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Cannes: Lindsay Burdge’s Comic Drama ‘Thirst Street’ Lands at Samuel Goldwyn
6 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Samuel Goldwyn Films has bought North American rights to Nathan Silver’s dark comedy “Thirst Street,” starring Lindsay Burdge (“A Teacher”) and Damien Bonnard (“Staying Vertical”).
The film, narrated by Anjelica Huston, is directed by Silver from a script he co-wrote with C. Mason Wells. The Paris-set tale of romantic obsession had its world premiere last month at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and is set for release later this year.
The deal was announced Friday at the Cannes Film Festival. Burdge portrays a grief-stricken American flight attendant on a layover in Paris, where she hooks up with nightclub bartender, played by Bonnard. As she falls deeper into lust and opts to stay in France, his ex reenters the picture, sending the flight attendant on a downward spiral of miscommunication, masochism, and madness.
Variety first reported on the project a year ago at Cannes. Producers are Louise Bellicaud and Claire Charles-Gervais »
- Dave McNary
Cannes: Alex Lawther’s Comedy-Drama ‘Freak Show’ Lands at IFC for U.S.
7 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
IFC has bought U.S. rights to Alex Lawther’s high school comedy-drama “Freak Show.”
The film, based on James St. James’ bestseller of the same name, follows Billy Bloom as a cross-dressing teenager and new student at an ultra-conservative high school. He’s determined not to change his outlandish outfits or behavior, taking a stand for outcasts and underdogs everywhere by running for homecoming queen and forging a friendship with the football team quarterback.
The cast includes Abigail Breslin, Laverne Cox, Larry Pine, Willa Fitzgerald, Bette Midler, AnnaSophia Robb, Ian Nelson, and Lorraine Toussaint. Breslin played the role of Billy’s rival, and Cox stars as a reporter. Pine portrays Billy’s father while Midler plays Billy’s mother.
Trudie Styler helmed in her feature directorial debut. Producers are Styler, Charlotte Ubben, and Maven Pictures’ Celine Rattray with Flower Films’ Chris Miller and Ember Truesdell along with Jeffrey Coulter and Bryan Rabin. »
- Dave McNary
Gravitas Ventures Takes U.S. Rights to ‘Drib’ From TrustNordisk (Exclusive)
7 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
TrustNordisk has sold “Drib,” Norwegian filmmaker Kristoffer Borgli’s stylish feature which played at South by Southwest, to California-based distributor Gravitas Ventures for U.S. distribution.
Shot in Oslo and Los Angeles, the movie marks the feature debut of Borgli, who gained critical acclaim with his short “Whateverest,” which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the AFI Fest. It exposes media manipulation and sheds light on how art becomes commerce, and how something fake can have real effects.
Mixing fiction and documentary, “Drib” turns on Amir Asgharnejad, an Oslo-based comedian and prankster who almost became the face of an energy drink. It stars Brett Gelman (“Joshy”).
TrustNordisk has also sold “Drib” to Dd Dream International Media. The company previously sold the film to Latin America (California Filmes).
The deal was negotiated by Josh Spector on behalf of Gravitas.
Gravitas’s récent releases include Katie Holmes’ feature directorial debut, »
- Elsa Keslassy
Sundance Selects Nabs ‘Let the Sunshine In’ With Juliette Binoche (Exclusive)
15 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Sundance Selects has picked up all North American rights to “Let the Sunshine In” following its debut at the Cannes Film Festival this week.
The dramedy stars Juliette Binoche as a middle-aged artist and divorced mother, following her attempts to find romantic fulfillment. It earned strong reviews at the festival. Variety’s Guy Lodge called the picture an “exquisitely judged romantic comedy” and hailed it for documenting “the transient pleasures, pitfalls and emotional culs-de-sac of midlife dating.”
Xavier Beauvois, Philippe Katerine, Josiane Balasko, and Nicolas Duvauchelle co-star in the film, which has a script from Denis and Christine Angot. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Sundance Selects is an offshoot of IFC.
“We absolutely loved Claire’s touching and funny take on finding love and are thrilled to be back in business with her, Juliette Binoche and our friends at Film Distribution, »
- Elsa Keslassy and Brent Lang
Hulu’s Best TV Shows About Women Beyond ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ That You Can Stream Right Now
5 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
If you haven’t taken advantage of all that Hulu has to offer lately besides “The Handmaid’s Tale” – which everybody should really, really watch right now – then you’re missing out.
“The Handmaid’s Tale’ has been a groundbreaking series for the streaming service, thanks to its foreboding story about a near future in which a portion of the United States has been turned into a theocracy. This new world of Gilead subjugates women and makes the fertile ones become breeders for high-ranking officials. Moving performances by Elisabeth Moss, Samira Wiley, Yvonne Strahovski, O-t Fagbenle and Alexis Bledel have made this series a must-watch.
Not only does Hulu have strong original programming like “The Handmaid’s Tale,” but it is one of the best places to watch shows that are currently on TV now, which makes cord-cutting that much easier. It also has an impressive catalog of past shows that are well worth revisiting. »
- Hanh Nguyen
13 Netflix Originals to Stream, Including ’13th’
6 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
A baker’s dozen of worthwhile movies to watch.
Related stories'Blame!' Review: Netflix's Dystopian Anime Envisions a Future in Which Man Fought the Machine -- and LostCannes: Bong Joon Ho's 'Okja' Booed During Technical Glitch and Netflix Logo at First Press Screening'The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance' Teaser: Netflix Developing a Prequel to Jim Henson's Fantasy Adventure Film »
- Michael Nordine
‘Killing Of A Sacred Deer’: Colin Farrell Talks Teenage Hormones In First Clip [Watch]
6 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
You know who’s moving at a brisk clip? Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. His latest film “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is playing in Competition at the in-progress Cannes Film Festival and it was apparently down to the wire to finish the film in time. Meanwhile, the filmmaker has already completed principal photography of his next film, “The Favorite” featuring Emma Stone and “The Lobster” stars Rachel Weisz and Olivia Coleman.
Continue reading ‘Killing Of A Sacred Deer’: Colin Farrell Talks Teenage Hormones In First Clip [Watch] at The Playlist. »
- Edward Davis
Women Leads on TV Decline As Networks Discover White Dudes in Crisis
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
For the broadcast networks this fall, women need not apply. With a few notable exceptions — Kyra Sedgwick (ABC’s “Ten Days in the Valley”), Edie Falco (NBC’s “Law & Order: True Crime – The Menendez Murders”), and Anne Heche (NBC’s “The Brave”) — female leads are few and far between.
Networks announced fewer new shows this year, practicing a little restraint rather than buying too many that wind up as late-season castoffs. However, women-led shows were hit hardest: Of approximately 36 new series, just 11 have a first-billed female. Last year there were 41 new shows, of which 20 had a female lead.
Blame might go to a handful of trends on this year’s schedules: More military-themed dramas led by tough guys, a rise in male-dominated sci-fi and comic book shows, and a TV trend that IndieWire has dubbed “Dude-Life Crisis.”
This year, (mostly white) middle-aged guys at a crossroads are a phenomenon. Jason Ritter »
- Michael Schneider
‘Lover For a Day’ Review — Philippe Garrel Looks at Love in Shades of Gray, Again — Cannes 2017
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Every couple of years, Philippe Garrel turns out a black-and-white tales of love and (in)fidelity among Parisian intellectuals. His detractors contend that he always makes the same film; his defenders say that’s the point. Like seeing a singer play two shows, the pleasures are found in subtle changes and rearrangements, noticing what they emphasize in this set as opposed to the last. In any case, “Lover for a Day” is unlikely to change anyone’s perspective.
There is one major departure: Instead of casting his son Louis Garrel, who either starred in or narrated his father’s previous five features, the director has gone with his daughter, Esther Garrel (of the Sundance sensation “Call Me By Your Name”). She stars as Jeanne, a young student experiencing her first pangs of heartbreak. Kicked out by her now ex and with nowhere to go, Jeanne ends up moving in with her father, »
- Ben Croll
Johnny Depp Rejected Early Version of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean 5’ Script Because It Had a Female Villain
7 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Johnny Depp returns as Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” Spanish actor Javier Bardem joins the fifth installment of the popular “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise as Captain Salazar, one of the villains along with Geoffrey Rush’s Captain Barbossa. But, according to scribe Terry Rossio, an earlier version of the script featured a female villain.
Read More: ‘Pirates of The Caribbean’ 5: Hackers Hold Disney’s Upcoming Film For Ransom — Report
In a recent blog post, where he discusses the hurdles of script writing and movie production, Rossio revealed that Depp rejected that version because it had a female villain. “My version of ‘Dead Men Tell No Tales’ was set aside because it featured a female villain, and Johnny Depp was worried that would be redundant to ‘Dark Shadows,’ which also featured a female villain,” Rossie wrote, adding that “there is also the possibility that [the screenplay] simply sucked. »
- Yoselin Acevedo
Noah Baumbach’s ‘Meyerowitz Stories’: Watch The First Footage With Adam Sandler & Dustin Hoffman
8 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
There’s been a lot of heated talk around Netflix and the Cannes Film Festival and so far, none of it is very good with the two sides warring about what cinema means and what it doesn’t (if a film debuts on a streaming platform, is it not a film?). Even Jury head Pedro Almodovar suggested a Netflix film was unlikely to win the Palme d’Or or any other major awards.
Continue reading Noah Baumbach’s ‘Meyerowitz Stories’: Watch The First Footage With Adam Sandler & Dustin Hoffman at The Playlist. »
- Rodrigo Perez
‘Everything, Everything’ Updates the Beautiful Dying Girl Genre With a Sincere Melodrama — Review
8 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Men like movies about war; teenage girls like movies about beautiful dying girls finding love. How else to explain the glut of stories about cancer-stricken teenagers, such as “The Fault In Our Stars,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” and that early-aughts soapy classic, “A Walk to Remember”? The genre may have traded in Mandy Moore’s squeaky clean appeal for a slightly edgier Shailene Woodley, but the beautiful dying girl remained resolute in her insistence that prince charming never pity her, even as the movie around her urged audiences to do just that.
Read More: ‘Everything, Everything’ Director Stella Meghie: How She Became the Only Black Woman With a Wide-Release Movie in 2017
In “Everything, Everything,” director Stella Meghie remains true to the beautiful dying girl form, save for one thing: This time she’s black and beautiful, with a glorious head of natural curls to boot. Her name is Maddy Whittier, »
- Jude Dry
‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’: Here’s How VFX Powered the Best Part of the Movie
8 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Guy Ritchie’s frenetic “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword,” which flopped at the box office in its opening weekend, might have been too leery of “Game of Thrones” for its own good. It mixes Arthurian mythology with the director’s signature grit and temporal trickery, while throwing in a mashup “Lord of the Rings,” “The Lion King,” and “The Little Mermaid,” among others.
Still, the opening siege of Camelot is a visual feast, boasting impressive VFX from Framestore. It features three giant elephants larger than a football field attacking the royal castle in the English mountains, surrounded by a viaduct and valley, some overheated sorcery, and, of course, the legendary sword, Excalibur.
Read More: Guy Ritchie Isn’t Going to Be Making Another ‘Snatch’ Any Time Soon
Everything about the opening thwarts our expectations: Mordred (Rob Knighton), the traitor, appears a generation earlier as a magician (or mage) to overthrow Arthur’s father, »
- Bill Desowitz
‘Everything, Everything’ Leaves You Desiring A Little Bit More [Review]
8 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Admittedly, I’m not familiar with Nicola Yoon‘s well-received Ya novel “Everything, Everything.” Though if Stella Meghie‘s earnest, if underwhelming, sophomore feature is a proper indication, it doesn’t live up to the source material. As proven by multiple underwhelming book-to-film translations of late, whether they might be “American Pastoral” or last month’s sorely disappointing “The Circle,” there’s a fine art to proper book-to-film translations, yet even the most assured, dedicated filmmakers can miss the mark.
Continue reading ‘Everything, Everything’ Leaves You Desiring A Little Bit More [Review] at The Playlist. »
- Will Ashton
Three Days in May: San Francisco's Crossroads Festival 2017
8 hours ago | MUBI | See recent MUBI news »
Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun?May is an interesting time for a film festival. In a sense, the calendar year for cinema is starting over in May, since that’s when two major international festivals occur—Cannes and Oberhausen. Where Cannes showcases the latest work from global arthouse auteurs—your Almodóvars and von Triers and Hanekes and the like—Oberhausen specifically focuses on short films, some of them by the world’s most prominent avant-garde filmmakers. A significant portion of what screens at both Cannes and Oberhausen will set the agenda for other film festivals in the coming year, in terms of which films and filmmakers ought to be shown.San Francisco’s Crossroads happens during May as well, and this puts it in a unique position with respect to other, larger festivals. Artistic director Steve Polta is able to assemble an experimental film festival comprised of older, »
The 25 Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century, From ‘Children of Men’ to ‘Her’
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Sci-fi isn’t easily defined, but in determining the top 25 sci-fi movies of the last 17 years, we’ve done our best. No fantasy-super hero movies here; for an action, horror, or animated movie to be on this list, it needed to firmly rooted in sci-fi origins. And let’s get this out of the way: While we adore these films and consider them among the very best of the century, we decided didn’t qualify: “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Gravity,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “Holy Motors,” and “Battle Royale.”
Drum roll, please…
25. “Coherence” (2013)
With one room and $50,000, director James Ward Byrkit showed there are no limits to what’s possible in the sci-fi genre. A filmmaking lesson in activating offscreen space and building mystery into the unseen, the story centers around eight friends gathered for a dinner party when a comet swooshes overhead, kills the electricity, and opens up a portal »
- Chris O'Falt, Graham Winfrey, Kate Erbland and Zack Sharf
‘Alien: Covenant’ Soundtrack: Listen to Jed Kurzel’s Score for Ridley Scott’s New Sci-Fi Thriller
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Fans of the “Alien” franchise will finally get to see Ridley Scott’s latest installment,”Alien: Covenant,” this Friday, May 19. But before heading out to the movies, you can listen to the film’s soundtrack, by composer Jed Kurzel.
Read More: ‘Alien Covenant’ Review: Michael Fassbender Is a Creepy Delight, But It’s Mostly the Same Old Horror Show
In an interview with Dread Central, the Australian singer/composer spoke about the combination of organic and synthetic sounds present in all of the “Alien” movies. “It definitely provided a jumping off point for me,” the composer said. “When I first met Ridley, we talked a lot about these organic-sounding instruments being corrupted either by foreign sounds or from within themselves. Even within the more lush orchestral pieces there are elements suggesting a threatening presence, like breaths and pulses. Ridley was a big fan of the BBC Radiophonic show from the 60’s. »
- Yoselin Acevedo
Best Sci-Fi Movies of the 21st Century — Posters
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Whether minimalist or world-building, this art is just as dynamic as the brilliant science fiction it’s promoting.
Related storiesHulu's Best TV Shows About Women Beyond 'The Handmaid's Tale' That You Can Stream Right NowWomen Leads on TV Decline As Networks Discover White Dudes in Crisis'Lover For a Day' Review -- Philippe Garrel Looks at Love in Shades of Gray, Again -- Cannes 2017 »
- William Earl
Comedy Central’s Moshe Kasher Managed to Piss Off The Alt-Right ‘In a Hilarious, Lovely Way’ — IndieWire’s Turn It On Podcast
9 hours ago | Indiewire | See recent Indiewire news »
Last Week’S Podcast: ‘American Gods’ Producers and Stars on How A Nudity Gender Equality Mandate Led to So Much Penis — IndieWire’s Turn It On Podcast
Moshe Kasher calls himself the Phil Donahue of the Internet age. His Comedy Central series “Problematic with Moshe Kasher,” which wraps up its first season next Tuesday, follows a single topic each week that tackles something triggering outrage online. Kasher and his panelists, plus the show’s studio and online audience, find a way to take on heady subjects like Islamophobia and cultural appropriation.
Kasher is looking to have an honest dialogue, in a world that seems to thrive on the exact opposite. That first episode on cultural appropriation, for example, “was a big loud swing,” he said, and it got “people’s outrage juice flowing. The alt-right went apoplectic in a hilarious, lovely way. They lost their shit. Which was funny, the conversation is pretty balanced! »
- Michael Schneider
Discover The Anger & Fear In First Trailer For ‘Borg vs McEnroe’ Starring Shia Labeouf
9 hours ago | The Playlist | See recent The Playlist news »
Fans of vintage tennis rivalries are going to be excited by some big-screen movies making their way to theaters. We’ve already gotten a trailer for Emma Stone and Steve Carell‘s “Battle Of The Sexes,” which dramatizes the showdown between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, and now comes our first look at “Borg vs McEnroe,” which will relive the epic showdown between two tennis titans.
Continue reading Discover The Anger & Fear In First Trailer For ‘Borg vs McEnroe’ Starring Shia Labeouf at The Playlist. »
- Kevin Jagernauth
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