HBO, China Movie Channel Strike TV Movie Pact
HBO Asia and mainland China’s China Movie Channel are to co-produce a slate of martial arts-themed TV movies. The first two — titled “Master of the Drunken Fist: Beggar So” and “Master of the Shadowless Kick: Wong Kei-Ying” — will be executive produced by renown action director Corey Yuen. They will premiere on CMC channels in China… Read more »
Censored Gay Sex Scene on ABC’s “HTGAWM” Prompts Italy’s Rai to Face Homophobia Complaints
ROME — ABC’s “How to Get Away With Murder” is sparking a rallying cry for gay rights in Italy and forcing state broadcaster Rai to change what critics charge are its homophobic ways. Rai, which is the country’s top free-TV, came under fire over the weekend after the show’s pilot episode aired in primetime on its… Read more »
Is Nicolas Winding Refn Betraying His Own Talent?
Two weekends ago, Nicolas Winding Refn’s glitzy surreal horror film “The Neon Demon” opened on 783 screens, and when the weekend was over the box-office tally was far scarier than anything in the movie. Presented as a “mainstream” crossover thriller, the film had grossed just $589,000, with a mind-bendingly low per-screen average of $752. When a… Read more »
Korea Box Office: ‘Finding Dory,’ ‘Seondal’ Dispute Top Spot
Korean period drama “Seondal: The Man Who Sells The River” opened on Wednesday (July 6) and had earned $7.38 million from 1.05 million admissions by Sunday. On a five-day basis that put it fractionally ahead of “Finding Dory” which opened the same day. “Dory” scored $7.34 million from 1.02 million admissions. On a stricter definition… Read more »
UFC to Be Acquired by Consortium Led by WME-IMG for $4 Billion
As expected, mixed-martial arts league, Ultimate Fighting Club (UFC) has been acquired by a consortium of investors led by WME-IMG for approximately $4 billion. The companies are expected to make a formal announcement Monday. The investors in the WME-IMG corner are understood to include Silver Lake Capital, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and MSD Capital, the private equity pool… Read more »
China Box Office Weekend: ‘Cold War II’ Heads Trio of Local Winners
After weeks of Hollywood domination, the Chinese box office saw a trio of local films take the top places over the July 8-10 weekend. Top ranked was crime actioner “Cold War II” with $43.8 million, according to data from Ent Group. Second was animation “Big Fish & Chinese Flowering Crabapple” with $34.4 million, with romance… Read more »
‘Mr. Robot’ Surprise: USA Drops First Hour of Season 2 Premiere Early Via Social Media
USA Network surprised “Mr. Robot” fans Sunday evening by dropping the first half of the show’s season two premiere three days early on various social media platforms and the network’s website. USA embraced the ethos of the show about an anti-social computer hacker bent on battling evil in corporate America by “hacking” a previously scheduled… Read more »
‘Preacher’ Recap: Be Careful What You Pray For
This post contains spoilers for “Preacher” Season 1, episode 7, titled “He Gone.” To refresh your memory of where we left off, read last week’s “Preacher” recap. Selfish, selfish Custer — you just saw one of your least awful followers sink through the floor and yet all you can muster is a sly smile of “good… Read more »
Why Does ‘Roadies’ Appear to Think Sexual Assault Is Funny?
Reviews of “Roadies” have mentioned its overly meandering vibe and its lack of reliable momentum and memorable characters. Some critics liked it less than me, and some liked it more, but many had the same issues I did, which I mentioned in my “Roadies” review. But all of those general complaints pale in comparison to what… Read more »
‘Ghostbusters’: Reviews Agree That Funny Ladies Save Uninspired Reboot
When the new “Ghostbusters” movie was announced, it didn’t take long for internet trolls to lament that their beloved franchise would be ruined by a quartet of female comedians. But the reviews for the gender-bent reboot, released on Sunday morning, show that the all-female cast is hardly the problem. In fact, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig,… Read more »
Will ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Make Chris Meledandri a Household Name?
Chris Meledandri doesn’t exactly exude power. Many studio chiefs thrive on the grip and grin of Hollywood events, hogging the attention and drinking in the approbation. When the Illumination Entertainment chief, however, took the stage at the Lincoln Center premiere of “The Secret Life of Pets” last month to introduce the film, he seemed almost… Read more »
PopPolitics: Alex Gibney on ‘Zero Days’ and the Need for Rules of Cyber Warfare (Listen)
Alex Gibney’s latest documentary “Zero Days” focuses on the covert operation by U.S. and Israeli intelligence officials to unleash a malware attack on an Iranian nuclear facility in late 2009 and 2010, destroying up to 1,000 centrifuges. The cyberattack also had unintended consequences. The malware, known as Stuxnet, spread around the world, and was eventually… Read more »
Matt Damon Speeds Through Streets in New ‘Jason Bourne’ Clips
Jason Bourne is back — and, if three new clips are any indication, franchise fans will get all the action they hoped for in the highly anticipated sequel that almost never was. Universal Pictures released three new clips of “Jason Bourne” this weekend, all clocking in at approximately 60 seconds. In one, Matt Damon can… Read more »
Film Review: ‘Ghostbusters’
All reboots are haunted by the specter of the movie that inspired them, but Sony’s new gender-swapped “Ghostbusters” — which substitutes comediennes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, and Leslie Jones for the previously all-male paranormal exterminator squad — suffers from a disappointingly strong case of déjà vu. While both funnier and scarier than Ivan Reitman’s 1984… Read more »
Box Office: ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Debuts to Massive $103.2 Million
“The Secret Life of Pets” dominated the weekend box office, racking up a massive $103.2 million and launching the first new franchise of the summer. Its success is a feather in the cap for Illumination chief Chris Meledandri, confirming his status among the ranks of animation giants. The family film, which explores what dogs, cats,… Read more »
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Final ‘Hamilton’ Performance: Inside The Room Where It Happened
The mob had clogged the sidewalk outside the Richard Rodgers Theater an hour and a half before the show had even started: Ticketholders eager to get in, fans across the street or outside the stage door waiting for their favorite actors, and a fair share of curious onlookers, arrested by the crowd and the parade… Read more »
‘Decompression’ Wins Jerusalem’s Sam Spiegel Lab Award
JERUSALEM, Israel — Yona Rozenkier’s feature debut “Decompression” won the top award of the Sam Spiegel International Film Lab’s fifth edition which runs alongside the Jerusalem Film Festival. Produced by Kobi Mizrahi, “Decompression” received a production grant worth $50,000 from the Beracha Foundation. “The jury was impressed by the genuine and emotional father and son… Read more »
‘Ghostbusters’: Paul Feig Hired ‘the Four Funniest People’ to Honor Original Film
What brings a throng of khaki-uniformed, proton-blaster-toting fans to Hollywood Boulevard? Why, “Ghostbusters,” of course. Thirty-two years after the original rocked the boulevard, and the world, the do-over was back for its premiere at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatre. The remake had been making waves for months before Saturday’s premiere, largely because Sony and director Paul Feig were… Read more »
Karlovy Vary: Future Frames Program Gives Young Talent Helping Hand
KARLOVY VARY — European Film Promotion’s Future Frames program for young talent provided an intense three-day experience for 10 up-and-coming filmmakers during the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The program, which took place July 3-5, helps introduce emerging film professionals to the media and the film industry and presents their work to festival auds. Belgian helmer… Read more »
‘Outlander’ Finale: Sam Heughan & Caitriona Balfe Talk Culloden Consequences, Season 3
Spoiler warning: Do not read on unless you’ve seen the “Outlander” Season 2 finale, Episode 13, titled “Dragonfly in Amber.” Refresh your memory of where we left off with our previous “Outlander” recap. After a season spent barreling towards the Battle of Culloden, it felt like something of a relief to be spared the gory… Read more »
‘Hamilton’: Lin-Manuel Miranda, Original Cast Members Say Goodbye
“Hamilton” stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr. and Phillipa Soo are taking their final curtain call Saturday night. To celebrate and commemorate their last performance, the original cast members have been sharing goodbyes on social media. Miranda, the Tony award-winning Broadway musical’s creator and star, shared a status he wrote while composing “Hamilton” with the caption, “An FB… Read more »
Maria Bartiromo Defends Roger Ailes Against Gretchen Carlson Harassment Claims (EXCLUSIVE)
And now, speaking for the defense: Maria Bartiromo. The veteran business-news journalist joined a number of employees of Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network who have stepped up to support Roger Ailes, the chairman and chief executive of Fox News, in the wake of stunning allegations of sexual harassment leveled in a lawsuit by former…Read more »
Hungarian Indie ‘It’s Not the Time of My Life’ Wins Top Prize at Karlovy Vary Film Festival
Szabolcs Hajdu’s sharply observed portrait of dysfunctional Hungarian couples “It’s Not the Time of My Life” scored the Grand Prix in Karlovy Vary Saturday — plus best actor nod for Hajdu’s perf — at a glitzy gala in the western Czech Republic town marked by dancers swimming through zoetrope-inspired images in the Thermal Hotel. The… Read more »
Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2016: Full List of Winners
The full list of prizes awarded at the 2016 Karlovy Vary Film Festival: Grand Prix “It’s Not the Time of My Life” Szabolcs Hajdu Hungary Special jury prize “Zoology” Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Russia, France, Germany Director Damjan Kozole, “Nightlife” Slovenia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina Actress Zuzana Mauréry, “The Teacher” Jan Hřebejk Slovak Republic, Czech Republic,… Read more »
Ex-MSNBC Contributor Claims Don Lemon ‘Banned’ Her From Appearing on CNN
Former MSNBC contributor and current Daily Beast editor Goldie Taylor alleged on Twitter on Saturday that she is blacklisted at CNN because she disagreed publicly with Don Lemon “about black life.” The allegation is part of more than 30 tweets detailing Taylor’s difficulties with having her voice heard on cable news, including with her former employers…Read more »
Filmmaker Jan Hrebejk on Communist-Era Drama ‘The Teacher’
One of the Czech Republic’s most prolific filmmakers, Jan Hrebejk returns to Karlovy Vary with “The Teacher,“ a social satire set in 1980s Czechoslovakia. The story, based on true events, revolves around an elementary school teacher whose penchant for blackmailing and extorting her pupils and their parents may have gone to far, uniting the parents… Read more »
Charlie Kaufman on Indie Filmmaking: ‘I Have to Have One Commercial Success’
Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) was nothing if not honest with aspiring scribes at the Karlovy Vary fest this week. In the Czech Republic to take home the fest’s president’s award and to screen the surreal stop-motion love story “Anomalisa,” Kaufman challenged would-be film writers to be brutally honest in… Read more »
Six More Women Accuse Fox News Chief Roger Ailes of Sexual Harassment
Six more women are joining Gretchen Carlson in a choir of accusations against Fox News chief Roger Ailes for alleged sexual harassment, according to recent report filed by New York Magazine Saturday morning. The women detailed a culture of Ailes expecting sexual favors in exchange for employment from the 1960s to the 1980s on “The Mike Douglas Show” and… Read more »
Karlovy Vary: International Productions on Rise in Czech Republic
KARLOVY VARY — A number of major international productions have begun shooting in the Czech Republic this year as the local industry reports continued growth in the sector for six years in a row. Among the TV productions shooting in the Czech Republic are A+E Studio’s Templar Knight series “Knightfall” for History and Sky’s Roman… Read more »
‘Anthropoid’ Resonates With Czech Audience at Karlovy Vary
The last time anyone filmed a fact-based story of Czech war heroes the Czech Republic was still part of Czechoslovakia and the East bloc was still under Soviet occupation. This week Czech audiences at the Karlovy Vary fest fought to hold back tears as they watched Sean Ellis’ portrait of a Czech and a Slovak… Read more »
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