Few nations in the world have developed such a spread of film commissions as Spain, a country forged out of its regions, whose governments have energetically bought in to the benefits of foreign and local shoots. As the country moves ever more onto the big-shoot locations industry radar, the Spain Film Commission is experiencing rapid
In a bid to further extend its Shooting in Spain brand around the world, the Spain Film Commission (SFC) began in 2018 to name prominent figures in the international entertainment biz as honorary ambassadors. Among them are former HBO executive and U.S. ambassador to Spain James Costos; director Terry Gilliam; actors Emily Blunt and Aitana
No director has done more to deconstruct the myth of the suburban American family than Steven Spielberg. Dissertations have been written and documentaries made on the subject. And now, at the spry young age of 75, Spielberg himself weighs in on where his preoccupations come from in “The Fabelmans,” a personal account of his upbringing
Steven Spielberg brought his semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans,” to the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, his first feature ever to debut at TIFF. To say that Spielberg is performing at the top of his game is no hyperbole. This dramatic opus, which pulls at the heartstrings, could bring Spielberg his third directing statuette
One of the biggest crowdpleasers of the Toronto International Film Festival has arrived. “,” a high-class horror comedy written by Seth Reiss and Will Tracy and directed by Mark Mylod, held its rollicking world premiere at the Royal Alexandra Theatre on Saturday. Mylod, the in-demand TV director who has helmed key episodes of “Game of
Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” earned a roaring standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, as the crowd of movie lovers cheered loudly for the Oscar-winning auteur as he made his first appearance at the gathering. “I’m really glad we came to Toronto,” a visibly moved Spielberg said after taking the stage as
It’s in the nature of cinema that when a hugely popular and beloved movie is grand enough, the sequel to it almost has to try to top it in a go-big-or-go-home way. For a long time, each new James Bond adventure was more lavishly scaled, baroque, and stunt-tastic than the last. “The Godfather Part II”
UTA Emmys Party, Sept. 9 This year’s Emmy host, Kenan Thompson, led UTA’s pre-Emmy bash on Friday night at the Rooftop at Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. Intermittent rain made it a bit of a wet affair — and the evening humidity was not kind to attendees wearing suit jackets. But the rooftop afforded magnificent
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out” from writer and director Rian Johnson is another uproarious take on the whodunit series that outdoes its predecessor in nearly every way. Turning in killer performances, Janelle Monae and Edward Norton lead an invigorating ensemble that makes this awards observer hope Netflix will put every available dollar behind making this
Consider “Glass Onion” another triumphant case for detective Benoit Blanc. As evidenced by the enthusiastic reaction to the premiere screening Saturday, Rian Johnson has again charmed the masses at the Toronto Film Festival with “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” the hotly anticipated sequel to the 2019 hit whodunit. Johnson briefly addressed moviegoers before the
A first look at the highly anticipated “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” Disney+ series was released out of the D23 Expo on Saturday. First greenlit in January, “Percy Jackson” is an adaptation of Rick Riordan’s popular young-adult fantasy book series, which consists of five books released from 2005 to 2009. The series was previously adapted
The death of actress-activist Marsha Hunt this week is a historical watershed and a personal loss. Marsha was one of the last living actors who began her movie career during the Great Depression in 1935. She became part of a now vanished Hollywood, initially at Paramount then at MGM, that bound contracted talent to studios
Who didn’t have a crush on Michael Moscovitz in 2001’s “The Princess Diaries”? Mia Thermopolis’s sweet, slightly awkward love interest — played by Robert Schwartzman — liked her well before she was ever Genovian royalty, had a cool band (Schwartzman’s actual band, Rooney), and even knew how to fix cars. Fans will recall the devastation
“You should see the backstage,” actor Diego Luna told the D23 Expo crowd Saturday morning as he talked up his new “Star Wars”-branded Disney+ series “Andor” to the 5,000 faithful fans who packed the Anaheim Convention Center. The assembly of boldface names that were brought out at the three-day Disney fan event for a wave
It isn’t that people’s first instincts are bad in “Victim,” Slovak director Michal Blaško’s compelling, apprehensive feature debut. A distraught Ukrainian mother travelling back to her adopted home in the Czech Republic to be by her injured son’s hospital bedside, for example, will find someone willing to drive her when her bus is delayed. It’s
Jennifer Lawrence brought serious starpower to the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday, appearing at the world premiere of her new film “Causeway.” But despite the big, Hollywood name “Causeway” was a quieter character study. Lawrence stars in and produces the film, in which she plays a soldier returning to civilian life in New Orleans.
Disney+ has unveiled a teaser for “The Santa Clauses” original series, with Tim Allen once again donning Santa’s classic suit for the fourth installment of “The Santa Clause” franchise. The new teaser premiered during the D23 Expo. In the limited series, Scott Calvin (Allen) is ready to step down from his Santa duties and provide
In his Toronto International Film Festival premiere “,” Ralph Fiennes plays Slowik, a celebrity chef who runs an exclusive restaurant that caters to the ultra-rich. And while the darkly comic horror film eventually reveals some macabre twists regarding what’s on Slowik’s menu, Fiennes says he got into the character via more mundane inspirations. “One of
With its seventh edition coming to an end, Venice’s Book Adaptation Rights Market (BARM) is already eyeing the future. The three-day event – taking place during the Italian fest – is now recognized as the third most important annual rendezvous by the publishers, states Pascal Diot, head of industry sidebar Venice Production Bridge. “It’s starting
Director James Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar: The Way of Water” closed out the Marvel, Lucasfilm and 20th Century panel at the D23 Expo Saturday by handing out 3-D glasses to everyone in the audience and showing off six extended scenes from the movie. The new clips weren’t released online, but stars Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney
Hillary Clinton is pushing for politicians to take greater action on gun control. “Gun violence in our country is out of control. And it’s killing our kids,” she said. “It’s outrageous we let this happen, and that there are people who worship guns more than they worship life.” From mass shootings to the perils of
Marvel Studios’ upcoming film “The Marvels,” starring Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel and Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau, got an official first look at the D23 Expo on Saturday. So what can we expect from this film? “Monica got her powers and we’re going to see how those pop off
Marvel Studios is celebrating Halloween with style. The studio has unveiled details and the first trailer for “Werewolf by Night,” the upcoming MCU Halloween special set to premiere Oct. 7 on Disney+ this fall. Gael García Bernal stars in the special as Jack Russell, known in Marvel Comics as the Werewolf by Night. Created by
Marvel has unveiled the official trailer for “Secret Invasion” out of the D23 Expo on Saturday. The series is slated for release on Disney+ in 2023. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Nick Fury, Ben Mendelsohn will return as the Skrull warrior Talos, Don Cheadle is back as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Cobie Smulders
The official trailer for “Echo,” the Disney+ series starring Alaqua Cox as the titular hero, has been unveiled. The trailer was introduced by Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige on Saturday at the D23 Expo. The “Echo” footage, which was exclusive to those in the room at D23, included subtitles, shots of Native people and tons
The God of Mischief has returned, and with some new friends! Marvel Studios pulled the curtain back on Season 2 of “Loki” during the D23 Expo on Saturday. “They are shooting right now in the UK as we speak,” Marvel president Kevin Feige announced… but then slyly revealed that the cast hopped a plane to
Don’t say Viola Davis can’t do something, because she’ll continue to prove you wrong. At 56, action star is another notch on the belt of the esteemed actor, who has won a Tony, Emmy and Oscar. Her achievement in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s resounding epic “The Woman King,” along with the sensational ensemble, is among the highlights
Producers, showrunners, line producers and location managers all agree: When it comes to shooting a production in Spain, they need a bridge with local administrations. As film and TV shoots ramp up to historic heights — doubling expenditure in 2021 vs. the average spend for 2016-19 — Spain’s intoxicating mix of historic cities, natural parks
Veteran Italian auteur Gianni Amelio rose to prominence with Oscar-nominated “Open Doors” (1990) and also “Stolen Children,” which won the 1992 Cannes Grand Prix. He won the Venice Golden Lion in 1998 with period drama “The Way We Laughed” and competed again in Venice with “A Lonely Hero” in 2013. Amelio’s more recent work comprises
The white men speak in subtitles, while the proud members of various African tribes express themselves in English in “The Woman King,” a clear sign of where our allegiances belong in director Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sweeping early-19th-century war movie — an Africa-set epic of the kind not seen since “Zulu,” only this time, the task of