| | | | What's news: Christopher Nolan finally won a BAFTA. Barbie won big at the People's Choice Awards. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse won best feature at the Annies. Dennis Quaid will lead Paramount+'s Happy Face. Asif Kapadia will co-direct a Roger Federer doc. Madame Web bombed with a $51.5m global box office opening. — Abid Rahman
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'Oppenheimer' Dominates BAFTAs ►🏆 Now I am become BAFTA, innit 🏆 Oppenheimer was the big winner at Sunday night's BAFTA Film Awards in London, winning seven prizes from a leading 13 nominations, including best picture, best actor for Cillian Murphy and best supporting actor for Robert Downey Jr. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which had been nominated 11 times, also had a strong evening, winning five awards, including best actress for Emma Stone. The winners.
—Hometown hero. Christopher Nolan finally broke his BAFTA curse on Sunday, incredibly winning his first awards from The British Academy. The UCL legend had previously been only nominated for five BAFTAs — three for Inception and two for Dunkirk — failing to win each time. Though he lost out to American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson for the best adapted screenplay BAFTA, Nolan took home two awards this year, best director and best picture. The story.
—🏆 Think pink 🏆 Also on Sunday, the People’s Choice Awards were handed out, and among the big winners were Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, which won for both movie of the year and comedy movie of the year. The film’s stars Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie each won for male and female movie star of the year, respectively, and America Ferrera won for movie performance of the year. Simu Liu, who was a nominee for his performance as one of the Kens in Barbie, hosted the show. The winners.
—🏆 Looking good for the Oscars 🏆 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse was the big winner at the 2024 Annie Awards. The Sony Pictures Animation film won seven awards at Saturday night’s Annies, including the top prize of best feature. Other features that won multiple awards include two-time winners Nimona and The Boy and the Heron. On the TV side, Blue Eye Samurai was the top winner with six awards, followed by Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, which won three prizes, and Star Wars: Visions, which took home two. The winners.
—🏆 Worthy winners 🏆 The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild announced winners of its 11th annual awards on Saturday, with Amazon MGM Studios’ Saltburn taking home two MUAHS Awards for best contemporary make-up and best contemporary hairstyling. Netflix’s Maestro also picked up a pair of honors for best period and/or character make-up and best special make-up effects. WB's Barbie also won in the feature film categories, taking the prize for best period and/or character hairstyling. The winners. |
What Did Dakota Johnson Actually Say? ►"Misinformation, conspiracies, misquotes and binary extremes are all the rage because that’s where the money is." The Madame Web press tour became a web of conspiracy theories and misconstrued quotes to create the idea that star Dakota Johnson hated her own movie. For THR, Richard Newby untangles what the actor actually said and reflects on the rush to spin her words into a narrative built on nothing. The story.
—🎭 Sinister smile 🎭 Paramount+’s drama Happy Face has found its title star. Dennis Quaid will star with Annaleigh Ashford in the series and will play very much against type in the role of a notorious serial killer nicknamed “Happy Face” because he drew smiley faces on evidence in boasting about his crimes. The series, from executive producers Robert and Michelle King (Evil, The Good Fight) and showrunner Jennifer Cacicio, is based on the real-life story of Melissa Moore, the daughter of the killer. The story.
—Leaning in. Disney+ is steadily boosting its output of high-end Korean drama. The streaming service on Monday revealed a growing slate of star-driven Korean originals for 2024, building on the momentum achieved last year with the critical and commercial popularity of hit shows like Moving and Big Bet. Newly announced titles include thriller Blood Free, mystery series Unmasked, actioner The Tyrant, crime drama Gangnam B-Side, and a season 3 renewal of reality show The Zone: Survival Mission. The story.
—Must watch. Asif Kapadia, the Oscar-winning helmer behind Amy, Senna and Maradona, has been tapped by Amazon Prime Video to direct a feature documentary on Roger Federer. Kapadia and co-director Joe Sabia will capture Federer through the final 12 days of his celebrated pro tennis career. The doc will include interviews with tennis rivals and friends, including Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. The film will stream on Prime Video worldwide, although a release date is TBC. The story.
—"I’ve decided to tell my story that I’ve never shared with anybody in the world." Fresh from premiering her autobiographical musical film This is Me…Now: A Love Story last week, Jennifer Lopez has announced another project. Working with Amazon MGM Studios again, the multi-hyphenate will release the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which features Lopez sharing a rarely-shown vulnerable side of herself with fans. The film will be available to stream on Prime Video on Feb. 27. The story.
—Next up. Luc Besson has found his next project with a Dracula origin story. The French filmmaker is reteaming with Caleb Landry-Jones, who starred in his last film, Dogman, and Christoph Waltz for the big-budget film will be a retelling of Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic tale with Landry-Jones set to play the Transylvania aristocrat-turned vampire. Besson’s EuropaCorp is producing. Kinology is handling the sale of the film out of EFM. The story.
—🎭 Can't keep a good man down 🎭 Cult action hero Scott Adkins has joined the cast of Kickboxer: Armaggedon, the final chapter in the reboot trilogy of the classic 1980s action franchise. Adkins will play Cesare in the film, a martial arts master who rules over a sadistic cult. Dimitri Logothetis, who co-wrote the first reboot, the John Stockwell-directed Kickboxer: Vengence (2016) and helmed 2018’s Kickboxer: Retaliation, returns to the director’s chair for the third film. The story. |
'One Love' Opens Big With $51M ►Sun is shining. Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love delivered a huge $50 million-plus domestic opening over the six-day Valentine’s Day-President's Day corridor, enough to crush Madame Web's $25.8m start, a record worst for Sony’s superhero adventures.
Estimates show One Love raking in an estimated $51.1m for the six days domestically, including $33.2m for the four-day Presidents' Day weekend and a record $14m on Valentine’s Day. THR's Pamela McClintock writes that the movie’s weekend debut is on par with the starts of such musical biopics as Rocketman or Elvis, and did almost double the business it was tracking to do. Overseas, One Love earned an impressive $29m for a global launch of $80m against a $70m budget.
Madame Web $25.8m opening includes a four-day gross of $17.6m. It is the worst start for a Sony film featuring Spider-Man related characters (the Dakota Johnson-starring film is not considered part of the MCU). Madame Web got bashed by critics and audiences alike, and its ranking on Rotten Tomatoes hovers around 13 percent, while moviegoers slapped it with a C+ CinemaScore. It fared poorly overseas as well, opening to $25.7m from 61 markets for a global start of $51.5m. Major markets yet to open include Japan, South Korea and China. The box office report. |
'Night Country' Team Explains Ambiguous Ending ►"It's an ending that leaves you guessing." For THR, Josh Wigler spoke to True Detective: Night Country showrunner Issa López and stars Jodie Foster, Kali Reis and Finn Bennett about the finale of the HBO crime drama. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"You can’t tell the story of Expats without having Essie’s and Puri’s experience." THR's Rebecca Sun spoke to Expats showrunner Lulu Wang about the fifth episode of the Amazon Prime Video series. Wang explains the creative decisions behind the feature-length penultimate installment, which puts the spotlight on Hong Kong's domestic underclass and also depicts the territory’s 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We wanted to explore the power of the balls." THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause is back with her latest, er, chat with Curb Your Enthusiasm executive producer Jeff Schaffer about the third episode of the final season of the HBO comedy. Schaffer reveals the bit in episode that prompted a Larry David debate, and guest star Troy Kotsur also shares a surprising connection in his casting story. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"We really wanted to be respectful and show that, when we talk about the spectrum, what that word means." Jackie also talked to Life & Beth stars Amy Schumer and Michael Cera about season two of the semi-autobiographical Hulu dramedy. The actors discuss centering their onscreen love story, their hopes for another season (and, for Schumer, her hopes for another revival of Inside Amy Schumer). The interview. |
Film Review: 'Cuckoo' ►"Nature vs. psychotic nurture." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Tilman Singer's Cuckoo. The writer-director follows his possession chiller, Luz, with a stay at a German Alpine vacation resort that uncovers a nightmarish breeding conspiracy, starring Hunter Schafer and Dan Stevens. The review.
—"A flawed but impressive high-wire act." David reviews Alonso Ruizpalacios' Berlinale competition entry La Cocina. Rooney Mara, Raúl Briones star in the Mexican director's fourth feature, set in the kitchen of a New York City restaurant, primarily during the frantic lunchtime rush. The review.
—"High concept, moderate yield." David reviews Piero Messina's Berlinale competition entry Another End. Following his debut, The Wait, the Italian filmmaker's second feature continues to explore bereavement, with a cast that includes Gael García Bernal, Renate Reinsve, Bérénice Bejo and Olivia Williams. The review.
—"A solipsistic slog in a pretty setting." David reviews Olivier Assayas' Berlinale competition film Suspended Time. The French director casts Vincent Macaigne as his alter ego, isolating in the early days of COVID-19 with his brother in their childhood home, together with their respective partners. The review.
—"Richly layered and resonant." David reviews Mati Diop's Berlinale competition entry Dahomey. The director of Atlantics shifts her gaze from Senegal to Benin in this documentary with fictionalized elements, viewing art as a repository for memory. The review.
—"Solid as a rock." THR's Jordan Mintzer reviews Victor Kossakovsky's Berlinale competition entry Architecton. The latest documentary from the Gunda filmmaker reflects on the natural and manmade structures formed out of the planet’s bedrock and will be released stateside by A24. The review.
—"May the farce be with you." Jordan reviews Bruno Dumont's Berlinale competition entry The Empire. The director of Humanity and Li'l Quinquin returns to Berlin's main competition with a sci-fi satire starring Fabrice Luchini and Camille Cottin. The review.
—"Visually impressive, if not fully grounded." Jordan reviews Jérémy Clapin's Meanwhile on Earth. The Oscar-nominated French director (I Lost My Body) premiered his live-action genre bender in Berlin’s Panorama sidebar. The review. |
Film Review: 'Treasure' ►"Oy gevalt!" THR's Leslie Felperin reviews Julia von Heinz's Treasure. Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham star in this dramedy film about a woman and her Holocaust survivor father going on a trip tracing their family history in Poland in German. The review.
—"Top-drawer humanist cinema." Leslie reviews Andreas Dresen's From Hilde, With Love. Liv Lisa Fries stars as Hilde Coppi, a left-wing member of a cell in the anti-Nazi German Resistance group the Red Orchestra. The review.
—"A delicious slice of life." Leslie reviews Maryam Moghaddam and Behtash Sanaeeha's Berlinale competition entry My Favourite Cake. This Iranian feature revolves around the romance between a 70-year-old widow and a same-aged divorced taxi driver. The review. —"A watchably odd entry in the Ukraine doc subgenre." Leslie reviews Abel Ferrara's Turn in the Wound. The veteran director's latest, a non-fiction portrait of the Ukraine war and art involving Patti Smith, bowed out of competition at the Berlin Film Festival. The review.
—"At times this genuinely feels like magic." For THR, Demetrios Matheou reviews Kip Williams' stage adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Emmy-winning Succession star Sarah Snook steps into all 26 roles in Williams' lauded Sydney Theatre Company production in London's West End, with rumored plans in the air for a Broadway run to follow. The review. In other news...
—Palestinian activists fight off Israeli soldiers in No Other Land doc trailer
—Harrison Ford, Vin Diesel pay tribute to Helen Mirren at American Cinematheque Awards
—Santa Barbara Film Fest: Jeffrey Wright collects Montecito Award
—Rita McKenzie, star of Ethel Merman’s Broadway, dies at 76
What else we're reading...
—With Taylor Swift wowing the crowds in Australia, Alexandra Spring looks at why middle-aged fans in particular love the pop superstar so much [ABC News Australia]
—Some 6,400 video game industry workers have lost their jobs this year. Cecilia D'Anastasio digs into what's behind the layoffs and finds that gamers are sticking with their favorite titles [Bloomberg]
—Lucas Shaw has an in-depth piece on how Paramount became a cautionary tale of the streaming wars [Bloomberg]
—Megan Cerullo reports that some Tesla Cybertruck owners are already complaining that their new stainless steel vehicles are already rusting [CBS News]
—With loneliness on the rise, Derek Thompson looks at why Americans have suddenly stopped hanging out [Atlantic]
Today...
...in 2010, after its debut at the Berlin Film Festival, Paramount released Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island in theaters. An adaptation of Dennis Lehane's novel, the film starring Leonardo DiCaprio was a big critical and commercial success, making $295m worldwide. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Smokey Robinson (84), Millie Bobby Brown (20), Benicio Del Toro (57), Justine Bateman (58), Ophelia Lovibond (38), Jeff Daniels (69), Dan Fogelman (48), Josh Trank (40), Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (46), Bellamy Young (54), Ray Winstone (67), Leslie David Baker (66), Arielle Kebbel (39), Paulina Gaitan (32), Victoria Justice (31), Sam Reid (37), Christian Tappan (52), Luke Pasqualino (34), Haylie Duff (39), Jessica Tuck (61), Sonia Ammar (25), Tatanka Means (39), David Mazouz (23), Eric Lange (51), Björn Gustafsson (38), Kathleen Beller (68), Suzanne Savoy (69), Andrew Buchan (45), Camille Kostek (32), Griffin Newman (35), Zoë Robins (31), Jackson Pace (25), Alex Mallari Jr. (36), Kelly Karbacz (46), Stephen Nichols (73) |
| Ben Lanzarone, the composer, arranger, musical director and pianist who wrote music for such shows as Dynasty, Happy Days, Mr. Belvedere and The Tracey Ullman Show, has died. He was 85. The obituary. |
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