Current B-grade thrillers so frequently have too little plot — often not much more than a starting premise — that it’s almost refreshing to see something like “The Weekend Away,” which has many more narrative complications than it can pull off. Certainly not with sufficient credibility, suspense or atmosphere, and not in one hectic hour
On paper, the premise of writer-director Eamon O’Rourke’s feature debut seems irresistible: An all-girl gang of abuse survivors, seriously upskilled in the use of baseball bats, bombs and butterfly knives, roams heartland America exacting vengeance on Bad Men — which here means #AlmostAllMen. But in execution (and there are precious few of those), “Asking for
Hair salons are sacred spaces. Where else could one catch up on the latest neighborhood gossip and engage in mindless chit-chat, while getting treated to a wash, trim and blow-out? But in “Paradise Now“ director Hany Abu-Assad’s restrained yet gripping “Huda’s Salon,” a feminist political thriller whose philosophical observations are richer than its white-knuckle moments,
The Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) has unveiled its Rising Star nominees for 2022. The nominees are writer and director Benjamin Cleary (“Swan Song,” pictured above), writer and director Colm Bairéad (“An Cailín Ciúin”), actor Hazel Doupe (“You Are Not My Mother”), writer and director Kate Dolan (“You Are Not My Mother”) and actor
Aunjanue Ellis was content being a journeywoman actor in the business and providing for her family — but now the acclaim is pouring in. And yes, that includes an Oscar nomination for her role as Oracene ‘Brandy’ Williams in Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard.” On the latest episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,
HBO Max released the first trailer for upcoming comedy series “Minx,” starring Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson. Set in 1970s Los Angeles, “Minx” follows Joyce (Lovibond) — a young feminist activist looking to launch a women’s magazine. When she can’t find anyone to publish her idea as is, she ends up teaming with a low-rent
The Barbie world has officially found its way to Shondaland, as legendary television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes earned her own doll replica on Tuesday. As part of Barbie’s International Women’s Day celebration this year, the brand honored 12 female role models from around the world “with one-of-a-kind dolls in their likeness” — including Rhimes.
Mia Katigbak has been cast in the upcoming ABC comedy pilot “Josep.” Katigbak will appear opposite previously announced series lead Jo Koy and Rory O’Malley. The show follows a recently divorced Filipino American nurse (Koy) attempting to navigate dating, fatherhood and a very Filipino mother who loves to “help.” Katigbak will star as Lorna, Jo’s
Alexander Skarsgard experienced a serious case of whiplash during the making of Robert Eggers’ “The Northman,” in which he plays a 10th century Viking prince seeking revenge for the murder of his father. Within the matter of a week, the Emmy-winning actor went from playing a tech billionaire in “Succession” Season 3 to getting dragged
Netflix asked a federal court on Thursday to block a Texas prosecutor from pursuing child pornography charges against the streaming service for distributing the 2020 French film “Cuties.” Lucas Babin, the elected district attorney in Tyler County, Texas, indicted Netflix in September 2020, alleging that the film violates a state law against the “lewd exhibition”
Los Angeles County is expected to lift its indoor mask mandate on Friday, March 4, as local health data backs the latest COVID-19 policy shift, NBC Los Angeles reports. The decision comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially placed L.A. County in the “low” category for COVID-19 activity. Businesses can
ABC News anchor David Muir will anchor a live primetime “20/20” special from the border between Ukraine and Poland on Friday night, as the nation’s news networks continue to scramble to cover Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, one of the biggest global stories to take place in recent memory. Muir will report on the refugee emergency
Showtime’s “Desus & Mero” is reverting back to a once-a-week schedule. The critically acclaimed late-night talker returns for Season 4 on Thursday, March 10 at 11 p.m. ET, with Oscar nominee Denzel Washington as the show’s first guest. Also new to the show is J.D. Amato (“The Chris Gethard Show”), who has joined “Desus &
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Springfield residents are no strangers to a fashion moment. Homer and Marge walked down a Balenciaga runway during the Spanish brand’s virtual runway show last October, while Adidas’s long-running partnership with the show has
Morris Day, frontman of Prince-spawned funk group the Time for more than 40 years, has laid into his late benefactor’s estate, which he claims have told him he can no longer work under the name Morris Day & the Time. “I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince
Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot has become as well known for its public broadsides against Vladimir Putin’s government as its music, and the group’s Nadya Tolokonnikova put that reputation to work by joining forces with Trippy Labs and members of PleasrDAO to create UkraineDAO, which via an NFT of Ukraine’s flag has raised more
Famously mercurial rocker Van Morrison has not shown the same enthusiasm for Oscar campaigning that many of this year’s other Academy Awards nominees have. He and the equally press-shy Beyonce have done little or no promotion for their respective nominations for best song, or for anything else that involves interviews. So it’s something of an
The best picture Oscar race is in a dead heat, with any number of paths to victory. But there’s another fierce competition, years in the making, to be the first streaming giant to win the Academy Awards’ most coveted honor. On the television side, Netflix and Amazon each made a play to become the first
The man who shot and killed Jacqueline Avant — wife of entertainment legend Clarence Avant — will go to prison for murdering her and will, most likely, spend the rest of his life there. Aariel Maynor pleaded guilty Thursday to murdering the 81-year-old philanthropist back in December … according to L.A. County D.A. George Gascón.
By now, it’s become abundantly clear that one way people have endured the pandemic has been through retail therapy—whether that meant hoarding toilet paper to soothe fears of scarcity or doubling down on sweatsuits to acquiesce to a new work-from-home, do-every-damn-thing-from-home lifestyle. The supply chain has responded by sputtering and groaning under the weight of
The American branch of Russian state-funded media network Russia Today (RT) is shutting down and laying off most of its staff, CNN reports. According to a memo, RT America will be “ceasing production” due to “unforeseen business interruption events.” “Unfortunately, we anticipate this layoff will be permanent, meaning that this will result in the permanent
Aariel Maynor, the man accused in the fatal shooting of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant at her home in December, pleaded guilty on Thursday to a charge of murder. Maynor, 30, also pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of Avant’s security guard and to carrying a firearm as a felon. Maynor is scheduled to be sentenced on
In 2021, production came back in full swing for music supervisors, who delivered a wealth of tunes to the worlds of TV and film. Further expanding the reach of these soundtracks, day-and-date releases in theaters and streaming services meant some songs experienced double the consumption. What qualities made the ideal synch last year? A gamut
Jack Hanick, a onetime producer at Fox News, has been indicted on charges of working for a sanctioned Russian oligarch to establish TV networks in Russia and in other European countries. Hanick, 71, is accused of working for Konstantin Malofeyev, who since 2014 has been under U.S. sanctions that were imposed in response to Russia’s
The world’s largest music company, Universal Music Group, posted a record $9.4 billion in revenue for 2021, the company announced in its earnings report on Thursday. That marks a 14.4% increase over 2020, although comparisons with the pandemic year are obviously skewed. Recorded music revenues were up 14.3% to around $7.52 billion, while streaming soared
Reddit has banned users from posting links to Kremlin-affiliated outlets such as RT and Sputnik, joining a growing number of internet companies in blocking Russian state media amid that country’s attack on Ukraine. “While many communities on Reddit already prohibited links to Russian state media outlets like RT, Sputnik, and their foreign-language affiliates, we have
Marian Lee has been promoted to chief marketing officer of Netflix. She replaces Bozoma Saint John, who boarded the streaming giant in 2020 after serving in senior executive roles at Uber and Apple. Lee joined the company in July 2021 as vice president of marketing in the U.S. and Canada (UCAN in Netflix parlance), overseeing
The Cannes Film Festival is hoping to attract the likes of Baz Luhrmann, George Miller and David Cronenberg for its 75th anniversary. The milestone edition of the sun-dappled celebration of all things cinema may even land a megastar in the form of Tom Cruise, who festival organizers are banking can be convinced to unveil “Top
If you thought you had no eyelashes left to bat over brand crossovers, one of the more stirring pairings we’ve seen in a minute will dare you to think again. Enter Italian label Marni, French eco-friendly brand Veja, and two very covetable pairs of sneakers. Veja X Marni Low Top Sneakers 24s.com $254.00 Unveiled this
Last season, Loewe left us walking on eggshells and roses, quite literally. Beyond its statement heels (which are bound to be future archives), creative director Jonathan Anderson gave us painterly strokes, metallic chest pieces, and much, much more. Suffice it to say, we can’t wait to see what’s next. The Spanish house will debut its