September 03, 2022

What's news: Jane Fonda has revealed she is battling cancer. John Harwood is leaving CNN. Peacock has canceled Rutherford Falls. Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All wowed the crowd at the Venice Film Festival. Amazon's Rings of Power is driving racists mad — Abid Rahman

Is 'Rings' Getting Review Bombed?

►Elves, dwarves and trolls. Amazon's mega-budget fantasy series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was a hit with critics and currently has a 'fresh' score of 84 percent from professional reviewers on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score on the other hand is a 'rotten' 36 percent, and reviews on Amazon have been outright suspended. THR's James Hibberd writes that the billion-dollar series is the victim of "review bombing" from online trolls who don't like the show's diversity and it's links, or lack of, to Tolkein's works. The story.

—"We’re living with the rationalization of racism." THR's Richard Newby has a blistering piece on the racist backlash to Rings of Power on social media and YouTube. The Lord of the Rings series’ inclusive casting has sparked vitriol from those who insist J.R.R. Tolkien intended Middle-earth to be populated by white characters only, yet, Richard writes, this belief is not only faulty, it misses the spirit of the author entirely. The analysis.

—Waiting game. With Amazon's Rings of Power sucking up so much attention online and offline, the whole of Hollywood will be wondering whether the epic series will be a ratings hit. THR's Rick Porter writes that, barring precedent-breaking transparency from Prime Video, reliable data may not be available for weeks. The story.

"The Greatest On and Off the Court"

►"You’re going out scrapping, just like you came in." Serena Williams’ presumed final match captured the world’s attention as numerous celebs, including Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Obama and Tiger Woods took to social media late Friday to honor the game-changing tennis star. The reaction.

—"I’m lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments." Jane Fonda is battling cancer. The 84-year-old actress took to Instagram on Friday to reveal that she’s begun chemotherapy treatment for a “very treatable” form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. “I feel very lucky,” Fonda wrote, citing an encouraging statistic that 80 percent of people survive. The story.

—Another big departure. CNN White House correspondent John Harwood is leaving the cable news channel. It is not immediately clear what spurred on the departure, though Harwood still had plenty of time left on his multiyear contract. A source familiar with the matter said that Harwood learned about CNN’s decision last month. The story.

—"It’s been an honor to introduce the best of Indian Country to the masses." Peacock has canceled Rutherford Falls the comedy series from showrunner Sierra Teller Ornelas and starring Ed Helms after a two-season run. Created by Ornelas, Helms and Mike Schur, Rutherford Falls marked a breakthrough series for Native representation onscreen and in the writers’ room. The story.

—Heading home. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne are returning to the U.K. and TV in a new BBC series Home to Roost. The docuseries will follow the Osbourne family 20 years after they left Blighty for Hollywood and opened their L.A. home for a popular reality TV series The Osbournes. The story.

—The price of love. The romance-focused streamer Passionflix — founded by filmmaker Tosca Musk — has raised $9.4m in a new financing round led by AMC Networks. The cash will be used to ramp up original programming and to grow the company, which still has only 6 employees. Musk is the younger sister of Elon Musk and daughter of model Maye Musk. The story.

Streaming's Battle of the Bundles Era Begins

►Increasing the audience pool. Paramount+’s team-up with Walmart accelerates the race for platforms to seek out partners to make the most compelling pitch to consumers with a limited budget. THR's Alex Weprin writes that Disney could make the next big move. The analysis.

—No more Scott Frank moments? THR's Scott Feinberg has the scoop on The TV Academy instituting a new method of shortening acceptance speeches at the upcoming Emmys. The body notified nominees that they have to submit their thank-yous in advance, so speeches can come from the heart. The thank-yous will appear on the screen if they win. The story.

—"Everyone’s tired and over it." The fall film festival circuit, which traditionally marks the sprint toward all things gold and shiny, is in full swing with Venice and Telluride happening now and Toronto due to start in a few days, running Sept. 8-18. THR's nicest man Chris Gardner writes that the calendar chaos is said to be challenging for stylists, publicists and glam squads as people are jockeying for top artists. The story.

—Nearly ten minutes! Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All (the review of which is below) premiered at Venice Film Festival on Friday, and received a rapturous reception. The crowd came to their feet the moment the credits rolled and stayed up for nearly 10 minutes. The crowd began cheering “Guada! Guada! Guada!” in celebration of the Italian director. The story.

Film Review: 'Bones and All'

►"Surprising balm to ameliorate the bite." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Luca Guadagnino’s Venice competition entry Bones and All. Taylor Russell, Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance, Michael Stuhlbarg, André Holland and Chloë Sevigny star in this road movie about young cannibal outsiders finding a home in each other. The review.

—"Nerve-rattling, intense and explosive." David reviews Romain Gavras' Venice competition entry Athena. The Paris-set Netflix thriller chronicles the conflict that rips apart three brothers when video circulates of their youngest sibling apparently being killed by cops. The review.

—"Ferrara and LaBeouf find God but lose their way." THR film critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Abel Ferrara's Padre Pio. Ferrara’s latest feature, premiering in Venice's Venice Days sidebar, stars the actor as an Italian friar who rose to prominence at a time when fascist powers began to take over the country. The review.

—"Minimalist, and minimally compelling." THR's Jon Frosch reviews Andrea Pallaoro's Venice competition entry Monica. Trace Lysette plays a trans woman who returns home to care for her dying mother (Patricia Clarkson). The review.

Film Review: 'Women Talking'

►"A finely crafted vision of rage and hope." THR critic Sheri Linden reviews Sarah Polley’s Women Talking. Rooney Mara, Claire Foy and Jessie Buckley lead an ace ensemble in the writer-director's feature centers on matters of justice, faith and awakening among women whose lives have been shaped and constricted by religious tradition. The review.

—"A sublime and gritty knockout." Sheri reviews Laura Poitras' Venice competition entry All the Beauty and the Bloodshed. This documentary from the Citizenfour director follows photographer Nan Goldin’s advocacy and delves into its roots. The review.

—"A love letter to geeky problem-solving." THR's Dan Fienberg reviews Ryan White's Good Night Oppy. With a major technical assist from ILM, this documentary premiering at Telluride goes from Pasadena to Mars following the life and work of rovers Spirit and Opportunity. The review.

—"More compassionate and complex than condemning." Dan reviews Steve James' A Compassionate Spy. The Hoop Dreams and America to Me director documents the life of Ted Hall, a Manhattan Project physicist who gave nuclear secrets to the Russians, in this Venice world premiere. The review.

In other news...

—Taylor Swift to keynote Toronto Film Fest

—Oldenburg Festival unveils lineup, opening night film

—Soho Home brings exclusive luxury furniture to newly-opened West Hollywood store

—Courtenay Valenti to leave Warner Bros. after three decades

—Cinespace names Andy Weltman Studio Babelsberg co-CEO

What else we're reading...

—Dave Itzkoff delivers another wonderful, this time it's Deadwood creator David Milch who talks about his memoir Life's Work [NYT]

—David Canfield talks to Jeremy Strong about that New Yorker profile, which the actor describes as a "a profound betrayal" [VF]

—Nicholas Quah and Kathryn VanArendonk try to figure out what Welcome to Wrexham actually is [Vulture]

—Catherine Shoard interviews Matt Smith and Ralph Fiennes about their new film The Forgiven and why it's necessary to portray horrible people [Guardian]

—Critic Mark Kermode eviscerates Michael Flatley's mythic film Blackbird in a review for the ages [YouTube]

Today...

...in 1969, Michael Caine’s heist film The Italian Job made its way stateside to theaters. Directed by Peter Collinson and written by Edge of Darkness scribe Troy Kennedy Martin, the film was a critical and commercial success and became a enduring favorite in the U.K. The film was remade in 2000 and has spawned an upcoming sequel series on Paramount+. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Noah Baumbach (53), Garrett Hedlund (38), Holt McCallany (59), Megan Amram (35), Jack Dylan Grazer (19), Kaia Gerber (21), Paz de la Huerta (38), Christine Woods (39), Nina Kiri (30), Nick Wechsler (44), Steve Schirripa (65), Valerie Perrine (79), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (69), Maria Bamford (52), Clare Kramer (48), Angus Sutherland (40), Daniel Myrick (59), Beth McCarthy-Miller (59), James Duff (67), Daniel Farrands (53), Spike Feresten (58)

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'Rings of Power' Getting Review Bombed and Racist Backlash; Streaming's Battle of the Bundles Era Begins; 'Bones and All,' 'Women Talking' Reviews