Francis Galluppi’s tense and darkly funny The Last Stop in Yuma County begins with an unnamed traveling knife salesman (Jim Cummings) rolling up at the titular Arizona rest stop, looking to fill his tank. The place is nothing more than a couple of gas pumps, a tiny motel, and an old-school diner, complete with red leather booths and an infinite supply of strong black coffee. Despite the locale’s humble appearance, it’s about to become the site of a thrilling showdown that finds a fascinating mix of misfit characters caught in the crossfire.
The attendant, Vernon (Faizon Love), gives our protagonist the bad news first: They don’t have a drop of gas left to sell and the next stop isn’t for a hundred miles. There’s no way the salesman’s car will make it that far, so he’s stuck here until the next delivery arrives.
The attendant, Vernon (Faizon Love), gives our protagonist the bad news first: They don’t have a drop of gas left to sell and the next stop isn’t for a hundred miles. There’s no way the salesman’s car will make it that far, so he’s stuck here until the next delivery arrives.
- 5/5/2024
- by Ross McIndoe
- Slant Magazine
Nicole Kidman is the 2024 AFI Life Achievement Award honoree for her film career.
“Nicole Kidman embodies the glamour and romance of Hollywood past – a true screen icon – but she is also a risk taker – and so each performance is something new and something profound,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. “And like all truly great artists – Nicole not only gives back – she drives culture forward with her commitment to amplifying the voices of female directors and producers.”
Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon are some of the presenters who honored Kidman at the event at the Dolby Theatre on April 27.
Related: Nicole Kidman’s Career In Photos: From ‘Days of Thunder’ And ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ To ‘Moulin Rouge!’
The AFI Life Achievement Award, was established by the AFI Board of Trustees in 1973, and is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following...
“Nicole Kidman embodies the glamour and romance of Hollywood past – a true screen icon – but she is also a risk taker – and so each performance is something new and something profound,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. “And like all truly great artists – Nicole not only gives back – she drives culture forward with her commitment to amplifying the voices of female directors and producers.”
Meryl Streep, Morgan Freeman, Naomi Watts and Reese Witherspoon are some of the presenters who honored Kidman at the event at the Dolby Theatre on April 27.
Related: Nicole Kidman’s Career In Photos: From ‘Days of Thunder’ And ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ To ‘Moulin Rouge!’
The AFI Life Achievement Award, was established by the AFI Board of Trustees in 1973, and is presented to a single honoree each year based on the following...
- 4/28/2024
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
Screen writer and producer Jonathan Nolan is much more than just the sibling of famous director Christopher Nolan. Having played a significant part in The Prestige director’s massive success, the younger brother of the Oscar winner has held his own in the industry with many successful projects to his name.
Hollywood producer and writer Jonathan Nolan ( image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
One of the feathers in his cap as a writer and producer was the 2011 crime drama Person of Interest which ran successfully for 5 seasons. The show starred Jim Cavaziel in the lead role which earned the actor a lot of praise. In an interview before the series went on air, Nolan discussed one outstanding performance of the star that made him confident that he had taken the right decision to cast him.
Jonathan Nolan Was Awestruck By Jim Cavaziel’s Talent In This Film
The 2011 crime series Person of Interest produced,...
Hollywood producer and writer Jonathan Nolan ( image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
One of the feathers in his cap as a writer and producer was the 2011 crime drama Person of Interest which ran successfully for 5 seasons. The show starred Jim Cavaziel in the lead role which earned the actor a lot of praise. In an interview before the series went on air, Nolan discussed one outstanding performance of the star that made him confident that he had taken the right decision to cast him.
Jonathan Nolan Was Awestruck By Jim Cavaziel’s Talent In This Film
The 2011 crime series Person of Interest produced,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Sharanya Sankar
- FandomWire
This year’s edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is set to present a retrospective on Franz Kafka and his influence on cinema, dubbed The Wish To Be A Red Indian: Kafka and Cinema. It will examine how the influential Czech writer has impacted filmmakers from Orson Welles, Martin Scorsese, Ousmane Sembene, Jan Nemec and Steven Soderbergh.
This June will mark the centenary of the final moments of Kafka, who passed away at a sanatorium in the Austrian town of Kierling. Kviff, which kicks off on June 28, will launch this strand in honor of the writer featuring films such as Soderberg’s noir mystery Kafka, Welles’ The Trial, Scorsese’s After Hours as well as Roman Polanski’s The Tenant among others.
The festival will also be honoring casting director Francine Maisler, who has worked with directors such as Denis Villeneuve, Terrence Malick and Alejandro González Iñárritu and whose credits include The Revenant,...
This June will mark the centenary of the final moments of Kafka, who passed away at a sanatorium in the Austrian town of Kierling. Kviff, which kicks off on June 28, will launch this strand in honor of the writer featuring films such as Soderberg’s noir mystery Kafka, Welles’ The Trial, Scorsese’s After Hours as well as Roman Polanski’s The Tenant among others.
The festival will also be honoring casting director Francine Maisler, who has worked with directors such as Denis Villeneuve, Terrence Malick and Alejandro González Iñárritu and whose credits include The Revenant,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The Karlovy Vary Film Festival and Variety have teamed up to honor Francine Maisler, one of the world’s most respected casting directors, whose recent credits include “Dune: Part Two,” “The Bikeriders,” “Challengers,” “Civil War” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Maisler has worked on more than 70 feature films and is a recipient of 15 Artios Awards from the Casting Society of America, including for “Marriage Story” in 2020 and “Don’t Look Up” in 2021. As well as working with director Denis Villeneuve on “Dune: Part Two,” “Dune,” “Arrival” and “Sicario,” her other films include Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and “Knight of Cups,” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant” and “Birdman.” In 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on HBO’s “Succession.”
As part of its homage, Karlovy Vary will hold a special screening of one of the films which Maisler worked on. Maisler will also give a public master class,...
Maisler has worked on more than 70 feature films and is a recipient of 15 Artios Awards from the Casting Society of America, including for “Marriage Story” in 2020 and “Don’t Look Up” in 2021. As well as working with director Denis Villeneuve on “Dune: Part Two,” “Dune,” “Arrival” and “Sicario,” her other films include Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” and “Knight of Cups,” and Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “The Revenant” and “Birdman.” In 2022, she won a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on HBO’s “Succession.”
As part of its homage, Karlovy Vary will hold a special screening of one of the films which Maisler worked on. Maisler will also give a public master class,...
- 4/23/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Asphalt City (Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire)
I entered Asphalt City at last year’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival with nothing but morbid curiosity. Having engendered some rank responses from its Cannes premiere and not secured any known U.S. distributor, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s film had the right kind of bad-object energy one needs at the jetlagged start to their week in a small Polish city. (Or just the comfort I personally get from a Brooklyn-shot feature featuring two Club Random guests.) I walked away boasting complicated, fascinated enthusiasm: nearly every second is ridiculous and never boring, and it doesn’t not deserve to play at a cinematography festival––having the most cinematography counts for something. Starting and ending with a blatant homage to The New World...
Asphalt City (Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire)
I entered Asphalt City at last year’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival with nothing but morbid curiosity. Having engendered some rank responses from its Cannes premiere and not secured any known U.S. distributor, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s film had the right kind of bad-object energy one needs at the jetlagged start to their week in a small Polish city. (Or just the comfort I personally get from a Brooklyn-shot feature featuring two Club Random guests.) I walked away boasting complicated, fascinated enthusiasm: nearly every second is ridiculous and never boring, and it doesn’t not deserve to play at a cinematography festival––having the most cinematography counts for something. Starting and ending with a blatant homage to The New World...
- 4/19/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Considering the impact it has had on both its fan base and the world at large, Man of Steel undoubtedly stands as one of the greatest Superman films ever made. And thus, surpassing its success would undoubtedly be a challenging task. It’s remarkable to think how the movie has influenced other films that seemingly had no connection to it.
Man of Steel has reshaped the landscape of comic book films, introducing thought-provoking themes and emotional connections that were previously unexpected in the genre. Instead of merely serving as entertainment, it has become something far greater than just a typical superhero movie.
Henry Cavill as Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel Storm’s Flight Scene in X-Men ’97 Episode 6 Inspired by Man of Steel
When Man of Steel made its debut in theaters in 2014, it wasn’t just about introducing Superman to the big screen, it also signaled...
Man of Steel has reshaped the landscape of comic book films, introducing thought-provoking themes and emotional connections that were previously unexpected in the genre. Instead of merely serving as entertainment, it has become something far greater than just a typical superhero movie.
Henry Cavill as Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel Storm’s Flight Scene in X-Men ’97 Episode 6 Inspired by Man of Steel
When Man of Steel made its debut in theaters in 2014, it wasn’t just about introducing Superman to the big screen, it also signaled...
- 4/19/2024
- by Sampurna Banerjee
- FandomWire
Exclusive: La Haine filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz is returning to the director’s chair to make English-language passion project The Big War, which will mark the first movie he has helmed in 13 years.
“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.
“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...
“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.
“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...
- 4/9/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: In a move that points to a change in direction he will take at the helm of Disney live action and 20th Century Studios, former Searchlight co-head David Greenbaum has made his first big statement buy, and it’s set to the music of Bruce Springsteen’s seminal album Nebraska.
20th Century has closed a deal to finance and release Deliver Me from Nowhere, the narrative film that Scott Cooper is writing to direct with Emmy-winning The Bear star Jeremy Allen White playing The Boss in a pivotal moment in his life. Grappling with personal demons and trying to wrap his arms around becoming a global superstar, Springsteen wrote and recorded Nebraska, the 1982 album that rivals Joni Mitchell’s Blue as one of the most emotionally raw, dark and honest albums in recent music history.
When Deadline revealed that the project was coming together, A24 was expected to be the distributor.
20th Century has closed a deal to finance and release Deliver Me from Nowhere, the narrative film that Scott Cooper is writing to direct with Emmy-winning The Bear star Jeremy Allen White playing The Boss in a pivotal moment in his life. Grappling with personal demons and trying to wrap his arms around becoming a global superstar, Springsteen wrote and recorded Nebraska, the 1982 album that rivals Joni Mitchell’s Blue as one of the most emotionally raw, dark and honest albums in recent music history.
When Deadline revealed that the project was coming together, A24 was expected to be the distributor.
- 4/8/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
China’s video streamers, much like their counterparts in the west, have passed their peak growth phase and have been forced to refocus their efforts on achieving profitability. In the case of IQiyi, which is a subsidiary of tech giant Baidu but has its own stock market listing on the Nasdaq, that transition has meant reduced content spending and a more rigorous approach to quality and investment in winning shows.
“To the Wonder,” which debuted on Sunday in competition at Canneseries, is a product of that less-is-more approach. It follows the appearance of IQiyi’s crime drama “Why Try to Change Me Now” in the 2023 Berlin Series lineup.
The eight-part “To the Wonder,” which shares a title with the 2012 fantasy film by Terrence Malick but has no connection to it, is a big-budget heart-warmer that stars Ma Yili (“The First Half of My Life”), Zhou Yiran (“Across the Furious Sea”) and Yu Shi.
“To the Wonder,” which debuted on Sunday in competition at Canneseries, is a product of that less-is-more approach. It follows the appearance of IQiyi’s crime drama “Why Try to Change Me Now” in the 2023 Berlin Series lineup.
The eight-part “To the Wonder,” which shares a title with the 2012 fantasy film by Terrence Malick but has no connection to it, is a big-budget heart-warmer that stars Ma Yili (“The First Half of My Life”), Zhou Yiran (“Across the Furious Sea”) and Yu Shi.
- 4/8/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
When Tye Sheridan was just 11 years old, something crazy happened: Terrence Malick came looking for him.
Specifically, the beloved American auteur wanted to cast a trio of young brothers for his “The Tree of Life,” co-starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. The vast majority of kids Malick and his team saw were — like Texas native Sheridan — totally green to this acting thing.
Sixteen years later, Sheridan isn’t green anymore. The actor is only continuing to build out his resume, adding producing into the mix with his most recent feature film, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s “Asphalt City,” which debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival under the title “Black Flies.”
Still, ask Sheridan about where his initial love of moviemaking came from, and it’s like he’s right back on Malick’s set. “I was randomly cast in the film. They recruited 10,000 kids in the state of Texas to come and audition.
Specifically, the beloved American auteur wanted to cast a trio of young brothers for his “The Tree of Life,” co-starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain. The vast majority of kids Malick and his team saw were — like Texas native Sheridan — totally green to this acting thing.
Sixteen years later, Sheridan isn’t green anymore. The actor is only continuing to build out his resume, adding producing into the mix with his most recent feature film, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s “Asphalt City,” which debuted at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival under the title “Black Flies.”
Still, ask Sheridan about where his initial love of moviemaking came from, and it’s like he’s right back on Malick’s set. “I was randomly cast in the film. They recruited 10,000 kids in the state of Texas to come and audition.
- 3/28/2024
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Marking his first feature in five years, Election and Drug War director Johnnie To has quietly embarked on his next project. Although no official details have been announced regarding the title or plot, HK01 (via Frank Yan) spotted To filming a scene with Hong Kong pop star Anson Lo, who plays a driver in the film. There’ll surely be more to come, but it’s exciting to see one of our great directors back at work.
Darren Aronofsky has found his next film and star. Following The Whale, he’ll direct Austin Butler in Caught Stealing, Deadline reports, a sports crime drama scripted by Charlie Huston based on his own book. The Sony Pictures project is described as an “adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride” and will follow Butler as Hank Thompson, “a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ‘90s NYC.
Darren Aronofsky has found his next film and star. Following The Whale, he’ll direct Austin Butler in Caught Stealing, Deadline reports, a sports crime drama scripted by Charlie Huston based on his own book. The Sony Pictures project is described as an “adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride” and will follow Butler as Hank Thompson, “a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild fight for survival in the downtown criminal underworld of ‘90s NYC.
- 3/28/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
While Martin Scorsese aims to kick off production on his Jesus film this year, Terrence Malick is going on year five of editing his, marking one of the only films to wrap production pre-pandemic that still has yet to be released. As so happens every year before the Cannes Film Festival announces its lineup, rumors have swirled that the director’s Biblical epic The Way of the Wind (formerly known as The Last Planet) may see a premiere in 2024. We will, unfortunately, have to wait another year, but in the meantime we have exclusive new details on the highly anticipated project.
Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts...
Actor Géza Röhrig, who stars as Jesus in the film, recently stopped by a university in the Northeast for a conversation on his career. During the chat he confirmed the film is targeting a 2025 Cannes debut. Wind will not exactly focus on Jesus and Peter (as played by Matthias Schoenaerts...
- 3/27/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In the whole history of cinema, only a handful of actors have managed to create such a deep significant impression as Al Pacino has. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actors in the history of American cinema, the legend has delivered masterclasss, one after the other, in each and every role he has taken.
A Pacino (Image: YouTube | Jimmy Kimmel Live)
With a more than five decades-long career, Pacino has won numerous awards and accolades for his unforgettable performances in films such as The Godfather, Scarface, and Scent of a Woman. Yet when it comes to regrets, the acclaimed actor only laments not being able to work with one visionary director.
Al Pacino Mourns Turning Down One Oscar-Winning Movie
A still from Days of Heaven
While there are many actors and actresses who have graced the film industry with their great talents, Al Pacino is just a grade above the rest.
A Pacino (Image: YouTube | Jimmy Kimmel Live)
With a more than five decades-long career, Pacino has won numerous awards and accolades for his unforgettable performances in films such as The Godfather, Scarface, and Scent of a Woman. Yet when it comes to regrets, the acclaimed actor only laments not being able to work with one visionary director.
Al Pacino Mourns Turning Down One Oscar-Winning Movie
A still from Days of Heaven
While there are many actors and actresses who have graced the film industry with their great talents, Al Pacino is just a grade above the rest.
- 3/27/2024
- by Maria Sultan
- FandomWire
Exclusive: In his first major film project since leaving as Netflix Film boss, Scott Stuber has teamed with Gotham Group’s Ellen Goldsmith-Vein & Eric Robinson to make a film about The Boss. Scott Cooper is writing to direct Deliver Me from Nowhere, a narrative feature about Bruce Springsteen and the long effort to put together his seminal 1982 album Nebraska, which started to take shape as he and the E Street Band were laying down tracks for his massive hit album Born in the USA. It’s an adaptation of the Warren Zanes book published last year.
The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is top choice to play Springsteen, and talks are underway with A24 to make the movie. Negotiations haven’t begun with the actor, who would head to New Jersey for a fall shoot after the Emmy winner finishes Season 4 of The Bear in June.
As we’ve learned,...
The Bear star Jeremy Allen White is top choice to play Springsteen, and talks are underway with A24 to make the movie. Negotiations haven’t begun with the actor, who would head to New Jersey for a fall shoot after the Emmy winner finishes Season 4 of The Bear in June.
As we’ve learned,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Dianne Crittenden, casting director on the original Star Wars who also worked on Pretty Woman, Spider-Man 2 and dozens of other films during a 40-year career, died March 19 at her home in Pacific Palisades. She was 82.
Her friend and colleague Ilene Starger confirmed her passing to Deadline.
Born on August 6, 1941, in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, NY, Crittenden got her start in the entertainment industry working with Howard Zieff, a photographer and director. They worked on advertising campaigns, TV commercials and films.
Her first project as casting director was Terrence Malick’s 1973 drama Badlands, starring Martin Sheen-Sissy Spacek, on which Bruce Springsteen based his song “Nebraska” a decade later. Crittenden worked on a few other films and TV shows, including the Emmy-winning 1976 Sally Field miniseries Sybil, before land the casting-director role of a lifetime — a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
After working with George Lucas on the iconic Star Wars,...
Her friend and colleague Ilene Starger confirmed her passing to Deadline.
Born on August 6, 1941, in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, NY, Crittenden got her start in the entertainment industry working with Howard Zieff, a photographer and director. They worked on advertising campaigns, TV commercials and films.
Her first project as casting director was Terrence Malick’s 1973 drama Badlands, starring Martin Sheen-Sissy Spacek, on which Bruce Springsteen based his song “Nebraska” a decade later. Crittenden worked on a few other films and TV shows, including the Emmy-winning 1976 Sally Field miniseries Sybil, before land the casting-director role of a lifetime — a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
After working with George Lucas on the iconic Star Wars,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Dianne Crittenden, casting director on some of the most notable features of the 1970s and ’80s including “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” “Days of Heaven” and “Pretty Woman,” died March 19. She was 82.
She died Wednesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., according to her friend and mentee Ilene Starger.
Crittenden would go on to have a prolific career in casting lasting over 40 years. Crittenden’s credits include “The Thin Red Line,” “On Golden Pond,” “Witness,” “Badlands,” “Oh! God,” “Howard the Duck,” “Wise Guys” and “Spiderman 2.” She was nominated for a CSA Artios award for “Witness.” She worked with some of the industry’s most prominent directors, such as Ridley Scott, Peter Bogdanovich, Wes Craven, George Romero and Brian De Palma.
In a 2010 featurette included in the Criterion Collection release, Crittenden spoke about her experiences working with Terrence Malick, or “Terry” as she calls him, on his WWII drama “The Thin Red Line.
She died Wednesday in Pacific Palisades, Calif., according to her friend and mentee Ilene Starger.
Crittenden would go on to have a prolific career in casting lasting over 40 years. Crittenden’s credits include “The Thin Red Line,” “On Golden Pond,” “Witness,” “Badlands,” “Oh! God,” “Howard the Duck,” “Wise Guys” and “Spiderman 2.” She was nominated for a CSA Artios award for “Witness.” She worked with some of the industry’s most prominent directors, such as Ridley Scott, Peter Bogdanovich, Wes Craven, George Romero and Brian De Palma.
In a 2010 featurette included in the Criterion Collection release, Crittenden spoke about her experiences working with Terrence Malick, or “Terry” as she calls him, on his WWII drama “The Thin Red Line.
- 3/21/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
What if “Friday the 13th” was told through Jason Voorhees’ point of view?
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
- 3/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
In 2011, it might have seemed like Jessica Chastain emerged out of nowhere as a formidable actress, when she appeared in no less than five movies — including Best Picture nominees “The Help” and “The Tree of Life” — and scored her first-ever Oscar nomination. But Chastain worked for years to get to that point, acting in plays from a young age and attending the prestigious Juilliard School. “I struggled for so long to try to create a career,” she told the New York Times in 2017.
In the decade since her breakout year, Chastain has received acclaim for a variety of different roles — from her Oscar-nominated lead part in “Zero Dark Thirty” to her lauded supporting work in “A Most Violent Year” to even a superhero franchise with “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” She’s worked alongside top filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow, J.C. Chandor, Aaron Sorkin, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott.
But Chastain...
In the decade since her breakout year, Chastain has received acclaim for a variety of different roles — from her Oscar-nominated lead part in “Zero Dark Thirty” to her lauded supporting work in “A Most Violent Year” to even a superhero franchise with “X-Men: Dark Phoenix.” She’s worked alongside top filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Kathryn Bigelow, J.C. Chandor, Aaron Sorkin, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott.
But Chastain...
- 3/15/2024
- by Christopher Rosen, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
The attention-grabbing opening scene in writer/director Benjamin Finkel’s Family effectively establishes the film’s peculiar, esoteric, yet bone-chilling tone. Evoking Relic or Ari Aster’s Hereditary, the cold open sees preteen protagonist Johanna (Cameron Dawson Gray) banging on the locked doors of a synagogue, pleading to be let in, only for her mother, Naomi (Ruth Wilson), to stalk across the lawn, drag her out into it, then stab her. Without any explanation or context, Family cuts to a less volatile time, unfurling a strange, unwieldy slice of arthouse horror that’s heightened by Finkel’s knack for viscerally disturbing horror and imagery.
The eleven-year-old Johanna, an only child homeschooled by her mom, has recently been uprooted to mom’s creaky old childhood home for closer access to medical care for her father, Harry (Ben Chaplin), who’s slowly deteriorating from cancer. Things are stable enough to start, but...
The eleven-year-old Johanna, an only child homeschooled by her mom, has recently been uprooted to mom’s creaky old childhood home for closer access to medical care for her father, Harry (Ben Chaplin), who’s slowly deteriorating from cancer. Things are stable enough to start, but...
- 3/10/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Once a taboo broken only by the boldest of directors, violence against children has become increasingly common in horror films. Credit (or blame) for this phenomenon — at least in its more recent incarnations — goes to “Hereditary,” a movie that boldly broke the once-sacred familial contract. There’s bound to be diminishing returns when other filmmakers start taking inspiration from such transgressions, however. Six years later, that brings us to “Family,” premiering at the 2024 edition of SXSW.
Directed by first-timer Benjamin Finkel, the film treads similar thematic territory to Aster’s film, but inverted, with a sci-fi/horror twist. “Family” begins with a quick, disturbing cold open, as 11-year-old Johanna (Cameron Dawson Gray) desperately bangs on the window of a building we later learn is the temple where her grandfather (Allan Corduner) serves as a rabbi. Then her mother (Ruth Wilson) comes up behind her, grabs her by her ankle, and...
Directed by first-timer Benjamin Finkel, the film treads similar thematic territory to Aster’s film, but inverted, with a sci-fi/horror twist. “Family” begins with a quick, disturbing cold open, as 11-year-old Johanna (Cameron Dawson Gray) desperately bangs on the window of a building we later learn is the temple where her grandfather (Allan Corduner) serves as a rabbi. Then her mother (Ruth Wilson) comes up behind her, grabs her by her ankle, and...
- 3/9/2024
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
Adam Sandler has gone pseudo-serious before, from a mentally agitated toilet plunger salesman in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Punch-Drunk Love” to a depressed comic in Judd Apatow’s “Funny People.” But he’s never been so dour as cosmonaut Jakub Prochazka in Johan Renck’s lonely island of a science-fiction drama, “Spaceman,” where he’s six months into a solitary research mission investigating spectral cloud activity around the planet Jupiter.
Sci-fi cinephiles are certainly familiar with the cinematic wonderments capable of the gas giant, thanks to Stanley Kubrick’s Stargate sequence in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which sends Keir Dullea on an existential trip into Jupiter’s furthest depths. But Renck’s film, written by Colby Day, is too concerned with the far more banal Earthly dramas Jakub has left behind in the form of his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), who is preparing to leave him. “Spaceman” is a miserable...
Sci-fi cinephiles are certainly familiar with the cinematic wonderments capable of the gas giant, thanks to Stanley Kubrick’s Stargate sequence in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” which sends Keir Dullea on an existential trip into Jupiter’s furthest depths. But Renck’s film, written by Colby Day, is too concerned with the far more banal Earthly dramas Jakub has left behind in the form of his wife Lenka (Carey Mulligan), who is preparing to leave him. “Spaceman” is a miserable...
- 2/22/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Sean Penn and Tye Sheridan Endure New York’s Darkest Nights in Trailer for Cannes Title Asphalt City
I entered Asphalt City at last year’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE festival with nothing but morbid curiosity. Having engendered some rank responses from its Cannes premiere and not secured any known U.S. distributor, Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s film had the right kind of bad-object energy one needs at the jetlagged start to their week in a small Polish city. (Or just the comfort I personally get from a Brooklyn-shot feature featuring two Club Random guests.)
I walked away boasting complicated, fascinated enthusiasm: nearly every second is ridiculous and never boring, and it doesn’t not deserve to play at a cinematography festival––having the most cinematography counts for something. Starting and ending with a blatant homage to The New World before thanking Terrence Malick in its credits; Michael Pitt relaunching a troubled career by billing himself Michael C. Pitt and asking Tye Sheridan “you believe in Heaven, bro?” with a mile-thick Noo...
I walked away boasting complicated, fascinated enthusiasm: nearly every second is ridiculous and never boring, and it doesn’t not deserve to play at a cinematography festival––having the most cinematography counts for something. Starting and ending with a blatant homage to The New World before thanking Terrence Malick in its credits; Michael Pitt relaunching a troubled career by billing himself Michael C. Pitt and asking Tye Sheridan “you believe in Heaven, bro?” with a mile-thick Noo...
- 2/21/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Serving the entertainment industry for more than two decades is a big deal, and Christopher Nolan has been doing it flawlessly. But there are several filmmakers, who played a major role in Nolan’s success. One such inspiration is Terrence Malick, who has unknowingly influenced Nolan’s works to such an extent, that today the Tenet director has turned into one of the most celebrated filmmakers.
Christopher Nolan on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Although the visionary director, Terrence Malick has been overlooked by the Academy Awards for years, his works have reached out to people and fans like Christopher Nolan. Hailed for his truly epic, and humanitarian films like Badlands, The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life, Malick’s works have transcended boundaries.
Christopher Nolan is a Fan of Terrence Malick’s Work
Often taking inspiration from incredible movies that common people aren’t even aware of,...
Christopher Nolan on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Although the visionary director, Terrence Malick has been overlooked by the Academy Awards for years, his works have reached out to people and fans like Christopher Nolan. Hailed for his truly epic, and humanitarian films like Badlands, The Thin Red Line, and The Tree of Life, Malick’s works have transcended boundaries.
Christopher Nolan is a Fan of Terrence Malick’s Work
Often taking inspiration from incredible movies that common people aren’t even aware of,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Netflix is bringing 1974 back to theaters thanks to rare archival prints, restorations, and select 35mm screenings of the curated “Milestone Movies” streaming collection.
The streaming platform debuts a slew of classic films across its trio of theaters in Los Angeles and New York City. The rarely screened archival prints for Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence” are among the selected titles, as well as the premiere of the Dcp restoration of iconic Blaxploitation film “Foxy Brown” starring Pam Grier.
The screening series marks the 50th anniversaries of the 1974 films, which were unveiled as part of Netflix’s inaugural (and Criterion Channel-esque) curation channel “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” which was unveiled in January 2024. Fifteen films will screen at the Paris Theater in New York from March 22 through 28, as 12 films screen at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles from March 11 through...
The streaming platform debuts a slew of classic films across its trio of theaters in Los Angeles and New York City. The rarely screened archival prints for Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” and John Cassavetes’ “A Woman Under the Influence” are among the selected titles, as well as the premiere of the Dcp restoration of iconic Blaxploitation film “Foxy Brown” starring Pam Grier.
The screening series marks the 50th anniversaries of the 1974 films, which were unveiled as part of Netflix’s inaugural (and Criterion Channel-esque) curation channel “Milestone Movies: The Anniversary Collection,” which was unveiled in January 2024. Fifteen films will screen at the Paris Theater in New York from March 22 through 28, as 12 films screen at the Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles from March 11 through...
- 2/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“It’s about a whole bunch of things,” Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios says when quizzed on the subject of his latest feature, La Cocina, debuting this evening at the Berlin Film Festival. “In equal parts, it explores the topic of work, the American dream, the failure of the American dream, and abortion rights. That’s a really tough question as a director.”
Ruizpalacios has a point. Starring Rooney Mara and shot in a crisp digital black-and-white, La Cocina is hard to define. Running just short of two-and-a-half hours, the pic is a complex and formally ambitious tale, perhaps best described as a tragicomedy, set in a deathly busy New York City restaurant called The Grill.
The film opens during the lunch rush at The Grill, where, to the fury of the restaurant management, money has gone missing from the till. As a result, all the undocumented cooks are now subject...
Ruizpalacios has a point. Starring Rooney Mara and shot in a crisp digital black-and-white, La Cocina is hard to define. Running just short of two-and-a-half hours, the pic is a complex and formally ambitious tale, perhaps best described as a tragicomedy, set in a deathly busy New York City restaurant called The Grill.
The film opens during the lunch rush at The Grill, where, to the fury of the restaurant management, money has gone missing from the till. As a result, all the undocumented cooks are now subject...
- 2/16/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
After more or less a solid decade of notable parts in multiple languages (most notably Fatih Akin’s 2017 In the Fade), seasoned German-Turkish actor Numan Acar (who will next be seen in Terrence Malick’s long-awaited The Way of the Wind) returns behind the camera to unpack some personal memories with The Suitcase (aka Waliz). Working with two distinct time frames, the short (which had its world premiere at the 2023 Red Sea Film Festival) looks at themes of displacement, powerlessness and identity, we are witness to all strands of violence on a people who unfortunately come to think of this object as vital to their survival and acts as a lifeline to their past, their family history and physical safety.…...
- 2/12/2024
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
2024 Oscars Best Production Design overview: Can any of the other 3 nominees surpass ‘Barbenheimer’?
A critically important craft to filmmaking is production design. The production designer is responsible for the look of a film, which includes finding locations, designing and building sets, and running the art department. Although the name of this category has changed over the past nine-and-a-half decades, the general principle is the same, with this Oscar going both to a film’s production designer(s) and its set decorator(s).
This category doesn’t usually match the ultimate Best Picture winner; the last time that happened was in 2017 with Guillermo del Toro‘s “The Shape of Water,” and before that was Peter Jackson‘s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003. One of this year’s nominees didn’t even receive a Best Picture nomination.
SEESarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer (‘Barbie’ production designers) bring colorful playsets to life: ‘It was really hard work to play like that...
This category doesn’t usually match the ultimate Best Picture winner; the last time that happened was in 2017 with Guillermo del Toro‘s “The Shape of Water,” and before that was Peter Jackson‘s “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003. One of this year’s nominees didn’t even receive a Best Picture nomination.
SEESarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer (‘Barbie’ production designers) bring colorful playsets to life: ‘It was really hard work to play like that...
- 2/7/2024
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
Matthew Vaughn’s spy thriller Argylle is the widest opener at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office in 626 cinemas, with Universal looking to emulate previous successes from the British director.
Directed by Vaughn from a script by Jason Fuchs, Argylle follows a reclusive author of spy novels, who realises the plot of her new book is starting to mirror real world events.
Henry Cavill, pop star Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, Bryce Dallas Howard, John Cena, Sam Rockwell, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jason, Bryan Cranston, Sofia Boutella, Louis Partridge and Richard E. Grant are on a star-studded cast list.
Vaughn broke...
Directed by Vaughn from a script by Jason Fuchs, Argylle follows a reclusive author of spy novels, who realises the plot of her new book is starting to mirror real world events.
Henry Cavill, pop star Dua Lipa, Ariana DeBose, Bryce Dallas Howard, John Cena, Sam Rockwell, Catherine O’Hara, Samuel L. Jason, Bryan Cranston, Sofia Boutella, Louis Partridge and Richard E. Grant are on a star-studded cast list.
Vaughn broke...
- 2/2/2024
- ScreenDaily
The director’s rereleased 1978 film revealed some of the authorial signatures that would underscore a film-making career punctuated by a two-decade disappearance
Terrence Malick’s richly achieved early film from 1978 is now rereleased; it is a tragic romance and slo-mo melodrama which appeared five years after his debut, and after which Malick mysteriously vanished from public view until The Thin Red Line came out fully 21 years later to banish his Salingerian reclusive reputation. Days of Heaven reintroduced to movie audiences his passionate sense of landscape, his unhurried tempo and mastery of calm, although this is in fact an eventful and dramatic film. It also established his compositional technique which foregrounds the shifts and eddies of mood; it is partly a function of shooting a great deal, shaping the movie in the edit and cutting a lot out. In years and decades to come, many of his actors would be disconcerted...
Terrence Malick’s richly achieved early film from 1978 is now rereleased; it is a tragic romance and slo-mo melodrama which appeared five years after his debut, and after which Malick mysteriously vanished from public view until The Thin Red Line came out fully 21 years later to banish his Salingerian reclusive reputation. Days of Heaven reintroduced to movie audiences his passionate sense of landscape, his unhurried tempo and mastery of calm, although this is in fact an eventful and dramatic film. It also established his compositional technique which foregrounds the shifts and eddies of mood; it is partly a function of shooting a great deal, shaping the movie in the edit and cutting a lot out. In years and decades to come, many of his actors would be disconcerted...
- 2/1/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For regular updates, sign up for our weekly email newsletter and follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSEvil Does Not Exist.We are saddened to learn that Issue 97 will be Cinema Scope’s last in its current form. To “do something valuable in this field,” editor and publisher Mark Peranson writes, “one needs creative freedom.” This is exactly what, for twenty-five years and just under 100 issues, Cinema Scope was able to provide, offering a space that allowed, per Peranson, “a certain kind of filmmaker’s work to be treated with the intellect and respect they deserve.” The print issue is on its way to subscribers now, and its entire contents—including interviews with Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Rodrigo Moreno, and Alex Ross Perry—can also be read online.Sandra Milo has died at the age of 90. She starred in Federico Fellini’s 8½ (1963) and Juliet of the Spirits...
- 1/31/2024
- MUBI
Paramount’s “Mean Girls” continued its sway over the U.K. and Ireland box office with £1.4 million ($1.8 million), according to numbers from Comscore.
The musical teen comedy now has a total of £5.5 million after two weekends on release. Disney’s acclaimed “All of Us Strangers,” directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, debuted in second place with £1.1 million.
Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” collected £1.04 million in third position and after eight weekends on release has a total of £59.7 million. In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Sony’s “Anyone But You” earned £817,810 for a total of £8.3 million.
Rounding off the top five was Disney’s double Golden Globe winner “Poor Things” that took in £690,024 in its third weekend for a total of £5.06 million.
There were two debuts in the top 10. Viacom18’s Bollywood air force epic “Fighter,” which topped the global box office with $25 million, scored £590,146 in the U.
The musical teen comedy now has a total of £5.5 million after two weekends on release. Disney’s acclaimed “All of Us Strangers,” directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal, debuted in second place with £1.1 million.
Warner Bros.’ “Wonka” collected £1.04 million in third position and after eight weekends on release has a total of £59.7 million. In fourth place, in its fifth weekend, Sony’s “Anyone But You” earned £817,810 for a total of £8.3 million.
Rounding off the top five was Disney’s double Golden Globe winner “Poor Things” that took in £690,024 in its third weekend for a total of £5.06 million.
There were two debuts in the top 10. Viacom18’s Bollywood air force epic “Fighter,” which topped the global box office with $25 million, scored £590,146 in the U.
- 1/30/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Bird,” Andrea Arnold’s first narrative feature in almost a decade, has been picked up by Cornerstone Films with the company set to launch the feature at the upcoming European Film Market in Berlin.
Little is known about the film, except that it was shot in the U.K. around the Kent area last summer and, like much of Arnold’s work, examines life on the fringes of society. It also stars two of the buzziest actors on the circuit: Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski.
Keoghan is currently on a phenomenal run that began with his BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated supporting role in “The Banshees of Inisherin” and has continued with a BAFTA-nominated lead turn in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” as well as a major part in the recently launched Apple TV+ drama “Masters of the Air.” He reportedly joined “Bird” after leaving the cast of Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Gladiator” sequel,...
Little is known about the film, except that it was shot in the U.K. around the Kent area last summer and, like much of Arnold’s work, examines life on the fringes of society. It also stars two of the buzziest actors on the circuit: Barry Keoghan and Franz Rogowski.
Keoghan is currently on a phenomenal run that began with his BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated supporting role in “The Banshees of Inisherin” and has continued with a BAFTA-nominated lead turn in Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn” as well as a major part in the recently launched Apple TV+ drama “Masters of the Air.” He reportedly joined “Bird” after leaving the cast of Ridley Scott’s upcoming “Gladiator” sequel,...
- 1/29/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Plot: An undead monster is resurrected in the remote wilderness and goes on a rampage.
Review: Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: an undead monster wearing a mask, partying teens getting slashed, and creepy urban legends coming to life. Indeed, director Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature is unabashedly a slasher film, but it’s distinguished by its unique perspective. Basically, the entire film is shown from the killer’s point of view. The camera very rarely leaves his Pov from the time he is resurrected, showing him walking confusedly through the woods, finding victims, killing them grotesquely, and moving on.
Through it all, Nash mixes techniques, shooting the film in a minimalist art-house style (complete with the now pretentious 1:33:1 aspect ratio) until switching to maximalist gore for some (but not all) of the kills. That means the film often has minimal dialogue as we...
Review: Stop me if any of this sounds familiar: an undead monster wearing a mask, partying teens getting slashed, and creepy urban legends coming to life. Indeed, director Chris Nash’s In A Violent Nature is unabashedly a slasher film, but it’s distinguished by its unique perspective. Basically, the entire film is shown from the killer’s point of view. The camera very rarely leaves his Pov from the time he is resurrected, showing him walking confusedly through the woods, finding victims, killing them grotesquely, and moving on.
Through it all, Nash mixes techniques, shooting the film in a minimalist art-house style (complete with the now pretentious 1:33:1 aspect ratio) until switching to maximalist gore for some (but not all) of the kills. That means the film often has minimal dialogue as we...
- 1/27/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Don’t miss a special screening of Flick and All Jacked Up and Full of Worms, two very unique horror films, at the Museum of the Moving Image in NYC.
“Alter is excited to announce a partnership with beloved New York institution, Museum of the Moving Image, to elevate independent short filmmakers within the horror genre by programming short films ahead of features screened as part of the museum’s horror series, Disreputable Cinema.”
Buy Tickets at MovingImage.org
Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature, coming soon to Shudder, plays on a lot of slasher tropes, but the story unfolds in quite an unconventional way.
“Ever wondered what a masked maniac in the vein of Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees does in his downtime—or what it might be like if Terrence Malick made a slasher movie? In a Violent Nature, which just debuted at the Sundance Film...
“Alter is excited to announce a partnership with beloved New York institution, Museum of the Moving Image, to elevate independent short filmmakers within the horror genre by programming short films ahead of features screened as part of the museum’s horror series, Disreputable Cinema.”
Buy Tickets at MovingImage.org
Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature, coming soon to Shudder, plays on a lot of slasher tropes, but the story unfolds in quite an unconventional way.
“Ever wondered what a masked maniac in the vein of Friday the 13th’s Jason Voorhees does in his downtime—or what it might be like if Terrence Malick made a slasher movie? In a Violent Nature, which just debuted at the Sundance Film...
- 1/25/2024
- by Michael Ahr
- Den of Geek
With the rerelease of Malick’s 1978 masterpiece Days of Heaven, we rate the 80-year-old director’s mystical movies and singular vision
This is the low point of the Terrence Malick canon: despite moments of visual panache, the Malickian style descends here into mannerism, cliche and self-parody. His epiphanic moments of wonder, generally deployed to evoke the American heartland or ordinary people generally, are now applied to the silly and self-important world of an LA screenwriter (Christian Bale) undergoing the least interesting spiritual crisis in history. The golden-hour sunsets, whispery voiceovers and woozy flashback-montages feel flaccid.
This is the low point of the Terrence Malick canon: despite moments of visual panache, the Malickian style descends here into mannerism, cliche and self-parody. His epiphanic moments of wonder, generally deployed to evoke the American heartland or ordinary people generally, are now applied to the silly and self-important world of an LA screenwriter (Christian Bale) undergoing the least interesting spiritual crisis in history. The golden-hour sunsets, whispery voiceovers and woozy flashback-montages feel flaccid.
- 1/25/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
A high-concept horror movie so casual that it sometimes feels like it doesn’t have any concept at all, Chris Nash’s “In a Violent Nature” is an “ambient slasher” that might owe more to the likes of Terrence Malick and Gus Van Sant than it does to Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers — at least until the part when the unstoppable teen-murderer disembowels a female victim and then twists her entire head through the giant hole he’s carved in her stomach.
Told from its killer’s point of view (except when it’s not), this anemic but formally compelling genre exercise strips the whole madman in a mask routine down to its skeleton. It starts, of course, with some doomed kids in the woods, their voices disembodied long before their limbs will get the chance. Nash frames them out in favor of focusing on the gold necklace the characters...
Told from its killer’s point of view (except when it’s not), this anemic but formally compelling genre exercise strips the whole madman in a mask routine down to its skeleton. It starts, of course, with some doomed kids in the woods, their voices disembodied long before their limbs will get the chance. Nash frames them out in favor of focusing on the gold necklace the characters...
- 1/24/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Sarah Greene is “excited” to be at the center of a high-stakes “love triangle” involving James McArdle and Emun Elliott in Sexy Beast, the Paramount+ prequel to director Jonathan Glazer’s 2000 classic.
Greene tells me she is a great admirer of Amanda Redman’s sultry performance as former adult actress Deedee Harrison – the role that holds a place in the annals of gangster movie history – and the part that the Cork-born Normal People star takes on in the Sexy Beast drama that premieres on Paramount+ this Thursday, January 25.
Greene watched the movie “over and over again and just studied her through line. And she’s very still, she doesn’t say a whole lot.”
We chat just as the actress is in the midst of shooting the second season of Bad Sisters with her Garvey siblings played by Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle and Eve Hewson. “We were all like,...
Greene tells me she is a great admirer of Amanda Redman’s sultry performance as former adult actress Deedee Harrison – the role that holds a place in the annals of gangster movie history – and the part that the Cork-born Normal People star takes on in the Sexy Beast drama that premieres on Paramount+ this Thursday, January 25.
Greene watched the movie “over and over again and just studied her through line. And she’s very still, she doesn’t say a whole lot.”
We chat just as the actress is in the midst of shooting the second season of Bad Sisters with her Garvey siblings played by Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle and Eve Hewson. “We were all like,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
It took a lot of time — and hair — to transform Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough into Bigfoot. They spent several hours in the makeup chair to don the elaborate prosthetics needed to play two of the eponymous creatures in “Sasquatch Sunset,” a surreal comedic drama that premieres on Friday at the Sundance Film Festival.
“We would arrive — and I would have to shave everything on my face — and then it was two hours in the chair applying hair, makeup and fur, and then climbing into a costume that was specifically made for us,” said Christophe Zajac-Denek, who also stars in the film as one of the mythical beasts, at the Variety Studio presented by Audible. “Tons of fur.”
David Zellner and Nathan Zellner directed “Sasquatch Sunset,” which is vaguely described as “a year in the life of a singular family.” The film, which contains no dialogue (unless you speak Sasquatchese...
“We would arrive — and I would have to shave everything on my face — and then it was two hours in the chair applying hair, makeup and fur, and then climbing into a costume that was specifically made for us,” said Christophe Zajac-Denek, who also stars in the film as one of the mythical beasts, at the Variety Studio presented by Audible. “Tons of fur.”
David Zellner and Nathan Zellner directed “Sasquatch Sunset,” which is vaguely described as “a year in the life of a singular family.” The film, which contains no dialogue (unless you speak Sasquatchese...
- 1/19/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
It’s clear from the imagery, the poster, and the description that writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher movie In a Violent Nature, which will be having its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this month, is inspired by backwoods slashers like the Friday the 13th films… but during an interview with Variety, Nash revealed that this one takes a different approach to the backwoods slasher sub-genre, as it focuses on the killer rather than the potential victims and also draws inspiration from the works of Terrence Malick and Gus Van Sant.
Sundance said In a Violent Nature is about “the enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness.” Variety adds that it features “a masked killer named Johnny traipsing through the woods, camping teens, a local who escaped death years ago, buckets of gore. But including these cornerstones doesn’t feel like a retread—instead,...
Sundance said In a Violent Nature is about “the enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of an undead monster in a remote wilderness.” Variety adds that it features “a masked killer named Johnny traipsing through the woods, camping teens, a local who escaped death years ago, buckets of gore. But including these cornerstones doesn’t feel like a retread—instead,...
- 1/18/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Chris Nash, who wrote and directed the indie horror movie “In A Violent Nature,” loves the slasher genre so much that he decided to totally deconstruct it.
Much like the “Friday the 13th” franchise, “Violent Nature” hits all the known beats: a masked killer named Johnny traipsing through the woods, camping teens, a local who escaped death years ago, buckets of gore. But including these cornerstones doesn’t feel like a retread—instead, it gave Nash room to play freely. Like, for example, making the perspective largely tethered to the killer. There’s no spotlight on heroes or final girls here, only the glimpses and whispers of those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the path of Johnny’s reign of terror.
“We went in knowing that we were just following around this slasher character the entire time,” he said of the film, which is set to debut in the...
Much like the “Friday the 13th” franchise, “Violent Nature” hits all the known beats: a masked killer named Johnny traipsing through the woods, camping teens, a local who escaped death years ago, buckets of gore. But including these cornerstones doesn’t feel like a retread—instead, it gave Nash room to play freely. Like, for example, making the perspective largely tethered to the killer. There’s no spotlight on heroes or final girls here, only the glimpses and whispers of those unfortunate enough to find themselves in the path of Johnny’s reign of terror.
“We went in knowing that we were just following around this slasher character the entire time,” he said of the film, which is set to debut in the...
- 1/18/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Foe Movie Review Rating:
Star Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre
Director: Garth Davis
Foe Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: Youtube)
What’s Good: Ronan and Mescal are young and beautiful, and the premise is intriguing.
What’s Bad: The film needs to learn how to use its premise efficiently, and neither lead has chemistry.
Loo Break: There are a lot of loo breaks in here as the film goes for the slow-burn method but doesn’t know when to drop the bomb and how the climax should affect the rest of the film.
Watch or Not?: It would be best to avoid this for more exciting and compelling romance or science fiction films.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Runtime: 111 Minutes.
User Rating:
To create a romantic film is to be sure that you can establish, develop, and showcase a human relationship based on love,...
Star Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Aaron Pierre
Director: Garth Davis
Foe Movie Review Is Out! (Picture Credit: Youtube)
What’s Good: Ronan and Mescal are young and beautiful, and the premise is intriguing.
What’s Bad: The film needs to learn how to use its premise efficiently, and neither lead has chemistry.
Loo Break: There are a lot of loo breaks in here as the film goes for the slow-burn method but doesn’t know when to drop the bomb and how the climax should affect the rest of the film.
Watch or Not?: It would be best to avoid this for more exciting and compelling romance or science fiction films.
Language: English (with subtitles).
Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Runtime: 111 Minutes.
User Rating:
To create a romantic film is to be sure that you can establish, develop, and showcase a human relationship based on love,...
- 1/15/2024
- by Nelson Acosta
- KoiMoi
The American Film Institute has its sights set on Matthew Libatique.
The Oscar nominated cinematographer, who graduated from the institution in 1992, has been tapped to receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. It will be presented during the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Nicole Kidman at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 27.
The medal is awarded annually “to an alumnus of either the AFI Conservatory or the [AFI Directing Workshop for Women] who best embodies the qualities of the late director: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality filmmaking.” Schaffner, who died in 1989, won a best director Oscar for Patton in 1970. Recipients of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal include David Lynch, Edward Zwick, Amy Heckerling, Terrence Malick, Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Paul Schrader, Janusz Kamiński, Caleb Deschanel, Lesli Linka Glatter, Rachel Morrison, Melina Matsoukas, Siân Heder and others.
The honor comes as Libatique has earned raves for working on Bradley Cooper...
The Oscar nominated cinematographer, who graduated from the institution in 1992, has been tapped to receive AFI’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal. It will be presented during the AFI Life Achievement Award tribute to Nicole Kidman at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 27.
The medal is awarded annually “to an alumnus of either the AFI Conservatory or the [AFI Directing Workshop for Women] who best embodies the qualities of the late director: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality filmmaking.” Schaffner, who died in 1989, won a best director Oscar for Patton in 1970. Recipients of the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal include David Lynch, Edward Zwick, Amy Heckerling, Terrence Malick, Darren Aronofsky, Patty Jenkins, Paul Schrader, Janusz Kamiński, Caleb Deschanel, Lesli Linka Glatter, Rachel Morrison, Melina Matsoukas, Siân Heder and others.
The honor comes as Libatique has earned raves for working on Bradley Cooper...
- 1/9/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Matthew Libatique, the Academy Award-nominated cinematographer most recently lending his talents to Bradley Cooper’s Netflix pic Maestro, has been set to receive the American Film Institute’s Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Medal at the AFI Life Achievement Award Gala Tribute to Nicole Kidman, taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 27th.
The Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Conservatory Alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality storytelling in film and television. Past recipients include Libatique’s frequent collaborator (and one-time classmate) Darren Aronofsky, Lesli Linka Glatter, Siân Heder, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Mimi Leder, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison.
While this year will be the ninth that the AFI Life Achievement Award special airs on TNT, air dates for the Kidman tribute special on TNT and...
The Schaffner Alumni Medal recognizes the extraordinary creative talents of AFI Conservatory Alumni who embody the qualities of filmmaker Franklin J. Schaffner: talent, taste, dedication and commitment to quality storytelling in film and television. Past recipients include Libatique’s frequent collaborator (and one-time classmate) Darren Aronofsky, Lesli Linka Glatter, Siân Heder, Patty Jenkins, Janusz Kamiński, Mimi Leder, David Lynch, Terrence Malick, Melina Matsoukas and Rachel Morrison.
While this year will be the ninth that the AFI Life Achievement Award special airs on TNT, air dates for the Kidman tribute special on TNT and...
- 1/9/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Sometimes, a cinematographer works enough with an actor that when they’re set to do their directorial debut, that actor is in. That seems to be the case with “Mother’s Instinct,” the directorial debut of well-renowned French Dp Benoît Delhomme. Known for films like Anton Corbijn’s “A Most Wanted Man” and Julian Schnabel’s “At Eternity’s Gate,” he’s also worked with Jessica Chastain a few times on “Lawless,” “Wild Salome,” and some photography work he did for Terrence Malick’s “Tree Of Life.” So perhaps the favor extends to starring in “Mother’s Instinct,” Delhomme’s directorial debut, which will arrive later this year via Neon.
Continue reading ‘Mother’s Instinct’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway & Jessica Chastain’s Anticipated Psychological Thriller Is “Coming Soon” via Studio Canal UK at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Mother’s Instinct’ Trailer: Anne Hathaway & Jessica Chastain’s Anticipated Psychological Thriller Is “Coming Soon” via Studio Canal UK at The Playlist.
- 1/9/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
While it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a reunion between one of the greatest creative partnerships of the century thus far––that of director Terrence Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki––a new short has arrived that hits the sweet spot of feeling like it could’ve been borne from it. Lubezki has teamed with conservation photographers Cristina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen for a new West Australia-shot film testing out Sony’s new digital cinema camera, the Burano, capturing the planet and our ocean.
“Our planet is in real trouble, but we still have time. We must work together to prevent the loss of amazing species, like the Southern Right Whale,” says Mittermeier, a marine biologist and National Geographic explorer. “The Southern Right Whale is an endangered species, hunted to near extinction in the 19th century. Now, barely beginning to recover, this species faces a new threat: the changing ocean.
“Our planet is in real trouble, but we still have time. We must work together to prevent the loss of amazing species, like the Southern Right Whale,” says Mittermeier, a marine biologist and National Geographic explorer. “The Southern Right Whale is an endangered species, hunted to near extinction in the 19th century. Now, barely beginning to recover, this species faces a new threat: the changing ocean.
- 1/9/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has been relatively quiet of late and hasn’t made a film since 2017’s “Happy End,” but his exacting reputation has been coming under fire in recent weeks. First, Juliette Binoche called him a “control freak” while recalling working with the filmmaker on “Caché.” “I thought, ‘He doesn’t give a shit about what I’m doing.’ So I said that to him; I said, did you see?
Continue reading Franz Rogowski Says Michael Haneke Can Be “Cruel & Unforgiving” & Talks Terrence Malick’s ‘The Way Of The Wind’ at The Playlist.
Continue reading Franz Rogowski Says Michael Haneke Can Be “Cruel & Unforgiving” & Talks Terrence Malick’s ‘The Way Of The Wind’ at The Playlist.
- 1/2/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
As we continue to explore the best in 2023, today we’re taking a look at the articles that you, our dear readers, enjoyed the most throughout the past twelve months. Spanning reviews, interviews, features, podcasts, news, and trailers, check out the highlights below and return for more year-end coverage as well as a glimpse into 2024.
Most-Read Reviews
1. Body Parts
2. The Exorcist: Believer
3. Barbie
4. Beau Is Afraid
5. Priscilla
6. Suzume
7. Hypnotic
8. No Hard Feelings
9. The Zone of Interest
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Most-Read Interviews
1. Claire Simon on Capturing the Female Body and What Sets Her Apart From Frederick Wiseman
2. “I Don’t Think Directors Should Be Amenable”: Erik Messerschmidt on Shooting The Killer and David Fincher’s Simple Process
3. Richard Kelly on Creative Heartbreak, Political Cinema, and Future Projects
4. Christopher Blauvelt on May December, Formatting for Netflix and 35mm, and Life Lessons from Harris Savides
5. Brandon Cronenberg on Infinity Pool,...
Most-Read Reviews
1. Body Parts
2. The Exorcist: Believer
3. Barbie
4. Beau Is Afraid
5. Priscilla
6. Suzume
7. Hypnotic
8. No Hard Feelings
9. The Zone of Interest
10. The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Most-Read Interviews
1. Claire Simon on Capturing the Female Body and What Sets Her Apart From Frederick Wiseman
2. “I Don’t Think Directors Should Be Amenable”: Erik Messerschmidt on Shooting The Killer and David Fincher’s Simple Process
3. Richard Kelly on Creative Heartbreak, Political Cinema, and Future Projects
4. Christopher Blauvelt on May December, Formatting for Netflix and 35mm, and Life Lessons from Harris Savides
5. Brandon Cronenberg on Infinity Pool,...
- 1/1/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
[Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “Passages.”]
Franz Rogowski’s intense and offbeat appeal gets its purest expression in the despairing polycule at the center of Ira Sachs’ “Passages.” In the Euro-chic romantic drama that recalls Mike Nichols’ “Closer” through the unsentimental lens of a Maurice Pialat film, the German dancer-turned-actor plays solipsistic, emotionally arrested filmmaker Tomas Freibur. On the eve of wrapping his latest film, he strays from his taciturn husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) and into the arms of Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), who, when Tomas later tells her he’s in love with her, replies, “You must say that a lot.”
Rogowski is a physically striking performer, here in great shape in this film after withering as a gay prisoner post-World War II for his European Film Award-nominated turn in 2021’s “Great Freedom.” His filmography has acquainted him closely with the world’s great filmmakers, from Michael Haneke to Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”) and Christian Petzold...
Franz Rogowski’s intense and offbeat appeal gets its purest expression in the despairing polycule at the center of Ira Sachs’ “Passages.” In the Euro-chic romantic drama that recalls Mike Nichols’ “Closer” through the unsentimental lens of a Maurice Pialat film, the German dancer-turned-actor plays solipsistic, emotionally arrested filmmaker Tomas Freibur. On the eve of wrapping his latest film, he strays from his taciturn husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) and into the arms of Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), who, when Tomas later tells her he’s in love with her, replies, “You must say that a lot.”
Rogowski is a physically striking performer, here in great shape in this film after withering as a gay prisoner post-World War II for his European Film Award-nominated turn in 2021’s “Great Freedom.” His filmography has acquainted him closely with the world’s great filmmakers, from Michael Haneke to Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”) and Christian Petzold...
- 12/28/2023
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Brian De Palma's "Carrie" was the film that defined a generation. Its blend of coming-of-age themes, fantastical magic, and slasher-style bloodshed makes it a genre-bending film that time just can't seem to forget.
The 1976 horror tells the story of a sheltered girl who lives under her obsessively religious mother's tyrannical rule, a dictatorship made all the worse by the onset of Carrie's period. Her mother's frenzy combined with a cruel prank at the prom pushes the shy young girl to a mental break, complete with telekinetic powers. The Stephen King adaptation launched some incredibly notable careers, including John Travolta, who plays high school bully Billy Nolan. Sadly, not all of the cast has lived to see the end of 2023, including Piper Laurie, whose performance as Carrie's mother earned her one of three Oscar nominations in her lifetime.
Laurie passed away in October of 2023, but many of the other main cast members are alive,...
The 1976 horror tells the story of a sheltered girl who lives under her obsessively religious mother's tyrannical rule, a dictatorship made all the worse by the onset of Carrie's period. Her mother's frenzy combined with a cruel prank at the prom pushes the shy young girl to a mental break, complete with telekinetic powers. The Stephen King adaptation launched some incredibly notable careers, including John Travolta, who plays high school bully Billy Nolan. Sadly, not all of the cast has lived to see the end of 2023, including Piper Laurie, whose performance as Carrie's mother earned her one of three Oscar nominations in her lifetime.
Laurie passed away in October of 2023, but many of the other main cast members are alive,...
- 12/24/2023
- by Shae Sennett
- Slash Film
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