At the 2023 SAG awards, we got to witness quite a few emotional moments, one that stood out was Andrew Garfield presenting the Life Achievement Award to Sally Field.
The Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award is presented by the Screen Actors Guild’s National Honors and Tributes Committee for “outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession.”
Sally Field has had an incredible career in Hollywood, starting out when she was only 17. She starred in “The Flying Nun”, “Smokey and the Bandit”, “Steel Magnolias, “Mrs. Doubtfire”. She won two Oscars from her performances in 1979’s “Norma Rae and 1984’s “Places in the Heart”. In the early 2000s, she starred in “ER” and “Brothers & Sisters” for which she won an Emmy.
Courtesy of IMDB
Courtesy of Getty Images
Courtesy of Getty Images
Garfield and Field previously worked together on “The Amazing Spider-Man” films as Peter Parker and Aunt May which made this moment incredibly special. Before the ceremony Field mentioned how much it meant to her to be receiving this award in a red carpet interview with The Hollywood Reporter and how particularly meaningful it was to her to have Andrew present it. “He’s my boy, I love him to pieces” she said.
Getty Images
Garfield started by calling her a “Titan of acting” he then went on to tell Sally that she’s “a north star – for all of us.”
He continued gushing over his co star and mentor by saying “You inspire us to believe that a huge creative life of richness, depth, humor, joy, pathos, mystery is possible, and you also show us how to do it somehow miraculously with humility. You never drink the Kool Aid of your own brilliance.”
Garfield commended her for playing complex female characters early in her career during a time when female leads were scarce and the industry was much different. He went on to say “She’s a pioneer in our industry. … She’s a climate activist. She’s a gangster and she’s won a lot of shit.” After a beautiful, heartfelt speech the two embraced onstage in a sweet and tearful moment.
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When asked what it meant to present the award to his co-star, Garfield said, “It was honestly, an honor. A true, true honor. Because these moments are very rare, and to be asked by someone that I admire and hold in the highest regard, as a north star of what we do, and as a human being.” Said Garfield “I meant it all.”
Field received a huge standing Ovation as she made her way to the stage. She started her speech by talking about her first acting job, and then she went on to say acting “was the one place I could be freely me.”
Courtesy of Maarten de Boer / Shutterstock
Sally said, “When I was off stage, I felt shy and careful and hidden. But on stage, I never knew what I would say or do. I would surprise myself. I wasn’t looking for the applause or attention, even though that’s nice…sometimes. It’s never been about a need to hide myself behind the characters. Acting has always been about finding those precious moments when I find myself dangerously alive. The task has always been getting to that.” She went on to say.
Field summed up her career in one short quip saying “I’ve been Mrs. Doubtfire’s employer, Forrest Gump’s mother, Lincoln’s wife, and Spider-Man’s aunt.”
“When I look around this room tonight, I know my fight as hard as it was, was lightweight,” Sally said to her peers in the audience. “I thank you and I applaud you. I know it has not been easy. But easy is overrated. There is not a day that I don’t feel quietly thrilled to call myself an actor. Thank you for this great honor from you.”She said as she accepted the award.
ROME — Pope Gregory XIII, the 16th century pontiff responsible for what is today known as the Gregorian calendar, now has another, celestial claim to fame.
A working group of the International Astronomical Union has named an asteroid after him, the Vatican Observatory said Tuesday.
The “560974 Ugoboncompagni” — Gregory’s birth name was Ugo Boncompagni — was announced along with 72 other named asteroids in the Feb. 27 update of the union’s Working Group for Small Bodies Nomenclature.
Also included in the new group are three Jesuits affiliated with the Vatican Observatory, bringing to more than 30 the number of Jesuit-named asteroids, the Observatory said in a statement.
Gregory, who lived from 1502-1585, along with an Italian astronomer and a Jesuit mathematician corrected the Julian calendar and introduced a new method of calculating leap years that resulted in what is now known as the Gregorian calendar.
The Vatican Observatory traces its 1582 origins to Gregory’s pontificate and the Gregorian calendar reform. Located at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo in the hills south of Rome, the Observatory today houses a dozen priests and brothers who study the universe. It is headed by Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno.
According to a statement from the Observatory, the process to name an asteroid — a relatively small space body in orbit round the sun — involves a provisional designation based on its date of discovery, followed by a permanent number.
“At this point its discoverer is invited to suggest a name for it,” the Observatory said, adding that pet names and commercial names are prohibited, and that 100 years must pass before naming an asteroid after an individual or certain events.
The nomenclature working group, made up of 15 astronomers, then judges the proposed names.
EXCLUSIVE: Dark Star Pictures has snapped up North American rights to the Stephen King documentary King on Screen, examining cinematic adaptations of the iconic author’s works, out of EFM. The film from actress-turned-director Daphné Baiwir, which bears King’s stamp of approval, will hit theaters in late summer, with a digital release to follow in the fall.
King on Screen offers audiences an intimate sit-down with directors who have adapted King’s work for the screen, looking at the movies and shows that have brought his body of work an entirely new life — both the ones that reached the top-tier echelons of pop culture history and those that fell by the wayside into obscurity. Among those sitting down for interviews in the film, which world premiered at Fantastic Fest last year, are Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile), Mick Garris (ABC’s The Stand), Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Doctor Sleep) and director and special makeup effects titan Greg Nicotero (Creepshow, Misery), to name a few.
King is, of course, a master of literary horror and of the bestselling authors of all time who has seen more than 80 features made based on his work. Next heading from his pages to the screen is the Rob Savage-directed horror-thriller The Boogeyman from 20th Century Studios and 21 Laps, which hits theaters on June 2nd. Among the most recent titles of his to have been picked up for adaptation is 2021’s Billy Summers, about a hitman set to take one last major job before retiring, which has landed at Warner Bros, as we told you first. Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are penning the script, with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way to produce.
Producers on King on Screen included Sebastien Cruz for Les Films de la Plage, Jean-Yves Roubin for Frakas Productions and Zoe Salmon for Mr Salmon Films, with the participation of OCS.
“Daphné has done a spectacular job of showcasing the talented filmmakers who brought the work of Stephen King to life in moving images,” said Dark Star Pictures President, Michael Repsch. “As a lifelong King fan, I could not be more excited to bring this film to audiences across North America and have it as a part of the Dark Star family.”
Recent releases from the L.A.-based distributor Dark Star Pictures include the WWII epic Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, Shinzô Katayama’s crime drama Missing, and the Tribeca-premiering drama Petit Mal. Other upcoming releases from the company include the Tim Roth vehicle Punch, Fantasia Grand Jury winner Megalomaniac, and the serial killer thriller Saturn Bowling from French auteur Patricia Mazuy.
Repsch negotiated the King on Screen deal for Dark Star Pictures, with Hugues Barbier, Justin Timms and Joe Yanick for Yellow Veil Pictures on behalf of the filmmakers.
Hasan Minhaj began his week of guest hosting “The Daily Show” on Monday night with a prediction: if a wealth tax existed, people like J.K. Rowling might be more conscious of what they say.
Minhaj’s suggestion came while discussing Scott Adams, the creator of the “Dilbert” comic strip, who recently went on a tirade against Black people on his podcast. As a result, the “Dilbert” comic has been pulled from papers across the country, and Adams has been dropped by his publisher. And really, Minhaj is amazed that Adams caused this headache for himself when he could just “be happy” that he “got rich off doodles.”
“I’ve noticed one thing about a certain type of rich person. When they don’t have problems of their own, they have to just make up problems just to make their lives interesting,” Minhaj joked. “Right? They’re just like, sitting at home in the jacuzzi like ‘Hmm — what if I tweet about trans high school swimmers?’”
With that, the comedian turned his attention to “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling, who has earned continued backlash after spewing anti-trans rhetoric multiple times over. According to Minhaj, Rowling simply went looking for conflict.
“I can guarantee you, JK Rowling had zero opinions about trans people when she was on welfare,” he said.
Adams and Rowling, Minhaj argued, are pretty much textbook cases for why a wealth tax should be instituted.
“We need a wealth tax, not for infrastructure or schools, none of that Bernie s—,” Minhaj joked. “Rich people, this is for your own good. The wealth tax is actually a shut the f— up tax. Spend more time working, kissing your loved ones, getting groceries! You know, being a normal person.”
You can watch the full segment from “The Daily Show” in the video below.
The White House on Monday set a 30-day clock ticking for government agencies to make sure Chinese-owned app TikTok is not loaded onto any federal devices and systems. The move comes as Congress gets set to enable a potential ban of the video sharing app nationwide.
The Office of Management and Budget ordered all federal agencies to eliminate the addictive video app from phones and computers and block internet traffic from reaching the company, Reuters exclusively reported, citing a memo sent out by OMB Director Shalanda Young.
U.S. agencies must also determine if any vendors that work with the government are using TikTok within three months, and by the end of four months, must include a prohibition on the app in all new deals with outside contractors, Reuters said, citing Young’s memo.
The moves reflect the concern that TikTok could be used to secretly collect information on U.S. government actions and to influence politics in the United States.
More than 210 million people in the U.S. have downloaded the app, with 62% of U.S. users age 29 or younger, according to ComScore.
ByteDance-owned TikTok has said the concerns are fueled by misinformation and has denied using the app to spy on Americans. The Chinese government owns a portion of ByteDance and a government official sits on its board of directors.
The U.S. is ratcheting up its efforts to circumvent any potential spying a day after ally Canada banned the video-sharing app from all government-issued mobile devices.
But while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he expects that the government ban will lead to “many Canadians from business to private individuals will reflect on the security of their own data and perhaps make choices,” the House Foreign Affairs Committee is slated to vote Tuesday on a bill that would give President Joe Biden the authority for an outright ban on TikTok in the U.S.
“My bill empowers the administration to ban TikTok or any software applications that threaten U.S. national security,” Representative Mike McCaul, the committee chair, told Reuters. “Anyone with TikTok downloaded on their device has given the (Chinese Communist Party) a backdoor to all their personal information. It’s a spy balloon into your phone.”
The ban on government device usage was ordered by Congress in December. The White House, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security and the State Department had previously banned TikTok from devices linked to those agencies.
More than half of U.S. states have similarly disallowed use of the app on devices issued by their governments.
ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew is scheduled to testify before Congress on March 23. He is expected to discuss TikTok’s consumer privacy and data security practices, the platforms’ impact on kids, and the company’s relationship with the Chinese Communist Party.
Emerging as a breakthrough artist in Netflix’s fan-favorite show, Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown may be a star of fantasy fiction, but she is perhaps not a big fan of it. Notably, the British actress was just 12 years old when she first gained critical recognition for her work in Netflix’s gory series, and since then she has just raised the bar higher and higher for herself. From starring in Godzilla to producing Enola Holmes, Brown just leveled up with each and every new flick. But she personally doesn’t prefer watching fantasy fiction works.
Now, while her on-screen personality might create a ‘fantasy-nerd’ kind of image in many of her fans’ minds, that is not the real case. Apparently, back in 2021, Brown had a chat with MTV about her then-latest appearance in MonsterVerse, wherein the Enola Holmes actor also talked about her very little pop-culture interests, and hence knowledge.
MBB acknowledged that superhero flicks are of least interest to her when it comes to her off-screen watching habits. And so is the case with the world of sorcerers and sorcery. In her words, working in dramas such as Stranger Things and Godzilla, she is already working in fictional tropes. So, when it comes to watching, she wants to “see stuff that’s real.”
When Brown was later made to make a choice between Harry Potter and Jurassic Park, she quite evidently chose the latter one, saying she has not watched Harry Potter even once in her life. That said, she has a preference when it comes to movies and it screams romantic.
Millie Bobby Brown is perhaps a romantic (not in its literal sense)
If you would want to take Millie Bobby Brown out on a movie date, you might want to take care of her truly heart-warming choices. For all we know from her 2021 MTV interview, the now 19-year-old is a lot more hopelessly romantic than a pop-culture geek (certainly different from her Enola Holmes co-actor, Henry Cavill). She would much rather choose The Notebook over any Marvel or DC Extended Universe movies. This explains her endearing Instagram captions for her boyfriend, Jake Bongiovi.
Netflix s Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 14: Millie Bobby Brown attend Netflix s Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere at Netflix Brooklyn on May 14, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York. New York City United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xJohnxNacionx originalFilename: nacion-netflixs220514_npkA7.jpg
Even within the arena of the romance genre, she would pick the likes of Bridgerton (its music and the clothing has everyone gasped) over something like Mandalorian. MBB explained that she is not “crazy on that (superhero as well as sorcery flicks)” because she is “in it.”
It must be a daunting prospect to pick up a franchise on the third movie. Add in the pressure of following filmmakers like Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr. in your directorial debut that you’re also starring in and it’s enough to make you wonder what on earth Michael B. Jordan was thinking.
But “ Creed III,” in theaters nationwide Friday, is a new start for Adonis Creed. He’s finally out of the shadow of his father Apollo and Rocky Balboa, whose legacy loomed large over the first two films (Sylvester Stallone decided “Creed II” would be his last). With Rocky out of the way, and the younger Creed solidly in place as the best in the world, the franchise can breathe a little and grow.
Enter the Dame (not that kind of dame).
This one is in the form of Jonathan Majors, an old buddy from their teenage years in a group home in the early 2000s. Dame, or Damian Anderson, is a bit older than Creed. He’s the one who’s boxing in the underground matches at night. The young Creed (Thaddeus J. Mixon), a little awkward, a little too eager to please and a little too ready for trouble, is the one carrying water (and bags and gloves) and helping him strategize. There is a palpable menace established early on with these two — an unequal power and age dynamic, sure, but also the implication that Dame (Spence Moore II) is more than willing to play dirty. He carries a gun. He fixes games. And he has a hold on young Adonis. The flashback ends with a violent altercation outside a convenience store. Dame goes away. Creed becomes Creed.
This flashback is important but does get the film off to a bit of a slow start, jumping forward chronologically to Creed’s last fight and then to his present-day retirement life — a luxurious and tranquil existence in the Hollywood Hills in a modernist mansion with his daughter Amara (Mila Davis Kent) and wife Bianca (Tessa Thompson), who has given up singing mostly to produce hit records. Life is nice for the obscenely rich in LA: The clothes are expensive, the cars are price upon request, the house always spotless and the staff unseen (save for a chef in one scene). At the gym run by Duke (Wood Harris), he’s trying to mentor the next generation of champions.
Then Dame re-appears and the movies gets its urgency back. His old pal was locked up for 18 years after that incident and is freshly out of prison, wanting to pick up his life and his boxing aspirations where he left off. Creed is pleasant but guarded — for much of the film he acts like an aloof celebrity, hyper conscious of not letting anyone in too close and compartmentalizing the uglier aspects of his past. Still, he takes him out to lunch and offers to help him in any way he can. This is both the right thing to do and also a huge mistake.
“Creed III” is, among other things, about what happens when men don’t talk about their feelings (and ignore Duke’s advice).
At times, it also feels more like a thriller than a sports film as you watch Dame infiltrate Creed’s world. It’s always Creed’s idea, there’s always an invitation, but Dame’s sudden omnipresence starts to feel unavoidable and ominous. Dame has a bit of Eve Harrington in him, but also a very real, very relatable chip on his shoulder for the time he lost. In another movie, he could very well be the underdog we’re rooting for — some of the audience may be rooting for him even so.
Lurking behind everything is the madness that comes from not being able to do what you were born to do. It’s something athletes grapple with earlier than most other professionals. An injury at 23 could take you out when you’re just getting started and in this film Creed, Dame and Bianca are having similar existential crises — though Dame’s desperation is the driving force behind everything that happens.
Jordan and his filmmaking team craft two particularly stunning matches full of suspense, drama and slow motion sweat beads flying through the air. These are only lessened by the cheesy, unhelpful announcers spouting cliches and no actually helpful exposition or explanation outside the ring. And ultimately, it’s a promising debut for the 36-year-old, who shows here that he’ll never let his own star ego get in the way of a film: Majors steals the show, and Jordan is there to capture it.
There’s a comforting but predictable rhythm to a boxing franchise like Rocky and now Creed. The movies must keep justifying themselves, inventing new challenges that make them all feel different enough. But most essentially boil down to the same framework: You have to knock the champion down to a believable underdog again. While there is a case to be made for the final fight to, let’s just say, go a different way than it does, “Creed III” is still a knockout.
“Creed III,” an MGM release, is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for, “Violence, some strong language and intense sports action.” Running Time: 116 minutes. Three stars out of four. —- MPA Definition of PG-13: Parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. —- Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr.
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Storytelling has evolved so much that it is hard to place some stories into one specific box to what genre they belong. Romance can become a heartbreaking drama, and comedy can have dark thrills. However, some genres have specific characteristics that blend very well, making it hard to distinguish between them sometimes. One of the best examples is crime and horror.
Crime dramas and horror have various similar elements, and even the ones that are particular to each of them separately, once mixed enhance each other. So much so that there are movies that start going more heavily in one genre, and as the story progresses they become the other. This creates unpredictable stories that stay with the viewer for a long time, breaking genre expectations and clichés.
Here are some of the best crime dramas that become horror movies before the credits roll.
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8 The Vanishing
Argos Films
The Vanishing is a Dutch crime thriller that waits until almost the last scene to become a horror movie, but nevertheless, it does. The amount of suffering the main character, Rex (Gene Bervoets), goes through trying to understand what happened the afternoon his girlfriend Saskia (Johanna Ter Steege) was kidnapped all boils down to one of the most impactful endings done in thriller movies.
Another element that brings fear is the story also follows the psychopath Raymon (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu) and how he evolved his techniques as a kidnaper and killer. And once it is revealed what happened to Saskia, the horror elements become quite clear.
7 The Pale Blue Eye
Netflix
The new Christian Bale movie, The Pale Blue Eye, tricks the audience into thinking this narrative will only be a historical crime drama. However, from the hidden motivations of the main characters to an actual human sacrifice ritual – it does surprise its viewer.
Since it is a story heavily influenced by the gothic period (the movie is set in 1830), and features one of the most important horror writers who ever lived in the character of Edgar Allan Poe, viewers of the period crime drama should’ve been warned of the horror elements. The sense of dread only gets higher as Poe and Bale’s character investigate the death of a cadet in the United States Military Academy at West Point.
6 Copycat
Warner Bros.
In Copycat, Sigourney Weaver is a criminal profiler and psychologist that had a traumatic experience while working and suffers greatly from agoraphobia — she can’t leave her house. However, she has to work with two detectives (Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney) to solve a case: it appears there is a copycat (someone that copies other killers’ Modus Operandi) killing multiple people. However, while working on the case, she has the impression that there is someone inside her house, her only safe haven. Is she right, or is it her trauma talking?
5 Prisoners
Warner Bros.
How far is too far to go when trying to protect the people you love? That’s the overall question imposed by Denis Villeneuve’s crime thriller Prisoners,which takes a chilling turn when the fathers of the missing girls, played by Hugh Jackman and Terrence Howard, think they know who kidnapped them.
There are very few things these parents won’t do to get their little girls back, including multiple forms of torture once they perceive that the police are not doing enough. The ending is as cruel as the actions the duo is ready to take to get their family back together.
4 American Psycho
Lionsgate Films
American Psycho is a cult classic that is hard to categorize. With Christian Bale in the lead as psychopathic serial killer Patrick Bateman being investigated by a quirky cop, it is not merely a slasher horror movie. It has elements of satirical comedy while still being a great crime thriller. The audience gets to see a detective in action, played by none other than William Dafoe. This is not for the faint of heart or for the ones that don’t enjoy any level of gore. American Psycho has become a reference point when talking about social commentary in genre cinema, and the film flirts between its strange crime story and all-out satirical horror.
3 Cape Fear
Universal Pictures
Martin Scorsese’s remake of the 1962 thrillerCape Fear is a great movie that challenges the idea of safety for the characters that bleeds into the audience. The first time the audience sees Max Cady (Robert De Niro), they instantly know that the attorney Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) and his family are in great trouble. It’s a tense slow burn that climaxes with an incredible amount of suspense and fear.
De Niro’s performance as the psychopath is one of the highlights of the movie – and ultimately what leads to this becoming a horror movie by the end, especially for the former attorney that had enough evidence to get him out of prison, and didn’t use it during the trial.
2 Seven
New Line Cinema
David Fincher’s psychological thriller Seven (often stylized as Se7en) with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman as the lead detectives in a serial killer case is one of a kind. What starts off as another crime drama quickly takes a darker turn: from how the bodies are killed and tortured to the very last scene of the movie. Every element brings the movie closer to a horror story than just another serial killer drama. The soundtrack is also very effective; in scenes where there isn’t any real threat, the intense and atmospheric score makes the viewer extremely uncomfortable.
1 The Silence of the Lambs
Orion Pictures
It is simply impossible to talk about crime thrillers blending into horror without mentioning The Silence of the Lambs; after all, it’s one of those films where nobody can agree if it’s a horror or crime thriller movie. It could be stated that most serial killer movies released after this one were in some way inspired by the character of Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and the actor’s performance.
The story of a young FBI agent learning from a serial killer about how to catch another serial killer is dark and has power dynamics that few were able to recreate or get to this level of success. The audience is in a trance every time Hannibal and Clarice (Jodie Foster) talk, and they are instantly intrigued by these characters. The storylines outside of Hannibal’s cell are what make this a grounded criminal drama while still inspiring fear.
Alongside big hitters like Horizon Call of the Mountain, Gran Turismo 7 and Resident Evil Village, PSVR 2 is already home to some of the best PSVR games and experiences, like Moss and Tetris Effect. Better yet, some ports like Job Simulator, Song in The Smoke and Pistol Whip offer free cross-generation upgrades if you bought them for the original PSVR.
There are many PSVR titles we’d love to see leap onto PlayStation VR2. Here’s our pick.
Director, director of photography, editor: Nicholas Philibert Producers: Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Céline Loiseau Sales: Les Films du Losange In French 1 hour 49 minutes
Synopsis: Watching this touching documentary by Nicholas Philibert, who at 72, won by surprise the Golden Bear at the 73. Berlinale fills us with hope about the future of cinema. Adamant tells the creative routines that happen every day on the Paris mental health day care unique facility, set on a floating structure on the Seine, in the Centre of Paris. A very courageous team of psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers are convinced that a human approach to mental illness is one of the keys to contrast the deterioration that we have to face every day in our society.
It was the only documentary in Competition at Berlinale this year and the fact that it won confirms a new trend in the film industry, mainly that nonfiction cinema is the new deal. It started last September at the Biennale in Venice when the jury, captained by the actress Julianne Moore, decided to give the Golden Lion to All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, by Laura Poitras, a stunning documentary about the traumatic life of photographer, artist, and activist Nan Goldin. In Berlin, Kristen Stewart managed to defy all expectations again: “People have gone in circles for thousands of years trying to pin down what can be deemed art, who’s allowed to do it and what determines its value,” Stewart said, citing the boundary-pushing nature of the festival. “For all of us, you just know it when you see it.” And director Nicholas Philibert added smiling: “That a documentary is awarded and celebrated and that a documentary can be considered to be cinema in its own right touches me deeply”. In this film Philibert and his team tried to reverse the image that people have about mental illness but what they managed to do was much more. When you watch Adamant, you realize that there are no distinctions between patients and professionals but at the same time you become involved in what’s happening on that boat and this can happen mainly because the camera is used as a silent witness that shows us all that “the craziest people are not those we think they are”, and that we are also part of the story… After watching Adamant you just want to know everything about Philibert’s work and realize that his previous documentaries are real masterpieces too: Etre et avoir (2002), and Les pays des sourds (1992) for example.
BBC employees have voted to stage their biggest strike in 13 years in protest over the corporation’s changes to local content in England.
Members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have warned that they could target King Charles III’s Coronation in May when they down tools.
Some 83% voted in favour of strike in a postal ballot, with the remaining 17% not supporting a walkout. The turnout was 69%, which was higher than some were expecting.
An NUJ meeting will take place later today to decide on a course of action after a mandade was secured for industrial action.
Deadline first reported in January that it was “inevitable” that employees would stage a walkout amid fury at proposals to scale back local television and radio programming across the country.
The BBC has argued that funding for local content is being maintained, but it is reprioritizing £19M ($23M) of resources from traditional broadcast services to online and multimedia production to “keep pace with changing audience expectations.” This includes growing local news online and investing in investigative reporting.
BBC staff have not staged a major strike since 2010, when there was a 48-hour walkout over a pensions dispute. Flagship shows, including Newsnight and Breakfast, fell off air as star presenters including Fiona Bruce joined the protest.
Alert: Missing Persons Unit brought a new kind of police procedural action to Fox in the 2023 TV premiere schedule, but the show has already wrapped its first season. The finale was a two-hour TV event with some sky-high stakes for Jason Grant (Hawaii Five-0 alum Scott Caan) and Nikki Batista (Dania Ramirez), and one major unanswered question after the finale is whether or not the show will return for Season 2. With no news on whether Alert has a future beyond this finale, let’s look at what we know!
What The Showrunner Says
The showrunner of Alert: Missing Persons Unit is none other than John Eisendrath, who accumulated some extensive crime drama experience over on NBC as an executive producer of The Blacklist before co-creating Alert for Fox. The co-creator/showrunner spoke with TV Insider about the Season 1 finale, and he had a short and simple statement about the future of the show:
As I tell anyone who asks, I’m the last to know. When everyone else in the world knows, they’ll tell me.
If any decision has been made about whether or not to renew Alert: Missing Persons Unit for Season 2, then John Eisendrath hasn’t heard about it! While some shows are lucky enough to have their renewal news ahead of a finale (including NBC’s La Brea with its second season finale airing just one day after Alert wrapped for the season), that sadly wasn’t the case for this series.
It’s not necessarily a bad sign, however, and Fox may simply be waiting to make or announce a final decision. The Season 6 finale of The Resident as the network’s medical drama aired back in January, and there’s still no word of whether or not a Season 7 will happen. For both The Resident and Alert, let’s go with the idea of “no news is good news!”
What The Ratings Say
Now, in an era of streaming services and cord-cutting, ratings aren’t quite as meaningful as they once were, but they are a source of data to show how many people are prioritizing a show enough to watch live, and how many care enough to record and watch over the next week. With streaming numbers unavailable (although the show itself is available with a Hulu subscription), it’s worth looking at the broadcast ratings in the key 18-49 age demographic.
So let’s take a look! The average ratings for Alert: Missing Persons Unit ahead of the finale paint an interesting picture of the audience. According to SpoilerTV, in Live+Same day totals (a.k.a. the number for those who tuned in live), the show averages a rating of 0.4. That jumps up to 0.5 in Live+3 day totals after three days of delayed viewing, and then up to 0.6 in Live+7. When it comes to audience size, Alert averages 2.25 million viewers in Live+Same, which is bumped up to 3.48 million in Live+3 and 4.03 million in Live+7.
While those numbers don’t put Alert on the top of Monday nights, they also show a respectable audience that tunes in live, with consistent growth over three days and over seven days. It’s not on par with 9-1-1 or 9-1-1: Lone Star as two of Fox’s other scripted shows dealing with crime, but it’s not terrible.
The Verdict
At this point, we can only speculate about what the future holds for Alert: Missing Persons Unit. Its ratings averages are actually similar to what The Resident averaged for its sixth season, so the shows may share a similar fate, for better or worse. A point possibly in its favor is that Alert also recruited Scott Caan back to television after Hawaii Five-0 wrapped back in 2020, and he certainly had the TV experience to anchor a new cast on a new show.
Airing the last two episodes back-to-back for a two-hour finale could be interpreted as a show of faith from Fox, with the network wanting to give fans an epic event before hiatus… or a sign of the network wanting to burn the rest of the episodes ASAP. It’s just hard to say without any statement from the network. At this point, I’m cautiously optimistic but not 100% confident about Alert returning to Fox for Season 2. Hopefully fans just won’t have to wait too long to find out its fate!
Catherine Martin took home the often-Oscar-predictive Period Film award for Elvis, Shirley Kurata won for A24’s Everything Everywhere and Jenny Eagan for Netflix’s Glass Onion.
Dune, Cruella and Coming 2 America won with the film prizes at last year’s CDGA, and Disney’s Cruella — which is set in Swinging ’60s London — went on to win the Oscar. Since the CDGAs launched in 1999, the Academy Award for Costume Design has gone to a period film every year but twice, with only Mad Max: Fury Road (2016) and Black Panther (2019) bucking the trend. The Academy Award hopefuls this year are the designers behind Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Babylon, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris.
On the small-screen side, Amy Roberts won for Excellence in Period Television for Netflix’s The Crown, Jany Temime took the Sci-Fi/Fantasy prize for HBO’s House of the Dragon, and the Contemporary trophy went to Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland for Netflix’s Wednesday.
Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert snagged the Variety/Reality-Competition/Live TV prize for Prime Video’s Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
The Period TV award went to Amy Roberts for Netflix’s The Crown. Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland took the Contemporary TV trophy for Netflix’s Wednesday, and Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert won the Variety/Reality-Competition/Live TV prize for Prime Video’s Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
Terry Gordon, president of the Costume Designers Guild, IATSE Local 892, revealed during the ceremony that the new name of the CDGA statuette is The Adrian. It’s inspired by the iconic Wizard of Oz costume designer Gilbert Adrian — a founding member of the guild and a 1999 inductee into its Hall of Fame. His hundreds of other film credits from 1923-52 include The Philadelphia Story,David Copperfield and 1940’s Pride and Prejudice.
Here are all the winners at the 2023 CDGA:
Excellence in Period Film Elvis Catherine Martin
Excellence in Period Television The Crown: Ipatiev House Amy Roberts
Excellence in Contemporary Film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Jenny Eagan
Excellence in Contemporary Television Wednesday: Wednesday’s Child is Full of Woe Colleen Atwood & Mark Sutherland
Excellence in Short Form Design Yeah Yeah Yeahs: “Spitting Off the Edge of the World” (Music Video) Natasha Newman-Thomas
Excellence in Variety, Reality-Competition, Live Television Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls: Girl Run That Sh*t Back Carrie Cramer & Jason Rembert
Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Film Everything Everywhere All at Once Shirley Kurata
Excellence in Sci-Fi / Fantasy Television House of the Dragon: The Heirs of the Dragon Jany Temime
Gorillaz have shared a new song called “Crocadillaz” featuring Dawn Penn and De La Soul, including a verse from the late Trugoy the Dove. It’s featured on Cracker Island (Deluxe), the latest version of the band’s new album. Other new features include Del The Funky Homosapien (“Captain Chicken”) and MC Bin Laden (“Controllah”). Check out “Crocadillaz” below.
Trugoy the Dove died earlier this month at 54. He won a Grammy for his contributions to Gorillaz’s 2005 single “Feel Good Inc.” De La Soul announced a celebration at Webster Hall in New York City dubbed “The D.A.I.S.Y. Experience.” Scheduled for March 2, the event is produced by Amazon Music and meant to pay tribute to Trugoy and De La Soul, featuring artwork from the group’s debut album 3 Feet High and Rising and a DJ set from the Originals (Stretch Armstrong, Rich Medina, and Tony Touch). The Amazon Music channel on Twitch is set to livestream a series of interviews with friends of De La Soul and special guests that night.
Gorillaz frontman Damon Albarn recently announced that the animated feature being developed about the cartoon band is now in limbo after after Netflix exited the project.
Directors Greg Swinson and Ryan Thiessen once again collaborate on the horror-thriller Hunt Her, Kill Her. Written by Swinson, the film is about Karen (Natalie Terrazzino), who recently left an abusive relationship. She’s refusing to let her ex, Danny (JC Oakley III), see their daughter, Lily (Olivia Graves). As Karen is starting a new job, the babysitter is constantly calling or texting updates about Lily; it does not help that the young girl has the flu.
Karen is now the overnight janitor at a warehouse. After being given the rundown of what to do and how to lock up properly by the day shift janitor, Glenn (Larry Bunton), she is the only employee left in the building. But Karen is not alone for long, as four people in masks have broken into the facility. She runs and hides, hoping, praying that the intruders will not find her. The problem is that they are there specifically to hunt down and kill Karen. Can she find the fortitude and strength to fight back for her daughter’s sake?
Hunt Her, Kill Her is brutal and intense. As soon as the break-in happens, Swinson and Thiessen never give the audience a chance to breathe. The gang is relentless in their pursuit, though Karen is clever. After the first major chase, she intentionally pushes a cart into a shelf to make a ruckus. She then hides in a barrel. The sheer intensity of whether or not Karen will be found in the barrel is breathtaking. The filmmakers never let the dread or brutality ease up at any point.
“…they are there specifically to hunt down and kill Karen.”
And make no mistake, the film is brutal. Of course, Karen starts fighting back, and each punch, kick, stab, or clubbing is felt. The filmmakers wisely keep things grounded, so buckets of blood are not being spilled about. Due to the nature of the story and its themes, having every action be as realistic as possible is the right call. Otherwise, there’d be a massive tone problem. Thankfully, that is not the case here.
Admittedly though, it is a bit goofy just how often the baddies in Hunt Her, Kill Her let Karen escape their grasp. It would make more sense if she knew the warehouse better, meaning it was not her first night there. But, then, the crucial aspect of first-day jitters that keep the lead jumpy even before the four men break-in would be lost. However, this is really only a problem when stopping and thinking about the picture. The directing and editing are so strong that in the moment viewers are caught up in the situation just as Karen is.
Just as impressive is Terrazzino. The actor makes Karen’s resolve felt from the beginning. Glenn asks Karen her name when showing her where the uniforms are, and her retort suggests that he should definitely know and remember it. Her frustrations are clear when dealing with the babysitter, as are her love and devotion to Lily. Terrazzino makes the emotions authentic and palpable. She’s no slouch when it comes to the action beats either. The actor is just as believable as the concerned mom as she is the badass destroying those out to harm her. Her performance is why the film moves from above average to must-see.
Hunter Her, Kill Her is an intense thrill ride that will leave everyone watching on the edge of their seat. Terrazzino’s performance is stunning, as the actor easily handles every emotional beat and punch. While aspects of the story don’t hold up to scrutiny, that is a minor problem considering everything Swinson and Thiessen offer the audience.
Fears Russia is planning a false flag chemical weapons attack in Ukraine that it will blame on the West as Kremlin accuses US of plotting a ‘provocation’
Allegations came from chief of Putin’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Forces
Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov claimed former US ambassador to Moscow had warned at a conference that Russia intended to use chemical weapons
Fears are rising that Russia is planning a false flag incident involving chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The Russian state media went into overdrive this morning, claiming the US and its allies are plotting a chemical strike.
The allegations came from Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Vladimir Putin‘s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Forces.
Yet the frenzy has the hallmarks of a Russian operation to blame the West for its own attack.
Moscow has repeatedly used such tactics in the war in Ukraine, while Kyiv has accused Russia of ‘yet another provocation’ and a ‘likely false flag’ by Putin’s forces.
Kirillov claimed that former US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan had warned at a conference that Russia intended to use chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine.
The allegations came from Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Vladimir Putin’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Forces (pictured)
Pictured: Damaged building in Kharkiv
A slide shown at the briefing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. The headline reads: ‘Examples of provocative actions of the US’. From left to right: 2003 an excuse to invade Iraq, 2017 an excuse for missile strikes against Syria, 2018 an excuse to destroy scientific facilities
‘We regard this information as the intention of the US itself and its accomplices to conduct a provocation in Ukraine using toxic chemicals,’ said Kirillov.
He alleged chemicals were delivered by train to Kramatorsk, accompanied by ‘foreign citizens’.
They were allegedly placed at the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant.
Kramatorsk is in the Donetsk region of Ukraine.
Some 16 sealed boxes were unloaded including some marked BZ, a prohibited substance under chemical weapons treaties which causes acute psychosis, loss of orientation, hallucinations and memory disorders.
He alleged the US had repeatedly over many years made ‘fake’ allegations of chemical attacks as provocations.
Kirillov claimed that former US ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan (pictured) had warned at a conference that Russia intended to use chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine
A slide shown at the briefing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. The headline reads: ‘Delivery of toxic chemicals to Kramatorsk’
Kirillov (pictured) alleged chemicals were delivered by train to Kramatorsk, accompanied by ‘foreign citizens’. They were allegedly placed at the Kramatorsk Metallurgical Plant
‘The cargo was placed on American-made armoured vehicles, which moved as part of the column to the line of contact,’ alleged the Russian general.
Means of protection from chemical attacks were also delivered, he claimed.
‘The facts of the simultaneous supply of toxic chemicals and means of protection against them indicate an attempt to carry out large-scale provocations using the psychotropic chemical warfare agent BZ during the conflict,’ said Kirillov.
But he provided no proof for such claims.
‘Washington expects the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict to make it difficult for the international community to launch an effective investigation, as a result of which the real organisers and perpetrators could escape responsibility, while the blame would be shifted on Russia,’ alleged Kirillov.
He said the Russian forces in Ukraine ‘have the equipment and technology to identify the possible use of toxic substances and deal with this situation’.
Alec Baldwin is an actor known for his roles in It’s Complicated, The Departed, and more.
On Oct. 21, 2021, Alec was working on the set of the film, Rust, when the movie’s cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was fatally shot and killed by a prop gun.
Over one year after the incident, Alec has been charged with involuntary manslaughter, to which he has pleaded not guilty to as of Feb. 23, 2023.
On Feb. 27, 2023, three Rust crewmembers filed a lawsuit against Alec, as reported by TMZ.
UPDATE 2/28/23 12.01 AM EST: Four days after pleading not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges, it was revealed that Alec Baldwin is being sued by three Rust crewmembers (Ross Addiego, Doran Curtin, and Reese Price), per TMZ. The court records obtained by the outlet revealed that they are taking legal action against the film’s producer for being “3 of 7 people n the church set the day the shooting happened.” In addition, the three film crew members alleged that the movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed “lacked essential experience.” Finally, the three are suing for “negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress” as they also claimed they were asked to “assist” after Halyna Hutchins and Joel Souza were injured. The outlet concluded that they are asking for “unspecified damages.”
ORIGINAL STORY:30 Rock alum Alec Baldwin, 64, is a successful actor and producer known for starring in many hit films and TV shows including It’s Complicated, The Departed, and more. Despite his success, his life took a turn when the cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, working on his movie, Rust, was fatally shot on Oct. 21, 2021. Amid the 64-year-old latest not-guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter charges, here is everything to know about what happened to Halyna, Alec’s charges, the trial, and more below.
Alec Baldwin in the film ‘Rust’ set to resume filming in spring 2023. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office/MEGA)
What Happened On The Set Of ‘Rust’?
The set of the film ‘Rust’ in New Mexico. (Santa Fe Sheriff’s Office/MEGA)
The latest project for Alec is the film, Rust, in which he not only stars in but also is credited as one of the producers. A few of the actors who star in the movie alongside him include Supernatural’sJensen Ackles, Vikings‘ Travis Fimmel, and Titanic actress Frances Fisher. During filming in New Mexico in Oct. 2021, Alec unfortunately fired a prop gun that held live rounds which, in turn, resulted in the death of Halyna. The film’s armorer, Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, is also being investigated in connection to the cinematographer’s tragic death.
“Santa Fe County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Bonanza Creek Ranch movie set of the western Rust, October 21, 2021, when an 911 caller reported a shooting on the set,” police said at the time, per DEADLINE. The late 42-year-old was transported via helicopter to New Mexico’s University of New Mexico Hospital where she subsequently died. The film’s director, Joel Souza, 49, also sustained injuries, however, he survived and was treated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical facility.
Alec Baldwin’s Charges & Trial
Halyna Hutchins was the cinematographer killed after being shot on the set of ‘Rust’ in Oct. 2021. (Courtesy of Hutchins Family/MEGA)
Over one year after the tragic incident, Alec was criminally charged on Jan. 19, 2023, for his involvement in the shooting. The producer was charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, as disclosed by Santa Fe District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies. If the father-of-seven is found guilty on the first charge, including a misdemeanor negligent use of a firearm charge, he could face up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine. The second charge also includes the same prison time and fine, however, it includes a firearm enhancement, which could add an additional five years in jail.
Although the firearm enhancement could’ve prolonged his jail time, D.A. Carmack-Altwies, has since downgraded the charges and removed the firearm enhancement altogether as of Feb. 20, 2023, per CNBC. The jail time has also been downgraded from a minimum of a “minimum of five years” to a “maximum of 18 months.” As a result, a spokesperson for the New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney, released a statement regarding the lessened charges. “In order to avoid further litigious distractions by Mr. Baldwin and his attorneys, the district attorney and the special prosecutor have removed the firearm enhancement to the involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the ‘Rust’ film set,” Heather Brewer‘s statement read.
Not only did the Emmy-nominated actor plead not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter charges, but he also “waived his first court appearance,” as reported by ABC News on Feb. 23, 2023. Alec and assistant director David Halls, were both set to appear in court “remotely” on Feb. 24, however, they both filed a waiver for their first court appearance, per the outlet. Finally, District Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer set terms to Alec’s conditional release, including that, “he must not possess any firearms, not consume alcohol and have no contact with any potential witnesses unless it’s related to filming the movie.” Hannah’s hearing will continue, and is set to take place on Feb. 24, at 10.15 AM MST.
What Has Alec Said Since The Incident?
Shortly after the fatal incident took place, Alec sat down with Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos in Dec. 2021, for an in-depth interview regarding the shooting. One of the major things that Alec revealed was that he was not to be held responsible for the “live bullet” in the prop gun. “Someone put a live bullet in a gun, a bullet that wasn’t even supposed to be on the property,” he declared at the time. “Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can’t say who that is, but I know it’s not me.”
Alec also added that he was not aware of what had occurred that tragic day on set. “I don’t know what happened on that set. I don’t know how that bullet arrived in that gun. I don’t know,” he continued. “But I’m all for doing anything that will take us to a place where this is less likely to happen again.” The interview took place in three parts, with the final interview airing on Dec. 2, 2021.
Who Else Was Charged?
Alec was not the only member of the Rust film team to be charged either, as David and Hannah also faced charges. On Jan. 31, 2023, the film’s armorer was also charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter, according to ABC News, and as previously mentioned her hearing is set to take place on Feb. 24. David has since pleaded “no contest” in regard to the charge of “negligent use of a deadly weapon,” however, the plea agreement is still pending the judges approval.
“The District Attorney and the special prosecutor are fully focused on securing justice for Halyna Hutchins,” Brewer noted in a statement released Jan. 30, 2023. “The evidence and the facts speak for themselves.” On Jan. 19, 2023, Alec’s attorney Luke Nikas of Quinn Emanuel stated that Alec would fight the charges brought against him. “This decision distorts Halyna Hutchins’ tragic death and represents a terrible miscarriage of justice. Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun – or anywhere on the movie set. He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win,” he said in a statement, obtained by HollywoodLife.
Halyna’s husband, Matthew Hutchins, released a statement regarding his wrongful death lawsuit against Alec and the film’s production company in Oct. 2022, via ABC News. “We have reached a settlement, subject to court approval, for our wrongful death case against the producers of Rust, including Alec Baldwin and Rust Movie Productions, LLC. As part of that settlement, our case will be dismissed,” Matthew said at the time. “I have no interest in engaging in recriminations or attribution of blame (to the producers or Mr. Baldwin),” he added. “All of us believe Halyna’s death was a terrible accident. I am grateful that the producers and the entertainment community have come together to pay tribute to Halyna’s final work.”
Rust is set to resume production and will commence filming sometime in spring 2023, per ABC News. The producers revealed earlier in Feb. 2023, that the movie will now be filmed in Yellowstone Film Ranch in Montana, and that Joel will return to direct the project. Matthew will also join the crew as the movie’s executive producer and cinematographer Bianca Cline. Alec, David, and Hannah were not named among those returning to Rust.
Lokhandwala (above right) has been chief strategy officer at Brooklyn-based Vice Media since October 2018, and Dixon (above left) has been CFO at VMG since 2021 and was previously CFO of Vice Studios. The duo will lead the strategic and creative direction of Vice Media, working with the board of directors.
The Vice board said in a statement: “Hozefa and Bruce are incredibly experienced and deeply talented executives who enjoy the full trust of Vice’s leadership team and board, and are the right individuals to lead Vice forward. With their combined 10 years of experience at Vice, and their long commitment to the company’s brand, mission and operations, they’re perfectly positioned to guide the company through this next important stage of growth.”
Lokhandwala and Dixon said in a joint statement: “We’re both passionately committed to bringing the brand, business operations and creative spirit of Vice forward into the future, and we’re excited and grateful for this opportunity to continue to work closely with the board and VMG’s exceptional management team. This is an era of tremendous change for media companies, and Vice’s unique brand of news, entertainment and lifestyle content has never been more relevant. We look forward to building on its success as we chart the next exciting chapter for the company.”
Vice Media Group’s five main business units are: Vice.com, the Vice Studios film and TV production unit; the Vice TV television network; Vice News; and creative agency Virtue. The company’s portfolio also includes Refinery29, the media and entertainment brand focused on women acquired in 2019; London-based Pulse Films; and i-D, a digital and print style publication covering fashion, culture and design.
Prior to joining Vice Media, Lokhandwala served as a managing director in J.P. Morgan’s Media Investment Banking Group. He also was an investment banker in Bear Stearns’ media and entertainment group and worked in the business and finance group at Morgan Lewis, providing legal advisory services for M&A and finance transactions. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a law degree from Brooklyn Law School and a bachelor of arts degree from Oberlin College.
Dixon was previously finance director of global markets for BBC Studios, and was group controller and head of financial planning and analysis for Central European Media Enterprises. He holds master’s degree in auditing, management accounting and information systems from the Skema Business School in France. Dixon splits his time between the U.K. and U.S. and lives with his wife and their two children.
Sarah Polley was practically born into this business, starting as a child actress at age 5, finding stardom soon after, and now it is why she is most comfortable behind the camera as writer and director. Her latest filmmaking endeavor, Women Talking, earned an Best Picture Oscar nomination as well as one for her Adapted Screenplay based on the 2018 novel by Miriam Toews. It is Polley’s second nomination in the screenplay category her feature directorial debut, 2006’s Away From Her, which starred Julie Christie, the legendary star who actually worked with Sarah on camera as actors in a couple of films.
Polley’s successful acting career also includes The Sweet Hereafter, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Go, My Life Without Me, Guinevere, John Adams, The Weight of Water and Zack Snyder’s Dawn of the Dead, but now she is just as successful as a filmmaker herself having also directed 2011’s Take This Waltz and 2012’s Stories We Tell.
She joins me today on my Deadline video series Behind the Lens to talk about all of it, what her Oscar nomination means to her, why she takes so much time between films, her disappointment that in a very good year like this one no women were nominated for Best Director, plus the unique style she brought to the making of Women Talking and casting that remarkable ensemble.
To watch our conversation click on the video above.
Homeland stars Claire Danes and Damian Lewis reunited in New York City on Monday when they attended the premiere of his new thriller series A Spy Among Friends.
The 43-year-old Fleishman Is In Trouble actor and the 52-year-old Billions star shared a sweet huge as they met up nearly a decade after Damian wrapped up his time on their acclaimed series Homeland.
Damian left the hit show in 2014 after the death of his character in season 3, while Claire starred as Carrie untiul the final series which aired in 2020.
Also making a splash on Monday’s red carpet were Sienna Miller and Damian’s Billions costar Asia Kate Dillion, among others.
Claire opted for a sleek all-black look that covered up her burgeoning baby bump, after she announced last month that she and husband Hugh Dancy were expecting their third child together.
She had on a flowing charcoal jumpsuit that was enlivened with slim horizontal black stripes from top to bottom.
Together again: Claire Danes, 43, and Damian Lewis, 52, reunited nearly a decade after the last time they worked together at the premiere of his show A Spy Among Friends in NYC on Monday
Reunited and it feels so good: The friends shared a sweet hug on the red carpet. They starred together in the first three seasons of the acclaimed thriller series Homeland
Claire had the outfit belted just above her tummy, and she elevated her 5ft5in stature with a pair of tall black boots.
The beaming beauty wore her blond hair in a stylish blunt-cut bob with a side part, and she spiced up her elegantly made-up face with a splash of crimson on her lips.
The film and television star looked over the moon as she wrapped her arms around Damian, who plays one of the lead roles in A Spy Among Friends.
The series, based on the book of the same name by Ben Macintyre, concerns the ordeal of the notorious British intelligence agent Kim Philby, who also worked as a spy for the Soviet Union.
Damian plays the real-life Nicholas Elliott, another intelligence officer at MI6 whose life is turned upside down when he learns that his friend Philby (Guy Pearce) has been spying on his own government.
In the US, A Spy Among Friends will be available to stream on MGM+ beginning on March 12.
The series has been available to stream in the UK since December of last year on ITVX, while Canadians have had access to it since earlier this month on Amazon Prime.
Damian married high and low couture with a simple black V-neck shirt that he wore with a stylish gray houndstooth suit.
Co-stars: The pair met up nearly a decade after Damian wrapped up his time on their acclaimed series in which they played Carrie Mathison and Nicholas Brody (pictured in the show in 2013)
Back in black: She had on a flowing charcoal jumpsuit that was enlivened with slim horizontal black stripes from top to bottom
On point: Claire had the outfit belted just above her tummy, and she elevated her 5ft5in stature with a pair of tall black boots
Cute: The film and television star looked over the moon as she wrapped her arms around Damian, who plays one of the lead roles in A Spy Among Friends
Suited up: Damian married high and low couture with a simple black V-neck shirt that he wore with a stylish gray houndstooth suit
He completed the look with a set of classy black leather boots.
Sienna Miller dressed down for her red-carpet appearance with a striking brown suede blouse with short sleeves that just reached down past her elbows.
She wore it with charcoal slacks and matching brown suede boots, and she accessorized with a black studded handbag.
Asia Kate Dillon opted for a rugged look featuring a multicolored plaid shirt that they wore atop a sleek black mock turtleneck.
They also wore eye-catching orange-and-black mottled corduroy pants and cool black combat boots.
The Ukrainian model Alina Baikova contrasted them with a striking black long-sleeve crop top that featured a cut-out over her chest and showcased her impressive abs.
The actress, writer and director Sarah Megan Thomas highlighted her toned arms in a lovely sleeveless dress.
The patterned look featured bursts of orange, yellow and purple toward the bottom of her sleek skirt.
Chic: Sienna Miller dressed down for her red-carpet appearance with a striking brown suede blouse with short sleeves that just reached down past her elbows. She wore it with charcoal slacks and matching brown suede boots, and she accessorized with a black studded handbag
Rugged: Asia Kate Dillon opted for a rugged look featuring a multicolored plaid shirt that they wore atop a sleek black mock turtleneck
Striking: The billions actor also wore eye-catching orange-and-black mottled corduroy pants and cool black combat boots
Revealing: The Ukrainian model Alina Baikova contrasted them with a striking black long-sleeve crop top that featured a cut-out over her chest and showcased her impressive abs. The actress, writer and director Sarah Megan Thomas highlighted her toned arms in a lovely sleeveless dress
Alison Mosshart, the lead singer of the rock band The Kills, made a splash on the red carpet with a hypnotizing black-and-white striped sweater.
She wore it over a flowery black blouse, along with a lustrous set of black velvet pants.
The songstress wore her blond-dyed hair in playfully messy strands running down her shoulders.
The actress Laila Robins looked stylish in a plaid blazer with a cream-colored satin shirt.
She wore it tucked into brown leather pants, which were in turn tucked into knee-high black leather riding boots for an equestrian feel.
Damian had another reunion when he met up at the premiere with the filmmaker Neil Burger, who had directed episodes of his acclaimed thriller series Billions.
He wore a gray blazer with an olive-colored polo shirt and jeans.
Fuzzy: Alison Mosshart, the lead singer of the rock band The Kills, made a splash on the red carpet with a hypnotizing black-and-white striped sweater
Equestrian style: The actress Laila Robins looked stylish in a plaid blazer with a cream-colored satin shirt. She wore it tucked into brown leather pants, which were in turn tucked into knee-high black leather riding boots
Pals: Damian had another reunion when he met up at the premiere with the filmmaker Neil Burger, who had directed episodes of his acclaimed thriller series Billions. He wore a gray blazer with an olive-colored polo shirt and jeans
Toasty: The fashion designer Nicole Miller looked cozy and warm in a lustrous green quilted coat with a long leopard-print scarf draped around her neck and a black outfit with matching black boots
Collaborators: Damian’s costar Stephen Kunken (L) who wore a classic black suit, and the show’s screenwriter Alexander Cary (2nd to L), who had on a blue suit. Michael Wright (3rd to L), the president of MGM and EPIX, wore a dark blazer with a black sweater and jeans
Spies: In A Spy Among Friends, Damian plays real-life MI6 intelligence officer Nicholas Elliott, whose life is turned upside down when he learns his friend Kim Philby (Guy Pearce) has been working as a double agent for the Soviet Union. The shows premiere on MGM+ on March 12
The fashion designer Nicole Miller looked cozy and warm in a lustrous green quilted coat with a long leopard-print scarf draped around her neck.
She had on an all-black outfit underneath and wore tall black boots.
Also featured at the premiere was Damian’s costar Stephen Kunken, who wore a classic black suit, and the show’s screenwriter Alexander Cary, who had on a blue suit.
Michael Wright, the president of MGM and EPIX, wore a dark blazer with a black sweater and jeans.
Curb “abuses” of so-called mini-rooms. Boost residual payments for streaming shows. Regulate artificial intelligence in writing.
Those are among the leading bargaining goals established by the Writers Guild of America, according to an email to union members viewed by The Times.
The WGA’s leadership on Monday asked its more than 10,000 members to vote on a proposed “pattern of demands,” the general areas that will guide negotiations set to begin on March 20. Ballots must be submitted by March 7.
Among the bargaining demands: The union wants increased contributions to the union’s health and pension plan; higher minimum pay across all categories; and standardized compensation, whether content is released in theaters or on streaming platforms.
The union also is seeking to extend span protection, which restricts the amount of time writers can spend working on a single episode of TV; and to regulate the use of material produced using artificial intelligence or similar technologies.
The bargaining proposals provide the framework for upcoming negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers in what is expected to be a contentious bargaining cycle. Producers and studios are already girding for a writers’ strike this year, the first since 2007. The current contract for writers expires May 1.
“The 2023 MBA [minimum basic agreement] negotiations takes place in the context of an expanding media industry that remains highly profitable, despite short-term declines in profitability affecting some companies,” wrote WGA West President Meredith Stiehm and WGA East President Michael Winship in an email to members first reported by Variety. “The broad goal of our negotiating committee will be to build on the gains achieved in past contracts, and to ensure that writers receive their fair share of the proceeds generated by the content they create.”
The pattern of demands vote follows a series of meetings held by the union in Los Angeles and New York to solicit members’ feedback.
Exploited and critical CVEs need to be prioritized as soon as possible to limit exposure.
But manually gathering the full picture needed to make smart prioritization decisions is tedious.
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Back in late October, we saw Xiaomi releasing its 210W mobile charging tech by way of its Redmi sub-brand, and this was eventually beaten by a 240W version from Realme — part of the Oppo and OnePlus family — in early February. Given that it’s MWC week, today Xiaomi swiftly responded with a whopping 300W demo, which brought the charging time down to a little under five minutes — almost half that of the two aforementioned achievements. Xiaomi added that this new 300W charger comes in the same size as its earlier 210W counterpart, thanks to a better modular design plus heat dissipation on the inside.
The 300W demo featured a Redmi Note 12 Pro+ modified with a 4,100mAh battery, which is a little smaller than the 4,300mAh in the 210W Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition (and the Realme has a far more generous 4,600mAh). As you can see in the video, the phone reached 20 percent in just a little over one minute, followed by the 50 percent mark in 2 minutes 12 seconds, and then 100 percent in just a little under 5 minutes. The power meter indicated a peak input of a little over 290W for the charger, and it also managed to sustain 280W and above for around two minutes at one point.
The company said the battery here pack more powerful 15C cells (as opposed to the 10C cells in the Discovery Edition), which consist of new carbon materials in place of some of the conventional graphite parts, thus reducing the electrodes’ thickness by 35 percent. Together with an improved electrolyte formula, this lithium ion battery can pack a higher power density with a faster charge and discharge rate, while apparently reducing the amount of heat produced in the process. These ultra-thin cells are then stacked with thermal materials in between as part of a new “sandwich” design, in order to optimize heat dissipation while making better use of internal space. As far as safety is concerned, Xiaomi claimed that there are over 50 features built into the system to keep tabs on the current, voltage and temperature on each charging chip.
Xiaomi’s announcement today has definitely set another milestone for the mobile industry, though the company didn’t mention whether this 300W charging tech will be mass produced. Nor did Xiaomi share figures on charging cycles, which makes for a sober reminder of how battery lifespan can be affected by higher charging power.
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The Cannes Film Festival has appointed Swedish director and two-time Palme d’Or winner Ruben Östlund as jury president for its upcoming 76th edition, running from May 16 to 27.
Östlund’s jury duty will fall exactly 50 years after late compatriot, actress Ingrid Bergman also served in the role in 1973.
“I am happy, proud, and humbled to be trusted with the honor of jury president for this year’s Competition at the Festival de Cannes. Nowhere in the film world is the anticipation as strong as when the curtain rises on the films in Competition at the festival,” said Östlund.
“It is a privilege to be part of it, together with the Cannes audience of connoisseurs. I am sincere when I say that cinema culture is in its most important period ever. The cinema has a unique aspect – there, we watch together, and it demands more on what is shown and increases the intensity of the experience. It makes us reflect in a different way than when we dopamine scroll in front of individual screens.”
Östlund has deep ties with Cannes.
Five of his six features have world premiered in Cannes, kicking off with Involuntary, his anthology film exploring the psychology of group behaviour which debuted in Un Certain Regard in 2008.
His next feature Play, which sparked controversy at home for its portrayal of a gang of Swedish-Somali teenage boys who prey on weaker white boys, played in parallel section Directors’ Fortnight in 2011.
The director returned in 2014 with French Alps-set, dark family comedy Force Majeure, which world premiered in Un Certain Regard winning its jury prize.
Östlund went on to win the Palme d’Or for art world-set social satire The Square and his devastating critique of the ultra-wealthy Triangle of Sadness, in 2017 and 2022 respectively.
The latter title is now in the running for Best Picture, Original Screenplay and Achievement in Directing in this year’s Academy Awards.
Östlund, who studied cinema in Gothenburg, directed his first feature film The Guitar Mongoloid in 2004. Set in the fictional city of Jöteborg, modelled on Gothenburg, the film revolved around a series of different people living outside the norms.
In between his early features, Östlund also won Berlin’s Golden Bear for best short for Incident By A Bank in 2010.
“By inviting Ruben Östlund to preside over the Jury, the Festival de Cannes wishes to pay a tribute to films that are uncompromising and forthright and which constantly demand that viewers challenge themselves and that art continue to invent itself,” said the festival.
“Ruben Östlund has therefore become the third two-time winner of the Palme d’Or to be the President of the Jury, following Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, and the very first to take on this role the year after his acclaim in Cannes,” it added.
Östlund said he would be emphasizing the “social function” of cinema as president of the jury.
“A good movie relates to the collective experience, stimulates us to think and makes us want to discuss what we have seen – so let’s watch together!”
The festival’s Official Selection will be announced around mid-April.
Ghost stories have captivated audiences since the beginning of storytelling. With the development of cinema, the atmosphere, suspense, and fear of a ghost story was able to be translated into a visual experience. In this list, we will look at ten of the best ghost stories featuring haunting and heartache. Through the use of ghostly visuals, disturbing set pieces, and white-knuckle tension, many of these films have lasted the test of time.. kind of like the spirits themselves.
1. The Haunting (1963)
The Hauntingis often considered one of the greatest horror films of all time. It follows a small group of people who are invited to live in an old, eerie mansion and document the supernatural events that take place. Directed by Robert Wise, this psychological horror film skillfully builds suspense throughout, as secrets and secrets of the house’s dark past are revealed. Its unique blend of horror, suspense, and tragedy, combined with its effective use of a claustrophobic atmosphere, makes The Haunting one of the most lasting and powerful ghost stories ever filmed.
2. The Innocents (1961)
The Innocents is another psychological horror classic. It follows a governess who is sent to care for two children at a country estate. As she delves deeper into the mystery of the house, she discovers that the children are being possessed by the house’s past. This haunting, thought-provoking ghost story is a powerful exploration of grief, love, and loss.
3. The Uninvited (1944)
The Uninvited is a supernatural mystery from 1944. This classic tells the story of two siblings who purchase a seaside home only to discover that it is haunted. As they investigate the mystery of the house and its ghostly inhabitant, they unravel a tragic, dark secret. The film was praised for its strong performances and atmosphere, and is considered one of the best ghost stories of the classic era.
4. The Legend Of Hell House (1973)
The Legend of Hell House follows a researcher and his team as they investigate the mysterious and deadly Hell House. As they enter the mansion, they face a powerful, invisible force that threatens to destroy them all. This classic haunted house story was praised for its atmospheric tension and terror, and is considered one of the best examples of its kind.
5. Don’t Look Now (1973)
Don’t Look Nowis a thriller with a tragic twist. It follows a married couple who are struggling to cope with the loss of their daughter. When they travel to Venice, they become embroiled in a bizarre mystery involving ghosts and the occult. The film’s emotionally charged atmosphere, combined with its eerie visuals, makes it one of the best ghost stories of all time.
6. The Changeling (1980)
The Changelingis a suspenseful haunted house film from 1980. It follows a composer who moves into an old mansion with a haunting past. As he investigates its secrets, he discovers a horrific story of murder and injustice. This classic ghost story is known for its powerful direction, unsettling atmosphere, and effective use of suspense and horror.
7. Carnival Of Souls (1962)
Carnival of Souls is a low-budget horror classic from 1962. It follows a woman who is haunted by a mysterious phantom figure after a near-fatal car accident. As she investigates the mystery, she discovers a terrifying truth about the past. This silent film is an effective mix of terror and tragedy, and has achieved cult status over the years.
8. The Woman in Black (2012)
The Woman in Blackis a modern take on the classic ghost story. It follows a young lawyer who is sent to investigate a mysterious house in a remote village. As he investigates the dark secrets of the house, he discovers that the village is besieged by a powerful and malevolent spirit. This suspenseful ghost story was praised for its strong performances, scares, and atmosphere.
9. The Others (2001)
The Others is a suspenseful ghost story from 2001. It follows a devoutly religious mother who is trying to protect her children from a sinister being that is lurking in their old house. This ghost story combines horror and suspense with a tragic twist, making for a haunting and memorable experience.
10. The Orphanage (2007)
The Orphanageis a horror film from 2007 that follows a woman who returns to her childhood home and discovers that it is haunted. This suspenseful ghost story is known for its masterful use of atmosphere and tension, as well as its tragic twist. It is a powerful exploration of grief, sorrow, and the power of love.
From the psychological terror of The Haunting to the suspenseful atmosphere of The Others, horror films featuring tragic ghost stories can be some of the most hauntingly effective experiences in cinema. These ten films represent a mix of classic and modern ghost stories, each one featuring an effective blend of tragedy, tension and terror. Whether you’re in the mood for a spine-tingling horror experience or just a white-knuckled thrill ride, these films are sure to leave you haunted and heartbroken.
Let us know some of your favorite ghost stories over on Twitter or in the NOFS Discord!
Axe is back. Damian Lewis, who departed Showtime’s “Billions” at the end of Season 5, will return to the series in time for Season 7, the network announced late Monday. Lewis, who stars with Guy Pearce in next month’s MGM+ series “A Spy Among Friends,” will return for six of the 12 episodes of “Billions” set to air next season.
Lewis is back as Bobby “Axe” Axelrod opposite Paul Giamatti, Corey Stoll and Maggie Siff. The show is currently in production in New York, and Lewis’ return had already been leaked via paparazzi photos that showed him, in character, back with his old “Billions” co-stars.
Here’s the logline for next season via Showtime: “In season seven, alliances are turned on their heads. Old wounds are weaponized. Loyalties are tested. Betrayal takes on epic proportions. Enemies become wary friends. And Bobby Axelrod returns, as the stakes grow from Wall Street to the world.”
“Billions” also stars David Costabile, Asia Kate Dillon, Condola Rashad, Jeffrey DeMunn, Sakina Jaffrey and Daniel Breaker. Also, Toney Goins (who plays Philip) has been made a season regular in Season 7.
As Variety wrote at the time of the Season 5 finale, “No Direction Home,” in the end, “Lewis’ Axelrod, once again under the gun from law enforcement, escapes in cloak-and-dagger fashion with a hoard of money to Switzerland to avoid prosecution in New York.”
That had left the door open that even though Lewis would no longer be a series regular, that the character returning to the “Billions” universe one day. Season 6 of “Billions” ran in the winter and early spring last year, with the season finale on April 10, 2022.
Lewis won an Emmy for playing U.S. Marine Corp. Sgt. Nicholas Brody on Showtime’s “Homeland,” from 2011 to 2013. He returned to the pay cabler for “Billions,” which premiered in January 2016.
Lewis’ exit from “Billions” in 2021 came following the death that year of his wife, actor Helen McCrory.
“Billions” comes from creators, executive producers and showrunners Brian Koppelman and David Levien. Beth Schacter also serves as showrunner and executive producer. The series was also created by Andrew Ross Sorkin.
As Paramount+ merges with Showtime, the company also recently announced that up to four new “Billions” spinoff series are in the works. That includes “Billions: Miami” as a new installment set in the world of private aviation; “Billions: London,” set in the world of U.K. finance; “Millions,” featuring diverse, 30-something, financial mogul wannabes in Manhattan; and “Trillions,” based on fictional stories of the richest people in the world.
Sometimes films are considered art because of the excellent acting, spectacular script writing, amazing cinematography, or cultural impact, and other times a movie is just simply Bloodsport.
What this particular icon of the silver screen lacks in a few of those previously stated categories, it makes up for in martial arts glory, pure ‘80s nostalgia, and direct injections of testosterone right into the viewer’s eyes. This is the film that made Jean-Claude Van Damme an overnight success – after it spent a couple of years on the shelf and had to be re-edited – and legend has it he obtained the role by showing up to a restaurant where Menahem Golan of Cannon Films, his soon-to-be boss, was exiting and simply kicked over the man’s head to show off his skills. What they created together became a staple in the movie libraries of many households, a foundation of the genre, and an inspirational piece for many.
The story in Bloodsport is an instant win because it’s about a fighting tournament. It’s easy to love a good movie with a martial arts bracket and getting to watch the hero engage with different opponents, climb to the top to face his rival, and win it all. Frank Dux (Van Damme) goes AWOL from the military to win a series of underground fights for the honor of his teacher, Senzo Tanaka (Roy Chiao), who’s on his deathbed. He’ll have to dodge the authorities through the streets of Hong Kong, make friends with the other combatants, and face down the cruel Chong Li (Bolo Yeung). It’s simple, clean, and has a positive ending.
The event in question is called the Kumite. It’s a good word. Say it a few times out loud, you’ll appreciate it. Kumite roughly translates to “free fighting,” which is perfect for a competition that’s supposed to be a no-holds-barred set of contests where people could be injured for life or even killed. The current champ, Chong Li, he did that to a guy once, “Yep, kicked the poor bastard right in the throat. Guy died right there on the platform. Chong Li stood there and watched him die.” A tournament like this is out of sight, out of mind, and it’s only held every five years, so it feels prestigious to those participating and witnessing it. That attracts a lot of different fighters sporting various styles from all around the world, a ‘best of the best’ kind of deal, but that’s another movie.
It isn’t all fighting, there’s a love interest in the form of Janice Kent (Leah Ayres), a journalist who is doing whatever it takes to get the skinny on the Kumite. Dux also bonds with Ray Jackson (Donald Gibb) and Victor Lin (Ken Siu), who acts as his fellow fighter from America and North American fighter liaison respectively. Jackson is like that good friend we all have, but are constantly apologizing to others for him. They make a great team and I’d have paid to see a buddy comedy about them just experiencing Hong Kong together after winning what Lin refers to as, ‘the biggest Kumite ever.’
The best relationship in the movie however is between Dux and Tanaka. Their history is stiff, stern, and isn’t loving like what the master wanted with his biological son, but with his offspring dead, Frank has filled that role. We see the intense training, respect, and growth between the two characters. It isn’t hard to get why Dux wants to prove himself to Tanaka. As someone whose father died when I was only a year old, I think this part of the movie registers a bit more. The two met when a young Dux and his friends were trying to steal a ceremonial sword from the Tanaka residence and it makes the ending mean more when he wins a similar sword for his Kumite victory, earning it the way his teacher wanted him to.
The actual martial arts in Bloodsport are solid, performed by a bunch of guys who knew what they were doing (with a couple of dancers mixed in), but there are many movies in the genre with better fully choreographed fights. In the end, this film excels less with the technical execution and more with its presentation and drama in the battles. It’s all about the journey, and each of these fights serves to exude style and reach the destination. There’s less art in the individual fights and more focus on Dux’s struggle and the passion behind that.
What makes Bloodsport even better is how it showcases numerous martial arts disciplines, mixing things up and giving these various characters a layer of personality that’s hard to match in movies like this, in most cases with the fighters barely speaking a word. This is something that is hard to do outside of martial arts films, adding that extra fingerprint, and somehow they excelled at making every challenger, even if we never saw them win, feel like they had their own skills and deserved to be in the tournament.
Some extra credit goes to the fact that these skirmishes were all done without stuntmen, meaning there was some legit contact going on in a few of these matches. Many praise the film for being able to sell the fighting at such a high level and pull people in, with most of the credit going to JCVD himself. His work to make the scenes look as best they could and his training in dance and ballet helped to make his moves look perfect for each shot. According to Van Damme, he also worked to save the fights in the editing process as well. These people matched well together, as two of them would go on to assist the actor with the film Kickboxer as well.
The soundtrack helped secure some glory for the film also. The score was created by Paul Hertzog and is an excellent accompaniment to many of the scenes where the songs by Stan Bush and Michael Bishop aren’t playing. There’s no reason not to get pumped when hearing “Fight to Survive,” just further proof that Bush was really killing it, even outside of Transformers. The overall sound design is solid for a film of this time with its reported budget (a number which is disputed in some places), but Bloodsport rocks with some quality surround sound.
This project gets some attention also for supposedly being loosely based on true events. Frank Dux is a real dude who claims to have led a pretty wild life, but there are those who think he’s a fraud. There are even stats at the end of the movie for Dux that sound amazing, unless you do some basic math and put a little thought behind them. There’s been a ton of back-and-forth concerning Dux’s legitimacy over the years, but either way, the story has made for a much better film that has created its own legacy.
Bloodsport certainly helped push some people toward the martial arts film genre and taking up the activity as well, in one form or another. I remember loving these movies and wanting to be like JCVD. I got involved with a Karate class, but my instructor ran away with his secretary when I was preparing to test for my yellow belt. Another life lesson I suppose.
JCVD and Bloodsport also provided a ton of inspiration for Mortal Kombat, another favorite of mine, and essentially, Johnny Cage only lives because of this movie. There are also some moments that have lived on as clips, references, memes, and signatures for the actor himself (all those splits). Most remember Dux being blinded at the end and using his training to succeed, it’s a great moment, or him going down for that stylish nut punch. The real Frank Dux says that was supposed to be to the bladder, but the angle made everyone think it was a dick shot (it’s cooler this way, Frank).
What will always stick in my head is the older man that exclaims, “Okay, U.S.A.” or my friend responding to everything I say he doesn’t like with various GIFs of Chong Li. It’s a quintessential ‘80s action movie, 90-plus minutes of muscle-bound dudes trying to tear each other apart with a little story, some kickass montages, and a great song to back it up. I tried to watch the sequels, but it is best not to mention them too much (especially part four). No, there will always be something special about whatever the original Bloodsport is – lightning in a bottle. Just the memory of me sitting on the floor watching it on TBS and being inspired, even if it was simple, not well-acted, or a lie, Bloodsport still means something to me and many others 35 years later.
Ruben Östlund has no trouble being “harsh” to his audience. The Swedish filmmaker behind wonderfully discomforting movies like “Force Majuere” and “The Square” is also making crowds squirm with his latest film, “Triangle of Sadness.”
Set on a luxury yacht where the 1% enjoy their privilege — until a shipwreck finds the rich relying on a toilet maid named Abigail (played by BAFTA nominee Dolly de Leon), —“Triangle of Sadness” won the Palme d’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, repeating the honor Östlund received for “The Square” in 2017. And now the film is nominated for three Academy Awards, including picture, director and original screenplay.
The accolades come in spite – or maybe because — of its dark and satirical take on gender roles and class warfare. Then there’s that vomit scene, which has to be the longest in cinema history. “I actually wrote in the script that I’m going to go 10 steps forward than the audience expects me to go,” Östlund revealed in this week’s Variety Awards Circuit podcast. Listen below!
In a wide-ranging conversation, Östlund discusses the ending of the film, which has been the subject of much debate since its premiere. Fair warning that spoilers will follow when the subject is brought up, midway through the conversation.
Östlund also discusses another memorable Oscar moment – when he was certain “Force Majeure” would be nominated in 2015 for foreign language film. He filmed himself and producer Erik Hemmendorff reacting to the announcement – only to be snubbed. The pair uploaded the video, featuring the sounds of Östlund crying hysterically and Hemmerndorff telling him not to disrobe. Östlund even remembers the exact title it was uploaded under. “‘Swedish director freaks out when he misses out on Oscar nomination,’” he recalls with a chuckle. “You call it gallows humor, right?”
Dan Doperalski for Variety
Knowing the filmmaker’s style, many assumed the video was staged while others thought it was completely real. Turns out the truth is somewhere in between. The video was actually shot in real time —but the sounds of Östlund wailing and Hemmerndorff talking him down were added after the fact. “I’m like freaking out and doing the worst man cry ever,” he says. “It was a way of dealing with it.”
Östlund also teases a scene from his next movie, “The Entertainment System is Down,” which will be set on a long-haul flight and sounds like another dark comedy. In the film, a plane’s entertainment system loses power and passengers are “modern human beings that are have to deal with boredom and their own thoughts.”
Östlund plans on including a scene where a young boy asks to borrow his older brother’s iPad and is told he has to wait five minutes. “And then I want to challenge the audience,” Ostlund teases. “You stay with the kid in real time. And he’s looking in the catalog, putting it back and the restlessness is coming. So he asks his mother, ‘How much do we have left?’ And she says, ‘Well, now it’s four minutes and 45 seconds, you have to calm down.’”
Östlund jokes that his goal is to create the biggest walkout in the history of Cannes. “And I think it’s going to be more provocative than any violent, any disturbing content,” he says. “Because to be left alone with your thoughts and challenging the audience to do the same thing, then it’s going to be very interesting.”
Also on this episode: We sit down with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. The dynamic duo talks about the origins of their collaboration which began in film school, assembling their outstanding cast and artisans ensemble and what’s next for them in the film and television space. And the Roundtable gives its SAG Awards predictions.
Dan Doperalski for Variety
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, who also co-hosts with Clayton Davis, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post weekly.
It’s been 17 long years since Gorillaz lorded over the U.K. Albums Chart. That could be about to change, with the virtual band’s Cracker Island (via Parlophone) taking pole position at the midweek point.
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Cracker Island starts at No. 1 on the Official Chart Update. Should it stay there when the national survey is published late Friday (March 3), it would mark the British act’s first leader since 2005’s Demon Days.
A creation of Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Tank Girl artist Jamie Hewlett, Gorillaz has clocked up six top 10 appearances on the national albums chart since their 2001 self-titled debut, which peaked at No. 3.
Recorded in London and Los Angeles, Cracker Island is the group’s eighth studio album, and features assists from the likes of Bad Bunny, Stevie Nicks, Adeleye Omotayo, Thundercat, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, Bootie Brown and Beck.
Coming in hot at No. 2 on the chart blast is Gracie Abrams‘ debut album Good Riddance (Interscope). The 23-year-old L.A.-born singer and songwriter has yet to make an impression on either U.K. charts, but will make her mark when the albums survey is published later this week.
U.S. pop star Adam Lambert could create some high drama of his own with a first top 5 solo appearance on the U.K. albums tally. The American Idol alum blasts to No. 4 on the midweek list with High Drama (EastWest/Rhino), which carries reinterpretations of songs by Duran Duran, Billie Eilish and more. Lambert’s previous best is a No. 8 for The Original High from 2015, though his Live Around The World LP with Queen went to No. 1 in 2020.
Based on sales and streaming data published by the Official Charts Company, collaborative project Obey Robots could complete the top 5 with One in a Thousand (My Big Sister Recordings), while Manchester rock act the Slow Readers Club (Knowledge Freedom Power at No. 7 via Velveteen), and Scottish singer and songwriter Callum Beattie (Vandals at No. 9 via 3 Beat/AATW) are eying top 10 bows.
Further down the chart blast, new albums from Shame (Food for Worms at No. 14 via Dead Oceans), Yeat (Aftërlyfe at No. 16 via Geffen), Hamish Hawk (Angel Numbers at No. 23 via Post Electric) and Don Toliver (Love Sick at No. 33 via Atlantic) are aiming for top 40 berths.
John Wick has proven himself as one of the world’s deadliest assassins and in true movie character mode is capable of sustaining a number of serious injuries. In the previous three chapters, John Wick has survived car crashes, stabbings, and of course gunshot wounds.
While real-life accidents and injuries are no laughing matter, ahead of the launch of John Wick: Chapter Four on 23rd March, a leading personal injury specialist has taken a light-hearted look back and calculated that a claim for his workplace injuries could net him over $335K!
Fans of the John Wick franchise will already be familiar with the numerous injuries the lead, played by real-life hero Keanu Reeves, has suffered. From taking a few kicks and punches from henchmen through to stabbings, gunshot wounds and a fall from the roof of The Continental, John Wick’s body is put through the rigor across the three previous films – all while performing his work duties.
Despite the first movie showing us John trying to enjoy a quiet life after retirement, Express Solicitors counted his assailants causing him bodily harm a total of 162 times across the three chapters.
John Wick’s Injuries
John’s most common injuries are being knocked to the floor and thrown through glass, which each happen 14 times. This is followed by 12 shots into his bulletproof vest/suit and 6 stab wounds.
John’s compensation values range from $7,800 up to $180,000.
The largest single claim John could be entitled to compensation for would be the fall from the roof of the Continental for which he could receive up to $180,000. He could also be entitled to up to $70,000 for the many times he gets stabbed in the series.
Added together, John’s injuries could be worth up to over $335,000, or 173 gold coins, based on a rough value of the currency used by the assassins in the franchise.
John Wick’s Injuries with Compensation Values
Damian Bradley, Partner at Express Solicitors, commented: “Whilst John Wick is fictional, accidents at work are not. In the world of John Wick, you can get hit by a car, thrown through glass or fall down a flight of stairs and walk away, sadly we aren’t as lucky in the real world.
“Every day people are injured through no fault of their own, with many experiencing long term debilitating effects. From slips and falls, to manual handling accidents, back injuries, electric shocks and more, it only takes one small incident to negatively alter someone’s life forever. If something happens to you that is no fault of your own, you may be able to claim compensation for your injuries and subsequent losses and help you get access to the care you deserve.”
Best Assassins
With 162 attacks across the first three films, there are plenty of people causing Mr Wick’s injuries. But it’s Cassian (John Wick 2) who caused the most damage, with 21 attacks on target. Cassian chokes, punches, kicks and stabs John, throws him through a window and even hurls him downstairs three times in a row!
In the action packed series of movies, the lead character actually makes it through 9 scenes in total successfully blocking every single attack and sustaining no injuries.
Disclaimer
This piece is for entertainment purposes only and we in no way encourage the actions taken by John Wick or those taken against him. We are also not affiliated with Thunder Road Pictures, Summit Entertainment or any parties or organizations responsible for the films.
Trade between China and Canada hit record levels in 2022, with imports breaking the $100-billion mark for the first time, Statistics Canada data show.
Economists and others say businesses are looking beyond political tensions between the two countries, as demand ramps up and established supply chains reassert themselves in a post-pandemic world.
James Brander, an economics professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder school of business, said in the absence of government policies directing otherwise — such as those currently restricting trade with Russia — companies would not prioritize politics.
“Of course, yes, there are tensions. But economic or trade flows, and economic activity in general, isn’t affected very much by the political tensions unless there is some explicit policy,” said Brander.
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The Statistics Canada data show Canada imported a record $100,027,968,000 of goods from China last year, up 16 per cent from $86 billion in 2021.
The biggest category of imports in 2022 was consumer goods, at $31 billion, followed by electronic and electrical equipment, worth $28 billion.
The data show Canadian exports to China also reached a historic high of $27.9 billion, recovering from a slump that followed the 2018 arrest of Chinese Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou and China’s detention of Canadians Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig.
Did Canada’s election integrity panels get access to China memos? What the minister says
China last year lifted a three-year ban on Canadian canola that had been imposed after the arrest of Meng, who has since returned to China.
But tensions between Ottawa and Beijing remain high amid allegations of Chinese interference in Canadian elections and government confirmation of Chinese surveillance operations.
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Anastasia Ufimtseva, a program manager at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said that although economics and politics are “very tied” together, it could take a long time for them to become aligned.
In the meantime, businesses will abide by global trade dynamics, and seek cost-effective solutions, she said.
“Potentially in the future, we might observe the changes in trade, they might trickle down, but we still need to be cautious about all the factors that businesses take into account when they form the decision.”
Ufimtseva said it isn’t easy for businesses to find alternatives to China, the second-largest economy in the world.
“Despite a lot of countries saying that post-pandemic, we want to establish alternative supply chain structure, it’s costly and difficult to switch if your business was established, you have your suppliers. It will take such a long time to find alternatives to build that infrastructure,” said Ufimtseva.
She said existing supply chains had stabilized after pandemic disruptions.
Daniel Trefler, an economist at the University of Toronto, said manufacturing supply chains can’t be moved easily.
“Of course, that’s extremely difficult to do,” said Trefler. “It’s impossible to do in a short period of two, three, four years.”
China’s consulate in Vancouver last week rejected a report in the Globe and Mail newspaper describing alleged efforts to oust candidates seen as unfriendly to Beijing. The consulate said the report was “smearing and discrediting” China.
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The Defence Department and Canadian Armed Forces, meanwhile, confirmed last week that they were aware of recent efforts by China to conduct surveillance operations in Canadian airspace and waters.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 27, 2023.
“He’s definitely into her and although things are still relatively new, he absolutely sees long-term potential in their relationship,” a source exclusively tells Us Weekly about Pitt’s connection with de Ramon, 30.
“[Brad and Ines] spend as much of their free time together as possible, despite their busy schedules,” the source continues. “He really enjoys being with her because she’s such an uplifting energy, she consistently looks on the bright side of things, and is always up for an adventure. He also appreciates that she’s super laid back and has such a positive outlook on life.”
Before his new relationship, the Babylon star made headlines for his ups and downs with Jolie. The pair, who tied the knot in 2014 after several years of dating, shocked the public when they called it quits in 2016.
Shortly before the Eternals star filed for divorce, Pitt was the subject of a child abuse investigation due to a past incident on the family’s jet. He was later cleared by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services.
Brad Pitt attends the Babylon Premiere in London, January 2023.Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP/Shutterstock
“Throughout the long, overnight flight, Pitt was physically and emotionally abusive to Jolie and their children, who were then between the ages of 8 and 15,” she claimed in the documents. “After that flight, for her family’s well-being, Jolie decided to file for divorce.”
Pitt, for his part, denied all allegations of abuse in a statement. “Brad has owned everything he’s responsible for from day one — unlike the other side — but he’s not going to own anything he didn’t do,” his lawyer Anne Kiley told Us at the time. “He has been on the receiving end of every type of personal attack and misrepresentation.”
The attorney added: “Thankfully, the various public authorities the other side has tried to use against him over the past six years have made their own independent decisions. Brad will continue to respond in court as he has consistently done.”
A podcast may not seem like the most obvious choice to tell a story so tied in the public imagination to one photograph. But it proved an ideal medium to recount the efforts of Mamie Till-Mobley to seek justice for the horrific lynching of her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, at the hands of two white men in Mississippi in 1955. The single mother’s decision to allow the press to publish photos of Emmett’s open casket, his face mutilated beyond recognition, and her courageous testimony before an all-white jury galvanized support for the civil rights movement in the Jim Crow South just a few months before Rosa Parks’ act of defiance in Montgomery.
ABC Audio’s Reclaimed: The Story of Mamie Till-Mobley, which leads the 2023 Ambie Awards with three nominations including podcast of the year, serves as a companion podcast to the ABC News docuseries Let the World See. The three episodes wove together first-person recollections from members of Till-Mobley’s family members, reflections from Michelle Obama and archival recordings of Till-Mobley herself, among other sources.
The podcast was created by an all-female team — including senior producer Lakeia Brown, supervising producer Suzie Liu, host Leah Wright Rigueur and ABC Audio vp and executive producer Liz Alesse. Notes Brown, “A theme within the series is a mother’s love, just the idea that she was this important figure in the civil rights movement and she did this courageous thing, but at the root of it, she was a mother who lost her child.”
The audio series aired in June, well before the release of Till, the MGM Studios film starring Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley. The filmmaking team did not collaborate with the creators of the audio series, though Alesse says the dramatized feature “speaks to how resonant the story is.”
Narrator Wright Rigueur, an associate history professor at Johns Hopkins University who is also nominated for best podcast host, says the growing number of projects about Till-Mobley keeps issues around race and justice front and center, especially given ongoing instances of police brutality against Black men, many of whose mothers go on to become visible faces of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“People are starting to understand that you can’t tell one story without the other,” Wright Rigueur says. “We see the emergence of an entire class of individuals that we call ‘mothers of the movement.’ Well, where do they come from? They come from Mamie Till-Mobley. They’re born out of her experience. She’s the original mother of the movement.”
This story first appeared in the Feb. 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
A specific YouTube video is causing some Pixel phones to crash, as reported by Android Authority. When those who are affected by the problem try to watch the video, their phone instantly reboots. Some, including Android Authority, have also said their phones present cellular network issues afterward. (Android Authority said those issues were fixed after another reboot.)
In a Reddit thread, some users report running into the issue with their Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, and Pixel 6A phones, and one Verge staffer’s Pixel 6 crashed when they tried to watch the video. However, the issue doesn’t seem to be affecting everyone; Android expert Mishaal Rahman says it didn’t crash his Pixel 6 Pro, while others in the Reddit thread say their Pixels can watch the video as well.
The video itself, which is two years old, is a scene from the classic sci-fi horror film Alien that’s available in 4K HDR. While we don’t recommend watching it if you’re on one of the potentially affected phones, here is the link to the video. It’s unclear what’s causing the crash, and we’ve reached out to Google for comment. However, some have speculated it comes down to the way the Pixels handle color, which is what apparently caused a certain wallpaper to crash some Android phones.
There are plenty of good reasons to peruse the best one-piece swimsuits—especially ahead of a summer that’s bound to be memorable. Maybe you like a little more coverage from your swimwear, maybe you want something to wear off the beach with your regular clothes, or maybe you’re still holding on to childhood ambitions of becoming a lifeguard and want to have the uniform handy. If you identify with any of those or just want to shop the best swimsuit brands ahead of a trip, there’s a seemingly endless array of options to tempt you to checkout.
Best One-Piece Swimsuits 2023:
One-piece bathing suits—whether a bandeau, a one-shoulder, or a long-sleeve style—can easily be incorporated with the rest of your wardrobe, doubling as a bodysuit to wear with your favorite pair of shorts or a cute beach skirt. Unlike some high-waist bikinis, which can lean too cheeky, there’s something undeniably timeless and chic about a one-piece, even the ones that take a dip into the season’s trends. And the versatile fit works for just about anyone, whether you’re in need of a swimsuit for small boobs or a plus-size swimsuit. For further proof, we found the 27 best one-piece swimsuits for 2023 that cover every style preference and budget (yes, including swimsuits under $100)—beach cover-ups sold separately.
All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anurag Kashyap, Raghuvir Yadav, Ila Arun
Director: Pushpendra Nath Mishra
Bollywood or the Hindi film influence on the Hindi heartland is something that has been celebrated and recreated variously in our movies. Anurag Kashyap’s Murabba paid homage to the hero-worship that fans indulge in while Fan portrayed the dark side of a fan’s obsession with his matinee idol. Luck By Chance captured the rise of a young wannashine actor and the more recent Kaamyaab put the spotlight on the life of character actors of Hindi films.
Ghoomketu, director Pushpendra Nath Misra’s slice-of-life film about the ‘strugglers’ of the film industry with stars in their eyes falls in the same category as Kaamyaab. Indeed if one were to get even a single paisa for every hopeful who comes to Mumbai to try his luck in the Hindi film industry, a fortune would be amassed. In a majority of cases, this naive idea of finding a place in showbusiness regardless of one’s competence is a strange optimism bordering on delusion. But then, what to one person may seem a pointless journey is another man’s odyssey –for survival, for greater glory or merely for a shot at an impossible dream. And this very premise forms the basis of Ghoomketu’s (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) leap of faith when he runs away from his village life in Mahona to try for a film writer’s job in Mumbai. The fact that he has no expertise or experience in the said field does not prevent him from trying his luck. He goes through the paces of the renowned “struggle” –cutting chai at an Irani café, living in a chawl, hanging around on sets, and getting the part of an extra in small productions—before the futility of his struggle dawns on him. But there is an ironic twist in the tale, which makes Ghoomketu’s journey worthwhile.
Back home, Ghoomketu’s family comprises of his father (Raghuvir Yadav), a stepmother, his Bua (Ila Arun), an uncle (Swanand Kirkire) and his recently wedded wife (Raagini Khanna) who eagerly await his return. It is only during his Mumbai adventure when Ghoomketu is far away from them that he realizes that they complete the rhythm of his life. Dialogues in the film are pithy and compensate well for a screenplay that is unfortunately elementary at best. Nawazuddin Siddiqui despite a somewhat underwhelming lead role successfully pulls off the arduous task of making it endearing. Raghuvir Yadav, is competent and plays the bucolic patriarch with trademark ingenuity, but Ila Arun as the Bua (aunt) steals the show from everyone with a performance that infuses the much-needed hilarity and drama into the proceedings. Bollywood ‘star presence’ in the film is underscored by a bevy of actors appearing as themselves – Chitrangada Singh, Ranveer Singh, and Sonakshi Sinha. But, the cherry on the cake really is Amitabh Bachchan’s cameo, which elevates the entertainment quotient to the desired level.
In present times, as we see armies of migrant laborers from the Hindi hinterland march back home with nothing but the debris of their shattered dreams and hopes, Ghoomketu assumes an unforeseen and very timely relevance. Inadvertently perhaps it offers a little peek into why the call of “apna gaon” remains strong for those who have come so far away from home and hearth in search of a livelihood. As in the case of Ghoomketu, our protagonist, when his dreams lie shattered and scattered, the tug of home and family members becomes impossible to ignore.
Of course, this one is not really a film on serious matters. Ghoomketu’s comedic juxtaposition of family idiosyncrasies and filmi adventures in a deeply personal story makes it immensely watchable despite its flaws.
When Jonathan Majors was recently profiled by The Cut, he revealed that after playing physical roles in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” plus the upcoming “Creed III” and “Magazine Dreams,” he wants to star in a romantic comedy.
During the conversation (and his subsequent Ebony magazine cover), Majors shared a few of his favorite romantic films, including “The Notebook,” “Love Jones,” “Blue Valentine” and “Love & Basketball.” He also claimed to “fall in love every day,” telling the reporter, “Life is so beautiful. Love is everywhere.”
After appearing as a presenter at the NAACP Image Awards on Saturday night alongside “Insecure” creator and star Issa Rae, Majors’ fans are clamoring to make his rom-com dreams come true sooner rather than later.
As the two bantered and displayed their easy chemistry on stage, viewers — including this reporter — took notice.
“Issa, I love nights like this. We all get to get together, it’s one of those rare times. It’s beautiful. Issa and I —” Majors said, beginning to introduce the nominees. But then Rae interrupted, asking Majors “What’s your sign?,” which led them into a funny bit about astrology (he’s a virgo, she’s a capricorn) and why it makes Majors such a good bad guy that Rae was rooting for him in “Quantumania.”
Even the NAACP Image Awards social media team got in on the joke: “Somebody write the script,” the organization captioned a photo of the duo.
On Sunday, after sitting down to discuss “Creed III,” Variety asked Majors which rom-com trope he’d most like to try. In response, he pitched this situation:
“We grew up together. And then I come back home, and it’s like ‘Oh, okay.’ We can start with that,” he said. “I want to do a run through a park, you know what I mean, a run through Central Park, trying to beat her to the airport. …. Say we live in Harlem, then we’ve got Central Park and then you’re running through LaGuardia trying to find Issa.”
“Issa, you want to do it? Let’s do it,” he quips, leaning into the joke before noting that he’d never done that style of presenting before. “She was fabulous and I just kind of … I mean, it’s Issa Rae, you can’t drop the ball.”
(For the record, Majors also posed backstage with Janelle Monáe, which kicked off another round of “make it happen” comments — and let’s be honest, either pairing would be perfect, so hop to it, Hollywood.)
Watch Majors’ full interview above.
Janelle Monáe and Jonathan Majors at the 54th NAACP Image Awards.
Johnny Nunez/Getty Images for BET
Tricia Barr took her understanding of brand management and marketing, mixed it with a love of genre storytelling, and added a dash of social media flare to create FANgirl Blog, where she discusses Star Wars, fandom, and the intersection of women within Star Wars fandom. She is co-author of Ultimate Star Wars and Star Wars Visual Encyclopedia from DK Publishing, a featured writer for Star Wars Insider magazine with numerous articles on the Hero’s Journey. Her FANgirl opinions can be heard on the podcasts Hyperspace Theories and Fangirls Going Rogue.
Tricia Barr’s novel, Wynde, won the 2014 Independent Publisher Book Award Gold Medal for Best Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror Ebook. She was also part of Silence in the Library’s successful all-female creator science fiction and fantasy anthology Athena’s Daughters, which is available now. For excerpts and tales of her adventures in creating a fictional universe, hop over to TriciaBarr.com.
There’s a sizable collection of actors who have appeared in both James Gunn’s Marvel and DC movies and shows, and the list will continue to grow with upcoming films such as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. With Gunn having crossed over from the MCU to the DCU and back again in recent years, he’s also brought a handful of actors along for the ride. As such, it’s always a lot of fun to spot those who’re part of Gunn’s consistent circle, regardless of whether the actors’ roles are large or small.
Many of these actors have been friends of the accomplished director/producer for years, having starred in previous movies beyond Gunn’s Marvel and DC work. Likewise, some actors came to impress Gunn so much that they were brought on for subsequent projects. While certain actors are family and have become dedicated parts of Gunn’s work, one casting came entirely by accident. There are currently 12 actors and actresses who’ve starred in both Marvel and DC projects by James Gunn.
Having been in several of Gunn’s feature films since 2006, Michael Rooker is one of the most well-known actors who has frequently collaborated with the Marvel and DC director. In the MCU, Rooker played the Ravager captain Yondu Udonta, the pirate who raised Peter Quill’s Star-Lord in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. He also played the mercenary Savant in The Suicide Squad, having been captured by Task Force X and subsequently murdered by Amanda Waller after he tried to escape the trap laid for the diversion team on Corto Maltese.
11 Sean Gunn
Brother to James Gunn, Sean Gunn holds the rare honor of playing multiple characters in the MCU as well as in the DCEU. In the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Sean has a live-speaking role as Kraglin, one of the few Ravagers who survived the mutiny against Yondu and remained loyal, eventually inheriting his whistling arrow and joining the Guardians. He’s also done the motion capture for every appearance of Rocket Raccoon in the MCU. In The Suicide Squad, Sean similarly plays the incarcerated Calendar Man while also doing the mo-cap for the ever-disturbing Weasel.
10 Sylvester Stallone
A former Ravager ally to Rooker’s Yondu, Sylvester Stallone played Stakar Ogord as an MCU cameo seen in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. In DC’s The Suicide Squad, the iconic actor best known for playing Rocky Balboa was hilariously the voice for Nanaue, otherwise known as the dim-witted King Shark. As lovable as he is bloodthirsty, this iteration of King Shark is one of James Gunn’s greatest contributions to the DC Universe thus far, and the character was elevated so much more thanks to Stallone providing his voice.
9 Pom Klementieff
Although she’s best known for playing Mantis in the MCU’s Guardians films, Pom Klementieff also had a secret cameo in The Suicide Squad at the request of Gunn. During the bar scene where the squad is waiting for the Thinker to arrive, Klementieff can be seen in the background as one of the dancers on stage. Likewise, Dave Bautista (who plays Marvel’s Drax alongside Mantis) was originally meant to have a cameo as well, though plans reportedly fell through due to scheduling.
Steve Agee was another one of the Ravagers in the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Having worked on movies such as Brightburn and Super, Agee is another actor who is a part of Gunn’s circle of actor friends. Agee also played DC’s John Economos in both The Suicide Squad and the spin-off series Peacemaker starring John Cena. Likewise, Agee provided the mo-cap for King Shark while Stallone did Nanaue’s voice.
7 Flula Borg
Having played Javelin in DC’s The Suicide Squad, Flula Borg had a minor role as part of the diversion team, which was quickly slaughtered in the movie’s first act. However, he did give his javelin to Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn, who used it to great effect against the movie’s ultimate villain, Starro. In the MCU, Flula Borg can be briefly seen in the Guardians of the GalaxyHoliday Special, playing the role of a bartender who interacts with Mantis and Drax, who’ve come to Earth.
6 Nathan Fillion
Another actor who’s great friends with Gunn, Nathan Fillion can be seen in a handful of previous movies such as Slither and Super. In the MCU, Fillion voiced the large blue alien prisoner who threatened Quill in the Kyln before Rocket and Groot stepped in. However, Fillion had a brief live-action role in The Suicide Squad as The Detachable Kid, wielding his own floating arms he could ridiculously control autonomously.
5 Mikaela Hoover
Having two of the shortest roles in both the MCU and DC Universes, Mikaela Hoover is another of Gunn’s friends with roles in his previous works such as Super and The Belko Experiment. Gunn is also the godfather to Hoover’s daughter. In the MCU, Hoover can be seen in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film as one of Nova Prime’s assistants on Xandar. In The Suicide Squad, Hoover similarly plays an aide to the President of Corto Maltese.
Elizabeth Ludlow had a brief role as “Easik Mother” in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. She then had a bigger role in DC’s Peacemaker as Keeya, wife of Leota Adebayo (daughter of Amanda Waller). However, James Gunn humorously had no idea he’d already cast and worked with Ludlow with Marvel due to the extensive make-up she was wearing as the alien mother.
3 Stephen Blackehart
Although Sean Gunn may have four different roles in the Marvel and DC Universes, Stephen Blackehart holds the record for having been cast the most by James Gunn, even more than Rooker, Fillion, or Sean himself. Overall, Blackehart has been cast as an actor in 10 different Gun projects, and the pair have collaborated on more than that as well.
In the Guardians movies and Guardians of the GalaxyHoliday Special, Blackehart played a dispatcher on Knowhere, a Ravager name Brahl, and a Knowhere citizen celebrating Christmas with the Guardians named Steemie. This ties him with Joe Russo for the most roles in the MCU, who also played three different characters in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War, and Avengers: Endgame, respectively. In the DC Universe, Blackehart played a helicopter pilot in The Suicide Squad and did the mo-cap for Charlie the Gorilla in Peacemaker.
2 Daniela Melchior
Although Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 has yet to release, the Super Bowl 2023 trailer confirmed that Daniela Melchior will have a role in the upcoming film. In The Suicide Squad, Melchior played Ratcatcher-2 as one of the few members of Task Force X to actually survive the movie. Although it’s not fully known what her role will be in the MCU, it does look as though she’s a guard or attendant in a facility where Guardians have seemingly become incarcerated, hence their matching jumpsuits.
Chukwudi Iwuji played Peacemaker’s Clemson Murn and will soon play the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Seeking to create a perfect society through genetic experimentation, the High Evolutionary is a major Marvel villain. According to James Gunn, he was very impressed with Iwuji on the set of Peacemaker: “After working with him on Peacemaker I wasn’t about to let go of one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with — so I gave him the role most every big name actor in Hollywood wanted”. As such, it will be very exciting to see Iwuiji in the MCU with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
The managing director of Beyond Good and Evil 2 maker Ubisoft Montpellier has reportedly left the studio amid a labour investigation by local government authorities.
That’s according to Kotaku, which claims that staff at the company were last week informed that Guillaume Carmona wouldn’t be returning to his role as studio boss after being absent since the turn of the year.
Three sources told the site that Carmona’s exit followed a year in which dozens of developers took extended leave for stress or sickness as the studio continued to struggle with development of Beyond Good and Evil 2.
Beyond Good & Evil 2: E3 2018 Cinematic Trailer
Ubisoft first teased the game with a trailer in 2008, although this was followed by almost a decade of silence before the title resurfaced at E3 2017, when the publisher revealed it would take the form of a prequel.
“The health and wellness of our teams is an ongoing priority,” a Ubisoft spokesperson told Kotaku. “Given the length of the development cycle with Beyond Good & Evil 2, the Montpellier development team is undergoing well-being assessments through a third-party for preventative measures and to evaluate where additional support may be needed.”
According to the report, Beyond Good & Evil 2 is still not even technically in pre-production as Ubisoft Montpellier has yet to settle on a creative vision for the project.
It claims the title has recently undergone a significant personnel shake-up which saw senior creative director Jean-Marc Geffroy and game director Benjamin Dumaz exit the project, to be replaced by Emile Morel and Charles Gaudron respectively.
Ubisoft held a Beyond Good and Evil 2 live stream ahead of E3 2019, but the game did not appear at the show itself. The presentation revealed that a new, unnamed Ubisoft studio would be joining the five (Montpelier, Barcelona, Bordeaux, Mainz and Sofia) already working on the game.
“The world is really a fantastic world – as you could see Netflix also decided to take that universe to create a movie with it. So, there’s a lot of progress in that team and the game is coming along very well,” he said.
“Till the End of the Night” opens with what initially seems a Brechtian flourish: a nifty time-lapse shot of a bare shell of an apartment being painted, fitted, decorated and accessorized to an apparently lived-in state, as a vintage German torch song by Heidi Brühl crackles over the soundtrack. It’s not a film set being dressed, however, but a police one — the home base for an elaborate undercover investigation. It’s not the first time Christoph Hochhäusler’s romantic detective thriller will hint at subversive ambitions that turn out, upon closer investigation, to be rather conventional. Tossing a fraught transgender love story in the middle of an otherwise standard cop procedural, the film doesn’t much satisfy on either level, with superficial sexual politics and slack suspense. Despite a Berlinale competition slot, prospects beyond home turf appear limited.
What interest and ambiguity “Till the End of the Night” does have to offer is largely contained in the performance of transgender actor Thea Ehre. A steely but sensitive screen presence, she deserves a more intricately dimensional character than the rather erratic one screenwriter Florian Plumeyer has devised for her: Leni, a trans woman newly out of prison, having served half of a two-year sentence for dealing speed. Her parole is conditional on her assisting in a police mission to infiltrate an online drug-trafficking network run by her former employer; the apartment we see in the opening scene is the one she has to share with undercover narcotics cop Robert (Timocin Ziegler), with whom she has to pretend to be in a relationship for the sake of the investigation.
The kicker? Before her spell behind bars — in a men’s prison, which goes some way toward explaining her thick skin and weathering of abuse to come — Leni and Robert were lovers, only she was Lenard back then and hadn’t yet, in Robert’s typically crass wording, “tucked his penis away.” Quite why police brass decided that reuniting them would be a recipe for successful sleuthing is a mystery greater than most enfolded in the film’s slow, lurching plot. In any event, things are hostile between them from the get-go, with volatile transphobe Robert still resentful over her decision to transition, and subjecting her to both verbal taunting and physical assault. Though they play loved-up in the presence of others, Leni’s friends aren’t convinced: “That species thinks with its spinal cord,” warns one, not inaccurately.
Their target is Victor (Michael Sideris), a formerly famous DJ now turned club owner and drug kingpin. Leni and Robert join the salsa classes that Victor attends with his drifting partner Nicole (Ioana Iacob) — an environment that rather exposes, at least to the viewer’s eyes, the perilous lack of chemistry between this faux couple. Nonetheless, Victor gradually recognizes Leni and the two are soon friendly again; she in turn gets tight with Nicole, while persuading Victor to offer Robert a job as a driver.
And so the game is afoot, or would be if the film had anywhere really to go from here: Instead it stalls and circles, as the investigation is repeatedly hampered by Robert’s brutish, irresponsible conduct. (Rosa Enkat and Aenne Schwarz — so memorably potent in the 2018 rape drama “All Good” — are wasted in thankless roles as his rightly exasperated female superiors.) His bitter fights with Leni, meanwhile, repeat themselves until we get the implication — neither surprising nor terribly convincing — that there’s still passion there beneath it all. As Leni struggles with this punishing pull toward a man who, it seems, has never treated her well, Robert wrestles with his confusion over being sexually drawn to a woman for the first time.
It’s left to the thuggish Victor, somewhat implausibly, to spell out the film’s moral in this regard: “Just live it. It doesn’t have to have a name. All this shit is because people need to label things.” There’s an interesting drama to be built around this sentiment, and “Till the End of the Night” could be it if either of its principals were quite believable as individuals, let alone as a pair. Despite flickers of vulnerability and yearning in Ehre’s performance, Leni’s psychological backstory feels flimsy and plot-determined, while too much rests on Robert’s homosexuality in distinguishing him from the one-note boor he otherwise seems to be.
With his leather jacket and stringy, sweat-slicked hair, Ziegler is styled as a kind of throwback Fassbinderian anti-hero, and there’s something of the late New German Cinema titan, too, in the leads’ loud, corrosively sadomasochistic relationship across multiple queer lines. But despite the seamy, high-contrast grit of DP Reinhold Vorschneider’s lensing, the film never probes deeply or darkly enough into their conflicted attraction to fulfill this promise, and its more perverse lines of enquiry are leashed by the ongoingly straightforward, mostly predictable policier at its core.
A renewed focus on labor and workers has clearly taken root in cinema, where working class structures have become sort of a cause celebre of filmmakers looking to try social commentary. But what films like Triangle of Sadness or Succession are inherently at a disadvantage in is that they involve people of wealth and power poking fun at themselves – a position of privilege that allows for pointing fingers and casting stone while holding the power to pick and choose how badly you want to hurt yourself. In the Sundance documentaries Kokomo City and Against the Tide however, the people speaking are the workers themselves, and the filmmakers allow their words and actions to dictate the stories being told.
Kokomo City (D. Smith)
Kokomo City starts off with a story of a Black trans sex worker named Liyah Mitchell who recounts how she found herself in a dangerous situation with a client and thought she was going to die so she threatened to kill the client, and in a twist of fate, they ended up becoming friends. One of the great talents of a documentarian is not only allowing subjects to be comfortable enough to tell the most intimate parts of their lives but also knowing where to put them in the movie. There is an undeniable vibrancy from the beginning of D. Smith’s film that makes its commentary on trans sex work much more authentically registered as well as politically clear-voiced than the higher-profile film The Stroll which also premiered at Sundance.
source: Sundance Institute
Taking interviews of four sex workers of different generations, different clientele, as well as different locations (mostly New York and Georgia) unearths the experience in this line of work as tragically similar but also varied in approach to politics. A large part of the film speaks to various risks imposed on trans women, but also the different ways they’re able to display levels of empowerment through their work – a conundrum both validating and vulnerable. Many of them tell stories of how they were threatened by both police officers and clients. Many of the clients come from low-income neighborhoods and many of them are gang affiliated.
Smith is a two-time Grammy-winning producer and artist and the film’s visual approach matches a music video sensibility that mixes stark black-and-white cinematography with animated graphics and splashes of color accentuating the verbiage of its subjects. There isn’t just a talking-heads approach to the framing of interviews. It mixes staged positions – sex workers lounging in their apartments or back gardens, taking a hot bath, driving their cars – that always frame the subject along with the personality of the space around them.
The movie reaffirms both the positive and negative elements of the world inhabited by these workers and the intricate dynamics and displays of gamesmanship required to navigate relationships within it. Daniella Carter is the most outwardly politically spoken of the interview subjects, tying her work directly to the politics that inform her. She possesses a demeanor of knowing herself intimately and understanding the political dynamics to which she is more than comfortable taking advantage of them. She says “It’s like a broken-down car but making a sound like’s a mustang or a Porsche. We’ve broken down but have a great way of making ourselves stand out.” There is also a conscious acknowledgment of breaking down stereotypes of the Black community when it surrounds ideas of trans identity and sex work that can be closely guarded because of vulnerability and social pressure.
Against the Tide (Sarvnik Kaur)
The fishermen on the coast of Mumbai are in a different struggle, one where the limiting factor is beyond their control; mother nature. Sarvnik Kaur’s Against the Tide presents not only an uphill battle within the structures of the fishing industry but fighting against the way of nature itself as a resource pool. At once, this dynamic becomes one where the most vulnerable workers – in this case, the fishermen of the indigenous Koli community – the lowest-rung independent fishermen catching near the coast, suffer the brunt of both the commercial industry swallowing them and climate change destroying any viability for sustaining their jobs. Rakhesh lives in a meager home near the coast and his one-man fishing vessel are the literal life raft his family relies on for existence.
source: Sundance Institute
Aboard the boats, the job itself is as meager and cumbersome as life at home. Kaur gives the full brunt of the uneasiness, labor-intensive exhaustion, and level of increased disappointment that occurs every time these fishermen go out into the water. While Vittorio de Seta’s seminal working-class fishing documentary Peasants of the Sea showcased a vibrant and thriving, albeit poor, community of fishermen on their daily expedition, Against the Tide is a much more somber look, one in which modernism and overconsumption that stripped not only the resources but the joys in the payoff of a hard day’s work. The diminishing returns for increased labor are a completely unsustainable venture. Thus steps in commercial fishing, where automation and resource hoarding allow for little effort for maximum profits. The catch is, they now need to go further and further out into the sea, eating up more and more resources. Ganesh is Rakhesh’s childhood friend but one who managed to study abroad and is a business owner of a larger shipping team that hires freelance fishermen under contract to man his ships.
When Ganesh suggests to Rakhesh to come under his wing, Rakhesh is automatically skeptical. He says “but if I do that, it’s a relationship of unequal – it’s your money, it’s your boat. You will determine where and when I conduct my fishing.” More and more as India “progresses” into a global economic power, there is a toll that must be paid by the most vulnerable in society. If they want to survive, the wager is always the same – become subordinate or die alone.
The dichotomy of Rakhesh and Ganesh is presented not only in the economic ladder but in social conventions as well. Poorer families tend to be more traditional while wealthier people, exposed to Western culture, tend to stray from tradition. Ganesh’s Western education led to more economic opportunity than Rakhesh, signaling the reality that the Western world’s economic hold on developing nations is itself designed to make the rich richer and only through the means of capital enterprise. The tide, for the most vulnerable, is coming from all sides.
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Soham Gadre is a writer/filmmaker in the Washington D.C. area. He has written for Hyperallergic, MUBI Notebook, Popula, Vague Visages, and Bustle among others. He also works full-time for an environmental non-profit and is a screener for the Environmental Film Festival. Outside of film, he is a Chicago Bulls fan and frequenter of gastropubs.
Hayden PanettierePhoto: Jon Kopaloff (Getty Images)
The journey getting Hayden Panettiere into Scream VI(which should obviously be called Ghostface Takes Manhattan) has been weirdly complex. First, executive producer and original writer Kevin Williamson suggested that she “sort of disappeared” after making 2011’s Scream 4 with the Scream team, chalking it up to the idea that she doesn’t have an agent and is therefore unreachable, despite the fact that she was on a hit TV show for several years right after that (though, to be fair, it’s not like the name of that TV show might’ve offered any hints about where to find her).
Now, Courtney Cox—the only remaining original Scream star after David Arquette’s Dewey got killed in the last one and Neve Campbell decided not to tolerate a bullshit lowball paycheck—has offered up another explanation for why they thought they couldn’t bring her back: Everybody was pretty sure she died in Scream 4. She got double-crossed by a teen misogynist who stabbed her in the stomach a few times, he left her to bleed out on the sidewalk, and then… she died. Right? That’s how movies work: Someone gets stabbed, and if you don’t see them walking around later in the movie, it’s because they died. Hell, this YouTube video called “Scream 4 Kirby Death Scene HD” has 54,000 views.
Regarding Scream VI, Cox said to Variety that it’s “so interesting how people came back” to the series, specifically Panettiere’s Kirby, adding, “I have to remember. I thought she died! I get so confused.” 54,000 or so people agree with you, Courtney Cox! But no, an Easter egg in Scream 5 (a.k.a. Scream) confirmed that Kirby survived the events of Scream 4, and in Scream VI she’s some kind of anti-Ghostface cop in New York City (not much call for it usually, but everyone will be glad she’s there when Ghostface takes Manhattan on March 10).
Brendan Fraser offers a humble response to The Whale criticisms surrounding its depiction of morbid obesity and what reassured him in his work.
As Oscar buzz reaches an all-time high for the star, Brendan Fraser has a humble response to The Whalecriticisms. Based on Samuel D. Hunter’s play of the same name, the film stars Fraser as a 600-pound English teacher attempting to reconnect with his teenage daughter after leaving her and her mom for his gay lover, who died shortly thereafter. Exploring themes of grief, guilt and remorse, The Whale has specifically drawn a polarized response for its depiction of its morbidly obese lead character.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
With awards season in full swing, the Los Angeles Timescaught up with Brendan Fraser to reflect on his Oscar-nominated turn in The Whale. When asked about the criticisms directed towards the movie’s depiction of obesity, the star had a humble response, and the reassurance he received during production. See what Fraser said below:
I respect those who don’t see eye to eye with the aims of this film. I don’t agree with them because I know that there’s no ill intent. I know I want to know if I — me, Brendan — have done any harm. But the answer I got from the OAC was, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing.’ We made the movie we wanted to make, and we made it correctly. And I stand by that.
Will The Whale Overcome Its Controversies At The Oscars?
Long before the film made its highly anticipated release, The Whale had sparked debates about Fraser’s central character, including the actor’s use of prosthetics to depict Charlie’s obesity, and the seeming tropes of all overweight people chronically binge eating. Director Darren Aronofsky has spoken in defense of the film on multiple occasions, believing that his and Hunter’s desire for an empathetic approach to the character was far more respectful than others. Fraser has previously criticized modern media’s fatphobic depictions of those similar to The Whale‘s Charlie, while also refusing to call his prosthetics a fat suit.
In spite of the controversy, Fraser’s The Whale performance continues to be the top contender amid the awards season, leading some to wonder whether it will actually factor into the Oscars. The Academy Awards has been no stranger to controversy over the past few years, with this year also seeing Andrea Riseborough under fire for scoring an Oscar nomination following her grassroots campaign to score the nod, though the Academy has confirmed she will get to retain it.
This past month did see Fraser lose the Golden Globe to Austin Butler for his leading turn in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, though the resurging actor isn’t out of the race yet. More recently, Fraser brought home both the SAG and Critics’ Choice Awards for his The Whale performance, and with his tenuous relationship with the Globes being a source of infamy for years, his various other wins make it seem more likely he can bring home the Oscar. However, it will be interesting to see if Fraser winning for The Whale will help quell these criticisms, or only make them worse.
The Best Actress nominee talked to IndieWire about her groundbreaking role in the A24 hit, and thinking, “If I don’t get nominated, all these people will be so goddamn disappointed.”
“This is not just for me; this is for every little girl that looks like me,” said the honoree during her acceptance speech, trying to contain her excitement enough to get through the pivotal on-stage moment. “Thank you for giving me a seat at the table because so many of us need this. We want to be seen, we want to be heard, and tonight you’ve shown us that it is possible, and I’m grateful.”
The award, bestowed upon her by her actor peers, puts her in good standing to become the first Asian woman — and only the second woman of color — to win the Oscar for Best Actress. But as she acknowledged in her SAG Awards speech, saying “I know I’m up against titans, rightly so,” Yeoh is in a tight race with two-time Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett, who gave a tour de force performance in “TÁR” that recently earned her a BAFTA Award.
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On the eve of that particular UK awards ceremony, the Malaysian icon told IndieWire that even just earning all the nominations for her work in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” was a huge relief. The dramedy, helmed by writer-director duo Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, follows a middle-aged Chinese immigrant named Evelyn who is swept into a zany, heart-rending, multi-versal adventure that revitalizes the emotional bonds she has with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) and daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu).
“It’s been joyous, but at the same time, [there is] the sense of responsibility or the stress [when fans] come up to you and say, ‘You are doing this for us,’” said Yeoh over Zoom, holding up two peace signs to indicate she’s mentally escaped to her happy place. Reflecting on her thoughts at the start of this winter, when the film was catching a second wind that brought it to the forefront of the awards conversation, she said “I swear to God I was thinking, ‘What if I didn’t get nominated?’ A year ago, you didn’t even think about it, and then suddenly you’re thinking, ‘Please, please, please get me nominated. Please just get me nominated.’ And then you are thinking, ‘If I don’t get nominated, all these people will be so goddamn disappointed,’” the actress said.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Allyson Riggs, Courtesy of A24
The film premiered the same weekend as the last Oscars ceremony, and has triumphantly built awards momentum since then, becoming the frontrunner for Best Picture after major wins at the DGA, PGA, and SAG Awards.
“For us to be promoting a movie for a year, it’s hard work. But it is easy work when people respond to it, and respond in such a beautiful way,” said Yeoh. “I have mothers that come up and say, ‘I’m not sure I understand your movie, but you were pretty interesting. Pretty good.’ And then they say, ‘But the most important thing is my daughter saw it, and she called me, and I haven’t spoken to her for a few months,’ because the mother-daughter relationship is always complicated already. This movie has somehow started a healing process, and opened a communication platform for husbands and wives, for mothers and daughters, for fathers and daughters, for people.”
Although this is Yeoh’s first official Oscar run, she has previously played significant roles in several Academy Award-winning films, including “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000). When asked if she ever thought any of her past work would lead to an awards campaign, Yeoh paused.
“It’s almost sad,” she said. “It’d gotten to the norm. During ‘Memoirs of a Geisha,’ because it’s Rob Marshall and Steven Spielberg, and it’s such a beautifully shot movie, and the characters were so rich, we thought, ‘I don’t know, maybe they can just hoist us up there with them,’ right?”
The Oscars have very rarely nominated actors from a majority Asian ensemble. It was only three years ago when Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” won Best Picture — without any of its all Korean cast getting individual awards recognition at the Academy Awards.
When Yeoh did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress in January, her achievement as the first Asian actress ever nominated for the award came with an asterisk. Merle Oberon, star of the 1935 film “The Night Angel,” received the same honor, but was never open about being of Asian descent for fear of losing out on leading roles. It’s an unfortunate reality that Yeoh has an understanding of.
“For us, [it was] the name change. You want to make sure that the distributors or buyers buy your film, you have to give them names that are more Caucasian,” said the actress, born Yeoh Choo Kheng. She cited her fellow actors that got their start in the Hong Kong’s 1980’s Kung Fu movie scene, including Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Sammo Hung. “We all added an English name instead of just using our own name, because at that time, we were made to understand that this would make it easier,” she said. “It would make it more acceptable.”
After spending nearly two-thirds of her life onscreen, Yeoh can feel the changes happening in real time. “Times have changed. We have changed. The audience, the people, everyone. The people who make the movies, the people who are watching the movies, the whole world has changed into ‘Let’s accept each other. Yes, we are different, but we are the same. We are still people of the world,’” said the actress.
Look no further than Evelyn herself, a seemingly ordinary woman who becomes a hero of the multiverse. She — and the film — has resonated so deeply with a global audience that “Everything Everywhere All at Once” has become A24’s highest-grossing release ever.
Yeoh’s work in the film hits on many of the beats that have led other stars toward a Best Actress win in the past. It was Yeoh who made the apt decision that her character not be named Michelle, as “the audience will be connecting me to her all the time, and then she won’t get a voice, [and] Evelyn needs a voice. She deserves to have a voice,” said the actress.
The role also required a physical transformation. “Everything had to be accentuated, you have to see the weariness on her face, and then in the way she walks, it’s always with the slouch,” said Yeoh. “Because of years of dance training, as with martial arts, I’m always quite held upright. But she’s slouched. She’s almost shuffled as she’s walking.”
Finally, Evelyn is an endurant woman of a certain age, along the lines of Frances McDormand’s recent Oscar-winning roles in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) and “Nomadland” (2020). “Any hardworking mother who is striving to keep a family together, she is Evelyn. And you need to give her that chance to be a superhero, to use her superpowers, which is love, which is patience, which is compassion, which is the feeling of never giving up because I will make it work, because it’s not for myself, but for my family, the people that I love,” said Yeoh. “So Evelyn was so important in that way.”
Though she did not expect the unconventional “Everything Everywhere All at Once” to make it this far, becoming both a critical and commercial hit, Yeoh is so proud that it was one of the films that drew people back to movie theaters last year. “Even though it’s a small film, it has scope. It takes your breath away. And sometimes you feel like you’re falling from the skies and learning to fly to somewhere else again,” said the star.
Harry Shum Jr., Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, and Jamie Lee Curtis, recipients of the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” at the 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
And while there remains a nasty perception that the push to have actors of color recognized at the Oscars is somehow prescriptive, and not about making sure members of the Academy watch acclaimed films that they would presumably enjoy, Yeoh is operating with a cautious amount of optimism that this could be the year these conversations have a progressive shift.
What does she hope? “That it would start being a normal thing. That it doesn’t look like, ‘Oh my God, there’s four Asians being nominated!’ Does that mean there’s too many of us? I definitely hope that’s not the case,” she said. “Our filmmakers, especially our community, are generous enough and they understand how we need to embrace each other — and continue to do so.”
Netflix s Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – MAY 14: Millie Bobby Brown attend Netflix s Stranger Things Season 4 Premiere at Netflix Brooklyn on May 14, 2022 in Brooklyn, New York. New York City United States PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxFRA Copyright: xJohnxNacionx originalFilename: nacion-netflixs220514_npkA7.jpg
