This review of “The Black Phone” was first published June 19, 2022, after its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The creepiest (and best) moments in the kiddie-kidnap horror pic “The Black Phone” take full advantage of the movie’s basic setup: a suburban teen gets abducted and then struggles to escape his captor’s sound-proof basement.
That scenario, co-adapted from a Joe Hill (“NOS4A2”) short story by director Scott Derrickson (“Doctor Strange”) and co-writer C. Robert Cargill, folds neatly into the mini-trend of quasi-nostalgic horror-adventures that both “Stranger Things” and the 2017 “It” adaptation brought back into vogue.
Derrickson and Cargill successfully tailor their focused and mostly compelling narrative to a Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment–esque bit of Stephen King–sploitation. There’s nothing in “The Black Phone” that you can’t also get in more inventive recent King adaptations (like “Doctor Sleep”) or King-like homages.
Also Read:
Ethan Hawke Is a...
The creepiest (and best) moments in the kiddie-kidnap horror pic “The Black Phone” take full advantage of the movie’s basic setup: a suburban teen gets abducted and then struggles to escape his captor’s sound-proof basement.
That scenario, co-adapted from a Joe Hill (“NOS4A2”) short story by director Scott Derrickson (“Doctor Strange”) and co-writer C. Robert Cargill, folds neatly into the mini-trend of quasi-nostalgic horror-adventures that both “Stranger Things” and the 2017 “It” adaptation brought back into vogue.
Derrickson and Cargill successfully tailor their focused and mostly compelling narrative to a Steven Spielberg/Amblin Entertainment–esque bit of Stephen King–sploitation. There’s nothing in “The Black Phone” that you can’t also get in more inventive recent King adaptations (like “Doctor Sleep”) or King-like homages.
Also Read:
Ethan Hawke Is a...
- 6/23/2022
- by Simon Abrams
- The Wrap
Ryan Lambie Nov 21, 2017
A documentary about Jim Carrey's method antics on the set of Man On The Moon turns out to be a profound and moving must-see, Ryan writes...
Why bother? It's a question occasionally worth levelling at the 'Method' - an immersive, all-consuming kind of acting created by the filmmaker and actor Konstantin Stanislavski. At its best, method acting brings us searing, self-searching performances like Robert De Niro's famous turns in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull.
See related Peaky Blinders series 4 episode 1 review Peaky Blinders series 4: Tommy has “atrophied emotionally” Peaky Blinders series 4: "there's no stopping" Aunt Polly Peaky Blinders series 4: who is Jessie Eden?
On the other hand, method acting can sometimes come across as needy and attention-seeking or, perhaps worst of all, a bit of a waste of time. For David Ayer's Suicide Squad, actor Jared Leto reportedly got so embroiled in his character,...
A documentary about Jim Carrey's method antics on the set of Man On The Moon turns out to be a profound and moving must-see, Ryan writes...
Why bother? It's a question occasionally worth levelling at the 'Method' - an immersive, all-consuming kind of acting created by the filmmaker and actor Konstantin Stanislavski. At its best, method acting brings us searing, self-searching performances like Robert De Niro's famous turns in Taxi Driver or Raging Bull.
See related Peaky Blinders series 4 episode 1 review Peaky Blinders series 4: Tommy has “atrophied emotionally” Peaky Blinders series 4: "there's no stopping" Aunt Polly Peaky Blinders series 4: who is Jessie Eden?
On the other hand, method acting can sometimes come across as needy and attention-seeking or, perhaps worst of all, a bit of a waste of time. For David Ayer's Suicide Squad, actor Jared Leto reportedly got so embroiled in his character,...
- 11/20/2017
- Den of Geek
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis,...
Allied (Robert Zemeckis)
That thing we can’t take for granted: a film whose many parts – period piece, war picture, blood-spattered actioner, deception-fueled espionage thriller, sexy romance, and, at certain turns, comedy – can gracefully move in conjunction and separate from each other, just as its labyrinthine-but-not-quite plot jumps from one setpiece to the next with little trouble in maintaining a consistency of overall pleasure. Another late-career triumph for Robert Zemeckis,...
- 11/17/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Reflecting on a production that might have been just a little more interesting than the excellent film they were making, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton is the hilarious and occasionally moving portrait of Jim Carrey’s time making Milos Forman’s 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic Man on The Moon.
Told through archival footage of both Andy Kaufman’s performances and Jim Carrey in character throughout the shoot of Man on the Moon (as Andy and his evil alternative persona lounge singer Tony Clifton), director Chris Smith frames the footage with a new interview with Carrey, bearded and reflexive about a dark period in his life. Hot off a triple success of broad comedies — Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber — the actor seeks meaning in his life in the wake of his father’s death. Writing a $10 million dollar check...
Told through archival footage of both Andy Kaufman’s performances and Jim Carrey in character throughout the shoot of Man on the Moon (as Andy and his evil alternative persona lounge singer Tony Clifton), director Chris Smith frames the footage with a new interview with Carrey, bearded and reflexive about a dark period in his life. Hot off a triple success of broad comedies — Ace Ventura, The Mask, and Dumb and Dumber — the actor seeks meaning in his life in the wake of his father’s death. Writing a $10 million dollar check...
- 11/17/2017
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
At the San Francisco Film Society’s Doc Stories, Samantha Power — aka President Barack Obama’s U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations — is a true star. “What a crowd,” she tweeted after a rousing standing ovation for Greg Barker’s HBO documentary “The Final Year,” which features her as part of Obama’s foreign policy team. “Huge thanks to SFFilm Doc Stories & to an incredibly engaged San Francisco audience who saw @thefinalyeardoc not as a retrospective, but as a call to action.”
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
The third annual Doc Stories (Nov. 2-5) was a rich weekend of nonfiction features and shorts that launched with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s “Rolling Stone: Stories from the Edge, Part I” (HBO) and closed with Chris Smith’s “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond – Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton” (Netflix).
It’s part of Sffilm executive director Noah Cowan’s...
- 11/6/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The dead rise to eat the living in our second Horror Highlights of the day, which includes a trailer for Dawning of the Dead, details on the Lankershim Boulevard screening at Seraph Films' fifth annual Halloween Short Horror Film Night, the 2017 BloodList of renowned and un-produced thriller and horror scripts, and a trailer for the new found footage horror film The Faith Community.
Dawning of the Dead Trailer & Release Details: "Prepare for a zombie apocalypse this Christmas!
Uncork’d Entertainment and filmmakers Tony Jopia, Nika Braun, Yannis Zafeiriou and Alexander Zwart reanimate the silly season with Dawning of the Dead, premiering on Digital 12/5.
While a virus that causes the dead to reanimate brings the world to its knees, the scientist responsible entrusts his cataclysmic findings to Katya Nevin, a troubled ex-war correspondent turned anchor-woman at W.W News. While she and the rest of her crew witness the collapse...
Dawning of the Dead Trailer & Release Details: "Prepare for a zombie apocalypse this Christmas!
Uncork’d Entertainment and filmmakers Tony Jopia, Nika Braun, Yannis Zafeiriou and Alexander Zwart reanimate the silly season with Dawning of the Dead, premiering on Digital 12/5.
While a virus that causes the dead to reanimate brings the world to its knees, the scientist responsible entrusts his cataclysmic findings to Katya Nevin, a troubled ex-war correspondent turned anchor-woman at W.W News. While she and the rest of her crew witness the collapse...
- 10/25/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Any list of Jim Carrey’s best performances is bound to have his turn as Andy Kaufman in Miloš Forman’s “Man on the Moon” somewhere in the top five. Carrey earned universal acclaim for his turn as the comedian and performance artist, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy, and now he looks back at the process of becoming Kaufman in the new documentary “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.”
Read More:Jim Carrey’s Artist Life: Inside His Friendship With Spike Jonze, Dense Personal Archives, and His ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Role Switch
Directed by Chris Smith, “Jim & Andy” features never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of “Man on the Moon.” The documentary chronicles Carrey’s artistic process and how he fully transformed into the legendary Kaufman, which included going method and remaining in character for much of production. The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.
Read More:Jim Carrey’s Artist Life: Inside His Friendship With Spike Jonze, Dense Personal Archives, and His ‘Eternal Sunshine’ Role Switch
Directed by Chris Smith, “Jim & Andy” features never-before-seen footage from behind the scenes of “Man on the Moon.” The documentary chronicles Carrey’s artistic process and how he fully transformed into the legendary Kaufman, which included going method and remaining in character for much of production. The documentary premiered at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year.
- 10/19/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
It was already an exciting evening at Moma on Tuesday night when Jim Carrey, Spike Jonze, and Chris Smith sat down for a Q&A following a screening of “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond.” Then Michael Stipe showed up, and the crowd went wild all over again.
The movie, directed by Smith and produced by Jonze, tracks Carrey’s extreme, method-like immersion into the role of Andy Kaufman on the set of Milos Forman’s “Man on the Moon.” The footage, which sat in Carrey’s personal archives for over a decade, finds Carrey baffling everyone on set (and beyond it). The project came together after Carrey sent the footage to Jonze, who brought Smith onboard.
See More:Jim Carrey, Behind the Mask: The Actor Explains His Viral Red Carpet Interview, Painting, and Life Beyond Slapstick
“Spike said, ‘You know, I could do something with that, maybe,’” Carrey recalled.
The movie, directed by Smith and produced by Jonze, tracks Carrey’s extreme, method-like immersion into the role of Andy Kaufman on the set of Milos Forman’s “Man on the Moon.” The footage, which sat in Carrey’s personal archives for over a decade, finds Carrey baffling everyone on set (and beyond it). The project came together after Carrey sent the footage to Jonze, who brought Smith onboard.
See More:Jim Carrey, Behind the Mask: The Actor Explains His Viral Red Carpet Interview, Painting, and Life Beyond Slapstick
“Spike said, ‘You know, I could do something with that, maybe,’” Carrey recalled.
- 10/18/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
At 255 titles, the Toronto International Film Festival’s smorgasbord is 20 percent smaller than last year — and still overwhelming. A number of filmmakers took creative risks that paid off with exuberant praise, from Darren Aronofsky’s outrageous “mother!” to Guillermo del Toro’s inimitable “The Shape of Water,” but many others found themselves in the doghouse, or worse, utterly ignored.
Buyers were unhappy that there wasn’t much to choose from at this sellers’ market, because many distributors cherry-picked the more promising titles ahead of time — which is its own risk, as when The Orchard’s La riot drama “Kings” didn’t meet high expectations.
Here’s how the festival shook out.
Best of the Fest
Top Tier Oscar Contenders
Guillermo del Toro’s gorgeously mounted fantasy thriller “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight), shot in Toronto, was so popular that it’s vying for Tiff’s audience award (often an...
Buyers were unhappy that there wasn’t much to choose from at this sellers’ market, because many distributors cherry-picked the more promising titles ahead of time — which is its own risk, as when The Orchard’s La riot drama “Kings” didn’t meet high expectations.
Here’s how the festival shook out.
Best of the Fest
Top Tier Oscar Contenders
Guillermo del Toro’s gorgeously mounted fantasy thriller “The Shape of Water” (Fox Searchlight), shot in Toronto, was so popular that it’s vying for Tiff’s audience award (often an...
- 9/15/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Jim Carrey likes to mess with people. Using 100 hours of behind-the-scenes footage from Milos’ Forman’s 1999 Andy Kaufman biopic “Man in the Moon,” Carrey and director Chris Smith created “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond,” a documentary that details Carrey’s aggressive Method approach to portraying Kaufman and his abrasive, lounge-singing alter ego Tony Clifton. It shows that Carrey baffled everyone on set and beyond it, crashing parties and workplaces in character as he burrowed so far inside the role no one was sure he’d come back. Pitched somewhere between a punchline and psychosis, the result was one of his most remarkable, lived-in performances in a career filled with jarring slapstick creations.
“It was a choice as an actor to have Andy come back and make his movie, to push me aside,” Carrey said during an interview in Toronto to promote the documentary, which Netflix recently acquired. “I was wondering...
“It was a choice as an actor to have Andy come back and make his movie, to push me aside,” Carrey said during an interview in Toronto to promote the documentary, which Netflix recently acquired. “I was wondering...
- 9/12/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
By Thom Powers
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
- 8/3/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
ThelmaA selection of films from the 2017 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with new films by Sebastián Lelio, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Darren Aronofsky, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo Del Toro, Joachim Trier, Wim Wenders, and many more.Special PRESENTATIONSOpening Night: Ladybird (Greta Gerwig)Closing Night: Sheikh Jackson (Amr Salama)Battle of the Sexes (Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton)Bpm (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo)The Brawler (Anurag Kashyap)The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)Catch the Wind (Gaël Morel)The Children Act (Richard Eyre)The Current War (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio)Downsizing (Alexander Payne)A Fantastic Woman (Sebastián Lelio)First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie)The Guardians (Xavier Beauvois)Hostiles (Scott Cooper)The Hungry (Bornila Chatterjee)I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie)Mother! (Darren Aronofsky)Novitiate (Maggie Betts)Omerta (Hansal Mehta)Plonger (Mélanie Laurent)The Price of Success (Teddy Lussi-Modeste)Professor Marston & the Wonder Women...
- 8/3/2017
- MUBI
Following an initial round of premieres and the announcement that Borg vs. McEnroe will open Toronto International Film Festival 2017, they’ve now announced their lineup for Midnight Madness and Documentaries. Leading the pack of our most-anticipated among midnight tiles is Brawl in Cell Block 99, which is S. Craig Zahler’s follow-up to Bone Tomahawk and will premiere at Venice beforehand. There’s also the latest film from Joseph Kahn, Bodied, which will open the sidebar, and the first trailer has landed.
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
- 8/2/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Morgan Spurlock re-engages with the food industry, James Franco digs into the ‘worst film ever made’.
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
- 8/1/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
They are two of the Toronto International Film Festival’s wildest sections — for very different reasons — and this year’s slate of both Midnight Madness and Documentary offerings appear to signal another strong lineup for the festival. Thrills, chills, terror, and scares await movie-goers, all care of unbelievable real-life stories and slightly less true tales for genre fans of all stripes.
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
- 8/1/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
ZamaThe programme for the 2017 edition of the Venice Film Festival has been unveiled, and includes new films from Darren Aronofsky, Lucrecia Martel, Frederick Wiseman, Alexander Payne, Hirokazu Kore-eda, Abdellatif Kechiche, Takeshi Kitano and many more.COMPETITIONmother! (Darren Aronofsky)First Reformed (Paul Schrader)Sweet Country (Warwick Thornton)The Leisure Seeker (Paolo Virzi)Una Famiglia (Sebastiano Riso)Ex Libris - The New York Public Library (Frederick Wiseman)Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)The Whale (Andrea Pallaoro)Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh)Foxtrot (Samuel Maoz)Ammore e malavita (Manetti Brothers)Jusqu'a la garde (Xavier Legrand)The Third Murder (Hirokazu Kore-eda)Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno (Abdellatif Kechiche)Lean on Pete (Andrew Haigh)L'insulte (Ziad Doueiri)La Villa (Robert Guediguian)The Shape of Water (Guillermo del Toro)Suburbicon (George Clooney)Human Flow (Ai Weiwei)Downsizing (Alexander Payne)Out Of COMPETITIONFeaturesOur Souls at Night (Ritesh Batra)Il Signor Rotpeter (Antonietta de Lillo)Victoria...
- 7/27/2017
- MUBI
On the heels of the Toronto International Film Festival announcement earlier this week, Venice Film Festival have now delivered their full lineup and while there’s no Terrence Malick as rumored, there’s a plethora of highly-anticipated titles. Along with the previously-announced opener Downsizing and the expected Suburbicon, mother!, The Shape of Water, and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, there’s Lucrecia Martel’s Zama, Andrew Haigh’s Lean on Pete, Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue is the Warmest Color follow-up Mektoub, My Love: Canto Uno, and Brawl In Cell Block 99, the latest film from Bone Tomahawk director S. Craig Zahler.
Also in the lineup is Errol Morris’s Netflix crime drama Wormwood, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – New York Public Library, Hirokazu Koreeda’s The Third Murder, Takeshi Kitano’s closing night film Outrage Coda, Michaël R. Roskam’s Racer and The Jailbird, the Kirsten Dunst-led Woodshock,...
Also in the lineup is Errol Morris’s Netflix crime drama Wormwood, Paul Schrader’s First Reformed, Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – New York Public Library, Hirokazu Koreeda’s The Third Murder, Takeshi Kitano’s closing night film Outrage Coda, Michaël R. Roskam’s Racer and The Jailbird, the Kirsten Dunst-led Woodshock,...
- 7/27/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Venice Announces 2017 Lineup, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Suburbicon,’ ‘mother!,’ and Many More
Will 2017 be the year that Venice gets its king-making mojo back? After a steady run of debuting recent best picture winners — from “Spotlight” to “Birdman” — the festival missed out on last year’s big winner, “Moonlight,” which bowed at Telluride. This year’s lineup is a promising one, and while it’s still very early in the process, it’s difficult not to pick through today’s announcement of the festival’s slate and not search for the big contenders.
As was previously announced, the festival will open with Alexander Payne’s social satire “Downsizing,” starring Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig. The festival will also play home to the premiere of the Netflix original “Our Souls at Night,” as part of their planned tribute to stars Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Annette Bening will lead the competition jury, ending an 11-year succession of male jury chiefs.
Read MoreIndieWire Fall Film...
As was previously announced, the festival will open with Alexander Payne’s social satire “Downsizing,” starring Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig. The festival will also play home to the premiere of the Netflix original “Our Souls at Night,” as part of their planned tribute to stars Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. Annette Bening will lead the competition jury, ending an 11-year succession of male jury chiefs.
Read MoreIndieWire Fall Film...
- 7/27/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Having found success with her 2012 web series “I Love Lucy & Bekka,” playwright Rachael Holder is returning with a full-scale short form series, “I Love Bekka and Lucy,” premiering worldwide at SXSW this year as part of the Episodic line-up. Produced by Stage 13 through Warner Brothers, “I Love Bekka and Lucy” emphasizes the same ideas of friendship from the previous series, but with more time available to flesh out these two inseparable best friends.
Jessica Parker Kennedy and Tanisha Long star as Bekka and Lucy, respectively. The two bounce off each other in ways that aren’t always so seamless, as Bekka’s cynicism plays against Lucy’s dreamier personality. Despite their differences, their deep friendship grounds them. Rounding out the rest of the cast in Holder’s world is Alexis Denisof (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” fame), as well as Chris Smith.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Lineup: Drug-Addicted Lovers and...
Jessica Parker Kennedy and Tanisha Long star as Bekka and Lucy, respectively. The two bounce off each other in ways that aren’t always so seamless, as Bekka’s cynicism plays against Lucy’s dreamier personality. Despite their differences, their deep friendship grounds them. Rounding out the rest of the cast in Holder’s world is Alexis Denisof (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel” fame), as well as Chris Smith.
Read More: SXSW 2017 Lineup: Drug-Addicted Lovers and...
- 3/6/2017
- by Maya Reddy
- Indiewire
Ahead of the UK premiere of his latest film Detour at Horror Channel FrightFest Glasgow, Chris Smith tells us the importance of FrightFest, his love of ‘film Noir’ and his hatred of reality TV…
FrightFest has premiered all your genre movies Creep, Severance, Triangle, Black Death, except Get Santa obviously. Is this positioning an important part of the rollout process for you?
Firstly let me apologise for being away for so long and thank you for having me back. I wrote Get Santa because I’d just had a son and was feeling like I wanted to do something that he could watch in the next 15 years. I expected the film to take a year to come together but it ended up taking four years. My son was by that time old enough to come to the premiere with a few of his class mates.
Back to the question, Frightfest is extremely important,...
FrightFest has premiered all your genre movies Creep, Severance, Triangle, Black Death, except Get Santa obviously. Is this positioning an important part of the rollout process for you?
Firstly let me apologise for being away for so long and thank you for having me back. I wrote Get Santa because I’d just had a son and was feeling like I wanted to do something that he could watch in the next 15 years. I expected the film to take a year to come together but it ended up taking four years. My son was by that time old enough to come to the premiere with a few of his class mates.
Back to the question, Frightfest is extremely important,...
- 2/20/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film and TV critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)
This week’s question: This past Friday saw the release of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary that speaks to our present moment through the writings and actions of the late James Baldwin. What other documentaries — recent or not — might help people better understand and / or respond to the state of the world today?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
“The state of the world today” is too big a matter for any one documentary, because there’s no one state of things, there’s an overwhelming diversity of experiences — and the history of movies is as much the history of the ones that it doesn’t show.
This week’s question: This past Friday saw the release of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro,” a documentary that speaks to our present moment through the writings and actions of the late James Baldwin. What other documentaries — recent or not — might help people better understand and / or respond to the state of the world today?
Richard Brody (@tnyfrontrow), The New Yorker
“The state of the world today” is too big a matter for any one documentary, because there’s no one state of things, there’s an overwhelming diversity of experiences — and the history of movies is as much the history of the ones that it doesn’t show.
- 2/6/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Emile Hirsch keeps himself busy these days, but he’s not always making movies. The 31-year-old actor recently finished the first draft of a novel, completed a screenplay, and spends a lot of time painting still lifes in his backyard.
Meanwhile, he’s acting in a wider range of projects than ever before. A versatile performer known for immersing himself in his roles, he currently stars opposite Brian Cox in the minimalist horror-drama “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” opening December 21, and has a range of projects — from a buddy comedy with Jk Simmons to a sweeping China-set period drama with an otherwise Asian cast—scheduled for 2017.
“The work itself is the goal,” he said, settling into Brooklyn eatery Sisters after a long day promoting “Jane Doe” in Manhattan. He was in the midst of a monthlong break from the novel, following the advice of Stephen King’s “On Writing,” his favorite guidebook.
Meanwhile, he’s acting in a wider range of projects than ever before. A versatile performer known for immersing himself in his roles, he currently stars opposite Brian Cox in the minimalist horror-drama “The Autopsy of Jane Doe,” opening December 21, and has a range of projects — from a buddy comedy with Jk Simmons to a sweeping China-set period drama with an otherwise Asian cast—scheduled for 2017.
“The work itself is the goal,” he said, settling into Brooklyn eatery Sisters after a long day promoting “Jane Doe” in Manhattan. He was in the midst of a monthlong break from the novel, following the advice of Stephen King’s “On Writing,” his favorite guidebook.
- 12/16/2016
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Every week, a bevy of new releases (independent or otherwise), open in theaters. That’s why we created the Weekly Film Guide, filled with basic plot, personnel and cinema information for all of this week’s fresh offerings.
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 5. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Bazodee
Director: Todd Kessler
Cast: Chris Smith, Kabir Bedi, Kriss Dosanjh, Machel Montano, Natalie Perera, Staz Nair
Synopsis: Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local singer,...
For August, we’ve also put together a list for the entire month. We’ve included this week’s list below, complete with information on screening locations for films in limited release.
See More: Here Are All the Upcoming Movies in Theaters for August 2016
Here are the films opening theatrically in the U.S. the week of Friday, August 5. All synopses provided by distributor unless listed otherwise.
Wide
Bazodee
Director: Todd Kessler
Cast: Chris Smith, Kabir Bedi, Kriss Dosanjh, Machel Montano, Natalie Perera, Staz Nair
Synopsis: Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi) is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local singer,...
- 8/4/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Well, here we are in the closing weeks of summer movie season. It’s the last gasp for big-budget blockbusters before the coming fall festival season, but there are plenty of indie alternatives for whatever your tastes may be. Below, you’ll see every planned theatrical release for the month of August, separated out into films with wide runs and limited ones. (Synopses are provided by festivals and distributors.)
Each week, we’ll give you an update with screening locations for these various titles. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!
Week of August 5 Wide
Suicide Squad
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood
Synopsis: A secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned...
Each week, we’ll give you an update with screening locations for these various titles. In the meantime, be sure to check our calendar page, where we’ll update releases for the rest of the year. Happy watching!
Week of August 5 Wide
Suicide Squad
Director: David Ayer
Cast: Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Will Smith, Viola Davis, Jared Leto, Joel Kinnaman, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood
Synopsis: A secret government agency led by Amanda Waller recruits imprisoned...
- 8/1/2016
- by Kate Halliwell, Kyle Kizu and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
It's all about the sound! The Motion Picture Sound Editors unveiled the winners of the 2016 Golden Reel Awards and "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The Revenant" tied for the Best Sound Editing: Feature English Language . FX/Foley. For my Oscar predictions, I chose "Mad Max" for both Sound Editing and Mixing! See my full Oscar predictions here.
Here's the full list of winners of the Golden Reel Awards:
Feature Film
Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Music Score
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Supervising Music Editor: Ramiro Belgardt
Music Editor: Paul Apelgren
Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Music in a Musical
Love & Mercy (Roadside Attractions)
Music Editor: Nicholas Renbeck
Best Sound Editing: Feature English Language . Dialogue/Adr
Bridge Of Spies (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Supervising Sound Editors: Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom
Supervising Dialogue Editor: Brian Chumney
Supervising Adr Editor: Steve Slanec
Best Sound...
Here's the full list of winners of the Golden Reel Awards:
Feature Film
Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Music Score
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Supervising Music Editor: Ramiro Belgardt
Music Editor: Paul Apelgren
Best Sound Editing in Feature Film: Music in a Musical
Love & Mercy (Roadside Attractions)
Music Editor: Nicholas Renbeck
Best Sound Editing: Feature English Language . Dialogue/Adr
Bridge Of Spies (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Supervising Sound Editors: Richard Hymns, Gary Rydstrom
Supervising Dialogue Editor: Brian Chumney
Supervising Adr Editor: Steve Slanec
Best Sound...
- 2/28/2016
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
As her own custody battle drags on, Kelly Rutherford returned to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to testify at another congressional hearing about "left behind" children.
Rutherford, 46, spoke about her fight to bring son Hermes, 8, and daughter Helena, 6, home to the United States permanently. The kids live in Monaco and France with their father, German businessman Daniel Giersch, but are spending the summer with her.
"Nobody in this country seems willing or able to do anything to help bring my American children home, even though this is the country that sent them away," she said, according to a news release.
Rutherford, 46, spoke about her fight to bring son Hermes, 8, and daughter Helena, 6, home to the United States permanently. The kids live in Monaco and France with their father, German businessman Daniel Giersch, but are spending the summer with her.
"Nobody in this country seems willing or able to do anything to help bring my American children home, even though this is the country that sent them away," she said, according to a news release.
- 7/17/2015
- by Michele Corriston, @mcorriston
- People.com - TV Watch
The Sundance Institute’s Next Fest summer film festival hits Los Angeles the weekend of August 7-10, set to be headquartered at the Ace Hotel Theatre, and offering feature and short film screenings, some paired with live music performances.The event was conceived as an extension of the popular Next section from Sundance, which showcases primarily first films from up-and-coming directors, and builds on the Institute’s original Next Weekend event, hosted in 2013. For the festival’s kickoff on August 7, a cult classic film will screen at Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. A similar event for last year’s Next Weekend featured a double-bill screening of Chris Smith’s iconic and hilarious documentary “American Movie” and the horror film it chronicled, Mark Borchardt’s “Coven.”Buzzy films you’ve probably heard of that have premiered in the Next section include “Bellflower,” “Blue Caprice,” “Compliance,” “Sleepwalk With Me,” “Sound of My Voice...
- 5/20/2014
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for Devil in My Ride, an announcement of The British Horror Film Festival lineup, details on Circus of the Dead, an excerpt from Ground Zero, Five Things You Need For the Zombie Apocalypse from Michael Garza, a Q&A with Rachel and Simon Light, and much more:
Devil in My Ride Trailer and Premiere Details: “Red Band Films, the specialty genre label of L.A. based production and finance company Unified Pictures, announced today that its debut feature “Devil in My Ride,” starring Sid Haig (“Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” “Jackie Brown,” “The Devil’s Rejects”), will make its much anticipated World Premiere at the Shriekfest International Film Festival, taking place October 3rd to 6th in Los Angeles.
“Devil in My Ride” is a horror comedy directed by...
Devil in My Ride Trailer and Premiere Details: “Red Band Films, the specialty genre label of L.A. based production and finance company Unified Pictures, announced today that its debut feature “Devil in My Ride,” starring Sid Haig (“Kill Bill: Vol. 2,” “Jackie Brown,” “The Devil’s Rejects”), will make its much anticipated World Premiere at the Shriekfest International Film Festival, taking place October 3rd to 6th in Los Angeles.
“Devil in My Ride” is a horror comedy directed by...
- 9/22/2013
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Exclusive: NBC has cast most of the lead roles in the period Western pilot The Frontier, written by Shaun Cassidy and to be directed by Thomas Schlamme. The Sony TV/Prospect Park-produced pilot chronicles the journey of a group of disparate travelers from Missouri to the West Coast in 1840. Jake McLaughlin will play Cooper, a handsome and driven young farmer who fights like a soldier. Bridget Regan, repped by Gersh and Tmt Entertainment, will play Hannah, who is traveling with her husband but becomes close with Cooper. Al Weaver will play a writer assigned to chronicle the journey. Gina Bramhill will play Emily, who is on her way to her fiancee whom she has never met. Ethan Embry will play DJ Jackson, who pretends to be married to Payton (Megan Ferguson) but both are secretly gay. Chris Smith and Randall Park have been added to CBS’ single-camera comedy pilot from...
- 2/9/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
The 2011 Black List, the Top Unproduced Screenplays of the year has been released. The best unproduced screenplays from The Black List 2011 is compiled by votes from over 300 “execs, agency guys, and high-level assistants. Titled The Black List, the compendium highlights both established screenwriters and up-and-comers, and has served as a launching pad in the past for projects like Juno, Lars and the Real Girl, and (500) Days of Summer. Last year’s list included Margin Call, Crazy, Stupid, Love, The Hunger Games, and Snow White and the Huntsman.”
Regarding the validity of The Black List, things to keep in mind:
some of these screenplays have already been acquired and are already in development, though…none will have entered principal photography by December 31, 2011. Also worth pointing out is that, as in previous years, there have been rumors that some of the participants have been accused of using the Black List to promote their own clients or friends.
Regarding the validity of The Black List, things to keep in mind:
some of these screenplays have already been acquired and are already in development, though…none will have entered principal photography by December 31, 2011. Also worth pointing out is that, as in previous years, there have been rumors that some of the participants have been accused of using the Black List to promote their own clients or friends.
- 12/13/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
The 2011 Black List has arrived online and there are a bunch of the hottest scripts in Hollywood. Some have already been picked up by studios, while most are still unproduced. Here is the press release: The Black List was compiled from the suggestions of over 300 film executives, each of whom contributed the names of up to ten of their favorite scripts that were written in, or are somehow uniquely associated with, 2011 and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.
This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the The Black List.
All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein. The Black List apologizes for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation identification, and questionable 2011 affiliations.
It has been said many times, but it's worth repeating:
The Black List is not a "best of" list. It is, at best, a "most liked" list.
This year, scripts had to receive at least six mentions to be included on the The Black List.
All reasonable effort has been made to confirm the information contained herein. The Black List apologizes for all misspellings, misattributions, incorrect representation identification, and questionable 2011 affiliations.
It has been said many times, but it's worth repeating:
The Black List is not a "best of" list. It is, at best, a "most liked" list.
- 12/13/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
- Here is the complete listing for this year's Sundance film festival which kicks off tomorrow!January 18 to 28, 2007 Counting Down: updateCountdownClock('January 18, 2007'); Premiere's section lineup:An American Crime - Tommy O'Haver Away From Her - Sarah Polley Black Snake Moan - Craig BrewerChapter 27 - Jarrett Schaefer Chicago 10 - Brett Morgen Clubland - Cherie Nowlan The Good Night - Jake Paltrow King of California - Mike Cahill Life Support - Nelson George Longford - Tom Hooper The Nines - John August Resurrecting the Champ - Rod Lurie The Savages - Tamara Jenkins Son of Rambow - Garth Jennings Summer Rain - Antonio Banderas Trade - Marco Kreuzpaintner Year of the Dog - Mike White Dramatic Competition:Adrift in Manhattan - Alfredo de Villa Broken English - Zoe CassavetesFour Sheets to the Wind - Sterlin HarjoThe Good Life - Steve BerraGrace Is Gone - James C. StrouseHounddog - Deborah Kampmeier Joshua
- 1/17/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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