Arriving just as Britain’s dire housing crisis is set to be a key campaign issue in next year’s long-awaited general election, “The Kitchen” offers a solemnly affecting look at what might happen if it’s left to fester. Zooming through a dystopian London in what seems the too-near future, this sharply accomplished feature directing debut from
Spanish star Miguel Bernardeau can relate to “Zorro.” “He has to grow up really fast. He has to decide who he wants to be and he has to do it when still very young. Which also happened to me,” he tells Variety in Cannes before the market premiere of his new show. Following the success of “Elite,”
Suzanne Somers, who parlayed TV stardom in the sitcom hits “Three’s Company” and “Step by Step” into a personal fortune as a health and fitness pitchwoman and author, died Sunday in Palm Springs, Calif. She was 76. “Suzanne Somers passed away peacefully at home in the early morning hours of October 15th. She survived an
“Carrie,” the 1976 Cinderella-goes-to-the-bloodbath horror film that gave Piper Laurie, who died Oct. 14 at 91, the role for which she’ll probably be best remembered, is the movie that changed my life. I was 17, home for the Thanksgiving weekend of my freshman year at college. “Carrie” had opened earlier that month, and I went
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” is towering over the global box office with estimates of $126 million to $130 million in its first weekend of release. It’s a seismic start for any concert film, but this is particularly impressive because it was announced just six weeks ago and unspooled on the big screen with minimal
A group of 22 Hollywood writers has penned an open letter calling out the Writers Guild of America for not issuing a statement condemning the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. SAG-AFTRA and the Directors Guild of America each issued statements last week condemning the attack. The writers group — including Eli Roth, Mike Weiss,
For anyone in southern California who had experienced FOMJ (fear of missing Joni) when Brandi Carlile led “Joni jams” with Joni Mitchell last year at the Newport Folk Festival or earlier this year at the Gorge, there was finally an antidote for that. Mitchell was — as hoped — one of the guests at the
When directors Dan Abraham and Trent Corey were preparing “Once Upon a Studio,” their animated tribute to 100 years of Disney animation, they knew they wanted two musical elements: Cliff Edwards, as Jiminy Cricket, singing “When You Wish Upon a Star,” and songwriter Richard Sherman playing piano for “Feed the Birds.” Those two songs are
“Twilight” star Taylor Lautner showed off his werewolf-level agility by doing several backflips at a recent “Eras Tour” screening. Lautner’s wife, also named Taylor Lautner, posted the performance on Saturday on her Instagram Stories. The clips, later reposted on X, see Lautner expressing his excitement for the screening by doing a full backflip. He sticks
ITVX thriller “Platform 7,” produced by Fremantle’s Dancing Ledge, has debuted first-look images ahead of MipCom. Adapted from Louise Doughty’s novel, it sees young teacher Lisa wandering around a small railway station. Lisa has a secret – she is a ghost and she died right there. But even though everyone ruled it a suicide, she
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist” was named the best film in the official competition at this year’s BFI London Film Festival Awards. “Paradise Is Burning” by Mika Gustafson received the Sutherland Award in the first feature competition, while Lina Soualem’s “Bye Bye Tiberias” took home the Grierson Award in the documentary competition and “The Archive:
Long live the new box office queen. After selling out stadiums across the country, Taylor Swift is filling movie theaters with “The Eras Tour” concert film, which ignited to estimates of $95 million to $97 million over the weekend. Studios typically report a firmer number at this point, but “without clear comparisons, Sunday box office
Sarah Jessica Parker is set to executive produce “Front Row,” a gripping documentary feature following a group of talented Ukrainian ballet dancers. Directed by Miriam Guttmann, the award-winning filmmaker of “Seeds of Deceit,” the documentary is produced by Scenery (“Human Playground”), a joint venture with Banijay Benelux. Parker and Alison Benson are exec producing via
The list of Oscar-winning directors for short films who have gone on to major careers in the feature-length realm is shorter than you might imagine. Andrea Arnold, Martin McDonagh and Claude Berri achieved arthouse success; David Frankel made multiplex hits like “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Marley & Me.” But perhaps only Taylor Hackford, a
The Lumière Festival’s International Classic Film Market (MIFC) in Lyon, France, is highlighting heritage documentaries, examining Cuban and Swedish cinema and showcasing the work of the Wim Wenders Foundation as part of a newly revamped program. In overhauling the MIFC, organizers are seeking to position the event closer to industry needs, offer improved services and
Iranian director Dariush Mehrjui, whose 1969 “The Cow” opened up a new era in Iranian filmmaking, and his wife have been found stabbed to death in their home outside Tehran, Iran’s state media reported on Sunday. Iran’s official IRNA news agency quoted judiciary official Hossein Fazeli as saying that Mehrjhi and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar,
“Vive la paix, vive le cinéma!” Irène Jacob, the president of Lyon’s Lumière Institute which runs the Lumière Film Festival, chose to mark the opening of the event on Saturday night with a solemn message of peace, a week to the day after the outbreak of renewed conflict in the Middle East. “Tonight, we are
Turning on real-life 1990s trans icon Cristina Ortiz, “Veneno” established Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo as leading LGBTQ directors in Spain. In “La Mesías,” they bring their hallmark visceral sense of diversity to each and every scene and episode, which lends them their large distinction. “We’re not very conscious of it, but you can see
Two is better than one. Amsterdam-based Skoop Media has closed a deal with Walter Presents on “Evilside” and “Sleepers” for the U.K., Ireland, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The platform will have exclusive VOD rights in these territories. “We can’t wait for our viewers to delve into these two phenomenal series,” enthused Walter Presents
The Spanish world premiere that made the most waves at this year’s San Sebastian Festival was not a film but a series, “La Mesías,” written, directed and produced by Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo. “A masterpiece,” proclaimed Spanish website Cineconñ; national newspaper El Mundo greeted it as the first work of maturity from hugely unconventional
Look what you made her do. Moments after Travis Kelce made a surprise appearance on Saturday’s premiere of “Saturday Night Live,” hosted by Pete Davidson, the superstar made a cameo of her own. Swift appeared on screen following a commercial break to introduce her friend, Ice Spice, for her second performance of the night. Swift
Beta Film’s Channel4/Starz drama series “The Couple Next Door” is moving across European neighborhoods, being sold ahead of Mipcom to Movistar Plus+ in Spain and throughout the Nordics. Public broadcasters NRK for Norway, YLE for Finland, SVT for Sweden, DR for Denmark and RUV for Iceland snagged the thriller, starring Sam Heughan (“Outlander,” “Suspect”) and
“Saturday Night Live” returned with host Pete Davidson on Saturday, and the first sketch of the night took on Taylor Swift/NFL mania, via a parody of Fox’s NFL Sunday team. As the anchors tried to outdo each other with their Swift fandom, the sketch ended with a cameo by Travis Kelce himself — the Kansas
“Saturday Night Live” opened this week’s Season 49 premiere without a skit, but instead with host Pete Davidson discussing “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza.” Said Davidson: “And I know what you’re thinking, Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson? Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good
Four songs into Madonna’s long-awaited Celebration Tour and a technical hitch gives her a chance to chat for a little longer than was probably planned. She tells the crowd of her early days being “hungry, broke and scared” in New York, with a lack of support from her father, who wanted her to come back
Shirley Jo Finney, a theater director and actor known for the 1975 TV biopic “Wilma,” died on Oct. 10 following an eight-month battle with cancer. She was 74. The Fountain Theatre announced the news of Finney’s death in a statement on Friday. “It shatters my heart beyond expression to announce the passing of my artistic
The 61st annual New York Film Festival concluded on Friday night with the North American premiere of Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” Mann walked the red carpet at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall and sat down for a post-screening Q&A alongside “Ferrari” stars Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley and Gabriel Leone, who were able to attend
Stephanie Beatriz, Keith David and Kimiko Glenn are set to star in the new adult animated series “Hazbin Hotel.” The first season will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in January 2024. Prime Video unveiled the full voice cast at New York Comic Con on Saturday, along with a teaser of an original song called “Happy
Over two years since the first season aired, Amazon Prime Video‘s “Invincible” is back for Season 2. The animated superhero series will pick up right where the last season ended, introducing new characters and stories from the comic it is based on. The first four episodes of Season 2 will debut on Prime Video on
Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears to be just as clueless about a potential “Seinfeld” reunion. During a stand-up set earlier this month, Jerry Seinfeld told a Boston audience that he “has a little secret” about the finale of the beloved sitcom. “Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending. It hasn’t happened yet,”