A Tree Grows in England: Loach Loses Steam in Klutzy Refugee Drama
There’s no doubt Ken Loach is one of the most prominent social-realist directors of his time, navigating the plight of poverty (most often) amongst Britain’s working class across a variety of eras, situations, and themes. For six decades, he’s delivered quiet, unassuming dramas which are often bolstered by moving performances, many from first time actors who are unforgettable (like Crissy Rock in 1994’s Ladybird Ladybird). His latest offering, one of several titles in a vibrant late period in his career, The Old Oak, unfortunately is on the iffy side, detailing a xenophobic neighborhood in Northern England upon the arrival of Syrian refugees.…...
There’s no doubt Ken Loach is one of the most prominent social-realist directors of his time, navigating the plight of poverty (most often) amongst Britain’s working class across a variety of eras, situations, and themes. For six decades, he’s delivered quiet, unassuming dramas which are often bolstered by moving performances, many from first time actors who are unforgettable (like Crissy Rock in 1994’s Ladybird Ladybird). His latest offering, one of several titles in a vibrant late period in his career, The Old Oak, unfortunately is on the iffy side, detailing a xenophobic neighborhood in Northern England upon the arrival of Syrian refugees.…...
- 4/4/2024
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
A brand new “The Boys” spinoff series, the second season of “Wheel of Time” and football highlight a robust lineup of new movies and shows coming to Amazon Prime Video in September. “Gen V,” a spinoff of “The Boys” set at a college, premieres on Sept. 29, while new episodes of “The Wheel of Time” Season 2 are rolling out all month long after the season premiere on Sept. 1.
Thursday Night Football is streaming starting Sept. 14, and a whole host of library movies worth checking out – from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Dracula” to “10 Things I Hate About You” – are now streaming.
There’s also the premiere of the original film “Cassandro” starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a gay wrestler, and the acclaimed drama “A Thousand and One” comes to Prime Video on Sept. 19.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023 below.
Thursday Night Football is streaming starting Sept. 14, and a whole host of library movies worth checking out – from “Four Weddings and a Funeral” to “Dracula” to “10 Things I Hate About You” – are now streaming.
There’s also the premiere of the original film “Cassandro” starring Gael Garcia Bernal as a gay wrestler, and the acclaimed drama “A Thousand and One” comes to Prime Video on Sept. 19.
Check out the full list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in September 2023 below.
- 9/3/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
To step inside Sarajevo’s Apollo Cinema 30 years ago, you first had to find the door.
The streets of the Bosnian capital were pitch black. Power cuts brought on by a crippling siege, which started in 1992 when Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city, left the town plunged in darkness. Residents fortunate enough to own gasoline-powered generators were reluctant to use them, for fear that lights would attract sniper fire. Shelling left giant holes in the streets and pavement. The locals referred to them as “rosebuds.”
The Apollo was housed in the basement of the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts, where the Obala Art Center — a group that had risen to prominence in the 1980s — mounted acclaimed stage productions that traveled around the world. Visitors entered through a hole in the wall ringing the perimeter of the academy, crossed a small courtyard to the building’s back door and descended a steep flight of stairs.
The streets of the Bosnian capital were pitch black. Power cuts brought on by a crippling siege, which started in 1992 when Bosnian Serb forces surrounded the city, left the town plunged in darkness. Residents fortunate enough to own gasoline-powered generators were reluctant to use them, for fear that lights would attract sniper fire. Shelling left giant holes in the streets and pavement. The locals referred to them as “rosebuds.”
The Apollo was housed in the basement of the Sarajevo Academy of Performing Arts, where the Obala Art Center — a group that had risen to prominence in the 1980s — mounted acclaimed stage productions that traveled around the world. Visitors entered through a hole in the wall ringing the perimeter of the academy, crossed a small courtyard to the building’s back door and descended a steep flight of stairs.
- 8/15/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Actor-producer Laura Marano, who most recently starred in and produced the Netflix romantic comedy, The Royal Treatment, has signed with Verve for representation.
The agency will also rep her Calabrian Rhode Productions company as they look to expand their slate following the success of the feature which held the No. 1 spot for three weeks following its global release on the streamer.
Up next, Marano is set to star in the first interactive romantic comedy for Netflix, Choose Love, which will start production in New Zealand shortly. Previously, Marano starred alongside Noah Centineo and Camila Mendes in The Perfect Date for Netflix and appeared in A War With Grandpa opposite Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley. Marano was also seen in the 5x Oscar-nominated movie, Ladybird, from Greta Gerwig. She also starred in the family drama Saving Zoe, which she also produced alongside her mother Ellen and sister Vanessa. In addition to her onscreen credits,...
The agency will also rep her Calabrian Rhode Productions company as they look to expand their slate following the success of the feature which held the No. 1 spot for three weeks following its global release on the streamer.
Up next, Marano is set to star in the first interactive romantic comedy for Netflix, Choose Love, which will start production in New Zealand shortly. Previously, Marano starred alongside Noah Centineo and Camila Mendes in The Perfect Date for Netflix and appeared in A War With Grandpa opposite Robert De Niro and Oakes Fegley. Marano was also seen in the 5x Oscar-nominated movie, Ladybird, from Greta Gerwig. She also starred in the family drama Saving Zoe, which she also produced alongside her mother Ellen and sister Vanessa. In addition to her onscreen credits,...
- 4/14/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Life in plastic truly is fantastic in the world of Greta Gerwig's upcoming "Barbie" movie, because now the star-studded cast has added the fiercely funny Will Ferrell. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ferrell will be joining the live-action film from the "Ladybird" director, which stars Margot Robbie as the fashion-forward Barbie and Ryan Gosling as her plastic paramour, Ken.
We still don't know the exact specifics of how the "Barbie" movie is going to work, because Robbie is on the record saying that it's a subversive take and "whatever you're thinking, it's not that," so the addition of Ferrell, who is always willing to get weird, is especially...
The post Will Ferrell Joins Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie appeared first on /Film.
We still don't know the exact specifics of how the "Barbie" movie is going to work, because Robbie is on the record saying that it's a subversive take and "whatever you're thinking, it's not that," so the addition of Ferrell, who is always willing to get weird, is especially...
The post Will Ferrell Joins Margot Robbie in Greta Gerwig's Barbie Movie appeared first on /Film.
- 4/11/2022
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
There's a certain canon of coming-of-age films that everyone is sort of expected to see: "Stand by Me," "The Breakfast Club," "The Virgin Suicides," and "Rebel Without a Cause," to name a few. More recently, films like "Ladybird," "Moonlight," "Boyhood," and "Eighth Grade" have been heralded as instant classics. Even the coming-of-age drama "Coda" has somewhat unexpectedly become a frontrunner for the 2022 Oscars. But what about the more underrated coming-of-age dramas?
Here are some films to add to your list that didn't get the love they deserve or are unfortunately still considered too "niche" to make the average must-see list. Despite Hollywood's best efforts to make us believe...
The post Underrated Coming-of-Age Dramas You Should Definitely Check Out appeared first on /Film.
Here are some films to add to your list that didn't get the love they deserve or are unfortunately still considered too "niche" to make the average must-see list. Despite Hollywood's best efforts to make us believe...
The post Underrated Coming-of-Age Dramas You Should Definitely Check Out appeared first on /Film.
- 3/25/2022
- by Leah Marilla Thomas
- Slash Film
In Hollywood, it’s easier to sell a movie if you can say, “It’s like a new take on ___” and fill in the blank with a box office hit. But the films that get nominated for director are usually the result of a singular vision, one that’s hard to pin down and categorize.
Still, just as many Americans love doing DNA searches for their own family, we can trace the genre roots of this year’s director nominees.
“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
An acclaimed British director, who earned his first Oscar nomination for a picture filled with action sequences and memorable quotes, earns another for an intimate autobiographical story about a childhood in which encroaching violence casts a shadow. “Belfast”? Sure, but also John Boorman (“Deliverance”) and “Hope and Glory.”
A few directors have earned nominations by focusing on pre-teen children or on the Troubles. But while “Hope and Glory...
Still, just as many Americans love doing DNA searches for their own family, we can trace the genre roots of this year’s director nominees.
“Belfast,” Kenneth Branagh
An acclaimed British director, who earned his first Oscar nomination for a picture filled with action sequences and memorable quotes, earns another for an intimate autobiographical story about a childhood in which encroaching violence casts a shadow. “Belfast”? Sure, but also John Boorman (“Deliverance”) and “Hope and Glory.”
A few directors have earned nominations by focusing on pre-teen children or on the Troubles. But while “Hope and Glory...
- 2/28/2022
- by Stuart Miller
- Variety Film + TV
This morning’s Oscar nominations suggest a rethink — or at least a collective hitting of the pause button — on the status of streaming in the awards conversation.
Netflix’s The Power of the Dog led the field with 12 nominations and Apple broke through with six nominations, including one for Best Picture for Coda. Yet major studios, specialty distributors and, yes, theatrical rollouts generally prevailed despite 2021 being marked by Covid, exhibition closures and an explosion of films available at home. Netflix’s total of 27 nominations represented a significant dropoff from its 36 last year. Apple managed six, up from two, while Amazon fell to just four, down from a dozen. Hulu equaled its year-ago tally with one.
Heading into this year, Netflix had been gaining steam in the Oscar race as it stepped up its overall investment in original films. (It also has spent lavishly on campaigns.) In 2019, paced by Roma, it had 15 nominations.
Netflix’s The Power of the Dog led the field with 12 nominations and Apple broke through with six nominations, including one for Best Picture for Coda. Yet major studios, specialty distributors and, yes, theatrical rollouts generally prevailed despite 2021 being marked by Covid, exhibition closures and an explosion of films available at home. Netflix’s total of 27 nominations represented a significant dropoff from its 36 last year. Apple managed six, up from two, while Amazon fell to just four, down from a dozen. Hulu equaled its year-ago tally with one.
Heading into this year, Netflix had been gaining steam in the Oscar race as it stepped up its overall investment in original films. (It also has spent lavishly on campaigns.) In 2019, paced by Roma, it had 15 nominations.
- 2/8/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Liana Liberato has signed on to star in Todd Bogin’s first feature, Left with Only Rain, with Jordan Rodrigues (Ladybird), Rumer Willis (Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood), and Richard Kind (A Serious Man) also joining the cast.
The thriller centers on Sabina Geshem, a young woman reeling from a breakup, who is struggling to rebuild her once-promising dance career. After a dalliance with her ex threatens her big comeback, Sabina goes to a small town to track him down. There, she discovers his new and pregnant girlfriend, inserting herself into the unsuspecting woman’s life, and seeking something other than closure.
Bogin penned the script for the film, which 2×4 Productions’ Dustin Williams will produce alongside Gabriel Francisco and Rafael Francisco of Francisco Productions.
Liberato recently wrapped production on K. Asher Levin’s Dig, an indie feature in which she stars opposite Emile Hirsch.
The thriller centers on Sabina Geshem, a young woman reeling from a breakup, who is struggling to rebuild her once-promising dance career. After a dalliance with her ex threatens her big comeback, Sabina goes to a small town to track him down. There, she discovers his new and pregnant girlfriend, inserting herself into the unsuspecting woman’s life, and seeking something other than closure.
Bogin penned the script for the film, which 2×4 Productions’ Dustin Williams will produce alongside Gabriel Francisco and Rafael Francisco of Francisco Productions.
Liberato recently wrapped production on K. Asher Levin’s Dig, an indie feature in which she stars opposite Emile Hirsch.
- 10/6/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Claustrophobia suffocates the big screen in Kira Kovalenko’s latest feature, “Unclenching the Fists.” Kovalenko’ sophomore film won Un Certain Regard at Cannes and then made its North American premiere at Telluride. Here — in this ex-mining town — the contrast could not have felt more ironic. Compared to the verdant Rockies, Kovalenko’s film ruminates upon the ashy Caucasus. Rolling hills of dust restrain, rather than expand, the characters on-the-ground — leaving us chained to circumstance along with the rest of the cast. Compared to the glee and the glamor of the festival outdoors, “Unclenching the Fists” languishes in the hopelessness of the future.
After all, nothing much is going for Ada (Milana Aguzarova), a universally adored, single Ossetian woman. After a bombing incident in her childhood, the men in her life just can’t seem to let her go. Her father, Zaur (Alik Karaev), hides her passport to keep her in-town.
After all, nothing much is going for Ada (Milana Aguzarova), a universally adored, single Ossetian woman. After a bombing incident in her childhood, the men in her life just can’t seem to let her go. Her father, Zaur (Alik Karaev), hides her passport to keep her in-town.
- 9/12/2021
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
Carey Mulligan, Best Actress nominee for “Promising Young Woman,” became the latest Oscar contender to show off her comedic chops when she hosted “Saturday Night Live” on April 10, just two weeks before the Academy Awards air on Sunday, April 25 on ABC. The sketch comedy series has become a regular stop on the campaign trail for Oscar hopefuls, including Best Supporting Actor nominee Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) the week prior. But does this risky strategy (which could result in an actor bombing on live TV) pay off?
SEECarey Mulligan ‘SNL’ monologue: ‘Promising Young Woman’ star gets surprise visit from husband Marcus Mumford
Louis Gossett Jr. became the first of 14 Oscar winners to include “SNL” on his road to Oscar glory when he hosted nearly 39 years ago. He only appeared in four sketches in that October 2, 1982 episode, but he claimed victory six months later when he took home Best...
SEECarey Mulligan ‘SNL’ monologue: ‘Promising Young Woman’ star gets surprise visit from husband Marcus Mumford
Louis Gossett Jr. became the first of 14 Oscar winners to include “SNL” on his road to Oscar glory when he hosted nearly 39 years ago. He only appeared in four sketches in that October 2, 1982 episode, but he claimed victory six months later when he took home Best...
- 4/14/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“Mayday,” which took its first European bow at the Rotterdam Film Festival this week after premiering at Sundance, is the debut feature of U.S. writer/director Karen Cinorre.
The film tells the tale of oppressed young waitress Ana working at a wedding, who falls through an oven into a female-dominated utopia.
The character then joins group of seemingly like-minded soldiers who are involved in a Siren-like mission to lure male soldiers to their deaths via fake mayday calls.
The feature is one of a number of films vying for this year’s Tiger Award at Rotterdam exploring female self-realization and shares similar revenge fantasy themes to fellow Sundance breakout, Emma Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.”
While Cinorre’s original script for the film pre-dates both the #MeToo and “Time’s Up” movements, she remains hopeful that these events have created “a new openness” that has meant films like hers are more likely to get made.
The film tells the tale of oppressed young waitress Ana working at a wedding, who falls through an oven into a female-dominated utopia.
The character then joins group of seemingly like-minded soldiers who are involved in a Siren-like mission to lure male soldiers to their deaths via fake mayday calls.
The feature is one of a number of films vying for this year’s Tiger Award at Rotterdam exploring female self-realization and shares similar revenge fantasy themes to fellow Sundance breakout, Emma Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman.”
While Cinorre’s original script for the film pre-dates both the #MeToo and “Time’s Up” movements, she remains hopeful that these events have created “a new openness” that has meant films like hers are more likely to get made.
- 2/6/2021
- by Ann-Marie Corvin
- Variety Film + TV
UK Indie Pic Sets Cast
Exclusive: Crissy Rock, Paul Barber and Kayleigh-Paige Rees will lead the cast of UK indie movie Kate & Jake. The pic is being helmed by Jack McLoughlin, his feature debut, and is based on the filmmaker’s own experiences of love and loss. It is privately funded and will shoot in the UK from January. Rees, known for her role in ITV drama Sanditon, is producing the project through her banner Raspberry Films alongside Thomas Griffiths, with Debbie Honeywood as executive producer. Rock is most recognized for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film Ladybird and is also a stand-up comedian and author. Barber is known for playing Denzil in Only Fools And Horses as well as his role as Horse in The Full Monty.
WarnerMedia Appoints Head Of Kids Emea
WarnerMedia has appointed Vanessa Brookman to the new role of Head of Kids Emea.
Exclusive: Crissy Rock, Paul Barber and Kayleigh-Paige Rees will lead the cast of UK indie movie Kate & Jake. The pic is being helmed by Jack McLoughlin, his feature debut, and is based on the filmmaker’s own experiences of love and loss. It is privately funded and will shoot in the UK from January. Rees, known for her role in ITV drama Sanditon, is producing the project through her banner Raspberry Films alongside Thomas Griffiths, with Debbie Honeywood as executive producer. Rock is most recognized for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film Ladybird and is also a stand-up comedian and author. Barber is known for playing Denzil in Only Fools And Horses as well as his role as Horse in The Full Monty.
WarnerMedia Appoints Head Of Kids Emea
WarnerMedia has appointed Vanessa Brookman to the new role of Head of Kids Emea.
- 12/11/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
In December on Sky Cinema, Robert Downey Jr. talks to the animals, Sonic the Hedgehog has gotta go fast, and Cats arrives in all its glory.
Check out the full December line-up below…
Premieres
Dolittle (2020) – 4th December
Robert Downey Jr. followed up his long run as Marvel’s Iron Man with this family adventure film based on the kids books by Hugh Lofting. Despite a big supporting cast that includes Emma Thompson, Michael Sheen, Rami Malek and Tom Holland, it’s not brilliant. Any Downey Jr. completists will want to check it out regardless.
Emma (2020) – 5th December
Anya Taylor-Joy leads this new adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel playing Emma Woodhouse, a gal who spends so much time setting up the people she knows with ‘happily ever after’, she forgets about her own romantic possibilities.
Critical Thinking (2020) – 6th December
This 90s-set drama focuses on the story of Cuban-American teacher Mario...
Check out the full December line-up below…
Premieres
Dolittle (2020) – 4th December
Robert Downey Jr. followed up his long run as Marvel’s Iron Man with this family adventure film based on the kids books by Hugh Lofting. Despite a big supporting cast that includes Emma Thompson, Michael Sheen, Rami Malek and Tom Holland, it’s not brilliant. Any Downey Jr. completists will want to check it out regardless.
Emma (2020) – 5th December
Anya Taylor-Joy leads this new adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel playing Emma Woodhouse, a gal who spends so much time setting up the people she knows with ‘happily ever after’, she forgets about her own romantic possibilities.
Critical Thinking (2020) – 6th December
This 90s-set drama focuses on the story of Cuban-American teacher Mario...
- 11/19/2020
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Picturestart and Lionsgate TV are developing a scripted TV series set in the world of fencing. The series is based on a concept by Greta Gerwig, who at one point was attached to direct with Erik Feig on board to develop. How involved Gerwig will be on the series is unknown at this time given her busy schedule.
The series will follow a ragtag, underdog college fencing team. A hilarious take on female friendships, gender, class, and the strange rules of an ancient sport. A video of Gerwig’s fencing skills went viral in 2017, clearly showing Gerwig is more then just a fan but also quite skilled when it comes to the actual sport. She penned a script but quickly became one of the more sought after directors in town following the success of Ladybird and Little Women, and the fencing film was shelved.
Picturestart founder Feig still found...
The series will follow a ragtag, underdog college fencing team. A hilarious take on female friendships, gender, class, and the strange rules of an ancient sport. A video of Gerwig’s fencing skills went viral in 2017, clearly showing Gerwig is more then just a fan but also quite skilled when it comes to the actual sport. She penned a script but quickly became one of the more sought after directors in town following the success of Ladybird and Little Women, and the fencing film was shelved.
Picturestart founder Feig still found...
- 8/17/2020
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Which directors have dominated the movie landscape for the past couple of decades? Since we rolled over into the new millennium, Spielberg certainly hasn’t had the success he enjoyed during the 70s, 80s and 90s , but he has still given us Minority Report, War of the Worlds, Munich, War Horse, Lincoln and Catch Me If You Can, so he can hardly be accused of having entirely lost his touch.
Comic book movies have been very much the tale of the last two decades, but (with the exception of the Russos and Bryan Singer) very few directors have made that their sole (or even predominant) focus. That has meant that very few of the directors who have worked within that genre have managed to raise their own profiles. Instead, McU has become a juggernaut and for the most part, the individual styles of the directors have felt subsumed into the broader McU in-house style.
Comic book movies have been very much the tale of the last two decades, but (with the exception of the Russos and Bryan Singer) very few directors have made that their sole (or even predominant) focus. That has meant that very few of the directors who have worked within that genre have managed to raise their own profiles. Instead, McU has become a juggernaut and for the most part, the individual styles of the directors have felt subsumed into the broader McU in-house style.
- 7/19/2020
- by Dave Roper
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
I once posited there’s no Greta Gerwig and “Ladybird” without writer/director Nicole Holofcener, and I still believe that to be true. For three decades, Holofcener, the indie filmmaker behind cult feminist comedic indies like 1996’s breakthrough film “Walking And Talking,” 2001’s “Lovely & Amazing, 2006’s “Friends With Money”—featuring a semi-rare indie acting turn for Jennifer Aniston— and many more, has been delivering sharply observed, bitingly hilarious, empathic, complex comedies about the human condition, family, and life’s ordinary struggles.
Continue reading Nicole Holofcener Talks The Struggle Of Selfishness Vs. Selflessness In Her Hilarious, Humane Comedies [Interview] at The Playlist.
Continue reading Nicole Holofcener Talks The Struggle Of Selfishness Vs. Selflessness In Her Hilarious, Humane Comedies [Interview] at The Playlist.
- 6/12/2020
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
It’s hard to bring Beanie Feldstein down.
The on-screen effervescence she’s delivered to breakout performances in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” and Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” is no act.
Over a lengthy conversation to promote her new movie “How to Build a Girl,” her first shot at carrying a film on her own, Feldstein oozes optimism.
She prepares and executes her acting gigs like an eager student in a coveted class, she says. Lifelong bonds are forged with fellow classmates. Her career, though she’s hesitant to use that word to describe her four years of professional experience, is a knowledge quest. Not even an ongoing coronavirus quarantine is enough to suppress her optimism — she sees it as time to spend in grateful reflection in her Los Angeles childhood home, where, she says, she’s been looking at photos and marveling that she is the subject of a story in Variety.
The on-screen effervescence she’s delivered to breakout performances in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” and Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” is no act.
Over a lengthy conversation to promote her new movie “How to Build a Girl,” her first shot at carrying a film on her own, Feldstein oozes optimism.
She prepares and executes her acting gigs like an eager student in a coveted class, she says. Lifelong bonds are forged with fellow classmates. Her career, though she’s hesitant to use that word to describe her four years of professional experience, is a knowledge quest. Not even an ongoing coronavirus quarantine is enough to suppress her optimism — she sees it as time to spend in grateful reflection in her Los Angeles childhood home, where, she says, she’s been looking at photos and marveling that she is the subject of a story in Variety.
- 5/6/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Greta Gerwig’s fresh, unique and modern adaptation of the timeless Louisa May Alcott masterpiece Little Women comes home on Digital March 10 and Blu-ray and DVD April 7 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
The Blu-ray, DVD and digital releases will take viewers even deeper into the beloved story of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth with over 45 minutes of fascinating bonus features. See how Writer/Director Greta Gerwig led this modern adaptation of a literary classic with a magnificent new cast, incredible art direction, elaborate costumes, set pieces and how she took inspiration from the real-life Orchard House where Louisa May Alcott lived and wrote Little Women.
Writer-director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) has crafted a Little Women that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life.
The Blu-ray, DVD and digital releases will take viewers even deeper into the beloved story of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth with over 45 minutes of fascinating bonus features. See how Writer/Director Greta Gerwig led this modern adaptation of a literary classic with a magnificent new cast, incredible art direction, elaborate costumes, set pieces and how she took inspiration from the real-life Orchard House where Louisa May Alcott lived and wrote Little Women.
Writer-director Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird) has crafted a Little Women that draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life.
- 3/24/2020
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Heart of Glass: Costanzo’s Uncomfortable, Emotional Glance at Madness
Must every cinematic portrait of mental illness be ‘illuminating?’ Your answer to that question may gauge your reaction to Italian director Sergio Costanzo’s New York set domestic horror film, Hungry Hearts, a film best walked into cold. Ambiguity reigns supreme, and for those enjoying a feeling of befuddlement, a rarity in the contemporary cinematic landscape of political correctness, may find Costanzo’s adaptation of Marco Franzoso’s novel a winning concoction. Drawing comparisons to early works by Roman Polanski in how it swiftly throws an unraveling relationship drama into the domestic level of hell, the film instead recalls an era when allowances were made for cinematic representation of strange behaviors and dysfunctional relationships. Surprisingly odd, yet leaving us, roughly, with the feeling of being slapped, perhaps by today’s standards the film can best be understood as the anti-romcom,...
Must every cinematic portrait of mental illness be ‘illuminating?’ Your answer to that question may gauge your reaction to Italian director Sergio Costanzo’s New York set domestic horror film, Hungry Hearts, a film best walked into cold. Ambiguity reigns supreme, and for those enjoying a feeling of befuddlement, a rarity in the contemporary cinematic landscape of political correctness, may find Costanzo’s adaptation of Marco Franzoso’s novel a winning concoction. Drawing comparisons to early works by Roman Polanski in how it swiftly throws an unraveling relationship drama into the domestic level of hell, the film instead recalls an era when allowances were made for cinematic representation of strange behaviors and dysfunctional relationships. Surprisingly odd, yet leaving us, roughly, with the feeling of being slapped, perhaps by today’s standards the film can best be understood as the anti-romcom,...
- 6/6/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Richard John Taylor had no problem attracting investors to his films. After all, he was a senior editor on EastEnders, ran a production company with Louis Theroux and had a lucrative deal with ITV. There was only one problem…
At the end of Tina Renton's book, You Can't Hide, she thanks her friend Richard John Taylor for everything he's done for her. Taylor, a film-maker, had become a saviour of sorts. He had met her through Rape Crisis in August 2011 when she was at her most vulnerable, befriended her, gave her a job as his personal assistant and made her feel worthwhile again.
Renton's story was as inspirational as it was shocking. She had been abused by her stepfather from the age of six. At 14, she told her mother, but her mother said if she went to the police, the family would be left homeless. She threw her partner out of the house,...
At the end of Tina Renton's book, You Can't Hide, she thanks her friend Richard John Taylor for everything he's done for her. Taylor, a film-maker, had become a saviour of sorts. He had met her through Rape Crisis in August 2011 when she was at her most vulnerable, befriended her, gave her a job as his personal assistant and made her feel worthwhile again.
Renton's story was as inspirational as it was shocking. She had been abused by her stepfather from the age of six. At 14, she told her mother, but her mother said if she went to the police, the family would be left homeless. She threw her partner out of the house,...
- 3/22/2014
- by Simon Hattenstone
- The Guardian - Film News
Homage to the British filmmakers work to feature at the festival in February, where he will receive an honorary Golden Bear.
British director Ken Loach is to be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16).
The award ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Raining Stones, Loach’s film about a man who makes disastrous choices in trying to raise the money for his daughter’s first Communion dress. It won the jury prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Berlin will also host a homage to Loach’s work, including 1966 TV drama Cathy Come Home, about a young mother who becomes homeless after her husband loses his job.
It was seen by 12 million people on its first broadcast - a quarter of the UK population - and is regularly cited as one of the best, most influential British TV dramas and led to the setting up of the...
British director Ken Loach is to be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16).
The award ceremony will be accompanied by a screening of Raining Stones, Loach’s film about a man who makes disastrous choices in trying to raise the money for his daughter’s first Communion dress. It won the jury prize at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival.
Berlin will also host a homage to Loach’s work, including 1966 TV drama Cathy Come Home, about a young mother who becomes homeless after her husband loses his job.
It was seen by 12 million people on its first broadcast - a quarter of the UK population - and is regularly cited as one of the best, most influential British TV dramas and led to the setting up of the...
- 11/29/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Jimmy’s Hall, which has begun shooting in Ireland, is likely to be Ken Loach’s last narrative feature - but he will continue to direct documentaries.
Ken Loach’s upcoming drama, Jimmy’s Hall, will likely be his last, according to regular producer Rebecca O’Brien.
“This is probably the last narrative feature for Ken,” O’Brien told ScreenDaily. “There are a few documentary ideas kicking around, and that will probably be the way to go, but this is a serious period-drama with a lot of moving parts so it’s a big thing to put together. I think we should go out while we’re on top.”
O’Brien, who has produced more than a dozen features with Loach since 1990, said that the 77 year-old director is likely to continue to make documentaries and TV work but that he is “unlikely” to make another narrative feature.
“It’s such a huge operation and Ken doesn...
Ken Loach’s upcoming drama, Jimmy’s Hall, will likely be his last, according to regular producer Rebecca O’Brien.
“This is probably the last narrative feature for Ken,” O’Brien told ScreenDaily. “There are a few documentary ideas kicking around, and that will probably be the way to go, but this is a serious period-drama with a lot of moving parts so it’s a big thing to put together. I think we should go out while we’re on top.”
O’Brien, who has produced more than a dozen features with Loach since 1990, said that the 77 year-old director is likely to continue to make documentaries and TV work but that he is “unlikely” to make another narrative feature.
“It’s such a huge operation and Ken doesn...
- 8/8/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Jimmy’s Hall, which has begun shooting in Ireland, is likely to be Ken Loach’s last narrative feature - but he will continue to direct documentaries.
Ken Loach’s upcoming drama, Jimmy’s Hall, will likely be his last, according to regular producer Rebecca O’Brien.
“This is probably the last narrative feature for Ken,” O’Brien told ScreenDaily. “There are a few documentary ideas kicking around, and that will probably be the way to go, but this is a serious period-drama with a lot of interconnecting elements so it’s a big thing to put together. I think we should go out while we’re on top.”
O’Brien, who has produced more than a dozen features with Loach since 1990, said that the 77 year-old director is likely to continue to make documentaries and TV work but that he is “unlikely” to make another narrative feature.
“It’s such a huge operation and Ken doesn...
Ken Loach’s upcoming drama, Jimmy’s Hall, will likely be his last, according to regular producer Rebecca O’Brien.
“This is probably the last narrative feature for Ken,” O’Brien told ScreenDaily. “There are a few documentary ideas kicking around, and that will probably be the way to go, but this is a serious period-drama with a lot of interconnecting elements so it’s a big thing to put together. I think we should go out while we’re on top.”
O’Brien, who has produced more than a dozen features with Loach since 1990, said that the 77 year-old director is likely to continue to make documentaries and TV work but that he is “unlikely” to make another narrative feature.
“It’s such a huge operation and Ken doesn...
- 8/8/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Ken Loach, the 76-year old, British filmmaker best known for his bleak political dramas such as "The Wind that Shakes the Barley," "Bread and Roses" and "Ladybird Ladybird," has with "The Angels' Share" made a wee, entertaining comedy about the theft of high-priced scotch in Scotland. Like most Loach films, it starts out focused on those barely clinging to the bottom rung of the social ladder, this time in Glasgow. Robbie (newcomer Paul Brannigan), a skinny runt of a young man, is up before a judge who'll decide whether he goes...
- 4/11/2013
- by Leah Rozen
- The Wrap
Ken Loach, the 76-year old, British filmmaker best known for his bleak political dramas such as "The Wind that Shakes the Barley," "Bread and Roses" and "Ladybird Ladybird," has with "The Angels' Share" made a wee, entertaining comedy about the theft of high-priced scotch in Scotland. Like most Loach films, it starts out focused on those barely clinging to the bottom rung of the social ladder, this time in Glasgow. Robbie (newcomer Paul Brannigan), a skinny runt of a young man, is up before a judge who'll decide whether he goes...
- 4/11/2013
- by Leah Rozen
- The Wrap
Ken Loach expertly combines comedy with politics – and a drop of the hard stuff – in a warm, deftly-plotted heist movie
Though not generally considered a comedy director, Ken Loach has made films that have contained some of the funniest moments and sequences of the past 50 years, and he has regularly employed club comedians in serious roles (Crissy Rock in Ladybird Ladybird, John Bishop in Route Irish) and developed the talents of people such as Ricky Tomlinson not previously considered comics. It's just that Loach is a master of sudden, disturbing shifts of mood, and the comedy is embedded in works that are often deeply sad or tragic. The football game, for instance, that Brian Glover referees in Kes is at once hilariously funny and a brilliant study of bullying, bad education and humiliation that illuminates the film's larger context.
The background of The Angels' Share, his latest collaboration with the...
Though not generally considered a comedy director, Ken Loach has made films that have contained some of the funniest moments and sequences of the past 50 years, and he has regularly employed club comedians in serious roles (Crissy Rock in Ladybird Ladybird, John Bishop in Route Irish) and developed the talents of people such as Ricky Tomlinson not previously considered comics. It's just that Loach is a master of sudden, disturbing shifts of mood, and the comedy is embedded in works that are often deeply sad or tragic. The football game, for instance, that Brian Glover referees in Kes is at once hilariously funny and a brilliant study of bullying, bad education and humiliation that illuminates the film's larger context.
The background of The Angels' Share, his latest collaboration with the...
- 6/2/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Part of our Oscar 2010 coverage.
Leading up to the Oscars on March 7, we will be highlighting the nominated films that have appeared in the magazine or on the Website in the last year. Scott Macaulay interviewed The Hurt Locker cinematographer Barry Ackroyd for our Spring 2009 issue. The Hurt Locker is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), Best Actor (Jeremy Renner), Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), Best Cinematography (Ackroyd), Best Editing (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis), Best Original Score (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders), Best Sound Editing (Paul N.J. Ottosson) and Best Sound Mixing (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett).
Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd has shot almost 50 features with numerous directors, but when it comes time to discuss his work on Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, his collaborations with two other helmers need to be referenced. The first is Ken Loach, the director Ackroyd is most associated with. The Manchester,...
Leading up to the Oscars on March 7, we will be highlighting the nominated films that have appeared in the magazine or on the Website in the last year. Scott Macaulay interviewed The Hurt Locker cinematographer Barry Ackroyd for our Spring 2009 issue. The Hurt Locker is nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Kathryn Bigelow), Best Actor (Jeremy Renner), Original Screenplay (Mark Boal), Best Cinematography (Ackroyd), Best Editing (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis), Best Original Score (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders), Best Sound Editing (Paul N.J. Ottosson) and Best Sound Mixing (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett).
Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd has shot almost 50 features with numerous directors, but when it comes time to discuss his work on Kathryn Bigelow’s The Hurt Locker, his collaborations with two other helmers need to be referenced. The first is Ken Loach, the director Ackroyd is most associated with. The Manchester,...
- 11/14/2011
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Exclusive Cohen Media Group has acquired "Oranges and Sunshine," a drama starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving, for fall theatrical release. Jim Loach directed the story about a social worker who uncovered the British government's forced deportation of poor children to Australia and Canada -- frequently without their parents' knowledge. In many cases, the children were told that their parents had died. Watson ("Breaking the Waves," "Hilary and Jackie") stars as Margaret Humphreys, the social worker. Weaving ("The Matrix") and David Wendham ("300," "Public Enemies," "Lord of the Rings") also star. Rona Munro ("Ladybird Ladybird") wrote...
- 4/7/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
Ken Loach brings the horrors of the war in Iraq back home to Liverpool in this gripping conspiracy thriller
All films are political, though most unconsciously so. Along with a handful of others (one thinks of the great Soviet directors of the 1920s, of the Italians Francesco Rosi and Gillo Pontecorvo, of the American John Sayles), Ken Loach is that relatively rare figure, the consciously political film-maker. Only the occasional Loach film lacks some well-considered left-wing agenda, and Route Irish, his response to the war in Iraq, takes up themes he has pursued on several occasions, including crimes committed in the name of the state, the brutalisation of militarism, the exploitation of the demoralised unemployed and the thoughtless ill-treatment of native populations.
Scripted by his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, Route Irish is a characteristic Loach film, a gripping conspiracy thriller not unlike Hidden Agenda, his film on the Troubles. Quite...
All films are political, though most unconsciously so. Along with a handful of others (one thinks of the great Soviet directors of the 1920s, of the Italians Francesco Rosi and Gillo Pontecorvo, of the American John Sayles), Ken Loach is that relatively rare figure, the consciously political film-maker. Only the occasional Loach film lacks some well-considered left-wing agenda, and Route Irish, his response to the war in Iraq, takes up themes he has pursued on several occasions, including crimes committed in the name of the state, the brutalisation of militarism, the exploitation of the demoralised unemployed and the thoughtless ill-treatment of native populations.
Scripted by his regular screenwriter Paul Laverty, Route Irish is a characteristic Loach film, a gripping conspiracy thriller not unlike Hidden Agenda, his film on the Troubles. Quite...
- 3/20/2011
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
My Idiot Brother
Opens: 2011
Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan
Director: Jesse Peretz
Summary: Ned is a well-meaning idealist just released from prison for dealing cannabis. In succession, he disrupts the lives and homes of his three sisters: a career-driven journalist about to get her big break; a bisexual hipster whose lies are disrupting her relationship; and a married mother who hasn't noticed that her marriage is falling apart.
Analysis: Scoring a good response over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, this broad light comedy with a sweet heart charmed the pants off The Weinstein Company to the tune of around $6 million for distribution rights. That covers most of its sub-$10 million budget, a number that it could potentially outgross by several factors if the good-natured tone hinted at in the reviews were correct. If anything, the few negatives tended to be because this...
Opens: 2011
Cast: Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan
Director: Jesse Peretz
Summary: Ned is a well-meaning idealist just released from prison for dealing cannabis. In succession, he disrupts the lives and homes of his three sisters: a career-driven journalist about to get her big break; a bisexual hipster whose lies are disrupting her relationship; and a married mother who hasn't noticed that her marriage is falling apart.
Analysis: Scoring a good response over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival, this broad light comedy with a sweet heart charmed the pants off The Weinstein Company to the tune of around $6 million for distribution rights. That covers most of its sub-$10 million budget, a number that it could potentially outgross by several factors if the good-natured tone hinted at in the reviews were correct. If anything, the few negatives tended to be because this...
- 1/28/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
With movies like Riff-Raff, Raining Stones, and Ladybird Ladybird in the early ’90s, British director Ken Loach carved out a distinctive niche by fusing social realism with human comedy, adding a spoonful of sugar to make his class politics go down. Later in the decade, imitators like The Full Monty, Waking Ned Devine, and Billy Elliot found great commercial success in scaling back the politics while keeping the working-class backdrops more or less intact; at their worst, they suffered a serious case of the cutes. Now everything has come full circle: Following a run of serious dramas like The Wind ...
- 5/13/2010
- avclub.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.