EXCLUSIVE: Canadian filmmaker Pascal Plante has returned to feature filmmaking.
His latest pic is Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges), a taut, genre-bending tale about obsession, gender, and technology.
The tricky plot follows Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), who wakes up every morning and heads to her local courthouse to secure a seat at the high-profile trial of Ludovic Chevalier (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos), a serial killer she is obsessed with. As days go by, the young woman bonds with another groupie (Laurie Babin), which momentarily breaks her out of her loneliness. But as the proceedings drag on and she spends more time in the courtroom with the victims’ families, Kelly-Anne finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her psychological balance and assumes her morbid fixation with the killer. She will then do whatever it takes to get her hands on the final piece of the puzzle: the missing video of a murdered 13-year-old girl, to whom Kelly-Anne bears a disturbing resemblance.
The film is Plante’s third, following his Cannes Competition title Nadia, Butterfly. The film was produced by Dominique Dussault, with Tim Ringuette as Exec Producer. Entract Films is distributing in Canada, while Sphere Films International is on sales.
Red Rooms debuts this evening at Karlovy Vary. Before the premiere, Plante sat down with Deadline to discuss the origins of the project, subverting serial killer genre tropes, and the current filmmaking scene in Canada. We can also share a first-look clip from the pic above.
DEADLINE: Red Rooms shifts between genres and has much to say, but what is the film about?
PASCAL PLANTE: The film is about a woman’s obsession. The obsession that one can have with extreme violence. This phenomenon has only been exacerbated by the way we consume images. We watch so much content that we can have a tendency to be desensitized to extreme violence and the intensity of what we consume as audiovisual.
DEADLINE: One of the most interesting parts of the film is the genre subversion. It’s a serial killer thriller, but you play a lot with the genre. How did you land on this subject matter?
PLANTE: It’s very much a pandemic movie. I know it’s not sexy to say that now in 2033, but in isolation, I binged a lot of True Crime shows. They always use the same formula, and like it or not, we glamorize the killer. At the end of the day, when you do a whole eight-hour show on Ted Bundy, even though you put a disclaimer at the end, you are weirdly milking that cow. So I’ve been thinking a lot about why we are fascinated with True Crime shows. It’s so widespread that it cannot be labeled as something marginal. This has to do with society and our upbringing, especially women because it’s mostly women. So there’s something societal about that phenomenon, and to our heads in the sand and say that these people are all crazy is irresponsible.
DEADLINE: Were there any specific genres, tropes, or past projects you were attempting to respond to?
PLANTE: Well, for starters, the killer doesn’t talk. And not only that, but he didn’t need to be beautiful in the normal canon of beauty standards because the obsession people have has nothing to do with physical beauty. I came across a statistic that still gives me the shivers, but Charles Manson received over 20,000 letters in prison before he died. Things like wedding proposals every day, and he had no teeth, so it had nothing to do with physical beauty. In our film, we wanted a presence in contrast to Zac Efron as Ted Bundy.
DEADLINE: So much of this story takes place in front of screens. You approach filming phones and computers in a very unique style. How did you land on this?
PLANTE: It’s freaking hard to shoot screens. Writing the scenes is easy. You know, you just write out the chat, and I use most of the technology myself, so I thought it would be easy to shoot, but man, it’s tough. First, you have to design the whole thing. You can’t just go on the Facebook page and start typing. You have to pre-program the whole scene. My DOP and I had to use all the tools to get it done. But when filming screens, sometimes you just get your footage and try to figure it out in editing.
DEADLINE: Red Rooms is also, in part, a story about AI. What do you think about the current discussion about AI and its dangers?
PLANTE: Technology evolves so quickly. We shot the film in October last year, and ChatGPT became widely accessible in November of last year. We’re only eight months later, and the whole technological landscape changed. So for me, the clock is ticking to release the film. At the end of the day, what AI does is plagiarise. If there’s nothing human generating what it copies, it doesn’t exist. So it doesn’t have God-like characteristics yet, but maybe it will.
DEADLINE: What do you think about the current landscape of filmmaking in Canada?
PLANTE: I try to remain as naive as possible in the sense that I humbly try to write and create things that I would like to see and watch, and as long as there is a structure that allows me to do that, I will find my way. In Quebec, there’s a lot of interesting work being done. What I like about Quebec cinema of the last decade is that there’s no common genre or way of approaching filmmaking. It’s very eclectic. And I love that.
Alexia Laroche-Joubert will replace François de Brugada, who has moved to lead fledgling operation Banijay Events, as part of Banijay Group’s push into live events and experiences.
Laroche-Joubert is best known for leading her own production outfit Adventure Line Productions (ALP), which is part of Banijay, and has recently also been leading scripted label Screen Line Productions.
She counts executive producing TF1’s version of Survivor, Koh Lanta, which has been on air for more than two decades, and France 2’s Fort Boyard, and is credited with lead producer roles on M6’s Loft Story, which is France’s version of Big Brother and TF1’s Star Academy and Secret Story. She was also an on-screen judge on Popstars.
Before joining Banijay, she has spent more than a decade with Canal+ and rose to become Editor-in-Chief at TF1. She was also Director of Programs at Endemol France under the leadership of Banijay founder Stéphane Courbit.
In her new role, she’ll report to Banijay CEO Marco Bassetti, who said: “Alexia has been a leading force for us in France for a number of years, and with entrepreneurialism and creative spirit at her core, she is the perfect profile to lead our French operations from here-on-in. Hugely respected, strategic and with a brilliant repertoire of credits, we have no doubt her experience and knowledge will be invaluable in driving the business to new heights, as we look to further diversify and enhance the offering.”
“From start-ups, to well-established labels like ALP, I have led a career underpinned by entrepreneurialism and at Banijay, I’ve found a home where I can continue to indulge my creative passions,” added Laroche-Joubert. “Stepping up to lead Banijay France was the logical next step, and I am proud to be taking on this challenge.”
Korean production and distribution company SLL is riding high on the current box office success of “The Roundup: No Way Out,” the only local film this year to sell more than 10 million tickets.
In the larger TV production division, it is breathing a sigh of relief with the successes of “Doctor Cha” and “The Good Bad Mother,” shows which have achieved huge local ratings and placed in Netflix’s Global non-English Top 10 charts.
For the company, which rebranded last year from JTBC Studio, and which acquired U.S. producer wiip, the renewed popularity of its shows represents something of a rebound after “the underperformance of JTBC dramas in 2022.”
Now the challenge is to keep things fresh and original, while producing the high volumes of Korean content demanded by clients and frenemies that include Netflix, Prime Video and TVing — the Korean streaming platform in which JTBC is a junior partner behind CJ ENM and Naver.
At an event Tuesday at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Press Center, executives including head of production Park Joon Suh, unveiled a slate of 15 shows that it will deliver in the second half of this year.
These include “Strong Woman Kang Nam Soon,” a spin-off from the 2017 drama “Strong Girl Bong Soon,” “Sing Again 3” and “The Biography of Evil” for various local broadcasters, including cabler ENA.
For streaming clients, the second half will hold “Ballerina” a movie being produced by its Climax Studios subsidiary for Netflix; a second season of “D.P.”; “Daily Dose of Sunshine” by Film Monster for Netflix; “The Crime Scene Returns” through Studio Slam for TVing; the SLL-branded “Death’s Game,” which is split between TVing in Korea and Prime Video in other territories; and wiip’s “The Summer I Turned Pretty 2” for Prime Video.
Upcoming theatrical films include Kim Jee-woon’s “Cobweb,” which Anthology Studios launched out of competition in May at the Cannes festival, and the September-dated Kang Je-gyu-directed tear-jerker “1947 Boston” from its B.A. Entertainment unit.
The company said that it operates a twin track strategy of working with established writers and directors, which could appear risky, though at the same time it is having positive results with bringing on new creative talent.
“There is a tension between increased production volumes and maintaining high quality, but that is a good reason to bring on new talent,” Park told Variety. “Also, we understand that all genres and nationalities of content go in cycles, and rise and fall in audience popularity over time. We’ve seen this with Marvel, for instance. The best response to that is to be prepared. And there too we see working with new talent as an investment in the future.”
Park said that relations with Wiip were very healthy and involve two-way cooperation between the U.S. and Korean business units. Development activities, however, have been temporarily suspended in response to the Hollywood writers’ strike.
Inspired by the fictional Broadway show from Hawkeye on Disney+, Disney Parks and Marvel Studios made this MCU moment (and reoccurring Easter egg) an actuality by creating a real live theater adaptation for the Disneyland Resort.
Apart from Hawkeye‘s “Save the City” showstopper, Rogers: The Musical‘s creatives were tasked with creating several new Marvel-inspired musical numbers, one of which featured the star of Secret Invasion and sparked a strong reaction from the Marvel Studios President.
Kevin Feige’s Response to Singing Nick Fury
Marvel
Following a media preview for Rogers: The Musical, Disney and Marvel creatives revealed Kevin Feige’s initial reaction to the musical stylings of Nick Fury.
Just like in Captain America: The First Avenger, Fury appears in Rogers: The Musical when Steve realizes he’s no longer in the 1940s and missed his date with Peggy.
Where Rogers: The Musical differs, however, is with the musical number titled “What You Missed,” where Fury gives Cap that notebook from The Winter Soldier and fills him in on major historical and pop cultural events through song.
Yes, this means the former SHIELD director sings about Star Wars (another franchise in which Samuel L. Jackson has a role), as well as I Love Lucy, the Berlin Wall, the moon landing, Steve Jobs, and even Nirvana.
What Marvel audiences will especially appreciate is the one last thing Steve missed – the existence of other remarkable people like himself – and which perfectly dovetails into a musical retelling of Fury’s Avengers Initiative speech.
David Bushore, the Vice President of Franchise Creative and Marketing at Marvel Studios, began telling this Kevin Feige story by explaining, “We’re watching it at WDI (Walt Disney Imagineering), and Nick Fury’s singing…”
“I have to set this up. So Dan brings me the animatic, and we’re watching it at WDI, and Nick Fury’s singing. And, I’m like, ‘Ok, interesting. Um, what?’ And then, we talked about it and you explained it and I went, ‘Ok, I get it, I get it, I get it. Cool. Cool. Cool.’ And, then we took it to Kevin, we’re sitting in Kevin’s office, me and Dan [Fields]…”
That same Dan Fields, who serves as the Executive Creative Director at Disney Live Entertainment, continued, saying, “And Kevin [Feige] says, ‘Nick Fury sings? That should be on the billboard!'”
“And Kevin says, ‘Nick Fury sings? That should be on the billboard!’ He said, ‘Embrace that. Lean into that.’ So that kind of trust between the studio and the entertainment and Imagineering and the scope of these amazing consultants and collaborators, that’s where that energy comes from. We get to create something new.”
Feige Knows What MCU Fans Want
It’s no secret that Kevin Feige is a fan of the concept of Rogers: The Musical.
Then, at the 2022 D23 Expo, the studio president actually chose to kickstart Marvel Studios’ panel with an energetic live performance of “Save the City.”
Whether he knew then that the number would be performed in an actual Rogers: The Musical across the street at the Disneyland Resort’s Disney California Adventure is unknown.
However, it does explain why he was on board with a melodious Nick Fury; and the fact he encouraged Dan Fields to “embrace that” not only illustrates the trust Marvel Studios has with Disney but also his own understanding of what piques audience interest and wins over fans.
And, as usual, Feige knew best. Nicholas J. Fury’s “What You Missed” is a major crowd-pleaser and a surprising reward for those, particularly well-versed MCU fans.
Rogers: The Musical is being performed at Disney California Adventure’s Hyperion Theater (and next to Avengers Campus) Tuesday through Saturday most weeks from June 30 to August 31, 2023.
Set to release on December 20, Aquaman 2 is the sequel to the financially successful Jason Momoa-led Aquaman and the final film of the former DC slate.
Aquaman star, Amber Heard, is also facing criticism ahead of her reprisal due to the public defamation lawsuit between herself and her ex-husband, Johnny Depp, which she lost.
DC
In talking about her next film and hopes for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom despite DC’s latest string of superhero flops, Amber Heard acknowledged to Deadline, “There’s a ton of pressure on these big franchise movies” and “compromises” are part of making the movie “the most successful thing it can be:”
“Oh, of course. These are very different kinds of projects representing two very different ends of the spectrum in my industry. There’s a ton of pressure on these big franchise movies, with millions and millions of dollars at stake, and compromises are part of trying to make it the most successful thing it can be. Then on the other end of the spectrum is a small indie film like ‘In The Fire,’ a work of art and work of love, with nowhere near the same resources, and so there are compromises there. The best luck you can have as an actor is to be able to balance both.”
As for her role as Mera in Aquaman 2 which surprisingly (and for some fans, frustratingly) remains in spite of her civil case against Johnny Depp, Heard confessed that she’s “honored” to be part of the franchise:
“‘Aquaman,’ that franchise and the machinery behind it, I’m very honored, honored to be a part of that. And then there are these small passion projects like ‘In The Fire,’ where I’m proud to have gotten to know the filmmaker and the cast, and we got dirty together, to breathe life into this story. There’s something cool about that, and I think success is an actor who is able to have both those things.”
Will Amber Heard’s Role Hurt Aquaman 2?
While only time will tell whether Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom can deliver in the wake of recent DCU flops, the public’s view of Amber Heard could be a factor in the film’s performance.
After all, Heard isn’t the first controversial DCU star in recent months.
Ezra Miller’s legal issues leading up to The Flash were equally public, leading some to believe they negatively affected ticket sales.
While Miller’s situation differs from Heard’s, and she plays a supporting character and not a lead, the fact remains that she – like Miller – is a controversial figure and will be difficult to explain, not to mention market to fans.
At the moment, it seems like the studio is gambling on audiences not being swayed by Amber Heard’s role.
While surprising, especially since the last gasp of the DCU needs all the help it can get, it’s also worth noting that Aquaman 2 was filmed prior to the actress’s legal backlash.
For now, it will be interesting to see whether the fallout surrounding The Flash will lead the studio to blink on its Amber Heard gamble or ride out the storm with a focus on 2025’s Superman: Legacy.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom arrives in theaters on December 20.
Following the reveal of new characters for Granblue Fantasy Relink and Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, Cygames shared their teaser trailers and artwork.
This July 4th, our “Deals of the Week” give your toolkit a camera upgrade.
July 4th is coming in hot. Whether it be the weather or sizzling sales on some of the best-budget cinema cameras on the market. If you’ve been eyeing a camera upgrade for your kit, look no further than Canon, Blackmagic Design, and Panasonic.
While they’re not the hottest new camera on the market, these three tools can still give you some of the best images any camera can produce.
For creatives needing a hybrid camera for professional photo still and cinema video production, the Canon EOS R5 C Mirrorless Cinema Camera is THE tool to have in your kit. Built specifically for a hybrid workflow, the R5 C pumps out fantastic image quality for both photos and video. With a simple switch, the R5 C is a full-featured still photo camera with all the R5 EOS mirrorless camera settings. Flip the switch, and it becomes a full-frame 8K60 Cinema EOS camera that internally records 12-bit Cinema RAW Light footage.
The R5 C also enhances a number of features in comparison to its siblings, the R5 and C70, including 4K120 recording, HDMI RAW output, Canon Log 3 HLG/PQ support, unlimited recording time, a timecode port, Dual Pixel CMOS AF with eye detection, an active cooling system, a high-power LP-E6NH battery, 13 reassignable buttons, and a multi-function shoe for XLR adapters.
The camera also retains the reliable features of those cameras, such as Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, footage compatibility with DaVinci Resolve and Canon apps, an electronic RF mount, CFexpress/SD card slots, a similar button layout, and more. All of this is packed into a tiny 1.7 lb body that’s just asking to become your go-to tool.
The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2 is the perfect middle ground of sensor size and budget. Featuring a 6K S35 sensor, creatives will find the professional recording features, dynamic range, interface ports, and controls of the 6K Pro, but in a more affordable form. Features inherited from the 6K Pro include a 5″ tilting touchscreen LCD, Pro EVF and battery grip options, dual mini-XLR audio inputs, an NP-F570 L-series battery slot, and the updated Gen 5 color science.
By eliminating the internal ND filters and reducing the LCD brightness compared to the 6K Pro model, Blackmagic now enables users to choose between two near-identical 6K models that best suits their priorities.
The Blackmagic Design 6K G2 camera also comes with a DaVinci Resolve Studio activation key, which is an industry-standard application that everyone should have on their workstation. This camera is one of the most affordable professional cinema cameras that won’t break the bank. If there’s one camera you need in your toolkit, this should be it.
A pioneer in the Micro Four Thirds class, the Lumix GH series redefined how mirrorless cameras are used in professional workflows. They even rival some full-frame cameras. This Panasonic Lumix GH6 is powerful hybrid addition to the video-centric GH series that offers cutting-edge tech to cinematographers and photographers alike.
The improved processing power of the Venus Engine enables fast sensor readouts for an internal recording of 5.7K 30p in Apple ProRes 422 HQ, FHD 300p, and handheld 100MP photos. The GH6 correctly exposes across 13+ stops, features in-body and sensor-shift stabilization, and can be spliced into VariCam footage with its pre-installed V-log image profile.
The sensor was also redesigned from the ground up, improving upon its predecessors with new silicone and software. It has an improved 13+ stops of dynamic range despite its reduced cell size due to the increased number of pixels on the Micro Four Thirds sensor.
This compact, lightweight camera features UHD 4K capture, a 1″ CMOS sensor, two XLR audio inputs, and one mini-HDMI output which fits perfectly into the ENG category for documentary or journalism-style productions. Updated from its XA55 predecessor, this model features a larger 3.5mm LCD capacitive touchscreen display, a higher resolution tiltable 0.36″ OLED EVF, OSD metadata recording, and fast USB Type-C video-only output with UVC support for live streaming to a computer.
The lens optics include an integrated 15x HD optical zoom, a nine-bladed circular iris for more natural highlights, and wide DR gamma support for low-light recording. The camera’s pro-style features include Dual-Pixel and Contrast autofocus, fast and slow-motion recording, full manual control, optical and electronic image stabilization, a 3.5″ touchscreen LCD, user-assignable buttons, infrared mode, and a DIGIC DV 6 image processor with high sensitivity and low noise. The XA70 also has display monitoring features such as zebra, color bars, and test tone, plus a built-in neutral density filter mechanism.
The camera records UHD 4K30 and Full HD 1080p60 captured to dual SD card slots in XF-AVC and MP4 formats, and it outputs to a mini-HDMI port. The dual SD card slots allow for automatic switching from one card to another, as well as simultaneous recording to both. The camera can also output up to 1920 x 1080p 10-bit 4:2:2 video at 59.94 fps via its mini-HDMI output. On the audio side, the XA70 features up to four channels of LPCM audio with manual/automatic recording levels, two XLR inputs with phantom power, and a 3.5mm stereo mini input. It features a built-in stereo microphone as well as a headphone jack, and a 2.5mm LANC input for control.
While it won’t be a perfect tool for every project, a good camcorder can be an efficient way to capture footage for run-and-gun productions, be it in documentary, narrative, or even that skateboarding video you’ve been dying to shoot with your friends.
Which of these cameras do you want in your toolkit? Let us know in the comments!
EXCLUSIVE: The Europe-based Pop Up Film Residency mentorship program has unveiled the filmmakers and mentors who will participate in its summer 2023 edition.
The program, which is among several feature development initiatives spearheaded by former TorinoFilmLab artistic director Matthieu Darras, consists of three-week residencies focused on mentoring filmmakers through the development of a feature project. Darras works together with Polish producers Iza Igel and Marta Lewandowska. This year the residency will be mounted in Warsaw and Wroclaw, Poland, from July 4 — 25.
Mentors for the upcoming edition include Polish director Anna Jadowska (Woman On The Roof, Tribeca 2022), Ukrainian director Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk (Pamfir, Cannes 2022), Polish director Aleksandra Terpinska (Other People, Tallinn 2021), Hungarian—Canadian writer/director Anita Doron (The Breadwinner, 2017), Script consultants Michaela Sabo and Aleksandra Swierk, and Lithuanian producer Marija Razgute (Slow, Sundance, Karlovy Vary 2023).
Five feature directors will join the program, including Polish filmmaker Katarzyna Trzaska, whose last feature, Nauka Latania, screened at the Warsaw Film Festival. She will develop her new feature Against the Grain, which tells the story of Gaba, a nail specialist from the city of Lodz, whose daily routine circles among clients in the beauty salon and her working-class family and friends. Her life turns upside down when she meets Zocha, a radical feminist activist from a wealthy family who wants to change the world for the better.
For the first time this year, a project from Ukraine will join the residency. Filmmaker Alina Matochkina will join the program with Mother, a feature set in Kyiv in 2016. The plot follows Lidia (25), who moved to the capital seven years ago from a provincial town in eastern Ukraine, where her parents still live. She has a highly complex relationship with her mother, they do not accept each other’s lifestyle, communicate in different languages, and see each other only on New Year’s Eve. This relationship negatively affects Lidia’s self-acceptance and self-actualization. She uses her knowledge from psychology podcasts to improve the situation with her mother. From a new acquaintance, Lidia learns that the key to changing the situation lies not in altering her relationship with her mother, but in changing her own attitude towards her. Now Lidia must reboot her own system.
The residents are selected through a network of creative partners including the Karlovy Vary IFF’s Eastern Promises Industry Platform in the Czech Republic, the Febiofest Bratislava in Slovakia, the Budapest Debut Film Forum in Hungary, the Platform for Scriptwriters Terrarium in Ukraine, and the New Horizons Film Festival in Poland.
“The Pop Up Film Residency Visegrad will definitely nurture films that capture Central Europe’s zeitgeist, with an appetite for stories that can be violently and funnily satirical, highlighting and mocking the many contradictions and antagonisms of Visegrad countries’ conservative and prejudiced societies,” Darras said. “Prepare for exacerbated generational gaps and plenty of wealth inequality. Christian kitsch vs radical feminism; devoted male strippers and (non)-gay altar boys; plastic surgeries, nail beauty salons, and psychology podcasts. Our emerging filmmakers don’t spare their characters for a second, plunging them into whirlpools of confusing emotions. Does any of it make sense? Can the wild parties be overcome? Let’s hope for pacified closures or maybe not.”
The complete list of summer 2023 projects:
Katarzyna Trzaska with Against the Grain (Poland) Producers: Zygizaga Robert Zygmuntowski and Joanna Banach Synopsis: Against the Grain tells a story of Gaba, a nail specialist from the city of Lodz, whose daily routine circles among clients in the beauty salon and her working-class family and friends. Her life turns upside down when she meets Zocha, a radical feminist activist from a wealthy family who wants to change the world for the better.
Terézia Halamová with The Hour Between Dog and Wolf (Czech Rep./Slovakia) Producer: Natalia Pavlove Synopsis: The Hour Between Dog and Wolf details the wild journey of Rudo (25) and four other male strippers on their annual tour through the Czech Republic via Poland and Slovakia. Busy nightly performances are interrupted by the everyday reality of small towns. Wild parties, Christian kitsch, and bottomless drug abuse. Why can’t a man be happy from the moment he wakes up until he falls asleep?
Anna Korom with Lady Sunshine (Hungary) Co-writer: András Soós. Producer: Anna Szijártó Synopsis: Mária (55), a reclusive beautician, spends all her money on plastic surgeries. She lives and works in a run-down district of Budapest. One day as she appears on a Talent TV show, she reunites with the love of her youth, Kálmán (60). However, he doesn’t recognise her. Desperate to avoid exposure, she undergoes more and more surgeries, that only bring her closer to being revealed.
Alina Matochkina with Mother (Ukraine) Producer: Eugene Rachkovsky Synopsis: Kyiv, 2016, Lidia (25) moved to the capital seven years ago from a provincial town in eastern Ukraine, where her parents still live. She has a highly complex relationship with her mother (44), they do not accept each other’s lifestyle, communicate in different languages, and see each other only on New Year’s Eve. This relationship negatively affects Lidia’s self-acceptance and self-actualization. She uses her knowledge from psychology podcasts to improve the situation with her mother. From a new acquaintance, Lidia learns that the key to changing the situation lies not in altering her relationship with her mother, but in changing her own attitude towards her. Now Lidia must reboot her own system.
Daniel Rihak with My World Upside Down (Slovakia) Co-Writers: Peter Gašparík and Ján Štiffel. Producer: Martina Saková Synopsis: My World Upside Down is a comedy about an altar boy from a small conservative village in Slovakia. Miško (12) needs to solve a complicated problem. He wants to be just like his brother Lukáš (17) – big, strong and reasonable. Yet he’s still small, naive and secretly in love with his brother’s girlfriend Linda (16). While trying to impress her, a misunderstanding happens and the whole village starts to think Miško is gay. He tries in vain to get rid of the accusation, nobody wants to play with him or talk to him. The only one left is Jesus. Will they be able to overcome the prejudices together?
In a town — where on any given night — you can see the most downloaded pop artist of all time, the top Grammy-award winning country artist of the last three decades, or the first artist to reach over three billion views on a music video on YouTube, deciding who to see is the toughest part of your next Las Vegas getaway.
In 2023, the Las Vegas residency competition is fierce with more than two dozen options from which to choose. Find out who is performing up and down the Strip, what makes their shows unmissable and why these are the hottest tickets of the year.
Ahead, see the best Las Vegas residencies to catch in 2023.
Carrie Underwood: Reflection — The Las Vegas Residency
Carrie Underwood, who opened Resorts World Theatre in December 2021, is back with a new run of dates in 2023 for her Las Vegas residency, Reflection. The show — featuring dazzling special effects, pyrotechnics and extravagant sets that can’t be moved from city to city — puts Underwood onstage with her band, dancers, aerialists and a virtual orchestra for 90 minutes. Her fans devour every ounce of spectacle as they do with all “Carrie content,” which has made her the most-followed country artist on Instagram and most followed female country artist on Twitter and Facebook. To put it not so lightly, she has sold more than 85 million records worldwide and recorded 28 No. 1 singles.
“My guitar player Matt put it perfectly, it is like an award-show greatest hits,” Underwood shares with The Hollywood Reporter. “In Vegas, we keep it high energy. We want the best of the best and stuff that people know, can have fun with and sing along to. There’s no other agenda except to put on the best show we possibly can.”
For this turn at Resorts World Theatre, she added a new song “Denim & Rhinestones” from her latest album to the 20-track set list — which feels like the ultimate highlight reel of her 15-year career, with her biggest hits “Before He Cheats,” “Blown Away,” “Cry Pretty” and the finale, “Something in the Water.” Underwood delivers the spirit of Nashville and the glitz, glamour and spectacle that Las Vegas audiences have come to expect.
“In Vegas, everybody’s from everywhere. All ages, all states, so many different countries and they’re all in one place to have a good time. When I am on stage, looking out at the audience, there’s a lot of diversity. This is one place where people come to just have fun,” she says.
“Reflection” also gives Underwood the stability of being in the same place every day and night, which she finds a crucial way to stick to her strict training regimen. Google Carrie Underwood’s legs and be awed, then experience her workouts yourself with circuit-training fitness app, Fit52, launched in 2020. She released a companion book, the New York Times bestseller, Find Your Path.
Underwood just finished the 43-city U.S. arena tour for Denim and Rhinestones in support of the album of the same name, her 10th consecutive career Top 10 debut on the Billboard Top 200 chart for all genres. The deluxe edition of Denim & Rhinestones comes out Sept. 22, featuring six new tracks including “Out of That Truck” and “Take Me Out.”
She also recently launched her SiriusXM channel, Carrie’s Country, a 24/7 channel curated by the superstar, highlighting her friends, favorites and influences — and the stories behind her music. Expect a rotation ranging artists such as Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, Brad Paisley, Miranda Lambert, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones and Guns N’ Roses.
In between her “Reflection” summer and fall runs, Underwood joins the Guns N’ Roses’ World Tour on select North American stadium dates this August including Croix-Bleue Medavie Stadium in Moncton, New Brunswick; Parc Jean Drapeau in Montréal; and Geodis Park in Nashville.
As far as fellow artists she is excited to see in Las Vegas, Underwood hopes she will have a chance to catch another Oklahoman, Garth Brooks. “I saw him years ago at my bachelorette party [during his shows at Wynn],” she says.
This year will be your last opportunity to see Katy Perry’s Play as the two-year run comes to close at Resorts World Theatre. More than the standard greatest hits residency show, Perry put her all into the “Perry Playland”-themed production, littered with larger-than-life anthropomorphic household objects. Designed by Baz Halpin and Silent House Productions, responsible for Perry’s Prismatic Tour and her unforgettable 2015 Super Bowl performance, Play has the whole cast of characters from Kitty Purry and Left Shark to talking bed pillows, grooving gym socks, and robots doing the robot.
The show is an homage to her grandma and aunt who worked at the Stardust — the casino formerly on the site where Resorts World now sits — as a seamstress and a showgirl, respectively. After it’s gone, we will never forget the glitter, sequins and feathers, cupcakes, peppermints and Perry’s distinct signature in the Las Vegas residency guest book.
With a night of pyrotechnics, guitar jams and a gravity-defying 45-foot catwalk that puts the artist within arms reach of almost every audience member, there is no performer on the Strip right now that brings the good vibes, booty shakin’ and margarita consumption quite like Luke Bryan. Expect every night to be a sold-out sing-along.
To see Garth Brooks in concert is to never forget seeing a Garth Brooks concert. Whether you are a country music fanatic or just claim “Friends in Low Places” as your karaoke song, there is no other artist out there today that cranks it up to 100 onstage like Brooks. That is one of the reasons why Garth Brooks/Plus One at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace is such a special night out in Las Vegas. It gives fans the opportunity to see a stadium-level artist in an intimate 5,000-seat venue.
Brooks’ two-and-half hour performance spans close to three dozen songs, many of which are covers of his favorite artists (Otis Redding, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, James Taylor and many more) and the setlist is unique every night with no two shows ever the same. Band members change, special guests pop up and Brooks effortlessly bounces back and forth between solo and group arrangements. While Brooks takes the front of the stage, his “cast of characters” hang out on stage in a bar-style setting awaiting their turn. The whole thing has a spontaneous, organic vibe that is unmatched in any other residency.
One sure bet though is an appearance from wife Trisha Yearwood. Their duet on A Star Is Born‘s “Shallow” has become the stuff of legend, but don’t try to find it online as audience members are asked to lock up their phones upon entry. You will only have 45 chances to see Brooks between 2023 and 2024 and you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to do so.
In November 2022, Las Vegas audiences were finally treated to the Adele show that had waited almost an entire year for due to production delays. Now the winter of Adele transforms into summer and fall of Adele with the 16-time Grammy winner signing on for 34 more weekends at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
To say the notoriously stage-shy singer has warmed up to residency life is an understatement as those well-documented opening night jitters and copious tears have all been wiped away by standing ovation-worthy renditions of every song in her 20-track setlist. Keep track of her custom gowns on Instagram where she posts each weekend’s singular black dress and watch the Monday headlines for her current events banter, which has her engaging the audience with probing questions about “Scandoval” and “if money were no object, would you take the Titan submersible?”
He roller-skates while singing and dancing. He makes it rain. He serenades the celebrity audience members who turn up to see him regularly. And let’s not forget those Ush Bucks and that pole-dancer vignette. If Las Vegas could claim a “main character” in 2023, it would be Usher. Celebrating two years since the start of his residency career, the eight-time Grammy winner has made a huge splash on the Strip and recently became a bonafide Las Vegas resident with an address and all. (Before landing at his permanent digs at Park MGM, he was at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.)
Lucky for us, he doesn’t hide his smooth moves and infectious sex-driven lyrics behind closed doors; he shows them off during a 32-song greatest hits parade through his 30-year career, including “Yeah,” “U Remind Me,” “My Boo,” “Love In This Club,” “OMG” and “You Make Me Wanna …”. As immersive as it gets, the audience is an additional castmember in Usher’s antics as the onstage action such as extravagant costumes and state-of-the-art technology in lighting, video and special effects spills over to the throbbing crowd. First and foremost, though, My Way is the party we can count on to always be a good time.
Produced by Las Vegas residency all-stars Baz Halpin and Parker Genoway of Silent House, Maroon 5’s custom-designed show for the Dolby Live stage immerses the audience in the pristine Dolby Atmos audio experience. Rattling through 20-plus songs from their 20-year career, Adam Levine moves like a comet with moves like Jagger — up and down the stage, into the audience and all around the theater for 90 minutes of ecstatic pop shirtless tattooed bliss.
Bruno Mars returns for his seventh year in residency at Park MGM’s Dolby Live. He most recently occupied the theater as part of a limited-run with his supergroup Silk Sonic and gave Vegas a spin as a solo act for a limited number of dates this year. A new album and world tour are coming soon so expect more announcements from the new King of the Strip.
Kelly Clarkson is finally getting her residency in Las Vegas, three years after it was delayed due to the pandemic. Better late than never for the singer and talk show host who promises every night of the show will be different. However, don’t expect a Vegas-style spectacle, Clarkson promises a stripped-down production, to match the vibes of her Chemistry album.
Keith Urban jumped ship from his successful gig — which launched in 2019 — at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace over to Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood. No matter where he is, the fans flock for the love of the music as Urban loves to pull deep cuts and rare gems out of his bag of tricks much to the delight of fall. During the show, Nicole Kidman has been known to pop up in real life as an audience member and in an intimate video montage of their wedding.
Country music dominates the Las Vegas residency scene, in part because its demographic has major spending power — of this notion, Miranda Lambert is proof of concept. Her “Velvet Rodeo” residency audience on any given night is packed with rhinestone cowgirls and cowboys, loving every minute of the 90-minute hit parade from 2022’s “Actin’ Up” to 2005’s “Kerosene.” The most fiery moment, however, comes with the finale of “Gunpowder & Lead” as the fringed sleeves of Lambert’s pink Idyllwind jacket burst into sparkling flames.
Twenty years ago, reality stars fueled the nascent Las Vegas club scene with weekly headline-making appearances. Fast forward to 2023 and they are finding their way back to the Strip and into the residency scene. Welcome Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Erika Jayne, who not only has a massive television following but has racked up nine No. 1 singles on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart throughout her 16-year career. Bet It All on Blonde promises a true Las Vegas dance party as she debuts new music, revisits her club anthems and dabbles in covers.
Legendary singer-songwriter and 2022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Lionel Richie makes his way to Encore Theater at Wynn with an all-new show, King of Hearts.
Daniel Radcliffe doesn’t think it’s time for his Harry Potter to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In an interview with ComicBook.com, the actor opened up about the Harry Potter series coming to Max, which is set to bring the books by controversial author J.K. Rowling to life, with each one earning its own season in the decade-long show. When asked if fans could expect his beloved version of the Boy Who Lived to make an appearance in the reboot, Radcliffe confirmed the chances are pretty low.
“My understanding is that they’re trying to very much start fresh, and I’m sure whoever is making them will want to make their own mark on it and probably not want to have to figure out how to get old Harry to cameo in this somewhere,” he told the website. “So, I’m definitely not seeking it out in any way.”
Nonetheless, The Lost City star explained that he wishes the actor who takes on the role next “all the luck in the world,” adding, “I’m very excited to have that torch passed, but I don’t think it needs me to physically pass it.”
The Hollywood Reporter exclusively reported in January 2021 that a Harry Potter show was in the works at then-HBO Max. The news officially broke this April, when Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced the plans for the live-action series during a presentation about how HBO Max and Discovery+ would be integrated after the merger.
This is how Max described the series: “The stories from each of Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series produced with the same epic craft, love and care this global franchise is known for. The series will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail, much loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years. Each season will be authentic to the original books and bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new audiences around the world, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch globally.”
That same day, Cabello did a quick costume change for the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture show, giving us yet a sultry underboob moment in a glamourous Barbiecore gown. Though she wore her hair up in a top knot for the first show, she let her hair down in loose waves while updating her beauty look with a more dramatic lash and glossy lip. She topped the look off with a hot pink bag, embracing the fashion world’s current obsession with all things Barbie while still referencing past looks with the dress’ bold cutouts.
For a moment, let’s return to the summer of 2022. A few days after pairing her denim short shorts with a boob hammock crop top at Coachella, she gave the unexpected silhouette a sexy, underboob-baring update at the Met Gala in a white Michael Kors gown. By February 2023, she was wearing a bra made of nothing but pearls to the Grammy Awards.
Camila Cabello is seen leaving her hotel on July 3, 2023, in Paris, France.
MEGA
Both Paris Fashion Week looks manage to bring Cabello’s favorite summer pieces straight into the 2023 fashion landscape, proving you never have to abandon your personal style to stay on-trend. Keep doing you, Camila Cabello!
OAK CLIFF FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! Never has an alien abduction story been so sweet than in Jake Von Wagoner’s feature, Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out.
Long ago, little Calvin (Jacob Buster) was instilled with the love of astronomy by his father, Cyrus (Will Forte). As the two sit on their rooftop awaiting the arrival of a comet to shoot across the sky, Calvin’s mother, Vera (Elizabeth Mitchell), comes home. When Cyrus goes to greet her, Calvin hears a commotion, then a bright light…his parents have just been abducted by aliens.
Years later, the teenager Itsy (Emma Tremblay) and her family move next to Calvin’s home. Itsy is upset that her family moved to the middle of nowhere and desperately wants to return to her former home in New York City. Her only shot is to team up with her calculating classmate Heather (Landry Townsend) and win a journalism scholarship.
The two decide to run a story on the weird Calvin, who lives alone in his family home and always talks about space, aliens, and one day being reunited with his parents when the comet that took them returns. It’s decided that Itsy will go in and befriend Calvin for the sake of the story. Calvin introduces her and her precocious brother, Evan (Kenneth Cummins), to his super-secret astronomy lab.
“…lives alone in his family home and always talks about space, aliens, and one day being reunited with his parents…”
I really shouldn’t like this movie. It’s a movie for kids in that pre-teen range. But for someone with kids in this age range and a film critic, I have to see these kinds of movies and pray there’s something for us old folks.
Besides having Will Forte and Elizabeth Mitchell in minor roles, there’s not much for this old guy. That said…there’s just something endearing about this film. Maybe when it’s all said and done, it’s a love story, and who doesn’t love that? Yeah, the alien stuff is pretty silly, but ultimately, Calvin is a likable character, and from the start, we feel for him. He’s a lost individual whose life is about reuniting with his parents one day.
In turn, Itsy is that force that ultimately grounds him to reality while at the same time becoming grounded in the face of her life-changing for what appears to be the worse. As Itsy, Emma Tremblay is the one who has the true character arc, and she nails the role with her fantastic performance. I believe she fell in love with the weirdo, which, if anything, gives hope to weirdos.
The story through the first two acts makes up for a strange third act that is not worth spoiling. It’s not that the third act is bad, but it certainly would have been if not for an exceptional first two.
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out is a kid’s film and a pretty good one…but it’s still a kid’s film. Yeah, this sounds like a backhanded compliment, but as one who has endured a lot of bad stories over the years, Aliens is quite refreshing to watch.
Aliens Abducted My Parents and Now I Feel Kinda Left Out screened at the 2023 Oak Cliff Film Festival.
Adrian Hassan and Brayden Bowers went at it on the July 3 episode of The Bachelorette. The drama started on the group date, which had Brayden and Adrian on opposing dodgeball teams at the beach. Brayden’s team won, but Adrian earned the title of MVP from Charity Lawson, so he got to join the winners on the nighttime portion of the date. Brayden didn’t hide the fact that he didn’t think Adrian deserved the MVP title, which is how tension began brewing between them.
“Brayden is totally acting like a child,” Adrian said. “I don’t think he’s ready for a relationship with Charity. It seems like he’s here for spring break. You can kind of tell those people that are really serious and the people who are not. I know I’m here for the right reasons.” Adrian also pointed out that he made a big sacrifice to come on the show because he has a daughter at home. He brought his concerns to Charity during their one-on-one time.
Brayden and Adrian on ‘The Bachelorette.’ (ABC)
Although he didn’t specify who he was worried about, Adrian’s concerns were enough to worry Charity. “Adrian alludes to people being here and treating this experience and journey of finding love like it’s spring break,” she said in a confessional. “Truly was not what I was expecting to hear. That could mean people aren’t here for the right reasons.” Charity addressed the group to discuss the situation, and Brayden was certain that he was not the person who she was referencing in the speech.
Things intensified after the second group date, even though Brayden and Adrian weren’t even on it. When the guys got home from the date, they shared that it included Charity and Joey Graziadei breaking the record for longest kiss in Bachelor Nation. Brayden was not happy to hear about it. “To have to sit there and watch somebody? That’s not cool, man,” he complained.
When one of the guys on the date, Josh, admitted that it was still a “great date,” Brayden expressed his disagreement. Adrian called Brayden out for invalidating Josh’s feelings, and they went back and forth about it. In a confessional, Brayden ranted about the situation. “I was angry for him. I’m angry for me,” he said. “I feel like they were disrespected. I’m not gonna put up with someone disrespecting another human being in any regard. I’m going to go pack my bags. To be honest, I don’t know if this is someone I can have a relationship with.”
Brayden wanted to talk to Charity about the situation and said that if he didn’t “hear what [he] wanted to hear,” he was going to “get up and go home.” Instead of having a cocktail party, Charity hosted a pool party for the guys, and Brayden pulled her aside to chat. “I was definitely thrown for a loop yesterday,” he admitted. “I do want to say, I had a lot of doubt in your character to some degree. When I heard what happened, I felt so bad for those guys. I felt like I was lied to in that moment when I heard what happened. I’m going to be honest, I was ready to run away.”
Charity Lawson before a date on ‘The Bachelorette.’ (ABC)
Charity thanked Brayden for being honest about his concerns and assured him that the kissing date wasn’t meant to be “malicious.” Brayden was happy that she was willing to discuss it with him, and they ended their conversation on a positive note. “He was being very vulnerable and opening up,” Charity gushed. “I appreciated his honesty and him being vulnerable. I think he doesn’t hold back, which is nice.”
However, she had a different viewpoint after speaking to Adrian. “Brayden was kind of invalidating Josh’s feelings,” he said. “Brayden was just a little immature. [He said], ‘That’s classless, that’s disrespectful to the guys.’ I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like Charity has been disrespectful.’” Charity was shocked to hear that Brayden allegedly called her “classless,” as that was not what he had previously told her.
“My conversation with Brayden did not reflect what Adrian was saying. It wasn’t the same verbiage,” she pointed out. “Brayden was open with me about feeling sick about the date, but the word classless wasn’t used. So I’m not sure if there was a misinterpretation about what was heard. I’m upset because he is a strong connection.”
Afterward, Adrian confirmed to Brayden that he had shared his feelings with Charity, which led to more tension between the guys. In the end, though, Charity gave them both roses at the rose ceremony, so they will both continue their journeys to finding love with her. We’ll have to see if the drama extends into next week, though!
As “The Bachelorette” Season 20 enters its second week, former Bachelorette JoJo Fletcher shared her words of wisdom for leading lady Charity Lawson, urging her not to “self-sabotage.”
“You’re gonna go through a whirlwind of emotions — it’s going to be the best thing that you ever do, some of the best times of your life, but you’re also going to have moments where you feel completely alone, confused, isolated, and at times really struggling,” Fletcher told TheWrap during a recent interview. “I think in those moments, it’s very easy to start to self-sabotage, and to start to doubt all the things that are actually good … so I always just say, ‘don’t self sabotage, really just be in the moment [and] feel everything that you’re feeling — all those feelings are normal.
Fletcher, who noted that she got to chat with Charity on the ABC reality show, also underlined the importance of being open to “any possibility,” saying “It’s truly amazing what can happen in this sort of that sort of experience.”
This advice clearly worked out for Fletcher, who tied the knot with husband Jordan Rodgers after the pair met on her season of “The Bachelorette” and got engaged on the last day of production in 2016. The duo now hosts USA Network reality series “The Big D,” which brings together recent divorcees looking for their lifelong partner in paradise.
Likewise, Rodgers advised Charity’s suitors to separate their relationship with the Georgia native from their relationship with the other men to ensure they’re being their best selves in front of Charity.
“If you start to let that affect you, you’re not going to be yourself [and] you’re not going to be who you want to be in front of her,” Rodgers told TheWrap. “You kind of have to put blinders on.”
Rodgers also shared his “secret sauce” for getting some extra time with the Bachelorette during group dates.
“Whenever there’s like a mixer, where everyone’s just hanging out [and] you can go talk to the lead if you want to or not, always wait till the end,” Rodgers said. “Always try to be the last one, because the way it works out, you get a little extra time … Most often if you wait till the end, you get that extra time because producers like ‘well, everyone’s already talked to her, so like we’re in no rush,’ and if it’s going well give [them] a little extra time.”
Fletcher interjected to say that waiting till the end of a group date might not always work in the suitor’s favor, however, urging men to “make sure she knows that you’re ready to pursue her.”
“The Bachelorette” premieres Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and is available on demand and on Hulu the day after its premiere.
An unimpeachable masterpiece, “Raiders of the Lost Ark” did nearly as much to change the movie business as “Spielberg’s “Jaws” and Lucas’ “Star Wars” had and cemented Ford as a major movie star. Dr. Jones is tasked by shadowy government officials to track down and stop a Nazi plot to acquire the Ark of the Covenant (which they hope to weaponize). Jones, always the skeptic, doesn’t believe in the mumbo jumbo but goes along with it anyway. Lawrence Kasdan’s richly detailed script, based on a story concocted by Lucas and Philip Kaufman, gives Jones the dashing personality of a matinee hero but also a complicated inner life, one filled with regret and discarded relationships (like Marion Ravenwood, played by Karen Allen). And Spielberg, clearly relishing the opportunity to create a new iconic hero while also developing a beautiful Jewish revenge myth, has never been better. “Raiders of the Lost Ark” isn’t just the high point for the franchise but it is one of the most impressive, creative action movies of all time. (Incredibly, the sequels, of varying qualities, have done nothing to tarnish its power. Neither did the legion of off-brand imitators.) It’s a classic for a reason.
Hillary Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions has partnered with Roger Ross Williams and “The Inspection” director Elegance Bratton on a feature documentary about 1979’s Disco Demolition Night in Chicago.
Known as one of the darkest days in American music history, the incident saw 50,000 white teenagers descend on Chicago’s Comiskey Park to blow up records made by mostly Black artists.
The doc, which is called “The Night Disco Died,” is a co-production between HiddenLight and One Story Up, and will be presented by Impact Partners and Los Angeles Media Fund (LAMF).
The film will be directed and produced by Bratton, produced by Chester Algernal Gordon (“The Inspection”) and executive produced by Oscar winner and One Story Up’s Williams (“Life Animated”), Geoff Martz, and HiddenLight Productions’ Siobhan Sinnerton, Johnny Webb and Brenda Robinson.
Executive producers include: Andrew Blau, Morgan Earnest, Nina and David Fialkow, Bill and Ruth Ann Harnisch, Melony and Adam Lewis, Jenny Raskin, Luke Rodgers, Jeffrey Soros, Nancy Stephens and Rick Rosenthal, Katrina vanden Heuvel, Patty Quillin and Geralyn White Dreyfous. Co-executive producers include Kanani Datan, John and Lauren Driscoll, Lauren Haber, Kelsey Koenig, Okey Onyiuke and Wendy vanden Heuvel.
Bratton and Algernal Gordon, the filmmaking duo who co-run the production company Freedom Principle, are behind the critically-acclaimed film “The Inspection,” which received nominations for the Golden Globes, Gotham, and Film Independent Spirit Awards, and wins including from the NAACP Image Awards and GLAAD Media Awards and stars Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.
Bratton was recently named one of Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch for 2023. In 2021, Bratton’s nonfiction feature debut “Pier Kids” won an Independent Spirit Award. Following that, he wrote and directed the critically-acclaimed semi-autobiographical narrative and his feature film “The Inspection,” which had its premiere in 2022 and was the Closing Night film at the New York Film Festival. He is currently working on “Hell Fighter,” a documentary about jazz pioneer and music mogul James Reese Europe.
Algernal Gordon has produced acclaimed short films and documentary films including Bratton’s “Pier Kids.” Additionally, they became the first gender non-binary African-American costume designer to compete in competition at the Cannes Film Festival with “Port Authority.”
Roger Ross Williams is an Oscar, Emmy, NAACP Image award, Webby and Peabody award-winning director, producer and writer – and the first African American director to win an Academy Award with his film “Music By Prudence.” Williams directed “Life, Animated,” for which he won the Sundance director’s prize. Williams’ first scripted feature “Cassandro” for Prime Video premiered at Sundance in January.
Siobhan Sinnerton, creative director and senior VP of unscripted at HiddenLight, said: “HiddenLight’s ambition is to spotlight untold stories and to make films that entertain, engage and share voices and perspectives from around the world. ‘The Night Disco Died’ sits perfectly within this remit. To be working with Roger Ross Williams, who has an enormous amount of experience in telling stories that have played a huge part in American culture, is a great privilege.
“From the moment we met Elegance we could tell that his passion and vision for this story were going to make it something very special. We hope it is the first of many brilliant collaborations HiddenLight has with he and Chester.”
Williams added: “We are very excited to be collaborating with HiddenLight and, on a personal level, I am thrilled to be working alongside Elegance — such a brilliant filmmaker — to bring this history of music to the surface again. The importance of highlighting such historically silenced voices cannot be understated, and I look forward to bringing this to audiences everywhere along with our great friends at HiddenLight and Impact Partners.”
Bratton said: “I am so honored to be given this opportunity to shine a light on the story of a dark time in music’s history that is not often told. It’s been a true gift to work beside my producing partner Chester Algernal Gordon, as well as to collaborate with Roger whose work I have admired for a long time.“
Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma make their relationship official at Lust Stories 2 screening. (Photo: Viral Bhayani)
Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma admitted to dating each other recently. The two also starred in Lust Stories 2.
After months of speculation, Tamannaah Bhatia recently admitted to dating Vijay Varma. Tamannaah revealed that their relationship began on the sets of Lust Stories 2 “organically”. Lust Stories 2 marks the first collaboration between Tamannaah and Vijay.
Now, Tamannaah has opened up about her relationship with her Lust Stories 2 co-star and why she chose Vijay as her partner. “I cannot enter any equation where women are expected to compromise on their most basic feelings,” she told Mojo Story.
Tamannaah continued, “I’m the happiest I have been. He is a wonderful human being and an equal partner. I think he has a lot of strong women in his life and I feel like that’s what it takes…when you respect those strong women, you respect your woman as well. And that’s what I feel the younger generation needs to learn. We teach sons how to treat women instead of asking women how they should behave with men around them.”
Tamannaah Bhatia and Vijay Varma’s relationship rumours grabbed headlines for a long time now. During a recent interview with Film Companion, Tamannaah confirmed their relationship and said, “I don’t think you can get attracted to someone just because they are your co-star. I have had so many co-stars. I think if one has to fall for someone, feel something for someone it’s definitely more personal, it’s nothing to do with what they do for a living, I mean that’s not the reason why this would happen.”
When asked the actress if things changed for her and Vijay on the sets of Lust Stories 2, Tamannaah confessed their romance and said, “Yes.” Describing Vijay, she added, “He is someone I really look up to. He is someone with whom I bonded very, very organically. With high achieving women, we have this problem, that we think we have to work hard for everything. When something is so simple and you don’t have to walk on eggshells to just be yourself because I think in India we also have this that a woman has to change her entire life for someone… He’s a person who I care about deeply and yeah, he’s my happy place.”
Shrishti Negi is a journalist with nearly eight years of experience in the media industry. She is currently heading the Entertainment team at News18.c…Read More
A new set video from production on the MCU’s upcoming 2024 sequel, Captain America: Brave New World, takes the action to the capital of the United States of America – Washington, D.C.
A number of recognizable Marvel Easter eggs have already come to prominence through set photos, with Mackie’s hero set to face some of his biggest challenges to date as he becomes one of the Avengers’ leaders in this sequel.
Captain America 4 Goes to Washington D.C.
Marvel
Photographer account Atlanta Filming shared recently shot set videos and photos from the Washington D.C. production of Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World, which wrapped filming at the end of June.
A Washington, D.C. government building is seen in the background on this set as a number of police cars pull up to the sidewalk, leading to officers and government officials jumping into action with guns drawn.
Another video showed off what appears to be a similar set in a nighttime setting, although it’s difficult to see exactly what’s happening in the scene behind the cars.
From all the movement, it could either be some kind of fight sequence or perhaps somebody being taken into custody by the government, similar to when Garry Shandling’s Senator Stern was taken in during Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which was primarily set in Washington D.C. as well and was the first appearance of Mackie’s Sam Wilson in the MCU.
How Will Sam Wilson Evolve in Captain America 4?
Taking a look at these set videos, it’s no surprise to see how intense the story will get in Captain America 4, especially with the Star-Spangled Avenger heading to the nation’s capital for the first time since The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.
Considering how many police cars and government vehicles are in these set videos, this could either be a moment of trouble for Sam Wilson in the middle of the story or it could wind up with one or more of the film’s villains being taken into custody.
And even with so little known about the plot thus far, this sequel’s deep ties to the MCU’s past and the chances it has to bring major ramifications for the franchise’s future should only push anticipation for its arrival even further.
Ever since James Gunn was announced as Co-President of DC Studios, fans have been speculating what the future of the DCU is. With reports of a new Superman and a potential reset of the DCU, many have wondered what this means for the character of Batman, one of the most popular superheroes in the world and arguably Warner Bros.’ most profitable film franchise. While many would assume Robert Pattinson would be Batman in the new DCU, it appears that The Batman franchise will remain its own stand-alone set of stories.
The much anticipated new Batman franchise is The Brave and The Bold. The movie will be based on a Grant Morrison comic series in which Bruce Wayne joins forces with his only biological son Damian who, together, will embark on a journey to fight crimes as Damian becomes the new Robin. The film is set to be directed by Andy Muschietti, and even though Superman: Legacy has begun casting, Gunn has said it will be some time until any news is made on Batman.
Updated July 3, 2023: With Superman: Legacy recently having cast the Man of Steel, all eyes are on the DCU version of the Dark Knight, so this list has been updated with more potential Batman actors for The Brave and the Bold.
This leads Warner Bros. and DC in the position to cast a new Batman that will be appearing in films while Robert Pattinson is also playing the role. This is on top of the fact that this will be the fifth Batman since 2005, as audiences have had Christian Bale, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton returning, and Pattinson. While there are fears of too much Batman, there will need to be one in James Gunn’s new DCU. With that in mind, here are some actors that could play the Caped Crusader that would be different enough from previous versions and could offer a new spin on the character.
Michael Fassbender
Warner Bros.
The Irish actor Michael Fassbenderproved to be a central part of the Marvel universe through his amazingly performed role of the young Magneto in the X-Men films. With all the films set to be released in 2023, like The Killer, Fassbender is reminding the world of his undying talents and passion for acting. It may be just the right time for him to switch over to the DCU universe and bring all his gifts to The Brave and The Bold as well.
The actor’s 46 years of age give him the maturity and the poise expected to shine through the character of Bruce Wayne. He has the physical strength and even the subtle good looks that are perfect for the discrete Batman. Fassbender is a beloved actor, and his presence would be a welcome one.
Henry Golding
Paramount Pictures
Henry Golding seems to have spent a good portion of his career trying to prove he can play Batman. In Crazy Rich Asians, he showed he could play a suave, handsome, rich man, and in A Simple Favor showcased the actor was able to play dark psychological material. Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins allowed the actor to show off he had what it takes to be the star of an action movie. The actor feels like an obvious pick to play Batman.
While most depictions of Bruce Wayne have been white in past adaptations, there is nothing about the character that is defined by his race, and casting an actor like Henry Golding could show a more diverse DCU. He also would make for a good on-screen counterpart to David Corenswet Superman.
Scott Eastwood
Screen Media Films
Scott Eastwood is the son of Clint Eastwood, and since Clint Eastwood has been a fan favorite to play older Bruce Wayne in a possible Batman Beyond film, casting his son as Bruce Wayne just feels obvious. Scott Eastwood is no stranger to the DC Universe, as he appeared in Suicide Squad. Eastwood played an original character named Lieutenant Edwards, a soldier taking his orders directly from Joel Kinnaman’s Colonel Rick Flag. The role was small and seemed like a waste of a talented star. The DCU could take a leap of faith by giving the role to the talented Eastwood and granting him the chance to show the Batman within him.
Noah Reid
CBC Television
Noah Reid is most well-known to audiences for playing Patrick on the hit comedy series Schitt’s Creek. While Reid might not immediately jump out as the dark, gloomy avenger of the night, Reid has the acting range to give it a try. More importantly, he could play a version of the character closer to the Silver Age version of Batman or the more lighthearted but still serious take seen in Batman: Brave and the Bold cartoon. Similar to Michael Keaton, Reid could surprise audiences with what he would bring to the role of Batman.
Jamie Dornan
Universal Pictures
It might be type-casting to cast Jamie Dornan as another rich billionaire with a mysterious secret after having played Christian Grey in the 50 Shades franchise, yet it is hard to deny the actor seems well suited for the part. Much like Robert Pattinson, who many fans associated with his role as Edward Cullen in Twilight, Dornan has done quite a bit of work to distance himself from 50 Shades of Grey. After his excellent work in the Irish series The Fall, Dornan had a huge year in 2021, as his roles in Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Sol and Belfast showed the actor’s range with two very different projects in terms of tone and audience.
Dornan has lobbied to play a superhero role and would likely jump at the chance to play Batman. There is even the fun behind-the-scenes factor of casting Dornan, a contemporary to Robert Pattinson, given that 50 Shades of Grey began as Twilight fan-fiction, with Christian Grey being a stand-in for Edward Cullen. Both characters are dark, mysterious, and brooding, making the actors that play them ideal picks to play Batman.
Lucas Bravo
Netflix
Lucas Bravo has had an incredible run lately. The French actor broke out with audiences due to his role on the hit Netflix series Emily in Paris. In 2022 the actor starred in Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris and Ticket to Paradise, two films that showed very different sides of the actor. Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris showcased a more traditional leading man, while Ticket to Paradise put a spotlight on his comedic talent.
The actor seems destined for big things, and casting him as Batman would be a major get for DC Studios. He certainly has the looks to pull off Bruce Wayne, and while many would question casting a French actor as an iconic American hero like Batman, the actor could always put on an American accent like British-born stars Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson when they put on the cape and cowl.
John David Washington
Warner Bros. Pictures
John David Washingtonhas worked with both The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan and current Batman actor Robert Pattinson on Tenet, which would make for a poetic casting of Washington to play Bruce Wayne and Batman in the DCU. The son of Denzel Washington, who himself would have once made a great Batman, John David Washington has the presence to play the Caped Crusader.
There has been a great deal of discussion if a non-white actor could play Bruce Wayne,and following Winston Duke voicing Batman in the audio drama Batman: Unburied, it shows that DC is comfortable exploring a Black actor in the role. Casting John David Washington would not only put a great actor in the role of one of the most popular superheroes, but his casting would help distinguish his Batman from Robert Pattinson.
Jon Hamm
Skydance Media
The Batman of the DCU will likely be older, given he has a son and also likely a slew of Robins, so this might be the perfect time to fulfill a casting dream come true and cast Jon Hammas Batman. The Mad Men star, who was recently seen in Top Gun: Maverick, has the classic strong-jawed look of a Golden Age superhero. Baby Driver showed a dark, sinister side that would translate to a ruthless Caped Crusader.
Hamm is one of the most well-respected and beloved actors in Hollywood, and it is hard to imagine anyone being upset with the idea of him playing Batman. He can play comedic, serious, and everything in between, which will be vital for this new DCU Batman.
Nicholas Hoult
It is widely known that Nicholas Houltwas one of the finalists to play Batman in Matt Reeves’ The Batman before the part went to Robert Pattinson. Hoult also recently auditioned for the part of Superman in Superman: Legacy but lost the part to David Corenswet. While Hoult may not have been right for Superman or Reeves Batman, he might be the right choice for the DCU Batman.
Henry Cavill famously lost the part of Superman in 2006’s Superman Returns, only to get the part four years later when they were casting Man of Steel. He had to wait for the right Superman project, and the same could be true of Hoult. Hoult is a talented actor, and it is clear he is on James Gunn’s radar, so he could be Batman after all.
Jensen Ackles
The CW
Jensen Ackles has been a top fan choice to play Batman since his breakout role on Supernatural. Fans wanted to see the actor play the character on the Arrowverse, and while that did not happen, Ackles is no stranger to the world of Gotham City. The actor voiced Jason Todd aka Red Hood, in the 2010 direct-to-video animated film Batman: Under the Red Hood and has been the voice of Bruce Wayne in the Tommorowverse series of interconnected DC animated films including Batman: The Long Halloween and Legion of Superheroes. Ackles himself has expressed interest in wanting to play Batman.
The actor has grown and matured to where he could play an older version of Bruce Wayne, one that has had a long history in Gotham City and likely taken a few different sidekicks under his wing. Jensen Ackles could handle the intensity but also the warmth associated with the father-like figure that the character is known for in the comics that many of the films have overlooked. Possibly casting a fan favorite could help win some fans over who have been disappointed by recent DCU cancelations.
If you’ve been having trouble using Twitter recently, you aren’t alone — the service has been having issues ever since it started limiting the number of posts users could view each day. Although many of the platform’s issues stabilized over the weekend, Tweetdeck remains broken unless users switch to the beta version of the list aggregator. Now, Twitter is gearing up to solve the issue by making that beta version of Tweetdeck the main version, announcing on Monday that it has “launched a new, improved version of Tweetdeck.”
We have just launched a new, improved version of TweetDeck. All users can continue to access their saved searches & workflows via https://t.co/2WwL3hNVR2 by selecting “Try the new TweetDeck” in the bottom left menu.
Some notes on getting started and the future of the product…
Despite officially launching, this “new” Tweetdeck still calls itself the “Tweetdeck Preview” while in app, and users still need to opt-in to using it in the menu of the original Tweetdeck interface. Even so, switching to the new interface does indeed restore basic Tweetdeck functionality for users that rely on its list aggregation features. Twitter says the process should be fairly straightforward as well, promising that saved searches, lists and columns should carry over instantly. Although Twitter says that the updated preview build should now support Twitter Spaces, polls and other features that were previously missing, it notes that Teams functionality is currently unavailable.
Twitter hasn’t officially announced that it’s retiring the old version of Tweetdeck, but in a thread discussing the issues a Twitter employee suggested the change would be permanent, stating that they were “migrating everyone to the preview version.”
Hey folks, looks like the recent changes have broken the legacy TweetDeck, so we’re working on migrating everyone to the preview version
Although switching to the new version of Tweetdeck potentially resolves the issue, many legacy users may still find themselves without access to the power-user tool in the near future. According to Twitter Support, the feature will become exclusive to Twitter Blue subscribers in the near future, noting that “in 30 days, users must be Verified to access Tweetdeck.” It’s unclear if that change will be applied to all users in early August, or if all users will have a 30-day trial of the new Tweetdeck before being prompted to subscribe.
Twitter users frustrated with the changes in the Elon Musk-led social media platform will now have the option to try Instagram’s Threads.
The app appeared in Apple’s iOS App Store and is expected to launch on July 6. A similar search in Android’s Google Play Store did not yield any results for Threads, as of this writing. iOS users can “get” the app now and it will download to their device once it is made available.
“Say more with Threads – Instagram’s text-based conversation app,” reads the app’s description. “Threads is where communities come together to discuss everything from the topics you care about today to what’ll be trending tomorrow. Whatever it is you’re interested in, you can follow and connect directly with your favorite creators and others who love the same things – or build a loyal following of your own to share your ideas, opinions and creativity with the world.”
A bonus feature of Threads is that Instagram users can transfer their username over to the new platform and won’t have to create a new profile making it a seamless transition.
The launch of Threads comes as Twitter users look for alternatives after Musk implemented viewing limits on the digital platform.
Musk said that the limits were put in place “to address extreme levels of data scraping & system manipulation.”
The initial limits on Twitter had verified users constrained to reading 6000 posts a day, unverified users to 600 posts a day and new unverified accounts could only read 300 posts a day. By the end of the day, Musk reported that the limits were raised to 10k posts for verified users, 1k for unverified users and 500 for new accounts.
“Sound of Freedom,” a faith-based film about child sex trafficking, is shaping up to be an unlikely box office hit.
Angel Studios, the streaming and distribution company behind the low-budget drama, claims that the film has generated more than $10 million in pre-sales ahead of its theatrical release on July 4. That’s an impressive number for a movie that isn’t relying on a glossy big studio marketing campaign. It’s also another sign of the buying power of religious moviegoers, who helped propel this spring’s “Jesus Revolution” to an improbable $53 million at the global box despite the fact that the biggest star in that movie was Kelsey Grammar.
“Sound of Freedom” will play in 2,600 locations. It is based on the true story of Tim Ballard (Jim Caviezel), a former U.S. government agent who quit his job to rescue children from global sex traffickers. Oscar-winner Mira Sorvino and Emmy-nominee Bill Camp co-star.
In a largely positive review, Variety‘s Owen Gleiberman wrote, “Let’s assume that, like me, you’re not a right-wing fundamentalist conspiracy theorist looking for a dark, faith-based suspense film to see over the holiday weekend. (The movie opens July 3.) Even then, you needn’t hold extreme beliefs to experience ‘Sound of Freedom’ as a compelling movie that shines an authentic light on one of the crucial criminal horrors of our time, one that Hollywood has mostly shied away from.” Other critics seemed to agree, giving “Sound of Freedom” an impressive 92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Based out of Provo, Utah, Angel Studios uses crowd-funding to make its movies and shows — a previous project, “The Chosen,” raised more than $40 million from contributors and centers on the life of Jesus. Angel Studios emerged from the ashes of VidAngel, a streaming service that filtered objectionable content from movies before it was sued into bankruptcy by major Hollywood studios for copyright violations.
Instead, a protracted distribution battle is apt to play out during a summer programming lull and a time of great uncertainty for TV stakeholders given the WGA strike and another potential walkout by SAG-AFTRA.
About 159 ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and CW affiliates went dark Sunday evening due to a carriage dispute between Nexstar, the largest local-station owner in the U.S., and DirecTV, the country’s third-largest pay-TV provider. Top markets including L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver are part of the tangle, including such marquee stations as KTLA and WGN. The exact number of DirecTV subscribers affected is, like the entire impasse, a matter of dispute. Nexstar says it is more than 10 million of DirecTV’s base of almost 13 million. DirecTV says the number is significantly lower.
Sources familiar with the state of discussions between the parties indicate that there hasn’t been much in the way of positive momentum. Given that the sports calendar and broadcast primetime slate — apart from Major League Baseball, the Women’s World Cup and a smattering of reality shows — are at low tide ahead of the arrival of NFL and college football and the start of the traditional fall season, the standoff is expected to last for a while. Without must-see content spurring customers to demand a solution, the parties can let the pot continue to boil. Another factor is the two-month-old WGA strike, which already has constricted the flow of programming and could completely strangle it if SAG-AFTRA members decide to walk out this month.
Nexstar maintains that its contract with DirecTV — spanning its main satellite service, internet bundle DirecTV Now and U-verse cable systems — effectively has become obsolete. The distributor, Nexstar argues, can keep increasing prices for customers while continuing to pay rates for programming that were negotiated several years ago. In a statement, Nexstar said it had negotiated “tirelessly and in good faith” since May and also offered DirecTV a chance to extend the current contract as far out as October 31, but the operator “rejected” the offer.
Rob Thun, chief content officer of DirecTV, countered in a statement that Nexstar has “a long track record of forcing programming outages in an effort to unnecessarily raise prices.” (Nexstar counters that DirecTV has had 159 networks go dark on its systems since 2019.) Thun nevertheless vowed that his company would “continue to work with Nexstar to reach an agreement.”
As they look to achieve a cease-fire on one front, however, the companies are at war on another one. In a lawsuit and FCC complaint, DirecTV has objected to Nexstar’s deployment of so-called “sidecar” deals, which the distributor says amount to efforts to artificially increase its scale and circumvent federal ownership limits. Nexstar says the “shared service” deals with subsidiaries Mission Broadcasting (whose portfolio includes New York’s WPIX) and White Knight are “in full compliance” with FCC rules, adding that the company “looks forward to prevailing in court.”
While carriage battles have been commonplace for decades, even during the ascendance of the pay-TV bundle, they have taken on a more existential valence during the current era of decline. Veteran analyst Craig Moffett of MoffettNathanson, in a blistering report in May, wrote that cord-cutting has “accelerated to new all-time worst levels,” with several million homes leaving the bundle each year. It has reached the point, Moffett noted, where there are fewer U.S. households with a subscription to linear pay-TV than those without one. He called the trend “irreversible,” declaring that the media industry and Wall Street are “watching the sun beginning to set.”
DirecTV, which was spun off from AT&T into an entity 30%-owned by private equity firm TPG, has lost about 15% of its total subscriber base in just the past three years, according to data from Leichtman Research Group, dipping to 12.75 million in the first quarter.
In a shrinking pay-TV world, the fights over terms have gone to some new extremes. Dish Network opted to walk away from regional sports networks, HBO and other networks years ago, and smaller but still consequential player Fubo TV did likewise with the WarnerMedia networks now run by Warner Bros. Discovery. The roster of networks sustained on the top platforms is becoming a swiss-cheese shadow of the prior state of reliably uniform carriage.
The decline in overall subscribers makes the terms for individual carriage deals all the more crucial. Just as ad rates have managed to keep climbing in some parts of the broadcast and cable TV schedule despite a secular ratings slide, programmers are expecting to keep pushing through rate increases. Nexstar last fall took a 75% stake in the CW, in part to add to its distribution heft as it seeks greater scale as a means of securing higher fees.
At a Wall Street conference this year, Nexstar President Tom Carter acknowledged that the company’s balance sheet bore a few blemishes in the fourth quarter of 2022 from costly skirmishes with operators. But he said the company nonetheless remains bullish about the long-term outlook for distribution revenue, which ticked up 4% last year to almost $2.6 billion.
“We are projecting subscriber attrition,” he acknowledged. “But make no mistake about it — we do not see a cliff. We’re not at a precipice here, or at a point in time where we’re at an inflection point.”
Many Tarantino fans had hoped that the filmmaker would revisit the Kill Bill universe and cast Uma Thurman’s daughter Maya Hawke in the potential sequel. However, in a new interview, the director says a third installment of the martial arts film is not happening.
“I don’t see that. My last film is about a film critic, a male critic. And he plays in the 70s,” he said in an interview with DeMorgen striking down speculation about Thurman and Hawke teaming up in a Kill Bill follow-up.
“I can’t really tell you anything about it. I mean it has been discussed over the years. There was real thought about it happening, but very long ago. I don’t see it as immediately on the horizon,” she said during an appearance on The Jess Cagle Show.
Tarantino had previously said he had talked to Thurman about possibly doing another sequel and using ideas that didn’t make the cut for the first two films.
Vivica A. Fox, who played Vernita Green and was killed by Beatrix Kiddo in the film series, recently talked about why fans still want to see more of this story.
“I think the main draw is that people love Tarantino’s work,” she said in an interview with CBR. “He’s always got this weird quirkiness that surprises you, that intrigues you, [and] that makes you want more.”
Fox appeared in a music video with SZA where they recreated Kill Bill which fueled speculation that the singer would play her daughter in a potential sequel.
“I was like, ‘No, it’s just a song, and she loves Kill Bill,’” she added. “So I just think it’s the love of Tarantino and the magic of those films.”
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov
Director: Mstyslav Chernov
About: As the Russian invasion begins, a team of Ukrainian journalists trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol struggle to continue their work documenting the war’s atrocities.
About: A champion freediver and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards — and inescapable risks — of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.
About: In Eastern Ukraine, follow the daily life of children and staff in a special kind of home: an institution for children who have been removed from their homes while awaiting court custody decisions.
About: This celebration of Little Richard reveals the Black queer origins of rock ’n’ roll, finally exploding the whitewashed canon of American pop music. Through archival and performance footage, the revolutionary icon’s life unspools with all of its switchbacks and contradictions.
About: A champion freediver and expert safety diver seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards — and inescapable risks — of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.
About: Stephen Curry is one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in the history of basketball. Intimate cinematic video, archival footage, and on-camera interviews reveal Curry’s rise from an undersized college player to a four-time NBA champion.
Montrealers are again able to benefit from self-service e-scooter rental, but on a limited basis.
Parc Jean-Drapeau, in collaboration with the City of Montreal, has launched a pilot project that will have the scooters available for the summer.
Chloé Trottier is thrilled that, once again after three years, she’s able to rent scooters in Montreal.
“I think it’s really nice to have it back,” she told Global News while picking up her first e-scooter next to the Jean-Drapeau metro station.
People visiting the park are able to rent e-scooters from a number of self-service stations across the park for use on bike paths.
“We currently just launched last week,” explained Harun Hirani, market manager for Bird Canada, the company providing the scooters. “We have about 70 scooters in the park right now and we’ll slowly be ramping up to about 200 throughout the park.”
Story continues below advertisement
The pilot project that runs until mid-November this year and is meant to dissuade visitors from using cars, according to Bird Canada.
“They’ll have to pay $1.15 to unlock the scooter and it’s about 42 cents a minute to ride right now,” said Hirani.
Though some people are relieved with the return of rentable e-scooters, they weren’t always popular when they were last available in the city, because of what riders did.
“I haven’t seen one person wear a helmet yet,” complained Alex Halasz to Global News back in 2019. “So many of them are riding on the sidewalk.”
People lodged numerous complaints about e-scooters being strewn all over the city, and things got so bad elected officials decided to ban their use at the end of a pilot project in 2019. However the city kept the door open to the possibility of a return.
The 2023 pilot project with Bird Canada, the city says, is to see how different modes of transport can co-exist and to study how e-scooters can be used safely. Now there are a number of restrictions.
“We have the ability to geo-fence our scooters within certain zones,” Hirani explained, saying if people try to ride the scooter out of the park, it is programmed to shut down.
Story continues below advertisement
He added that it’s also set up to prompt the rider to find a proper dicking station if someone tries to park somewhere restricted. According to him there are teams on the island 24-7 making sure scooters are properly docked.
Other measures: users must be 18 and older, and helmets are mandatory.
The City of Montreal says there are no plans now to expand their use beyond the park.
Calling all Chessies! Hallmark Channel fans have laughed, cried and loved alongside the cast of Chesapeake Shores since 2016 — and offscreen, fans have become equally as intrigued by the stars’ friendships and love lives.
When Chesapeake Shores debuted, viewers were introduced to the lovable O’Brien clan after eldest sister Abby O’Brien (Meghan Ory) moved back home following her divorce. With her two children in tow, Abby was reunited with sisters Bree (Emilie Ullerup) and Jess (Laci J Mailey), as well as brothers Kevin (Brendan Penny) and Connor (Andrew Francis).
The family wouldn’t be complete without mom Megan (Barbara Niven) and dad Mick (Treat Williams), who often led by example as to what true love looks like. The romantic ups and downs of all the O’Brien children has hooked fans season after season, with Abby’s love life being a main focal point.
In May 2021, Jesse Metcalfe, who played Abby’s high school sweetheart Trace Riley, surprised viewers when he announced his exit after five seasons. “I tailor-made that role for me,” Metcalfe exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2020, ahead of his final bow. “I mean, the series is based on a series of books, where the character is an architect. So, I was given the liberty to completely change the character and kind of make [him] just, like, [me].”
New love interest Evan Kincaid (played by Robert Buckley) was quick to fill the void but left many fans wondering if Abby would find her happily ever after. In August 2022, Chessies got their answer as the sixth and final season of the beloved series began.
The 10-episode finale, however, wasn’t the last fans would see of the O’Brien clan — because the cast are great friends outside of the show. In fact, many of the stars have already gushed over their bond after wrapping filming on the series.
“Well that is a wrap on #chesapeakeshores after 6 seasons! I started this season with #hyperemesisgravidarum and ended it with #covid — it has been quite the run!” Ory wrote via Instagram in July 2022. “Thank you so much to our amazing cast and crew for having so much patience with me while I tried not to barf on anyone.”
The Once Upon a Time alum also gave her “amazing” husband John Reardon a shout-out for “holding down the fort and being my rock.” She added: “And our two, yes two Nannie’s for all their support. With mom and dad both on tv shows, two Nannie’s was a must! #ittakesavillage. I hope everyone that watches enjoys the final season! Xo.”
Ory’s TV sister Ullerup also got sentimental after saying goodbye to her work family that same month. “For six years I got to play these wonderful, nutty people’s daughter, sister and brother. It is the longest running job of my career,” she wrote alongside a group snap. “So much happened in our make-believe world and also in our personal lives. It was a wonderful cushion to have a whole second family to share the ups and downs with.”
The Love & Glamping actress — whose real-life spouse Kyle Cassie appeared on several episodes of the show as Martin Demming — concluded: “I know they will all move onto great things as they are truly talented people. I will forever be grateful for all that #chesapeakeshores gifted me with. What a great run, fam.”
Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
Scroll down for a complete guide to the cast’s real-life romances:
Elon Musk’s controversial Twitter takeover in October 2022 is facing more scrutiny after the Tesla CEO announced another shift to the social media platform this Saturday. Musk implemented a “temporary limit” on the amount of posts users can view per day, defined by varying limits depending on users’ subscription status.
Musk had previously come under fire after acquiring Twitter for laying off around 80% of the company’s employees, reinstating once-restricted profiles and tweeting conspiracy theories. Musk’s controversial leadership of the site has left some users in search of another text-based social media platform.
Here are six alternatives for those considering quitting Twitter.
Bluesky
Bluesky was founded in 2021 by Twitter’s former co-creator and CEO Jack Dorsey. As of now, the site operates on an invite-only format, allowing users to post content up to 300 characters long. Because the platform is more exclusive than its predecessor, it currently holds around 180,000 users with a whopping 1.9 million people on its waitlist to join. Bluesky utilizes a lucrative AT Protocol to “unlock a new era of experimentation and innovation in social media.” The network’s official website explains that “researchers and communities will have the ability to jump in to help solve the problems social networks currently face, and developers will be able to experiment with many new forms of interaction.”
Spill
Defined as a “visual conversation at the speed of culture,” Spill was founded by Alphonzo “Phonz” Terrell and DeVaris Brown and launched in January. Both Terrell and Brown were former Twitter employees, with Terrell previously serving as Twitter’s global head of social and editorial prior to Musk’s layoffs. The platform aims to “cater to culture drivers who frequently set new trends yet routinely get overlooked and under-compensated,” Terrell previously tweeted. “Yes, we mean Black creators, queer creators, and a variety of influential voices outside the U.S.” Ahead of its launch, Spill had nearly 20,000 users on its waitlist in December 2022.
Mastodon
Mastodon, unlike many of the other Twitter alternatives, was launched way back in 2016 and rose to popularity in 2022. It’s defined as a “social networking [platform] that’s not for sale,” created by German programmer Eugen Rochko. The key difference between Mastodon and Twitter is that the former is decentralized and operated by many independent servers. Users are able to join varying servers based on different central topics. The platform has 10 million registered users, making it the most-populated site for Twitter quitters.
Threads
Instagram’s Twitter competitor, Threads, is set to launch July 6 and its potential is evident. Just as Instagram launched Reels to compete with vertical video giant TikTok, the Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta will soon release Threads, a text-centered application that will rival Twitter. Executives have teased that the biggest difference between the Meta app and Twitter is that Threads will be “sanely run,” but most information has been kept strictly under wraps. Threads now appears in the Apple app store ahead of its release, and the app info says users will continue to use their Instagram log-in and can easily follow the same accounts they follow on Instagram.
Post.News
Noam Bardin’s Post.News presents itself as “a social platform for real people, real news and civil conversations,” where users can “access journalism from premium publishes, without subscriptions or ads,” hinting at its publisher-based format. The app launched in November 2022, around the time of Musk’s Twitter takeover, leading to around 440,000 waitlisted users and 206,000 active accounts in December 2022. On a post to the site, Bardin stated his intentions for Post are “not to be the ‘Liberal Twitter.’” He continued on to urge users to “be respectful of opinions you disagree with. Our worth as citizens of a democracy is measured by how we treat people we disagree with, not the opinions we share. Let’s make sure all people are welcome, even if we disagree with their opinions.”
T2 Social
Gabor Cselle, Sarah Oh and Michael Greer launched T2 Social in November 2022. Cselle and Oh previously worked at Twitter, as a group product manager and human rights advisor, respectively. The community is currently in the early stages, defined as “a place to have the authentic conversations we’ve always wanted to have,” with a character limit of 280. It initially launched with less than 1,000 users on its platform, which has since expanded to around 20,000 in an invite-only format.
Just how bad can a bad zombie flick get? Start with an all-in-one-take plan — “One little slip and it’s ruined” — add cheeseball makeup and then finish it off with “a weird vibe on this shoot.” More on that last part below.
Here is the trailer for Final Cut, Oscar-winning The Artist director Michel Hazanavicius’ French-language remake of Shin’ichirô Ueda’s 2017 cult hit One Cut of the Dead. Watch the subtitled clip above.
The horror comedy follows a director (Romain Duris) making a live, single-take, low-budget zombie “thriller” in which the cast and crew, one by one, actually turn into zombies. What’s onscreen unfolds in typical cheesy B-movie fashion, while the offscreen high jinks offer a celebration of the unpredictable and collaborative nature of film sets.
In one scene from the trailer, the filmmakers watch as a zombie attacks an actor during filming. “Was that in the script?” the director asks. An well-placed ax to the noggin later, the reply is, “Not verbatim.”
The Artist Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo also stars along with Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz and Finnegan Oldfield.
Hazanavicius wrote and helmed Final Cut (fka Comme Z), which opened the Cannes Film Festival last year after missing its Sundance world premiere with that fest went virtual amid the Omicron surge. The pic also had been set to open the Park City shindig. Kino Lorber acquired U.S. rights early this year and opens the pic July 14 in limited release.
Hip-hop has lived and thrived for 50 years, and some of the genre’s pioneers are reflecting on the genre’s cultural influence. Speaking at Essence Fest over the weekend, KRS-One and Ice-T looked back at the genre’s longevity and its future.
“Fifty years ago, some of us knew this was going to happen, most of us did not know to the magnitude it would happen,” said KRS-One, per People. “But 50 years later proves that first of all, you can do anything with your mind and secondly, culture is probably the most magnificent strategy for human development known on the planet.”
KRS-One, who’s from the Bronx where the genre was born, explained that though important things like education and health are crucial for the Black community, so too is the culture and community that the genre has created in the last half-century.
“This [was] a different take on the African American experience. For the last 60 years, African Americans tried the integration thing, African Americans have tried the voting thing, tried the economic thing and we keep winding up in the same position,” he said. “Hip-hop is a little different. We tried the character thing, where we changed what we were going to express and that seems to have pulled us from sickness, hatred, ignorance, and poverty to health, love, awareness, and wealth.”
Ice-T, for his part, reflected on how initially people thought that “hip-hop was supposed to be a fad,” but now rappers, “we’re billionaires.”
“Hip-hop has gray hairs. The beauty of it is that it’s still here, still flourishing and people still love it,” Ice-T said. “It’s gone through a lot of different growing pains and stuff, but for them to say it was a fad — now you have hip-hop billionaires! Hip-hop is a culture. A youth culture, started by kids.”
Ice-T also reflected on some of the issues prevalent in hip-hop culture, pointing out the deaths due to drug usage and murder among rappers, including the likes of XXXTentacion, Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, and Takeoff in recent years.
Trending
“My generation, we lost Tupac, we lost Biggie and we got the memo. Everybody calmed down. We all figured this out: We [were] rapping to get out of the streets,” he said. “But the youngsters who are out here behaving like that, these kids are millionaires so I don’t know how many young people gotta get lost, I don’t know which one might trigger that message, but I think it’s time for this generation to get a hold of itself.”
Also this month, Spotify celebrated the half-century of the genre by releasing the top 50 most-streamed rap albums on the platform. XXXTentatcion’s ? ranked Number One, Drake’s Scorpion came in second, Drake’s Views in third, Juice WRLD’s Goodbye & Good Riddance at fourth place, and Travis Scott’s Astroworld rounded out the top five.
Jean-Luc Godard once famously opined that the only things you needed to make a movie were “a girl and a gun.” For his compatriot Jean Eustache, the gun was unnecessary. In his cinema, words themselves could become weaponized; the dialogue cut so deep as to draw blood.
Few filmmakers opened themselves up as fully as Eustache, who cut an enigmatic figure in the world of French cinema. The mysteriousness of the director’s persona belied the transparency of his filmmaking, however; in an obituary published after the director’s death in 1981 at the age of 42 — a suicide by gunshot after becoming partially immobilized in an automobile accident — the venerable film critic Serge Daney called Eustache’s cinema “mercilessly personal.” It was a concise way of saying that he had nothing to hide.
The irony is that a director who put everything of himself onscreen has been — with a few significant exceptions — hard to see in North America. Fortunately, the new retrospective of shorts and features arriving July 7 at TIFF Cinematheque is comprehensive, giving audiences a chance to catch up with Eustache’s slender but incandescent body of films.
Eustache’s early documentaries, produced in the shadow of the New Wave spearheaded by Godard and François Truffaut, contained elements of autobiography, filtered through a precise sense of place. “La Rosière de Pessac” (1968) chronicles a religious ritual in Eustache’s rural hometown of Pessac by which the community celebrates its most “virtuous” female resident, a local form of canonization. The film is satirical but never mean-spirited; instead of punching down at his pious countrymen, Eustache observes their sweetly contradictory values at a wry, sympathetic distance.
That space would be collapsed in 1973’s ferocious “The Mother and the Whore,” which is easily Eustache’s most famous movie and the one where his gift for intimacy borders on claustrophobia. Starting with the dialectic misogyny of its title — a riff on Sigmund Freud’s theories about the male need to either vilify or identify women — and extending through its nearly four-hour running time, Eustache’s first dramatic feature was intended as a provocation. It’s a movie whose (anti) hero pontificates in circles to avoid getting anywhere — a character study of a man who is all talk and no action.
The great orator in question is Alexandre (Jean-Pierre Léaud), who’s shown loquaciously holding court at various Parisian cafés while juggling lovers in the aftermath of May ’68. The character’s voracious sexual appetite, which leads him to first dump his live-in girlfriend Marie (Bernadette Lafront) for Polish nurse Veronika (Françoise Lebrun), and then to try to live with them together in a ménage à trois, is a veil for his ideological impotence.
The story, such as it is, unfolds amidst stormy deluges of dialogue, ranging from bombastic monologues to whispered asides, all punctuated by a string of snarling profanities to equal anything in Scorsese or Tarantino. There is no small talk in Eustache’s cinema; every exchange is freighted with meaning, whether for the characters, the audience or both. “I speak of dreams,” says Veronika in a rare moment where her lover lets her get a word in edgewise. “You talk about my nightmares.” It’s the perfect rebuke to a man who tries simultaneously to speak over and through others.
There are some supremely uncomfortable (and visceral) moments in “The Mother and the Whore,” including a sequence featuring a tampon; the film was booed at Cannes en route to winning the festival’s prestigious Grand Prix. The same polarizing ambivalence that made Eustache’s pathologically chatty breakthrough tough to love also transformed it into a conversation piece and yet, despite its success, the filmmaker would only write and direct one more fictional feature: 1974’s “Mes Petites Amoureuses” (“My Little Loves”), an uncommonly melancholy coming-of-age fable inspired by the filmmaker’s own adolescence.
Named for a poem by Arthur Rimbaud, “Mes Petites Amoureuses” opens in 1950 outside of Bordeaux, where young Daniel (Martin Loeb) lives in a state of dreamy, idyllic expectation; he’s a bright student who loves reading and going to the cinema and is starting to notice local girls. After being uprooted to live with his mother and her new partner in the more bustling city of Narbonne, he experiences a reversal: in lieu of a formal education, he gets schooled in engine repair and bad romance.
A little life experience goes a long way: “my professor had no business talking about passion,” he recalls, suddenly wise beyond his years — or at least that’s how he wants to sound.
Where “The Mother and the Whore” is hyper-articulate, “Mes Petites Amoureuses” leaves certain things unsaid, narrating its protagonist’s loss of innocence (and gaining of perspective) through a series of subtle, glancing encounters.
The similarities between the small-scale social portraiture of “La Rosière de Pessac” and “Mes Petites Amoureuses” are clear enough. Repetition was one of Eustache’s hallmarks, to the point that he actually remade “La Rosière de Pessac” in 1979, using the 10-year gap to show the minor ways in which the community had changed as well as its general imperviousness to the passage of time.
His most fascinating exercise in dualism, though, was 1977’s two-part “Une Sale Histoire,” which literally tells the same story twice. In the first section, we see the great Anglo-French actor Michael Lonsdale holding court amongst a group of friends who’ve arrived to hear a “dirty story” about a Parisian restaurant with peepholes in the men’s bathroom; in the second, Eustache’s friend Jean-Noël Picq is shown seemingly repeating the anecdote, when in fact his version of events is the authentic first-person recollection.
The theme of “Une Sale Histoire” is performance and the differences — both perceptible and subliminal — between truth and fiction. The bawdiness of the material is at once beside the point and crucial to the film’s design and impact: despite showing nothing more than two men talking for 50 minutes, the film was given an X rating by French censors, showing, like “The Mother and the Whore” before it, that Eustache was truly masterful when it came to language.
The pleasure of TIFF Cinematheque’s retrospective is twofold: not only are these movies great but, in their boldness and intricacy, they give us something to talk about.
SHARE:
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)
Sign In
Register
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The Star
does not endorse these opinions.
Warner Bros.’ highly-anticipated summer flick has crossed a line by drawing a line — the controversial “nine-dash line” to be exact. It’s a dotted line that China uses when drawing its borders in the South China Sea. Vietnam disagrees with the line. Much of the international community agrees with Vietnam.
It’s a political mess that director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” most likely didn’t intend to step into, but here we are. Here is why such a small dotted line on a map — and how it’s depicted in the film — matters to Vietnam and China.
Where does the map show up in the movie?
There are actually several maps with borders in the full-length “Barbie” trailer, released in May. The first is one of fictional Barbie Land — the city appears to be nestled along a body of water and at the foot of a mountain range, with pink clouds lining its borders that are fashioned into the shape of a heart.
The second map, which Vietnamese entertainment writer Nguyên Lê pointed out on Twitter, depicts the world as we know it. The map appears as Barbie, played by Margot Robbie, is having an existential crisis. Her showers have gone cold, she’s fallen off her roof and her high-heeled feet have gone flat. During a disco party, she abruptly asks aloud, “Do you guys ever think about dying?” The record stops spinning, and fellow Barbies and Kens stop dancing and stare with mouths agape.
For answers, Margot turns to another Barbie, played by Kate McKinnon, who appears to live in a less-pink gated mansion, secluded from the the others. Inside the house, audiences see the map of our world, as Margot’s Barbie asks, “What do I have to do?”
“You have to go to the Real World,” McKinnon’s Barbie responds.
The map of “the real world” looks as if it’s been drawn in crayon by a child. Accompanying the wacky shapes are labels for each continent — Africa, “Australia, and the one that counts most in the story you’re reading right now, Asia. Alongside the coast of what should be China, a trail of dashes jut out into the map’s ocean.
It is not immediately clear whether the dashes were a reference to the “nine-dash line.”
Representatives for Warner Bros. did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment.
Later in the trailer, we see Robbie’s Barbie driving her convertible car as she crosses the border of Barbie Land and into ours.
The U-shaped zone stretches 1,200 miles south of the Chinese mainland and encompasses more than 80% of the South China Sea. China’s government has claimed everything inside it, citing “historical rights.” And that includes islands and archipelagos. Some of those land masses are also claimed by Southeast Asian countries, such as Vietnam and the Philippines. To complicate things further, a large continental shelf stretches from mainland Vietnam beneath the eastern part of the sea, within China’s apparent “nine-dash line.”
But the land is only a way to justify who controls the waters: The South China Sea is among the world’s busiest fishing and trade hubs, and includes areas of untapped oil and natural gas.
In recent years, China has built up its islands by dumping sand onto reefs as a way to lay claim to more of the zone’s waters. The island-building activities have led to military clashes between China and Vietnam, as well as the Philippines.
However, in 2016, an international tribunal at the Hague ruled that China’s “nine-dash line” is invalid and that China’s island-building efforts violate international law. Even so, the Chinese government has rejected the ruling and clashes in the sea, which threaten Vietnam’s ability to fish in the area, have continued. Vietnam sees China’s defiance as a threat to its sovereignty.
Will Vietnam audiences ever see Barbie?
“Barbie” was originally set for a July 21 theatrical release, the same day as the United States, according to state-owned Vietnamese publication Tuổi Trẻ, which was first to report the news of the ban Monday.
The ban was issued by the nation’sMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Cinema Department, which cited the movie’s depiction of what appears to be “the illicit ‘nine-dash line’ that China uses to illegally claim its sovereignty over most of the East Vietnam Sea,” according to Tuổi Trẻ.
Hours before U.S. media outlets caught wind of the ban, Lê had reported the announcement late Sunday evening on Twitter, quoting the Vietnamese government’s language of the film’s use of “offensive political imagery.”
Both Lê and Tuổi Trẻ pointed out that this isn’t the first film to be banned in Vietnam over depictions of maps with the “nine-dash line.” Dreamworks’ 2019 animated film “Abominable” was also banned, along with the 2022 film “Uncharted,” starring Tom Holland. The Philippine government had called for a boycott of “Abominable” but stopped short of a ban.
Although some disappointed moviegoers in Vietnam have suggested censoring the problematic map in the film, it remains unclear whether Warner Bros. would be able or willing to edit its final cut, and if the Vietnamese government would lift the ban under those conditions.
The government is also reportedly considering a ban on Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller “Oppenheimer,” according to Viêt Nam News. The Universal Pictures period piece was also set for a July 21 release (the clashing releases have prompted the “Barbeinheimer” meme phenomenon).
A spokesperson for Vietnam’s cinema department did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for a response.
It’s also unclear how much revenue Warner Bros. could lose because of the ban. Vietnam’s highest-grossing film in 2022 was Warner Bros. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which raked in more than $11,000,000, according to IMDb. Overall, the “Avatar” sequel grossed more than 10 times that amount in the U.S. during its opening weekend alone.
While we do not know how, or even if, Nick Fury will be able to stop the Skrull Invasion taking place in the Disney+ series Secret Invasion, we do know that this is not the last we will see of the master spy.
Because Secret Invasion is difficult to pin down within the MCU timeline, it is unclear whether or not chronologically the series will be Fury’s last adventure. However, with The Marvels set to hit theaters this November, fans can be assured that Samuel L. Jackson’s Marvel journey isn’t over yet.
Photo: Marvel
Did Ali Selim Have To Write A Specific Nick Fury Story?
For Secret Invasion director Ali Selim, knowing that The Marvels is on the horizon meant that he knew he had to get Nick Fury to a certain place. While there were minor constraints about what he could do, the director stated that Marvel gave him essentially free reign.
Photo: Marvel
“The answer is yes, but they’re not protracted conversations. It’s just simply, ‘Where do you need him? You need him here? Great.’ And then we write into that. So that kind of stuff is very simple because it’s all above my pay grade.”
Samuel L. Jackson Is Ready For Next Adventure
While the plot behind The Marvels has been kept largely under wraps, Jackson has sounded excited to continue his Marvel story.
Source: Marvel Studios
“After Secret Invasion, I’m moving on to The Marvels, where you got like three different people who are Captain Marvel. You got Brie [Larson], you got a black Captain Marvel, and you got a Muslim Captain Marvel,” Jackson said on a recent episode of Sway’s Universe (via The Direct). “So, they’re working on the universe in a way that’s inclusive. Even like Shang-Chi and all those things that happen there. And… who the hell is Bad Bunny gonna be? Like, Bad Bunny’s in the Marvel universe. Who that? What he gonna be?”
Secret Invasion is streaming now on Disney+.
Photo: Marvel
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!
After the series finale of The Walking Dead, many fans were left wondering how Maggie and Negan’s stories would merge together for Dead City. Negan left our group to head off with his pregnant wife Annie to start their family elsewhere while Maggie continued as the leader of the Hilltop. When they reunited in Dead City, Maggie asked the exact question that fans wanted to know: What happened to Negan’s wife Annie and their child? Negan finally decided to answer her inquiry in episode three and yes, it involves heartbreaking violence.
Jace Downs/AMC
Negan tells Maggie that he lived in a cabin outside of New Babylon with Annie and Joshua, his son. (This further confirms that Dead City is more than 12 years into the apocalypse.) Annie went into town to do trading one day and didn’t return by nightfall. Negan knew something was amiss, so he went out to look for her. He found Annie and she’d been robbed and badly beaten. Despite Annie pleading with him to let it go, Negan found the five men at a drinking hole and killed all of them.
Afterward, his family went on the run and the transient lifestyle was hard on Annie. Negan put Annie and Joshua on a wagon train to Missouri, telling him that he would be right behind them. Instead, he stayed behind and hopes that they are okay. Of course, Maggie doesn’t have a ton of sympathy for him and, to be honest, it is hard to.
Negan is likely leaving out some details about this situation that we may learn later in Dead City. But, based on what we know, his choice to stay behind makes no sense. He has no reason to want to stay in the area, especially considering that he’s a wanted man. We know that he’s running from the New Babylon authorities for those murders. But their reach/jurisdiction doesn’t extend out to Missouri as far as we know. Negan and his family would have been safe to start a new life that’s far removed from the East Coast. Why would Negan let his family go without him? Does he have the first clue where they are in Missouri? Why would they go to Missouri? And will he eventually look for them?
Jace Downs/AMC
Now that we know what happened to Negan’s wife Annie and their son, it all seems a little too convenient. There’s no other solid rationale behind this decision except to push them out of the picture so he could go on this dummy mission with Maggie. His situation also explains why he’s being such a fatherly figure to Ginny. He’s missing out on Joshua’s life and may never see him again. Annie and Joshua probably won’t reunite with Negan in Dead City but, assuming they are still alive, maybe Negan’s story will eventually end with him heading to Missouri. That is, if he survives his impending encounter with the Croat.
Fujioka, who co-directed 1996’s SNES original, isn’t working on the remake in any capacity, but has said he’s very much looking forward to playing it.
“I am not involved in the remake,” he tweeted in response to a fan asking if he’s contributing to the title. “But I am very surprised and pleased with the news!”
In response to another fan who thanked him for his work on the original game, Fujioka also said (via Reddit): “Thanks for your message! I too am very happy and looking forward to November!”
“I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet,” so says Marty McFly—he of the far-off future of the 1980s—after performing a raucous, Chuck-Berry-presaging guitar solo in front of crowd of Bobby sox era teens in 1955, “But your kids are gonna love it.”
Star Micheal J. Fox and screenwriters Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale might’ve known at least that much about the future of popular music when making their iconic 1985 film, but could they have anticipated that said kids, their kids (and their kids’ kids) would still love Back to the Future so passionately nearly 40 years later?
If there was any doubt about the enduring appeal of the Zemeckis-directed sci-fi comedy blockbuster in the year 2023, look no further than Film Independent Presents’ Back to the Future Live Read. The classic film was given new life at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on June 24. The Live Read was directed by Ben Shwartz (Renfield), who also starred as Marty McFly. After being introduced by Film Independent President Josh Welsh, Scwartz expressed, to the packed house, “This movie made me fall in love with movies.”
A writer himself, Schwartz said it was a dream come true for him to lead a dramatization of one of his most cherished stories. After introducing the wickedly hilarious cast, narrator Scott Aukerman (Comedy Bang! Bang!) asked the cast if they should say a prayer before starting; an ironic joke seeing as the story exudes pure sci-fi magic.
Live Read cast onstage at the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts in Beverly Hilly (photo: Getty Images)
But before jumping into the reading itself, we should note the liveliness of the pre-show atmosphere. First off: the DeLorean! That’s right, cast and attendees were able to snap some cool photos outside the Wallis of and with the famous screen-used vehicle, on loan for the evening. Walking through the lobby before entering the Bram Theater, guests were greeted with splashes of light blue decorum on the walls, jellyfish hanging from the ceiling—dancing from the vents!—a huge banner that read Enchantment Under the Sea.
There was even a photo booth to take ‘80s inspired photos. Lastly, guests had the opportunity to dress up for the chance to enter the costume competition and win a signed poster. It was an immersive experience from the very start.
After the second or third typo in the script was read, Schwartz commented, “We gotta fight for the strike, guys.” A joke with a message, addressing the current situation between the unions representing the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the major Hollywood studios. The audience laughed, and proceeded to cheer in support of the message, also noted by Film Independent’s Josh Welsh in his opening remarks:
Whoever didn’t quite remember the loud-and-proud anthem “The Power Of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News was wonderfully reminded by the live band onstage, who not only performed the chart-topping song perfectly but also acted as Marty’s band The Pinheads, as well as performing the “Enchantment Under the Sea” dance’s iconic oldies later on.
A number of elements helped bring the reading to life. One of those elements was the projector that showcased a series of stills from the film, offering a further visualization of each scene unfolding onstage. One still earning big laughs was the photo of Marty and his dissapearing-and-reappearing siblings, Photoshopped to feature the Live Read actors’ faces in place of the film cast.
Another still drew a very heartwarming “Awww” from the audience: the hand-written note Jennifer, played by Tawny Newsome (Space Force), gave Marty that simply said, “I love you.” Considering we live in a rapidly increasing era of technology, perhaps the fuzzy reaction came from a place beyond just nostalgia for analogue teen communication.
Of course, nothing gets quite as fuzzy as Doc Brown’s hair! The esteemable Dr. Emmitt Brown was played by the hysterical Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live). With every “Great Scott!” his head shook with excitement, his eyes demanded attention and his jaw dropped with astonishment. It was as if he had impersonated Doc all his life—and on this night he truly let his marbles go.
L-R: Sam Richardson, Tawny Newsome, Quinta Brunson, Ben Schwartz, Gil Ozeri, Scott Aukerman, Bobby Moynihan, Drew Tarver (photo: Getty Images)
Sam Richardson’s (The Afterparty) Biff Tannen had the right combination of mean and foolishness, fittingly contrasting the meekness of Drew Tarver’s (The Other Two) George McFly. Their relationship was that of a seesaw, keeping everyone at the edge of their seats.
Another relationship that undoubtedly kept everyone at the edge was Marty and his mother Lorraine, played by Film Independent Spirit Award winner Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary.) Talk about awkwarddd. Brunson’s swift character transitions between older Lorraine and younger Lorraine was nothing short of masterful, which alongside Scwartz’s boyish humiliation and determination made for a series of hilariously cringeworthy moments.
As the reading went on, it was clear that the script had a few poorly-aged jokes that both the performers and audience acknowledged together. It was when the narrator read the description of Lorraine, “a 47-year-old-woman who was once attractive,” that the audience let out a classroom “Ooo…” and understandably so—who wants to hear they were once attractive?! Aukerman then proclaimed: “I think 47-year-old-women are attractive. That’s not in the script!”
Moments later there’s another eyebrow-raising description of a character, “a buxom 14-year-old girl.” This time it’s more of an “Ohhh…” from the audience, the brief uncomfortability alleviated by Richardson, who jokingly got up from his seat and walked offstage.
Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan (photo: Getty Images)
A highlight was in the scene where young George gets a visit from Marty disguised as Darth Vader to convince him to take Lorraine to the dance. The audience was naturally expecting a funny impersonation of the famous Star Wars villain by Scwartz, but what they got instead was something a bit out of left field—Bane. The voice is very distinct for sounding like running-out-of-oxygen, made famous by Tom Hardy in The Dark Knight Rises. It was a pleasant surprise, as the crowd laughed uncontrollably.
Some may argue it’s a lot more difficult to play a variety of characters instead of a single or two. If that’s the case Newsome and Gil Ozeri (Big Mouth) make it look incredibly easy. Newsome’s matter-of-fact TV Newscaster voice at the beginning and her relaxed Starlighter member voice later on could not be more different, yet fully realized. As for Ozeri, his jump from loud passionate Clock Tower Lady to Dave McFly’s goofy persona was pure sketch comedy.
A big thank you to the Wallis, HFPA, MUBI, and the entire Film Independent Programming and Events team for ending Film Independent’s current season of Wallis programming with a plutonium-filled bang! Be sure to keep up with future Film Independent Presents Live Reads, screenings, Q&As and special events on our website.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices, providing a wide variety of resources to help filmmakers create and advance new work. Learn more online and become a Member of Film Independent today.
Zack Snyder has never been shy about the fact that his upcoming Netflix dyad Rebel Moonbegan life as a pitch for a Star Wars movie, and all things considered, leaning into that fact and being upfront about it is the smartest thing Snyder is doing with the promotion for the movies. It all sounds Star Wars as hell, so if he really tried to pull this over on people, acting like it was just a wholly unique sci-fi story inspired by Seven Samurai with space-fascists and space-hermits and glowing swords, even the Snyder Cut loyalists might have paused for at least one second.
Reggie Watts on “The Late Late Show” guests, “Andor,” and potato chips
But no, he’s openly acknowledging that it was originally meant to be a Star Wars movie, telling Empire recently that, for Lucasfilm, it would’ve been “a big ask” anyway. His pitch was that it would take place in the Star Wars universe but would have absolutely nothing to do with any established characters and would be R-rated, and he says the further he got into envisioning his story, he realized that the Star Wars version of it “was probably never going to be” what he wanted.
So it’s now definitely not a Star Wars movie, it’s just another sci-fi thing inspired by Akira Kurosawa about someone living on the outskirts of the galaxy who has to put a team together to fight evil space villains, also there’s a mercenary pilot with a junk spaceship, an ancient religious order, a “world destroyer” spaceship, and it’s called Rebel Moon—with those two words being the first choice for when you want to insinuate Star Wars without literally being Star Wars. And that’s all fine, because oh my god he admit it.
Rebel Moon is coming to Netflix on December 22 with a family friendly cut that can be enjoyed by anyone (in theory), but at a later point there will be a “harder-edged” version “strictly for adults.” (Hey, there are more canonical virgin births in Star Wars than there are sex scenes, if you count cloning, so he deserves some originality points there.)
As other major European broadcasters, Spain’s Atresmedia is making a large bet on its VOD content offer, focused around the high-profile streaming service Atresplayer, which ambitiously re-launches July 5.
Just until a few years ago, European TV giants treated their streaming operations to bedrock linear lineups. Those days have gone. At Annecy, BBC and France Télévisions were talking up their streaming services as their future. ITV and Germany’s RTL are bowing their biggest plays on OTT operations, ITVX and RTL+, respectively, powering up strong subscriptions’ hikes.
Belgium’s VRT currently estimates “almost a 50/50 split” in its acquisitions budget as it focusing on “finding unique series that viewers wouldn’t expect from a public broadcaster for its streaming service,” Sven Van Lokeren, head of international fiction series acquisition at Belgium’s VRT told Variety at February’s London TV Screenings.
In Spain, leading broadcaster Atresmedia is no exception. Atresplayer represents an energetic drive to create streaming revenues as a significant part of its business model.
Pursuing what it calls a 360-degree hyper-distribution strategy 360º with its content at the center of its business, it is looking to grow extending its economic life and reaching wider audiences.
“Each content we create or acquire, we try to exploit it in the maximum number of windows to obtain the maximum volume of income we can generate,” said Atresmedia content director, José Antonio Antón, after Atresmedia had unveiled its Atresplayer reboot.
Antón highlighted two examples. The Spanish version of primetime entertainment format “The Voice,” which kicked off live on Atresmedia’s free-to-air channel Antena 3, then had a catch-up run and ended up on Atresplayer’s subscription service.
Toplining Elena Rivera, TV drama “Alba,” the Spanish adaptation of Turkish mega-hit “Fatmagul,” took a different route being pre-released on Atresplayer, then broadcast in Antena 3 primetime, before segueing to catch-up and being finally sold to Netflix.
From July 5, Atresmedia will unites its free and pay TV models under the Atresplayer brand, aiming to reinforce both the free and pay options of its OTT service. It’s also launching a new design, adding 10 new fast channels, and powering up its content with a strong line-up of premieres scheduled for the coming months, begun with “Nights at Tefia,” presented at Conecta Fiction.
Nights in Tefía
Courtesy of Atresmedia
Fiction series “Veneno,” “Cardo” and “La ruta” have been often praised by critics and awards. Atresplayer has just announced a dozen new Atresplayer Originals only available on its premium paid-for service.
FAST channels are now growing outside the U.S, with 11% of Spaniards having used a FAST channel in the last month, according to an Ampere Analysis study presented at Conecta Fiction.
We are going to incorporate a new package of FAST channels based on brands and genres. Our goal is not so much to offer 150 channels, but to be selective and have high-quality live channels,” Antón said.
Atresplayer already offers access to all the contents of Atresmedia’s TV channels family. Now, it is adding four new themed services: Clásicos Atresplayer, with episodes of legendary Atresmedia’s series; Multicine Atresplayer, including the broadcaster’s deep TV movies catalogue; Comedia Atresplayer, with episodes of hit in-house sitcoms, and Mentes Inquietas, with social and world programming.
Further new FAST channels take in more specific contents, for example, turning around successful productions such as TV series “Aquí no hay quién viva” and leading access primetime show “El hormiguero.”
Launched in 2013, Atresplayer transformed into a subscription VOD service in 2019. Today, the OTT service boasts standout, promising figures: 540,000 subscribers and 5 million users.
“Market studies say we have plenty of room for growth. We are the complementary local platform and our price point is attractive, with a general platform offer and original content,” Antón argued.
In terms of growing expectations, Atresplayer eyes RTL+ model in Germany.
“RTL+ is well over 4 million subscribers, in a country that almost doubles Spain in population. If we are able to achieve what RTL+ has done, it would not be crazy to stand at 2 million,” he estimated.
“We are at 540,000 subscribers and our growth plan is moderate. The most important thing for us – and it has been from the beginning – is that we want a plan for continuous growth,” he concludes.
The 12 new Atresplayer Originals, all produced by Atresmedia TV:
“La Nueva Generación”
A reboot of Atresmedia’s legendary “Física y Química,” a harder-edged high-school series running 2008-11, written by “Elite’s” Carlos Montero, and addressing frontally adolescents’ problems – alcoholism, drugs, homophobia, unwanted pregnancy. Telemundo reversiones the show as “Relaciones Peligrosas.” This time round, the Zurburán Institute reopens after being burnt to the ground, accepting over-spill from highly-contrasting other high-schools. Produced by Atresmedia TV and Boomerang TV (“Alba,” “The Time in Between”).
“Piraña”
If Ken Loach had made a trans drama, you could imagine Paca la Piraña figuring largely. For decades, those in need in Spain’s LGBTQ community have found support from her. Thrust into the limelight in “Veneno,” where she plays herself as Veneno’s best friend, the inimitable Paca la Piraña now gets a series centred on her very much lived life, which looks set to close the trilogy begun by “Veneno” and continued with its soon-to-bow sequel Vestidas de Azul,” produced like “Piraña” by Suma Content, the Madrid-based label of Los Javis, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, “Veneno” writer-director-producers.
“A Muerte”
Veronica Echegui (“Trust,” “You’re Killing Me Susana”) and Joan Amargós (“Nasdrovia”) head the star-crossed love story between a man diagnosed with cancer of the heart and a commitment-averse woman, who discovers she’s pregnant. The latest from Dani de la Orden (“Crazy About Her,” “Elite”). Atresmedia produces with Sábado Películas, DeAPlaneta and Playtime Movies
“Un Nuevo Amanecer”
Comedian Yolanda Ramos, star of Filmax hit “Welcome to the Family,” plays an on-the-slide TV personality and addict in desperate need of rehab. But she can only afford a public-sector low-cost Un Nuevo Amenecer. Created and co-directed by José Corbacho (“Tapas”) and produced with ESpotlight.
“Una Vida Menos en Canarias”
An episodic procedural set in the Canary Islands, produced by Cesar Benítez’s Plano a Plano and created by Fran Carballal (“Toy Boy”), Enrique Lojo (“Toy Boy”) and Curro Royo (“Hernán”).
“Mariliendre”
A second new title from Suma Content, created by Javier Ferreiro in which Meri Román, a former queen of Madrid’s gay scene, who, 10 years later, reconnects with gay friends attempting to find a sense of identity.
“La Sombra de la Tierra”
1896: Two matriarchs face off for control of a benighted village in Zamora’s mountains in a series with undertones of a Western adapted by actor Elvira Mínguez from her debut novel. Atresmedia TV produces with Fonte Films, “Sombra” figuring as one of the first titles to come out of the new production house launched by Pablo Isla, ex-president of Inditex
“La Nena”
The third part of a crime novel series whose first adaptation. The stylish and brutal “The Gypsy Bride,” from Penny Dreadful” director Paco Cabezas, yielded one of Atresplayer’s biggest hits of 2022.
The Gypsy Bride
The Gypsy Bride, Credit: Javier de Agustin Aldeguer
“33 Days”
An Atresmedia TV series to track, an early TV outing from Lastor Media, whose credits include Berlin winner “Alcarras” and Cannes winner “Creatur,” partnering with True Crime Factory and Goroka- Series is inspired by the real life prison breakout in 2001 of trigger-happy Manuel Brito and Javier Picatoste, on the run for the titular 33 days.
“The Route. Part 2: Ibiza”
Atresmedia TV’s biggest critical hit of 2022, now back from a second season with Marc Ribó (Àlex Monner) now enthroned as the resident DJ of Amnesia, one of the biggest discotheques in Ibiza as the island takes off as the capital of Europe’s club culture. But Ibiza also has a special place in his family history. Atresmedia produces the identity-themed Season 2 with Caballo Films, firmly established as one of Spain’s top production houses after “The Beasts” and “The Route.” Series creator Borja Soler directs.
“¿A Qúe Estas Esperando?”
A romcom adaptation of two erotic novels by Megan Maxwell, turning on two young couples averse to definitive commitment, “in a series which talks about the contradictions of love and alternatives in a modern age,” according to Atresmedia TV which produces with Diagonal, part of Banijay Iberia and behind “The Gypsy Bride,” and DeAPlaneta.
“Erase Una Vez en Marbella”
A doc series chronicling the history and transformation of Marbella from a small fishing village to chic hot spot attracting the jet set and organised crime. Produced by Atresmedia TV with Happy Ending.
While the third season of Netflix’s The Witcher was in production, the streamer quietly started the development of The Rats, a new prequel series centered on a group of teenage renegades who will be introduced at the end of Season 3. Here’s what we know so far about the new upcoming spin-off.
The new series is created by The Witcher writer Haily Hall, who also serves as showrunner. Shadow and Bone and The Sandman director Mairzee Almas is also attached to direct an unknown amount of episodes. The Witcher showrunner Lauren Hissrich and executive producer Tomek Baginski are also producing this series.
The Rats series still hasn’t been officially announced by Netflix even after the release of season 3, volume 1, but it has been common knowledge for many months now with cast and crew already actively filming on location.
The plot of The Rats isn’t based on any book or storyline from The Witcher author Andrzej Sapkowski, but rather takes the characters and creates its own backstory for them before they meet Ciri at the end of The Witcher Season 3.
So far, we only have a short logline:
“Six teenage thieves must rely on their criminal skills as they plan the biggest heist of their careers against the most dangerous crime ring in the kingdom.”
Who is cast in The Witcher spin-off TheRats?
Cast Grid for Netflix’s The Rats series
The gang of teenage criminals called The Rats consists of Giselher, Mistle, Kayleigh, Iskra, Reef, and Asse.
They are played by Ben Radcliffe, Christelle Elwin, Fabian McCallum, Aggy K. Adams, Juliette Alexandra, and Connor Crawford, respectively. They all make their first appearance in The Witcher Season 3 and will reprise their roles in this spin-off.
Additionally, the 80s and 90s action star Dolph Lundgrenhas been cast as a ruthless rogue witcher from the School of the Cat called Brehen. Brehen briefly appears in Andrzej Sapkowski’s Season of Storms where he has a confrontation with Geralt of Rivia. In The Rats, Brehen’s role is unclear.
Other suspected cast includes Deoudone van der Merwe, Warren Masemola, Stevel Marc, Max Boast, and Daniela Norman.
What’s the production status of TheRats?
The Rats series got into production under the codename ‘Riff Raff’ in Cape Town, South Africa. Filming started there in late April and was originally expected to conclude in September 2023, however, as Redanian Intelligence reports in July 2023, the series has wrapped filming.
Behind the scenes pictures from production on Riff Raff / The Rats spin-off
That’s led to speculation about what form Rats (or Riff Raff) will eventually materialize as. The number of episodes in The Rats is currently unknown, but it could be as low as four, like The Witcher: Blood Origin.
What’s the Netflix release date for TheRats?
Netflix hasn’t announced the series yet, let alone its release date, but judging by what we know so far; an early to mid-2024 release would be likely.
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Weekly Commentary: The fall film festivals are on the horizon under the dark cloud of a writers’ strike and the threat of possible actors joining the fight. Nonetheless, the 2023 halfway mark is complete, and there’s plenty of promise still coming down the pike.
News of the lineups is already beginning to trickle down. So far, we know Venice will have Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” with Emma Stone, the pair’s follow-up to the best picture nominated “The Favourite” (2018). A surrealist science-fiction romance based on an adaptation of Alasdair Grey’s novel, the Searchlight flick has a talented ensemble including Willem Dafoe, Mark Ruffalo, Christopher Abbott and Margaret Qualley. It could be their pony for the season.
Meanwhile, two anticipated biopics will drop at the Lido — Director Michael Mann’s take on Italian racecar driver Enzo Ferrari with Adam Driver titled “Ferrari” has piqued interest. At the same time, Sofia Coppola returns with “Priscilla,” an adaptation of the famous wife of Elvis Presley’s memoir, which stars Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi.
Pablo Larrain’s buzzy Chilean contender “El Conde,” rumored to be a possible across-the-board type of contender, has drummed up excitement, especially as his first film since “Spencer” (2021), which landed a nom for Kristen Stewart.
Coming off two Tony noms and in the middle of an Emmy campaign where she currently stands as the front-runner, Jessica Chastain will stop by Italy with “Memory,” the first English-language project from writer and director Michel Franco. It’s a highly anticipated viewing with an unknown plot and a cast that includes Peter Sarsgaard, Merritt Wever and Josh Charles.
In terms of January through June, we’ve seen promising contenders emerge.
Toronto Film Festival will have dozens of world premieres, including Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” with Michael Fassbender.
From the first half of 2023, we are already tracking best picture hopefuls such as the Sony Pictures animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” A24’s love drama “Past Lives” and Amazon Studios’ highly entertaining “Air.”
There are, of course, the Cannes standouts — Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” Todd Haynes’ “May December” and the Palme d’Or winning “Anatomy of a Fall” from Justine Triet — already in the discussion.
Revised charts before the fall festivals are below, with updated overall best picture charts on the Oscar prediction page.
The submission deadline for general categories is Nov. 18, 2023. Preliminary shortlist voting will begin on Dec. 18, with the results announced on Dec. 21. The voting period will run from Jan. 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on Jan. 23.
The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10.
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
“Killers of the Flower Moon” (Apple Original Films/Paramount Pictures) Dan Friedkin, Martin Scorsese, Bradley Thomas, Daniel Lupi
“Maestro” (Netflix) Fred Berner, Bradley Cooper, Amy Durning, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Kristie Macosko Krieger, Todd Phillips, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg
“Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures) Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Christopher Nolan
“The Color Purple” (Warner Bros.) Quincy Jones, Scott Sanders, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey
“Past Lives” (A24) David Hinojosa, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon
“The Holdovers” (Focus Features) Mark Johnson, Bill Block, David Hemingson
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” (Sony Pictures) Avi Arad, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Amy Pascal, Christina Steinberg
“May December” (Netflix) Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Grant S. Johnson, Pamela Koffler, Tyler W. Konney, Sophie Mas, Natalie Portman, Christine Vachon
“The Zone of Interest” (A24) Ewa Puszczynska, James Wilson
Next in Line
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.)
“Anatomy of a Fall” (Neon)
“Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dumb Money” (Sony Pictures)
“Air” (Amazon Studios)
“Bob Marley: One Love” (Paramount Pictures)
“The Book of Clarence” (Sony Pictures)
“Nightbitch” (Searchlight Pictures)
“The Killer” (Netflix)
“Freud’s Last Session” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Other Top-Tier Possibilities
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate)
“Wish” (Walt Disney Pictures)
“Napoleon” (Apple Original Films/Sony Pictures)
“Memory” (No U.S. Distribution)
“The Iron Claw” (A24)
“Ferrari” (STX Films)
“BlackBerry” (IFC Films)
“Challengers” (MGM)
“El Conde” (Netflix)
“Priscilla” (A24)
Also In Contention
“Fair Play” (Netflix)
“Barbie” (Warner Bros.)
“Foe” (Amazon Studios)
“Rustin” (Netflix)
“Asteroid City” (Focus Features)
“Nyad” (Netflix)
“A Little Prayer” (Sony Pictures Classics)
“Golda” (Bleecker Street)
“Next Goal Wins” (Searchlight Pictures)
“Shortcomings” (Sony Pictures Classics)
All Eligible Titles (Alphabetized by Studio)**
** This official list is incomplete, with all release dates not yet confirmed and subject to change.
2022 category winner: “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24) — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang (producers)
Oscars Predictions Categories
BEST PICTURE | DIRECTOR | BEST ACTOR | BEST ACTRESS | SUPPORTING ACTOR | SUPPORTING ACTRESS | ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY | ADAPTED SCREENPLAY | ANIMATED FEATURE | PRODUCTION DESIGN | CINEMATOGRAPHY | COSTUME DESIGN | FILM EDITING | MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING | SOUND | VISUAL EFFECTS | ORIGINAL SCORE | ORIGINAL SONG | DOCUMENTARY FEATURE | INTERNATIONAL FEATURE | ANIMATED SHORT | DOCUMENTARY SHORT | LIVE ACTION SHORT
About the Academy Awards
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the nearly 10,000-person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
Kode9 and Burial will release a split single EP, Infirmary / Unknown Summer, on July 21. It marks the Hyperdub musicians’ return to Fabric and its in-house label, Fabric Originals, after their 2018 Fabriclive mix. The new songs will be pressed to clear, black, and silver vinyl, and get released digitally.
Kode9’s last album, Astro-Darien, arrived last year, shortly before Burial’s latest release, the three-track ambient EP Streetlands, which was surprise-released in October. The new single follows Fabric Originals splits from the likes of I. Jordan with Sherelle and Eris Drew with Octo Octa.
When it comes to being an emerging independent filmmaker there is probably no greater help or tool than the internet. YouTube in particular has many, many channels dedicated to the world of independent cinema and filmmaking and here we want to point to ten of the best ones for you to consume as an independent filmmaker.
Indie Film Hustle Podcast
Hosted by Alex Ferrari, The Indie Film Hustle Podcast channel contains a treasure trove of advice for up and coming independent filmmakers through interviews with some of the most successful filmmakers working today
The StudioBinder channel provides educational video essays for viewers to have a greater understanding of what makes certain films so impressive. Their ‘How They Shot It’ and ‘The Director Chair’ series’ in particular giving emerging filmmakers a great grasp of what makes their favourite films look so good
The YouTube channel of cinematographer Gray Kotze, InDepth Cine provides lots of useful tips and guidance to up and coming independent filmmakers, using real life examples from popular movies to demonstrate how to improve your own independent projects
Boasting over a million subscribers, Lessons from the Screenplay has become well known for its insightful video essays on several hit indie films such as Ex Machina, Whiplash and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, smartly commenting on what makes them so great
The Film Courage channel is a great tool for independent filmmakers unsure of themselves. They have a large catalogue of videos giving advice on several topics. This includes content on the business end of things such as selling a story idea as well as content on the filmmaking side of things, with the channel giving particular attention on how to craft an effective screenplay
The Lost YouTube channel is home to the Future Shorts series – a great showcase for independent filmmakers to display their short films to an online audience, with some of these shorts gaining over a million views
The YouTube channel of the popular and award winning website, the IndieWire YouTube channel brings you in depth interviews with a wide variety of independent filmmakers as well as trailers for some of the most exciting upcoming releases
The name of this channel is very appropriate, given the level of detailed analysis that goes into each video. In this sense Every Frame a Painting gives independent filmmakers a very good idea of the importance of visual detail in their projects. No surprise really that the channel has garnered over 2 million subscribers
A film review channel, Deep Focus Lens provides a level headed approach to film reviewing and through her videos utilising fan responses on Twitter helps foster a sense of community engagement. What makes Deep Focus Lens stand apart is her willingness to review less high profile independent films that most other YouTube video review channels tend to avoid.
We would be remiss were we not to mention our very own Raindance YouTube channel, with it being home to many advice videos, interviews, and footage from the festival itself all for your independent filmmaker viewing pleasure
Eoin McCambridge is a writer/film enthusiast from Dublin, Ireland. Graduating from the University of Galway in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies, he has previously contributed articles and film reviews to the university student website. He also has been involved in personal projects for YouTube and operated in various capacities on a number of film sets.
Nothing had prepared William Passano for a new technology introduced in 1960 that threatened to upend his medical publishing business: the Xerox 914 photocopier. The machine offered the ability to produce cheap and quick duplicates that allowed the government’s National Library of Medicine to mass photocopy articles from his company’s copyrighted medical journals. Passano eventually sued in a case that went up to the Supreme Court, which ultimately took a cautious approach to regulating the emerging technology by ruling in 1975 that it was fair use for libraries to photocopy the originals. The justices left Congress to address the novel intellectual property issues raised in the case, leading to key revisions in copyright law a year later.
Fast forward half a century and the emergence of generative artificial intelligence has the similar potential to turn the entertainment industry on its head. While writers who spoke with The Hollywood Reporter weren’t initially spooked about the emergence of ChatGPT in January, with some stressing that the tool is incapable of writing funny jokes or producing usable results without substantial creative input, the tenor of the conversation has changed and it’s become a sticking point in negotiations in the writers strike. Creators and talent see the possibility for the technology to devalue their work or even outright replace them down the line in the absence of intervention from regulators or the courts: royalty-free music generators can compose a film score or beat, AI can write scripts and actors can be deepfaked into movie scenes.
But at the same time, Hollywood is embracing the technology, from using it to de-age actors to partnering with companies in the field to create AI-composed music. This is happening as the industry pushes for regulations. Michael Nash, chief digital officer for Universal Music Group, tells THR that AI programs training machine learning models by feeding them copyrighted works without permission from or payment to UMG’s artists “enables us to have a very important seat at the table around the evolution and use of these models, particularly with respect to developing new licensing opportunities.” He underscores the adoption of AI is to “put these tools in the hands of artists” to see “how far their vision can take this technology.”
In a hearing before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet examining the intersection of AI and copyright law, key players in Hollywood moved for guardrails to protect their work. “The rapid introduction of generative AI systems is seen as an existential threat to the livelihood and continuance of our creative professions unless immediate steps are taken on legal interpretive and economic fronts to address these emerging issues,” said Ashley Irwin, president of the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL), at the hearing on May 17. “It’s essential to prioritize policies and regulations to safeguard the intellectual property and copyright of creators and preserve the diverse and dynamic U.S cultural landscape.”
The SCL, which counts creators of scores and song for film, TV and theater as members, maintains that AI firms should have to secure consent by creators for the use of their works to train AI programs and compensate them at fair market rates for the subsequent creation of any new work that’s created on top of providing the proper credit, Irwin said. He stressed that any regulatory framework should not grant copyright protection to AI-generated works since doing so could flood the market with them, diluting the value of original pieces.
At the hearing, Dan Navarro, a singer-songwriter who’s also on the national board of SAG-AFTRA, compared the status quo to the “Wild West” and the earliest days of sampling, when proper attribution or payment wasn’t given for the reuse of a recording in another song. “Now, it’s routine,” he said, noting that he opposes compulsory licenses giving AI companies free rein to use his work. “‘Can’t Touch This’ by MC Hammer credits Rick James for ‘Super Freak,’ and his estate gets compensated.” He urged lawmakers to adopt a similar framework of consent, credit and compensation.
The widespread dissemination of services transforming an unknown performer’s voice into a worldwide pop star’s has made the music industry one of the front lines in the battle against rampant and likely illegal use of generative AI. In April, “Heart on my Sleeve,” a track that used passable AI versions of the voices of Drake and the Weeknd, took the internet by storm. It was removed from streaming services after UMG, which represents the artists, stepped in by asserting its intellectual property rights. The record label has been directing streamers to cut off access to its music catalogue for developers using their songs to train AI programs, according to Nash.
UMG has been sending requests to take down AI-generated songs, but it’s fighting an entire online community dedicated to making, sharing and teaching others how to create AI music. On Discord, members of a server called AI Hub in April released an album called UTOP-AI — a play on an upcoming project from Travis Scott — featuring the AI-generated voices of the rapper along with Drake, Playboy Carti and Baby Keem. It got nearly 200,000 views on YouTube and Soundcloud in just three hours before it was flagged for copyright infringement by Warner Music Group.
For the most part, artists are looking for a regulatory framework to guide the creation of AI-generated content. They don’t want their work to build the foundation of the tools that threaten to replace them, at least not without consent or payment. The legality of using copyrighted works to train AI programs is up in the air. There are several lawsuits considering whether the method falls under the fair use defense, which allows for the use of protected works without permission as long as they are transformative, working their way through the courts.
In November, a proposed class action was filed against Microsoft, Github and OpenAI claiming the billions of lines of computer code that their AI technology analyzes to generate its own code constitutes piracy. Getty Images is similarly suing Stability AI for copyright infringement, accusing the company of illegally processing millions of its images to train Stable Diffusion. The company has stressed that Stability AI refuses to pay for any of its photos, unlike other tech firms that licenses its digital assets for AI-related purposes. And, in late June, a proposed class action filed in San Francisco federal court by authors alleged that OpenAI “relied on harvesting mass quantities” of copyright-protected works “without consent, without credit, and without compensation.”
A finding of copyright infringement in a lawsuit would severely dampen the economic prospects of exploiting works generated solely by AI in Hollywood and put more control of the technology back into the hands of creators (the copyright office has stated that works generated solely by AI aren’t eligible for protection). While he’s confident in the courts backing the rights of artists in these cases, Nash says, “We’re obviously going to be very vocal in our desire to see that interpretation of copyright law in jurisdictions around the world” and will be “lobbying to address issues around proposed legal changes.”
Another weapon-of-choice in combatting AI content that pilfer a celebrity’s likeness is right of publicity and privacy laws. In April, a former cast member of the Big Brother reality show sued deepfake app developer NeoCortext in a proposed class action over the company’s app that allows users to paste their faces over photos and videos of celebrities. While the current copyright regime doesn’t address the legality of using copyrighted works to train AI programs, some states like California and New York have laws that bar the commercial exploitation of someone’s likeness without permission. “The core copyright concerns are our bedrock, but in addition there are other legal protections,” Nash says, referring to right of publicity laws. “Those are protections we’ve brought to the attention of platforms when we asked for content to be taken down, so there has been a recognition, but we think that there needs to be broader recognition. That’s where additional legislative support could be helpful.”
Still, artists want Congress to intervene despite the courts having settled similarly contentious copyright issues raised by the invention of the camera, photocopier and VCR in the past. The SCL has proposed adding a new section to the Copyright Act that would clarify that the fair use defense to infringement only applies to human-created works, minimizing the traditional avenues to exploit AI-generated works.
Amid this legal uncertainty, companies in the entertainment industry are looking to capitalize on AI tools before they miss out on opportunities to exploit the technology. In May, UMG announced a partnership with AI company Endel “to enable artists and labels to create soundscapes for daily activities like sleep, relaxation, and focus by harnessing the power of AI.” Several labels and music industry professionals have also reportedly reached out to a student hacker by the name of ak24, a member of the AI Hub Discord server who released UTOP-IA, for partnership opportunities over an AI music creation app he invented called Musicfy, which allows users to clone the voices of popular artists.
On the movie side, Miramax is collaborating with AI firm Metaphysic, known for popularizing a deepfake TikTok account spoofing Tom Cruise, to de-age actors in Robert Zemeckis’ Here. It’s part of a larger strategic partnership with CAA to develop generative AI tools and services for talent. Metaphysics CEO Tom Graham says the increasing investment in and adoption of services from “generative AI startups popping up across a broad spectrum of entertainment applications” is “only just the beginning” as the industry moves away from “repetitive and easily automatable job functions.”
As AI becomes increasingly adopts in all corners of Hollywood, artists and talent stress they aren’t unilaterally opposed to the technology. Most of them just want proper credit and compensation. “I don’t have a problem with the technology at all,” Irwin said. “I have a problem with the stealing of my material.”
Meanwhile, the Middle Kingdom’s own ”Lost in the Stars“ passed $315 million after surging 67% in its second weekend
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is the latest big Hollywood movie to bomb in China, earning just $2.3 million over its opening weekend. It comes on the heels of “The Flash” earning just $25 million since opening three weekends ago as well as “The Little Mermaid” earning just $3.7 million after a month in theaters.
Like “Solo: A Star Wars Story” in 2018, it would appear that “Indiana Jones 5” was a domestic-skewing IP sell, especially with the brand mostly dormant since “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008, with a less-than-hoped overseas appeal. None of the previous “Indiana Jones” films played in China, which means there’s no generational nostalgia for the brand or Harrison Ford’s marquee character.
It’s one more costly example of how Chinese audiences are showing a preference for homegrown movies over Hollywood tentpoles, a conundrum for studios that spent the 2010s counting on China as a growth market.
Even “Fast X” earned $136 million, well below the $391 million totals of “Furious 7” and “Fate of the Furious” as well as noticeably below the $200 million-plus totals of “Hobbs and Shaw” and “F9.” “Rise of the Beasts” is far below the $171 million gross of “Bumblebee,” the $228 million total for “Transformers: The Last Knight” and the trendsetting $300 million total for “Transformers: Age of Extinction.”
The only franchise flicks of late getting anywhere near pre-COVID predecessors are “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” ($80 million versus $99 million for the sequel in 2017) and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” which has earned $50 million compared to $62 million for “Into the Spider-Verse” in 2018.
Meanwhile, China’s own “Lost in the Stars” is soaring. The homegrown tentpole mearned almost as much in China in its second weekend of release ($117 million) as “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” earned ($130 million) in its global opening weekend. That Fri-Sun gross is up 67% from the film’s $70 million Fri-Sun debut and a record in China for a non-opening weekend.
The Chinese adaptation of Russian filmmaker Alexey Korenev’s 1990 film “A Trap for the Lonely Man,” which was itself adapted from the Robert Thomas stage play, follows a woman (Janice Man) who disappears while on an overseas holiday with her husband (Zhu Yilong) only to reappear just as the search is nearing its grim end. However, the husband refuses to accept that his wife has returned and argues that the woman is an imposter.
‘Lost in the Stars’ trailer
It has now earned $317 million in just under two weeks, already passing the global total of “The Flash.” The picture earned $37 million on Sunday, and at this rate, it could join China’s “Wandering Earth 2” and “Full River Red” in the $600 million club. There have been just four Hollywood titles to reach that benchmark in 2023, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Guardians Vol. 3,” “Fast X” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” with “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” likely to be the fifth.
Ironically, give or take “Oppenheimer” or “Barbie” overperforming, the next likely candidate will be “The Meg 2: The Trench,” which is a Chinese/Hollywood co-production that stars both Jason Statham and “Wandering Earth” and “Wolf Warrior II” star Wu Jing. “The Meg” earned $155 million in both North America and China on the way to a $530 million global total in the summer of 2018. If the sequel plays anything like a Chinese blockbuster in China, it’s going to have a major leg up on its Hollywood rivals.
Not yet rated
Facebook
Twitter
Mastodon
Login or register for updates…
Facebook
Twitter
Mastodon
Login or register to get email updates…
