Movies

A big part of what makes for a good fright is settling into the time and place of a particular story. From early horror works like “Nosferatu” to classic movies such as “Dracula” and “Frankenstein,” the realms that cinema’s scariest creatures inhabit all feel specific and full of life — even of the undead variety.

It’s the end of the world as Joel (Dylan O’Brien) knows it and, despite living in an underground bunker for seven years to evade the gigantic mutant reptiles, insects and amphibians that now roam the earth’s surface, he feels surprisingly fine. Michael Matthews’ cheerfully PG-13 adventure comedy quickly dispenses with any notional topicality threatened by

Since its inception in 2013, the Middleburg Film Festival has become a major fixture on the crowded festival circuit, offering four days of films in Northern Virginia’s historic wine country, one hour from Washington, D.C. The festival will run Oct. 15-18 with most films screening virtually while a select number of films will be programmed

With only three weeks before a particularly consequential Election Day, political movies — both documentaries and docudramas — are flooding the market in an effort to keep voters engaged and enraged. Most prominent are Aaron Sorkin’s star-studded “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” Alex Gibney’s pandemic response expose “Totally Under Control” and Liz Garbus-Lisa Cortés’

The 24th Ji.hlava Intl. Documentary Film Festival, which had to pivot into a digital only event at the last minute, has unveiled a lineup (see link here) with more than 220 films, including 59 world and 26 international premieres. The festival, which runs from Oct. 27 to Nov. 8, includes a South Korean film retrospective,

You have to hand it to “Clouds,” the latest wholesome YA drama to premiere on the Disney Plus platform: There has never been, and probably never will be, another teen movie to pay such repeated tribute to Mary Oliver. A line from the late American poet’s “The Summer Day” — “Tell me, what is it

After a long tussle with China’s censorship authorities, director Zhang Yimou’s Cultural Revolution-set film “One Second” will finally hit local cinemas on Nov. 27, more than a year and a half after it was first set to debut. The title was originally to premiere in competition at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2019, but

An inaugural screenwriting lab co-founded by Margot Robbie, designed to help women writers break into the action and franchise film market, has seen a stunning 100% sales return on six original pitches. Each of the six women writers in the room marked their first major sale following the workshop, all in the action or genre

Director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is returning to Netflix for her next directorial effort, Variety has learned exclusively. Following the breakout success of her first feature, the anthemic breakup tale “Someone Great,” Robinson returns with a new project she’ll direct, produce, and has co-written, titled “Strangers.” Inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s “Strangers on a Train,” the dark comedy

The lush colors and ornate design that helmer Jorge Gutiérrez featured in his film “The Book of Life” makes one thing clear: he’s a romantic.“It’s true, I’m an optimist, a romantic,” laughs Gutiérrez, who is Variety’s Creative Impact in Animation honoree this year. “I’ve never had my heart broken. I married the first girl I

A new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” with an all-star voice cast including Carey Mulligan, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Simon Russell Beale and Andy Serkis, is set for a Nov. 20 U.K. release across both cinemas and theaters. This retelling of the classic Christmas tale follows a Victorian family as they prepare a

The U.K.’s Film and TV Charity has launched the Whole Picture Program, a two-year initiative designed to to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the 200,000 people who work behind the scenes in film, TV and cinema. The Film and TV Charity has now secured £3 million ($3.87 million) in funding from Amazon Prime

Raphael Berdugo’s Paris-based Cité Films is heading to the MIA market with a slate of director-driven films, including the Marguerite Duras adaptation “Azuro,” and the politically-engaged documentary “Shirin Ebadi: Until We Are Free.” Written and directed by Mathieu Rozé, “Azuro” is based on “The Little Horses of Tarquinia,” a lesser-known novel by Marguerite Duras published

“Hillbilly Elegy,” the next film from Oscar-winning director Ron Howard has released its first trailer. Glenn Close and Amy Adams star in the drama, which focuses on a working-class family in the Appalachia region of the United States. The actors play a mother and daughter who struggle with finding work and raising their multi-generational family.

Some of the most iconic beasts of the “Monster Hunter” video games appeared in the official trailer for the film adaptation from director Paul W.S. Anderson, which was released on Wednesday. Milla Jovovich plays Captain Artemis, a new character made specifically for the film and a human military officer whose team gets transported to a

The Match Factory has announced a slew of sales on Italian director Gianfranco Rosi’s “Notturno,” which has been making the rounds at top fests such as Venice, Toronto and New York. The deals were announced as Rome’s Oct. 14-18 MIA market (Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo, or International Audiovisual Market) kicked off. Rosi’s high-profile doc shot over three

“Falling” will be the opening film of the 28th edition of the EnergaCamerimage Intl. Film Festival, which focuses on the art of cinematography. The film’s director Viggo Mortensen and cinematographer Marcel Zyskind will attend the opening, which takes place on Nov. 14 in Toruń, Poland. The film, which will compete for Camerimage’s Golden Frog, centers

What if maintaining a constant amount of alcohol in your blood could open your mind, boost creativity, and generally improve your life? That’s the premise of Thomas Vinterberg’s new movie, which he presented Monday at the Lumière Film Festival in Lyon. “Another Round” (“Druk”) is one of 23 films originally selected for Cannes that are

Produced by Iceland’s powerhouse Sagafilm for local public broadcaster RÚV, “The Minister” has been sold by Cineflix Rights to SBS for Australia, AMC Networks International for Southern Europe, and TVO for Canada. The multiple sales follow the recently announced acquisition by North American streaming platform Topic, with more deals pending. The eight-part TV show headlines

Production is underway in Adelaide, South Australia, on seasonal comedy film “A Sunburnt Christmas.” The film is set as an original production for local streaming platform Stan. Directed by Christiaan Van Vuuren (“Bondi Hipsters,” “The Other Guy”), the film is the story of a single mother struggling to raise her children on their family farm. Their hardscrabble

HBO Max, the streaming-video hub of WarnerMedia, has acquired anticipated Studiocanal title “Possessions,” a psychological thriller series created by Shachar Magen (“Sirens”) and directed by BAFTA-nominated Thomas Vincent (“Bodyguard”). As an international Max Original, the series will be made available on the U.S. streaming platform in December. Commissioned for Canal Plus’s Creation Original and Israel’s

“Chippendales” has found its director. Craig Gillespie, who helmed the 2017 Oscar-winning film “I, Tonya,” is officially on board to direct the movie, a source close to the project tells Variety. The film has been in development for two decades by Permut Productions’ David Permut. Bold Films is also set to produce, and Craig Williams

Penelope Ann Miller is taking on the role of First Lady Nancy Reagan in a biopic of former President Ronald Reagan, Variety has confirmed. Miller will star opposite Dennis Quaid, who is playing Ronald Reagan. The film is being helmed by “The Miracle Season” and “Soul Surfer” director Sean McNamara and is currently in production in Oklahoma.

Popular Tamil cinema actor Vijay Sethupathi (“96”) is set to star as iconic Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan in upcoming biopic “800.” With 800 wickets in test match cricket and 534 in one day internationals, Muralitharan is the bowler with world records for the highest number of wickets in both versions of the sport. He

Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett will be making his directorial debut with a film adaptation of “B-Boy Blues,” James Earl Hardy’s 1994 novel. The film will be produced through Smollett’s SuperMassive Movies. The film will start production on Oct. 17, according to Deadline, and is financed by SuperMassive and Tom Wilson, a Cleveland-based investor who funds

Writer and actress Sarah Megan Thomas had always been interested in World War II and spies. She had been wanting to tell a female spy story and heard about Winston Churchill’s female spies. Diving in, Thomas found herself in a rabbit hole reading up on the secret British World War II organization, The Special Operations

Sony Pictures Entertainment has promoted Nicole Brown to president of TriStar Pictures, extending her contract with the studio to continue oversight of the specialty label. Brown was appointed last year to head TriStar Pictures as executive vice president. She will continue to report to Tom Rothman, chairman of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, and oversee

The 2020 edition of Los Angeles Comic Con has been canceled, the latest in a wave of entertainment events to either postpone or call off plans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Comikaze Entertainment, the organizers of the event, had originally postponed L.A. Comic Con from September to Dec. 11–13, and were moving forward

Oscar-nominated Mexican thesp Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”) and Chile’s Daniela Vega, who starred in the Academy Award-winning 2017 drama “A Fantastic Woman,” have signed on to host a four-part documentary series about Latin American women who have survived state and gender violence, “Peace Peace Now Now,” which Vega has spearheaded and executive produces. Aparicio, as the

Paul Crifo, a poster designer known for creating promotional images for “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” and 1974’s “The Great Gatsby,” has died at the age of 98 of natural causes. By the end of his career, Crifo took part in more than 400 motion picture advertising campaigns. He began working as an artist’s