Entertainment News Boom

January 3, 2020 11:37PM PT Two hitherto-heterosexual men’s relationship roils their families in an enjoyable if glib ensemble comedy. The news that two hitherto heterosexual patriarchs are getting married — to each other — roils both of their families in amiable “An Almost Ordinary Summer.” This slickly produced second feature for director Simone Godano is

Producer Arthur Cohn was first mentioned in Variety on Feb. 20, 1962, when the documentary he produced, “Sky Above, Mud Beneath,” was nominated for an Oscar. The doc, “Le Ciel et la boue,” directed by Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau, underwent a few title changes over the years, and ended up winning the prize for 1961. Cohn has

William Sadleir, the founder and chairman of indie distributor Aviron Pictures, has been ousted by the fledgling company’s financier, two insiders familiar with his exit told Variety. It’s unclear what circumstances Sadleir left under, both sources said. He was removed under a contractual provision given to the shop’s senior lender, reported to be asset management

What would you do if a heat-and-serve lasagna arrived at your door along with a screener for a short film? The people who sent it hope you’ll pop the lasagna in the oven and watch the screener as it bakes. That memorable mailer was just one facet of Rogers & Cowan’s innovative “for your consideration”

Australia descended on Hollywood for the ninth annual AACTA International Awards on Friday night, with the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts honoring the top performances on film this year. Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” was named the best film of the year by the organization. But “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” was the

To prepare for a role, Margot Robbie tells Variety for this week’s cover story, she dives deep into research. In the case of her “Bombshell” character, Kayla Pospisil — a fictional composite created by screenwriter Charles Randolph — Robbie worked on Kayla’s Florida accent, studied the Fox News programs she would have watched, and created

From the moment I learned that “Honey Boy” explored a complex father-child relationship — how pain and abuse can transcend generations — I knew that interviewing Shia LaBeouf, one of Variety’s 10 Screenwriters to Watch, would be an emotional experience for me. I just never expected for it to change me. As someone who’s exhaustively dissected

A dozen war movies have won the best-picture Oscar, from “Wings” through “The English Patient.” Despite an overabundance of World War II movies through the decades, Fox Searchlight has two that offer original points of view: “Jojo Rabbit” and “A Hidden Life.” The latter film, written and directed by Terrence Malick, is one of the

Greta Gerwig’s screenwriting style starts in the middle and fans out. “I don’t write in a straight line,” admits the “Little Women” writer-director. “It’s like a quilt I try to stitch together.” But one piece was more important than the others: the opening scene. “Getting the opening just right was so important,” says Gerwig. “When

Dubbed by Variety  senior film critic Peter Debruge as “a sincere, Southern-fried buddy movie,” “The Peanut Butter Falcon,” directed and written by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson, details the budding relationship formed between a grifter with a heart of gold named Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a man with Down Syndrome who runs away from a senior

“Tomorrow I’ll be presenting [Martin Scorsese] with the 2020 Kim Jong Un Humanitarian Award and after that the big one — the Kids’ Choice Award,” Robert De Niro quipped in his opening remarks upon receiving the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award at the Variety Creative Impact Awards and 10 Directors to Watch Brunch Presented

Editor Jeff Groth worked with “Joker” director Todd Phillips on “The Hangover Part III” before landing the blockbuster drama starring Joaquin Phoenix. You cut the film as consecutively as possible so you could see the progression of the character while you were still editing. Can you talk a little bit about that? With a movie

2019 has been a reckoning, overdue and arguably well-deserved, for men in power. The ways in which this has played out in real life is, sadly, too often unsatisfying: criminals escape justice, the rich retain their wealth, and the corrupt remain in power. But on film, screenwriters can not only deliver satisfying resolutions to the

MGM film president Jonathan Glickman is stepping down from the post he has held for eight years, Variety has confirmed. Michael De Luca, the Oscar-nominated producer of “The Social Network” and a former executive at Sony and New Line, will succeed Glickman in the newly created role of chairman of MGM’s Motion Picture Group. As

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Jennifer Lopez have been announced as presenters for the 77th annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, Jan. 5. Additional celebrity presenters include Tim Allen, Jennifer Aniston, Ana De Armas, Christian Bale, Antonio Banderas, Jason Bateman, Cate Blanchett, Matt Bomer, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Daniel Craig, Ted Danson, Ansel Elgort, Chris

Even though there aren’t any solid plans to make a “Joker” sequel, director Todd Phillips would like to see a Batman movie from “Joker’s” Gotham City. “It’s a beautiful Gotham. What I would like to see someone tackle is what Batman looks like from that Gotham,” Phillips told Variety’s Marc Malkin at the Palm Springs International