream due to the coronavirus. One of the event’s most anticipated moments involved Kristen Wiig, who stars opposite Gal Gadot in the sequel “Wonder Woman 1984.”  As the film’s villain, Wiig

New Line has paused production on Olivia Wilde’s upcoming movie “Don’t Worry Darling” after a crew member tested positive for coronavirus. The psychological thriller, which stars Florence Pugh, Chris Pine and Harry Styles, has been filming in Los Angeles since last month. The positive test was confirmed during routine testing that all production employees receive.

The Independent Film and Television Alliance is forging ahead on Nov. 9 with the 41st edition of the American Film Market with a full slate of 300 exhibitors and 200 speakers for conferences, panels, conversations, workshops and podcasts. John Cena, SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris, John Sloss, Jeffrey Greenstein and Megan Colligan are among the high-profile

Zac Efron has joined survival thriller “Gold,” an original film out of Australian streamer Stan. Shopped to buyers at next week’s American Film Market (AFM), the film turns on two strangers traveling through a desert who stumble upon the biggest gold nugget ever found. When dreams of unimaginable wealth take hold, they devise a plan

Rey, Darth Vader and Baby Yoda have the ultimate “Star Wars” crossover in the brand new trailer for the Lego holiday special on Disney Plus. In a new trailer released on Thursday, “The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special” follows Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewbacca, Rose and their droids as they commemorate Life Day, a joyous celebration

Golden Globe-winning actor Hugh Laurie (“House”) and “Game of Thrones” actor Emilia Clarke will be part of the voice cast for animated feature “The Amazing Maurice.” The voice cast also includes David Thewlis (“Wonder Woman”), Himesh Patel (“Yesterday”), Gemma Arterton (“Vita & Virginia”) and Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”). Toby Genkel (“Two by Two: Overboard!”) and

Gucci and Gus Van Sant’s collaboration is now official — and it features appearances by Harry Styles and Billie Eilish. Gucci announced Thursday morning that it will present its upcoming collection “Ouverture of Something that Never Ended” as a seven-part film series of the same name co-directed by creative director Alessandro Michele and Van Sant.

Media Luna New Films has acquired worldwide rights to Rodrigo Fiallega’s gritty Mexican drama “Ricochet,” whose star Martijn Kuiper won best actor Sunday at the Morelia Film Festival. Media Luna will present the film to buyers at the American Film Market, which starts Monday. In “Ricochet,” quiet loner Martijn leads a hermit’s life on the

Picture Tree International has picked up world sales rights on Sönke Wortmann’s latest feature “Contra.” PTI will launch the film onto the market with a first promo at AFM, which starts Monday. “Contra” had its world premiere at the 16th Zurich Film Festival, and is set for a Christmas release in German-speaking territories by Constantin

The Netflix Original Christmas movie is now a genre unto itself, its ranks expanding every year by the flimsy, tinselly dozen. What its identifying aesthetic features are — and how you might distinguish it, say, from a Hallmark or Lifetime variation — is a tough question: You’d have to remember any single one of them

Italian film critic Giona A. Nazzaro, former head of the Venice Film Festival’s Critics’ Week, has been appointed the new artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival. His appointment comes just over a month after Lili Hinstin stepped down from the role in a shock departure. A longtime Locarno fest collaborator, Nazzaro has plenty of

The Singapore International Film Festival will open with the screening of local film “Tiong Bahru Social Club” at the Shaw Lido theater. But, for social distancing reasons, the occasion will not be marked with a red carpet pageant. Throughout its 11-day stretch (Nov. 26-Dec. 6), the festival will run as a hybrid event, mixing in-person

Noomi Rapace is set to star in Netflix’s feature film adaptation of “Black Crab,” a Scandinavian action thriller set in a post-apocalyptic world, which will be directed by Adam Berg. The movie will mark Rapace’s return to Scandinavia and her native Sweden after spending the last 10 years abroad starring in films and series such

Romantic comedy “Palm Springs,” starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, will stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Netherlands, France and the U.K. Australia and New Zealand will be the first to debut the film, on Nov. 20, followed by Canada on Dec. 18. The film will stream in the Netherlands,

Elsa Raven, known for her roles in “Back to the Future” and “Amen,” died on Monday at the age of 91. Born Elsa Rabinowitz, she chose Raven as her stage name and began her career performing in New York City. She went on to find a successful career in both television and film, landing her

Due to ongoing travel restrictions, overseas guests have been in short supply at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. Malaysia’s Edmund Yeo is a rare exception. The filmmaker endured two-week quarantine in order to attend the world premiere of his “Malu,” a film which tracks a long-lasting discord between beautiful sisters, and unfolds in Malaysia

Cheryl Tiano, an agent for the Gorfaine-Schwartz Agency representing film, TV and game composers, died Monday night of complications from heart surgery. She was 59. The agency issued this statement Tuesday night: “It is with deepest sorrow that we mourn the passing of our dear friend and colleague Cheryl Tiano. Cheryl was a beloved member

The coronavirus pandemic might have shut down film and television production across the globe, with many industries still struggling to relaunch with the latest health and safety protocols, but Yianna Sarri, who heads the Thessaloniki Film Festival’s industry arm, Agora, knew there would be an upside for the annual Crossroads Co-Production Forum. “During the lockdown

Just moments into the opening sequence of Azra Deniz Okyay’s kinetic drama “Ghosts,” a voice crackles over a radio news bulletin, declaring: “Istanbul has turned into a war zone.” It’s a fittingly turbulent introduction to the writer-director’s feature debut, which charted a rough course to completion en route to winning the Grand Prize at Venice’s

With their Athens offices shuttered by the pandemic in the weeks leading up to this year’s Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival, industry head Yianna Sarri and her brain trust began holding weekly meetings at cafés in the Greek capital, social-distancing and trying to make the most of an increasingly fluid and unpredictable situation. Despite the uncertainty

Ricky Martin has been real busy during the pandemic. Not only does he have Netflix’s upcoming holiday musical film “Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” on tap, but he also started the Martin Music Lab. The company’s inaugural endeavor is Orbital Audio — immersive audio technology that turns any pair of headphones into a surround-sound experience.

The soundtrack for “True to the Game 2: Gena’s Story” will drop on Nov. 6 alongside the film’s theatrical release in select cinemas. Future, Trippie Redd, Burna Boy and Waka Flocka Flame are among the rappers that lent their talents to songs on the movie’s soundtrack. Wheezy Beatz and Manny Halley serve as executive producers

Warner Bros. has apologized after being criticized by people with disabilities over the depiction of Anne Hathaway’s character in “The Witches.” In a statement, the studio said it “regretted any offense caused.” In the recent Robert Zemeckis-directed adaptation, Hathaway’s villainous character, known as the Grand Witch, has missing fingers. Many people with disabilities pointed out that

With days to spare before the opening night of this year’s Thessaloniki Intl. Film Festival, organizers were suddenly forced to contend with a dramatic spike in coronavirus cases in Greece’s second city, prompting them to scrap plans for a hybrid edition and move entirely online. The sudden reversal, said festival director Orestis Andreadakis, was “really,

Athens-born Fokion Bogris is among the generation of Greeks who have spent most of their adult lives in the shadow of austerity measures and a seemingly never-ending economic crisis. Like many of his country’s filmmakers, the self-taught director, who turned 40 last year, continues to persevere, even as the coronavirus pandemic has compounded the challenges

Malaysia has selected art-house horror film “Soul” (aka “Roh”) as its contender in the Academy Awards best international feature film section. Set in an indeterminate period in the past, the film tells the story of the arrival a small girl who brings ominous predictions and strange incidents to a poor family living in a forest.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (pictured) has announced the imminent shutdown of all businesses across the country after 10 p.m., including restaurants, movie theaters and concert venues, as the country looks to stem a rise in coronavirus cases. Turkey tallied 2,343 new cases on Tuesday according to national health ministry data released in local media. The