The Hollywood Reporter thanks the following 322 members of the global film community — listed alphabetically — for taking the time to cast a ballot to help us determine the 100 greatest film books of all time.
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
Seth Abramovitch
The Hollywood Reporter journalist/It Happened in Hollywood podcast host
Jo Addy
Soho House group film and entertainment director
Casey Affleck
Oscar-winning actor
Rutanya Alda
Author/actress
Stephanie Allain
Filmmaker
Victoria Alonso
Filmmaker/executive
Tony Angellotti
Publicist
Bonnie Arnold
Filmmaker/executive
Miguel Arteta
Filmmaker
Chris Auer
Filmmaker/film professor
John Badham
Filmmaker/film professor
Amy Baer
Executive
Matt Baer
Filmmaker
Lindsey Bahr
Journalist
Ramin Bahrani
Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival CEO/former film critic
John Bailey
Cinematographer/former Academy president
Bela Bajaria
Executive
Sean Baker
Filmmaker
Alec Baldwin
Oscar-nominated actor/author
Tino Balio
Author/film professor
Jeffrey Barbakow
Executive
Michael Barker
Executive
Mike Barnes
The Hollywood Reporter journalist
Jeanine Basinger
Author/film...
- 10/12/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Filmmakers and executives, creatives of music, theater and art remembered Tom Luddy as friend and mentor, tastemaker and cultural force who deployed an astonishingly vast network to nurture talent and bring people and projects together over decades.
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
The Sundance Institute has unveiled the producers and the projects selected for this summer’s Producers Lab and Producers Summit. Taking place July 25-28 and July 29-31, respectively, the events are being held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Producers Lab will feature six fiction films’ and five nonfiction films’ producers and their projects while the summit will host 40 industry insiders and 26 indie filmmakers.
Advisors for the feature film program include David Hinojosa (Zola, Bodies Bodies Bodies), Amy Lo (Nancy, Sugar), Riva Marker (The Guilty, Relic), Josh Penn (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and Jason Michael Berman (Nine Days, Uncorked) while the documentary film program features Daffodil Altan (PBS’ Frontline), Violet Feng (Hidden Letters, Tigre Gente), Andrea Meditch (Ernie & Joe, Fathom), Bob Moore (Midwives, Softie) and Amanda Spain (MSNBC Films).
Industry participants in this year’s summit include Maria Altamirano...
- 7/25/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Institute, the nonprofit organization that puts on the yearly film festival in Park City, has announced the entrants for its Producers Lab and Producers Summit.
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
Both events, the former taking place from July 25 to 28 and the latter from July 29 to 31, will be held in person at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort. The Institute picked six fiction film and five non-fiction film producers and their projects. Producers Lab and Producers Summit, which counts more than 40 industry leaders and 26 independent filmmakers among its participants, supports up-and-coming producers through year-round mentorship, granting, educational resources, strategic introductions, and networking opportunities with the industry.
“It has been three years since we have been able to gather in person, and over this time, the landscape for independent storytelling has shifted dramatically. It’s never been more critical to work to create a sustainable future for independent producers, a key priority for the Lab and Summit,...
- 7/25/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
The Sundance Institute has named the participants for its 2022 Producers Lab and Summit, both of which are set to take place in person this year at Utah’s Sundance Mountain Resort.
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
The Fellows and projects selected for the Lab’s Feature Film Program are Apoorva Guru Charan (The Rotting Of Casey Culpepper), Leah Chen Baker (The President’s Cake), Eli Raskin (Starfuckers), Chloe Sabin (Sales Per Hour), and the duo of Helena Sardinha and Doménica Castro (Huella). Those set for the Lab’s Documentary Film Program are Lindsey Dryden (Untitled Dwarfism Project), Yoni Golijov (Untitled Sura Mallouh Project), Dawne Langford (Untitled Baltimore Project), Neyda Martinez (Bartolo) and Igor Myakotin (Queendom).
Jade Jackson (Losa), Lauren Lopez de Victoria (Forward), Fox Maxy (Water Tight), Albert Tholen and Aiko Masubuchi (Earthquake), and Séverine Tibi (Birthday) will participate in the Producers Summit on the Fiction Features side, with Nonfiction Feature participants to include Jude Chehab...
- 7/25/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 397 members of the global film community to join the organization, it was announced Tuesday.
Among those who will henceforth be able to vote for the Oscar nominations and winners if they accept, as the vast majority of people who have received invites historically have: newly-minted Oscar winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (music branch) and Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur (actors); Paramount chief Brian Robbins and Disney general entertainment chief Dana Walden (executives); and film critic Leonard Maltin (members-at-large).
According to an Academy-provided breakdown of the new invitees, 44 percent are women, 37 percent are non-white and 50 percent are non-Americans (54 different countries are represented). If they all accept, the Academy’s overall membership will be 34 percent female, 19 percent non-white and 23 percent non-American.
Seven branches invited more women than men (actors, casting directors, costume designers, documentary,...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 397 members of the global film community to join the organization, it was announced Tuesday.
Among those who will henceforth be able to vote for the Oscar nominations and winners if they accept, as the vast majority of people who have received invites historically have: newly-minted Oscar winners Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (music branch) and Ariana DeBose and Troy Kotsur (actors); Paramount chief Brian Robbins and Disney general entertainment chief Dana Walden (executives); and film critic Leonard Maltin (members-at-large).
According to an Academy-provided breakdown of the new invitees, 44 percent are women, 37 percent are non-white and 50 percent are non-Americans (54 different countries are represented). If they all accept, the Academy’s overall membership will be 34 percent female, 19 percent non-white and 23 percent non-American.
Seven branches invited more women than men (actors, casting directors, costume designers, documentary,...
- 6/28/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Few actors have dominated movie screens in quite the same fashion as Scarlett Johansson, who will receive the 35th annual American Cinematheque Award on Nov. 18. The American Cinematheque will be honoring Participant Media with its inaugural Power of Cinema Award.
Able to bounce back and forth between massive worldwide blockbusters and critically acclaimed independent productions, the Oscar-nominated Johansson landed Academy consideration for 2019’s “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit,” and has cemented herself as one of the most iconic women on the screen, making her a natural fit for the honor. Upcoming is the animated “Sing 2” in which she voices Ash, the female crested porcupine, one of the main characters of the toon.
Having done comedy, romance, action-spectacle, and nearly everything else in between, she never pigeonholed herself into one genre, opening herself up to various cinematic possibilities.
“Whenever she graces the screen with her luminous presence, the audience knows...
Able to bounce back and forth between massive worldwide blockbusters and critically acclaimed independent productions, the Oscar-nominated Johansson landed Academy consideration for 2019’s “Marriage Story” and “Jojo Rabbit,” and has cemented herself as one of the most iconic women on the screen, making her a natural fit for the honor. Upcoming is the animated “Sing 2” in which she voices Ash, the female crested porcupine, one of the main characters of the toon.
Having done comedy, romance, action-spectacle, and nearly everything else in between, she never pigeonholed herself into one genre, opening herself up to various cinematic possibilities.
“Whenever she graces the screen with her luminous presence, the audience knows...
- 11/18/2021
- by Nick Clement
- Variety Film + TV
Refresh for updates… Hollywood paid fast and heartfelt tribute to director Melvin Van Peebles today, with news of his death eliciting words of praise for the filmmaker from such industry figures as actor David Alan Grier and directors Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, and Spike Lee, along with notable musicians and music execs.
“I Am So Saddened By The Loss Of My Brother Melvin Van Pebbles Who Brought Independent Black Cinema To The Forefront With HIs Groundbreaking Film Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song(He Personally Signed This Poster To Me),” Oscar winner Lee wrote on Instagram. “Melvin Was A Big Supporter Of My Film Career. He Even Showed Up To The Set Of Do The Right Thing. Damn We Have Lost Another Giant!”
“We’ve lost another lion,” agreed the Tony-nominated Grier, who called Van Peebles “the true revolutionary, an artistic gangsta, cultural disrupter who forever changed the game.”
Oscar-winning Moonlight...
“I Am So Saddened By The Loss Of My Brother Melvin Van Pebbles Who Brought Independent Black Cinema To The Forefront With HIs Groundbreaking Film Sweet Sweetback’s Badasssss Song(He Personally Signed This Poster To Me),” Oscar winner Lee wrote on Instagram. “Melvin Was A Big Supporter Of My Film Career. He Even Showed Up To The Set Of Do The Right Thing. Damn We Have Lost Another Giant!”
“We’ve lost another lion,” agreed the Tony-nominated Grier, who called Van Peebles “the true revolutionary, an artistic gangsta, cultural disrupter who forever changed the game.”
Oscar-winning Moonlight...
- 9/22/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor known for Alfred Hitchcock films and “St. Elsewhere” died at 106
Hollywood is in awe of the legendary career of Norman Lloyd, who died this week at age 106 after having worked with everyone from Orson Welles to Judd Apatow to Charlie Chaplin to Alfred Hitchcock.
Karl Malden once referred to Lloyd as “the history of our business,” and it shows in his enormous filmography, in which he worked as an actor, director and producer, not only continuing to work well past age 100 but being willing to share stories and histories with other film fans at screenings of classic films all across town.
“What a career. From Welles to Apatow. #Rip Norman Lloyd,” actor Ben Stiller said in reacting to Lloyd’s death.
“Look up mensch in the dictionary. There’s a picture of Norman Lloyd,” Brent Spiner added.
Lloyd was perhaps best known as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the long-running ’80s series “St. Elsewhere,...
Hollywood is in awe of the legendary career of Norman Lloyd, who died this week at age 106 after having worked with everyone from Orson Welles to Judd Apatow to Charlie Chaplin to Alfred Hitchcock.
Karl Malden once referred to Lloyd as “the history of our business,” and it shows in his enormous filmography, in which he worked as an actor, director and producer, not only continuing to work well past age 100 but being willing to share stories and histories with other film fans at screenings of classic films all across town.
“What a career. From Welles to Apatow. #Rip Norman Lloyd,” actor Ben Stiller said in reacting to Lloyd’s death.
“Look up mensch in the dictionary. There’s a picture of Norman Lloyd,” Brent Spiner added.
Lloyd was perhaps best known as Dr. Daniel Auschlander on the long-running ’80s series “St. Elsewhere,...
- 5/11/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The news of beloved and revered French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier’s death has struck a chord in France and around the world with a flurry of cinephiles, filmmakers, critics, industry figures and talents remembering him on social media on Thursday.
Aside from his prolific career as filmmaker, Tavernier, was also a driving force behind the Institut Lumiere and its annual heritage film festival in Lyon which he ran alongside Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux. Tavernier brought tremendous support to film preservation and livened up the cultural life of Lyon, his hometown, through his dedicated work at the Institut Lumiere.
“We would have soon celebrated our 40 years of friendship and common work, since he reached out a helping hand when I was a student,” Fremaux told Variety. “And we had many adventures together, including the Lumiere festival and his last documentary [‘Journey Through French Cinema’]. He was a great cinephile, and a great human being,...
Aside from his prolific career as filmmaker, Tavernier, was also a driving force behind the Institut Lumiere and its annual heritage film festival in Lyon which he ran alongside Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux. Tavernier brought tremendous support to film preservation and livened up the cultural life of Lyon, his hometown, through his dedicated work at the Institut Lumiere.
“We would have soon celebrated our 40 years of friendship and common work, since he reached out a helping hand when I was a student,” Fremaux told Variety. “And we had many adventures together, including the Lumiere festival and his last documentary [‘Journey Through French Cinema’]. He was a great cinephile, and a great human being,...
- 3/25/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Ted Hope had quite a ride at Amazon Studios. Early on, when the independent producer (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) saw the digital culture shifts coming to Hollywood, he landed as head of Amazon Original Movies in 2015, where he became the consigliere to successive studio heads who relied on his counsel and support. Today came the news that he would be leaving the job to return to his old routine.
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
“I came to realize Ted is a producer through and through,” said Amazon studio chief Jennifer Salke in an email to Amazon Studios staffers today. “And that now is the right time for both him and the studio to make a change.”
The news has been a long time coming. Many in Hollywood questioned how long Hope would last inside the Silicon Valley shopping behemoth, but it took five and a half years for Hope to finally make the...
- 5/28/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Update: Ted Hope sent his own note to staffers at Amazon. Find it below the one from Jennifer Salke.
Exclusive: Big move over at Amazon Studios. Ted Hope has decided to exit as Co-Head of Movies to go back to his origins as a producer. Next week, he will enter a multi-year, first-look deal with Amazon Studios. This is all very amicable, and I’m told that Amazon chief and Hope’s boss Jennifer Salke has just divulged the news internally.
Hope came to Amazon in 2015 as head of the Development, Production and Acquisitions team, and he was elevated to co-Head of Movies in July, 2018. He has been running the film division along with Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman, who’ve been Co-Heads of Movies. She came to Amazon from The Weinstein Company, while he grew at Amazon on the business side. They are well regarded and will take over steering the division,...
Exclusive: Big move over at Amazon Studios. Ted Hope has decided to exit as Co-Head of Movies to go back to his origins as a producer. Next week, he will enter a multi-year, first-look deal with Amazon Studios. This is all very amicable, and I’m told that Amazon chief and Hope’s boss Jennifer Salke has just divulged the news internally.
Hope came to Amazon in 2015 as head of the Development, Production and Acquisitions team, and he was elevated to co-Head of Movies in July, 2018. He has been running the film division along with Julie Rapaport and Matt Newman, who’ve been Co-Heads of Movies. She came to Amazon from The Weinstein Company, while he grew at Amazon on the business side. They are well regarded and will take over steering the division,...
- 5/28/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios went bold when it chose the first film to bear its name in 2015 — Spike Lee’s “Chi-Raq,” the gun-violence musical satire based on an Aristophanes play, with a portmanteau title that combined “Chicago” and “Iraq.” It was a tough sell, even for Lee, who said “everybody said no except Amazon.”
It was also that year Amazon assembled an indie dream team to run its film operation — festival-favorite producer Ted Hope, “Pan’s Labyrinth” marketer Bob Berney, and former critic Scott Foundas. For independent filmmakers and audiences who loved them, the e-commerce giant’s foray into movies looked like a much-needed boost.
But just a few years later, that era is over. Although Hope and Foundas are still in place, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has spent 18 months heading the operation and, as she told the New York Times, she is steering the film division in a new direction:...
It was also that year Amazon assembled an indie dream team to run its film operation — festival-favorite producer Ted Hope, “Pan’s Labyrinth” marketer Bob Berney, and former critic Scott Foundas. For independent filmmakers and audiences who loved them, the e-commerce giant’s foray into movies looked like a much-needed boost.
But just a few years later, that era is over. Although Hope and Foundas are still in place, Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke has spent 18 months heading the operation and, as she told the New York Times, she is steering the film division in a new direction:...
- 10/10/2019
- by Chris Lindahl
- Indiewire
After last year’s stateside success with Call Me By Your Name, Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino is back with a “re-imagining” of Dario Argento’s 1970s classic Suspiria. The update, which stars Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Mia Goth and Chloë Grace Moretz, heads to theaters this weekend via Amazon Studios. Legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman is out with his latest film, Monrovia, Indiana. Wiseman, who helped define the big screen non-fiction genre over the decades, has yet to receive awards recognition, though his latest, released via his Zipporah Films label, could change that. Susan Sarandon stars in Viper Club from YouTube Originals and Roadside Attractions, the largest U.S. theatrical release for a YouTube financed feature. Neon is heading out with Scandinavian-based filmmaker Ali Abbasi’s Border, based on a story by Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist. Following its bow as the opening night film at New York Lgbt film festival NewFest,...
- 10/26/2018
- by Brian Brooks
- Deadline Film + TV
Breaking: Jason Ropell has stepped down from the leadership of Amazon Studios, where he has been vice president Ww head of motion pictures for three of the six years he has spent there. The exit is amicable, and Ropell took the action basically after Amazon chief Jennifer Salke told him that she wanted to take the movie division in a different direction, one with bigger budgets and commercial risks. That seems to presage a move away from the tastemaker fare that has distinguished Amazon since it got into the movie business, first as a financier/producer, and now as the distributor of films it makes and acquires at festivals.
Sources said that Ropell stepped down because he could see the changes in store. He is staying on for the near future as a consultant as the division is reconstituted. For now, Ted Hope will be in charge along with Matt Newman,...
Sources said that Ropell stepped down because he could see the changes in store. He is staying on for the near future as a consultant as the division is reconstituted. For now, Ted Hope will be in charge along with Matt Newman,...
- 7/24/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSThe great post-war Italian auteur Ermanno Olmi had died at the age of 86. Winner of the Palme d'Or in 1978 for The Tree of the Wooden Clogs, Olmi was making great cinema up until the end. Sam Roberts of the The New York Times remembers.And another mourning that also hits us personally: Pierre Rissient, the ultimate cinephile (and filmmaker in his own right!), has left us. Scott Foundas has penned a most thorough remembrance for IndieWire.Recommended VIEWINGWe're covering the Cannes Film Festival this week and next, and are ever-more excited for the latest film from South Korean director Lee Chang-dong (Poetry), which so happens to be his first film in 8 (!) years.Two of the minds behind the brilliant television series Atlanta, Donald Glover (in his musical alias Childish Gambino) and director Hiro Murai,...
- 5/9/2018
- MUBI
The death of Milos Forman has triggered tributes to the iconic two-time Oscar-winning director from the film community in many parts of the world.
Homages to the Czech-born filmmaker, who won Academy Awards for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975 and “Amadeus” in 1984, began springing up on social media soon after Forman’s death Friday was revealed by his wife, Martina.
Former Cannes president Gilles Jacob described Forman as the “only director who went from the Czech New Wave (‘Black Peter’) to big American films which won flurries of Oscars (‘Amadeus’). Immense body of work. He loved beer, tennis, Cannes, he spoke the truth, that’s all. Milos will remain dear in my heart,” Jacob tweeted in French.
Forman, le seul réalisateur à être passé de la nouvelle vague tchèque (L'as de pique) aux grands films d'auteur populaire américain couverts d'Oscars (Amadeus).Oeuvre immense. Il aimait la bière,...
Homages to the Czech-born filmmaker, who won Academy Awards for “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1975 and “Amadeus” in 1984, began springing up on social media soon after Forman’s death Friday was revealed by his wife, Martina.
Former Cannes president Gilles Jacob described Forman as the “only director who went from the Czech New Wave (‘Black Peter’) to big American films which won flurries of Oscars (‘Amadeus’). Immense body of work. He loved beer, tennis, Cannes, he spoke the truth, that’s all. Milos will remain dear in my heart,” Jacob tweeted in French.
Forman, le seul réalisateur à être passé de la nouvelle vague tchèque (L'as de pique) aux grands films d'auteur populaire américain couverts d'Oscars (Amadeus).Oeuvre immense. Il aimait la bière,...
- 4/14/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Much has been made about the way “Dunkirk” has been engineered for the 70mm experience. Christopher Nolan’s WWII epic is being marketed as an immersive big-screen experience, one that the director prefers audience experience in his preferred format. But he never would have been able to convince a studio to invest in this undertaking if weren’t for a few key developments from the past few years.
While shooting on film has made an unexpected comeback in Hollywood, watching a film projected on celluloid has remained a novelty reserved for cinephiles lucky enough to live near a museum or repertory theater still committed to showing film prints. After 35mm projectors were removed from theaters across the country, they never came back; Hollywood loved the ease of digital cinema projection (Dcp), which shaves off the costs of the significant labor, time and cost of making and shipping thousands of film prints.
While shooting on film has made an unexpected comeback in Hollywood, watching a film projected on celluloid has remained a novelty reserved for cinephiles lucky enough to live near a museum or repertory theater still committed to showing film prints. After 35mm projectors were removed from theaters across the country, they never came back; Hollywood loved the ease of digital cinema projection (Dcp), which shaves off the costs of the significant labor, time and cost of making and shipping thousands of film prints.
- 7/20/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Buyers return to Cannes like swallows to the Capistranos, but this year they’ll find a hostile landscape. Too many buyers, too few titles, and streaming-service disruptors are driving up prices all the while, making North American prebuys increasingly necessary.
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
- 5/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson and Graham Winfrey
- Thompson on Hollywood
Buyers return to Cannes like swallows to the Capistranos, but this year they’ll find a hostile landscape. Too many buyers, too few titles, and streaming-service disruptors are driving up prices all the while, making North American prebuys increasingly necessary.
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
That’s hazardous terrain: Witness the Weinstein Company’s $6 million bid for transgender drama “3 Generations” (aka “After Ray”). Two years later, after a title change and poor reviews on and off the festival circuit, the drama starring Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon finally received a May 5 release. Total domestic gross to date: $46,421.
That was in 2015, the last year that TWC held its then-annual dog-and-pony show for buyers and press at the Majestic Hotel. This year, like the last, they’ll hold court on their yacht, which also serves as their offices — still tony, but on a budget; it’s a lot less expensive than that prime Croissette real estate. Meanwhile,...
- 5/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson and Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The silent French film Au Bonheur Des Dames (1930 – aka Ladies’ Paradise) screens Saturday May 6th at 11am at The St. Louis Art Museum (Forest Park, 1 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, Mo). The film will be accompanied by Elsie Parker and The Poor People of Paris. Tickets for this event are $15 general admission and $10 for museum members. Tickets can be purchased in advance from Metrotix or by calling 314.534.1111.
Julien Duvivier’s final silent film is a modern retelling of Emile Zola’s panoramic chronicle of mid-19th-century Parisian society, centering on a small fabric shop struggling to survive in the shadow of a luxury department store. With expressionistic shades of Erich von Stroheim and G.W. Pabst, the film captures the rhythms of urban life and creates a stinging portrait of capitalist ruthlessness, class tensions, and sexual competition. Scott Foundas in the Village Voice calls the film “an orgy of pure cinema,...
Julien Duvivier’s final silent film is a modern retelling of Emile Zola’s panoramic chronicle of mid-19th-century Parisian society, centering on a small fabric shop struggling to survive in the shadow of a luxury department store. With expressionistic shades of Erich von Stroheim and G.W. Pabst, the film captures the rhythms of urban life and creates a stinging portrait of capitalist ruthlessness, class tensions, and sexual competition. Scott Foundas in the Village Voice calls the film “an orgy of pure cinema,...
- 4/28/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Going into Sundance 2017, the hottest acquisition title was Michael Showalter’s “The Big Sick,” written by comedian-star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, based on their true-life cross-cultural romance, and produced by Judd Apatow. It promised all the elements you would want from a breakout Sundance movie: comedy, pathos, authenticity and two rising stars, Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, along with Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily’s parents.
Why not buy it sight unseen? “It was a movie you see at the Eccles and bid on, especially with a comedy,” said one bidder.
The movie turned out to be that rare creature: a hilarious and humane love story, not saccharine, that feels real.
A host of buyers, from A24 to Weinstein Co., attended the enthusiastic Eccles Friday premiere, after which the players with the deepest-pockets entered the bidding — Netflix, Open Road and others dropped out early when the numbers hit eight figures.
Why not buy it sight unseen? “It was a movie you see at the Eccles and bid on, especially with a comedy,” said one bidder.
The movie turned out to be that rare creature: a hilarious and humane love story, not saccharine, that feels real.
A host of buyers, from A24 to Weinstein Co., attended the enthusiastic Eccles Friday premiere, after which the players with the deepest-pockets entered the bidding — Netflix, Open Road and others dropped out early when the numbers hit eight figures.
- 1/23/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Going into Sundance 2017, the hottest acquisition title was Michael Showalter’s “The Big Sick,” written by comedian-star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, based on their true-life cross-cultural romance, and produced by Judd Apatow. It promised all the elements you would want from a breakout Sundance movie: comedy, pathos, authenticity and two rising stars, Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, along with Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily’s parents.
Why not buy it sight unseen? “It was a movie you see at the Eccles and bid on, especially with a comedy,” said one bidder.
The movie turned out to be that rare creature: a hilarious and humane love story, not saccharine, that feels real.
A host of buyers, from A24 to Weinstein Co., attended the enthusiastic Eccles Friday premiere, after which the players with the deepest-pockets entered the bidding — Netflix, Open Road and others dropped out early when the numbers hit eight figures.
Why not buy it sight unseen? “It was a movie you see at the Eccles and bid on, especially with a comedy,” said one bidder.
The movie turned out to be that rare creature: a hilarious and humane love story, not saccharine, that feels real.
A host of buyers, from A24 to Weinstein Co., attended the enthusiastic Eccles Friday premiere, after which the players with the deepest-pockets entered the bidding — Netflix, Open Road and others dropped out early when the numbers hit eight figures.
- 1/23/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Based on the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry 1943 novel, “The Little Prince” follows a young girl whose mother has her whole life planned out for her, every minute, hour and day and moment of her life. Overwhelmed by the life plan, she becomes hesitant to grow up. Her neighbor, The Aviator, then introduces her to an extraordinary world where everything is possible, the world of the Little Prince. The animated film is now available to stream on Netflix, this is what the critics are saying about the Mark Osbourne-directed adaptation.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich gave the film a grade letter of B-, calling it “a strange, satisfying, star-studded adaptation.” He adds that “‘The Little Prince’ is probably too opaque for children, and it’s definitely too strained for adults, but it’s still refreshing to see a movie that flies with the untamed, sometimes illogical creative impulses of its target audiences.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich gave the film a grade letter of B-, calling it “a strange, satisfying, star-studded adaptation.” He adds that “‘The Little Prince’ is probably too opaque for children, and it’s definitely too strained for adults, but it’s still refreshing to see a movie that flies with the untamed, sometimes illogical creative impulses of its target audiences.
- 8/5/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
For the third time in 15 months, Hollywood has turned to a high-profile film journalist to fill its executive ranks — an intriguing trend from the media’s perspective. Gavin Smith, the longtime editor of Film Comment, was named VP of Cohen Media Group on Thursday. Smith (pictured above with director John Landis) is the third film critic/journalist to switch sides of late, following Jason Blum‘s savvy hiring of Shock Till You Drop managing editor Ryan Turek as director of development at Blumhouse, and Amazon Studio’s hiring of Variety’s chief film critic Scott Foundas as an acquisitions and development executive.
- 2/21/2016
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Since his controversial breakthrough with “Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story” — the suburban set pop-musical starring Barbie and Ken dolls — Todd Haynes has been breaking ground on new cinematic territory for nearly 30 years. The work that followed ‘Superstar,’ has been equally individual, and at most turns, a unique reimagining of events and scenarios that cut to the core of the subject matter. Read More: Retrospective: The Films Of Todd Haynes But for all of his idiosyncratic filmmaking, Haynes has been one of the most consistent filmmakers of his generation. From the beginning his intentions and fascinations were clear, and more or less, he has been working the same themes over and again ever since: the suburban, the transgressional, the “women’s picture,” the pop star. Though for all the similarities that run through his films, each is diverse, unique, and powerful — and in most cases better than the last. Recently Haynes...
- 1/21/2016
- by Gary Garrison
- The Playlist
Last night at the AFI Film Festival, Ridley Scott sat down with Scott Foundas for an hour-long conversation spanning Scott’s entire career (you can read about it in detail here). And, of course, you can’t have a career-spanning conversation with Ridley Scott without touching upon “Alien,” his 1979 sci-fi horror and sophomore effort that minted his career and launched a massive Hollywood franchise. Read More: “I’m Trying To Keep This For Myself”: Ridley Scott Admits He Wants Control Over The 'Alien' Sequels And, of course, Scott has circled back to the “Alien” series with “Prometheus,” and recently suggested wanting to reclaim sole ownership of the property (sorry, Neil Blomkamp). While the sequel to "Prometheus" has been going by the name “Alien: Paradise Lost,” last night during the AFI talk, Scott casually mentioned a new title as an aside. Read More: Retrospective: The Films Of Ridley Scott...
- 11/13/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
Ridley Scott may be getting up there in age – he turns 78 later this month – but the man is much more prolific now than when he was just starting out, and some would argue his latest film, “The Martian,” is right up there among his best work. Within this past week, it actually became the highest grossing film of his career, crossing the $200 million mark domestically. So, now seems like the perfect time to hear him talk about his career, and at the AFI Film Fest this past Wednesday, that’s exactly what happened. Moderated by Variety’s Scott Foundas, Ridley Scott talked for nearly an hour, going into great detail about how he wound up making “The Martian,” and discussing his other notable films, including “Alien,” “Blade Runner,” and “Thelma & Louise.” Read More: "I'm Trying To Keep This For Myself": Ridley Scott Admits He Wants Control Over The 'Alien' Sequels Moreover,...
- 11/13/2015
- by Ken Guidry
- The Playlist
As Amazon Studios gets ready for the December release of their first original feature, Spike Lee‘s promising Chi-Raq, they’re also prepping films with Jim Jarmusch and Terry Gilliam, and now the talented Ted Hope and Scott Foundas have added another to their slate. Courtesy of a press release, the company announced they’ve picked up the latest film from Drive and Only God Forgives director Nicolas Winding Refn, The Neon Demon.
Set for a theatrical release next summer, the film follows “an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles where her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will go to any lengths to get what she has.” Co-written by Mary Laws and Refn, the cast stars Elle Fanning (pictured in a new still above), Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, and Bela Heathcoat.
“One morning I woke and realized I...
Set for a theatrical release next summer, the film follows “an aspiring model who moves to Los Angeles where her youth and vitality are devoured by a group of beauty-obsessed women who will go to any lengths to get what she has.” Co-written by Mary Laws and Refn, the cast stars Elle Fanning (pictured in a new still above), Keanu Reeves, Christina Hendricks, Jena Malone, Abbey Lee, and Bela Heathcoat.
“One morning I woke and realized I...
- 11/8/2015
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Ioncinema.com’s Top 3 Critics’ Picks offers a curated approach to the usual quandary: what would you recommend I see in theaters this month? This November, we’ve got a pair of films Sundance Film Festival Next section premiered films that will be found on several best of lists for 2015, and the other item was one of the most admired films to land on the Croisette.
Entertainment – Rick Alverson
November 13th – Limited Release
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Awards & Fests: Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival with a good number of U.S. film fests, some noteworthy stops included New Directors/New Films, Locarno, Sitges, London and Chicago.
What the critic’s are saying?: Simply put, Rick Alverson’s The Comedy (2012) is brilliant. Predictably his abrasive parameter-less cinema is what sets this filmmaker apart and in this case shows the shortcomings of mainstream audiences. Only four features into his filmography, there...
Entertainment – Rick Alverson
November 13th – Limited Release
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Awards & Fests: Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival with a good number of U.S. film fests, some noteworthy stops included New Directors/New Films, Locarno, Sitges, London and Chicago.
What the critic’s are saying?: Simply put, Rick Alverson’s The Comedy (2012) is brilliant. Predictably his abrasive parameter-less cinema is what sets this filmmaker apart and in this case shows the shortcomings of mainstream audiences. Only four features into his filmography, there...
- 11/3/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Warner Bros. Pictures released their new action/drama movie, "Black Mass" into theaters today, September 18th, 2015, and all the major, top movie critics have turned in their reviews. It turns out that most of them thought very highly of it, giving it an overall 69 score out of a possible 100 across 34 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Dakota Johnson, Joel Edgerton and Johnny Depp. We've posted blurbs from a few of the critics,below. Scott Foundas from Variety, gave it a really nice 90 score, stating: "If Johnny Depp’s mesmerizing performance — a bracing return to form for the star after a series of critical and commercial misfires — is the chief selling point of Black Mass, there is much else to recommend this sober, sprawling, deeply engrossing evocation of Bulger’s South Boston fiefdom and his complex relationship with the FBI agent John Connolly, played with equally impressive skill by Joel Edgerton.
- 9/19/2015
- by Megan
- OnTheFlix
It was a winner right out of the starting gate, an instant classic that's still a pleasure for the eyes and ears. Carroll Ballard and Caleb Deschanel's marvel of a storybook movie has yet to be surpassed, with a boy-horse story that seems to be taking place in The Garden of Eden. The Black Stallion Blu-ray The Criterion Collection 765 1979 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 117 min. / Street Date July 14, 2015 / 39.95 Starring Kelly Reno, Mickey Rooney, Teri Garr, Clarence Muse, Hoyt Axton, Michael Higgins, Ed McNamara, Doghmi Larbi, John Karlsen, Leopoldo Trieste, Marne Maitland, Cass-Olé. Cinematography Caleb Deschanel Film Editor Robert Dalva Supervising Sound Editor Alan Splet Original Music Carmine Coppola Written by Melissa Mathison, Jeanne Rosenberg, William D. Wittliff from the novel by Walter Farley Produced by Fred Roos, Tom Sternberg Directed by Carroll Ballard
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Francis Coppola divided audiences with his war epic Apocalypse Now, but in the same...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Francis Coppola divided audiences with his war epic Apocalypse Now, but in the same...
- 9/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
For some, Labor Day signals a Monday off from school and work, the final hurrah of the summer and college football games galore.
But for Oscar watchers, the three day break heralds the beginning of the Awards Season with film festivals being held at Venice (Sept. 2 – 12) and Telluride (Sept. 4 – 7).
Getting a shot in the arm from the weekend festivals were Spotlight, Steve Jobs, Black Mass and The Danish Girl. Below is a sampling of the films in play this awards season that screened over the busy holiday weekend.
The Danish Girl (Nov. 27)
Synopsis:
Based on the book by David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne [The Theory of Everything] and Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]), and directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables). Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve...
But for Oscar watchers, the three day break heralds the beginning of the Awards Season with film festivals being held at Venice (Sept. 2 – 12) and Telluride (Sept. 4 – 7).
Getting a shot in the arm from the weekend festivals were Spotlight, Steve Jobs, Black Mass and The Danish Girl. Below is a sampling of the films in play this awards season that screened over the busy holiday weekend.
The Danish Girl (Nov. 27)
Synopsis:
Based on the book by David Ebershoff, The Danish Girl is the remarkable love story inspired by the lives of Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener (portrayed by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne [The Theory of Everything] and Alicia Vikander [Ex Machina]), and directed by Academy Award winner Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech, Les Misérables). Lili and Gerda’s marriage and work evolve...
- 9/7/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
With the 42nd Telluride Film Festival beginning today, Netflix is launching into the world of feature film production with Beasts of No Nation, which premieres at the festival this Sunday. The film, which stars Idris Elba and is directed by Cary Fukunaga of True Detective’s acclaimed first season, has a lot of buzz circulating around it and marks the feature film debut for Netflix.
Recent years have seen the meteoric rise of non-traditional media sources, with Netflix at the forefront of the revolution. The small screen has been the realm of much success for Netflix with original series House of Cards and Orange is the New Black both earning multiple Emmy nominations.
The online streaming service is no stranger to the world of film, however, with documentaries such as this year’s What Happened, Miss Simone? but Netflix is hoping Beasts will usher in...
Managing Editor
With the 42nd Telluride Film Festival beginning today, Netflix is launching into the world of feature film production with Beasts of No Nation, which premieres at the festival this Sunday. The film, which stars Idris Elba and is directed by Cary Fukunaga of True Detective’s acclaimed first season, has a lot of buzz circulating around it and marks the feature film debut for Netflix.
Recent years have seen the meteoric rise of non-traditional media sources, with Netflix at the forefront of the revolution. The small screen has been the realm of much success for Netflix with original series House of Cards and Orange is the New Black both earning multiple Emmy nominations.
The online streaming service is no stranger to the world of film, however, with documentaries such as this year’s What Happened, Miss Simone? but Netflix is hoping Beasts will usher in...
- 9/4/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
As seems de rigueur for former film critics, David Ansen will foray once again into film festival programming. The erstwhile Newsweek critic who left his La Film Festival Artistic Director post in 2014 will now serve as Lead Programmer for the Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 1-11), which launches many of the 2016 foreign Oscar contenders. He will work with six other programmers under the direction of the fest's Artistic Director, Helen du Toit, acquiring films from distribution outlets and sales companies, and looking at submissions as a member of the selection committee. Read More: David Ansen's Departure from Los Angeles Film Festival Signals New Direction for Fest Are film festivals the next best step for film critics? After five years at La Film Festival, Ansen was succeeded by former New York Times writer Elvis Mitchell as year-round curator of Laff. Variety's Scott Foundas directed programming at Lincoln Center and...
- 9/3/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Weinstein Company
With the summer blockbuster season coming to an end, it’s time to get hyped for an amazing selection of fall movies. There are dozens of films on the horizon that everyone’s looking forward to; The Hateful Eight, Spectre, The Hunger Games, and a little something called Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to name just a few.
But what about the non blockbusters?
These lesser known twelve upcoming films could actually be incredible, but right now they’re being somewhat neglected with everyone so focused on Quentin Tarantino and Han Solo.
Here are 2015’s underlooked fall films you should be more excited for.
12. Sicario
Lionsgate
Release date: September 18 (Us) / October 9 (UK)
In 2013, the Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal film Prisoners was one of the most underappreciated movies of the year, a well constructed thriller with truly memorable characters. Director Denis Villeneuve followed that up with the strange but intriguing Enemy,...
With the summer blockbuster season coming to an end, it’s time to get hyped for an amazing selection of fall movies. There are dozens of films on the horizon that everyone’s looking forward to; The Hateful Eight, Spectre, The Hunger Games, and a little something called Star Wars: The Force Awakens, to name just a few.
But what about the non blockbusters?
These lesser known twelve upcoming films could actually be incredible, but right now they’re being somewhat neglected with everyone so focused on Quentin Tarantino and Han Solo.
Here are 2015’s underlooked fall films you should be more excited for.
12. Sicario
Lionsgate
Release date: September 18 (Us) / October 9 (UK)
In 2013, the Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal film Prisoners was one of the most underappreciated movies of the year, a well constructed thriller with truly memorable characters. Director Denis Villeneuve followed that up with the strange but intriguing Enemy,...
- 8/20/2015
- by Brendan Morrow
- Obsessed with Film
Universal Pictures released their new drama movie, "Straight Outta Compton," into theaters today, August 14th, 2015, and all the reviews are in from the top, major movie critics. It turns out that it did resonate quite well with most of them, getting an overall 71 score out of a possible 100 across 34 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Aldis Hodge, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr., and O'Shea Jackson Jr. We've added blurbs from a couple of the critics, below. Odie Henderson from RogerEbert.com, gave it a great 100 score, stating: "It plays like a Marvel superhero movie had Marvel been run by Suge Knight." Scott Foundas over at Variety, gave it a 90 score. He stated: "If “Compton” is undeniably of the moment, it’s also timeless in its depiction of how artists and writers transform the world around them into angry, profane, vibrant and singular personal expression." Peter Travers from Rolling Stone,...
- 8/14/2015
- by Megan
- OnTheFlix
When it distributes Spike Lee’s Chi-Raq later this year, Amazon Studios will make its first significant foray into the world of film distribution. In order to keep up any momentum it gains from its first few movies, Amazon will need to acquire an impressive library of upcoming projects, and it has hired a new executive to help accomplish that goal. Julie Rapaport, formerly of the Weinstein Company, will join Amazon Studios in a role Variety calls “development executive.”
Rapaport joins the growing team at Amazon Original Movies, which is led by veteran film executive Ted Hope. Hope’s film development division also includes former Variety critic Scott Foundas, another recent hire.
TWC, Rapaport’s previous home, is known for producing films that ultimately bring in large hauls at the Oscars and Golden Globes. Amazon is certainly interested in using awards recognition to get the word out about its original...
Rapaport joins the growing team at Amazon Original Movies, which is led by veteran film executive Ted Hope. Hope’s film development division also includes former Variety critic Scott Foundas, another recent hire.
TWC, Rapaport’s previous home, is known for producing films that ultimately bring in large hauls at the Oscars and Golden Globes. Amazon is certainly interested in using awards recognition to get the word out about its original...
- 8/12/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
With all of the Suge Knight legal drama unfolding over the past year, it was easy to forget that he had a movie coming out. Now that Straight Outta Compton, the biopic that documents N.W.A.'s rise to fame, is about to hit theaters Friday, is it something that both rap fans and film fans should rush to see? According to multiple critics at different outlets, this movie is slated to be one of the biggest hits of the year! Straight Outta Compton—which stars O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell and more as the members of the original rap group—is getting nothing but rave reviews across the board. Variety's Scott Foundas lauds director F. Gary Gray's work, writing that Compton is...
- 8/12/2015
- E! Online
Film critic Claudia Puig, who took a buyout at USA Today this year after 15 years at the paper, has landed quickly on her feet as Program Director at the Napa Valley Film Festival (November 11-15). She will serve as a consulting programming director and industry liaison for 2015, and then take on full responsibilities at the beginning of the 2016 festival planning cycle. Are film festivals the next best step for film critics who leave, or are forced from, their posts? Though he stepped down last year, David Ansen served five years at the Los Angeles Film Festival; Scott Foundas was a program director at Lincoln Center, and a member of the New York Film Festival selection committee, before heading to Variety, then Amazon. Other key festivals to land programmers include Ashland and Aspen. Napa Valley also unveils its competition lineup. Directors of the Narrative and Documentary features will participate in Nvff’s Artists-in-Residence Program,...
- 8/11/2015
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
From the copyright notice to the ominous voiceover, the latest trailer for Alex Ross Perry’s Queen of Earth plunges us into the world of ’60s/’70s arthouse psychological horror — mid-period Bergman, Polanski and Allen’s Interiors, for example. Here, Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men, Top of the Lake) retreats to the lakeside home of her best friend, played by Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice), to recuperate after twin emotional jolts. There’s history, however — the lingering after effects of another weekend at this house spent one year earlier. Wrote Scott Foundas in Variety: The flashbacks in Queen of Earthh are like little Proustian […]...
- 7/30/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
From the copyright notice to the ominous voiceover, the latest trailer for Alex Ross Perry’s Queen of Earth plunges us into the world of ’60s/’70s arthouse psychological horror — mid-period Bergman, Polanski and Allen’s Interiors, for example. Here, Elizabeth Moss (Mad Men, Top of the Lake) retreats to the lakeside home of her best friend, played by Katherine Waterston (Inherent Vice), to recuperate after twin emotional jolts. There’s history, however — the lingering after effects of another weekend at this house spent one year earlier. Wrote Scott Foundas in Variety: The flashbacks in Queen of Earthh are like little Proustian […]...
- 7/30/2015
- by Scott Macaulay
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Restless chameleon Scott Foundas has always been willing to take risks. He built a career as a film critic only to leave the La Weekly/Voice Media to work as a programmer for three years at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, and then returned to film criticism, first at The Village Voice in New York and then Variety. After just two years on the job he leaves Variety chief critics Justin Chang and Peter Debruge right where they were before he arrived; at the top of their game. And he's coming back to Los Angeles to work as an acquisitions and development executive for motion picture production chief Ted Hope and his boss, Roy Price, at Amazon Studios, which has been making strides in television ("Transparent") and is now aggressively moving into the movie arena. Indie film proselytizer Hope, who tends to want to share widely...
- 7/24/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
If you think the streaming networks are going away any time soon, you’d be dead wrong. In fact, since they don’t have to split theater costs (55/45-ish) and don’t have to get movies distributed onto any other platform other than their own, streaming networks like Amazon and Netflix have solid business models where they can dictate a movie on their terms. This is why a critic like Scott Foundas left Variety last night for a much more lucrative position in acquisitions with Amazon Studios and a studio like Netflix has enough clout (and cash) to foot the bill for a $60 million political comedy from Brad Pitt (you can bet all the money in the world no major studio would make that movie for that kind of money). It looks like Pitt’s wife, Angelina Jolie Pitt, is following in his footsteps. Late last night Netflix announced Jolie...
- 7/24/2015
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
The leading reviewer on the trade magazine has given up his high-profile role for a career in film acquisitions and development at the new studio
After a two-year stint as chief critic at Variety, Scott Foundas has decided to leave the entertainment publication for a new role at Amazon Studios, the online retailer’s content-creation wing.
Foundas, who previously wrote for the Village Voice, will be taking on the role of film acquisitions and development executive.
Continue reading...
After a two-year stint as chief critic at Variety, Scott Foundas has decided to leave the entertainment publication for a new role at Amazon Studios, the online retailer’s content-creation wing.
Foundas, who previously wrote for the Village Voice, will be taking on the role of film acquisitions and development executive.
Continue reading...
- 7/24/2015
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
A film that has been described as a “[a]n acidly funny and unnerving portrait of a psychological breakdown” (Scott Foundas, “Variety”) is worth taking a look at, and “Queen of Earth” is just that film. The Alex Ross Perry film, starring Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterson, will be released by IFC Films Aug. 26 in New York with later national theatrical dates coming afterwards. “Queen of Earth” follows a woman named Catherine whose life has spun out of control. Even when she tries to relax, painful memories keep her headed towards a breakdown. “Catherine (Elisabeth Moss) has entered a particularly dark period in her life: her father, a famous artist [ Read More ]
The post Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterson Star in IFC Films’ Queen of Earth appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Elisabeth Moss and Katherine Waterson Star in IFC Films’ Queen of Earth appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 7/2/2015
- by monique
- ShockYa
Universal Studios released their new comedy film, "Ted 2," into theaters today, June 26th, 2015, and all the top, major critics have turned in their reviews. It turns out that it did pretty even with a mixed split down the middle with an overall 49 score out of a possible 100 across 34 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Mark Wahlberg, Dennis Haysbert, Amanda Seyfried, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane and Jessica Barth. We've listed blurbs from a few of the critics,below. Joe Morgenstern over at the Wall Street Journal, gave it an 80 grade, saying: " In a movie devoted mainly to making you laugh, it’s a plea for tolerance that takes your breath away." Mick Lasalle from the San Francisco Chronicle, gave it a 75 grade, saying: "Writer-director Seth MacFarlane is like some weird combination of a stupid, dirty-minded teenager and a brilliant comic master. His impulses are sophomoric,...
- 6/26/2015
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
By Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson
On Tuesday evening (June 9), Jurassic World had it’s big Hollywood Premiere at Hollywood and Highland and Tcl Chinese Theatre IMAX.
Hosted by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Hollywood and Highland was transformed into the entrance of Jurassic Park.
Fans caught a glimpse of cast members Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Bd Wong, Judy Greer, Brian Tee, Andy Buckley, James Dumont, Michael Papajohn; writer/director Colin Trevorrow; writers Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly; producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley.
Originally released in 1993, Spielberg’s Jurassic Park provided moviegoers with a film that connected with global audiences of all ages and has since become an indelible part of their cultural collective memory. Based on Michael Crichton’s blend of science fiction and boundless imagination, the film left audiences breathless and asking the question: “Could this actually happen?...
On Tuesday evening (June 9), Jurassic World had it’s big Hollywood Premiere at Hollywood and Highland and Tcl Chinese Theatre IMAX.
Hosted by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Hollywood and Highland was transformed into the entrance of Jurassic Park.
Fans caught a glimpse of cast members Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Bd Wong, Judy Greer, Brian Tee, Andy Buckley, James Dumont, Michael Papajohn; writer/director Colin Trevorrow; writers Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver and Derek Connolly; producers Frank Marshall and Patrick Crowley.
Originally released in 1993, Spielberg’s Jurassic Park provided moviegoers with a film that connected with global audiences of all ages and has since become an indelible part of their cultural collective memory. Based on Michael Crichton’s blend of science fiction and boundless imagination, the film left audiences breathless and asking the question: “Could this actually happen?...
- 6/10/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Focus Features released their new horror/thriller film, "Insidious: Chapter 3," into theaters today, June 5th, and all the reviews are in from the top, major movie critics. It turns out that it got a mixed bag with an overall 51 score out of a possible 100 across 21 reviews at the Metacritic.com site. The film stars: Dermot Mulroney, Stefanie Scott, Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson and Leigh Whannell. We've added blurbs from a couple of the critics, below. Andy Webster from The New York Times, gave it a great 80 score, stating: "Ms. Shaye gives Insidious more than sufficient reason for a Chapter 4." Alonso Duralde from TheWrap, gave it a 78 score, stating: "As a vehicle for Shaye, a veteran character actress getting the most screen time she’s ever been given, it’s a blast to watch her anchor this atmospheric look at the personal costs and triumphs of devoting your life to...
- 6/5/2015
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
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