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SXSW Film Review: ‘Danny Says’
12 minutes ago
Judging from the evidence in “Danny Says,” there’s probably an incredibly juicy thousand-page memoir waiting for historied rock gadfly Danny Fields to get it on paper. As he may never get around to that, we’ll have to settle for those anecdotes doled out in Brendan Toller’s documentary, which are no less fascinating for seeming like the tip of a personal-lore iceberg. A colorful figure attracted to “crazy people” and envelope-pushing music, Fields seems to have been nearly everywhere any self-respecting hipster would have wanted to be between about 1962 and 1978. That this highly entertaining screen memoir doesn’t even bother mentioning anything he’s done since then is a tad curious, but there’s no doubt that its period of scrutiny proves so rewarding that “Danny Says” should have little trouble attracting specialty theatrical, broadcast and home-format sales in various territories.
Fields was born Daniel Henry Feinberg in 1939 Brooklyn, »
- Dennis Harvey
Film Review: ‘The Last Hammer Blow’
13 minutes ago
Classical music fans have learned to anticipate the infamous hammer blows that fall at the end of Gustav Mahler’s Sixth Symphony, waiting with bated breath for the percussionist, who stands with giant mallet raised, to deliver the tragic strokes of fate: one, two and (if the orchestra is so inclined) a third and final crippling boom to smite whatever hope remained. The bastard son of a celebrated symphony conductor, 13-year-old Victor knows nothing about classical music at the outset of Alix Delaporte’s “The Last Hammer Blow,” but fate has already been plenty cruel in his short time on earth. Art-film aficionados may assume they can tell where the narrative is headed in this modest French drama, and yet the curiously noncommercial film defiantly resists sentimentality while asking whether tragedy will strike again as the headstrong teen attempts to reconnect with his estranged father.
It would have been so »
- Peter Debruge
Sally Field On Hollywood Sexism, Kissing Max Greenfield and ‘Hello, My Name is Doris’
14 minutes ago
One of the breakout discoveries at this year’s SXSW Film Festival is “Hello, My Name is Doris,” the latest from director Michael Showalter (“Wet Hot American Summer”) that crosses genres — from dramatic comedy to comedic drama — and pushes Hollywood out of its comfort zone. Sally Field plays the title character, a 60-something who falls in love with her much younger co-worker (Max Greenfield). The movie keeps the audience guessing, in the best possible way, until its bittersweet finale, with echoes of “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Something’s Gotta Give,” although it’s an entirely unique love story.
“Hello, My Name is Doris” is the first time in nearly two decades that Field has headlined her own movie, and she uses the spotlight to fully reinvent herself at 68. “I’ll never have a similar character offered to me again, I know that,” Field says. She spoke to Variety about the film, »
- Ramin Setoodeh
Sony’s ‘Little Women’ Reboot Set with Amy Pascal
39 minutes ago
Former Sony Pictures chief Amy Pascal has come on board to produce the studio’s reboot of “Little Women” with Denise Di Novi and Robin Swicord.
Sony has also hired Sarah Polley to adapt the script from Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about four sisters coming of age in a post-Civil War era.
The project was set up in 2013 with Di Novi and Swicord while Pascal was co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment and chair of its motion picture group. Di Novi also produced the 1994 Winona Ryder version with Swicord writing that screenplay.
Pascal signed a first-look deal with Sony last month as part of her exit. She’s also producing the upcoming “Spider-Man,” “Ghostbusters,” “Barbie” and folksinging vehicle “Girls Like Us.”
Polley’s credits include directing and writing “Away From Her,” “Take This Waltz” and the documentary “Stories We Tell.”
Polley is represented by Wme, Circle of Confusion, Gary Goddard Agency »
- Dave McNary
Universal Finds Dwarfs for ‘Huntsman’ Spinoff
3 hours ago
Rob Brydon, Alexandra Roach and Sheridan Smith will join Nick Frost as some of the dwarfs in Universal’s “The Huntsman,” starring Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron.
Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain are also on board to join the film. Cedric Nicolas-Troyan is directing, with Joe Roth producing and Palak Patel exec producing.
Plot details are vague beyond that the film reveals how two characters, the Huntsman Eric (Hemsworth) and Ravenna (Theron), intersected before they met Snow White. Details on Chastain’s character are also under wraps.
Frank Darabont, who was previously attached to direct before falling off, wrote the current draft of the screenplay, with earlier drafts by Craig Mazin and Evan Spiliotopoulos.
The pic is set to bow on April 22, 2016. Universal VP of production Maradith Frenkel and creative executive Chloe Yellin will oversee the project for the studio.
Brydon was most recently seen in Disney’s “Cinderella” and »
- Justin Kroll
Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff Join James Franco’s ‘In Dubious Battle’
3 hours ago
“The Hunger Games” star Josh Hutcherson, as well as Zach Braff, Analeigh Tipton, Ashley Greene and Ahna O’Reilly, have joined James Franco’s “In Dubious Battle,” which has started shooting in Georgia.
Previously announced cast includes Franco, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Nat Wolff, John Savage and Sam Shepard. Franco is directing from Matt Rager’s script adapted from John Steinbeck’s 1936 novel of the same name.
The story centers on a labor conflict between migrant apple pickers and the local growers’ association in a California valley. Jim Nolan, to be played by Franco, becomes involved in the labor movement and rapidly matures as he learns what it means to do organizational fieldwork.
Production companies are Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi’s Ambi Pictures, Franco’s Rabbit Bandini Productions and That’s Hollywood Pictures. Producers are Iervolino, Bacardi, Scott Reed, Vince Jolivette, »
- Dave McNary
‘Jane the Virgin’ Star Gina Rodriguez Joins Mark Wahlberg in ‘Deepwater Horizon’
3 hours ago
“Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez is in talks to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in disaster drama “Deepwater Horizon.”
Lionsgate, Participant Media and Lorenzo di Bonaventura are producing “Deepwater Horizon,” which details the 2010 explosion on the Bp rig that resulted in the biggest oil spill in U.S. history. The film will be released on Sept. 30, 2016.
The companies acquired feature rights in 2011 to the New York Times article “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hour,” written by David Barstow, David Rohde and Stephanie Saul.
The 2010 explosion of Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico killed 11 men working on the platform and injured 17 others. The subsequent gusher wasn’t capped for three months.
Wahlberg will portray an electrician on the oil rig, while Rodriguez is in talks to play Andrea Fleytas, the 23-year-old who was monitoring the oil rig’s safety systems in the moments before the explosion. She testified later that she »
- Dave McNary
Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy on How ‘The Breakfast Club’ Helped And Hurt Their Careers
4 hours ago
Thirty years after “The Breakfast Club” premiered in theaters, Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy are back in detention. Both actresses attended a SXSW screening of a restored version of their high school classic with 1,300 fans on Monday.
The John Hughes comedy follows five teenagers (among those would later be known as “the Brat Pack”) stuck in school on a Saturday, as they slowly reflect on their secrets and personal struggles. “William Saroyan and Eugene O’Neill have been here before, but they used saloons and drunks,” wrote Roger Ebert in his three-star review at the time.
Ringwald plays Claire, the popular girl, and Allison (Sheedy) is her polar opposite, the outcast dressed in black. Ringwald and Sheedy sat down with Variety at SXSW this year to talk about “The Breakfast Club,” working with Hughes and how the film helped — and hurt — their careers.
Why did the “Breakfast Club” become such a classic? »
- Ramin Setoodeh
SXSW 2014 Winner ‘Fort Tilden’ Gets U.S. Distribution From Orion
4 hours ago
Orion Releasing will distribute “Fort Tilden,” last year’s SXSW grand jury prize winner for best narrative film, in the U.S. and Latin America theatrically and on VOD in August.
“Fort Tilden,” written and directed by Sarah-Violet Bliss and Charles Rogers, stars Bridey Elliott and Clare McNulty as two slacker Brooklynites experiencing mishap after mishap on a journey to the beach.
The film premiered a year ago at SXSW and later won the special jury prize for narrative feature at the Independent Film Festival of Boston.
“Fort Tilden” was produced by Mollye Asher and Geoff Mansfield. Exec producers are Ariana Ciri Bernstein and Zach Gerbarg.
Josh Braun from Submarine negotiated the deal with Orion on behalf of the filmmakers. Bliss and Rogers are repped by ICM Partners and Mosaic.
»
- Dave McNary
Jeff Laplante to Replace Andrew Fenady as Universal Physical Production Chief
5 hours ago
Andrew Fenady is stepping down as president of physical production at Universal Pictures and will be replaced by Jeff Laplante.
Laplante has 16 years’ experience in the field. He joined Universal in 2000 as a senior finance executive and has been exec VP of physical production at Universal since July 2011. In a note to Universal staff announcing his departure, Fenady said he was leaving to explore other professional opportunities.
“Universal has been my home and you’ve been my family for almost two decades now, and honestly I can’t really imagine not coming to the Lot to work every day,” he wrote. “I’ve given this company no less than 100% of my service, but it’s time for me to find something that affords me the ability to divide myself a bit more evenly.”
In a statement on Fenady’s departure, Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley praised his work ethic and talent. »
- Brent Lang
Amy Schumer Selected for CinemaCon Breakthrough Performer Award
5 hours ago
Amy Schumer will receive CinemaCon’s Breakthrough Performer of the Year award on April 23 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Schumer wrote and stars in Universal’s “Trainwreck,” portraying a woman who lives her life without apologies. Brie Larson, Colin Quinn, John Cena, Tilda Swinton and LeBron James also star in the film, which opens July 17.
The multihyphenate is the creator, star, writer and executive producer of “Inside Amy Schumer,” which will return to Comedy Central for a third season on April 21. She’ll host the MTV Movie Awards on April 12.
Schumer made her network debut in 2007 on NBC’s “Last Comic Standing,” which led to an appearance on “30 Rock” and her own “Comedy Central Presents” special.
»
- Dave McNary
‘GoodFellas’ Anniversary Screening, Event to Close 2015 Tribeca Film Festival
7 hours ago
“GoodFellas,” the 1990 Martin Scorsese film that starred Robert De Niro and Ray Liotta, will close the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival with a screening of the movie’s new 25th anniversary remaster.
Following the movie, the film’s cast and creators will reunite for an onstage conversation with Jon Stewart.
The new “GoodFellas” remaster is derived from a 4k scan of the original camera negative, and has been overseen by Scorsese. Based on Nicholas Pileggi’s nonfiction book “Wiseguy,” the movie follows the rise and fall of three mobsters over 30 years. De Niro, the co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival, stars alongside Liotta, Joe Pesci, Lorraine Bracco and Paul Sorvino.
“GoodFellas” wraps up the 14th edition of the Tribeca festival, which launches this year with the premiere of new “Saturday Night Live” documentary “Live From New York!” The “GoodFellas” screening and subsequent discussion will take place April 26 at the Beacon Theater, the »
- Gordon Cox
Spielberg-Hanks Cold War Film Titled ‘Bridge of Spies,’ John Williams Won’t Compose Score
7 hours ago
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ upcoming Cold War thriller has a title, “Bridge of Spies,” DreamWorks announced Wednesday.
The film is notable in that it is one of the rare Spielberg projects that will not feature a score composed by John Williams, whose soaring melodies have long been a staple of the director’s work. Instead Thomas Newman (“Saving Mr. Banks,” “The Help”) will handle music duties.
Williams was unable to work on the film due to what DreamWorks describes as “a minor health issue” that the company reports has been resolved. He has scored 26 of Spielberg’s 27 films — the only exception being 1985’s “The Color Purple.” Williams will reunite with Spielberg on his upcoming family film, “The Bfg.” Williams’ other credits include the “Star Wars” and “Harry Potter” films.
“Bridge of Spies” centers on a Brooklyn lawyer (Hanks) who is sent by the CIA to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. »
- Brent Lang
Israeli War Story ‘Angels in the Sky’ Gains Momentum
8 hours ago
“Angels in the Sky,” a story focused on foreign pilots who fought during Israel’s War for Independence, is gaining momentum.
Producer Mike Flint, a former Paramount executive, has been meeting with directorial candidates this week for the $60 million project. “This story is a once-in-a-lifetime film that will attract the likes of the very best,” he said.
The script, written by Robert Pool (“Armageddon,” “Outbreak”) and Christian Rehr, was completed last week. It has been adapted from “Angel in the Sky: My Life as a Fighter Pilot During World War II and Israel’s War for Independence,” as told to Rehr by Flint’s father Mitchell Flint.
The story is set in 1948 in the wake of Israel’s declaration of independence, which triggered a nine-month war waged by five Arab nations. Overseas pilots and their crews, dubbed the Machal, made up most of the fledgling Israeli Air Force that turned »
- Dave McNary
U.K. Sweetens Incentives for Film, TV, Videogame Industries
9 hours ago
London — The U.K. government has sweetened incentives for the film, TV and videogame industries as part of its annual budget statement, announced by Chancellor George Osborne on Wednesday.
The government has increased the rate of film tax relief to 25% for all qualifying expenditure. This measure improves the relief for films with a qualifying budget of £20 million ($29.3 million) or over. Previously, the rate of tax relief for those films was 25% of the first £20 million ($29.3 million) of qualifying U.K. expenditure, with any excess qualifying U.K. expenditure receiving a 20% tax credit.
There is no change for films with a total core expenditure of £20 million ($29.3 million) or less. Production companies for those films are already able to claim a cash rebate of up to 25% of U.K. qualifying film production expenditure.
“Against increasing global competition for large-budget films, this is great news for the U.K. film industry,” John Graydon, partner at accountancy firm Saffery Champness, »
- Leo Barraclough
Wild Bunch Bows E-Cinema Venture with Mikkel Nørgaard’s Nordic Noir
9 hours ago
Paris–Pan-European super indie Wild Bunch is kicking off its digital distribution company with Mikkel Nørgaard’s hit ‘Nordic Noir’ thriller “The Keeper of Lost Causes,” based on Jussi Adler-Olsen’s bestselling Department Q literary franchise.
“The Keeper of Lost Causes,” whose Gallic title is “Misericorde,” will roll out on March 27 across most digital platforms – Club Video Sfr, FilmoTV, Google Play, iTunes, MyTF1 VOD, Orange, Pluzz Vad, Videofuture and Wuaki.TV. The movie will be available on every ISP operators — Bouygues, Free, Numéricable, Orange and Sfr — in order to cover about 80 percent of French households.
Wild Bunch will then release Norgaard’s “The Absent One,” (pictured above) the second opus based Adler-Olsen’s Department Q novels, in French theaters on April 8.
Repped in international markets by TrustNordisk, both “The Keeper of Lost Causes” and “The Absent One” were Denmark’s highest-grossing local films of 2013 and 2014, respectively. Alder-Olsen’s Department Q »
- Elsa Keslassy
Prague’s Febiofest to Fete British Producer Mike Downey (Exclusive)
10 hours ago
London — Febiofest, the key film event in Czech Republic capital Prague, will host a tribute this week to British producer Mike Downey, deputy chair of European Film Academy.
Downey, who is CEO and co-founder of London-based Film and Music Entertainment, will be honored for his contribution to European cinema. Downey, who with producing partner Sam Taylor has produced 50 movies over the last 15 years, is a former member of BAFTA’s council and film committee.
Febiofest will present five of Downey’s productions, including Peter Greenaway’s historical-biographical picture “Goltzius and the Pelican Company.” Also screening will be “The President,” about the last day of a fallen dictator, which was directed by a Iranian director Mohsen Makhmalbaf, who has won awards in Cannes and Venice.
Downey also will present Ben Hopkins’ comedy “Lost in Karastan,” which is an absurd satire on the topic of dictatorship, with the script co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski, »
- Leo Barraclough
‘Ixcanul’ Tops Cartagena, Continues Fest Triumphs
10 hours ago
Jayro Bustamante’s debut “Ixcanul,” the flagship of a burgeoning Guatemalan cinema, continued its triumphant festival march, winning Official Fiction Competition best picture at Colombia’s 55th Cartagena Festival, which wrapped Tuesday night.
A Berlin Festival Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize winner, “Ixcanul” took top honors – best Ibero-American picture and director – just last Saturday at Mexico’s Guadalajara Fest. Described by Variety’s Scott Foundas as “a transporting, hypnotically beautiful debut feature” and “downright Herzogian (far more Herzogian than Herzog’s own ‘Queen of the Desert’),” “Ixcanul” has now achieved the near unthinkable for a Guatemalan movie just a few years back: a French co-producer, Edgard Tenembaum’s Paris-based Tu Vas Voir, whose credits also include Walter Salles’ “The Motorcycle Diaries”; a sales agent, Vicente Canales’ Film Factory, now one of the biggest dealers in not only Spanish but Latin American films; top fest plaudits and major territory sales to distinguished distributors, »
- John Hopewell
Doha Film Institute Scores International Industry Kudos For Inaugural Qumra Event
11 hours ago
The Doha Film Institute is scoring kudos internationally for its inaugural Qumra event dedicated to fostering first and second works from the Arab world and beyond through an innovative formula blending creative workshop and festival elements.
A high-caliber roster of more than 100 industry reps, including Toronto topper Cameron Bailey, Wild Bunch chief Vincent Maraval, New York’s Open City Films founder Jason Kliot, and prominent British indie producer Mike Downey, who descended on Doha March 6-12, are unanimously praising Qumra’s intense six-day succession of pre-scheduled one-on-ones, script consultations, pitching and feedback sessions, and rough-cut screenings, centered around 29 Dfi-backed projects, including some from outside the region – plus screenings and classes by masters/mentors – all in a unique intimate setting.
“The creators have been incredibly intelligent in keeping the event small and contained, enthused Kliot whose producer credits include Brian De Palma’s Jordan-shot “Redacted. “The format of the works-in-progress screenings was really impressive. »
- Nick Vivarelli
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer on Hunan TV Deal: ‘We Talked to Everybody’
13 hours ago
On Wednesday, Lionsgate signed a lucrative deal with Chinese broadcaster Hunan TV which will see Hunan provide the U.S. studio $375 million in production funding over three years. Films specified under the deal include “Gods of Egypt,” “Now You See Me 2,” supernatural thriller “The Last Witch Hunter” with Vin Diesel, thriller “Sicario,” and “Age of Adaline,” starring Blake Lively and Harrison Ford.
Below, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer explains the context of the strategic tie up in China that led to the largest Chinese investment in Hollywood productions to date.
Variety: Why pick Hunan TV as Lionsgate’s China partner?
Jon Feltheimer: The Hunan group and their various subsidiaries and relationships, which include broadcast, cable, film production (Tik), film distribution (Leomus), the connection with the largest advertising agency in the county, their reach in outdoor advertising. And their theme parks. When you check all those boxes it seemed to us »
- Patrick Frater
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