You might have to wait a whole hour for Kristin Scott Thomas to appear in the guise of carefree and broke aristocrat Bijou in this breezy mid-life crisis drama set in Greece, but once she arrives everything suddenly falls into place.
Two tickets to Greece, the French title from director Marc Fitoussi (Call My Agent) follows two former school best friends Magalie (Laure Calamy) and Blandine (Olivia Côte) as they reconcile decades after falling out and losing touch with one another. Despite the years, Magalie hasn’t changed one bit and is still the life and soul of any party that will have her. On the other hand, stuck up upper middle class Blandine has forgotten how to have fun.
Newly divorced and still pining for her old married life, Blandine is spurred on by her well-adjusted grown-up son, Benjamin (Alexandre Desrousseaux), to take a trip with Magalie to the...
Two tickets to Greece, the French title from director Marc Fitoussi (Call My Agent) follows two former school best friends Magalie (Laure Calamy) and Blandine (Olivia Côte) as they reconcile decades after falling out and losing touch with one another. Despite the years, Magalie hasn’t changed one bit and is still the life and soul of any party that will have her. On the other hand, stuck up upper middle class Blandine has forgotten how to have fun.
Newly divorced and still pining for her old married life, Blandine is spurred on by her well-adjusted grown-up son, Benjamin (Alexandre Desrousseaux), to take a trip with Magalie to the...
- 5/18/2024
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Even Kristin Scott Thomas can’t save this painful French comedy about two older women heading for the Greek islands for wacky fun
Marc Fitoussi, whose directing credits include work on the French TV hit Call My Agent!, has created this excruciatingly sugary French comedy of female friendship in a vacation paradise. It’s a one-note, one-joke, non-Mamma-Mia! the non-musical, with three lead performances that are borderline insufferable.
Olivia Côte plays Blandine, a straitlaced, sobersided woman whose life is miserable; she’s divorced from a man who is now marrying someone half his age and her 20-year-old son is moving out. But then she reconnects with an old schoolfriend, the wild and irrepressible Magalie (Laure Calamy) who suggests they do something they once dreamed of as kids: visit the Greek island of Amorgos, because it was featured in Luc Besson’s The Big Blue, their favourite film from those days.
Marc Fitoussi, whose directing credits include work on the French TV hit Call My Agent!, has created this excruciatingly sugary French comedy of female friendship in a vacation paradise. It’s a one-note, one-joke, non-Mamma-Mia! the non-musical, with three lead performances that are borderline insufferable.
Olivia Côte plays Blandine, a straitlaced, sobersided woman whose life is miserable; she’s divorced from a man who is now marrying someone half his age and her 20-year-old son is moving out. But then she reconnects with an old schoolfriend, the wild and irrepressible Magalie (Laure Calamy) who suggests they do something they once dreamed of as kids: visit the Greek island of Amorgos, because it was featured in Luc Besson’s The Big Blue, their favourite film from those days.
- 5/15/2024
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
In his latest podcast/interview, host and screenwriter Stuart Wright talks to filmmaker Uga Carlini about her new true-life alien abduction documentary Beyond The Light Barrier and “3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life,” which includes:
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) The Big Blue (1988) / Betty Blue aka 37°2 Le Matin (1986) Amelie (2001) Bonus choice… Love Actually (2003)
“3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life” is about those films that made you fall in love with film. The guest selects their trio of movies and we talk for 5 minutes, against the clock. When the alarm goes off for five minutes we move on to the next film.
Powered by RedCircle...
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982) The Big Blue (1988) / Betty Blue aka 37°2 Le Matin (1986) Amelie (2001) Bonus choice… Love Actually (2003)
“3 Films That Have Impacted Everything In Your Adult Life” is about those films that made you fall in love with film. The guest selects their trio of movies and we talk for 5 minutes, against the clock. When the alarm goes off for five minutes we move on to the next film.
Powered by RedCircle...
- 4/24/2024
- by Stuart Wright
- Nerdly
A judge has sided with Netflix in a legal conflict launched by a famous diver, who claimed that a movie inspired by his life falsely accused him of murder.
Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki granted Netflix’s motion to throw out the lawsuit Tuesday, finding that the diver, Pipin Ferreras, could not prove that the fictional film was about him.
“No Limit” was released on Netflix in September 2022. It tells a story “inspired by real events” of a couple, Pascal Gautier and Roxana Aubrey, who engage in free diving, plunging to extreme depths without an oxygen supply. Roxana dies on a record attempt, with the clear implication that Pascal has sabotaged her equipment.
Ferreras sued for defamation last year, alleging that the film amounted to an accusation that he had killed his wife. Audrey Mestre drowned during a free dive in 2002. Ferreras, who supervised the dive, has since faced intense criticism over his safety practices.
Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki granted Netflix’s motion to throw out the lawsuit Tuesday, finding that the diver, Pipin Ferreras, could not prove that the fictional film was about him.
“No Limit” was released on Netflix in September 2022. It tells a story “inspired by real events” of a couple, Pascal Gautier and Roxana Aubrey, who engage in free diving, plunging to extreme depths without an oxygen supply. Roxana dies on a record attempt, with the clear implication that Pascal has sabotaged her equipment.
Ferreras sued for defamation last year, alleging that the film amounted to an accusation that he had killed his wife. Audrey Mestre drowned during a free dive in 2002. Ferreras, who supervised the dive, has since faced intense criticism over his safety practices.
- 4/12/2024
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
CBS Studios and the BBC’s period drama series “King & Conqueror” has revealed additional cast members, including “The Crown’s” Luther Ford and “Game of Thrones” actor Joseph Mawle, as it begins production in Iceland.
According to its official plot description, “King & Conqueror” is “the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
Additional cast members include Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Jean-Marc Barr, Geoff Bell, Elliot Cowan,...
According to its official plot description, “King & Conqueror” is “the story of a clash that defined the future of a country – and a continent – for a thousand years, the roots of which stretch back decades and extend out through a pair of interconnected family dynasties, struggling for power across two countries and a raging sea. Harold of Wessex and William of Normandy were two men destined to meet at the Battle of Hastings in 1066; two allies with no design on the British throne, who found themselves forced by circumstance and personal obsession into a war for possession of its crown.”
Additional cast members include Eddie Marsan, Juliet Stevenson, Jean-Marc Barr, Geoff Bell, Elliot Cowan,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
"Dogs have a real sense of family. So they rally around in the bad times and form a solid united entity." Briarcliff Ent. has revealed the official US trailer for Luc Besson's movie DogMan, which first premiered last year at the 2023 Venice Film Festival. This was supposed to open earlier in 2023, then they held it for the festival premiere, and it opened in Europe quickly after. "Wherever there is an unfortunate, God sends a dog." DogMan tells the incredible story of a child – bruised by life – who will find his salvation through the love of his dogs. Caleb Landry Jones stars as its fragile yet resilient protagonist who bends societal rules as he makes his own way. The film has "an edgy, indie feel reminiscent of Besson's debut feature Subway" and his other early films like The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, & Leon. The cast also includes Christopher Denham,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Nicole Kidman and Antonio Banderas have joined the cast of A24’s erotic thriller “Babygirl.”
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” filmmaker Halina Reijn is writing and directing the movie, which examines power dynamics and sexuality in the workplace. It tells the story of a powerful CEO (Kidman) who begins an illicit affair with a much younger, charismatic intern (Harris Dickinson).
Banderas is playing the husband of Kidman’s character, while Sophie Wilde (“Talk to Me”) is portraying the assistant who watches the rendezvous go down. Jean Reno (“The Big Blue”) rounds out the cast as a rival business executive. It’s scheduled to film this December in New York.
“Babygirl” marks the second collaboration between A24 and Reijn after her 2022 satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” an indie box office winner starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott and Pete Davidson. A24 also acquired Reijn’s directorial debut, “Instinct.”
David Hinojosa of 2Am...
“Bodies Bodies Bodies” filmmaker Halina Reijn is writing and directing the movie, which examines power dynamics and sexuality in the workplace. It tells the story of a powerful CEO (Kidman) who begins an illicit affair with a much younger, charismatic intern (Harris Dickinson).
Banderas is playing the husband of Kidman’s character, while Sophie Wilde (“Talk to Me”) is portraying the assistant who watches the rendezvous go down. Jean Reno (“The Big Blue”) rounds out the cast as a rival business executive. It’s scheduled to film this December in New York.
“Babygirl” marks the second collaboration between A24 and Reijn after her 2022 satirical slasher “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” an indie box office winner starring Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott and Pete Davidson. A24 also acquired Reijn’s directorial debut, “Instinct.”
David Hinojosa of 2Am...
- 11/21/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Luc Besson's "The Fifth Element" might be the daffiest Hollywood sci-fi flick ever made (at least until Besson made the even daffier "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" 20 years later). The film had movie-star insurance in Bruce Willis, and the trailers promised a surfeit of futuristic eye candy, but what exactly was this zany-looking movie about?
The film may be visually cluttered, but its premise is fairly simple. Every 5,000 years, a force of tremendous evil emerges out of space and tries to destroy Earth. Fortunately, an alien race known as the Mondoshawns and a clandestine religious order are in possession of the only weapon that can repel this evil. This weapon consists of four stones which represent the five classical elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and Philip Bailey. Actually, the fifth element is a humanoid named Leelo, and, as embodied by Milla Jovovich, she is a lethal warrior,...
The film may be visually cluttered, but its premise is fairly simple. Every 5,000 years, a force of tremendous evil emerges out of space and tries to destroy Earth. Fortunately, an alien race known as the Mondoshawns and a clandestine religious order are in possession of the only weapon that can repel this evil. This weapon consists of four stones which represent the five classical elements of earth, wind, fire, water, and Philip Bailey. Actually, the fifth element is a humanoid named Leelo, and, as embodied by Milla Jovovich, she is a lethal warrior,...
- 9/20/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Release the hounds!! One of my favorite films from the first half of the 2023 Venice Film Festival so far is DogMan, the latest original film from French filmmaker Luc Besson. After initially being planned for release earlier in the year, buzz from buyers at the EFM in early 2023 made them hold it until the fall. Now it's playing in the Main Competition in Venice, with a release set for the fall. It's worth the wait! DogMan is a triumphant vengeance movie with a traditional narrative structure that provides just the right amount of entertainment value. It's a tad cheesy, doesn't try to reinvent or rethink anything, yet it is an engaging story of a boy who grows up to become a vigilante. Of course, as a dog lover, I usually love every movie involving dogs - and this is a major one. There are so many dogs in it, so...
- 8/31/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Filmmaker attends Venice with first film since 2019’s ’Anna’
Luc Besson returned to the public spotlight in Venice today at a press conference for Dogman, his first film since 2019 action thriller Anna and first public appearance since he was cleared of a rape accusation in June by a French court.
The director and the film team were greeted by loud applause from journalists on arrival in the press conference room at Venice.
Besson himself became emotional when thanking his actors and his producer and wife Virginie Besson-Silla, and appeared to be holding back tears.
A journalist asking a question to...
Luc Besson returned to the public spotlight in Venice today at a press conference for Dogman, his first film since 2019 action thriller Anna and first public appearance since he was cleared of a rape accusation in June by a French court.
The director and the film team were greeted by loud applause from journalists on arrival in the press conference room at Venice.
Besson himself became emotional when thanking his actors and his producer and wife Virginie Besson-Silla, and appeared to be holding back tears.
A journalist asking a question to...
- 8/31/2023
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Luc Besson, the onetime A-list director who rose to the top of the box office with his kinetic action films, had his career derailed by rape allegations leveled against him in 2018 by Sand Van Roy, an actress on his film “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets.” The ensuing legal battle consumed five years of Besson’s life, but after being cleared last June of all charges by the Cour de Cassation, the French equivalent to the Supreme Court, he’s re-emerging at this year’s Venice Film Festival with the indie drama “Dogman.”
But will the industry work with Besson? That’s one of the questions that we discuss during a lengthy interview at the Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris on the eve of his big premiere. Besson is evasive about the matter, preferring to talk up his latest effort, the story of a bruised man who faces...
But will the industry work with Besson? That’s one of the questions that we discuss during a lengthy interview at the Plaza Athénée Hotel in Paris on the eve of his big premiere. Besson is evasive about the matter, preferring to talk up his latest effort, the story of a bruised man who faces...
- 8/31/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
With the Netflix documentary The Deepest Breath wowing audiences, the activity is having its biggest cultural moment since Luc Besson’s film The Big Blue. But if freediving wants to break into the mainstream like surfing once did, it has some questions to answer
Unlike the lithe, wetsuited mermen and women in The Deepest Breath, the newly released documentary, frustration was the main note of my first experience of freediving at sea. It was another eternal Mediterranean morning and – in a region off the coast of France near Montpellier where the sediment from the Rhône often clouds the waters – there was even a little visibility down below.
But try as I might, I couldn’t get beyond the surface water to break into the big blue below. As soon as I descended more than five or six metres, I was no longer able to blow air through to my left...
Unlike the lithe, wetsuited mermen and women in The Deepest Breath, the newly released documentary, frustration was the main note of my first experience of freediving at sea. It was another eternal Mediterranean morning and – in a region off the coast of France near Montpellier where the sediment from the Rhône often clouds the waters – there was even a little visibility down below.
But try as I might, I couldn’t get beyond the surface water to break into the big blue below. As soon as I descended more than five or six metres, I was no longer able to blow air through to my left...
- 8/2/2023
- by Phil Hoad
- The Guardian - Film News
"Think about the Mammalian Diving Reflex and what it does for you." Netflix released a 7-min featurette looking at "The Science of Freediving," considered one of the most dangerous sports on Earth. It's just a promotion for the doc film The Deepest Breath, but it's worth sharing - especially because it's another opportunity to talk about how amazing this documentary is. I have been recommending The Deepest Breath ever since it premiered at Sundance (here's my full review), as I was completely blown away by it and moved to tears by my emotions while watching it with a crowd at the festival. It's now playing on Netflix. The film focuses on two of the world's best free divers - people who dive down as deep as they can simply by holding their breath (also see: The Big Blue). As Italian champion Alessia Zecchini trains to break a free diving record...
- 7/27/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A couple weeks ago, we got our hands on the trailer for Dogman, the latest film from Luc Besson – whose previous credits include The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Family, Lucy, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Besson’s most recent film was the 2019 assassin thriller Anna. Dogman will be having its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival (which is set to run from August 30th through September 9th), and is set to receive a theatrical release in France on September 27th. With those dates drawing near, a poster for the film has arrived online, and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.
Dogman is described as being the incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who finds his salvation through the love of his dogs. According to Deadline, the Dogman himself is...
Dogman is described as being the incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who finds his salvation through the love of his dogs. According to Deadline, the Dogman himself is...
- 7/26/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
"As far as I can tell, they only have one flaw: they trust humans." EuropaCorp has revealed the trailer for Luc Besson's new film DogMan, which is set to debut later this year at the fall film festivals. Apparently this was supposed to open in France in April but they delayed it because reactions from the EFM at Berlinale were great. "Wherever there is an unfortunate, God sends a dog." –Lamartine. DogMan tells the incredible story of a child – bruised by life – who will find his salvation through the love of his dogs. Caleb Landry Jones stars as its fragile yet resilient protagonist who bends societal rules as he makes his own way. The film is said to have "an edgy, indie feel reminiscent of Besson's debut feature Subway" and his other early films like The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, and Leon. The cast includes Christopher Denham, Marisa Berenson,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A trailer has just been unveiled for Dogman, the latest film from Luc Besson – whose previous credits include The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita, Leon: The Professional, The Fifth Element, The Family, Lucy, and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Besson’s most recent film was the 2019 assassin thriller Anna. Dogman is expected to make its world premiere on the festival circuit this fall, and you can watch its trailer in the embed above.
According to Deadline, Dogman is described as being the incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who finds his salvation through the love of his dogs. The Dogman himself is said to be “a fragile yet resilient protagonist who bends societal rules as he makes his own way.”
Caleb Landry Jones of Nitram, Get Out, and American Made plays the lead character – and for most of the trailer, it looks like Dogman is...
According to Deadline, Dogman is described as being the incredible story of a child, bruised by life, who finds his salvation through the love of his dogs. The Dogman himself is said to be “a fragile yet resilient protagonist who bends societal rules as he makes his own way.”
Caleb Landry Jones of Nitram, Get Out, and American Made plays the lead character – and for most of the trailer, it looks like Dogman is...
- 7/10/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
"She wanted to be better than the best freediver ever." Netflix has revealed the trailer for a documentary film titled The Deepest Breath, one of the best docs I've seen this year so far. This premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where I first saw it - here is my review, and it also played at Cph:dox, Hot Docs, and the San Francisco Film Festival. The thrilling rewards and inescapable risks of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean. The film focuses on two of the world's best free divers - people who dive down as deep as they can simply by holding their breath (also see: Luc Besson's The Big Blue). As Italian champion Alessia Zecchini trains to break a world free diving record with expert safety diver Stephen Keenan's help, the two form a strong emotional bond. The film documents how they got into the sport,...
- 6/20/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Luc Besson’s ”Dogman,” starring Caleb Landry Jones, wowed buyers at the Berlin’s European Film Market, where it was screened for select buyers.
“We hosted only one private screening of the completed film and buyers were stunned, they all came out saying that it was Luc Besson’s best film to date, his most mature movie and some even called it a masterpiece,” said Gregoire Melin, founder of Kinology, which is handling sales on the film.
On the heels of the screening, Kinology closed deals with some of the biggest distributors in key international territories, including Italy (Lucky Red), Germany and Austria (Capelight Pictures), Spain and Latin America (Sun Distribution Group), Scandinavia (Svensk Filmindustri), Benelux (Belga Films), Switzerland (Elite Film), Middle East (Front Row), Poland (Monolith), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aqs) and former Yugoslavia (Blitz).
Kinology is in active talks to close deals for the U.
“We hosted only one private screening of the completed film and buyers were stunned, they all came out saying that it was Luc Besson’s best film to date, his most mature movie and some even called it a masterpiece,” said Gregoire Melin, founder of Kinology, which is handling sales on the film.
On the heels of the screening, Kinology closed deals with some of the biggest distributors in key international territories, including Italy (Lucky Red), Germany and Austria (Capelight Pictures), Spain and Latin America (Sun Distribution Group), Scandinavia (Svensk Filmindustri), Benelux (Belga Films), Switzerland (Elite Film), Middle East (Front Row), Poland (Monolith), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aqs) and former Yugoslavia (Blitz).
Kinology is in active talks to close deals for the U.
- 2/19/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
After winning best actor at Cannes with Justin Kurzel’s “Nitram,” Caleb Landry Jones is poised to gain further international recognition with another towering and intense performance in “DogMan.”
The anticipated movie, which is now in post and will mark Luc Besson’s directorial comeback after his 2019 film “Lucy,” was teased with a trailer at a private exhibition event in Paris, at the Grand Rex theater, on Jan. 24.
Introduced on stage by Besson, the trailer delivers a glimpse at the movie’s emotionally charged scenes with Landry Jones filling nearly every frame. The Texas-born musician and actor stars as Douglas, a man who was abused as a child by his violent father and viciously thrown to dogs. Instead of attacking him, the dogs came to protect him and became his allies in life. On a journey to heal from childhood trauma and physical injury, Douglas seeks to find his own path,...
The anticipated movie, which is now in post and will mark Luc Besson’s directorial comeback after his 2019 film “Lucy,” was teased with a trailer at a private exhibition event in Paris, at the Grand Rex theater, on Jan. 24.
Introduced on stage by Besson, the trailer delivers a glimpse at the movie’s emotionally charged scenes with Landry Jones filling nearly every frame. The Texas-born musician and actor stars as Douglas, a man who was abused as a child by his violent father and viciously thrown to dogs. Instead of attacking him, the dogs came to protect him and became his allies in life. On a journey to heal from childhood trauma and physical injury, Douglas seeks to find his own path,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Polish filmmaker Aga Woszczyńska – together with co-writer Piotr Litwin – started to work on the script of her first feature film “Silent Land” in 2016, and notes that since then, her film – which centers on the world’s response to migrants – has sadly become even more timely.
Set in Italy, the slow-burning drama sees a couple whose summer holiday goes terribly wrong when Rahim (Ibrahim Keshk), an illegal immigrant hired to fix the pool in the house they paid for, suddenly dies. But Woszczyńska views her film as a humanistic rather than a political statement.
“I don’t want to blame just Italy, but the whole of Europe. The whole world, which stays silent,” she tells Variety.
“When Afghanistan desperately needs our help, we are closing our eyes and our borders – just like [my characters] Adam and Anna. What is currently happening, the whole situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, it’s something worse than barbarism,...
Set in Italy, the slow-burning drama sees a couple whose summer holiday goes terribly wrong when Rahim (Ibrahim Keshk), an illegal immigrant hired to fix the pool in the house they paid for, suddenly dies. But Woszczyńska views her film as a humanistic rather than a political statement.
“I don’t want to blame just Italy, but the whole of Europe. The whole world, which stays silent,” she tells Variety.
“When Afghanistan desperately needs our help, we are closing our eyes and our borders – just like [my characters] Adam and Anna. What is currently happening, the whole situation on the Polish-Belarusian border, it’s something worse than barbarism,...
- 9/22/2021
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Warner Garland, a Hollywood screenwriter and producer who wrote “No Way Out” and “The Electric Horseman,” died on Saturday in Baltimore, Md., due to complications from dementia, according to his son. He was 83.
Garland was born on May 1, 1937, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and attended St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. One of his first jobs in the industry was as a talent coordinator for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1969, and he soon became a writer and helped prepare Carson’s nightly monologues.
In addition to “The Tonight Show,” Garland also wrote for several sitcoms, such as “That Girl,” “The Bill Cosby Show,” “Love American Style,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Sanford and Son.”
In the film industry, he wrote the 1979 film “The Electric Horseman,” directed by Sidney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. The film was a box office success, earning $62 million from a...
Garland was born on May 1, 1937, in Brooklyn, N.Y., and attended St. John’s College in Annapolis, Md. One of his first jobs in the industry was as a talent coordinator for “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1969, and he soon became a writer and helped prepare Carson’s nightly monologues.
In addition to “The Tonight Show,” Garland also wrote for several sitcoms, such as “That Girl,” “The Bill Cosby Show,” “Love American Style,” “The Bob Newhart Show” and “Sanford and Son.”
In the film industry, he wrote the 1979 film “The Electric Horseman,” directed by Sidney Pollack and starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda. The film was a box office success, earning $62 million from a...
- 11/23/2020
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Robert Garland, a Hollywood screenwriter who began his career writing episodes of such popular sitcoms as That Girl and Sanford and Son before going on to pen the big-screen hits The Electric Horseman and No Way Out, died Nov. 21 in Baltimore. He was 83.
His son, Michael Garland, said the cause of death was complications from dementia.
Born in Brooklyn, Garland got his first job in television as a talent coordinator for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1969, when the program was based in New York. He quickly rose to writer status and helped prepare Carson’s nightly monologues.
Throughout the early 1970s, Garland wrote scripts for That Girl; The Bill Cosby Show; Love, American Style; The Bob Newhart Show;and Sanford and Son.
In 1979, Garland wrote the screenplay for The Electric Horseman, starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. A year later, he was a writer on Steve Martin’s...
His son, Michael Garland, said the cause of death was complications from dementia.
Born in Brooklyn, Garland got his first job in television as a talent coordinator for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1969, when the program was based in New York. He quickly rose to writer status and helped prepare Carson’s nightly monologues.
Throughout the early 1970s, Garland wrote scripts for That Girl; The Bill Cosby Show; Love, American Style; The Bob Newhart Show;and Sanford and Son.
In 1979, Garland wrote the screenplay for The Electric Horseman, starring Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. A year later, he was a writer on Steve Martin’s...
- 11/23/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Garland, who wrote the features No Way Out, The Electric Horseman and The Big Blue, died Saturday in Baltimore of complications from dementia, his son announced. He was 83.
Early in his career, Garland wrote episodes of such 1970s comedies as That Girl, The Bill Cosby Show, Love American Style, The Bob Newhart Show and Sanford and Son.
Garland collaborated with director Sydney Pollack on The Electric Horseman (1979), starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and on Tootsie (1982), on which he served as an uncredited writer. He worked without credit on Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman (1990) as well.
Garland also produced No Way Out (1987), starring Kevin Costner. The ...
Early in his career, Garland wrote episodes of such 1970s comedies as That Girl, The Bill Cosby Show, Love American Style, The Bob Newhart Show and Sanford and Son.
Garland collaborated with director Sydney Pollack on The Electric Horseman (1979), starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and on Tootsie (1982), on which he served as an uncredited writer. He worked without credit on Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman (1990) as well.
Garland also produced No Way Out (1987), starring Kevin Costner. The ...
- 11/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Robert Garland, who wrote the features No Way Out, The Electric Horseman and The Big Blue, died Saturday in Baltimore of complications from dementia, his son announced. He was 83.
Early in his career, Garland wrote episodes of such 1970s comedies as That Girl, The Bill Cosby Show, Love American Style, The Bob Newhart Show and Sanford and Son.
Garland collaborated with director Sydney Pollack on The Electric Horseman (1979), starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and on Tootsie (1982), on which he served as an uncredited writer. He worked without credit on Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman (1990) as well.
Garland also produced No Way Out (1987), starring Kevin Costner. The ...
Early in his career, Garland wrote episodes of such 1970s comedies as That Girl, The Bill Cosby Show, Love American Style, The Bob Newhart Show and Sanford and Son.
Garland collaborated with director Sydney Pollack on The Electric Horseman (1979), starring Robert Redford and Jane Fonda, and on Tootsie (1982), on which he served as an uncredited writer. He worked without credit on Garry Marshall’s Pretty Woman (1990) as well.
Garland also produced No Way Out (1987), starring Kevin Costner. The ...
- 11/23/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gaumont has signed a five-year deal with the international aggregator Under The Milky Way to handle the digital distribution of Gaumont’s new releases and library titles on transactional VOD services.
Under the pact, Under The Milky Way will handle the distribution of Gaummont’s movie across global platforms such as Apple, Google, Amazon, iTunes, and Sony, as well as local services outside of France.
“Gaumont was one of the first studios to believe in Under The Milky Way back in 2013, and we are now thrilled and proud that Gaumont of renewing their trust through this major deal,” said Jérôme Chung, the co-founder of Under The Milky Way.
“Under The Milky Way currently oversees international operations in key regions such as North and Latin America, Asia, and of course Europe. It is fully ready to ensure a successful handling of this mission,” said Chung.
Founded a decade ago, Under The...
Under the pact, Under The Milky Way will handle the distribution of Gaummont’s movie across global platforms such as Apple, Google, Amazon, iTunes, and Sony, as well as local services outside of France.
“Gaumont was one of the first studios to believe in Under The Milky Way back in 2013, and we are now thrilled and proud that Gaumont of renewing their trust through this major deal,” said Jérôme Chung, the co-founder of Under The Milky Way.
“Under The Milky Way currently oversees international operations in key regions such as North and Latin America, Asia, and of course Europe. It is fully ready to ensure a successful handling of this mission,” said Chung.
Founded a decade ago, Under The...
- 10/13/2020
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Paris — “Narcos” showrunner Chris Brancato and “Godfather of Harlem” star Giancarlo Esposito, actors Carole Bouquet and Zabou Breitman, and the cast and crew behind the Canal Plus series “The Bureau” will be among the many guest of honor at this year’s Series Mania, which will kick off its 11th edition on March 20.
Returning to the north-eastern French city of Lille, Series Mania will once again offer a broad cross-section of international scripted dramas, with a selection culled from 25 different countries including Chile, Peru, Niger, Senegal and South Korea, alongside high profile productions from the U.S., the U.K. and France.
Among the 38 productions world premiering in Lille, the BBC/Tvnz literary adaption “The Luminaries,” with Eva Green, will play as opening series while the closer remains unannounced.
Once again, Netflix makes a strong showing this year. Beyond bringing the cast and crew of their Paris-set drama “The Eddy,...
Returning to the north-eastern French city of Lille, Series Mania will once again offer a broad cross-section of international scripted dramas, with a selection culled from 25 different countries including Chile, Peru, Niger, Senegal and South Korea, alongside high profile productions from the U.S., the U.K. and France.
Among the 38 productions world premiering in Lille, the BBC/Tvnz literary adaption “The Luminaries,” with Eva Green, will play as opening series while the closer remains unannounced.
Once again, Netflix makes a strong showing this year. Beyond bringing the cast and crew of their Paris-set drama “The Eddy,...
- 2/19/2020
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Andrew Horn, the music documentary filmmaker for We Are Twisted F**king Sister, the story of the world’s greatest bar band and its struggle to reach the big time, has died. He was 66 years old and passed from cancer in Berlin, according to friend Rebecca Lieb.
Horn wrote, directed and produced the 2014 documentary about Twisted Sister, a band that dominated the New York/New Jersey metropolitan clubs, but couldn’t get signed by a major record label. Its unique combination of hard rock and visual spectacle finally broke through in the heavy metal era of the 1980s, the band releasing the multi-platinum Stay Hungry on Atlantic Records. The album was fueled by its MTV video for the anthemic song, We’re Not Gonna Take It..
Horn was born in New York in Sept.1952 and graduated from the New York University School of the Arts. He made the 2004 film The Nomi Song,...
Horn wrote, directed and produced the 2014 documentary about Twisted Sister, a band that dominated the New York/New Jersey metropolitan clubs, but couldn’t get signed by a major record label. Its unique combination of hard rock and visual spectacle finally broke through in the heavy metal era of the 1980s, the band releasing the multi-platinum Stay Hungry on Atlantic Records. The album was fueled by its MTV video for the anthemic song, We’re Not Gonna Take It..
Horn was born in New York in Sept.1952 and graduated from the New York University School of the Arts. He made the 2004 film The Nomi Song,...
- 8/31/2019
- by Bruce Haring and Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Andrew Horn, a filmmaker and writer for publications including Variety, died of cancer Aug. 24 in Berlin. He was 66.
Horn directed the 2004 documentary “The Nomi Song,” about the avant-garde German musician Klaus Nomi, who died from AIDS in 1983. In 2014, he released the documentary “We Are Twisted F–king Sister!” about the popular heavy metal band of the 1970s and ’80s. At the time of his death, he was working on a film about Robert Wilson and his experimental performance company Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds.
Horn wrote for publications including Variety, Moving Pictures and Screen International. He also wrote for German television and was an Emmy-winning film researcher for projects for BBC, Zdf, Arte, Channel 4, PBS, HBO, the Paul Robeson Foundation, Michael Moore and Spike Lee.
Born in New York, Horn graduated NYU and moved to Berlin in 1989 for the Daad Berlin Artist Exchange fellowship program. His other films include...
Horn directed the 2004 documentary “The Nomi Song,” about the avant-garde German musician Klaus Nomi, who died from AIDS in 1983. In 2014, he released the documentary “We Are Twisted F–king Sister!” about the popular heavy metal band of the 1970s and ’80s. At the time of his death, he was working on a film about Robert Wilson and his experimental performance company Byrd Hoffman School of Byrds.
Horn wrote for publications including Variety, Moving Pictures and Screen International. He also wrote for German television and was an Emmy-winning film researcher for projects for BBC, Zdf, Arte, Channel 4, PBS, HBO, the Paul Robeson Foundation, Michael Moore and Spike Lee.
Born in New York, Horn graduated NYU and moved to Berlin in 1989 for the Daad Berlin Artist Exchange fellowship program. His other films include...
- 8/30/2019
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Andrew Horn, an independent filmmaker who wrote, directed and produced a 2014 documentary about Long Island club legends Twisted Sister, died Saturday of cancer in Berlin, his friend Rebecca Lieb announced. He was 66.
Horn also was behind the features Doomed Love (1984) and The Big Blue (1988) and the documentaries East Side Story (1997) and The Nomi Song (2004) — a profile of the androgynously operatic underground performer Klaus Nomi — all of which premiered or screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
We Are Twisted Fucking Sister! tells the tale of the fun-loving heavy metal band that, led ...
Horn also was behind the features Doomed Love (1984) and The Big Blue (1988) and the documentaries East Side Story (1997) and The Nomi Song (2004) — a profile of the androgynously operatic underground performer Klaus Nomi — all of which premiered or screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
We Are Twisted Fucking Sister! tells the tale of the fun-loving heavy metal band that, led ...
- 8/30/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Andrew Horn, an independent filmmaker who wrote, directed and produced a 2014 documentary about Long Island club legends Twisted Sister, died Saturday of cancer in Berlin, his friend Rebecca Lieb announced. He was 66.
Horn also was behind the features Doomed Love (1984) and The Big Blue (1988) and the documentaries East Side Story (1997) and The Nomi Song (2004) — a profile of the androgynously operatic underground performer Klaus Nomi — all of which premiered or screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
We Are Twisted Fucking Sister! tells the tale of the fun-loving heavy metal band that, led ...
Horn also was behind the features Doomed Love (1984) and The Big Blue (1988) and the documentaries East Side Story (1997) and The Nomi Song (2004) — a profile of the androgynously operatic underground performer Klaus Nomi — all of which premiered or screened at the Berlin Film Festival.
We Are Twisted Fucking Sister! tells the tale of the fun-loving heavy metal band that, led ...
- 8/30/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Updated with EuropaCorp statement: Luc Besson’s embattled EuropaCorp has responded to a report in French weekly, Le Journal du Dimanche, which said on Sunday the studio was entering a deal that would see NY-based Vine Alternative Investments come to its rescue. In a statement provided to Deadline, Europa confirmed discussions “with several financial partners including the group Vine, as part of the restructuring of its debt and the strengthening of its financial capacity.”
Vine, Europa said, “has expressed interest in a potential stake in the capital of the company” and talks are ongoing. As of March 31, EuropaCorp’s net debt stood at $181M. In May, the company was granted a six-month debt waiver to give it time to balance the books. Vine would be expected to convert Europa’s debt into capital shares.
A rescue deal between Europa and Vine was reportedly hatched on July 3 in the office of the French judicial administrator.
Vine, Europa said, “has expressed interest in a potential stake in the capital of the company” and talks are ongoing. As of March 31, EuropaCorp’s net debt stood at $181M. In May, the company was granted a six-month debt waiver to give it time to balance the books. Vine would be expected to convert Europa’s debt into capital shares.
A rescue deal between Europa and Vine was reportedly hatched on July 3 in the office of the French judicial administrator.
- 7/14/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinema Epoch has taken the U.S. rights to “Cellar,” the Igor Voloshin movie that stars French-American actor Jean Marc Barr. Starline recently boarded sales on the Slovak-language picture.
In the film, Barr (“The Big Blue”) plays a jobbing rock musician. His marriage and life are put to the test as he has to decide whether to take the law into his own hands when his teenage daughter goes missing after heading to an all-night rave.
It is unusual for the first deal to be for the U.S. with a non-English-language title, but Cinema Epoch has a new Cinema Epoch Classics label for international cinema and has stepped up.
Cinema Epoch will launch “Cellar” on Amazon Prime in November followed by a cable and VOD rollout in January. “Jean Marc Barr brings a very calculated and intense performance in Voloshin’s strikingly photographed and edge of your seat directed thriller,...
In the film, Barr (“The Big Blue”) plays a jobbing rock musician. His marriage and life are put to the test as he has to decide whether to take the law into his own hands when his teenage daughter goes missing after heading to an all-night rave.
It is unusual for the first deal to be for the U.S. with a non-English-language title, but Cinema Epoch has a new Cinema Epoch Classics label for international cinema and has stepped up.
Cinema Epoch will launch “Cellar” on Amazon Prime in November followed by a cable and VOD rollout in January. “Jean Marc Barr brings a very calculated and intense performance in Voloshin’s strikingly photographed and edge of your seat directed thriller,...
- 11/3/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Starline has taken international rights to “The Cellar,” the crime thriller from Russian filmmaker Igor Voloshin (“Bedouin”).
The picture is a three-way co-production between Slovakia’s Furia Film, Russia’s Gate Film, and the Czech Republic’s 8Heads Production. It was largely filmed in the Slovak Republic, where it will be released this week through Italfilm.
“The Cellar” stars French-American actor Jean-Marc Barr (“The Big Blue”) as a jobbing musician in a failing marriage who decides to take the law into his own hands when his teenage daughter goes missing. Voloshin regular Olga Simonova (“Bedouin”) stars alongside Barr, with Milan Ondrik (“Eva Nova”), John Robinson (“Elephant”) and newcomers Simoneta Hladka and Dalibor Stofan providing support.
U.K.-based sales outfit Starline has been building a lineup of world cinema titles that sit alongside its roster of feature documentaries. It recently acquired Tom Collins’ Irish-language period drama “Penance.”
Starline’s director...
The picture is a three-way co-production between Slovakia’s Furia Film, Russia’s Gate Film, and the Czech Republic’s 8Heads Production. It was largely filmed in the Slovak Republic, where it will be released this week through Italfilm.
“The Cellar” stars French-American actor Jean-Marc Barr (“The Big Blue”) as a jobbing musician in a failing marriage who decides to take the law into his own hands when his teenage daughter goes missing. Voloshin regular Olga Simonova (“Bedouin”) stars alongside Barr, with Milan Ondrik (“Eva Nova”), John Robinson (“Elephant”) and newcomers Simoneta Hladka and Dalibor Stofan providing support.
U.K.-based sales outfit Starline has been building a lineup of world cinema titles that sit alongside its roster of feature documentaries. It recently acquired Tom Collins’ Irish-language period drama “Penance.”
Starline’s director...
- 9/26/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
A newly restored 4K digital print of István Szabó’s Oscar-winning “Mephisto” will be among the European classics screening as part of the 2nd Budapest Classics Film Marathon, which runs Sept. 4-9. Claudia Cardinale, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Jean-Marc Barr will be among the event’s guests.
The first Marathon ran in November 2017, attracting more than 5,000 people over three days. This year’s edition, which runs over six days and includes the screening of more than 60 films, kicks off with an all-day workshop and conference on digital restoration and film in education, attended by the directors of European film archives. The restored “Mephisto” will screen on the opening evening, attended by Szabó, Brandauer and Lajos Koltai.
György Ráduly, director of the Hungarian National Film Archive, said in a statement: “The aim is to show, in a novel and interesting way, valuable, recently restored classical films that represent a part of...
The first Marathon ran in November 2017, attracting more than 5,000 people over three days. This year’s edition, which runs over six days and includes the screening of more than 60 films, kicks off with an all-day workshop and conference on digital restoration and film in education, attended by the directors of European film archives. The restored “Mephisto” will screen on the opening evening, attended by Szabó, Brandauer and Lajos Koltai.
György Ráduly, director of the Hungarian National Film Archive, said in a statement: “The aim is to show, in a novel and interesting way, valuable, recently restored classical films that represent a part of...
- 8/13/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Now in its 12th year, the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival ended its 12th run on Sunday evening with Orpheus Awards handed out in several categories, plus an honorary Orpheus for Greek-American actor George Chakiris, who won the Oscar for best supporting actor Academy Award in 1961’s “West Side Story.” His costar, Rita Moreno, who scored a best supporting actress Oscar for the same film, presented Chakiris with his trophy.
The ceremony was held at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater, capping a week of screenings, seminars and social events. Stand-up comedian Anthony Steven Kalloniatis, aka Ant, opened the event, and network warm-up host Chuck Dukas served as Mc.
Historical drama “Polyxeni,” directed by Dora Masclavanou, a tale of orphan girl from Istanbul unaware of the devious plan others are weaving behind her back, won the Orpheus Award for best fiction feature film. Katia Goulioni (pictured above in a scene from the...
The ceremony was held at Hollywood’s Egyptian Theater, capping a week of screenings, seminars and social events. Stand-up comedian Anthony Steven Kalloniatis, aka Ant, opened the event, and network warm-up host Chuck Dukas served as Mc.
Historical drama “Polyxeni,” directed by Dora Masclavanou, a tale of orphan girl from Istanbul unaware of the devious plan others are weaving behind her back, won the Orpheus Award for best fiction feature film. Katia Goulioni (pictured above in a scene from the...
- 6/11/2018
- by Peter Caranicas
- Variety Film + TV
Despite Netflix removing all of its films from the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Orson Welles will still be represented on the Croisette next month. The festival has announced the official lineup for this year’s Cannes Classics sidebar, and included on the list is the FilmStruck-produced documentary “The Eyes of Orson Welles,” from British documentarian Mark Cousin.
Netflix had originally been set to bring Welles’ unfinished film, “The Other Side of the Wind,” to the festival’s Out of Competition section, but the streaming giant announced it would not be attending the festival in any capacity after Cannes reinstated a rule preventing films without French theatrical distribution from competing for the Palme d’Or. The rule would not have affected “The Other Side of the Wind,” but Netflix wasn’t going to make an exception.
“The Eyes of Orson Welles” includes access to a lifetime of private drawings and paintings by Welles,...
Netflix had originally been set to bring Welles’ unfinished film, “The Other Side of the Wind,” to the festival’s Out of Competition section, but the streaming giant announced it would not be attending the festival in any capacity after Cannes reinstated a rule preventing films without French theatrical distribution from competing for the Palme d’Or. The rule would not have affected “The Other Side of the Wind,” but Netflix wasn’t going to make an exception.
“The Eyes of Orson Welles” includes access to a lifetime of private drawings and paintings by Welles,...
- 4/23/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Orson Welles will be featured at next month’s Cannes Film Festival. It still won’t be via his previously unfinished The Other Side Of The Wind, which recently got caught in the scrum between the festival and Netflix. Rather, Welles will be represented in The Eyes Of Orson Welles, a new documentary from Mark Cousins that’s part of the Cannes Classics selection.
The festival today unveiled its full roster for the Classics sidebar which includes tributes and documentaries about film and filmmakers, and restorations presented by producers, distributors, foundations, cinemathèques and rights holders. Among the attendees this year are Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda, Christopher Nolan and John Travolta.
The Eyes Of Orson Welles is a journey through the filmmaker’s visual process. Thanks to Welles’ daughter Beatrice, Cousins (The Story Of Film) was granted access to never-before-seen drawings, paintings and early works that form a sketchbook from his life.
The festival today unveiled its full roster for the Classics sidebar which includes tributes and documentaries about film and filmmakers, and restorations presented by producers, distributors, foundations, cinemathèques and rights holders. Among the attendees this year are Martin Scorsese, Jane Fonda, Christopher Nolan and John Travolta.
The Eyes Of Orson Welles is a journey through the filmmaker’s visual process. Thanks to Welles’ daughter Beatrice, Cousins (The Story Of Film) was granted access to never-before-seen drawings, paintings and early works that form a sketchbook from his life.
- 4/23/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Miami Dade College’s (Mdc) Miami Film Festival (Mff) is importing film artists Jean-Marc Barr and Mateo Gil to accompany two Marquee events at the international festival’s upcoming 35th anniversary edition (March 9 – 18). The Miami Film Festival, under director Jaie Laplante, showcases Ibero-American cinema — and rising talent –and provides a North American launch pad for new international and documentary films.
In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres, and attracted more than 60,000 attendees, including 400 filmmakers and industry professionals.
The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings along with in-depth conversations with contemporary film personalities. Spanish filmmaker Mateo Gil will present the World premiere of his latest film, “The Laws of Thermodynamics” (“Las leyes de la termodinámica”), a romantic comedy starring Vito Sanz (“Maria (and the Others)”) as a Sciences graduate student who blames his disastrous...
In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres, and attracted more than 60,000 attendees, including 400 filmmakers and industry professionals.
The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings along with in-depth conversations with contemporary film personalities. Spanish filmmaker Mateo Gil will present the World premiere of his latest film, “The Laws of Thermodynamics” (“Las leyes de la termodinámica”), a romantic comedy starring Vito Sanz (“Maria (and the Others)”) as a Sciences graduate student who blames his disastrous...
- 1/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Miami Dade College’s (Mdc) Miami Film Festival (Mff) is importing film artists Jean-Marc Barr and Mateo Gil to accompany two Marquee events at the international festival’s upcoming 35th anniversary edition (March 9 – 18). The Miami Film Festival, under director Jaie Laplante, showcases Ibero-American cinema — and rising talent –and provides a North American launch pad for new international and documentary films.
In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres, and attracted more than 60,000 attendees, including 400 filmmakers and industry professionals.
The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings along with in-depth conversations with contemporary film personalities. Spanish filmmaker Mateo Gil will present the World premiere of his latest film, “The Laws of Thermodynamics” (“Las leyes de la termodinámica”), a romantic comedy starring Vito Sanz (“Maria (and the Others)”) as a Sciences graduate student who blames his disastrous...
In the last five years, the Festival has screened films from more than 60 countries, including 300 World, International, North American, U.S. and East Coast Premieres, and attracted more than 60,000 attendees, including 400 filmmakers and industry professionals.
The Festival’s Marquee series features screenings along with in-depth conversations with contemporary film personalities. Spanish filmmaker Mateo Gil will present the World premiere of his latest film, “The Laws of Thermodynamics” (“Las leyes de la termodinámica”), a romantic comedy starring Vito Sanz (“Maria (and the Others)”) as a Sciences graduate student who blames his disastrous...
- 1/17/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Confession: There are times when I've been loyally in Luc Besson's corner – the visual splendor of Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) and La Femme Nikita (1990) established him as a master of what the French call Cinéma du Look. And 1994's The Professional – with Jean Reno teaching the assassin's game to a very young Natalie Portman – went deeper, blending style with a nurturing sense of humanity. Plus, there's a lot to be said in favor of both his sci-fi extravaganza The Fifth Element (1997) and last year's next-level ScarJo-evolution whatsit Lucy.
- 7/19/2017
- Rollingstone.com
From the start, French film culture told Luc Besson where he stood: He’s too American and too commercial to be taken seriously. That messaging began when he was 17-year-old applicant at the National School for Cinema.
Read More: ‘Valerian’: Luc Besson Reveals Why Americans Resist Bold Cinema
“The interview was 30 seconds long, because after 30 seconds [the interviewer] felt I had nothing to do with the school,'” said Besson. “I was always shocked by that because he just asked me one question and then, ‘Get out.’ The question was, ‘Give me the three directors you love.’ Obviously, I gave the wrong answer because I said Spielberg, Coppola, and Scorsese, and the right answer was probably Godard, Truffaut, and Eisenstein, and I was never able to get in the school.”
Instead, Besson interned on a short film, then made short films of his own. By the time he was 30, he already...
Read More: ‘Valerian’: Luc Besson Reveals Why Americans Resist Bold Cinema
“The interview was 30 seconds long, because after 30 seconds [the interviewer] felt I had nothing to do with the school,'” said Besson. “I was always shocked by that because he just asked me one question and then, ‘Get out.’ The question was, ‘Give me the three directors you love.’ Obviously, I gave the wrong answer because I said Spielberg, Coppola, and Scorsese, and the right answer was probably Godard, Truffaut, and Eisenstein, and I was never able to get in the school.”
Instead, Besson interned on a short film, then made short films of his own. By the time he was 30, he already...
- 7/18/2017
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Monsieur Gangster, In The Realm Of The Senses and The Big Blue among first titles to be featured.
The first crowdfunding platform dedicated to raising funds for the restoration of heritage and archive films is set to be launched by European digital technologies specialists Ymagis Group.
Celluloid Angels, which will go live next week (June 8), will aim to “rally a community of cinephiles around a single cause: to tangibly protect and preserve the world’s film heritage”.
As the use of physical film stock continues to fall – with declining projection capabilities in cinemas and dwindling usage in the production of films – Ymagis wants to provide rights holders with an additional source of financing and a point of contact with film aficionado communities.
The company is intending to restore 15-20 films this year alone, with a roster of titles lined up for the website’s launch including Georges Lautner’s crime caper Monsieur Gangster (1963), Nagisa Oshima’s historical...
The first crowdfunding platform dedicated to raising funds for the restoration of heritage and archive films is set to be launched by European digital technologies specialists Ymagis Group.
Celluloid Angels, which will go live next week (June 8), will aim to “rally a community of cinephiles around a single cause: to tangibly protect and preserve the world’s film heritage”.
As the use of physical film stock continues to fall – with declining projection capabilities in cinemas and dwindling usage in the production of films – Ymagis wants to provide rights holders with an additional source of financing and a point of contact with film aficionado communities.
The company is intending to restore 15-20 films this year alone, with a roster of titles lined up for the website’s launch including Georges Lautner’s crime caper Monsieur Gangster (1963), Nagisa Oshima’s historical...
- 5/31/2016
- ScreenDaily
Edinburgh International Film Festival has announced this year’s two retrospectives will be Look Again: A Celebration of Cinéma Du Look, exploring the wave of 1980s and early 1990s French filmmaking, and Pow!!! Live Action Comic Strip Adaptations: The First Generation, delving into the evolution of the live-action comic strip adaptation in cinema.
Artistic director Mark Adams said: “The Cinéma du Look retrospective marks 30 years since Eiff opened with the UK premiere of Jean Jaques Beineix’s iconic Betty Blue, so it is a real thrill to be able to screen this selection of iconic films.”
Focusing on the work of Jean Jaques Beineix, Luc Besson, and Leos Carax, the directors around whom the Cinéma Du Look revolved, titles will include Betty Blue and Beineix’s Diva (1981), Besson’s Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) and La Femme Nikita (1990) and Carax’s Mauvais Sang (1986) and...
Artistic director Mark Adams said: “The Cinéma du Look retrospective marks 30 years since Eiff opened with the UK premiere of Jean Jaques Beineix’s iconic Betty Blue, so it is a real thrill to be able to screen this selection of iconic films.”
Focusing on the work of Jean Jaques Beineix, Luc Besson, and Leos Carax, the directors around whom the Cinéma Du Look revolved, titles will include Betty Blue and Beineix’s Diva (1981), Besson’s Subway (1985), The Big Blue (1988) and La Femme Nikita (1990) and Carax’s Mauvais Sang (1986) and...
- 4/14/2016
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
To mark the release of deep sea thriller Pressure, out now on DVD/download starring Danny Huston, Matthew Goode, Joe Cole, Alan McKenna and Daisy Lowe, we take a look at the best deep sea thrillers of all time.
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn
Director: John McTiernan
Das Boot (1981)
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre
Director: Richard Fleischer
Jaws (1975)
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Director: Steven Spielberg
The Abyss (1989)
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn
Director: James Cameron
The Big Blue (1988)
Starring: Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Shenar.
Director: Luc Besson
Pressure (2015)
Starring: Danny Huston, Matthew Goode, Joe Cole, Alan McKenna and Daisy Lowe
Director: Ron Scalpello
Sphere (1998)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Barry Levinson...
The Hunt For Red October (1990)
Starring: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn
Director: John McTiernan
Das Boot (1981)
Starring: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre
Director: Richard Fleischer
Jaws (1975)
Starring: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Director: Steven Spielberg
The Abyss (1989)
Starring: Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Michael Biehn
Director: James Cameron
The Big Blue (1988)
Starring: Jean-Marc Barr, Jean Reno, Rosanna Arquette, Paul Shenar.
Director: Luc Besson
Pressure (2015)
Starring: Danny Huston, Matthew Goode, Joe Cole, Alan McKenna and Daisy Lowe
Director: Ron Scalpello
Sphere (1998)
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Barry Levinson...
- 9/7/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
Is Claire about to get some competition for Jamie’s affections?
Outlander has tapped French actress Margaux Chatelier to play the Highlander’s beautiful and charming former love Annalise de Marillac in Season 2, TVLine has learned exclusively.
RelatedOutlander Stars Caitriona Balfe & Tobias Menzies on the Aftermath of Randall’s Desire to ‘Dismantle’ Jamie
Additionally, the Starz series has enlisted another French actor, Marc Duret, to fill an important role in the Frasers’ new Parisian setting. (To maintain authenticity, the show has employed a French tutor to assist with language and pronunciation, as it did with Gaelic last season).
Duret...
Outlander has tapped French actress Margaux Chatelier to play the Highlander’s beautiful and charming former love Annalise de Marillac in Season 2, TVLine has learned exclusively.
RelatedOutlander Stars Caitriona Balfe & Tobias Menzies on the Aftermath of Randall’s Desire to ‘Dismantle’ Jamie
Additionally, the Starz series has enlisted another French actor, Marc Duret, to fill an important role in the Frasers’ new Parisian setting. (To maintain authenticity, the show has employed a French tutor to assist with language and pronunciation, as it did with Gaelic last season).
Duret...
- 6/12/2015
- TVLine.com
From Muppet Treasure Island to Speed, we take a look at the 90s soundtracks that deserve another listen...
Ah, the 1990s. The decade that brought us The Lion King. Titanic. Quentin Tarantino. That wordless bathroom scene in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks. Duel of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. In the Mood for Love.
It was a good 10 years for film music, no doubt.
But scratch the surface of 1991 through 1999 and there are tons of good scores ready to spring a surprise on your ears. Some were attached to sorely underrated movies, others were overshadowed by wildly successful ones, and some have simply been forgotten in the passage of time.
Here, in no particular order, are the top 25 underappreciated film soundtracks from the 1990s.
1. Chaplin - John Barry
Okay, let's start with a big one. Richard Attenborough. Robert Downey Jr. John Barry.
Ah, the 1990s. The decade that brought us The Lion King. Titanic. Quentin Tarantino. That wordless bathroom scene in Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet. Angelo Badalamenti's Twin Peaks. Duel of the Fates from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. In the Mood for Love.
It was a good 10 years for film music, no doubt.
But scratch the surface of 1991 through 1999 and there are tons of good scores ready to spring a surprise on your ears. Some were attached to sorely underrated movies, others were overshadowed by wildly successful ones, and some have simply been forgotten in the passage of time.
Here, in no particular order, are the top 25 underappreciated film soundtracks from the 1990s.
1. Chaplin - John Barry
Okay, let's start with a big one. Richard Attenborough. Robert Downey Jr. John Barry.
- 4/28/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Catherine Deneuve: César Award Besst Actress Record-Tier (photo: Catherine Deneuve in 'In the Courtyard / Dans la cour') (See previous post: "Kristen Stewart and Catherine Deneuve Make César Award History.") Catherine Deneuve has received 12 Best Actress César nominations to date. Deneuve's nods were for the following movies (year of film's release): Pierre Salvadori's In the Courtyard / Dans la Cour (2014). Emmanuelle Bercot's On My Way / Elle s'en va (2013). François Ozon's Potiche (2010). Nicole Garcia's Place Vendôme (1998). André Téchiné's Thieves / Les voleurs (1996). André Téchiné's My Favorite Season / Ma saison préférée (1993). Régis Wargnier's Indochine (1992). François Dupeyron's Strange Place for an Encounter / Drôle d'endroit pour une rencontre (1988). Jean-Pierre Mocky's Agent trouble (1987). André Téchiné's Hotel America / Hôtel des Amériques (1981). François Truffaut's The Last Metro / Le dernier métro (1980). Jean-Paul Rappeneau's Le sauvage (1975). Additionally, Catherine Deneuve was nominated in the Best Supporting Actress category...
- 1/30/2015
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
There are few filmmakers currently at work who can match the volume of content offered by French auteur Luc Besson. The 55 year-old writes, directs and produces cavalcades of titles and has done for many years.
In 2014 alone, he has written 3 films and 8 television episodes, produced 3 movies as well as directing a feature himself. That particular picture is Lucy – the all-action sci-fi extravaganza starring Scarlett Johansson in which he also penned the screenplay for – and it reaches UK cinemas on Friday. Our review is here. Glowing it is.
To celebrate its release, we count down six of the best projects with this multitude of talent’s name stamped upon them.
The Big Blue
Besson’s mother and father were famed deep-sea divers so much of his childhood unfolded in the theatre of dreams that is the ocean. Throughout his career, the director has been attached to many aquatic documentaries and campaigns...
In 2014 alone, he has written 3 films and 8 television episodes, produced 3 movies as well as directing a feature himself. That particular picture is Lucy – the all-action sci-fi extravaganza starring Scarlett Johansson in which he also penned the screenplay for – and it reaches UK cinemas on Friday. Our review is here. Glowing it is.
To celebrate its release, we count down six of the best projects with this multitude of talent’s name stamped upon them.
The Big Blue
Besson’s mother and father were famed deep-sea divers so much of his childhood unfolded in the theatre of dreams that is the ocean. Throughout his career, the director has been attached to many aquatic documentaries and campaigns...
- 8/21/2014
- by Chris Haydon
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
When I spoke to Luc Besson at Wonder-Con this year, we had a fair amount of time aside from the panel I moderated and the interview we did. At that point, we discussed the entire premise of his new film, "Lucy," and how it's based on a myth. If you've seen the trailer for the movie, you've seen Morgan Freeman as Professor Norman lecturing to a room full of people. "Imagine if we could access 100% [of our brains]. Interesting things begin to happen." Great line. Totally wrong. Evolution has actually increased the size of our brains because we use them so much, and so efficiently. We use way more than 10% of our actual brain capacity, and we use our brains in ways that science barely understands. So we are starting from a preposterous place with "Lucy," and if that's going to drive you crazy, then I would skip it completely. The film starts there and gets way sillier.
- 7/23/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Director worked on more than 80 pictures in prolific career.
Swiss-born cinematographer Carlo Varini, best known for The Chorus, The Big Blue and Subway, has died in a house fire.
The 67-year-old cinematographer, who shot more than 80 pictures throughout his career, started out as a calibrator at the Schwarz-Film laboratory in Berne.
After cinema studies at the Zurich University of Arts he became a news cameraman, moving into fiction as the assistant cameraman of celebrated Italian cinematographer Renato Berta.
He branched out on his own in the early 1980s to work with Luc Besson on his early features The Last Combat, Subway and The Big Blue. He was nominated for a Cesar for the latter two.
More recently, he gained recognition for his work on Christophe Barratier’s The Choir for which he was nominated for Camerimage’s Golden Frog alongside Dominique Gentil.
He was due to work on Canadian director Francesco Lucente’s upcoming feature Starbright.
According...
Swiss-born cinematographer Carlo Varini, best known for The Chorus, The Big Blue and Subway, has died in a house fire.
The 67-year-old cinematographer, who shot more than 80 pictures throughout his career, started out as a calibrator at the Schwarz-Film laboratory in Berne.
After cinema studies at the Zurich University of Arts he became a news cameraman, moving into fiction as the assistant cameraman of celebrated Italian cinematographer Renato Berta.
He branched out on his own in the early 1980s to work with Luc Besson on his early features The Last Combat, Subway and The Big Blue. He was nominated for a Cesar for the latter two.
More recently, he gained recognition for his work on Christophe Barratier’s The Choir for which he was nominated for Camerimage’s Golden Frog alongside Dominique Gentil.
He was due to work on Canadian director Francesco Lucente’s upcoming feature Starbright.
According...
- 5/22/2014
- ScreenDaily
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