This post contains spoilers for "Stranger Things" season 4.
"Stranger Things" fans know the drill by now. Whenever a quirky newcomer ingratiates them among the show's main group of characters, odds are it's only a matter of time before they're snuffed out in heartbreaking fashion. Bob Newby (Sean Astin)? The adorkable RadioShack man gets mauled to death by Demodogs while helping his girlfriend Joyce (Winona Ryder) rescue her son Will (Noah Schnapp). Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff)? We'd only just met the wide-eyed Cherry Slurpee-sipping Russian scientist when he was assassinated by his own people for helping the show's heroes.
As such, when season 4 ended with newbie Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) getting slaughtered by a pack of Demobats while simultaneously shredding Metallica's "Master of Puppets," well, it was sad for sure but far from a surprise. The offbeat, guitar-strumming, Dungeons & Dragons-playing high schooler spent most of the season on the...
"Stranger Things" fans know the drill by now. Whenever a quirky newcomer ingratiates them among the show's main group of characters, odds are it's only a matter of time before they're snuffed out in heartbreaking fashion. Bob Newby (Sean Astin)? The adorkable RadioShack man gets mauled to death by Demodogs while helping his girlfriend Joyce (Winona Ryder) rescue her son Will (Noah Schnapp). Dr. Alexei (Alec Utgoff)? We'd only just met the wide-eyed Cherry Slurpee-sipping Russian scientist when he was assassinated by his own people for helping the show's heroes.
As such, when season 4 ended with newbie Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) getting slaughtered by a pack of Demobats while simultaneously shredding Metallica's "Master of Puppets," well, it was sad for sure but far from a surprise. The offbeat, guitar-strumming, Dungeons & Dragons-playing high schooler spent most of the season on the...
- 8/21/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Millie Bobby Brown isn't the only "Stranger Things" cast member who thinks the show should be more ruthless about killing off characters. In recent weeks, Maya Hawke — who of course, plays Robin Buckley on "Stranger Things" — has ventured out with a role in another Netflix title, "Do Revenge," the promotion of which saw her sitting down with her co-star Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") for a lie detector test via Vanity Fair. The questions veered straight into the Upside Down territory of spoilers, so if you aren't caught up with "Stranger Things" season 4 yet, look away now.
Mendes asked Hawke point-blank if she thought Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) should have died in season 4, to which Hawke responded, "I don't think he should have died, but I do think the show has too many characters." When asked if she thought anyone else should have died (to help whittle down the show's sprawling cast), Hawke said,...
Mendes asked Hawke point-blank if she thought Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) should have died in season 4, to which Hawke responded, "I don't think he should have died, but I do think the show has too many characters." When asked if she thought anyone else should have died (to help whittle down the show's sprawling cast), Hawke said,...
- 10/10/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
[Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for “Stranger Things” Season 4, as well as “Game of Thrones.”]
In the trailer for “Stranger Things 4: Volume 2” it seemed certain someone would die.
And someone did die, but just one someone and not necessarily a someone who seemed in terrible danger before the two supersized episodes hit Netflix July 1 (or who even existed before the first batch of episodes debuted May 27). Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), newcomer and fans’ Season 4 favorite, went out in a blaze of glory, decimated by otherworldly bats while he bought time to save everyone else. In fact, he died the exact death that almost befell Steve (Joe Keery) in “Volume 1,” but the Duffer brothers wouldn’t dream of killing Steve — or any of its other longtime leads, it seems — with another season left to go.
Quickly disposing of Eddie was never a guarantee, based on the show’s track record. Sadie Sink’s Max joined in...
In the trailer for “Stranger Things 4: Volume 2” it seemed certain someone would die.
And someone did die, but just one someone and not necessarily a someone who seemed in terrible danger before the two supersized episodes hit Netflix July 1 (or who even existed before the first batch of episodes debuted May 27). Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), newcomer and fans’ Season 4 favorite, went out in a blaze of glory, decimated by otherworldly bats while he bought time to save everyone else. In fact, he died the exact death that almost befell Steve (Joe Keery) in “Volume 1,” but the Duffer brothers wouldn’t dream of killing Steve — or any of its other longtime leads, it seems — with another season left to go.
Quickly disposing of Eddie was never a guarantee, based on the show’s track record. Sadie Sink’s Max joined in...
- 7/5/2022
- by Proma Khosla
- Indiewire
All is not well in Hawkins, Ind.—and it's about to get a whole lot worse. Volume two of Stranger Things season four is set to premiere on July 1, and we have a feeling that fans should brace themselves for a heartbreaking conclusion. Not only is the series unafraid to kill off beloved characters—shout out to Barb (Shannon Purser), Bob (Sean Astin), Alexei (Alec Utgoff) and Billy (Dacre Montgomery)—but the June 21 trailer warned that Eleven's friends are in serious danger. "It is over," season four villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) tells the powerful teen (Millie Bobby Brown). "Now I just want you to watch. Your friends have lost." Co-creator Ross...
- 6/25/2022
- E! Online
by Nathaniel R
from the actor's instragram
One of the most unusual and affecting movies of the past year or so in cinema is finally making the rounds. Poland’s 2020 Oscar submission, Never Gonna Snow Again is in theaters and will presumably hit VOD shortly. The mysterious film is about a man named Zhenia, a Ukrainian massage therapist, who becomes the fixation of a small Polish town. The residents all begin to employ him and each of them project their own feelings and fantasies onto him. Still, Zhenia's own desires and identity remain an enigma, even to the audience who are invited to fixate and project, much like the townsfolk. But even the town is not entirely grounded in reality, but arguably an homogenous purgatory of a suburban fantasy. All in all it makes for an unusual and riveting film experience.
At the center of it all is the 35 year-old...
from the actor's instragram
One of the most unusual and affecting movies of the past year or so in cinema is finally making the rounds. Poland’s 2020 Oscar submission, Never Gonna Snow Again is in theaters and will presumably hit VOD shortly. The mysterious film is about a man named Zhenia, a Ukrainian massage therapist, who becomes the fixation of a small Polish town. The residents all begin to employ him and each of them project their own feelings and fantasies onto him. Still, Zhenia's own desires and identity remain an enigma, even to the audience who are invited to fixate and project, much like the townsfolk. But even the town is not entirely grounded in reality, but arguably an homogenous purgatory of a suburban fantasy. All in all it makes for an unusual and riveting film experience.
At the center of it all is the 35 year-old...
- 8/31/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Picturehouse Entertainment has unveiled a new trailer for the upcoming film from Małgorzata Szumowska, ‘Never Gonna Snow Again.’ Your can read our glowing review from 2020’s London Film Festival right here.
When a mysterious stranger arrives in a gated community on the outskirts of a large Polish city, he is welcomed by the wealthy residents who embrace his talents as a masseur. Though his hands provide healing, his eyes seem to penetrate their very souls, lifting a disquiet in each of their lives. Zhenia (Alec Utgoff) possesses a magical gift and to the residents, his Russian accent also sounds like a song from the past, a peaceful melody from their childhood when the world was a safer place. And though his hypnotic techniques bring calm his background remains a mystery, leaving the residents to wonder what other secrets he holds.
Also in trailers – Beanie Feldstein is Monica Lewinsky in first...
When a mysterious stranger arrives in a gated community on the outskirts of a large Polish city, he is welcomed by the wealthy residents who embrace his talents as a masseur. Though his hands provide healing, his eyes seem to penetrate their very souls, lifting a disquiet in each of their lives. Zhenia (Alec Utgoff) possesses a magical gift and to the residents, his Russian accent also sounds like a song from the past, a peaceful melody from their childhood when the world was a safer place. And though his hypnotic techniques bring calm his background remains a mystery, leaving the residents to wonder what other secrets he holds.
Also in trailers – Beanie Feldstein is Monica Lewinsky in first...
- 8/16/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sony Pictures Classics’ sci-fi drama Nine Days starring Winston Duke opens in four theaters in a specialty market buoyed by recent releases like Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain and Pig. New York’s arthouse scene, outpaced by LA of late, is perking up, distributors say (Ailey numbers were super there) and moviegoers are rewarding unique films and strong stories.
(The slow reviving specialty scene is keeping its head down as day-and-date tensions in wide release blockbuster-land explode.)
Nine Days hits NYC and LA today before rolling out nationwide August 6 in 250-275 theaters, said Jason Michael Berman, a producer, and president of Mandalay Pictures — of course depending on how it does. He’s upbeat after 800 people turned out for LA screening this week at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel with EP Spike Jonze introducing the film, written and directed by Edson Oda,...
(The slow reviving specialty scene is keeping its head down as day-and-date tensions in wide release blockbuster-land explode.)
Nine Days hits NYC and LA today before rolling out nationwide August 6 in 250-275 theaters, said Jason Michael Berman, a producer, and president of Mandalay Pictures — of course depending on how it does. He’s upbeat after 800 people turned out for LA screening this week at The Theatre at the Ace Hotel with EP Spike Jonze introducing the film, written and directed by Edson Oda,...
- 7/30/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Never Gonna Snow Again (?niegu ju? nigdy nie b?dzie) Kino Lorber Reviewed for Shockya.com & BigAppleReviews.net linked from Rotten Tomatoes by: Harvey Karten Director: Malgorzata Szumowska. Co-director: Michal Englert Writer: Michal Englert, Malgorzata Szumowska Cast: Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura,Andrzej Chyra, Lukasz Simlat Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, 7/16/21 Opens: […]
The post Never Gonna Show Again Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Never Gonna Show Again Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/25/2021
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
"I heard you had great abilities, sir." Kino Lorber has released an official US trailer for the strange Polish drama Never Gonna Snow Again, which first premiered at the Venice Film Festival this year. We ran a teaser and a full trailer last year in the fall. On a gray, foggy morning outside a large Polish city, a masseur apparently from Ukraine named Zhenia enters the lives of the wealthy residents of a gated community. With his hypnotic presence and quasi-magical abilities, he is able to get a residence permit and starts plying his trade. The well-to-do residents in their own cookie-cutter suburban homes seemingly have it all, but they all suffer from an inner sadness, some unexplained longing. The attractive and mysterious newcomer's hands heal, and Zhenia’s eyes seem to penetrate their souls. Starring Alec Utgoff, Maja Ostaszewska, Agata Kulesza, Weronika Rosati, Katarzyna Figura. I'd say that comparison...
- 6/17/2021
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Would you rather...
• Enjoy an ice cream cone with Debi Mazar?
• Return to the Met with Helen Hunt?
• Quarantine with Cheyenne Jackson?
• Learn to drive a truck with Juliette Binoche?
• Make an Italian dinner with Sir Anthony Hopkins?
• Go horseback riding with Colman Domingo?
• Do an Escape Room with Gina Gershon and Jamie Lee Curtis?
• Scuba dive with Brie Larson?
• "Audition" for Cruella 2 with Alec Utgoff?
• Welcome in the summer with January Jones?
Pictures are after the jump to help you decide!
• Enjoy an ice cream cone with Debi Mazar?
• Return to the Met with Helen Hunt?
• Quarantine with Cheyenne Jackson?
• Learn to drive a truck with Juliette Binoche?
• Make an Italian dinner with Sir Anthony Hopkins?
• Go horseback riding with Colman Domingo?
• Do an Escape Room with Gina Gershon and Jamie Lee Curtis?
• Scuba dive with Brie Larson?
• "Audition" for Cruella 2 with Alec Utgoff?
• Welcome in the summer with January Jones?
Pictures are after the jump to help you decide!
- 6/11/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options—not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves–each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
About Endlessness (Roy Andersson)
Watch an exclusive clip for the film, which is also now in theaters.
“What should I do now that I have lost my faith?” is the question that animates About Endlessness; this being the new film by Roy Andersson, it is delivered in a doctor’s waiting room, over and over again, in a creaky voice, by a dumpy man in late middle age who continues his plaint even after the doctor and his receptionist gruntingly force him outside into the hallway, from whence they can hear him scratching at the door like a zombie. About Endlessness is Roy Andersson’s fourth film of this...
About Endlessness (Roy Andersson)
Watch an exclusive clip for the film, which is also now in theaters.
“What should I do now that I have lost my faith?” is the question that animates About Endlessness; this being the new film by Roy Andersson, it is delivered in a doctor’s waiting room, over and over again, in a creaky voice, by a dumpy man in late middle age who continues his plaint even after the doctor and his receptionist gruntingly force him outside into the hallway, from whence they can hear him scratching at the door like a zombie. About Endlessness is Roy Andersson’s fourth film of this...
- 4/30/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Poland’s entry for the 2021 Academy Awards, “Never Gonna Snow Again,” didn’t land a nomination after falling on the shortlist, but it still casts a powerful spell. Director Małgorzata Szumowska teams with her longtime cinematographer and co-writer Michał Englert for this mysterious drama that balances beguiling whimsy with droll laughs in weaving a kind of fairytale spin on Pier Paolo Pasolini’s “Teorema.”
In this film, like Pasolini’s, a beautiful man drops seemingly out of the sky and into an affluent community, invigorates their dreary lives for a minute, and then is gone in a flash. Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” plays a masseur who — part cherub, part beefcake — brings hypnotic powers with him from Pripyat, the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to a gated Polish neighborhood of the rich and bored.
Szumowska and her cinematographer Englert co-direct this visually spellbinding tale that packs a quirky ensemble...
In this film, like Pasolini’s, a beautiful man drops seemingly out of the sky and into an affluent community, invigorates their dreary lives for a minute, and then is gone in a flash. Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” plays a masseur who — part cherub, part beefcake — brings hypnotic powers with him from Pripyat, the site of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to a gated Polish neighborhood of the rich and bored.
Szumowska and her cinematographer Englert co-direct this visually spellbinding tale that packs a quirky ensemble...
- 4/28/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
by Nathaniel R
Though it's easy to lose track of great cinema, especially in this strange time of virtual festivals and very little traditional moviegoing, you won't want to miss Never Gonna Snow Again, when it arrives this Spring. The Polish hopeful in this year's Oscar's International Feature Film race is a hard-to-describe elusive wonder about a Ukranian massage therapist (Stranger Thing's Alec Utgoff) who a suburban community becomes obsessed with. We were thrilled to jump on the phone with its talented 47 year-old director Malgorzata Szumowska. She's forged a long and international career for herself with award winning films like Elles (with Juliette Binoche), Body, the LGBT drama In the Name of, and her first English language picture last year, the cult drama The Other Lamb.
She goes by 'Malgo'. "It's easier," she offers quickly, surely having heard her name mangled before. The director lives up to our expectations with...
Though it's easy to lose track of great cinema, especially in this strange time of virtual festivals and very little traditional moviegoing, you won't want to miss Never Gonna Snow Again, when it arrives this Spring. The Polish hopeful in this year's Oscar's International Feature Film race is a hard-to-describe elusive wonder about a Ukranian massage therapist (Stranger Thing's Alec Utgoff) who a suburban community becomes obsessed with. We were thrilled to jump on the phone with its talented 47 year-old director Malgorzata Szumowska. She's forged a long and international career for herself with award winning films like Elles (with Juliette Binoche), Body, the LGBT drama In the Name of, and her first English language picture last year, the cult drama The Other Lamb.
She goes by 'Malgo'. "It's easier," she offers quickly, surely having heard her name mangled before. The director lives up to our expectations with...
- 2/5/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
When shooting wrapped last February on Poland’s Oscar entry Never Gonna Snow Again, its filmmakers and production team could never have predicted the bizarre physical and emotional journey that the indie title would undergo across the next 11 months as it was finished and then unveiled amidst a global pandemic.
The film, which played In Competition at the Venice Film Festival in September and was scheduled to premiere at Telluride before the event was cancelled, is hoping to get Poland another seat at the Oscar nomination table much like Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War and Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi did in 2018 and 2019 respectively, even if this year’s seat will be a virtual one.
Born out of an idea from established Polish helmer Malgorzata Szumowska and cinematographer Michal Englert, who have worked together on films such as Berlin Silver Bear winner Mug and last year’s English-language title The Other Lamb,...
The film, which played In Competition at the Venice Film Festival in September and was scheduled to premiere at Telluride before the event was cancelled, is hoping to get Poland another seat at the Oscar nomination table much like Pawel Pawlikowski’s Cold War and Jan Komasa’s Corpus Christi did in 2018 and 2019 respectively, even if this year’s seat will be a virtual one.
Born out of an idea from established Polish helmer Malgorzata Szumowska and cinematographer Michal Englert, who have worked together on films such as Berlin Silver Bear winner Mug and last year’s English-language title The Other Lamb,...
- 2/1/2021
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, director and co-director of “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s Academy Awards entry for Best International Feature Film, said a very strange process of negotiation led them to cast “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff in the lead role.
Recounting the story to TheWrap’s Joe McGovern, Szumowska said she first became aware of Utgoff, who came to the cast of Netflix’ horror-mystery series “Stranger Things” in the series’ third season as Russian scientist Dr. Alexei, through her son
“(He said) Mom, you have to watch ‘Stranger Things’ and wait for the Alexei character,” Szumowska said. “I started to watch and I said: ‘Yes, that’s the guy, oh my God!'”
Although her son brought Utgoff to Szumowska’s attention, he was also convinced she had no shot of coaxing the star of a successful TV series to play Zenia, an enigmatic masseur who travels...
Recounting the story to TheWrap’s Joe McGovern, Szumowska said she first became aware of Utgoff, who came to the cast of Netflix’ horror-mystery series “Stranger Things” in the series’ third season as Russian scientist Dr. Alexei, through her son
“(He said) Mom, you have to watch ‘Stranger Things’ and wait for the Alexei character,” Szumowska said. “I started to watch and I said: ‘Yes, that’s the guy, oh my God!'”
Although her son brought Utgoff to Szumowska’s attention, he was also convinced she had no shot of coaxing the star of a successful TV series to play Zenia, an enigmatic masseur who travels...
- 1/27/2021
- by Diane Haithman
- The Wrap
Poland has generated some fresh class distinctions since communist days, a development examined with a shrewd and merciless eye in the country’s Oscar-submitted feature Never Gonna Snow Again. The central figure is a mysterious private masseur, played by the UK-based actor Alec Utgoff, who goes door-to-door carrying with him a folding massage table through a wealthy gated community to offer is services to the numerous and invariably dissatisfied people living in the virtually identical houses.
“He is an alien that invades this society,” Utgoff says during the film’s panel discussion at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. “I feel the film, in general, is sort of a philosophical collaboration.”
The directors are Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, who began their relationship 15 years ago as a romantic couple. That phase is now history, but their creative collaboration continues apace. “It’s proof that a collaboration between female and male directors is possible,...
“He is an alien that invades this society,” Utgoff says during the film’s panel discussion at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. “I feel the film, in general, is sort of a philosophical collaboration.”
The directors are Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert, who began their relationship 15 years ago as a romantic couple. That phase is now history, but their creative collaboration continues apace. “It’s proof that a collaboration between female and male directors is possible,...
- 1/24/2021
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
The second day of Deadline’s Contenders Film kicks off Sunday at 8 a.m. Pt, returning after a big Day 1 on Saturday to complete a slate of 49 films from 16 studios and distributors, one that features a hugely impressive lineup of talent numbering 150 speakers over the course of the weekend for our annual awards-season event.
Click here to register and join the livestream, and follow along all day with coverage on Deadline as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
Due to obvious health and safety reasons, and following guidelines about gatherings set by the CDC, Contenders is going virtual, after success doing so starting with Contenders TV in the spring and then again with Contenders International and Contenders Documentary. It has boosted the global reach of the event, and although we miss seeing everyone in person, it has been...
Click here to register and join the livestream, and follow along all day with coverage on Deadline as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram via @Deadline and #DeadlineContenders. See the full schedule of panels below.
Due to obvious health and safety reasons, and following guidelines about gatherings set by the CDC, Contenders is going virtual, after success doing so starting with Contenders TV in the spring and then again with Contenders International and Contenders Documentary. It has boosted the global reach of the event, and although we miss seeing everyone in person, it has been...
- 1/24/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Polish Oscar Contender’s Directors on Breaking the Rules, Casting ‘Stranger Things’ Star Alec Utgoff
In the opening scene of Never Gonna Snow Again, Poland’s contender for the 2021 international film Oscar, we see a muscular man step out of a mystical forest and make his way to a concrete, Soviet-style government building.
He’s a foreigner — from Ukraine — and is there to secure a residency permit. There’s no love coming from the face of the grey bureaucrat behind the desk but, with a wave of his hands, and some whispered words in Russian, the bureaucrat falls into a deep slumber. The muscular man stamps his own documents and walks out the ...
He’s a foreigner — from Ukraine — and is there to secure a residency permit. There’s no love coming from the face of the grey bureaucrat behind the desk but, with a wave of his hands, and some whispered words in Russian, the bureaucrat falls into a deep slumber. The muscular man stamps his own documents and walks out the ...
- 1/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Never Gonna Snow Again co-directors and co-writers Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s professional collaboration is an unusual one — the pair are ex-husband and wife. But Szumowska says their enduring partnership shows “collaboration is possible.”
“In these difficult times I think it’s a good and optimistic sign,” she adds during the pair’s appearance at Contenders International, explaining that the pair first met at film school and have been working together ever since. They are both directors on their latest feature, which stars Alec Utgoff (recognized for his role in Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking Ukrainian working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in a wealthy gated community.
“Collaboration is not easy always, but I think we quite complement each other,” Englert says.
Thematically, the film explores topics such as spirituality through its enigmatic and ethereal plot. “It’s always very hard to say something...
“In these difficult times I think it’s a good and optimistic sign,” she adds during the pair’s appearance at Contenders International, explaining that the pair first met at film school and have been working together ever since. They are both directors on their latest feature, which stars Alec Utgoff (recognized for his role in Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking Ukrainian working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in a wealthy gated community.
“Collaboration is not easy always, but I think we quite complement each other,” Englert says.
Thematically, the film explores topics such as spirituality through its enigmatic and ethereal plot. “It’s always very hard to say something...
- 1/9/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Parasite has blown open the doors of the international feature category, long thought to be the purview of solemn message movies, to the experimental and the strange. If a movie that shifts in tone among thriller, horror and straight-out farce can win the international feature Oscar, then maybe other overseas films that are even more adventurous with genre have a shot this awards season.
There are a few daringly ambitious ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian masseur in a gated community — to ...
There are a few daringly ambitious ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian masseur in a gated community — to ...
Parasite has blown open the doors of the international feature category, long thought to be the purview of “serious message movies,” to the experimental and the strange. If a movie about a family of South Korean con artists — one that shifts in tone among thriller, horror and straight-out farce — can win the highfalutin international feature Oscar, than even the weirdest overseas films have a shot this awards season.
There are a few odd ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian ...
There are a few odd ones among this year’s contenders, from the satire-slash-mysticism of Poland’s Never Gonna Snow Again — featuring Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff as a Ukrainian ...
The filmmakers behind Poland’s official entry in the international feature film Oscar race, “Never Gonna Snow Again,” say they will be following in the footsteps of Polish winners and nominees like Paweł Pawlikowski and Jan Komasa (“Corpus Christi”). Academy voters watching their international film screeners at home should have plenty of time to catch the film before it’s released by Kino Lorber in the spring.
Malgorzata Szumowska (“Body”) co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, who makes his directorial debut. The story follows Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a guru-like masseur who travels within an affluent neighborhood and meets clients, who open up to him about their lives. Englert uses wide framing as Zhenia makes his rounds, often appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “He is mysterious and had an air of secrecy to him,” Englert says. The inspiration, Szumowska notes, was a real-life masseur who wandered from house to...
Malgorzata Szumowska (“Body”) co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, who makes his directorial debut. The story follows Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a guru-like masseur who travels within an affluent neighborhood and meets clients, who open up to him about their lives. Englert uses wide framing as Zhenia makes his rounds, often appearing seemingly out of nowhere. “He is mysterious and had an air of secrecy to him,” Englert says. The inspiration, Szumowska notes, was a real-life masseur who wandered from house to...
- 12/17/2020
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Wealthy, curtain-twitching suburbanites have formed the basis for many a TV show, but the Polish feature Never Gonna Snow Again proves the setting can be profoundly cinematic and esoteric, as well as darkly funny. Co-directing and writing with director of photography Michal Englert, Malgorzata Szumowska revels in blending genres in this acutely observed festival hit that is Poland’s submission for the 2021 International Oscar race.
Most of the action takes place in a gated community made up of identikit white mansions. We enter along with Zenia (Alec Utgoff), a quiet but charismatic Ukrainian masseur. Arriving in Warsaw with his massage bed slung over his shoulder, he hypnotizes an official into a slumber before rubber-stamping his own permit. As Zenia leaves the man’s office, the camera pans to show the needle of a record player, which magically springs into action.
The music? Shostakovich: the waltz that Stanley Kubrick used memorably in Eyes Wide Shut.
Most of the action takes place in a gated community made up of identikit white mansions. We enter along with Zenia (Alec Utgoff), a quiet but charismatic Ukrainian masseur. Arriving in Warsaw with his massage bed slung over his shoulder, he hypnotizes an official into a slumber before rubber-stamping his own permit. As Zenia leaves the man’s office, the camera pans to show the needle of a record player, which magically springs into action.
The music? Shostakovich: the waltz that Stanley Kubrick used memorably in Eyes Wide Shut.
- 12/6/2020
- by Anna Smith
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s submission to the Oscars race for Best International Film, and the indie distributor is planning a release in spring 2021.
Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert directed “Never Gonna Snow Again,” and the two also co-wrote and produced, with Englert also serving as the cinematographer. The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year and won the Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award, and it was also an official selection of the canceled Telluride Film Festival.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled-off community as a masseur. Despite their wealth, the residents emit an inner sadness and a longing. The mysterious newcomer’s hands heal and his eyes seem to penetrate their souls.
Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert directed “Never Gonna Snow Again,” and the two also co-wrote and produced, with Englert also serving as the cinematographer. The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year and won the Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award, and it was also an official selection of the canceled Telluride Film Festival.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled-off community as a masseur. Despite their wealth, the residents emit an inner sadness and a longing. The mysterious newcomer’s hands heal and his eyes seem to penetrate their souls.
- 11/19/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Kino Lorber has acquired the North American rights to Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert’s drama “Never Gonna Snow Again,” Poland’s Academy Awards entry.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” follows a Russian masseur — played by Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” — who enriches the lives of the rich, unfulfilled residents living in a walled-off community. Kino Lorber will release the pic in spring 2021.
“After last year’s moody but mildly received English-language diversion ‘The Other Lamb,’ prolific Polish auteur Malgorzata Szumowska returns to home turf in this Venice competition entry, and the result is her most compelling and hauntingly realized film to date,” Guy Lodge wrote in his review for Variety.
Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert, who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/Arte,...
“Never Gonna Snow Again” follows a Russian masseur — played by Alec Utgoff of “Stranger Things” — who enriches the lives of the rich, unfulfilled residents living in a walled-off community. Kino Lorber will release the pic in spring 2021.
“After last year’s moody but mildly received English-language diversion ‘The Other Lamb,’ prolific Polish auteur Malgorzata Szumowska returns to home turf in this Venice competition entry, and the result is her most compelling and hauntingly realized film to date,” Guy Lodge wrote in his review for Variety.
Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert, who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/Arte,...
- 11/19/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights to Never Gonna Snow Again, Malgorzata Szumowska’s Polish drama which is representing the country in this year’s International Oscar race. The distributor is lining up a theatrical release in Spring, 2021.
The film debuted in competition at Venice this year. It stars Alec Utgoff (Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled off community as a masseur, going on to achieve a guru-like status.
Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/ arte, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Di Factory and supported by the Polish Film Institute, Film and Medienstiftung Nrw, Dfff and the German Polish Filmfund.
The film debuted in competition at Venice this year. It stars Alec Utgoff (Stranger Things) as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who enters the lives of the rich residents of a bland, walled off community as a masseur, going on to achieve a guru-like status.
Szumowska directed, produced and co-wrote alongside Englert who co-directed, co-wrote, produced and served as cinematographer. Mariusz Włodarski, Viola Fügen, Agnieszka Wasiak and Michael Weber also produced the Lava Films and Match Factory production, which was co-produced by Kino Świat, Bayerischer Rundfunk/ arte, the Mazovia Warsaw Film Commission, Di Factory and supported by the Polish Film Institute, Film and Medienstiftung Nrw, Dfff and the German Polish Filmfund.
- 11/19/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights for Polish comedic drama Never Gonna Snow Again from Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, for North America.
The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.
The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...
The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.
The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...
- 11/19/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Kino Lorber has picked up North American rights for Polish comedic drama Never Gonna Snow Again from Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert, for North America.
The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.
The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...
The film stars Alec Utgoff of Stranger Things fame as a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East who becomes a masseur for the rich residents in a bland, gated community. They see him as a savior whose healing hands, and his soothing Russian accent, which reminds them of memories of their childhood, promises to lift them out of their pointless lives.
The comedic drama, which premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival this year, was picked as Poland’s ...
- 11/19/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Never Gonna Snow Again,” which was chosen as Poland’s Oscar submission prior to its world premiere in Venice, marks a further step in cinematographer Michał Englert’s long collaboration with Małgorzata Szumowska. It started in the 1990s with her short “Silence,” followed by her feature debut “Happy Man” in 2000, and continues with “Never Gonna Snow Again,” with Englert serving as both cinematographer and co-director, alongside Szumowska, on the film.
“Our way of working, or our sense of humor, hasn’t really changed. Although the scope of my involvement is constantly expanding,” says Englert, who has been developing screenplays with Szumowska since 2013’s “In the Name Of,” and describes their process as “instinctive.”
“I definitely have an ego, but you can’t make movies all by yourself and in the case of ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’ we decided its power will be bigger if we sign it as a directorial duo.
“Our way of working, or our sense of humor, hasn’t really changed. Although the scope of my involvement is constantly expanding,” says Englert, who has been developing screenplays with Szumowska since 2013’s “In the Name Of,” and describes their process as “instinctive.”
“I definitely have an ego, but you can’t make movies all by yourself and in the case of ‘Never Gonna Snow Again’ we decided its power will be bigger if we sign it as a directorial duo.
- 11/15/2020
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
As the title suggests, the arrival of snow seems to blanket all discord, unite people in wonder and instill a momentary pause for reflection. The idea of snow never settling again seems unimaginable, even doleful. In Polish co-directors Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s hypnotic new drama, Never Gonna Snow Again, with its twinkles of humour scattered throughout, the title also points to the background of the film’s mysterious lead character, a ‘healing’ masseur called Zhenia (Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff) who we see at the start making the journey from the Ukraine into Poland.
Flashbacks suggest he is a child of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, which saw radioactive dust fall from the sky like snow as a result. In searching for a new life in the West, Zhenia can put this troubled past to rest, hoping never to see fake snow falling again, and put his remarkable healing hands to more prosperous use.
Flashbacks suggest he is a child of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear accident, which saw radioactive dust fall from the sky like snow as a result. In searching for a new life in the West, Zhenia can put this troubled past to rest, hoping never to see fake snow falling again, and put his remarkable healing hands to more prosperous use.
- 10/23/2020
- by Lisa Giles-Keddie
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
An enigmatic man from the East arrives in a drab, anonymous Eastern European city one foggy morning, bearing little more than a massage bed. As he earns the confidence of the residents of an exclusive gated community, he becomes equal parts confessor and healer, his Russian accent carrying hints of a longed-for past, his therapy offering the promise of a salve for more than just their aching bodies.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars Alec Utgoff (“Stranger Things”) as Zhenia, the mysterious masseur at the center of the latest feature from two-time Berlinale Silver Bear winner Malgorzata Szumowska, who co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, making his directorial debut.
The film, which world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, screens at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt on Saturday. It is produced by Poland’s Lava Films and Germany’s Match Factory Productions, in co-production with Poland’s Mazovia Film Fund,...
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars Alec Utgoff (“Stranger Things”) as Zhenia, the mysterious masseur at the center of the latest feature from two-time Berlinale Silver Bear winner Malgorzata Szumowska, who co-wrote and co-directed with cinematographer Michał Englert, making his directorial debut.
The film, which world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival, screens at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt on Saturday. It is produced by Poland’s Lava Films and Germany’s Match Factory Productions, in co-production with Poland’s Mazovia Film Fund,...
- 10/23/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Malgorzata Szumowska's films have always been an intriguing blend, often mixing mordant humour with more weighty ideas - as with Body/dilm] - and incorporating a spiritual element, most recently with the more serious cult drama [film]The Other Lamb. Her latest, which sees her regular cinematographer Michal Englert named as co-director, returns to the playfulness of her earlier work as they present a satire of suburbia that, at times, also has the quality of a fable.
The action centres on Zhenia. Zhenia is a Ukrainian emigre to Poland - something almost everyone seems keen to remind him of - who plies his massage trade around a wealthy gated community. It's the sort of well-heeled but competitive place where the jangle of one-upmanship can be heard in the competing musical...
The action centres on Zhenia. Zhenia is a Ukrainian emigre to Poland - something almost everyone seems keen to remind him of - who plies his massage trade around a wealthy gated community. It's the sort of well-heeled but competitive place where the jangle of one-upmanship can be heard in the competing musical...
- 10/19/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The lives of the bourgeoisie aren’t as perfect as they seem, says Małgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s Never Gonna Snow Again, the Polish submission to the Academy Award for Best International Feature. If you’ve seen any of the thousands upon thousands of films about suburban angst, you might be asking, Ok… and? The Other Lamb director and her longtime cinematographer Englert, who now shares a directing credit, try their best to add something to that conversation, but they’re more successful at contributing beautiful new images than new ideas.
The captivating center of Never Gonna Snow Again is Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Ukranian immigrant in Poland who works as a masseuse for the inhabitants of a wealthy gated community. Zhenia is a quiet enigma and a grand yet gentle physical presence—all the better for the people of the community to project onto him. They chat incessantly about their problems,...
The captivating center of Never Gonna Snow Again is Alec Utgoff as Zhenia, a Ukranian immigrant in Poland who works as a masseuse for the inhabitants of a wealthy gated community. Zhenia is a quiet enigma and a grand yet gentle physical presence—all the better for the people of the community to project onto him. They chat incessantly about their problems,...
- 10/12/2020
- by Orla Smith
- The Film Stage
To say that every sweaty, masked moment at the Venice Film Festival was nothing short of miraculous would be an understatement.
Even now, having returned home to London after eight days in Venice, it’s incredible to me that it even happened. That, for instance, Tilda Swinton declared “Wakanda Forever!” on an actual stage in front of our eyes, and not through Zoom. Or that we survived on paninis and cold pizza alone for a week, and enjoyed it. And that we assembled in the dark every day, at every opportunity, transported by cinema.
When Venice revealed this spring that it would be staged as a physical event — “The Venice Film Festival cannot be replaced by an online event,” organizers huffed in early April — I was skeptical. The Covid-19 situation in Europe, at that time, was dire, and Italy was especially hard hit. How, I wondered, would they pull this off?...
Even now, having returned home to London after eight days in Venice, it’s incredible to me that it even happened. That, for instance, Tilda Swinton declared “Wakanda Forever!” on an actual stage in front of our eyes, and not through Zoom. Or that we survived on paninis and cold pizza alone for a week, and enjoyed it. And that we assembled in the dark every day, at every opportunity, transported by cinema.
When Venice revealed this spring that it would be staged as a physical event — “The Venice Film Festival cannot be replaced by an online event,” organizers huffed in early April — I was skeptical. The Covid-19 situation in Europe, at that time, was dire, and Italy was especially hard hit. How, I wondered, would they pull this off?...
- 9/10/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Malgorzata Szumowska and Michal Englert’s “Never Gonna Snow Again,” one of the buzziest titles out of the Venice Film Festival, has found distribution in the U.K., Italy and Germany.
Following what’s understood to have been a competitive process with wide interest, Picturehouse Entertainment has swooped for U.K./Eire rights. I Wonder has bought the film for Italy, and Real Fiction are on board for Germany. The film is sold internationally by The Match Factory.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” world premiered in Venice on Sept. 7 to critical acclaim. The film tells the story of masseur Zhenia, who hails from the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, which was deeply affected by the nearby Chernobyl blast. Zhenia enters the lives of the rich but troubled residents of a bland, walled-off community in Poland, where he begins to heal them with his hands and companionship, and changes their lives for good.
Following what’s understood to have been a competitive process with wide interest, Picturehouse Entertainment has swooped for U.K./Eire rights. I Wonder has bought the film for Italy, and Real Fiction are on board for Germany. The film is sold internationally by The Match Factory.
“Never Gonna Snow Again” world premiered in Venice on Sept. 7 to critical acclaim. The film tells the story of masseur Zhenia, who hails from the Ukrainian city of Pripyat, which was deeply affected by the nearby Chernobyl blast. Zhenia enters the lives of the rich but troubled residents of a bland, walled-off community in Poland, where he begins to heal them with his hands and companionship, and changes their lives for good.
- 9/9/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
How much healing can a good massage provide? A fast-fading hour or so of relaxation, or a more sustained sense of general well-being and peace with the world, so long as it’s topped up with repeat appointments? In “Never Gonna Snow Again,” a searching, cryptic satire of bourgeois insularity in modern Poland, the magic hands of an immigrant Ukrainian masseur are tasked with easing a litany of woes, from middle-class guilt to climate change anxiety to terminal cancer — though no one thinks to ask him about his own interior aches and pains. After last year’s moody but mildly received English-language diversion “The Other Lamb,” prolific Polish auteur Malgorzata Szumowska returns to home turf in this Venice competition entry, and the result is her most compelling and hauntingly realized film to date.
With a run of variously provocative, distinctively styled films through the 2010s — including the Juliette Binoche starrer...
With a run of variously provocative, distinctively styled films through the 2010s — including the Juliette Binoche starrer...
- 9/7/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
"I am your healer. I am taking away your misery, your suffering, your sickness." The Match Factory has released a full-length trailer for the Polish drama Never Gonna Snow Again, premiering at the Venice Film Festival this year. We ran the teaser trailer a few weeks ago, and the film debuts this week in Venice. A Ukrainian migrant masseur becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live. They seem to feel an inner sadness, a longing. Perhaps it is for the winter, which is no longer present in their country. Unlike them, their children don't build snowmen anymore. Maybe their emptiness runs deeper? ... His hands heal, his eyes penetrate the souls of the lonely women. To them, his Russian accent sounds like the song of the past, a peaceful melody of their childhood, when the world was a safer place. Zhenia, for this is his name,...
- 9/4/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
This is our excuse to share Instagram photos we love this past week or so, so please indulge us. Answer the question in the comments. Would you rather...
real fishness pride
• cosplay mermen with Kj Apa?
• shop for bathroom tiles with Christina Hendricks?
• do posture exercizes with Alec Utgoff?
• dress-up and read storybooks with Channing Tatum?
• dance to Wap with Laverne Cox?
• have espresso with Salma Hayek?
• arrive in Venice stylishly with Pierre Niney?
• stage a one-man musical like David Dastmalchian?
• relax in the pool, Mariah blasting, with Kerry Washington?
• watch Cape Fear with Juliette Lewis herself?
Pictures are after the jump to help you decide. (If there's a gif you should click for the video)...
real fishness pride
• cosplay mermen with Kj Apa?
• shop for bathroom tiles with Christina Hendricks?
• do posture exercizes with Alec Utgoff?
• dress-up and read storybooks with Channing Tatum?
• dance to Wap with Laverne Cox?
• have espresso with Salma Hayek?
• arrive in Venice stylishly with Pierre Niney?
• stage a one-man musical like David Dastmalchian?
• relax in the pool, Mariah blasting, with Kerry Washington?
• watch Cape Fear with Juliette Lewis herself?
Pictures are after the jump to help you decide. (If there's a gif you should click for the video)...
- 9/4/2020
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Alec Utgoff, who played the disheveled Russian scientist Dr. Alexei in Season 3 of Netflix’s Stranger Things, has gotten a lot sexier, and, if possible, even weirder, for his new film, Never Gonna Snow Again.
In the film’s first trailer (see below), we meet a buff Utgoff as he struggles through the Polish subway system with a bulky massage table. He is Zenia, a Ukrainian migrant who works as a masseur serving the high-end needs of the residents of a gated community.
They love him, perhaps a bit too much. “You’re wonderful!” gasps one. “My savior!”...
In the film’s first trailer (see below), we meet a buff Utgoff as he struggles through the Polish subway system with a bulky massage table. He is Zenia, a Ukrainian migrant who works as a masseur serving the high-end needs of the residents of a gated community.
They love him, perhaps a bit too much. “You’re wonderful!” gasps one. “My savior!”...
Alec Utgoff, who played the disheveled Russian scientist Dr. Alexei in Season 3 of Netflix’s Stranger Things, has gotten a lot sexier, and, if possible, even weirder, for his new film, Never Gonna Snow Again.
In the film’s first trailer (see below), we meet a buff Utgoff as he struggles through the Polish subway system with a bulky massage table. He is Zenia, a Ukrainian migrant who works as a masseur serving the high-end needs of the residents of a gated community.
They love him, perhaps a bit too much. “You’re wonderful!” gasps one. “My savior!”...
In the film’s first trailer (see below), we meet a buff Utgoff as he struggles through the Polish subway system with a bulky massage table. He is Zenia, a Ukrainian migrant who works as a masseur serving the high-end needs of the residents of a gated community.
They love him, perhaps a bit too much. “You’re wonderful!” gasps one. “My savior!”...
Poland has officially kicked off the 2021 Best International Feature Film Oscar race by submitting Malgorzata Szumowska‘s “Never Gonna Snow Again.” The comedy-drama hybrid will premiere in competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The Italian-held event is the first major overseas fest to take place during the coronavirus pandemic, with dates spanning Sept. 2-12.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 93rd Academy Awards will take place on April 25 — the latest date for the telecast since the show was first broadcast on TV in 1953. The submission deadline for international features has also been delayed, pushed back to December 1 from the usual October 1. Earlier this year, South Korea’s “Parasite” won the newly renamed Foreign Language Film trophy and also became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.
See Glory to the holy WiFi! 7 ways ‘Parasite’ made history with its Oscar wins
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars Alec Utgoff...
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 93rd Academy Awards will take place on April 25 — the latest date for the telecast since the show was first broadcast on TV in 1953. The submission deadline for international features has also been delayed, pushed back to December 1 from the usual October 1. Earlier this year, South Korea’s “Parasite” won the newly renamed Foreign Language Film trophy and also became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.
See Glory to the holy WiFi! 7 ways ‘Parasite’ made history with its Oscar wins
“Never Gonna Snow Again” stars Alec Utgoff...
- 8/10/2020
- by Susan Wloszczyna
- Gold Derby
In today’s Global Bulletin, Poland makes its Oscars pick, Vis gets a new VP, Transilvania closes its ceremonies, the Barbican plans to reopen its doors, BlackBox Multimedia supports suicide prevention Npo Calm, and Studio 100 readies “SeaBelievers” for Mipcom.
Oscars
Poland has submitted Malgorzata Szumowska’s “Never Gonna Snow Again” as the country’s 2021 Oscar submission, making it the first country out the gate in this year’s Academy Awards race.
Set to premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, the comedy stars “Stranger Things” alum Alec Utgoff and “Ida” actress Agata Kulesza in the story of a Ukrainian masseuse in Poland who rises to cult-like status among wealthy clientele amassed while working in a gated community.
Szumowska, Polish cinematic royalty with several Berlin, European Film and Locarno awards — to list just a few — to her name, co-wrote the script with long-time collaborator Michal Englert. The two also produce along with Lava Films,...
Oscars
Poland has submitted Malgorzata Szumowska’s “Never Gonna Snow Again” as the country’s 2021 Oscar submission, making it the first country out the gate in this year’s Academy Awards race.
Set to premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival, the comedy stars “Stranger Things” alum Alec Utgoff and “Ida” actress Agata Kulesza in the story of a Ukrainian masseuse in Poland who rises to cult-like status among wealthy clientele amassed while working in a gated community.
Szumowska, Polish cinematic royalty with several Berlin, European Film and Locarno awards — to list just a few — to her name, co-wrote the script with long-time collaborator Michal Englert. The two also produce along with Lava Films,...
- 8/10/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: And they’re off! Poland is first out of the blocks this year by naming its submission to the 2021 International Oscar race – Malgorzata Szumowska’s Never Gonna Snow Again.
The comedy drama is set to premiere in Competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The Italian event is pressing on with plans to become the first major international fest to take place in the pandemic era, running September 2-12.
Szumowska has become one of Poland’s most recognized working directors since her 2001 feature debut Happy Man. Her credits include 2013 pic In The Name Of, which won prizes at the Berlin and Polish film festivals, the 2015 feature Body which won its director the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Director and also the European Film Awards’ People’s Choice Award, and 2018 movie Mug, which again was a Berlinale winner, this time the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix. Szumowska’s English-language debut,...
The comedy drama is set to premiere in Competition at this year’s Venice Film Festival. The Italian event is pressing on with plans to become the first major international fest to take place in the pandemic era, running September 2-12.
Szumowska has become one of Poland’s most recognized working directors since her 2001 feature debut Happy Man. Her credits include 2013 pic In The Name Of, which won prizes at the Berlin and Polish film festivals, the 2015 feature Body which won its director the Berlinale Silver Bear for Best Director and also the European Film Awards’ People’s Choice Award, and 2018 movie Mug, which again was a Berlinale winner, this time the Silver Bear Jury Grand Prix. Szumowska’s English-language debut,...
- 8/10/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Poland is the first out of the gate for the 2021 international Oscar race, naming Never Gonna Snow Again from director Malgorzata Szumowska as its national contender for next year's Academy Awards.
Szumowska's latest comedic drama will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival in September.
Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff stars, alongside Ida actress Agata Kulesza, in the story of a Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live.
Szumowska's reputation as one of Poland's most acclaimed directors has grown ...
Szumowska's latest comedic drama will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival in September.
Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff stars, alongside Ida actress Agata Kulesza, in the story of a Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live.
Szumowska's reputation as one of Poland's most acclaimed directors has grown ...
- 8/10/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Poland is the first out of the gate for the 2021 international Oscar race, naming Never Gonna Snow Again from director Malgorzata Szumowska as its national contender for next year's Academy Awards.
Szumowska's latest comedic drama will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival in September.
Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff stars, alongside Ida actress Agata Kulesza, in the story of a Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live.
Szumowska's reputation as one of Poland's most acclaimed directors has grown ...
Szumowska's latest comedic drama will have its world premiere in competition at the Venice International Film Festival in September.
Stranger Things actor Alec Utgoff stars, alongside Ida actress Agata Kulesza, in the story of a Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland who becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live.
Szumowska's reputation as one of Poland's most acclaimed directors has grown ...
- 8/10/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Venice Film Festival on Tuesday unveiled a rich roster of films by prominent auteurs spanning the globe, such as Mexico’s Michel Franco, France’s Nicole Garcia, Japan’s Kurosawa Kiyoshi, and from the U.S., Oscar-winning veteran Fredrick Wiseman, all set to grace the lineup of the Lido’s watershed 77th edition.
The fest is on track with plans to hold a physical event in September, the first major international fest to do so after the coronavirus crisis.
The much smaller — and way more indie — American presence this year will also include the world premiere of a buzzy new film by Brooklyn-based Mona Fastvold (“The Sleepwalker”) who will launch her second feature, “The World To Come,” a period drama with two women at its center and a starry cast comprising Katherine Waterston Vanessa Kirby (“The Crown”) and Casey Affleck, who is also one of the pic’s main producers.
The fest is on track with plans to hold a physical event in September, the first major international fest to do so after the coronavirus crisis.
The much smaller — and way more indie — American presence this year will also include the world premiere of a buzzy new film by Brooklyn-based Mona Fastvold (“The Sleepwalker”) who will launch her second feature, “The World To Come,” a period drama with two women at its center and a starry cast comprising Katherine Waterston Vanessa Kirby (“The Crown”) and Casey Affleck, who is also one of the pic’s main producers.
- 7/28/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Dr. Alexei is getting his sexy on.
Alec Utgoff, who plays the bespectacled Russian scientist in the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, has toned up and stripped down for his new role, playing a masseur and spiritual guru in Wonderful Xenia, the hotly anticipated new feature from Polish auteur Malgoska Szumowska (Mug, The Other Lamb).
Utgoff plays the titular Xenia, an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who becomes a masseur making house calls to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. His grounded spirituality and apparent healing powers, as well as those broad shoulders and that muscular physique,...
Alec Utgoff, who plays the bespectacled Russian scientist in the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, has toned up and stripped down for his new role, playing a masseur and spiritual guru in Wonderful Xenia, the hotly anticipated new feature from Polish auteur Malgoska Szumowska (Mug, The Other Lamb).
Utgoff plays the titular Xenia, an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who becomes a masseur making house calls to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. His grounded spirituality and apparent healing powers, as well as those broad shoulders and that muscular physique,...
- 2/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Dr. Alexei is getting his sexy on.
Alec Utgoff, who plays the bespectacled Russian scientist in the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, has toned up and stripped down for his new role, playing a masseur and spiritual guru in Wonderful Xenia, the hotly anticipated new feature from Polish auteur Malgoska Szumowska (Mug, The Other Lamb).
Utgoff plays the titular Xenia, an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who becomes a masseur making house calls to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. His grounded spirituality and apparent healing powers, as well as those broad shoulders and that muscular physique,...
Alec Utgoff, who plays the bespectacled Russian scientist in the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things, has toned up and stripped down for his new role, playing a masseur and spiritual guru in Wonderful Xenia, the hotly anticipated new feature from Polish auteur Malgoska Szumowska (Mug, The Other Lamb).
Utgoff plays the titular Xenia, an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who becomes a masseur making house calls to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. His grounded spirituality and apparent healing powers, as well as those broad shoulders and that muscular physique,...
- 2/22/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The film is shooting in and around Warsaw and stars Stranger Things’ Alec Utgoff. Principal photography has commenced on Malgorzata Szumowska’s Wonder Zenia on location in and around Warsaw. The film stars Alec Utgoff in the title role, alongside Agata Kulesza, Maja Ostaszewska (Body), Weronika Rosati and Katarzyna Figura. "I’m really excited to work on this project with Malgo,” said Alec Utgoff. “Her passion and persistence are what attracted me most. I saw her most recent film — The Other Lamb — so beautifully shot and directed. I think this film is going to be striking and original, a real eye opener for audiences.” The screenplay is by Szumowska and her regular writing collaborator (and cinematographer) Michal Englert. The film tells the story of Zenia, an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland. Zenia works as a masseur who makes house calls...
- 12/18/2019
- Cineuropa - The Best of European Cinema
Malgorzata Szumowska, best director winner at the Berlin Film Festival for “Body,” has started shooting “Wonder Zenia,” starring “Stranger Things” actor Alec Utgoff, on location in and around Warsaw.
Utgoff, who played Alexei in the third season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and also appeared in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” stars in the title role in “Wonder Zenia.” The film also stars Agata Kulesza, who played “Red Wanda” in Oscar-winner “Ida,” Maja Ostaszewska (“Body”), Weronika Rosati and Katarzyna Figura.
Zenia, the film’s protagonist, is an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who makes house calls as a masseur to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. He is privy to all of their problems, anxieties and secrets – and something of an unwitting guru figure. Zenia’s grounded spirituality, apparent healing powers and broad shoulders make him an object of lust for many of the lost souls in the community.
Utgoff, who played Alexei in the third season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and also appeared in “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” stars in the title role in “Wonder Zenia.” The film also stars Agata Kulesza, who played “Red Wanda” in Oscar-winner “Ida,” Maja Ostaszewska (“Body”), Weronika Rosati and Katarzyna Figura.
Zenia, the film’s protagonist, is an industrious Ukrainian migrant worker in Poland who makes house calls as a masseur to the needy and aspirational residents of a middle-class gated community near Warsaw. He is privy to all of their problems, anxieties and secrets – and something of an unwitting guru figure. Zenia’s grounded spirituality, apparent healing powers and broad shoulders make him an object of lust for many of the lost souls in the community.
- 12/16/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
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