Veteran TV director Thomas Schlamme has been re-elected president of the Directors Guild of America for a two-year term. Schlamme was selected by the acclamation of 155 delegates at the DGA’s convention on Saturday at DGA headquarters in Los Angeles. DGA presidents typically serve for two two-year terms, as did Schlamme’s predecessor Paris Barclay. The
Who says nostalgia ain’t what it used to be? It’s back and better than ever, as they say, in Fruit Bats’ terrific eighth album, “Gold Past Life,” which, as the title would suggest, has a lot to say about the bittersweet pull of memories of simpler and easier times. Nearly every song is its own
The recent decision to legalize gay marriage in Taiwan – the first place in the Chinese world to do so – caused a stampede of people to rush to registry offices across the island. It may open the way to more LGBT films as well. One movie that clearly acknowledges the historic moment is “Your
Many attendees of the Shanghai Intl. Film Festival likely know little about the ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival, the other event in town every June. Unlike the former, government-sponsored one, ShanghaiPRIDE operates in a legal grey zone due to its celebration of LGBTQ content, which is frowned upon by Chinese censors. This year, ShanghaiPRIDE’s non-profit event ran
Coming off his best actor win at the Berlin International Film Festival for the Wang Xiaoshuai-directed “So Long My Son,” Wang Jingchun is this year acting as a main competition jury member at the Shanghai International Film Festival, which concludes Sunday. He was last a jury member for the shorts selection at the festival five
Making a dramatic feature about people who are autistic presents a steep challenge. How do you get an audience to connect with individuals whose defining trait is their inability to connect? “Rain Man,” a popular entertainment that I take utterly seriously, was structured almost entirely around the dramatic conundrum posed by that question. Dustin Hoffman’s
China’s acting superstar Gong Li was last month the recipient of the Kering Women In Motion award at Cannes. She spoke with Variety about her upcoming roles, the political context of acting today, and her return to Shanghai. Variety What was the significance to you of the Kering Award?Gong Li “I understand it as a
Halle Berry Man Tries to Steal Her Home 6/22/2019 1:00 AM PDT EXCLUSIVE Halle Berry damn near returned to her home to find the locks changed and a strange man living inside. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … 59-year-old Ronald Eugene Griffin first showed up at an L.A. property owned by the actress in January and allegedly
June 22, 2019 2:02PM PT Los Angeles police arrested a man Friday in connection with the theft of a Marilyn Monroe statue. According to police, Austin Mikel Clay is accused of climbing the Ladies of Hollywood sculpture and sawing off the statue with a hacksaw. The statue remains missing. Clay was also arrested last year
After news broke that Elliot Roberts, the veteran manager who worked with Neil Young for more than 50 years, had passed away early Friday of undisclosed causes, it was just a matter of time before a tribute from his longtime friend and client (which hardly seems like the word) emerged. On Saturday afternoon, Young posted
June 22, 2019 1:28PM PT Tom Holland just can’t seem to keep his mouth shut. The “Spider-Man: Far From Home” Star continued his spoiler streak during Friday night’s episode of the “Graham Norton Show” when he revealed one of the major deaths from “Avengers: Endgame.” “The film is a direct continuation of “Avengers: Endgame” so
June 22, 2019 12:18PM PT A wryly engrossing, well-observed story of a man floundering in his forties, given a novel spin by its setting in modern, middle-class Shanghai. “I heard a foreign language. Are they foreigners?” one Chinese waitress asks another when they’re out of earshot of the table of men speaking accented English at
Danny Boyle’s Beatles-nostalgia film “Yesterday” has secured a theatrical release date in mainland China. The film, which premiered at the Tribeca festival in May, is a musical fairy tale about a world without the Fab Four, and an indie rocker who brings them back. Boyle was previously head of the competition jury at the Shanghai International
[SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead until you have seen “Toy Story 4.”] Bo Peep is back — and is a bonafide badass. After being absent from “Toy Story 3,” Annie Potts returns for the fourth installment of Pixar’s beloved series to reprise her role as the porcelain sheep herder. And “Toy Story 4” gives
With a massive stage, complete with a long catwalk, his to rule, Mick Jagger pranced, prowled, and grooved his way across it at the Rolling Stones’ “No Filter” tour opener at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Friday, as if to defy any concerns about his health and stamina. While the setup was not unusual for the
Disney Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” is reaching for the skies this weekend with a solid $47 million in Friday ticket sales, though weekend estimates are below Disney’s earlier projections. Although initial estimates had placed the film north of $140 million for its domestic opening weekend, the strong premiere still looks promising for the family flick,
Like many women in the music industry, Alabama Shakes front-woman Brittany Howard was told consistently throughout her career that she didn’t have a shot at success due to her gender. But as the leading guitarist and vocalist in the iconic Alabama-based rock band — and with four Grammys to her name — Howard knows that
Give HBO’s latest drama six hours of your time, and it’ll tell you the story of the 21st century. That’s the promise made by “Years and Years,” which airs on the cabler starting June 24 after a run on BBC One in the United Kingdom. The first episode begins in May 2019, and subsequent installments
Check out the new trailers released this week. Discover something new! 00:00 Ready or Not 02:27 ECCO 04:33 Killerman 06:50 Anthropocene: The Human Epoch 08:54 Euphoria 10:33 Ladyworld 12:39 A Faithful Man 14:36 Point Blank 16:53 She’s Just a Shadow 19:00 Above the Shadows 21:24 The Angry Birds Movie 2 24:00 Trolls World Tour ►
Director Sonthar Gyal has a long history with the Shanghai International Film Festival, where he is a jury member this year. His directorial debut, “The Sun Beaten Path,” participated in the Asian New Talents section in 2011, as did his second film, 2015’s “River.” His third, last year’s “Ala Changso,” won the grand jury and
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts this week extended its growing “Breakthrough” talent initiative to China. It teamed with financier Yu Holdings to launch BAFTA Breakthrough China at the Shanghai International Film Festival, with British actor Tom Hiddleston (“The Avengers,” “The Night Manager”) set as an ambassador for the scheme. BAFTA chief executive
Attorneys representing Soundgarden, Hole, Steve Earle and the estates of Tupac and Tom Petty today filed a class-action lawsuit against Universal Music Group over the master recordings destroyed in a 2008 fire, the extent of which was revealed last week in a New York Times article. The lawsuit, obtained by Variety, seeks some “50% of
Elliot Roberts, who worked as Neil Young’s manager since 1967 in what may be the longest-lasting manager/client relationship in rock ‘n’ roll, has died at 76, Young’s publicist confirmed to Variety. No immediate cause of death was given. Roberts was also instrumental in the early career of Joni Mitchell, whom he managed until 1985. Roberts
There is huge potential market for animation films in China. But Chinese companies are struggling to make the content to fulfil that demand, said Lightchaser Animation Studios’ co-founder Yuan Ye in Shanghai. “Although animation education in China has improved, when it comes to character effects or other technical skills, they don’t teach any of it in
June 21, 2019 4:44PM PT Singapore director Daniel Yam has begun shooting Chinese-language fantasy adventure film “The Fatekeepers.” The story involves a group of youngsters who discover that the country’s feng shui (Chinese geomancy) has fallen out of whack. That is causing natural disasters such as fish being washed up on shore, hailstorms, and imminent
There’s a new documentary about Bill Wyman hitting theaters, and contrary to expectations, perhaps, it’s not a silent movie. But it is titled “The Quiet One,” in deference to the legendary bass player’s reputation as the most reserved of the Rolling Stones, an image he thinks he merited only by being pitted against some of
June 21, 2019 4:14PM PT Cailee Spaeny is in negotiations to star as one of the young witches in Sony Pictures’ remake of 1996’s “The Craft” for Blumhouse and Red Wagon Entertainment. Robin Tunney starred in the original, portraying a new arrival at a high school who’s sought out by three students, played by Fairuza
June 21, 2019 3:38PM PT This Syrian-born, L.A.-based singer-songwriter truly comes into her own with her second full-length — a lush, low-key album that bears traces of Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell and Beck’s “Morning Phase.” That latter reference is no accident, as the album features three of the skinny bard’s longtime collaborators —
Despite Madonna’s high-profile stardom, the pop queen has decided to play smaller venues for her “Madame X” tour starting this fall, a decision she attributed to her desire to maintain intimacy with her fans. “I like the idea of staying in one place and people coming to me. I also like the idea of being
The long Emmy campaign takes a bit of a breather next week, after nomination voting ends on Monday at 10 p.m. We won’t know until July 16 how much all the FYC events, stunts, mailers and coverage paid off, but it’s already been a raucous campaign season — including bigger-than-ever installations from the likes of