Emily Morgan’s Quiddity Films, the UK producer of Felipe Galvez’s Cannes 2023 title The Settlers, has landed strategic investment from Mexican production services outfit The Lift.
The Lift’s backing will support the development of Quiddity’s upcoming projects, and the companies will collaborate on select titles. It marks The Lift’s first international investment.
Morgan’s company is further expanding by hiring its first head of production, Filiz-Theres Erel, and first head of development, Alex Hitch.
Erel’s past credits include production manager on Netflix’s Persuasion and Roger Michell’s The Duke, while Hitch worked as a development executive for Ray Pictures.
The Lift’s backing will support the development of Quiddity’s upcoming projects, and the companies will collaborate on select titles. It marks The Lift’s first international investment.
Morgan’s company is further expanding by hiring its first head of production, Filiz-Theres Erel, and first head of development, Alex Hitch.
Erel’s past credits include production manager on Netflix’s Persuasion and Roger Michell’s The Duke, while Hitch worked as a development executive for Ray Pictures.
- 5/15/2024
- ScreenDaily
Hugh Grant’s remarkable ability to walk in the shoes of a hopeless romantic makes the audience swoon with every look and every dialogue that his characters convey. The British star has a lot of these characters in his old Hollywood roster to claim a credible authority over the genre of rom-coms as a whole.
However, it wasn’t until Four Weddings and a Funeral that he became the unofficial face of the charming lover boy that rom-com directors tripped head over heels for. Directed by the esteemed Richard Curtis, the 1994 film established Grant in Hollywood as the British counterpart of Tom Hanks, who was at the time equally famous for his rom-com films.
Hugh Grant – the face of rom-com [Photo taken from Notting Hill; Credit: Universal Pictures]
Although the Forrest Gump star quickly grew out of his reputation as the affable and charming Everyman suited for a bit of nostalgic romance on the side, Grant...
However, it wasn’t until Four Weddings and a Funeral that he became the unofficial face of the charming lover boy that rom-com directors tripped head over heels for. Directed by the esteemed Richard Curtis, the 1994 film established Grant in Hollywood as the British counterpart of Tom Hanks, who was at the time equally famous for his rom-com films.
Hugh Grant – the face of rom-com [Photo taken from Notting Hill; Credit: Universal Pictures]
Although the Forrest Gump star quickly grew out of his reputation as the affable and charming Everyman suited for a bit of nostalgic romance on the side, Grant...
- 5/5/2024
- by Diya Majumdar
- FandomWire
McCracken will still be involved with his long-gestating Alexander McQueen project.
After 23 years producing films in the UK, French mini-major Pathe will close its UK theatrical film distribution business by the end of 2023 to focus on the development and production of scripted TV series under managing director Faith Penhale.
Cameron McCracken, head of film at Pathe UK, is retiring but will remain involved with several ongoing projects at Pathe including a film about Alexander McQueen to be directed by Oliver Hermanus.
The roles of three key people are being made redundant: Lee Bye, long-time head of theatrical distribution and technical,...
After 23 years producing films in the UK, French mini-major Pathe will close its UK theatrical film distribution business by the end of 2023 to focus on the development and production of scripted TV series under managing director Faith Penhale.
Cameron McCracken, head of film at Pathe UK, is retiring but will remain involved with several ongoing projects at Pathe including a film about Alexander McQueen to be directed by Oliver Hermanus.
The roles of three key people are being made redundant: Lee Bye, long-time head of theatrical distribution and technical,...
- 11/15/2023
- by Louise Tutt
- ScreenDaily
Steven Weisberg, a film editor whose career through the ’90s onward led him to collaborations with directors like Alfonso Cuarón, Barry Sonnenfeld and Barry Levinson, died Oct. 16 at the Motion Picture & Television Fund hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. after several years of care for early onset Alzheimer’s. He was 68.
Weisberg’s death was confirmed by his ex-wife, Susan Ellicott.
Two of Cuarón’s early films, “Great Expectations” and “A Little Princess,” were edited by Weisberg. The two reunited for a foray into franchise filmmaking, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”
Weisberg also had a knack for editing studio comedies, with his first major feature credit being Ben Stiller’s directorial debut, the 1996 thriller “The Cable Guy.” Other notable credits include a string of Barry Sonnenfeld projects — the short-lived 2001 live-action series “The Tick” and his features “Big Trouble” and “Men in Black II” — as well as “Permanent Midnight,...
Weisberg’s death was confirmed by his ex-wife, Susan Ellicott.
Two of Cuarón’s early films, “Great Expectations” and “A Little Princess,” were edited by Weisberg. The two reunited for a foray into franchise filmmaking, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.”
Weisberg also had a knack for editing studio comedies, with his first major feature credit being Ben Stiller’s directorial debut, the 1996 thriller “The Cable Guy.” Other notable credits include a string of Barry Sonnenfeld projects — the short-lived 2001 live-action series “The Tick” and his features “Big Trouble” and “Men in Black II” — as well as “Permanent Midnight,...
- 10/24/2023
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Harrison Ford once teamed up with James Bond star Daniel Craig for this 2011 sci-fi adventure. And although the movie was a return to form for the Indiana Jones actor, he initially was frustrated with reading the script.
Harrison Ford had no idea why he was asked to do ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Harrison Ford | Ian Gavan/Getty Images
Cowboys & Aliens was a Western directed by Iron Man filmmaker Jon Favreau. The title of the movie was exactly what it sounded, pitting cowboys and aliens against each other in old times. Favreau had been meaning to make a Western for some time after his 1996 hit Swingers. Adding aliens to the classic sub-genre helped Favreau expand it even more.
“The aliens give [Cowboys & Aliens] an opportunity to open it up and make it something that’s a little bit original, a little different, but we never wanted to give up that ground that was the Western tradition,...
Harrison Ford had no idea why he was asked to do ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ Harrison Ford | Ian Gavan/Getty Images
Cowboys & Aliens was a Western directed by Iron Man filmmaker Jon Favreau. The title of the movie was exactly what it sounded, pitting cowboys and aliens against each other in old times. Favreau had been meaning to make a Western for some time after his 1996 hit Swingers. Adding aliens to the classic sub-genre helped Favreau expand it even more.
“The aliens give [Cowboys & Aliens] an opportunity to open it up and make it something that’s a little bit original, a little different, but we never wanted to give up that ground that was the Western tradition,...
- 8/15/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Romantic comedies have a unique way of capturing the magic and joy of falling in love. These heartwarming films blend humor, charm, and delightful storytelling to create feel-good experiences that leave us with warm fuzzies and a renewed belief in the power of love. This article will explore eight heartwarming rom-coms guaranteed to restore your faith in love and leave you smiling.
Related: 10 Best Rom-Coms of All Time, Ranked by Viewers
1. ‘When Harry Met Sally’ (1989)
“When Harry Met Sally,” a well-known film directed by Rob Reiner, is a timeless classic that explores the complexities of male-female friendships and the possibility of true love.
The film follows Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) as they navigate their relationship for several years.
With witty banter, relatable characters, and memorable scenes like the iconic deli, “When Harry Met Sally” is a heartwarming tale that reminds us that love can be found in the most unexpected places.
Related: 10 Best Rom-Coms of All Time, Ranked by Viewers
1. ‘When Harry Met Sally’ (1989)
“When Harry Met Sally,” a well-known film directed by Rob Reiner, is a timeless classic that explores the complexities of male-female friendships and the possibility of true love.
The film follows Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) as they navigate their relationship for several years.
With witty banter, relatable characters, and memorable scenes like the iconic deli, “When Harry Met Sally” is a heartwarming tale that reminds us that love can be found in the most unexpected places.
- 7/21/2023
- by Pia Vermaak
- buddytv.com
Franchise titles continue to dominate, with ‘Big George Foreman’ the second best performing new release.
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Apr 28-May 1)Total gross to date Week 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) £3.1m £47.2m 4 2. Evil Dead Rise (Studiocanal) £1.1m £3.6m 2 3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (eOne) £760,000 £1m 1 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) £620,444 £16.8m 6 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (Warner Bros) £576,000 £13m 5
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.25
Holdovers continued to dominate the UK-Ireland box office over the bank holiday weekend, with eOne’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry the only new release, and only non-franchise title, to find...
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Apr 28-May 1)Total gross to date Week 1. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal) £3.1m £47.2m 4 2. Evil Dead Rise (Studiocanal) £1.1m £3.6m 2 3. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (eOne) £760,000 £1m 1 4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (Lionsgate) £620,444 £16.8m 6 5. Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (Warner Bros) £576,000 £13m 5
Gbp to Usd conversion rate: 1.25
Holdovers continued to dominate the UK-Ireland box office over the bank holiday weekend, with eOne’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry the only new release, and only non-franchise title, to find...
- 5/2/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Further new releases include ’Big George Foreman’ and ‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry is the widest release across the UK’s three-day bank holiday weekend, walking into 643 locations for eOne, with no franchise new releases in the mix.
Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton star in Hettie Macdonald’s feature, about a seemingly unremarkable man in his 60s who embarks on a 450-mile mission to see his friend who is dying in a hospice.
Broadbent’s last big screen outing was in Roger Michell’s The Duke, which brought in £941,975 in its first weekend for...
The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry is the widest release across the UK’s three-day bank holiday weekend, walking into 643 locations for eOne, with no franchise new releases in the mix.
Jim Broadbent and Penelope Wilton star in Hettie Macdonald’s feature, about a seemingly unremarkable man in his 60s who embarks on a 450-mile mission to see his friend who is dying in a hospice.
Broadbent’s last big screen outing was in Roger Michell’s The Duke, which brought in £941,975 in its first weekend for...
- 4/28/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Rachel McAdams had been anointed Hollywood's latest "It Girl" when she was tapped to grace the cover of Vanity Fair's 2006 Oscar issue alongside Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson. She was coming off a string of critical and commercial successes in "Mean Girls," "The Notebook," "Red Eye" and "The Family Stone," and appeared to be on the cusp of superstardom. But when McAdams learned, upon arriving at the Tom Ford photoshoot, that she was expected to pose nude, she walked, promptly fired her publicist (who'd failed to inform her of the shoot's parameters), and pressed the pause button on her film career.
Prior to the #MeToo revolution, firing up double rockets at the exploitative Hollywood movie star machine was considered career suicide. This was how women got smeared with the "difficult" label. McAdams, however, persevered and has established herself as one of the most brilliantly unpredictable actors of her generation. She's...
Prior to the #MeToo revolution, firing up double rockets at the exploitative Hollywood movie star machine was considered career suicide. This was how women got smeared with the "difficult" label. McAdams, however, persevered and has established herself as one of the most brilliantly unpredictable actors of her generation. She's...
- 4/21/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Divisive is a slightly loaded word. Why would you say it’d be divisive?” wonders Fionn Whitehead, with a furrowed brow. The not-very-online star of Dunkirk hasn’t seen much of the reaction to the BBC’s new adaptation of Great Expectations, in which he plays a steely, glowering Pip. Peaky Blinders showrunner Steven Knight has added spanking, swearing, opium-smoking and references to colonialism to Dickens’s classic coming-of-age tale, and, in the lead-up to tonight’s first episode, the “What the Dickens!” headlines have come thick and fast. “David Copperfield battling zombies or Oliver Twist as a trans teen... what next from the BBC?” asks one pearl-clutcher. Why do I say it might be divisive? Well, I venture... people might have strong feelings. Love. Hate. Not much in the middle. “I hope that’s the case,” he muses, as we talk in the BBC’s offices. “It’s good for people to be challenged.
- 3/26/2023
- by Jessie Thompson
- The Independent - TV
As much as audiences love to see actors disappear into a role, Hugh Grant has become a beloved star largely for sticking to the genre fans know him best for. Although Grant admits he wishes he had made some different career decisions over the years, the actor has consistently seen success in the world of romantic comedies. And in a recent interview, Grant acknowledged an Easter egg from one of his most popular entries in the genre: 1999’s Notting Hill.
Hugh Grant doesn’t understand the appeal of his movies like ‘Notting Hill’ (L-r): Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in ‘Notting Hill’ | Getty Images
Despite working in the industry for several years by that point, Grant landed his breakthrough role opposite Andie MacDowell in 1994’s Four Weddings a Funeral. Over the next decade or so, Grant would headline several more hit romantic comedies, including films like Nine Months, Notting Hill,...
Hugh Grant doesn’t understand the appeal of his movies like ‘Notting Hill’ (L-r): Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant in ‘Notting Hill’ | Getty Images
Despite working in the industry for several years by that point, Grant landed his breakthrough role opposite Andie MacDowell in 1994’s Four Weddings a Funeral. Over the next decade or so, Grant would headline several more hit romantic comedies, including films like Nine Months, Notting Hill,...
- 3/23/2023
- by Robert Yaniz Jr.
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Hugh Grant seems to have no problem revealing his candid thoughts, no matter how offensive they may be to others.
In his latest remarks, the British actor recalled making fun of his former co-star Drew Barrymore’s singing while working on their film “Music & Lyrics”.
“I’m auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some,” Grant, 62, recently told Wired in an interview while recounting his singing in the 2007 rom-com.
“Drew Barrymore was in that film with me and I don’t think she’d mind me saying her singing is just horrendous,” he confessed. “I’ve heard dogs bark better than she sings.”
Read More: Hugh Grant Compares Himself To A ‘Scrotum’ At The 2023 Oscars
The “Love Actually” star then noted that after “they tuned her up,” Barrymore “sounded way better than me because she’s got heart and voice and rock ‘n’ roll.”
His remarks come after he recently went viral,...
In his latest remarks, the British actor recalled making fun of his former co-star Drew Barrymore’s singing while working on their film “Music & Lyrics”.
“I’m auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some,” Grant, 62, recently told Wired in an interview while recounting his singing in the 2007 rom-com.
“Drew Barrymore was in that film with me and I don’t think she’d mind me saying her singing is just horrendous,” he confessed. “I’ve heard dogs bark better than she sings.”
Read More: Hugh Grant Compares Himself To A ‘Scrotum’ At The 2023 Oscars
The “Love Actually” star then noted that after “they tuned her up,” Barrymore “sounded way better than me because she’s got heart and voice and rock ‘n’ roll.”
His remarks come after he recently went viral,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
Non-Londoners might think of the U.K. capital as a single city, the perceived interchangeability of its regions and locations evident in many a notionally London-set but geographically manic film where characters stroll from Chelsea Bridge to the heart of Soho in a matter of minutes. Residents know that its quadrants are so disparate as to be whole separate ecosystems, with the Thames River that separates north from south London a virtual equator running through the city.
Those who have toured the Big Smoke via the movies — in particular, the idealized, exportable London of Working Title trifles and “Paddington” pictures — are largely familiar with the most leafy, genteel streets of the north and west, with the increasingly bourgeois east lately getting a look-in. But the diverse, dynamic neighborhoods of the south have received less than their due on screen, which is where Raine Allen-Miller’s delightful romantic comedy “Rye Lane” aims to set things right.
Those who have toured the Big Smoke via the movies — in particular, the idealized, exportable London of Working Title trifles and “Paddington” pictures — are largely familiar with the most leafy, genteel streets of the north and west, with the increasingly bourgeois east lately getting a look-in. But the diverse, dynamic neighborhoods of the south have received less than their due on screen, which is where Raine Allen-Miller’s delightful romantic comedy “Rye Lane” aims to set things right.
- 3/16/2023
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
New York-based investment firm Mep Capital, which previously acquired the library of Lotus Entertainment, is launching West Side Pictures, a new independent rights management banner.
Along with Lotus Entertainment, Mep also recently acquired the distribution rights to over 500 films and TV shows previously owned by Kew Media, including “Line of Duty,” “Thank You For Smoking” and “Jack Taylor” and “Rules of Engagement.”
Now boasting a library comprising more than 800 movies, TV series and documentaries, Mep Capital has signed deals with Magnolia and Abacus Media Rights to handle the distribution of these titles in the U.S. and internationally, across streamers and TV channels.
West Side Pictures will also own and manage ongoing debt and equity participations positions in the late Roger Michell’s “Blackbird” and The Jim Henson Company’s “Portable Door,” among a dozen of productions funded by Mep Capital.
Prior acquisitions consolidated in West Side Pictures include the...
Along with Lotus Entertainment, Mep also recently acquired the distribution rights to over 500 films and TV shows previously owned by Kew Media, including “Line of Duty,” “Thank You For Smoking” and “Jack Taylor” and “Rules of Engagement.”
Now boasting a library comprising more than 800 movies, TV series and documentaries, Mep Capital has signed deals with Magnolia and Abacus Media Rights to handle the distribution of these titles in the U.S. and internationally, across streamers and TV channels.
West Side Pictures will also own and manage ongoing debt and equity participations positions in the late Roger Michell’s “Blackbird” and The Jim Henson Company’s “Portable Door,” among a dozen of productions funded by Mep Capital.
Prior acquisitions consolidated in West Side Pictures include the...
- 3/16/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Hugh Grant has picked the hill he wants to die on: A “Notting Hill” Easter egg, to be exact.
The deadpan actor revealed during a Wired video alongside “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” co-stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez that he found the ending of 1999 rom-com “Notting Hill” to be “nauseating” due to a small detail director Roger Michell included.
“Notting Hill,” which has been considered by many a rom-com classic over the years, stars Julia Roberts as Anna Scott, a famous actress who falls for local British bookstore owner William Thacker (Grant) while filming on location. The final scene shows Anna cuddling with William on a park bench as he reads a novel, one that had a special meaning to late director Michell.
“In that nauseating moment on the bench at the end, I’m reading ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernières, which was going to be his next film,...
The deadpan actor revealed during a Wired video alongside “Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” co-stars Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez that he found the ending of 1999 rom-com “Notting Hill” to be “nauseating” due to a small detail director Roger Michell included.
“Notting Hill,” which has been considered by many a rom-com classic over the years, stars Julia Roberts as Anna Scott, a famous actress who falls for local British bookstore owner William Thacker (Grant) while filming on location. The final scene shows Anna cuddling with William on a park bench as he reads a novel, one that had a special meaning to late director Michell.
“In that nauseating moment on the bench at the end, I’m reading ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ by Louis de Bernières, which was going to be his next film,...
- 3/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Hugh Grant has divulged a subtle “in-joke” hidden away in the “nauseating” final scene of Notting Hill.
The British actor appeared in the 1999 romcom as bookshop owner William Thacker alongside Julia Roberts, who played Hollywood film star Anna Scott.
In the film’s closing moments, William and Anna can be seen cosied up together on a park bench, with Grant’s character reading a book.
In a new interview with Wired, Grant was asked if he remembered what book he was reading in the scene.
The actor, who referred to the scene as “nauseating”, not only remembered, but revealed how it was an in-joke placed there by director Roger Michell, who died in 2021.
“In that nauseating moment on the bench at the end, I’m reading Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières, which was going to be his next film,” Grant said, adding: “So it’s a little in-joke from Roger Michell,...
The British actor appeared in the 1999 romcom as bookshop owner William Thacker alongside Julia Roberts, who played Hollywood film star Anna Scott.
In the film’s closing moments, William and Anna can be seen cosied up together on a park bench, with Grant’s character reading a book.
In a new interview with Wired, Grant was asked if he remembered what book he was reading in the scene.
The actor, who referred to the scene as “nauseating”, not only remembered, but revealed how it was an in-joke placed there by director Roger Michell, who died in 2021.
“In that nauseating moment on the bench at the end, I’m reading Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernières, which was going to be his next film,” Grant said, adding: “So it’s a little in-joke from Roger Michell,...
- 3/15/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
Hugh Grant has mocked Drew Barrymore’s singing in the romantic comedy Music & Lyrics.
The actor co-starred with Barrymore in the 2007 film as washed-up pop star Alex Fletcher, who is hired to write a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen singe (Haley Bennett).
Barrymore plays Sophie Fisher, the songwriter that Grant’s character is teamed up with. During the film, they regularly sing the songs they’re writing, which Grant said required auto-tuning.
Speaking to Wired for a segment in which he answered “the web’s most-searched questions”, Grant was asked: “Does Hugh Grant actually sing in Music & Lyrics?”
He replied: “Yes, well I do, but I’m auto-tuned beyond belief.
“Actually, that's not true – I'm auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some,” he continued, stating: “Drew Barrymore was in that film with me and I don't think she'd mind me saying her singing is just horrendous.
The actor co-starred with Barrymore in the 2007 film as washed-up pop star Alex Fletcher, who is hired to write a chart-topping hit for an aspiring teen singe (Haley Bennett).
Barrymore plays Sophie Fisher, the songwriter that Grant’s character is teamed up with. During the film, they regularly sing the songs they’re writing, which Grant said required auto-tuning.
Speaking to Wired for a segment in which he answered “the web’s most-searched questions”, Grant was asked: “Does Hugh Grant actually sing in Music & Lyrics?”
He replied: “Yes, well I do, but I’m auto-tuned beyond belief.
“Actually, that's not true – I'm auto-tuned a bit, but not as much as some,” he continued, stating: “Drew Barrymore was in that film with me and I don't think she'd mind me saying her singing is just horrendous.
- 3/14/2023
- by Jacob Stolworthy
- The Independent - Film
The My Beautiful Laundrette screenwriter tweets about accident from his hospital bed.
Hanif Kureishi, the Oscar-nominated writer of landmark British film My Beautiful Laundrette, has revealed that he has been left without the use of his arms and legs after a taking a fall in Rome on Boxing Day (December 26).
In a series of tweets from hospital on Friday (January 6), Kureishi reported that after the fall it is “unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen.”
London-born Kureishi asked his Twitter followers for assistance with “voice assisted hardware and software,...
Hanif Kureishi, the Oscar-nominated writer of landmark British film My Beautiful Laundrette, has revealed that he has been left without the use of his arms and legs after a taking a fall in Rome on Boxing Day (December 26).
In a series of tweets from hospital on Friday (January 6), Kureishi reported that after the fall it is “unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen.”
London-born Kureishi asked his Twitter followers for assistance with “voice assisted hardware and software,...
- 1/7/2023
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The My Beautiful Laundrette screenwriter tweets about accident from his hospital bed.
Hanif Kureishi, the Oscar-nominated writer of landmark British film My Beautiful Laundrette, has revealed that he has been left without the use of his arms and legs after a taking a fall in Rome on Boxing Day (December 26).
In a series of tweets from hospital on Friday (January 6), Kureishi reported that after the fall it is “unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen.”
London-born Kureishi asked his Twitter followers for assistance with “voice assisted hardware and software,...
Hanif Kureishi, the Oscar-nominated writer of landmark British film My Beautiful Laundrette, has revealed that he has been left without the use of his arms and legs after a taking a fall in Rome on Boxing Day (December 26).
In a series of tweets from hospital on Friday (January 6), Kureishi reported that after the fall it is “unclear whether I will ever be able to walk again, or whether I’ll ever be able to hold a pen.”
London-born Kureishi asked his Twitter followers for assistance with “voice assisted hardware and software,...
- 1/7/2023
- ScreenDaily
Phillips earned a Bafta nomination for ’Venus’.
UK actor Leslie Phillips, who appeared in several Carry On films and Roger Michell’s Venus, has died aged 98.
Phillips’ agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed that he died peacefully in his sleep on Monday (November 7) after a long illness.
Phillips was a noted comic actor, famous for his suggestive catchphrases, but he also took on dramatic film roles such as Venus opposite Peter O’Toole, for which he earned a Bafta nomination in 2007.
His other film credits include Les Girls, Out Of Africa, Empire Of The Sun, Scandal, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Is Anybody There?...
UK actor Leslie Phillips, who appeared in several Carry On films and Roger Michell’s Venus, has died aged 98.
Phillips’ agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed that he died peacefully in his sleep on Monday (November 7) after a long illness.
Phillips was a noted comic actor, famous for his suggestive catchphrases, but he also took on dramatic film roles such as Venus opposite Peter O’Toole, for which he earned a Bafta nomination in 2007.
His other film credits include Les Girls, Out Of Africa, Empire Of The Sun, Scandal, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Is Anybody There?...
- 11/8/2022
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
To mark the passing of the British Monarch, the Toronto Film Festival is planning a free screening of Roger Michell’s Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) on Sunday.
The last film from the Notting Hill rom-com director stars Queen Elizabeth II. Michell’s documentary comprises archival footage edited into an impressionistic collage, and offers behind-the-scenes access to the long-serving Queen.
Michell, the British stage, television and film director, died a year ago, aged 65 years. The free screening of Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) will take place at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto. The British Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history, at 96 years of age, came at the beginning of Toronto’s 47th edition a week ago. The national period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth in Canada amid TIFF...
To mark the passing of the British Monarch, the Toronto Film Festival is planning a free screening of Roger Michell’s Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) on Sunday.
The last film from the Notting Hill rom-com director stars Queen Elizabeth II. Michell’s documentary comprises archival footage edited into an impressionistic collage, and offers behind-the-scenes access to the long-serving Queen.
Michell, the British stage, television and film director, died a year ago, aged 65 years. The free screening of Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s) will take place at the Scotiabank Theatre in Toronto. The British Queen’s funeral will take place on Monday.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch in history, at 96 years of age, came at the beginning of Toronto’s 47th edition a week ago. The national period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth in Canada amid TIFF...
- 9/15/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The impact of the death of Queen Elizabeth II is being felt widely outside Britain. Many global broadcasters tore up their usual programming schedules within minutes of the news, in order to pay tribute to a beloved monarch’s legacy.
“Whenever something of this massive scale happens, whether it’s a death, a natural disaster, a declaration of war or an attack, news takes priority over all programming,” said Aline Pivot, head of news at TF1, France’s leading commercial TV channel.
Pivot said her news department began to get ready its dedicated coverage from Thursday morning when the BBC first reported that the Queen had been placed under medical surveillance. “We immediately sent correspondents to Balmoral [in the Scottish Highlands, where the Queen died],” Pivot continued.
TF1’s programming was entirely dedicated to the Queen’s death on Thursday evening, with a special magazine show hosted by a pair of star journalists from around 7:30 p.m.
“Whenever something of this massive scale happens, whether it’s a death, a natural disaster, a declaration of war or an attack, news takes priority over all programming,” said Aline Pivot, head of news at TF1, France’s leading commercial TV channel.
Pivot said her news department began to get ready its dedicated coverage from Thursday morning when the BBC first reported that the Queen had been placed under medical surveillance. “We immediately sent correspondents to Balmoral [in the Scottish Highlands, where the Queen died],” Pivot continued.
TF1’s programming was entirely dedicated to the Queen’s death on Thursday evening, with a special magazine show hosted by a pair of star journalists from around 7:30 p.m.
- 9/9/2022
- by Elsa Keslassy and Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
In the summer of 1989, Touchstone Pictures — a subsidiary of Disney — began filming what would go on to become the biggest romantic comedy hit of all-time (at least by total number of tickets sold). It was also the third-highest grossing film of 1990 and catapulted eventual Oscar nominee Julia Roberts to global fame.
The film was, of course, “Pretty Woman,” a formerly dark and gritty tale about a down-and-out sex worker and the rich businessman who hires her for a week.
More than thirty years later, the film remains a high point of both ’90s-era studio filmmaking in general (it’s difficult to picture Disney taking a Sundance Labs script and turning it into a broadly-appealing story about “a hooker with a heart of gold” ever again) and the romantic comedy in particular. It not only established Roberts as a star, but the very concept that — even in a story that hinges on two people mixing,...
The film was, of course, “Pretty Woman,” a formerly dark and gritty tale about a down-and-out sex worker and the rich businessman who hires her for a week.
More than thirty years later, the film remains a high point of both ’90s-era studio filmmaking in general (it’s difficult to picture Disney taking a Sundance Labs script and turning it into a broadly-appealing story about “a hooker with a heart of gold” ever again) and the romantic comedy in particular. It not only established Roberts as a star, but the very concept that — even in a story that hinges on two people mixing,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
“He’s a 10,” the leading lady enthuses to an older woman about a young man she fancies in this latest screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s final novel — and if that line doesn’t throw you for at least a small loop, there are other mightily anachronistic ingredients in this new Persuasion that may well strike Austen fans, among others, as more than a tad unpersuasive. Breaking down and eradicating period niceties and replacing them with more modern attitudes and phraseology appears to be the central agenda for prominent British theater director Carrie Cracknell in her feature film debut, and while it’s easy to resist some of the cheap-shot modern dialogue that runs through the adaptation by old pro Ron Bass and writer-actress Alice Victoria Winslow, it also shouldn’t be impossible to admit that, since we already have Roger Michell’s outstanding 1995 film adaptation, a cheeky redo might also be welcome,...
- 7/11/2022
- by Todd McCarthy
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Jane Austen purists will be aghast, but if you go with director Carrie Cracknell’s playful makeover of the author’s ruminative last completed novel into a buoyant Regency rom-com, you could be pleasantly surprised. Freely mixing language lifted from Austen’s prose with distinctly modern words and attitudes — this is a movie in which someone is described as “electrifying” in a pre-electric age — Persuasion is sufficiently bold and consistent with its flagrant liberties to get away with them. It also helps that the novel’s long-suffering protagonist, Anne Elliot, has been given irrepressible spirit and an irreverent sense of irony in Dakota Johnson’s incandescent performance.
It’s easy to argue that Austen’s darkest, most mature novel was never meant to be treated like Emma, but Johnson, in her most lighthearted role to date, makes us complicit in Anne’s wry...
Jane Austen purists will be aghast, but if you go with director Carrie Cracknell’s playful makeover of the author’s ruminative last completed novel into a buoyant Regency rom-com, you could be pleasantly surprised. Freely mixing language lifted from Austen’s prose with distinctly modern words and attitudes — this is a movie in which someone is described as “electrifying” in a pre-electric age — Persuasion is sufficiently bold and consistent with its flagrant liberties to get away with them. It also helps that the novel’s long-suffering protagonist, Anne Elliot, has been given irrepressible spirit and an irreverent sense of irony in Dakota Johnson’s incandescent performance.
It’s easy to argue that Austen’s darkest, most mature novel was never meant to be treated like Emma, but Johnson, in her most lighthearted role to date, makes us complicit in Anne’s wry...
- 7/8/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The team behind a new film, The Princess, explain why the royal family possess all the vital ingredients to make them the perfect cinematic subjects
Only a genius of longform plotting could have planned the sting in the tail of the royal 2022. In the rolling melodrama of the British monarchy, the platinum jubilee was always slated for this year, gratitude splashed across the Daily Express. But now the mood will darken. So it is that 70 years of the Queen segues directly into 25 since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. In Macbeth, the ghost haunted the feast. Here she returns with the pink gin hangovers barely faded. On with the show.
A film will mark the occasion: The Princess, a much buzzed-about new documentary. It also follows a celebration of the Queen, the fond bio-doc Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts. That was the last movie directed by the late, highly regarded Roger Michell.
Only a genius of longform plotting could have planned the sting in the tail of the royal 2022. In the rolling melodrama of the British monarchy, the platinum jubilee was always slated for this year, gratitude splashed across the Daily Express. But now the mood will darken. So it is that 70 years of the Queen segues directly into 25 since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. In Macbeth, the ghost haunted the feast. Here she returns with the pink gin hangovers barely faded. On with the show.
A film will mark the occasion: The Princess, a much buzzed-about new documentary. It also follows a celebration of the Queen, the fond bio-doc Elizabeth: A Portrait in Parts. That was the last movie directed by the late, highly regarded Roger Michell.
- 6/17/2022
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
If there's one thing the British can't get enough of, it's our own eccentricity and The Duke stems from a fine lineage that also includes the likes of Calendar Girls, Kinky Boots and The Phantom Of The Open. Roger Michell's final fiction feature before his death, at 65, last year, is a gentle charmer that centres on the true and bizarre story of the 1961 theft of Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from London's National Gallery.
Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), is more likely lad than likely thief. An ageing radical, with playwrighting aspirations, he lives with his wife Dorothy in Benwell, near the banks of the River Tyne. In the sort of move that perfectly encapsulated his character, he has removed the BBC coil from his telly while refusing to pay the licence fee as part of a...
Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), is more likely lad than likely thief. An ageing radical, with playwrighting aspirations, he lives with his wife Dorothy in Benwell, near the banks of the River Tyne. In the sort of move that perfectly encapsulated his character, he has removed the BBC coil from his telly while refusing to pay the licence fee as part of a...
- 6/11/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Jennifer Aniston has starred in her fair share of rom-coms over the years, from “The Break Up” to “Just Go With It” and “He’s Just Not That Into You.” Now, she may have discovered her newest rom-com co-lead in Sebastian Stan. The two joined forced for Variety’s “Actors on Actors” series, presented by Apple TV+.
The two interviewed each other during Actors on Actors about their latest and most famous projects, which for Aniston included Apple TV+ drama “The Morning Show” and beloved sitcom “Friends,” and for Stan his work in Hulu miniseries “Pam & Tommy” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following a conversation about Marvel in which Aniston asked Stan about his favorite genre, Stan said his one of his favorite films is the 1999 Roger Michell romantic comedy “Notting Hill.”
“If I could live in ‘Notting Hill,’ the movie, forever, I would,” Stan told Aniston. “There were a...
The two interviewed each other during Actors on Actors about their latest and most famous projects, which for Aniston included Apple TV+ drama “The Morning Show” and beloved sitcom “Friends,” and for Stan his work in Hulu miniseries “Pam & Tommy” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following a conversation about Marvel in which Aniston asked Stan about his favorite genre, Stan said his one of his favorite films is the 1999 Roger Michell romantic comedy “Notting Hill.”
“If I could live in ‘Notting Hill,’ the movie, forever, I would,” Stan told Aniston. “There were a...
- 6/9/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Billy Elliot’s Stephen Daldry hailed her as “the biggest star ever.“
The filmmaker was referring to Her Majesty The Queen, who on this day celebrates the 70th anniversary of her being crowned sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
How To Watch The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers, Sir David Attenborough Get Ready To Celebrate Milestone With Parades And Concerts On BBC And ABC News
Daldry made that comment to this reporter several years ago, during pre-production of Netflix drama The Crown, of which he is an executive producer and occasional director, helping to guide the series through four seasons; the fifth is on its way.
It was the late Roger Michell (Notting Hill) who seemed to capture a sense of why we, all of us if we’re honest, especially over here in Blighty, are fascinated by this horse-loving monarch.
“I...
The filmmaker was referring to Her Majesty The Queen, who on this day celebrates the 70th anniversary of her being crowned sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
How To Watch The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee: Diana Ross, Nile Rodgers, Sir David Attenborough Get Ready To Celebrate Milestone With Parades And Concerts On BBC And ABC News
Daldry made that comment to this reporter several years ago, during pre-production of Netflix drama The Crown, of which he is an executive producer and occasional director, helping to guide the series through four seasons; the fifth is on its way.
It was the late Roger Michell (Notting Hill) who seemed to capture a sense of why we, all of us if we’re honest, especially over here in Blighty, are fascinated by this horse-loving monarch.
“I...
- 6/2/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Bob’s Burgers’, ‘Elizabeth: A Portrait In Parts’ competing with the blockbuster.
Long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick takes flight in 737 UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend through Paramount – the fifth widest opening of all time in the territory.
The number – coincidentally a significant one for the aviation industry – is also the third-widest opening for a 12A certificate film, behind Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and No Time To Die.
Top Gun: Maverick is one of the last blockbusters that were originally scheduled for the pandemic months to hit cinemas. It was originally dated for July 12, 2019, before a delay to June 26, 2020 due filming certain action sequences.
Long-awaited sequel Top Gun: Maverick takes flight in 737 UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend through Paramount – the fifth widest opening of all time in the territory.
The number – coincidentally a significant one for the aviation industry – is also the third-widest opening for a 12A certificate film, behind Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker and No Time To Die.
Top Gun: Maverick is one of the last blockbusters that were originally scheduled for the pandemic months to hit cinemas. It was originally dated for July 12, 2019, before a delay to June 26, 2020 due filming certain action sequences.
- 5/27/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Roger Michell’s blandly tasteful documentary uses found footage to trace the Queen’s reign, hitting all the familiar landmarks without creating one
The late Roger Michell’s final film has now been posthumously released. It is a blandly tasteful and celebratory BBC One-style documentary for the platinum jubilee, with a melancholy new relevance, as if we are entering a new “regency” age. Sad to say, it goes down like a cup of tepid, milky and over-sugared tea.
Michell’s previous cinema documentary, Nothing Like a Dame, about Britain’s brilliant theatrical dames, had been full of fun. This is merely reverent. There is no original material: the film is stitched together from existing footage, all of which is very familiar, but the found-footage approach (which Asif Kapadia used so intimately and vividly with Diego Maradona and Amy Winehouse) now looks like a retread. We go through the reign...
The late Roger Michell’s final film has now been posthumously released. It is a blandly tasteful and celebratory BBC One-style documentary for the platinum jubilee, with a melancholy new relevance, as if we are entering a new “regency” age. Sad to say, it goes down like a cup of tepid, milky and over-sugared tea.
Michell’s previous cinema documentary, Nothing Like a Dame, about Britain’s brilliant theatrical dames, had been full of fun. This is merely reverent. There is no original material: the film is stitched together from existing footage, all of which is very familiar, but the found-footage approach (which Asif Kapadia used so intimately and vividly with Diego Maradona and Amy Winehouse) now looks like a retread. We go through the reign...
- 5/24/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Showtime has announced that the documentary feature Elizabeth: A Portrait In Part(S), directed by Roger Michell, will air on Showtime this Friday, May 27 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt and will be available on streaming and on demand ahead of the monarch’s Platinum Jubilee this June. The film was a passion […]
The post ‘Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s)’ To Air May 27 On Showtime appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post ‘Elizabeth: A Portrait in Part(s)’ To Air May 27 On Showtime appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 5/23/2022
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
The Duke Review — The Duke (2020) Film Review, a movie directed by Roger Michell, written by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman and starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Heather Craney, James Wilby, Matthew Goode, John Heffernan, Sarah Annett, Charlie Richmond, Anna Maxwell Martin, Fionn Whitehead, Richard McCabe, Andrew Havill and Sarah Beck Mather. Jim Broadbent [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: The Duke (2020): Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren are Splendid in a Heartwarming Comedy...
Continue reading: Film Review: The Duke (2020): Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren are Splendid in a Heartwarming Comedy...
- 5/9/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
The UK companies will both operate under umbrella company, Free Range Entertainment.
London-based production outfit Free Range Films and UK sales agent Embankment have joined forces to create a new umbrella company, Free Range Entertainment (Fre).
The key shareholders are Embankment’s Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar and Free Range Films’ Kevin Loader.
Through its Free Range Films and Embankment divisions, Fre will develop, produce, co-produce, sell and distribute, while investing directly into production and working with third party investors and financiers.
All resources between the two companies will be pooled, but with Embankment continuing to operate as the sales and financing arm.
London-based production outfit Free Range Films and UK sales agent Embankment have joined forces to create a new umbrella company, Free Range Entertainment (Fre).
The key shareholders are Embankment’s Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar and Free Range Films’ Kevin Loader.
Through its Free Range Films and Embankment divisions, Fre will develop, produce, co-produce, sell and distribute, while investing directly into production and working with third party investors and financiers.
All resources between the two companies will be pooled, but with Embankment continuing to operate as the sales and financing arm.
- 5/9/2022
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: UK sales and production firm Embankment is teaming up with veteran UK producer Kevin Loader to create new label Free Range Entertainment.
The key shareholders in the company are Embankment’s Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar and Free Range’s Kevin Loader.
The combined company will develop, produce, co-produce, sell, and distribute film, TV and “allied” content, while also investing directly into production and working with third party investors and financiers.
Tim Haslam explained: “Free Range Entertainment is a creative hub for like-minded storytellers, writers, directors, and producers; converting IP from inception and development, through to production and commercial global exploitation. The Embankment sales brand will continue.”
Free Range Films was founded by producer Kevin Loader and director Roger Michell in 1996. Following Michell’s untimely passing last September, the production company has decided to embark on a new structural partnership.
The key shareholders in the company are Embankment’s Tim Haslam and Hugo Grumbar and Free Range’s Kevin Loader.
The combined company will develop, produce, co-produce, sell, and distribute film, TV and “allied” content, while also investing directly into production and working with third party investors and financiers.
Tim Haslam explained: “Free Range Entertainment is a creative hub for like-minded storytellers, writers, directors, and producers; converting IP from inception and development, through to production and commercial global exploitation. The Embankment sales brand will continue.”
Free Range Films was founded by producer Kevin Loader and director Roger Michell in 1996. Following Michell’s untimely passing last September, the production company has decided to embark on a new structural partnership.
- 5/9/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Based on box-office performance, it looks like theaters decided to take the week off for CinemaCon. With studios releasing a record low number of new films post-Covid, none wanted to face a week two against Disney’s “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which opens May 5. Its opening could triple the gross of all titles this weekend.
To be fair, that’s a low bar to clear at 67 million — the lowest for any April weekend in this century other than the past two Covid-affected ones. In terms of tickets sold (around 6 million), possibly the fewest for any weekend since the 1930s.
“Doctor Strange” is expected to open to at least 150 million; 200 million is possible. Strong initial reaction to Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” both at CinemaCon and in early press screenings, suggest May could provide a one-two punch to launch a strong summer.
This weekend falls exactly three years...
To be fair, that’s a low bar to clear at 67 million — the lowest for any April weekend in this century other than the past two Covid-affected ones. In terms of tickets sold (around 6 million), possibly the fewest for any weekend since the 1930s.
“Doctor Strange” is expected to open to at least 150 million; 200 million is possible. Strong initial reaction to Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick,” both at CinemaCon and in early press screenings, suggest May could provide a one-two punch to launch a strong summer.
This weekend falls exactly three years...
- 5/1/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
The last film from the late director Roger Michell (Notting Hill [1999]), the simple tale of a man and an art heist entitled The Duke, is one of the most enchanting and heart-warming films of the year.
Michell’s film tells the story of 60-year-old taxi driver, Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), who, in 1961 removed Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Bunton then sent ransom notes demanding that the government put aside more money for the care of the elderly if the museum wanted the painting returned. The truth was far from the tall tales that Kempton told on a daily basis to any within earshot. The only certainty of the entire affair was that Kempton was a good man intent on keeping his marriage, and family intact.
As directed by Michell (whose additional work includes notable pieces such as Venus [2006] and My Cousin Rachel...
Michell’s film tells the story of 60-year-old taxi driver, Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), who, in 1961 removed Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Bunton then sent ransom notes demanding that the government put aside more money for the care of the elderly if the museum wanted the painting returned. The truth was far from the tall tales that Kempton told on a daily basis to any within earshot. The only certainty of the entire affair was that Kempton was a good man intent on keeping his marriage, and family intact.
As directed by Michell (whose additional work includes notable pieces such as Venus [2006] and My Cousin Rachel...
- 4/29/2022
- by Mike Tyrkus
- CinemaNerdz
Jim Broadbent as Kempton Bunton, Helen Mirren as Dorothy Bunton in The Duke. Photo by Mike Eley, Bsc. Courtesy of Pathe UK. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.
In this delightful, true story-based, quirky comic tale, Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren costar as a bickering couple in a tale of a working class Newcastle man with a plan to ransom a stolen painting, Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington, to provide benefits for low-income retirees. Broadbent plays the rarely practical but idealistic man with the plan, while Helen Mirren stars as his long-suffering, more practical wife. The Duke focuses on a real 1961 incident in which a portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, newly purchased by the British government for 140,000 pounds, was stolen from the national gallery, the first and so far only theft from the gallery to date. The authorities are convinced a professional ring of thieves,...
In this delightful, true story-based, quirky comic tale, Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren costar as a bickering couple in a tale of a working class Newcastle man with a plan to ransom a stolen painting, Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington, to provide benefits for low-income retirees. Broadbent plays the rarely practical but idealistic man with the plan, while Helen Mirren stars as his long-suffering, more practical wife. The Duke focuses on a real 1961 incident in which a portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco Goya, newly purchased by the British government for 140,000 pounds, was stolen from the national gallery, the first and so far only theft from the gallery to date. The authorities are convinced a professional ring of thieves,...
- 4/29/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I’ve always been haunted by the clips of the young Queen Elizabeth II that were used in “The Filth and the Fury,” Julien Temple’s great documentary about the Sex Pistols. They were featured in a montage of images to accompany “God Save the Queen,” the thrillingly vandalistic Sex Pistols single released in 1977 to coincide with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. At the time, the song was a singular scandal. When Johnny Rotten sneered the line “She ain’t no human being,” he seemed to be trashing something sacred and doing it in an apocalyptic yet profound way. What he meant, of course, is that if the Queen is no human being, that’s because she reigns over an inhuman system; she’s the monarch of a cruel empire. Yet in “The Filth and the Fury,” released 23 years after the Sex Pistols’ revolt, Elizabeth looked soft, radiant, beguiling, complex.
- 4/27/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
As exhibitors gather in Las Vegas for their annual CinemaCon convention this week, this weekend’s box office will provide their rallies with optimism. It fell short of 100 million, but there’s a few talking points to battle the concern that theaters are too franchise dependent.
It also provided a case study in balance: Four films grossed over 10 million, a one-unremarkable statistic. However, this weekend was the first instance in more than two years.
DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” (Universal) topped this weekend, placing #1 at a better-than-expected 24 million. Family films often do well, but this performance came in the face of Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” sequel and Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
Two more original titles debuted with “The Northman” (Focus) and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate). Robert Eggers’ Viking epic came in at 12 million, while the very meta Nicolas Cage-as-Nicolas Cage action comedy made over 7 million.
It also provided a case study in balance: Four films grossed over 10 million, a one-unremarkable statistic. However, this weekend was the first instance in more than two years.
DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” (Universal) topped this weekend, placing #1 at a better-than-expected 24 million. Family films often do well, but this performance came in the face of Paramount’s “Sonic the Hedgehog” sequel and Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.”
Two more original titles debuted with “The Northman” (Focus) and “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” (Lionsgate). Robert Eggers’ Viking epic came in at 12 million, while the very meta Nicolas Cage-as-Nicolas Cage action comedy made over 7 million.
- 4/24/2022
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Sony Pictures Classics art heist caper The Duke, Neon’s tender Petite Maman, and Charlotte from Good Deed Films, an animated biopic with mature themes, open an eclectic specialty weekend ready to draw older crowds if they’re ready to return.
Younger demos are back when they like the pic, as per A24s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Families also, based on Sonic The Hedgehog 2. With CinemaCon opening Monday to set the theatrical table for the rest of 2022 and beyond, NATO chief John Fithian predicts the reluctance of the 35 to 40+ crowd is “definitely going to change.”
“I think the growth is going to come as much from smaller budget films as from blockbusters,” he tells Deadline ahead of the first full-blown confab of exhibitors, studios and indie distributors since Covid. Audiences that have stayed the most at home are “the most excited about coming back out,” he said.
Younger demos are back when they like the pic, as per A24s Everything Everywhere All At Once. Families also, based on Sonic The Hedgehog 2. With CinemaCon opening Monday to set the theatrical table for the rest of 2022 and beyond, NATO chief John Fithian predicts the reluctance of the 35 to 40+ crowd is “definitely going to change.”
“I think the growth is going to come as much from smaller budget films as from blockbusters,” he tells Deadline ahead of the first full-blown confab of exhibitors, studios and indie distributors since Covid. Audiences that have stayed the most at home are “the most excited about coming back out,” he said.
- 4/22/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
The Goya Next Door: Michell’s Swan Song a Slender Thread of Anti-authoritarianism
We’re primed to believe in the importance of a film whenever we’re greeted with the ‘based on a true story’ adage during the opening credits, connoting the approximation of someone or something of note. Unfortunately, the most notable element of The Duke is how it stands as the final narrative feature directed by the great Roger Michell, ending a formidable career on a frivolous lark starring a pair of the UK’s finest actors, Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent.
Penned by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman (who previously have written for television and National Theater productions), it’s a light and breezy escapade outfitted specifically to appeal to a certain mature sensibility—but even by such stereotypical and venerable expectations, Michell’s exercise is something of an underwhelming exercise failing to prove why this minor...
We’re primed to believe in the importance of a film whenever we’re greeted with the ‘based on a true story’ adage during the opening credits, connoting the approximation of someone or something of note. Unfortunately, the most notable element of The Duke is how it stands as the final narrative feature directed by the great Roger Michell, ending a formidable career on a frivolous lark starring a pair of the UK’s finest actors, Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent.
Penned by Richard Bean and Clive Coleman (who previously have written for television and National Theater productions), it’s a light and breezy escapade outfitted specifically to appeal to a certain mature sensibility—but even by such stereotypical and venerable expectations, Michell’s exercise is something of an underwhelming exercise failing to prove why this minor...
- 4/22/2022
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Nejc Gazvoda, whose previous films include “A Trip” and “Dual,” has started shooting “Father Figure” in his home town, Novo Mesto, Slovenia. The film will be shot in 25 days and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2023, online news service Film New Europe reports.
“Father Figure” is an absurdist tale, written by Gazvoda, which follows a mother and her son who move from Ljubljana to a small town after the mother’s divorce. Jan is in his final year of elementary school, and Maja is a psychologist at the same school. The film begins with the reopening of schools after the end of the pandemic, but things do not seem to be the way they were before.
“ ‘Father Figure’ is a film about a particular period (the middle of 2021), set in an elementary school, and all the issues it deals with are concrete: peer violence, loneliness, dignity. At the same time,...
“Father Figure” is an absurdist tale, written by Gazvoda, which follows a mother and her son who move from Ljubljana to a small town after the mother’s divorce. Jan is in his final year of elementary school, and Maja is a psychologist at the same school. The film begins with the reopening of schools after the end of the pandemic, but things do not seem to be the way they were before.
“ ‘Father Figure’ is a film about a particular period (the middle of 2021), set in an elementary school, and all the issues it deals with are concrete: peer violence, loneliness, dignity. At the same time,...
- 4/21/2022
- by Damijan Vinter
- Variety Film + TV
There’s no shortage of true crime onscreen these days, but between the corporate egomaniacs, brazen narcissists and scamming sociopaths, it’s a welcome twist to see misbehavior that’s more well-meant mischief than selfish misanthropy. “The Duke” is about a man who lied, cheated and stole, but director Roger Michell and star Jim Broadbent ensure that you’ll walk away thoroughly charmed anyhow.
The story begins in Newcastle, England, in 1961. It’s a quiet time in a quiet place, and Dorothy Bunton (Helen Mirren) wants nothing more than to live a quiet life. Her husband Kempton (Broadbent), however, has other plans. He’s not great at holding down a job or keeping up the house; she supports them by cleaning other people’s homes during the day, and their own at night. But Kempton, ever a friend to the underdog, does have a terrific talent for rabble-rousing. His current...
The story begins in Newcastle, England, in 1961. It’s a quiet time in a quiet place, and Dorothy Bunton (Helen Mirren) wants nothing more than to live a quiet life. Her husband Kempton (Broadbent), however, has other plans. He’s not great at holding down a job or keeping up the house; she supports them by cleaning other people’s homes during the day, and their own at night. But Kempton, ever a friend to the underdog, does have a terrific talent for rabble-rousing. His current...
- 4/21/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
After four weeks in a row of big ticket releases opening above 30 million, the momentum is keeping up with three new wide releases that, though they are smaller in scope than the past month’s big releases, all have solid mid-range box office potential. It may not be enough to make April beat March as the biggest month yet this year (or to give us another 100+ million weekend), but the new releases should keep the seats in the theaters warm as we await the arrival of the summer blockbuster season in two weeks with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
The holdovers Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 may hold onto the top spots (and the two have been neck and neck in the weekday grosses), but the expected winner of the newcomers is Universal’s The Bad Guys, which could hit number one if it overperforms.
The holdovers Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 may hold onto the top spots (and the two have been neck and neck in the weekday grosses), but the expected winner of the newcomers is Universal’s The Bad Guys, which could hit number one if it overperforms.
- 4/21/2022
- by Sam Mendelsohn <mail@boxofficemojo.com>
- Box Office Mojo
Is it truly a marketplace for branded tentpoles and uber low-budget fare at the box office as the pandemic eases? And is everything in between just future programming for a streamer?
Surely if you ask any filmmaker, established or budding, they truly don’t want their art lost to obscurity in a streaming queue, or worse, to have their movie’s demand be tied to algorithm.
This weekend, three movies aimed at families and guys aged 18-34 will hopefully expand the theatrical marketplace, that is before Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sucks up all the air. DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s original villain movie The Bad Guys looks to do the best out of three with 15 million, while Focus Features’ Robert Eggers’ violent 70M Viking epic The Northman is eyeing between 8M-12M, and Lionsgate’s Nicolas Cage satire The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is...
Surely if you ask any filmmaker, established or budding, they truly don’t want their art lost to obscurity in a streaming queue, or worse, to have their movie’s demand be tied to algorithm.
This weekend, three movies aimed at families and guys aged 18-34 will hopefully expand the theatrical marketplace, that is before Disney/Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness sucks up all the air. DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s original villain movie The Bad Guys looks to do the best out of three with 15 million, while Focus Features’ Robert Eggers’ violent 70M Viking epic The Northman is eyeing between 8M-12M, and Lionsgate’s Nicolas Cage satire The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is...
- 4/20/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Helen Mirren paid tribute to her director on “The Duke,” the late Roger Michell, ahead of the release of what will be his final fictional film opening this weekend.
And though this was her first time working with Michell in their careers that have each spanned decades, she acknowledged in a conversation with TheWrap that he “meant a huge amount to the British film industry.”
“It was devastating for all of us to lose Roger. We never…it completely came out of the blue, he was very very fit and active and creative. There was never any sense that this was someone who was ailing,” Mirren said of the “Notting Hill” director who died last September at age 65. “He wasn’t ailing. It was a very sudden heart attack that took him away. He meant a huge amount to the British film industry.
Mirren even teased that she was “very...
And though this was her first time working with Michell in their careers that have each spanned decades, she acknowledged in a conversation with TheWrap that he “meant a huge amount to the British film industry.”
“It was devastating for all of us to lose Roger. We never…it completely came out of the blue, he was very very fit and active and creative. There was never any sense that this was someone who was ailing,” Mirren said of the “Notting Hill” director who died last September at age 65. “He wasn’t ailing. It was a very sudden heart attack that took him away. He meant a huge amount to the British film industry.
Mirren even teased that she was “very...
- 4/19/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
It’s a wild story of a British “Robin Hood” stealing from the government in 1961 to hopefully (and earnestly) compensate taxpayers who better deserved the funds set aside to stop a hostile takeover of ownership of Francisco Goya’s Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent) had already gone on record (and served jailtime) for his efforts to end the BBC license fee being charged poor pensioners who simply wanted a television to connect with the fast-growing world outside their doors. With no one listening and constant talk about England having today’s equivalent of £3 million to stop a private collector from purchasing said painting, Bunton decides to cause a ruckus nobody can ignore: stealing and ransoming it for that same price. This time for charity.
The ordeal fascinated the nation because of how absurd the whole thing looked. Everyone assumed it was a professional thief who...
The ordeal fascinated the nation because of how absurd the whole thing looked. Everyone assumed it was a professional thief who...
- 4/19/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Roger Michell’s delightful art-theft romp starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren joins robbery classics from The Lavender Hill Mob to Rififi and Widows
When it comes to the heist film genre, “based on a true story” isn’t an obvious selling point: knotty crime capers tend to be better the more elaborately and imaginatively concocted they are. The Duke (Amazon) is an exception. The last feature directed by the late Roger Michell, it has a daft underdog story that could have been plucked straight from the brain of Richard Curtis, but just happens to be rooted in fact. Even the name of its true-life protagonist sounds fanciful: Kempton Bunton, a working-class pensioner who, in protest against the TV licence fee imposed by the British government, set out to steal Goya’s painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery.
The reasoning, like many of the plot mechanics here,...
When it comes to the heist film genre, “based on a true story” isn’t an obvious selling point: knotty crime capers tend to be better the more elaborately and imaginatively concocted they are. The Duke (Amazon) is an exception. The last feature directed by the late Roger Michell, it has a daft underdog story that could have been plucked straight from the brain of Richard Curtis, but just happens to be rooted in fact. Even the name of its true-life protagonist sounds fanciful: Kempton Bunton, a working-class pensioner who, in protest against the TV licence fee imposed by the British government, set out to steal Goya’s painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery.
The reasoning, like many of the plot mechanics here,...
- 4/16/2022
- by Guy Lodge
- The Guardian - Film News
“I see nothing happening on a major scale to try to get the older audiences back to theaters,” griped Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Tom Bernard.
Ideally, Bernard wants NATO to trumpet cinema safety in a big public campaign. (A NATO rep says not in the cards.) He’d like that campaign alongside a creative marketing push by independent movie chains, combined with a steadier flow of specialty films with wider appeal. That could include SPC’s upcoming The Duke, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story and The Phantom of the Open.
Focus Features’ bellwether Downton Abby: A New Era is the big test. If the Crawley family can’t rout lingering Covid jitters and force of habit to nudge older demos off home screens, then nothing can.
Hoping to prime the pump for this potential spring rebound, SPC and the Angelika Film Center this week unveiled “Bring A Friend Back To The Movies,...
Ideally, Bernard wants NATO to trumpet cinema safety in a big public campaign. (A NATO rep says not in the cards.) He’d like that campaign alongside a creative marketing push by independent movie chains, combined with a steadier flow of specialty films with wider appeal. That could include SPC’s upcoming The Duke, Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story and The Phantom of the Open.
Focus Features’ bellwether Downton Abby: A New Era is the big test. If the Crawley family can’t rout lingering Covid jitters and force of habit to nudge older demos off home screens, then nothing can.
Hoping to prime the pump for this potential spring rebound, SPC and the Angelika Film Center this week unveiled “Bring A Friend Back To The Movies,...
- 4/15/2022
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
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