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‘Wonder Woman’ Director Patty Jenkins Responds to Claim That Film is ‘A Mess’
2 hours ago
“Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins responded to an open letter allegedly written by a former Warner Bros. employee that slammed the production company for releasing an array of subpar superhero movies, ranging from 2013’s “Man of Steel” to this month’s “Suicide Squad.” The letter then proceeded to allude that “Wonder Woman” would be a “mess.”
“Maybe Wonder Woman wouldn’t be such a mess,” the letter states. “Don’t try to hide behind the great trailer. People inside are already confirming it’s another mess. It is almost impressive how you keep rewarding the same producers and executives for making the same mistakes, over and over.”
Although the identity of the letter’s author remains a mystery, Jenkins was less-than-pleased. She released a string of tweets on Friday responding to the scathing words.
Woah, just saw this press about Ww having problems. Are they serious? This is some made up bs right here. »
- Arya Roshanian
Paramount Executive Dead in Apparent Suicide
5 hours ago
David Thornton, a senior executive in Paramount Picture’s licensing division, died earlier this week of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound near his home in Valencia, Calif., according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Two residents walking on the San Francisquito Creek Trail in the Santa Clarita Valley community discovered the body Wednesday morning. A semi-automatic 9mm handgun was nearby. The scene is near McBean Parkway and Summerhill Lane.
Thornton, 60, had worked at Paramount since 1998, according to his LinkedIn profile. He started as a VP of production at Paramount Parks, then was a VP for design and development at Paramount Pictures, before being elevated to the Sr. VP position in licensing in 2014.
Thornton helped bring Paramount’s intellectual property to other platforms, including theme park attractions. In 2004, he touted a new ride opening at the Las Vegas Hilton. Taken from “Star Trek: Voyager,” it was called Borg Invasion 4D. »
- James Rainey
Sumner Redstone Agrees To ‘Brief’ Deposition in Mental Capacity Trial
5 hours ago
Sumner Redstone is willing to sit for a limited deposition prior to a trial into whether he had the mental capacity to remove two of long-time business allies from the board and trust that controlled his corporate empire.
Redstone’s attorney said the magnate would submit to questioning but that a full physical exam is not necessary prior to the trial, which is now set to begin Sept. 19 in Norfolk County Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts.
Judge George Phelan set a hearing for Aug. 26 for further discussion about the deposition and medical examination.
Chief Executive Officer Philippe Dauman and fellow Viacom board member George Abrams sued in May when Redstone removed them from the board of National Amusements Inc. and from the trust that will oversee his holdings when he dies, or is deemed mentally incapacitated. The two long-time Redstone advisors said that the billionaire did not have »
- James Rainey
Box Office: ‘Sausage Party’ to Devour ‘Pete’s Dragon’; ‘Suicide Squad’ Reigns, Despite Sharp Decline
6 hours ago
“Sausage Party’s” box office appetite is growing by the minute.
Pegged at $15 million earlier this week, “Sausage Party” could devour as much as $35 million this weekend from 3,103 theaters — a sizzling turnout considering its $19 million price tag. Sony, however, has a more modest estimate in the mid-$20 million range.
The raunchy, R-rated comedy is now flying past the weekend’s expected runner-up, “Pete’s Dragon.”
Directed by Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan, the “Sausage Part” cast is lead by co-writer Seth Rogen and also includes Michael Cera, James Franco, Salma Hayek, Jonah Hill, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Danny McBride, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, and Kristen Wiig. The adult animated film is about an assortment of supermarket food items that devise a plan to escape upon learning that their fate is consumption.
Despite a trio of box office arrivals in “Sausage Party,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “Florence Foster Jenkins,” “Suicide Squad »
- Seth Kelley
‘The Birth of a Nation’ Star Nate Parker Addresses College Rape Trial
7 hours ago
When Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation” premiered at Sundance in January, scoring a $17.5 million sale from Fox Searchlight — the biggest in the festival’s history — its director-writer-star was heralded as promising new voice in film.
But a rape trial from his past now threatens to cast a shadow over the release of the movie and its Oscar campaign. In 1999, as a student and wrestler at Penn State University, Parker and his roommate Jean Celestin — who went on to co-write the story for “The Birth of a Nation”— were charged with raping a 20-year-old female student in their apartment after a night of drinking.
In a two-hour interview with Variety on Wednesday, Parker was asked to address the circumstances behind the trial.
“Seventeen years ago, I experienced a very painful moment in my life,” Parker told Variety. “It resulted in it being litigated. I was cleared of it. »
- Ramin Setoodeh
‘Suicide Squad’ Fans v Critics: Who Came Out the Winner?
8 hours ago
In recent years, the war between movie fans and film critics — if, in fact, it is a war — has had its flare-ups. Remember what happened when “The Dark Knight Rises” was about to be released in 2012? It may seem like a tempest in a batcave now, but the collective desire to see that movie struck such a frenzied nerve of anticipation that a handful of critics who gave it negative reviews actually received death threats.
When director Christopher Nolan was asked to comment on the threats during an interview outside the film’s London premiere, he ducked the issue by saying, “I think the fans are very passionate about these characters, the way a lot of people are very passionate.” I’m sure that Nolan wasn’t, in any way, trying to lend passive-aggressive support to violence against critics. But he was clearly bending over backwards to look like he »
- Owen Gleiberman
‘Passengers’: First Photos of Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt Released
9 hours ago
We finally have our first look at Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt’s new movie “Passengers.”
In the film, Lawrence and Pratt are the only two “Passengers” awake on a 5,000 man vessel, where the rest of the population is in suspended animation. Their ship starts to malfunction, putting those 5,000 people and themselves in a critical position.
In these first two photos, we see Pratt and Lawrence looking through an opening, possibly into outer space or possibly into the innards of a malfunctioning aircraft. The other photo shows the stars in the middle of a conversation, Pratt in full space gear.
“I honestly couldn’t ask for a better cast. They’re so great together, and both of them are so hard-working. They take the characters so seriously and bring so much to the roles with charm and intelligence and charisma,” said director Morten Tyldum (“The Imitation Game”) in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. »
- Maria Cavassuto
CAA Promotes Four Trainees to Agent or Executive
9 hours ago
CAA has promoted four trainees to agent or executive.
Robbie Cohen and Jesse Tomares have been upped to executives at CAA Sports Consulting, which advises, manages, and activates on more than $2.5 billion in sponsorship rights deals on behalf of 30 global brands. It also includes an experiential marketing practice.
Ashley Feagan has been elevated to an agent at CAA Sports’ talent sales group, where she will work closely with the agency’s basketball clients. CAA Sports represents more than three dozen all-star and emerging NBA players, and has represented 14 first-round picks in the past three NBA Drafts — more than any other agency.
Brandon Lawrence has been promoted to an agent at CAA’s television department. CAA packages the No. 1-rated shows on broadcast (“Empire”), basic cable (“The Walking Dead”), and premium cable (“Game of Thrones”). It represents more creators, executive producers, and showrunners working in primetime than any other agency.
Cohen, »
- Justin Kroll
Sarajevo Festival Opens With Strong Regional Film Lineup
10 hours ago
The Sarajevo Film Festival, which runs Aug. 12-20, has become the top creative and industry catalyst for filmmakers and producers in the Balkans, Southeast Europe, and beyond, 22 years after its launch during the Bosnian civil war, as the city was under under siege. The winner of this year’s foreign-language Oscar, Hungarian Holocaust drama “Son of Saul,” was spawned by Sarajevo’s CineLink co-production market. During its upcoming edition, HBO will launch a call for projects to commission the first international TV series to come out of the Balkans. As a regional platform, it’s come a long way.
Documentaries are a key component of the selection since “the region has so many untold stories, so many secrets,” says fest founder and director Mirsad Purivatra. “Scream for Me Sarajevo,” a doc by Tarik Hodzic about a concert held by Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson and his solo band in 1994, with the city still under siege, »
- Nick Vivarelli
‘Birth of a Nation’ Director Nate Parker Announces Sundance Fellowship for Filmmakers of Color
10 hours ago
An intimate crowd of famous independent film lovers sat down for dinner to fete Nate Parker Thursday night, after the “The Birth of a Nation” writer-director and star was presented with the Vanguard Award from the Sundance Institute at its annual Night Before Next benefit. In the spirit of giving, the honoree furthered the night’s donations by announcing the endowment of a new The Birth of a Nation Fellowship program at the nonprofit org. The fellowship will be underwritten by the cast and crew of the film.
“Our fellowship will allow one new 18 to 24-year old filmmaker of color to participate in the Sundance Ignite program each year, attend the festival, meet some of the best talent in the industry and receive some the same kind of invaluable mentorship that I did,” Parker revealed.
Upon accepting his award, which was presented by actor and Sundance alum Michael B. Jordan, »
- Mannie Holmes
‘American Horror Story’ Cinematographer Michael Goi Talks About His Start in Hollywood
10 hours ago
Michael Goi is a four-time Emmy nominee, most recently for “American Horror Story,” and a former president of the American Society of Cinematographers. When the Chicago native was at Columbia College, he shot 125 films in four years, a record for the school. He thought about being an editor, but realized early on that he loved to shoot. “I love the dynamic of being on a set. I love that vibe,” he says. His earliest mention in Variety was Jan. 15, 1988, when he was Dp on his first feature film, “Camper Stamper” (released as “Moonstalker” by the video company Complete Entertainment). Goi worked in Chicago on multiple films and commercials after he graduated in 1980, but a decade later he realized he needed to move to Hollywood. Since then, he has chalked up dozens of film and TV projects.
Did you have an early idol?
Robert Surtees. I saw “The Graduate” by accident »
- Tim Gray
Film Review: ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’
12 hours ago
In “Kubo and the Two Strings,” a brave, one-eyed Japanese boy is faced with divergent paths to immortality: Either he can surrender his remaining eye to his supernatural grandfather, the greedy Moon King, in exchange for eternal life, or he can stand up to the magical old-timer in a manner so courageous that his story will become the stuff of legend, never to be forgotten.
Kubo, who hides his eye patch behind long black bangs, chooses the latter option, of course, which makes perfect sense for the hero of the latest stop-motion marvel from Laika, the formula-averse animation studio responsible for such breathtakingly detailed movies as “Coraline” and “ParaNorman.” Expanding upon the charms of those director-driven projects, “Kubo” offers another ominous mission for a lucky young misfit, this one a dark, yet thrilling adventure quest that stands as the crowning achievement in Laika’s already impressive oeuvre — though its Asian setting, »
- Peter Debruge
Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard Are Spies in Love in ‘Allied’ First Trailer
12 hours ago
Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard are spies in love in the tense first trailer for Robert Zemeckis’ World War II romantic thriller “Allied.”
“Is this a game?” Pitt asks in the 60-second teaser, released by Paramount Pictures on Friday. “A test,” he’s told.
Pitt stars as a U.S. intelligence officer Max Vatan who encounters French Resistance fighter Marianne Beausejour (Cotillard) during a mission behind enemy lines in Casablanca in 1942 to kill a German ambassador. They’re forced into a pretend marriage that develops into a real love eventually tested, when they reunite in London, by the pressures of war and the secrets of their past.
Pitt returns to WWII after his recent turn as American tank commander Sgt. Don “Wardaddy” Collier in David Ayer’s drama “Fury” and Lt. Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 alternate history movie “Inglourious Basterds.”
Academy Award winner Zemeckis, who last teamed with »
- Maane Khatchatourian
Box Office: ‘Sausage Party’ Feasts on $3.3 Million on Thursday Night
13 hours ago
“Sausage Party” feasted on $3.3 million at the box office on Thursday night.
Although it’s a mixed bag at the box office this weekend, all three wide releases — “Sausage Party,” “Pete’s Dragon,” and “Florence Foster Jenkins” — have something in common: critical acclaim. The movies are currently “certified fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes.
Sony’s raunchy animated comedy “Sausage Party” made $3.25 million from 2,632 locations at Thursday night early shows. It’s expected to finish third this weekend, behind “Pete’s Dragon” and “Suicide Squad,” with about $15 million.
Seth Rogen, Michael Cera, James Franco, Salma Hayek, Jonah Hill, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Danny McBride, Edward Norton, Paul Rudd, and Kristen Wiig voice crude food that learn the harsh truth that they will eventually become meals once leaving the comforts of their grocery store shelves.
Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan directed the R-rated pic, which Rogen penned with Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, and »
- Maane Khatchatourian
Alan Ladd Jr. Documentary Proves There’s Life Beyond the Original ‘Star Wars’
14 hours ago
When Alan Ladd Jr. was president of 20th Century Fox Pictures in the 1970s, he greenlit “Star Wars” and “Alien.”
That alone ensures him a place in Hollywood history. But his career also includes a third sci-fi classic — “Blade Runner” — as well as “The Omen,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Braveheart,” “Chariots of Fire,” and other cinema biggies through 2007’s “Gone Baby Gone.”
The executive is now the subject of a documentary, “It’s Always About the Story: Conversations With Alan Ladd Jr.,” which screens Aug. 13 at the Marina del Rey Festival before it continues on the festival circuit. The doc is one of four films (so far) in the Film History Preservation Project. It’s the brainchild of director-producer Stanley Isaacs, who is planning more such docs, to bring wider recognition to Hollywood’s unsung heroes: film producers.
Film buffs know stars and directors, but rarely know producers or executives like Ladd, »
- Tim Gray
Pinewood Confirms $419 Million Sale to Move Ahead
14 hours ago
The £323 million ($419 million) sale of the Pinewood Group, whose studios have been home to the James Bond franchise and the most recent “Star Wars” movies, is moving ahead.
Private equity fund Pw Fund III, which is managed by London-based asset manager Aermont Capital, said it would proceed with the deal after it completed financing for the acquisition. Pw Fund III announced its intention to buy Pinewood on July 28. On Friday, it said that had “satisfied its financing pre-condition, and accordingly [the buyer] and Pinewood have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended cash acquisition.” Each Pinewood shareholder will receive 563.2 pence ($7.29) per share.
In February, Pinewood hired Rothschild to carry out a strategic review of Pinewood’s capital base and structure after the board became frustrated that its attempts to raise financing for further growth had been stymied by the share structure. The Pw Fund III deal has been portrayed by Pinewood »
- Leo Barraclough
Lima Festival: FiGa Films Nabs Lukas Valenta’s Nudist Drama ‘A Decent Woman’ (Exclusive)
14 hours ago
FiGa Films, one of the most energetic of Latin American art-film sales companies, has picked up international rights to “Los decentes” (“A Decent Woman”), Argentina-based director Lukas Valenta Rinner’s follow-up to his award-winning debut, sci-fi feature “Parabellum.”
An Argentina-Korea-Austria co-production, teaming Buenos Aires and Salzburg-founded prodco Nabis Film Group with South Korea’s Jeonjou Cinema Project, “A Decent Woman” follows a housemaid working at an exclusive gated community on the outskirts of Buenos Aires that embarks on a journey of sexual and mental liberation in a nudist swingers-club, beside the high security fence.
The film world premieres Saturday, Aug. 13 at the Sarajevo Film Festival and looks set for a major fall festival.
“We’ve known Lukas for several years and have admired his ambition and talent as a producer-director. He brings something very fresh to Argentine film industry, being an Austrian residing in Buenos Aires,” FiGa co-founder Sandro Fiorin told Variety. »
- Emiliano De Pablos
Film Review: ‘Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA’
15 hours ago
As a documentary filmmaker, Robert Greenwald doesn’t have the high media profile of Michael Moore, Errol Morris, or Alex Gibney (or, God help us, Dinesh D’Souza). But ever since 2004, when he made “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism,” Greenwald has become a vital and dogged investigator whose no-nonsense, just-the-facts-ma’am approach, with its accent on digging up the profit motive, is reflected in the no-frills thrust of his titles: “Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers,” “Koch Brothers Exposed,” and the eye-opening and influential “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price,” one of the first exposés to anatomize how the low-cost “benefits” of big-box stores add up to an insidious illusion, since they depress wages.
The title of Greenwald’s new film, “Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA,” promises a movie out of the same hardheaded liberal-activist wheelhouse: a look at how money is the »
- Owen Gleiberman
Lima Festival: ‘Climas’ Director-Writer Enrica Perez Preps Second Film
15 hours ago
Lima – Peruvian helmer-scribe Enrica Perez, whose lauded feature debut “Climas” won her the Best Peruvian Film award at the 2014 Lima Film Festival among a string of international prizes, is developing her next pic “Sobre el Acantilado.” (“On Top of the Cliff”).
Just as “Climas” explored the world of three women albeit in different parts of Peru – the Amazon, Lima and the Andes mountains – “Acantilado” tracks the inner lives of female teens in 1940s’ Lima while living in a boarding school run by nuns.
But Perez hasn’t always dealt with femme issues. Her first short, “Taxista,” was a 2007 adaptation of a short story based on Robert de Niro’s character in “Taxi Driver.” “It’s quite a masculine story; a thriller,” she noted. The short won her quick recognition in Peru and New York, including the Adrienne Shelly Award for best female director and the Someone to Watch award from CineWomen, »
- Anna Marie de la Fuente
World Premiere of Wild Bunch-Sold ‘The Odyssey’ Closes San Sebastian
17 hours ago
Madrid — Starring Lambert Wilson (“Of Gods and Men”), Pierre Niney (“Yves Saint Laurent”) and Audrey Tautou (“Amelie), Jerome Salle’s Wild Bunch-sold “The Odyssey” will world premiere at San Sebastian, closing this year’s festival.
A film on the life of deep-sea explorer Jacques Cousteau, structured around his troubled relationship with his son, Philippe, “The Odyssey” charts not only Cousteau’s game-changing discovery of life at the bottom of the ocean, and near unique ability to communicate his excitement to others, but his halting understanding of the importance of his own family. Boasting a stellar French cast, six-time Cesar-nominated Lambert plays Cousteau, Tautou, star of multiple other French films such as “A Very Long Engagement,” limns his wife. Niney, regarded by many as the finest actor of his generation, portrays son Philippe.
A director of ambitious, big-canvas French movies, Salle’s latest movie, “Zulu,” toplining Orlando Bloom and Forest Whitaker, »
- John Hopewell
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