Not many debuting directors are able to bring subtlety and depth to a heart-rending subject, which is just one reason why Mehdi M. Barsaoui’s superb “A Son” deserves significant attention. On the surface, the plot sounds like it could be taken from a hospital TV drama: When a young boy needs a liver transplant, his
In “Hope Gap,” Annette Bening plays a fiercely intelligent but not nearly independent enough English housewife who has been toiling away on a project for years. A lover of literature, and poetry in particular, Bening’s character Grace is compiling a book of verses for the full range of human experience. She intends to call it
Love is patient; love is kind. That much you’ve heard before. But death … Death is a nasty son a gun. Death is ugly; it stinks; it takes no prisoners and permanently scars all who witness it. Matthew Teague’s “The Friend: Love Is Not a Big Enough Word” tells the story of both those abstract
Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx could be headed to the Oscars. In what is already shaping up to be a fierce competition in the lead and supporting male acting categories, Jordan and Foxx just entered the race with the world premiere of their new real-life drama “Just Mercy” at the Toronto Film Festival. The
On Friday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, two high-profile Gala premieres were interrupted by medical emergencies involving audience members. A man fainted at the world premiere of “Sound of Metal” at the Winter Garden Theatre. And the screening of “Blackbird” at Roy Thomson Hall was paused for approximately five minutes toward the end
Former Pitchfork critic Matt LeMay offered a mea culpa on Friday, apologizing to Grammy nominated singer Liz Phair for a review he wrote of her 2003 self-titled album. The famously scathing take-down gave the album a score of 0.0 on Pitchfork’s scale of 8.0. In an in-depth Q&A with Vulture published on Sept. 5, Phair,
September 6, 2019 6:20PM PT A Canadian tribal reservation is beset by zombies in a horror opus that’s gory yet more stylish than scary. “Blood Quantum” is a term applied to the long-standing, controversial practice of measuring a person’s percentage of indigenous heredity—and by extension, their supposed value, or lack thereof. As the title of
September 6, 2019 6:06PM PT Several upstate New York lives are entangled by a hit-and-run accident in this well-cast but middling remake of the 2013 Italian film. “Human Capital” has returned home in a sense, in that American novelist Stephen Amidon’s 2004 book was made into a very well-received Italian film by Paolo Virzi in
Author Walter Mosley says he recently quit a television series on which he was writing after another writer complained about his use of the n-word in the writers’ room. Mosley, who is African-American and Jewish, wrote in an op-ed for the New York Times that he had used the word while telling a story from
September 6, 2019 5:00PM PT Facebook Watch’s adaptation of the popular podcast makes for a tense, efficient thriller. “Limetown” is about as meta on the persistent true crime phenomenon as it gets. The new Facebook Watch drama, based on Zack Akers and Skip Bronkie’s 2015 scripted podcast, follows a radio reporter who’s chasing down an
September 6, 2019 4:49PM PT Darren Criss is reteaming with Ryan Murphy on the latter’s upcoming Netflix series “Hollywood.” Criss is set to star in and executive produce the series, breaking the news on Instagram on Friday. “Honored to say that I’m heading back to the House of Murphy where I’ll be starring in but also
If you believe there can be such a thing as an instant country classic, “The Highwomen” is that. Speaking of high (the group’s cheeky-sounding name is meant to confer exaltation, not stoner-dom — honest), the all-star foursome has put together an album full of high comedy and high pathos, zingy group-sings and gut-wreching solo turns,
“The Spy,” Netflix’s new limited series, places Sacha Baron Cohen in a relatively unfamiliar position: stripping him of his humor and placing him within the bounds of a script. On shows and in films ranging from “Borat” to last year’s “Who Is America?,” Baron Cohen has gone into without-a-net scenarios and never broken character. There’s
Giving the sagging box office a jolt, “It: Chapter Two” is heading for as much as $100 million in its opening weekend in North America, early estimates showed Friday. Warner Bros. is adhering to its $90 million forecast for the horror sequel but rival studios projected a nine-figure launch frame. The figure is $23 million
“Film festivals are 80 years old — but we should not act like we’re 80 years old.” These words from TIFF artistic director and co-head Cameron Bailey set the tone for Friday’s industry conference panel exploring how new creative leaders at four top festivals are evolving creative mandates while balancing relationships with filmmakers and the
Play video content Exclusive TMZSports.com Mickey Rourke says he’s ready to end the beef with Lenny Dykstra once and for all — but says if Lenny disrespects him again, he’s not afraid to throw them hands!! Remember, Lenny says he wants to have a celebrity MMA match with Mickey to settle their years-long beef over
In today’s TV news roundup, HBO drops the first trailer for its four-part series “Catherine the Great,” and Lifetime’s “The College Admissions Scandal” movie sets a premiere date. DATES Lifetime‘s “The College Admissions Scandal” will premiere Oct. 12. The movie stars Penelope Ann Miller and Mia Kirshner as two wealthy mothers who pay their way,
September 6, 2019 3:10PM PT Chris March, a celebrity costume designer and former “Project Runway” contestant, died on Thursday. He was 56. Bravo’s Andy Cohen mourned the news with an Instagram post on Friday, writing that March “had a big booming laugh; he was a joy and delight.” According to TMZ, which first broke the
September 6, 2019 2:59PM PT In its ongoing foray into podcasting, Spotify inked a deal with David Rhodes, formerly president of CBS News, as a consultant to develop its strategy for news-focused original audio programming. In addition, Spotify has hired Amy Hudson, most recently Facebook’s head of sports media partnerships for North America, to lead
Kobalt today announced that Dominique Keegan has been promoted to vice president of creative. Based in Kobalt’s New York office, Keegan was previously senior director of creative. His recent signings include Marshmello and Duke Dumont. Keegan joined Kobalt Music Publishing in 2012, initially serving as a Creative Director where he focused on artist signings and
September 6, 2019 2:40PM PT Tech giant Apple has acquired worldwide distribution to the Bryce Dallas Howard documentary “Dads,” ahead of its premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, multiple insiders tell Variety. Naturally, the film is a family affair produced by her father Ron Howard and his partner Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment. The film
September 6, 2019 2:29PM PT A drama series based on the life of celebrity chef Julia Child is near a pilot order at HBO Max, Variety has learned from sources. Joan Cusack is near a deal to star as Child. Daniel Goldfarb is attached to write and executive produce, with Christopher Keyser set to executive produce.
Breaking News TMZ.com Felicity Huffman‘s about to dodge a huge bullet in the college admissions bribery scandal … that is, if the judge follows federal prosecutors’ recommendation. The U.S. Attorney filed docs Friday saying the actress should do one month in federal prison and pay $20,000 in fines. That’s a great deal for Felicity because,
The mid-June announcement that Jason Bentley was leaving KCRW as music director and the host of “Morning Become Eclectic” has been the subject of much speculation. Among the unanswered questions: Where is Bentley going and who will be his replacement? Three months later, we’re not much closer to an answer. While Bentley has lined up
Breaking News TMZ/Getty 50 Cent and Paris Jackson are going head-to-head over his insinuation Chris Brown is better than Michael Jackson — and now he’s upped the ante with a graphic comment about Jackson’s accusers. Fiddy just fired back at MJ’s daughter who, on Wednesday, took umbrage with 50 Cent posting a video of CB
Bryce Dallas Howard got some expert advice before directing an episode of “The Mandalorian,” straight from “Star Wars” creator George Lucas and her father, director Ron Howard, who helmed “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” Howard, who was in the Variety Studio at the Toronto International Film Festival for her upcoming documentary “Dads,” took a minute
September 6, 2019 1:03PM PT NPR has tapped longtime media executive John Lansing to become its next president and CEO. Selected by the NPR board of directors, Lansing will start in October, succeeding outgoing head Jarl Mohn, who has occupied the role since 2014. “We are delighted to welcome John, whose deep experience as a
New York Fashion Week has officially kicked off, and while it’s definitely a privilege to look at beautifully constructed clothes for a living, it’s still a job at the end of the day. And like with any gig, sometimes you need some hyper-specific things to get you through those high-stress, fast-paced days. Ahead, five ELLE
September 6, 2019 11:34AM PT California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill to ensure film and TV workers operating out of state for their jobs will have full access to the state’s unemployment insurance, disability insurance and paid family leave. He signed the measure, SB 271, late Thursday and it will become law in
September 6, 2019 11:30AM PT “LA’s Finest” star Gabrielle Union is expanding her relationship with Spectrum Originals. Variety has learned exclusively that Union is attached to executive produce a one-hour dramedy project in development at Spectrum that hails from Sony Pictures Television. Titled “Tips,” the series is about a young woman who finds an escape