Despite not having made a film of his own since 2013 (the under-appreciated “Go for Sisters”), John Sayles is having quite the year. In January, his 1996 neo-Western mystery film “Lone Star” entered the Criterion Collection with a 4K Uhd edition that features interviews with director of photography Stuart Dryburgh, as well as an interview with Sayles himself conducted by “El Norte” director Gregory Nava.
Then in April, his largely unavailable 1991 inner-city saga “City of Hope” received the Blu-ray release many fans had been pining for since a restoration was screened at Sundance in 2016 for the 25th anniversary. Adding to this newfound availability of quality copies of his work, a large number of Sayles’ films are currently streaming for free on apps like Tubi, Kanopy, and Pluto TV, as well as cost-based apps like AMC+, Starz, and Prime Video.
At no other point in his career has his library of work been...
Then in April, his largely unavailable 1991 inner-city saga “City of Hope” received the Blu-ray release many fans had been pining for since a restoration was screened at Sundance in 2016 for the 25th anniversary. Adding to this newfound availability of quality copies of his work, a large number of Sayles’ films are currently streaming for free on apps like Tubi, Kanopy, and Pluto TV, as well as cost-based apps like AMC+, Starz, and Prime Video.
At no other point in his career has his library of work been...
- 5/10/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
Nikon aims to expand its reach in the cinematography business. The company revealed that it entered into an agreement to acquire cinematography camera maker Red, which would become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nikon. Terms and value of the deal weren’t disclosed.
“Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market, building on both companies’ business foundations and networks, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production,” the company said in the announcement. “Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface along with Red’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and color science, will enable the development of distinctive products.”
Red cameras have been selected by leading cinematographers such as Erik Messerschmidt, who...
“Nikon will leverage this acquisition to expand the fast-growing professional digital cinema camera market, building on both companies’ business foundations and networks, promising an exciting future of product development that will continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in film and video production,” the company said in the announcement. “Nikon’s expertise in product development, exceptional reliability, and know-how in image processing, as well as optical technology and user interface along with Red’s knowledge in cinema cameras, including unique image compression technology and color science, will enable the development of distinctive products.”
Red cameras have been selected by leading cinematographers such as Erik Messerschmidt, who...
- 3/7/2024
- by Carolyn Giardina
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winners Cameron Crowe and Robert Richardson have boarded Yi Zhou’s documentary “In Between Stars and Scars,” joining an extensive lineup of lauded creatives who will also be included in the artisans-focused film. Additionally, Zhou’s documentary will unveil music by composer Ennio Morricone and Bryan Ferry.
The film’s official description reads, “’In Between Stars and Scars’ unveils the intricate world of filmmaking, with a special focus on the artisans who bring cinematic visions to life. The documentary film takes audiences on a captivating journey behind the scenes, shining a much-deserved spotlight on the talented individuals who often go unrecognized for their crucial contributions.”
Camron Crowe will reflect on the artisans who have contributed to his iconic filmography. The documentary will also feature Oscar-winning artisans including cinematographers Robert Richardson and Vittorio Storaro, production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Thom Noble, and hair designer Giorgio Gregorini. Memories of the late...
The film’s official description reads, “’In Between Stars and Scars’ unveils the intricate world of filmmaking, with a special focus on the artisans who bring cinematic visions to life. The documentary film takes audiences on a captivating journey behind the scenes, shining a much-deserved spotlight on the talented individuals who often go unrecognized for their crucial contributions.”
Camron Crowe will reflect on the artisans who have contributed to his iconic filmography. The documentary will also feature Oscar-winning artisans including cinematographers Robert Richardson and Vittorio Storaro, production designer Dante Ferretti, editor Thom Noble, and hair designer Giorgio Gregorini. Memories of the late...
- 3/1/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
When Martin Scorsese strikes up a relationship with his cinematographer, the collaboration tends to last for more than one film. Throughout his legendary career, Scorsese has worked repeatedly with such top names in the art of cinematography as Michael Chapman, Michael Ballhaus, Robert Richardson, and now Rodrigo Prieto. The acclaimed cinematographer, who was an Oscar nominee for “Brokeback Mountain,” has been at Scorsese’s side for the last four of the master filmmaker’s projects. During that run, Prieto has received three Oscar nominations for his artistry.
“It is crazy to imagine that I could even one day in my career say, ‘Yeah, it’s my third nomination with Martin Scorsese for an Oscar.’ What are you talking about?” Prieto, who was nominated this year for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “It’s thrilling and I feel very privileged to be in this position.
“It is crazy to imagine that I could even one day in my career say, ‘Yeah, it’s my third nomination with Martin Scorsese for an Oscar.’ What are you talking about?” Prieto, who was nominated this year for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “It’s thrilling and I feel very privileged to be in this position.
- 2/8/2024
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The opening minutes of “Air” brilliantly establishes the world in which the movie takes place, the mid-1980s America of Ronald Reagan, “Beverly Hills Cop,” Sony Trintitrons, and Run-d.M.C. For director Ben Affleck and editor William Goldenberg, who have worked together on all but one of Affleck’s features, the goal was not only to evoke an era but also to remind audiences that there was a time when Nike was not a dominant player in the athletic shoe business — the time before Michael Jordan became a basketball phenomenon and lent his name to the company’s most famous sneaker. The solution: a seamless integration of archival footage depicting 1984 touchstones with footage shot by Affleck and his collaborators on a variety of period-appropriate formats.
“The idea was to come out of archival footage into our story,” Affleck told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, noting that he did something similar in his first feature,...
“The idea was to come out of archival footage into our story,” Affleck told IndieWire’s Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, noting that he did something similar in his first feature,...
- 1/5/2024
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Weekly Commentary: The National Board of Review, New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Association chose three different cinematographers for their picks as the best of the year.
Rodrigo Prieto won a combination prize from NBR for his work on “Barbie...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Weekly Commentary: The National Board of Review, New York Film Critics and Los Angeles Film Critics Association chose three different cinematographers for their picks as the best of the year.
Rodrigo Prieto won a combination prize from NBR for his work on “Barbie...
- 12/10/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
David Gómez Ojeda is a Madrid-based Dit who has experience working on features, TV, and commercials. While he loves the profession, this experienced Dit also knows the toll the Dit life can take. In this article, David evaluates the pros and cons of both feature and commercial work by giving us an in-depth look into his different setups, and sheds some light on his unique ability to create networks on set.
First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview with us! To start, could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your professional life?
My pleasure, and thank you for the work you do and the support you provide on set through your software. It’s fair to say that you’ve changed the game on set. I’m David Gomez Ojeda, I’m from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands,...
First of all, thank you very much for agreeing to this interview with us! To start, could you please tell us a bit about yourself and your professional life?
My pleasure, and thank you for the work you do and the support you provide on set through your software. It’s fair to say that you’ve changed the game on set. I’m David Gomez Ojeda, I’m from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands,...
- 11/30/2023
- by Mae McCreary
- Pomfort
Following a string of commercial and critical successes that made Oliver Stone the most talked-about emergent American filmmaker of the late 1980s, 1994’s Natural Born Killers was the passion project that wiped out all the goodwill granted by the likes of 1986’s Platoon and 1991’s JFK. The extraordinary formal inventiveness of the latter carried over into this film, making it the second in what would become a loose aesthetic trilogy that would include the subsequent year’s Nixon. Fittingly, this is the rambunctious middle child of the three, eschewing its peers’ evocatively impressionistic approach to political history for a caustic present-day satire.
Admittedly, “satire” might be a generous assessment of this film’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach. Heavily reworking a more straightforward, Badlands-inspired screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, Stone warped the story of spree killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) around a host of contemporary sensationalized crime stories like...
Admittedly, “satire” might be a generous assessment of this film’s bull-in-a-china-shop approach. Heavily reworking a more straightforward, Badlands-inspired screenplay by Quentin Tarantino, Stone warped the story of spree killers Mickey (Woody Harrelson) and Mallory Knox (Juliette Lewis) around a host of contemporary sensationalized crime stories like...
- 10/9/2023
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
It’s the year of color/black-and-white hybrid films, led by such Best Cinematography Oscar contenders shot on Kodak film as “Oppenheimer” (Universal), “Poor Things” (Searchlight), “Asteroid City” (Focus Features), and “Maestro” (Netflix). In addition, there are two other contenders of interest: “The Zone of Interest” (A24) contains a series of striking monochromatic moments, while the black-and-white “El Conde” (Netflix) offers a lone color sequence.
They are part of a great stylistic tradition of intermingling color and black-and-white to evoke heightened states of mind in such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Bonjour Tristesse,” “Wings of Desire,” “JFK,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Pleasantville.” It can be real or imaginary, but the aesthetic differences help drive the narratives.
By contrast, “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century), shot by Kenneth Branaugh’s go-to cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, utilizes conventional black-and-white flashbacks to recap a mysterious murder. This...
They are part of a great stylistic tradition of intermingling color and black-and-white to evoke heightened states of mind in such films as “The Wizard of Oz,” “A Matter of Life and Death,” “Bonjour Tristesse,” “Wings of Desire,” “JFK,” “Natural Born Killers,” and “Pleasantville.” It can be real or imaginary, but the aesthetic differences help drive the narratives.
By contrast, “A Haunting in Venice” (20th Century), shot by Kenneth Branaugh’s go-to cinematographer, Haris Zambarloukos, utilizes conventional black-and-white flashbacks to recap a mysterious murder. This...
- 9/21/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
“The Equalizer 3” is here, once again directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington. This time around Washington’s Robert McCall finds himself in beautiful Italy, where he runs afoul of the local mafia and has to kill them all in increasingly creative ways. It’s supposed to be the last in the franchise that was based off of the 1980s TV series, but this could be the best of the bunch, with Washington in top form.
TheWrap spoke to director Fuqua about his fifth (!) collaboration with Washington, bringing things home with “Equalizer 3,” his experience working on Disney’s “King Arthur” and the version of the “Miami Vice” he briefly developed with Michael Mann.
Action franchises are built in different ways — sometimes the stunts come first and the story is modeled around that, sometimes locations inform story. How do you build “Equalizer” movies?
It starts with: What is the movie about?...
TheWrap spoke to director Fuqua about his fifth (!) collaboration with Washington, bringing things home with “Equalizer 3,” his experience working on Disney’s “King Arthur” and the version of the “Miami Vice” he briefly developed with Michael Mann.
Action franchises are built in different ways — sometimes the stunts come first and the story is modeled around that, sometimes locations inform story. How do you build “Equalizer” movies?
It starts with: What is the movie about?...
- 9/1/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Wherever The Equalizer franchise goes, an audience has followed.
That was true for the original 1985-89 CBS TV series, and it’s especially true for Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington’s newly minted Equalizer trilogy. However, in the five years between The Equalizer 2 and today’s release of The Equalizer 3, a Queen Latifah-led Equalizer series has also come into its own on CBS, becoming one of the most-watched shows on television.
Now, one might assume that the success of the new show provided added reason for the brain trust behind the film series to pursue a proper end to their trilogy, but the reimagined show actually had no bearing on whether Fuqua and Washington finished the story of Robert McCall.
“We absolutely have no connection to that; it wasn’t even in [our] thinking, really,” Fuqua tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We just did one movie at a time,...
That was true for the original 1985-89 CBS TV series, and it’s especially true for Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington’s newly minted Equalizer trilogy. However, in the five years between The Equalizer 2 and today’s release of The Equalizer 3, a Queen Latifah-led Equalizer series has also come into its own on CBS, becoming one of the most-watched shows on television.
Now, one might assume that the success of the new show provided added reason for the brain trust behind the film series to pursue a proper end to their trilogy, but the reimagined show actually had no bearing on whether Fuqua and Washington finished the story of Robert McCall.
“We absolutely have no connection to that; it wasn’t even in [our] thinking, really,” Fuqua tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We just did one movie at a time,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While it’s certainly nice to get a change of scenery from the Boston travelogue of the first two films in the Equalizer series, Italy, at least on paper, might seem like an odd, random choice of locale for Antoine Fuqua to wrap up the trilogy. But not long after The Equalizer 3 opens on an Italian man and his son cruising toward a Sicilian vineyard, it all starts to make sense: The fertile soil and pathways to the main villa are strewn with mutilated bodies, all the way down into a basement where the shadowy figure of Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) looks upon the aforementioned man with a casually predatory indifference.
Those opening minutes justify the trek to Italy more than any of the delicious-looking cappuccinos that McCall downs later in the film. Despite always being on the side of swift justice for the little guys of the world,...
Those opening minutes justify the trek to Italy more than any of the delicious-looking cappuccinos that McCall downs later in the film. Despite always being on the side of swift justice for the little guys of the world,...
- 9/1/2023
- by Justin Clark
- Slant Magazine
Denzel Washington in The Equalizer 3Photo: Sony
In The Equalizer 3, we find our hero, a somewhat longer-in-the-tooth Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), doing more or less (more really) of what he did in the original film, The Equalizer (2014), which, of course, is what he continued to do in The Equalizer 2 (2018) and,...
In The Equalizer 3, we find our hero, a somewhat longer-in-the-tooth Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), doing more or less (more really) of what he did in the original film, The Equalizer (2014), which, of course, is what he continued to do in The Equalizer 2 (2018) and,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Timothy Cogshell
- avclub.com
Just who is the Equalizer? Despite a hit TV show in the 1980s and another with Queen Latifah still running, that title has become synonymous with Denzel Washington, who returns as government-assassin-turned-vigilante Robert McCall. Billed as the final chapter in a trilogy, “The Equalizer 3” sees McCall finding community in a picturesque part of Italy and being forced to protect its people from the mafia. The film also reteams Washington with director Antoine Fuqua for the fifth time, and their comfort with one another ensures a seamless action movie that might not attract new fans, but should play well to those already fond of this franchise.
Fuqua throws the audience directly into the action. The camera follows a man as he walks through an Italian vineyard strewn with bodies, knives and bullet wounds jutting out of them. McCall must be close by, a point reinforced by Marcelo Zarvos’ quietly alarming score.
Fuqua throws the audience directly into the action. The camera follows a man as he walks through an Italian vineyard strewn with bodies, knives and bullet wounds jutting out of them. McCall must be close by, a point reinforced by Marcelo Zarvos’ quietly alarming score.
- 8/29/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
Carnage in Sicily: A winery overturned, its workers bloodied and brutalized lying dead on the floor. It’s hard to tell if it’s Merlot or viscera pouring across the pricy marble. The vineyard’s owner snakes wends his way through the carnage, down the stone stairs to the basement, where one man sits waiting for him. This is Robert McCall (Denzel Washington), and he’s got a bone to pick. He sets his watch, he does his job, and he leaves the property in a mess of bodies.
This is the third entry in director Antoine Fuqua and writer Richard Wenk’s version of the 1980s television show ‘The Equalizer’ (and not to be confused with the 2021 television reboot starring Queen Latifah). The first two ‘Equalizer’ films were drab, dire affairs: Washington’s McCall, like his TV predecessor, was a retired intelligence eager to seek a quiet intellectual life,...
This is the third entry in director Antoine Fuqua and writer Richard Wenk’s version of the 1980s television show ‘The Equalizer’ (and not to be confused with the 2021 television reboot starring Queen Latifah). The first two ‘Equalizer’ films were drab, dire affairs: Washington’s McCall, like his TV predecessor, was a retired intelligence eager to seek a quiet intellectual life,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Fran Hoepfner
- The Wrap
Jay Oliva, a storyboard artist who worked on several DC and Warner Bros. movies such as “Man of Steel,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Wonder Woman,” recently opened up to Inverse about Ben Affleck’s scrapped standalone Batman movie. Affleck debuted as Batman in Zack Snyder’s “Dawn of Justice” and reprised the role in “Justice League.” He was developing his own Batman movie to direct and star in before deciding to exit the role.
“I can’t really say too much other than it was fucking awesome,” Oliva told Inverse about Affleck’s Batman movie. “It was the best. It was amazing. From my understanding, there were a couple of drafts of it. When I was brought on, I don’t know whether it was the second draft or something, but it was what Geoff Johns and Ben [Affleck] had shown me.”
“I’ve worked on a lot...
“I can’t really say too much other than it was fucking awesome,” Oliva told Inverse about Affleck’s Batman movie. “It was the best. It was amazing. From my understanding, there were a couple of drafts of it. When I was brought on, I don’t know whether it was the second draft or something, but it was what Geoff Johns and Ben [Affleck] had shown me.”
“I’ve worked on a lot...
- 8/4/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Affleck had packed almost a century-worth of “Batman” mythos into a shelved DC script, according to former storyboard artist Jay Oliva.
Oliva, who left DC in 2017, teased in a recent interview with Inverse that Affleck’s take on “Batman” would have been an unprecedented interpretation of the Caped Crusader superhero.
“I can’t really say too much other than it was fucking awesome,” Oliva said. “I’ve worked on a lot of Batman things and what was really cool about it was, it was tying together a lot of really cool Batman storylines that had never been really explored. It was the best. It was amazing.”
He continued, “Ben’s story was going to cover something that had never really been covered in comics but was building off of storylines in the Batman mythos over the last 80 years and approaching it from a new kind of perspective. It was...
Oliva, who left DC in 2017, teased in a recent interview with Inverse that Affleck’s take on “Batman” would have been an unprecedented interpretation of the Caped Crusader superhero.
“I can’t really say too much other than it was fucking awesome,” Oliva said. “I’ve worked on a lot of Batman things and what was really cool about it was, it was tying together a lot of really cool Batman storylines that had never been really explored. It was the best. It was amazing.”
He continued, “Ben’s story was going to cover something that had never really been covered in comics but was building off of storylines in the Batman mythos over the last 80 years and approaching it from a new kind of perspective. It was...
- 8/3/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Until the 1980’s, Hollywood had a strange relationship with the Vietnam War. While the war was actually being fought, movies, typically, did not depict the war unless they were something like John Wayne’s The Green Berets. If the war was dealt with, usually it was done metaphorically, or by using another war as a stand-in, such as what happened with 1970’s Mash. This started to change after the war finally ended, with the late seventies seeing the release of three major films – The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now and Coming Home, Despite their popularity, during the first half of the eighties, when the war was dealt with on-screen it was typically as wish fulfillment, where action stars such as Chuck Norris and Sylvester Stallone single-handedly refought the war, and won, to the delight of audiences.
That all changed when Oliver Stone made Platoon. For the first time, a Vietnam War...
That all changed when Oliver Stone made Platoon. For the first time, a Vietnam War...
- 7/3/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
One of the most acclaimed cameras is being listed for sale by Arri Cpo (Certified Pre-Owned). Obviously, we are referring to the Arriflex 435 Extreme, which has a place of honor by dedicated filmmakers. The price is $21,000. Would you buy it?
The Arriflex 435 Xtreme is listed on Arri Cpo.
In recognition of the achievements of the 435 system, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Arri a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award in 1999.
Arriflex 435
That’s how Arri explains that born of the Arriflex 435: “The Arriflex 435 came out in 1994 as a 35 mm Mos and high-speed camera to replace the 35 III. Its dual 3-pin pull-down claws and industry-standard dual registration pins assured optical printer steadiness. Frame rates up to 150 fps could be combined with in-camera speed ramps by means of a motorized mirror shutter, and the lens iris could be coupled to a control unit. TV commercials immediately embraced the technology of speed-iris-mirror shutter control,...
The Arriflex 435 Xtreme is listed on Arri Cpo.
In recognition of the achievements of the 435 system, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Arri a Scientific and Engineering Academy Award in 1999.
Arriflex 435
That’s how Arri explains that born of the Arriflex 435: “The Arriflex 435 came out in 1994 as a 35 mm Mos and high-speed camera to replace the 35 III. Its dual 3-pin pull-down claws and industry-standard dual registration pins assured optical printer steadiness. Frame rates up to 150 fps could be combined with in-camera speed ramps by means of a motorized mirror shutter, and the lens iris could be coupled to a control unit. TV commercials immediately embraced the technology of speed-iris-mirror shutter control,...
- 5/30/2023
- by Yossy Mendelovich
- YMCinema
Plot: In 1984, Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) tries to recruit Michael Jordan as a Hail Mary to save the fledgling basketball shoes division.
Review: Ben Affleck‘s Air allows the director to play to all his strengths as a director and actor. Like Argo, it shines a light on an intriguing event from the eighties, but unlike that film, the stakes here aren’t necessarily life and death. But, if you think the idea of a movie about Michael Jordan being signed to Nike is minor, you’d be wrong, as this is a truly involving, entertaining depiction of everything that went into the landmark deal. And this deal forever changed the way athletes are compensated the world over.
Matt Damon is at his best as the plucky Vaccaro. A passionate devotee of the game, he’s trying to put Nike on the map amongst basketball players at a time when Nike,...
Review: Ben Affleck‘s Air allows the director to play to all his strengths as a director and actor. Like Argo, it shines a light on an intriguing event from the eighties, but unlike that film, the stakes here aren’t necessarily life and death. But, if you think the idea of a movie about Michael Jordan being signed to Nike is minor, you’d be wrong, as this is a truly involving, entertaining depiction of everything that went into the landmark deal. And this deal forever changed the way athletes are compensated the world over.
Matt Damon is at his best as the plucky Vaccaro. A passionate devotee of the game, he’s trying to put Nike on the map amongst basketball players at a time when Nike,...
- 5/13/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Over Easter weekend, Amazon Studios opened Ben Affleck‘s “Air” nationwide in over 3,300 theaters after the movie received an enormous amount of buzz at its SXSW Film Festival premiere. The movie grossed over $20 million in its first five days and has now grossed over $33 million.
“Air” tells the story of how in 1984 the Nike sneaker company tried to convince 18-year-old basketball star Michael Jordan to endorse their sneakers, taking them from the company with the lowest market share to the highest.
See‘Beau is Afraid’ leaves critics shook: ‘Unhinged’ Joaquin Phoenix has ‘Big Cinema Energy pouring out of the screen’
Affleck famously transitioned from often-derided actor to respected director with 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone,” followed by the box office hit “The Town” in 2010, and then eventually 2012’s “Argo,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture. “Air” is Affleck’s first movie as a director since 2016’s “Live by Night,” which...
“Air” tells the story of how in 1984 the Nike sneaker company tried to convince 18-year-old basketball star Michael Jordan to endorse their sneakers, taking them from the company with the lowest market share to the highest.
See‘Beau is Afraid’ leaves critics shook: ‘Unhinged’ Joaquin Phoenix has ‘Big Cinema Energy pouring out of the screen’
Affleck famously transitioned from often-derided actor to respected director with 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone,” followed by the box office hit “The Town” in 2010, and then eventually 2012’s “Argo,” which won the Oscar for Best Picture. “Air” is Affleck’s first movie as a director since 2016’s “Live by Night,” which...
- 4/17/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
When director Ben Affleck first approached William Goldenberg, his Oscar-winning go-to editor (“Argo”), to cut “Air,” the sports biopic about Nike’s revolutionary Air Jordan basketball shoe line, it was only a couple of months before shooting began. Yet Goldenberg had to wait a month before reading the script while Alex Convery finished his rewrite.
It was a tight turnaround, but it led to a fast and loose production that perfectly fit the film’s recreation of the scrappy, underdog culture at Oregon-based Nike in 1984, which was then on the verge of bankruptcy.
“It’s about taking risks and greatness,” Goldenberg told IndieWire. “It’s about a lot of things that people can relate to…breaking out of the mold. And what’s great about working on a film like this is I have to watch the movie a lot, and I never got tired of it.”
“Air,” which had...
It was a tight turnaround, but it led to a fast and loose production that perfectly fit the film’s recreation of the scrappy, underdog culture at Oregon-based Nike in 1984, which was then on the verge of bankruptcy.
“It’s about taking risks and greatness,” Goldenberg told IndieWire. “It’s about a lot of things that people can relate to…breaking out of the mold. And what’s great about working on a film like this is I have to watch the movie a lot, and I never got tired of it.”
“Air,” which had...
- 4/12/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Quentin Tarantino got the stagecoach wheels rolling on The Hateful Eight when he announced it less than one year after Django Unchained hit theaters. In fact, the announcement wasn’t the only thing that was close. The Hateful Eight actually started as a sequel to Django, with parts of it stemming from an abandoned novelization of his revisionist western.
For this western, Tarantino would use western TV show tropes–chiefly the bottle episodes where a band of vigilantes took the lead hostage–as a launching point. He thought, “What if I did a movie starring nothing but those characters? No heroes…Just a bunch of nefarious guys in a room, all telling backstories that may or may not be true. Trap those guys together in a room with a blizzard outside, give them guns, and see what happens.” And what happened was a lot of anger, a lot of snow and a lot of vomit.
For this western, Tarantino would use western TV show tropes–chiefly the bottle episodes where a band of vigilantes took the lead hostage–as a launching point. He thought, “What if I did a movie starring nothing but those characters? No heroes…Just a bunch of nefarious guys in a room, all telling backstories that may or may not be true. Trap those guys together in a room with a blizzard outside, give them guns, and see what happens.” And what happened was a lot of anger, a lot of snow and a lot of vomit.
- 4/12/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
While we’re probably not going to see an official trailer for Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer 3 for a few more weeks, Sony has revealed the movie’s official synopsis. While we already knew that the film was set in Southern Italy and that it would reunite Denzel Washington with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning, not much else has been revealed – until now.
Here’s the synopsis:
Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
Here’s the synopsis:
Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed. Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.
- 4/1/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
At a time when sensitivity readers are bowdlerizing old Roald Dahl books to remove any potentially offensive language, you have to wonder what kind of attitude future generations of viewers will take to "Django Unchained." Will some unsanctioned censor try to remove all 110 usages of the N-word from the film? Or will they look back and see a movie that subverts the white savior trope?
Writer-director Quentin Tarantino won his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Django Unchained," which remains his highest-grossing movie. Audiences, at least, weren't offended enough to stay away from the theater and keep "Django" from becoming a commercial success. Yet the 2012 film also reignited controversy from early in Tarantino's career, since before he even won his first Oscar for "Pulp Fiction." This went beyond the usual hand-wringing about his fetishization of violence, which continues in "Django Unchained" as the filmmaker stages beautifully if...
Writer-director Quentin Tarantino won his second Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "Django Unchained," which remains his highest-grossing movie. Audiences, at least, weren't offended enough to stay away from the theater and keep "Django" from becoming a commercial success. Yet the 2012 film also reignited controversy from early in Tarantino's career, since before he even won his first Oscar for "Pulp Fiction." This went beyond the usual hand-wringing about his fetishization of violence, which continues in "Django Unchained" as the filmmaker stages beautifully if...
- 4/1/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Today, there are 37 different variations of Air Jordan models available. From the basketball court to the streets and even the catwalk, Air Jordans have become a staple in our culture. Director Ben Affleck’s “Air” invites audiences into Nike headquarters to experience the story behind the popular shoe that was built solely for the most legendary athlete of all time, Michael Jordan.
Set in 1984, Affleck stars as Nike founder Phil Knight. An ambitious, rebellious, and passionate leader who likes to live by and reiterate Douglas McArthur’s famous quote “you are remembered for the rules you break,” Knight thrived on taking risks. During this time, Nike was not as successful as its competitors Adidas and Converse. Their NBA division was struggling to sign an athlete to sponsor their gear. Nike’s basketball guru in charge of changing that slump was Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon). As the Nike board...
Set in 1984, Affleck stars as Nike founder Phil Knight. An ambitious, rebellious, and passionate leader who likes to live by and reiterate Douglas McArthur’s famous quote “you are remembered for the rules you break,” Knight thrived on taking risks. During this time, Nike was not as successful as its competitors Adidas and Converse. Their NBA division was struggling to sign an athlete to sponsor their gear. Nike’s basketball guru in charge of changing that slump was Sonny Vaccaro (played by Matt Damon). As the Nike board...
- 3/19/2023
- by Marisa Mirabal
- Indiewire
A sign of a great historical film is one that makes the audience forget they know how it will end. The ship isn’t going to stay afloat in “Titanic.” Woodward and Bernstein will figure out how to bust open the story of Watergate in “All the President’s Men.” King George will address the nation in “The King’s Speech.” But all those movies leave their viewers enthralled by the stories’ twists and dynamic characters, making the certainty of the outcome secondary to what they’re watching unfold. Director Ben Affleck’s “Air” never quite does that — mostly due to choices in the script and direction — but it controls enough of the audience’s attention and provokes enough wonderment to deliver a solidly entertaining two hours.
In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) oversees scouting basketball talent for Nike sponsorship. At the time, the sneaker company was primarily known as shoes for runners with its basketball division dwindling.
In 1984, Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) oversees scouting basketball talent for Nike sponsorship. At the time, the sneaker company was primarily known as shoes for runners with its basketball division dwindling.
- 3/19/2023
- by Rob Dean
- The Wrap
The 23rd annual Black Reel Awards took place Monday, February 6th, with “The Woman King” leading the field, snagging six awards including Best Picture. BAFTA nominee Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s historical epic is inspired by true events that took place in The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was close behind with five wins.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
Special honorary award winners were Angela Bassett (Sidney Poitier Trailblazer Award), Effie T. Brown (Vanguard Award), Debra Martin Chase (Oscar Micheaux Impact Award) and Kerry Washington (Ruby Dee Humanitarian Award).
The Black Reel Awards, or the “Bolt”, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (Faaaf) to recognize the excellence of African-Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the African diaspora, in the global film industry, as assessed by the Foundation’s voting membership.
- 2/7/2023
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Michael Jackson will be played by the late icon’s 26-year old nephew Jaafar Jackson in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film biopic for Lionsgate. Fuqua just posted a confirmation on Instagram. The singer and songwriter is the son of Jermaine Jackson, who is the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5. Jaafar has been singing and dancing since age 12, and has showcased himself singing tunes from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye, along with originals.
As Deadline revealed last week, the Emancipation helmer signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. The film’s being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Gk Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
As you can see from the video below, the young man has the voice and moves to do right by his uncle.
As Deadline revealed last week, the Emancipation helmer signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. The film’s being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Gk Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
As you can see from the video below, the young man has the voice and moves to do right by his uncle.
- 1/30/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Plenty of music biopics are content to shoot their subjects’ iconic concerts straightforwardly, as though extended, by-the-numbers recreations of tour dates are what audiences expect and want to see. “Elvis” rejects that approach. From the way it zests the rock-and-roll king’s catalogue to its live-wire cinematography, Baz Luhrmann’s maximalist, jewel-toned vision reintroduces Elvis Presley to modern audiences through a kaleidoscopic experience that emulates the novelty which electrified ‘50s-era crowds.
See Mandy Walker (‘Elvis’ cinematographer) on working with Baz Luhrmann: ‘There couldn’t be a more perfect person to make this film’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
Cinematographer Mandy Walker currently occupies eighth place in Gold Derby’s combined odds for Best Cinematography. Undoubtedly boosted by her recent bids from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and BAFTA, she’s on track to infiltrate the top five before Oscar nominations are announced on January 24th. “Elvis” has proven naysayers wrong and become a top tier contender for Best Picture,...
See Mandy Walker (‘Elvis’ cinematographer) on working with Baz Luhrmann: ‘There couldn’t be a more perfect person to make this film’ [Exclusive Video Interview]
Cinematographer Mandy Walker currently occupies eighth place in Gold Derby’s combined odds for Best Cinematography. Undoubtedly boosted by her recent bids from the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) and BAFTA, she’s on track to infiltrate the top five before Oscar nominations are announced on January 24th. “Elvis” has proven naysayers wrong and become a top tier contender for Best Picture,...
- 1/19/2023
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
Antoine Fuqua is taking on the King of Pop.
The “Training Day” and “Emancipation” director is set to helm upcoming Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” IndieWire can confirm. Produced by Graham King (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), the film is set to give audiences the never-before-told and in-depth portrayal of the complicated Jackson 5 member and solo artist. The film will explore all aspects of Michael’s life, including his most iconic performances that led him to become the greatest entertainer of all time.
“Antoine is a perceptive and powerful filmmaker, and we feel very fortunate that he has chosen Michael as his next project. His visionary storytelling skills and commitment to his craft will make Michael an unforgettable film,” Joe Drake, Chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said of director Fuqua.
“Southpaw” director Fuqua stated, “The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are...
The “Training Day” and “Emancipation” director is set to helm upcoming Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” IndieWire can confirm. Produced by Graham King (“Bohemian Rhapsody”), the film is set to give audiences the never-before-told and in-depth portrayal of the complicated Jackson 5 member and solo artist. The film will explore all aspects of Michael’s life, including his most iconic performances that led him to become the greatest entertainer of all time.
“Antoine is a perceptive and powerful filmmaker, and we feel very fortunate that he has chosen Michael as his next project. His visionary storytelling skills and commitment to his craft will make Michael an unforgettable film,” Joe Drake, Chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, said of director Fuqua.
“Southpaw” director Fuqua stated, “The first films of my career were music videos, and I still feel that combining film and music are...
- 1/18/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Antoine Fuqua is set to direct Michael, a Lionsgate drama telling the complex life story of the iconic singer Michael Jackson. A script is in by John Logan, and the film will be produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Oscar Best Picture-nominated Bohemian Rhapsody. Gk Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
Turning Mercury’s complicated rise, fall and triumphant comeback into a film that won Best Actor for Rami Malek might have been an easier task than the moonwalking over landmines that will have to be done with Jackson’s story. Anyone who has seen the job that Fuqua did on the Will Smith-starrer Emancipation might come away believing he hit a high-water mark as a filmmaker because of his unflinching telling of an often brutal story of the escaped enslaved man Joseph.
Turning Mercury’s complicated rise, fall and triumphant comeback into a film that won Best Actor for Rami Malek might have been an easier task than the moonwalking over landmines that will have to be done with Jackson’s story. Anyone who has seen the job that Fuqua did on the Will Smith-starrer Emancipation might come away believing he hit a high-water mark as a filmmaker because of his unflinching telling of an often brutal story of the escaped enslaved man Joseph.
- 1/18/2023
- by Justin Kroll and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
For Apple TV+’s Emancipation, based on the true story of an enslaved man (played by Will Smith) known as “Whipped Peter,” director Antoine Fuqua and cinematographer Robert Richardson approached the look from the perspective of those who were enslaved: “Beautiful but brutal, in an honest way,” in the words of Fuqua, who adds: “The film is about resilience. It’s about love, it’s about faith.”
As the film begins, Richardson’s camera glides over the Louisiana swamps — Peter’s path to freedom. Fuqua recalls, as the three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer was testing looks, “Bob went out and shot different stuff with his camera. That opening shot going over the water was one of the style of images Bob sent me. And I just said, ‘That’s it. That’s the look.’ “
Continues Fuqua: “This is God’s world. It’s beautiful until man does what they do to each other,...
As the film begins, Richardson’s camera glides over the Louisiana swamps — Peter’s path to freedom. Fuqua recalls, as the three-time Oscar-winning cinematographer was testing looks, “Bob went out and shot different stuff with his camera. That opening shot going over the water was one of the style of images Bob sent me. And I just said, ‘That’s it. That’s the look.’ “
Continues Fuqua: “This is God’s world. It’s beautiful until man does what they do to each other,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”), Greig Fraser (“The Batman”), Darius Khondji, Claudio Miranda (“Top Gun: Maverick”), and Mandy Walker (“Elvis”) were nominated Monday for the 37th annual ASC Awards (to be held March 5 at the Beverly Hilton and live streamed).
For the legendary Deakins, who finds himself in the underdog position for exquisitely lensing Sam Mendes’ underappreciated ode to cinema, this marks his ASC-leading 17th nomination. The two-time Oscar winner (“1917” and “Blade Runner 2049”) has won five times, tied with Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the three-time Oscar winner, who didn’t make the cut for “Amsterdam,” which never got any critical traction. Fraser, last year’s Oscar and ASC winner for “Dune,” has two wins and three noms. For Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” he provided a gritty noir look. Miranda, an Oscar winner for “Life of Pi,” has three nominations, and is considered the frontrunner for taking us into...
For the legendary Deakins, who finds himself in the underdog position for exquisitely lensing Sam Mendes’ underappreciated ode to cinema, this marks his ASC-leading 17th nomination. The two-time Oscar winner (“1917” and “Blade Runner 2049”) has won five times, tied with Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the three-time Oscar winner, who didn’t make the cut for “Amsterdam,” which never got any critical traction. Fraser, last year’s Oscar and ASC winner for “Dune,” has two wins and three noms. For Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” he provided a gritty noir look. Miranda, an Oscar winner for “Life of Pi,” has three nominations, and is considered the frontrunner for taking us into...
- 1/9/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
"I am completely motivated by the way that the story is going to be received by the world. But I measure my own success on whether it shoots well." Apple has revealed yet another new behind-the-scenes look at Emancipation, which is now available to watch streaming on Apple TV+ after playing in limited theaters. The survival film stars Will Smith as Peter, a runaway slave who forges through the swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed him. Based on a true story - it's inspired by the 1863 photos of "Whipped Peter," taken during a Union Army medical examination. This video focuses on the production – spending time with director Antoine Fuqua, cinematographer Robert Richardson (who also shot Tarantino's Django Unchained & Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), and production designer Naomi Shohan who built some incredible sets for this movie. It seems they're hoping...
- 12/28/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Photo: Oscar worthy powerhouse performance by Charmaine Bingwa in 'Emancipation'
‘Emancipation’ broadens Will Smith’s filmography to a place that fans have yet to see the superstar in yet. Adapted from the famous photo titled ‘Whipped Peter’ that exposed the cruelty against American slaves that showed the world the severe scars on an ex-slave due to whipping, ‘Emancipation’ is a historical action drama telling the tale of a slave named Peter and his long journey escaping to freedom from a Louisiana plantation. The film takes an interesting plot change throughout. Going from a survival chase thriller to a historical war-epic once reaching the scene the film was adapted from, the film’s plot feels lackluster sometimes. Two of the big reasons for that are the long runtime of over two hours and the sense of no progress for the duration of the movie. The war section of the...
‘Emancipation’ broadens Will Smith’s filmography to a place that fans have yet to see the superstar in yet. Adapted from the famous photo titled ‘Whipped Peter’ that exposed the cruelty against American slaves that showed the world the severe scars on an ex-slave due to whipping, ‘Emancipation’ is a historical action drama telling the tale of a slave named Peter and his long journey escaping to freedom from a Louisiana plantation. The film takes an interesting plot change throughout. Going from a survival chase thriller to a historical war-epic once reaching the scene the film was adapted from, the film’s plot feels lackluster sometimes. Two of the big reasons for that are the long runtime of over two hours and the sense of no progress for the duration of the movie. The war section of the...
- 12/22/2022
- by Nino Vongphachanh
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
“I had just fairly recently completed a film called ‘The Survivor,’ and that follows a man who’s at a concentration camp and escapes. I’m finding myself on the other side of the wire in this one and what what struck me was how similar the plantations felt the way that Auschwitz felt when we visited to prep for ‘The Survivor,'” reveals Ben Foster about co-starring in the historical action drama “Emancipation” right after playing a Holocaust survivor in the HBO film for which he was nominated for an Emmy earlier this year. For our recent webchat he adds, “Those stark similarities, I still haven’t worked through that, but you hope that your life lived as you educate yourself, informs you and you keep growing.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Oscars spotlight: Don’t overlook ‘Emancipation’ cinematographer Robert Richardson for 11th nomination
“Emancipation” is directed...
See Oscars spotlight: Don’t overlook ‘Emancipation’ cinematographer Robert Richardson for 11th nomination
“Emancipation” is directed...
- 12/21/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Spoiler Alert: This story contains major spoilers for the ending of “Emancipation,” currently streaming on Apple TV.
Will Smith’s “Emancipation” almost had an alternate ending.
Cinematographer Robert Richardson revealed director Antoine Fuqua’s other ideas over a Zoom conversation.
The film based on the historic photograph of “Whipped Peter” follows Smith’s journey as a runaway slave. Peter hears about Lincoln’s proclamation that all slaves must be freed, but his owner has no plans of doing so. Peter and a few others go on the run through the treacherous swamps of Louisiana as the plantation owners chase after him.
If only they can reach Baton Rouge, which has been taken by the Union, they will be free.
Much of the film is anchored in Peter’s determination to be freed and to be reunited with his family after being separated from them. It’s Peter’s love for...
Will Smith’s “Emancipation” almost had an alternate ending.
Cinematographer Robert Richardson revealed director Antoine Fuqua’s other ideas over a Zoom conversation.
The film based on the historic photograph of “Whipped Peter” follows Smith’s journey as a runaway slave. Peter hears about Lincoln’s proclamation that all slaves must be freed, but his owner has no plans of doing so. Peter and a few others go on the run through the treacherous swamps of Louisiana as the plantation owners chase after him.
If only they can reach Baton Rouge, which has been taken by the Union, they will be free.
Much of the film is anchored in Peter’s determination to be freed and to be reunited with his family after being separated from them. It’s Peter’s love for...
- 12/16/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation” has finally been unveiled to the public, and critics agree it’s a visual achievement. For his most ambitious project yet, Fuqua collaborated with cinematographer Robert Richardson, whose credits include “Casino,” “The Aviator,” “Django Unchained,” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Richardson’s ingenious, Oscar-winning work on “The Aviator” is a career highlight for visually recreating the transition from two-to-three-strip Technicolor as the film progresses through the 1930s. The legendary Dp has 10 Academy Award nominations (and three wins) to his name and deserves an 11th for lensing “Emancipation,” which sits in 12th position in our Oscar odds for Best Cinematography.
See ‘Emancipation’ star Will Smith says he hopes ‘horrific decision’ to slap Chris Rock doesn’t taint response to the historical drama
At the historical epic’s center is an escaped slave (Will Smith) who survives Louisiana marshland, a tenacious bounty hunter (Ben Foster) and...
See ‘Emancipation’ star Will Smith says he hopes ‘horrific decision’ to slap Chris Rock doesn’t taint response to the historical drama
At the historical epic’s center is an escaped slave (Will Smith) who survives Louisiana marshland, a tenacious bounty hunter (Ben Foster) and...
- 12/14/2022
- by Ronald Meyer
- Gold Derby
Updated with panel video: If not for The Slap that marred Will Smith’s Best Actor Oscar victory for King Richard last March, Emancipation would surely be at the forefront of the awards conversation.
Bought for a record sum by Apple in heavy competition, Emancipation tells the story of Peter, an enslaved man who escapes from a brutal camp and tries to find Lincoln’s advancing army so he can join up and save his family. Separating him from freedom are miles of imposing Louisiana swamps, and a hateful slave hunter and his attack dogs. It comes from a photo taken of Peter when he joined Lincoln’s army, which showed the scars on his back from a near-fatal beating. The photo circulated around the world, and made it irrefutable that slavery was a barbaric practice that needed to end. One could say there is a direct link to other images,...
Bought for a record sum by Apple in heavy competition, Emancipation tells the story of Peter, an enslaved man who escapes from a brutal camp and tries to find Lincoln’s advancing army so he can join up and save his family. Separating him from freedom are miles of imposing Louisiana swamps, and a hateful slave hunter and his attack dogs. It comes from a photo taken of Peter when he joined Lincoln’s army, which showed the scars on his back from a near-fatal beating. The photo circulated around the world, and made it irrefutable that slavery was a barbaric practice that needed to end. One could say there is a direct link to other images,...
- 12/14/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
“They don’t make the Gladiator/Braveheart-type movies anymore” is the kind of complaint you’ll hear when talking about the state of popular cinema, specifically in regard to the growing disconnect between audiences and Academy voters. True: those rousing Hollywood epics are a sign of a distant past. But Apple Studios, with its seemingly infinite cash flow, has heard these cries. And nearly a decade after Steven McQueen’s harsh yet Oscar-triumphant 12 Years a Slave earned critical laurels as the definitive film on the subject of America’s greatest shame, they’re here to show there’s a new, seemingly gritty but also populist way to approach the matter.
Yet Emancipation is above and beyond a work of streaming-service hubris, in which 100 million-plus is put into turning the story of “Whipped Peter,” the most famous photograph to come out of American slavery, into the new historical epic.
Yet Emancipation is above and beyond a work of streaming-service hubris, in which 100 million-plus is put into turning the story of “Whipped Peter,” the most famous photograph to come out of American slavery, into the new historical epic.
- 12/10/2022
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
One of the most powerful images in American history is of a slave who escaped a Mississippi plantation during the last days of the Civil War and found refuge with Union soldiers in Louisiana. The stark photo, with the man’s back a mess of gnarled scars, was a crucial tool in showing the evils of slavery and supporting Abolitionists’ cause. There’s a powerful story to be told about that photo and the power of images to illuminate truth. Unfortunately, Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation is more interested in having Will Smith fight alligators.
Smith plays Peter, a slave ripped away from his wife and daughter to help build a railroad for the Confederates. When he hears that Lincoln has emancipated slaves, he makes a daring escape through the Louisiana swamps to try and reach Union troops and urge them to rescue his family.
Fuqua, director of action thrillers like...
Smith plays Peter, a slave ripped away from his wife and daughter to help build a railroad for the Confederates. When he hears that Lincoln has emancipated slaves, he makes a daring escape through the Louisiana swamps to try and reach Union troops and urge them to rescue his family.
Fuqua, director of action thrillers like...
- 12/9/2022
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
Plot: Peter (Will Smith) is an enslaved person forced to toil at a brutal Confederate Army Labor Camp. When he overhears that Abraham Lincoln has freed the slaves, he escapes the camp, bent on making his way to Lincoln’s army. However, he must not only navigate the treacherous Louisiana swamps but also evade a slave catcher (Ben Foster) who relentlessly pursues him.
Review: It’s a shame that Emancipation will only be seen via streaming, as director Antoine Fuqua made a big-budget epic that was clearly shot for the big screen and can only truly be appreciated if viewed in theatres. Apple has done the film no favours by only giving it a small theatrical run, and many will dismiss a movie that, no doubt, would be a much more immersive experience if viewed the way it was intended.
While generating a lot of comparisons to Twelve Years a Slave,...
Review: It’s a shame that Emancipation will only be seen via streaming, as director Antoine Fuqua made a big-budget epic that was clearly shot for the big screen and can only truly be appreciated if viewed in theatres. Apple has done the film no favours by only giving it a small theatrical run, and many will dismiss a movie that, no doubt, would be a much more immersive experience if viewed the way it was intended.
While generating a lot of comparisons to Twelve Years a Slave,...
- 12/9/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Cinematographer Robert Richardson had several reasons for why he was extraordinarily hesitant to shoot Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation.”
“I was a white man and unsure that I was the best choice to make a film about slavery, [also] nighttime and swamps are pretty forbidden in terms of access to technology — the film shot almost entirely in the swamps of Louisiana, and there was so much abuse, and I did not know that I would feel comfortable filming such a sensitive story,” he says.
This film is inspired by “Whipped Peter,” a photograph from 1863 of a former slave who escaped and joined the Union Army — the photo focuses on his back, crisscrossed with keloids and scars starkly illustrating the horrors of slavery. The photo was widely circulated and helped turn sentiment against slavery.
Will Smith plays Peter, the slave who spends days trying to outrun his captors through the dangerous, alligator-infested swamps of Louisiana.
“I was a white man and unsure that I was the best choice to make a film about slavery, [also] nighttime and swamps are pretty forbidden in terms of access to technology — the film shot almost entirely in the swamps of Louisiana, and there was so much abuse, and I did not know that I would feel comfortable filming such a sensitive story,” he says.
This film is inspired by “Whipped Peter,” a photograph from 1863 of a former slave who escaped and joined the Union Army — the photo focuses on his back, crisscrossed with keloids and scars starkly illustrating the horrors of slavery. The photo was widely circulated and helped turn sentiment against slavery.
Will Smith plays Peter, the slave who spends days trying to outrun his captors through the dangerous, alligator-infested swamps of Louisiana.
- 12/8/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
It’s too bad that Will Smith’s new movie, Emancipation (in theaters now, and set to be released on Apple+ Dec. 9), has to go down as his first movie since The Slap, because it doesn’t really make sense as a movie seen through that lens. This isn’t the humbled bit of reputation laundering that some people likely expect it to be, the kind of ennobling period piece meant to make people forget the actor’s real-life indiscretions or help him claim some kind of triumphant comeback (to...
- 12/2/2022
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
Click here to read the full article.
The review embargo for Antoine Fuqua’s much-talked about escaped slave drama Emancipation lifted Wednesday evening and early critics reaction to the Apple Original Films feature is decidedly mixed.
Critics praised Emancipation‘s cast, with Will Smith, the film’s controversy-stricken star, receiving plaudits along with co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa. There was also praise for the survival thriller setup of the film, with an appreciation for the different approach to the subject. But some critics took issue with the unrelenting brutality as well as the look of the film, with questions about Robert Richardson’s stylized cinematography as well as the sparse script.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye writes that Emancipation treats Peter’s escape and journey well, but the film is “hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay.” Gyarkye feels that the current reality of a growing refusal to...
The review embargo for Antoine Fuqua’s much-talked about escaped slave drama Emancipation lifted Wednesday evening and early critics reaction to the Apple Original Films feature is decidedly mixed.
Critics praised Emancipation‘s cast, with Will Smith, the film’s controversy-stricken star, receiving plaudits along with co-stars Ben Foster and Charmaine Bingwa. There was also praise for the survival thriller setup of the film, with an appreciation for the different approach to the subject. But some critics took issue with the unrelenting brutality as well as the look of the film, with questions about Robert Richardson’s stylized cinematography as well as the sparse script.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye writes that Emancipation treats Peter’s escape and journey well, but the film is “hampered by a spare and spiritless screenplay.” Gyarkye feels that the current reality of a growing refusal to...
- 12/1/2022
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We are eight months out from this year’s Academy Awards, where Will Smith slapped presenter Chris Rock after a derogatory joke aimed at his wife Jada Pinkett. He was subsequently barred from attending the ceremony for the next decade. And, now, the actor’s career lies in jeopardy. Several of his projects have stalled. Others, reportedly, have been outright cancelled. His historical action film Emancipation, which had finished production just a few weeks before that fateful Oscar night, cost Apple an estimated 120m, and though the studio has pressed ahead with its scheduled release plan, the debate is still rife over whether they’ve made the right call. Smith himself gets it. “I completely understand,” he told a US journalist in an interview this week. “If someone is not ready, I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready.” I also respect people’s...
- 12/1/2022
- by Clarisse Loughrey
- The Independent - Film
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Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
- 12/1/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there’s anything unexpected about the depiction of slavery in director Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” it’s the unflinchingly grim imagery that populates its frames. The intent seems to derive from the photographs of the real-life subject who inspired the film: Gordon, or “Whipped Peter,” an escaped slave whose viciously scarred back was immortalized as a way to show the world the unspeakable horrors Black people faced in the United States.
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
- 12/1/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Will Smith is between a Chris Rock and a hard place.
The speculation surrounding Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” and Smith, its star and producer, has been the watercooler talk of awards season and the bane of awards prognosticators tracking their charts. Will voters embrace the epic? Can they or should they?
Following his slapping of the comedian at the 94th Oscars, Smith resigned from AMPAS and was banned from attending the ceremony or other Academy-sponsored events for 10 years. However, that doesn’t preclude the “King Richard” best actor winner from being nominated or even winning another statuette during that period. Nor should it prevent Antoine Fuqua’s film from being considered for accolades.
If you removed “the slap” from the equation, this awards season’s directing race narrative would probably have been trending toward Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) versus Fuqua (and it still can). Indeed, this is Fuqua’s “Schindler’s List...
The speculation surrounding Apple Original Films’ “Emancipation” and Smith, its star and producer, has been the watercooler talk of awards season and the bane of awards prognosticators tracking their charts. Will voters embrace the epic? Can they or should they?
Following his slapping of the comedian at the 94th Oscars, Smith resigned from AMPAS and was banned from attending the ceremony or other Academy-sponsored events for 10 years. However, that doesn’t preclude the “King Richard” best actor winner from being nominated or even winning another statuette during that period. Nor should it prevent Antoine Fuqua’s film from being considered for accolades.
If you removed “the slap” from the equation, this awards season’s directing race narrative would probably have been trending toward Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”) versus Fuqua (and it still can). Indeed, this is Fuqua’s “Schindler’s List...
- 12/1/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
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