Variety

Sci-Fi Franchise ‘Kri8 Universe’ Launches at Toronto Market (EXCLUSIVE)

“Kri8 Universe,” a five-world science-fiction IP ecosystem from production designer and filmmaker Uzair Merchant, will launch at TIFF: The Market, looking for global licensing, studio and strategic partnerships following 14 years of independent development. The universe consists of five interconnected worlds — Elixir of Life, Black Rose, the 8th Sin, Skye and Vault X — […]

entertainment  1d ago

The Guardian Culture

Girl Group review – Rebel Wilson’s dreadful music comedy is a spice-free wannabe

Toronto film festival: the actor turned writer-director’s ode to girl groups is a shoddily made and embarrassingly unfunny catastropheThere were plentiful on-paper delights for certain music fans of a certain generation promised at Toronto’s splashy Friday-night premiere of pop comedy Girl Group. Posed as a tribute to the Spice Girls and the fizzy boom of girl power-fuelled music that came in their wake, its cast includes OG member Mel C, All Saints’ Shaznay Lewis, and Pussycat Dolls’ Ashley Rob

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

Female Bucking Bronc Riders Take Center Stage in ‘Cheyenne,’ TIFF-Bound Doc Produced by Jenna Bush Hager (EXCLUSIVE)

The TIFF-bound documentary “Cheyenne” follows a quartet of fearless cowgirls who compete at riding wild broncos on the rodeo circuit after nearly a century of being excluded because of their gender. Variety has a first look at the film, in which director Taimi Arvidson profiles four cowgirls when the American rodeo circuit opens up a […]

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

From ‘American Hostage’ to Podcasts, Hollywood Digs Deeper Into Digital IP — But Will the Same Stories Told on Different Platforms Hurt Business?

Watching the MGM+ limited anthology series “American Hostage” with exec producer and star Jon Hamm at its Sept. 12 Toronto fest premiere, you might be reminded of last year’s Sept. 7 Toronto premiere, Gus Van Sant’s thriller “Dead Man’s Wire,” about the same 1977 Indianapolis hostage crisis. Or the 2022 podcast “American Hostage” with Jon […]

entertainment  1d ago

The Guardian Culture

Michael Barrymore becomes unlikely TikTok star with nearly 5m followers

Former primetime TV host films himself eating dog biscuits, doing ‘munchie runs’ and addressing pool death caseFilming from the driver’s seat of his car, with his pet whippet, Lara, in the background, Michael Barrymore shows an array of dog treats he has collected to test to the camera. There’s a twist, though: it won’t be the dog doing the testing.In a series of quick edits, the fallen star of primetime 1990s television grimaces his way through cheese biscuits and pork sausages. The lamb spaghe

entertainment  1d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Toronto: ‘Purgatory’ Director Navigates Warring Parents and Girl Power in Dark Divorce Comedy

Lindsey Lanzillotta's coming-of-age dramedy and debut feature stars J.K. Simmons, Ruby McGurrin, Abby Elliot and John Reynolds and is set for a world premiere at TIFF.

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

Jeremy Thomas, Legendary British Producer and Oscar Winner, Dies at 77

Jeremy Thomas, one of the film industry’s most highly respected independent producers with a body of work spanning more than half a century, has died. He was 77 years old. Across his career, Thomas — who founded the Recorded Picture Company and later Hanway Films — helped bring to life more than 80 features, championing the work […]

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

Liam Neeson on the ‘Rage’ Behind ‘The Lost Children of Tuam’ and Turning Producer for First Time to Tell Story of Irish Scandal

Liam Neeson was in his home in upstate New York in late 2017 when he was sent a link to a New York Times article about a shameful episode in Ireland’s history. Almost a decade on and he tells Variety he’s “still coming to terms with my reaction to it.” The piece, written by Dan […]

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

Maisie Williams Thriller ‘Ignition’ Bought by Saban for North America (EXCLUSIVE)

“Ignition,” the upcoming high-concept thriller led by Emmy-nominated “Game of Thrones” star Maisie Williams, has been acquired for North America. WestEnd Films — which launched the film in Cannes — has closed a domestic deal with Saban on the film, directed by Emmy-nominated filmmaker James Erskine (“Copa 71,” “Billie,” “Sachin: A Billion Dreams”). The deal comes following […]

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

‘On Behalf of My Son’ Director Gabriel Martins on Black Brazilian Representation in His Films: ‘It’s a Life Project To Me, Not Just Cinema’

In 2022, Gabriel Martins made waves at the Sundance Film Festival with “Mars One,” a sprawling ensemble drama chronicling the life of a Black Brazilian family. At that time, the industry was still wrestling with what a post-pandemic future would look like and, despite “Mars One” having a strong festival run, Martins struggled to secure […]

entertainment  1d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Carla Woodcock Joins Kate Beckinsale, Katherine McNamara in ‘White’ (Exclusive)

Highland Film racked up multiple pre-sales for Jake West's shark survival thriller at TIFF.

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

First Clip of ‘Club Kid’ Star Jordan Firstman as U.S. Voice Cast Lead in Cannes Breakout ‘Jim Queen’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Jordan Firstman, fresh off directorial debut “Club Kid” – acquired by A24 for release this November – leads the English-language voice cast of “Jim Queen.” Variety reveals the exclusive first clip here: The animated comedy, directed by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, premiered at Cannes to rave reviews. Variety’s Guy Lodge called it a “hilarious rare […]

entertainment  1d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Canadian Auteur Matthew Rankin Had a Fever Dream About Canadian History

In the Toronto-premiering 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Brian Mulroney,' the 'Universal Language' director turns former Canadian PM Brian Mulroney’s rise to power into a surreal collage of archival footage, animation and TV propaganda.

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

‘Dau’ Review: Ilya Khrzhanovsky’s Vast Cinematic Experiment in Historical World-Building Remains More Impressive From a Distance

More than six years after Ilya Khrzhanovsky premiered “DAU. Natasha” and “DAU. Degeneration” at the Berlin Film Festival — right before the global COVID lockdown — to a politely muted reception and limited distributor interest, you might think the moment has passed for another missive from the DAU Cinematic Universe. Turns out, however, that you […]

entertainment  1d ago

Variety

‘Totém’ Director Lila Avilés Wraps Production on ‘Cábula,’ Releases First Look (EXCLUSIVE)

Mexican filmmaker Lila Avilés (“Totém”) has wrapped production on her next feature film, “Cábula,” and shared an exclusive first-look image with Variety. The director presented the film during the Venice Gap-Financing Market, which took place from Sept. 4 – 6. Set in the fictional Mexican town of Mexicalpan, “Cábula” follows Toña, a dedicated and deeply […]

entertainment  1d ago

Hollywood Reporter

Almodóvar’s Deep Dive Into … Almodóvar

With the very meta 'Bitter Christmas,' the Spanish auteur goes further into autofiction than ever — and grapples with where to draw the line: "I really expose myself a lot."

entertainment  1d ago

The Guardian Culture

‘I love a bit of mischief!’ Liza Tarbuck on why she’s swapping her Radio 2 mic for a potter’s wheel

Her riotous weekly show had an army of devoted fans. Now Tarbuck has joined the ranks of star presenters leaving the BBC – and she’s getting her hands dirtyA tragedy. A national disaster. A loss to the cultural landscape that should be discussed in parliament. These were just a few listener reactions when Liza Tarbuck left her Radio 2 show earlier this year. “I was bereft about it, too,” sighs Tarbuck. “I miss angsting over the playlist. I miss the texts and emails. For two hours every weekend,

entertainment  1d ago

The Guardian Culture

Naomi Klein: ‘Extreme wealth has a deranging effect. It turns you into a supremacist’

She’s tackled neoliberalism and the digital world, now the writer and activist is taking on tech billionaires. She explains how the super-rich are capitalising on climate and financial chaos in pursuit of powerNaomi Klein’s new book starts on a mountaintop with two “faithful men gathering an audience to share their vision”. It’s a vision of a paradise city, gated at every entrance, no need for weapons there, everyone in it rich. One of the men has tears in his eyes as he describes its beaut

entertainment  1d ago

The Guardian Culture

Scottish Ballet: Emergence review – riveting visions of gods and insects

Theatre Royal, GlasgowThe premiere of Julia Cheng’s Entress and a bold return for Crystal Pite’s Emergence both explore collective powerIt is a significant moment for a choreographer to create work for a large ballet company for the first time. This is the thread that joins these two Scottish Ballet performances: the world premiere of Entress by Julia Cheng and a restaging of Crystal Pite’s Emergence, choreographed for the National Ballet of Canada in 2009 and first performed by Scottish Ballet

entertainment  2d ago

The Guardian Culture

Apocalypse: this end-of-days survival show is an absolute slam dunk

Geeks, toffs and biceps go to war in a wild survival experiment that answers that eternal question: if society collapsed, could you cope? This is going to be huge!Have you ever wondered how Cormac McCarthy’s wasteland novel The Road could be made into a reality show? No? Well someone who works in TV has, so here we are. Who knows if they experienced a follow-up thought: that the instinct to package the end of the world as entertainment might be the most dystopian aspect of the whole enterprise,

entertainment  2d ago