Remedy has a special place in a lot of gamers’ hearts all over the world, and for good reason. Crafting such odd and mysterious worlds such as Alan Wake, Max Payne, and Control will get you a very specific audience, and with it, a bit of a cult following.
That is exactly what has happened with Alan Wake 2, and although sales may not be as good as expected for a Aaa, 10/10 behemoth, that’s not stopping the developer from going full steam ahead with the mind-bending expansions, and thanks to Summer Game Fest, we finally have our first look.
Night Springs Expansion is Here
Alan Wake 2’s surprise shadow drop of Night Springs expansion pleases… everyone!
Trotting on stage in his unique way, dancing away, Sam Lake decided to take Summer Game Fest by the scruff of the neck. He did exactly this. Months back, before the release of the game,...
That is exactly what has happened with Alan Wake 2, and although sales may not be as good as expected for a Aaa, 10/10 behemoth, that’s not stopping the developer from going full steam ahead with the mind-bending expansions, and thanks to Summer Game Fest, we finally have our first look.
Night Springs Expansion is Here
Alan Wake 2’s surprise shadow drop of Night Springs expansion pleases… everyone!
Trotting on stage in his unique way, dancing away, Sam Lake decided to take Summer Game Fest by the scruff of the neck. He did exactly this. Months back, before the release of the game,...
- 6/7/2024
- by Luke Addison
- FandomWire
Mark Wahlberg has led one too many daunting projects that are spread across multiple genres, with video game-based action pieces being among them as well.
Like his 2008 action/crime from Irish director John Moore, Max Payne, for one to count, which may have received lukewarm reviews but was quite a successful piece when it comes to its box office scores, especially in the US.
Mark Wahlberg in Transformers. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Needless to say, Wahlberg performed epically in the movie; to the point where, perhaps, no one could play the character in live-action better. That said, even Moore thought through this very perspective before making the movie.
If anything, the filmmaker just may have even canceled his $80 million movie, perhaps, had the actor not signed on to star in it.
John Moore May Have Never Made Max Payne Without Mark Wahlberg
2008’s action/crime Max Payne and the titular video...
Like his 2008 action/crime from Irish director John Moore, Max Payne, for one to count, which may have received lukewarm reviews but was quite a successful piece when it comes to its box office scores, especially in the US.
Mark Wahlberg in Transformers. | Credit: Paramount Pictures.
Needless to say, Wahlberg performed epically in the movie; to the point where, perhaps, no one could play the character in live-action better. That said, even Moore thought through this very perspective before making the movie.
If anything, the filmmaker just may have even canceled his $80 million movie, perhaps, had the actor not signed on to star in it.
John Moore May Have Never Made Max Payne Without Mark Wahlberg
2008’s action/crime Max Payne and the titular video...
- 6/4/2024
- by Mahin Sultan
- FandomWire
Though the many big, small and no-screen adaptations of Jrr Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings and associated tomes, footnotes and apocrypha have offered portrayals of a wide variety of characters for fans to relish/debate, one has been notably absent. Well, fret no more, Tom Bombadil hive, because the all-singing, magic-slinging master of the yellow boots will finally get his due in the form of Rory Kinnear on The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power Season 2.
Bombadil appealed to Rings Of Power executive producers Jd Payne and Patrick McKay, and they have him encountering the Halflings and Gand… Sorry, The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) on their quest.
"He’s whimsical and magical, and almost verging on silly. But also has the wisdom of the ages and the music of the spheres and deep emotional wells of ancient history and myth, and his conception and function are tied to...
Bombadil appealed to Rings Of Power executive producers Jd Payne and Patrick McKay, and they have him encountering the Halflings and Gand… Sorry, The Stranger (Daniel Weyman) on their quest.
"He’s whimsical and magical, and almost verging on silly. But also has the wisdom of the ages and the music of the spheres and deep emotional wells of ancient history and myth, and his conception and function are tied to...
- 5/30/2024
- by James White
- Empire - TV
After being excluded from both the classic 1978 animated movie and Peter Jackson's critically acclaimed trilogy, The Lord of the Rings will finally put the spotlight on Tom Bombadil in live-action when The Rings of Power returns for season 2 on August 29.
He first appeared in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, helping save Merry and Pippin from Old Man Willow, an angry tree in the Old Forest, that swallows them. In this series, we'll meet a younger version of "Old Tom" who has left Withywindle behind to make a second home in the ravaged Rhûn.
"There’s a reason why he hasn’t been in prior adaptations, because in some ways he’s sort of an anti-dramatic character," showrunner J.D. Payne tells Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com). "He’s not a character who has a particularly strong agenda. He observes drama, but largely doesn’t participate in it.
He first appeared in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring, helping save Merry and Pippin from Old Man Willow, an angry tree in the Old Forest, that swallows them. In this series, we'll meet a younger version of "Old Tom" who has left Withywindle behind to make a second home in the ravaged Rhûn.
"There’s a reason why he hasn’t been in prior adaptations, because in some ways he’s sort of an anti-dramatic character," showrunner J.D. Payne tells Vanity Fair (via SFFGazette.com). "He’s not a character who has a particularly strong agenda. He observes drama, but largely doesn’t participate in it.
- 5/30/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
Alexander Payne’s Election is making its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut in time for its 25th anniversary. More details here.
Released in the midst of a glut of teen comedies at the end of the 1990s, Alexander Payne’s searing satire Election may have taken its time to find an audience, but find one it has.
As we covered on an episode of our podcast, the film came through MTV Films, and when it was release time, it wasn’t entirely clear what to do with the movie. Starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, it’s also a film adaptation of a novel, that beat the novel to release. You can hear the podcast episode here.
For some reason, 2024 seems rather appropriate to celebrate the birthday of a film about elections, and Election has been the beneficiary of a 4K remaster ahead of an anniversary release on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format.
Released in the midst of a glut of teen comedies at the end of the 1990s, Alexander Payne’s searing satire Election may have taken its time to find an audience, but find one it has.
As we covered on an episode of our podcast, the film came through MTV Films, and when it was release time, it wasn’t entirely clear what to do with the movie. Starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon, it’s also a film adaptation of a novel, that beat the novel to release. You can hear the podcast episode here.
For some reason, 2024 seems rather appropriate to celebrate the birthday of a film about elections, and Election has been the beneficiary of a 4K remaster ahead of an anniversary release on the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format.
- 5/30/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
After decades of being left out of many Lord of the Rings adaptations, Tom Bombadil is finally getting his moment in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The mystical character is set to appear in the second season of the Prime Video series where he will be played by Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die).
You can check out a handful of first-look photos of Tom Bombadil in The Rings of Power below.
Tom Bombadil appeared in The Fellowship of the Ring novel, helping Frodo Baggins and his friends on their journey. Dressed brightly with a penchant for nature and silly songs, Bombadil is one of the few creatures in Middle-earth that the One Ring has no power over. Described by J.R.R. Tolkien as “older than the old,” his appearance in The Rings of Power, which takes place thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings,...
You can check out a handful of first-look photos of Tom Bombadil in The Rings of Power below.
Tom Bombadil appeared in The Fellowship of the Ring novel, helping Frodo Baggins and his friends on their journey. Dressed brightly with a penchant for nature and silly songs, Bombadil is one of the few creatures in Middle-earth that the One Ring has no power over. Described by J.R.R. Tolkien as “older than the old,” his appearance in The Rings of Power, which takes place thousands of years before The Lord of the Rings,...
- 5/29/2024
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
A renowned Lord of the Rings character who didn’t see the light of day in the Peter Jackson movies is finally making his grand debut in season 2 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and that’s Tom Bombadil, who’ll be played by already announced Rory Kinnear. Scroll down to see more photos of the Bombadil from season 2.
At the time of Kinnear’s announcement, it wasn’t revealed exactly which character he’d be playing in a recurring role.
In the J.R.R. Tolkien tome, Bombadil saves Frodo and the other hobbits from myriad perils. In season 2, Bombadil encounters the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and his Harfoot friends Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards) on their journey to eastern Middle-earth.
The news about Bombadil was unveiled by Vanity Fair in a conversation with Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
At the time of Kinnear’s announcement, it wasn’t revealed exactly which character he’d be playing in a recurring role.
In the J.R.R. Tolkien tome, Bombadil saves Frodo and the other hobbits from myriad perils. In season 2, Bombadil encounters the Stranger (Daniel Weyman) and his Harfoot friends Nori (Markella Kavenagh) and Poppy (Megan Richards) on their journey to eastern Middle-earth.
The news about Bombadil was unveiled by Vanity Fair in a conversation with Rings of Power showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay.
- 5/29/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Bombadil finally gets to dance in the sun.
The beloved Lord of the Rings character will make its live-action debut in Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, TVLine has learned.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Young Sherlock Series Ordered, Night Manager Adds Daisy Jones Actress and MoreTVLine Items: Cristin Milioti Joins Hulu's Hit-Monkey, Death by Lighting Adds Bradley Whitford and MoreThe Last of Us: Jeffrey Wright to Reprise His Video-Game Role in Season 2
Penny Dreadful and The Diplomat vet Rory Kinnear is set for the role in the coming season, premiering Thursday, Aug.
The beloved Lord of the Rings character will make its live-action debut in Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, TVLine has learned.
More from TVLineTVLine Items: Young Sherlock Series Ordered, Night Manager Adds Daisy Jones Actress and MoreTVLine Items: Cristin Milioti Joins Hulu's Hit-Monkey, Death by Lighting Adds Bradley Whitford and MoreThe Last of Us: Jeffrey Wright to Reprise His Video-Game Role in Season 2
Penny Dreadful and The Diplomat vet Rory Kinnear is set for the role in the coming season, premiering Thursday, Aug.
- 5/29/2024
- by Keisha Hatchett
- TVLine.com
Well, that's one way to resolve a years-long conspiracy theory among the weirdest and nerdiest of fans. The creative team behind "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is apparently taking no chances in the months leading up to season 2 of the Prime Video series, unwilling to let leaks or set photos ruin the biggest surprise in decades of Middle-earth lore. Instead, the fine folks over at Vanity Fair were given an exclusive first look at the burning question at the forefront of all our minds: Will the bizarre character known as Tom Bombadil, whose boots are yellow and is famously a merry fellow, appear in the streaming show?
The answer to that little riddle is now confirmed to be a resounding yes. After all the biggest and most popular adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's work to this point went out of their way to avoid mentioning...
The answer to that little riddle is now confirmed to be a resounding yes. After all the biggest and most popular adaptations of author J.R.R. Tolkien's work to this point went out of their way to avoid mentioning...
- 5/29/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
Mit „Uppercut“, der Adaption seines Films „Leberhaken“, gibt der deutsche Regisseur und Drehbuchautor Torsten Rüther sein englischsprachiges Debüt. Auf dem Marché du Film hat sich jetzt ein US-Verleih gefunden.
Ving Rhames in „Uppercut“ (Credit: Hello Moment/Grindstone)
Grindstone Entertainment hat sich auf dem Marché du Film die Nordamerikarechte an dem Boxfilm „Uppercut“ gesichert; mit der Adaption seines 2021er Films „Leberhaken“ gibt der deutsche Regisseur und Drehbuchautor Torsten Rüther sein englischsprachiges Debüt. Das gab die deutsche Produktionsfirma Hello Moment Productions jetzt bekannt.
In der deutsch-amerikanischen Koproduktion, die in New York City im Jahr 2014 spielt, verkörpert Ving Rhames den ehemaligen Boxer Elliott, der jetzt ein Fitnessstudio im düsteren Stadtteil Bushwick besitzt. Eines Tages steht mit Toni, verkörpert von der deutschen Schauspielerin und ehemaligen Stabhochspringerin Luiii (Luise Großmann), eine entschlossene Kämpferin vor seiner Tür. Nachdem sich Elliott zunächst weigert, Toni zu trainieren, kommt es zu einer unerwarteten Verbindung zwischen den beiden, die die...
Ving Rhames in „Uppercut“ (Credit: Hello Moment/Grindstone)
Grindstone Entertainment hat sich auf dem Marché du Film die Nordamerikarechte an dem Boxfilm „Uppercut“ gesichert; mit der Adaption seines 2021er Films „Leberhaken“ gibt der deutsche Regisseur und Drehbuchautor Torsten Rüther sein englischsprachiges Debüt. Das gab die deutsche Produktionsfirma Hello Moment Productions jetzt bekannt.
In der deutsch-amerikanischen Koproduktion, die in New York City im Jahr 2014 spielt, verkörpert Ving Rhames den ehemaligen Boxer Elliott, der jetzt ein Fitnessstudio im düsteren Stadtteil Bushwick besitzt. Eines Tages steht mit Toni, verkörpert von der deutschen Schauspielerin und ehemaligen Stabhochspringerin Luiii (Luise Großmann), eine entschlossene Kämpferin vor seiner Tür. Nachdem sich Elliott zunächst weigert, Toni zu trainieren, kommt es zu einer unerwarteten Verbindung zwischen den beiden, die die...
- 5/27/2024
- by Jochen Müller
- Spot - Media & Film
Grindstone Entertainment Group has bought North American rights to Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring Ving Rhames, for Hello Moment Productions.
World sales are being handled by Sublimity Entertainment, which will be presenting the film to international distributors at the Cannes marketplace.
Set in New York City, Uppercut begins in 2014 as Toni (Luiii), a determined fighter, seeks out Elliott (Ving Rhames), a former boxer turned gym owner in gritty Bushwick. Though Elliott first dismisses the idea of training her, an unexpected bond blossoms between them, breaking through the boundaries of boxing and exploring the complexities of respect, love, family, and personal convictions. It culminates in a final showdown that alters Toni’s destiny profoundly.
Years later, Toni, now a pioneering female boxing manager, guides Payne (Jordan E. Cooper) to his first championship fight, drawing upon Elliott’s wisdom. On this very night, Toni might not only lose a fight, but also herself,...
World sales are being handled by Sublimity Entertainment, which will be presenting the film to international distributors at the Cannes marketplace.
Set in New York City, Uppercut begins in 2014 as Toni (Luiii), a determined fighter, seeks out Elliott (Ving Rhames), a former boxer turned gym owner in gritty Bushwick. Though Elliott first dismisses the idea of training her, an unexpected bond blossoms between them, breaking through the boundaries of boxing and exploring the complexities of respect, love, family, and personal convictions. It culminates in a final showdown that alters Toni’s destiny profoundly.
Years later, Toni, now a pioneering female boxing manager, guides Payne (Jordan E. Cooper) to his first championship fight, drawing upon Elliott’s wisdom. On this very night, Toni might not only lose a fight, but also herself,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
There is no forgetting the putrid and almost sickly sweet smell of human death once it has become an olfactory memory. Those unfamiliar with this hyper-specific stench should count themselves lucky. However, that odor of mortality is all the characters of Reeker have to keep themselves safe. Danger lurks wherever that fetor goes. Dave Payne’s 2005 horror film introduced a unique villain named after his most notable attribute, yet by the time that cadaverous stink has been inhaled by potential victims, the chance for escape may have already expired.
Following a silly but grisly cold-open — a random family becomes a roadside picnic for The Reeker, who remains unseen early on — director and writer Payne sets up what looks to be a garden-variety slasher: one by one, young folks are murdered in gruesome fashion, somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. No doubt that pitch sounds familiar. As straightforward as the film starts out,...
Following a silly but grisly cold-open — a random family becomes a roadside picnic for The Reeker, who remains unseen early on — director and writer Payne sets up what looks to be a garden-variety slasher: one by one, young folks are murdered in gruesome fashion, somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. No doubt that pitch sounds familiar. As straightforward as the film starts out,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
When Ving Rhames goes from impossible missions to the squared circle for the upcoming boxing drama Uppercut, emotions will fly like so many shots to the breadbasket. Grindstone Entertainment is ringing the bell for the North American rights to Uppercut, which stars Rhames as a trainer who agrees to mold the mind and body of a new female fighter.
Uppercut marks German writer-director Torsten Ruether’s English-language debut for the adaptation of the filmmaker’s 2021 film Leberhaken. The original film’s star, Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress, is Duking it out alongside Rhames in the upcoming sports drama. Joanna Cassidy and Jordan E. Cooper add more power to the project’s punch.
Uppercut takes place in New York City in 2014. The hard-hitting tale focuses on Toni (Luii) as she seeks wisdom from Elliott (Rhames), a former boxer turned gym owner in Bushwick. Reluctant to train her,...
Uppercut marks German writer-director Torsten Ruether’s English-language debut for the adaptation of the filmmaker’s 2021 film Leberhaken. The original film’s star, Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress, is Duking it out alongside Rhames in the upcoming sports drama. Joanna Cassidy and Jordan E. Cooper add more power to the project’s punch.
Uppercut takes place in New York City in 2014. The hard-hitting tale focuses on Toni (Luii) as she seeks wisdom from Elliott (Rhames), a former boxer turned gym owner in Bushwick. Reluctant to train her,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Grindstone Entertainment is getting into the ring with Ving Rhames.
Grindstone has picked up all rights in North America for Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring the Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction actor as a trainer who agrees to take on a new female fighter.
The English-language debut of German writer-director Torsten Ruether, Uppercut is an adaptation of Ruether’s 2021 feature Leberhaken. Both the German and English film’s star Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress. Joanna Cassidy (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Jordan E. Cooper (Ain’t No Mo) co-star in Uppercut.
Ving Rhames and Luiii in Uppercut.
Hello Moment Productions are the lead producer on Uppercut. Sublimity Entertainment are handling world sales on the film and pitching it to buyers at the Cannes film market this year.
Set in New York City in 2014, the film follows Toni (Luiii), as she seeks out Elliott (Rhames), a former...
Grindstone has picked up all rights in North America for Uppercut, a boxing thriller starring the Mission Impossible and Pulp Fiction actor as a trainer who agrees to take on a new female fighter.
The English-language debut of German writer-director Torsten Ruether, Uppercut is an adaptation of Ruether’s 2021 feature Leberhaken. Both the German and English film’s star Luiii, aka Luise Grossmann, a former professional pole vaulter-turned-actress. Joanna Cassidy (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and Jordan E. Cooper (Ain’t No Mo) co-star in Uppercut.
Ving Rhames and Luiii in Uppercut.
Hello Moment Productions are the lead producer on Uppercut. Sublimity Entertainment are handling world sales on the film and pitching it to buyers at the Cannes film market this year.
Set in New York City in 2014, the film follows Toni (Luiii), as she seeks out Elliott (Rhames), a former...
- 5/23/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
One of the best games of last year was Alan Wake 2 from Remedy, directed and created by Sam Lake. This talented developer reacted to the post about the Summer Game Fest; this could mean that the studio is preparing something for this big event that will introduce many new games, trailers, and other updates on several projects.
The company is working on a sequel to Control, the remake of Max Payne 1 and 2, two undisclosed IPs, and more content regarding the title from last year. This is not the first time the director has worked with Geoff Keighley, the host of this event.
Sam Lake Could Be Introducing Something New From Remedy at the Summer Game Fest Sam Lake, Remedy’s director, anticipated the Summer Game Fest.
Remedy is on a streak; the studio has been releasing one amazing game after another with IPs like Quantum Break, Control, and more. This...
The company is working on a sequel to Control, the remake of Max Payne 1 and 2, two undisclosed IPs, and more content regarding the title from last year. This is not the first time the director has worked with Geoff Keighley, the host of this event.
Sam Lake Could Be Introducing Something New From Remedy at the Summer Game Fest Sam Lake, Remedy’s director, anticipated the Summer Game Fest.
Remedy is on a streak; the studio has been releasing one amazing game after another with IPs like Quantum Break, Control, and more. This...
- 5/20/2024
- by Lucas Lapetina
- FandomWire
“Prepare yourselves.”
That’s what a sword weilding Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) declares to Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and her other warrior companions in the just released teaser trailer for Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – see below:
Season 2 of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation is coming on August 29, and “prepare yourselves” just might be an understatement.
One word: Sauron. Another word: Unleashed.
Much grittier and darker than most of Season 1, the just released peek at Season 2 also gives a brief look at the Charlie Vicker’s portrayed Mordor master’s Dark Tower. As well, there’s some new rings and their creation in there too, and one Hell of an explosion that could rival Mount Doom’s big blow-up in Season 1. Or, as Khazad-dûm Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) puts it in said minute-long teaser: “an evil, ancient and powerful has returned” — as you can see above.
That’s what a sword weilding Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) declares to Elrond (Robert Aramayo) and her other warrior companions in the just released teaser trailer for Season 2 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – see below:
Season 2 of the J.R.R. Tolkien adaptation is coming on August 29, and “prepare yourselves” just might be an understatement.
One word: Sauron. Another word: Unleashed.
Much grittier and darker than most of Season 1, the just released peek at Season 2 also gives a brief look at the Charlie Vicker’s portrayed Mordor master’s Dark Tower. As well, there’s some new rings and their creation in there too, and one Hell of an explosion that could rival Mount Doom’s big blow-up in Season 1. Or, as Khazad-dûm Prince Durin (Owain Arthur) puts it in said minute-long teaser: “an evil, ancient and powerful has returned” — as you can see above.
- 5/14/2024
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
During a recent Emmys FYC conversation in Atlanta with Bmf showrunner Heather Zuhlke, stars Demetrius “Lil Meech” Flenory Jr., Da’Vinchi, Michole Briana White and Russell Hornsby — who respectively play Big Meech, Terry, and Flenory matriarch and patriarch Lucille and Charles — and executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, who had been less active with the network in recent years after several fallouts, was full of pride and commentary about the Starz drama’s current success and future plans.
There’s no denying that Jackson putting his hip hop fame and street cred behind Power, the series essentially about a drug kingpin named Ghost (Omari Hardwick) who wanted to get out the game and become a respectable businessman, changed the premium network’s fortune. Power reportedly increased Starz’s subscribers base by as much as 40 percent.
From that came three successful spinoffs — Power Book II: Ghost; Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force.
There’s no denying that Jackson putting his hip hop fame and street cred behind Power, the series essentially about a drug kingpin named Ghost (Omari Hardwick) who wanted to get out the game and become a respectable businessman, changed the premium network’s fortune. Power reportedly increased Starz’s subscribers base by as much as 40 percent.
From that came three successful spinoffs — Power Book II: Ghost; Power Book III: Raising Kanan and Power Book IV: Force.
- 5/13/2024
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A Sky News Australia anchor has made an apology live on air after his line of inquiry during an interview with a teenage fishing champion was widely slammed.
News.com.au reports that Peter Stefanovic, who hosts the First Edition flagship news show, made his apology after he was criticised for interviewing Northern Territory fishing champion Keegan Payne, and asking him about the alleged theft of two vehicles more than three years before.
Critics said Stefanovic’s questioning of the 19-year-old fisherman tapped into stereotypes of Indigenous youth in the region.
Stefanovic made his apology Monday, telling viewers:
“An apology from me, last Wednesday we invited Keegan Payne onto our show to discuss his win in the Million Dollar Fish competition in the Northern Territory,” Stefanovic said during First Edition on Monday.
“During that interview I asked him about a theft that had occurred several years earlier. I should not...
News.com.au reports that Peter Stefanovic, who hosts the First Edition flagship news show, made his apology after he was criticised for interviewing Northern Territory fishing champion Keegan Payne, and asking him about the alleged theft of two vehicles more than three years before.
Critics said Stefanovic’s questioning of the 19-year-old fisherman tapped into stereotypes of Indigenous youth in the region.
Stefanovic made his apology Monday, telling viewers:
“An apology from me, last Wednesday we invited Keegan Payne onto our show to discuss his win in the Million Dollar Fish competition in the Northern Territory,” Stefanovic said during First Edition on Monday.
“During that interview I asked him about a theft that had occurred several years earlier. I should not...
- 5/6/2024
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill)
You can’t always get what you want, unless you are a Rolling Stones fan hungering for documentary deep-dives into the band’s storied history. Indeed, it is spectacularly serendipitous that Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg arrives just a few months after The Stones and Brian Jones. The latter doc, from Nick Broomfield, centered on Jones, the band’s founder and leader until Mick Jagger and Keith Richards snatched that mantle. Catching Fire and The Stones and Brian Jones cover much of the same ground, use some of the same archival footage, and even feature the same anecdotes from delightful Tin Drum director Volker Schlöndorff. The films are...
Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg (Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill)
You can’t always get what you want, unless you are a Rolling Stones fan hungering for documentary deep-dives into the band’s storied history. Indeed, it is spectacularly serendipitous that Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg arrives just a few months after The Stones and Brian Jones. The latter doc, from Nick Broomfield, centered on Jones, the band’s founder and leader until Mick Jagger and Keith Richards snatched that mantle. Catching Fire and The Stones and Brian Jones cover much of the same ground, use some of the same archival footage, and even feature the same anecdotes from delightful Tin Drum director Volker Schlöndorff. The films are...
- 5/3/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Reese Witherspoon as Tracy FlickScreenshot: Paramount Pictures
This May, Glee turns 15. For better or worse—often both, within the same episode—the series is singular. It ushered in a wave of musical TV shows, and with it a new era of merchandising. Its young cast might not have become Euphoria famous,...
This May, Glee turns 15. For better or worse—often both, within the same episode—the series is singular. It ushered in a wave of musical TV shows, and with it a new era of merchandising. Its young cast might not have become Euphoria famous,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Drew Gillis
- avclub.com
Last Saturday, at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Los Angeles (via The Hollywood Reporter), “Holdovers” director Alexander Payne presented The Robert Osborne Award — an award named for the late TCM anchor that honors individuals dedicated to preserving classic film history — to an educator and historian that many people may not have heard of. Her name is Jeanine Basinger and before her 60-year career teaching at Wesleyan University, or writing 13 books on film that continue to inspire, she was a movie theater usher in a town in South Dakota with only two venues. So vast was her love for the medium that, according to Payne, she worked “at both theaters.”
It was this love that fostered a passion in Payne as well despite never having had a single class with Basinger. In his speech to her, he said, “I didn’t go to Wesleyan. And I would say she’s...
It was this love that fostered a passion in Payne as well despite never having had a single class with Basinger. In his speech to her, he said, “I didn’t go to Wesleyan. And I would say she’s...
- 4/27/2024
- by Harrison Richlin
- Indiewire
On the heels of The Holdovers, two-time Oscar winner Alexander Payne has found his next project — and it will mark the esteemed filmmaker’s documentary directorial debut, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Payne is currently in production on — and targeting a 2025 release for — a documentary feature about the trailblazing film scholar Jeanine Basinger, tracing her story from her days as a movie theater usher in Brookings, South Dakota, to Connecticut’s Wesleyan University. Throughout her 60-year career, she built from scratch one of the nation’s first and finest film studies programs; authored 13 highly influential books about film, including two that recently made THR’s list of the 100 greatest of all time; and shaped generations of people who, in turn, have shaped every segment of the American film industry.
Sam Wasson, a former student of Basinger’s at Wesleyan and an esteemed writer who was her co-author of the 2022 book Hollywood: The Oral History,...
Payne is currently in production on — and targeting a 2025 release for — a documentary feature about the trailblazing film scholar Jeanine Basinger, tracing her story from her days as a movie theater usher in Brookings, South Dakota, to Connecticut’s Wesleyan University. Throughout her 60-year career, she built from scratch one of the nation’s first and finest film studies programs; authored 13 highly influential books about film, including two that recently made THR’s list of the 100 greatest of all time; and shaped generations of people who, in turn, have shaped every segment of the American film industry.
Sam Wasson, a former student of Basinger’s at Wesleyan and an esteemed writer who was her co-author of the 2022 book Hollywood: The Oral History,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
There were many memorable cinematic performances that came from actresses in 1999 (Annette Bening in American Beauty, Samantha Morton in Sweet and Lowdown, Julianne Moore in Magnolia). And then there was a truly iconic turn from Reese Witherspoon as Tracy Flick, the terrifying antagonist in Alexander Payne’s sharp political satire, Election.
A cunning, ambitious and oh-so-annoying foil to her teacher and would-be mentor, Omaha-area social studies instructor Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), Tracy is at times the worst — for example, when her affair with Mr. McAllister’s best friend is discovered, the teenager has no qualms about abandoning him entirely — and in other moments, Tracy can be the absolute best. At least, she insists on that top slot, no matter what: having the highest grades, getting into the best college, winning a high school election — she’s destined for greatness, which in the time Election takes place means winning the office...
A cunning, ambitious and oh-so-annoying foil to her teacher and would-be mentor, Omaha-area social studies instructor Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), Tracy is at times the worst — for example, when her affair with Mr. McAllister’s best friend is discovered, the teenager has no qualms about abandoning him entirely — and in other moments, Tracy can be the absolute best. At least, she insists on that top slot, no matter what: having the highest grades, getting into the best college, winning a high school election — she’s destined for greatness, which in the time Election takes place means winning the office...
- 4/24/2024
- by Kevin Dolak
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Stars: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Tate Donovan | Written by David Hemingson | Directed by Alexander Payne
Having not released a film since 2017’s Downsizing, director Alexander Payne follows up what is considered the weakest film of his career with an absolutely wonderful work. At the Barton boarding school, bad-tempered professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is forced to remain on campus during the Christmas break to look after a handful of students with nowhere to go – collectively known as The Holdovers. Across the break, he forms a bond with student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
From the opening moments where the studio logos and ratings title card appear in retro styles, Payne recreates the feel of a ‘70s feature throughout his latest work. The combination of aesthetic and story brings to mind a Hal Ashby film,...
Having not released a film since 2017’s Downsizing, director Alexander Payne follows up what is considered the weakest film of his career with an absolutely wonderful work. At the Barton boarding school, bad-tempered professor Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) is forced to remain on campus during the Christmas break to look after a handful of students with nowhere to go – collectively known as The Holdovers. Across the break, he forms a bond with student Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) and head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
From the opening moments where the studio logos and ratings title card appear in retro styles, Payne recreates the feel of a ‘70s feature throughout his latest work. The combination of aesthetic and story brings to mind a Hal Ashby film,...
- 4/23/2024
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Waiting for The Rings of Power season 2 feels a lot like Gandalf and Pippin looking out from Minas Tirith at the approaching fires of Mordor, a deep breath before the plunge. The Rings of Power season 2 wrapped filming last year and is reportedly slated to hit our screens in 2024, but Amazon has yet to announce a proper release date or tease anything from the new season beside vague hints from cast members last summer (like our interview with Morfydd Clark about what’s next for Galadriel). It’s been a long wait, with the last episode of the series airing in 2022.
But fans shouldn’t take the silence surrounding the second season as a sign that Amazon has cooled on its big-budget Lord of the Rings series. In fact, according to reports, the studio and showrunners Patrick McKay and Jd Payne are already whipping up a third season of the show.
But fans shouldn’t take the silence surrounding the second season as a sign that Amazon has cooled on its big-budget Lord of the Rings series. In fact, according to reports, the studio and showrunners Patrick McKay and Jd Payne are already whipping up a third season of the show.
- 4/23/2024
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
It’s no surprise that some movies end up being more hyped around than some others, but all the internet buzz doesn't always mean the film is going to actually be a great one. However, history shows that the movies that are all over social media usually are the ones who do well.
One of the most hyped movies of 2023 was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, no doubt. The story of the father of the atomic bomb featuring brilliant Cillian Murphy ended up being a huge success among the viewers and showed amazing box office.
But what's more, the movie bagged seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor as well. However, before that happened, there were a lot of speculations about which movie would end up taking home the Best Picture Award.
Why Didn’t The Holdovers Win Best Picture?
Half of the Academy Award fans wanted the...
One of the most hyped movies of 2023 was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, no doubt. The story of the father of the atomic bomb featuring brilliant Cillian Murphy ended up being a huge success among the viewers and showed amazing box office.
But what's more, the movie bagged seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor as well. However, before that happened, there were a lot of speculations about which movie would end up taking home the Best Picture Award.
Why Didn’t The Holdovers Win Best Picture?
Half of the Academy Award fans wanted the...
- 4/21/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
The Payne family knows how to bring the laughs -- and the ratings. The sitcom family's been revived twice and accumulated more than 300 episodes, but BET viewers can't seem to get enough. Still, nothing lasts forever. Will this be the year House of Payne is cancelled, or will it be renewed for season 11? Stay tuned. *Status Update Below.
A family comedy series, the Tyler Perry's House of Payne TV show stars Lavan Davis, Cassi Davis Patton, Allen Payne, Lance Gross, Larramie "Doc" Shaw, and Keshia Knight Pulliam with Ahmarie Holmes, Quin Walters, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Clayton English, and Quincy Bonds in recurring roles. The sitcom follows retired fire chief Curtis Payne (Davis) and his loving and outspoken wife, Ella (Cassi Davis Patton), as they navigate life's problems in the suburbs of Atlanta. Their quirky modern-day family includes their son Calvin (Gross), his wife Miranda...
A family comedy series, the Tyler Perry's House of Payne TV show stars Lavan Davis, Cassi Davis Patton, Allen Payne, Lance Gross, Larramie "Doc" Shaw, and Keshia Knight Pulliam with Ahmarie Holmes, Quin Walters, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Clayton English, and Quincy Bonds in recurring roles. The sitcom follows retired fire chief Curtis Payne (Davis) and his loving and outspoken wife, Ella (Cassi Davis Patton), as they navigate life's problems in the suburbs of Atlanta. Their quirky modern-day family includes their son Calvin (Gross), his wife Miranda...
- 4/17/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
There is no such thing as too new a concept in Hollywood. The industry could never have enough new ideas. That is the one currency that is always sought after. But what about bringing back an idea from the past? An idea that was a hit back in the day but has since been banished from pop culture. Lionsgate and Blumhouse are doing exactly that, with the announcement that they are all set to bring back The Blair Witch Project, a path-breaking movie back in its day.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are joining hands to bring back an iconic horror footage movie
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are in talks to bring back The Blair Witch Project
Lionsgate has already dished out a horror movie that has turned everyone’s eyes this year with Imaginary. The Tom Payne starrer might not be the best of films when it comes to winning the critics over.
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are joining hands to bring back an iconic horror footage movie
Lionsgate and Blumhouse are in talks to bring back The Blair Witch Project
Lionsgate has already dished out a horror movie that has turned everyone’s eyes this year with Imaginary. The Tom Payne starrer might not be the best of films when it comes to winning the critics over.
- 4/17/2024
- by Smriti Sneh
- FandomWire
The Payne clan is sticking around for more fun. BET has renewed House of Payne for a sixth season on the channel, the show's 11th season overall. The 10th season finished airing in September.
A family comedy series, the Tyler Perry's House of Payne TV show stars Lavan Davis, Cassi Davis Patton, Allen Payne, Lance Gross, Larramie "Doc" Shaw, and Keshia Knight Pulliam with Ahmarie Holmes, Quin Walters, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Clayton English, and Quincy Bonds in recurring roles. The sitcom follows retired fire chief Curtis Payne (Davis) and his loving and outspoken wife, Ella (Cassi Davis Patton), as they navigate life's problems in the suburbs of Atlanta. Their quirky modern-day family includes their son Calvin (Gross), his wife Miranda (Pulliam), and their sons, Calvin Jr. and little Christian. There's also adult nephew Cj (Payne), his wife Janine (McKinney),...
A family comedy series, the Tyler Perry's House of Payne TV show stars Lavan Davis, Cassi Davis Patton, Allen Payne, Lance Gross, Larramie "Doc" Shaw, and Keshia Knight Pulliam with Ahmarie Holmes, Quin Walters, Cheryl Pepsi Riley, Clayton English, and Quincy Bonds in recurring roles. The sitcom follows retired fire chief Curtis Payne (Davis) and his loving and outspoken wife, Ella (Cassi Davis Patton), as they navigate life's problems in the suburbs of Atlanta. Their quirky modern-day family includes their son Calvin (Gross), his wife Miranda (Pulliam), and their sons, Calvin Jr. and little Christian. There's also adult nephew Cj (Payne), his wife Janine (McKinney),...
- 4/17/2024
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
For the group’s 25th anniversary, Little Big Town is pouring some sugar on it. Some Sugarland, actually, as the two country groups will be spending some quality time together later this year, in the wake of their joint performance Sunday night on the CMT Music Awards, where they hooked up to sing their newly arranged cover of Phil Collins’ 1985 smash “Take Me Home.”
The day after the meeting of the vocal-group titans on the CBS awards telecast, Lbt and Sugarland have released a studio version of the Collins tune they performed live, along with announcing a joint tour in the fall that will see them hit the road together for 18 dates. The tour starts Oct. 24 in Greenville, Sc and wraps Dec. 13 with a hometown show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
The tour is produced by Live Nation and Sandbox Entertainment, and is billed as Little Big Town with special guest Sugarland,...
The day after the meeting of the vocal-group titans on the CBS awards telecast, Lbt and Sugarland have released a studio version of the Collins tune they performed live, along with announcing a joint tour in the fall that will see them hit the road together for 18 dates. The tour starts Oct. 24 in Greenville, Sc and wraps Dec. 13 with a hometown show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
The tour is produced by Live Nation and Sandbox Entertainment, and is billed as Little Big Town with special guest Sugarland,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Chris Willman
- Variety Film + TV
Apart from the main protagonist Max Payne, fans of the Max Payne games will remember Mona Sax. Sax as one of the most important characters in Max Payne 2. She was shown in the first Max Payne game during the cut scenes. She is a professional assassin in the game, and not much is known about her background story.
A still from Max Payne
Sax also appeared in the second game where she is the second playable character. Max Payne 2 revolved around the love story of Payne and Sax. However, in the game, Payne and Sax’s love story meets a tragic end.
Mona Sax’s secret ending in Max Payne 2
As Mona Sax became one of the protagonists in Max Payne 2, the game focused more on her love story with Payne. However, their love story had a tragic end in the game, when Sax got shot in the back by Lem.
A still from Max Payne
Sax also appeared in the second game where she is the second playable character. Max Payne 2 revolved around the love story of Payne and Sax. However, in the game, Payne and Sax’s love story meets a tragic end.
Mona Sax’s secret ending in Max Payne 2
As Mona Sax became one of the protagonists in Max Payne 2, the game focused more on her love story with Payne. However, their love story had a tragic end in the game, when Sax got shot in the back by Lem.
- 4/7/2024
- by Binayak Sharma
- FandomWire
Remedy Entertainment is renowned for its powerful single-player stories like Control, Max Payne, and their most recent project: Alan Wake 2. Sam Lake served as the director and even appeared as the character model for Alex Casey after being scanned and performed motion capture, which opened doors of opportunities to collaborate with other game directors like Hideo Kojima.
Hideo Kojima Is Collaborating With Remedy’s Sam Lake Sam Lake directed Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 which features some horror elements that are right up Hideo Kojima’s alley.
Lake has shared a short clip of him being surrounded by a spiral of cameras which is used for scanning to be later added in a video game. The internet has erupted with a bunch of conclusions that Lake could be trying to venture out after Alan Wake 2, or Hideo Kojima simply invited him to his club of friends from different companies.
Having a...
Hideo Kojima Is Collaborating With Remedy’s Sam Lake Sam Lake directed Remedy’s Alan Wake 2 which features some horror elements that are right up Hideo Kojima’s alley.
Lake has shared a short clip of him being surrounded by a spiral of cameras which is used for scanning to be later added in a video game. The internet has erupted with a bunch of conclusions that Lake could be trying to venture out after Alan Wake 2, or Hideo Kojima simply invited him to his club of friends from different companies.
Having a...
- 4/6/2024
- by Rouvin Josef Quirimit
- FandomWire
Remedy Entertainment is currently involved in a number of projects. They recently launched a game called Alan Wake 2, which ended up being an incredible critical success. While it grows towards being a commercial success at its own pace, gamers around the world await its Dlc to be revealed and launched. Besides that, they are also working on remakes for Max Payne 1 and 2.
As fans await the recently announced Dlc for Alan Wake 2 to get a trailer, there’s a lot else they have to be hyped about. The above-mentioned Max Payne remakes are two of those things. There’s also a game that would be the sequel to Control, but one thing that fans do not know is going to happen is that all these projects might end up being set in the same universe.
Max Payne remakes might end up being part of Remedy Entertainment’s shared universe
A...
As fans await the recently announced Dlc for Alan Wake 2 to get a trailer, there’s a lot else they have to be hyped about. The above-mentioned Max Payne remakes are two of those things. There’s also a game that would be the sequel to Control, but one thing that fans do not know is going to happen is that all these projects might end up being set in the same universe.
Max Payne remakes might end up being part of Remedy Entertainment’s shared universe
A...
- 4/1/2024
- by Rohit Sejwal
- FandomWire
Remedy Entertainment is very busy nowadays; they have been tirelessly working on the expansions for Alan Wake 2. They are known for giving all they can to their games. Games like Alan Wake, Control, Alan Wake 2, and Max Payne have shown Remedy Entertainment’s dedication to storytelling in video games. That’s why almost all of their games win a bunch of awards when they launch.
Fans could not contain their excitement when the remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2 were announced. That excitement reached sky-high when it was announced that these remakes would actually be developed by Remedy Entertainment. No one actually knows what those games would actually look like, but some eager fans seem to have made a short showcase of what Max Payne would look like when developed using Unreal Engine.
Fan-made Unreal Engine Max Payne looks incredible A still from Max Payne
When Max Payne was launched for...
Fans could not contain their excitement when the remakes of Max Payne 1 and 2 were announced. That excitement reached sky-high when it was announced that these remakes would actually be developed by Remedy Entertainment. No one actually knows what those games would actually look like, but some eager fans seem to have made a short showcase of what Max Payne would look like when developed using Unreal Engine.
Fan-made Unreal Engine Max Payne looks incredible A still from Max Payne
When Max Payne was launched for...
- 3/30/2024
- by Rohit Sejwal
- FandomWire
At Series Mania Thursday, Cathy Payne, CEO of distributor Banijay Rights, said it is “tough out there” in the post-peak market for scripted content.
“It is challenging to fund scripted, especially at the high-end. In a market where a couple of years ago you may have been able to take a larger risk now you want to see that underpinned,” she said. “In general, with the market and the changes, people are more conservative; there is not as much risk-taking.”
She added: “When we look at financing a show it’s not about getting the money to make season one, I have to think about how we are going to fund this for three to five seasons.”
Payne said, in this climate, “you just have to find a way of working through.” She added: “As someone once said to me, ‘You’ve kind of just got to be scrappy.’ You’ve just got to think,...
“It is challenging to fund scripted, especially at the high-end. In a market where a couple of years ago you may have been able to take a larger risk now you want to see that underpinned,” she said. “In general, with the market and the changes, people are more conservative; there is not as much risk-taking.”
She added: “When we look at financing a show it’s not about getting the money to make season one, I have to think about how we are going to fund this for three to five seasons.”
Payne said, in this climate, “you just have to find a way of working through.” She added: “As someone once said to me, ‘You’ve kind of just got to be scrappy.’ You’ve just got to think,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The boss of one of the world’s biggest TV distributors has predicted streamers will return to commissioning originals in bulk once they “break even.”
Cathy Payne, who runs Big Brother and Black Mirror seller Banijay Rights, said there is “no doubt” the deep-pocketed U.S. giants are currently ordering less originals, preferring to strike alternative deals such as “enhanced pre-sale acquisitions.”
“It’s well documented that streamers have had difficulty in reaching their targets and streamers launching in markets has been tough economically, with high interest rates and so on,” she added. “There is no doubt the streamers are commissioning less originals and are rather looking for enhanced pre-sales acquisitions till they get to a point where they’re breaking even, then they’ll come back with more originals.”
Payne added: “It’s not subscribers at any cost, services have to make money.”
Payne backed up Netflix Emea boss...
Cathy Payne, who runs Big Brother and Black Mirror seller Banijay Rights, said there is “no doubt” the deep-pocketed U.S. giants are currently ordering less originals, preferring to strike alternative deals such as “enhanced pre-sale acquisitions.”
“It’s well documented that streamers have had difficulty in reaching their targets and streamers launching in markets has been tough economically, with high interest rates and so on,” she added. “There is no doubt the streamers are commissioning less originals and are rather looking for enhanced pre-sales acquisitions till they get to a point where they’re breaking even, then they’ll come back with more originals.”
Payne added: “It’s not subscribers at any cost, services have to make money.”
Payne backed up Netflix Emea boss...
- 3/21/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Max Payne’s remakes may be in development, but who said that doesn’t give other developers to cook up their own bullet time experiences? On that note, there’s a new exciting project in the works that looks like a serious combination of Max Payne, My Friend Pedro, and John Wick making the most of the cinematic gameplay experience you could hope for.
The game is called The Hong Kong Massacre and is being crafted by two individuals, working in a studio called Vreski that is based in Malmö, Sweden. Even though the game’s press kit shows a trailer of a game that looks very different, the narrative seems to have stayed unchanged over the course of its development.
Max Payne’s remakes will take a while, until then, have a taste of The Hong Kong Massacre This one is really looking like a first-person version of Max Payne!
The game is called The Hong Kong Massacre and is being crafted by two individuals, working in a studio called Vreski that is based in Malmö, Sweden. Even though the game’s press kit shows a trailer of a game that looks very different, the narrative seems to have stayed unchanged over the course of its development.
Max Payne’s remakes will take a while, until then, have a taste of The Hong Kong Massacre This one is really looking like a first-person version of Max Payne!
- 3/15/2024
- by Tanay Sharma
- FandomWire
It’s the morning after the Oscars, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who was out celebrating her big win as best supporting actress until 5:45 a.m., looks as if she’d fall asleep for the rest of the day if she closed her eyes for a moment. And yet despite her exhaustion she’s still radiant, brimming with excitement about the ways that her life has changed since she scored her role as Mary Lamb, a grieving cafeteria manager, in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”
As she sits at a dining room table in a modern Beverly Hills apartment soothing a hoarse voice with cough drops, Randolph declares sleepily, “I’ve got the keys to the castle now!”
It’s a change for the Philadelphia-born actress, who says, “I was taught to make a lot out of very little. It’s exciting to have access to resources and opportunities,...
As she sits at a dining room table in a modern Beverly Hills apartment soothing a hoarse voice with cough drops, Randolph declares sleepily, “I’ve got the keys to the castle now!”
It’s a change for the Philadelphia-born actress, who says, “I was taught to make a lot out of very little. It’s exciting to have access to resources and opportunities,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
British screenwriter Simon Stephenson has accused the makers of The Holdovers of plagiarism, saying its similarity to his 2013 script, Frisco, is “brazen”.
Mere hours before Alexander Payne’s comedy drama The Holdovers was garlanded with an Oscar win – Da’Vine Joy Randolph walked off with a Best Supporting Actress gong – controversy suddenly blew up thanks to a report published by Variety.
According to British novelist and screenwriter Simon Stephenson – whose credits include The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain – The Holdovers was “plagiarised line by line” from Frisco, a screenplay he wrote in 2013.
One of the scripts shortlisted for 2013’s Black List of unproduced screenplays, Frisco is about a middle-aged, grouchy pediatrician who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 15 year-old patient. This, Stephenson has argued, is markedly similar to the premise of The Holdovers, in which a middle-aged, grouchy teacher (played by Paul Giamatti in the film) strikes up an...
Mere hours before Alexander Payne’s comedy drama The Holdovers was garlanded with an Oscar win – Da’Vine Joy Randolph walked off with a Best Supporting Actress gong – controversy suddenly blew up thanks to a report published by Variety.
According to British novelist and screenwriter Simon Stephenson – whose credits include The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain – The Holdovers was “plagiarised line by line” from Frisco, a screenplay he wrote in 2013.
One of the scripts shortlisted for 2013’s Black List of unproduced screenplays, Frisco is about a middle-aged, grouchy pediatrician who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 15 year-old patient. This, Stephenson has argued, is markedly similar to the premise of The Holdovers, in which a middle-aged, grouchy teacher (played by Paul Giamatti in the film) strikes up an...
- 3/11/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
Da’Vine Joy Randolph owned 2024, clinching the first award of the night at the 96th annual Academy Awards. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers.
Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers
Randolph’s win wasn’t entirely unexpected, given her clean sweep throughout awards season. She had already secured the Best Supporting Actress accolade at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critic’s Choice Award earlier this year.
During her speech after receiving an Oscar, the actress became candid about her challenges. She also made a revelation, stating that acting was never part of her plan, but here she is.
Oscar Winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph Reveals Acting Was Never Her Plan
Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a still from The Holdovers
After tearfully receiving her first Academy Award, Da’Vine Joy Randolph delivered...
Da’Vine Joy Randolph as Mary Lamb in The Holdovers
Randolph’s win wasn’t entirely unexpected, given her clean sweep throughout awards season. She had already secured the Best Supporting Actress accolade at the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Critic’s Choice Award earlier this year.
During her speech after receiving an Oscar, the actress became candid about her challenges. She also made a revelation, stating that acting was never part of her plan, but here she is.
Oscar Winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph Reveals Acting Was Never Her Plan
Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a still from The Holdovers
After tearfully receiving her first Academy Award, Da’Vine Joy Randolph delivered...
- 3/11/2024
- by Shreya Jha
- FandomWire
Da’Vine Joy Randolph is now an Oscar winner.
By Sunday night, this result was mostly a foregone conclusion, as she had already swept best supporting actress at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards this season for her performance in Alexander Payne’s throwback dramedy The Holdovers. Randolph played cafeteria manager Mary, one of the trio of protagonists left at the boarding school over holiday break, grieving the death of her son.
“Your performance is tribute to those who have helped others heal in spite of their own pain,” said presenter Lupita Nyong’o, the past Oscar winner selected to introduce Randolph.
Randolph is now the first of nine Oscar-nominated performers directed by Payne to go all the way. (The second could be Paul Giamatti, whose best actor category is still to be announced as of press time.)
The Philadelphia native, who studied classical vocal...
By Sunday night, this result was mostly a foregone conclusion, as she had already swept best supporting actress at the BAFTA, Critics Choice, Independent Spirit, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards this season for her performance in Alexander Payne’s throwback dramedy The Holdovers. Randolph played cafeteria manager Mary, one of the trio of protagonists left at the boarding school over holiday break, grieving the death of her son.
“Your performance is tribute to those who have helped others heal in spite of their own pain,” said presenter Lupita Nyong’o, the past Oscar winner selected to introduce Randolph.
Randolph is now the first of nine Oscar-nominated performers directed by Payne to go all the way. (The second could be Paul Giamatti, whose best actor category is still to be announced as of press time.)
The Philadelphia native, who studied classical vocal...
- 3/10/2024
- by Rebecca Sun
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As Paul Giamatti’s character in The Holdovers quoted, “History is not just a study of the past, it is an explanation of the present.” So what if looking at a piece of the past led to a successful present? That’s the situation The Holdovers – one of the best films of last year – is finding itself in, as the script is now accused of plagiarism ahead of a potential win for Best Original Screenplay at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
According to Variety, screenwriter Simon Stephenson — who has credits on Pixar’s Luca and Paddington 2 — issued a complaint to a representative for the Writers Guild of America that The Holdovers was suspiciously close to his own Frisco, one of the films featured on The Blacklist, the annual list of best screenplays that have yet to be greenlit. As per The Blacklist, here is the official plot of Frisco: “A forty-something pediatric allergist,...
According to Variety, screenwriter Simon Stephenson — who has credits on Pixar’s Luca and Paddington 2 — issued a complaint to a representative for the Writers Guild of America that The Holdovers was suspiciously close to his own Frisco, one of the films featured on The Blacklist, the annual list of best screenplays that have yet to be greenlit. As per The Blacklist, here is the official plot of Frisco: “A forty-something pediatric allergist,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Oscar nominated film The Holdovers has been accused of plagiarism.
This whole story begins on January 12, 2024, when screenwriter Simon Stephenson, who wrote Pixar’s Luca, Paddington 2, and more, sent an email to an executive at the Writers Guild of America.
He wrote, “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project.” In another email, he continued, “the evidence the holdovers screenplay has been plagiarised line-by-line from frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’”
Keep reading to find out more…
Frisco is Simon‘s screenplay from 2013. According to Variety, “Frisco” was a “drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after.” According to Variety, The Holdovers is ” a drama revolving around a world-weary middle-aged boarding school teacher and the 15-year-old pupil he gets stuck looking after.
This whole story begins on January 12, 2024, when screenwriter Simon Stephenson, who wrote Pixar’s Luca, Paddington 2, and more, sent an email to an executive at the Writers Guild of America.
He wrote, “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project.” In another email, he continued, “the evidence the holdovers screenplay has been plagiarised line-by-line from frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’”
Keep reading to find out more…
Frisco is Simon‘s screenplay from 2013. According to Variety, “Frisco” was a “drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after.” According to Variety, The Holdovers is ” a drama revolving around a world-weary middle-aged boarding school teacher and the 15-year-old pupil he gets stuck looking after.
- 3/10/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
The Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning film A New Kind of Wilderness has bowed at the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece, marking its European premiere.
Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen attended the Thessaloniki premiere in person along with two of the film’s protagonists: Freja Vatne Payne and Ronja Breda Vatne. Freja and Ronja are the daughters of Maria Vatne, a gifted photographer who celebrated her family’s unorthodox lifestyle in a remote area of Norway through a blog called Wild + Free. The film begins with stunning footage and photographs taken by Vatne of her kids – in addition to the girls, boys Falk (Norwegian for “falcon”) and the youngest, Ulv (Norwegian for wolf).
But that opening sequence is punctuated by a bracing image – Vatne hooked up to tubes as she receives chemotherapy treatment. This idyllic life of farming, home-schooling, and communing with nature will be cruelly interrupted by tragedy.
L-r Q&a moderator,...
Director Silje Evensmo Jacobsen attended the Thessaloniki premiere in person along with two of the film’s protagonists: Freja Vatne Payne and Ronja Breda Vatne. Freja and Ronja are the daughters of Maria Vatne, a gifted photographer who celebrated her family’s unorthodox lifestyle in a remote area of Norway through a blog called Wild + Free. The film begins with stunning footage and photographs taken by Vatne of her kids – in addition to the girls, boys Falk (Norwegian for “falcon”) and the youngest, Ulv (Norwegian for wolf).
But that opening sequence is punctuated by a bracing image – Vatne hooked up to tubes as she receives chemotherapy treatment. This idyllic life of farming, home-schooling, and communing with nature will be cruelly interrupted by tragedy.
L-r Q&a moderator,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The much-awaited and the biggest night in Cinema is just around the corner. Everyone is waiting or rooting for their favorite star or film to win the respective category. Amidst such excitement, one film that earned five Oscar nominations this year has been accused of plagiarism. Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson claims that Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers has striking similarities to his film.
A still from The Holdovers
The Holdovers’ script has earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Best Original Screenplay for David Hemingson.
SUGGESTEDOscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Had the Most Iconic Last Words For MCU Star After Admitting He Was “Drunk the entire time” While Filming Their Movie
Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America stating that this favorite-to-win movie clearly copied his unproduced dramedy project.
The Holdovers Accused of...
A still from The Holdovers
The Holdovers’ script has earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Best Original Screenplay for David Hemingson.
SUGGESTEDOscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Had the Most Iconic Last Words For MCU Star After Admitting He Was “Drunk the entire time” While Filming Their Movie
Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America stating that this favorite-to-win movie clearly copied his unproduced dramedy project.
The Holdovers Accused of...
- 3/10/2024
- by Prantik Prabal Roy
- FandomWire
On the eve of the Oscars, Hollywood has been rocked by allegations that "The Holdovers" -- one of the nominees for Best Screenplay -- was "plagiarized line-by-line" from an unproduced script for a film called "Frisco," by "Luca" screenwriter Simon Stephenson. Plagiarism accusations and lawsuits are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, and rarely come to anything. But the language used by Stephenson in a 33-page document shared by Variety makes it sound like there's a real story here:
The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for The Holdovers has been copied from the Frisco screenplay by transposition. This includes the Frisco screenplay's entire story, structure, sequencing, scenes, sequential sub-beats within scenes, line-by-line substance of action and dialogue, characters, arcs, relationships, theme and tone. A majority of this has been done line-for-line, and a large number of unique and highly specific elements created in Frisco are readily and unequivocally identifiable in The Holdover.
The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for The Holdovers has been copied from the Frisco screenplay by transposition. This includes the Frisco screenplay's entire story, structure, sequencing, scenes, sequential sub-beats within scenes, line-by-line substance of action and dialogue, characters, arcs, relationships, theme and tone. A majority of this has been done line-for-line, and a large number of unique and highly specific elements created in Frisco are readily and unequivocally identifiable in The Holdover.
- 3/10/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Simon Stephenson, a screenwriter whose credits include Paddington 2 and Luca, says Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated film The Holdovers is a product of plagiarism.
According to Variety, Stephenson recently reached out to the Writers Guild of America with allegations that the screenplay for The Holdovers “has been plagiarized line-by-line” from his own script for an unmade film called Frisco.
Frisco reportedly centers on a middle-aged children’s doctor who gets stuck looking after a 15-year-old patient, while The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as a middle-aged boarding school teacher who is forced to look after a 15-year-old student over holiday break.
Stephenson claims that Payne read Frisco in 2013 and again 2019, but both times he passed on the script. Around 2019, Payne began developing The Holdovers with screenwriter David Hemingson.
In a letter sent to the Writers Guild of America board on February 25th, Stephenson wrote, “I can demonstrate beyond any possible doubt...
According to Variety, Stephenson recently reached out to the Writers Guild of America with allegations that the screenplay for The Holdovers “has been plagiarized line-by-line” from his own script for an unmade film called Frisco.
Frisco reportedly centers on a middle-aged children’s doctor who gets stuck looking after a 15-year-old patient, while The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as a middle-aged boarding school teacher who is forced to look after a 15-year-old student over holiday break.
Stephenson claims that Payne read Frisco in 2013 and again 2019, but both times he passed on the script. Around 2019, Payne began developing The Holdovers with screenwriter David Hemingson.
In a letter sent to the Writers Guild of America board on February 25th, Stephenson wrote, “I can demonstrate beyond any possible doubt...
- 3/9/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
The Alexander Payne awards contender The Holdovers is facing controversy on the eve of the Oscars, where the script from David Hemingson is nominated for best original screenplay.
The feature stars Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher at a boarding school who gets stuck caring for a teenage boy (Dominic Sessa) over Christmas break. According to Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson, the script has striking similarities to his unproduced screenplay for Frisco, about a cynical pediatrician who finds himself caring for a teenage patient over a period of days. The Frisco script had some notoriety, as in 2013 it landed on the Black List, which honors the year’s best unproduced screenplays.
Stephenson prepared documents comparing scenes from both screenplays as well as their overall structure. Variety, which made one of those documents public Saturday, reported Stephenson sent it to the WGA in January to seek help. According to one document,...
The feature stars Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher at a boarding school who gets stuck caring for a teenage boy (Dominic Sessa) over Christmas break. According to Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson, the script has striking similarities to his unproduced screenplay for Frisco, about a cynical pediatrician who finds himself caring for a teenage patient over a period of days. The Frisco script had some notoriety, as in 2013 it landed on the Black List, which honors the year’s best unproduced screenplays.
Stephenson prepared documents comparing scenes from both screenplays as well as their overall structure. Variety, which made one of those documents public Saturday, reported Stephenson sent it to the WGA in January to seek help. According to one document,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Aaron Couch and Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new report in Variety lays out a detailed argument from British screenwriter Simon Stephenson alleging that the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Focus Features’ widely praised “The Holdovers” is extremely similar to his own 2013 Black List spec script, “Frisco” — and that, according to Stephenson, “Holdovers” director Alexander Payne likely read that script.
“The Holdovers” has only one credited screenwriter: David Hemingson, who was an entertainment lawyer before becoming a TV writer and producer in the late ’90s, working on shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Kitchen Confidential,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23.” “The Holdovers” is his first produced feature.
IndieWire has reached out to Focus, WGA West, and to reps for Payne, Hemingson, and Stephenson, but has not yet received a response.
Stephenson is credited as a co-writer on Pixar’s “Luca” and received an “additional material” writing credit for “Paddington 2.” Working Title is developing his novel,...
“The Holdovers” has only one credited screenwriter: David Hemingson, who was an entertainment lawyer before becoming a TV writer and producer in the late ’90s, working on shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Kitchen Confidential,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23.” “The Holdovers” is his first produced feature.
IndieWire has reached out to Focus, WGA West, and to reps for Payne, Hemingson, and Stephenson, but has not yet received a response.
Stephenson is credited as a co-writer on Pixar’s “Luca” and received an “additional material” writing credit for “Paddington 2.” Working Title is developing his novel,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
On Jan. 12, screenwriter Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America’s senior director of credits Lesley Mackey asking to set up a call to discuss an important matter. The CAA-repped writer, whose credits include Pixar’s “Luca” and StudioCanal’s “Paddington 2,” wrote, “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project.” According to the email exchange reviewed by Variety, a call between the two took place, and, in a follow-up missive, Stephenson wrote, “the evidence the holdovers screenplay has been plagiarised line-by-line from frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’”
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
- 3/9/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
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