While most of Steven Spielberg’s releases are very different from each other, which stands as a testament to his versatility, at the core, all of his movies are very personal to him. However, his 2022 semi-autobiographical drama, The Fabelmans, takes a step further, as it draws a more intimate portrayal of the Oscar-winning director’s formative years.
Apart from delving into his passion for cinema, the film also tackles his mother’s affair, which he discovered as a kid following his love for filmmaking.
Steven Spielberg Discovered His Mother’s Affair While Editing His Early Film A still from The Fabelmans | Credit: Amblin Entertainment & Reliance Entertainment
Before crafting monumental blockbusters and acclaimed dramas, Steven Spielberg spent his teenage years recording every moment around him on his Super 8. Although by the time he was 18, the director had already made 15 short films, his passion for filmmaking also led to him inadvertently recording...
Apart from delving into his passion for cinema, the film also tackles his mother’s affair, which he discovered as a kid following his love for filmmaking.
Steven Spielberg Discovered His Mother’s Affair While Editing His Early Film A still from The Fabelmans | Credit: Amblin Entertainment & Reliance Entertainment
Before crafting monumental blockbusters and acclaimed dramas, Steven Spielberg spent his teenage years recording every moment around him on his Super 8. Although by the time he was 18, the director had already made 15 short films, his passion for filmmaking also led to him inadvertently recording...
- 6/3/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Here’s a bit of The Last of Us casting news you’ll want to wolf down: Jeffrey Wright is joining Season 2 of the HBO series, TVLine has learned.
Wright will play Isaac in Season 2 of the dystopian drama based on Naughty Dog’s video-game series. This is a huge deal for fans of The Last of Us Part II, because Wright also played Isaac in the game.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Cristin Milioti Joins Hulu's Hit-Monkey, Death by Lighting Adds Bradley Whitford and MoreTVLine Items: Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia Lead Amazon Thriller, Peacock's Laid Adds 8 and MoreA...
Wright will play Isaac in Season 2 of the dystopian drama based on Naughty Dog’s video-game series. This is a huge deal for fans of The Last of Us Part II, because Wright also played Isaac in the game.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Cristin Milioti Joins Hulu's Hit-Monkey, Death by Lighting Adds Bradley Whitford and MoreTVLine Items: Dove Cameron and Avan Jogia Lead Amazon Thriller, Peacock's Laid Adds 8 and MoreA...
- 5/24/2024
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Universal Pictures has dated an “untitled event film” directed by Steven Spielberg for a wide release on Friday, May 15, 2026. The story will be by Spielberg and the screenplay by his frequent collaborator David Koepp. Kristie Macosko Krieger will produce.
While no further details were shared at present, Variety reported last month that Spielberg’s next project will “likely” be “a UFO film based on his own original idea” and written by Koepp. The May 2026 release is Spielberg’s original idea as written by Koepp, and a Spielberg UFO film would surely be an event film.
When reached by IndieWire, a spokesperson for Universal Pictures declined comment on the UFO detail.
Of course, most Spielberg films are event films, with many written by Koepp, including: “Jurassic Park,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “War of the Worlds” (a UFO film!), and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Combined, those...
While no further details were shared at present, Variety reported last month that Spielberg’s next project will “likely” be “a UFO film based on his own original idea” and written by Koepp. The May 2026 release is Spielberg’s original idea as written by Koepp, and a Spielberg UFO film would surely be an event film.
When reached by IndieWire, a spokesperson for Universal Pictures declined comment on the UFO detail.
Of course, most Spielberg films are event films, with many written by Koepp, including: “Jurassic Park,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “War of the Worlds” (a UFO film!), and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” Combined, those...
- 5/23/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
Directors Jack O’Brien and George C. Wolfe will each receive a 2024 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre.
Wolfe is a five-time Tony-Award winning director, helming shows including Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, and has worked as a writer, a producer and artistic director of The Public Theater from 1993 to 2005. O’Brien is a three-time Tony Award-winning director for Hairspray, Henry IV and The Coast of Utopia, among many other credits on Broadway, including last season’s Shucked, All My Sons, Carousel, The Front Page, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Porgy and Bess. He led the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego from 1981 to 2007 and has also directed projects in London and Off-Broadway.
In addition to his work in the theater, which includes writing the score to and directing the musical Jelly’s Last Jam and directing...
Wolfe is a five-time Tony-Award winning director, helming shows including Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, and has worked as a writer, a producer and artistic director of The Public Theater from 1993 to 2005. O’Brien is a three-time Tony Award-winning director for Hairspray, Henry IV and The Coast of Utopia, among many other credits on Broadway, including last season’s Shucked, All My Sons, Carousel, The Front Page, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Porgy and Bess. He led the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego from 1981 to 2007 and has also directed projects in London and Off-Broadway.
In addition to his work in the theater, which includes writing the score to and directing the musical Jelly’s Last Jam and directing...
- 5/9/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oh, Mary!, the Off-Broadway comedy hit about Mary Todd Lincoln, is transferring to Broadway for a 12-week engagement this summer.
The show, written by and starring Cole Escola as Mary, will begin previews at the Lyceum Theatre starting June 26, with an opening night on July 11. The engagement runs through Sept. 15.
In Oh Mary!, Mary Todd Lincoln is reimagined as a wannabe cabaret star, filled with yearning for that other life, in the weeks leading up to President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The show also stars Conrad Ricamora as Mary’s Husband, otherwise known as Abraham Lincoln, James Scully as Mary’s Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant, as well as cast members Hannah Solow and Peter Smith.
The show is critically acclaimed and has proven popular off-Broadway, after selling out its first run and extending twice at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
The show, written by and starring Cole Escola as Mary, will begin previews at the Lyceum Theatre starting June 26, with an opening night on July 11. The engagement runs through Sept. 15.
In Oh Mary!, Mary Todd Lincoln is reimagined as a wannabe cabaret star, filled with yearning for that other life, in the weeks leading up to President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The show also stars Conrad Ricamora as Mary’s Husband, otherwise known as Abraham Lincoln, James Scully as Mary’s Teacher, Bianca Leigh as Mary’s Chaperone, and Tony Macht as Mary’s Husband’s Assistant, as well as cast members Hannah Solow and Peter Smith.
The show is critically acclaimed and has proven popular off-Broadway, after selling out its first run and extending twice at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.
- 4/24/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Prominent literary organization Pen America has canceled its annual awards ceremony, which was due to be held next week, after 28 authors chose to withdraw their books from consideration. The group has faced increasing backlash over its response to the Israel-Hamas War. Among those dropping out was debut novel finalist Rachel Eliza Griffiths, wife of former Pen president Salman Rushdie, according to the Associated Press.
Of those withdrawing are also nine out of the 10 authors nominated for the Pen/Jean Stein Book Award. The Literary Estate of Jean Stein has directed Pen America to donate the $75,000 award to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, representatives said on Monday.
The decision to cancel the awards comes in the wake of escalating upset against Pen America. A series of open letters signed by Pen nominees in recent weeks have criticized the group for allegedly choosing sides against Gaza in the war that started...
Of those withdrawing are also nine out of the 10 authors nominated for the Pen/Jean Stein Book Award. The Literary Estate of Jean Stein has directed Pen America to donate the $75,000 award to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, representatives said on Monday.
The decision to cancel the awards comes in the wake of escalating upset against Pen America. A series of open letters signed by Pen nominees in recent weeks have criticized the group for allegedly choosing sides against Gaza in the war that started...
- 4/23/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Nearly a month after Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech reverberated across Hollywood and caused a wave of controversy, 455 Jewish creatives (and counting) have signed a letter in a show of support.
“We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks. Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation,” reads the letter, published amid the continued conflict in the Middle East. “We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1200 Israelis killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”
The letter is signed by a mix of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and other creatives. Among those backing Glazer are Joker star Joaquin Phoenix; Killer Films vet Pamela Koffler...
“We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks. Their attacks on Glazer are a dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation,” reads the letter, published amid the continued conflict in the Middle East. “We grieve for all those who have been killed in Palestine and Israel over too many decades, including the 1200 Israelis killed in the October 7 Hamas attacks and the 253 hostages taken.”
The letter is signed by a mix of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and other creatives. Among those backing Glazer are Joker star Joaquin Phoenix; Killer Films vet Pamela Koffler...
- 4/10/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: More than 300 Jewish creatives — including eight-time Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, “SNL” star Sarah Sherman, actor and documentarian Alex Winter and “Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles — have added their names to the list of signatories of an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars speech.
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
The number of signees now sits at 492, having more than tripled since Variety first published the April 5 letter, which criticized the attacks on Glazer for being a “dangerous distraction” from the mounting death toll in Gaza while also contributing to the “suppression of free speech and dissent.”
New additions also include Oscar-winning “Anatomy of a Fall” co-writer Arthur Harari, veteran U.K. producer and Oscar winner Jeremy Thomas, “Girls” co-showrunner and co-writer Jenni Konner and “The Hunger Games” writer and director and four-time Oscar nominee Gary Ross. Many members of the Israeli film community have also signed the open letter, including Oren Moverman, Nadav Lapid,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Ellise Shafer and Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Miriam Margolyes has called on all Jews “to shout, beg, scream for a ceasefire” in Gaza as the Palestinian territory continues to deal with rising death tolls and, according to aid agency Unrwa USA, is facing a “man-made famine.”
The veteran British-Australian actress and activist, who is best known for starring as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise, released a video on Saturday via the Jewish Council of Australia, in which she said Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza has left her “so ashamed of Israel.”
She added, “To me, it seems as if Hitler has won. He’s changed us Jews from being compassionate and caring and do unto others as you would have them do unto you into this vicious, genocidal nationalist nation, pursuing and killing women and children.”
Margolyes said that she condemned Hamas’ actions. On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a terrorist...
The veteran British-Australian actress and activist, who is best known for starring as Professor Sprout in the Harry Potter film franchise, released a video on Saturday via the Jewish Council of Australia, in which she said Israel’s prosecution of its war in Gaza has left her “so ashamed of Israel.”
She added, “To me, it seems as if Hitler has won. He’s changed us Jews from being compassionate and caring and do unto others as you would have them do unto you into this vicious, genocidal nationalist nation, pursuing and killing women and children.”
Margolyes said that she condemned Hamas’ actions. On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a terrorist...
- 4/9/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Fabelmans (2022), arguably Steven Spielberg’s most personal movie to date, had everyone talking. Starring Michelle Williams and Paul Dano, it’s a semi-autobiographical tale that’s loosely based on the director’s childhood and his early years as a film director.
However, Spielberg’s reluctance to delve into his family’s history stemmed from worries that his parents would suffer, so the project was dropped for twenty years. Regardless, with seven Oscar nominations upon its release, The Fabelmans has generated a lot of Oscar buzz.
James Cameron’s Avatar
Does that encourage other filmmakers to document their own life stories on screen? Well, the director of Avatar and Titanic, though, is not going to take that route. James Cameron remains surprisingly uninterested when it comes to sharing the story of his own journey to success on the big screen because he finds it “boring”.
Why James Cameron Won’t...
However, Spielberg’s reluctance to delve into his family’s history stemmed from worries that his parents would suffer, so the project was dropped for twenty years. Regardless, with seven Oscar nominations upon its release, The Fabelmans has generated a lot of Oscar buzz.
James Cameron’s Avatar
Does that encourage other filmmakers to document their own life stories on screen? Well, the director of Avatar and Titanic, though, is not going to take that route. James Cameron remains surprisingly uninterested when it comes to sharing the story of his own journey to success on the big screen because he finds it “boring”.
Why James Cameron Won’t...
- 4/6/2024
- by Siddhika Prajapati
- FandomWire
Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen, Debra Winger and Elliot Gould are among the 151 Jewish creatives who have signed an open letter in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar speech.
Further signatories include directors Mike Leigh, Todd Haynes, Lenny Abrahamson, Sarah Gavron, Ira Sachs and Emma Seligman as well as actors David Cross, Chloe Fineman, Kate Berlant and Fred Hechinger.
The letter has been put together by a group of Jewish artists and filmmakers, who shared it directly with their friends and colleagues to gather support. Signatories are continuing to add names by getting in contact with a person they know on...
Further signatories include directors Mike Leigh, Todd Haynes, Lenny Abrahamson, Sarah Gavron, Ira Sachs and Emma Seligman as well as actors David Cross, Chloe Fineman, Kate Berlant and Fred Hechinger.
The letter has been put together by a group of Jewish artists and filmmakers, who shared it directly with their friends and colleagues to gather support. Signatories are continuing to add names by getting in contact with a person they know on...
- 4/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
More than 150 Jewish industry professionals, including Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Coen, and Todd Haynes, have lent their names to a new open letter penned in support of Jonathan Glazer’s much-debated Oscars acceptance speech. Scroll down to read the full letter and list of names.
The full list of signatories first reported on by Variety features 151 names from across the film and TV world like Sorry to Bother You filmmaker Boots Riley, veteran indie director Nicole Holofcener, British auteur Mike Leigh, Passages filmmaker Ira Sachs, and Gossip Girl actor and writer Tavi Gevinson. Deadline was handed a copy of the letter and its signatories. We have also contacted reps for several names listed to confirm their involvement.
The open letter states that the signees “support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars,” adding they have been “alarmed” to see their industry colleagues “mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.”
“Their attacks on Glazer...
The full list of signatories first reported on by Variety features 151 names from across the film and TV world like Sorry to Bother You filmmaker Boots Riley, veteran indie director Nicole Holofcener, British auteur Mike Leigh, Passages filmmaker Ira Sachs, and Gossip Girl actor and writer Tavi Gevinson. Deadline was handed a copy of the letter and its signatories. We have also contacted reps for several names listed to confirm their involvement.
The open letter states that the signees “support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars,” adding they have been “alarmed” to see their industry colleagues “mischaracterize and denounce his remarks.”
“Their attacks on Glazer...
- 4/5/2024
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America West announced on Tuesday that American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson has been named recipient of the 2024 Paul Selvin Award for the Amazon MGM Studios film, for which he won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay earlier this month.
Additionally, American Fiction — based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett — is nominated for the WGA Award for best adapted screenplay.
The comedy, which stars Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist who writes a satirical book under a pen name that exposes the publishing industry’s limited view of Black life, has garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay and Film Independent Spirit Awards for best actor (Wright) and adapted screenplay. The film was also named as one of the year’s best by the...
Additionally, American Fiction — based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett — is nominated for the WGA Award for best adapted screenplay.
The comedy, which stars Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist who writes a satirical book under a pen name that exposes the publishing industry’s limited view of Black life, has garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay and Film Independent Spirit Awards for best actor (Wright) and adapted screenplay. The film was also named as one of the year’s best by the...
- 3/26/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” was released in the fall of 2012, one of the nagging complaints — for an otherwise heralded film — related to its ending. Namely, it had too many.
Roger Ebert, in his four-star review, succinctly implied the picture should’ve wrapped before President Lincoln’s assassination. Samuel L. Jackson felt similarly, though he didn’t mince words about it. While it would be a stretch to say the contentious closing scenes chronicling Lincoln’s murder cost the film any of its Oscars — including losses in Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture — it’s exactly the type of first-thought quibble voters would use as an excuse for choosing their preferred nominee.
Though plenty of pundits backed the chosen ending and “Lincoln’s” sweeping acclaim and staggering box office spoke to its overall appreciation ($275 million for a 150-minute period drama? Martin Scorsese would kill a flower moon...
Roger Ebert, in his four-star review, succinctly implied the picture should’ve wrapped before President Lincoln’s assassination. Samuel L. Jackson felt similarly, though he didn’t mince words about it. While it would be a stretch to say the contentious closing scenes chronicling Lincoln’s murder cost the film any of its Oscars — including losses in Best Editing, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture — it’s exactly the type of first-thought quibble voters would use as an excuse for choosing their preferred nominee.
Though plenty of pundits backed the chosen ending and “Lincoln’s” sweeping acclaim and staggering box office spoke to its overall appreciation ($275 million for a 150-minute period drama? Martin Scorsese would kill a flower moon...
- 3/22/2024
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
The playwright and screenwriter, who was Oscar nominated last year for Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, has backed The Zone of Interest director
The playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner has come to the defence of director Jonathan Glazer, whose speech at the Oscars nearly a fortnight ago continues to polarise opinion.
Picking up his award for best foreign language film on 10 March, Glazer related his film, The Zone of Interest, to current events in the Middle East.
Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanisation – how do we resist?”...
The playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner has come to the defence of director Jonathan Glazer, whose speech at the Oscars nearly a fortnight ago continues to polarise opinion.
Picking up his award for best foreign language film on 10 March, Glazer related his film, The Zone of Interest, to current events in the Middle East.
Right now we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation, which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of October 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanisation – how do we resist?”...
- 3/21/2024
- by Catherine Shoard
- The Guardian - Film News
Screenwriter and playwright Tony Kushner has defended Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar speech against critics.
While accepting the Academy Award for best international feature for his Holocaust movie “The Zone of Interest,” Glazer spoke about the ongoing violence in the Middle East, saying the Auschwitz-set film “shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of Oct. 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”
The speech has been met with both kudos on social media and dissent in the industry, including an open letter from over 1,000 Jewish creatives and execs denouncing his words.
Kushner, who he himself has received four Academy Awards nominations for “Munich,...
While accepting the Academy Award for best international feature for his Holocaust movie “The Zone of Interest,” Glazer spoke about the ongoing violence in the Middle East, saying the Auschwitz-set film “shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people. Whether the victims of Oct. 7 in Israel or the ongoing attack on Gaza, all the victims of this dehumanization — how do we resist?”
The speech has been met with both kudos on social media and dissent in the industry, including an open letter from over 1,000 Jewish creatives and execs denouncing his words.
Kushner, who he himself has received four Academy Awards nominations for “Munich,...
- 3/21/2024
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
One of America’s most celebrated writers and one of Steven Spielberg’s go-to collaborators on films such as Munich and The Fabelmans spoke out today on the Haaretz Podcast about the controversy over Jonathan Glazer’s speech after Zone of Interest won Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.
Speaking about protests in the U.S. and their impacts, Tony, Emmy and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner expressed surprise at what he called “the blowback after Jonathan Glazer’s really sort of unimpeachable, irrefutable statement at the Oscars.”
Asked if he identified Glazer’s comments, Kushner replied, “Of course. I mean, who doesn’t?”
For context, here is a portion of Glazer’s speech:
Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an...
Speaking about protests in the U.S. and their impacts, Tony, Emmy and Pulitzer Prize-winner Tony Kushner expressed surprise at what he called “the blowback after Jonathan Glazer’s really sort of unimpeachable, irrefutable statement at the Oscars.”
Asked if he identified Glazer’s comments, Kushner replied, “Of course. I mean, who doesn’t?”
For context, here is a portion of Glazer’s speech:
Our film shows where dehumanization leads at its worst. It’s shaped all of our past and present. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an...
- 3/21/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Tony Kushner has come out in support of Jonathan Glazer’s Oscars acceptance speech, describing the British director’s comments at the ceremony as an “unimpeachable irrefutable statement.”
Speaking on the Haaretz Podcast which was released Wednesday, Kushner, a four-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter, was asked about his feelings on a number of topics related to the Israel-Gaza conflict and brought up Glazer’s speech, which has been attacked by some Jewish figures in Hollywood and was the subject of a recent open letter signed by 1,000 people.
During the podcast, Kushner, who is promoting a production of his Tony-award winning play Angels in America that is playing in Tel Aviv, brought up the blowback to Glazer’s Oscars speech, which he described as “really sort of unimpeachable, irrefutable statement.” The playwright was then asked if he agreed with Glazer’s comments, to which Kushner said, “Of course, I mean, who doesn’t?...
Speaking on the Haaretz Podcast which was released Wednesday, Kushner, a four-time Academy Award nominated screenwriter, was asked about his feelings on a number of topics related to the Israel-Gaza conflict and brought up Glazer’s speech, which has been attacked by some Jewish figures in Hollywood and was the subject of a recent open letter signed by 1,000 people.
During the podcast, Kushner, who is promoting a production of his Tony-award winning play Angels in America that is playing in Tel Aviv, brought up the blowback to Glazer’s Oscars speech, which he described as “really sort of unimpeachable, irrefutable statement.” The playwright was then asked if he agreed with Glazer’s comments, to which Kushner said, “Of course, I mean, who doesn’t?...
- 3/21/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A musical movie set around the romance about gangsters is not something you come across often. But Steven Spielberg came up with this idea in 2021 that got seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. West Side Story (2021), starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler in the lead, made a splash on the silver screen, with critics giving the movie rave reviews.
A still from West Side Story
A prolific filmmaker himself, Quentin Tarantino is one such person who loved the movie. According to the director, he thought West Side Story should have won the Best Picture Oscar that year, and could not stop praising the movie or Spielberg. It is the second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical after the 1961 movie of the same name.
SUGGESTEDQuentin Tarantino Took Matters into His Own Hands When John Travolta Couldn’t Nail His Pulp Fiction Dance Quentin Tarantino Can’t Stop Praising West Side...
A still from West Side Story
A prolific filmmaker himself, Quentin Tarantino is one such person who loved the movie. According to the director, he thought West Side Story should have won the Best Picture Oscar that year, and could not stop praising the movie or Spielberg. It is the second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical after the 1961 movie of the same name.
SUGGESTEDQuentin Tarantino Took Matters into His Own Hands When John Travolta Couldn’t Nail His Pulp Fiction Dance Quentin Tarantino Can’t Stop Praising West Side...
- 2/29/2024
- by Swagata Das
- FandomWire
Jeffrey Wright is finally an Oscar nominee. The actor’s storied career had already brought him under the direction of masters such as Sidney Lumet, Ang Lee, and most recently, newcomer Cord Jefferson in the satirical dramedy “American Fiction.” But with his Oscar nom, Wright says he feels more supported than ever by the Hollywood community and studios.
“I’ve never had this level of support behind a project that I was central to from the powers that be, the business side of our industry,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I’ve never had it until now. I’m really grateful for that. We’re here now, and I’m so pleased the film has been recognized across the board. With a small movie and 26 days of filming, our budget was probably the catering budget for the last Bond movie I did.”
In this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,...
“I’ve never had this level of support behind a project that I was central to from the powers that be, the business side of our industry,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I’ve never had it until now. I’m really grateful for that. We’re here now, and I’m so pleased the film has been recognized across the board. With a small movie and 26 days of filming, our budget was probably the catering budget for the last Bond movie I did.”
In this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival came to a close Sunday, but one of its highlights came three days earlier, with the last of the filmmaker tributes that serve as the spine of the fest.
On Thursday evening, inside Santa Barbara’s historic 2000-seat Arlington Theatre, veteran stage and screen actor Jeffrey Wright — who is Oscar-nominated for the first time in his nearly 30-year film career, for his leading performance in Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, a dramedy about race in America — was feted with the fest’s Montecito Award following a deeply engaging career-retrospective conversation with Sbiff executive director and passionate Wright admirer Roger Durling.
Wright, 58, spoke about being raised by his mother and his aunt, and never really even considering acting until he got to Amherst College, where he began to fall in love with the craft (and to abandon the notion of attending law school). He...
On Thursday evening, inside Santa Barbara’s historic 2000-seat Arlington Theatre, veteran stage and screen actor Jeffrey Wright — who is Oscar-nominated for the first time in his nearly 30-year film career, for his leading performance in Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, a dramedy about race in America — was feted with the fest’s Montecito Award following a deeply engaging career-retrospective conversation with Sbiff executive director and passionate Wright admirer Roger Durling.
Wright, 58, spoke about being raised by his mother and his aunt, and never really even considering acting until he got to Amherst College, where he began to fall in love with the craft (and to abandon the notion of attending law school). He...
- 2/19/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When you have the SAG Award nominated ensemble of “American Fiction” – John Ortiz, Erika Alexander, Tracee Ellis Ross and Jeffrey Wright (also individually nominated in male lead and Oscar nominated for the film) you have to ask them where it all began. In discussing their first jobs for the union, Ross revealed that, like many actors, she started with a commercial – this one for Infiniti cars.
But her co-stars soon revealed surprisingly momentous stories for their first SAG-AFTRA jobs. Wright noted his onscreen debut was opposite Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier in the 1991 miniseries “Separate but Equal” about the Brown v. Board of Education court case. “My first single was opposite Sidney Poitier,” Wright revealed. Alexander started in a 1986 film called “My Little Girl” that starred Mary Stuart Masterson, Geraldine Page and – in her film debut – Jennifer Lopez. And Ortiz
Ross joked, “My Infiniti commercial is getting smaller and smaller…...
But her co-stars soon revealed surprisingly momentous stories for their first SAG-AFTRA jobs. Wright noted his onscreen debut was opposite Burt Lancaster and Sidney Poitier in the 1991 miniseries “Separate but Equal” about the Brown v. Board of Education court case. “My first single was opposite Sidney Poitier,” Wright revealed. Alexander started in a 1986 film called “My Little Girl” that starred Mary Stuart Masterson, Geraldine Page and – in her film debut – Jennifer Lopez. And Ortiz
Ross joked, “My Infiniti commercial is getting smaller and smaller…...
- 2/18/2024
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Jeffrey Wright is one step closer to that Egot. In January, the D.C. born actor received his first career Oscar nomination for his leading role in the satirical comedy “American Fiction,” an industry recognition that was overdue after years of incredible Wright performances. Should he win come ceremony day, he’ll need a single Grammy to become one of the few elusive talents to complete showbiz’s preeminent grand slam.
Starting his career in theater, Wright earned both his Tony and Emmy awards with the same role: Belize, a nurse and former drag queen in Tony Kushner’s acclaimed two-part epic play “Angels in America.” Wright earned raves for his charisma onstage, and walked away with a Supporting Actor Tony at the 1994 ceremony when he was just 28. In 2003, Wright was the only actor from the play’s original Broadway cast to reprise his role in the HBO limited series adaptation.
Starting his career in theater, Wright earned both his Tony and Emmy awards with the same role: Belize, a nurse and former drag queen in Tony Kushner’s acclaimed two-part epic play “Angels in America.” Wright earned raves for his charisma onstage, and walked away with a Supporting Actor Tony at the 1994 ceremony when he was just 28. In 2003, Wright was the only actor from the play’s original Broadway cast to reprise his role in the HBO limited series adaptation.
- 2/7/2024
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
The fast-paced, high-stakes Audible Original series Hot White Heist will make its grand return on March 7 with an extended cast and even more drama. “I’m thrilled that our sticky heist gang is back for more thrills and debauchery,” leading star, comedian Bowen Yang, shared in a statement. “In season two the stakes are higher, the action is next-level and the story is even more absurd in the best way possible. I’m available for hire if you are planning a heist.”
Yang returns to Hot White Heist as Judy...
Yang returns to Hot White Heist as Judy...
- 1/18/2024
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
“Poor Things,” “Oppenheimer,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “American Fiction,” “All of Us Strangers,” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” all received Best Adapted Screenplay bids from the Critics Choice Awards thus giving their Oscar hopes in this category a timely boost. Some of them were lauded even further at the Golden Globes, which nominated “Poor Things,” “Oppenheimer,” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” alongside “Barbie,” “Past Lives,” and “Anatomy of Fall” in a combined Best Screenplay category.
So, those are the preferences of those two awards groups. But what about the tastes of the academy? Well, below is a chart detailing the last 10 Oscar winners for Best Adapted Screenplay. We’re going to break this down to see what the academy likes and try to apply the findings to this year’s race.
As you can see, novels are the academy’s favorite source material, accounting for...
So, those are the preferences of those two awards groups. But what about the tastes of the academy? Well, below is a chart detailing the last 10 Oscar winners for Best Adapted Screenplay. We’re going to break this down to see what the academy likes and try to apply the findings to this year’s race.
As you can see, novels are the academy’s favorite source material, accounting for...
- 12/27/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Hope Runs High has acquired U.S. rights to Augusto Sandino’s sophomore feature “A Vanishing Fog,” which won the SXSW Zeiss cinematography prize. The film is slated for an early 2024 opening in U.S. theaters. It’s the first feature to be shot in Colombia’s Sumapaz Páramo, the largest ecosystem of its kind in the world.
“In the middle of the staggering and endangered Sumapaz Paramo ecosystem; F, a solitary explorer, strives to protect the mystical and fragile land he inhabits, while caring for his ailing father,” the synopsis reads.
“Augusto Sandino’s incredible blend of playful surrealism and the overwhelming individuality of the environment in which the film is set has stayed with me since my first viewing. I believe his ability to balance visual scale, cinematic playfulness, and true heart make him an artist we should be engaging with frequently,” said Hope Runs High curator Taylor Purdee.
“In the middle of the staggering and endangered Sumapaz Paramo ecosystem; F, a solitary explorer, strives to protect the mystical and fragile land he inhabits, while caring for his ailing father,” the synopsis reads.
“Augusto Sandino’s incredible blend of playful surrealism and the overwhelming individuality of the environment in which the film is set has stayed with me since my first viewing. I believe his ability to balance visual scale, cinematic playfulness, and true heart make him an artist we should be engaging with frequently,” said Hope Runs High curator Taylor Purdee.
- 12/2/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay and Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
“Maestro” brought together three filmmakers — the sophomore director Bradley Cooper and the screen masters Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese — as producers. “Maestro” chronicles the marriage of famed composer Leonard Bernstein (Cooper) and his muse Felicia Montealegre (Carey Mulligan). You can catch this acclaimed films in cinemas before it starts streaming on Netflix on Dec. 20. Either way, you’re in for a treat.
While Scorsese has his own film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in contention for this year’s Oscars, Spielberg is also a producer on the musical remake of “The Color Purple.” (This fact was omitted in the original version of this article due to an editing error.) He is one of the most successful filmmakers of all time and has an Oscars track record to prove it. He’s won two of his nine bids for Best Director: in 1994 for “Schindler’s List” and 1999 for “Saving Private Ryan.” While...
While Scorsese has his own film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” in contention for this year’s Oscars, Spielberg is also a producer on the musical remake of “The Color Purple.” (This fact was omitted in the original version of this article due to an editing error.) He is one of the most successful filmmakers of all time and has an Oscars track record to prove it. He’s won two of his nine bids for Best Director: in 1994 for “Schindler’s List” and 1999 for “Saving Private Ryan.” While...
- 11/28/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
“In Barbieland, nothing is alive. It’s an interior world, so there’s no wind, no water. Even the trees, they don’t have real leaves to create this sound,” explains Ai-Ling Lee of “Barbie.” The Oscar nominee served as sound designer for the hit Warner Bros. film, which takes viewers into the delightful plastic world of the famous Mattel doll. Given the artifice of Barbie’s pink paradise, Lee had to bring a child-like playfulness to every sound effect. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“We tried to use non-literal sounds for the world as much as we can in Barbieland,” notes Lee. This approach tied into the desire from writer and director Greta Gerwig to make the artificial dreamland sound “pleasant and inviting.” So even though there’s no water while Margot Robbie’s titular character showers, Lee added a rain-stick effect to convey the element in an artificial way.
“We tried to use non-literal sounds for the world as much as we can in Barbieland,” notes Lee. This approach tied into the desire from writer and director Greta Gerwig to make the artificial dreamland sound “pleasant and inviting.” So even though there’s no water while Margot Robbie’s titular character showers, Lee added a rain-stick effect to convey the element in an artificial way.
- 11/14/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
George C. Wolfe is one of the great storytellers of the stage and screen, which is why it was only fitting that the writer and director of theatrical and film productions was at last month’s Scad Savannah Film Festival to collect its Storyteller Award. Following a screening of his latest motion picture, Rustin — which tells the story of Bayard Rustin, the gay civil rights activist who organized the 1963 March on Washington, and is now streaming on Netflix — Wolfe joined yours truly in the Lucas Theatre to record an episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast.
Wolfe, 69, is known as a playwright for writing 1986’s The Colored Museum and co-writing 1992’s Jelly’s Last Jam. He also gained recognition as a theater director for the original Broadway productions of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America: Perestroika and a host of Broadway musicals, like 1996’s Bring in ’da Noise,...
Wolfe, 69, is known as a playwright for writing 1986’s The Colored Museum and co-writing 1992’s Jelly’s Last Jam. He also gained recognition as a theater director for the original Broadway productions of Angels in America: Millennium Approaches and Angels in America: Perestroika and a host of Broadway musicals, like 1996’s Bring in ’da Noise,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach got away with a lot of bite-the-hand humor towards Mattel in their script for the blockbuster “Barbie” film. But the company still had a lot of questions about the script for their satirical comedy — including one scene where an exec of the company gets shot.
Gerwig and Baumbach spoke about their process writing the script for the “Barbie” film during a Thursday Q&a with “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. At the Q&a, the two spoke about the notes they received during their first submitted draft of the script. One note they received comes in the film’s final act, where the Kens of Barbieland compete in a beach battle. During the chaos, Will Ferrell’s fictional Mattel CEO arrives with his mob of male executives, one of which gets shot with a fake arrow in the fray.
Gerwig and Baumbach spoke about their process writing the script for the “Barbie” film during a Thursday Q&a with “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. At the Q&a, the two spoke about the notes they received during their first submitted draft of the script. One note they received comes in the film’s final act, where the Kens of Barbieland compete in a beach battle. During the chaos, Will Ferrell’s fictional Mattel CEO arrives with his mob of male executives, one of which gets shot with a fake arrow in the fray.
- 11/4/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
“Barbie” screenwriters Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach recently joined Tony Kushner for a discussion about the record-breaking Warner Bros. blockbuster and revealed one of the first notes Mattel gave them on the script: Please don’t have the Mattel exec stand-in characters be shot.
In the third act of “Barbie,” an all-out beach battle takes place between the warring Ken characters. It’s at this moment that Will Ferrell, playing the fictionalized CEO of Mattel, arrives in Barbieland along with his armada of nameless male Mattel execs. At one point one of these execs gets shot with a fake arrow during the ensuing, bloodless mayhem.
“There was a note when we first turned the script it,” Baumbach told Kusher. “On page 111: ‘Does a Mattel executive have to be shot?’ At the time we were like, that should just be on the ad!’
“But all the notes had a question mark at the end,...
In the third act of “Barbie,” an all-out beach battle takes place between the warring Ken characters. It’s at this moment that Will Ferrell, playing the fictionalized CEO of Mattel, arrives in Barbieland along with his armada of nameless male Mattel execs. At one point one of these execs gets shot with a fake arrow during the ensuing, bloodless mayhem.
“There was a note when we first turned the script it,” Baumbach told Kusher. “On page 111: ‘Does a Mattel executive have to be shot?’ At the time we were like, that should just be on the ad!’
“But all the notes had a question mark at the end,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Count Tony Kushner among the “Barbie” faithful.
As the awards campaign for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster hit continues apace, Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach sat down for a long conversation on Thursday night in Brooklyn with the Oscar-nominated Kushner, who wasted little time in expressing his love for the project.
“I think this movie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Kushner told the filmmakers after a special screening of “Barbie” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “I think it’s a terrible thing to say to people to their faces, but I think it’s a masterpiece.”
Kushner, a double Oscar nominee earlier this year for co-writing and producing “The Fabelmans,” had previously conveyed his deep love and respect for “Barbie” to Gerwig and Baumbach via email. “He did write the most beautiful email and Noah read it to me out loud and I said,...
As the awards campaign for Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster hit continues apace, Gerwig and co-writer Noah Baumbach sat down for a long conversation on Thursday night in Brooklyn with the Oscar-nominated Kushner, who wasted little time in expressing his love for the project.
“I think this movie is unlike anything I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Kushner told the filmmakers after a special screening of “Barbie” at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “I think it’s a terrible thing to say to people to their faces, but I think it’s a masterpiece.”
Kushner, a double Oscar nominee earlier this year for co-writing and producing “The Fabelmans,” had previously conveyed his deep love and respect for “Barbie” to Gerwig and Baumbach via email. “He did write the most beautiful email and Noah read it to me out loud and I said,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Matt Damon will join Mark Ruffalo and Missy Yager in a special benefit reading next month of Kenneth Lonergan’s This Is Our Youth, the acclaimed play that premiered Off Broadway in 1996 in a production starring Ruffalo, Yager and Josh Hamilton.
The reading will be directed by Mark Brokaw (How I Learned To Drive), who directed the original staging, on Nov. 16 at Manhattan’s Center at West Park, an Upper West Side arts facility and cultural hub that provides affordable performance, rehearsal, and event space to local artists and community members. Funds raised will benefit the Center.
The event, honoring the Center’s Founding and Current Board President Mim Warden, will kick off the Center’s new Renowned American Playwrights Showcase, a series of readings of acclaimed stage works performed predominantly by their original casts. Upcoming readings will include the works of Tony Kushner, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Suzan-Lori Parks and more.
The reading will be directed by Mark Brokaw (How I Learned To Drive), who directed the original staging, on Nov. 16 at Manhattan’s Center at West Park, an Upper West Side arts facility and cultural hub that provides affordable performance, rehearsal, and event space to local artists and community members. Funds raised will benefit the Center.
The event, honoring the Center’s Founding and Current Board President Mim Warden, will kick off the Center’s new Renowned American Playwrights Showcase, a series of readings of acclaimed stage works performed predominantly by their original casts. Upcoming readings will include the works of Tony Kushner, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Suzan-Lori Parks and more.
- 10/27/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
A group of originally 57 (and counting) Hollywood celebrities have written an open letter to President Joe Biden asking him to call for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine as the Israel-Hamas War rages on.
Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac, Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Cate Blanchett, Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong and Joaquin Phoenix, among many others, signed the letter requesting an end to the “devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors” in both countries.
“We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” it reads. “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
The letter, put out by the Artists 4 Ceasefire organization,...
Andrew Garfield, Kristen Stewart, Oscar Isaac, Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri, Cate Blanchett, Hasan Minhaj, Jeremy Strong and Joaquin Phoenix, among many others, signed the letter requesting an end to the “devastating loss of lives and unfolding horrors” in both countries.
“We ask that, as President of the United States, you call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost,” it reads. “More than 5,000 people have been killed in the last week and a half – a number any person of conscience knows is catastrophic. We believe all life is sacred, no matter faith or ethnicity and we condemn the killing of Palestinian and Israeli civilians.”
The letter, put out by the Artists 4 Ceasefire organization,...
- 10/20/2023
- by Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Killers of the Flower Moon” was the big player at this weekend’s BFI London Film Festival this week, dragging us journalists out of bed at 8 Am on a Saturday morning to see the Martin Scorsese epic. But it’s okay because we were treated to one of Scorsese’s best films yet.
The Apple TV+ release, due out on Oct. 18, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, who fell in love with Lily Gladstone‘s Mollie, a member of the Osage tribe in the 1920s. Meanwhile, Ernest’s uncle, William King Hale (Robert De Niro), schemed to murder his way to owning the oil headrights owned by members of the Osage tribe. The film has earned rave reviews. Here are the Oscar nominations we are predicting for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Best Picture
We are predicting that “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be nominated for Best Picture alongside “Oppenheimer,...
The Apple TV+ release, due out on Oct. 18, stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Ernest Burkhart, who fell in love with Lily Gladstone‘s Mollie, a member of the Osage tribe in the 1920s. Meanwhile, Ernest’s uncle, William King Hale (Robert De Niro), schemed to murder his way to owning the oil headrights owned by members of the Osage tribe. The film has earned rave reviews. Here are the Oscar nominations we are predicting for “Killers of the Flower Moon.”
Best Picture
We are predicting that “Killers of the Flower Moon” will be nominated for Best Picture alongside “Oppenheimer,...
- 10/11/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Steven Spielberg‘s Oscar-nominated picture Lincoln was one of his most critically acclaimed projects. However, Samuel L. Jackson felt the filmmaker might’ve dropped the ball when it came to the end of the movie.
What Samuel L. Jackson didn’t like about the ending to ‘Lincoln’ Samuel L. Jackson | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Spielberg had a difficult time deciding what period of Abraham Lincoln’s life to cover. The director toyed with focusing on several sections of Lincoln’s history, and initially centered his story on the civil war. But tackling both the civil war and Lincoln proved to be too big of a story.
“It was the story of the last 3 years of the Civil War, and it involved 7 huge battles. Lincoln was prosecuting the war, first through General McClellan and then General Grant. But it was much more of a Saving Private Ryan, set between 1863 and 1865. And...
What Samuel L. Jackson didn’t like about the ending to ‘Lincoln’ Samuel L. Jackson | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Spielberg had a difficult time deciding what period of Abraham Lincoln’s life to cover. The director toyed with focusing on several sections of Lincoln’s history, and initially centered his story on the civil war. But tackling both the civil war and Lincoln proved to be too big of a story.
“It was the story of the last 3 years of the Civil War, and it involved 7 huge battles. Lincoln was prosecuting the war, first through General McClellan and then General Grant. But it was much more of a Saving Private Ryan, set between 1863 and 1865. And...
- 9/18/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
With “American Fiction,” Cord Jefferson, best known for penning television episodes of “Succession” and “Watchmen,” helms one of the finest directorial debuts seen since Sam Mendes’ “American Beauty.” In the style that feels like an audacious blend of the screenplays of Alexander Payne’s “Sideways” and Nicole Holofcener’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me,” he shepherds an audacious dramedy anchored by a career-best and Oscar-worthy performance from star Jeffrey Wright. After debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s a movie that could be a contender for the coveted TIFF Audience Award, and it would be deserved.
Based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film follows author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk writes an outlandish “Black” book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and madness.
Based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett, the film follows author Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who is fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, Monk writes an outlandish “Black” book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and madness.
- 9/9/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
For 24 years, The New Yorker has leaned on the talents of actors, writers, and others from the world of Hollywood to be a part of its annual New Yorker Festival, which will be held this year Oct. 6-8.
The ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes have thrown a wrench in many plans that have traditionally relied on Hollywood talent, but the festival will go on, New Yorker editor David Remnick tells The Hollywood Reporter. And there will still be plenty of star power.
The New Yorker, of course, is not owned by a struck company, but SAG has advised its members not to promote projects from studios that have not signed interim agreements, and the Condé Nast-owned publication has had to adapt accordingly: “We faced a challenge or two,” Remnick says.
“I think a lot of the navigation is on the side of the talent, and what they...
The ongoing Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes have thrown a wrench in many plans that have traditionally relied on Hollywood talent, but the festival will go on, New Yorker editor David Remnick tells The Hollywood Reporter. And there will still be plenty of star power.
The New Yorker, of course, is not owned by a struck company, but SAG has advised its members not to promote projects from studios that have not signed interim agreements, and the Condé Nast-owned publication has had to adapt accordingly: “We faced a challenge or two,” Remnick says.
“I think a lot of the navigation is on the side of the talent, and what they...
- 9/6/2023
- by Alex Weprin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mark Margolis, a veteran actor with hundreds of credits dating back to the 1970s but perhaps best known for his Emmy-nominated portrayal of cartel don Hector “Tio” Salamanca on TV’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, died Thursday at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City following a short illness. He was 83.
His death was announced by son Morgan Margolis, the CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment. Morgan Margolis said he and Mark’s wife Jacqueline were at his bedside at the time of death.
“He was one of a kind,” said manager Robert Kolker of Red Letter Entertainment. “We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him.”
Born on November 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Margolis briefly attended Temple University before moving to New York City to study acting, first under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio and subsequently...
His death was announced by son Morgan Margolis, the CEO of Knitting Factory Entertainment. Morgan Margolis said he and Mark’s wife Jacqueline were at his bedside at the time of death.
“He was one of a kind,” said manager Robert Kolker of Red Letter Entertainment. “We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend. I was lucky to know him.”
Born on November 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Margolis briefly attended Temple University before moving to New York City to study acting, first under Stella Adler at the Actors Studio and subsequently...
- 8/4/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
We’re sad to report that beloved actor Mark Margolis died at 83 on Thursday. He is known for his show-stopping roles in movies like Scarface and Darren Aronofsky’s Pi, Requiem For A Dream, and The Fountain. On the television side of the industry, Margolis’ credits are incredibly impressive, covering an expansive spectrum of memorable roles and one-off characters. A valuable film, television, and stage player, he’s best known for his break-out role of Alberto “The Shadow” in Scarface and recently as the character Hector “Tio” Salamanca in the TV series Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Margolis passed away August 3, 2023, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in his beloved and longtime home of New York City, with his wife Jacqueline and Morgan at his bedside, following a short illness.
“He was one of a kind. We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend.
Margolis passed away August 3, 2023, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in his beloved and longtime home of New York City, with his wife Jacqueline and Morgan at his bedside, following a short illness.
“He was one of a kind. We won’t see his likes again. He was a treasured client and a lifelong friend.
- 8/4/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner’s Daughter, Robert De Niro in Raging Bull, Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, Liam Neeson in Schindler’s ListImage: Universal Pictures, MGM, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures
As we prepare to learn about the story of the man who created the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic Oppenheimer,...
As we prepare to learn about the story of the man who created the atomic bomb in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming biopic Oppenheimer,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Cindy White and Mark Keizer
- avclub.com
Possession takes over Christine and the Queens in a new video for “Angels Crying in My Bed,” a track off Chris’ recently released Paranoïa, Angels, True Love album. In the clip, which showcases a live performance in the Vevo Studio, Chris twists and contorts his body, swiveling his pelvis and swaying jerkily like a marionette while singing about feeling lost and wondering if he’ll ever overcome his sadness. The music veers from R&b to pop to prog-rock in the space of four minutes as the song’s tone becomes more serious.
- 6/30/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
The Future of Music Interview is a Q&a in which our favorite artists and producers share their vision of what’s next, weighing in on everything from AI to emerging scenes to the artists inspiring them the most.
When Christine and the Queens, the progressive French pop artist who also goes by “Chris,” decided he wanted Madonna to voice the narrator on his ambitious, new three-act pop opera, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, he had to think fast.
His collaborator, Mike Dean, had worked with Madonna before and quickly got her on a FaceTime,...
When Christine and the Queens, the progressive French pop artist who also goes by “Chris,” decided he wanted Madonna to voice the narrator on his ambitious, new three-act pop opera, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, he had to think fast.
His collaborator, Mike Dean, had worked with Madonna before and quickly got her on a FaceTime,...
- 6/28/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Paul Schrader might not have seen the memes, but the Oscar winner is calling “Asteroid City” the most Wes Anderson film ever.
The “Master Gardener” director took to Facebook to praise Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” comparing it to Alain Resnais’ surreal 1961 French New Wave classic “Last Year at Marienbad.”
“The most Wes Anderson film Wes Anderson has made. And for that reason, the best,” Schrader wrote of “Asteroid City,” now in theaters. “He has distilled his design-driven anti-empathy film style to its essence. It’s hard to find a comparable film. The one that comes to mind is ‘Last Year at Marienbad.'”
Schrader added, “I’m heartened that it opened so well, though not quite sure why.”
Fellow auteur Guillermo del Toro similarly took to Twitter to express his admiration for Anderson’s vision.
“Unique signature – What started as an Ashby-esque rhythm and a Demy-esque image design mix, has evolved,...
The “Master Gardener” director took to Facebook to praise Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” comparing it to Alain Resnais’ surreal 1961 French New Wave classic “Last Year at Marienbad.”
“The most Wes Anderson film Wes Anderson has made. And for that reason, the best,” Schrader wrote of “Asteroid City,” now in theaters. “He has distilled his design-driven anti-empathy film style to its essence. It’s hard to find a comparable film. The one that comes to mind is ‘Last Year at Marienbad.'”
Schrader added, “I’m heartened that it opened so well, though not quite sure why.”
Fellow auteur Guillermo del Toro similarly took to Twitter to express his admiration for Anderson’s vision.
“Unique signature – What started as an Ashby-esque rhythm and a Demy-esque image design mix, has evolved,...
- 6/20/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Tom Stoppard won the Best Play trophy for “Leopoldstadt” at the 2023 Tony Awards. This is his fifth win in the category, breaking his own Tony record. The theater legend maintains an impressive lead as the winningest playwright in the Best Play category.
“Leopoldstadt” is a sprawling epic which traces the lineage of a Jewish family in Vienna from 1899 to 1955. The play considers important questions of assimilation and identity. The show picked up four wins in total, with additional victories for Brandon Uranowitz in Featured Actor in a Play, Patrick Marber in Director of a Play, and Brigitte Reiffenstuel in Costume Design of a Play.
Stoppard has now won the Best Play category five times in his career, more than any other playwright in history. He previously prevailed for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” (1968), “Travesties” (1976), “The Real Thing” (1984), and the three-part epic “The Coast of Utopia” (2007). The Tony Awards do not...
“Leopoldstadt” is a sprawling epic which traces the lineage of a Jewish family in Vienna from 1899 to 1955. The play considers important questions of assimilation and identity. The show picked up four wins in total, with additional victories for Brandon Uranowitz in Featured Actor in a Play, Patrick Marber in Director of a Play, and Brigitte Reiffenstuel in Costume Design of a Play.
Stoppard has now won the Best Play category five times in his career, more than any other playwright in history. He previously prevailed for “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” (1968), “Travesties” (1976), “The Real Thing” (1984), and the three-part epic “The Coast of Utopia” (2007). The Tony Awards do not...
- 6/12/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
It takes 97 minutes to listen to Christine and the Queens’ moving, three-act pop opera, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, but you need months to understand it fully.
On the album, the French artist (let’s call him Chris for simplicity) summons celestial bodies, pays tribute to his late mother, flirts with 070 Shake, navigates acid-rock and dubby detours, samples Marvin Gaye and Pachelbel’s canon, and divines some of the catchiest melodies of his career. The album is a lot to take in, but the depth of emotion, musical ingenuity, and the...
On the album, the French artist (let’s call him Chris for simplicity) summons celestial bodies, pays tribute to his late mother, flirts with 070 Shake, navigates acid-rock and dubby detours, samples Marvin Gaye and Pachelbel’s canon, and divines some of the catchiest melodies of his career. The album is a lot to take in, but the depth of emotion, musical ingenuity, and the...
- 6/9/2023
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
“Kidnapped,” the new feature film from Marco Bellocchio, has been acquired for domestic distribution by Cohen Media Group, TheWrap has confirmed.
The drama, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, concerns a young Jewish boy who, after being secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, is abducted and raised Christian in 19th Century Italy.
The picture debuted to mostly positive reviews (76% fresh and an average critic rating of 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes), with TheWrap’s Ben Croll noting that the film “doesn’t so much pit one faith against another, casting oppressors against oppressed; instead, the film sets individuals against larger institutions.” It has earned $1.14 million in Italy since opening there in late May.
Marco Bellocchio, along with his contemporaries Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, helped redefine Italian and world cinema in the 1960s and beyond. He created the landmark films “Fists in the Pocket,...
The drama, which played in competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, concerns a young Jewish boy who, after being secretly baptized by his nurse as a baby, is abducted and raised Christian in 19th Century Italy.
The picture debuted to mostly positive reviews (76% fresh and an average critic rating of 7/10 on Rotten Tomatoes), with TheWrap’s Ben Croll noting that the film “doesn’t so much pit one faith against another, casting oppressors against oppressed; instead, the film sets individuals against larger institutions.” It has earned $1.14 million in Italy since opening there in late May.
Marco Bellocchio, along with his contemporaries Bernardo Bertolucci and Pier Paolo Pasolini, helped redefine Italian and world cinema in the 1960s and beyond. He created the landmark films “Fists in the Pocket,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Two days before Christine and the Queens release their new album Paranoïa, Angels, True Love, the artist has shared one final preview from the LP, “A Day in the Water.”
“The song is about that feeling of being deep in the water, when you feel the world cannot touch you anymore,” singer Chris shared in a statement. “It’s behind the glass of your own melancholia but in that deep dive of vulnerability hopefully the light arrives. The light of honesty.”
Additionally, Chris performed the new single for a Veve...
“The song is about that feeling of being deep in the water, when you feel the world cannot touch you anymore,” singer Chris shared in a statement. “It’s behind the glass of your own melancholia but in that deep dive of vulnerability hopefully the light arrives. The light of honesty.”
Additionally, Chris performed the new single for a Veve...
- 6/7/2023
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
It was Pride and Drag Queen picket day in Los Angeles, where around 300 people hit up Warner Bros. Discovery to highlight their issues as the strike marches into its second month.
The hundreds of writers attending the picket were provided glitter and stickers for their signs on the first day of Pride month. The event attracted the likes of Severance creator Dan Erickson to Yellowjackets star Liv Hewson.
“When queer writers are under attack,” chanted the crowd, “What do we do? Stand up, fight back.” Others added, “If we don’t get it, shut it down.”
Signs featured sayings such as “Protect All Queer Art” and “I’m Gay For Pay” as Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman blasted from a speaker system.
On the scene at the Pride Picket outside of Warner Bros. Studios in LA #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/tyDgjgdAJx
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) June 1, 2023
John August, a...
The hundreds of writers attending the picket were provided glitter and stickers for their signs on the first day of Pride month. The event attracted the likes of Severance creator Dan Erickson to Yellowjackets star Liv Hewson.
“When queer writers are under attack,” chanted the crowd, “What do we do? Stand up, fight back.” Others added, “If we don’t get it, shut it down.”
Signs featured sayings such as “Protect All Queer Art” and “I’m Gay For Pay” as Whitney Houston’s I’m Every Woman blasted from a speaker system.
On the scene at the Pride Picket outside of Warner Bros. Studios in LA #WritersStrike pic.twitter.com/tyDgjgdAJx
— Deadline Hollywood (@Deadline) June 1, 2023
John August, a...
- 6/1/2023
- by Matt Grobar, Sean Piccoli and Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
French pop rockers Christine and the Queens will return to North American for a run of shows in October in support of their upcoming album, Paranoïa, Angels, True Love.
The band will spend the bulk of the summer touring the U.K. and Europe, with a few festival sets in Montreal and Quebec, Canada scheduled for July. Their six-city North American tour kicks off Oct. 17 at the Filmore in Philadelphia, and includes stops in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., and Toronto before wrapping Oct. 26 at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.
The band will spend the bulk of the summer touring the U.K. and Europe, with a few festival sets in Montreal and Quebec, Canada scheduled for July. Their six-city North American tour kicks off Oct. 17 at the Filmore in Philadelphia, and includes stops in Boston, New York City, Washington D.C., and Toronto before wrapping Oct. 26 at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.
- 5/30/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.