Matt Damon has been one of the most famous actors in Hollywood since his Good Will Hunting days. But he felt there were other actors like Johnny Depp who were a bit more well-known than he was. Damon didn’t think this was a bad thing, however.
Matt Damon once felt being Johnny Depp-level famous would’ve been too much Johnny Depp | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Damon has known what it’s like to be in the spotlight for decades, now. And although he’s used to it now, becoming famous took a bit of an adjustment period for the actor. In an interview with People, Damon shared that he felt fortunate having Affleck around to deal with his growing stardom.
“Because the whole world just starts to treat you differently. And so your subjective experience changes. It’s like somebody rewrites your code in the Matrix, but just your code,...
Matt Damon once felt being Johnny Depp-level famous would’ve been too much Johnny Depp | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Damon has known what it’s like to be in the spotlight for decades, now. And although he’s used to it now, becoming famous took a bit of an adjustment period for the actor. In an interview with People, Damon shared that he felt fortunate having Affleck around to deal with his growing stardom.
“Because the whole world just starts to treat you differently. And so your subjective experience changes. It’s like somebody rewrites your code in the Matrix, but just your code,...
- 6/11/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
“Feud: Bette and Joan” took the Emmys by storm in 2017, with the first season of the Ryan Murphy anthology show receiving rave reviews for its depiction of the rivalry between actresses Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange).
Season two will hope to match that Emmy success (more on that later) with its portrayal of Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and his falling out with a group of New York high society socialites known as the Swans. Capote wrote a fictionalized account of the Swans’ dramatic lives, leading to the Swans vowing revenge for betraying their confidence.
The glossy show is typically gorgeous, scandalous, and theatrical while the performances are all top-drawer. Hollander dazzles in the lead role as Capote, which is no mean feat considering the late, great Philip Seymour-Hoffman won the Best Actor Oscar for his turn as Capote in 2005’s “Capote”). Meanwhile, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane,...
Season two will hope to match that Emmy success (more on that later) with its portrayal of Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) and his falling out with a group of New York high society socialites known as the Swans. Capote wrote a fictionalized account of the Swans’ dramatic lives, leading to the Swans vowing revenge for betraying their confidence.
The glossy show is typically gorgeous, scandalous, and theatrical while the performances are all top-drawer. Hollander dazzles in the lead role as Capote, which is no mean feat considering the late, great Philip Seymour-Hoffman won the Best Actor Oscar for his turn as Capote in 2005’s “Capote”). Meanwhile, Naomi Watts, Diane Lane,...
- 6/10/2024
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Gun Van Sant's 2002 film "Gerry" is based loosely on a real-life incident in 1999 wherein Raffi Kodikian and David Coughlin, best friends for years, got lost while hiking in southern New Mexico. After a few days in the dry wilderness, the pair ran out of food and water, and feared starvation and dehydration. Kodikian claims that hunger and thirst began killing Coughlin. He begged Kodikian to murder him to end the pain ... which Kodikian did. Kodikian was eventually found and tried for second-degree murder.
"Gerry" is a fictionalized version of the same incident, envisioning the painstaking process of walking out into the desert ... and losing all sense of reality. Van Sant, however, transformed the story into a semi-abstract, narrative-free feature that involves more walking than talking. The two main characters Gerry (Matt Damon) and Gerry (Casey Affleck) walk next to each other, rarely talking. They walk behind one another. They walk out ahead.
"Gerry" is a fictionalized version of the same incident, envisioning the painstaking process of walking out into the desert ... and losing all sense of reality. Van Sant, however, transformed the story into a semi-abstract, narrative-free feature that involves more walking than talking. The two main characters Gerry (Matt Damon) and Gerry (Casey Affleck) walk next to each other, rarely talking. They walk behind one another. They walk out ahead.
- 6/10/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Mike Ott’s McVeigh is an immersive, chilling, meticulously paced portrait of Timothy McVeigh, played by Alfie Allen, who embodies the bleak, quiet rage of the radicalized terrorist. Entering the story months before he carries out the deadliest attack of domestic terrorism in U.S. history, McVeigh is a loner who spends his days selling bumper stickers and books at gun shows and visiting with Richard Snell (Tracy Letts), a white supremacist on death row. Bothered by the political temperature of the era and Snell’s pending execution on the anniversary of the Waco Siege, McVeigh and Terry Nichols (Brett Gelman) start stockpiling weapons and planning an attack. The details of said attack are never mentioned. Ott and co-writer Alex Gioulakis instead meditate on the man’s psychology.
McVeigh is narratively sparse by design, making certain assumptions and taking liberties, such as the character of Cindy (Ashley Benson), a waitress...
McVeigh is narratively sparse by design, making certain assumptions and taking liberties, such as the character of Cindy (Ashley Benson), a waitress...
- 6/10/2024
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
In an exciting turn for horror fans, the movie In a Violent Nature debuted with a fresh 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, known for its hyper-violent slasher scenes. Directed by Chris Nash, the film follows the perspective of a mute killer in the Canadian wilderness, offering an homage to Gus Van Sant’s moody, largely silent dramas. Following this trend, another anticipated release, Late Night with the Devil, has also gained traction due to its unique narrative and supernatural elements. The movie tells the story of the live broadcast of a late-night talk show in 1977 that goes horribly wrong,...
- 6/10/2024
- by Steve Delikson
- TVovermind.com
In the wake of a slow return to production post WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, industry contraction, and an extended M&a deal for a major studio that has kept the whole town on pins and needles, Hollywood really needs a break. Creatives and executives alike were hoping for a boost in the form of a strong summer box office, but after almost every blockbuster released in the last month failed to meet expectations, a panic that’s been in place for a while now refuses to relent. As the traditional process of producing and distributing film and television hurdles towards oblivion, the best thing one can do is take a step back and gain some perspective. Ironically enough, I believe the best place to do this is actually… at a movie theater. Just not the kind you’re probably thinking of.
While first-run mega-chains like AMC and Regal struggle through the...
While first-run mega-chains like AMC and Regal struggle through the...
- 6/8/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
“We have to do something,” says one of the many shadowy extremists who populate the fringes of Mike Ott’s tense drama McVeigh, a condensed account of the events that led Timothy McVeigh, an Iraq war veteran, to blow up the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma on April 19, 1995, killing 168 people and injuring 680 more. His close ties to white supremacist Richard Snell, a convicted murderer put to death by lethal injection that same day, might — reasonably — lead one, and especially people of color, to wonder why this man needs the oxygen of publicity, nearly 23 years after his own execution. But Ott’s film is a rare study of the radicalization of white working-class Americans, a phenomenon that went overground in Washington DC on January 6, 2021.
Ott carefully keeps us at arm’s length from his subject at all times, and his direction makes that clear from the outset. When we’re not following McVeigh,...
Ott carefully keeps us at arm’s length from his subject at all times, and his direction makes that clear from the outset. When we’re not following McVeigh,...
- 6/8/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
In the final moments of “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans,” episode seven, Tom Hollander’s Truman Capote is dying. His last words are “Beautiful Babe,” referencing his Swan Babe Paley, played by Naomi Watts. The following episode, the season finale is aptly titled “Phantasm Forgiveness,” a dreamscape scenario that hops between the past, present and future.
In an imagined scenario, Capote continues drafting his book “Answered Prayers” and imagines his character P.B Jones apologizing and making amends as he seeks forgiveness. In the show, Capote betrays his close circle of New York’s high society circle of powerful women known as the Swans by publishing a story titled “La Côte Basque, 1965” in Esquire and revealing their secrets. The Swans include Babe, C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny) and Slim Keith (Diane Lane).
Speaking at Variety’s TV FYC Fest, executive producer and writer Jon Robin Baitz explained his approach to that final episode.
In an imagined scenario, Capote continues drafting his book “Answered Prayers” and imagines his character P.B Jones apologizing and making amends as he seeks forgiveness. In the show, Capote betrays his close circle of New York’s high society circle of powerful women known as the Swans by publishing a story titled “La Côte Basque, 1965” in Esquire and revealing their secrets. The Swans include Babe, C.Z. Guest (Chloë Sevigny) and Slim Keith (Diane Lane).
Speaking at Variety’s TV FYC Fest, executive producer and writer Jon Robin Baitz explained his approach to that final episode.
- 6/7/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
NYC Weekend Watch is our weekly round-up of repertory offerings.
Film Forum
Films by David Lynch, Tony Scott, David Cronenberg, and Jim Jarmusch play in “Out of the 80s,“ which includes Do the Right Thing on 35mm this Sunday; The Neverending Story plays on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
Rumble in the Bronx and The Straight Story play on 35mm as part of “See It Big at the ’90s Multiplex” which also includes Boomerang and Trainspotting; an Agnieszka Holland retrospective begins; Mothra screens on Saturday.
Roxy Cinema
Altered States plays on 35mm this Friday; Saturday brings Knight of Cups; George Cukor’s It Should Happen to You plays on 16mm this Sunday.
Paris Theater
Seven, Old Joy, Come and See, and The Conformist all screen on a despair-inducing Sunday.
Metrograph
Films by Gus Van Sant and Alain Resnais play in an mk2 retrospective; retrospectives of Obayashi and Dieudo Hamadi...
Film Forum
Films by David Lynch, Tony Scott, David Cronenberg, and Jim Jarmusch play in “Out of the 80s,“ which includes Do the Right Thing on 35mm this Sunday; The Neverending Story plays on Sunday.
Museum of the Moving Image
Rumble in the Bronx and The Straight Story play on 35mm as part of “See It Big at the ’90s Multiplex” which also includes Boomerang and Trainspotting; an Agnieszka Holland retrospective begins; Mothra screens on Saturday.
Roxy Cinema
Altered States plays on 35mm this Friday; Saturday brings Knight of Cups; George Cukor’s It Should Happen to You plays on 16mm this Sunday.
Paris Theater
Seven, Old Joy, Come and See, and The Conformist all screen on a despair-inducing Sunday.
Metrograph
Films by Gus Van Sant and Alain Resnais play in an mk2 retrospective; retrospectives of Obayashi and Dieudo Hamadi...
- 6/7/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
The femme fatale is a figure that dates back centuries. In Greek mythology there were The Sirens, whose song dragged sailors to the depths of the seas, as well as Clytemnestra — wife, seductress, and ultimately murderer of King Agamemnon. Even Eve can be considered one for luring Adam into eating the forbidden fruit. But it was motion pictures that elevated the archetype to common nomenclature, starting at the form’s inception with characters played by actresses like Greta Garbo and Louise Brooks, then flourishing in the ‘40s and ‘50s with the popularity of pulp crime narratives.
Bombshells like Rita Hayworth and Barbara Stanwyck came to define the femme fatale, with directors like Charles Vidor and Billy Wilder wielding their strength against the hapless men who populate their films. The ‘80s and ‘90s saw a revitalization of the character type with the rise of erotic thrillers. Glenn Close and Sharon Stone...
Bombshells like Rita Hayworth and Barbara Stanwyck came to define the femme fatale, with directors like Charles Vidor and Billy Wilder wielding their strength against the hapless men who populate their films. The ‘80s and ‘90s saw a revitalization of the character type with the rise of erotic thrillers. Glenn Close and Sharon Stone...
- 6/7/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
“It’s just a thrill a minute,” filmmaker Chris Nash is quick to joke of his debut feature, “In a Violent Nature.”
“We made this movie with an audience of maybe five people in mind. So having anybody like it and endure the walking and just the pace of the film, it’s been a testament to the patience of an audience,” he said.
Nash cuts himself short — a metaphor made more apt when you’ve seen just how creative the filmmaker can be with a paralyzed victim and a well-placed log splitter. The extra gutsy first-time feature writer/director and his star Ry Barrett spoke with IndieWire in April at The Overlook Film Festival. That’s an annual horror event in Louisiana, where Nash’s spellbinding slasher deconstruction for IFC Films and Shudder screened for the second time after making its world premiere at Sundance. “In a Violent Nature...
“We made this movie with an audience of maybe five people in mind. So having anybody like it and endure the walking and just the pace of the film, it’s been a testament to the patience of an audience,” he said.
Nash cuts himself short — a metaphor made more apt when you’ve seen just how creative the filmmaker can be with a paralyzed victim and a well-placed log splitter. The extra gutsy first-time feature writer/director and his star Ry Barrett spoke with IndieWire in April at The Overlook Film Festival. That’s an annual horror event in Louisiana, where Nash’s spellbinding slasher deconstruction for IFC Films and Shudder screened for the second time after making its world premiere at Sundance. “In a Violent Nature...
- 6/6/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Abel Ferrara has said, “In movie making, money is no excuse. It doesn’t cost anything to set up a cool looking shot.” In a Violent Nature is the embodiment of that credo. A deconstruction of the slasher genre, the movie tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar point of view as the camera stays with its undead killer Johnny (adorned in a vintage fireman’s mask and armed with a pair of logging hooks) as he traipses through the forest from victim to victim. The film poses the question, as director Chris Nash puts it, “What if Gus Van Sant directed a […]
The post From 2nd Unit to Second Shoot: Dp Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post From 2nd Unit to Second Shoot: Dp Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/6/2024
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Abel Ferrara has said, “In movie making, money is no excuse. It doesn’t cost anything to set up a cool looking shot.” In a Violent Nature is the embodiment of that credo. A deconstruction of the slasher genre, the movie tells a familiar story from an unfamiliar point of view as the camera stays with its undead killer Johnny (adorned in a vintage fireman’s mask and armed with a pair of logging hooks) as he traipses through the forest from victim to victim. The film poses the question, as director Chris Nash puts it, “What if Gus Van Sant directed a […]
The post From 2nd Unit to Second Shoot: Dp Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post From 2nd Unit to Second Shoot: Dp Pierce Derks on In a Violent Nature first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 6/6/2024
- by Matt Mulcahey
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Exclusive: TV writers-producers Denise Thé, Melissa Scrivner Love, and Amanda Segel have formally launched Third Rail Productions with a first-look deal at Sony Pictures Television. Under the two-year pact, the trio will develop and produce scripted series for cable and streaming, focusing on dramas with female leads.
Third Rail’s inaugural development slate includes two projects with high-profile auspices.
Understand is based on sci-fi author Ted Chiang’s short story from his award-winning collection Stories of Your Life and Others, with Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) attached to direct. The story follows a woman who gains extraordinary intelligence after doctors use an experimental drug to save her life. Her intellect grows, her moral center decays, and she becomes embroiled in a high stakes battle with another super-intelligent individual. Another short story from the same collection, Story of Your Life, was adapted into the feature Arrival.
Additionally, Thé, Scrivner Love,...
Third Rail’s inaugural development slate includes two projects with high-profile auspices.
Understand is based on sci-fi author Ted Chiang’s short story from his award-winning collection Stories of Your Life and Others, with Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) attached to direct. The story follows a woman who gains extraordinary intelligence after doctors use an experimental drug to save her life. Her intellect grows, her moral center decays, and she becomes embroiled in a high stakes battle with another super-intelligent individual. Another short story from the same collection, Story of Your Life, was adapted into the feature Arrival.
Additionally, Thé, Scrivner Love,...
- 6/4/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The Canadian slasher film In A Violent Nature was known for its reinvention of a familiar horror trope. Directed by Chris Nash, the ‘ambient horror’ film follows a killer in the rural parts of Ontario who targets a group of teens who come to spend their summer in camping in the woods. The film seems to have added a new visual language to the usual premise.
In A Violent Nature had its premiere at the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Many critics praised its unique filmmaking twist to the slasher genre. However, despite the love from critics, the film seems to have not impressed audiences as its Rotten Tomatoes audience score was reportedly lesser than the critics’ score.
In A Violent Nature Gets A Lower Audience Score Than Critics’ On Rotten Tomatoes A still from In A Violent Nature | Credits: Shudder Films/Zygote Pictures/Low Sky Productions...
In A Violent Nature had its premiere at the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Many critics praised its unique filmmaking twist to the slasher genre. However, despite the love from critics, the film seems to have not impressed audiences as its Rotten Tomatoes audience score was reportedly lesser than the critics’ score.
In A Violent Nature Gets A Lower Audience Score Than Critics’ On Rotten Tomatoes A still from In A Violent Nature | Credits: Shudder Films/Zygote Pictures/Low Sky Productions...
- 6/1/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Plot: When a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime, his body is resurrected and becomes hellbent on retrieving it.
Review: I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to come along and make “Pov Jason Voorhees.” The concept of following a slasher villain as they go on their journey of mayhem is the stuff of dreams. I’ve always felt that slashers are the prime candidate to deconstruct in an interesting way. Not since Scream has the subgenre been given a unique perspective and had hype behind it. So, like the 1996 classic, I was hoping this would build off of the films that came before it, and bring slasher films to new heights. Instead of a love letter, In A Violent Nature feels like an insult to the genre.
Review: I’ve been waiting my entire life for someone to come along and make “Pov Jason Voorhees.” The concept of following a slasher villain as they go on their journey of mayhem is the stuff of dreams. I’ve always felt that slashers are the prime candidate to deconstruct in an interesting way. Not since Scream has the subgenre been given a unique perspective and had hype behind it. So, like the 1996 classic, I was hoping this would build off of the films that came before it, and bring slasher films to new heights. Instead of a love letter, In A Violent Nature feels like an insult to the genre.
- 5/31/2024
- by Tyler Nichols
- JoBlo.com
‘In a Violent Nature’ Director Reveals How His Unique Slasher Was Reshot Almost Entirely [Interview]
Writer/Director Chris Nash’s feature debut, In a Violent Nature, is set to unleash an arthouse twist on the slasher in theaters this Friday, but the journey getting there has been long and arduous. So much so that Nash reshot a large percentage of the film just to get it, and the gory practical effects, just right.
That included a recast of the film’s undead slasher villain, Johnny (Ry Barrett), who is unwittingly summoned when a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs his rotting corpse. That spells terrible news for the campers vacationing in his territory.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with filmmaker Chris Nash and star Ry Barrett ahead of the film’s theatrical release about Johnny’s nature and the tough hurdles in making this unique indie horror film. The inspiration behind In a Violent Nature, Nash reveals, didn’t actually originate from iconic slashers,...
That included a recast of the film’s undead slasher villain, Johnny (Ry Barrett), who is unwittingly summoned when a locket is removed from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs his rotting corpse. That spells terrible news for the campers vacationing in his territory.
Bloody Disgusting spoke with filmmaker Chris Nash and star Ry Barrett ahead of the film’s theatrical release about Johnny’s nature and the tough hurdles in making this unique indie horror film. The inspiration behind In a Violent Nature, Nash reveals, didn’t actually originate from iconic slashers,...
- 5/30/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
When In A Violent Nature was first revealed to the world at Sundance, I was giddy with anticipation. As a massive slasher fan, I’ve always wanted a slasher seen through the lens of the killer. There are limitless possibilities and could provide the right spark to reinvent the whole subgenre. At least, that’s what I’ve always believed. But the reaction to the film was mixed, with our own Chris Bumbray giving the film a 6/10. I agree with his assessment, as the film doesn’t entirely come together like I’d want it to. It seems as though the goal was to make a Gus Van Sant film versus to make something that respected and subverted the types of slashers that came before it. Instead, it’s a rather lame affair with more bad acting than you know what to do with.
I was able to chat with...
I was able to chat with...
- 5/30/2024
- by Tyler Nichols
- JoBlo.com
Premiering at Sundance to rave reviews earlier this year, In a Violent Nature instantly set itself apart from the glut of recent independent horror films via its very deliberate vision. Anyone cynical about the genre’s ubiquity will be undeniably impressed by its formal rigor: a lack of music, a square aspect ratio, and a deceptively slow pace. Through all of this, it still finds time to birth a new slasher icon in Johnny.
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release beginning this Friday from IFC Films, The Film Stage caught up with writer-director Chris Nash over Zoom to discuss the making and influences of his indie horror sensation.
The Film Stage: My first question is about your cinephile journey, because it seems like the sort of mission statement of this film was to combine two sets of interests: the horror films of your youth and maybe the art films of your adult years.
Ahead of the film’s theatrical release beginning this Friday from IFC Films, The Film Stage caught up with writer-director Chris Nash over Zoom to discuss the making and influences of his indie horror sensation.
The Film Stage: My first question is about your cinephile journey, because it seems like the sort of mission statement of this film was to combine two sets of interests: the horror films of your youth and maybe the art films of your adult years.
- 5/29/2024
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
The slasher horror subgenre has its roots in films and stories from the ‘30s and ‘40s. But if you ask casual viewers what they associate with slashers, they’ll probably mention Friday the 13th, Halloween, Scream, and, of course, A Nightmare on Elm Street. Tropes like the final girl, sexual promiscuity, iconic masks and weapons, and a cycle of abuse became common. And even though these films and the subgenre itself were rebooted, reconstructed, and revitalized over the years, the theme of the unwavering nature of evil and the resilience of goodness remained intact. However, since its premiere at Sundance, In a Violent Nature has been touted as a new take on the slasher subgenre for telling the story largely through the perspective of the killer. Is that just a gimmick, or is there some substance to this storytelling technique? Well, let’s find out.
Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature...
Chris Nash’s In a Violent Nature...
- 5/29/2024
- by Pramit Chatterjee
- DMT
“I wanted it to be alive more than anything, and there to be a sense of real delight and weirdness,” reveals “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” composer Julia Newman about her score for the FX limited series. For our recent webchat she adds, “What I love so much about this show is that there’s no good guys, but we empathize at different moments with all of the characters. Everyone inhabits a real humanness and in inhabiting that humanness, of course, everybody is flawed. I loved the idea of Truman Capote always listening, always with the typewriter going on, as everybody was always scheming. It’s actually part of what makes the story so powerful. As shallow as human beings can get and as deep as human beings can get, what does it mean to be on your deathbed and to regret a friendship lost? That’s so profound. So,...
- 5/28/2024
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
by Christopher James
The year 1995 is a pivotal moment in the definition of Nicole Kidman. Both of her films released this year paint different paths her career could go. As Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, Nicole Kidman pursues mainstream success, hoping to align her name with a big franchise full of stars. Though she eventually returns to the superhero genre, we get the first real glimpse at the prestige actress we know and love today with her seismic turn in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For. At that point, Kidman was best known as Mrs. Tom Cruise, having already starred in Days of Thunder and Far & Away with her husband. In redefining her image as a real actress, Kidman first had to lean into the stereotypes that people saw in her.
Her Suzanne Stone Maretto is a ditzy social climber whose quest for fame greatly exceeds her talent at wielding it.
The year 1995 is a pivotal moment in the definition of Nicole Kidman. Both of her films released this year paint different paths her career could go. As Dr. Chase Meridian in Batman Forever, Nicole Kidman pursues mainstream success, hoping to align her name with a big franchise full of stars. Though she eventually returns to the superhero genre, we get the first real glimpse at the prestige actress we know and love today with her seismic turn in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For. At that point, Kidman was best known as Mrs. Tom Cruise, having already starred in Days of Thunder and Far & Away with her husband. In redefining her image as a real actress, Kidman first had to lean into the stereotypes that people saw in her.
Her Suzanne Stone Maretto is a ditzy social climber whose quest for fame greatly exceeds her talent at wielding it.
- 5/27/2024
- by Christopher James
- FilmExperience
In A Violent Nature, Chris Nash's tremendous take on the slasher genre, opens in cinemas this coming Friday, May 31st. We managed to steal a few minutes of his time and speak with him about his breakout Sundance hit and debut feature film. In the brief time we had with the local writer/director we learned more about the origin of the flick and the role Gus Van Sant played in it. We also asked about two of the kills that left the biggest impression on us when we watched the movie. More so, how did he do them. It's short, it's sweet, but we felt duty-bound to speak with Nash, to support him and the home team, the many friends of ours in the Toronto...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/27/2024
- Screen Anarchy
The 2024 Cannes Film Festival concluded on Saturday, May 25 following two weeks packed with screenings, stars, press and parties. With the prizes having been handed out for the festival’s 77th anniversary, we can now start looking at what contenders might be in the best spot to get into the upcoming Oscar race. Let’s examine the winners from this year’s festival and see the history that each category has when it comes to the Oscars.
In recent years, we’ve seen the festival serve as a huge springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. Three of the last four winners of the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, have nabbed Best Picture nominations: “Parasite” (2019), “Triangle of Sadness” (2022) and “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Other big winners at recent festivals that became big Oscar players include “Drive My Car,” “The Zone of Interest” and “BlacKkKlansman.” This year’s...
In recent years, we’ve seen the festival serve as a huge springboard for major players in the Oscar derby. Three of the last four winners of the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or, have nabbed Best Picture nominations: “Parasite” (2019), “Triangle of Sadness” (2022) and “Anatomy of a Fall” (2023). Other big winners at recent festivals that became big Oscar players include “Drive My Car,” “The Zone of Interest” and “BlacKkKlansman.” This year’s...
- 5/25/2024
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Those lamenting the dearth of originality in films in this epoch of remakes/reboots/reimaginings/requels, etc find no challenge to their despair in Renny Harlin’s The Strangers: Chapter 1. The first of a planned – and already completed – trilogy of films intended to expand and deepen the world of The Strangers, Chapter 1 brazenly cribs from the first film while somehow also fundamentally misunderstanding what made it cultural touchstone for horror fans in 2008. Yes, it’s a remake, but it’s closer to Gus Van Sant’s Psycho than John Carpenter’s The Thing, with less to recommend it than either of those. The disappointment runs deep, leading to the question that everyone, both on screen and off, will be asking, why are you doing this? A thirty-something couple...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 5/17/2024
- Screen Anarchy
In 2014, Naomi Watts voiced an animated version of herself in the “BoJack Horseman” episode “One Trick Pony.” The Watts in Hollywoo — the “BoJack” stand-in for the entertainment industry’s epicenter, inhabited mostly by anthropomorphic animals — is starring opposite BoJack in a biopic about his frenemy, Mr. Peanutbutter. She appears on set preparing to play Diane, a burgeoning writer. The meta joke is the actress accepted the part to get a break from emotionally draining, praiseworthy performances.
“I just keep getting pigeonholed as these complex characters in highly acclaimed movies,” the animated Watts bemoans to a character who is a parody of host Ryan Seacrest (A Ryan Seacrest Type). “For once, I would just love to phone it in and play a two-dimensional girl in a rom-com with no inner life of her own. That’s kind of the reason I got into this business.”
Ten years later, that tongue-in-cheek guest appearance now feels almost prophetic.
“I just keep getting pigeonholed as these complex characters in highly acclaimed movies,” the animated Watts bemoans to a character who is a parody of host Ryan Seacrest (A Ryan Seacrest Type). “For once, I would just love to phone it in and play a two-dimensional girl in a rom-com with no inner life of her own. That’s kind of the reason I got into this business.”
Ten years later, that tongue-in-cheek guest appearance now feels almost prophetic.
- 5/16/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
Keanu Reeves is one actor who is loved unanimously throughout the Hollywood industry. His range in films has forever been appreciated, but it is also his relationship with other co-stars that makes him even more liked. No matter who gets an opportunity to work with the actor, they are all left with an immense amount of praise for Reeves.
Keanu Reeves as John Wick | Credit: Lionsgate
There are times when some films are a risk worth taking, while others that aren’t. One such film that the actor came across convinced him to bring along his late best friend, River Phoenix. There are also times when certain scripts and roles are written with specific actors in mind. My Own Private Idaho was a film where both these cases coincided. However, the former’s manager wasn’t too keen on the idea.
Keanu Reeves Traveled Far and Wide to Bring River...
Keanu Reeves as John Wick | Credit: Lionsgate
There are times when some films are a risk worth taking, while others that aren’t. One such film that the actor came across convinced him to bring along his late best friend, River Phoenix. There are also times when certain scripts and roles are written with specific actors in mind. My Own Private Idaho was a film where both these cases coincided. However, the former’s manager wasn’t too keen on the idea.
Keanu Reeves Traveled Far and Wide to Bring River...
- 5/11/2024
- by Adya Godboley
- FandomWire
We horror fans are a highly opinionated bunch. But when you make your career and reputation around the genre – both in music and film – it’s even more elevated. Take Rob Zombie, who has never been one to shy away from his opinions on horror cinema both brilliant and whatever Gus Van Sant was trying to pull with Psycho. Mr. Robert Zombie is certainly no stranger to directing crap of his own, but he definitely has some choice words for some flicks that he thinks can (thunder) kiss off.
Ranking at #1 for Rob Zombie is Dracula 2000, particularly calling out Gerard Butler…even if he can’t remember his name. “This may be the worst movie ever committed to film. I found every single thing about it to be offensive, from top to bottom. You just stare at it in shock…Dracula is a tough character to play, you’ve...
Ranking at #1 for Rob Zombie is Dracula 2000, particularly calling out Gerard Butler…even if he can’t remember his name. “This may be the worst movie ever committed to film. I found every single thing about it to be offensive, from top to bottom. You just stare at it in shock…Dracula is a tough character to play, you’ve...
- 5/10/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
The Tribeca Festival has set its talks, reunions and retrospective screenings for its 2024 edition.
The festival’s Storytellers series will feature talks with Judd Apatow, Andy Cohen, Kieran Culkin, Michael Stipe, Laverne Cox, Kerry Washington in conversation with Nicole Avant and Jon Batiste celebrating Nat King Cole with author and music journalist Marcus J. Moore. And its Directors series will feature a conversation between director Gus Van Sant and Vito Schnabel, whom Van Sant recently directed in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.
Tribeca will also celebrate the 50th and 40th anniversaries of Mean Streets and Footloose, respectively, with screenings of both films followed by conversations with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Nas after Mean Streets and Kevin Bacon after Footloose. Steven Spielberg is also bringing a 50th anniversary screening of his theatrical debut, The Sugarland Express, to Tribeca and will participate in a conversation after the screening.
And the...
The festival’s Storytellers series will feature talks with Judd Apatow, Andy Cohen, Kieran Culkin, Michael Stipe, Laverne Cox, Kerry Washington in conversation with Nicole Avant and Jon Batiste celebrating Nat King Cole with author and music journalist Marcus J. Moore. And its Directors series will feature a conversation between director Gus Van Sant and Vito Schnabel, whom Van Sant recently directed in Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.
Tribeca will also celebrate the 50th and 40th anniversaries of Mean Streets and Footloose, respectively, with screenings of both films followed by conversations with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Nas after Mean Streets and Kevin Bacon after Footloose. Steven Spielberg is also bringing a 50th anniversary screening of his theatrical debut, The Sugarland Express, to Tribeca and will participate in a conversation after the screening.
And the...
- 4/30/2024
- by Hilary Lewis
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Tribeca Festival has unveiled its reunions, retrospectives and talks series for the 23rd edition unspooling in June including a Storyteller Series with Judd Apatow, Andy Cohen, Kieran Culkin, Kerry Washington, Laverne Cox, Jon Batiste, and Michael Stipe.
The Directors Series features Gus Van Sant in conversation with art dealer, filmmaker, and actor Vito Schnabel (Van Sant directed Schnabel in Ryan Murphy’s FX series Feud: Capote vs the Swans.)
The fest will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos at the Beacon Theatre with the world premiere of Alex Gibney documenary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos with a reunion of creator David Chase, EP Terence Winter, and stars Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, with rapper Nas, will talk Mean Streets on its 50th anniversary.
The Directors Series features Gus Van Sant in conversation with art dealer, filmmaker, and actor Vito Schnabel (Van Sant directed Schnabel in Ryan Murphy’s FX series Feud: Capote vs the Swans.)
The fest will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Sopranos at the Beacon Theatre with the world premiere of Alex Gibney documenary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos with a reunion of creator David Chase, EP Terence Winter, and stars Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, with rapper Nas, will talk Mean Streets on its 50th anniversary.
- 4/30/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The 2024 Tribeca Festival has revealed its lineup of talks and reunions with filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Judd Apatow, Kieran Culkin and more.
The premiere of HBO’s “Wise Guy David Chase and the Sopranos,” a documentary directed by Alex Gibney, will take place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos.” There will also be a reunion with creator David Chase, executive producer Terence Winter and cast members Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
In addition, “Mean Streets” celebrates its 50th anniversary and will include a conversation with Scorsese and De Niro. Steven Spielberg will recognize his theatrical debut, “The Sugarland Express,” and Kevin Bacon will honor “Footloose’s” 40th anniversary.
There will also be conversations with Apatow, Andy Cohen, Laverne Cox, Culkin, Michael Stipe, Kerry Washington, Gus Van Sant,...
The premiere of HBO’s “Wise Guy David Chase and the Sopranos,” a documentary directed by Alex Gibney, will take place to celebrate the 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos.” There will also be a reunion with creator David Chase, executive producer Terence Winter and cast members Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra, Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
In addition, “Mean Streets” celebrates its 50th anniversary and will include a conversation with Scorsese and De Niro. Steven Spielberg will recognize his theatrical debut, “The Sugarland Express,” and Kevin Bacon will honor “Footloose’s” 40th anniversary.
There will also be conversations with Apatow, Andy Cohen, Laverne Cox, Culkin, Michael Stipe, Kerry Washington, Gus Van Sant,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
The Tribeca Festival is celebrating the monumental anniversaries of two Italian-American classics: series “The Sopranos” and Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets.”
The 2024 Tribeca Festival, presented by Okx, takes place June 5 through 16 and unveiled its lineup of talks with iconic artists, critically-acclaimed directors, and multi-hyphenate entertainers, as well as reunions and retrospectives of venerable and lauded films and TV series.
The 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos” will be celebrated at the Beacon Theatre with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s documentary “Wise Guy: David Chase and ‘The Sopranos.'” This special event, presented by City National Bank, will feature a reunion with series creator David Chase, executive producer Terence Winter, and stars Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra,Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
Auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are toasting both of their respective half-century anniversaries,...
The 2024 Tribeca Festival, presented by Okx, takes place June 5 through 16 and unveiled its lineup of talks with iconic artists, critically-acclaimed directors, and multi-hyphenate entertainers, as well as reunions and retrospectives of venerable and lauded films and TV series.
The 25th anniversary of “The Sopranos” will be celebrated at the Beacon Theatre with the world premiere of Alex Gibney’s documentary “Wise Guy: David Chase and ‘The Sopranos.'” This special event, presented by City National Bank, will feature a reunion with series creator David Chase, executive producer Terence Winter, and stars Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro, Annabella Sciorra,Robert Iler, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Drea De Matteo, Steve Schirripa, Michele Chase, Kathrine Narducci, and Dominic Chianese.
Auteurs Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg are toasting both of their respective half-century anniversaries,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Nicole Kidman may find that even heartbreak feels good in a movie theater, but the Oscar-winning actress is not going to find herself directing one of those films for the silver screen.
Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter while being honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award that she is aware of the fact that she “would be a terrible director” — in part due to her indecisiveness. Kidman has produced a slew of TV series such as “Big Little Lies,” “Nine Perfect Strangers,” “The Undoing,” “Love & Death,” “Special Ops: Lioness,” and “Expats” through her Blossom Films banner. She’s pretty good at that.
“I feel like I would be a terrible director because I always have so many ideas. A director has to make choices, and that’s not my strong suit,” Kidman said. “I’m very good at being passionate and supporting the voices and reading a script and going,...
Kidman told The Hollywood Reporter while being honored with the AFI Life Achievement Award that she is aware of the fact that she “would be a terrible director” — in part due to her indecisiveness. Kidman has produced a slew of TV series such as “Big Little Lies,” “Nine Perfect Strangers,” “The Undoing,” “Love & Death,” “Special Ops: Lioness,” and “Expats” through her Blossom Films banner. She’s pretty good at that.
“I feel like I would be a terrible director because I always have so many ideas. A director has to make choices, and that’s not my strong suit,” Kidman said. “I’m very good at being passionate and supporting the voices and reading a script and going,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Horace Ové’s masterpiece “Pressure” is getting the spotlight treatment courtesy of Janus Films and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam).
“Pressure” will screen for two weeks as part of the museum’s ode to Black British cinema. The program, titled “Uncharted Territories: Black Britain on Film, 1963-1986” will take place from May 3 through 7, leading up to the new 4K restoration of “Pressure,” widely regarded as the first Black British narrative feature film.
“Uncharted Territories” features rarely screened work from filmmakers of African and Caribbean heritage based in Britain. The series includes “Burning an Illusion,” directed by Menelik Shabazz (1981), John Akomfrah’s “Handsworth Songs” (1986), “Territories” directed by Isaac Julien (1984), and more. The festival is programmed by Ashley Clark.
Screenings of “Pressure” begin May 10 and will continue through May 23. Herbert Norville, Oscar James, and Frank Singuineau star in the feature that follows a London-born teen (Norville), who is the son of Trinidadian parents.
“Pressure” will screen for two weeks as part of the museum’s ode to Black British cinema. The program, titled “Uncharted Territories: Black Britain on Film, 1963-1986” will take place from May 3 through 7, leading up to the new 4K restoration of “Pressure,” widely regarded as the first Black British narrative feature film.
“Uncharted Territories” features rarely screened work from filmmakers of African and Caribbean heritage based in Britain. The series includes “Burning an Illusion,” directed by Menelik Shabazz (1981), John Akomfrah’s “Handsworth Songs” (1986), “Territories” directed by Isaac Julien (1984), and more. The festival is programmed by Ashley Clark.
Screenings of “Pressure” begin May 10 and will continue through May 23. Herbert Norville, Oscar James, and Frank Singuineau star in the feature that follows a London-born teen (Norville), who is the son of Trinidadian parents.
- 4/29/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
“Film is forever.”
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
Nicole Kidman, the 49th recipient of the prestigious AFI Life Achievement Award, made her acceptance speech on the Dolby Theatre stage on Saturday, April 27 about the filmmakers who’ve shaped her career — and her love for movies and storytelling.
The Academy Award-winning actress was joined by presenters including her “Big Little Lies” co-stars Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep, a past AFI recipient who handed Kidman the honors at the night’s end. “Can I just say, Meryl Streep? I just loved you. I always loved you. I don’t know what it is. You’re a beacon of excellence and warmth and generosity, and you’ve been my guiding light. To see this from you, you have no idea. My husband can attest, my parents can attest, it’s always been you, and no one can touch you.”
Kidman’s opening remarks set the tone for a...
- 4/28/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Nicole Kidman has captivated audiences with her spellbinding acting for over 40 years and has excelled in theatre, film, and television. Not only is she an accomplished producer but a five-time Academy Award nominee. Her role as Virginia Woolf in The Hours (2002) earned her the Oscar for Best Actress in 2002.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1967, she began her career in Australia as a teenager with roles in Bush Christmas (1983) and BMX Bandits (1983). Her performance in Dead Calm (1989) would grab the attention of Hollywood, and Tom Cruise, casting her in her breakout role as neurologist Dr. Claire Lewicki, in Days of Thunder (1990).
Her trajectory to establishing herself among Hollywood’s A-List continued as she starred alongside Cruise again in Far and Away (1992), mastered her comedic acting chops as an aspiring television personality in Gus Van Sant’s black comedy, To Die For (1995), and portrayed another doctor in the superhero film Batman Forever (1995), opposite Val Kilmer.
Born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1967, she began her career in Australia as a teenager with roles in Bush Christmas (1983) and BMX Bandits (1983). Her performance in Dead Calm (1989) would grab the attention of Hollywood, and Tom Cruise, casting her in her breakout role as neurologist Dr. Claire Lewicki, in Days of Thunder (1990).
Her trajectory to establishing herself among Hollywood’s A-List continued as she starred alongside Cruise again in Far and Away (1992), mastered her comedic acting chops as an aspiring television personality in Gus Van Sant’s black comedy, To Die For (1995), and portrayed another doctor in the superhero film Batman Forever (1995), opposite Val Kilmer.
- 4/28/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicole Kidman has been an international treasure going on four decades. Whether you’re tracking her many wigs (“The Undoing” is our favorite), admiring her textured and committed performances, or just standing up and saluting before every AMC Theatres showing, you’re probably honoring her in some way.
While five best actress Oscar nominations and one win (for “The Hours”) have been adequate markers of her success and endurance, conversations have been brewing for years about a lack of recognition for her remarkable artistic consistency.
“How many times does Nicole Kidman have to prove herself?” asked author Anne Helen Peterson in a 2017 essay for BuzzFeed, one that examined how esteem is or isn’t doled out to women in Hollywood, using Kidman as a template.
“While male actors coast on the brilliance of a single performance for years, female stars have to reapply for greatness on a yearly basis, fighting...
While five best actress Oscar nominations and one win (for “The Hours”) have been adequate markers of her success and endurance, conversations have been brewing for years about a lack of recognition for her remarkable artistic consistency.
“How many times does Nicole Kidman have to prove herself?” asked author Anne Helen Peterson in a 2017 essay for BuzzFeed, one that examined how esteem is or isn’t doled out to women in Hollywood, using Kidman as a template.
“While male actors coast on the brilliance of a single performance for years, female stars have to reapply for greatness on a yearly basis, fighting...
- 4/27/2024
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Nicole Kidman not only gave a to-die-for performance for helmer Gus Van Sant, but also almost seemed to co-direct the feature herself.
Van Sant recalled to the New York Times just how committed Kidman was to the 1995 dark comedy “To Die For,” even going so far as to say she was “destined to play the part” and serving as a “second director” on set.
“Nicole called and said she was destined to play the part, so I believed her,” Van Sant said of casting the future Oscar winner early in her career. “I thought she was incredibly dedicated to making a fantastic performance through study of the script and the part, in a way I had never seen before.”
Van Sant continued, “There were notebooks, and scene exercises, and voice exercises — it was very thorough. Nicole was so versed in the scenes that she was like having a second director there,...
Van Sant recalled to the New York Times just how committed Kidman was to the 1995 dark comedy “To Die For,” even going so far as to say she was “destined to play the part” and serving as a “second director” on set.
“Nicole called and said she was destined to play the part, so I believed her,” Van Sant said of casting the future Oscar winner early in her career. “I thought she was incredibly dedicated to making a fantastic performance through study of the script and the part, in a way I had never seen before.”
Van Sant continued, “There were notebooks, and scene exercises, and voice exercises — it was very thorough. Nicole was so versed in the scenes that she was like having a second director there,...
- 4/24/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
If you really want to know about making music, fame, exploitation, addiction, egos and challenging personalities – look to fiction. Here are our favourites
Making a movie about an iconic musician can be perilous – there are so many stakeholders with differing versions of events, and so many diehard fans looking for a perfect representation of their hero, that many music biopics end up being sanitised and glib. Look no further than Back to Black, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic, for a perfect example of a film that attempts to satisfy every involved party and ended up offending a lot of fans and critics instead.
Movies about fake musicians, on the other hand, tend to have a lot more to say about making art, the struggles of fame and the music industry than most biopics. Although many of them are thinly veiled studies of real celebrities, the freedom offered by creating a character – such as Blake,...
Making a movie about an iconic musician can be perilous – there are so many stakeholders with differing versions of events, and so many diehard fans looking for a perfect representation of their hero, that many music biopics end up being sanitised and glib. Look no further than Back to Black, Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Amy Winehouse biopic, for a perfect example of a film that attempts to satisfy every involved party and ended up offending a lot of fans and critics instead.
Movies about fake musicians, on the other hand, tend to have a lot more to say about making art, the struggles of fame and the music industry than most biopics. Although many of them are thinly veiled studies of real celebrities, the freedom offered by creating a character – such as Blake,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Shaad D'Souza
- The Guardian - Film News
“Goodnight, sweet prince.”
Every fan of “The Big Lebowski” knows that line: The final eulogy for Steve Buscemi’s character, Donny, who loved bowling and exploring the beaches of Southern California as a surfer from La Jolla to Leo Carillo, and on up to Pismo.
But Donny is just one of the many dead characters in Buscemi’s filmography. In a wide-ranging Q&a with Rolling Stone film critic David Fear at the Sarasota Film Festival, Buscemi talked about the particularly high body count in his filmography.
“I learned to try to get parts where your character doesn’t get killed off too early in the film, and to get parts where your character is actually important to the story. Because it’s so easy to get cut out of films. I was cut out of three films in the space of a year. One by Stephen Frears, one by Gus Van Sant,...
Every fan of “The Big Lebowski” knows that line: The final eulogy for Steve Buscemi’s character, Donny, who loved bowling and exploring the beaches of Southern California as a surfer from La Jolla to Leo Carillo, and on up to Pismo.
But Donny is just one of the many dead characters in Buscemi’s filmography. In a wide-ranging Q&a with Rolling Stone film critic David Fear at the Sarasota Film Festival, Buscemi talked about the particularly high body count in his filmography.
“I learned to try to get parts where your character doesn’t get killed off too early in the film, and to get parts where your character is actually important to the story. Because it’s so easy to get cut out of films. I was cut out of three films in the space of a year. One by Stephen Frears, one by Gus Van Sant,...
- 4/16/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
Film historians are in a perpetual debate about what constitutes the first slasher film, but "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," "Black Christmas," "Halloween," and "Friday the 13th" all have one thing in common — they were scary as hell. 50 years later in the case of the former two, Leatherface with his chainsaw and Billy's obscene phone calls still manage to terrify new viewers straight out of their skin. Slasher films dominated the horror genre. But as time went on the perspective began to shift to keep things interesting. There were always audiences who showed up to see how the final girl would survive the madness this time, but more and more horror fans were turning in to support their favorite killers. Kills got more inventive, human characters became little more than bodies ripe for slaughter, and successful slasher icons were able to sustain long-running franchises, many of which continue today.
In...
In...
- 4/8/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
In moviemaking, directors manage the extreme stuff. Matt Reeves, who made The Batman, etched some rough memories as well. He nearly said no to Warner Bros.’ Batman offer due to the film War from the Planets of the Apes.
Matt Reeves at 2010 Comic-Con | image: Wikimedia Commons
It was a major project. However, Reeves adhered to his storytelling passion and made it work. It’s interesting to explore, how he pulled off Robert Pattinson’s Batman film. Reeves’ determination radiates through, even when facing the cosmic chaos of showbiz.
The War For The Planet Of The Apes Nearly Made Matt Reeves Quit Warner Bros’ Offer
Making The Batman wasn’t easy for director Matt Reeves. He nearly said no to the Warner Bros. deal since he was occupied with War for the Planet of the Apes.
SUGGESTEDRobert De Niro’s Taxi Driver and a Serial Killer Were the Real Inspirations Behind Matt Reeves’ The Batman
But,...
Matt Reeves at 2010 Comic-Con | image: Wikimedia Commons
It was a major project. However, Reeves adhered to his storytelling passion and made it work. It’s interesting to explore, how he pulled off Robert Pattinson’s Batman film. Reeves’ determination radiates through, even when facing the cosmic chaos of showbiz.
The War For The Planet Of The Apes Nearly Made Matt Reeves Quit Warner Bros’ Offer
Making The Batman wasn’t easy for director Matt Reeves. He nearly said no to the Warner Bros. deal since he was occupied with War for the Planet of the Apes.
SUGGESTEDRobert De Niro’s Taxi Driver and a Serial Killer Were the Real Inspirations Behind Matt Reeves’ The Batman
But,...
- 3/30/2024
- by Muskan Chaudhary
- FandomWire
When you think of the great directors in cinema history – Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, etc. – chances are the first films that come to mind are Goodfellas, Jaws and Vertigo. But every brilliant filmmaker has their duds. Now, Rolling Stone – you know, the publication that doesn’t think Roseanne and Bill Cosby had historic shows just because of their wrongdoings – has put out a list of the 50 worst movies by some of the most renowned directors…And yes, they have missed the mark considerably.
In the list, titled “50 Terrible Movies by Great Directors”, there are plenty of bottom-barrel films, those that are absolutely anomalies in otherwise remarkable careers. We wouldn’t argue that man-child family comedy Jack (#1) isn’t Francis Ford Coppola’s worst movie or that Rob Reiner’s North (#2) wasn’t worthy of Roger Ebert’s famed “hated, hated, hated, hated, hated” review. Those guys didn’t...
In the list, titled “50 Terrible Movies by Great Directors”, there are plenty of bottom-barrel films, those that are absolutely anomalies in otherwise remarkable careers. We wouldn’t argue that man-child family comedy Jack (#1) isn’t Francis Ford Coppola’s worst movie or that Rob Reiner’s North (#2) wasn’t worthy of Roger Ebert’s famed “hated, hated, hated, hated, hated” review. Those guys didn’t...
- 3/27/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Gus Van Sant’s 1995 satirical black comedy To Die For begins in the midst of a news frenzy: Larry Maretto (Matt Dillon), a well-liked man who helped his family run their small-town Italian restaurant, has been murdered and his wife, Suzanne (Nicole Kidman), has been arrested as a suspect. The rest of the film, which blends mockumentary talking heads and flashbacks of the characters’ lives, sends up the contemporaneous sensationalism of high-profile criminal trials like those of O.J. Simpson and the Menendez brothers. By showing the murder upfront, the film, written by the late Buck Henry, proceeds as a rebuke to the public’s fascination with whodunit by psychoanalyzing an already apprehended party.
Yet from the moment we first see Suzanne speaking directly into the camera in an interview, we need not spend too much time unpacking her psychological state. Perfectly coiffed and dressed in tones not quite bright enough to outshine her wide,...
Yet from the moment we first see Suzanne speaking directly into the camera in an interview, we need not spend too much time unpacking her psychological state. Perfectly coiffed and dressed in tones not quite bright enough to outshine her wide,...
- 3/22/2024
- by Jake Cole
- Slant Magazine
What if “Friday the 13th” was told through Jason Voorhees’ point of view?
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
First-time feature writer/director Chris Nash’s slasher “In a Violent Nature” focuses on undead serial killer Johnny (Ry Barrett) who stalks new victims in the woods. The killing spree is spurred by the removal of a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods that entombs the rotting corpse of Johnny, a spirit seeking revenge after a horrific 60-year old crime. Johnny’s body is resurrected and he becomes hellbent on retrieving the jewelry from a group of vacationing teens. The only way to do it? Methodically slaughtering them one by one. Classic Johnny.
Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis, Sam Roulston, Alexander Oliver, and Lauren Taylor round out the cast. “In a Violent Nature” is produced by Peter Kuplowsky and Shannon Hanmer.
IndieWire’s David Ehrlich compared...
- 3/20/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The 2022 film was an outlier, free from the usual superhero trappings and resolutely downbeat, and the follow-up should also go beyond the conventional
Matt Reeves’ The Batman feels like a movie out of time, a superhero epic wonderfully bereft of fantasy elements, superpowers and magical bells and whistles. It is the kind of comic book movie that people who do not really like comic book movies can love, a sumptuously languid crime procedural that is full of orchestral, spiky splendour and Gotham City grit. A superhero flick that is so different from the likes of The Flash or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that it might as well be from a different film genre entirely.
And it is here perhaps that we should give credit to Warner Bros’ struggling DC regime. No matter how terrible its now-abandoned “extended universe” became over the past decade or so – and there were some...
Matt Reeves’ The Batman feels like a movie out of time, a superhero epic wonderfully bereft of fantasy elements, superpowers and magical bells and whistles. It is the kind of comic book movie that people who do not really like comic book movies can love, a sumptuously languid crime procedural that is full of orchestral, spiky splendour and Gotham City grit. A superhero flick that is so different from the likes of The Flash or Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania that it might as well be from a different film genre entirely.
And it is here perhaps that we should give credit to Warner Bros’ struggling DC regime. No matter how terrible its now-abandoned “extended universe” became over the past decade or so – and there were some...
- 3/15/2024
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
“Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans”, based on the novel “Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era” by Laurence Leamer, is directed by Gus Van Sant, Max Winkler and Jennifer Lynch, in the second part of Ryan Murphy’s award-winning “Feud” TV series, now streaming on FX and Hulu:
“..‘Truman Capote’ (Tom Hollander), the writer of ‘In Cold Blood’, surrounded himself with a coterie of New York society’s most elite women – rich, glamorous socialites who defined a bygone era of high society, nicknamed ‘the swans’.
‘Beautiful and distinguished, the group included grande dame ‘Barbara Paley, (Naomi Watts), ‘Slim Keith’ (Diane Lane), ‘C.Z. Guest’ (Chloë Sevigny) and ‘Lee Radziwill’ (Calista Flockhart).
“ Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives,...
“..‘Truman Capote’ (Tom Hollander), the writer of ‘In Cold Blood’, surrounded himself with a coterie of New York society’s most elite women – rich, glamorous socialites who defined a bygone era of high society, nicknamed ‘the swans’.
‘Beautiful and distinguished, the group included grande dame ‘Barbara Paley, (Naomi Watts), ‘Slim Keith’ (Diane Lane), ‘C.Z. Guest’ (Chloë Sevigny) and ‘Lee Radziwill’ (Calista Flockhart).
“ Enchanted and captivated by these doyennes, Capote ingratiated himself into their lives, befriending them and becoming their confidante, only to ultimately betray them by writing a thinly veiled fictionalization of their lives,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Ben Stiller puts a major part of his time into his career as a director these days and he has some amazing projects in his portfolio. Stiller directed acclaimed films like Tropic Thunder and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. He also served as the director and executive producer of the AppleTV+ series, Severance. However, there were a few scripts he had to turn down for reaching such height in his filmmaking career and some of them turned out to be huge successes.
Tropic Thunder director Ben Stiller turned down a script that turned out to be a massive success
Out of these films, one film could’ve won him his much-deserved Oscar back in the ’90s itself. Stiller was just two feature films into his directorial career when the Oscar-winning script of Good Will Hunting was sent to him. The Zoolander actor unfortunately turned down Ben Affleck and Matt Damon...
Tropic Thunder director Ben Stiller turned down a script that turned out to be a massive success
Out of these films, one film could’ve won him his much-deserved Oscar back in the ’90s itself. Stiller was just two feature films into his directorial career when the Oscar-winning script of Good Will Hunting was sent to him. The Zoolander actor unfortunately turned down Ben Affleck and Matt Damon...
- 3/14/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
NewFest and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (Bam) have announced the fourth annual lineup for their “Queering the Canon” retrospective film series, this year subtitled “Besties.”
This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.
The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.
The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...
This year’s lineup of films screening at Bam in downtown Brooklyn (April 11 – 15) includes a 4K restoration of Rose Troche’s lesbian classic “Go Fish,” the world premiere of the 4K restoration of Brian Sloan’s queer romantic comedy “I Think I Do,” 35mm screenings of Gus Van Sant’s “My Own Private Idaho” and F. Gary Gray’s “Set It Off.” The “Go Fish” screening will be accompanied by a Q&a with Rose Troche in person along with star Guinevere Turner.
The repertory series was created by NewFest, co-curated by NewFest’s Nick McCarthy (director of programming) and Kim Garcia (technical director and programmer), and is presented in partnership with Bam.
The event will also include a panel discussion, “Best of the Besties,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
New Zealand’s funniest export Jackie Van Beek returns to SXSW atop the cast of “Audrey,” an Australian dark comedy that is headed to SXSW.
Van Beek, whose 2018 “The Breaker Upperers,” was a previous SXSW hit, portrays a forgotten former soap star whose career and life have been derailed by motherhood and suburban boredom. But when an accident puts her 18-year-old child in a coma, the woman takes on her daughter’s identity and gets a second chance at the life she actually wanted.
Other cast also include: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (“Puberty Blues,” “The Diplomat”), Josephine Blazier (“True History of the Kelly Gang”) and disability advocate and actress Hannah Diviney (“Latecomers”).
“What begins as a light, sex-fuelled comedy about family soon takes a twisted journey into horror as, like a classic Greek tragedy, our protagonists decide that the only way to find happiness is to destroy their firstborn,” says director Natalie Bailey.
Van Beek, whose 2018 “The Breaker Upperers,” was a previous SXSW hit, portrays a forgotten former soap star whose career and life have been derailed by motherhood and suburban boredom. But when an accident puts her 18-year-old child in a coma, the woman takes on her daughter’s identity and gets a second chance at the life she actually wanted.
Other cast also include: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor (“Puberty Blues,” “The Diplomat”), Josephine Blazier (“True History of the Kelly Gang”) and disability advocate and actress Hannah Diviney (“Latecomers”).
“What begins as a light, sex-fuelled comedy about family soon takes a twisted journey into horror as, like a classic Greek tragedy, our protagonists decide that the only way to find happiness is to destroy their firstborn,” says director Natalie Bailey.
- 3/7/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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