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With the rumors and speculations soaring around the upcoming final installment (Star Trek 4 ) of the J.J. Abrams-produced Star Trek franchise, which is more than likely to include the reprise of the Enterprise crew portrayed by Chris Pine (Captain Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Lt. Uhura), and others. Despite Quinto’s convincing performance as Spock in the Kelvin timeline, should Star Trek creators decide to go in a different direction with a new cast, here are four talented Oscar-nominated actors who could take on the role of the archetypal Vulcan.

"Disclaimer - Chapter 5-7" Red Carpet - The 81st Venice International Film Festival - Kodi Smit-McPhee | Daniele Venturelli/GettyImages

1. Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Actor)

28-year-old Kodi Smit-McPhee has been racking up acting accolades since his feature film debut at age 11 with co-star Eric Bana in Romulus, May Father, for which he [Smit-McPhee] received the Young Actor’s Award from the Australian Film Institute.

Exclusive: Veteran literary agent David Lubliner is switching to management and has joined Untitled Entertainment. Lubliner, who starts in his new role as manager effective immediately and will be based out of Untitled’s Los Angeles office, was most recently a literary agent at UTA.

“We are thrilled that David is taking the leap into management and joining us at Untitled,” the company’s partners said in a joint statement. “He is someone we all love working with and are excited to bring into our fold.”

Lubliner has worked with such established clients as Paul Weitz (Fatherhood), Chris Weitz (The Creator), Miguel Arteta (Yes Day), Rob Letterman (Goosebumps TV series), Peter Hedges (Ben Is Back), Jim Taylor (Tracy Flick Can’t Win), Dana Stevens (The Woman King) and Karey Kirkpatrick (Peanuts). Most are expected to be joining him in his new capacity.

“Untitled has built a tremendous reputation for nurturing...

Mubi has unveiled their February 2024 lineup, featuring Roy Andersson’s little-seen 1991 short World of Glory, Nicole Holofcener’s Lovely & Amazing starring Catherine Keener with an early Jake Gyllenhaal performance, and special Black History Month selections: Spike Lee’s Red Hook Summer, Kasi Lemmon’s Eve’s Bayou, Carl Franklin’s One False Move, and more.

Check out the lineup below, including recently added January titles, and get 30 days free here.

Just-Added

American Movie, directed by Christopher Smith | Festival Focus: Sundance

Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges | Festival Focus: Sundance

The Blair Witch Project, directed by Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sánchez | Festival Focus: Sundance

But I’m a Cheerleader, directed by Jamie Babbit | Festival Focus: Sundance

Secretary, directed by Steven Shainberg | Festival Focus: Sundance

Medicine for Melancholy directed by Barry Jenkins | First Films First

Antiviral, directed by Brandon Cronenberg | First Films First

Shithouse, directed by Cooper Raiff | First Films First

Age of Panic,...

In the vast tapestry of Oscar history, specific years define instants of talents converging to produce a constellation of extraordinary performances. 1993 was one such epoch when the best supporting actor lineup at the 66th Academy Awards ceremony showcased an assembly of unparalleled depth. The roster included Leonardo DiCaprio for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” Ralph Fiennes for “Schindler’s List,” John Malkovich for “In the Line of Fire,” Pete Postlethwaite for “In the Name of the Father,” and ultimate victor, Tommy Lee Jones for “The Fugitive.”

Looking back on the 30th anniversary of Warner Bros’ taut thriller, “The Fugitive” from director Andrew Davis, Variety reflects on how Jones’ win anchored one of the single best Oscar lineups of all time.

Each nominated actor found themselves in unique career positions and created unforgettable characters that have left indelible marks in cinema. Any of them could have won the category and would stand tall...

Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, and Will Catlett have been set for Universal Pictures’ untitled monster thriller from Radio Silence. The pic has been set for an April 19, 2024 release.

The trio join Melissa Barrera, Alisha Weir, Dan Stevens, and Kevin Durand in the thriller. Radio Silence is comprised of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett. Chad Villella is producing alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt at Project X Entertainment. Script was written by Stephen Sheilds, with revisions by Guy Busick.

In the vein of Uni’s recent films like The Invisible Man and Renfield, this untitled monster thriller provides a unique take on legendary monster lore and will rep a fresh, new direction for those classic characters.

Tripp Vinson will produce as well with Radio Silence and Project X, who are recently coming off the $169M global grossing success of Scream VI that Bettinelli-Olpin & Gillett directed, Project X produced and...

Rare Objects tells the story of a young woman named Benita (Julia Mayorga). She has had a traumatic past and works to rebuild her life by working at a New York City antique shop, where she meets Peter (Alan Cumming) and Winshaw (Derek Luke). She is also reunited with someone from her recent past, Diana (Kate Holmes).

Cumming and Luke play characters who help Benita to regain her confidence and stand by her no matter what troubles she is dealing with, even when she pushes them away. The trio forms a strong bond as they help her with her mental health issues.

Related: Alan Cumming's 10 Best Films, According To IMDb

Screen Rant sat down with Alan Cumming and Derek Luke to discuss working with the talented Katie Holmes, who writes, directs, and stars in this film. They also shared the importance of openly talking about mental health in Rare Objects,...

Recently, Katie Holmes was reading Haruki Murakami’s “Novelist as a Vocation.” Within the memoir, which is composed of 11 different essays from the revered Japanese writer, Holmes said she found a story that spoke directly to her own vocation: director.

Holmes said she was struck by a story the writer shared from early in his career, in which he lost a floppy disc that held an important first draft for a new work. “He was so upset, obviously, and had to rewrite [this section] and thought it wasn’t as good as the first draft,” Holmes said in a recent interview with IndieWire. “Years later, he found that floppy disk and he saw that actually that [lost] section wasn’t as good as what he ended up rewriting. And I thought, ‘Well, that’s kind of it.'”

That’s the way Holmes, who has directed three films since 2016 — two of them since...

Bill Treusch, an esteemed New York-based talent manager, died at the age of 80 following a long illness on Tuesday in New York City.

Through Treusch’s career, he was instrumental in finding and guiding the careers of Sissy Spacek, Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo, Christopher Walken, Tom Hulce, Diane Keaton, Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger, Peter Weller, Viggo Mortensen, Carol Kane and Sandy Dennis among many other notable actors.

Treusch began his professional career as an autograph collector, then became the personal assistant to Montgomery Clift, who was a theatrical talent agent with Dudley Field Malone. Most notably, Treusch joined the casting office of Marion Dougherty where he worked with Juliet Taylor, Wallis Nicita and Gretchen Rennell as an assistant.

Dougherty noted Treusch’s great eye for talent and reassigned him to a position where his management career then flourished. This story was chronicled in the 2012 documentary “Casting By” from director Tom Donahue.

Bill Treusch, the New York-based talent manager who ushered the careers of stars like Sissy Spacek, Diane Keaton, Christopher Walken, Melissa Leo and Viggo Mortenson died on Tuesday following a long illness, his niece Shannon Treusch confirmed. He was 80.

The founder of Bill Treusch Management (formerly Bill Treusch & Associates) got his start as an assistant to the Oscar-nominated actor Montgomery Clift and then as a theatrical talent agent with Dudley Field Malone. He would find his true calling while assisting casting director Marion Dougherty, who recognized his ability to spot talent. Treusch launched his five-decade career in talent management from a basement in Dougherty’s office, as told in the 2012 documentary “Casting By.”

Treusch’s company, which began as a one-man operation, went on to shepherd many stars throughout their careers. In addition to those aforementioned, his roster included Richard Jenkins, Tom Hulce, Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger, Peter Weller, Carol Kane,...

Bill Treusch, a longtime New York talent manager who once served as personal assistant to Montgomery Clift and went on help guide the careers of Sissy Spacek, Christopher Walken, Tom Hulce, Diane Keaton, Eric Roberts, Tom Berenger and numerous others, died Tuesday in New York City following a lengthy illness. He was 80.

Following his stint as Clift’s personal assistant, Treusch became a theatrical talent agent with Dudley Field Malone. He joined the casting office of Marion Dougherty where he worked with casting agents Juliet Taylor, Wallis Nicita, and Gretchen Rennell.

Although Dougherty believed Treusch was unsuited to casting, she recognized his eye for talent. Settled into Dougherty’s basement office, Treusch flourished and eventually founded his own one-man operation that evolved into Bill Treusch Management, a leading management company.

Working with film, television and stage performers over a career that spanned more than five decades, Treusch was instrumental in...

Click here to read the full article.

Bill Treusch, the admired New York-based talent manager who jump-started the career of Sissy Spacek and represented Christopher Walken, Diane Keaton, Viggo Mortensen, Richard Jenkins and many others during his five-decade career, has died. He was 80.

Treusch died Tuesday in New York after a long illness, his niece Shannon Treusch, founder and partner of the public relations firm Falco Ink., announced.

Treusch got his big break when legendary casting director Marion Dougherty recognized his eye for talent and gave him an office in her basement at East 30th Street in Manhattan. There, he launched Bill Treusch & Associates, later known as Bill Treusch Management. (The story is told in the 2012 documentary Casting By, directed by Tom Donahue.)

His firm started as a one-man band before evolving into a powerhouse management company.

He was especially helpful to Spacek, who was a struggling singer and actress...

The WGA East and FilmNation Entertainment announced that applications are now open for the second New York Screenwriting Fellowship, which is designed to support underrepresented, early-career screenwriters based in New York City.

The NY Screenwriting Fellowship is a weekly intensive that will run from early April through August 2023. Eight or more writers will be provided with both a screenwriting mentor and an executive mentor, as well as seminars, receptions and other introductions, as they develop a new feature-length screenplay throughout the length of the Fellowship. At the end, the Fellowship will culminate with table reads of the participants’ works, along with a dinner with leaders of the New York film industry. One of the main priorities of the Fellowship is to diversify the pool of writers who can have regular access to meetings and projects that offer them long-term career sustainability.

“The New York Screenwriting Fellowship, and our partnership with FilmNation Entertainment,...

In “The Same Storm,” it’s a welcome surprise to see Elaine May appear as one of the faces in writer-director Peter Hedges’ impressively diverse and starry ensemble, who take turns contributing scenes about the challenges of life during lockdown. May portrays spiky Ruth Lipsman Berg, who hops on a teleconference with a new doctor and her home health aide. Daphne Rubin-Vega is Lupe, her concerned caregiver. Raza Jaffrey is the gentle but quite-clear physician trying to ascertain if Ruth has contracted the coronavirus.

Ruth was in the scene right before this one — talking with her daughter, a webcam girl — so we’re aware she’s gotten dolled up for the doctor’s call. Like a good Jewish mother, she asked the doc if he’s single. If so, she has a daughter. Forget that in the prior scene, her call to said daughter (Mary-Louise Parker) was less than kind.

Revisiting the early days of the pandemic is not on most of our to-do lists, but viewers may find “The Same Storm” worth a look all the same. Inspired by the Damian Barr quote (“We are not all in the same boat. But we are all in the same storm”) that opens the film, writer-director Peter Hedges (“Ben Is Back”) captures the raw emotions of that time using just iPhones and laptops. His intimate deep dive into the lives of 24 characters leaves virtually no aspect of the pandemic uncovered.

Although Hedges enlists several recognizable actors — including Mary-Louise Parker, Judith Light, Elaine May and Sandra Oh, along with slightly newer faces like Raúl Castillo and Moses Ingram — the drama is solidly centered on the pandemic.

Parker plays sex worker Roxy, to whom Castillo’s Nurse Joey turns to relieve some of the stress from the barrage of death brought about by the pandemic.

Exclusive: Skydance Media has named industry veteran Carin Sage to the newly created role of Executive Vice President of Feature Film for the company. With more than 30 years of agency experience, Sage will be responsible for bringing in new feature projects and overseeing films through all phases from inception to production.

“When you find yourself time and time again chasing writers and directors from only one agent’s list, after a while, you kind of realize the common denominator,” said Don Granger, President of Feature Film Production at Skydance. “Carin’s taste is impeccable, her ability to work with filmmakers is unparalleled, and her deep relationships within the creative community are unmatched, and I am thrilled to welcome her to Skydance.”

Prior to Skydance, Sage was a manager at 3 Arts Entertainment and an agent at CAA. She represented a number of notable filmmakers and talent at both companies including Ang Lee,...

Exclusive: Juno Films has acquired rights to the experimental drama The Same Storm, from writer-director Peter Hedges (Ben Is Back), for distribution in the U.S., Canada and the UK. The film will open at the Quad Cinema in NYC and the Laemmle Santa Monica on October 14.

Filmed during the Covid pandemic using cell phones and laptops, The Same Storm invites viewers into the lives of 24 characters as they navigate the spring and summer of 2020. With lockdowns, the Black Lives Matter movement and the looming 2020 election as key backdrops, the film explores the importance of human connection, family and love during a time when all of that seemed out of reach.

Two-time Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve), Emmy and Golden Globe winner Mary-Louise Parker (Colin in Black & White), two-time Oscar nominee Elaine May (Crisis in Six Scenes), Emmy nominee Moses Ingram (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Independent Spirit Award nominee...

Exclusive: Oscar-nominated writer-director, playwright and novelist Peter Hedges has signed with UTA for worldwide representation in all areas.

Hedges most recently wrote and directed The Same Storm, a scripted feature that was shot entirely remotely, a glimpse into the lives of 24 characters persevering during the pandemic. Stars include Sandra Oh, Mary-Louise Parker, Noma Dumezweni, Moses Ingram, Alison Pill, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie Dewitt and Elaine May, the film had its world premiere at the 2021 Telluride Film Festival.

Hedhees scored an Adapted Screenplay Oscar nom for co-writing 2002’s About a Boy with Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz.

In television, Hedges was most recently a Consulting Producer and Director on NBC’s Ordinary Joe.

His notable writing and directing credits include Ben Is Back, Dan in Real Life, Pieces of April and the Lasse Hallstrom-directed What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, which Hedges adapted from his novel.

Hedges had been at CAA where he...

FX’s limited series Class of ’09 has added Raúl Castillo, Jake McDorman, Sepideh Moafi, Brian J. Smith, Jon Jon Briones (Ratched), Brooke Smith (Grey’s Anatomy), and Rosalind Eleazar (Master of None) to its cast. They join previously announced leads Brian Tyree Henry and Kate Mara. Sunu Gonera is set to direct the first two episodes.

The series, which follows a class of FBI agents set in a near future where the U.S. criminal justice system has been transformed by artificial intelligence, comes from Tom Rob Smith, Nina Jacobson, and Brad Simpson.

The eight-part series produced by FX Productions revolves around a group of FBI agents who graduated from Quantico in 2009 and are reunited following the death of a mutual friend. Spanning three decades and told across three interweaving timelines,...

How many films have been made on which the director never met the the majority of the actors? How often have performers had to operate the camera themselves rather than the cinematographer or operator or director? Any number of films have been made under great duress, but The Same Storm is a rare bird, a scripted feature made last July under Covid conditions in New York City on which the actors performed while isolated from anyone other than their fellow castmates. It even features a number of name actors, beginning with Elaine May, appearing in her first big-screen film since Woody Allen’s Small Time Crooks 21 years ago. And she’s terrific in it.

That alone would justify checking out this modest but adventurous film, which assumes a La Ronde-like structural approach by skipping from one very short story to another on the way to creating a panoramic, if still limited,...

Exclusive: Peter Hedges, like so many filmmakers looking not to lose their creative mojo during the pandemic, managed at the height of the Covid lockdown to take advantage of many talented actors trying to survive in the same circumstance, and in the best show business tradition managed to create a new film, The Same Storm, that turned out to be so much more than he could have imagined.

Enlisting the talents of the likes of Elaine May, Mary-Louise Parker, Noma Dumezweni, Judith Light, Sandra Oh, Moses Ingram, Danny Burstein, Ron Livingston, Rosemarie DeWitt, Raza Jeffrey, Daphne Rubin-Vega and many more, he and his team developed a sophisticated shooting system, sent the equipment to each star with some production design and camera setup advice, and created a feature-length movie comprised of a series of vignettes that hand off to one another with seamless editing magic.

Previously confirmed titles include ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’.

Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast are among the world premieres on the programme for the 48th Telluride Film Festival (September 2-6).

The festival has confirmed a line-up of 80 films across features, shorts and retrospectives. Francis Ford Coppola, who said this week he is willing to invest up to $100m of his own money to get passion project Megalopolis made, will be among filmmakers attending in person. Coppola has a new cut of The Outsiders and The Rain People playing in Special Screenings.

Barry Jenkins...

As usual, Telluride Film Festival has unveiled their 2021 lineup just moments before the event gets underway. Taking place from Thursday, September 2 through Monday, September 6, 2021, the lineup features Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon, Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, Pablo Larraín’s Spencer, Paolo Sorrentino’s The Hand of God, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, as well as Cannes highlights Bergman Island and Red Rocket, and more.

See the lineup below.

The Automat (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz

Becoming Cousteau (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus

Belfast (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan

Bergman Island (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve

Bitterbrush (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline

C’Mon C’Mon (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills,...

Exclusive: Moses Ingram is set play Whitney Houston’s longtime assistant Robyn Crawford opposite BAFTA-winning actress Naomi Ackie in Sony Pictures and TriStar Pictures’ musical biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, based on the epic life and music of iconic singer. Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten is writing the script and Stella Meghie is directing.

Crawford later become Houston’s creative director while also remaining one of her closest friends.

Besides McCarten’s Muse of Fire Productions, the film is being produced by Pat Houston on behalf of the Houston Estate; Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis; Larry Mestel on behalf of Primary Wave Music; and Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri, who are also financing via Compelling Pictures.

Primary Wave is a partner of the Houston estate. Nicole Brown, Shary Shirazi and Brittany Morrissey will oversee the project for TriStar. The film will be released at Thanksgiving 2022.

Houston is the most awarded...

Although distributed by Paramount, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape is an understated gem of the 1990s indie scene. Like The Last Picture Show, its New Hollywood cousin, Grape is a small town coming-of-age story with young characters that dream of the wider world and whether they have a place in it. Now, after years of being in the online wilderness, Lasse Hallström’s cult favourite will land on digital platforms 16th April and Amazon Prime Video 7th May.

So, what is eating Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp)? Well, there are several things. Stuck in a sparse Iowan town, Gilbert works a menial day job at a failing grocers, tends to his obese mother’s every whim, and cares for his brother Arnie (Leonard DiCaprio), a mentally impaired teenager who is endearing yet extremely challenging. You could be forgiven for thinking this was the premise of a kitchen sink drama, yet What’s...

Remember the classic Weird-Ohs monster hot rod model kits from the ’60s? Well, they are coming back thanks to Ahmet Zappa. His company Monsterfoot Productions have acquired the rights to develop and create new shows and media based on Weird-Ohs.

Weird-Ohs is the brainchild of William “Bill” Campbell, who in the early ‘60s set out to design a wild cast of monsters in hot rods along the lines of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s designs. The Hawk Model Company released the first line of Weird-Ohs based on Campbell’s designs in 1963 spawning a hit model toy line with licenses extending from board games, masks, trading cards, records, puzzles, lunch boxes and action figures to a short-lived animated series which aired on Fox Family in 2000.

Toronto-based toy and entertainment licensing agency Mlgpc brokered the deal between Zappa and current owner of Weird-Ohs, J. Lloyd International.

“This is a dream come true for me,...

Exclusive: Longtime CAA agent Carin Sage is joining 3 Arts Entertainment. She becomes the latest of a number of prominent agents there to move to the management side of the representation business.

Sage is a 32-year agency veteran who represents such filmmakers as Ang Lee, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Peter Hedges, George Tillman, Thea Sharrock, Zoya Akhtar, Nikole Beckwith, and Neasa Hardiman, among others. Details are still being finalized, but it is expected she will continue with her clients as manager, while most stay with CAA. I’m told it’s an amicable exit and they are working out the client situation now.

“We are so happy to welcome Carin to 3 Arts,” said 3 Arts Entertainment partner Erwin Stoff in confirming to Deadline. “Many of us have had a long relationship with her over the years, and admire her taste, as well as her fierce dedication to her clients. Carin’s style of...

Exclusive: Entertainment lawyers Leigh Brecheen, David Feldman, Stephen Breimer, Richard Thompson and Ashley Silver have peeled away from Bloom Hergott to launch their own new entertainment law firm.

Brecheen, Feldman, Breimer, Silver & Thompson opens its doors immediately, based in the penthouse offices at the Watt Plaza Building in Century City. This follows last spring’s Deadline revelation that Jake Bloom was retiring and Alan Hergott would step down from the storied firm Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette Feldman Schenkman & Goodman.

The partners in the new firm worked with each other for many years at the former Bloom Hergott firm in the areas of film, scripted and unscripted TV, digital, social and new media, as well as merchandising, licensing, publishing, sports and other areas. The group will continue to represent a list of clients that includes Conan O’Brien, John Oliver, Mel Gibson, Keegan-Michael Key, Lucas Hedges, Amy Ryan, Krysten Ritter, Damon Wayans,...

Exclusive: Devon Schiff is returning to the agency world, joining Verve as a television agent. She will start at the Los Angeles-based firm in January.

Verve is one of handful of lit agencies allowed to represent writers after signing a franchise agreement with the WGA in May.

Schiff comes to Verve from Monsterfoot Productions, where she had served as producing partner to Ahmet Zappa. During her tenure, the company had a deals with Disney, ABC and CBS and produced such films as the Peter Hedges-directed The Odd Life Of Timothy Green.

Schiff began her career at Wma followed by stints at 3 Arts and Endeavor. She then spent several years as an executive at Intermedia, where she worked on films including Adaptation and Terminator 3. She then segued to production, working as an executive at Panther Films, which had a first-look deal at Disney, producing films such as Dan In Real Life.

The 2019-2020 movie awards season got underway on Monday night, December 2, with the presentation of the Gotham Awards for independent film. Presented by the Independent Filmmaker Project (Ifp), these prizes are decided by juries of industry peers and have honored Oscar winners like “Sideways” (2004), “Capote” (2005), “The Hurt Locker” (2009), “Spotlight” (2015) and “Moonlight” (2016). So who took top honors this year? Scroll down for the complete list in all 10 categories, updated live as they were announced.

“Marriage Story,” “The Farewell” and “Uncut Gems” led the nominations with three apiece. Those three films were up for Best Feature along with “Hustlers” and “Waves.”

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“Marriage Story” was the highest-profile Oscar contender among those nominees, but did that mean it was a surefire winner? The jury voting process opens the door for underdogs and left-field choices like last year’s champ “The Rider,” which beat Oscar...

Courtney B. Vance, an Emmy winner for his performance as Johnnie Cochran in FX’s The People V. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, is set to star opposite Cynthia Erivo in Genius: Aretha, the next installment of Nat Geo’s popular anthology series, from Imagine Television and Fox 21 TV Studios.

Billed as the first-ever, definitive and only authorized scripted limited series on the life of Franklin, Genius: Aretha will begin production in December for a spring 2020 premiere on National Geographic channels in 172 countries and 43 languages.

Vance joins as Aretha’s (Erivo) father, C.L. Franklin, an influential reverend and civil rights activist known as the “Million Dollar Voice.” A star in his own right, C.L.’s legendary sermons were published and sold in record stores and broadcast on a weekly radio show, and he booked national ministry tours and public appearances. C.L. had a close but fraught relationship...

Brad Lamm, founder of West Hollywood’s Breathe Life Healing Centers, offers his picks of recent movies that capture the trials and triumphs of addiction and recovery. For more from Variety‘s Recovery Issue, in which prominent entertainment figures offer insights on navigating a sober life in Hollywood, click here.

Crazy Heart, 2009

Director, writer: Scott Cooper

Jeff Bridges plays a fading, alcoholic country music star who begins a doomed romance with a writer (Maggie Gyllenhaal) that forces him to reassess his life.

You very well might have missed this alcohol-drenched gemstone of a flick inspired by the real-life song-cycle of country music star Hank Thompson. Bridges won the Oscar for best actor for “Crazy Heart,” and you deserve to see why.

The Hangover, 2009

Director: Todd Phillips

Writers: Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Three friends in Las Vegas for a bachelor party wake up after a bacchanal of drugs and booze with...

Stars: Steve Carell, Maura Tierney, Jack Dylan Grazer, Oakley Bull, Christian Convery, Timothée Chalamet, Amy Aquino, Carlton Wilborn, Stefanie Scott, Marypat Farrell, Timoth Hutton, Amy Forsyth | Written by Felix van Groeningen, Luke Davies | Directed by Felix van Groeningen

Beautiful Boy, directed by Felix van Groeningen, faces stiff competition as the Armageddon to Peter Hedges’ Ben is Back, the equivalent to that of Deep Impact. A nonsensical and truly incomparable comparison, but undoubtedly the two have some similarities, and with having seen Hedges Ben is Back and now Groeningen’s film, it is undoubtedly clear that one of these films has won this none-existing war by a mile. As Beautiful Boy is a heart-breaking, sombre and brutal feature that puts you through every pain imaginable watching this tragic story unfold.

There is a lot to appreciate here, specifically the performances. Film Twitter darling Timothee Chalamet is breath-taking in his role as addict Nic Sheff.

Exclusive: Kathryn Newton has inked with Wme for representation in all areas.

Newton is known for her role as Abigail on HBO’s Golden Globe- and Emmy-winning series Big Little Lies and will reprise her role in the second season airing in June.

On the film side, she starred in Universal’s comedy Blockers for Kay Cannon last spring, which had its world premiere at SXSW, and Peter Hedges’ Ben Is Back, opposite Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges.

Up next, Newton will be seen in leading roles in Warner Bros./Legendary’s Pokémon Detective Pikachu, opposite Ryan Reynolds, and Netflix’s original series The Society.

Additionally, Newton also appeared in Best Picture Oscar nominees Lady Bird and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

She continues to be represented by Management 360 and Hansen Jacobson.

Courtney B. Vance, an Emmy winner for his performance as Johnnie Cochran in FX’s The People v. O. J. Simpson series, has signed on for the Universal/ Will Packer Productions romantic drama, The Photograph, which is being toplined by Issa Rae and Lakeith Stanfield. Stella Meghie is at the helm, directing from her own screenplay. The pic is currently before cameras.

Vance was recently seen on the big screen starring opposite Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges in Peter Hedges-directed drama Ben Is Back from Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions. He’s set to star in the HBO drama Lovecraft Country, opposite Aunjanue Ellis and Elizabeth Debicki, and Netflix film Uncorked from Insecure Ep Prentice Penny.

The Photograph explores intertwining love stories in the past and present. Previously announced cast includes Lil Rel Howery, Teyonah Parris, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Rob Morgan, Chante Adams, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Y’lan Noel, and Chelsea Peretti.

Stars: Julia Roberts, Lucas Hedges, Courtney B. Vance, Kathryn Newton, Rachel Bay Jones, David Zaldivar, Alexandra Park, Michael Esper, Tim Guinee, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Kristin Griffith, Jack Davidson, Mia Fowler, Jakari Fraser, Cameron Roberts | Written and Directed by Peter Hedges

Ben is Back, directed by Peter Hedges, faces strong competition in this year’s “Armageddon vs Deep Impact” cinematic war/rivalry against Felix van Groeningen’s Beautiful Boy. Two incredibly alike films that follow a parent and drug-addicted son relationship in the emotionally tormenting journey that both travel on. Peter Hedges film stands firmly on its own ground with a semi-captivating drama that hits with a suffocating gut punch of emotionally draining brutality but gets lost on the path it travels with excessively dramatic plot elements that are executed more in the realm of the absurd than captivating.

The unnecessary plot elements, while not destructive to the films overall narrative or resonance of emotional depth,...

Captain Marvel had grossed £15.8m in the UK as of Thursday morning.

Disney’s Captain Marvel looks set to dominate the UK box office this weekend after an impressive £12.8m opening.

The film was up to an estimated £15.8m in the UK as of Thursday morning, and £414.6m ($550.2m) globally.

Opening against the Marvel blockbuster are two wide releases this weekend: Paramount’s Us comedy What Men Want and Entertainment Film Distributor’s UK musical comedy-drama Fisherman’s Friends. Both titles will open in 300+ venues.

What Men Want is the latest feature from Hairspray director Adam Shankman, and stars Taraji P. Henson...

Julia Roberts gives a truly outstanding performance in Peter Hedges’s poignant new family drama Ben Is Back. Written and directed by Hedges, the film also stars the director’s son and current Hollywood favourite Lucas Hedges in this inspired, if slightly uneven, tale about a family’s struggle to cope with their teenage son’s addiction and unsteady recovery.

It’s the day before Christmas and Holly Burns (Roberts) is shocked beyond words when she pulls into her driveway to find her teenage son Ben waiting outside the family house. Ben, you see, has been in a rehab facility for the last couple of months and swears to have seventy-seven days of clean living. For his sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) and stepdad Neal (Courtney B. Vance), the family has been here before and witnessed the young man’s manipulation first hand, which doesn’t stop Holly from welcoming the young man with open arms,...

Ben is Back, written and directed by Peter Hedges, is a family drama about drug addiction. It’s a poignant, socially relevant topic given the country’s opioid epidemic, but Hedges unfortunately falters in delivering his message, making for an uneven film. Ben Is Back Blu-ray Review Ben is Back effectively introduces the family matriarch Holly (Julia Roberts) […]...

Academy Award winner Julia Roberts gives another captivating performance when the thrilling and powerful film Ben is Back arrives on Digital 4K Ultra HD February 19 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD & Digital), DVD, and On Demand March 5 from Lionsgate.

Academy Award winner Julia Roberts gives another captivating performance when the thrilling and powerful film Ben is Back arrives on Digital 4K Ultra HD February 19 and on Blu-ray Combo Pack (plus DVD & Digital), DVD, and On Demand March 5 from Lionsgate. Starring alongside Roberts is a start-studded cast including Academy Award® nominee Lucas Hedges and Primetime Emmy® winner Courtney B. Vance in this authentic look at what happens to a seemingly normal and loving family when a troubled son returns home on Christmas Eve, but then disappears. Written and directed by Academy Award® nominee Peter Hedges, the edge-of-your-seat drama is “the finest performance of Julia Roberts’ career”.

Julia Roberts delivers a...

Hugh Jackman in ‘The Front Runner’ (Photo: Sony Pictures)

Us critics generally applauded Hugh Jackman’s portrayal of Gary Hart in The Front Runner but moviegoers were indifferent to the drama about the disgraced 1988 Us presidential candidate.

So it was no surprise to find the Jason Reitman-directed film sink without trace last weekend in Australia, where folks may already be tiring of politicians and campaigning.

Similarly Julia Roberts’ star power counted for little as Ben is Back had a mediocre debut, in line with its Us fate.

Meanwhile Fox’s The Hate U Give, a solid performer in the Us, struggled to cut through, as often happens with African-American themed films with little-known casts.

The end of school vacation combined with weak new releases resulted in the top 20’s takings plummeting by 36 per cent to $11.9 million, according to Numero.

Warner Bros./Bron Studio/Imperative Entertainment’s The Mule retained top spot,...

Updated with more numbers and analysis. Who Will Write Our History can claim the highest opening per theater average of 2019 among the specialties, but it has been a slow month. After the current lull, next week’s Oscar nominations and start to Sundance should reinvigorate the specialty sector.

Who Will Write, a documentary released by Abramorama, found an audience this weekend with its $12,719 gross. The portrait of a man who kept an archive of recollections in the Warsaw Ghetto will get access to a much larger audience with an event slate of showings later this month.

”The film played to sold out 100-seat rooms at the Quad this weekend,” Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama told Deadline, “in spite of the weather and in anticipation of its unprecedented 300-plus screen event screening release in 50 countries and 12 languages to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.”

Beyond the global event, Who Will Write...

Today we are recognizing Ben Is Back, as well as writer/director Peter Hedges, plus co-stars Lucas Hedges and Julia Roberts. Our Hollywood Film Tributes recognize films and talent for their excellence in the art of filmmaking. One of the most powerful films of 2018, Ben Is Back is a masterclass in actors bringing out emotion in the audience. Hedges and Roberts combine for some very special work. At the same time, the elder Hedges crafts a beautiful showcase for his son. It’s one of 2018’s best and most underrated movies, that’s for sure… A sampling from our rave review last month: There’s a special little alchemy on display in Ben Is Back, a wonderful new film hitting theaters this week. You see, in the director’s chair is filmmaker Peter Hedges, while in one of the central two roles is his son, Lucas Hedges. Each has done strong work in the past,...

For Peter Hedges, casting his Oscar-nominated son Lucas Hedges in his latest movie Ben Is Back wasn’t about opportunity, rather catharsis.

The 56-year old filmmaker’s reasons for tackling a teenage drug addiction drama extend back to his mother, Carol Hedges, a former alcoholic who quit drinking when he was 15 years old. And after that point, life blossomed.

In fact, it was Julia Roberts, who plays a mother battling with her teenage son’s opiod addiction over the course of the Christmas holiday, who suggested that Lucas take on the role.

And getting the chance to work with Lucas, moved Peter: “It was impactful to me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. I’m the son of Carol Hedges who was an alcoholic, who found recovery and saved a lot of lives. He’s her grandson. I wouldn’t have become writer, wouldn’t have had that path...

There are quite a number of memorable moments peppered through Ben Is Back, an impressively effective addiction drama written and directed by Peter Hedges, starring his son Lucas Hedges as Ben Burns. All of these moments involve Julia Roberts, who in middle age seems to be finding a new gear in her acting arsenal. Quite plainly, she has never been better than she is here. Watching her flex is a joy, though the proceedings may be quite painful to sit through.

Playing Holly Burns, Roberts is carrying the weight of everything. It is Christmas and her adult son Ben has shown up from sober living unannounced with a worrying smile on his face. Happy though she is with having Ben for the holidays, Holly quickly hides all the pills and jewelry in the house while her daughter Ivy (a great Kathryn Newton) refuses any sort of optimism about the situation,...

Lucas Hedges' résumé reads like a dream list of prestige contenders, from his breakout in Kenneth Lonergan's 2016 drama Manchester by the Sea (for which he earned his first Oscar nomination at 20) to his 2017 roles in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird and the black comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Now Hedges has returned to the awards race with a pair of timely stories: Joel Edgerton's gay conversion drama, Boy Erased (for which the star earned a Golden Globe nomination), and Ben Is Back (directed by his father, Peter Hedges), in which he plays a young man struggling with ...

Lucas Hedges' résumé reads like a dream list of prestige contenders, from his breakout in Kenneth Lonergan's 2016 drama Manchester by the Sea (for which he earned his first Oscar nomination at 20) to his 2017 roles in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird and the black comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Now Hedges has returned to the awards race with a pair of timely stories: Joel Edgerton's gay conversion drama, Boy Erased (for which the star earned a Golden Globe nomination), and Ben Is Back (directed by his father, Peter Hedges), in which he plays a young man struggling with ...

Aarp has announced its Movies for Grownups Awards nominations, with everything from “A Star Is Born” to “First Reformed” picking up nods. The group (whose name used to stand for the American Association of Retired Persons before it switched to just the initials) doesn’t have a firm set of criteria for what constitutes a grownup movie, which helps explain how “Black Panther” — which, as a superhero movie, is exactly the kind of fare that usually gets dismissed by older audiences — picked up two nominations.

“2018 was a banner year for a sensational collection of movies that resonated with the powerful 50-plus audience,” said Aarp’s Myrna Blyth. The winners will be announced on February 4, and the ceremony will air on February 15. Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Picture/Best Movie for Grown-ups

“A Star Is Born”

“BlacKkKlansman”

“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

“Green Book”

“Roma”

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock...

Green Book and Roma lead the nominees for the Aarp’s 18th annual Movies for Grownups Awards, nabbing four noms apiece. They will vie for Best Picture against BlackKklansman, Can You Ever Forgive Me? and A Star is Born.

Interestingly, only one star from any of those films — Green Book‘s Viggo Mortensen — will vie in the lead acting categories. Best Actress and Best Actor, however, are bursting with A-listers: Sandra Bullock (Bird Box), Glenn Close (The Wife), Viola Davis (Widows), Nicole Kidman (Destroyer), Julia Roberts (Ben Is Back), Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), Hugh Jackman (The Front Runner), Robert Redford (The Old Man & the Gun), John C. Reilly (Stan & Ollie) and Mortensen.

The helmers of three Best Picture nominees are up for Best Director, though, with Alfonso Cuarón (Roma), Peter Farrelly (Green Book) and Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) going up against Mimi Leder (On the Basis of Sex...

Limited release newcomers were few over the weekend ahead of the Christmas rollouts, while some higher profile holdovers, including Mary Queen of Scots and The Favourite, continue to get royal treatment from specialty audiences.

Focus Features jumped Mary Queen of Scots to 795 theaters in its third frame, grossing $2.24M for a $2,818 per theater average, landing the title in the overall top 10. Meanwhile, Fox Searchlight’s The Favourite was just outside that group, playing 790 locations in its fifth outing, grossing $1.9M.

Amazon Studios opened multi-lingual title Cold War by Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, who took best director at the Cannes Film Festival and received multiple prizes at the European Film Awards, including Best European Film. The feature grossed $55,727, averaging $18,575.

Annapurna Pictures added just one run for Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, grossing $114.902 in five theaters, averaging $22,980, a 58% decline from its opening $54,793 PTA from its initial four runs in its opening weekend.

Earnest and predictable, I can’t think of a single scene that stands out in writer/director Peter Hedges’ new drug addiction drama Ben Is Back. It may have its heart in the right place, but boy is it lousy. Unlike this year’s similar Beautiful Boy, Ben Is Back does not portray the downward spiral of drugs but instead takes place over one 24-hour Christmas Eve. By the time we meet 19-year Ben (Lucas Hedges – the director’s son!), he’s a young drug abuser returning home having been in rehab for 77 days and swearing “This time it will be different”. His mom Holly (Julia Roberts) acts happy to see him, yet the first thing she does is scramble to hide all the pills in the medicine cabinet. Ben’s younger sister Ivy (Kathryn Newton) claims to loves her brother but is clearly worried he’s going to ruin everyone’s holiday (he does!