“We really thought we could change something,” Balagov told IndieWire by phone this month from Los Angeles with Kovalenko on the line. “But later, when we found out real people in our homeland support this, we understood something terrible was happening. This Russian TV propaganda has brainwashed a lot of people. That moment was kind of a breaking point for us and we understood that we needed to get out of Russia....
As reported by The Ringer: “A few years ago, the Oscar-winning filmmaker Brian Helgeland went to Warner Bros. with what seemed like a dynamite movie pitch: a sequel to ‘L.A. Confidential,’ the 1997 Hollywood cop drama he cowrote with director Curtis Hanson. Helgeland had already secured a top-tier cast, including returning ‘Confidential’ costars Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce, alongside Chadwick Boseman, who’d be playing a young police officer. He’d developed a new story with ‘L....
In an interview with Deadline, the “House of Gucci” star said she has enjoyed the challenge of learning how movies are made, and could see herself making one of her own when she has the time to commit to it. “I’m interested in it, yes, but it’s something I would want to practice and to become nuanced and nimble,” she said. “And I would never want to say that I could be great at something that I was not enough of a student of yet....
“So here we are the veterans gone Hollywood. We are locked in mobile homes staring blankly at fake wood paneling waiting interminably for lighting set ups. Now, on the eve of your grand, brave, new season, we wish you solid premises, big ratings, good spirits and the best of luck,” they wrote. “Both of us genuinely miss the atmosphere of Dirty Rock in the fall, The renewal of friendships with the crew, the creative exchange with the cast and writers....
“Lars is in good spirits and is being treated for his symptoms — and given treatment so he can complete ‘Riget Exodus,’” the statement said. “The illness means that Lars will only take part in interviews to a limited extent until the premiere later in the year.” Von Trier has been a force to be reckoned with in the arthouse community since he burst onto the scene with “The Element of Crime” in 1984....
After Robbie and “Birds of Prey” scribe Christina Hodson announced in 2020 a female-fronted “Pirates of the Caribbean” spinoff, Robbie recently confirmed to Vanity Fair that the project is dead in the water at Disney. “We had an idea and we were developing it for a while, ages ago, to have more of a female-led — not totally female-led, but just a different kind of story — which we thought would’ve been really cool, but I guess they don’t want to do it,” Robbie said of Disney....
The “Boogie Nights” star most recently transformed into a Catholic priest for the new film “Father Stu,” out April 13. Wahlberg also produced the film based on the true story of a boxer turned priest. “The Fighter” star told Entertainment Tonight that “Father Stu” is a turning point in his career. “I feel like this is starting a new chapter for me in that, now, doing things like this [with] real substance can help people,” Wahlberg said....
That was the mission statement Matthew McConaughey opened with Tuesday when he appeared at the White House press briefing room to give a 20-minute speech recounting the 19 children and two teachers who were killed in the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24. He called for more restrictive gun laws that might have prevented the murder weapon, an AR-15 assault rifle, from being sold to the 18-year-old assailant....
The film follows Brigance (McConaughey) as he defends a Black man (Jackson) accused of murdering two white men who raped his 10-year-old daughter. In sequel “A Time for Mercy,” Brigance is forced to defend the boy who murdered his mother’s boyfriend, a deputy sheriff, because the boy claims the man was abusive towards his family. The case pits Brigance against local law enforcement as well as his community. The project is still in early stages of development at HBO, with no writer yet attached....
“We are sincerely excited to be hosting the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards. We hope to get a little rowdy, but it’ll mainly be legitimate cinematic discourse,” the comedy power couple said in a press statement. “Although, with the two of us involved, it’s more likely to be intercourse. Either way it’ll be legit.” Emmy winner Mullally and “Pam & Tommy” star Offerman have toured the U.S. and the U....
I’m writing to let you know that Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately. We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened. Michael Davies from Embassy Row has agreed to help with production on an interim basis until further notice....
The festival is set to open with “Bunker,” Jenny Perlin’s documentary about men living in military bunkers awaiting the end of the world. The official synopsis describes the film as “a timely reflection on ideas of survival and shelter among those preparing for the disintegration of society from a hundred feet underground.” The closing night selection is “The United States of America,” directed by James Benning. The documentary finds the filmmaking reprising his 1975 short film of the same name, utilizing vignettes representing each U....
Of course, critics have long accused Emmerich of lowering the bar with his destructive brand of blockbuster schlock, and if the world keeps getting worse at its current rate, I suppose it’s possible that people might eventually look back at “Moonfall” with the same “we don’t know how good we had it” wistfulness that fills my heart every time I watch Randy Quaid fly his little plane up the butthole of that massive alien warship....
Then again, you have no idea how long 70 minutes can be. Not until you’ve sat through Harpo and Lenny Guit’s feature debut, an anarchic blitz through the lower depths of Brussels that blends flavors of “Pink Flamingos” and flamboyant Italian comedies into a tasteless Pixy Stick of a movie. Ultimately, it betrays those influences in favor of something that feels more like a Dardenne brothers remake directed by Jake and Logan Paul (and would even if “Young Ahmed” star Claire Bodson wasn’t cast as the titular schmuckered mother)....
Disney+ currently does not stream direct-to-consumer in the nation, and since “Ms. Marvel” is centered on a Muslim-Pakistani teen — making her Marvel Studios’ first Muslim superhero lead — the decision to host a special theatrical event was a no-brainer for HKC Entertainment CEO Hammad Chaudhry. The Eid-ul-Fitr holidays are also a cinema-going surge for Pakistani residents. “The series is a wonderful celebration of Pakistani art, culture and talent as there is such a diverse engagement of Pakistani creatives across the board,” Chaudhry said, as reported by Variety....
And change it did. Those who aren’t afraid of spoilers can read about the unique plot device that creators Natasha Lyonne, Leslye Headland, and Amy Poehler implemented for Season 2. But according to showrunner and star Lyonne, the biggest change to the show may not have happened between the first two seasons, but between her original pitch and the filming of Season 1. Speaking to EW about the new season, Lyonne reflected on her original treatment that she used to pitch the show to Netflix....
Lyonne’s struggles have been a matter of public scrutiny for years. However, this personal understanding of her career trajectory tends to treat her latest act, as the co-creator and now sole showrunner of “Russian Doll,” like a sudden manifestation of latent creative talent. The truth is that the metaphysical sci-fi puzzle pieces of “Russian Doll” have been percolating in Lyonne’s aesthetic evolution for years, and with the second season, she finally got the chance to assemble them on her own....
There I was, sitting in my apartment, ready to crank out some writing while a day’s worth of NBA games played in the background. By now, any sports fan who’s been working from home should know the comforts of the second-screen experience. Rather than putting all your energy into one thing (working), you can trick yourself into enjoying the daily grind by keeping a game (or two) on in the background....
In total, the NEA’s share of the stimulus funding totaled $57,750,000; of that, funding for film organizations represented a little less than seven percent. The outcome doesn’t tell the full story of small-scale film organizations in the U.S., but it provides a snapshot of the film institutions currently supported by government funding. In some cases, it also clarifies the fragility of their operations. Overall, 567 arts organizations received funding under the the $1....
Bonus Reason: A sexy period drama from the mind behind “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” that’s also an adaptation of a massively popular book series where all the young dukes and duchesses aren’t exclusively white? Again, what more do you want? Well, for the TV nerds out there, “Bridgerton” marks the next test of Netflix’s talent acquisitions team. Back in 2017, when the streamer lured Rhimes away from her hugely successful home at ABC, the top-tier TV producer was given the mandate to bring those eyeballs over to Netflix....
