Steven Soderbergh’s “Presence” Sells Big at Sundance 35 Years After Iconic “sex, lies, & videotape”
Thirty-five years ago, in January of 1989, Steven Soderbergh brought an edgy drama to Sundance that ended up changing the film business. His now iconic sex, lies, & videotape was sold for $1 million and went on to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and ultimately grossed $25 million at the box office. It is the movie that has a credible claim for lighting a fire under the independent film community, turning it into a real business and its filmmakers into future stars.
Jake Johnson on his Diabolically Fun Directorial Debut “Self Reliance”
Would you watch a reality show where someone is actively being hunted for a million-dollar prize? Morally, the answer is no. In Jake Johnson’s directorial debut, Self Reliance (streaming on Hulu), he believes the answer is yes. The concept for Johnson’s new film is one he developed years ago after watching a Japanese reality show (Susunu! Denpa Shōnen) where contestants were placed in bizarre situations and filmed.
“And then in the middle of the night,
The 2024 Oscar Nominations Are Here
The 2024 Oscar nominations have been announced. The two-headed Goliath that is Barbenheimer is well represented, with both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer nominated for Best Picture, among a slew of other nominations each film received. Nolan’s Oppenheimer leads all movies with 13 nominations, followed by Yorgos Lanthimos’s Poor Things with 11, Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon with 10,
A New “Jurassic World” Movie Will Stomp Into Theaters From Original “Jurassic Park” Scribe
A dinosaur-sized piece of news dropped yesterday when it was revealed that Jurassic Park and The Lost World: Jurassic Park writer David Koepp will be penning a new addition to the franchise.
The last film in the franchise was director Colin Trevvorow’s Jurassic World: Dominion, presumably the third and final film in the trilogy that began with 2015’s Jurassic World. Yet while that particular storyline,
“The Color Purple” Hair Department Head Lawrence Davis on Capturing Iconic Characters in Flux
Director Blitz Bazawule’s The Color Purple, which builds on the legacy of Alice Walker’s original 1982 novel, Steven Spielberg’s 1985 drama, and the more recent Broadway musical, had the second-highest domestic opening of all time for a film released on Christmas day.
Celebrating resilience in the face of trauma, racism, and tragedy, The Color Purple follows Celie Harris (Fantasia Barrino), a woman who faces many years of difficulty in her search for belonging and happiness.
Glen Powell Charms His Way Into Trouble in Official “Hit Man” Teaser
Netflix has just released the first official teaser for Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, which stars Glen Powell in a wild story that actually happened. This is not the first time the talented Linklater has poached an incredible true story and turned it into a cinematic feast, and, in fact, Linklater is once again riffing on the investigative work of Texas Monthly journalist Skip Hollandsworth, whose journalism first inspired Linklater to write his 2011 film Bernie,
Marvel Studios Restarts Production of “Daredevil: Born Again”
Marvel Studios hit the ground running—and punching and kicking—this year with the positive reaction to its new crime series Echo. Echo is a darker, more street-level story than Marvel’s previous Disney+ series, centered on Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox), an indigenous deaf anti-heroine with some serious combat skills and a tragic backstory that was only hinted at in Hawkeye, the series that introduced her character. Echo has benefited from its darker tone and a central figure that’s hard to root against,
“Mean Girls” Costume Designer Tom Broecker on Dressing the Plastics as Gen Z
The movie based on the musical based on the 2004 movie Mean Girls is here, with Angourie Rice taking Lindsey Lohan’s place as Cady, the homeschooled teenager plunged into the catty horror of American public high school social politics. Written by Tina Fey and directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr., in this musical Gen Z update, everyone has smartphones now, but the movie stays true to the original’s most beloved beats.
Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan Re-Teaming for Mysterious New Movie
Longtime collaborators Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan are re-teaming for a mysterious new project.
The Hollywood Reporter scoops that the dynamic duo behind Coogler’s big breakout hit, Fruitvale Station, as well as Black Panther, Creed (and its subsequent installments), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever has a new feature film in the works. The new, untitled movie is the first spec script from writer/director Coogler through his production company,
“The Zone of Interest” Sound Designer Johnnie Burn on Creating the Soundscape From Hell
Writer/director Jonathan Glazer does not shy away from a challenge. He has created indelible sequences that are essentially mindworms, burrowing deep into your consciousness. One of his most beloved films, his 2013 masterpiece Under the Skin, was chock full of them. If you had to choose just one, perhaps it would be the wordless scene that takes place on a Scottish beach after Scarlett Johansson’s nameless protagonist (she’s an alien who seduces men throughout Scotland,
How “The Book of Clarence” Hair and Makeup Head Siân Richards Turned LaKeith Stanfield into Twins
Set during one of the most influential human events ever, The Book of Clarence honors a deeply personal family rift. As the disciples of Christ spread a message of peace and brotherhood, one of their own siblings grapples with skepticism and resentment. LaKeith Stanfield devotedly portrayed both the wayward Clarence and his twin, the apostle Thomas. To aid the actor in developing two characters, hair and makeup head, Siân Richards crafted distinct looks that reflected each man’s journey.
“Mean Girls” Directors Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. Bring the Plastics Into the iPhone Age
The Plastics are back! Co-directed by Samantha Jayne and Arturo Perez Jr. – the wife and husband team behind Hulu’s Quarter Life Poetry – the remake of Mean Girls (in theaters now) is a hilarious—and very pink—update for the social media age. Twenty years later, the core theme from screenwriter Tina Fey, who wrote the original film, the Broadway play, and this adaptation of the musical, is still very much intact.
“Lift” Costume Designer Antoinette Messam on Finding Fresh Looks for Kevin Hart’s Heist Film
In director F. Gary Gray’s new heist movie, Lift, now streaming on Netflix, Kevin Hart plays Cyrus, a blue chip art thief backed by an international crew with a penchant for “freeing” work, from Van Gogh paintings to trendy NFTs. After a showy sleight of hand in Venice, Interpol agent Abby (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) almost has Cyrus pinned, but a bigger threat than missing artwork offers him a shot at redemption. Cyrus and his crew are tasked with heisting a pallet of gold before it reaches Leviathan,
“The Book of Clarence” Director Jeymes Samuel Brings Humanity to the Biblical Epic
Hollywood has long recognized the cinematic appeal of Bible stories as both ancient and eternal. Battles between good and evil play out on an epic scale, but The Book of Clarence looks beyond the page to spotlight everyday citizens whose lives were upended by Jesus’ journey. The film’s writer and director, Jeymes Samuel, aimed to widen the lens of the gospels and give some perspective to those just outside Christ’s circle.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Creators Matt Fraction and Chris Black on What Made Season One Roar
Godzilla stories aren’t always known for riveting human characters—often, human beings are ants for Godzilla, or one of his fellow Titans, to stomp on. However, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters creators Matt Fraction and Chris Black have given us a Godzilla series in which the people are as richly realized and central to the drama as the big guy and his Titan siblings are. The Apple TV+ series is set in the monsterverse set up by films such as 2014’s Godzilla and its sequel,
First “Spaceman” Trailer Sends Adam Sandler into Space on a Lonely Mission
Adam Sandler in space might sound like the conceit of one of the veteran comedian and performer’s comedies, but his latest film, Spaceman, is not that at all. Directed by Johan Renck from a script by Colby Day, Spaceman explores the effects of six months of isolation on Sandler’s astronaut Jakub, who is on a research mission at the edge of the solar system while his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), waits for him on Earth.
“Top Gun 3” Sets Flight Pattern at Paramount
Tom Cruise is gearing up for a third mission as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell in Top Gun 3 for Paramount Pictures.
The news was first reported by Puck, which writes that Top Gun: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger is at work on a script for the third film in the franchise, with Maverick director Joe Kosinski returning to helm. Maverick stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell are also said to be returning.
“Star Trek” Origin Story in the Works From “Andor” Director
Captain’s Log, Stardate January 11, 2024: It looks like Star Trek is coming back to the big screen.
Paramount has tapped Toby Haynes, director of half of Disney+’s crackling Star Wars series Andor, with writer Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script. What’s more, the new film will be set decades before the events of J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek and is being billed as an origin story.
First Trailer for Amy Winehouse Biopic “Back to Black” Arrives
The first trailer for director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s (Nowhere Boy, 50 Shades of Grey) Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black has arrived, giving us a look at rising star Marisa Abela’s (Industry) performance as the powerhouse, Grammy-winning British soul singer.
Back to Black is written by Nowhere Boy and Control screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, and Taylor-Johnson’s film was given the crucial support of The Amy Winehouse Estate,
“Maestro “ Production Designer Kevin Thompson on Building the Bernstein’s Lives From Concert Halls to Connecticut
Bradley Cooper’s Maestro follows the arc of Leonard Bernstein’s career, but his rise from a lucky break at Carnegie Hall to becoming a household name as a composer and conductor is secondary in the film to the development of his relationship with his actress wife, Felicia Montealegre. The couple had three children and split their time between the Upper West Side Manhattan, where they eventually settled in an apartment in the Dakota, and a country home in Fairfield,
